Chapter 5

After what seemed like minutes after he fell asleep, Ron's eyes flew open as he woke to the sound of a blood-curdling scream. He would know that scream anywhere; it was the same scream that had haunted him every time he had closed his eyes since they had escaped from Malfoy Manor.

He hastily threw off of his covers and tip-toed past the still-sleeping Harry and out of his room. As Ron walked down the hallway to Hermione's room, he could feel the cold of the hardwood seeping into his bare feet. The light sea breeze blowing through all of the open windows throughout the house made him involuntarily shiver; all he had worn to bed were some worn pajama bottoms, and the breeze felt almost icy as it hit his bare, muscular chest.

He finished tip-toeing down the hallway and reached Hermione's door, amazed that no one else had heard her screams. Ron figured they were all probably exhausted, and in too deep of a sleep to hear anything.

He swiftly opened the door and closed it behind him before he rushed across the room to Hermione, who was still screaming and thrashing about in the bed, tangling herself in the white sheets.

Ron placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to keep her still.

" 'Mione! Shhhhh! Hermione, wake up! It's just a dream! Just a dream!"

Hermione's eyes flew open. They immediately focused on Ron's pale, freckled face.

"Ron!" she sobbed, as she flung her arms around him, pulling him so close to her that there wasn't even a centimeter of space between them. He responded my wrapping his strong, bare arms around her torso and squeezing her tightly.

" s'ok, 'Mione. We're safe now, she won't hurt you. I'm here, I'm here." He murmured into her soft hair.

Her shoulders shook as she continued to sob into his chest. Ron felt warm and safe with her pressing up next to him. He couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly they fit together and how right it felt to hold her in his arms. Why did he wait so long to do this? Why had he always hidden his feelings with a snarky comment instead? Hermione's voice brought him back to the present.

"Ron-" she said between snuffles, "will- you-please-stay-with-me? I—I don't' want to have another nightmare. I don't want to remember anything about that night. Please?" she lifted her head slightly to stare into to his eyes pleadingly. Ron had never seen her let herself become so vulnerable before. His heart shattered.

"Of course, 'Mione. I won't leave you. Not again." He let go of Hermione—only for a second though as he lifted the bed covers and crawled in next to her. She cuddled against him, and he wrapped his arms around her instinctively.

For once, he didn't feel awkward holding Hermione. For some reason, being here with her seemed like the easiest thing in the world he could possibly do, and the most right. He kissed the top of her head. She sighed in response; she had calmed down since she first woke up from the nightmare.

"Ron," Hermione began, as she unwrapped one of Ron's hands from around her torso and intertwined it with her own, "Are you scared?"

"I'm bloody terrified." He confessed.

"What do you think is going to happen to us?" she asked. Ron felt his ears starting to turn pink as he thought about all of the things that question could imply.

"I mean-" Hermione clarified, "Do you think we are going to make it through the war?"

Ron stiffened.

"Hermione, look at me." He commanded.

Startled, she lifted her head so she could see his determined expression. It was an expression she had only seen on Ron a few times before, even though she had known him for almost seven years.

"Hermione, listen to me. We are going to make it through this war. Don't even think about not surviving. I don't care what happens to us; we will push through and make it to the end. And I sure as hell won't anything happen to you, 'Mione. Not as long as I am breathing. I love you too much to let anything bad happen to you."

She gasped as he finally admitted his feelings. She couldn't believe that he'd finally said that he loved her, not that she didn't want him to of course. She herself had known she was in love with Ron since he had saved her from the mountain troll in first year. She continued to stare into his shining, cobalt eyes.

"I love you too, Ron." She whispered.

Ron then took his hand and cupped Hermione's chin. He leaned slowly forward until his lips met hers. It was unlike anything he had ever known. Her lips were even softer than he thought they would be and she tasted sweet, like….well, Hermione. There was nothing that could compare to the way he felt at that moment. He felt like his heart was soaring. He was finally kissing Hermione Jean Granger, the witch he had been in love with ever since who knows when.

They deepened their kiss and it soon became more passionate. Ron turned so he was fully facing Hermione. She tangled her hands in his flaming red hair and he pulled her even closer than he thought was physically possible. His lips smashed against hers, and she moved her lips with his and groaned in response. Soon, they both realized that they needed to breathe, so their lips broke apart. They both were breathing heavily.

A smile broke out across Hermione's face as she looked at Ron, the no longer lanky red-head, who had grown into such a strong man. He gave her a crooked smile in response. She almost giggled. She loved when he wore that goofy look on his face.

He leaned towards her and kissed her again, this time more tenderly. She leaned into the kiss and could feel his lips smile into hers. They broke apart.

"What?" she asked him, a smile also tugging at her lips.

"Nothing," he said, "I just can't believe this is really happening." His eyes were twinkling.

"I can." She told him as she returned to her old position and cuddled up against his side. He settled in next to her.

Within a few minutes, Ron could hear Hermione breathing steadily, already fast asleep. He kissed the top of her head.

"Love you 'Mione." He whispered to the sleeping witch.

Although they still had an entire war ahead of them, at least for tonight, Ron was sure that everything would work itself out in the end, and that no matter what else happened in the future, there was something Voldemort could never take away from any of them.

Love.

FIN