A/N: Well, this is it. I hope that it clears up any questions and lives up to the reviews I've gotten on the first 4 chapters. This has been a fun story to write and all your reviews have helped to make it more so.
I've left this open just a smidge for an epilogue if I decide to do one. As of now that's not really planned, but I've got someone hounding me for one [oh yes, you know who you are … ;-)]
Thanks so much for all your continuing support! It has never gone unappreciated!
Terri
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Chapter 5 - Now I Let You Go
"Please don't let me be too late," he quietly pleaded to whatever deity might be listening.
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Ron ran down the hall, his stockinged feet slipping slightly as he threw open Harry's door. "Harry, Harry?" he called out breathlessly. When there was no answer he flicked the light switch and looked anxiously around the room, only to find it empty and the bed untouched.
He glanced at Harry's bedside clock … 6:03 am.
"Where is he?" he wondered aloud as the panic began to rise in his chest.
He ran down into the kitchen then into the sitting room and the library. All was quiet. They wouldn't have left without me, would they? The thought struck him and he stopped, frozen where he stood. His tantrum the night before certainly hadn't been his most shining moment, but still, they wouldn't…
He ran to the room Hermione was sharing with Ginny and once again threw open the door. Ginny sat bolt upright in her bed when the sound of the door banging against the wall woke her with a start. Ron shot her a cursory glance then turned to Hermione's bed which, like Harry's, lay untouched. "Where are they, Ginny?" he asked despite the fact that Ginny had been shouting at him and he hadn't heard a word of it.
His eyes met hers and her mouth closed mid-shout as she looked at him questioningly. "What?"
"Harry…Hermione," Ron said hurriedly, "where are they?"
Ginny looked at Hermione's empty bed and shrugged. "I've no idea," she said, perplexed. "I came to bed not long after you left the party. They were both still up then."
She started to rise from her bed when Ron put up his hand. "It's early," he said vaguely, "just, um," he took a backward step toward the door as a soft buzzing sound filled his head. "Just go back to sleep."
He stumbled backward and Ginny jumped out of bed and raced over to him. "Ron!" she shouted when she found him lying against the wall just outside her door, his face pale and his eyes unfocused. "Ron, talk to me!"
"I've done it," he said softly. "They're gone…I've looked…nowhere…found…" he rattled on mindlessly as Ginny stared down at him in shock.
She watched him for a moment as he seemed to descend further and further into his own subconscious. She drew her hand back and smacked him with all her might. "Ron!" she shouted again as her hand made contact with his cheek. "Ron, stop! Who's gone? What're you on about?"
Ron hardly seemed to register the smack as his head met the wall with a loud crack. A vision of Ginny, his beloved little sister- a thorn in his side to be sure, yet one of the few people who truly understood him, one of the few he trusted with the entire of his being- digging with her bare hands flashed through his mind. The image was quickly followed by one of Hermione clinging to her memories of Harry and begging for him to pull her through the ground. He saw his mum writhing on the ground, enduring the pain that might've been inflicted upon Ginny had she been caught not working.
He shook his head, willing the images to go away, fighting for his own sanity as bloodied fingers began reaching for him, calling out his name. He could see them coming and he flinched away, his own screams dying in his ears as Ginny cast a `silencio' spell on him. His eyes opened wide with fear as Ginny's hands came toward him. They closed when he felt her take his face into her hands and she gently began to speak. "Ron, can you hear me?" she asked quietly. Ron's eyes remained closed as he nodded, unable to speak. "I'm going to remove the spell, but you have to stop shouting, can you do that?" Ron nodded again and Ginny pointed her wand, and whispered, "finite."
"What happened?" Ron asked when he felt the silencing spell lift.
"I think you were dreaming, or sleepwalking."
Ron looked around them. "Where is everyone?" he asked when he realized they were alone.
"We won't be alone for long," Ginny managed just as the sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs and Luna Lovegood's head appeared on the landing.
"Everything all right?" she asked as she sauntered over to stand beside Ginny who was kneeling on the ground in front of Ron.
"Just a nightmare, I think," Ginny replied although she continued to look curiously at Ron.
"Where're Harry and Hermione?" Ron asked to no one in particular. He looked up and met Luna's eyes for the first time and his heart leapt in his chest when he saw the unmistakable look of worry in her eyes. Despite how she tried to hide them, Ron realized then that he could often tell her emotions with just one brief look into her eyes…he'd just never taken the time to notice before. He reached for her hand and drew her to him. When she kneeled down beside him he drew her close and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled against her hair.
Luna carefully sat up with a combined look of understanding and surprise mingled together on her face, her hand still held firmly in his grasp. "I…I think they're in Buckbeak's room," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Ron mentally slapped himself for not having checked there for Harry before throwing open the door to Ginny and Hermione's room. Slowly he stood, drawing Luna up with him, his eyes never leaving hers. "I have to talk to them," he said, feeling calmer with each breath he took. His free hand snaked its way around the back of her neck and he pulled her tight against him. She released his hand and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. Ron turned until his lips were beside her ear, "We'll talk soon," he said then he kissed the side of her head and let her go.
Luna took a step back and smiled thoughtfully. Tears stung at her round gray eyes but she held them in check as she nodded.
Ron squeezed her hand then turned to say something to Ginny when he realized for the first time that she was gone and he and Luna were left standing alone. He turned back to Luna and smiled and shrugged. "Guess I'll have to thank her later, won't I?" he cracked. He squeezed her hands once more, his expression suddenly turning serious. "I have to talk to Harry and Hermione," he told her. "But I'll be back to talk to you, if that's all right."
Luna looked up into his eyes and nodded. "I'll be waiting," she replied simply and in those words Ron knew that somehow everything would be all right…that he was on his way to actually figuring at least one thing out.
He released her hand and turned to run up the stairs. When he reached the door to Buckbeak's room he made to wrench it open but stopped himself short. Instead, he stood and inhaled a few deep breaths before knocking lightly. He waited a few moments before trying again. When still there was no answer, he cautiously tried the door, which squeaked slightly as he pushed it open.
Inside, the room was dark and Ron listened intently for the sound of breathing. Hearing nothing, he raised his wand and whispered, "lumos" into the quiet stillness of the room. The tip of his wand lit up just enough for him to cut through the darkness without blinding any of the room's occupants…should he find any there. "Harry?" he called out in a loud whisper as he moved the light slowly back and forth in front of him, searching the corners of the room.
As the silence continued, his panic began to rise and the light became brighter until he had to blink past it to see. When his eyes adjusted he once again looked around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw, in the far corner of the room, Hermione lying on a makeshift bed and Harry holding her hand from where he sat in an old chair beside her…both of them sound asleep.
Ron felt his shoulders relax as the air whooshed out of him. He took a step toward them then two steps back as a war began to rage within him. Wake them now or let them sleep, hoping there would be time to tell them later…
He wanted needed to tell them what had happened to him. He needed them to know that he was no longer going to stand in the way of whatever it was that lived between them. As he stood staring across at them, he knew it wasn't just `something' that they had…it was everything. It was a living thing that held them together and Ron had been blinded to it by an age old jealousy that now seemed to him to be exceedingly trivial and petty. Watching them, he wondered how he'd missed it when now he found it so painfully clear that given the inclination, it could've reached out and bitten him…for a moment he wished it had.
He started to take a step backward, planning to give them a little more time to rest, when the floor creaked loudly beneath his feet. He looked up sharply as Harry reached for his wand and trained it on him before he could get a word out. "Harry, wait!" Ron yelled quickly. "Stop!"
"Ron?" Harry blinked against the light that filled the room from Ron's wand. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "What time is it?"
"Just after 6," Ron replied, quickly recovering from the moment of terror he'd felt being at the business end of Harry Potter's wand. "Voldemort, where is he, Harry? Where's Voldemort?"
Harry reached instinctively for the scar on his forehead. "I've no idea, Ron. Why? What's going on?" he asked, jumping up from his chair and immediately going on the defensive.
"You don't know?" Ron asked anxiously. "That means he's still out there then, right?"
"I s'pose, yeah," Harry said vaguely. "Why? What's going on?"
"Harry?" Hermione mumbled softly from the bed. She reached haphazardly toward the chair and sat up swiftly when she discovered it empty. She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light.
Harry was at her side in an instant rubbing his hand up and down her back. "I'm here," he said softly. "Feeling better?"
Hermione shrugged. "What's going on?" she asked, still bleary-eyed.
"I have to talk to you both."
Hermione looked up to find Ron standing before them, the end of his wand still glowing. She picked up her wand and flicked it toward the curtains in the room, allowing the smallest trace of a winter's morning light to filter in through the windows. "What time is it?" she asked as she flicked her wand toward the light switch and closed the door.
"Just after six," Ron said, lowering his hand as the room filled with light and the tip of his wand went dark. He slumped into the chair formerly occupied by Harry and studied the two of them in silence for a moment. "Why are you in here?" he asked, pulling his eyes away from them and turning to survey the room.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and Harry scooted slightly away from her and put his hands into his lap. "We come here often," he said, his voice trembling slightly…from what, Ron couldn't be sure.
Hermione looked at Harry and laughed. "It's not like we've done anything wrong," she scoffed. "You make it sound like we have something to be ashamed of." She turned to face Ron fully. "We come in here when one of us is troubled. It's quiet and most people know not to disturb Harry when he's in here. Last night I was really upset by the way you shut us out. I was worried about what was happening to us…to all of us. We're supposed to be in this together, but we can't be if one of us is bothered by something and can't…" she looked pointedly at Ron, "or won't," she stressed, "talk about it. Harry and I talked for a while after everyone else had gone to bed and I told him that I didn't want to be alone…."
"I tried to reassure her that Ginny would be there, but she…"
"I wouldn't listen," she finished. "Ginny isn't the same as the two of you. She doesn't understand how much it hurts when we fight. Since you were the one fighting, it was up to poor Harry, here," she placed her hand on arm gratefully, "to…"
"Make sure she wasn't alone…that she was all right," Harry finished for her this time. "We came up here because we, well…"
"Because this is the place we find most comfort," Hermione said as she exchanged glances with Harry.
"Hermione laid down on the bed and I sat in the chair and watched her sleep until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer." He shrugged and glanced up at Ron. "Then I darkened the room and fell asleep. Next thing I knew, the floor creaked and," he gestured toward Ron as if to state the obvious, "there you were."
Ron saw them both back slightly away from him as though waiting for the explosion that was sure to follow. When none came, they sat up and looked at each other curiously…Ron couldn't help but to smile.
"Happy Christmas," Ron said, smiling as he looked back and forth between his two best friends.
Harry and Hermione exchanged another glance then looked at Ron tentatively. "Happy Christmas?" they said together in a sort of blended question and greeting.
"I have a story to tell you," Ron began quietly. "It's a story of an awakening," he looked at the two of them before closing his eyes and taking a long, slow breath. "It's a story of a truth so devastatingly obvious that it went right over my head and would've continued to do so if it weren't for three…um, yeah," he shook his head at his loss for words to describe them, "three people…two of whom I'd never met before tonight and…" he laughed lightly at the thought of Draco, "one of whom I've spent the last several years despising."
"Ron, what…?"
"Sounds so dramatic," Hermione said in a low, tense voice.
Ron held up his hand, effectively halting Harry's question and silencing them both. "I'll tell you," he said, giving them each a knowing look, "just be patient. It won't be easy to say and even harder for you to hear, I'm sure."
Harry and Hermione shared a puzzled, concerned look before they turned back to Ron and nodded, then scooted backward until their backs were comfortable against the wall.
Ron closed his eyes and envisioned Lily standing in his room, his ghost of the past come to show him the unpleasant truths about Harry's life before Hogwarts…and Ron's own insecurities and misplaced jealousies.
He opened his eyes and locked gazes with Harry. "I met your mum," he said softly, earnestly.
Hermione's sharp intake of breath and a hand of comfort on Harry's arm were the only reactions his words had garnered. Harry said and did nothing…he merely stared at Ron in mild shock, awaiting an explanation.
Ron turned to look at Hermione. "Do you remember that movie you showed us last Christmas?"
Hermione shook her head trying to discern which movie he might've been talking about.
"I know, you showed us a few," Ron said. "I'm talking about the one where the guy is visited by three ghosts…"
"Oh, yeah," Hermione replied. "Of course I remember that one, it was one of my favorites when I…" she stopped and looked at Ron curiously. "What's that got to do with…?"
"I was visited tonight," Ron interceded. "By the past, present, and future…" he closed his eyes and shuddered. "I've seen things that…" his shoulders dropped and he looked up at them with pain-filled eyes. "I'm so sorry," he said on a hoarse whisper. "I didn't mean for things to happen this way…for things to go on the way they have…for as long as they have."
Harry leaned forward and put his hand on Ron's arm. "Talk to us, mate," he quietly encouraged. "Tell us what you're on about."
Ron inhaled a shaky breath and proceeded to tell them the story of his late-night visitors and the things that he'd been shown.
Harry's eyes misted over when Ron talked of Harry's first Christmas with his parents and the way they encouraged him to roll over time and time again. His face hardened when Ron recalled the Christmas Harry was told he'd have no gifts for talking back to Dudley. He smiled softly when he remembered his first Christmas at Hogwarts and the first real gifts he'd been given.
Somewhere along the way Hermione had grabbed Harry's hand and held tight, offering him silent comfort.
"I learned something about myself from your mum," Ron said when his story was complete. "I learned that I've spent way too much time taking you both for granted. I've been jealous and inconsiderate for far too long." He looked directly at Harry and apologized with all the sincerity he had within him. "Harry, for so long I thought you had everything I could ever want. You're the hero, the guy to make it all happen…the one people look to for salvation. Everyone's hope lies in you…"
Harry looked down and gathered himself as Ron talked. "Ron, you know I-"
Ron nodded and placed his hand on the bed in front of Harry. "I do know, Harry…" he said earnestly. "Now I understand." He took a deep breath and plunged on. "I always thought it would be great to be the hero. It was something that no one in my family could claim first, you know…none of them could say they were the savior of the wizarding world. Instead of just being grateful for being your friend, I was jealous because I wasn't you…"
"Ron, please," Harry said quietly. "Please don't…"
"It's okay now, Harry, because I understand now how stupid that is…how stupid I've been. Being your friend," he turned to Hermione, "being both of your friend, means everything to me and I'll play my role in all of this as best I can. I promise I won't let you down…I couldn't have promised that before, not without apprehension."
"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said softly. She leaned forward and grasped his hand in hers. "We couldn't make it without you, none of us could. It's the three of us together…always."
Harry looked up at Ron and without a sound grasped his hand. Ron smiled gently and nodded, knowing without words that he'd been forgiven.
Ron cleared his throat and sat up, away from them. "The present, well, that was mostly about me," he said, his face flushing slightly as thoughts of Luna filled his mind. "Suffice it to say that what I know now could make me," he paused and looked smugly between his two best friends, "the second happiest man on the planet," he finished with a sly grin.
Although they had no idea the reason for it, Harry and Hermione both returned his grin before questioning him.
"What's that…?" they began together and Ron laughed.
"You two don't even realize it, do you?" he said vaguely, thinking about the way his friends always seemed to be on the same wavelength…something that would've bothered him yesterday but that he found quite endearing today. "But that's for later. Now it's time for the future…and neither of you is going to like what you're about to hear."
Harry and Hermione exchanged yet another anxious glance and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. Despite his own building anxiety at what he was about to say, Ron couldn't help but to smile at the way Harry always seemed to protect Hermione…something Ron regretted not having done intentionally himself in all the time they'd known each other.
"Before we get to the future, we have to venture to the past," Ron began slowly. "Two years ago I made the biggest mistake of my life when I believed, without reservation, something that Lavender Brown told me the night we broke up." He closed his eyes and sighed heavily to ease the tension building in his chest before clearing his throat and continuing with his story. "It wasn't my most shining moment…nope, certainly it was my most stupid," he said with a wry chuckle. He looked between the two of them, "You both know how good Lavender is at divination, right?" he asked, knowing he was looking for whatever reassurance he could garner from them before continuing.
"Yeah," Hermione said with a shrug. "So…?"
Ron again breathed deeply and he turned his eyes from Hermione. "So," he said, drawing the word out in hopes he could find the courage to say what came next. "She told me that she saw my future…" he said, rolling narrowed, ashamed, embarrassed eyes at Hermione, "and that you were it," he ended, his voice cracking slightly as he waited for the onslaught.
Hermione sat up and stared at him, a flash of anger in her eyes. "She said what?!?" she demanded, unable to believe that Lavender could go so far as to say something like that…and that Ron would believe it so unconditionally when there'd never been any real indication of romance between them.
"Lavender said that she saw my future and that you were the girl for me," he said, speaking rapidly. "I don't remember her exact words, but she told me that she saw us together and that we were meant to be. We were breaking up and I needed something to hold on to…" he said, his defense sounding weak even to his own ears.
"So that's what this has been about?" Hermione asked as understanding dawned on her. "That's why you've been acting so possessive and jealous and, and…" she looked up sharply at him and snapped, "How could you, Ron?"
"I can't say anything except to say I'm sorry, Hermione. All this time I clung to that because I needed some kind of hope. I waited and waited for you to come to me…and you never did."
"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" she asked.
"I think I was too scared," he admitted reluctantly. "I think that in the back of my mind I must've known that if I did I'd have nothing left. For as long as I held onto Lavender's words, I knew that I had something…" he closed his eyes briefly then turned to look at Harry, "that you didn't," he finished quietly.
Hermione opened her mouth to speak and Harry covered it with his hand to stop her. "So that's what this has been about? The moodiness, the tantrums, the flying off the handle nearly every time Hermione and I speak, the dirty looks when she and I are standing off alone…doing nothing more than talking? It's all been about having something that I don't? Do you have any idea how much you already have that I don't?" Harry's voice grew louder with nearly every word. "And what now, Ron?" he asked, trying hard to keep his emotions in check. "For two years we've all been on edge because of this. What are we to expect now?"
"I can tell you quite honestly that you can expect that to change," Ron said, his expression far more serious than it'd been at any other time that morning. "The past takes us into the future and, well, let's just say in my worst nightmares, the future had never looked as bad as it did when Draco showed it to me."
"Draco?" Harry said, his body tensing and his mind immediately beginning to race. "What's Malfoy got to do with any of this?"
"He was the `ghost' of the future," Ron said simply. "It was his job to…"
Hermione put her hands to her mouth and gasped, "Malfoy's…dead?"
Ron shook his head. "No, he's not dead, not yet. I'm not sure why he was the one to come, I s'pose because he died in the part of the future he showed me. He'd come back from the future where he was dead to a time when he was alive to show me the future and how he died and…"
Hermione put up her hand. "I get it," she said stopping him before he started to really confuse them all. "Go on."
Ron nodded and took yet another deep breath before plunging on. "When we got there, it was dark. Only a spot of light could be seen coming from a makeshift camp where the death eaters were holding the survivors captive. Everyone who showed signs of wandless magic were immediately put to death…all others had their wands confiscated."
Hermione gasped again as tears began to fill her eyes. She looked desperately at Harry…"You lost?" she asked incredulously. "Everything we've…how could you…"
Harry placed his arms around her and drew her close. "Shh…" he whispered soothingly. He looked up at Ron with a look of disdain and Ron shrugged.
"Sorry, mate," Ron mouthed silently. "It gets worse," he said, his voice wavering with emotion.
Hermione sat up and wiped her eyes. "Harry was…" she closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, "he was killed, wasn't he?" She looked back at Harry, eyes wide with shock. "You can do wandless magic," she breathed. "They wouldn't have let you live…"
Ron felt a surge of anger, aimed directly at himself and his own stupidity, rush through him. "No consolation here," he said, his teeth clenched tightly, "but he was…" he closed his eyes and gripped the edge of his chair, trying to release at least a fraction of the anger he felt. "Voldemort, he…." Finally managing to get a bit of a grip on himself he looked from Harry to Hermione and back again. "Voldemort finished you off in the final conflict. There was no question that he won."
Ron knew that no matter how much time passed, he'd never shake the look of absolute devastation that marred Hermione's beautiful face in that moment. Harry tightened his arms around her and unwittingly kissed the top of her head. "It's all right, Hermione," he said though Ron could see that he was barely hanging on. He looked up at Ron. "In the movie the guy changed the future…"
Ron nodded and attempted a smile through the tears that had begun to fall. "Yeah," he said, his voice full of hope, "he did…and I think that's why I was shown all of this. It's my fault, and now I have a chance to change it."
"How is it your fault?" Hermione asked, her voice firm despite her tears and roiling emotions.
Ron shook his head at the irony of it all. "It's my fault because I believed in us," he said looking directly into Hermione's eyes. "There's no other way to say it…no other way around it."
"Finish your story," Harry said abruptly. "There has to be more to it. Tell us what else you saw."
"The first thing we heard was a woman scream and we followed the sound only to discover that Luna was there with Lavender, who was being shown the same future I was. They'd gotten there first and Lavender was truly frightened by what she'd seen. Luna pointed toward the camp and told us to watch. I started to move toward the light when I heard soft crying. It wasn't long before I came across Hermione." He closed his eyes and wiped brusquely at his tears. "She was…" he swallowed hard and tried to breathe, "she was laying on your grave and she was…she was begging you to take her with you…begging you to pull her through the ground…pleading with you not to leave her behind."
Hermione swayed next to Harry and Ron feared she might pass out. Harry's grip tightened on her once more and this time he kissed her cheek. "It can change, Hermione," he said cajolingly, "we can make it change."
Hermione put her hand on Harry's face and looked into his eyes. "We can change it," she repeated on a whisper, her logical mind finally beginning to return. She turned to face Ron. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "go ahead."
"I was standing there watching you," Ron continued, "when my future self appeared, trying to encourage you to leave Harry's grave and to come with me. At some point, I think it was after that, that Draco told me what our punishment was intended to be." He looked between the two of them and then went on to explain. "Everyone had a punishment, most of the survivors were…" he flinched as a vision of so many of his loved-ones filled his mind, "gravediggers," he said on whisper. "Their job was to dig the graves of those who died … with their bare hands."
Collectively, Harry and Hermione gasped and Ron continued as though they hadn't made a sound. "The stench in the air was awful, the smell of the bodies permeated it, filling my nostrils and my mouth…"
"I think I might be sick," Hermione said, placing a hand over her mouth and swallowing hard against the bile that had risen in her throat.
Ron trudged on, his mind lost to the memory. "…until I wanted to be sick," he shook his head to clear his stupor and to forget about the smell that once again seemed to fill the air around him, forcing him to try and cough it away. "Lavender's punishment was…" he closed his eyes again and reflexively gagged. "Her job was to er, provide the uh, the death eaters with um, sexual gratification…she was their sex slave," he stammered.
Hermione jumped up from the bed and ran to furthest corner of the room where she wretched for a solid couple of minutes. When it turned to dry heaves, she stood. Harry appeared next to her with a glass of water he'd brought up with him the night before then quickly scourgified the mess on the floor.
"Thank you," she mumbled gratefully. "I'm sorry about that."
Harry put his hand on her back and guided her back to the bed. "It's all right. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wanted to do that myself for a minute there." They stood before the bed and his eyes searched hers. "You ready to sit back down?" he asked gently. Hermione nodded and he held his hand out for the glass of water while she sat back down and tried to make herself comfortable. When she was ready, he handed her back the glass then sat close beside her, his arm draped protectively over her shoulders.
Ron, who had followed Harry over to check on Hermione, was just returning to his own seat when Harry looked up. "Ready?" Harry asked.
Ron nodded. "Hermione and me…our punishment was, basically, each other."
"Excuse me?" Hermione said, looking up in surprise.
"Our punishment was each other," Ron repeated. "Well, in actuality, my punishment was to spend an eternity watching you cry over Harry and your punishment was to spend an eternity doing it. Malfoy said there was some kind of potion we were being forced to take that would keep us alive indefinitely so we…"
"Hang on," Hermione interrupted. "There's no such potion as that," she scoffed in her familiar know-it-all tone. "You can't keep someone alive indefinitely on a potion it's…"
"A minor detail in the overall scheme of things," Ron interjected with a chuckle. Leave it to Hermione, he thought with a smile. "It doesn't matter because the truth is, no matter how long we lived, our punishment wasn't going to change. I couldn't kill you, you couldn't kill me, I couldn't touch another woman, and you wouldn't let me touch you…." He sighed. "Because I so adamantly refused to let you go before the war I was condemned to hold on to you after it."
"So, how do we make it change?" Harry asked. "What's supposed to happen now?"
Ron took that moment as a good indicator that it was time to end his story…for now. He stood and looked down at Hermione, sitting so close to Harry, his arm about her shoulders. "Now I let you go," he stated. "Now, and without regret, I let you go on to live your life the way you want. No more jealousy, no more tantrums. Nothing," he looked between the two of them with that same smug grin he'd shown them earlier, "but my blessings for whatever you choose to do and my best wishes for whomever you choose to do it with."
"What're you on about now?" Hermione asked, suddenly feeling a bit anxious. She scooted away from Harry and grabbed her pillow, placing it across her chest protectively.
"You don't have to protect that," Ron said, pointing to her pillow but indicating what lay beyond. "It's in really good hands." With a wink at Harry and a promise to tell them later anything else they needed/wanted to know, Ron was gone…leaving Harry and Hermione to sort out the rest on their own.
There was a lot more to tell, but Ron was anxious to get to Luna, so the rest could wait. He'd tell them the truth about Draco and what Harry lacked that day in his battle with Voldemort…but first, the four of them had bigger and, he presumed, better things to worry about.
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Ron and Luna
Ron wasn't sure where he'd find Luna and although he was in a hurry to do so, he knew he had to speak with Ginny first. He knocked when he reached her door and was surprised to see it swing open, Luna standing just on the other side.
"Hello, Ronald," she said in her normal, casual air.
"Hi," Ron said, unable to think a single coherent thought for looking at her.
"Ahem!" Ginny laughed as she cleared her throat and Ron jumped, awakening from his reverie. "Need something?" she asked.
Ron's eyes shifted from Luna to Ginny then back again, where he stopped to share a smile that he hoped conveyed a great deal of meaning to its recipient. He then looked back to Ginny, his eyes shining. "Yeah, actually, I wanted to say thanks for earlier. I tried to say something then but when I looked around you were gone."
"I heard mum coming up the stairs so I decided to head her off before she saw the state you were in." She looked at Luna then back at Ron with a grin. "I knew you were in good hands," she laughed.
Ron's face turned a bright shade of red and he looked shyly up at Luna and smiled. "Yeah," he said quietly, "yeah I was." He held is hand out to her, "shall we?" he asked, recovering quickly from Ginny's teasing.
Luna took his hand and waved to Ginny as Ron pulled her gently out the door. He took her to his room and closed the door behind them.
Luna looked around briefly before going to sit cross-legged on his bed as though it was something she did all the time. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked … although Ron was quite certain she already knew.
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I mean, this is all so new to me that I don't know where to begin."
"The beginning always works."
He reached for her hand and looked down as though studying the back of it. After a long silence he looked up. "I want the beginning to start here," he said, his voice soft yet full of emotion.
Luna looked down at their hands then turned hers over until their palms were against each other and she turned hers to intertwine her fingers with his. "Me too," she said without looking up. "I've been waiting for this beginning for a very long time."
Ron placed his hand on her cheek and raised her head until their eyes met. Something inside him clicked into place and for the first time in memory he felt at total peace. "Me too," he said, repeating her words as he slowly drew her to him. Before their lips could meet he paused to ask, "Is this all right with you?"
Luna nodded and raised their entwined fingers to her chest. "Yes, Ronald," she whispered, circling her other hand around his neck. "I think I'd like that…" their lips met for the briefest of moments before they parted and Luna smiled, "…very much."
"We have a lot to talk about," Ron said, reluctantly pulling back from her and searching her eyes.
"But we have a lifetime in which to do it," Luna replied, her eyes never wavering from his.
Her words played in Ron's mind for a second and he was suddenly struck by the thought that he hadn't seen Luna in his trip to the future. She'd only been there to show Lavender the ugly truth…just as Draco had been there to show him. In a moment of panic he clutched tightly to her hand and drew them away from her chest and onto his. He couldn't lose her now…he wouldn't. This was their time to get to know each other, their time to explore and learn all they could about one another. His hand slid from her cheek to circle around her neck and he tried to pull her closer but she resisted.
She pried her hand from his to cup his face. "Look at me, Ronald," she quietly demanded. When his frightened eyes met hers, she smiled. "It's going to be all right," she said calmly and with total assurance. She kissed him chastely on the lips and drew away. "You're where you belong now," she continued in the same calm tone then kissed him again, drawing back only far enough to look into eyes, "we both are."
Ron smiled as his arms circled her waist and he stood, pulling her up with him until their bodies were flush against each other. "Yes, we are," he agreed, hugging her tightly. "Yes, we are."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry and Hermione
When Ron left, Hermione scooted around on the bed and turned to face Harry. "How do you suppose Malfoy knew so much?" she asked, trying to quell the nervousness she felt and to divert whatever was coming. "Ron said he saw him killed or something, do you think Draco was right about all…"
"Don't want to talk about that right now," Harry interrupted as he turned to face her fully.
"But it's just…"
"Nope," Harry smiled, "not yet either." He grasped her hands in his, leaving them lying together on her crossed legs.
Hermione looked down at their conjoined hands. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked, feeling uncharacteristically shy and vulnerable.
"Come here," he said, rising to his feet and holding a hand out to her.
Without hesitation she took his hand in hers and allowed him to pull her up. "Harry, what's-"
"Do you trust me?" Harry asked, gazing directly into her eyes.
"With my life," she replied without thought or trepidation.
Harry raised his hands to her face. "I promise to never hurt you," he said softly, drawing her nearer.
"I know you wouldn't," Hermione replied, a sudden look of surprise in her eyes when she recognized his intention.
"I want to kiss you," he said, his eyes narrowing to study her face as he pulled her closer. "You can tell me to stop."
"I've waited too long for this to say something as stupid as that," she said softly as she placed her hands on his hips and stepped closer to him. "Don't stop," she whispered as she tilted her head and closed her eyes. She moaned softly when his lips touched hers and she hoped the moment would never end.
His hands wound around her neck as she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. "You know how I feel don't you?" he asked when at last they broke the kiss.
Hermione smiled. "I'd venture to say you feel about the same way I do."
Harry smiled as he kissed her again. "We're going to win this," he said, his eyes sparkling with the joyous release of the feelings he'd kept buried for so long. "For the first time ever I know…" he released her and spun around in an unexpected bout of enthusiasm. He picked her up and she yelped as he pulled her to him for another kiss. She slid down his body and he cupped her face. "For the first time ever I know for certain I'm going to win," he said, staring directly into her eyes. "I love you, Hermione. I think I always have."
Hermione dropped her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks before raising them again. "I love you, too," she squealed, her own excitement seemed to be bursting out of her and she grabbed his face and drew him to her, kissing him hard. "We are going to win," she said with assurance. "No one can stand in the way of this, Harry," she said in a moment of seriousness.
Harry put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him until it felt as though every inch of his body was touching hers and silently she vowed…
"No one."
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