Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters.

Chapter Nine

And then.

Ron continued to pour his soul into her barely alive body; wishing and hoping for the ultimate miracle. The miracle of being fully loved.

After she had consumed the last drop, he dropped the glass onto the floor and did not even notice as it shattered into a million pieces. His body shook with anticipation as he lowered her onto the bed again, and waited for any sign of movement. She remained motionless; her breathing was just as shallow and uneven as it had been before. There seemed to be no change what so ever. Ron sunk down into his chair in despair. His worst fear had been confirmed.

Ron rested his head on his hands and violently yanked at his red locks. He felt surges of anger and melancholy rush through his body, which gave him bursts of energy. He suddenly stood and began to pace the Hospital Wing. Ron was in shock and had no idea of what to do now that it seemed Hermione would die.

'It's over now. That's the only thing that could have saved her. I thought I could play the hero when all I did was fuck everything up. Perhaps there was someone elsesomeone else who she loved with all her heart.he could have saved her. He must have loved her. What do I do?'

Ron became even more enraged as he thought of Hermione's fictional lover. Everything was simply too much for him and now that he began to think that there was another man in her life feelings of stupidity, doubt, and even more sadness flooded through him.

The anger that gave him his energy made him antsy. Pacing was not enough. Ron grabbed the chair nearest his and smashed it onto the ground, and then kicked the splintered wood that remained. He made his way back to Hermione's bed with little ease and stood in front of her form. He lifted one of his long arms and began to pound on a piece of the mattress that Hermione's body did not occupy. He stared at her dormant form as if searching for some kind of answer.

"Why? WHY?!?"

Instead of his scream being one of rage, it held pure and utter misery and dejection. Why did this happen to her? Why was she being taken from him? Why couldn't she have loved him a little moreWas it someone else she had wanted all along?

Ron thumped onto his knees with such heaviness that it would have been quite painful if he had not been numb from grief. He still held her hand in his, and he laid his head on top of their entwined fingers. He knew even if Hermione's heart belonged to another, she would was still in possession of his.

"I love you. Nothing can change that" he whispered. His chest hurt as his body shook with dry sobs; he had no tears left.

Ron abruptly felt somebody stroking his hair. He froze at the feeling of a hand making slight contact with his scalp as whoever it was ran their fingers through his hair.

Slowly, he lifted his head and saw Hermione lying on her pillow, almost exactly as before, except her head was tilted to gaze at him, and her arm was stretched to touch his head. Her eyes were opened; a little glazed over, but open none the less!

Ron's frown turned into a smile before he hugged Hermione with all his might. He had no idea what to say; all he knew was that he had to hold her. As he held her he simply mouthed over and over again "Thank you."

"Ron?"

He straightened up and gazed at her tired face. "You'll live. It'll be okay now. Ohthank God. "

Her eyes seemed to say that she knew everything that had gone on. "I know I'll be fine. Oh, how could I ever thank you Ron?"

Confusion masked his happy features. "For what?"

"Well, you did save me after all!" Already the haughty tone was in her voice.

"How could you possibly know what was going on? Honestly, with the state you were in, I don't think you can be one to tell me what went on. For once."

She made a sound in her throat, which would have been a giggle if she had not been so weak.

"For a short time I came in and out of consciousness at times. I heard when they said I had the Mortalva Dectova. I've read about before, you see. I don't think there's a cure so the only reason I'm awake is because you performed that potion which can cure anything. I believe the Amorus Coctus? I forget the name."

Ron was even more amazed with he brilliance than he had been before.

"You've been awake for about five minutes, how could know about that? How do you even know I did it?" Ron raised one eyebrow with question.

"First because I read, Ron. And, wellit can only be done by someone you truly loveand wholoves you back. So, the only person it could have ever been was you." She blushed and darted her eyes away as she said that.

"Well, what if someone else truly loves you? There's probably plenty out there"

Hermione knew she should not have been shy then of all times, but she was nervous about really spelling it out. Again she focused her gaze on the wall in back of Ron.

"I doubt there's ''plenty'. Besidesyou're the one I love. More than anything; anyone."

Ron's smile could have brightened the room when she said that. "Good, because I love you."

Ron once again held her, and as he did realization dawned on him.

"Now I get it. 'The love you gave me, nothing else can save me'. You said that once when you were infected. You weren't just mumbling nonsense were you?"

Hermione smiled at him. "No. I tried to get the whole thing out to you. I wanted to tell you how I could be cured." She seemed bashful at the choice of words she used. "It wasn't that clearjust something to work with. At that point I couldn't exactly think of a large choice of words to work with."

Ron secretly loved Hermione's shyness. He laughed at the fact that, even when she was deathly ill, she was trying to help him research wise. "I just remembered it from when it was playing at your house. The day you first kissed me."

Hermione weakly grabbed his hand, and then nervously laughed when he mentioned that day. "Why did you remind me? I'm trying to forget that day."

Ron was taken aback at that. "Why would you want to forget that?" He was hurt.

'Why would she want to forget our first kiss?' he asked himself.

'Admitting all these small things shouldn't be so embarrassing' Hermione told herself, before answering.

"Well, after I kissed you, you just left. You didn't do anything. I felt so idiotic."

'He does not understand the feeling of rejection that day represents for me' Hermione thought.

Ron leaned towards her as if to kiss her, but paused mere inches from her lips.

"Don't think of it that way, love. If you hadn't done that, who knows if we would have ever told each other how we feel. Why, that day was wonderful. It was the beginning of everything."

Hermione then smiled and sighed in happiness. Yes, she was weak, and was not feeling her best, but everything was wonderful. She had Ron.

'He's still just as remarkable as he was that day. He's so handsome and caring. He has such a way with wordsHe's right. That day was marvelous. It led to Us.'

As Ron looked into her brown eyes, inches from his own, he felt whole. He knew he wasn't perfect, but he almost felt as if he was because she loved him.

Finally, Ron leaned closer to her, and as they shared the anticipated kiss, they both knew that there would be a lifetime worth of them to be shared. They were proven right over the years, because indeed, there was.

Authors Note: That is the end of S.O.S. I love RonJ I hope everyone enjoyed this story, and I hope you like my other ones that will come out. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!