Author's Note: I'm new to fanfiction, but that doesn't mean I'm a crappy writer. This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, but I assure you it won't be my last. Read and review, please?

I don't own the characters, the setting, or the past occurrences talked about. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling. Please, however, enjoy what is mine.

P.S. I edited the last line, I realized it kind of ruined the whole effect. Enjoy. :)

She Couldn't Help Herself:

It had been a week since he had come back to them and she was still fuming. She couldn't help herself, he hurt her. He ignored her as she ran after him, screaming and shouting his name. He made her cry in front of Harry and for weeks after. Hell, she even cried the morning of his appearance.

She was not about to forgive him as easily as Harry did.

It was her night for guard duty, and although there wasn't much activity besides the occasional squirrel traipsing through the snow she still felt the need to turn the pages of her book as quietly as she could.

She was reading Hogwarts, A History for what seemed to be the millionth time. She, again, couldn't help herself. It was her favorite book, not to mention the book that put her at the most ease and helped her work through her internal conflicts.

The binding was practically falling off, and the pages were worn and soft like thin cloth.

Obviously, she had a lot of internal conflicts.

Most of them, she admitted disdainfully, were about him. She would run to this book whenever they would get into a silly fight, or she would interrupt a "Lavender session" as she liked to call them. She would hide away with this book in the Burrow's attic over the holidays sometimes, just to free herself from the aching temptation of those sapphire eyes...at least for a little bit.

A rustling sound whispered to her then, and she looked up suspiciously. She scanned the surrounding area, grabbing the Invisibility Cloak before walking out and doing a full inspection of the camp's perimeter. She reached the tent's entrance again and sat down, resuming her reading.

More rustling greeted her about five minutes later, accompanied by a very anguished groan. She whirled around and held her wand at the ready, fearing that Harry was locked in You-Know-Who's mind again. She growled when she realized it was the other boy who had made her so worried.

She turned sharply back to her book, upset that he had once again made her worry. She continued to flip through the pages as the groaning and rustling continued on behind her.

"Her...'Mion..." He moaned painfully, obviously in a lot of discomfort. She didn't bother taking her eyes off her sentence, even though her heart stuttered at the sound of her name in his hoarse voice. She summoned the bucket next to the fireplace, filled it with water, and levitated it over to his bed...only to poor it on him as she turned the page.

He gasped as he shot up, yelling slightly in surprise. Harry, however, continued to snore away. She would have found this quite amusing if he wasn't grumbling somewhat inaudibly.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" He asked hysterically as he dried himself and his bed with a simple flick of his wand.

"You were having a nightmare Ronald," she replied curtly, turning a page as she paid no attention to him. "Go back to sleep."

"Hermione, we need to talk." He said, walking towards her. She tensed and shook her head.

"There's nothing to talk about Ronald, now would you please go back to sleep?"

He didn't heed her request. Instead, he sat down next to her.

"Hogwarts, A History?" He asked jokingly, "Really 'Mione? You've read that thing about a billion times now." She glared at him as she flipped another page and continued reading. "Do you love Harry?" He asked her quietly after a moment. She paused on the current sentence she was reading and looked at him, bewildered.

"Are you mental? Honestly Ronald, the boy is practically my brother."

A loud snore erupted from the bunk-bed; Harry agreed with her.

"Why do you keep saying my name?" He asked her. She felt her cheeks heat slightly as she pressed her nose further into her book, paying him and his question no mind. He groaned, frustrated, pulling at his fiery hair and rocking forward. "Talk to me 'Mione, please, I need you to accept my apology."

She snapped her book shut and glared at him sharply, making him lean back instinctively, slightly afraid. She sighed angrily; too stubborn to tell him why she was so angry.

"You made me cry, Ron." She mumbled, playing with her fingers. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable, but he had that affect on her. "I screamed and shouted for you to come back, but you just kept walking and then...and then you were gone. You left me, Ronald Weasley, in this scary war. You left me."

"Hermione," he croaked. His voice sounded so pained it hurt her, but she looked up at him nonetheless. "That thing got to me. You and Harry were strong enough to control it, but I wasn't. It hit me where it hurt, 'Mione, and even though I knew what it was making me think wasn't true I couldn't stand being under its force anymore. I had to get away from it before I went mad. I'm so sorry I left you. I will never leave you again, ever."

She leaned into his outstretched arms, reveling in his long-awaited hug. She closed her eyes, taking in his smell, his warm chest under her cheek, the sound of his erratically beating heart.

"I cried," she said flatly. She felt his arms twitch involuntarily, but she paid no mind to it. "I cried when you left, of course, but I also cried when I broke Harry's wand. I was so upset with myself, thinking I had destroyed the one thing Harry needed to destroy You-Know-Who. I keep thinking he won't be able to do it with any other wand beside his own, but I broke it. Oh Ronald, I can't believe I broke it..." she sighed, letting silent, scared tears glide down her cheeks. Suddenly, she felt Ron's chest rumbling under her, sending a weird vibration through her face. It made her feel strangely tingly, like she had drunk too many butterbeers.

"It's a wand Hermione, you've been telling him that for a week now. "A wand does not make the wizard,"" he quoted. She looked up at him and laughed quietly through her tears, enjoying the fact that she had the one person that could make her do that back with her again. She snuggled into him as their laughter died down.

"What was your nightmare about?" She asked cautiously. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and unconsciously held her tighter.

"Nothing," he grunted, "Just stupid spider stuff." He shivered for affect. She heard herself giggle.

"Really Ronald, what was your nightmare about? You were about to say my name before I dumped water on you." She watched as his ears turned a shade of bright pink before he let out a big breath.

"Fine, I'll tell you. No questions until after I'm done though, okay?" She nodded, turning towards him to listen.

He proceeded to tell her the whole story starting from when he saved Harry from the lake. He told her about how the Horcrux tried to control him one last time, trying to make him believe in the non-existent romance that he had feared so much. He recited the words that the Horcrux Harry and Horcrux Hermione had insulted him with. He told her somewhat sheepishly how he almost let it control him before he saw the two figures kiss, and then he had the urge to stab Horcrux Harry that was kissing Horcrux Hermione and that was the only reason he was able to kill it. He admitted that the Horcrux had taunted that image in front of him for weeks, dangling little things in front of him while reminding him that he would never be good enough. By the time he was done his voice was barely above a hoarse whisper, and the tips of his ears were blending with his hair.

She looked at him, concerned. She pushed the slightly damp hair out of his eyes tenderly before cupping his cheek. He automatically leaned into her touch, kissing her wrist as he did so.

"I don't want to lose you 'Mione." He whispered, a single tear sliding down his cheek. She brushed it away before smiling sadly at him.

"You won't, I promise. Not to anyone or anything. I'll always be with you." She hesitated, not wanting to go into some big declaration speech. She shrugged, settling for a simple "I love you, Ronald."

His face brightened instantly, putting the any light that could ever come out of the Deluminator to shame. He leaned forward, grabbing each side of her face and crushing his lips to hers. His fingers raked her hair back slowly as he kissed her, getting a more secure hold. She responded after a moment, stupefied and stunned beyond belief. Her hands found their way to his wrists as she kissed him back.

They broke apart after what seemed like ages, finally out of breath. Hermione's lungs hurt, but her heart was skipping beats in its happiness. Ron placed little kisses on her cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin—anywhere he could on her face before finally coming back to her lips, so elated he could hardly contain himself.

"I love you 'Mione. I really, really do. I've wanted to tell you since the end of fifth year, after the Department of Mysteries, I just...Gods—!" He exclaimed before attacking her lips again. She couldn't help herself as she laughed at his exuberance. It was amazing how they could be so happy in the middle of this terrible war, but they were and nothing could change that.

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him through her smile. She couldn't help herself.