Author: bumblefly

Title: Always

Ship: Ron/Hermione

Rating: K

Word count:

Disclaimer:

Spoilers:

AN: This is just a short piece that I was procrastinating with. I seem to be doing way too much of that as of late. But all's well! I just had to use always because I love that word so much right now. No reason why. cough Snape cough Always. Always, always, always. ALWAYS.

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Always

"How long will you stay here?"

With me is what he had wanted to say.

---

Things were back to how they always were but under oh so very different circumstances.

Just like the end of sixth year –they had been through so much together. They had always been through so much together. Yet the funeral of the greatest wizard to have ever lived seemed to bring a new light to their relationship. It was no longer stolen glances when ignorant of the others' awareness; no longer arguments to hide feelings that had been buried so deep within; no longer putting on a façade. Ron Weasley had held her, and all her composure seemed to melt.

It was only once he had held her that she felt safe to cry.

---

This year had been another milestone for them. He had dropped subtle and not-so-subtle hints throughout the year, and she accepted them gladly. But through it all, there was tension hanging between them. They had matured unknowingly with the tasks that lay ahead of them. And Harry. Harry had needed them more than ever. They needed each other more than ever and there would be no functioning if there was a separation. So of course there was. Ronald was a fool like he always had been. And Hermione was a mess like she had never been. She tried to compose herself for Harry. He didn't need his two best friends to consecutively walk out on him in their own ways. But she couldn't. Not while he was out there alone and with nobody to protect him. But he came back to them. To her.

It was all she could do from jumping into his arms.

In the end there was no need. He swept her off her feet.

---

She had thought something had shifted within him after she so impulsively kissed him. She had been waiting for so long for the right moment; waited so long for him to make a move. None of the particulars happened, yet she would not have changed what had happened for the world. She had felt him visibly relax and ease into her touch. And it was heaven amidst hell. She had never felt this sense before and no words could ever describe how she had felt at this moment. For her to admit to something like that was a personal milestone. Because she would never admit to having wanted this since three (or was it six, seven?) years ago. She would never have admitted that this boy was a hero. Her hero.

And because she realised that no book could ever do this moment justice.

---

That night there was the death of another great wizard. Dark –but great. And with him went so many others; following the same path but reaching different destinations. Tonks, Lupin, Snape. And Fred.

All of a sudden, things had changed again. He still looked at her the same way, but she knew that he was hurting. There was a glaze upon his eyes. And he would not talk. She took every chance to try and get him to open up a bit as time was running out. She would be leaving after the funeral. Yet there was nothing that came out of him. Not to her, not to Harry. He was alright, he assured them. Its only his family he worries about. All the Weasleys were grieving in their own ways; Mrs. Weasley openly; Ron, Ginny, Mr. Weasley and George silently. Yet Ron was trying so hard to be brave. He would still scold Harry when he would return after mysteriously being gone for as long as Ginny; he would still blame Crookshanks for nothing and everything regardless of all these years; he still comforted her; and he still made her laugh. Yet he was closed.

The façade was up again; not to hide his feelings, but so as not to reveal them.

---

Finally came the day when the cause of all the sorrows would be visibly buried. The arrival of the day came nearer and nearer. This could be the last time she would see many of the people present for quite some time. And definitely the last she would see some. They were both silent throughout the progression. All that was audible over the final words were the stifled sobs coming from all over. Ron had been looking at a point past the speaker all throughout. The glazed and faraway expression in his eye becoming more and more pronounced.

She wanted to make everything better, but she didn't know how. Why had nobody written a book for these sorts of things? It seemed her dependence on books was shattering as each day went past. She did the only thing she could think to do. She placed an arm around his shoulder, and he leant his head on to her shoulder. And he felt everything at once. All those things that he had tried so hard to block out. Hate, relief, loss, emptiness. And love.

It was only once she had held him that he felt safe to cry.

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"Always," she replied.