Love's Greatest Sacrifice

When Hermione awoke, she found herself to be surrounded in soft, white material. Oh, my God, she thought dully. She heard a tangle of voices coming from somewhere around her. Hermione peered over the white sheets and saw a familiar room.

"Oh, no!!" she cried. "I'm alive!"

"For heaven's sake dear, what's wrong with that?" said Madame Pomfrey, bewildered.

"But I can't be! Oh, no, this is horrible!"

"What is it with you people?! Why don't either of you want to be alive?!"

"Wha- who are 'us people'?"

"You and Mister Weasley. He started screaming when he woke up, by the way."

"WHAT?!"

Hermione dove out of bed, splaying her sheets onto the shiny floor. She turned and saw Harry sitting at the foot of a bed. Ron's bed.

"RON!!"

Within seconds, she had leapt into Ron's arms and to Harry's great surprise started kissing him all over his face.

"How are you still alive?!" she asked loudly.

"How are you still alive?!" he shouted out of joy. "I thought it hadn't worked."

"What hadn't worked?" she asked in surprise.

"The Love-binding spell," he gasped under her bombardment of kisses.

"The what? You knew about that? But Ron, it wouldn't have worked that way, I would be dead if it had worked."

"What are you talking about? If it hadn't worked, you would have gotten the Avada Kedavra too. But I don't know how I made it out alive."

"Huh?"

"There seems to be a little confusion," said Harry, moderating. "Why don't you tell each other one at a time."

Hermione began first. "I performed a Love-binding spell using hair from your brush, just after I saw you chasing after Harry's specter."

Ron looked shocked.

"But, I performed that spell. On you," he said, blanching. I was looking up protection spells too, you know. I saw that description about the Warning Specter-"

"The Renuntiatio Eidolonus?" said Hermione.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yes that. When I saw it, I decided that night to use it."

"But why didn't you use it on Harry instead?"

"You know why, Hermione! It only works on people who have sent a Warning Specter to you!"

Hermione took a few seconds to soak up this information.

"I sent a.. a warning specter to you?"

"Yeah, I told you- I decided to do it that night. That was when your specter showed up," he said.

"That was the night I told myself I would be willing to die for you," she said thoughtfully. "I guess that's 'embarking on potentially lethal plans'. But..."

I had to do something!" he added as her face fell.

"That was so rash," she said scoldingly.

"Are you out of your mind? You did the same thing!" Ron said in disbelief.

"I have a question," said Harry suddenly. "How come you both didn't just die?"

They sat pondering for a moment, then Hermione said slowly, "Umm... let's see. If a killing spell hits Ron, it goes to me. But if a killing spell hits me, it goes to Ron. If it goes to Ron, it then goes to me again... so, we just have an Avada Kedavra curse bouncing between forever, since neither of us can receive the spell without it immediately repelling back the other!"

"Ummm, let's not. I already have a headache," interjected Ron.

"All- all right," Hermione agreed.

Ron sat up suddenly.

"Was- what happened to.. You-Know-Who?" he asked excitedly. Although his mouth seemed to droop as if he already knew the answer.

"He, um," Harry started. "He wasn't destroyed, he just kind of, hissed like he'd been burned by 'all the love'," he said cloyingly, "and then apparated."

Ron swallowed hard. "I guess.. I guess... I mean, yeah-"

"It's okay Ron," Hermione whispered, "he's just more powerful now."

"Actually," Harry corrected, "he didn't try to kill me. If he had, maybe your sacrifice, both of your sacrifices, would have left a protection mark and actually defeated him again. The reason it worked with my mom, is... because... because he tried to kill me after she had left the sacrifice."

"So you might have a new mark of protection on you?" Ron added hopefully.

"I have no idea. You didn't die, so I don't know if it counts."

"Well, at least it may have helped," Ron said quietly.

"Yes, thanks. NOW DON'T EVER DO IT AGAIN!" Harry shouted, jumping off the bed.

Harry's dead-serious face made Ron and Hermione want to laugh even harder.

"I'm not joking! You think it's funny? To think your two best friends are dead because of you?!"

Hermione and Ron stopped laughing at once.

"Sorry," they said together.

"Just, don't try to kill yourself over me," he pleaded.

Harry then walked out of the hospital wing with his shoulders slumped. As they heard his footsteps grow softer, Hermione and Ron looked at eachother solemnly.

"But," said Ron, screwing up his face in concentration, "correct me if I'm wrong, if a curse hits one of us, won't we be protected? The Love-binding spell is permanent."

Hermione's eyes opened wide.

"I - I think so," she said grabbing his arm, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you take chances."

"You either," he said sadly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They lay in each other's arms until Madame Pomfrey discovered them in the same bed and quickly shooed Hermione away.

The war was far from over, but Hermione, as she always had, felt safe with Ron, and he, as he always had, felt safe with her.