Snow was falling heavily outside, the shadow of the fat flakes showed on the carpet from the light of the burning fire. Beside her, half empty, was a bowl of roasted chestnuts. They were a holiday tradition, and had been ever since she could remember. She usually ate them with her parents, for that was how they spent the holidays, but those days were long gone. Her parents had passed away years ago, and before that she hadn’t spent the holidays with them in awhile.

It was Christmas Eve, nearing midnight. She was sitting, just sitting, and thinking, keeping herself warm by the fireside and the old blanket that was draped over her legs. She rocked herself gently back and forth in the old rocking chair. It would be her first Christmas alone.

She was old, and that was saying something. At nearly eighty years old, Hermione Weasley had lived a full and happy life. She had two children, seven grandchildren, and too many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews to remember. But they were gone this Christmas, gone to various places. They hadn’t forgotten about her, but she had wanted to spend the time alone.

Her piercing brown eyes fell on the mantelpiece, where a lone stocking hung. She had battled with herself long and hard over whether or not she should hang her late husband’s stocking, but in the end she had decided against it. She regretted that decision now, as the mantelpiece looked so bare without it; something was clearly missing, and even if it didn’t look that way to an outsider, it just felt like something was missing. Something was missing. Something had been missing ever since Ron had died.

Her Christmas cards adorned the mantelpiece as well, but their presence seemed to be lacking something as well. Perhaps it was the missing card from her parents that always brought her such joy. She hadn’t received cards from them in years, but it still pained her to see it missing. It felt that as she grew older, she slowly grew more apart from everything else around her. She was slowly losing the people she cared most about, slowly feeling herself being pulled closer to death itself. She felt old. She knew it couldn’t be much longer.

She drew the blanket closer to her and closed her eyes, savoring the scents of Christmas around her. She had still decorated the house. Candles burned scents of cinnamon and vanilla, and Christmas greens adorned the walls and archways. The chestnuts beside her had their own intoxicating aroma, as did the burning wood in the fireplace.

Church bells rang in the distance, bringing in the Christmas Day. She was startled; it had just passed midnight. She hadn’t even noticed that time had passed, lost in her own world, caught between then and now, between her memories and the present. She could almost lose herself in the negative space between here and there, there, and nowhere.

“Hermione!�

The whisper jerked her from her stupor. Her eyes flew open and she looked around her quickly, unsure of where the voice had come from, and quite sure that when she had fallen asleep, or dozed off, at least, that there had been no one there. Her doors had been locked. No one had knocked…was she hearing things?

“Over here!�

Her eyes moved in the direction of the voice and her jaw dropped open in shock.

It was Ron.

It was Ron, but he was not solid. He was instead pearly white – a ghost. Besides his new white complexion, Hermione noticed that he also looked younger, fitter than when he had died, as though death had restored some of his features. He walked with no limp in his step as he came towards her. He stood directly in front of her chair and looked at her with soft brown eyes.

“I – I’ve missed you,� she whispered, still unable to believe what she was seeing. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she extended her arms, trying to touch him. After a moment, she felt his cheek beneath her fingertips. “I can feel you,� she murmured.

He smiled sadly. “You are close to me.�

She nodded slowly. “This is my first Christmas alone, Ron. You don’t know what it’s like…what it’s like to live without you.�

He touched her hair, stroking the white strands with a smooth hand. “You are never really alone though, you know? Where are the others? Harry – and Ginny? And the kids? Where are the kids?�

“They’re not really kids any more, Ron, you know that,� she said gently. “They’ve got kids of their own. And they’re all off in various places this year. I – they offered to come when they realized I’d be alone, but they all had their plans already…I didn’t want to impose…� She looked at the dying embers of the fire, unable to hold Ron’s gaze any longer. “It’s all right though. You’re here with me now.� She pulled out her wand and conjured a chair from thin air. She patted the seat with her hand. “Come sit?�

Ron moved slowly to the chair she had conjured and took her hand. “Can you still feel me?�

She nodded. “What does it mean?�

He looked at her seriously. “Death is close.�

She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. “I am ready. I’ve had a long life. It’s been a good life. I married you,� she said, squeezing his hand tighter. “We raised two wonderful children. They went off and had their own children. I spent my life working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and you spent your life with me, working as an Auror. More importantly, I spent my time with you. I was happy every day of my life. But you’re not here any more,� she sighed. “It’s just not the same without you.�

“They’ll miss you.�

She nodded as tears slowly ran down her cheeks. “I’ll miss them, too.� She tightened her grip around his hand. “But they’ll understand. They know that our time on this earth isn’t meant to be forever. And the dead we love never truly leave us.�

“I’ve been with you all along,� Ron said softly. “You know that, right? You know I never meant to leave you – I didn’t want to die. It just…happened.�

“I know, Ron,� she reassured him. “I know.�

He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers gently. “You are very close,� he muttered.

“Don’t ever leave me again,� she whispered fiercely.

“I won’t have to.�

She smiled at him and played with his fingers. “How much longer do you think?�

He shrugged. “It’s hard to say.�

She stood up from the chair, and he rose with her. “I want to see the house…one last time.� He nodded understandingly. “Want to walk with me?�

He obliged and they set off, slowly walking around the house together, arms linked, their bodies falling into each other as though they knew that’s how they were supposed to fit. They passed the window where they could see the thick blanket of snow covering Hermione’s garden. She paused at all the photographs on the walls and Ron looked at them with her. They pointed out the fond memories and little moments to each other as they watched the small children zooming around on broomsticks or chasing each other around the house. They passed the kitchen, and the library, and then found their way back to the sitting room where Ron had found her. This time, instead of going back to the chair by the fireplace, Hermione opted for the couch across the room. Ron followed her and they lay down on the soft fabric together.

“Is there – anything that I have to do to – to die?� she asked uncertainly, staring up into his warm eyes.

Ron shook his head and kissed her. “Just relax,� he told her. “This isn’t a problem in class you’ve got to solve correctly. No one’s going to grade you on how well you die. Just close your eyes and…let yourself go.�

“That’s it?�

He nodded. “That’s it.�

She laced her fingers with his and laid her head onto his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and let out the breath slowly. She could feel her heart beating slowly against Ron’s chest. She wondered briefly if a ghost’s heart could beat, but then she pushed the thought out of her mind. She could feel her mind unwinding as Ron’s grip tightened around her body.

“So it’s going to be okay?� she whispered.

“I promise it will be okay.�

“And our children? They’ll be okay without me, right? They’ll understand?�

“Hermione, I promise you, they will understand. They will be fine. They’re strong. And…like you said, you’re not really leaving. It’s not like you’ll never see them again, or that they’ll never see you. You will be with them in spirit.�

“Okay,� she whispered. She hugged him tighter. “I love you.�

“I love you too.�

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Just let go,� he whispered.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump.

Thump.