Ron Weasley sat in a stiff-backed chair. He wiggled uncomfortably. The heat of the summer sun bared down on him. Sweat poured down his face, partly from the heat and partly from nerves. It was almost time for him to speak. He didn’t know what to say. His heart was pounding in his throat. His mother stood up on the podium. She beckoned for him to join her. She said something to the crowd but Ron didn’t hear her. His ears were not working properly. Everything was a blur. Somehow he managed to walk up the aisle.
He stepped onto the podium and looked out at the large crowd in front of him. He saw the entire Order of the Phoenix sitting near the front. Ginny and Harry were seated among them with tears in their eyes. Ron saw Mudungus slip into a row near the back his robes bulging, showing that he had something hidden underneath. Normally this would have made Ron laugh, but not today. Today he was focused on what he had to do. He cleared his throat.
“Hello.” He began his speech. “You all knew Hermione Granger. She was one of the most wonderful people that I’ve ever met. Hermione Granger was a witch that could make anyone smile. She had an aura about her that made you want to laugh; even when she got mad at you.” There were a few scattered chuckles at this; mostly from people who had known her at Hogwarts. “Today we honor a girl…No, a woman who was fearless, daring, smart, noble, great, and gave her life fighting for a friend. She had spirit, even when it was helping creatures that didn’t want it in return.” Dobby, who was sitting near the middle of the stands, bowed his head at this and smirked slightly as tears poured down his face. Ron was talking about Hermione’s S.P.E.W. craze in their fourth year, standing up for house-elf rights. “She could be funny at times, especially if it didn’t involve schoolwork. She fought for what she knew was right even if others didn’t go along with her. She saved me quite a few times during school, even though sometimes I had to beg her to. She always knew when it was ok to break the rules.”
Ron paused as bitter tears came to his eyes. He remembered Hermione’s last words to him right before her death. It had been as though she knew she wasn’t going to make it. She had pulled him aside and said, “Ron, no matter what happens out there, know that I always cared about you. I want you to know that I will never leave your side no matter what goes on here tonight. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” She then pulled him close and kissed his lips tenderly, relishing in the moment. “Good luck Ron.” He remembered them leaving the sanctuary of their hiding place and joining the others in the Order as they battled with the death eaters. As the night ended Harry finally sent Voldemort to a crashing death. At that moment however, Draco Malfoy had sent the same curse that had brought down his fallen leader, straight at Hermione’s heart. She was dead instantly. Ron didn’t know how he had reacted to this. All he remembered was waking up at St.Mungos screaming her name.
He choked back his tears and continued. “A wise girl once said ‘that there was time to turn back if we wanted to,’ and we never did. We kept fighting right to the very end. However, for Hermione the end came much too soon. So today I lift my voice to Hermione Granger, a wicked good friend and an amazing person. She’s here with me now as I salute her memory. To Hermione Granger.” Ron bowed his head as the rest of the audience mumbled her name. Ron pulled away from the microphone and said to himself, “The woman I loved.” Tears were now streaming down his face as he laid one single red rose on Hermione’s coffin. “The woman I loved…” he repeated. He stared at the rose for a few moments before Harry tapped him on the shoulder.
“Ron, it’s over lets go home.” Ron shook his head, “No, I want to be here when they bury her.” Harry nodded and went back over to Ginny.
The two of them sat back down to wait for Ron. Ron stood there as his father and brothers lowered her coffin into the ground and magically covered it with dirt. Ron sat crossed-legged on the ground for some time oblivious to those around him. It wasn’t until a gentle hand rested on his arm that he stood again. Hermione’s mother was standing there. She too, had tears in her eyes. She pulled Ron into a hug, “That was a beautiful speech today.” She looked him in the eye, “She loved you, you know. She never stopped talking about you when she was home. And by the sound of your speech today, you loved her too.” He nodded. “I’m glad Hermione found love in her short life, even if it never got very far.” She patted Ron’s shoulder and went back over to her husband. They crossed the cemetery back to their car. Ginny came over to Ron. “Let’s go home.”
She gently squeezed his arm and released as they both Apparated to the Burrow. Ron walked up the crooked stairs to his attic bedroom. He sat on his bed and looked at the table beside it. A picture of himself, Harry, and Hermione looked back at him. They all looked so alive and happy as they waved from their frame. He slammed the picture down on the table. He didn’t want to look at a lie. He wasn’t ready to face the fact that she was gone. She wasn't just gone. She'd been gone before. She had felt gone whenever they got into an argument. No. This time she was never coming back to him.
Ron went back downstairs a little while later but stopped on the landing. His mother was sitting in her favorite seat by the fire. Tears were running down her face as she gazed at the back door. She looked as though she half expected Hermione to walk through the door as usual and everything would be ok again.
Ron sat down by his mother and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She stared at him and wiped her eyes, “We’ll all miss her won’t we? It doesn’t feel right around here without her laughter. Too quiet…” She trailed off and let the silence speak for her. Ron wished he could turn it down. At the moment the silence in the room was too loud for him. All he heard was Hermione laughing at he and Harry as they chased garden gnomes accross the yellow lawn. All he could see in the wood grain on the table was her smiling face, still so full of light and life. Everything was closing in on him and for the first time in his life, Ron’s heart truly broke. By the sound of the sobs beside him, he wasn’t the only one.
Ron's New Life by rupertgrintlover13
Chapter Notes: This is my first story and I would please like to hear everyone's comments. I like complaints almost as much as I like compliments because it furthers me as an author. Please comment truthfully.