Sorry that I kept you waiting for so long, but here we are the 6th chapter.
In this one, Hermione and Ron apparate to Hermione's home to gather some stuff, but then they are ambushed by Death Eaters...
I wanted a bit more action again, after so much heart-breaking, hope you like it!
6. To return, in one way or another
"You sure about this?".
Hermione closed her eyes, feeling the impatience nibbling at her benevolence, but she didn't give in, although he'd repeated this question like for the 20th time. She knew he was afraid, although he didn't want to let her see it. She knew he was concerned for her, although she didn't want to let him see how much it really touched her.
"I need this, Ronald." she said quietly while she turned around and she could see that he shivered lightly hearing her say his full name. She grasped his calloused hand into her little one and gave him a warm squeeze to let him know that she was ready. His hand immediately responded to her touch and their fingers simply intertwined as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Their eyes locked in the dim light of dawn, before they felt the familiar pull of apparation.
The first thing they saw was the fiery ball of sun who rose up behind the horizon and slowly saturated the yet empty street into a place of red and grey colours. Their fingers were still intertwined when they turned around and looked at the house which had been a home once.
"Like we've agreed." Ron said again, his eyes almost burning themselves into hers and she could do nothing but nod, before she let go of his hand and stormed right into the house. Ron hesitated for a moment, before he finally followed her. He hadn't been happy about her wish and he definitely didn't like the idea of getting to an unsafe house. But it was her home. It was her wish. He knew she needed this to get over it, to finish with it, to finish with what was past. Although he knew it was dangerous, her powers hadn't been completely restored and only him as a protection, he couldn't deny her this one wish. Whatever she would've asked, he would do it.
He felt the weight of darkness falling upon him as soon as they entered the house, he swallowed hard for he knew it was the darkness of death, of pain, of sudden destruction. Slowly he went through the house, trying to imagine the life that had been lived here only days ago. A life that was now irreversibly shattered.
He caught his breath when he at last passed the kitchen. That image of disruption which came with the puddles of muddy blood on the floor, rusty and old glowed that red liquid on the ground. Several black and greenish spots on the wall resembled lightnings that had struck here, sudden thunder storms of dark magic that had torn apart the lives of this innocent family. His eyes fluttered shut, he didn't want to imagine these things, he didn't want to see what had happened here.
He tried to force those image of destruction out of his mind's eye when the silence of that morning was disrupted by a sudden scream. Ron's eyes flung open and he acted immediately. He didn't have to ask who had just screamed. He drew his wand and ran out of the kitchen, storming upstairs where he had heard the scream coming from. When he reached the upper end of the stairs he just dodged in the right moment, before the curse could have hit him.
"STUPEFY!" he shouted and stunned the Death Eater who was aiming right at him. He knocked him off his feet and fought his way to Hermione's room where the scream had come from. Green and red lightning strikes were thrown at him, but he was quicker than them and disarmed them one by one. Yet he couldn't defeat them on his own and Hermione's magic hadn't been completely restored. She couldn't help him.
"INCENDIO!", the Death Eater that had stood in his way only moments ago was now flying through the window after he'd been hit by his explosion. Ron finally made it to her room and was shocked by the picture that was presented to him. Hermione stood behind her bed, pressed against the wall, she had drawn her wand and lifted the thin wooden stick up in the air. But she only stood there stiff and still, bound by the panic and by the memories of pain and terror that rampaged through her mind.
"Hermione!" he screamed but she didn't hear him, her eyes didn't even responded to his presence. She wasn't even aware that he was here. With a wild growl he parried theCurse of the Death Eater who had been about to attack her. He reached for her, grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him, but nothing in her eyes responded to him no matter how often and loud he screamed her name. When his eyes caught a movement behind him he turned around, ready to face death if that was necessary to keep her safe.
He lifted his wand and stormed towards his opponent, surprising him by using once again his fists instead of his magic. However, Ron heard the cracking noise of the his own, breaking nose when he got hit by an ugly curse. The sudden flash of pain blinded him for only one glimpse of a second, but it was enough for his enemies to defeat him. The Death Eater kicked his wand out of his hand and grabbed his neck, forcing him on his knees.
When the pain of his bleeding nose was suddenly numbed by another pain, the pain to recognise that they had lost. His eyes saw again and automatically focused on Hermione. She stood still behind the bed, stiff and unable to move, her wand was still in her hand, directed against the Death Eaters who slowly surrounded.
Their laughs made him feel sick. He knew they had lost.
There was no way out. Not for both of them at least.
"Leave, 'Mione, leave!" he screamed, but she still she didn't move, paralysed by the pain and the death she could see in her enemy's eyes. Then, she finally locked eyes with him. The brown in her eyes, a few moments ago hardened and dulled with fear and pain, slowly melted into fiery glowing stars that struck him right into the depth of his very soul. He knew she wouldn't leave him. Never.
"AVADA KDEAVRA!" she said with a determined, lethal voice and the Killing Curse knocked the Death Eater off of his feet who had held him in his grip. Ron picked up his wand and jumped on his feet, ready to face the Death Eaters and to die with her by his side. However, it didn't come to that when he heard her whisper something next to him and then a sudden wall of flames appeared between them and their opponents. Even Ron jumped back from the magical fire, afraid of the forces she had unleashed, but then he already felt her hand grasping his calloused fingers. Their fingers intertwined ever so naturally and then they felt the sudden pull of apparation, finally leaving her home behind.
They landed with a more or less hard bounce on the ground in the garden of the Burrow and Ron had never been so relieved to see his home again. However his look fell on her lowered head again while she clung to him just as if it was that night again where she had disaparated to his home for the very first time. His ears caught the shouts of his family which came running towards them, but he only left her side when his mother already pulled at him.
He got up and opened his mouth to explain their action to his family when he was silenced by his mother who simply slapped him. His head flung to the side and he sighed heavily while the pain in his cheek already started to burn. Again she gave him no time to explain but simply pulled him into her embrace. He should have been angry with her for the slap she'd given him, but when he felt the tears on her face he couldn't but respond to her embrace.
After all, she was only a mother caring for her son.
He was only freed out of his mother's embrace when she slowly turned to Hermione who stood still and silent a few feet away from them. She looked lost, as if she didn't belong to this image of a family. Molly Weasley lurched hesitantly forward, before she at last grabbed the young girl by her shoulders and pulled her into her arms. Shocked by this sudden wave of motherly affection, Hermione didn't know how to respond and stiffened automatically in her embrace. But then she could no longer turn away from the new family that was offered to her and finally she wrapped her arms around Molly Weasley to accept this new life.