"Hermione! Hermione!"

Hermione awoke. Her first instinct upon hearing her name was that they were in some other kind of danger. Instantly she got up and went outside, slightly pale.

"Is everything all right?"

"Fine," said Harry happily. "Actually, it's more than fine…"

Hermione came up the hill to see what the matter was, and what to her wondering eyes should appear but her own Ronald Weasley, looking bedraggled and exhausted.

Ron smiled at the sight of her.

"Hey!" he said.

Hermione's facial expression went from surprised, to cold, to utterly furious. She walked up to Ron and stopped right in front of him, her anger burning into his face.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, neither of them saying anything. Ron slowly reached out to touch Hermione's arm, but she pushed him away. Her eyes were gleaming with fury.

Hermione raised her own arm to hit Ron, but halfway through the punch she seemed to lose all power behind it, and she hit him very gently. Then she did it again, but harder. Before long Hermione was hitting him, again and again. Ron flinched and winced but made no move to stop her.

"Hermione…" he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Hermione pushed him and punched his arm again. But there were tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry," Ron said again.

Hermione hit Ron yet again, but the blows were becoming weaker. Hermione began to shake very hard, big fat tears rolling down her face. She pushed Ron once, twice, then she threw her arms around him and began to cry. Ron held Hermione close, stroking her hair as she sobbed.

"I know, Hermione, I know…shh. I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How could you leave us?" Hermione sobbed. "How could you leave me? Why would you do that?"

"I was stupid. I know. I'll never leave you again, I swear to it Hermione. I'll never leave you again."

Hermione was crying quite hysterically as she faced Ron, who was wiping tears off of her face.

"You can't leave me again! You can't! I can't handle it-I'm not strong enough-"

"Shh, Hermione, shh…I know. I know. It's okay. I'm back now, it's okay."

Hermione was gasping and weeping as she put a shaking hand on his face.
"You can't do that to me. You can't do that to me, you idiot…"

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," said Ron, running his hand through her hair and then letting his hand rest on her face. He took her hand and touched her cheek. "I'm so sorry I left."

Hermione dissolved into sobs once more. She seized him and held him close, crying "I hate you, Ronald Weasley…I hate you so much…"

"I'll never leave you again," said Ron.

It was as if Harry was not even present as Ron and Hermione held each other, blind and deaf to anything else that may have been going on around them.

Ron never did leave her again.