''Mi?' At the sound of the voice she started and looked up. Ginny was standing over her, a frown creating a crease between her brows, her mouth twisted with concern.

'Sorry, Ginny,' Hermione replied, rubbing wearily at her aching eyes. 'What were you saying?'

'I asked if you were ready to go,' Ginny said, her voice softening but her expression still worried. Hermione realised that Ginny now had a maroon coat and cream scarf on over her jeans and baggy band T-shirt, and she wondered vaguely when that had happened. When she didn't move, her friend prompted, 'You know, Hogsmeade?'

'Right, right, sorry. Is it that time already?' With some effort, she raised her gaze to the large clock mounted into the wall of the Great Hall. Sure enough, it was almost 10am. If they didn't want to be late for meeting the boys, they'd need to be leaving now. Hermione looked back down to her breakfast plate, realising that she'd only gotten about halfway through her toast before she'd drifted off.

Sighing, she pushed it away and rose slowly, pulling on her own light brown spring jacket. She carefully stepped over the bench she'd been sat on, and staggered slightly as she set off towards Hogwart's main entrance. They joined the queue of students who were being checked out of the castle by Filtch, and Hermione directed her concentration on winding her own scarf around her neck. The darn thing seemed to keep getting tangled, and it took her three attempts to get it situated.

'Are you sure you're well enough to go?' Ginny had been watching the whole undertaking, and she sounded more worried now, especially when Hermione swayed slightly on her feet. 'I can always tell Ron that - '

'No!' The word came out sharper than she had intended, and the red-head's eyebrows shot up at the tone. Hermione instantly regretted it. She forced a smile onto her face as she tried again, 'No, honestly, I'm fine. Besides, it's been nearly 3 months since I've seen them.'

'But - '

'Please, Gin.' She couldn't keep the exhaustion out of her voice this time, and something about it seemed to bend the other girl's will. After one more brief, surveying glance at Hermione's face, Ginny merely nodded and looped her arm through Hermione's, keeping her close and making an effort to chat animatedly to her. At her.

Hermione was grateful. She had been having the most awful nightmares recently, and it really didn't help that the NEWTs were now coming ever closer. This coupled with her worry about Harry's Auror missions and Ron's upcoming Auror training meant that she was getting very little sleep. Her friends had noticed how wrung-out she was and had been very accomodating, but she didn't want it to affect today. She had loved every minute of the Christmas break, and it had been soul-crushing to leave Ron again and return to school, knowing that they would be apart for another long stretch of time.

But they'd been planning this meet-up in Hogsmeade for weeks now, and she would be damned if she would let a little tiredness interrupt those plans. So she allowed Ginny to pull her along and blather at her, knowing that she was doing this to help Hermione stay awake and focused. The journey to Hogsmeade seemed much longer than usual, but finally she was stumbling along the cobbles, clinging to Ginny as they made their way towards the Three Broomsticks.

'Oi, you two!' Both girls turned at the sound of that familiar voice. Two figures were approaching them, and Hermione's heart tightened at the broad grins they sported. Harry broke away from Ron's side to jog towards them, his messy brown hair just as unruly as ever, his bright green eyes sparkling behind his round glasses as they fixed on Ginny.

'Polite as always, Potter,' Ginny sniffed in response, but Hermione saw the smile that split her friend's freckled face as Harry swept her into his arms and spun her around. She dragged her gaze away from the laughing couple to watch Ron approaching at a much more leisurely pace. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his deep brown Aviator jacket, his blue eyes warm as he took her in.

Despite her own coat, she shivered slightly under the heat of his gaze as it travelled up her body. But when he reached her face, his smile faultered. Before he could say anything, she stepped into him and wound her arms around his waist, nuzzling into his chest. Her exhausted mind went into overdrive as she breathed in his familiar, comforting scent, and she had to blink away the tears that suddenly threatened to spill over.

'Alright?' he murmured quietly into her hair, his arms sliding around her and holding her tight. She welcomed his strength, melting slightly against him. She dimly registered the swell of muscle against her cheek, under her hands. In his letters he had told her that he'd been training for his upcoming Auror position, and she wondered briefly what it would be like to feel the slide of those toned muscles under his bare skin.

'I'm fine.' She tilted her head up to look at him, and his frown deepened as he got a better look at her. She knew what he was seeing - the palid complexion, the deep purple stripes under her eyes, the pinched look her face had taken on recently. She read it all in his expression, his concern growing into alarm by the second. For someone who was quite emotionally illiterate, it seemed that Ron was incredibly well atuned to Hermione's equilibrium. He opened his mouth to push further, but she cut him off. 'I am, Ron, I'm fine. Let's just enjoy the day. Please? I just need ... I ... ' She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat, and watched as his alarm turned to subdued worry.

'OK, Love, easy,' he soothed, dipping his head to brush his lips to her cool cheek. She shivered again, his ginger stubble scratching her face lightly as he whispered against her skin, 'Whatever you need.'

He pulled away, a carefully crafted smile now in place, and looked over her head. His expression was instantly thunderous.

'Oi!' She jumped slightly at his sudden shout, then turned in his arms to see Harry and Ginny in a passionate embrace behind her. 'Get off my sister, Potter!'

She laughed as Ginny gripped Harry to her tighter with one arm, not letting him break away, while she raised the other arm and thrust her hand in their direction, middle finger raised. Ron bristled, and Hermione laughed again as she pushed him towards the entrance to the pub. 'Come on, Ronald, give them some privacy.'

After glaring for a few more moments he shifted, grumbling to himself even as he tucked her against his side. She wound her arm around his back, silently grateful for his support as her head spun again at the movement. He guided them into the pub, directing them to a cushioned booth big enough for the four of them, and made sure that she was seated comfortably before he disappeared to the bar.

Hermione had no idea how long it took for him to return, and she gave a small start when he re-appeared at her elbow, four tankards of Butterbeer gripped in his large, scarred hands. She hid her movement as best she could, giving him a bright smile as he placed one of the tankards in front of her before slipping into the seat next to her. Her smile faded as she took in his expression, once again clouded over as he watched her, and her heart sank. She stared down into the mug and waited silently for the inevitable.

'What can I do?' His voice was so quiet that she almost missed it, but when the words had finally filtered through the fog in her brain she looked up at him sharply. She had expected him to push her some more, to make her tell him what was wrong. Hell, she was even bracing for a fight. But for whatever reason, this approach stunned her.

When she just stared at him, he began to chew at his lower lip, his forehead creasing as his brows pulled together. He raised a hand and moved it towards hers, but stopped just short of touching her, as though afraid that this was the wrong thing to do. She watched his indecision for a moment before releasing her Butterbeer and holding out her hand to him.

His breath left him in a loud whoosh, and he instantly wound his fingers through hers, shuffling closer on the cushioned bench. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back softly before lowering it to the table, his eyes never leaving hers. But still he didn't speak. He just waited, running his thumb over her knuckles gently. So, she tried.

'I ... I honestly don't know,' she whispered, ducking her head and letting her curls fall over her face.

'Please, Love,' he groaned, and his free hand cupped her cheek and turned her towards him again. She almost gasped at the pain written across his face. With shaking fingers, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and his voice was thick with emotion as he went on, 'Please don't hide from me. I'm so worried, 'Mione. Tell me what I can do, and I swear I'll do it. If you can't tell me what's going on, then OK, I'll accept that if I have to. But at least give me a way to fix it. Anything.'

'Ron,' she tried, but her breath hitched in a sob. She was overwhelmed by his concern, his obvious love, and she was tired, oh so tired, tired of holding things together, tired of managing all of this by herself. He released her hand and her jaw to wrap his arms around her once more, and pulled her against him, tucking her head against his shoulder as she started to cry in earnest. She could have sworn she heard him mutter something, but it got lost in the flood of emotion that poured from her.

She let herself cry until her tired eyes stung, and she clung to him the whole time, scared that if she let him go he would disappear. That he would dissolve, and be replaced by the terrifying visions that plagued her every night. That instead of his steady heartbeat, she would hear her own screams, hear him bellowing her name, hear that awful, screeching giggle -

No, she told herself sternly. It's bad enough that you have to relive those moments every night. You will not let them take over the days, too. It was something that she told herself every day, and as always it gave her strength, gave her resolve. The things she'd been through would not take her power away.

Ron's arms tightened imperceptibly, and she used it as an anchor to bring herself back to the present. Back to him. The noise of the Three Broomsticks returned, and she blushed, glancing around furtively to see if anyone was looking at her. To her surprise, everyone seemed to be resolutely not looking in their direction. She recalled the rumble of sound she'd heard from him, and raised her head to cock an eyebrow at him in silent question.

'Wandless privacy charm,' he said, grinning sheepishly at her as he pushed her curls back from her damp face. 'Afraid it's not very powerful, mind. Not sure how long it'll - '

'Ronald!' She pressed her lips to his before pulling back to burble, 'That's amazing! That's really advanced magic. And you did that wandless? How did you do it? You must have been practicing, where did you found out about - ' Ron cut her off with a deep kiss.

'There's my girl,' he chuckled, then pulled her against him again, his hand winding into the hair at the back of her head and tugging to deepen the angle of their kiss. His teeth nipped at her lower lip, swiftly followed by his tongue, which he smoothed along the rapidly swelling flesh. She braced her hands against his chest and his free fingers gripped her hip, pulling her tighter to him as she allowed her own tongue to meet his. He pulled back to stare down at her, his eyes now alight with lust as he groaned, 'Gods, I've missed you.'

'Ron,' she pleaded, and he reacted instantly, sealing his lips to hers again. Liquid fire flooded through her, as though he was pressing his need into her mouth with his exploring tongue, letting it flow down her throat, her chest, her abdomen, to pool in her core. She gripped his shirt and pulled him in, remembering that she was hungry, starving, for him. She keened against his lips as his slid his hand under her shirt, up her back, seemingly counting her ribs. She wanted to shift into his lap, to straddle him, to rock forward with her hips and feel his hard -

'The words pot and kettle spring to mind, Weasley,' someone laughed from beside them, and they broke away to find Harry and Ginny grinning across the table at them.

'Sod off,' Ron grunted, releasing Hermione so that they could face the others. Hermione felt her face flush as she tried to subtly straighten her shirt, but the wicked light in Ginny's eyes told her that the girl had seen everything. She stuck her tongue out at her, hoping it would hide her eratic breathing. She was sure that the whole pub could hear her heart thundering against her sternum. She blushed again when Ron, seemingly only irritated by their interruption, leaned in to whisper, 'Sorry, Love, I'll work on that spell so that it lasts longer next time.'

Hermione playful swatted him away, not sure if her face could turn any redder but not wanting to give him the chance to keep talking like that and find out. He winked at her, his grin a little wolfish, before turning back to Harry to argue that public displays in the middle of a street were much more uncooth than a quick snog in a pub. Ginny and Harry both hooted at his choice of words, and Hermione had to laugh, too.

She smiled when Ron found her hand under the table and wound his fingers through hers as he continued sparring good-naturedly with Harry and Ginny, and Hermione squeezed back as she settled against his shoulder, content to just listen to the banter. The energy she'd used in the intensity of their stolen moment seemed to have depleted her already limited supply, and she allowed her eyes to drift closed with the thought that she'd replenish faster that way.

xxx

''Mione.' She opened her eyes, and immediately realised what had happened. The pub was mostly empty, as were the seats opposite them, and what she could see of the sky through the windows was turning a hazy orange. She sat up slowly, wincing at the crick in her neck from being in one position for too long. She rolled her shoulders, then glanced at Ron as she stretched her arms over her head.

'What time is it?' she yawned.

'6pm.' She froze.

'No ... ' She breathed. She scrabbled for his wrist, pulling his watch up so that she could stare at it. Even with bleary eyes, she could read it. She let out a small dismayed noise as she dropped his hand to bury her face in her palms. Her voice was muffled as she wailed, 'I slept through our whole visit!'

'It's OK, Love,' he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. She looked up as she felt him stand. 'We've got plenty of other opportunities for visits. But we'd best get you back now, yeah?'

'Alright,' she mumbled. She was so dejected that she didn't realise until they stepped outside that she felt incredibly light. She hadn't felt this refreshed in weeks.

'I think you really needed that sleep,' Ron grinned, watching her bounce slightly as they walked. She smiled up at him, and reached out to take his hand. Something about his solid warmth, his careful acceptance, the patience he'd shown today, made her want to share her problem with him. Her chest tightened as she searched for the words, and the smile was fully gone from her face when he murmured, ''Mione?'

'I've been having nightmares.' She swallowed, the words sticking in her throat.

'Oh?' She felt his eyes on her, but she couldn't look at him. Not yet.

'About ... about Malfoy Manor.' He stopped dead, pulling her to a hault beside him. She looked up at his face, and her heart broke.

He was staring straight ahead, his face white as a sheet, his eyes wide, agonised and terrified. She gripped his hand and waited, not sure what to do, how to bring him back from wherever he'd gone. Then, in a rush, he seemed to return to himself. He gathered her into his arms and held her close, burying his long nose in the crook of her neck, breathing slowly and deliberately.

'I'm sorry, 'Mione,' he rasped, clearly fighting back tears. 'I'm so so sorry.'

'It's not your fault, Ron,' she breathed, stroking his back as his shoulders relaxed. 'It's not your fault.'

'I should have - '

'We've talked about this,' she said, a little sharper than she'd meant. But he didn't pull away, didn't argue back. He just continued to hold her, continued to breathe. So she went on, 'They're just worse at the moment because I'm stressed, with the NEWTs coming up and ... and everything.'

He nodded against her neck, and she fell silent, not wanting to go into further detail. They stood in the road for what felt like an age, just holding each other. Finally, he pulled back enough to look into her face, his eyes a little shiny as they scanned her face.

'Did you ... ' His voice was rough, and he cleared his throat before trying again. 'Did you have any nightmares just now? In the pub?'

'Actually, no,' she said, giving him a shaky smile. 'And I didn't have any when I was home for Christmas, either. I think I feel so safe with you, in your arms, surrounded by your smell ... ' She blushed, feeling she might have revealed too much, then rushed on, 'You just make me feel safe, I suppose.'

'OK,' he said, his neck a little pink, but she could hear the pride in his voice at what she'd said. Then he frowned. 'But I can't be with you every night.'

'No,' she sighed wistfully. His frown deepened as he thought on the problem, then suddenly he grinned. He released her and stepped back, quickly stripping off the Aviator coat he'd pulled back on as they exited the pub. He dropped it on the floor, then grabbed the hem of the navy jumper he had on underneath. Aghast, Hermione sqeaked, 'Ron, what are you - '

'Take my jumper!' He thrust the article into her hands, and he looked so smug that she giggled. 'To sleep in,' he clarified as he pulled his coat back on. 'If my smell makes you feel safe, then this might reduce the ... the dreams. Keep it for a week, then send it back and I'll send you another one, yeah?'

'Ronald, I - '

'Please?' He took her hand and raised it to his lips for the second time that day, but this time he kissed the inside of her wrist. 'Try it. For me? I can't ... If I think of anything else that might help, then I'll send it immediately. But I can't let you go back up to that castle knowing that you're suffering, 'Mione. I just can't.'

His gaze was so intense that she simply nodded, holding the jumper close to her chest as she whispered, 'I love you, Ron.'

'I love you,' he murmured, dipping his head to catch her lips again. She leaned into the kiss, and he indulged for a moment before reluctantly breaking away.

'Come on,' he said, his voice a little rough once more. 'If you keep kissing me like that, I won't let you go back.'

She laughed then, and though it made her heart ache she allowed him to walk her to the edges of the wards around the castle. She kept her goodbye kisses as chaste as she could, then turned and walked swiftly away from him, forcing herself not to look back. If she'd seen him watching her walk away, she didn't know if her resolve to return to Hogwarts for the last few months would have held.

xxx

But she did return, and true to her word she slept with his jumper that night. She still had dreams, but she found that the vision had changed somewhat. Instead of being alone on the cold tile of Malfoy Manor, she was now encircled by something big, strong and powerful, something that kept her safe, kept the terror away. And when she woke the next day, she felt more rested than she had since Christmas. She wrote a letter to Ron, praising his idea and thanking him abundantly, and every night after she pulled on that jumper with the knowledge that Ron would keep her safe.

As his scent faded over the week, however, the power it held diminished somewhat, and Hermione started to worry about what would happen when it was completely gone. She was delighted when, exactly a week after the Hogsmeade trip, an owl deposited a package beside her breakfast plate during the morning post. She ripped it open eagerly, and a wave of scent, of parchment and embers and Ron, wafted out of the brown paper. Inside was a neatly folded jumper, this time in a rich purple, and a small hand-written note.

'Mione,

As promised, here's your top-up. Send me back the other one, yeah? It'll smell like you by now, and I want to wear it and imagine all the naughty things you might have done in it while thinking of me.

All my love, always,

Ron x

She flushed as she read, wondering how he had known. Of course she had been unable to resist touching herself, when she was drowning in his scent and consumed by thoughts of him, missing him. It would never be as satisfying without him, but just knowing that he would be wearing something that she'd had on while she buried her fingers inside herself and choked out his name ... Merlin. She returned the other jumper with an equally suggestive note, and that night her orgasm hit much harder as she thought of what he might be doing at that same moment, surrounded by her smell and imagining what she was doing to herself.

In this way, Hermione was able to survive the remaining school term. They had a couple of Hogsmeade visits, but these tailed off in the lead up to the exams. Hermione was much more able to throw herself into her studies with the better sleep she was getting, and didn't surprise anyone when she came top of her class for everything. But she found it hard to really enjoy her achievements while she remained at school, knowing that the success was going to be that much sweeter when she was finally home. Back in his arms, surrounded by him, secure, safe. For good.