Last chapter of this story – I'm sorry it has taken me a while to update I am extremely busy at the moment.

"I miss Dobby." Ron hadn't made a full recovery yet. He would still wince and sweat at times but he was well enough to walk on his own two feet, and didn't need Harry or Hermione's guidance. The following morning, Harry warned Hermione not to tell him of Dobby's death. It was too much to handle, especially since he had only woken up. She didn't want to keep it a secret though and accidentally let it slip. "He was a good elf."

"A great elf," said Hermione; she was leaning on his shoulder, her arms around his bandaged stomach; his arm was around her shoulders. "He'll be missed."

Ron swallowed, then said, "If we ever come across Bellatrix Lestrange again, if we ever –"

"Please don't start, Ronald," said Hermione.

"She killed a bloody house elf for Merlin's bloody sake. I'm not going to sit down while she walks over the rest of us like doormats."

"I know, I know," said Hermione, lifting her head. She put a hand on Ron's forehead, lifting some of his hair out of place. "How d'you feel?"

"Lousy," he said, repeating how he felt back when he got splinched.

Hermione tilted her head. "Honestly, Ronald. Did Fleur's potion work?"

"It worked, alright," he said. "It just hurts here" – he pointed at his stomach –"and here," he pointed at his own head.

"It's probably because she cast the curse in the same area. I just hope you'll feel alright."

"Never mind me," he said, facing her. "What about you? Are you OK?"

Hermione swallowed. She hadn't told Ron about Fenrir Greyback's injury yet. She lifted her head from Ron's shoulder again and raised her shirt where it ended right below the chest. "As I was trying to get to you, Fenrir Greyback tried to…well, bite me. He succeeded, and…"

The bite marks were visible, and purple outlined them. Ron's mouth fell open and he shook in rage. Hermione rushed on, "I'm still Hermione, there's not a tiny bit of werewolf in me. The bite was very hasty and it would've been more fatal had he reached my neck."

"Fenrir Greyback? The bloke who bit Bill?"

"Ron –"

"Well, how d'you feel?"

"Never better," she lied. She occasionally got those oozes of pain at unnecessary times.

"Make that Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback," he corrected himself, his ears growing red. Hermione smiled; Ron the bodyguard.

"Are you sure you're alright though, Ronald? You underwent loads of bloody torture, and it only happened a day ago!"

"The only important thing is that I didn't reveal anything," he said, looking down at her. "You, Harry, Luna, Griphook and Dean are safe. That's satisfying enough. I don't need a recovery, just the fact that you guys make it out alive…"

He didn't finish, but Hermione got the message. "M-hmmm…this place is very beautiful. It's just like home."

"You live on the beach?" exclaimed Ron. "You have to take me there sometime."

"No – by home, I mean the Burrow – your home."

"My home?" said Ron. "You don't mean to say that…"

"I do," sighed Hermione. "It just feels…great. Every summer, before going to Hogwarts, going to the Burrow is liberating. All we do there is talk, play two-a-side quidditch, and I can just read while you and Harry swim in the lake. It's all so relaxing and sometimes, I'll admit, I feel more homey there than at Hogwarts. It's a great feeling and…well, I'm boring you now, aren't I?" she smiled.

"You can keep going," he said to her. He smirked mischievously; he was enjoying it. They continued watching the sunset for several moments until he winced and fell back, clutching his stomach and muffling his cries.

"Ron!" said Hermione, searching her surroundings. "D-d'you need help?"

"No – no, I'm fine, it's OK," said Ron, sitting back up; Hermione could tell it was forced. Her eyes were threatening to spill tears.

"But it's the sixth time you've done that today! Shouldn't I go and get Bill? He'll know what to do, wouldn't he?"

"It's fine, Mione, just relax," said Ron. "Honestly – see look, I'm all better now, aren't I?"

Hermione couldn't help it anymore; she burst into tears and broke down into her palms.

"Hermione!" said Ron. "What's wrong?"

"It's j-j-just...I…I just hate…"

"Hermione, it's fine!" said Ron, cradling her crying figure. "I'm here now! It's OK! It's OK!"

"I just hate seeing you in this much pain!" she finally burst out, and Ron looked taken aback. "It sounds ridiculous and clichéd, I know, but Ron, just being tied up there next to Harry and knowing I couldn't contribute anything to make you feel better while that vile and insane woman was torturing you, I…it was really hard, just as torturous as your screams…just sitting there, and you were right above us, screaming your head off and I couldn't do a-anything, anything at a-all!"

Ron was breathing heavily as Hermione looked up to him with her big brown eyes. "Hermione, I…"

"Don't start, Ronald Weasley!" she said. "Don't start, I just…just get better, OK?"

"Hermione, listen…"

Hermione let out a wail and let go of Ron, sobbing into her palms, traces of her tears falling into the sand.

"Hermione, I'm here, I'm alright now!" said Ron, shaking her. "It's fine! I'm right here, right now, I'm fine, I'm feeling better than ever and you know you couldn't do anything to stop her from doing those things! Hermione…you're…you're the reason I kept sane, you're…you're the reason that I'm still here."

Hermione looked up from her palms. "Wh-what…?"

"You heard me, Hermione Jean Granger," said Ron. "You heard me well. When Bellatrix was torturing me, I knew I would lost it any second. Then I thought of you, and as silly as it sounds, you're what helped me carry on, basically."

"I…I was?"

"You were," Ron repeated. "Now, dry those tears. You know full well that me and Harry couldn't do anything without you."

Hermione smiled as he took her chin in his hand – this is the moment she had been yearning for, she was ready – at least she thought she was. Ron was closing in on her, and she on him, until the only thing left visible was not the sunset, the sea or the sand; it were his brilliant blue eyes, and she got closer and closer, their lips barely touching…

"Ron? Hermione!" it was Harry. Hermione blinked rapidly; Ron breathed heavily and backed away. "I need to talk to you – and Griphook, too."

Hermione grabbed her jacket and said to Ron, "This has been a brilliant talk Ronald…"

Ron nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Y-yeah, it was…"

Hermione smiled. "Honestly. There are some times where I can just talk to you, and only you." She began to walk towards the cottage, and Ron followed her footsteps as Harry awaited the two of them, who were blushing madly, in the doorframe.

The End

That's the end of the tale! I didn't finish the kiss because I didn't want to ruin JK Rowling's brilliant, original one in the Battle of Hogwarts. So I hope you enjoyed it. Definitely writing more fanfics in the future!