183Green and Silver Tie
Finally, the time has arrived.
It took a few years, a few tears, and a whole lot of pushing through, but the last chapter of this book has finally been published. As a little treat at the end of the line, the last chapter is also double the size of the previous bunch.
For all those following this story, and to all future readers, thank you for enjoying the ride. I hope I managed to surprise you, anger you, and confuse you just enough for you to realize you enjoyed it (or not).
Anyway, I hope you all are good. Here is chapter thirty – the last one.
Chapter Thirty
The pub was a quiet place. Not the kind of eerie silence, where you would slowly begin to doubt your own hearing. It was more like the place you'd go to soothe your anxiety with a few drinks and your friends after a long day at work.
Hermione was sure it would work if she had been there with other people.
A group of middle-aged women laughed loudly behind them, then continued their chattering. It contrasted weirdly with the silence at their table, which housed just as many people as theirs.
She caught Ron's eyes flickering between their fellow table occupants.
Hermione and he had been the last to arrive. The table was long and fitting for at least eight people, and situated in a dark corner of the pub. The lighting was dim, emitted from weak old-school lanterns on the walls and the flickering candles on their table. The air was cramped and smelled like dust.
Opposite of Hermione and Ron sat Ginny with puffy red eyes. She squinted through tears, but seemed fine otherwise, in her black dress.
Beside her sat Neville, who mostly avoided Hermione's gaze, but when their eyes met, he would blush and look away. Sometimes, he would smile at her shyly, as if encouraging her.
Then, there was Cho Chang (who Ginny occasionally sent angry glares, as if to say 'how dare you'), Seamus Finnegan, Colin Creevey with the camera, a few people from the Quidditch team, and a couple more Gryffindors.
Luna sat at the end of the table. She smiled widely, "I am glad you are here, Hermione," she said.
Everyone turned to look at her, and Hermione suddenly felt small. Did they not expect her to come?
"And that you brought company," Luna added, and everybody's eyes narrowed.
Before anything could happen, Ginny stood up, then said, "I was hoping we could use tonight to talk about Harry and share stories. To honour him,"
A few people around the table nodded.
"I was thinking that I could start," Ginny said.
Everyone stayed silent. Even the chatty table behind them seemed to calm.
Underneath the table, Hermione found Ron's hand. She looked him over, but his eyes were glued to his sister, standing over the table with swollen eyes and splotched, red cheeks. She entwined her fingers with his, then gave it a squeeze.
Ron looked at her and smiled weakly. He pulled her closer to him, his lips touching her hair. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, before his attention was pulled back to his sister when she spoke.
"Harry was a wonderful boy," Ginny said, her voice strong despite her appearance, "I won't say man, because even though he acted like one, he was still too young to be one when he died," her breath hitched in her throat. Hermione watched as her eyes welled up and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Ginny continued.
She told them about Harry and her – their first meeting at a Gryffindor party, about sneaking out in the hallways between classes, and playfighting in the waterfalls hidden away from the Great Lake. Hermione didn't even know they existed.
Everyone listened. When she neared the end, her voice was shaking.
"We thought we were the first students that found them, the waterfalls. So, we named them," a blank, far-away look swept over her face, and she laughed bitterly, "Do you know what we called them? We called them the Forever Falls, because the stream came out of the caves that appeared to be going on forever, and would be there for as long as we were together,"
Ginny took a shaky breath. She turned away, lifting her lithe hand up to her cheek.
"I miss him," she said, "I miss him so much,"
Then she crushed down into her chair again, her hands in front of her face, and she let out the most heart-breaking sob Hermione had ever heard.
Ron's hand twisted uncomfortably in hers.
Hermione looked him over, noticing the tense lines drawn in his face and the way his brows furrowed and twitched at the sight of his crying sister. He met her gaze, smiled weakly, then sent Ginny another longing look. It looked as though he was split between being with Hermione and comforting Ginny.
"Go on," Hermione whispered softly in his ear.
She squeezed his hand again.
"Go to your sister. She needs you,"
He stood up and hesitated for a moment, then he let his fingers slide up her arm, and he whispered, "Thank you," with his face buried in her neck.
"For what?" she squealed.
"For understanding," he said, lips still close to her ear.
It sent tickling butterflies up into her skin.
Ron walked over to Ginny, and in a snap, they were tangled together – the brother drawing soothing circles on the sisters back, and Ginny whispering in his ear with her hands clutched around him tightly.
As Hermione watched Ron comfort his sister, pride swelled up in her chest.
She had done the right thing.
The others finished their speeches, one after the other. Neville, Seamus, even Cho. Until, suddenly, it was Hermione's turn.
She scootched her chair slowly backwards on the floors. It made a horrible scraping noise that seemed to plant itself in the entire pub. It sent dust flying in the air.
She straightened her back and looked up, instantly meeting the gazes of everyone at their table.
For a moment, Hermione froze.
All she heard was her erratic heartbeat in her ears, and her chest contracted with the dizzying feeling of being the centre of attention. Of everyone's attention.
Soon, even the other tables would turn around, puzzled at this weird silence she was creating.
Ron coughed softly, and when she noticed him, bravery surged in her chest.
"Harry was a great friend," she started, voice low.
Ron nodded in the crowd, cheering her on.
"Actually, that was how my speech was supposed to start," she admitted.
Neville's eyes widened, clearly surprised by this new turn her speech was taking. Luna angled her head curiously at the end of the table.
"I know you're only supposed to say positive things at a funeral, but I have some things I would like all of you to hear –"
She cut herself off, fumbling for control.
"My speech was supposed to begin like this: Harry was a great friend. But no, he was actually not a great friend," she said, forcing herself to meet everyone's eyes.
Neville gasped and looked around. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that Seamus scowled, but she pressed on. It would be worse to not say it all.
"But I wasn't either. And sometimes, you weren't, too,"
Ginny looked up from her seat with a hard stare. Beside her, Ron listened to Hermione patiently, only occasionally shooting Ginny his worried glances. His arm still lay protectively around her shoulders, and Hermione wondered if it was partially to hold her back.
"I was lonely when I were with you. Harry made it clear I was never his best friend, even though I considered him mine, and when I needed him, he wasn't there. I was so terribly lonely that I, out of desperation of being seen, just this once, tried to expose Malfoy and Ron. It was my solution for getting your attention again," Hermione said, forcing the waver out of her voice.
She were met with blank faces. They blinked, as if trying to process her loaded words.
"Harry never knew this because I didn't tell him, but I'm sure some of you noticed me, always hanging there in the back," she continued as best as she could, without sounding accusing, "And since I never told you, I'm telling you now. I have been like this with you too. Bottling it up instead of communicating.
"I blamed you a lot, unrightfully, for not seeing it as clearly as I did myself. And I blame myself now. I'm sorry for keeping my thoughts to myself, which was what ruined my friendship with Harry. I don't want the same to happen with you,"
Her heart raced.
The table behind them was vacant, where the chatty women had been. They must have left in the middle of her speech. The silence they left was deafening. And it was all Hermione's.
"I loved Harry, but I can't tell myself he was something he was not. I can still love someone that wasn't always good for me. But maybe he was, I can't be sure," she muttered. Her words all mushed together.
Ginny was shuddering in her seat. Hermione swallowed the guilt.
"I have accepted now that I was not his priority one," she said.
Her attention slid over to Ron. Embarrassed, she looked down. She tapped her fingers on her thigh to stop the twitching.
"And I realize now how it feels to have found one," she declared, pride swelling in her chest again.
Hermione's eyes darted back up to Ron, whose ears flushed bright red. Her attention lingered a little too long before she continued her speech.
"I am really sorry for losing Harry. I did love him," she said at last, with her eyes feeling insultingly dry, "So, I guess, in conclusion; I wish Harry to rest in peace, but I wish I had done things differently for us. And I'm sorry for hurting all of you, too, in the process,"
Everyone sat like frozen. None of them dared look her in the eye until she finished. At first, they looked at each other, then at her, shyly and insecure like children.
Then, Neville clapped.
Hermione let out a shaky breath, "I hope you can forgive me,"
"I forgive you," Neville piped up.
He got up and embraced her in a clumsy hug. She hugged him tightly, and declared loud enough for everyone to hear, "And I'm so sorry for leaving you at Hogwarts. Had I been there, then maybe Harry wouldn't be dead,"
Neville squeezed her a last time and let go. She looked down at her feet, tears welling up in her eyes.
Then, she heard the scraping of more stools, and more of her friends came to hug her.
When they all finally settled back in their respective chairs, Hermione swallowed hard.
"I am so sorry for making this all about me, it's Harry's day after all," she apologized once again, "I should have never said that."
Ginny had been sitting in her chair since her speech, not moving a muscle. Now, however, she lifted her head, revealing an ashen face.
Ron looked stricken and pale beside her.
"It's okay Hermione," she said hoarsely, to her surprise, "It was I who said we should share stories, anyway. You only did what I asked you to."
It felt wrong for her to have all the attention, meanwhile Ginny sat there alone and forsaken.
She opened her mouth to apologize again, but Seamus beat her to it.
"Why did you bring him, anyway?" Seamus asked.
"Oh," Hermione said, "He is my boyfriend. I just wanted to clear that up,"
Seamus, who had not smiled at her once since the funeral, scoffed.
"Happy for you," he forced out between gritted teeth. Despite the effort it took him, Hermione was grateful.
"Thank you, Seamus,"
Ron beamed.
"Imagine Harry's reaction to that!" Neville exclaimed, a funny undertone to his words, "Hermione and Weasley, of all people!"
Everyone fell into immediate silence.
Then, like a thunderclap from a blue sky, Ginny laughed.
It was high-pitched and melodious, both genuine and sharp.
Ron's head whipped towards her. So did Neville's, a horrified expression on his face.
When Ginny noticed their attention, her laughter drained from her lips. She glanced around in confusion, her cheeks still wet with tears.
"What?" she said, "It would have been hilarious,"
Then, she laughed again. More tears spilled down her cheeks, but she laughed through them.
A feeling fluttered in Hermione's chest. She saw how Ron's face shone. His blue eyes were bright, and the gloom that had settled on his face lately, dissipated like smoke. His burden seemed easier on him.
Then, he laughed, too.
Hermione's chest fluttered. She realized it had been a long time since she had seen her friends laugh like they did now.
Ron's blue eyes locked with hers, and the room suddenly seemed brighter. He came up to her, put his arms around her neck, then bent down and kissed her.
His warmth spread from her lips, and she melted into him. The pub around them disappeared into nothing. The fire in her chest burned hotter. A shiver rolled down her back. All that mattered was his body pressed into hers.
He let go of her, then stroked his hand through the back of her messy hair.
"Woah, Hermione," he said, "I love you,"
Laughter bubbled out her lips.
"You, too, Ronnie," she smiled.
He grimaced, eyes glinting.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, "I told you not to call me that!"
She just laughed at him, then hit him playfully in the chest. She let her hand sweep over his back, feeling how his muscles rippled underneath the coarse material of his shirt.
A strange feeling settled in her body. It was warm and eloping, and weird. It washed over her like a wave from the ocean, taking all her dread and doubt with it.
She realized, in a moment, that she was content. It was a fulfilling happiness that she felt with him. With Ron Weasley, who she could call hers.
Hermione exhaled deeply.
She had finally found her place.
And it felt good.
End Notes
A/N: There we go. The conclusion to a seven-year (hahah) writing process. Naturally, there are things I wish I could change for this story to fit better together, but past me and present me have committed so many changes to the plot throughout history that I just settled with how it is.
Hopefully you liked my story. If you have come this far, I suppose you have;)
Please, feel free to leave a review on the story in general or the final chapter. Thank you for all your support and love.
I hope you are happy and well and find your place in the world just like Hermione. The road isn't always simple, and it may surprise you, but it will always work out in the end if you believe it can.
So, THANK YOU and goodbye for now!