Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter empire. God save the Queen!
Can I?
"Ron? Hermione? Are you all right?"
"What?" Hermione forced herself to open her tightly shut eyes. To her surprise and relief, there wasn't a giant snake about to kill them. Instead, Neville Longbottom was standing in front of them. But what happened to the snake?
Ron loosened up his hold on Hermione as he looked around. "Am I dead?" He turned to Hermione and his eyes widened. "Oh." He groaned. "Hermione, I didn't want you to die too. I lo—"
"Stop!" Hermione said sharply as she covered his mouth with her hand. "We're not dead." She turned her head towards Neville. "Right?"
"Nope." Neville said with a hint of pride.
"Hey, you've still got the sword!"
Hermione put the pieces together. "You killed the snake, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose I did. It was a bit strange though. When I cut its head off, the whole thing just turned to smoke or something."
"Brilliant Neville." Hermione complimented him as she stood up.
Ron also stood up and then looked at the floor. "Well at least we don't have to take care of the body. Thanks for saving our lives mate."
"Yes, thank you."
"I know both of you would do the same for me." Neville smiled.
Hermione realized something and gasped. "Wait! That was the last horcrux!"
Ron's eyes widened. "Harry!"
"We have to find him!" Hermione grabbed Ron's hand. "Come on!"
Just then there was a crackling and green and red rays of light shone through the windows.
"Hey! I found him!" Neville called to them.
Ron and Hermione spun around to see Neville at a window. They ran to one themselves.
They felt like they were rooted to the spot.
"Can I say it now?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Not yet." Hermione answered with a hint of sadness as she watched the last stray bodies of fallen witches and wizards still being brought into the Great Hall.
Ron followed her line of sight into the hall and his body stiffened as he remembered who is in there amongst the dead. His blood went cold. He felt dead again. Surely what is in there can't be real. He didn't want it to be real. But then he heard Hermione take a sharp intake of breath. He looked at her and saw a tear traveling past her nose and to her lips. The lips he had finally kissed and wanted to kiss again. That had to be real. He wanted them to be real. If what they had finally achieved wasn't real then he definitely wanted to be dead.
"Can I do this?" He reached out and took her hand in his.
Hermione entwined her fingers with his, "You can do that whenever and as much as you want."
That was it. He had her. He could live. "Good, because I am never letting go."