Deception Hurts More Than Death

He had lost his wife and best friend in one second. That is all it took for the two most important people in his life to vanish. Ron Weasley sat in his den, the lights out, the occasional flash of lightening adding to his somber mood. He stared into the open space in front of him. His eyes looked down the floor where the latest issue of The Daily Prophet lay thrown. The headline brought his ebbed tears back to free flow down his cheeks. "Harry Potter, and dear friend, Hermione Weasley,killed in Muggle auto collision. Magical Trio down to one, as Ronald Weasley is left behind." The article went on to explain in detail the events that took them from him, but he looked away without reading any further.

Ron stood from the couch and walked down the hall to Hermione's office. He rarely ever entered this room, it was her sanctuary at home and he respected that part of her life. There was a large desk in the middle of the room, papers from the Department of Magic were strewn about. Papers that would now be passed on to someone else in her department. He walked around the back side where her chair sat, a sweater thrown across the back. He picked it up and held it to his face, the smell of her soap lingered in his nose.

Ron glanced down and noticed a picture on her desk, a picture not of her and him, but of Hermione and Harry, from fourth year. It was the moving picture of them hugging before Harry faced the Hungarian Horntail that Rita Skeeter had snapped for her article. He remembered how her and Harry had always had a good laugh about that but he couldn't understand why she would frame it,of all things for her desk.

Ron laid the sweater back on the chair, as if she would come back for it, and made his way to the door to leave. Before he could make his way out he notcied a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see what it was. Nestled in her bookcase was a tiny penseive. Ron was bewildered by the fact she had a penseive and he had never known about it. He walked to the bookcase and pulled it out and placed it on the desk.

He wondered whether he should invade her memories and take a peak or if he should respect the fact that she had not told him of it, perhaps for a reason. He decided to go and make a cup of tea and decide later whether to look or not. He walked out of the door and took two steps down the hall before he rushed back, the excitement of being able to see Hermione alive again, too much for him to handle.

Ron took a deep breath, pulled out his wand and swirled it in the shiny liquid. He felt a sudden tug and was pulled into the memory.

Ron found himself in a dark forest, not one that he immediately recognized. He noticed a small tent and saw Harry sitting outside of it. The sight of his best mate sitting there, alive and well, brought tears to Ron's eyes. Then he remembered, it was the year of the war. This was when they were on the hunt for the horocrux. He didn't recognize the location so it must have been while he was gone. A sudden wave of guilt crept through him, as he remembered how he had abandoned them.

Ron started to walk closer to where Harry sat when something stopped him dead in his tracks. Hermione emerged from the tent. He stopped, admiring how beautiful she was, even then, and how he had always loved her. Her and Harry exchanged sorrowful glances and she sat down next to him on the dewy grass. Ron walked closer to hear what they were saying.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Hermione asked Harry in a low voice.

"I don't know, Hermione. I know it was the locket making him feel that way but I can't help but feel maybe he's not cut out for this whole war thing." Harry lowered his head like he felt guilty for saying it.

"He's always been a little hesitant when it comes to bravery, but I never thought he would walk away from us like that. I still can't believe it. It makes me want to froget everything I've ever felt for him." Hermione stopped abruptly and looked away, embarassed at what she had said. Harry looked to her and smiled.

"You deserve better than him, you know that right. How wonderful you are?" Harry looked to the ground, afraid to look Hermione in the eyes. She was now staring at him, her mouth slightly open.

Ron suddenly became very upset, wondering how his best mate could so easily be flirting with his girl, while he was away. Whether he had left or not, Ron could not believe what Harry had said.

"Thank you, Harry, but I don't think you should talk like that when Ron or Ginny are around." Hermione blushed.

"Why not? If it's the way I feel I should be able to say it. Ron doesn't own you, and Ginny and I broke up awhile ago. If I think you're wonderful, which I always have, I should be able to say it."
Harry now looked to Hermione, staring her right in the eyes, so intensly it caused her to turn away.

"Why are you suddenly saying these things to me, anyway? It's not like you fancy me or anything?" Hermione said nervously.

"What if I do? Would that be such a bad thing?"

"No, it wouldn't, Harry I've always...." Hermione was cut off by Harry lightly kissing her lips. He pulled away and looked at her. She slowly shook her head, as if telling him she welcomed it, and he kissed her harder.

Ron yelled at them, and ran towards them. But they kept kissing, deepening it with each passing second. Ron reached them and swung his arm back to hit Harry and it passed straight through him. Ron swung again and again and each time it passed straight throught the kissing pair. He was furious. He couldn't breathe. As they stopped kissing and looked at each other Ron stared at them in disbelief.

"why didn't they ever tell me about this?" he questioned. But neither answered. Hermione answered by snuggling into Harry and resting her head on his shoulder. Ron paced the grass, furious at what he had seen. He shook his head and pulled himself out of the memory.

Ron fell to the ground of Hermione's office. He laid completely down on the floor and looked to the ceiling. Tears flowed down the sides of his face, and into his hair. He covered his eyes with his arm and cried himself into an exhausted sleep.