Disclaimer: As always I own nothing of what you are going to read.

A/N: I'm really sorry, I know that it is a long time not updating, but I was full of problems with my pc. Uff, I'm starting to hate it! Anyway I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter.

To flyingthoroughbred: Thank you so much for beta-reading my chapter.

Goodbyes

'Pop'

Hermione opened her eyes very slowly and held her breath.

She had heard something, she was sure.

She was in her parents' living room, on the sofa, and it was dark, very dark. It must have been late at night. She must have fallen asleep.

Now someone was walking upstairs. She stood up from the sofa and, without any noise, reached the kitchen.

She took a sharp knife from the sideboard and walked on tiptoe till the stairs.

She could still hear the steps upstairs.

When she put her foot on the first step, it creaked.

The steps upstairs stopped and she heard another 'pop'.

Now she was sure it was someone magic.

She heard a third 'plop', this time very near to her; in less then a second she turned with the knife that she held in her right hand near her ear, ready to fling it against the unwanted guest.

She could see only loads of red; red hair and a red face covered with red freckles before someone seized her hand right before she could cut anything, or better, anybody.

She found herself face to face with the last person she wanted to see, and the one that she never wanted to leave.

"Ron," she murmured without taking away her eyes from him.

Ron stared at her.

She was so thin and her face was so pale, or maybe it was only the moonlight that gave her that color, but she didn't look herself.

Hermione freed herself from his hand and snapped Ron from his thoughts.

She moved towards a lamp and lit it.

Her face was almost paler and she seemed thinner than what she appeared in the moonlight.

"What are you doing here?" she asked rudely.

"Don't you want to see me?" he asked her.

"No," she answered sharply "And above all, I don't like people that come into my house like thieves."

"Well, would you have opened the door if I'd have knocked like a normal person?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously.

Ron raised his eyebrows.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" she asked again.

"Just to talk," he answered, resisting the strong desire to hug her and never let her go.

"We are talking," she said, crossing her arms.

"Can't we sit down?" asked Ron, moving towards the sofa without waiting for her answer and sitting down.

He smiled and patted the settee near him.

Hermione snorted and sat on the armchair near the sofa, but far from him.

"What do you want to talk about? We have nothing to-"

"I'm leaving," he interrupted her.

Hermione looked at him, "What do you mean with 'I'm leaving'?"

"I mean that I'm leaving."

"Why? When? Where are you going?" she asked, now visibly nervous.

"Remember that I'm an Auror, I have a mission," he said seriously, but visibly happy that Hermione seemed to care for him.

"But you are not working for the Ministry anymore, you are at Hogwarts now. You are a teacher – you have to take care of Lilian," she added quickly.

"I know. I've been a father for – how much? – almost a month I think, I know what I have to do," he answered sharply.

Hermione seemed taken aback, Ron had never spoken to her like that; she didn't answer.

"I'm sorry," he said after a pause.

"No, I am sorry," she said with her voice broken and trying to fight the tears.

There was really nothing at all to cry for, and maybe she was too weak to keeping fighting with her past.

"I won't stay away for too long," he said, reassuring her.

"Where are you going?"

"It's a secret," he said slowly.

"I cannot know it?" she asked bitterly.

Ron shook his head.

"And what do you have to do, if you can tell me," she asked sharply.

"Well, I can't tell that, neither."

"Are you trying to take revenge on me?"

Ron opened his eyes wide, "Should I?"

"Well, I think you should be mad at me because I came back to you just for leaving your daughter to you and dying, and-"

"Hermione," he interrupted her, "You should stop thinking that I spend my life being mad at you."

"But-"

"You know that I love you and I could never be mad at you."

"Stop it," screamed Hermione bringing her hands to her head, "You don't make me feel better. You make me feel evil; you cannot be so nice. Harry. Harry was the nice one, not you. You were the one that wanted Chocolate Frogs and Cannon Chudley stuff. "

"I've changed," said Ron softly, moving towards her but without touching her shaking body.

They spent loads of time in silence.

After what seemed ages, Hermione spoke.

"If you are really changed, please tell me: where are you going," she asked in a sweet tone of voice.

Ron sighed, "Hermione I can't understand if you care for me or if you are worried that I won't come home to take care of Lilian."

"I do care for Lilian and for you," She said a little too quickly.

"Hermione, I-"

"Please Ron, tell me: where are you going."

"Why do you want to know? It won't change anything."

"I don't know. I just think that it will make me feel better."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Dumbledore told me to tell nobody about the mission."

"And I'm nobody to you?" she asked with her eyes flashing dangerously.

"N-no, of course not," he answered trying to smile at her.

This conversation was getting more and more difficult for Ron; Hermione kept changing moods.

"So, do tell me," she said.

"If I'll tell you, will you feel better?"

Hermione nodded and smiled slightly.

"Ok, we have to find a person and take him to Hogwarts. That's all."

"What? Who is this person?"

"Dumbledore's spy."

"And he's spying on what?"

"You-Know-Who and his fellow Death Eaters."

"Oh, I understand," she said "So you have to find Snape and take him to Hogwarts, right?"

"No," he answered almost amused "Snape is no longer Dumbledore's spy. He said he is too old to be doing spy work anymore."

"Hmmm, so?"

"So what?" asked Ron quizzically.

"Who is the spy?"

"We don't know."

"Are you kidding me?" she asked skeptically.

"No!" he protested.

"Why didn't Dumbledore tell you?"

"I don't know; he didn't want to let us know who he is."

"Or who she is," she added.

"What?"

"I mean, she can be a woman."

"You are right," said Ron.

"But I don't think he's a she."

Ron looked at her exasperatingly, "Why?"

"Because, I think I already know who he is," she answered nonchalantly.

Ron opened his eyes wide and asked, looking at her, "What? Why? When? How? -"

Hermione smiled softly; now she was the amused one.

"Oh, come on, it's not difficult to understand who he is," she said in her Know-It-All way, "And if he is who I think he is, this will explain why Dumbledore doesn't want to tell you who he is. Do you understand?"

Ron nodded, but he looked unconvinced.

"So?" she asked.

"So what?" he asked nervously.

"Have you understood who is the spy?"

"Hem, of course," he answered, trying not to look at her.

"Well?"

"Neville?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione looked at him with a pitying look, "Ron, if Dumbledore doesn't want to tell you who he is, he should be someone that maybe you and Harry don't want to save," she said eloquently, maybe not enough eloquently for Ron.

"Really?" he said puzzled.

Hermione snorted.

"Oh, well, you will know him when you see him," she said at last.

"Oh, come on, if you know him, you should tell me."

"If Dumbledore didn't tell, then I really mustn't! And I don't want to spoil the surprise to you and Harry," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Hermione," he muttered.

"You're welcome, Ron," she answered.

This reminded Ron terribly of their quarrels at Hogwarts. Their wonderful and 'sweet' quarrels.

"Ron you shouldn't go, though," said Hermione, snapping Ron out of his thoughts for the second time that night.

"Why?" he asked, puzzled once again.

Hermione stayed in silence.

"If you give me just one good reason, I promise I won't go," he said sweetly.

"If you get injured who will take care of Lilian?"

"If I get injured I'll go to St. Mungo's, and then I'll be like new," he said reassuringly.

"And if you die?" she asked quickly.

"Hermione, I won't die."

"How do you know?" she asked in a worried tone of voice.

"It's not the first time I've done these sorts of things, I'm an-"

"-Auror. I know that," she sighed.

"Hermione what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she asked in disbelief "What's wrong? You're life, it's - it's - perfect. And mine is completely a disaster," she said, crying.

Ron was speechless.

'Find something nice to say, Ron,' he heard his brain say.

"Hermione-"

"No, Ron, it's ok," she cut him off, wiping away the tears, "I know that now your life is no more perfect and because of me and-"

"Would you please cut it out?" he said angrily, "My life hasn't been perfect, and do you know why? Because there wasn't the person that I loved the most with me! So please don't come here and say what you don't know, you don't know what I've passed in these 11 years and-"

Ron stopped; he couldn't go on.

Something against his lips didn't let him speak anymore.

Hermione was on her knees; her hands were on Ron's shoulders and her lips against his.

Surely Ron was feeling what Harry had felt in his fifth year kissing Cho Chang, because also this kiss was, well, wet.

Ron felt several feelings passing trough his brain: happiness, love, sadness, love, and above all love.

For the first time, after years, he felt butterflies in his stomach.

Ron needed a moment to recover from the surprise, but after only thirty seconds his arms were around her shoulders too and he was pulling her towards him.

He made Hermione stand up from the floor and sit down on the sofa, and then he pushed her softly onto the couch.

Their kisses became more and more passionate.

Ron went down from her mouth to her neck and her ears.

Hermione had her eyes closed and she too had butterflies in her stomach in a way that she could have never felt with John.

Ron kissed Hermione on her neck and started to unbutton her shirt at once.

Hermione never stopped him. Never.

Two hours later, Ron covered Hermione, who was sleeping, with a plaid.

He looked at her and followed her chest's movements.

Her cheeks were deep purple.

He moved towards her and gave her a silent kiss on her forehead.

She sighed in her sleep and turned her head towards the other side of the couch.

Ron turned off the lights in the living room with a wave of his wand and with a little 'pop' he disapparated.

"Ron," Ginny called to him, "Ron, what are you doing?"

"What?" he asked absently.

Ginny appeared at his side in front of the big glass of the nursery.

"Did you go and meet Hermione?" she asked looking at him.

"I did," he answered, looking at the little Harry Creevey.

"So?" she said in a way that reminded him of Hermione.

"So what?"

"What did she say? How did she – oh!" she said as if she had understood something in that very moment.

Ron looked, "Oh – what?" he asked, fearing that she could have understood something.

"Oh," she said smiling "I understand."

"What?" he asked alarmed.

"Come on Ron, I don't think that you want me to say it," she said, smiling kindly.

Ron sighed. Why couldn't his sister be like him? Why did she have to be a – well – a girl?

"But, a part of this," she said looking at her son "How did she react?"

"She didn't want to let me go, but I can't let Harry do this alone, we are a team."

"Yeah of course," she said slowly, "But if she was afraid for your life, she has all the reasons of this world, if you die she-"

"Ok, Professor Trelawney," he interrupted her, "I understand. I don't need any other death omens for tonight. And now, if I can, I have to go, because it's almost time, I guess, do you know the time, Ginny?"

"It's midnight," she said, while a big father clock ticked to the 12.

"Oh, gosh, I have to go," he said, like waking up from a dream.

"Bye Ginny," he said, hugging her.

"Bye Ron, and don't forget Lilian," she said hugging him back.

"Lilian?" he asked puzzled.

Ginny let him go and sighed, "Yes, Lilian, your daughter," she said exasperated.

"I know her," he said angrily, "But I don't know why I should remember her."

"Because you're leaving. You have to tell her wh-"

"I can't, she is just a baby," he said resolutely.

"You were her same age when you, Harry, and Hermione defeated You-Know-Who for the first time and-"

"Ok, ok, I'll tell her goodbye. But I don't really think that I will be able to see her before the mission," he added smiling.

"I wouldn't be so sure," smiled back Ginny.

Ron muttered something about 'women' and 'sisters' and moved towards the nearest fireplace, took some Floo Powder and said clearly 'Hogwarts'.

A second later he disappeared between green flames.

"Professor Weasley, Ron."

When he arrived in his office, the first thing that he heard was an incessant knocking on the door and a voice that called him.

Ron moved from the fireplace to the door shaking away the soot.

When he opened the door the little figure of a girl almost fell inside the office.

"Lilian," said Ron surprised. "What are you doing here at midnight?" he asked severely.

"I wanted to see you; can I come in?" she whispered.

Ron nodded.

"How did you avoid Filch?" he asked while he sat behind his desk and she sat down in front of him.

"Professor Potter was watching the hallway and he also convinced Peeves to break the lamp in the 4th floor."

They heard a big crash and some screaming.

Ron looked towards the closed door. "How nice," he muttered.

"Professor Weasley?" asked shyly Lilian.

Ron looked at her.

"Is-is it true that you're leaving for a mission for Dumbledore?"

"Wow, luckily that Harry's always been quite dumb," he said, sighing.

"It wasn't professor Potter, but Alex and Mark," Lilian answered, "They told me about the mission."

Ron took mentally a note to give them double homework next time that they had Transfiguration.

"Professor Weasley, I wanted to wish you good luck," said Lilian with her little voice.

"Thank you, Lilian," said Ron taken aback.

Then she suddenly started to cry.

"Lilian?" asked Ron, sitting up and reaching towards her on the other side of the desk.

He stretched his arms to touch her, but without waiting she jumped down off the chair and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to lose you too, Dad," she said, crying.

Ron felt the same emotions that he felt two hours before with Hermione when she called him 'dad'.

Lilian let him go after a couple of minutes, and, wiping away the tears, she smiled at her father who was caressing her cheek.

"You should go to bed, now," he said to her in his sweetest voice.

Lilian smiled and nodded.

"Darling," called Ron to her, when she was almost outside, "Thank you."

She smiled to him and closed the door behind herself very softly.

Ron made sure that she arrived safely at her dormitory on the Marauder's Map, then he went to bed knowing that he could never fall asleep.