DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I Will Always Love You

The battle was over and the war was won. Hermione lay on the ground covered with dirt, blood and bruises. In agony and near death, she held her worst wound where she knew there was arterial bleeding. Tears pricked at her eyes as she wished and wished for Ron to show up.

Finally he did and straight away went over to her and knelt by her side.

"You look like shit," he said, forcing a choked laugh

Hermione couldn't help but laugh too, "I FEEL like shit too!" she replied, still in pain but genuinely smiling.

He gazed into her eyes and stroked her cheek. They were best friends and they cared greatly for one another.

"Are you hurt badly?" he asked, dreading the answer

She looked into his eyes, then away, then muttered a small "Yes," as she took her hand away from her abdomen. Blood spurted everywhere for a few seconds, to the beating of her heart until she covered it again. Her eyes began to fill with tears, and she could see that he was already crying.

"'Mione," he started, "'Mione, listen to me, I'm going to get help, ok?"

And he started to get up. It took all her of strength to grab his jacket sleeve and stop him.

"No… no Ronald, it's no use." She said weakly, "Please just stay with me," she swallowed, it was becoming harder to breathe "at least until—"

By now, he was holding her free hand in both of his and was crying. Although she had somehow managed not to cry, just then it started drizzling with rain.

"NO! Don't think like that! You're NOT going to die!" he reassured her.

Then she began to cry as well, looking up at him with pleading eyes and he understood.

"Hermione, I…I," he spluttered, "I love you, you can't leave me like this!"

His voice was breaking with the emotion of the situation. He didn't want to loose his best friend, the one he truly and dearly loved with all of his heart.

"'Mione, I love you too much. You can't leave me here, not now, I can't go on without you!"

Forcing down the lump in her throat, she somehow managed to look deep into his blue eyes, "And I will always love you, Ronald, no matter what."

And they shared their first and only kiss, but, she was already gone.

"No, 'Mione, no!" Ron cried, hugging her body close. "Please, you can't be…Hermione! No, no, NO!" He cried even harder.

"'Mione, I-II love you, no, don't go...don't leave me, oh, I love you so much...no, please no!

She was watching him from above, it was heart breaking to leave the only one that she had ever loved on Earth. To see the only person who had ever loved her hurt like this.

He was still down there, holding her corpse as if she were still alive. He kept muttering things that only she could here like, "Please come back," "I can't live without you," and the most heart breaking of all, "I will always love you."