Harry stood, waiting, in the rain for someone who would never come. It was ironic, he supposed, that out of all he had faced this could be what would break him, all that terror and grief and it was a broken heart and a single betrayal that would tear him down. He wanted to scream, to rage at the thunder filled night that it wasn't fair. Because, not so long ago, Ron had abandoned Hermione in a forest and all he left was a broken shell in his wake. Harry stayed, helped her to heal and strengthened her, all the things that Ron should have done but never did. And Harry loved her, loved her mind and heart and soul, loved that bushy hair and those babbling lips. But he didn't tell her, just dreamed that one day she would see, like in those fairy tales that he had never believed in. He had just forgotten that for a while. Because Hermione kissed him. She whispered 'thank you' and 'don't go' and 'I love you' in his ear and he forgot that he didn't believe in fairy tales.

But then Ron came back and it was all a rush for a while, he didn't answer Ron, didn't placate his fear, he didn't save Dobby, then they whirled into Hogwarts and Snape was good and they were both sacrifices and there was so much. Then it was over. Just the three of them, arrived at the end of their journey, holding hands and standing strong. But it didn't last. Harry was busy, but every time he was with Hermione now she was distanced. Distracted. And Harry remembered that he didn't believe in fairy tales. So he asked her to come meet him, just in the Forest again and she came, eyes down and hands wringing. He walked closer and gently encompassed her hands in his own, sad eyes staring down at her.

"Hermione."

It wasn't much, just a softly-spoken word, but her head raised and she saw his eyes and knew. Knew he knew and knew that he didn't want to hear it, because it would hurt and that he would listen because she needed to say it. It was always everyone else first, always her first, and it was with teary eyes that she began, harshly, bluntly, but the first true thing she had told him for some time.

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I don't love you." Harry closed his eyes for a moment, flinched a bit, but his hands were steady on hers. Her voice trembled as she continued. "I'm not sure that I ever did. You were there and you cared and you hadn't left and if I was with you I forgot for a while and I'm so sorry, I'm a monster..." her voice trailed off as she saw a deeper knowledge in his eyes than she realized. "You knew? Right from the start, you knew? But why, why did you let me...?" Harry finished for her.

"Use me?" She nodded mutely. Harry merely shook his head and sighed. Silence was left as she realized that he would not answer and that she had one last thing to say and he knew it.

"Harry, I love you, but I'm not in love with you." His eyes held a deeper pain than she had ever seen and she finished at a whisper. "And you, of all people, deserve someone who is." And then Harry let go, stepping back farther and farther until she was far from arms reach.

"Oh Hermione. You really didn't see, did you?" Her chocolate eyes were confused in the moonlight. "Hermione, I loved you first. Before Ron, before Ginny. And when you used me, I knew. I hoped otherwise for a while, but I guess I had forgotten something." And Harry turned and began to walk farther away and it felt so final and Hermione wanted to something, a hundred something's, but all that came was,

"What did you forget?" Harry paused for a moment at the edge of the meadow, his head turned to the side to glimpse her from the corner of his eye. The response was quiet, a whisper that carried across to her.

"That I never believed in fairy tales." And tears rushed to her eyes, a stumbling step was taken, her mouth opened to plead, to apologize, but Harry had reached the edge and a 'Crack!' split the night. Hermione knew where he had gone, but even as she sobbed she decided that just this one last time, a time too late, she would put Harry first.

Miles away, Harry walked to the top of a hill overlooking Godric's Hollow, where it all began, and realized she wasn't coming. She never came. Nobody ever came.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

Fairy tales weren't made for people like him and things like 'love' and 'happily-ever-after' were fairy tales. Perhaps next time he would remember that.

Alright, so I really have no idea where this came from. But I wanted to write it and, in my defense, I'm actually extremely fond of Harry being with Hermione, but it couldn'twork with the storyline. So review please, don't hate me, the normal. Have a wonderful day,

SMM