Suddenly there was Ron, pulling her away while his tears came freely as he realized that him and his best friend would never play Quiddich together again.
"At least he died in battle; that's the way he would've wanted to go, protecting people. He died a hero's heroic death, killing the man who caused him so much pain and strife throughout his life, defending the wizarding world as we know it. He died fighting, and that is definitely the way he would have wanted to go had he been able to choose. Harry James Potter would have wanted to die valiantly, nobly, and bravely. At least he didn't die peacefully in his sleep. That wouldn't have fit him. Did you, by any chance, catch his last words Hermione?" Ron finished his devastated ramble and asked.
"Yes, they were 'I feel, free.'" Hermione mumbled between sobs. The hard lump in her throat was making it difficult to swallow, talk, even breathe, but she managed.
"You always wanted a family of your own Harry, and now you will have the family that you always wanted, the life you always wanted. It's too bad you won't be able to live and enjoy it. It's also too bad that your children will have to live without a father." she said to the corpse, tearing up again.
"Come on Hermione, Ron, come out and fight. The battle isn't over yet." Remus Lupin reminded them, while silently mourning the loss of the last connection to his friends he had left and momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be fighting a former one.
When the battle finally finished, and the remaining unwounded survivors gathered those that could still be saved and let the mediwizards take care of them they realized that there had only been one casualty on the side of the light, Harry Potter.
5 months later
"Hermione, the night before the final battle, Harry asked if I would do something for him if he didn't make it. It was his last wish." Ron didn't mention the fact that he didn't make it, no need to bring up painfully obvious facts. "He told me to make sure that you and Lily and little Harry Jr. get as much love and support that you would've gotten from him. I've been thinking about how to do that a lot lately and I think this is the best way to do it. Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?" Ron asked with complete confidence. He wasn't worried about anything; he'd planned how this conversation would go as completely as possible, he even though he knew what Hermione would say and what he would say back. He was completely prepared.
"Ron, I loved Harry, I still love him. I could never marry another, ever. I'm sorry Ron, I can't marry you. I still love Harry and I always will. I'm sorry if I'm breaking your heart Ron, but I could never love you and I don't want to deprive you of a life with a woman who can love you as completely as you deserve." She was repeating herself and she knew it, but she just couldn't see why Ron would ask her to marry him. Didn't he know that she would say no? 'He knows I'm still in love with Harry, doesn't he?' "See I knew you would say something like that, but believe me I am not doing this unwillingly, and I know you will never love me like you love Harry. You will always just love me as a friend and I am content with that, that the only way I love you also, but Harry asked this of me and I am going to respect that. How will you be able to support two growing children all by yourself Hermione? Besides, you don't know how wizarding society treats single parents; they treat them like lepers Hermione. You would be banished from civilized society and it would be hard to get a job, and I know that the thing you want most in the world is a successful life, you wouldn't be able to settle for some mediocre muggle job. Besides, this was Harry's last wish, don't you want to respect his last wish, Hermione?" Ron finished, he knew the last one would get her, but first he had wanted to threaten her with losing her career.
"Always the ever faithful friend aren't you Ron?" she remarked sadly. He didn't answer, and she wasn't expecting one. It was silent for a while, and that made her even more sad. No matter how good of friends Hermione and Ron were when Harry was alive, it seemed like they had barely talked at all since his death. Finally Hermione replied.
"Once you put it that way, yes, Ron, I will marry you. As long as we stay completely platonic as we are now"
"Of course Hermione." Ron replied sadly. And then they lapsed into another long silence, a silence in which they both remembered their best friend and/or lover, Harry Potter. I was just then that Ron realized that he had been so much more.
A/N: this is writen by my sister. this is her speaking, now.
My sister is letting me use her username because mine isn't working. This is my first fic, I am begging you to review with constructive critisism, I know I could use some improvement. There is one more chapter coming.
