Sorting Priorities (a Romione/Dramione Fic)

Epilogue

Two weeks later, Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat in front of the lake, resting in a sad silence below the beech tree. Hermione was lying in Ron's arms, and Harry was staring at the Marauder's map, watching Ginny's dot in the common room. Things between the three of them were better now, the tension of Hermione's illicit relationship with Draco diffused, but the fact that she'd dated a boy who'd committed suicide hung in the air like the black drapings at the premature end of the year feast. Ron had gotten over it quickly enough, but Harry was still uneasy about the whole affair. 

Hermione, however, was still stuck to the day two weeks back when the boy who'd loved her, who she'd promised to never let go, had jumped in front of  a Killing Curse cast by his own aunt. The details of the night had been muddled up by stress ad the eerie lighting of magical warfare, but Hermione had heard enough to piece together what had happened. And it had nearly broken her to hear it. 

She had been walking hurried along the alleys of Hogsmeade when she heard a shriek like a tortured banshee ripping through the air. All noise from the battle ceased. "Fool!" she heard the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange yell. "You fool! You fool! What will your mother do?" Hermione had stopped along with Harry and Ron to listen to Bellatrix. 

Above the main square of the battle hung a fine mist of glimmering blue, a signal shot up by a wand just moments before. As the shrieks continued, Hermione watched as each spark fizzled out until nothing was left of the sparkling cloud.

Finally, Bellatrix had let out a blood-curdling shout. "Draco! Coward! You coward! Crucio!" Hermione had gasped then and put her hand over her mouth as the spell was cast, and braced herself for the screams that would follow, but nothing had sounded. The spell was cast again. Still nothing. There was a final shriek, then a killing curse, and then the battle had recommenced. 

Though Hermione had ignored the sick pit that had formed in her stomach the second Draco's name had been uttered, she h\couldn't deny later that her prediction had come true, and that Draco was dead. Had committed suicide. 

As she was reliving that moment for the thousandth time during those short fourteen days, Ron shook her gently.

"Hey. It's okay." He could always sense when she was thinking about the battle. He tightened his arms and pulled her closer, resting his chin on her head. She shut her eyes and leaned back, still troubled.

There hadn't been a funeral; none of the Death Eaters left behind had. Only Dumbledore and one other teacher had been honored, the other four buried without ceremony in a seldom-visited area of the grounds. Draco had been given a small headstone on McGonagall's orders, but the other three Death Eaters had nothing to mark their final resting places.

That was when Hermione had become stuck on loop, listening to her friend die again and again. However much she tried to stay in the present it never worked for long. Only when Ron or Harry pulled her out did she stay in reality.

She doubted if she would ever recover. 

"Thanks," she said belatedly, looking up at him, moving his chin. "I--I really love you, you know." Her voice cracked as she looked deep into his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, Hermione. I always have."

"Always? Even when I was seeing Draco?"

Ron laughed a little. "Of course, silly, always means always. I'll love you forever." He leaned down to kiss her, and for the first time in ages, Hermione felt...Calm. It was all okay.

The End

Wow, I've had so much fun writing this! Thanks to everyone for all of the reads; I honestly never expected it to come this far. I felt bad about killing Draco (honestly, I did!) but I really, really hate giving out happy endings for some reason. They just seem so...cliche. Anyways, please vote or comment if you liked my story; all of the love has felt amazing, especially as this is my first multi-chapter fic. Thanks again!

P.S. I'll go back at a later date and edit everything and smooth out any wrinkles; heaven knows that my writing must be horrible in th every beginning! ♥