A/N: And we come to an end of After Midnight. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and ending. There will be a sequal to follow in about a month called Into the Dawn. I have so enjoyed writing this story, and hope you have all enjoyed the journy as well. Thanks to all who have faithfully read and reviewed it means more to me than I can express. Thanks again and enjoy.
EDITED: I was unware of the error in the formatting. I hope this fixes the problem and makes it more readable for everyone. Don't forget to read Into The Dawn for the continuation of this story. 3 chapters currently up.
Chapter 14
Ron released her lips from the kiss and stared into Hermione's eyes, caressing her face with his hand wiping the tears that were sliding down her cheek away. He tucked her hair behind her ears and cupping her face in his hands once more he kissed her quickly. "I have missed you so much Hermione. I love you."
"Oh Ron, I love you too. I have seen you sitting here on this same step so many times in the past five years. When I came in today I thought I was just seeing things again, but then when I looked back you were still there. Ron, you are so thin, didn't they feed you?"
"You know I had forgotten how much you sound like my mother. Feeding wasn't top on their list of things to do to me."
"Was it awful Ron?"
Ron stared into her pleading eyes. He didn't want to talk about it, but he knew she needed to know, she deserved it. He didn't want to hurt her again. "It wasn't pleasant Hermione. I can't talk about it all. I was tortured daily, at least twice. I was fed very little, usually only once a day, twice a day if they were going to be particularly brutal to me. They told me they wanted me to keep my strength up for our "session" as they called it. When I was given food, it was thrown on the floor and I had to fight with the mice that shared my room with me."
Her eyes filled with tears gain, her sobs shaking her body.
"'Mione, please don't cry. I'm here; I'm here for good now. I won't be leaving you again anytime soon." He wrapped his arms around her. As she sobbed into his chest, he gently rubbed her back letting her get 5 years worth of tears out.
Suddenly, Hermione sat up out of his arms. "Have you been to the ministry yet?"
"What?"
"Have you been to the ministry yet?"
"Um, yeah I went there after I came here to see if you were home. I went and gave Kingsley the address to the place I was at. He said he might need me to go but I didn't want to 'til I saw you first."
"Come on Ron. Let's go."
"Um, where are we going?"
"Where do you think we are going? We are going to that house, and I am going to watch as each of those dreadful people are pulled out of that house. I want to look each of them in the eye and give them a piece of my mind." She stood abruptly and marched over to the door, turning to Ron she said, "Well, why aren't you moving?"
Ron stood and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulders, "I just don't think we should go. We should let the aurors take care of it now. I just...DAMN IT! I HAVE BEEN HOME FOR AN ENTIRE DAY AND THEY ARE ALREADY SENDING ME MESSAGES!" Ron bellowed as an owl swooped into the room and dropped a letter on his head. Picking it up he read, Ron we need you to come to the house you were held in, none of us can see it. Come quick. Bring Hermione if you must. Just come.
'What is it, Ron? What do they want?"
"Come on we're going to the house, I know I can't keep you here, so let's go."
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"Hermione, I knew you were scary but I didn't know you were that scary. Never thought you would have it in you to do that. "
"Ron, first you know exactly how "scary" I am. Second, you knew I had it in me. Third, I'm not scary."
It was amazing to both of them how quickly they had slipped back into their familiar life in just hours. It felt as if once Ron had come back life just picked up as if it had been frozen in time.
"You're right you're not scary you are bloody amazing." seeing the familiar scowl come on her face as he swore and complimented her in the same sentence he added, "and beautiful too."
"You know that won't work. Should we go see Harry and Ginny first or your mum and dad, Ron?"
"Mum and dad?" He asked putting emphasis on the word dad. "Hermione, Dad is dead. Lestrange told me. I know he killed dad and my brothers."
"And you were thick enough to believe him? Ron, let me tell you a little something about yourself that everyone knows, but you. You are a protector; everyone knows that is your weakness."
"What do you mean my weakness?" Ron said his voice showing he was taking offense by being called weak by his wife.
"Honestly Ronald. Let me put it this way. You, Ron, are my husband, my best friend, my lover but before all that you are my protector. You stand up for me; you defend me when I'm insulted. Now, Lestrange knows this about you. I'm guessing while you were fighting with Lestrange that day you had your strongest blocking spell up didn't you?" not waiting for an answer she continued, "And I'm betting you were also spurring him on. Because you were doing this he did the one thing he knew that would get you to drop your shield. Did he ever say they were dead? Did he ever flat out tell you they died?"
"No, he didn't. Well I don't recall that he did anyway. He was insulting you and then he moved on to them. Insulted my family. The last thing I remember is saying that my dad and brothers died proud men and I would too. Then I blacked out and woke up in that house."
"See? He knew your weakness. But that is beside the point. I'm going to owl Harry and Ginny and tell them to meet at your folk's house. Then we will floo over and surprise them. Be prepared to catch your mother."
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"MUM? MUM? Are you here?" Hermione's head called from the fireplace at the Burrow.
"Yes, yes dear I'm here. I was just doing a bit of cleaning. What is it dear?"
"I was wondering if it would be ok if I come over? A friend of mine is in town and I want you to meet him. Can we come in say two hours?"
"OH, that will be great. Yes come in two hours, please stay for supper too. Oh this is wonderful. And Hermione, I do believe it looks as if you have a bit of color to your cheeks and the life is back in your eyes. This must be someone really special to you. See you in a few hours."
"See you then mum."
Hermione rose up off her knees from in front of the fire in their sitting room and turned to see Ron smiling widely at her. "What exactly my dear are you smiling at?"
"Oh many things." he said sinking into what used to be his favorite chair.
"Is that so? Care to enlighten me?"
"Well there is that small fact that I am finally home with my beautiful wife, then you telling mum that it would be two hours before we came over, and of course" he said taking her into his arms as she sat in his lap having made her way over to him, "there was the vision of your cute little bum bent over that fire." He chuckled as she started to smack playfully at him, catching her hand in his and her lips with his. This kiss was deeper and more passionate than the ones they shared earlier, their lips moved against the others. Ron released her hands and moved his own to move her to straddle him in the chair, his hands resting on her hips as Hermione moved her hands to his hair and wove her fingers into it. As he ran his tongue over her lips they opened willingly for him.
Needing air they broke from their kiss panting heavily. He hugged her close to him and whispered in her ear. "Let's go upstairs. I would carry you but I don't think I'm strong enough yet."
She nodded and stood up, taking his hand in hers as she led him out of the room and up the stairs.
