23Part Four – "The End or the Beginning?"
Hermione awoke with a start. She hadn't meant to doze off, but lying in Ron's arms, in the afterglow of making love for the first time, she had slipped off into sleep without even realizing it. Even now, Ron's long arms were encircling her and his warm body was pressed up snugly against her back, and the last thing she wanted to do was get up. But she had to. It was only a couple hours from sunrise now, and she and Ron still needed to return to Gryffindor Tower; but before they could do that, she had a promise to keep.
A dreadful, horrible promise that was breaking her heart even as she thought about it. Tears fell from her eyes as she pried herself out of Ron's arms and got out of bed. She picked up her wand from the nightstand where it sat, nestled against Ron's own wand much the way the two of them had laid nestled together as they slept.
Turning back to face the bed, she was struck by how peaceful and beautiful Ron looked, lying there, oblivious to what she was about to do as he slept. Hermione wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life gazing at the scene before her, but she knew that she might not be able to. By going through with what she was about to do, she was risking her future with Ron.
"He asked me to do this," she said to herself, raising her wand with trembling fingers, "He practically begged me to."
Ron wanted her to Obliviate him, and if she was going to do it, she had to do it now. There was no way she could do it if he were awake, looking at her with those beautiful blue eyes. She would lose what little nerve she had, and she would throw herself at his feet and beg him to change his mind if that what it took. Anything to preserve what they'd shared tonight.
"It's now or never," she said, tears pouring down her cheeks, as she leaned over the bed and aimed her wand at Ron's forehead. "Obliviaaaaaaaaah!"
Hermione screamed as Ron's hand shot up from the bed and slapped her hand away, knocking her wand free and sending it clattering to the floor somewhere across the room. His eyes shot open and he grabbed her hands, pulling her down onto the bed next to him.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to recover from the shock of what just happened.
"Don't," Ron said, looking deep into her eyes, "Don't take tonight away from me."
"But, Ron, you asked me to," she said, reminding him of the promise he forced her to make, "You told me to erase your memory."
"I changed my mind," he said, letting go of her hand and reaching up to run his fingers through her wild chestnut mane, "I don't ever want to forget what you and I shared tonight…even if it means remembering all the rest."
"But what about Ginny…and Harry?" she asked, moving her hand to slide along his chest and rest over his heart.
"I'll just have to find a way to deal with it," he said determinedly, "You'll help me won't you?"
"Of course, Ron," she said, nodding emphatically, "I'll do anything for you."
He smiled, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. "Good to know. I do have one question, though."
"What is it?" she asked.
"I know we're supposed to be tucked away in our beds in the Gryffindor dormitories right now, but we don't have classes in the morning…so I was wondering…"
"Yes?"
"Fancy another go?"
"Ronald Weasley, you are incorrigible!" she exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the arm.
"That's not a 'no'," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"No, I suppose it isn't. Where'd I put that book?"
ykickamoocow111 - That is the end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it as i am certain that BlackHawk13 enjoyed writing it. In fact i know with certainty that he had a lot of fun writing this story. It has always been a story that i have loved but to be honest it makes me a little sad knowing by friend Joseph (BlackHawk13) dissappeared. I would like nothing more though than for one day for my fears to be proven unfounded and for him to return as he was a very good writer and more importantly a very nice person.