After finally falling asleep around 5:00 in the morning, Hermione awoke to the sunlight shining through Ginny's bedroom window at noon. She looked over to Ginny's bed and found it vacated. She was startled to see the time on the watch on her bedside table, but relaxed a bit when she realized that she had nowhere to go. Nothing to be up for. No more horcruxes to get up and destroy. With this thought, Hermione slumped back into the pillows as a small smile crept up on her face. The hour was not important anymore, and Hermione could sleep in as long as she wanted from now on. The simple leisure of sleeping that most took for granted was something that Hermione now got to experience as never before. She could sleep without a time limit; she could sleep without the constant worry that was always running fresh in her mind.
Her thoughts were broken into by the sound of a knock on the door. "Come in," said Hermione, her voice croaking from sleep. The door opened slowly and Ron whose arms were laden with a breakfast tray slowly made his way inside the room. Hermione sat up in the bed and flattened the covers around her legs. Ron very slowly shut the door behind him using his foot and then crept over to Hermione's cot obviously trying very hard not to spill the contents of the tray. Hermione stifled a laugh with her hand at the sight of Ron handling the tray. After several more moments, Ron finally made it over to the cot and set the tray over Hermione's legs and sat at the end of the cot. The events of the night before sat in front of them forming an invisible barrier between the two, a wall that neither of them was breaking down by not speaking. Ron looked down at his legs and started rubbing his palms on them, a nervous habit he sometimes averted to. Hermione pushed the tray a little down the bed and reached over to put a hand on Ron's which was still nervously rubbing up and down his thigh. At her touch Ron looked up at her and grinned slightly. She took this as a sign to continue.
"Thank you for the breakfast," she started.
"It was no problem. Mum was about to bring it up actually but I caught her on the stairs and asked if I could instead," Ron replied. Hermione smiled and sat back taking a bite of her toast. "I'm glad," she said. After this exchange, there was another lapse in the conversation in which both Ron and Hermione sat, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The silence was not uncomfortable, and went unnoticed. After a moment or two, Hermione came back to her senses and held out a piece of toast to Ron.
"Want some?" she asked kindly. He nodded and took the toast and took a bite greedily. Hermione had always marveled at Ron's ability to be constantly hungry even when he had eaten only minutes before.
"So," Hermione started, or at least tried to. For the first time in a long time, Hermione was faced with the inability to speak. This was strange for Hermione. She was the girl who knew everything there was to know about anything, the girl who always had something to say, whether it be fact or opinion. But now, she was stumped. Therefore she was glad when she heard Ron chuckle and looked up to find him laughing.
"Who knew it would be this hard?" he asked. Hermione had no clue what he was talking about so she just let him continue, giving him a slightly confused look. He picked up on this and continued. "For years I always thought the hard part would be asking you out. Little did I know that it would be easy and the hard part would be what to do afterwards," he finished. He was right, Hermione thought. However, the way he said it made her doubt herself in a way that was very unnerving. "Oh," was all that she could get out.
"Oh Hermione don't worry. I'm sorry I wasn't trying to be a prat and suggest something I'm just saying that I'm nervous and I don't really know what to say. Well actually I do know what I want to say I just don't know how exactly to go about saying it." Now Hermione was more confused than ever. "Ok Ron, well just say it then," she said after swallowing some pumpkin juice. Ron cleared his throat and continued.
"Hermione, I don't think that we should tell my parents about us dating yet." Apparently Ron thought that Hermione was going to scream at him or hurt him because he stopped talking immediately and winced. But Hermione did not interrupt him or hit him; she sat in stunned silence where she was. Ron took this silence to mean that he should continue with an explanation which he did-at full speed. "See it's not that I don't want people to know, believe me I do. I want to rub it in everyone's faces, shout it from the astronomy tower if I could. It's just that with everything going on, I don't want one more thing on mum's mind. And although I know that everyone's been pulling for us two to get together for years, I just don't feel like now would be the best time to make that sort of announcement…you know?" he finished. "Ron," she said softly. "I'm so so so so sorry Hermione. I know you must hate me, I'm the world's biggest prick aren't I?"
"No you aren't. I hadn't really thought about it yet but I think that you're right actually. And even if I didn't I would still understand why you would feel that way. I'm not mad Ron," she finished. At this Ron sighed loudly. "Thank Merlin, I think I've had enough of your cold shoulder treatments for one lifetime," he answered jokingly. "Ronald!" she said in mock anger while throwing a pillow at him. He ducked out from under the pillow and shot her an amazing smile, one that reached his eyes. But what happened next surprised Hermione more than anything that had happened so far, he put the breakfast tray on the ground, leaned over and kissed Hermione softly on the lips. When he finally pulled away Hermione took a second to catch her breath. She still hadn't gotten used to the sensation and was sure that she wouldn't be getting used to it anytime soon.
"Actually Ron, I'm a little relieved," Hermione continued once she got her head on right.
"And why's that Ms. Granger?" Ron asked while simultaneously kissing from her cheek down to her neck with a wicked smirk on his face.
"Well," Hermione started trying her very hardest to keep a steady heartbeat. "Remember back in fourth year when that awful Skeeter woman wrote those nasty things about Harry and I dating and how I had broken his heart?"
All she got in reply from Ron was "Mmhmmm," as he continued to make his way down her neck. She took another deep breath and continued.
"Well your mum was so mad at me for the whole Harry fiasco and it wasn't even real. Can you imagine how she would react if I had to tell her that I'm dating her youngest son? I don't think I'm quite ready to deal with that yet," she finished.
When she was done speaking, Ron looked up and smiled so large she almost thought that his face my crack in two. All of a sudden Ron fell backwards on to cot and started laughing harder than Hermione had heard him laugh in a long long time. At the sound Hermione's heart lifted and she too fell back into the bed laughing. After a couple of minutes Ron sat up and leaned over to Hermione. She too sat up because the look on his face told her that he was about to say something.
"Thank you," was all he said.
"What did I do?" she asked him.
"For making me laugh. And for making me happy, the happiest I've been in a really long time," he finished with a smile. There was no way to respond. Yes of course she could have told him that he made her the happiest girl alive and that she would live the rest of her life trying to make him happy. So could have said a number of things but at the moment she was completely blank and she couldn't think of any words to express what she was feeling inside. Plus even if she had, she didn't want to scare him off. So instead of saying anything she answered Ron with a kiss.
"What was that for?" he asked when she pulled away.
"That was me saying thank you to you," she said smiling at him.
The couple spent the next half hour sitting in bed and talking, as well as finishing Hermione's breakfast at Ron's insistence. (What was the point of wasting perfectly good food was his argument.) Afterwards Ron went back downstairs to leave Hermione time to shower and get dressed alone, (Ron ducked out looking embarrassed, his ears turning a deep shade of red that Hermione hadn't seen in some time.) So twenty minutes later Hermione walked down the stairs and into the kitchen of The Burrow where she was a little surprised to see all of the Weasleys, save Ginny and Harry packed into the small kitchen. Different people were leaning against countertops or sitting around the table. Hermione had the distinct feeling that she had walked in on a very somber conversation that was probably about something related to the family. She slowed down once she got to the doorway, not wanting to interrupt whatever was going on- especially if it was going to ruin her day that had started out so nicely. Mrs. Weasley seemed to notice this and smiled slightly when she saw Hermione standing there. She walked over and took her hand leading her to an empty seat at the kitchen table-the seat opposite Ron. 'Well,' thought Hermione, 'this should be a good test to see how well Ron and I can keep all of this a secret.' Mrs. Weasley bustled back over to Hermione with a piping hot cup of tea.
"Glad you finally came down Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said as she placed the cup of tea on the table. At this Ron looked up and cracked the tiniest of smiles at Hermione. "We were just talking about the arrangements for tomorrow. The…funeral arrangements," she struggled to finished. Comprehension dawned on Hermione; so this was why everyone looked to miserable.
"Yes," started Mr. Weasley. "It will start tomorrow morning, we'll be burying Fred out on the hill just a bit past the property. It has a lovely view of the quidditch pitch and it's where I first taught Fred to duel so I thought that it might make a nice place for him to be…put to rest," Mr. Weasley concluded.
It sounded nice to Hermione, but she had to admit, she hadn't really thought about any funerals lately. She'd been so absorbed in her own happiness at finally sharing her feelings with Ron that the thought had barely even crossed her mind. Granted it had only been a couple of hours that she had been back at The Burrow, but those hours were some of the best that she could remember. Guilt suddenly flooded her. How had she not remembered? She had spent all of this time with Ron and yet the topic of Fred hadn't been brought up at all.
A gentle kick from under the table awoke Hermione from her thoughts and she realized that it was Ron trying to get her attention. She looked up and saw that the mood in the kitchen hadn't changed, but it had emptied out a bit. George, Percy, and Mrs. Weasley had all left the room. Al that was left was Charlie, Bill, Fleur, and Mr. Weasley, all standing around looking at their feet, no one making a sound. Ron nodded towards the back door leading out to the garden and Hermione understood him to mean that he wanted to take a walk. The two got up and walked outside.
Once they made it a few yards away from The Burrow, Ron took a large breath and simultaneously took Hermione's hand in his. She looked down at their intertwined hands and smiled, this was a simple gesture that she knew would always make her smile. For a while, they didn't say anything. Just walked together past the overgrown garden, the gnomes, apple trees, and finally stopping at the home-made quidditch pitch. Hermione thought that maybe now was the time to bring up Fred and the funeral to Ron, see how he was really coping with all of this. But, Ron beat her to it.
"So…tomorrow's the funeral," he started.
"Yes, it is. How are you feeling? I'm sorry that I haven't asked yet, I should have asked how you were doing or something," she replied.
"Well, I mean obviously I'm not great. But I don't think that it's really hit me yet. I mean, when I saw Fred die Hermione that was horrible. The worst moment of my life by far, but even seeing it happen hasn't made me believe that he's truly gone. I keep expecting him to apparate right next to me and start laughing as if the this was one if his pranks. And…" he didn't continue. Hermione knew Ron well enough to know that if she gave him some time, he would eventually continue his though, and he did.
"And, I'm scared. Scared because I know that it's not a prank, and that he really is gone. Scared that tomorrow I'm going to have to face it all and put on this brave act for everyone else there while I'm putting my big brother into the ground," he said softly while tears started to stream down his face. Seeing Ron cry was not something that Hermione was accustomed to, and caused her to start crying herself. The two were sitting against a tree now, side by side, still holding hands.
"And you know what's the worst part about it all?" he asked after some moments. "It's because I'm about as angry at Fred as I am sad about him being gone. Didn't he know what he was getting himself in to? Didn't he know that mum, dad, me, George, couldn't live without him? Hadn't he even thought maybe he should duck when that piece of ceiling came crashing down on him?" he said answering his own question. "But I know what I'm saying is rubbish. He did know what he was doing, he knew the consequences…we all did. Fred was my brother, and he's going to be buried tomorrow, and you know what I've been thinking about?" As he said this he turned to face Hermione and looked deep into her eyes. "I just keep thinking how happy I am that it wasn't you. I'm so, so happy that it wasn't you Hermione," he finished.
And now Hermione couldn't help but start sobbing. And they were both holding each other and crying. Neither knowing how much time had passed since they had been outside, and not really caring. Eventually, Hermione and Ron both stopped crying and they just sat there under the shade of the tree, her laying in his arms, and him stroking her bushy hair. Reveling in the moment when they didn't have anything to worry about and had nowhere to be. They let the unspoken words pass between them and spent the rest of the day under that tree. Each one knowing that at least for now, their silent conversations were enough.
"I'm so happy that it wasn't you Ron," she said.
He looked down at her and she saw something in his eyes. She saw the broken Ron that she had just spent the afternoon with, the Ron who meant more to her than anything else in the world and was in so much pain. But she also saw the boy with dirt on his nose, first year, in that compartment on the Hogwarts Express. When she saw this she knew that it would take a long time for him to heal, but that there would always be that Ron full of as much hope and wonder as the day she had met him.
Hermione took his hand back in hers, giving it a squeeze and the two lay back against the tree. Hermione realized that this was all she needed, to sit here with Ron under this tree. She didn't really need words or big promises, she just needed his hand in hers, wasting the day away under this tree.