Alone in the dark

The gentle snores of Neville were the only sounds in the sixth year dorm but Ron was still unable to get to sleep. The events of that evening kept flashing through his mind. Meeting the member of his new Order, learning the rank structure and meeting his new partner.

My new partner, it still sounds odd.

I don't even know her name and until I come up with a nickname I won't have anything to call her. That was an Order tradition, keeping the members real names secret so it's harder for a traitor to identify the members to outsiders. It was also tradition for partners to chose nicknames for each other during their initial training. His Order was very organized with every member knowing their rank and place in it at all times. It might seem a bit restrictive to some but to Ron it all made perfect sense. All Order members worked in teams of two. The lowest rank team was the man-at-arms which indicated a team of two members who were competent wizards but not particularly powerful or creative. The next rank was that of squire, squires were two person teams composed of younger members who have shown promise of one sort or the other. Each squire answered to a knight. Knights are the two man teams who represent the finest and most courageous fighters. Then there were the support people, the Alchemists were master potion makers who both made potions for the Order and taught their apprentices. The Hospitalers were highly skilled Healers who both ministered to the Order and taught their skills to others. The last type of support staff the Order had was the Magisters, these incredibly well trained and focused wizards worked on creating new spells. They also created enchanted items, did a great deal of magical research and delved into all sorts of mysteries.

Hermione would be the best Magister ever.

Then Ron's thoughts switched to Hermione and he smiled. He had been tired after his first Order training and was moving slowly when he got back to the common room. When he came through the portrait door he noticed the room was almost empty with a couple of seventh years sitting in a corner and Hermione in her normal spot on a couch by the fire. He had leaned over and softly kissed her on the base of the neck. Normally she would have reached up over her head and wrapped her arms around his neck but this time she had turned her head and gently bitten his earlobe. He had pulled her up into a kiss that lasted several minutes. When he finally drew back she had the most delightful smile on her face. Most people made the mistake of thinking that just because she was very interested in reading and spent a lot of time on her studies that she was somehow less feminine than other girls. He got a warm feeling knowing he was the only one who knew just how feminine she could be.

He loved her eye, they way they flashed when she was angry. The way they narrowed when she was focused on her studies. But most of all he loved the way they seemed to get larger when she was about to kiss him lately she had gotten into the habit of kissing his scars when they were alone. After they had been snogging for a while and needed to clam down a bit she would softly kiss the all the scars on his arms and then take a long time kissing the one on his face. She probably thought it would help him be less shy about the scars and that it also helped him regain control when his emotions ran a bit hot. He had stopped being shy about his scars a good bit ago but he so enjoyed her kiss that he didn't tell her. He also thought with a grin that it didn't do anything to calm him down. In fact her lips on his arm made his heart start beating like mad and it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest and run a couple of laps around the castle. Sort of like last night when she had kissed him good night. His hands had gone to rest at her side just about her hips. Her shirt had ridden up a bit and his hands had touched skin instead of shirt.

Great Merlin I almost fainted, I am so sad.

Ron tossed a bit more and then settled down again. If I ever really touch her I'm going to have a heart attack.

Ok you pig you need to stop thinking about touching her like that.

His mind started to wander and he saw images of her walking down the castle halls. Then she was laughing at something in the Great Hall during dinner. Next she was reaching over to pat his hand in Potions because he had messed up again. The scene shifted again and she was screaming at him in the common room right after the Yule ball. Then she was consoling him after his first Quidditch match. Now he was watching her leave with her parents after last year, afraid they would let her come back.

It's always been her hasn't it?

His thoughts took yet another turn, this time into the future. He pictured his first flat and to his surprise it wasn't like he had pictured it before. He had always pictured he and Harry sharing a flat and having lots of parties. This time though his flat looked a lot like the Burrow with comfortable furniture and a pleasant feel to it. It was easy to see that Hermione lived here and that idea made him happy to no end.

What about Harry? Well Harry will just have to live there as well.

He sat up admitting to himself that he wasn't going to sleep. There was no way they were just going to leave Harry alone. He was certain that Hermione would feel the same way. They would just have to get two bedrooms. It might be odd for a while but I bet it won't take long to get used to. Ron peaked through the curtains and took a look at Harry's bed. It seemed that Harry was sleeping well tonight and that was different.

Good for him, maybe he can catch a break or two.

Ginny had been good for him and in return he had been good for Ginny. It made sense, both of them had way too much first hand contact with Voldemort and it was something that really only the two of them could talk about. Harry smiled more with Ginny than with anyone else.

That must be what I look like with Hermione.

A wave of Sadness rolled through Ron and he thought for a moment he might start to cry. Things were changing, he would always be there for Harry and he would always be his best mate but it wouldn't be the same. His love for Hermione was the best thing in the world and he would fight against all odds to protect it but it comes with a cost. Things would never quite be the same between he and Harry, Now they shared their deepest secrets and fears with others.

Ron shook himself.

Now you're just being stupid. It may not be the same but you'll still be best mates for life.

However long that is.

Soon unwanted images flashed through his mind. Luna taking the killing curse as she stood over a bleeding Neville trying to protect him. Voldemort disarming Harry and screaming "Crucio" over and over again. Ginny and Hermione trying to pull a battered Tonks to her feet. Lupin being torn apart by a dozen curses all at once. Dumbledore and McGonagall making a last stand before the Death Eaters got to the young students. His eyes wated as he saw Moody holding a door way so other could escape, the old warrior fighting to the very end. Fred and George lying face down over a pile of ruble, one on top of the other, united even in death. Death Eaters razing the Burrow, Charlie refusing to run, trapped inside the house as it collapsed. Bill carrying Fleur's body, tears streaming down his soot covered face. The image shifted and he was knelling beside Hermione's broken body as she gasped her last breath in the midst of untold carnage.

The images flew past, ever hidden fear manifesting in his imagination. Just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, that his heart was going to burst the images vanished.

Replaced by two clear brown eyes, his heart stopped pounding and he slowly calmed down. Soon after that his eye lid started to feel heavy and he started to drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor sixth year girls dorm Hermione Granger was sitting up in her bed. Her hands slowly stroked a beautiful garnet necklace and she whispered "just sleep, just sleep."