"So you're saying…this spell, if Hermione casts it…. It'll cure Ron?" Tonks asked, glancing at Remus as she spoke. She, Remus, Bill, Charlie, and Percy had just arrived at number 12 Grimmauld Place after Mr. Weasley had sent his weasel-shaped Patronus sending word of their new discovery.
"If Hermione is Ron's soul mate," Mrs. Weasley corrected Tonks tersely. She seemed to be in a rather ill-tempered mood because she was unable to help her son recover in anyway and was snapping at Hermione worse than anyone. Remus glanced at Hermione, who was huddled away with Spells and Enchantments of Legends Past, surrounded by Harry, Ginny and the twins.
"It's sounds…well, it's a nice story, Molly, but do you really think we should put so much hope into this kind of thing?" he asked, lowering his voice. Mrs. Weasley glowered at him. "I mean, I want Ron back as much as anyone else, but this is getting ridiculous. Harry risked his life getting this book; Hermione seems to be depending on it. I just don't know if much good will come from it, honestly."
"No bad can come from it, Remus," Tonks pointed out, looking a little hurt. Remus gave her a quizzical look and she suddenly burst out, "Do you not think we're soul mates?" Remus was startled, but smiled and kissed Tonks tenderly.
"I don't care what fate says, I say I love you," he whispered in her ear, and Tonks seemed reassured, beaming a watery smile at him.
Meanwhile, Hermione was becoming increasingly nervous. Now that she thought of the situation, saw Ron lying on his deathbed, heard Remus' opinion, it seemed increasingly risky. Hermione would be personally keeping Ron away from his soul mate, should the spell go amiss, and he would never know him, nor she him. Harry seemed to be reading Hermione's thoughts and said with an encouraging smile, "Hermione, no one could possibly love Ron more than you do."
But Hermione wasn't so sure. Maybe Ron's soul mate would be more kind towards Ron, instead of starting rows with him left and right. And she would probably more beautiful than Hermione, for it had taken four years for Ron to each notice that Hermione was a suitable girl friend, Hermione thought bitterly. She was most likely to be sweeter than Hermione because she often made jokes about Ron not being very smart, but Ron had always laughed along; was Ron just pretending? Did Ron love her as much as she did him?
"Would you stop expecting the worst?" Ginny said angrily after Hermione had expressed this to her and Harry. "Ron has been crazy about you since... forever! He talked about you just as much as Harry and I found a picture of you in his bedside table when I was ten. He loves you. Now just get on with the spell." Hermione turned to Harry for help, but he merely smiled and shrugged.
"Ginny's said it all, 'Mione."
"Well, I'll tell you this much," Hermione said standing. "If Ron ever gets out of this mess, we're getting married straight away." Harry and Ginny beamed.
Hermione, Harry and Ginny made their way to Ron's bedside, where Fred and George were attempting to revive Ron with humor once more. Each twin was taking turns in whispering random and unrelated words into Ron's ear, half hoping Ron would smirk at the sound of one. Hermione, holding Spells and Enchantments of Legends Past tightly under one arm, reached out and held Ron's hand. It was icy cold.
Hermione screamed. Upon impulse, she felt Ron's face, his arm, his chest. All were freezing. Hermione collapsed to her knees, finding herself too weak to stand any longer. She was too late. Ron was dead. He had died because she had been too cowardly to cast the only spell that could save Ron.
Hermione found herself sobbing uncontrollably, sprawled upon the floor. It was too much. Hermione could not handle this pain. Ron... dead. She felt as if her heart were freezing over, her throat closing up. Hermione could not live without Ron, quite literally. While her sobs shook her shoulders, Hermione slowly withdrew her wand. Hermione would die, would kill herself, so that she would have to live alone. So she could be with Ron once more. She cast one last painful look at Ron, who was now surrounded by everyone else in the room, and pointed her wand at her chest. Hermione opened her mouth to issue her final spell.
"Hermione! Get a hold on yourself!" Somebody had whipped her wand out of her hand and was shaking her shoulders as her tears still streamed down her face. "Hermione!" She opened her eyes unwillingly to see Remus' face swimming in front of her.
"No…no I can't…Ron," she sobbed to him, trying feebly to retrieve her wand.
"Stop, Hermione, just listen. Ron isn't dead, but he might as well be if you don't cast this spell," he said shortly. Hermione looked up at him as if realizing he was there. Ron was alive. There was still hope.
"Alive?" she whispered, almost in disbelief.
"Yes, the change in body temperature is just a way of saying that it can't sustain him for much longer. He's still breathing." Hermione felt two pairs of arms lifting her off the ground and leading her to Ron's bedside. She took no notice of anyone else around her as she looked down at the aged spell book one last time. Harry placed her wand gently into her hand. Hermione raised her wand above her head, over Ron. In a graceful sweeping motion, she showered sparks on to Ron and waved again with a flourish.
At once, a bright blinding white light grew from the tip of Hermione's wand. It grew brighter, and hotter…Hermione couldn't see anything. She felt the room heating around her. A horrifying thought formed in her mind: it had gone wrong. She and Ron were going to slowly die in this heat. She was waited for it to increase, for her body to enflame…but the heat was comfortable. It was warm and comforting, like a friendly hug from Harry, or like Ron throwing her a loving glance.
The light was receding. Hermione could make out Fred and George's flaming hair across from her; she could make out Tonks' shocking bubblegum hair; Ginny and Harry standing side by side. And the light was gone. The spell was complete. Hermione watched Ron's face for only a moment before his eyelids fluttered. Ron raised a hand and rubbed sleep from his eyes, and sat up.
"Ron!" Hermione and Mrs. Weasley in unison rushed forward, and kissed Ron on the cheeks. Ron began struggling in earnest against his mother's attempt to squeeze the life out of him. Hermione was crying again, out of pure happiness. She could hear Ginny wailing loudly behind her. Fred and George were mimicking their mother in the most ridiculous fashion. Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie and Percy were beside themselves, rushing forward to see Ron. Tonks was clutching Remus, watching as a family's pain and trials were lifted. Harry was hugging Hermione tighter than he had ever done. Hermione kissed him hard on the cheek, feeling more elated than she ever had in her life, wondering vaguely if it was possible to die from happiness….