Rating:
PG-13
House:
The Dark Arts
Ships:
Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Characters:
Harry Potter Hermione Granger Ron Weasley
Genres:
General
Era:
Harry and Classmates Post-Hogwarts
Spoilers:
Half-Blood Prince
Stats:
Published: 08/25/2005
Updated: 08/25/2005
Words: 2,098
Chapters: 1
Hits: 938

If Their World Was Ending

TattooedSiren

Story Summary:
Before Harry goes to face Voldemort, he gives Ron and Hermione the only thing he can - time to be together. Ron/Hermione

Posted:
08/25/2005
Hits:
938
Author's Note:
I had the rough idea for this fic bouncing around in my head for the better part of nine months, so I hope it was worth the wait.


If Their World Was Ending

"You can't be serious!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry met her eyes. "I am."

Hermione looked too shocked to reply. She went to speak several times, but nothing came out. Harry looked to Ron. He was pale and clearly in disbelief, but there was also a hint of resignation in his eyes.

"No, Harry," Hermione finally found her voice. "We won't leave you."

Harry sighed, looking at his two best friends. He knew that as soon as he told them he that he didn't want them with him when he faced Voldemort that they would fight him. But he was prepared for any argument they might make.

"Yes, you will."

"No, we won't."

Harry smiled slightly, amused by Hermione's vehemence. He stood and walked over to the couch where Ron and Hermione sat, kneeling on the floor in front of them.

"Yes, you will. And not just because I will keep you away by magical means if that is what it comes to. But because this is the way it has to be."

Ron looked like he was about to protest, so Harry continued before he could get any words out.

"Listen, I can defeat Voldemort. I can. But if something goes wrong, and I think we would be stupid to not at least consider that possibility, if I can't defeat him, no one else will be able to. No one. Not even either of you. So why should you be there at all?"

"Because you need us. You need our help," Ron said.

Harry shook his head slightly. "I do need you. I need you safe. And to be honest, if you were there, it would be a distraction. I need to focus all my energies on him, not on worrying about you."

Harry could see that Hermione knew where he was coming from but that she was still not convinced. Ron looked like he knew there would be no arguing about this with Harry, despite how much he wanted to.

Harry took both their hands in his. "You both have given me so much over the last seven years. And I have taken it all, giving you very little in return. This is the only thing I can give you."

"What if we don't want it? What if we don't want this out?" Hermione asked softly.

Harry looked up at his friends. They were both wearing expressions of sadness and confusion and shock. Hermione was looking at their joined hands while Ron was staring at some point over Harry's right shoulder, though Harry doubted he was seeing anything.

"I know you're in love with each other."

That got their attention. They both looked right at him, and finally having their full attention, Harry continued before either could say anything.

"I know you are, so don't bother denying it. I don't know why you haven't gotten together. Maybe it's my fault; I guess being friends with someone like me doesn't leave much time for romantic pursuits. But you deserve some time together.

"Dumbledore believed, and so do I, that there is nothing more important than love. The love we have for each other can do anything. It can move mountains if we believe it strongly enough. Because I love you, I'm letting you go, knowing that my love for you will help me defeat Voldemort. But now I think it's time you surrendered to the love you have for each other."

Silence reigned after Harry's speech. There were tears streaming down Hermione's cheek. Ron looked more shaken than Harry had ever seen him.

"Is there anything we can say to make you change your mind?" Hermione asked, a last ditch hope, though her voice indicated she was resigned to the inevitable.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "No."

Harry found Hermione's eyes. She finally gave the barest of nods and Harry knew she had finally relented. He smiled at her, but felt her gripping his hand tightly, as though she needed his strength.

Harry turned to Ron, who was again staring at some point above Harry's shoulder. Harry squeezed his hand, silently getting his attention. Ron turned to Harry and had an unexplained and powerful flashback to the day they first met. It felt like a lifetime ago now. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and Ron nodded.

Harry let out a deep breath, clearly relieved. "Well, you better get going," he said, standing up and pulling them with him. He wanted to get them out of here as soon as he could, before they changed their minds.

The three friends slowly walked to the door. Harry was steadfastly ignoring the part of his soul that was rebelling against the impending separation from his best friends. Hermione felt numb, like everything was happening too fast and she couldn't quite grasp anything that was happening. Ron's mind was a blanket of white noise, no thought or feeling penetrating it.

Harry opened the door for Ron and Hermione. They walked out of the house to the patio, to somewhere Ron and Hermione could apparate from.

The three old friends stood in silence for a moment, no one really knowing what to say. It was such a big moment for them, no matter how hard they tried to ignore it. In reality, this could be the last moment they were all together.

With a sob, Hermione stepped forward, threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you more," he replied.

Hermione half laughed, half sobbed at this, wiping away her tears as she did so. She gave Harry a quick kiss then stepped back, wiping away even more tears.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, then stepped towards one other and embraced in a warm, full body hug.

"Love ya, man," Harry said without a hint of hesitancy or embarrassment.

"Love you too, brother," Ron replied softly.

The two boys released each other and, after clapping Harry on the shoulder, Ron returned to Hermione's side. He took her hand and whispered something into her ear, to which she nodded.

Looking up at Harry, Hermione took a deep breath. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

"We'll see you tomorrow," Ron said in earnest.

Harry nodded, the faith his friends had in him overwhelming him so much that he lost the ability to speak.

With one last grim smile from Hermione and a wave from Ron, the pair disapparated away from Godric's Hollow.

*

Ron and Hermione apparated to Hogsmeade. It was deserted. Being so closely situated to Hogwarts, most of the residents had fled, no longer feeling safe being so near a place that Voldemort obsessed about, especially now that the protection Albus Dumbledore had provided was gone.

Ron and Hermione joined hands and began making their way down the street. Hermione had no idea where Ron was leading her, but she trusted him implicitly so followed him without question.

They walked in silence for some time, until Hermione finally said, "I can't believe we left him."

Ron glanced briefly to her. "We had no choice." He paused for a moment and then added, more to himself than to Hermione, "He'll be okay." He squeezed her hand, hoping to reassure her physically if not verbally.

Ron had led Hermione to The Three Broomsticks. Opening the thick door, the dark pub looked as though it had been abandoned in a hurry. There were bottles of alcohol still lined up behind the bar; tables and chairs were still set up, waiting to be used; an empty glass rested upon the occasional table. Hermione was saddened and a little disconcerted by the abandoned building. It was strange to see her childhood haunt, usually so crammed full of people, completely empty.

Ron and Hermione wandered around the pub, each lost in their own thoughts. The silence was ringing loudly between them. Ron couldn't remember the last time he was anywhere this quiet.

Hermione finally broke their silence. "Why did we come here?" she asked softly, though her voice carried loudly through the calm.

Ron shrugged. "Where else should we have gone?"

Hermione nodded vaguely, and then continued to meander around the bar. Ron went to Hermione and took her hand. "Come on," he said.

They headed towards the back of the bar, and then walked up the stairs. There were rooms for rent available on the second floor, usually occupied by family and friends coming to Hogsmeade to visit with the Hogwarts students on their Hogsmeade weekends or by patrons too intoxicated to make it back home.

Ron and Hermione went into a room half way along the corridor. Ron closed the door behind them as Hermione walked to the window. There stood Hogwarts in the distance, still standing tall, despite being utterly abandoned. It saddened Hermione to see the stone castle, to look upon a part of her life that she had left behind.

Ron leaned on the closed door, watching Hermione wipe away her tears as she looked upon their school. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better. Words had never been his strong point, but that didn't mean that he didn't know exactly how she was feeling or that he didn't care about her emotions.

He joined her by the window, placing a hand on the small of her back. It was getting dark outside and Hogwarts lit up before their eyes. Despite the distance, its light spread all the way to Hogsmeade, to The Three Broomsticks, to this small room that they were standing in.

Hermione turned and buried her head in Ron's chest, grasping at his jumper. Ron immediately put his arms around her, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.

Hermione felt so right in Ron's arms. On some level, she had always known about his feelings for her. Why she had never done something about it, she didn't know. Maybe she was afraid of crossing that line and not being able to go back if it didn't work out. But standing in his arms as the world outside was warring, she felt stupid for wasting all the time they could have had together. Harry was about to face Voldemort and if, God forbid, Harry lost and Voldemort reigned, their world was as good as over. And if that was the case, she wanted to make sure Ron knew how she felt.

Hermione lifted her hand from Ron's chest and put it to the back of his neck, raising her head while lowering his, and kissed him. If he was surprised by this action, by her boldness, he didn't show it. He returned her kiss with equal ardour.

Though it started sweet and gentle, their embrace soon became urgent and heated. Their tongues battled for dominance as trembling hands began unbuttoning and removing articles of clothing. It was as though their very souls knew they had limited time, so everything was going in fast forward.

As Hermione pulled Ron's jumper over his head, she realised the reason he wasn't shocked by her action was because he was probably planning on doing the same thing. After all, wasn't that the point of this, of Harry's blurting of the truth and his pushing them away, to give them this time together to spend in this way...

All coherent thoughts soon vanished from her mind as Ron removed her t-shirt and placed his cool hands on her warm skin. They moved as one over to the bed, never breaking apart for one moment. Hermione fell back onto the bed, taking Ron with her. They continued their assault on each other, taking in ragged breaths.

Ron wondered if he should stop, if this was moving too fast. But having Hermione's hands on his body as she whispered endearments into his ear pushed those thoughts out of his head. She wanted this as much as he did.

Together they gave and received, they taught and they learned, they shared their most intimate selves with each other, giving over something sacred that can never be shared with another. They loved each other.

Meanwhile, outside in the night sky, beams of light echoed above Hogwarts. Different colours raged a battle for dominance; blue, red, purple, yellow, until green finally reigned supreme.

Ron and Hermione didn't notice. The only thing they were aware of was each other and the sound of their voices as they repeatedly whispered, "I love you."

If their world was ending, they could spend it no other way than in each others arms.


Author notes: Please, please, please review and let me know what you think - good or bad. I'm a review junkie - please don't leave me hanging too long for my next fix. :o)
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