Chapter 9

" Good luck" he squeezed her hand." And be careful."

" I will." she smiled.

Harry quickly left the hospital wing at a half run back to the common room.

" Harry?" Ginny asked concerned, as she walked into the common room half an hour later. His eyes were red, Ginny guessed from crying.

" Hey Gin." he was trying to sound okay, " How are you holding up?"

" It gets a little more difficult everyday just to think of Ron. How have you been?"

" Oh, you know. I feel so helpless and all I do is worry for him. How do you hold up so well, Gin?" she massaged his shoulders.

" I know that everything is gonna be okay on the end, it'll all turn out like it's supposed to whether we like it or not." He grabbed one of her hands and squeezed.

" But he's a brother to me. This isn't supposed to happen to him."

" It's never supposed to happen to anyone we love." She soothed.

" So why does it? And why does it have to hurt so much?"

" It happens for some reason, but what that reason is, is most of the time unseen. And it's gonna hurt, it's gonna hurt a lot."

" But this feels worse than loosing my parents." he confessed.

" I can't tell you how to feel better. It's hard enough to watch my closest brother die.." she caught herself in the middle of a stifled cry," I can't imagine knowing that my Mum died while I was defenseless." He squeezed her hand a little harder. Speaking was not an option.

Hermione thought that Madam Pompfrey would never leave Ron alone, but she did leave Ron at last around two o'clock that morning, Hermione made her move.

She got close to Ron and for a minute just stared at him.

" Wherever you are, Ron. I'm coming to get you out." she thought.

She took the potion and things started swirling she grabbed Ron's hand and concentrated all of her will power on him.

' Ron.' she called.' Can you hear me?'

' 'Mione?' someone called. The spell had worked, she guessed.

'I'm here.' she answered.

' Where are you? It got to dark to see anymore.' he said.

' It's okay now Ron.' she called, ' I'm here. Where are you?'

' I- I don't know.' he said.

' You have to try and tell me so I can find you.' she said.

' I can't.'

' Why not?'

' That's what you always tell me. You can't.'

He was being cynical. At a time like this!

' But Ron I did!'

' No, you didn't.'

' What! Ron of course I can!'

' You're lying.'

' Ron stop..' but then it hit her that he wasn't talking about the spell or ingredients or any physical thing, he still wanted love and she had all that he ever needed.

' Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing to you.' she searched through the darkness.

' Ron, I need you too much to let you go right now, Ginny, Harry, your family and friends, they are all so worried about you.'

' And what about you?' he said, shallowly.

' Ron, I will always need you; I can't find your comfort from Harry or anybody, I need you to tell me it's alright to be afraid and to cry, I need you to protect me and guide me through this. I'm so scared right now of losing you, losing your love. Because I need your love and trust.'

' But I need those things too from you.'

' I know and I know that I haven't been giving them to you, but Ron I need you. Please, come back to me.' she cried.

" Come back to me." she cried, someone was patting her head as she cried.

" I'll never leave you 'Mione." Ron said weakly.

Hermione looked up.

" Ron." she sighed, and leaned up to kiss him.

" Thanks." he said.

" No I should thank you. You saved me." she said.

" So now we are even." he smiled. " Come 're." he said as she slid into his arms.

He kissed her forehead.

" God, I missed you, Hermione."

" I missed you too." she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

" I love you." he said.

" I've missed you so much." she said back.

He kissed her.

He didn't care who walked in or that she didn't love him back, all he needed to know was that she needed him like he needed her that they would always be there for each other.

Through the paleness of his skin she could tell that he was suffering, but she knew to well that he would never admit to it.

" Are you okay?" she asked, noticing that his hands were shaking.

" Damn medicine that they have me on." he joked.

She laughed half-heartedly, but knew that he didn't want her to worry. She held his hand and pressed it against her cheek.

' No more tears, and no more pain.' she thought.

His hand was like ice against her skin.

" Don't give up, Ron, I need you." she tried to fight back tears.

He smiled up at her. His smile seemed to be robbing him of energy, and suddenly Hermione wished he'd stop.

" Hermione," he started," I've been meaning to tell you this for along time. Hermione, I know that I am dying, faster every day, but one thing keeps me going and it is knowing that I will never, not even in a million lifetimes, find another love sweeter than yours or another more precious to my heart than you are. You are my life, my love, and my family. I thought that complete strangers could never be friends, none the less fall in love, but you're all I think about, at night when I close my eyes you are the last thing I see, and in the morning when I open them you are the first thing I am thinking of, I love loving you. You are all I ever needed, Hermione. All my life I prayed for someone like you and I thank God for giving me this lifetime to spend and share with you. I love you so much, and I know that in this life or the next that I always will."

" Ron." she said, blinking back tears.

He closed his eyes and brought his hand down with hers on his heart, and she leaned down closer to his chest.

" Ron, no..." she pleaded, " Don't give up on me not yet."

" Ron." she said, frantic after a few seconds of him not answering her.

He squeezed her hand as if trying to fight the urge to scream in pain. He halfway smiled and grimaced at the same time.

She lightly brushed her lips against his.

" You don't have to be strong by yourself anymore-- oh Ron, I love you." she whispered as tears streamed down his face.

" I- I know Hermione." he whispered breathing his last.

" No." she whimpered, " Ron..." she said as the grip on her hand loosened, and feeling his heart beat its last.

" Ron..." she whimpered again, shaking him gently.

She was shaking all over.

Her chin was wobbling, and the tears kept streaming down her face.

Finally she let out a loud dry sob, and buried her face in his chest gripping his Chudley Cannon's t-shirt he was wearing.

Somehow she finally found the courage, to stand and walk away from the love of her life.

She was only a quarter of the way to the common room when someone called her name.

Harry was coming up the stairs at the end on the corridor.

She just stared at him rooted to the spot.

" Harry," she cried, falling into his arms as he hugged her tightly," He's gone...Ron's dead." she cried out her story.

Harry sank a little when she told him about Ron's death.

His best friend was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He and Hermione walked arm-in-arm back to Gryffindor common room where the remaining Weasley's had gathered for their evening musings. Ginny looked up as Harry and Hermione entered the room tear stained. Mrs. Weasley let out several loud sobs as she read the signs in their faces.

" I'll send an owl to Fred, George, Percy, and Bill, shall I?" Charlie said leaving the room quickly.

Ginny walked over to Harry and cried a few tears left on his shoulder.

" It's not fair." she whispered.

" It rarely is any more." he replied.

an sorry this story really wasn't any good, but i had to finish it. i can't leave anything left undone. i will try to do better next time. : )