Chapter 8:

A painful scream caught Ron's attention. He bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time and threw open the door to Hermione's room. It was the fifth time this week that she had these nightmares. He wrapped his arms around her as he slid onto the bed. Unfortunately, all of this was starting to become routine for him.

"Stay with me," she whimpered.

"Of course, honey." Once Hermione calmed down, he slid under the blankets with her. Right away, she molded her body to his and rested her head on his chest. His presence alone added a feeling of security that instantly calmed her. It didn't take long for sleep to claim them both.

The following morning, Harry and Ginny were enjoying breakfast when there was a knock on the front door.

"I've got it," he said as he stood up. She leaned over and tickled Teddy playfully. When Harry returned to the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were with him.

"Hi Mum, Dad," Ginny said as she stood up and hugged each of her parents. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Can't we visit our children?" Mr. Weasley reasoned.

"Sure, it's just unexpected. Ron and Hermione are still asleep."

"That's fine, I'll go wake them up," Mrs. Weasley offered with a hint of firmness in her voice.

"Oh, I've got it, Mum." Before Ginny could stop her, Mrs. Weasley was on her way upstairs. She cast a fleeting glance at Harry. Ron was asleep with Hermione in her bed, and Mrs. Weasley wasn't going to like that at all.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door to Hermione's bedroom. She was shocked to find Hermione and Ron curled up in each other's arms.

"What are you two doing!?" she demanded loud enough to wake them both up. They sat up and looked around, completely dazed and bleary eyed. "I asked you guys what you're doing!"

"Mum, we can explain-"

"You two are too young to be sleeping in the same bed!" Ron climbed out of bed. Already, his face was red with anger.

"Why do you even care?" Hermione climbed out of bed too and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Ron, please calm down," she begged quietly. He shrugged her off rudely.

"No, Hermione, I won't calm down." He turned his attention back to Mrs. Weasley.

"You guys are barely eighteen! When I agreed to let you live here, I meant in separate rooms!" Ron scoffed.

"'Allowed'!?" he repeated. "Legally, you can't stop me! I love her, Mum!" It was absolutely silent. Nobody knew how to react to Ron's outburst. Hermione moved first. She ran out of the room, only wanting to get away from everything. "Hermione, wait!" he called. He ran past Mrs. Weasley and after Hermione.

Hermione stormed into the kitchen and out the back door. Harry and Ginny looked at each other. As expected, Ron was hot on her heels. When he saw that Hermione wasn't in the kitchen, he went outside too. Not even thirty seconds later, Mrs. Weasley joined the party in the kitchen.

"What happened?" Mr. Weasley asked his wife. She let out a sigh of frustration.

"Your son and Hermione have been sleeping in the same bed," she replied bitterly. Not it was Ginny's turn to get angry.

"You want to know why Ron's been sleeping in Hermione's bed?" she demanded. "She's been having these horrible nightmares every night. She wakes up screaming and crying all because Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her, and Ron stays with her all night so she doesn't get upset again and isn't afraid to sleep." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other. Neither of them had expected what Ginny had just told them.

Outside, Hermione sat on the lawn with her knees drawn tightly to her chest. Ron sat down next to her.

"Do you really love me?" she asked in a foreign voice as she kept her focus straight ahead. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Of course, I would never joke about something like that." She turned to face him. Her chocolate brown eyes were brimmed red with tears.

"I'm scared of getting hurt."

"Why?"

"Because we fight all the time! I don't want you to leave me again." Ron took her face in his hands and ran his thumbs over her wet cheeks.

"Leaving you behind was one of the worst mistakes of my life."

"One of the worst mistakes? What's the worst?" He stopped to think just to make her squirm playfully. He already knew the answer.

"Letting Krum take you to the Yule Ball." Hermione giggled. "There you go; there's that beautiful smile of yours." He pecked her on the lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

A/N: Next chapter is the last!

Tina101