A Soothing Touch

A Soothing Touch

By Caducee

"It'll all get better," she whispered into his ear, making it seem for all the world like she was right, things were going to get better in an instant, all of that would be wiped of everyone's memories. And no one would remember. But it wasn't so easy. You couldn't wave a wand and say a spell and take it all away. Everyone would remember, the pain would still be there. It just wasn't that easy to forget, and things like that were simply unforgivable.

A hoarse sound escaped Ron's bruised lips, and he burrowed his head fiercely into Hermione's chest. Her tied hair didn't tickle his nose or chin, and he was immensely grateful for that simple gesture. She just gathered him closer into her arms, humming softly under her breath, much like his mum had when he'd kept asking for more bedtime stories. Instead he'd fall asleep to the quiet rumbling of her voice that resounded through her chest, and she'd gather him close on her lap to rock him to the land of dreams.

Even thinking of his mum was hard to bear. She was hardly recognisable anymore, hardly even lived in their timeframe. It seemed all she wanted was to join Ron's dad, wherever it was that people went when they were murdered in a fucking trap during an anti-Death Eater raid.

Hermione rocked him softly, trailing her fingers across the thin scrap of hair at the nape of his neck, tracing soothing patterns on his heated skin, waiting for Ron to speak it all out. Far better out than in, was her reasoning as she brushed away the short bangs that clung to his boiling face.

He took a long breath that filled his lungs, and let himself feel her soothing touch, then glanced up and welcomed her lips on his drenched forehead, knowing that it cost her a lot to stay strong for him. she tasted salt on her lips later, but for the moment he closed his eyes and really let himself become one with her love. Always. Through thick, and through thin.

Her words brought back a fresh set of hot tears.

You did not deserve this ending, dad.

"Shh, it will be all right, Ron."

One heart-wrenching sob escaped him. "How?" he snapped, voice cracking with emotion. "How can you be so sure?" he accused vehemently, then realised his anger had made him lash out at her without reason. She had nothing to do with all of it. Blind and confused, he fisted a hand into her hair and pulled her in for a searing, ashamed, but impassioned kiss, letting all of his soul bare to her. "I - I don't - I'm so sorry - I didn't mean that."

Her hands tangled in his shirt lapels. She brushed a hand through his longer locks and smiled a small smile. "I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

He bruised his lip with all of his attempts at keeping his face from falling apart again. Ron kept his eyes trained on hers - that helped - and let himself speak finally, letting his hands articulate with him. "It's just... it's so unfair. He had - he had no chance against all of them. Snape said it'd be a trap, that stupid raid. He knew it, the greasy git. Couldn't dad have listened to him?"

"Ron..." Hermione sounded tired.

His expression wavered as he continued, unpestered by her interruption. "I mean, now mum's... Mum's devastated. You heard her? She was mumbling this morning when we got the news. I... I thought it was nonsense but, you know, she's really thinking of death."

Hermione's eyes widened, horrified. "Ron!" But she knew it was the truth. She only couldn't bare to have him think of death, too. She couldn't bear to lose him.

He looked up, misery outlined in his bloodshot eyes. "It's so unfair. Why can't there be happiness anywhere?"

At a loss, Hermione followed her heart. She captured his lips and together they shared their sorrow, cried together, held one another as tightly as they could. "Oh, Ron," Hermione murmured against his cheek as he sought for love, burrowed deep against her neck. "You're wrong," she said, grasping and holding his head steady. His eyebrows furrowed with tears still clinging to his lashes. "You make me happy, Ron. There is happiness in the world." With a weary sigh, she added, "You make your mum happy. She's blinded by her loss, and she has a right, but... let her know that you're here for her." Hermione smiled encouragingly, and then nodded to something, or rather someone behind Ron at the doorway.

Ron turned and saw his bespectacled and very bed-headed best mate enter the girls' shabby bedroom rather unsteadily. Ron quickly swiped at his eyes and offered Harry a weak, tight-lipped smile.

Harry blinked from the glare of the outdoor light blasting in from the window. With a hoarse voice he said, "Tonks just woke me," which really meant 'she told me about Arthur and I'm sorry, I don't know how to make things better, what do you want me to do?'

Ron took a deep, bracing breath, glanced at his bushy-haired girl and then shook his head at his scarred friend. "I'm fine," he said, and Hermione thought maybe it was best this way - Harry probably knew better than anyone the harsh miseries of life.

Harry nodded understandingly, then shifted his questioning gaze to Hermione, who quietly gestured him next to her. Harry nodded again, then came to sit at her side, and together he and Hermione supported Ron the best way they each knew how: with an awkward hug or a loving embrace, and Ron returned each of them their share with fervour.

Don't let yourself go by.
Everybody knows.
Everybody hurts.
Sometimes everybody cries.