Prophecy 472

15- I Love You

"Let's talk somewhere in private, okay?"

Lavender let Ron lead her away from the curious onlookers and into the kitchen. The kitchen door swung shut behind them.

"That'll be a fun conversation," George said, breaking them all from staring at the now closed door. His words brought the group back to its senses and activity resumed in the living room. Angelina and Audrey began tending to Percy and Charlie, who had some nasty scorch marks on their arms from a wayward hex. Harry sat down on a sofa, rubbing his temples. Ginny sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, relieved her fiancé had come out of yet another fight relatively unscathed. Molly walked over to the corner where Hermione still stood and motioned that she would take Rose, offering the young woman some help. Hermione started to protest, but Mrs. Weasley cut her off.

"You're going to need your arms free, dear."

Hermione stared at her, confusion written on her face. Mrs. Weasley just smiled back and took the child, her granddaughter, into her hands. Then, the door to the kitchen swung open and Ron walked back into the living room. Alone.

His gaze darted around the room, searching for something. When he landed on Hermione he gave her a determined look.

"Lavender's gone."

"Gone?"

Ron nodded at Hermione's question. Activity in the room paused once more as the family watched the scene before them, anxious to know what would happen next.

"She didn't need to leave, Ron," Hermione said quietly. This part was important, she needed him to understand this. "We've all received a glimpse of the future and that can be dangerous if you treat it like an edict. Your life is your own Ron."

Ron pushed two frustrated hands into his hair, running his palms over his scalp so that the hair became ruffled and messy. He shook his head as if to clear it and leaned forward a bit, resting his hands now on his thighs. His head hung down so Hermione couldn't see his face anymore, then he suddenly stood up tall once more.

"For someone so brilliant, you can be really thick sometimes."

Ron moved forward at that, walking with quick strides toward Hermione, crossing the room in five long steps. Hermione opened her mouth as if to speak, to throw out more attempts at reason or logic. Ron wasted no time to hear her protests, reaching out instead to grab Hermione roughly by the elbow and pulling her to him. Finally, after surviving so much danger and countless threats, outrunning obstacles and tempting fate, Ron was able to wrap his arms around Hermione at long last.

Hermione was overwhelmed in a sensory experience, feeling, smelling and touching so much of Ron at once after so much time spent going without him. At the first moment of the embrace, Hermione went stiff, an instinctive reaction from her body that had become trained to keep away from him. Almost as quickly, however, her body relaxed, melting into Ron's touch. It was like she had been drowning and was given that first gulp of air after breaking the surface of the water.

Hermione immediately threw her arms around Ron's neck in return. The gesture caused him to pull her even closer against him, as if he couldn't get close enough. Hermione vaguely heard somebody, Arthur maybe, say something about privacy and she sensed the others leave the room. Hermione pressed her face in the crook of Ron's neck, clutching at him like he might suddenly disappear. Ron held her head in place with one hand at the back of her scalp, rubbing the other hand up and down soothingly over her back.

Hermione realized then she was crying. Sobbing, really. All of the emotions that had hung over her for the last three years were being released at each caress of Ron's hands, reminding her how much she had nearly lost. She had been so lonely, the nights of depression and solitude tempered only with the knowledge she was protecting Ron. Now, he was here so close she could feel each breath he took and each flexing of his muscles. She wanted to cry out in gratitude.