Story Title: The Perfect Romance

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Books 1-6

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros. J.K. Rowlings and Scholastic Inc.

Summary: No matter how hard she tried she was never able to fully let go but whenever she tried to get closer there was always something that kept them apart. The Perfect Romance would never end and never show signs of beginning.

This story is dedicated to anyone that has ever fallen in love with their best friend and was afraid to say it, to anyone who has loved someone and lost them and to those who fell in love only to have it taken away. This story is dedicated to the heartbroken.

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She should have known that misery would befriend her after she had gone out of her way to entertain such idiotic thoughts but she had been a mere girl at the time and now understood that her logic back then wasn't as it was now.

Being the hopeless romantic that she was then and still now (although she would never admit it to anyone) she fancied the idea of falling in love with her best friend. Well if she was being truthfully honest with herself, at one point she would have said that her perfect fairytale romance would have revolved around her falling madly in love with her enemy but then that had come crashing down when she had met the insufferable git formally known as Draco Malfoy and the thought had dwindled until it had completely erased itself.

At the tender age of eleven (soon to be twelve) when she had entered Hogwarts she had been enamored by the magical world. It had offered her the promise of fulfilling all of her childhood fantasies and by her third year it had helped her develop the perfect romance in her spirited teenage mind.

Hermione had longed to encounter romance in her third year but all she had accosted was a measly crush on Ron Weasley and a great deal too many heated arguments. (Not exactly the perfect romance if she said so herself) It was more of a tragedy that lasted way too long for her liking and it annoyed her endlessly even up to this day that she had even concocted the silly idea of them together in the first place.

By the end of her sixth year though, Harry had been the one that caused the butterflies and the irritating flutters. She'd been too preoccupied throughout that same year however and had luckily by passed the ugly green monster that should have eventually lodged itself in the pit of her stomach but by that time Harry had already broken things off with Ginny (Hermione secretly thanked every God that she remembered for that simple miracle).

She had yet still to give up on the idea of her and Harry together even with them in the thick of the second war. She'd seen so many of her friends and allies fall lifelessly on the battle field but she'd held on to her dreams. She'd held on for three years until finally Harry had landed himself in a coma after his final battle with Voldemort; who she still didn't believe was gone. Hermione had waited for Harry to awaken.

To her, Harry had surpassed every other man (save her father of course) and unintentionally he had made every single eligible male wither in comparison; invisible to her. She had never kissed him, she had never told him how she felt until just recently and she knew it had been too late.

Hermione had tried to let go of him. It was irrational of her to fall so deeply in love with her best friend but even after she had tried dating someone else she had ended it way too quickly saying that she was afraid of commitment and that she didn't want to fall in love. She'd ran back to him (Harry) that night and yelled at his comatose form for well over an hour until she had curled up at the foot up his bed exhausted and completely tearless.

Harry caused her heart rate to increase. He made her brood, cry, whimper and smile. He made her ache as well but above all else he drove her insane. He made he want to rip out all of her hair and run around in the streets screaming at the top of her lungs until she crumbled and vanished into thin air. Forebodingly or not, when she thought of Harry she always felt her heart weigh just a little more and sink lower into her chest but what was most unsettling was the unpleasant voice in her head that always told her that she would never be with him.

It gave her hope, she realized; spending long hours just sitting at his bedside waiting for him to miraculously wake up so she could profess her undying love to him. She figured that was what was keeping her alive. She had lost everyone else that she had cared about. Ron had died, along with Ginny, her mother and her beloved father so to had Molly and Arthur Weasley. All she had left was Harry and even as she watched over him day and night she was never really truly able to tell him how much him being alive meant to her.

Harry would never know. He would never let her tell him that she loved him. He was a real life sleeping beauty and unfortunately for her, she could never dream of being his princess that awakened him for his eternity of endless sleep.

Her perfect romance should have begun almost six years ago when she had exited the Hogwarts Express for the last time and Harry had held her hand to help her onto the platform. She should have told him then when he was still carefree and wanted happiness. When he was willing to share himself with her and when he wasn't endlessly sleeping his precious life away.

If she was honest with herself (something that she really hated to do since it always made her heart ache) she could see that she was forcing herself to be hopeful. Hermione would have seen that her perfect romance was right outside of Harry's hospital door; waiting patiently but she didn't like being honest with herself so she stayed in the overly bright hospital room and not once did she ever imagine leaving Harry's side.

He would wake up eventually. Harry would come back to her and they would be together but she knew that it would be a long time from now and only ever in her dreams. She'd fancied the idea of falling into a coma as well. She'd wished it upon herself until the fateful day when he'd shown the smallest sign of recovery; his left hand had twitched while enclosed in hers.

Whether Hermione had intended it or not she had made herself believe then, in that precise moment of time that his eyes would open and he would tell her that he had secretly loved her as well. She'd waited a total of five days after that not eating or sleeping; never leaving her chair still clutching his hand until finally she had fainted.

She had dreamt of him then. She'd seen him smile at her and she'd even been able to hold his hand as they had talked. She'd always liked her dreams since they were the only time that she got to spend with him where he didn't just lay on a bed motionlessly. Her dreams always gave her a sense of the perfect romance that they would share.

Harry owned her heart even if he never got the chance to know it in the real world but she'd made sure and told him in that dream. Hermione had stared lovingly into his bottle green eyes and told him how she felt. She'd told him that she loved him and a part of her would continue to love him not matter what the future held for them. She'd caressed his cheek and ran her fingers through his unruly mop of raven hair and had even gone far enough as to plant a weightless kiss on his thin lips.

Dream Hermione had smiled then when she pulled away and noticed that he was smiling. His eyes were so vibrant and full of life; unlike what they were outside of her dream world. He'd returned the small gesture and had pulled her in to one of the most breath taking kisses she had ever experienced. She'd been given just the right amount of time with him before Ginny and Ron Weasley entered her dream as well.

They'd all smiled and embraced each other for what seemed like an eternity. Hermione had even shed a few tears of joy at being able to feel them so near but then she'd began to frown. It all felt so real, like this was really happening somewhere and then a sinking feeling developed in her stomach. She knew this was the end for her, she was too happy and she would pay for it greatly later.

She'd shared her thoughts with her three best friends. She'd told them that she wasn't ready to leave any of them behind that she could never choose between them but that had been when Harry smiled and told her that she wasn't the one that would be leaving. He'd told her to stay strong, to hold on for a just a little while longer. He'd even said that he loved her as well but that he wasn't meant to be with her. He'd said that her perfect romance would have a fairytale ending and that she had blinded herself to what was waiting for her.

Ginny had laughed and swatted Harry's arm, saying that Hermione wouldn't fall in love but that she would walk into it when the time was right. That however had caused Ron to scowl and mutter something about him wishing that Hermione would be happy with anyone else in the world other than that git.

Harry was laughing and she heard it echo through her. She felt her heart fill and break all at once, he was leaving her behind to fend for herself and find someone else. This was his final goodbye. He was smiling and it annoyed her. She'd only just found out that he loved her as well and already her perfect romance was being taken away from her.

You shouldn't cry, he'd said and whipped away the crystalline tears from her cheeks. He'd wait for her; they would all wait for her. Ginny had even said that she (Hermione) would have her happy ending and find her perfect fairytale romance. She'd assured her of it, hinting that it would be waiting for her once she woke up and left Harry's hospital room.

They'd all said their final goodbye then and promised each other that they would all meet again in the afterlife. Harry had told her to let him go and find her own happiness. Ron had sighed and told her that Love had no reasoning and that it was blind to trivial things. Ginny though had been the one that told her to be truthfully honest with herself and that maybe she should revert to her childhood logic which had thoroughly confused an already grief-stricken Hermione.

She'd jolt awake then and back to reality. Her head was on Harry's chest and both of his hands cradled her face lovingly. She should have been happy but how could she be when she didn't hear a heartbeat under her ear. He'd really said his final goodbye and that thought caused every last tear drop to fall from her eyes.

She stood hurriedly and ran to the hospital door. She needed to leave his hospital room; she needed to get away from his lifeless body. Hermione pulled the door open and blindly ran out into the hall. She didn't bother to shut the door behind her and she didn't care that she had stooped running when she was only merely two feet away from the cursed room that took him away from her.

She couldn't see anything nor could she hear anything. She just knew that her chest felt as though it were about to rip apart and cause everything inside of her to spill out. Hermione turned, her eyes still closed and walked in a direction that was known only to her feet but was halted abruptly when she collided with what felt like a stone wall. Her eyes shot open immediately as a pair of calloused hands gripped her firmly around the wrist and righted her against his body.

He'd asked her if she was alright but she hadn't the ability to answer him; she'd only stared into his eyes in disbelief. Fate and Destiny were both cruel things and she knew that better that anyone else. Fate had dealt her the worst playing cards ever but Destiny had stepped in and she was flushed.

Love was not for the faint of heart and somehow she believed that love was not intended for her the way she had expected it, neither was The Perfect Romance.

To be truthfully honest, she had said to the man in front of her, I've walked right into The Perfect Fairytale Romance and then she'd asked Draco Malfoy to have coffee with her.

-THE END-