Well, I thought I'd be unbelievably nice and update again, I suppose I really should wait considering this is a short fic, but there's still three more chapters after this and I'm sure I had withdrawal syptoms when I couldn't update this past week, so I thought I'd treat myself! As you can see by the title this one is a bit more optimistic! Please please please tell me what you think, this whole fic is kind of different for me, writing wise,so feedback is very much appreciated. :D

Hope you like it.

Sarah XxXxX ;)

Chapter 4 – With happiness, so long overdue

I couldn't believe what I was seeing; I knew this day would come eventually, but for some reason I hadn't prepared myself for the reality of Harry coming face to face with Voldemort, and duelling with him to the death. I ran forwards towards them having just stunned one of the many Death Eaters who had tried to kill me that night. Somehow I had got lucky, it was as if I'd taken some Felix Felicis before the battle started. But now I was running, running towards Harry and Voldemort. I heard Ron screaming at me, telling me not to go near them. I heard heavy footsteps behind me and then I felt someone grab my arms and pull me back. I turned round and it was Ron, he was glaring at me and ignoring the blood pouring down the side of his face from a cut across his eyebrow.

'Not without me!' he shouted over the din around us, 'we promised each other, any stupid decisions we took, we took them together! You're not going over there alone! You promised! I promised!'

'I know we did-'

'Well come on then, Harry needs us!'

He grabbed my hand and we started running towards the two wizards who had managed to move a long way from us in the time Ron and I had been talking. We stopped dead, however, when Harry finally shot the killing curse at Voldemort, we were only feet from him when the green light illuminated everything around us. But something was different from what we were both expecting. The light was still connecting Harry's wand to Voldemort's chest, as if trying to break through a barrier the older wizard had put up. The effort was draining Harry and in a split second I locked eyes with Ron and we understood each other perfectly. We both stepped forward so we were level with Harry and shouted the curse neither of us thought we would ever have to use.

'Avada Kedavra!'

Green light shot out of the ends of both our wands and connected with Voldemort. Without thinking I grabbed onto Harry shoulder, something was pulling me towards him. I saw out of the corner of my eye Ron do the same on his other side. The same force that was pulling me to Harry was pulling my wand towards his, I couldn't take my hand off the wood but the tip of my wand was being forced towards Harry's. When we talked about it later, Ron told me his wand was doing exactly the same.

When the three tips touched a surge went through us all. I felt all the love I held for Harry and Ron course through me, and it gave me the strength I needed to carry on. A voice inside my head told me to say the curse again, on the count of three. I didn't know the voice but I knew to trust it. One – Two – Three.

'Avada Kedavra!'

Harry and Ron had shouted the curse at the same time. A pulse surged along the wide beam that connected our wands with Voldemort, and as it hit him the light left our wands and travelled at speed towards him. He crumpled to the ground and a split second later the three of us did the same. Ron and me still holding on to Harry as we had done for the last ten seconds.

I raised my head and looked at the fallen body of the most evil wizard I would likely ever lay eyes on. I turned to look at Harry whose eyes were where mine had been seconds earlier, and then I looked at Ron who turned his face towards me and wore the same expression I did; one of hope and of not having a clue what had just happened.

'Is he…is he dead?' Ron asked.

'I er…I think he might just be,' Harry replied.

'Maybe we should…maybe we should just check to be sure.' I said. Harry stood up and Ron and I followed, we had yet to release our grip on him. Slowly the three of us walked forward, stumbling slightly as we found our feet again and walked right up to the twisted from of our enemy. I looked at the snakelike face and saw an expression of fear etched upon it. This more than anything else told me he was dead, it was if he knew what was happening to him and he couldn't stop it. His worst fear was coming true; he was facing death with no way back.

'We did it!' I whispered.

'Bloody hell!' Ron said, and it was this that started me smiling. I knew there and then it was over. Everything we had done had been worthwhile; Lord Voldemort was dead.

I was soon brought back to reality, however, when a spell shot past my left ear. The three of us turned quickly to see two Death Eaters running towards us. They were too close for us to even raise our wands but it seemed we weren't what they were interested in. They ran past us and stopped when they saw the fallen form of their Lord on the floor. Harry raised his wand, very late it had to be said, but before he could say anything the two Death Eaters had turned on the spot and disapparated.

The next few minutes were the strangest of my life, I could see duels still going on between Aurors and Death Eaters, the three of us shot the occasional spell at the duelling Death Eaters and they fell to the ground. It was only minutes later that there were only Aurors still standing, the Death Eaters either unconscious on the floor or having disapparated when they realised their Lord was no longer alive. I can only imagine their dark mark either burned so badly they knew he was gone, or faded completely telling them the same thing.

Aurors surrounded Harry asking him question upon question before realising it was over. I turned to Ron and he was wearing the biggest smile I had seen him wear in a long time. I mirrored the smile and tears formed in my eyes, but for the first time in months they were tears of joy, tears of relief, and tears of elation. Ron threw his arms around me and picked me up. He spun me round so fast we nearly ended up in a heap on the floor. We wouldn't have minded if we had, at that moment we didn't care about anything.

When we apparated back to Grimmauld place the happiness that filled the house almost made it feel welcoming. I found myself crying the whole night through but I didn't care, I could cry like that for eternity if it meant I felt the happiness I did that night. Yes we had lost people, but in some way we felt their presence that night. Whether it was beside us as we fought in our duels or whether it was in the house as we celebrated with the ones we loved. We felt them there, smiling down on us and sharing in our happiness.

I pulled Ron aside as the laughter showed no signs of dying down.

'I'm sorry I nearly left you as I made my stupid decision. There was just something inside me that knew I had to get to Harry.'

'I know there was. I felt it too. If you're lucky I'll forgive you.'

'Oh you will, will you?' I replied, a cheeky grin spreading across my face.

'Well, only if you'll say you'll marry me.'

I stared at him, not knowing if he had meant to say what had just fallen out of his mouth.

'Do…Do you mean that?' I asked, trying to read him and failing miserably.

'Of course I mean it. It came to me at the stupidest time. It was when-'

'Our wands were connected together.' I finished for him. Apparently it wasn't just me that felt something.

'Yeah…yeah it was. You felt it to?'

'I felt my love for Harry and you run through me and give me the strength to use the curse again.'

'Oh yeah, and what type of love for Harry would that be?' he asked, trying to be serious, but he failed, the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

'That would be the love I feel for him as a best friend Ron, as you know full well!'

'I know, I felt it too. I love him like a brother. That will never change,' his face turned slightly serious. 'So, what was the love you felt for me as we faced possible death?'

I looked into his bright blue eyes and got lost in them for a moment before I composed myself.

'I felt the love that a girl feels for a boy, when they are so deeply in love with them, that they would be honoured to become their wife, and officially become a Weasley!'

His face split into a smile and I saw his eyes glisten. That was enough to set me off crying yet again. He kissed me and I was in heaven. Tears fell from my eyes and mixed with Ron's as our cheeks touched. I had never felt so happy in my life.

That was the fourth way I cried – With happiness, so long overdue.

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