Hermione opened her eyes slowly. It took a moment to realize where she was. She felt a body, Ron's, against hers, and she recognized that the four poster bed she was in was one of several in the Gryffindor boy's dormitory. She had no idea what time it was, but visions of what she assumed was the previous night flashed through her mind. They'd done it. They'd defeated Voldemort. She now had a future. It was all almost surreal to think about.

Hermione reached down to grab the beaded bag from the floor, and used accio with her wand to fetch her watch. 4:27 in the afternoon based on the sun shining through the windows. They were so exhausted that none of the trio had bothered to clean themselves up before crashing on the bed. Hermione gently detached herself from Ron's arms and rolled off the bed. She dug out a fresh pair of clothes for Ron and left them on his bedside table.

She made her way down the stairs so she could shower somewhere more familiar. Hermione was sure Ron would be asleep for a while yet, and she didn't anticipate being gone for very long. She made her way up the girl's staircase and into the seventh year dorm. As Hermione slowly opened the door, she heard a yelp and saw a flash of movement. Parvati was standing there with her wand aimed at Hermione.

"It's me, Hermione! We were dormmates for six years. You and Lavender used to have a secret stash of muggle fashion magazines stuffed under the bed." Hermione remained frozen until Parvati lowered her wand.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I've been on edge for so long, and with Lavender in the hospital wing, I really wasn't expecting anyone," Parvati said apologetically.

"It's okay, I completely understand," Hermione said as she made her way into the room and towards her former bed. "How is Lavender doing?"

"She's better," Parvati said in a tired voice. "Madam Pomfrey has been giving her a lot of potions, but she's not in any pain from the bites, and she'll be okay eventually. Madam Pomfrey won't know the whole effects of her injuries until the next full moon."

Hermione shook her head, "Fenrir Greyback is one of the most vile people I've ever encountered." She had a quick flashback to Malfoy Manor, remembering the disgusting comments he'd made about her.

"Was," said Parvati.

"Sorry?"

"Greyback's dead. They found his body not far from where they picked Lavender up and brought her into the castle. Lav said it was Ron and Neville who blasted him away from her, and then part of the castle collapsed and crushed him."

"Oh," said Hermione, "I'm glad they were there to stop it."

"Me too. What brings you up here?"

"Needed to get cleaned up. I figured I'd come up here to do so. Would've been too weird using the boy's bathroom."

Parvati looked at her knowingly, but didn't say anything about it. "I'll probably do the same in a few minutes."

Hermione nodded as she gathered her things and went into the adjoining bathroom. She did her best to avoid the mirror on the opposite wall, and headed straight for the showers. Hermione started the water as she pulled out what she'd need and began to undress. Might as well just burn those clothes, she thought to herself. There was no way she'd ever want to wear them again even if the stains did come out. She stepped into the cascading water and let it pour over her. The warmth felt good against her skin, except in the spots where it stung her various cuts. She'd need to remember to apply the dittany when she was finished.

She heard Parvati enter the bathroom to presumably get cleaned up as well as she started to thoroughly wash all the dirt, blood and grime away. Hermione washed her hair twice and ran the soap over her body three times, but still didn't feel clean. She turned the water off and grabbed the towel that was waiting for her to dry off. Once dry, she used the dittany on all the parts that she could see and reach, and then dressed in a new set of clothes. She picked up the bag and headed for the sink.

Hermione observed her figure in the mirror as she ran a comb through her unruly hair. Her appearance still shocked her even though she'd seen herself many times in the mirror at Shell Cottage. Her face was sunken in and sallow, her body still so thin and frail from months on the run and hardly any food. And this was after she'd been relatively well fed at Shell Cottage over the past month. She looked away from her reflection then as she thought briefly of Ron. How could he possibly find her attractive in the state she was currently in? Sure, he'd kissed her back, but that could have been pure adrenaline. But you also slept in the same bed as him just now, and he wouldn't let go of your hand the entire time you stayed together after the battle. Hermione knew they'd have to have a conversation when he woke up. They'd been too tired to even try to talk last night.

"So, you and Ron, then?" Parvati asked, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"I saw you holding hands earlier in the Great Hall, and I'm assuming you slept in the boy's dormitory?"

"Oh, well, yes. I mean, maybe? We haven't really talked about it yet," Hermione stammered.

"You're not actually together? Still? Weren't you on the run all year?" Parvati was dumbfounded as to how they still couldn't get it together.

"Yes, but we were focused on the mission. We never.." Hermione trailed off.

"I always knew it'd be you two. Could tell how much you fancied him in school. Even tried to tell Lavender not to go for it. She claimed she gave you those first couple months to get it sorted, and then she went for him anyways. Need some hair potion?" Parvati noticed Hermione playing with her damp hair in the mirror.

"Er, sure," she took the bottle. "Well, it's all in the past now, isn't it? It doesn't matter," Hermione said awkwardly as she applied the potion to her hair and handed the bottle back to Parvati. She was surprised it actually calmed a bit and lay prettily around her face. Hopefully it'd hold as it dried.

"She was really torn up when you three didn't come back. Said she wished she'd apologized to you earlier for what she did. I think Lav thought she'd never get the chance. I'm going back to the hospital wing now if you'd like to join. I think she'd like to see you."

Hermione checked her watch. It was only 5:35. She probably had time before Ron woke. "Um, sure. Do you have any parchment though? I should leave Ron a note, letting him know where I am."

"That's so sweet! Of course I do. Let's go."

Hermione wrote down where she was going to Ron and told him that she'd meet him back there or in the common room in a little while. She and Parvati made their way to the hospital wing after Hermione carefully set the note on Ron's clothes on his nightstand. Lavender was lying comfortable on her hospital bed amongst several other people. Her bed was close to the door so it was a short walk.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Parvati said happily as she sat on the edge of the bed by Lavender. "Look who I found in the dorm when I went back to freshen up?!"

"Hi," Hermione said shyly. They hadn't really spoken since before all the drama with Ron.

"Hermione!" cried Lavender. "I'm so happy you're alright. I really thought we weren't going to see any of you again."

"Erm, yeah. I'm really happy you're going to be okay, too." Hermione wasn't sure what else to say. Maybe this was a mistake. Time didn't erase the pain they'd caused each other.

"Listen, Hermione," Lavender started, "I'm sorry about how awful I was last year. I really did like Ron. You never admitted that you fancied him when we'd ask, so I just...went for it. It was clear by that February he wasn't as into me as I was him, but I just dug in harder, and I shouldn't have done that. You two are perfect for each other, and I'm sorry I got in the way of that. Just promise me you two'll get sorted."

"Lavender, you really don't need to apologize for that. My half attempt never worked, and there was more to it than I even understand from the nightmare that was the week before the quidditch match. It's all water under the bridge now. The important thing is we're here right now talking about it."

"I know, but I am sorry. I dug my heels in and made it harder for him to break it off. I should have just let him go," Lavender said thoughtfully.

"I think there's a lot of things we all would have changed if we'd had the hindsight, but that's life isn't it?" Parvati chimed in.

"Too true," said Hermione as Lavender laughed.

"Hermione, do you think that you could ask him to come see me? Neville, too, if you see him. They...they saved me and I just want to thank them," Lavender became quiet then.

"Of course. I was going to head back to the tower to see if they were awake for dinner. We'll stop by in the morning if that's okay?" Hermione said.

Lavender smiled gratefully. "Definitely. Thanks for stopping by, Hermione."

"I'm glad I ran into Parvati and she invited me to join her." Hermione turned to Parvati. "Thanks again, and I'll see you around?" Parvati nodded as Hermione said her goodbyes and made her way back to the tower.

Ron was waiting for Hermione in the common room. He woke up when he heard her place the note on the nightstand next to him, but hadn't been conscious enough to say anything yet. He'd gotten cleaned up and changed into the clothes she'd left for him, noticing that the beaded bag had gone with her. If she hadn't left the note, his first thought would have been that she'd taken off. Why though, he wasn't sure.

He went down to the common room to wait, hoping she'd be back soon so his anxiety of her absence wouldn't get the best of him. Now that the risk of impending death was out of the question, Ron had allowed his mind to wander to what had happened in the Room of Requirement last night. Bloody hell, if I'd known all I had to do was mention caring about the safety of house-elves, I would have said it ages ago, he thought. It was like time had frozen and he could see her throwing herself at him in slow motion. Of course Harry had to ruin it all and bring us back to reality, though Ron wasn't sure anything else would have stopped him in that moment. He needed to talk to her. Needed to know how she felt.

Ron stared into the fireplace, willing himself to not let the negative thoughts take over while he waited. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the portrait hole open, and Hermione entered quietly. Her face lit up when she saw him on the couch. Yes, that's a good sign, right? She walked over to him and sat down.

"Hey," Ron said, not really sure what else to say at that moment.

"Hi! I'm glad you're awake," she responded.

"How long have you been up? Harry's still passed out upstairs. Wouldn't be surprised if he slept right through the night." Ron mentioned.

"Oh, a couple hours now. I just really needed to shower so I went up to the girl's dorm. Parvati was up there."

"How is she?"

"A little on edge still, she almost hexed me when I opened the door. She was taking a break from visiting Lavender in the hospital wing."

"Is that why you went there?" Ron asked.

"Er, yes. Parvati convinced me to go see her. It was a bit awkward since we haven't spoken since...well, I'm sure you can guess," Hermione said sheepishly.

Ron's cheeks flushed as he thought of what Hermione was referring to. Things hadn't ended very amicably for either his relationship nor Hermione's friendship with Lavender.

"She wants to see you, you know," Hermione said as Ron's face immediately displayed a look of panic. "No, not like that. She just- you and Neville saved her from Greyback. She wants to thank you.."

"Oh." said Ron. He remembered seeing what looked like a lifeless body under Greyback, and he'd just reacted on instinct by blasting him off of her at the same time Neville had.

"He's dead, you know...Greyback. Part of the castle's exterior was blasted off and landed on him."

"Good. He deserved it from all the pain and hurt he caused." They were both silent for a while. Ron didn't want to talk about the war. He wanted to talk about them, but it just seemed like an awkward transition.

"Hermione," he finally said, "last night in the Room of Requirement, did you mean to do that?"

Her cheek's tinged pink as she said softly, "Well, I- er- yes." She'd told herself she wasn't going to lie anymore. She needed to be up front with him, refusing to let herself pine over him anymore if he didn't see her as anything more than a friend.

"Was it just because of what I said about the house elves?" Ron looked away, as if not looking at her would soften the blow of her potential answer.

"What? No! Of course not." Did he really think that that was all she cared about? Honestly… "I- I don't know what came over me, if I'm being honest. It was just- after everything that happened yesterday, and destroying the cup, and realizing what was about to happen…" she trailed off. The thought of the cup derailed what she was about to say. She hadn't really had time to process what happened down in the chamber.

Ron told her she could do it, that she could destroy it. He'd believed in her. But then he unleashed the part of the soul that was stuck inside and Hermione was paralyzed by it. It was vicious, attacking every part of her self-doubts, telling her that her magical gift was a mistake. She'd tainted it with her blood, and that she wasn't meant to be a witch. She should just go live her life as a muggle. There was no place for her here. It shifted to how she had no friends at Hogwarts, that they were all just pretending to appease her, and even the teachers all thought she was annoying know it all; she overcompensated for being a mudblood by memorizing every little detail because it wasn't ingrained in her naturally. It told her everything about her life in the magical world was a mistake, and no one could love her. Especially not Ron, the red-headed boy whose blood was too pure to be tainted by her. How could he ever want a bushy haired know it all who had nothing going for her, appearance and personality wise. She's still a nightmare, but she helps us get by so she's good to keep around, the voice had said. If it wasn't for Ron's actual, real voice breaking through the cup, she never would have finished it. Something in the urgency of his voice snapped her out of the trance she was in. 'It's not true, Hermione, finish it! Stab the cup! I promise you it's not true, none of it, please!' It took all of Hermione's force and energy to shove the basilisk fang into the cup. The scream she heard from the voice was unbearable and she'd fallen back as the voice finally ceased and a thick goo dripped off of the cup.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron's voice brought her back to reality, and she felt the tears rushing down her face. She hadn't had time to process what had happened in the chamber because everything was moving so quickly. They'd had to get back to Harry and find the diadem, then the snake. Now she was finally able to think about it for the first time.

"Did- did the locket talk to you, too?" She refused to address the fact that Ron had heard everything the cup had said to her.

Ron was going to tell her eventually about what happened with the locket, preferably after they were together so he wouldn't seem so ridiculous, but he knew he had to tell her now. Especially after seeing what the cup had said to her. "Yeah, it was bloody awful...but it was all the same stuff it said to me when I'd wear it before I- before I left."

"Will you tell me what it said to you?" She asked him nervously.

"You really want to know?" Was it really the time for this? Ron thought to himself.

Hermione nodded. "Please. You- you heard what it- what it said to me."

Ron took a deep breath. "It tapped into my innermost fears and insecurities. Just like it did for you. At least, I'm assuming that's what it- nevermind." He paused as he thought through it again. How am I supposed to tell her this?

"Ron, please, I promise I won't tell anyone, and I'm sure- no, I know none of it is true." Hermione pressed gently.

"I- alright. It told me I was nothing compared to Harry. The least loved of all my siblings, and that you preferred Harry over me. That you two were better off without me. Happier, even." Better to rip the bandage off the wound quickly, as he'd just done. Not that he could look at her. Ron felt Hermione place her hand gently over his.

"None of that is even remotely close to the truth, you have to know that," Hermione said simply.

"Yes, I reckon I do now. Harry told me as much, too."

"So, where does that leave us now?" Hermione asked him.

"What do you mean?" Ron questioned.

"Well, it seems as though the horcruxes have done a better job telling us our biggest fears, revealing more than we've managed to tell each other ourselves." Ron looked at her quizzically. "What I'm trying to say is that I meant to kiss you last night. I-I've wanted to for a while, and I just thought...if that was it, I may never have another chance. I didn't want to die without that experience if we weren't meant to have a future."

Hermione's words hung in the air around them. Is she saying what I think she's saying? She said she was thinking that because we might not have a future together, but we do now… "So then how would you feel if I kissed you right now? Y'know, now that we do have a future?" Ron wasn't sure why he asked it that way.

Regardless of what Ron thought, it seemed to work because Hermione said, "I'd like that very much," with a small hint of a smile playing across her lips as she leaned in a little closer. Ron didn't waste any time closing the gap between them. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck as he placed his around her waist and back, pulling her in as close as he could. He swore to himself he'd never forget the way this felt. Sure, their first kiss was in the heat of the moment, but this, this was a feeling he never wanted to let go of.

Ron pulled away to catch his breath and to make sure they were on the same page. "So are we…"

"Yes." Hermione said quickly.

"Together?" Ron clarified. Because Merlin knew they'd had enough misunderstandings for one lifetime.

"Yes." Hermione said again. They both smiled in relief, and without thinking Ron leaned in once more, crashing his lips onto Hermione's in what was a much more passionate embrace.

Finally, Ron thought. It didn't matter where they were. He was right where he belonged with Hermione, and now they had forever ahead of them.