Facing the Future
Title: Facing the Future
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Ron/Hermione
Genre: Drama
Word Count: 1,099
Summary: After the battle, Ron and Hermione find a moment's peace together.
Written for enomis57 who requested the prompt: "Ron & Hermione share a quiet moment after The Kiss."
*~*
Ron woke with a start. His entire body was sore and his limbs felt heavy, as though he were underwater. The fog of sleep hadn't yet lifted, and it took a moment before memories from the past couple of days caught up with him. Gringotts, Hogsmeade, the battle… Fred… With a heavy heart, he glanced around, taking in the empty Gryffindor common room. He had been so exhausted when he and Hermione had come up hours ago, that he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings beyond that they were empty, safe.
Hours ago, after leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry had gone up to Gryffindor Tower; he and Hermione had gone back down to the Great Hall to see if they could help. After half an hour, Ron's mum had recognized that they were far too tired to be helpful and sent them up to Gryffindor Tower to get some sleep. Too exhausted to go upstairs to their respective dorms, Ron and Hermione had simply sat down on the squashy old couch in the common room and drifted off to sleep.
Ron wasn't sure how long they'd slept, but his neck and back were aching from sleeping in the position he was in. Judging from the light outside, it had probably only been a few hours. Still, it was the most restful sleep he'd had in ages. He didn't know how it had been possible after all that had happened. Perhaps his body had just been grateful for the rest.
Now, he looked around, scrutinizing the room. Besides a few chairs that had been knocked over in haste, the common room was in good condition compared with the rest of the castle. It gave him a sense of relief that there were some things that remained unchanged.
Of course, he thought, smiling, as he glanced down at Hermione, who was fast asleep in his arms, some changes are more than welcome. Things had definitely changed between them. Even as the feelings of grief began to creep back into his consciousness, part of him was bursting with joy because of her.
Ron hugged Hermione tighter to him and buried his face in her hair, but then he immediately drew back. The scent of her burnt hair was overwhelming and turned Ron's stomach. With a shaky hand, he ran his fingers through her curly locks, finding that a lot of it had been singed by the Fiendfyre Crabbe had unleashed in the Room of Requirement. Upset, he squeezed his eyes shut and slid his hand down her back. He would not break down over something like this. So much had been lost overnight, but she was safe and whole. That was what mattered.
"Is it bad?" Hermione asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.
"S-sorry?" Ron said, startled.
"My hair," Hermione said, turning her face upward. "Does it look bad?"
"Not at all."
Hermione sat up, stretching a little as she did so. She had creases on her face from where his shirt had bunched up under her cheek while she slept, and he noticed her clothes were burnt and torn in places.
"Liar," she said with a sad smile.
"It isn't so bad," he insisted.
"All the same, I think I'll ask your mum if she can cut it for me," Hermione said. "When things have calmed down a bit, of course."
"She'll have to do mine, too," he said, touching the back of his head, where he knew his hair was burnt as well. "I reckon…she'll be pleased with that."
Hermione nodded solemnly, and silence sank between them. He had so many thoughts going through his mind, so many feelings, and he couldn't sort them all out.
"Your mum was fantastic today," Hermione finally said. "The way she stepped in and helped Madam Pomfrey with the injured..."
"She was. She's very good at that sort of thing. I think it was probably necessary, I suppose, especially with the amount of injuries Fred and George..." Ron fell silent, the blood rushing out of his face.
"Yes, I suppose it was," Hermione said quietly.
"I'm worried about my mum, though," Ron admitted. "She seemed all right when we saw her, but when everything catches up to her… She lost two of her brothers in the first war, you know."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "No, I didn't know."
"They were in the Order. She doesn't really like to talk about it. I was just a baby when it happened, so I don't remember anything, but Dad said it hit her rather hard. She was really close to them."
"I can't imagine." Her eyes filled with tears, and he felt his heart clench. "Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry about Fred."
He sighed heavily. "Me too."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Ron interlaced his fingers with hers. "Not right now."
"Okay," she said, squeezing his hand.
He was grateful that she didn't push him. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway.
"So what will we do now?" Hermione asked. "I never really thought about what we would do…after."
Ron hadn't given it much thought either. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I really don't know. Maybe we ought to just take it day by day. We'll go down to the Great Hall and find my parents, and then we'll go home."
"Home," she repeated wistfully.
"Well, to the Burrow," he said, flushing.
Hermione hesitated. "I don't know, Ron. I haven't seen my parents in almost a year. I need to find them."
"And you will," he said. "But you'll need somewhere safe to plan. I know you, Hermione. You'd never just go without having a strategy, right?"
"Right," she said reluctantly.
"And you can't go before…"
The words caught in his throat, but thankfully Hermione seemed to know what he was thinking.
"You're right," she said squeezing his hand again. "I can't."
He smiled gratefully. "Should we get Harry and start to figure out where we go from here?"
"Let's just stay here for a little while longer," Hermione said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Okay."
A comfortable silence settled between them. There was no need for further conversation; there would be plenty of time for that later. Chaos had reigned in their world for so long, and he had a feeling that it would for a while. They would be foolish not to take advantage of this peaceful moment, especially since it might be a while before their next opportunity. Ron closed his eyes. He didn't know what the future held, but, with Hermione by his side, he knew he could face anything.
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Ron/Hermione
Genre: Drama
Word Count: 1,099
Summary: After the battle, Ron and Hermione find a moment's peace together.
Written for enomis57 who requested the prompt: "Ron & Hermione share a quiet moment after The Kiss."
*~*
Ron woke with a start. His entire body was sore and his limbs felt heavy, as though he were underwater. The fog of sleep hadn't yet lifted, and it took a moment before memories from the past couple of days caught up with him. Gringotts, Hogsmeade, the battle… Fred… With a heavy heart, he glanced around, taking in the empty Gryffindor common room. He had been so exhausted when he and Hermione had come up hours ago, that he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings beyond that they were empty, safe.
Hours ago, after leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry had gone up to Gryffindor Tower; he and Hermione had gone back down to the Great Hall to see if they could help. After half an hour, Ron's mum had recognized that they were far too tired to be helpful and sent them up to Gryffindor Tower to get some sleep. Too exhausted to go upstairs to their respective dorms, Ron and Hermione had simply sat down on the squashy old couch in the common room and drifted off to sleep.
Ron wasn't sure how long they'd slept, but his neck and back were aching from sleeping in the position he was in. Judging from the light outside, it had probably only been a few hours. Still, it was the most restful sleep he'd had in ages. He didn't know how it had been possible after all that had happened. Perhaps his body had just been grateful for the rest.
Now, he looked around, scrutinizing the room. Besides a few chairs that had been knocked over in haste, the common room was in good condition compared with the rest of the castle. It gave him a sense of relief that there were some things that remained unchanged.
Of course, he thought, smiling, as he glanced down at Hermione, who was fast asleep in his arms, some changes are more than welcome. Things had definitely changed between them. Even as the feelings of grief began to creep back into his consciousness, part of him was bursting with joy because of her.
Ron hugged Hermione tighter to him and buried his face in her hair, but then he immediately drew back. The scent of her burnt hair was overwhelming and turned Ron's stomach. With a shaky hand, he ran his fingers through her curly locks, finding that a lot of it had been singed by the Fiendfyre Crabbe had unleashed in the Room of Requirement. Upset, he squeezed his eyes shut and slid his hand down her back. He would not break down over something like this. So much had been lost overnight, but she was safe and whole. That was what mattered.
"Is it bad?" Hermione asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.
"S-sorry?" Ron said, startled.
"My hair," Hermione said, turning her face upward. "Does it look bad?"
"Not at all."
Hermione sat up, stretching a little as she did so. She had creases on her face from where his shirt had bunched up under her cheek while she slept, and he noticed her clothes were burnt and torn in places.
"Liar," she said with a sad smile.
"It isn't so bad," he insisted.
"All the same, I think I'll ask your mum if she can cut it for me," Hermione said. "When things have calmed down a bit, of course."
"She'll have to do mine, too," he said, touching the back of his head, where he knew his hair was burnt as well. "I reckon…she'll be pleased with that."
Hermione nodded solemnly, and silence sank between them. He had so many thoughts going through his mind, so many feelings, and he couldn't sort them all out.
"Your mum was fantastic today," Hermione finally said. "The way she stepped in and helped Madam Pomfrey with the injured..."
"She was. She's very good at that sort of thing. I think it was probably necessary, I suppose, especially with the amount of injuries Fred and George..." Ron fell silent, the blood rushing out of his face.
"Yes, I suppose it was," Hermione said quietly.
"I'm worried about my mum, though," Ron admitted. "She seemed all right when we saw her, but when everything catches up to her… She lost two of her brothers in the first war, you know."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "No, I didn't know."
"They were in the Order. She doesn't really like to talk about it. I was just a baby when it happened, so I don't remember anything, but Dad said it hit her rather hard. She was really close to them."
"I can't imagine." Her eyes filled with tears, and he felt his heart clench. "Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry about Fred."
He sighed heavily. "Me too."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Ron interlaced his fingers with hers. "Not right now."
"Okay," she said, squeezing his hand.
He was grateful that she didn't push him. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway.
"So what will we do now?" Hermione asked. "I never really thought about what we would do…after."
Ron hadn't given it much thought either. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I really don't know. Maybe we ought to just take it day by day. We'll go down to the Great Hall and find my parents, and then we'll go home."
"Home," she repeated wistfully.
"Well, to the Burrow," he said, flushing.
Hermione hesitated. "I don't know, Ron. I haven't seen my parents in almost a year. I need to find them."
"And you will," he said. "But you'll need somewhere safe to plan. I know you, Hermione. You'd never just go without having a strategy, right?"
"Right," she said reluctantly.
"And you can't go before…"
The words caught in his throat, but thankfully Hermione seemed to know what he was thinking.
"You're right," she said squeezing his hand again. "I can't."
He smiled gratefully. "Should we get Harry and start to figure out where we go from here?"
"Let's just stay here for a little while longer," Hermione said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Okay."
A comfortable silence settled between them. There was no need for further conversation; there would be plenty of time for that later. Chaos had reigned in their world for so long, and he had a feeling that it would for a while. They would be foolish not to take advantage of this peaceful moment, especially since it might be a while before their next opportunity. Ron closed his eyes. He didn't know what the future held, but, with Hermione by his side, he knew he could face anything.