i: Ron/Hermione & danger.

It took a while for it to sink in that they were (temporarily) no longer in danger. Ron's ears were still ringing from the deafening noise of the battle, and it still seemed like Dark spells flashed across his vision every time he blinked. As he aimlessly wandered the halls, Hermione at his side, he passed people being rushed along in stretchers whilst others attempted to clear the rubble that lined the corridors. It was difficult getting into the mentality that none of these people were trying to attack them.

They had one hour. One hour to take care of the injured and the dead, to do what they could in re-establishing their defences, and to recuperate before all hell broke loose again.

Part of him wanted it to be over already. The lack of immediate danger meant that Ron wasn't relying on his survival instincts, so things were starting to sink in; he had time to think. And thinking was not something he wanted to do at that moment - he was starting to feel a gaping hole inside him, left by the fact that he had just lost his brother.

A strained-looking Madam Pomfrey rushed past beside one of the stretchers that was being carried.

"We should go down and help," Hermione said, taking Ron's hand and starting to walk in the same direction.

"No!" He hadn't meant for it to come out so aggressively.

"Ron - "

"I mean, there's plenty that needs to be done up here, isn't there?" Ron said hurriedly, giving her a pleading look. He couldn't say the real reason he wanted to stay up there. Going to where the injured were would almost certainly mean going to where the dead were too, and he didn't think he could deal with seeing Fred's lifeless body again.

But he didn't need to say it, because Hermione knew. Hermione always knew. She didn't say anything except "Okay," but something about the look she gave him before she turned around to start shifting the rubble told him that she knew exactly what was going through his head.

He remembered the last time she looked at him that intently, just before she ran towards him and finally kissed him - and it was heavenly, better than he could ever have imagined. Not just the feeling of the kiss itself and the way his stomach knotted as he accepted it as reality and not just another dream, but also the knowledge that Hermione had forgiven him for all the stupid mistakes he'd made in their friendship over the years.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that for, by the way," Ron blurted out, before realising that Hermione probably had no idea what he was talking about, either.

"Do what?"

Ron felt his ears go red. "Y'know... kiss you."

"If it's anything like as long as I've been wanting to do that for, I think I do," Hermione said, a smile creeping across her face.

He grinned back at her. They had a little cache of happiness here, amidst all of this death and destruction, and it made his heart soar.

But it was all so wrong.

He remembered Fred, and he felt sick.

A/N: Hi guys! So I kind of disappeared from FFN for a while - as well as a few issues with writer's block etc, I've just started university and it's a little bit more hectic than I thought it would be. Buuuut I saw this challenge over on HPFC and I thought it would be good motivation to get me writing again, so here I am and I thought I'd start with my darling OTP. :)

This is for the Monthly Het-Tastic Drabble-Athon Competition, and I've decided to write a collection of 100-500 word drabbles set during the Battle of Hogwarts. I'm aiming for seven, as it's the most powerfully magical number and all that. Let's see how it goes!