YES! I'm SO happy to finally finish this fic!

I know at one point the updates were coming super fast and then I just stopped right before THE LAST CHAPTER *cringe*

That was because at the time I needed to get the words out (If you write and you've ever done that, you know what I'm talking about) Anyway, I ended up getting burnt out from writing so much that I needed a serious writing break. I actually didn't feel the urge to write at all for over a week, which is unusual for me, but thankfully I had the urge again :)

I thought of doing a separate epilogue, but decided that ten was a good number and I didn't want to change it so the epi is at the end of this chapter.

Thanks to all who have followed along! Writing angst is a great stress reliever, and I enjoy it! (& I'm sorry)

With this finally wrapped up, I will be able to continue my other fics now because I've been neglecting them :(

Trigger warnings: mentions of child abuse.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeessssyyyyy helped me beta the beginning part of this fic, and my hubs helped me a little bit with the rest, so I give them my thanks!

oOo

From the moment that Cole Taylor had first laid eyes on Jay Williams, he was a goner. The two had met each other's gaze from across a crowded room one night, and things were never the same after that.

Sure, Cole was eleven years Jay's senior, but the sparkle in the younger man's eyes did something to him that nothing else had ever done, and he'd never wanted anything more. Although Cole had never believed in love at first sight, what happened between him and Jay came pretty damn close, and after meeting Jay, Cole was able to believe in a lot more than he previously had.

For them, it was quick to get to the romance stage, skipping friendship altogether and getting married only months after meeting, both of them positive that they wanted forever with each other. Just being in Jay's presence gave Cole a sense of bliss- as if everything was right in the world. He was handsome, kind, thoughtful and Cole loved him more than anything.

Jay no longer spoke of what was left of his family and was more than happy to take Cole's last name, eager to erase his past just a little bit more. Jay was always laughing and joking around, but in truth he had a horrible past that he had to fight against every single day.

Brought into this world by Muggles who hadn't wanted any kids in the first place, Jay was born unloved and had started life being left in a crib most of the time. As a toddler, when signs of Jay's magic started showing up and he unintentionally started making things happen, his parents thought he was some kind of freak and punished him accordingly. To say that he was abused was probably an understatement. Jay was beaten, verbally and emotionally mistreated, and what little food he managed to get his hands on were usually leftover scraps.

Jay's saving grace, however, came at age eleven when he got the letter from Hogwarts, and after attending for only a short period, he was finally able to find happiness in friends that cared for him more than his parents ever had.

Cole had grown up with a loving family but had always felt different. He was known for being a little socially awkward, but even so this, he managed fine. He worked at the Ministry, mainly pushing papers. His job was boring and repetitive, but he was one of the rare people who enjoyed stuff like that.

Jay, of course, had grown up and chosen to become an Auror. Cole was constantly scared for his husband, worried every day that he left, but Jay had loved it so much that Cole didn't have the heart to tell Jay his true feelings about it. Cole told Jay all the time how proud he was of him, which was not a lie at all, because Cole was exceptionally proud- and not just because of Jay's line of work.

The two built a home together, adopted several dogs and cooked dinner together every night.

They were happy.

Four years, eleven months, and sixteen days after meeting, it all came to an end.

When Cole opened the door and took one look at Ron Weasley's face, Cole already knew that his husband was gone.

Ron had been Jay's partner for the last year, and the two had gotten close in that short amount of time. They joked around like brothers, and soon Cole had also grown close to Ron, who was, in both men's opinion, an outstanding bloke. He was brave and selfless, and had saved Jay's arse on more than one occasion.

When Ron had come to the house with news that Jay had gotten the Dementor's Kiss, it had destroyed Cole. Ron had cried and blamed himself, but Cole knew that he wasn't at fault. The fact that Jay's past was so horrid led him to be especially sensitive to Dementor attacks, and what had happened in that cave had just been a horrific nightmare of an accident.

So two months later when Cole had shown up at St. Mungo's that morning before work as he always did, he had been caught off guard to hear whispers that Ron Weasley was currently in critical condition. Devastated and needing to learn more, Cole walked over to the private waiting area where he'd heard that Potter and the Weasley family were and stood beside the cracked door to hear the words being spoken inside.

Before the conversation was even over, Cole was walking away, his heart breaking but his steps determined as he realized what needed to be done. He made it to the fourth floor and greeted the people working in the Janus Thickey Ward who by now knew who he was and who he was there to see. He stopped walking when he reached the fifth room to the left and turned the doorknob.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said as he walked into the room where Jay was laying in a small bed, not having moved since the last time Cole had seen him yesterday morning. "How are you?"

As usual, Jay did not acknowledge his husband and only stared blankly ahead at the wall. It hurt Cole every single time he stared into eyes that had once been so full of life but were now dim and foggy- nothing like Jay's at all.

Cole wasn't an idiot. He knew that there was nothing of Jay left in this body in front of him. Even so, he was unable to treat him as the vegetable he now was, so every morning he greeted and talked to his husband as if everything were normal.

"Listen, we need to discuss something important, and it can't wait." Cole pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down in it before taking Jay's hand in his. "Ron Weasley. You remember him, right? Well he's going to die...that is unless he has your help." Cole wiped away the tears that were now running down his face. "He needs your heart, love."

As usual, Jay only stared straight ahead, a thin line of drool starting to creep out of the corner of his mouth.

"I know that you wouldn't have wanted to live like this Jay...you told me that you wouldn't want to live this way. In fact, you would probably be mad as hell at me if you knew that I was still hanging on like I am." Cole sniffed. "But you don't understand. I love you too much to just let you go. Remember when we talked about the possibility and I told you that having you in any capacity was better than having you at all and you scoffed? Well, I think I'm starting to understand what you meant."

Cole studied Jay's arms, his heart aching. Jay's body was deteriorating right in front of him and it was apparent the longer he lay in that bed. His muscles were disappearing a little more every day from lack of use, his skin pale and starting to sag. His features were also starting to hollow, and he now looked three times his age.

Despite this, the healers assured Cole that Jay was healthy, and could easily live into old age. The thought of Jay's body staying there until it was old and wrinkled and undistinguishable terrified Cole, and he didn't want that any more than Jay had wanted that.

"I know you want to go," Cole cried, his thumb rubbing Jay's knuckles. "And I'm ready now."

oOo

After her talk with Hunt, Harry left with Percy to go see Ron, leaving Hermione alone with Ginny. Ginny hadn't said a word to her since getting her memories back, and Hermione wanted to clear the air.

"Gin," she started. "I know you're mad at me-"

"How could you do what you did to all of us? To Ron? You made a decision for everyone like you had any right to do so!"

"Gin, please try to understand! I felt like it was the only way to keep Ron safe!"

"Oh yeah, Hermione?" Ginny snapped. "And how did that work out?"

The words felt like a knife to her heart, and Hermione stumbled back as if she'd been struck. She put her face in her hands and started to cry, guilt overwhelming her. She heard Ginny let out a sigh, her voice sounding as if she too had started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know that you would never intentionally hurt Ron. I know you love him."

"I can't- I can't-" Hermione tried to say, but was unable to talk as loud sobs started to rip through her body.

Hermione felt Ginny wrap her arms around her and she started to cry harder.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ginny soothed. "I know it's hard for you and I'm sorry I haven't been more welcoming. It's just- all of this at once? It's bloody difficult to wrap my head around, and I'm confused, angry, upset. We've all been living with an altered memory for the last several years, and now Ron is- Ron is-"

Ginny stopped talking, unable to finish the sentence.

Hermione clutched Ginny harder, feeling like her heart was just as broken as Ron's.

oOo

Cole walked into the hospital room, a bunch of eyes now on him as they obviously wondered who he was and what he was doing there. He shot a quick glance towards Ron on the hospital bed and immediately wished he hadn't. Ron looked so horrible, and in a way looked even worse than Jay did. His breaths were slow and rattled, his skin pallid and his lips a light purple color.

Ron Weasley very much looked like a man on his deathbed.

Cole averted his eyes, the sight too awful to look at for longer than a few seconds. He turned to the only one in the room he vaguely knew.

"Harry, can I speak to you please?"

Harry looked surprised but nodded before following Cole out of the room.

"Can we go somewhere more private?" he asked, and Harry agreed, leading him down to the ground floor and back to the waiting room Cole had been outside of earlier. When they made it there, Cole recognized Ron's younger sister in an embrace with a woman who looked like Allison- but wasn't Allison. The two women were sitting on the sofa and looked up as they entered.

"You've met my wife, Ginny," Harry said, and Cole and Ginny gave each other a slight nod. "And this is Hermione Granger."

Still standing, Cole held his hand out, and Hermione took it for a quick shake. "I'm Cole Taylor," he told her. "My husband Jay was Ron's partner."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh! Ron told me about...I'm so sorry Mr. Taylor."

"Thank you." He took a few steps and sat down on the opposite sofa as the women, Harry taking the seat next to his wife as all three stared expectantly at him.

"What did you need to talk about?" Harry finally asked, breaking the silence.

Cole ran his hands down his face. "This is going to be difficult- so please bear with me." He took a shaky breath. "I am pretty sure I know how to save Ron's life."

His declaration at first only earned him baffled looks, but then the curly haired woman's hand came up to her mouth to stifle a sob, her eyes filling up with tears.

"What?" Potter's wife demanded, turning to look at the crying woman.

"His husband's heart," Hermione whispered.

Cole nodded and Hermione jumped up and threw herself into his arms. Although he felt a bit awkward, Cole hugged her back, taking comfort in the physical affection. From over her shoulder, he saw Harry sitting there with a stunned expression on his face, his wife's hand clasped in his as she too seemed to be taking in this new information.

"Are you sure?" Potter asked, his voice quiet.

Cole nodded. "It's what Jay would have wanted. I'm positive." He sniffed, his eyes welling up with tears. "I love him. I'll always love him. But he's gone. He's been gone, and Ron shouldn't have to die."

oOo

Ron was drifting in and out of consciousness. He wasn't sure if he was alive, dying, or already dead.

Thoughts were fuzzy, and at times he didn't even know his own name.

He knew that he was trapped somehow, unable to fully wake up.

He also knew he'd been injured, but he couldn't recall how.

But then he was finally able to remember.

Hermione.

He'd wanted to know more about that bloody ring, and had gone back to the house knowing full well he shouldn't.

What the hell had he been thinking?

He was in love with her. That's what he'd been thinking.

He must've had another heart attack.

He hoped that if he was dead, then Hermione wouldn't blame herself, because his idiocy wasn't her fault.

He started to panic, having the desperate urge to let her know that she wasn't to blame.

Then everything went black again for a while.

oOo

When Ron was again in that lonely and quiet space in his head, everything was different.

He felt whole again.

Unlike before, he could recall almost every moment of his life, moments that were some of the best in his life.

Memories that featured Hermione.

Instead of fuzzy, the memories in his mind were crystal clear and Ron saw everything.

He saw Hermione at age eleven pointing out the fact that he had dirt on his nose- something that had horribly embarrassed him.

He felt the desperation he'd felt at age twelve as he laid his eyes on a petrified Hermione, though thankful she was still alive.

If he'd been able to do so in the state that he was in, Ron would have laughed at the memory of the anger he'd felt for her third year, now knowing that was when his feelings for her had really started to develop and he'd been both confused and scared shitless.

The memories came so fast, and Ron cherished them all- even the painful ones. He felt the jealousy over Krum, the regret of sixth year, every emotion from the horcrux hunt, the excitement when she'd kissed him that first time, the elation he'd felt the first time they'd talked about their feelings, their first flat together and the hope he'd had for the future.

Above all though, Ron felt the heartache of losing her after he'd been cursed, and it hurt more than anything he'd ever felt. The wound ripped back open, the pain raw and real and debilitating.

Hermione had been right. It was much harder now that he had his memories.

oOo

Consciousness came slowly, and Ron had to work hard towards it, his body wanting to fall back into a blissful sleep to dream about Hermione. Ron persisted, however, determined to wake up.

When he opened his eyes, his eyelids felt as if there were little weights on them.

His body was, at first, numb, but he slowly started to feel things around him, as if his mind was coming back down to meet with his body.

Ron knew immediately that he was at Mungo's as he was lying in a hospital bed, his upper body slightly elevated. Whatever he was wearing was stiff and uncomfortable, and he longed to rip it off. He was sore all over, but especially so in his chest, which didn't surprise him.

Moving his eyes down to his right hand, he flexed his fingers, ecstatic to see them moving.

For several minutes he focused on moving his fingers and blinking his eyes, hoping that someone would come soon and realize he was awake.

Right now, his number one priority was letting Hermione know that he was okay. He longed to tell her how much he loved her and how extremely sorry he was.

As he became even more aware, Ron realized that there was a warmth on the bed next to him, and when he looked down he was surprised to see Allison curled up in a fetal position next to his side, the back of her head in his armpit. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell by how still she was that she was asleep.

He reached out and ran his hand along her arm to wake her. Despite the fact that they were no longer together, Ron appreciated that she was there for him and he didn't want to startle her. At his touch, she started to move before letting out a big yawn.

"I'm not boring you, am I?" Ron joked, his voice raspy from disuse.

Allison's head snapped up. She turned her body around, causing Ron to have the shock of his life when he realized that it was Hermione's face staring back at him.

He froze, unable to comprehend what was going on.

While his heart was beating fast, it was not abnormally so. Ron reached up and put his hand over his chest, wondering why he wasn't hurting if Hermione was near.

Hermione, who also appeared to be in some kind of shock as well, watched his hand travel to his chest and gave him a small smile.

"It's okay," she said in a shaky voice. Everything is-"

The sound of her voice snapped him out of his shock, and Ron grabbed the sides of her face and pulled it to his, kissing her as if he needed it to breathe. As their chests crashed together, Ron felt a fair amount of pain, but he couldn't care enough to give a damn.

All that mattered was this moment.

All that mattered was Hermione.

"What the- hell-is going- on?" he asked between kisses, unable to keep his lips from hers for more than a second. "This- is- a fucking- dream! No- fucking- way this- is real."

He was crying, still in disbelief.

Hermione sat back and let out a watery laugh as she shook her head. "No, Ron. It's not a dream. It's real."

"How?" he rasped.

"You had a heart transpla-"

Ron wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew that whatever it was, he was cured. He again pulled her body to his, forgetting how sore he was, and when their chests collided, he hissed in pain. Hermione sat back again, her face alarmed.

"Ron! You have to be careful! You've just had major surgery! Magic has healed you up a lot, but dittany and healing spells can only go so far! You need to take it easy and give yourself time to fully recover!"

"I love you," Ron whispered, hardly even listening to a word she was saying. "And you can nag me every fucking second for the rest of my life and I will gladly take it."

"That can be arranged," Hermione teased as she wiped his fringe to the side. "I've missed you so much, Ronald Weasley."

"It's really over?" he asked, his voice again heavy with emotion. "I don't have to stay away from you?"

Hermione bit her lip and shook her head. "Never again."

This time, she was the one who leaned into him, although she was much more gentle. Their lips moved together perfectly, as if their mouths had a mind of their own.

Ron's hands started to move over Hermione's body, needing to feel her to make sure that she was really there. They traveled from her face to her neck, down her arms to her waist before moving to her bum and squeezing. He could feel himself starting to get hard, his body apparently having missed her as much as the rest of him.

Hermione let out a breath. "Ron. Not here," she laughed. "We're at Mungo's. You've just had major su-"

Ron cut off her words with his mouth. "Don't care," he mumbled against her lips. "Love you so fucking much."

They continued to snog, neither of them stopping when they heard the sound of the door opening.

"Ron! You're awake!" Harry exclaimed.

"Go 'way, Harry," Ron muttered, not wanting to keep his lips from Hermione, but she broke away from him, her cheeks red.

"Hi, Harry," she said as she smoothed her hair down. "He's awake."

Harry chuckled. "I can see that. How do you feel, mate?"

Ron smiled. "Amazing."

"I uh-" Harry shared a look with Hermione, and Ron's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Ron, there's someone who wants to see you."

"Okay," Ron said slowly as he eyed Hermione, hoping she wasn't planning on leaving.

Hermione must have sensed what he was thinking, because she gave him a pointed look. "I'll be right outside in the waiting area. Your parents went with George and Ginny to get some lunch, but they'll be back in a bit as well."

He grumbled, still not liking the idea.

Hermione leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "We have forever now, Ron."

Ron reached up and grasped the sides of her face."Okay, love," he relented. "Please come back."

"I always will," she assured him.

She and Harry walked out of the room together, and Ron was surprised when Cole Taylor walked in. The man looked worse for wear, and Ron felt guilty for not checking in on him more often since Jay's accident. He'd lost weight, and his eyes had dark circles underneath them. Not only that, but his face was red and puffy as if he'd recently been crying.

"Hey," Ron said, wincing as he sat up more in bed. "How've you been?"

Cole gave him a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Been better." He sat down in the chair next to the bed and the two men eyed each other.

"So. Have they told you that you had a heart transplant?" Cole finally asked, breaking the silence.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, but I don't- I'm not sure what that means," he admitted. "To be honest, all I cared about at the time was the fact that Hermione was in front of me, and I wasn't really listening." He paused. "What's a heart transplant?"

Cole cleared his throat. "A heart transplant is when they take out your heart...and put another heart in its place."

Ron's eyes widened, and his hand instinctively went to his chest to rest over his- or apparently someone else's- heart."You mean this isn't even my heart?" he asked, his head spinning. He'd never even known such a thing was possible.

"No." Cole gulped, his eyes moving down to the floor as they filled up with tears. He took a deep breath before looking back up. "Ron. It's Jay's heart."

It took Ron several seconds for the words to sink in, and he felt the blood draining from his face. "Jay's?" he rasped. "They took out Jay's heart and- and put it inside of me?"

Cole nodded. "Yes."

Ron didn't say anything. He stared at the sheets covering his body, his mind reeling.

"You and I both know that Jay died that day in the cave," Cole continued, and Ron nodded in agreement, knowing that was true. He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking of that horrible day and tried to push it out of his mind.

"We'd actually talked about the possibility before, and Jay didn't want to be just a body- couldn't stand the idea. I know without a doubt that Jay would want me to make the decision I made. You meant a lot to him, Ron, and Jay would have wanted to help you."

"He- you both gave me my life back, Cole," Ron said in barely over a whisper. "You don't know what it means. I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you have done for me," Ron said, tears running down his face as he tried to comprehend the gift that he didn't feel he deserved, the gift that meant everything to him.

Cole placed his hand on Ron's. "That's easy, Ron. All you have to do is live."

oOo

2005-

Ron smiled as he slowly crept up the stairs to what used to be his attic bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. When he made it to the top, he saw that the door was cracked and he opened it the rest of the way.

"It's hopeless, Gin," Hermione was saying as she twisted a glittery barrette into the mop of curls that were piled on top of her head. She was sitting in a chair, a small mirror perched onto his old desk.

"Hopelessly gorgeous," Ron responded, making Hermione let out a small squeak before standing up and spinning around, her eyes wide.

"Ron!"

Ron took the moment to move his eyes from the top of her head all the way to her toes, taking in the sight of the beautiful strapless wedding gown she was wearing.

"You look stunning, love."

Ron could tell that Hermione was trying to put on her stern face, but she gave herself away when he saw the corners of her mouth twitch up.

"You know your Mum would be furious if she knew you were up here with me only an hour before the wedding."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but it's worth it- seeing you, I mean."

Hermione smiled before walking into his open arms. Ron pulled her close, taking care not to mess up her hair or smudge her makeup.

"Are you nervous?" he asked as he gave her forehead a light kiss.

"Nervous about tripping in these high heels your sister insisted I wear? Absolutely. Nervous about spending my life with you? Absolutely not."

Ron chuckled. "Good. But yeah, it'd be best if you don't trip," he teased. "Wouldn't want everyone to think that my new wife is accident prone."

She gave him a shove. "Ronald, I swear!"

"To what? To love me forever and always? To cherish me and whatnot?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Something like that."

"I can't wait to marry you, Hermione," Ron murmured, his voice now serious. "I used to think that choice was taken away from me, but look at us now." He pulled her hand up to his chest and placed it over his heart. "We're together."

Hermione let out a small laugh, her eyes watering. "I never thought it would happen either. I still can't believe it."

"Believe it, love. Because from this moment on you're stuck with me forever and-" Ron stopped talking as he heard footsteps on the stairs that were getting louder and louder. "Gotta go. I'll see you at the altar." He shot Hermione a wink before disapparating away.

oOo

"It was lovely. Everything was so perfect!" Lavender gushed. "I'll admit, I always knew you two would end up together!"

Hermione smiled, trying not to laugh at the look on Ron's face. "Thanks Lav. I thought it was quite lovely, as well." She turned and gave her new husband a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah," Ron agreed as he took a slow sip of his butterbeer. "It was great."

Lavender's grin grew mischievous as she stared up at Ron. "It was so sweet how you teared up, Ron."

Ron reddened as he took another sip, and Hermione smiled as she gave his hand a squeeze.

"Anyway," Lavender went on. "Who's Charlie here with? I've never seen him before."

Hermione's eyes traveled to where Ron's older brother was standing close to Cole. They were smiling and laughing, seemingly in their own little bubble. Ron had introduced the pair several months ago and they had been inseparable since.

"That's his new boyfriend, Cole," Hermione answered, not going into detail about who Cole was.

While the entire Wizarding World now knew about everything that had happened with the curse and now remembered who Hermione was, Cole had wanted his privacy, and had asked them to not publicly reveal who's heart had saved Ron. They had all kept good on that promise, and other than close family nobody knew the whole story.

"Oh! Well they look happy!" Lavender exclaimed. "Oh look! It's Seamus!" And with that, she waddled off, her very pregnant belly in front of her.

Ron let out a chuckle, and Hermione elbowed him in the side.

"What?" he said indignantly. "I wasn't laughing at her!"

Hermione's retort was cut off as two other people walked up to them.

"Hello handsome," Allison said as she hugged Ron.

When she stepped back from him, she gave Hermione a hug as well.

Allison's new girlfriend, Viola, moved in next to give the newly married couple a hug. "Congrats you two. The ceremony was beautiful."

Ron beamed at the two of them as he put his arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her closer to his side. "That's because Hermione was the star of the show."

"Oh I don't know," Allison said, a smirk on her face. "You looked pretty great up there too, Ron. You almost had me regretting letting you go," she teased.

Ron rolled his eyes while Hermione and Viola laughed. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Too late now, Allison. I'm a married man."

"That you are," Hermione confirmed as she moved to her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Ron's lips.

A slow song came on, and Ron smiled as he excused himself and Hermione before taking Hermione's hand. He led her to the dance floor and pulled her close, still not taking for granted the fact that he now was able to do so.

"Hermione?"

"Hm?" she hummed, her cheek resting against his chest as they swayed.

"I love you so much."

Hermione smiled. "I know. I don't think you would have married me otherwise."

Ron shook his head. "Not true. If you were super rich I would have married you- love or no love."

Hemione hit him playfully on the shoulder and he laughed as he nuzzled into her hair. "Say you love me too."

"Would you rather hear me say it, or would you rather have me show you just how much I love you later tonight?" she teased.

Ron groaned. "Show me. Definitely."

They continued to sway, and Hermione took the moment to look around at everyone and everything around her. The backyard of The Burrow was hardly recognizable, and everything truly had been perfect. Was perfect, she reminded herself. Her fingers travelled over Ron's chest, her fingertips slipping underneath his button down shirt to feel the thin scar over his heart.

"What are you thinking about?" Ron asked, his voice curious.

"That I'm so happy you're alive."

Ron's response was cut short by the sound of Ginny making an announcement that it was time to cut the cake.

"Barmy muggle traditions," Ron mumbled, but then his eyes lit up. "I get to smash some in your face, right?"

Hermione shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Just a little bit?"

They laughed as they walked hand in hand over to the towering cake, their lives together just beginning.

oOo

The End!

I feel that the last scene is super sappy, but I figured it needed some major fluff after all of the angst, lol

I hope you enjoyed this fic & plz let me know what you thought!