Disclaimer: For the final time, I don't own.

A/N: The end of the road for this, sadly. Here's the last chapter, with a little angst, but mostly fluff. I've really loved writing this, and I love you guys for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me.

I've had a lot of fun with this fic, but mostly, I sincerely want to thank you reviewers, who have made my day, over and over again. It's just amazing. You're all incredible, and I thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts.

This is possibly my favourite story of mine, and it's been so much fun to write.

And this chapter... slightly longer. And sweet.

I've been postponing writing this. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy it, and please review. Thank you, to all readers and reviewers. You made this worth it.

20. Loved.

She had not planned it to happen like this.

If anything, she'd thought she'd planned out her life. She knew exactly how it would go. She loved Ron, and she would marry him, when he got up the courage to tell her that he cared, and Harry would marry Ginny, and her practically extended family, would actually become her extended family. She would be a Weasley, and that was maybe her greatest dream.

But sixth year changed everything.

She was shocked, hurt, and bewildered, when Ron started snogging – er, dating, Lavender. She'd been brave, telling him that she wanted to take him to Slughorn's Christmas party, and then, out of nowhere, he had this giggly, frilly, irritating girlfriend.

And yes, she often went off to be on her own. She didn't want to be around him. Around them.

And so, she spent her time in the library, her haven. And that was where she came across him.

She doesn't entirely know how their civil conversations began. She really doesn't. All she knows is that he looked tired, and broken, and he didn't bother insulting her, and somewhere along the line, she felt sorry for him. So she began talking to him. And when she talked to him… she got caught in his words. He was interesting, and intelligent, and honest, and mysterious, and he entranced her.

And then, somehow, one day, it just… changed. She supposed she'd developed feelings for him somewhere along the line, but she'd certainly buried it. And she couldn't remember what they were talking about, in that shadowy, well-hidden table of the library, but suddenly, he just looked at her, with all this pent-up emotion, and just kissed her. And it was raw, and real, and honest, and meaningful.

And her world shifted.

And no longer did they go to that table of the library; instead they met in the Room of Requirement. Because it was forbidden, and wrong. And because there was no bed in the library.

; ; ;

She had realized, vaguely, that it would have to end. It could not go on forever. It couldn't. But she hadn't expected the ending, either.

It was quite close to the end of the year, and her head was full of this, and exams, and everything about the Horcruxes, that Harry was learning from Dumbledore.

And when he walked into the room, he looked dead. His eyes were dark, and sharp, and he looked pained, and when she smiled at him, his face twisted.

And then he started talking.

He didn't want to say it, she knew that. But it still hurt, when he told her it couldn't go on like this, it couldn't, and he wanted it to, but he had no choice. He'd never had any choice and he was wrong to find anything with her, he was wrong to hope, he was wrong to want this. And it had to end, because he was wrong for her, and they were on opposite sides of a war, that was coming fast, and he was so goddamn sorry, because he wanted this too, and he felt horrible. And he didn't have any more choices, and he hoped she didn't hate him, but he kind of hoped she did, because he deserved it. And he really cared about her. He really did. And he thought that maybe he even loved her, but nowadays, that just wasn't enough.

And he just turned around, and walked out.

And she'd thought she'd gone through pain before. She'd been through a lot. But nothing like this. This ripped her apart. Because he'd walked away from something that mattered. And she felt like a broken mirror, sharp, and lost, and made up of only shards.

; ; ;

She didn't expect to see him after the war. She didn't want to. She knew it wasn't his fault what side he'd born on, and what choices he'd been forced into, but it didn't mean she didn't like it.

She wasn't going to deny, though, that she still had feelings for him.

And then came the fateful day, when she ran into him, after four years. It was going to happen one day.

It was a miracle they hadn't before that day, both with official Ministry jobs. In fact, with such a small building, and jobs only three floors apart, one would think they were avoiding each other.

And seeing him again… it all crashed back into her. The memories. The moments. The truth, the feelings, the intimacy, the passion, the love.

And this time around, he started talking to her.

She ignored it for the longest time, his attempts at friendship. They could not do that. And then, he had the nerve to ask her out to dinner. As if that could work.

And after awhile, she kind of exploded. It had been months of his attempts, and suddenly, he was asking her, why not? And she was not good with that question, because she wasn't all that sure of the answer.

So she began yelling at him. About how this was not meant to happen. Why not? Why not? Because they were supposed to hate each other, and she couldn't go back to being a stupid, idealistic teenager, and how she felt like she hated him, because this was not the future she was supposed to want. And she hated him, she hated him, because somehow, she was still in love with him.

And, so she stood there, pretty proud of her speech. Yes, she'd come up with something. There was a good reason.

It took her a moment to realize all the flaws in her why not speech, but by then, his lips were on hers, and she couldn't find it in her to care.

; ; ;

She remembered all of this, when he looked at her like that, his grey eyes so very vulnerable, down on one knee before her. All of this flew through her, as he just looked at her, important words already spoken, eyes filled with the one thing that, throughout her childhood, she never imagined he'd feel for her.

Love.

And so, she whispered,

"Yes."