(A/N: I'm rendered speechless. All I can simply do is thank you all for the FANTASTIC response to chapter fifteen!!! Many of you commented on the cliffhanger, I'm terribly sorry but what can I say? Lol Again, Thank you all so much! I hope you all are enjoying it!! Hugs, Haystack)

SoloLobo: Hope the suspense didn't kill you! Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm sorry I didn't respond to you last chapter but I had a bit of a delay in when I could see reviews at the time I updated! So…thanks for reviewing last chapter too!

Bhekie: Thanks for reviewing!

Legofiance: Sorry if the update wasn't fast enough but hopefully it was. Here's the next chapter, you can decide on the fluff-o-meter how it ranks! Lol thanks for reviewing!

Ron'n'Hermione: Haha…your review made me laugh. A new reviewer yes? Well welcome and thanks for reviewing! I suppose you'll just have to read on to find out the fate of your beloved couple and as for the pimple curse, I'll keep that in mind thanks! Lol

RedRose013: Aw I'm flattered that it made you cry! That's simply wonderful if you don't mind me saying! Thanks for reviewing 14 as well as 15 too! It's so nice to meet a new reviewer! Hope to hear from you again!

Alicia-B: Very thankful that my last quick update redeemed me for my cliffhanger! Lol A mainly Ron/Hermione site? I'd love to have the address of it! Thanks for mentioning it and Thanks for reviewing as well too!

Zahra Haider: So glad you're enjoying the story! It's so nice to hear from new reviewers! Hopefully the suspense wasn't too bad! Thanks so much for reviewing and hopefully I'll hear from you again!!

Smiles28: haha I can see that you were reading every word over for clues weren't you? Lol very smart thing to do! Well I won't say anything else on it, I'll let you find out yourself! Yes, it wasn't my best I agree. It's all pretty random. Some days it just flows, others it takes a while. Once life calms down I'm sure it'll all flow better! I've actually been very lucky as an author. I've only had one person flame any of my stories and even so, it doesn't matter. I'm definitely not one to stop doing what I'm doing cause one person or a select few don't like it. I write for me, and I think that's terrible that other fanfiction authors simply give up if they don't get enough positive feedback! If you've got at least one reviewer, write for them! Anyways, thank you soooo much as always!!!!

AmyChris: Your review made me smile. Yours always have a tendency to do that! Lol thanks for that! I'm very glad you find my chapters inspiring! As for your 'ickle Ronnekins' my lips are sealed and I'm saying nothing. Read on my friend!

CrazyWomanLovesYou: Hope the update was fast enough! So glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for reviewing and hopefully I'll hear from you again!

ShimmeringEvil: Well I don't want to give too much away but I'll give pre-warnings that this fic should be more sad than my other ones, so interpret that as you will but that's my little hint. Lol sorry if that doesn't make sense but it's the best I can do at the moment. Thanks for reviewing!

cumbacksirius: lol I like people who look over each word carefully to search for meaning! Very smart of you to play detective that way, many authors will leave you will cliffhangers like that on purpose! I cant' say anything but you'll find out poor Ron's fate this chapter! Thanks for reviewing as always!

nattieb: I'm terribly sorry you didn't get any sleep last night as a result of me not updating fast enough, but this one took a while to write. Glad you're enjoying it so much! Thanks for reviewing!

dancerrdw: Sorry about the update, hopefully it was quick enough! Thanks so much for reviewing!!

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: FROM THE DUST UP

It was all happening in slow motion. Ron's muffled cries died as the roar of the building collapsed on top of him, each stone falling gracefully to the ground, the particles of dust rising into the air like little ballerinas dancing. It was a beautiful kind of horror, a kind Hermione had never witnessed before, a kind she wished she never had.

Hermione had been frozen to the spot with fear…she couldn't move.

His scream was the one Hermione would remember forever in her mind. She'd taken shelter underneath a table that was in the neighboring corridor, waiting until Ron would come for her. But when she felt the crash, and heard the scream, she knew he'd never come.

She ran back to where she had previously stood and stared at the ruble underneath her feet. She looked up and the night sky with its red moon looked down upon her, taunting her.

She wanted to run to Ron. To gather him in her arms and kiss his face over and over again, protect him the way he'd so desperately tried to protect her. But it was her dream…her horrible nightmare that she'd had that kept her rooted to the spot, her mouth agape, staring at the pile of rubble. It had come true! That fact that kept slapping her in the face over and over again kept ringing in her ears. This was her life. This was really happening. It wasn't some terrible daydream, or some haunting nightmare, this was now.

She kept staring at the pile….and it kept looking back at her, never moving.

And then suddenly, as though she were being awoken from a deep sleep, she realized what had happened. "RON!!" She screamed in a panicked voice, as she scrambled up the debris, choking on dust as she did so.

Just like in her dream she began to dig. Stone after stone, brick after brick. It was hard work; she could feel the sweat dripping on her hand. But wait…that wasn't sweat. Those were tears. Her tears.

Ignoring them and continuing her work she moaned in pain as she tried lifting an enormous stone. Eventually settling for kicking it off the pile, she began again, sifting through the dust for Ron, her hand getting cut viciously as she did so.

"Ron…Ron…" she cried out between tears as she lifted another particularly heavy stone off the ground. As she thrust her hand in the ruins again, she suddenly felt something. Something that definitely did not feel like stone!

Filled with inspiration, she frantically threw rock after rock away. She had to get to him!

More rocks, more stones, more bricks, filled the air as Hermione hurled each away, her strength escaping her with every item she moved. But finally she was able to uncover Ron's body.

He was covered in white dust from head to toe, and for the first time in her life, Hermione had to look hard to see his infamous red hair. It looked as though he were bleeding from everywhere but as she looked closer she saw that it was really just a bad head wound.

"Ron?" She asked tentatively, her heart hammering as she turned him over onto his back. "Ron!" She called him "Ron wake up! Ron please!" Hermione knelt over him, taking his face into her hands. "Wake up! Ron it's me!" Shaking his shoulders she yelled as tears rolled down her cheeks, "RONALD WEASLEY YOU WILL WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!"

No response.

Hermione shook her head, tears flying from her face as she did so. "No! You can't be dead! I won't let you! You promised me… Ron no please wake up! I can't loose you…" She whispered as she kissed his forehead. "I can't loose you" she repeated

Nothing.

"Ron…" was all she could say before she began to cry. Placing herself beside him, her head on his chest, she simply sat there, whispering his name over and over again, her strength and hope extinguishing with each time she said it.

He was dead…Ron was dead. If only she'd insisted on going with him, then maybe, just maybe she wouldn't be lying on top of his corpse. If only she never let go of his hand, if only…if only Voldemort had never existed then she and Ron could be sitting in front of the common room fire, his muscular arms around her the way she liked, she could rest her head on his shoulder and look up at him. He'd grin and wink at her, his freckles dancing in the firelight. And then she'd be overcome with love, lean up and kiss him. He'd kiss her back of course, and then Harry would come in, make a gagging sound, and they'd all laugh and return to their homework.

Tears were pouring from her eyes, her sobs racking her body. She'd never been in such internal pain. Not in all her life, never had her heart ached like this. It was surreal. It had to be some kind of dream. She refused to believe it. Her Ron, with his wicked sense of humor, his handsome body, his fierce loyalty and unmistakable anger, and his gentle way with her, he was gone.

He'd never know…she'd never gotten the chance to tell him. They'd never share a kiss together, they'd never whisper loving words to one another, every dream Hermione had ever had was suddenly shatter in an instant. She'd grow old, never finding someone like Ron again, with the guilt of her silence eating away at her every day.

When she felt him move, she snapped her eyes open. But she didn't move. Even as a familiar arm wrapped around her and brought her closer to him, she didn't move, didn't say a word. It was probably her mind, and even still, she wanted to remember the moment that she'd no longer be able to have with Ron dead. The hand traveled upwards, up her back and towards her head where it rested there, stroking her hair. The other hand found hers, intertwining their fingers, her warm fingers to his cold ones. He brought her hand up to his face, and kissed it gently; Hermione relishing in the feel of his soft lips on her hand. She was breathing heavily and could no longer assume this was some sort of dream. He felt too good to be just part of her imagination.

"R-Ron?" She breathed

"You came back to me" He said with disbelief, his voice thick and coarse. "Even when I said not to"

Hermione strained her neck to look at him. "I needed to be with you." She said softly

He looked away. "You shouldn't have come." He said, then turned back to meet her gaze. "But I'm glad you did"

Hermione's heart swelled. Touching Ron's face gingerly, tracing all his features with an awed silence, she leaned forward, her whole body on top of his, so that their noses were mere inches from touching. "You want to know why I left?"

Ron smiled faintly, "No. Tell me."

"I realized I didn't say something to you before you left."

"You said a lot of things to me before I left." Ron replied cheekily, earning him a look from Hermione.

"I know. But I forgot this."

Ron slipped back into his serious mode just as easily as he'd slipped into his joking manner. "I'm here now. Tell me." He breathed

Hermione took a deep breath, not believing she was doing this. She looked around her. To her right, a Witch gave a terrible shriek as a group of Death Eaters surrounded her, each sending different spells at her. They threw her to the ground with Crucio, her entire body shaking and twitching involuntarily, her screams enough to make Hermione want to vomit.

"'Mione?" Ron asked concerned

Hermione looked at him. Though there was destruction and despair over there, this…Ron was always right. And it was then that she knew. She loved him, loved him with everything in her soul, she always had, and now she knew…she always would. Aragog had been right…Love overcame everything. No matter that they were in the middle of a war, Love could blossom within it.

Ron was staring at her with deep concerned eyes, but Hermione only smiled at him and leant down to whisper in his ear, "I Love You"

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It was as though suddenly a Banshee had started singing, Ron couldn't comprehend the words, too much of a distraction was the beating of his heart.

"What?" He asked, his voice filled with hope that he'd heard right

Hermione laughed softly and leaned into his ear again, brushing her soft silky lips against his ear as she said the very thing Ron had waited (though he hadn't always known it) seven years to hear, "I Love You"

It was as some sort of fireworks had exploded in Ron's brain. He knew he was smiling that lopsided grin again, something he thought made him look like the Cheshire cat but he couldn't help it. Hermione Granger…the beautiful curly haired, brown-eyed girl who was currently straddling him, loved him. The know-it-all, the girl every guy wanted but would never dare go after, she wanted him. Him, not Harry the Hero, Seamus the lady's man, or even bloody Oliver Wood, the Quidditch Captain. She wanted him, Ron the sidekick, the King of hand-me-downs, the little brother, the clumsy, hot-tempered, redheaded Weasley.

Hermione was waiting there, biting her bottom lip, and smiling. She was nervous he knew; she always bit her bottom lip when she was nervous or thinking about something. She was waiting. Waiting for him to call her a Ninny for saying something like that, or…for him to say it back. Ron laughed despite himself. He would do no such thing! Ron always got around the rules and here he would do so again.

Instead, he placed his hand on her neck, guiding her towards him steadily. Her breath hitched and he grinned at the power he never knew he had. Hermione eventually ended up with her hands on his chest, when he simply pressed his lips to hers.

Ron had fantasized about this many times. He'd pictured soft gentle kisses, hot passionate ones, but never…not in all his imagination, had he imagined one so perfect as this.

It was neither soft nor passionate. It was something of its own, something so powerful Ron felt sure his heart was about to shatter with happiness. Her lips were soft, much softer than he'd ever realized, and he suddenly wondered how on earth he had lived seven years without this every day.

Hermione moaned in the back of her throat and Ron smiled into the kiss, pulling her to him, wanting to be as close to her as possible. She had her arms around his neck, twirling the hair at the nape of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. This was better than anything he'd ever dreamed of…it was simply…loving. For the first time, he finally understood Hermione Granger better than he ever had.

When they both pulled away for oxygen, Ron grinned to himself. That had been the right way to handle it; he saw that now. "I love you," He said to her in all seriousness.

Hermione smiled and then shyly stood on tiptoe to kiss him again, but Ron had other ideas.

Grabbing her to deepen the kiss, Hermione lost her hands in his thick locks, Ron's hands roaming her back, making her shiver with pleasure. There was no gentle hesitation this time. Though it was only their second kiss, to them, everything felt perfectly natural. It was their release. Releasing their fears, worries, and insecurities about the war, and their love and desires they'd hidden for so long. It was overwhelming; the amount of baggage they were able to unload in such a simple act as two people's lips touching each other.

Before either of them knew it, they were back on the ground, snogging each other senseless in a pile of debris. They rolled around, Ron on top of Hermione, Hermione on top of Ron. Eventually, Hermione came out on top, her legs straddling Ron's waist, her arms entangled with his, her lips pressed firmly to his own. She pulled away, for what Ron assumed was air, but when she began nibbling on the soft skin of his neck, he couldn't repress a moan. Hermione giggled and planted soft kisses up his neck and all over his face. Ron was in Heaven. He laughed and pulled her beside him, sucking on her collarbone that he'd admired so much in the hospital wing that day. Hermione had her hands mangaled in his hair, moaning out his name in soft whispers. But then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

Hermione pulled away and giggled as Ron made a move to capture her lips again. "No Ron. We can't. Not like this anyways."

"Well how do you want to do it then?" Ron asked curiously, open to any ideas she had

"Not in the dust where rocks can jab me in the back" She said simply looking around

"Okay so we'll do it on the grass" Ron said with a lopsided grin

"Ron! Have you already forgotten? We're in the middle of a war! I mean I know this area is secluded but honestly I'm surprised someone hasn't snuck up on us yet"

"Kissing you makes me forget everything" Ron said sincerely

Hermione smiled, and kissed him sweetly. "I'm glad I can do that now." She said shyly "It was getting to hard to contain myself when you'd make sweet comments like that."

"Hard to contain yourself eh?" Ron asked wiggling his eyebrows at Hermione suggestively.

She blushed. "You know what I mean."

"Don't think I do you might need to--"

"RON BEHIND YOU!" Hermione suddenly screamed, pointing.

Ron was faster than both of them, already fingering his wand underneath his robe as he was talking, whipping around, even injured the way he was, to yell "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The man snickered to his end, Hermione whimpering behind him, a delicate hand covering her mouth.

"Y-You killed him," She whispered with horror. Ron nodded solemnly. "W-We never used to kill people Ron."

"I know," He whispered back

Hermione took a deep breath. "How many have you killed?"

"Doesn't matter" Ron said quickly, brushing himself off and offering a hand to her.

"How many have you killed Ron?" Hermione repeated more sternly than she had before.

Ron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "C'mon 'Mione let's forget about it please. You can't act like this in war."

"Yes I can Ron. They may be our enemies but they deserve respect."

"Respect? RESPECT?! YOU EXCEPT ME TO SHOW RESPECT TO THE VERY CREATURES THAT WANT TO HURT YOU? THE SAME PEOPLE WHO USE GREAT GIRLS LIKE LAVENDER FOR A GOOD SHAG BEFORE THEY KILL THEM?! NO, I CAN'T DO THAT."

"Lavender?" Hermione asked urgently "What happened to her? Is she alright?"

"They were touching her" Ron mumbled, "She was crying. I killed them."

"How many?" Hermione asked horrified

"Three. Two Death Eaters. One Troll."

"Oh Ron…" Hermione said as she stood up

"Save it Hermione. I don't want to think about it now. Maybe later. But not now. People probably saw that guy come over here. Let's go"

"Where are we going?"

"The Battlefield."

"But Ron--"

"I'd love to sit here and snog you the rest of the night" Ron interrupted "But I wouldn't be able to live with myself later. You were right. This…Us isn't supposed to happen right now."

"But it is" Hermione whispered under her breath

"You're right." Ron said gently catching her gaze. "But we're just going to have to put that aside for now. There are bigger things happening here than you and me. I love you and you're staying with me, but we're really going to fight this time. After all, there's a time for love…and there's a time for war. It's wartime"

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