Heartstrings

Heartstrings

Love talked about can be easily turned aside, but love demonstrated is irresistible.

-- W. Stanley Mooneyham

Hermione had reached one of those rare points in her life where she felt so completely beleaguered. It was her, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and the rest of the Order against...over one hundred Death Eaters. Not to mention Voldemort himself. They we vastly outnumbered and she knew that there was no way they could come out of this battle the victors.

Harry would, though. The three of them had spent month after month making sure the odds were in his favor. All of the horcruxes were destroyed and Harry had everything he needed to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

She felt somebody coming up behind her and instincly threw a Stunner. She had to time to look and see who it was because she was already in the middle of fighting a young but unwavering Death Eater. Finally, somebody running by had knocked him over, enabling her to hit him. The only thing ever coming from her wand were Stunners. She had learned from the last battle at the Department of Mysteries to just stick with what she knew. And here they were now at the same place doing the same thing.

Hermione now remembered that she had stunned somebody without looking. She was horrified to discover that the only person lying behind her was Neville.

"Oh, Neville," she said, kneeling beside him. She felt for a pulse and was relieved to find a very strong one. He had indeed been the person she had hit.

"Oh my God, is he dead?" said a strained voice at her shoulder. It was Parvati. Hermione unconsciously raised an eyebrow. Neville and Parvati? True, she had been out of the country for almost two years, but could things really have changed that much?

"No," she said, to Parvati's instant relief. "I've only just accidently stunned him and I was about to revive him."

"Please don't," she said with tears steadily streaming down her face.

"Why?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Because I'm afraid he'll die if he goes back in there. He's not the best of fighters and...and I'd rather the Death Eaters mistake him for dead. Is that horrible of me?"

"No," she said, with a touch of impatience. If Parvati didn't want to revive him, than that was fine by her. Now wasn't exactly the time to go into an in depth conversation about right and wrong. Besides, she had to admit that it was probably safer for Neville to remain temporarily unconscious.

"Just get him out the way. And don't let your guard down for anything."

"Thanks."

Hermione pushed her was through the crowd, Stunning random Death Eaters as she went. She suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to seek out Ron. Last time she saw him, he had been determinedly dueling with Draco Malfoy. That had been over twenty minutes ago. One of them was bound to reach some sort of end by now. She just hoped it wasn't Ron.

At last, she saw him. There he was lingering over the limp form of Draco. She ran over to him, glad it was him standing and not the other way around.

"Is he dead?" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Has to be," Ron's expressionless face replied. Hermione knew that he was feeling confused. He had just killed a man. She knew that it wasn't in his nature to kill, regardless of who it was and for what reason. It would take him a long time to get over this.

"Well, well, well," said an icy voice that made them both jump and turn around in fear. Lucius Malfoy. "I see my son is dead and you, you filthy little mudblood-loving weasel, is the cause of it. Of course, you now have to die as well. But first you girlfriend gets it."

And without even a moment's hesitation, pointed his wand at her and said, "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Ron yelled and impulsively dove in front of her, catching the spell right in the heart.

Hermione felt her whole world fall apart. She could no longer register the chaos around her. The noise was gone. Any physical pain from the various injuries she had accumulated from fighting evaporated. She was numbto all of that. The only pain she felt was the intense erupting from her heart. Only two words registered in her head - Ron; dead.

She sank to her knees in despair. She covered her body over Ron, protecting him, though from what she had no idea. The cold emulating from him was unmistakably the cold of death. Suddenly the well of tears burst from her uncontrollably. Ron was dead. Ron was dead.

Somehow through the thick haze that clouded all of her thoughts, Hermione somehow registered the chilling laugh of Malfoy.

"You bastard!"

"Hmm, well actually unlike you, my lineage is quite pure."

Hermione didn't care what he said. His insults bounced right off her. She reached around blindly for her wand, not sure where it landed. Unfortunately, Malfoy was too fast for her. He pointed his wand right at her chest.

"I think not. Ah, now won't the Dark Lord be pleased that I rid both of Potter's dirty sidekicks in one shot."

"Kill me then!"

"With pleasure! Avada Kedvra!"

Hermione had no time to think, no time to do anything. The green beam of light hit her just like it hit Ron. But unlike Ron, instead of sinking into her body, it rebounded off her chest and shot straight to Malfoy. He collapsed.

Hermione couldn't be relieved that he was gone. How could she ever be happy when Ron was dead? She felt a sudden surge of anger. How dare he die and leave her here by herself? The madness overcame her and she took it out in the form of beating Ron's stiff form in the chest.

"How could you! How could you! You promised me you'd always be here for me! You said you'd love me forever!"

She kept beating and she didn't think she could stop. Hermione wanted to break his ribs. She wanted to make his chest cave in. She wanted to make him hurt like he hurt her, even though she rationally knew that there was no way he could feel her.

Unbidden, the night that Ron proposed to her came flooding into her mind. She had turned him down because she hadn't felt right about. How was she to know if the proposal came from his heart or the just from the magic of Paris? She knew she loved him but how did she know for sure he loved her?

Tonight, she knew for sure. Ron took a spell for her, sacrificing his own life for his. And because of this had saved her life again. Here was her proof right here, only it was too late. She regretted with all her heart for refusing him.

Hermione layed her head on his heart and whispered, "I'm so sorry Ron. I'm so sorry..." She just kept repeating it over and over until everything faded to black.

Hermione awoke slowly but without opening her eyes. She knew the light would be blinding and she wasn't ready yet. She heard voices around her and had to strain to hear them.

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Hermione Granger. Poor dear, she's been out for days. She was in the final battle, you know?"

Who were they? Hermione assumed they were nurses.

"Hit by some spell from a Death Eater, I suppose."

"Actually, she was found passed over Ron Weasley's body."

"The Ron Weasley?

"The very one."

Their voices left the room and Hermione let her eyes open and slowly adjust to the light. Looking around, she realized she was in a hospital room in St. Mungo's. What happened between throwing herself on Ron and this instant?

She was startled to discover Harry and Ginny sleeping in a pair of chairs beside her bed. Hermione was relieved to see that at least they were alive and well. She reached out and took Harry's hand. He woke up.

"Hermione," he said. "I'm so glad you're awake! We were starting to get really worried about you."

Hermione managed a weak smile. "What happened?"

Harry shook his head. "Not now. The press has been all over it."

"That's okay. They'll be plenty of time once we get out of here."

"You're quite the hero, you know."

Hermione started. "Me?"

He chuckled. "Don't act so surprised. With everything you did to help me, you saved the whole wizard world. But more importantly, you saved Ron's life. I feel like I owe you mine."

Her heart went out for him. Obviously, he hadn't heard about what happened. How was she going to able to tell him? She could barely cope with the information herself.

"Harry," she said with tears glittering in her eyes. "Harry, Ron is --"

"--very much alive, thank you very much."

The voice came from the doorway. It was so achingly familiar that she couldn't even bear to look. She couldn't bear the disappointment if she were wrong.

A soft , warm - warm? - hand covered hers. Another one caressed her chin and moved it so that she was looking straight into the light brown eyes that she had come to love.

"Hermione," Ron whispered.

"Oh Ron!" She threw her arms around him and was half surprised to feel that he was actually solid. "How could this be?"

"Well, when you beat he stuffing out of me, you somehow got my heart to start again. You know they're calling me a magical miracle?" he mused.

At this point, Ginny awoke and was startled by the sight of both Ron and Hermione awake.

"Hermione!" she squealed. "Oh, I'm so glad you're up again!"

"If I knew this is what I would wake up I find, I never would have gone to sleep," she said, still completely thrown by seeing Ron here in the flesh after the last thing she remembered was lying on his cold dead body. The thought gave her chills and she still couldn't quite believe it.

"And Ron," Ginny chastised. "Glad as I am to have my brother back, don't think I won't hesistate to knock you back into bed."

"He's been visiting you everyday and Gin's been saying the same thing everyday too," Harry told Hermione.

Ginny got up and pulled Harry along with her. "Five minutes," she warned. The door closed behind them.

Now that the shock was wearing off, Hermione was able to gather her thoughts and think clearly again.

"Promise me something," she said.

"Anything in the world."

A lone tear went down her cheek. Promise me you'll never do anything like that again. Promise me you'll never put me through the pain of losing you like that."

"I never make a promise that I can't keep. Because if it ever comes down to my life over yours again, I'd do the same exact thing. But I promise you that I'll try with everything I have to keep us both alive."

"Then that's all I can ask for now."

Ron cupped her cheek in his hand. "God, Hermione, I love you so much."

"I love you too. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Me neither."

He climbed into bed with her and they lay there, for once, in a peaceful silence.

After awhile, Ron spoke.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

Ron got out of the bed, slid onto his knees, and took her hands in his.

"A year ago, I asked you to marry me and you said no. I think now I understand that you were scared and hurt. But now I died for you, and you saved my life, and...and dammit Hermione, don't you think that makes us equal?"

"Yes."

"So I'm asking you again, in the hopes that you're ready for me now. Will you marry me?"

Hermione felt happier than she had felt in ages. With his proposal, all the hard times, anger, and grief melted away.

"I should have said yes when you asked me before. Once a mistake, twice a fool. I don't want to be a fool."

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

"It's absolutely a yes," she said and smiled. Before she could do or say anything else, Ron kissed her with what she felt was all the love he had for her.

"Alright, time's up!" Ginny called from the doorway.

"Not for us," said Ron.

Hermione kissed him in agreement.