La Vie en Rose

Chapter 15/ Epilogue

La Fin est un autre mot pour signifier le Commencement

(The end is the other word for the beginning)

"Tada..." sang Ron as he handed Hermione her wand.

"I can't believe it was under the fridge all this time!" She looked at her wand questioningly. "How did you roll under the fridge?"

"I don't know how it did," said Ron, replacing his own wand in the inside pocket of his coat which was resting on the couch, "and, honestly," he added as he took Hermione by the waist, bringing her to him, "I don't care."

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her passionately. He then kissed her forehead and caressed her hair as he looked at her in the eyes.

"It's funny..." he said at long last.

"What is?"

"This feeling... You know, when you've wanted something for so long -- and when you finally have it, you can't believe it's real... you can't fully realise it has become reality."

She smiled, her eyes shining.

"I understand what you mean. I feel it, too..." She sighed and looked down at her feet. "I have been so stupid."

He shook his head. "We've both been stupid, Hermione."

She averted his eyes.

"I almost lost you. Forever..."

"So did I! But now, we've understood the lesson. Hermione, look at me." She looked at him. "We won't make the same mistakes again."

She took a deep breath and locked her eyes with his.

"We won't!" she said, determined.

She kissed him softly. He closed his arms tight around her waist and she rested her head against his chest. He began to sway slowly, humming low in his throat. Hermione didn't notice what song it was until he said, singing low to her ear, "When you take me in your arms, when you speak softly to me, I see la Vie en Rose... You tell me words of love, everyday words, that fill my belly with butterflies..."

He stopped and looked at her with a sheepish grin. "I've forgotten the rest of the lyrics..."

It took a moment for Hermione to find her voice and she was shaking when she asked, "Ron... That's -- that's... How?"

"I asked someone I knew at the French Ministry of Magic. He told me it had been translated in English, but that it wasn't exactly what the song said in French. I asked him to translate it for me... because I didn't know then if you ever would..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away furiously.

"Merlin, I'm a real fountain this week!" She swallowed hard, bit her lower lip. Her eyes were full of love for the red-haired man who was standing in front of her. "I love you, you know," she finally cried, throwing her arms around his neck, surprising him a bit. He lost his balance and landed on his back on the couch, still holding her. She landed on his chest and started kissing him again, holding his face with her two hands. "You'd better know this right now, Weasley. I'll never let you go again. Never ever. So don't ever plan to leave me because I won't let you go. I've already been close to losing you too many times before."

He couldn't help but smile. "I won't ever leave you. But you'd better know this as well, Hermione Jane Granger. I'll never let you go again either. Now that I have you in my arms again, I won't let go of you. You're mine!" He kissed her hard. "Mine..."

"Yours..." she whispered back between kisses.

"And I'm yours as well," he added with a smile.

"You'd better be mine!" she exclaimed.

They looked at each other in the eyes and smiled knowingly at one another before bursting with laughter. They held each other for a few minutes, not saying anything. She rolled to her side and threw a leg over his body.

"Now that the matter is clear for both of us, make love to me, Ronald Bilius," she finally whispered in his ear.

He looked at her with desire in his eyes.

"Mmm, I love it when you're being bossy, Hermione Jane," he replied, flipping her over and taking off her tee shirt.

***

December 8th, 2005

My dear Sophie,

I cannot believe I left Paris three weeks ago. It seems like it was yesterday. I'm sorry I left in such a hurry, but I had to get away from Paris. As much as I love this city, it was starting to drive me mad. I needed some time alone, away, with Ron. We have not yet come back home. England I mean. You cannot know how much I dread coming back. Reuniting with my family, my friends... I left them all without saying goodbye. How will they react when Ron and I will knock at their doors? I guess they'll be all really angry with me. Perhaps they won't even want me back in their lives... however, five years ago, running away seemed my only way out. Maybe I'll explain this all to you one day, but right now, I just don't want to think about it all. I know I'll have to, soon. Ron would like to be back for Christmas. And maybe I even want to as well. But for now, I want to enjoy the time alone with Ron.

Thank you so much for helping me -- helping us. You've been a real friend to me, Sophie. Aymeric has, too, to another extent. The point is that you both made me realise how much I loved, how much I love Ron and how much I need to be with him. He is my soul mate; he needs me too. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he holds me close to his heart. And I don't have to talk to him for him to understand that it's the same way around.

Right now, he's sitting in the sun. I can see him looking up at the sky. The bright sun makes his hair redder than ever and the wind makes it fly slightly around his head. It is amazing how I could watch him for hours. I'll never get tired of him.

He has spotted me and he's calling out my name now. He wants us to have a swim in the sea. How could I deny this to him, when all I want is to be with him, no matter what?

I'll write to you as soon as we come back to England. I guess I'll need your help through your letters then. Meanwhile, take care of you and of Aymeric. Kiss him for me.

Love,
Hermione

***

All was white. All was so purely white. A white that was so soothing, so comforting you would have thought it did not exist. Two shapes suddenly appeared in the middle of this whiteness, popping out of nowhere. They were both wearing long white robes. They were standing on a little cloud, looking down at something only they could see, and were smiling brightly.

"Good job, my friend," said the taller man to his friend, who, though he looked younger than the other man, was just as old. "You did save the situation. I thought they would never make it."

"Well, I have been watching them both for years. Their feelings for one another are so pure. Yet, they could not seem to manage to get through this mess they had created and entangled themselves in. I had to do something for them."

"Well, let's just hope everything is going to be fine now."

"Knowing those two, I'd say their quarrels will probably still entertain us for many years."

"Probably," laughed the other man, "It is a very good thing that you decided to intervene. Such awful events had already taken place... What if she had drowned herself in the river? Of course, we cannot always do something... We can help them but if they do not let us help them, there is not much that we can do."

His friend's face fell. "I know."

The other looked concerned.

"Do not blame yourself. I am not blaming you. We both knew how that poor soul was. She is happier here, with us. She was too fragile for the other world."

They both looked at a woman sitting a few metres away from them, who was playing with children, a happy smile on her face. They smiled.

"I guess she is happier here," answered the smaller man.

"She is." The other nodded.

"Thank you, my friend."

The other laughed in a very warm way, and putting his arm around his friend's shoulders, said, "You are very welcome, my little friend."

The smaller man smiled. They looked down again and the latter quickly averted his eyes, slightly blushing, while the taller man, letting his eyes linger a second more, laughed loudly. "And to think you did not even have to shoot an arrow at them in the first place!"

THE END