Ron's arms were like rubber bands, shaky and useless. He had carried Hermione from their concealed common room all the way to the hospital, all the time praying that she would be okay, that she would live. Ron did not pray much. He wished on many things. He had wished that it was he Hermione truly loved. He had also wished that he was become Quidditch Captain and Head Boy. But this time, Ron prayed, because he would never wish for her to stay alive; he would never hope, but he would pray.
Shane and Draco sat on either side of him too. Both were muttering what also seemed like prayers. Ron wondered how many prayers it would take before they had their Hermione back. To all of them, Harry included, she was what held things together. Harry and Ron fought many times over the years, and if not for her constant nagging, they might not have ever spoke to each other again. She glazed over their wrong doings to the teachers, who trusted her with and about anything and everything. In the summers, she wrote them at least once a week, if not more, just to make sure they were okay and having a happy holiday. Sure she did not have the best taste in gifts (planners that squawked out demands), but she always gave them with the best intentions at heart.
And so in return, what did they give her? Hell, that was what. They whined in retaliation to her nagging, copied her time-consuming homework, put her in the middle of their petty fights, and called her a brain, a bookworm. They placed her in awkward situations and ostracized her from their private conversations just because she was a girl. It only then occurred to Ron to ask himself, 'why in the bloody hell is she still friends with us tossers?'
Wherever Hermione was, it was warm. The sun was shining and the grass was greener than she had ever imagined it could possibly be. The breeze was light and carried the scent of flowers. She did not have any idea how she got there but the one thing she knew was that she wanted to stay… she wanted to stay there for a very long time…perhaps, she considered, forever.
