Oddly Relieved, Chapter 4

As they zoomed through the darkness, he felt Hermione bump against him. His ears reddened.

A second later, they hit solid ground, and Ron breathed in salty air. He stood up and looked himself over. At least I didn't splinch myself this time, he thought.

He looked over at Hermione, who let go of Ron's arm, tried to take a step forward, and fell. Ron grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling on her injured leg. Hermione turned to look at Ron, whose ears were still bright red.

"Th-thanks," she stuttered, her face shockingly white, seemingly entranced by his eyes.

Ron looked down at her right leg, which he was shocked to see was bleeding profusely. A particularly large shard of crystal was sticking out of it. Hermione looked at her leg, too, and gasped.

Realizing what he should do, Ron stammered, his whole face red, "I, er, don't reckon you'll, er, be able to walk in this condition." He motioned to her leg. "Would it be okay if I…?" He left the question hanging, hoping she would understand.

"Sure," Hermione said, her face flushed, "just take me somewhere I can get this mess sorted out. Where are we, anyway?"

"Bill and Fleur's," Ron said as he lifted Hermione bridal-style and started to carry her towards the house. "It's protected by the Fidelius Charm, so it should be fairly safe."

"Well, that explains why I can't see it," Hermione said. "I was worried we'd landed in another deserted field!"

She laughed, and all of Ron's uncertainties seemed to vanish with that soothing sound. He chuckled with her and adjusted her in his arms. Although she was still too pale to be considered healthy, he was happy that she was alive.

In all of the excitement, Ron had nearly forgotten about Harry. I wonder why he's not here yet, he thought. The same thought seemed to cross Hermione's mind as they approached the front door of the cottage.

"What happened to Harry?" she questioned as he placed her down on the front steps. She stood on tiptoes and looked over Ron's shoulder, expecting Harry to be standing just behind them.

"I dunno," Ron said truthfully, knocking on the front door. He turned to Hermione, who looked worried. "He Apparated after me, so…" Ron's stomach twisted into a knot. What if something did happen to him?

"I'm sure he's fine," he added, not really believing it himself, but wanting to calm Hermione down.

It appeared to work, for Hermione looked into his sapphire eyes and said, "You really think so?" She looked as if she was using all of her energy to remain standing.

"Yeah, 'course," Ron said. "I mean, he is the Boy Who Lived, after all." He cracked a smile.

Hermione returned his smile with a great effort, and fainted. Ron's breath caught in his chest. Luckily, he caught her before she attained any further injuries.

A few seconds later, he heard footsteps.

"Who's there?" came Bill's voice from the other side of the door.

"It's me!" Ron said, a little distressed at Hermione's current condition. "I'm Ronald Bilius Weasley, your youngest brother. I am deathly afraid of spiders, and if you don't let me in, I'll ─!"

The door opened. A flustered Bill came out with his wand drawn. Fleur, Dean, and Luna were standing slightly behind him.

"Ron!" Bill exclaimed, seeing his youngest brother supporting an unconscious Hermione. He lowered his wand and rushed forward to help Ron lift Hermione. "What happened? I mean, one day you're here, and the next ─"

"I'll explain later," Ron said seriously as he and Bill entered the cozy cottage with Hermione in tow. Bill recognized the tone with which Ron spoke and did not press the matter.

They walked into the living room of the cottage and placed Hermione on the sofa in front of the fire. Ron watched as her face changed colors with the flickering of the fire, and it was with great reluctance that he followed Bill back to the others at the front door.

"We had a run in with a couple of Death Eaters," Ron was telling Bill as they returned. "We were ─"

He stopped speaking once he saw the faces of Fleur, Dean, and Luna.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"We thought we heard someone Apparate," Dean said, "right before we closed the door. Right outside the cottage." Luna and Fleur nodded.

Ron was relieved. "Well, that'll be Harry, then!" He went to open the door, but Bill stopped him.

"We can't be sure," Bill said. "It might be ─"

"Who? Death Eaters?" Ron said, his temper rising, even though in the back of his mind, he knew it could be.

Just then, they heard a yell of "HELP!" from just outside the cottage ─ someone that sounded like Harry.

"My God, Bill, it's Harry!" Ron practically shouted. "You need to go and help him!"

Bill whipped out his wand. "Alright, you stay with Hermione. The rest of us will go see who's out there." He obviously still didn't believe Ron. Bill motioned for the others to follow him, and he, Fleur, Luna, and Dean went out into the night, their wands drawn.

Glad that someone was going to go help Harry, Ron went back to the living room and kneeled next to the sofa. His eyes were drawn immediately to Hermione's leg. Ron took out his wand, pointed it at the crystal wedged there, and said, "Evanesco!" Now that the shard had been vanished, he muttered, "Tergeo," and siphoned off the dried blood around the injury. If only I had that Essence of Dittany, he thought, eyeing the large gash that remained on her leg. Maybe Fleur will have some.

After he had finished cleaning the wound, he turned to Hermione's face. He tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and gazed at her soft features. Ron sat there watching Hermione for what seemed like a century. He had never really noticed how long her eyelashes were, or that she had a light dusting of freckles on her forehead. His eyes traveled down to her lips. They looked so soft and welcoming, and Ron had never wanted to kiss her more than he did right then. He began stroking her cheek absent-mindedly, wanting to reassure her that he was here, and always would be, even if she was unconscious and not aware of his presence.

Or was she? Ron saw Hermione's eyes blink and finally open, resting a warm gaze on his face. He blushed from the intimacy of her look.

"How're you feeling?" Ron said softly.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she straightened up on the couch. "I remember you carrying me to…and then, you said…and ─"

"You fainted once I got you to the door of the cottage," Ron finished. He realized he was still kneeling next to the sofa, so he got up and sat next to Hermione.

"How long have I been out?" Hermione said faintly, slumping against Ron.

"J-Just for a few minutes," Ron spluttered, his heart racing at Hermione's closeness.

In a fit of boldness, he took hold of her hand. She tensed a little, but soon, her hand was relaxed in his. Ron exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Hermione looked down at her leg, which was completely clean except for an ominous-looking slash where the crystal had been.

"Who ─?"

"Oh," Ron said before Hermione could finish, "yeah, I cleaned up your leg for you. I'm sorry if ─"

"No!" Hermione said, turning her head to look at Ron. "Thank you so much! It's fine! Let me just ─"

The front door opened, and Dean entered, carrying an injured Griphook. Fleur was gliding along behind him. Both looked harried.

Hermione sat up from Ron as if she had been electrocuted, but kept her hand in his. Ron sighed internally at the loss of her warmth, but sobered quickly once he realized what Fleur was saying.

"Dobby, I theenk was 'is name, has been killed," she told Ron and Hermione as she came into the living room, "by a knife wound to 'is 'eart. Zere was nothing we could do for 'im."

All of Ron's insides seemed to disappear at those words. He gripped Hermione's hand harder.

"A-Are you q-quite sure?" Hermione said, clearly shaken by this news. Fleur nodded.

There was a terrible, cavernous silence that followed, swallowing them in grief. Hermione's eyes swam with tears, and Ron's threatened to do the same.

"Yeah," said Dean, wiping sweat from his brow as he sat down on a chair near the fire. "It was horrible. Harry's out there now with him, and I think he's ─"

"Harry?" Hermione said confusedly, dabbing the tears from her eyes. "He's here?"

"Yes," said Fleur. "'E Apparated 'ere with Dobby and Griphook just a short while after Ron arrived with you."

Hermione made to get up from the couch, but Ron pulled her back down.

"I've got to go see him!" Hermione said to him indignantly.

"You should stay here," he said, getting up from the sofa himself. "Fleur can fix up your leg, and then you'll be able to go see Harry."

Ron let go of Hermione's hand begrudgingly. He did not want to distance himself from her too soon, but he had to go see Harry.