Interlude

Harry tucked the Elder Wand into a dark corner of Dumbledore's tomb. He knew it would probably be more poetic to place it in Dumbledore's hand, but he couldn't bring himself to touch the corpse. Instead, he hid it where he didn't think anyone could find it unless they knew where to look.

Then he stepped out of the tomb and closed it behind him. Hermione and Ron were waiting for him outside, and he shot them a tremulous smile, trying not to wince when he noticed they were holding hands.

They had never really reconciled after Ron's return to camp—not romantically, at least. Harry had been as surprised as Ron when Hermione kissed him so suddenly earlier. He had also been jealous. He had hoped that, since they hadn't got back together, they wouldn't ever get back together, and Harry could have the two of them as best friends. Now he had lost them to each other again.

Hermione smiled at him. "It's all over now."

Ron grinned. "Thank Merlin!" His smile dimmed. "I just wish it hadn't cost us so many."

Harry knew it would only hurt him if he pretended things could be what they were those three days in the tent. Still, as he enveloped Ron in a hug to try to ease his pain, he couldn't help but breathe in his scent. His heart tightened as he realized he had no right to that smell, the purely masculine fragrance that surrounded him. He pulled away slowly, not wanting to let go, and Hermione stepped up to take his place.

He backed away from the hugging couple. "I'm... going to go find Ginny and see how she is," he said.

Ron looked over at him. "Do you... do you still love her?" asked Ron.

Harry fixed his eyes on his shoes. "I—No."

"Then stay with us," said Hermione.

Harry shook his head. They needed some privacy, and Harry needed some space. His heart hurt badly, and he wasn't sure how much more it could take before it shattered. "You guys probably have things to talk about."

"We all have something to discuss," said Ron. He walked over to Harry, bringing Hermione along with him. "When I came back, Hermione and I talked a lot. We love each other."

Harry felt his heart cracking just a little.

"I couldn't stand the thought of losing her to you," Ron continued, "so I ran away."

The reminder of how Harry had destroyed their relationship hurt him even more. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"What are you sorry for?" asked Ron.

Harry couldn't bring himself to look at Ron, so he focused on Hermione instead. "If I had just stayed out of your relationship, you never would have felt like that, and you never would've broken up."

Ron shook his head. "No, it wasn't you. It was me."

Hermione giggled at that, and Harry had to stifle a smile of his own. Ron glared at both of them.

"Shut it. It's the truth. It was only because it was you, Harry, that I got upset. I don't want just Hermione. I want you too, and I hated the thought of losing both of you at once."

Harry knew exactly what Ron meant. It was just what he had felt the first time he saw Hermione and Ron together.

"Now though, I've grown up a little. I'm ready for a relationship between all three of us... if you still want one. Hermione and I talked about it when I came back, and we decided that we wouldn't start another relationship until I was mature enough to handle including you too. Doing anything else would feel weird."

Hermione was too quiet. Harry wondered how she felt. "Are you okay with this, Hermione?"

She smiled. "I'm more than okay with this. You two have been my best friends for seven years, and I love you equally. I was afraid that I would have to either choose one of you and lose the other or lose both of you. Being with both of you is... more than I ever dreamed I could have."

Ron reached for Harry. He stopped before his hand could touch him. "It's up to you, Harry. We both love each other, and we love you too."

Harry looked back and forth between them for a minute. Then he launched himself between them, wrapping Hermione in a hug and pulling Ron close enough to kiss. Ron kissed him back for a moment and then broke the kiss so Hermione could have a turn. After Harry pulled back from that kiss, he watched Hermione and Ron kiss and thought his heart would burst. It no longer felt like it could break at the drop of a hat. Instead, it was overflowing with his love for his friends.

They stood outside for a while, basking in the sun and the peace they had just discovered in each other. Harry hoped they would never again be separated.