Title: Bend and Break
Rating: Strong Teen
Summary: "If only I don't bend and break / I'll meet you on the other side / I'll meet you in the light..."
Fandom / Pairing: HP, R/Hr
Notes: Part Four of Seven (?).
Notes II: Oh God, this was hard to write. I'm not even kidding. This went through three drafts before I wrote the predecessor to the final. So much love to my beta for being up until one for this. I owe you so much. Seriously.


4.

He blinked blearily against the sunlight pouring in through the window. His eyes stung and felt sluggish, like they hadn't opened in days. Come to think of it, his whole body felt that way, burdened and listless.

He peered at the ceiling through his eyelashes, letting the light make strange, blurred patterns. He inhaled deeply and sighed a slow, hissing breath.

His opened his eyes fully and blinked once-twice-thrice more. White ceiling. Windows. That smell of iclean/i. He was in the hospital ward.

He really needed to stop ending up here.

He sighed deeply again and turned to the side, more to get some water than to see who was there.

It was her.

She tensed and he couldn't suppress his bitterness, injury or no. "I didn't think you'd come."

She clenched her fists in her skirt. "Ron--"

"Don't. Just...just don't." He looked straight up at the ceiling.

The clock echoed in the silent ward, each tick a heavy thud. So close they could touch--! He felt his heart ache to close the gap, to feel her warmth once more; it was cold here.

"We can't keep doing this."

He looked at her, expression unreadable, for a long, hard moment.

She pressed on. "We can't keep pretending like...like the last five years didn't happen. Like we're not who we are and what we were."

Gingerly, he propped himself on his hands and sat up, wincing a little. "I know. It's just..."

"This is so much easier."

"Yeah. It's so much easier to just...pretend we're not us. And there's always been an us."

"But it's so much harder at the same time. Ron, I--" iI need you/i. She bit her lip and looked away.

Then, he did something unexpected: he hugged her. She froze for a second, shocked, and then she hugged him back, gently. Quietly, she moved to the bed, sitting on the edge and facing him.

"Hermione, I..." His mouth was at her ear, and she broke out in goosebumps. "Are we okay?"

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "No," she replied quietly. "But we're getting there."

"It's better than nothing." He rested his chin on her head.

She laughed quietly. "Anything's better than the past few months."

The door to the Hospital wing opened quietly, and Harry walked in.

"Am I interrupting something?" He half-smiled.

Ron and Hermione looked over at him, then at each other. "We're healing," she replied, smiling softly at Harry.

"Well, this iis/i the hospital wing." He walked over to them and sat on the other side of Hermione, loosely wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You're sharp, mate." Ron smirked at him over her head.

"Shut it, you. Does the name 'Romilda Vane' mean nothing?"

"You wouldn't!"

"I would." It was his turn to smirk.

She chuckled quietly, and soon all three of them were laughing.

From around the corner, Madame Pompfrey smiled.


AN: Wow. I am so sorry this took forever to upload. However, in my defense, this chapter was really, really hard. I know that sounds whiny, but I want to thank all of y'all for not bitching about the wait in the reviews and being patient.

Real life has been a major pain in the butt right now, and I'm guessing it will continue to be as such for a good three more months. Honestly, I don't know what to tell you guys; I want to post and be the uber-author, but there's crap getting in the way and I feel just awful about it, too.

I mentioned a little "contest" for the reviewers? Well, the lucky winner is Aladailey! As promised, she gets one request fic from me for being the sharp reader that she (and many other of you) were.

Aside from another update, keep an eye out for my K/Hr story, most likely around Valentine's Day (or, when my beta gets back to me) in honor of the season.

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2006 bring you health, wealth, joy, and love. ♥