I Own Nothing! This is a short explanation of why Ron took so long to come back.
"I get it. You choose him." His voice cut her.
'No! No I don't! I needed to Ron, we promised him-' but even her thoughts were fake and hollow. She had chosen Harry over Ron, but she found herself confused. She knew why she'd told him she'd stay, but she couldn't understand it. Ron was irreplaceable, and she'd lost him. She may never see him again if he left.
She darted forward to follow him, but smacked straight into her shield charm. Struggling uselessly to get past, it finally dawned on her to pull out her wand. As soon as the barrier came down Hermione streamed out after Ron, reaching blindly for him.
"Ron! Ron come back! Please!" The rain pounded against the ground viciously, and Hermione stumbled and fell into the mud. Ron didn't turn back, just kept storming forward. And then he was gone. Laying in the mud pathetically, Hermione's pride deserted her leaving her crawling to where he'd apparated.
"Ron…" Tears were now pouring down her face with the same intensity of the rain, she wiped away at them furiously. He left her.
She lay there until the rain had soaked her through, leaving her feeling as hollow and numb physically as she was emotionally. The mud ran in thick clumps along her hair, leaving it dull and dirty. Finally when she remembered Harry she got up solemnly and went back to the tent.
Sobbing what had happened to Harry, she saw his shocked expression and felt a surge of anger. 'You. You asked him to leave.' With that in mind she left him standing there and wandered to last place Ron had been. Curling up in an armchair she cried herself to sleep, wondering how on earth he could ever leave her.
~~~/~~~
The next morning she'd moved past the hurt by burying it deeply and instead relied on the feeling of numbness to function properly. 'I don't care if he left. I don't. It's only Ron…I don't need him.' But ever present was the confusion, she had stayed with Harry. She had done the right thing, but why did her heart feel so shattered? Why did she yearn for him to return, to even send them a message saying he was fine? It didn't make sense to the cool headed, logical Hermione. 'Then again Ron has never made sense to me.' However despite what he'd done he was still a part of her, just as Harry was…but differently. Harry needed them, and they needed him. Ron was hers, her selfish need. And without him she was nothing.
Looking around she discovered that she had wandered into the forest. Seeing the silence, the serenity Hermione's anger bubbled up again. 'It shouldn't be like this! It shouldn't be normal! It-It…' Her hands flew to her face, with her lips twitch madly and for a bizarre moment she thought she was going to laugh. Instead a soft keening sound was emitted from her throat.
She opened her mouth, mouthing his name and fat tears started pouring out. Hermione furiously rubbed at her eyes, trying to stop the flow. Soon she was bawling and shrieking, only getting louder. It increased until she was on her knees howling. 'I DON'T CARE! I DON'T C-' Her thoughts were a mess, her mind scattered. She couldn't think straight at all.
Memories swelled up in her mind and crashed down in haunting waves. The pain increased as she remembered all that time he'd spent with them. All of their adventures. All of his words of comfort, promises and reassurances. Wasted. They were all wasted. He had left her, and now they were wasted. She stumbled to her feet, and tripped again. Little more than a sobbing mass on the floor, she didn't see the person approach until their arms had encircled her.
"HE LEFT! HE LEFT US, ME!" Her voice sounded scratchy, and she momentarily felt the arms loosen. They tightened when she tried to wriggle out, holding her in place. "HARRY LET GO!" He coughed, and muttered in a throaty voice.
"Hermione, shhh. It's okay…" She barely heard him, too busy shaking her head and clutching his shirt trying to control herself.
As Hermione calmed down she still distanced herself from him. Walking away, she scowled. Hearing footsteps in the snow beside her, her face screwed up in pain. She wanted him to know how she felt, how she hurt because of Ron. She wanted him to lie to her and say that they didn't need him. She wanted to hear how much of a selfish, insufferable arrogant jerk he was.
"I hate him." The words were simple and easy to say. Yet completely false, no matter how many times she repeated them. The sincerity behind her words was hollow because she could never mean them. As much as it hurt her to say she could never hurt him. But he had left her. She repeated it again, trying to convince herself. The footsteps stopped suddenly.
"What did you say?" He sounded shocked and a little hurt. Hermione thought about what she'd said, and tried to make it true.
"I hate him. I hate him for leaving us, I hate him for abandoning everything we've worked for and I hate his stupid face for being such an arse! He left! He left us, knowing what could happen and he didn't come back." As Hermione finished her rant she turned around to face Harry, but he was gone. The footsteps in the snow had disappeared, he had obviously apparated.
Sighing to herself, Hermione walked back up to the tent and sat down cradling her head in her hands. She sniffed for a while and curled up in his armchair. She didn't talk about her breakdown or her false words.
The only time she got up was to make herself a cup of watery tea. She went to offer Harry some, but saw him laying asleep in his hammock, snoozing gently.
Alone in the woods Ronald Weasley's heart broke slowly.
