Disclaimer: I have never owned Harry Potter, and I never will. -sigh-

I now present the last chapter of my fic. Please to enjoy.

Here's a recap:

"I'm going to wash," Harry told Bill. "Then I'll need to see them, straightaway." And he left the room.

Not soon afterwards, Bill and Fleur got up from the sofa, and Dean and Luna followed. Hermione, seeing the sofa was free again, got up from her chair and crossed as quickly as she could to lie on the couch. Her breathing was shallow even from that short trip. Ron grabbed his chair and moved it next to Hermione.

"How're you feeling?" Ron asked Hermione softly.

"Alright, I guess," she replied, looking into Ron's eyes. "But my body aches all over from the Cruciatus Curse."

"Oh," said Ron awkwardly. Having never been put under the Cruciatus Curse, he had no idea what it felt like.

"But never mind me," Hermione said, smiling for the first time since she had fainted, "how are you?" She placed her hand on Ron's leg comfortingly, rolling her thumb over his knee.

Ron shivered as he watched Hermione's hand on his knee, his eyes wide. They had held hands before, and hugged many times, but this was a new gesture; however, Ron wasn't complaining. It felt too good for words having Hermione's hand on his leg, caring about what happened to him.

Hermione must have seen his wide eyes, and taken that to mean he was uncomfortable, because she removed her hand, blushing.

"Uh…I'm fine," Ron said. "I was mostly worried about you. You know," he continued, "you were brilliant, not caving in when that horrible woman was torturing you."

"Well," Hermione told him, her blush deepening, "like imposter-Moody told us in fourth year, you've got to really focus on throwing off the curse." She paused and turned her head to look out of the window, where the sun was beginning to rise. "And," she continued, more quietly, "hearing you saying my name helped to keep me from being completely overpowered by the Curse." She laughed. "It helped me keep my wits about me, really."

Ron was stunned at what Hermione had just said. Hearing me kept her sane. Me! He had never been happier.

Hermione swung her legs off the side of the sofa and walked towards the window she had been staring out of.

Ron's light-heartedness, however, lasted only a short while, for he had just remembered what he had promised himself back at Malfoy manor.

If we ever make it out of this alive, I've got to tell her I love her, he recited to himself.

Or so he thought.

"What was that, Ron?" Hermione said, turning her head away from the window to look at him. She had a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Erm, nothing, I…er…just talking ─ talking to myself," Ron stammered, his ears turning redder by the moment.

"Oh, alright," she said, and she turned back to look out the window. She appeared slightly crestfallen.

Ron watched Hermione, and the longer he did, the more he thought, Why not? Why not tell her how I feel? What's there to lose? He got out of the chair and strode over to Hermione. As he looked out the window, he reached for her hand. She twisted around to look at him.

"Hermione," Ron started, "there's something I need to tell you, and it's not easy for me to say this, but I ─"

"Is this something to do with that night you destroyed the locket?" Hermione supplied eagerly, completely oblivious to what Ron was about to confess.

Taken aback, Ron said, "Uh, well ─"

"Because I saw that Harry interrupted you when you were explaining what happened." Hermione continued. "That Horcrux can't've died just like that. It would have put up a fight for its survival. It said so in that horrendous book."

All thoughts of coming clean about his feelings for Hermione left Ron's head, only to be replaced by all of the insecurities that the locket had brought about. He dropped Hermione's hand and made to leave the sitting room.

He was at the doorway, when Hermione called, "Wait!" and crossed the room to join him. "Don't go," she pleaded, and she gazed into his eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

The comfort in her voice was too much, so Ron plopped down into the armchair Hermione had vacated previously, and began to tell the tale of the locket.

"Alright, Harry had opened the locket, and I had the sword of Gryffindor and was supposed to stab the thing straightaway. I was about to, when the locket…spoke to me. It was telling me these things that I was already thinking when I had to wear the effing thing. It said…that my mum preferred Harry as a son. And that you…" His voice seemed to have left him, and he couldn't finish the sentence.

"That I what?" Hermione urged, kneeling down in front of him and grasping both of his hands.

Ron snatched his hands back and stood up, crossing to the doorway of the sitting room again. Instead of leaving, he rested his forehead against the door frame, and gathered all of his Gryffindor courage to complete the sentence.

"That you…preferred Harry to me as well."

Ron did not want to hear her reaction to this, so he ploughed on. "Then, these figures of you and Harry blossomed out of the locket, and…they taunted me. Yours kept saying how Harry was so much better, and how any woman would choose me when they could have him. And then…you kissed Harry."

At once, the image of Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione embracing came to the forefront of Ron's mind. Remembering the anger he felt at that moment, he said, his voice shaking, "I stabbed it then."

Ron took a few deep breaths and kept his face turned away from Hermione. Once he had calmed, and relief of finally telling her the truth came washing over him, he turned to see Hermione's face.

She was standing stock-still, with her mouth gaping and her eyes wide.

"Oh Ron!" Hermione said. She ran to him and hugged him tightly. "How could you ever think that I would prefer Harry to you?"

"So you don't like Harry, then" Ron asked timidly.

Hermione released him from the hug. She stood back, with her arms on his broad shoulders, and said, "Of course not! How could I have feelings for him? He's like my brother, and nothing more."

Ron had heard Harry give the same speech, but it was different hearing it from Hermione. A huge weight that had been crushing him from the inside had lifted. He beamed at Hermione, and she grinned giddily back at him.

Before either of them could realize what they had admitted to each other, they heard Harry call, "I need you two as well!"

They both moved out of the doorway to the sitting room and into the light.

"How are you?" Harry asked Hermione. "You were amazing ─ coming up with that story when she was hurting you like that ─"

Hermione gave a weak smile as Ron gave her a one-armed squeeze.

"What are we doing now, Harry?" Ron questioned, sounding a little too cheerful than the situation called for.

"You'll see, come on," said Harry, and he beckoned them up the stairs.

Ron grinned widely at Hermione as they followed Harry to the second floor of the cottage. He felt like he could take whatever Voldemort threw his way, as long as he had Hermione, and her love, with him.

Finis

Okay, I know the ending was extrememly cheesy, but it seemed right to me.

I want to take this time to thank all of my regular readers and reviewers, and those who have added this (or me) to their faves. I had great fun writing this, and I'm glad it was enjoyed.

Special Shout Out To: LOSTinharrypotter and mj-hedwig, for sticking with this story from the beginning!

If You Liked This: check out "Into The Chamber," by blondebouncingferret- I enjoyed it immensely!

Question: What is a 'beta?' I've heard this term a lot, and have no idea what it is. Explain, please?

Please review! You know you wanna...