Authors Note: Thanks to my beta! I notice that as I am getting ready to post this I have 61 reviews. Hopefully I will hit 100 soon! Wow, this chapter was hard to write, I felt awful about what I was doing, but unfortunately it had to be done, or it wouldn't be the story I planned on writing would it? Well enjoy.
Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and raced down the hallway with Ginny fast on her heels. She arrived at Harry and Ron's hospital room, but was stopped outside the door by several healers; they were currently trying to find something to reverse what was happening. They would not allow anyone to go into the room and she saw Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, and Charlie sitting in the waiting room looking extremely anxious.
Hermione and Ginny walked over to where the others were sitting, while Mrs. Weasley stood up and pulled Hermione into a fierce hug. The emotions brought both women to tears.
Several hours had passed and no one had moved. No one had gotten up and gone for a walk. No games of exploding snap were played to pass the time while everyone simply sat and stared off into space. Every once in a while, a tear would run down someone's cheek. At about six in the morning, a healer walked over to where they were all sitting and addressed the Weasleys.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, if you would please come with me, I would like to speak to you in private," the healer told them.
"No, whatever you have to say, say it here. We are all a family; everyone deserves to hear this," Mr. Weasley said.
"If you wish, but I ask that you please follow me this way and we will go somewhere more private," the healer motioned them to follow her.
The healer took them down a long series of white corridors. There were a few paintings on the walls, but other than that, sterilized floors and plain white walls surrounded them. Eventually, they came to a door that was unmarked from the outside. They walked into a board room that was big enough for twenty people. The room was very different from the corridors; it had lush green carpet and the walls shined like richly dyed wood. There were great windows through wish they could all see the sun beginning to rise.
The healer then motioned for them to sit down, and she began her explanation.
"Here is what we know. Around midnight, Ron's vital signs began to drop." Hermione visibly stiffened when the healer relayed that information. "We have made several different attempts at reviving him, but he isn't responding to anything," the healer explained.
"WELL WHY AREN'T YOU IN THERE NOW? WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING TO HEAL MY BABY?" Mrs. Weasley roared.
"We have done everything we possibly could. There is nothing left to do. I'm sorry, but it appears that Ron is not going to make it," the healer explained.
Mrs. Weasley burst into tears, sobbing into her husband's shoulder, while Mr. Weasley looked grave and sad. Fred and George hung there heads in defeat and Bill and Fleur sat solemnly. Charlie slumped in his chair and Ginny had tears beginning to trickle down her face. Hermione turned as white as a sheet.
"You can go say your goodbyes now if you would like." The healer then stood up and walked to the door to lead them back to where Ron was close to death.
The first person to go into the room was Charlie.
"Wow, little brother," he began. "I never expected to see this happen to you. First we lost Percy and I thought that would make the rest of us safe; there was so much death and suffering that I thought we had already suffered so much that we wouldn't have to go through any of this again. I know I'm a lot older than you Ron, but I look up to you," Charlie paused because the tears began to flow. "Ron you've done things I never could have done. You, Harry and Hermione hunted down You-Know-Who and destroyed all of his horcruxes. You left school and risked your life to save the world. If you three had failed, we would have lost the war. You-Know-Who would still be alive. Thank you, Ron, and I love you."
With that, Charlie got up and went back into the corridor while Bill and Fleur went into the room next.
"Ron, you are so brave, you are so young but you have done so many great things. You have done some stupid things… but you have done some great things as well," Bill started.
Fleur continued on, "I remember when I was at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. I remember when you asked me to the Yule Ball, and then ran away as soon as you did so. It was quite funny, but I have realized it is something only you would do. I wish we had more time to become friends."
"You have always been able to make me laugh and I love you very much, I wish that we had been able to spend more time together your life was too short. Goodbye." Bill said, and with that, he and Fleur stood up and left the room.
Fred and George walked in next.
"Ron, the first thing we want to do is apologise. We want to apologise for turning your teddy bear into a spider and for everything we've ever done to you," Fred said.
"We're going to miss you so much," George told him
"We've decided that in your honour, we're going to place a plaque on the wall of our shop. You were one of our greatest collaborators when it came to the joke shop; with all of the pranks we played on you. We're also going to create something new and name it in your honour," Fred said.
"I guess through all of this, what were trying to say is that we love you, Ron and if you could, please bug Percy for us when you see him," George told Ron before they walked out.
Ginny entered once Fred and George exited.
"Ron, my big brother, you've taught me so much. I know I was the annoying little sister who followed you around, and then I had a crush on your best friend, but as annoying as I was, you still looked out for me and you tried to protect me. Ron, you risked your life and came down into the Chamber of Secrets to save me. Thank you," she said amidst tears. "Thank you for not being upset at Harry and I when we started dating and thank you for all of the fun times we have shared. I love you, and I promise you I will help Hermione get through this. She loves you so much, Ron. Goodbye big brother."
Arthur and Molly had come in and Ginny had not realised it until she felt her father's hand on her shoulder. Ginny gave her mother and her father a hug and then headed back out into the corridor crying.
"My baby, I love you more than life itself and I wish I could trade places with you. You had so much hope for the future, so much promise! You were going to go places. I knew it right from when you were born," Mrs. Weasley quivered as she spoke and the tears were flowing down her cheeks. Mr. Weasley took her hand.
"Ron, you have done so many great things in your short life. You helped defeat You-Know-Who, and you quit school to do so, which I'll admit we weren't very happy about. In time, we've realized that it was what had to be done and we love you so much for it, son."
"Ron, when you were a small boy you used to be really difficult to put to sleep. I used to sing to you so that you could fall sleep every night," Mrs. Weasley told him, and with that, she softly sang to her baby boy.
"Some say love, it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you its only seed.
It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin'
that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been to long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed that with the sun's love
in the spring becomes the rose."
"Goodbye my baby." And with that, Mr. Weasley stood up and helped an extremely emotional mother out of the room.
Hermione saw that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had come out, and she knew it was her turn. As Ron's fiancé, she was given the last private visit.
Hermione walked into the room and her emotions were running wild. Guilt, sadness, heartbreak, they were all mixed into her feelings. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and picked up his limp hand.
"Ron, I… I don't know what to say. From the day I met you, when you tried to turn that wretched rat yellow, to the day you and Harry saved me from the troll, I was just an insufferable know it all who you couldn't tolerate. But that changed, we've had so many adventures together. I love you, and I always will…"
Hermione had to stop and try to overcome her emotions.
"Ron, I will take care of Harry. This was so noble of you, and I'm sorry. I wish the Fates would have taken me instead, but they refused. I'm sorry we're not going to be able to have a family, that we won't have children, or grandchildren, and that we won't be sitting on the doorstep in our old age complaining about everything from the weather to how easy children have it these days. I'm sorry, and I love you."
Hermione then felt something move. Ron had squeezed her hand one last time, and with that, Ron Weasley passed away.
Authors Note: The song that Mrs. Weasley sings to Ron is called The Rose and is by Bette Middler.
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