Author: SportsNightLover

Title: Goodbyes

Summary: Ron and Hermione, a new couple, lose their friendship with Harry. How do all three react? Takes place in 6th year, but still has HBP spoilers. R&R, please.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Goodbye," Harry almost yelled, filling up with anger.

He turned around with his cloak swishing behind him, and walked quickly away. He knew that he should have gone back and made up with them, but while he thought about it, he kept moving and walking further away. As he turned the corner, he heard nothing but a few students talking in the halls. He walked in any direction that he felt like going. He first turned left, and then took a right. He continued straight for a few corridors, but had no idea were he would end up. Nor did he care. He just wanted to be as far away from Hermione and Ron as he could be.

"Lighten up, will you? All you ever do now is talk about how bad the Slytherins are, and insult them every chance that you get. Just lighten up, mate," Ron finally told Harry how he felt.

"Since when have you cared for the stupid Slytherins?" Harry retorted.

"I don't care about them, but I think that you are going a bit too far."

"Do you?"

"I do. You take every opportunity you can to jinx them in the halls."

"They deserve it."

"Not really."

"I agree with Ron," Hermione finally added to the conversation.

"Thank you," Ron said.

"That's just because he is your new boyfriend," Harry replied, moving his hands like he was brushing away her argument.

"No, it isn't. Just because we are going out now doesn't mean that I have to agree with him on everything, although this time I do."

After that short disagreement, in which Harry felt that he was right, things only got worse. They argued more often, and talked less politely to each other. When Neville noticed this, and mentioned it, he was hexed by three different, angry people. Until today, they were able to talk civilly to each other, but after this last argument, Harry didn't want to even be near his only two close friends.

As he walked away on the last chance to save their friendship, he could hear Hermione start to cry, and Ron consoling her saying that it will all just blow over, and that they will be friends again, soon. Harry snorted, knowing that was impossible, because even if Ron and Hermione both said that they were sorry and wrong, Harry wouldn't accept it. Harry knew them for a few years now, and knew that if he needed advice, or even someone to talk to, they would be there for him. Or at least that was what he thought before.

He tried to convince himself that this was better, by thinking that Hermione was a know-it-all and show-off, and that she was very stubborn. He thought that he would be better off without all the lectures about rule-breaking. Ron was always friendly with him, but he told himself that Ron would slow him down with his lack of intelligence, or any brains for that matter. He would miss the old times that they spent together, but would be better off without them teaming up against him in recent days.

Passing through the Gryffindor common room, and heading for his dormitory, he thought that only two weeks into the school year, he would be lost without Hermione's help. And to make things worse, it was just after O.W.L.s, so they would be getting much harder work. He would miss the chess games with Ron, and the adventures that the three had gone through together. Harry knew that he could be friendly with Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ginny, and even Luna, but he wouldn't be as close to them as Hermione and Ron. He was facing a whole knew year, without his friends.

He fell onto his bed with a small plop, and thought about what he would learn with Dumbledore. Nothing came to him, because he wasn't thinking it over with Ron and Hermione.

"Probably how to defeat You-Know-Who," He could hear Ron as clearly as if he had actually just said it.

"I don't think so." Hermione sounded just as clear.

"Then what?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe what Harry will need to defeat him, because it Dumbledore knew how to defeat Voldemort, then he would have already done it."

"But Dumbledore is the only one that Voldemort fears."

"Fears, yes. That doesn't mean that Dumbledore can beat him though." The conversation sounded real, and it even confused Harry as much as it would have if it had actually taken place.

He closed his mind to anything that had to do with Ron or Hermione, and that seemed to work, because he fell almost instantly to sleep.

"Wake up, Harry. Do you want breakfast or not? I sure do," Ron said.

Harry was on the verge of rolling out of bed, putting on his glasses, and talking to Ron, when he remembered the previous night. Instead, he just turned around in bed, facing away from his former friend.

"Come on, Harry. What are you doing? Aren't you hungry?" Ron asked, waiting for an answer that he didn't receive. "You can't still be angry about last night. That was ages ago."

Still no answer.

"Fine, I'm going down to breakfast with Hermione. Remember her, our friend from about a day ago? You're welcome to join us when you are less grumpy." With the last few words, he walked out of the dormitory, leaving Harry alone and hungry.

After some time, Harry finally got out of bed and made his way down to the Great Hall. He saw Ron and Hermione had not noticed him yet, and took the opportunity to sit between Seamus and Dean. Seamus didn't mind because he was talking to Lavender. Dean was in deep conversation with Ginny, and didn't notice his presence. Unfortunately, Ron did though. From halfway across Gryffindor table, which is a long way, Ron's eyes met Harry's and hung there for a moment, but were stopped by Harry looking away. Harry knew that Ron would do almost anything to become friends with him again, but couldn't say he felt the same.

Transfiguration was next, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had no choice but to sit anywhere other than with each other. Because of Harry they were completely silent, except for when Hermione answered questions, or commented on how the books were mistaken. Nothing was distracting Harry from his work, which Harry found out he was good at, if he really applied himself.

"Mr. Potter, you answer my question," McGonagall said as usual, trying to catch Harry not paying attention.

To everyone's surprise, especially McGonagall's, he got the answer perfect, added opinion, and even gave extra detail. He got ten "well earned" points, as McGonagall said, for Gryffindor. That wasn't his reward though. He saw Hermione's jaw drop, and Ron shaking his head like he wished Harry would have taught him. After class, Professor McGonagall asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come to her desk.

"Why weren't you disrupting my class today?" McGonagall asked right away.

"Did you want us to? We can go back to ruining your lessons. Personally, I thought that I learned more, and you didn't need to spend the time to quiet us, but if you want…" Harry said sarcastically, not mentioning the fact that they weren't on speaking terms.

"No. Continue learning, and not talking. It's just that in the past five years, I have never seen you three not talking in my class. I wonder if something is wrong."

"Everything's fine. Now if you excuse me, I need to get to my next class."

"I won't keep your teacher waiting any longer. Why should I deprive them of the one day that you three aren't disruptive?"

Defense Against the Dark Arts was pretty much the same, but this time Ron was the one to answer the question right. Harry's best subject was Defense against the Dark Arts, so it was usual for him to get answers right. Hermione was normal in Potions, with perfect grades, while Harry failed again. Hermione met up with Ron at the Great Hall, while Harry deliberately went the other way, to Gryffindor tower.