A/N: I own none of these characters. The song this fic is based on is "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent. If possible, go out and find the song and listen to it, because the words alone DON'T do it justice! It's a great song...anyway...enjoy!
Hermione Weasley sat in the armchair in her living room, reading, as she always had, and always would. She hadn't changed much since leaving Hogwarts.
It had been ten years since Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with the rest of their classmates, left Hogwarts, their magical training completed, and set out for the world. They had so many fond memories of that last year in school. Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup and House cup that year, but everyone had become accustomed to that tradition. Hermione, of course, was named Head Girl, along with Harry, who was Head Boy. They balanced each other out perfectly: Hermione cracking down hard on delinquents, and Harry secretly encouraging them. They canceled each other out, and life went on as it always had.
525,600 minutes,
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes –
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets,
In midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes –
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
Hermione smiled as she recalled the sweetest moment of that year. A moment which she treasured in her heart and would never forget.
Their seventh year, Hogwarts had hosted a ball similar to the Yule Ball, but in the spring. The usual couples went with each other: Lavender and Dean, Parvati and Seamus, and other "couples of the moment". Harry asked Ginny, who shyly agreed, attempting to mask her delight, but failing.
Ron's invitation for Hermione had been a bit awkward. It consisted of a shy, mumbled, "D'youwannagototheballwithme?" all in one rushed breath. She made him repeat that sentence three times before she finally understood what he was asking. Of course, she agreed. Her schoolgirl crush she had since practically the first day she met him still hadn't faded.
The ball went far too quickly, in Hermione's opinion. Everything was perfect: the music, the lights, and the whole atmosphere in general. She sat for a while, chatting with friends she had known for what seemed to be her whole life, just reminiscing and remembering all the good times they had in the past seven years. She also danced; a few times with Harry, a few times with her good "boy friends", like Seamus and Dean, and even once or twice with Neville. But when she heard the first two notes of a song she loved, she turned to Ron. He smiled at her; she smiled at him, and the connection, both physical and mental, seemed to make the air around them crackle.
As the ball began to come to a close, a slow, sweet song, speaking of undying love, filled the Great Hall. Hermione leaned on Ron and closed her eyes, wanting to experience the moment with all her senses.
"Come with me," Ron whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "I need to tell you something important. Something I've been waiting to say for years."
"Okay," she whispered back, smiling, feeling excitement bubbling in her stomach. She, in her logical mind, knew what could be coming, but her heart yearned for it.
The two of them strolled out the doors and headed for the lake. It was a beautiful night. The air was warm, but a cool, refreshing breeze blew every few minutes. The flowers in the nearby greenhouse gave off a fragrance that seemed to be a mix of peaches and lilacs. No clouds filled the sky. Instead, millions upon millions of stars winked down at the world. The lake was calm. It reflected the shining light of the stars and the perfect crescent moon.
Hermione noted all of this as they walked. Neither of them spoke as they traveled to the lake. They both savored these precious moments.
Upon reaching the lake, Ron and Hermione stopped walking. For a few minutes, they simply stood, drinking in the beauty surrounding them.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" she said shyly. "No amount of magic performed by a wizard could create anything so beautiful, so breathtaking, so wonderful…" Her voice trailed off. She was at a loss for words.
He looked directly into her eyes. "So much like you?"
She laughed softly. "Well, if that's really what you think…" She looked down at her feet and shrugged.
"I know it." He sounded so secure, so sure of himself. It only made her smile more. She looked up into those intense blue eyes.
Ron took a deep breath. "Hermione, I've known you for seven years. We've spent seven years as friends, but not just plain old friends. Extremely good friends. After we graduate, I don't know what's going to happen to our friendship."
She looked confused. "Ron, we're always going to be friends. Nothing will change that."
"Well…some people believe that."
"What are you really trying to say, Ron?" She knew, deep within her heart, that he wasn't only discussing friendship.
Breathing deeply, Ron plunged on. "During these years, I've grown so close to both you and Harry, but in different ways. Harry-he's my best mate, and no one could ever replace him. But you…" He paused, thinking about what he would say next. "You're…just different, I guess. I've been confused in earlier years about what I really felt about us, but now I think-I mean, I know," correcting himself, "what I feel for you."
Hermione's eyes widened. Was this it? The defining moment of truth?
Ron closed his eyes and swallowed. It's now or never, he told himself. "I love you, Hermione." Good! He had gotten the first of it over with. "I love you more than words can say. I can't believe it's taken me seven whole years to figure it out, but now I know." His blue eyes stared fixatedly into her brown eyes. She noticed that tears were beginning to build up. "I've taken all this time for granted, and after a month, I'm going to be leaving you. I can't stand the thought of living without you, because you bail me out when I do stupid things, make me smile, make me think about life, and-you are just amazing." He wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
Tears began to run down Hermione's face. She laughed giddily. "Ron, why didn't you tell me? It's not like I would have laughed at you or anything. You honestly never figured out that I had a crush on you all these years?"
He smiled wanly. "Well, I could have guessed, but I was never sure enough to just go up to you and confess."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Ron, I could never, not even if I tried, forget you. This night has been so crazy. How could I just act like it had never happened?"
He sighed, relieved, then asked tentatively, "So…how do you feel about me? Did I freak you out too much with my little confession?"
Hermione said, matter-of-factly, "Ron, I could give some flowery speech ten times more cheesy than the one you just delivered." His face fell slightly. "I'm just kidding, hon. But since you are the one that did all the talking, I'm going to make it short and say that everything you just said goes double for me." With that, she pressed her lips against his.
It was sheer bliss. A perfect ending to a perfect night, she thought to herself. Little did she know that this was just the beginning.
"Hermione," Ron gasped, breaking away from her, "there's one more thing."
"What?" she asked anxiously. She wanted more liplock action.
"There's something I want to ask you. Something that seemed crazy to me at first, but makes perfect sense now."
"What?" she said, a bit softer. "What's up?"
"Well," he said, a bit unsure of himself, "you know how I feel, and I know how you feel. So, umm…" His words now seemed a little less rehearsed. "Please don't think I'm crazy," he said apologetically.
"Never," she whispered softly, taking his hand.
He fumbled in his pocket and withdrew a small, dark blue, velvet box.
The perfect size for a ring.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Hermione was going to keel over, right there. She just knew it.
This was one of the moments she had dreamed about all her life, since she was a little girl (along with getting into Oxford-well, that was before she knew about Hogwarts). Was she really ready for what she thought was coming?
Ron got down on one knee.
She hoped she was.
He opened the box. Inside was a delicate gold ring with a small diamond set in the middle. It was simple, yet utterly beautiful.
"Hermione, I've spent the last seven years with you as your friend. I don't want to let you go just yet. May I have the honor of spending the rest of my life with you as your husband?"
She put her hands to her face. Tears were streaming down continuously now. She had never felt so special, so loved, so fabulous in her entire life. Nothing could go wrong. She got down on her knees next to Ron, not caring about the dirt mucking up her lavender dress robes. She took him by the hand and choked, like she had so many times before, "Don't be such a prat, Ron." She swallowed and added (since he looked rather confused), "Of course I'll marry you."
She sealed her promise with a kiss much longer than the one before.
Measure in love.
Seasons of love.
They had planned to wait three years to get married. Twenty seemed to be a suitable age. By then, they would have steady jobs and be more likely to support themselves easily.
Of course, they couldn't wait that long. Even Hermione's patience wore thin after six months.
They were married April 17th, about a year after Ron's proposal. It was a small, but still beautiful, ceremony. Hermione had insisted on the wedding taking place in her old Muggle church. Ron thought this was old fashioned, but he went with it. They were starting their life as one. It wouldn't have mattered to him if they married in a public bathroom.
525,600 minutes!
525,000 journeys to plan.
The first year had been so hard for Ron and Hermione. Hermione quickly found a job at Gringotts, but it didn't pay much. Ron was still searching for a job. He desperately wanted to work as an Auror, but he realized it didn't bring in much money, and, on top of that, was quite dangerous.
"I have to support you," he said once to Hermione. "It shouldn't be like this. I don't want to be sitting around home, with no job, while you go out and work."
"Oh, sweetheart, you'll find something soon enough. As long as you're doing something you love, the money will take care of itself," she replied calmly, smoothing that oh-so-red hair.
"I have to support you," he repeated, completely determined. "It's in the job description, remember?" he added lightly, winking at her.
Eventually he did find a job, though not as an Auror. Upon his dad's retirement, he took up the senior position at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. It still didn't pay enough to let them live like royalty, but it supported them, and they were fairly well off.
Hermione never mentioned the Auror job again. When she saw the look on Ron's face after he brought home his first paycheck, she was convinced that he was truly happy.
525,600 minutes
How can you measure the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.
"How's my little Jenna-benna-boo-boo?" Hermione cooed sweetly at her daughter, who had just woken up from an hour's nap. The baby giggled at her mother's silly words.
It had been three years since Ron and Hermione first married. Their life was much more stable now. After countless hours of overtime, Ron was given a huge promotion at work. He now held a position as Secretary to the Advisor of the Minister of Magic. In short, he helped the Minister's advisor wherever there was need. Everyone was so amazed and surprised at how quickly he had scaled the corporate ladder. Hermione wasn't, though. She had seen the look on his face. She knew he was destined for greater things.
The night he found out about his promotion, he had taken Hermione out for a fancy dinner. That was truly a night of…um…celebration, and baby Jenna Weasley was the result! She was a beautiful, red-haired, six-month-old; the spitting image of her grandma (who, of course, doted on her every chance she got).
Hermione had changed since her daughter's birth. True, she was still gorgeous; but she had put on a little weight from her pregnancy, making her pleasantly plump. Her eyes were a bit shadowed from losing a few nights' sleep. Nonetheless, she was still beautiful.
All of a sudden, Ron Apparated beside the two of them, looking extremely worried and upset.
"What's wrong, honey? Bad day at work?" Hermione asked, retrieving a lost pacifier.
Ron fought back tears and choked, "It's Ginny. She's at St. Mungo's. Can you take Jenna to your mom's and come?"
"Sure, I'll be there as soon as possible; go ahead without me," replied Hermione, fear building inside her, making her heart pump. Ron left just as quickly as he had come.
Hermione drove the short distance to her parents', dropped off the baby, and Apparated to St. Mungo's. As she walked quickly through the corridors of the wizarding hospital, she wondered what had happened. She knew Ginny had been having complications during her pregnancy, but Harry had made sure that she got the best medical care money could buy, and everything seemed alright last time she had a doctor's appointment. What had gone wrong?
She raced to the maternity ward and found a waiting room full of Weasleys, plus Harry, all looking extremely grief-stricken. She hurried over to Ron. "What's going on? What happened? How is she?"
In a thick voice, he replied, "She went into premature labor. Harry got her here as soon as he could, but she was bleeding so much. The baby is okay-very premature, but expected to live, but she…she…" Ron couldn't finish.
Hermione's eyes overflowed. "I can't believe it," she choked, wrapping him in a hug. "She's gone." She sobbed into his shirt. He also cried inconsolably.
"She's really gone," were his last comprehensible words for the rest of the long night.
It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends
Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.
"Mommy, we're back!" sang six-year-old Jenna, jumping onto her mother's lap.
"Oh, honey, you're getting so big; you're going to squish Mommy," laughed Hermione. She put her book aside and wrapped her arms around the little girl, kissing her head lovingly.
"Guess where Dad took us?" Jenna piped excitedly.
"Ummmm…" Hermione pondered the question. "The moon?"
"Naooooh, silly!" Jenna screamed with laughter. "The zoo! And I saw flamingoes, and a big, scary grizzly bear, and dolphins, and jellyfish, and rhinos, and a polar bear, and-"
"Hey there, Little Chatterbox," laughed Ron happily, walking into the living room with two year old Andy sitting on his shoulders. "You forgot about the alligators."
"Aagaiter!" squealed Andy, waving his plastic toy alligator in the air. Its green eyes glowed and its teeth glistened.
"Ronald Weasley," Hermione scolded, although while grinning, "I cannot believe you spent good money, which could have been used to feed our children, on a plastic reptile."
"Oh, but it's so wicked cool," said Ron. "It even roars when it smells meat. Like…little girls!" he growled, reaching over and tickling Jenna, who squealed with mirth. "Besides, Andy went without a single accident today, and that deserves a reward, in my opinion."
"Oh, I'm so proud of my big boy!" cooed Hermione, smiling at her son. He gazed up at her. Maybe she was biased, but she couldn't believe how cute her son was. His brown hair curled softly, and his blue eyes (so much like his father's) gazed wonderingly at everything around him. Yes, it was sure that Andy Weasley would be a heartbreaker in about 13 years.
"Hey, there, you're forgetting another little girl for Mr. Alligator," said a dark-haired, green-eyed man at the door. It was Harry. He had brought Courtney, his daughter, over with him for a visit.
"Corky!" yelled Jenna, using her nickname for her best friend. "Guess what? We went to the zoo today! And I saw a bunch of aminals!"
"Wow!" cried Courtney, her own green eyes widening. "Da-aad," she whined, "when can we go to the zoo?"
"Maybe in a couple days, sweetheart," Harry said in a fatherly manner. "Why don't you go play with Jenna; I'm going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about some boring grown-up stuff, okay?" It was strange to Hermione that he called Ron and Hermione "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley".
"Alright, Daddy, bye!" She skipped off with Jenna. Hermione noticed how red Courtney's hair had gotten, just like her mother's was. But her eyes were definitely her father's. Now, instead of passerby saying, "He's got his mother's eyes," they said, "Oh, she's got her grandmother's eyes." It was a bit ironic.
Harry sank into another armchair in the living room. Ron settled himself on the couch.
"Can I get you anything, Harry? Tea?" asked Hermione politely.
"No, thanks, I'm fine; thanks for asking, though. When did you become the queen of hospitality and tea-making?"
"Oh, I don't know…"sighed Hermione, watching Andy drive his toy truck on the rug, flattening his alligator. " Probably when we stopped going out so often and I was so busy with the kids."
"Yeah, I completely hear you," Harry said. Hermione looked at her old friend closely. He seemed to have aged so much over the past six years. The stress of raising Courtney on his own had taken its toll. He had quit his Auror job, and now worked in the Magical Criminal Investigation lab, which operated very similarly to the Muggle CSI lab. No one could say he had made a bad decision, though; he had a steady job, and he had raised his daughter right.
"So what brings you here, mate?" Ron asked kindly. "We haven't seen you for a while, although Courtney's practically living here."
"Yeah, it's been a bit busier at work, you know how that goes…" replied Harry. He still looked troubled.
"What's really on your mind, Harry?" asked Hermione gently.
"Oh…I was just thinking about… about Ginny, which made me think of you two, so I thought I'd see how you were doing."
A silence filled the room.
"You really miss her," Hermione quietly said.
Harry looked up. "Yeah," he said thickly. "Yeah, I do."
"You know," began Hermione, trying to lighten the mood and cheer Harry up a bit, "I was just thinking about the past…oh, ten years or so. Reminiscing, you know?"
"Yeah," said Ron brightly. "Remember that time in seventh year when we Transfigured Snape's cauldron into a cat?"
"Yes, dear," Hermione said, trying to steer him away from the stupid-mistake memories. That one had been detention for two weeks. "Like the last ball we had-do you remember?"
"Oh, yeah, I do," said Harry with a grin. "The one where you walked out and came back with a diamond ring on your finger. The look on your face was priceless. If only I had a camera…"
"Yeah…remember when…" While Ron and Harry continued chatting, Hermione got up to check on the girls. She found them in Jenna's bedroom, sitting on the floor.
"…and Dad's been showing me how to fly on a broomstick." Courtney said, obviously very excited.
"Wow…is it scary?" Jenna whispered, awestruck.
"Not really," Courtney said lightly. "When I go to school, I'm gonna be a Seeker, just like Mum and Dad were, and I'll get the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor."
"Wow! And then we'll have a huge party…"
The girls continued their discussion of their future. Hermione smiled to herself. Anyone could have guessed Courtney was the daughter of Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter; she had inherited not only her mother's flaming hair and her father's gorgeous eyes, but also her mother's spunk and her father's sense of adventure. Although Ginny's body had passed on, her spirit lived on in her daughter.
Their two families had seen good times, like the warm, inviting summer days, and bad times, like the stormy winter nights. Life could only continue to get better from this point on. Spring, Hermione thought to herself, is just around the corner.
Remember the love!
Measure in love.
Seasons of love!
A/N: Okay, now please please review!!! Oh, on another note...who thinks the movie was AMAZING!!! I think it's the best one so far. And, if you haven't seen the movie yet...get off the computer and go to the theatre NOW NOW NOW!!! It's that good, trust me. Okay, toodles, all...