AN: Hey people. Getting to the point, I decided to start writing at least a few of my stories in English, just to practise, since this obviously isn't my native language (so if there is any mistake let me know).
This one is based on a headcanon I read a while ago and I decided to give it a try, so I hope you enjoy it.
Life After Death
In 2069, Ron Weasley looked at his reflection in the full body mirror that standed in a corner of his bedroom, his eyes examining himself from top to bottom, his wrinkled and shaking hands ajusting the dark tie tied around his neck, before smoothing them over the black suit he was wearing.
His hair was no longer red. With the age it got white. His skin was slightly pale, flaccid and covered with wrinkles and his blue eyes were meeting his own in the mirror. He was a bit sweaty and looked trembling and shaken up, while he was getting ready to his wife's funeral.
After making sure he looked pleasent, he stepped away from the mirror, walked through the door and carefully started to walk dawn the stairs, passing by several pictures of himself, his wife and his big family. When he got to the end, he went through the living room and the front door to the street, where his son and daughter were, along with his daughter and son in law, Katie and Alfred, his grandchildren Arthur, Kate and Jean, kate's husband and three year old son, Rupert, who Ron wasn't sure he knew what was happening, Harry and Ginny, Charlie, George, Angelina and Percy, his nephews and nieces and the rest of his grandkids.
He putted his left arm around Hugo's shoulders and allowed Rose to launch her arm with his own, while they all walked through the street covered in snow, on their way to the church, watching kids making snowmans and snow fights, couples walking slowly hand in hand enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the winter, act that made Ron's eyes watering a little.
When they got there and inside the church, they all sat around a coffin where he knew Hermione's body layed peacefully. They stopped on their way to get a rose for her, but Ron decided to get a carnation, since Hermione once told him it was her favourite flour because she read it means innocence and loyal love and it remembered her of him.
While everybody got up to put their roses on the coffin, Ron just stayed still, looking dawn to the red carnation, not sure of what to do. He wanted her to have it with her, but he had to get close enough to look at her lifeless body and he didn't quite want his last mental picture of her to be that one.
His daughter seemed to read his mind, because she touched his arm, making him look at her and whispered:
"You have so many beautiful memories of her, don't let this one be the most significant".
He gave her a small smile while his heart filled with proud and gratitude. And he got onto his feet, slowly walked to the coffin and looked dawn to see someone who was his wife but looked nothing like her. There were spells casted on her so she wouldn't look so pale and cold, but still it was odd, because she seemed in peace but she wasn't sleeping, just like the way he found her, but this time was different because it was more real, she wasn't the way she fell a sleep two days ago, she wasn't wearing his old Chudley Cannons sweater and she wasn't laying in their bed. She was putted gently in a padded coffin, wearing a violet dress that he recognised as her favourite, her wrinkly and thin hands one on top of another, resting in her torso, her grey curl wild hair, around her head in a mess and Ron felt greatfull that they weren't able to tame it while he ran his fluttered hands trough it.
After a while he putted the flour to rest in her stomach, where her hands were, and walked away so he could close the coffin. He got out, his family following while his grandchildren brought the coffin to the graveyard and everyone gadered around a big hole, took their wands out and together gently made the coffin levitate to get it in and Ron couldn't help and let the tears spil out of his eyes while he murmured the spell "Wingardium Leviosa".
After most of his family left he set dawn, his life best friend and his little sister on both his sides, allowing themselves to shatter tears.
Ginny got out a struggled gasp and said in a whisper: "I miss her".
"It was her time Gin. She had already lived the life she deserved" Ron answered and didn't had the heart to say that now it was his time as well.
"I know" She answered, grabbing one of his hands with hers. "But I can't do anything to stop myself from missing her".
And they just set there for an hour more, Ron's hand holding his sister's. It was strange. Just her not being there. The trio incomplete. It didn't felt right, it never would, but as he already said, it was her time, she did everything she could ever do, she lived her full happy life. And now she wasn't there, he felt that there was nothing else to do. He has already lived his life and he did everything he wanted to do. Now it was just wait for his turn, and he wasn't scared for it, it didn't bother him. Their kids have achieved everything already. The education, the jobs, the kids. His work was done and now he just wanted to go home. The only problem was: home wasn't home any longer, not without her.
Despite that fact, he stood up and Harry and Ginny asked if Ron wanted them to stay with him, so he wouldn't be so alone. He refused. He wanted to be alone for a while. So they walked him home.
Ron enteres the house he no longer shared, besides with his old Jack Russell Terrier, Other, who was just laying in the couch, looking at the flor until he saw Ron and slowly went to him to be cuddled, what Ron did without hesitating. He believed even the dog knew what was happening.
He was already tired so he went upstairs to the bedroom to get some rest and maybe some sleep.
When he layed on his side of the bed, and looked to the empty space beside him, the corner of his eyes cauth Hermione's favorite book: Hogwarts, A History. He slowly reached for it, noticing there was a marker marking the last page she read before going to sleep that night.
The fact that she didn't finished reading it leaded him to make that for her. She would never only half-do something. With that thought he opened the old exemplar and read three chapters before he fell a sleep. And so he did for the next lonely nights of that week. The night he finished the book, he fell asleep, felling calm and a bit more complete.
The next thing Ron knew he was back on the very same graveyard, where he recognized his family in front of two graves. He walked to them but they didn't seem to notice his presence, probably because of the sadness that was taking over them while they looked at the graves, were Ron read his and his wife's names. He was dead. With that confuse thought in his mind he heard a young voice coming from behind him: "It took you long enough!".
As he turned around to see who that would be, he got surprised to see Hermione, but much more younger. That's when he looked at his hands and saw that the wrekles were gone, and so was he, young again. They were both dead, but they were together. That fact stunned and delighted him at the same time, while he smiled at her.
He quickly went to her, gripped her face in his hands and kissed her.
"I'm sorry about that" He responded to her comment. "I was very busy finishing your bloody book and let me tell you it's pretty boring".
"Language Ronald" Hermione simply scolded.
"I missed you".
"I missed you too" Ron responded "Is this how it is now?" he then asked "we're like ghosts?".
"Basically" She answered.
"Can we see them, check on them when we want? ".
"Of course" She replayed. "Though the thought of stoking them is kind of creepy".
They both laughed at that for a while,still staring at the words carven on the graves.
"They'll be alright" She added.
They looked at the big family where they belonged, holding each other.
Ron just seemed dawn while they all stepped away to go home and Hermione and him sat down on the flour in front of the tombs.
She noticed his change of mood and asked what was wrong.
With that question, he turned his head to stare at her and confessed with a little smirk:
"It's odd. Technically we aren't alive. We've already lived everything. And it was all so wonderful. And I just want to relive every minute spent".
"You mean you wouldn't change anything about it? Not the bad moments, the mistakes, the adversities, the war?".
He thought about that question for a while, and then said: "No. I'd like to relive every peace of my life, because even the bad things, all of it lead me to you, to us, to our family. And I wouldn't change it for anything more or less than perfect. So I want to go through everything, every mistake, every diversitie, every discussion. To relive the birthdays, the Christmas and the Halloween days; the birth of our children, our grandchildren, of every member of this family; the moments with my mom and dad, Fred, everyone who left us a long time ago. I just want that life again".
And he felt bad, because looking at Hermione, she had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.
"I get what you're saying" She said after a while "We were pretty lucky".
"Yeah, for sure" He murmured.
"I'm happy thought" Hermione stated after a bit"Just because we are home".
"Yeah, we are home"Ron said immediatly "We are together".