Are You Lonesome Tonight

Are You Lonesome Tonight

Ron stepped out of the shower and was met with a cool blast of air. As he began drying off, he heard the radio in his bedroom still playing.

He knew this band. What was their name again? The Tumbling Stones? The Rolling Rocks? Something like that. Either way, Hermione had liked them. Ron got dressed and

then returned to the bathroom, where he began rubbing the towel over his head to dry his hair.

Once he had finished, Ron took the towel and went to wipe the steam off the mirror, when he stopped in horror. Hermione's message I Love You, written in lipstick was still there, but now it was dewy from the steam. Ron was horrified. Out of the old habit of wiping the mirror, he had almost erased the last message she'd left him.

Determined never to make that mistake again, he went to his nightstand and got his wand. Carefully using a simple carpentry spell, he removed the mirror from the wall and walked into his bedroom where he attached it to the wall opposite his bed. To keep the mirror and its message intact, he placed a very strong anti-destruction charm on it.

Satisfied that it was securely in place, Ron turned and looked around his bedroom. It was a disaster.

After the devastating accident, he had returned to his apartment where his anger and grief consumed him.

As with many that suffer, his anger turned to hate, then to rage, which lead to destruction.

Room by room, Ron smashed, shattered, and demolished everything in sight. There were even random holes in the wall, marking the impact of his fist. He looked around and shook his head. It was now time to pick up the pieces of his broken life, physically and emotionally.

With the simple stroke of his wand, Ron was able to restore his bedroom to its original state. With his bedroom in order, he moved on to other areas of his apartment. The kitchen and den took more time to mend, since at the time there had been more items to destroy.

Once everything was in its place he sat down on the sofa and breathed a heavy sigh. 'Where do I go from here?' he asked himself. 'How do you start over?'

Unsure, he took a second look around the apartment to make sure he had not missed anything that needed to be repaired. He noticed a pile of mail, lying next to Pig's cage. It appeared he had already opened some of the letters.

Picking up the stack of post, Ron repositioned himself on the sofa and began sorting it.

The coffee table quickly became immersed with stacks of mail. There was a pile of Daily Prophets, a stack of what appeared to be bills, and a pile of letters from friends and family. He assumed they were notes of sympathy and pushed them to the side. Reading them would only remind him of the accident and no doubt increase the grief that filled him. Ron also had a pile of letters that had already been opened at some time or another.

The first one was from Professor McGonagall, now headmistress of Hogwarts. She had written him last month asking if he would be interested in returning to Hogwarts to fill a vacant teaching position. At the time, he had considered accepting her offer. Hermione and Ron had been fighting and he had thought a change would be nice. A few days passed and things seemed to be on the mend, so Ron decided to show Hermione McGonagall's letter. He assumed she would be happy and encouraging, but instead she got angry, accusing him of abandoning Harry and his own skills as an Auror. She said, he was needed places more important than Hogwarts. This argument led to the worst fight they had ever had. They both said things they didn't mean and neither knew how to apologize.

Ron folded McGonagall's letter, placed it back in its envelope and instead of discarding it, he sat it off to the side. Due to recent events, a return to Hogwarts might do him some good.

Recognizing Hermione's handwriting, he picked up the next open letter. A shaky smile spread across his face. He remembered this letter. It was delivered a couple days after their enormous fight. As usual, Hermione had been the first to offer an apology. He began to read:

My Dearest Ron,

I don't know how to begin. It seems lately all we do is fight. I don't know if it's work, Voldemort, if it's me or you. But I do know that I love you.

When you showed me McGonagall's letter, I didn't know how to react. So I got angry and upset, because I thought I was losing you. I love you Ron. And nothing can change that. Not even a move to Hogwarts. I think it's quite an honor to teach there and I want you to know I'm so proud of you.

I don't know what else I can say to let you know how I feel. But right now, the only way I can think of is through an old Dusty Springfield song. (She's a Muggle singer from the sixties.)

"I don't know what it is that makes me love you so. I only know I never want to let you go. Cause you've started something, oh can't you see that ever since we met you've had a hold on me. It happens to be true. I only wanna be with you.

It doesn't matter where you go or what you do. I wanna spend each moment of the day with you. I just want to be beside you everywhere. As long as we're together, honey, I don't care. No matter what you do, I only wanna be with you."

Love,

Hermione

P.S. I know it's cheesy, but I mean every word of it.

That letter saved their relationship. When Ron had first read it, those weeks before, as soon as he finished he Apparated to Hermione's apartment, where they made amends, vowing never to argue or fight over stupid things again.

That was when she suggested they go on a Muggle date. She said it would be fun. Though initially Ron wanted to protest, the excitement in her eyes while planning the evening changed his mind.

They'd planned to borrow Mr. Weasley's car and go out to dinner and see a movie. Once the details were settled, Ron said he needed to go. He gave Hermione a kiss good bye and then set off on his mission. The time had finally come. He was finally ready to ask Hermione to marry him.

Ron always thought he would get Harry or Ginny to help him pick out an engagement ring, but when the time came he wanted to do it himself.

After practically emptying his vault at Gringotts, he set off to the jewelry store.

Ron anticipated that it would take hours before he would decide on the perfect ring, but the decision was instant. Just looking at the ring, he could see Hermione's hand wearing it.

He couldn't keep from smiling as he walked home. Periodically he kept grabbing his pocket just to make sure it was still there.

Ron had planned to give it to Hermione at dinner when they went out. He knew it would be the most unforgettable night of his life. And it was, just not how he had planned.

* * *

Ron jolted awake as Pig came flying into the den, crash-landing on his chest. He must have fallen asleep while reminiscing over the letters.

He rose to his feet and took Hermione's letter into his bedroom, where he placed it inside the box with the other treasures of Hermione's. Ron closed the drawer and climbed into his bed.

Propping himself up with pillows he lay back, staring at the mirror he had earlier hung on the wall.

He saw Hermione's face smiling back at him, literally.

Ron smiled; he realized it was the reflection of the picture of Hermione that hung above his bed.

He glanced at the clock. It had just turned 4:00 a.m. The radio disk jockey announced it was now the "All-Elvis Hour".

Ron smiled; he remembered during a game of truth or dare, Hermione revealed her secret love of Elvis.

Instead of getting up to turn the radio off in order to go to sleep, he lay there and let the music of The King fill his room.

Looking once again into the mirror he saw his own reflection, Hermione's face and the words "I love you" written in lipstick across the glass.

Succumbing to exhaustion, Ron drifted to sleep, while the music played softly:

Are you lonesome tonight?

Do you miss me tonight . . .

Is your heart filled with pain?

Shall I come back again?

Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

The End