Chapter One:

Cupid's Palace & Painful Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, they all belong to J.K. Rowling!

A/N: Well, here it is! My first fanfiction in a long time! Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Grace for proof-reading this and catching all my mistakes! Read and Review please. Much love…rupertgrintfanatic

A/N 2: Well I took this story off and then decided to put it back on because I finally finished writing it so it was just a matter of typing it. Okay, I'll be quiet now! PLEASE R&R! Enjoy…rupertgrintfanatic

Hermione groaned softly at the sight of Pig flying towards her open window, dreading the news.

It had been two weeks since she last saw or heard from Ron. Two lonely weeks. Harry and Ginny had gone off on some sort of insane (her words for it) trip to who-knows-where and Ron had spent the past month at the Burrow with his parents, moping around.

Pig landed on the windowsill, hooting cheerfully. Hermione removed the scroll of parchment from his leg and opened it with dread.

Hermione,

Something's happened. I'm not sure what, but something has. I – this is hard for me to say – I don't love you anymore.

Love, Ron.

Ron stared moodily out his window at the slowly sinking sun, hoping he did the right thing.

He was angry. At himself mostly, but Hermione too.

He had allowed himself to be pulled headfirst by Hermione to a place he really didn't want to be. Cupid's Palace. That's what his Mum called it. He allowed himself to begin to believe that he really, truly did love Hermione, when it, in fact wasn't' true at all. He hated breaking her heart – if that's what he did, but he had to do it.

So he wrote a letter. It was simple, just the way he liked things to be. Now all he had to do was wait for Ginny and Harry to come home, announce that they were engaged and prepare himself for another even more depressing wedding, where Harry wouldn't even notice that he was alone and sad. And once again, Ron Weasley would be pushed aside without a second thought. He hated it.

Hermione stared blankly at the parchment for a few minutes, slowly absorbing the words as her eyes filled up with tears and they began to steam down her face, falling on the parchment and blotting the words.

Ron had given up. It was all over. The very little they had established since the death of Dumbledore four months ago was all thrown away, like it was nothing.

Hermione thought back to the night of Bill and Fluer's wedding, remembering how happy and full of love she had been.

-Flashback-

"D'you want to take a walk with me?" Ron asked as he approached her where she was sitting watching a bunch of Ron's old relatives waltz around.

"Sure." She stood up and smiled shyly at him. Harry and Ginny had disappeared off somewhere, most likely to pick up where they left off.

"I've been meaning to talk to you ever since you got here." Ron said as soon as they had gotten out of the viewing eyes of all his relatives.

"About what?" Hermione asked, her heart beating so loudly, she was sure Ron could hear it.

"Well…to…tell you that I…well…I love you." Ron said quietly, looking extremely nervous.

Hermione looked at him in shock, surprised at the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"But…I…er…understand if you don't fell the same way." Ron looked embarrassed, most likely wishing he hadn't said a word.

"Oh Ron." Hermione beamed, her eyes sparkled with tears of happiness. "I do too." She said happily.

"You do what?" Ron asked warily, making sure he didn't get his hopes up.

Hermione didn't feel like talking, so she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. Ron's eyes widened in surprise, but he kissed her back, pulling her close to him.

After several moments, he pulled away, "Glad we cleared that up." He laughed softly.

"Ron! Stop dreaming about Hermione and get out of bed! We need your help at the shop today." The annoying voice of Ron's brother Fred called out, jerking Ron out of his sleep, early the next morning.

"Go away! I was not dreaming about Hermione." Ron's ears turned bright red.

"Yes you were. Stop lying, Ronnikins." George insisted. "You were moaning her bloody name in your sleep."

"Was not." Ron protested, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"I thought you broke up with her." Fred looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you still dreaming about her?" He snickered.

"I did." Ron snapped. "Do you always ask Mum about her and me?"

"No. Ginny told us." George looked confused.

"GINNY? She's back?" Ron looked surprised.

"Well apparently. She showed up at the store this morning in tears." Fred said bitterly.

"What happened?" Rona looked alarmed. Harry better not be the cause of this. He thought angrily.

"She didn't say." George replied. "Now come on! Let's go to the shop. I don't trust Ginny alone there for too long."

Hermione was happy. At least happier than she had been after Ron's letter. Ginny was coming home. Around midnight, an owl had appeared, bearing a letter from Ginny saying that she was coming home the next morning and that she would stop by at Hermione's apartment sometime that day.

There was no word of Harry, though. And Hermione dreaded that something had happened between him and Ginny that brought about Ginny's unexpected homecoming. But either way, Hermione was going to attempt to be cheerful even though there was close to nothing to be cheerful about. She had sent a letter back with the owl saying that Ron had broke up with her and she'd tell her about it when she stopped by.

Hermione tried to forget about the painful night she experienced last night, but the harder she tried, the more she remembered.

She had sat up late through the night, watching the moon and remembering the times she spent with Ron. She knew it did no good to dwell in the past, but she couldn't help it. She remembered the fights she and Ron had and also the times they had laughed together. But what she remembered the most was what happened after he told her he loved her. And that brought many tears and an aching heart.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked as soon as they had Apparated into the closed shop.

"Right here." Ginny said in a hoarse voice.

Ron gaped at the sight of his little sister. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a mess. He also observed that her clothes were hanging on at odd angles and that her shirt was on backwards.

"What in the world happened to you?" Ron asked in concern.

"Just upset that's all." Ginny said sitting down.

"About…..?" Ron sat down next to her.

"Harry." Ginny sighed. "We had a row."

"And it looks like you lost." Ron observed.

"Oh I dunno. I think we came out even this time." Ginny muttered.

"What did you bicker about this time?" Ron asked curiously.

"Let's just say things almost went a little too far last night. And I didn't exactly like it." Ginny said darkly.

"So you and Harry got into a row!" Ron tried to contain his glee.

"Yeah. And then I left." Ginny replied.

"Good for you! Way to tell it to him!" Ron said cheerfully.

"I thought you were his best friend. Aren't you supposed to be on his side?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"Oh right." Ron replied quickly.

"So you broke it off with Hermione, huh?" Ginny raised her eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Ron said smiling cheerfully.

"And you have no shame." Ginny scowled at the sight of her older brother looking so happy. "I hope you realize that unless she comes back to you and you want to be together, you are definitely over." Ginny advised.

"The relationship is over, Gin." Ron reasoned. "It's what I wanted."

"Okay…" Ginny looked hesitant, she was quite used to Ron's mood swings and constant changing of his mind. "I hope you know what you're doing."