Disclaimer- I own no rights to the Harry Potter characters or places. But you knew that.
~*~
As Long As It Takes
~*~
Ron Weasley walked down the stairs to the common room in a cold sweat. It was the beginning of his 7th year at Hogwarts, but school hardly seemed to matter anymore. They were in the middle of an all-out war, and many students, as well as the entire Order, had already been called by Dumbledore to fight against Voldemort and his armies. Harry, of course, had been one of those students. Ron and Hermione were not. But conditions had been worsening- Dumbledore's Army was suffering devastatingly high casualties everyday, and more and more students were being called. Ron held the piece of paper that asked for his service in battle with a shaking, freckled hand. He was leaving tonight. McGonagall had come back from the battle to collect more students and he was supposed to meet them in the Entrance Hall and then…they would go to war.
He hadn't told Hermione. He couldn't bear it. He had seen what Harry leaving had done to her. The only thing that had kept her holding on was him being there. And now he had to leave her too. He couldn't believe this. And he'd never even told her how he really felt. He couldn't bring himself to finally tell Hermione how much he loved her, just so he could abandon her. It didn't seem right. He had left her a letter on his pillow-he knew she'd look there when he was gone the next morning. But even the letter didn't tell her the whole truth. It told of how much he valued her friendship and how hard he'd fight so that she could start living her life free of fear. He promised he'd try to come back, and bring Harry with him. But knew she wasn't naïve enough to think promises really had any weight in such a time as this. It was all he had to offer her-all he really could offer her without breaking both their hearts. Ron thought suddenly and sadly that he might never know if she felt the same way about him.
With these thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, Ron started towards the Portrait Hole.
~*~
Hermione suddenly woke up, her heart pounding in her throat. A sudden feeling of dread had come over her with such overpowering force that it had rocketed her from dreams. Something's happened to Harry, she thought with horror. Hermione's breaths came out shallow and fast as she shakily stood up. She had to go talk to Ron. He always made her feel better after her nightmares….ever since Harry had left, they had spent many a night in the Common Room talking after she had one of her terrible dreams. But this dream had been different…Hermione tried to recall the images that had been flashing through her mind before she had woken up. But she couldn't remember. Whatever had happened, it was awful. And she suddenly felt an overwhelming need to speak to Ron about whatever it was.
~*~
Ron suddenly heard a noise from the girl's dormitory's stairs. He froze, praying it wouldn't be her.
"Ron?" He heard a familiar sleepy voice ask.
Ron considered just making a run for it. But Hermione had already seen him.
"What are you doing up?" He asked her.
"Another nightmare. I wanted to talk to you. Why are you awake?" She crossed over to where he was standing.
Ron desperately tried to think of a lie that would appease her and let her sleep in peace. But suddenly, she saw the paper in his hand, and took it.
"Ron, what is this?" She asked, opening it before Ron could react. He let her read it, deciding there was nothing he could do now but tell her the truth. Hermione let out a choked sort of a gasp, dropping the letter.
It fluttered to the floor, as she looked up at him, weak with horror.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." Ron said quietly.
"No…Ron, you can't leave." She said, fighting to speak past the lump in her throat.
"I've got to, Hermione. You know that."
Hermione glared at him, her eyes glassy with tears.
"How can he do this? How can he take both of you away from me?" She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't care.
"Hermione, they need me-"
"I need you!" She practically shouted, feeling helpless and frustrated.
"You know I have to do this. I don't want to leave anymore than you want me to, but I've got to fight. They're losing, Hermione. They need all the help they can get…if the students from the schools who are fighting against Voldemort don't come, there's no one else. We'd be leaving Dumbledore, Harry, Lupin, my family…all of them open for a massacre if we ignore the summons."
Hermione took a deep, shaky breath, trying very hard not to burst into tears. She looked up at Ron, her best friend for seven years. The one person she always thought would be by her side. The little boy whom she'd seen grown into a man who had become her one constant. The man she'd slowly been falling in love with since she was fourteen. Suddenly, Hermione was overcome with emotion and nearly knocked Ron over she hugged him so tightly.
"I can't lose you." She managed to say before she did start crying into his familiar maroon sweater.
Ron hugged her back, his breath coming out somewhat shakily. He knew this would happen if he told her he was leaving. He knew he couldn't go if she begged him not to. He felt his resolve quickly crumbling as he tangled one of his hands into her hair, his other arm tightening around her back, not wanting to let ever leave this moment.
"Ron?" He suddenly hear her choked voice, slightly muffled.
"What?" Ron found his throat constricting with sadness as she looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
"You're going, aren't you?"
Ron nodded miserably.
"I can't let you leave tonight without you knowing something."
Ron's heart sped up slightly. Surely not….there was no way she felt the same…
Hermione swallowed hard, wiping her eyes, and then putting her hands on his shoulders.
"I love you."
Ron's mind didn't even absorb what she had said before his body reacted. He kissed her so hard she nearly stumbled back. Steadying herself against the wall behind them, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling in his hair, kissing him back with years of pent-up emotion. The tension that had existed between them for years now only served to ignite their passion. The two best friends who had been ignoring their feelings for far too long suddenly found themselves unable to drink in enough of each other, their lips crushed together, their hands everywhere. They both felt as if the moment the kiss ended, the other would be gone from them forever. This could be it…this could be the last time they ever saw each other. It was no time for holding back.
Some rational part of Ron's mind that was barely audible over the roaring in his ears at the moment told him he had to go. He'd never be able to get enough of her in the minutes he had left before he had to meet the other students. With every ounce of resolve he could muster, he managed to step away from her. Hermione stared at him questioningly, her arms slowly dropping back to her sides, her breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. He found it almost impossible to meet her dark, confused eyes.
"I have to go." He finally said quietly.
"Please come back." She whispered as the both heard rain start to fall outside.
Ron kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"Will you wait for me?" He asked.
"As long as it takes." She promised.
"I'm coming back, Hermione. I love you so much." His voice was stifled with emotion.
Ron took a deep breath, and realized he had to go now or he'd never leave. He forced himself out of her arms and through the portrait hole before she could even react.
Hermione felt the emotional ramifications of all that had just happened wash over her, and her whole body shook with violent, choking sobs as she sank to the floor in the Gryffindor Common Room, her head in her hands.
~*~
Ron walked down the Hall, nearly running, forcing himself to not turn back. He wasn't leaving her forever, he told himself. He'd see her again soon. He would fight harder than he'd ever fought in his whole life to end this war. He'd promised to come back, and he was coming back.
He remembered something he had heard once about the best soldiers being the ones with nothing to lose.
But with the image of Hermione's dark eyes and the feeling of her kiss still burning on his lips, he thought that statement couldn't be true. If you had nothing to lose, then what were you fighting for?
~*~
A/N- I'm thinking that there will definitely be more to this if ya'll want it. I have lots of ideas. Did you like it? Should I continue? Leave me a review letting me know please!
~*~
As Long As It Takes
~*~
Ron Weasley walked down the stairs to the common room in a cold sweat. It was the beginning of his 7th year at Hogwarts, but school hardly seemed to matter anymore. They were in the middle of an all-out war, and many students, as well as the entire Order, had already been called by Dumbledore to fight against Voldemort and his armies. Harry, of course, had been one of those students. Ron and Hermione were not. But conditions had been worsening- Dumbledore's Army was suffering devastatingly high casualties everyday, and more and more students were being called. Ron held the piece of paper that asked for his service in battle with a shaking, freckled hand. He was leaving tonight. McGonagall had come back from the battle to collect more students and he was supposed to meet them in the Entrance Hall and then…they would go to war.
He hadn't told Hermione. He couldn't bear it. He had seen what Harry leaving had done to her. The only thing that had kept her holding on was him being there. And now he had to leave her too. He couldn't believe this. And he'd never even told her how he really felt. He couldn't bring himself to finally tell Hermione how much he loved her, just so he could abandon her. It didn't seem right. He had left her a letter on his pillow-he knew she'd look there when he was gone the next morning. But even the letter didn't tell her the whole truth. It told of how much he valued her friendship and how hard he'd fight so that she could start living her life free of fear. He promised he'd try to come back, and bring Harry with him. But knew she wasn't naïve enough to think promises really had any weight in such a time as this. It was all he had to offer her-all he really could offer her without breaking both their hearts. Ron thought suddenly and sadly that he might never know if she felt the same way about him.
With these thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, Ron started towards the Portrait Hole.
~*~
Hermione suddenly woke up, her heart pounding in her throat. A sudden feeling of dread had come over her with such overpowering force that it had rocketed her from dreams. Something's happened to Harry, she thought with horror. Hermione's breaths came out shallow and fast as she shakily stood up. She had to go talk to Ron. He always made her feel better after her nightmares….ever since Harry had left, they had spent many a night in the Common Room talking after she had one of her terrible dreams. But this dream had been different…Hermione tried to recall the images that had been flashing through her mind before she had woken up. But she couldn't remember. Whatever had happened, it was awful. And she suddenly felt an overwhelming need to speak to Ron about whatever it was.
~*~
Ron suddenly heard a noise from the girl's dormitory's stairs. He froze, praying it wouldn't be her.
"Ron?" He heard a familiar sleepy voice ask.
Ron considered just making a run for it. But Hermione had already seen him.
"What are you doing up?" He asked her.
"Another nightmare. I wanted to talk to you. Why are you awake?" She crossed over to where he was standing.
Ron desperately tried to think of a lie that would appease her and let her sleep in peace. But suddenly, she saw the paper in his hand, and took it.
"Ron, what is this?" She asked, opening it before Ron could react. He let her read it, deciding there was nothing he could do now but tell her the truth. Hermione let out a choked sort of a gasp, dropping the letter.
It fluttered to the floor, as she looked up at him, weak with horror.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." Ron said quietly.
"No…Ron, you can't leave." She said, fighting to speak past the lump in her throat.
"I've got to, Hermione. You know that."
Hermione glared at him, her eyes glassy with tears.
"How can he do this? How can he take both of you away from me?" She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't care.
"Hermione, they need me-"
"I need you!" She practically shouted, feeling helpless and frustrated.
"You know I have to do this. I don't want to leave anymore than you want me to, but I've got to fight. They're losing, Hermione. They need all the help they can get…if the students from the schools who are fighting against Voldemort don't come, there's no one else. We'd be leaving Dumbledore, Harry, Lupin, my family…all of them open for a massacre if we ignore the summons."
Hermione took a deep, shaky breath, trying very hard not to burst into tears. She looked up at Ron, her best friend for seven years. The one person she always thought would be by her side. The little boy whom she'd seen grown into a man who had become her one constant. The man she'd slowly been falling in love with since she was fourteen. Suddenly, Hermione was overcome with emotion and nearly knocked Ron over she hugged him so tightly.
"I can't lose you." She managed to say before she did start crying into his familiar maroon sweater.
Ron hugged her back, his breath coming out somewhat shakily. He knew this would happen if he told her he was leaving. He knew he couldn't go if she begged him not to. He felt his resolve quickly crumbling as he tangled one of his hands into her hair, his other arm tightening around her back, not wanting to let ever leave this moment.
"Ron?" He suddenly hear her choked voice, slightly muffled.
"What?" Ron found his throat constricting with sadness as she looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
"You're going, aren't you?"
Ron nodded miserably.
"I can't let you leave tonight without you knowing something."
Ron's heart sped up slightly. Surely not….there was no way she felt the same…
Hermione swallowed hard, wiping her eyes, and then putting her hands on his shoulders.
"I love you."
Ron's mind didn't even absorb what she had said before his body reacted. He kissed her so hard she nearly stumbled back. Steadying herself against the wall behind them, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling in his hair, kissing him back with years of pent-up emotion. The tension that had existed between them for years now only served to ignite their passion. The two best friends who had been ignoring their feelings for far too long suddenly found themselves unable to drink in enough of each other, their lips crushed together, their hands everywhere. They both felt as if the moment the kiss ended, the other would be gone from them forever. This could be it…this could be the last time they ever saw each other. It was no time for holding back.
Some rational part of Ron's mind that was barely audible over the roaring in his ears at the moment told him he had to go. He'd never be able to get enough of her in the minutes he had left before he had to meet the other students. With every ounce of resolve he could muster, he managed to step away from her. Hermione stared at him questioningly, her arms slowly dropping back to her sides, her breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. He found it almost impossible to meet her dark, confused eyes.
"I have to go." He finally said quietly.
"Please come back." She whispered as the both heard rain start to fall outside.
Ron kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"Will you wait for me?" He asked.
"As long as it takes." She promised.
"I'm coming back, Hermione. I love you so much." His voice was stifled with emotion.
Ron took a deep breath, and realized he had to go now or he'd never leave. He forced himself out of her arms and through the portrait hole before she could even react.
Hermione felt the emotional ramifications of all that had just happened wash over her, and her whole body shook with violent, choking sobs as she sank to the floor in the Gryffindor Common Room, her head in her hands.
~*~
Ron walked down the Hall, nearly running, forcing himself to not turn back. He wasn't leaving her forever, he told himself. He'd see her again soon. He would fight harder than he'd ever fought in his whole life to end this war. He'd promised to come back, and he was coming back.
He remembered something he had heard once about the best soldiers being the ones with nothing to lose.
But with the image of Hermione's dark eyes and the feeling of her kiss still burning on his lips, he thought that statement couldn't be true. If you had nothing to lose, then what were you fighting for?
~*~
A/N- I'm thinking that there will definitely be more to this if ya'll want it. I have lots of ideas. Did you like it? Should I continue? Leave me a review letting me know please!