Written for gryffindorgirl for June in my gift-giving of fics (Pairing: Ron/Hermione, Prompt: Fred's funeral)

Written for the Months of the Year Challenge (Write about somebody not backing down. Prompts: (emotion) scared, (colour) black)

I'm Here

The heat of the moment had completely overtaken them. Despite knowing it hadn't been the right time or place, realising that they might have died that night had brought them to each other. If they hadn't done it, then they would have regretted it for the rest of their lives – or that one living person would have.

However, it seemed that now they were alive, and the battle had ended, the kiss really had been a once off.

With so much death and sadness, even finding the time to discuss things was difficult. On the few occasions that Hermione had tried, Ron had either brushed her off or snapped at her.

She understood, of course. The Weasleys were grieving. But she loved Fred, too, and she wanted nothing more than to be a part of that. She didn't just want to be there for Ron, but for Ginny, Harry, and George as well.

The funeral had been scheduled for a week after. Despite her attempts to spend the nights with Ron to comfort him, he hadn't wanted her, so she'd slept in Ginny's room. She'd offered her condolences to Ginny as well, but they were as appreciated as they were for Ron.

It didn't stop her from trying, though.

"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question, really, but after hardly speaking for a whole week, she didn't know how else to approach him.

Rather than pushing her away like he had done before, Ron shook his head. "No."

"Would you like me to walk with you?"

Ron nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat.

Hermione slid her hand into his. "I'm here for you."

Fred was being buried in the yard of the Burrow. Molly and Arthur had left room for themselves. They had never once thought they'd be giving it up to one of their children.

It was a small ceremony, with family and only the closest of friends. Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell stood with arms locked together. They were dressed in long, black robes which – like the Muggle world – was the colour of grief.

Katie had tears streaming down her face, while Angelina looked near to crying.

Molly, as was to be expected, was a total mess, comforted by a sobbing Arthur.

As the celebrant spoke of Fred, Hermione tightened her grip on Ron's hand. He hadn't cried, but she could see his pain. He wanted to cry, but something was stopping him. He barely looked up, but listened to the words, his body shaking.

Hermione looked at the others. George was not even trying to hold back tears. They were streaming down his face with loud sobs to match. Ginny, Percy, Charlie and Bill all stood together, their expressions blank. Percy and Ginny each had tears, while Charlie and Bill stood with arms around their shoulders. Harry stood beside Ginny, arm resting on her other shoulder.

When Molly and Arthur took out their wands to lower the coffin into the ground, Ron's hand slipped away from Hermione's. At first, she thought it was to take out his own wand, but he turned instead. Nobody else noticed that Ron had left the ceremony.

Hermione was torn. She wanted to be there for Ron, but she also wanted to be there for the others.

Her heart won in the end, and she slipped back into the Burrow, where Ron was at the kitchen table, his head buried in his hands.

Without saying a word, she sat in the chair beside him and waited for him to talk.

It was some time before he managed it, but when he did look up, his eyes were bloodshot and his face tear-stained.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Ron," Hermione said forcefully. "He was your brother. You loved him."

Ron shook his head. "It's not that."

Hermione frowned. "What is it, then?" On a day like today, what else could possibly be on his mind?

"It's you."

"Me?"

Bloodshot eyes looked into Hermione's brown. He nodded slowly. "For the last week, all I could think about was you. And what if it had been you? What if I'd never had the chance to kiss you? And then I found my…myself… thi…think…ing I was… gl…ad it was… Fre…d and not… you." He buried his face into his hands again.

Hermione put an arm around his shoulders. "It's okay, Ron."

"He's my brother! And you're… you're Hermione!"

"I'm your friend."

"And he's my brother. He's family."

Hermione suddenly understood everything that had happened in the past week. Mixed with Ron's grief was also relief. He missed his brother, but at the same time he was thankful he wasn't saying goodbye to her, too. And that had caused him to feel guilty.

He looked at her, and Hermione noticed something in his expression that she'd been oblivious to until now.

"It's okay to feel two different things," she said. "Grief and love is normal."

"It scares me."

"What does?"

"The thought of losing you."

Hermione smiled. "It scares me, too."

"I tried to push you away, because I wanted it to be about Fred. But all I wanted was you there with me. And I didn't know what to do. I was scared of what I was feeling."

"Feelings are confusing," Hermione assured him. "Especially in a time like this. All I wanted was to help you through this. I miss him, too, you know. And I am also thankful that it wasn't you I had to say goodbye to today. All other feelings aside, you're my best friend and I love you in more ways than one."

Relief flooded Ron at her admission. "I'm glad you kept trying," he said.

Hermione squeezed his hand. "Losing someone is hard for anyone. Losing a brother…."

"Losing a girlfriend…."

Hermione smiled. "It's all hard."

I hope you liked it. It's been a while since I've written Romione, so I was glad to do it again.

Also, if you check my profile, I have three months left for gift-giving. If you would like to be one of those last people, PM me with three or more pairings and three or more prompts. Check my profile for the format.