A.N.: Thank you all for reading. I own nothing. This chapter is a little different because this has more of a Ron centered pov. There is some Ginny and Harry as well, but mainly Ron and Hermione. Please enjoy chapter 5. I will try to update with regularity, my everyday updating isn't going to happen anymore. The plot is taking longer for me to work out than the first part did.

Chapter 5

"Mum, are you here?" Ginny called out at her old front door. Since getting engaged to Harry Ginny has been living in his house, Sirius's old house that is. Thankfully the damage that was done during the war was minimal. It hadn't taken them long to get it cleaned up, besides the curtained portrait, the house was coming together very nicely. Kreacher had even started warming up to Ginny, not nearly calling her a blood traitor as often as he used to. It still seemed odd to be in a house that was once packed to the ceiling with people so empty. Everyone had moved out. It seemed that the most frequent visitors were Ginny and George.

Ginny knew that just like Bill's and Fleur's wedding, her mother was using this as a way to keep her mind off of the sadness. Percy had long since alienated himself from his family; he claimed that the Ministry of Magic was always trying to do the right thing. After having a very heated fight with Arthur, Percy stormed out. That was almost a year ago. Inevitably Ginny's thoughts went to Ron. He was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that Hermione was with Draco. She didn't want to say it but Ginny could see the reasons why.

"Ginny" A touch on her shoulder from her mom startled Ginny out of her thoughts.

"Let me get a look at that ring, and before you say I've already seen it, I just can't believe my baby is getting married in three months." Molly had a tear in her eye as she took her only daughter's hand. The ring was gorgeous and seemed to sparkle with the promise of a happy future. Quickly grabbing her cape and a hand full of floo powder, Molly ushered Ginny into their fireplace to head off to do more wedding shopping.

Ron kept catching and releasing the light in his room via his delluminator. His brain kept going back to his fight with Hermione. She'd said that he didn't know what she was going through. He does, he was there when she'd started bleeding. He'd been there holding her when the cramping pain took hold of her. His heart broke alongside hers. His heart broke when he'd heard the lack of a heartbeat. It broke looking into her eyes at the realization that their child wouldn't be coming. Begrudgingly Ron got ready to meet up with Harry.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Harry slapped Ron's back gently.

"I've been hiding from Mum and Ginny. They are going bent about this wedding. I'm sorry that I've been out of touch." They walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Harry's mere presence made people quiet down. It had diminished over the eight years but there was still a hush that followed him. Ron knew that he wasn't being good company but he just couldn't get his last fight out of his mind.

"Can I ask you something, Harry? Did my reaction to the loss of…..of, you know….did it seem off to you?"

"I can't say Ron. You seemed to be putting on a brave face whenever I saw you. Why are you asking?"

Ron knew he should have told Harry about what was going on, but for some reason he couldn't quite make himself.

"It's just something Hermione said to me is all. So three months until the day. Are you getting nervous at all?" If Harry noticed the change of topic he didn't comment on it. Ron tried to listen and interact but he knows that he was quiet.

"Mate, just know that if you need to talk about anything, I am here, as is your sister." With a nod and a slap on the back the men went their separate way. Harry apparated almost immediately but Ron just wandered through Diagon alley. He didn't want to go back to his, their, apartment quite yet. He just can't stand the silence that hung in the air. She had to be speaking out of pain, or sadness, saying that she didn't love him anymore. Ron took to talking aloud in the apartment, like she was still there. It made him feel a sense of closeness that was getting harder and harder to feel.

As Ron walked along Diagon alley he thought about Hermione telling him she was pregnant. They had been using a protection spell, but apparently like condoms, they aren't a 100% effective. He'd thought there'd been a death in her family the way she was crying.

"Hermione what is wrong, did something bad happen?" She sniffed and leaned into him when he sat next to her.

"I'm pre-pregnant Ron. I've taken three muggle tests and three magical tests. They all say the same thing. We're too young for this Ron. I'm only 24, it's just too soon." She jumped up and started pacing stopping at the window for a second before turning. Ron grabbed her gently around the middle and hugged her to him. He could feel that she was tense and stressed.

"I want to marry you Hermione; this is just what I wanted, you, our child and happiness. My job is more than stable as is yours. Hermione Granger, will you please marry me? And before you go off on saying that this isn't planned…here." Ron pulled out a ring that he'd been carrying for a few weeks waiting for the perfect moment, or rather the courage to ask. Seeing tears in her eyes he slipped the ring on her finger.

Ron is startled so much that he stops walking. She never said yes. Not even a nod or smile. Just tears in her eyes. He immediately disapparated and appeared in front of her door. He knocked for what seemed like an hour before realizing that she wasn't home. He checked his watch and figured she was still at the university so Ron waited, and waited, and waited. At some point he falls asleep leaning up against her door.

"Ron, what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Groggily Ron opens a bleary eye to see Hermione kneeling next to him.

"You never said yes. Why? You loved me enough to move in and make love to me but not enough to marry me." Wordlessly Hermione opens her door and ushers Ron inside.

It was time that she really tell him how she feels, and felt.

"I need you to listen to everything and I mean really listen, Ron. Please let me say everything first, ok?" Ron just sat and nodded. Hermione started pacing and stopped once she reached her dining room chairs and sat down so that she could still be seen by Ron; but so that she could look at the wall in front of her rather than look directly at him. On second thought Hermione got up and grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle of whisky she had. After pouring herself a small glass she did the same for Ron. He got up and they sat opposite each other at her dining room table. Hermione took a fortifying sip and looked at Ron.

"I'm truly sorry that we've ended up here. I know that my leaving and giving up on magic is…..odd. I know that I've done little to explain my reasoning except saying that things have been difficult. While that is true I'm slowly figuring out that you won't leave until you know everything." She took another sip of whisky noting that her hands were slightly shaking. Ron hadn't taken a sip of his whisky yet. He just kept quietly staring at her waiting for what was coming. When she was trying to formulate what to say Ron took a breath.

"Hermione, please listen to me. I know that you are still having nightmares about the war and about us losing our child. I still have dreams about Fred. I have dreams where you are holding our child and as you hand me the child it disappears, along with you. So I know all about nightmares. You know what keeps them at bay? Having you there when I wake up; just seeing you asleep next to me made me feel like I could take on the world. I see Harry and Ginny and I see us. I see their happiness and I remember us telling my parents we were pregnant. You had a glow about you that I just couldn't get enough of. You even glowed when you were asleep. It broke my heart when you had the miscarriage. I am not an unfeeling oaf who just went on with my life, that killed me. I wanted that child so much." Ron downed his glass of whiskey and promptly poured himself another. Hermione sat silently thinking over what was just said. She looked at Ron and downed her glass as well.

"Ron, I'm sorry I haven't explained myself. When I found out I was pregnant I started thinking about what life is better. Your childhood, full of magic, or mine, none. I just kept coming to the conclusion that I didn't want to live in a magic filled world anymore. To not know if someone has been cursed or put under a spell to empty their bank account. It's not a world I want to live in anymore. I was sad that our child never came but I am also relieved. I think that sooner or later we would have ended things. You deserve someone else, not me. Someone who gets your humor and your quirks."

"You're the one I want Hermione, no one else, just you. You are the one person who I see whenever I imagine my future."

Hermione went to pour herself another glass of whisky but surprisingly the near full bottle was completely empty. With that shock the wave of drunkenness hit her. Looking at Ron she could tell that he was in a similar state. Realizing the difficulty of getting up, Ron slowly moved towards her and helped her up. A note of thanks played across her face. Before either knew what was happening, he'd kissed her. The urgency in his kiss took Hermione by surprise. In her drunken addled state she let him lead her to her bedroom where he carefully, though sloppy, undressed her. Hermione started to return the kisses that Ron was giving.

Upon waking up very hungover, Hermione felt an arm across her side and relaxed for a second before realizing the sleeping noises were not what she had grown accustomed to coming from Draco. Her heart froze and the memories from last night came back in flashes. They are kissing, she is letting him undress her and she is doing the same to him, she is heavily snogging him, he is caressing her as they have sex.

"Oh God." A wave of familiar nausea comes over her and she runs to her bathroom. Thankfully Ron is a heavy sleeper and did not wake up. Quietly she showers and dresses. Hermione tries to leave without waking him up but thinks better of it.

"Ugh, I am so hungover." Ron quickly remembers what happens and he blushes with embarrassment. He looks at Hermione perched on the very edge of her bed.

"Before you say anything, Hermione, this was not a mistake. It is nature's way of saying we belong together." With a sigh Hermione sits further on her bed, folding her leg underneath her.