The old house was dark except for the ashes still clinging to the fading life of the fire. She had insisted on a fire, she said it was cheerier, but really she just wanted to close her eyes and pretend she was back in the large round Gryffindor common room. Or better yet safe with her parents drinking coco, a book held in her lap while her mother talked of neighbors and her father of work. She hopped she would feel better with the memories but she found that her spirits dwindling with the flames. She watched still though. Her knees clutched to her chest, eyes glazed but staring into the hearth.

"'Mione?"

His voice brought her swiftly out of the thoughts and sent shivers of shock, adrenaline and lust down her spine. She'd turned to face him, through the gloom she took in his to short pajama pants and old t-shirt. He rubbed his left eye clearing the sleep and waking himself enough to talk to her.

"Hello, Ron. I didn't hear you come down."

"Really? Cause I made a lot of noise, stabbed my bloody toe on something in the hallway, though no idea what."

She gave a slight smile, she reveled in the feel of it on her lips, they were so rear now. The gesture was lost in the shadows. Ron didn't see what he was capable of making her feel.

"I thought you went to bed awhile ago." She had noticed his absence as soon as he stepped from the room.

"Um…yeah I did. I just got up and, uh, noticed your door was still open when I went to the washroom. I figured you fell asleep or something down here thought I would, uh, get you." Her rubbed the back of his neck. "Whatd'y still doing up?"

"Thinking." She turned back to the fire bringing her knees back up, resting her chin upon them.

"Oh." She heard him shift uncomfortably, unsure of what the next thing to say was. She closed her eyes and waited for the sound of receding footsteps. She heard them, though not leaving, coming closer. She opened her eyes and watched as he lowered himself awkwardly to the ground. They both sat in silence for sometime. Neither knew what to say, how to start, how to return to easy times when they would laugh by the fire back in the common room, slouched in over stuffed chairs, mocking the first years as they tried to navigate their way, (though that was more on Ron and Harrys part then hers) back when death was not always on their mind.

"What were you thinking about." His voice seemed loud though he spoke it softly.

She didn't know how to answer that. Little in her life was she ever stumped by a question. Now she sat with her best friend and the love of her life and could not come up with the right thing to say. She wanted to spill her heart, tell him of all her fears. The fears of plans not well thought out, the school falling, people dying. She wanted to tell him how each night she woke from a dream where she saw a world in which they had failed, she saw people she loved dead on the ground, but the dream that would cripple her to tears were the ones where he was always out of her reach, she never was able to save him, but always got there to feel his life slip from him never to make her laugh or scream or cry again.

"Everything," she choked out. The mere memory of the dream brought the sting of tears to her eyes.

More silence fell.

"What if we lose?" The words were no more then a breath.

Ron said nothing for a little while. She could feel his physical change beside her though as he though about her question as she had thought of him.

"We can't think like that, Mione."

"How could you not?"

He dropped his eyes on the floor. She noticed they were closed. A frown had formed on his brow. When he opened his eyes back up he moved in front of her, pulling her legs down gently and taking her hands in his. Her breath caught. When she looked up herself his startling blue eyes held her in her spot.

"We've been through a lot, all of us, together and alone. And, well, I think that we just need to keep thinking the best and trusting each other. I mean I know it's not much but, ya know, we've never let each other down before."

"What if I can't save you?" She tried to keep the dream images from her mind.

"Well then I guess I'll die happy in the fact that you weren't in any danger trying to save me."

"Ron…"

His eyes dropped to their joined hands. "Will you promise me something?"

"Anything."

He shook his head for a moment, trying to gather the words that he always fumbled over. "Never risk yourself for me."

"What?"

He raised his eyes back to hers. "If someone is hurt you always have to help. And that's great and all, it's just, you never think about yourself in those situation which means you could get hurt as well. So if something bad is happening and I'm in the middle and getting my bullock beaten please just run away, keep yourself safe. I don't want to be the reason you get hurt."

She had been trying to hard to keep her tears in though she could feel one fall form her eye and slid down her cheek. "I can't leave my best friend of some horrible fate."

"Just think of me as someone who annoys you constantly and who hates your cat." He gave a lopsided smile, his hand coming up to wipe the tear away with his knuckles.

She couldn't help but to close her eyes and lean into his warm fingers. She soon felt the knuckles moving up her cheek, splaying out to allow his palm to cup her flushed cheek. And then his lips were against hers. Her eyes flew open.

Her head began to spin. She had wanted and fantasized about this for so long, though never truly believing that it could ever happed. She once again felt at a loss for what to do. She'd been kissed before, but not like this, with a hand holding her face while the other rested on her back pulling her closer, and never by him.

Although her mind was knotted she found her fingers twisted in the hair she loved so much. She pushed herself as close to him as possible, which she could not seem to find. The kiss was slow at first, lips moving together, tongues sliding and seeking entry. They stayed like that for some time, slow, Hermione didn't want to rush this. They were only kissing and yet she could feel herself trembling, every movement of his hands through her hair, along her back, thrilled her more then anything ever had.

The kiss deepened. She found herself climbing on to his lap, she sat astride his slender hips and pushed her chest against his. She could feel a hardness between her legs. She rolled her hips against it. Ron broke off from the kiss to let out a deep groan, rested his forehead against hers, cupping the back of her neck and breathing heavy he looked her in the eyes.

"Should we go upstairs?" he breathed.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah, somewhere more, um, private."

"Oh right."

"We don't have to. I just thought…"

"No! We could go to my room."

He kissed her hard once more. Hermione could feel his smile against lips. With trembling legs she got to her feet. He stood up beside her, taking her hand in his, leading her away from the amber coals that still remained.

The steps creaked loudly with each step. She hopped Harry wouldn't wake up, if he saw that would be the end of her moment with Ron, but then again she wasn't even sure if this was the best thing to be doing.

Ron opened the thick, old door. She had tried to tidy the room as much as she could when they first arrived, but the furniture was still broken, the floor scratched and stained, the curtains torn. She didn't want to change anything physical, even if Sirius had never stepped foot in this room, Harry didn't want to change anything about it, and she knew better then to fight him on it.

Through the tattered black curtains moon light streamed in illuminating everything in a beautiful glow. She was able to truly see Ron now, his ginger hair a mess, face almost the same colour but looking as amazing as he always had.

"Why now?" she whispered.

He turned to look at her from his place by the door he had just closed. "Why now what? This?"

She nodded her eyes falling to the ground. "You never seemed interested before, what makes you want me now?"

"'Mione, I've always wanted you. I just, I didn't know how you felt. And well, down there you got me thinking. Whatever happens I don't want to know that I never had the courage to do this."

"Yes but what is this?"

He took her hands back in his. "What ever you want it to be." He spoke so quietly and soft, yet she heard the tremble of fear and uncertainty in his voice, as if he though she would tell him she wanted nothing and throw him out. She could not even imagine giving up this chance though, the chance to be with him.

She summoned all the courage she had, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him once again. The kisses heated up quick, she pushed her hands under his shirt feeling the heat from his skin. She helped him pulled the shirt over his head and then returned to tracing the toned lines and muscles of his chest. His hands shook as much as her had when he pulled the zipper of her sweatshirt down, pushed it from her smooth shoulders and pulled the small white shirt off as she had done to him.

And there she was in nothing but a plain white bra that gave her the appearance of larger breasts then she really had. He looked at her chest with a look of astonishment on his face. She reached behind her and undid the clasps. The bra fell from her and Ron was at an utter loss.

"Can I touch you?"

She gave a slight smile. "Oh course you can, Ron."

His hand can up and took her breast within it. Her breath sped up, hitching when he ran a thumb across her nipple bringing it to a hardened peek. Her reaction was all it took to bring Ron from his unsure movements. He kissed her passionately and rolled her nipples between his fingers.

In a flash he had pulled her to the bed and pushed her gently down on to it. He held himself above her then started trailing kisses down her pale throat, her chest, her stomach, before coming to a stop at the button of her jeans. He glanced up at her, looking for her reaction. She gave a nod, slow with the uncertainty of everything that was to come this night.

He slid her jeans and plain white panties down her slim legs. Ron sat on his heels at the foot of the bed looking down at her. She twisted unsure if she should cover herself or if he was waiting for her to do anything.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, his voice dripping with sincerity, Hermione had never felt beautiful in her life, ever through nights and study periods of Viktor cooing the same thing, he never made it sound like Ron did, as if he was looking at perfect work of art. Her joy overflowed her. She sat up, took Ron's face within her hands and kissed him fiercely. They fell back into the covers where Ron worked his way back down her body. He paused at her chest to take a nipple into his mouth sucking it slowly, making her moan quietly. He then switched to the other repeating his actions.

He pushed her legs apart and began kissing the inside of her right thigh, getting so close to her peak then switching to the other. Her body was singing and screaming to be touched by the time he finally ran his tongue over her opening to her clit in a single long lick her toes curled tight. The new feeling took her by surprise and caused her breath to catch in her throat.

Her hips began to jerk with pleasure just from his hot short breaths against her. He moved his arms underneath her legs, placing them on his shoulders and holding her hips steadily in place. He placed sloppy wet kisses on her center, savoring the taste he had so long imaged. He sucked in her clit with vigor, she could not contain the sounds that escaped her mouth. Ron finally began to push his tongue slowly into her she could feel all her muscles tensing up and warmth spreading through her body. As his licks increased her muscles did too, then with a sudden scream he body let go, hands twisting in the dark sheets, back arching high from the mattress.

He kissed his way slowly back up her stomach, chest, neck and finally a long kiss on her lips. She stiffened at first from the thought of herself on his lips, though the thought disappeared as she melted from the feel of his lips and lean body. As they kissed she brought her hands to the buckle of his belt. Her hands were shaking, fumbling, her cheeks reddened with the failing attempts.

"Mione," he whispered. "Are you sure? I mean, um, I don't want to push you."

She smiled at him. His voice shook in the way that she knew that hers would is she could manage words. The only thing she could do was nod her head and pull his lips back to hers. His helped her with the buckle, button and zipper. His lifted his hips and tried to kick his jeans from his long legs without leaving her kiss.

He lowered himself back between her spread legs. His eyes looked deeply into hers as he positioned himself at her entrance, slowly pushing despite his need, he would do nothing to hurt her. She bit her lip to keep the cry of pain silent. He felt her break and take his length within her. A groan rumbled in his chest, he pushed his face into the crook of her neck to try and steady himself.

He slowly started to thrust after several moments of pause. Hermione still felt the pain, though less then at first, she could not ignore it. She knew from his harsh breathing, raged thrusts, roaming hands that he was enjoying it. It was for him that she dug her nails into his back and added her own small thrusts. After a short time it began to feel better, her breath began to speed up, her nail scratched for need rather then pain. She barley had time to start responding when he dug his hand into her mass of curls. "Oh god Hermione!" His body shuddered against hers.

She ran her figures through his soft hair as he waiting for his energy and breath to return to him. She felt as if she were living in a dream. She wished it would go on forever, that they could stay curled up together in bed until the war was over, the evil gone. As she felt him stirring she knew it would never happen, that in a few moments he would have to go back to his room and in a day they would be other people within the ministry.

He raised his head to look at her, a large goofy grin across his face. She laughed loudly at the normalcy of one of his smiles. "Hi," he said.

"Hi." She knew her smile matched his.

He rolled onto his back dragging her with him so she lay across his chest. She ran her hands over his freckled chest.

"Do you really believe what you said before."

"About what?"

"About how if the three of us are together we can accomplish anything."

"Of course I did. Haven't you ever noticed how things always work better when we're together?"

"Yes. So then we can beat this? Beat him?"

He twisted his fingered with hers looking at them finally joined. "If we stay together."

A couple months later he walked away from them. Leaving Hermione on her knees in wet gold and red leaves tears cascading from her eyes as they never had before. They were supposed to stay together to win. Now they were separate, and she was left broken as her heart and soul walked off with him.