Hey everyone! This is a new ficcie of mine that has actually only been in existence for a very short time, a strange thing for me. All my stories are at least two months old before the first word is written. Point being, those who know me, will know I'm a Ron/Hermione shipper to the end, and before you start hurling the questions at me on why I wrote this story, let me just say this. There is no such thing as a perfect couple and even someone like Ron and Hermione make their mistakes.
This story is based on a situation that happened to me in real life and I felt a need to write this story so I could deal with some things.
This is a story about betraying the one you love and I hope you like it.
As always please read and review and let me know what you think.
Agrolass

Betrayal

CHAPTER 1 Perfect Life

My life is just perfect, Hermione thought, smiling slightly to herself. She was currently sitting on one of the overly large window sills found in the Gryffindor common room, her legs propped up in front of her and her school skirt covering her shivering legs from the early morning cold. As she leaned her head against the chilly windowpane, she realised her life could not get any better. It might be a horrible thing to say in the midst of a terrible war the Wizarding world was facing, but she was the happiest she had been in a long time.

Now in her seventh year at Hogwarts, Hermione could with great satisfaction look back on her time at Hogwarts with fond memories. She had been made Head Girl, something both her best friends had never doubted, which she herself hardly dared believe, and just over seven months ago Ron had finally picked up the courage to ask her out after waiting for him for three years. Hermione smiled lazily to herself, looking out onto the frosty autumn grounds of Hogwarts below as she remembered fondly the particular moment of when Ron finally picked up the courage to reveal his true feelings to her. She laughed lightly, remembering the argument they had been having when out of the blue Ron just walked up to her and kissed her. That was all it took for them both to realise what the whole Gryffindor house, nay the whole school had already known. Ron and Hermione were crazy for each other. Now seven months later, Hermione was happy with Ron, he was everything she could possibly want, and as she sat there on the window sill, the draft creeping into her bones she waited patiently for her perfect boyfriend to come down to the common room so they could all head to breakfast.

Ron and Hermione had calmed down a lot since they first started dating. For one, their infamous rows had calmed down considerably since they both got what they wanted, and with time, even their very passionate love affair had calmed considerably. Hermione mused it was because they were settled into their relationship, nothing was new anymore, so in a way the excitement had left too. Hermione didn't mind though, she loved Ron deeply and nothing could change that.

The creaking of a door opening, pulled Hermione out of her reverie and she looked up to see Ron and Harry descending the stairs, both yawning and looking very tired.

"Morning", she called brightly, to the two men descending into the common room. Harry was still rubbing his eyes, one hand holding his glasses, while the other was running a hand through his flaming red hair.

"Mornin' 'Mione", Ron yawned, walking up to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Tell me again why we have to get up so early for classes?" Harry groaned, plopping himself down on one of the large sofas in the common room. He carefully cleaned his glasses with the corner of his school shirt before resting them back on the bridge of his nose. Hermione scooted over on the windowsill and sat up straight, making space for Ron to sit down next to her.

"You think for your final year they would lay off on the pressure and give us more time for ourselves", Ron groaned. It seemed he had woken up sufficiently to begin his complaining.

"Oh Ron!" Hermione sighed, but she was too used to his grumblings. Instead she jumped lightly of the windowsill, smoothing out her skirt and grabbing her school bag.

"We had better get going if we don't want to be late for classes", Hermione spoke lightly, and one hand resting on her hip while the other pushed back her voluminous hair that had by no means become tamer. It was still as frizzy as ever, but the frizz had begun to define itself into curls, which ran down to her waist. Both boys shook their heads lightly, each rolling their eyes at each other when they thought she wasn't looking. Even now in their seventh and final year, she was still the same old Hermione from first year. Luckily they had learnt from their seven years of knowing the bushy haired know-it-all not to argue with her when she got into one of those moods.

Hermione sighed to herself. She had seen the boys rolling their eyes at each other. Unfortunately she had to go and befriend two boys who weren't, well to say it lightly, the brightest of the bunch she thought sarcastically. Sometimes it irritated her how little they really knew her. Could they not see she had changed? And especially her boyfriend Ron, he of all people should know that she had grown from the girl they permanently seem to see her into the young woman she was now.

Hermione banished these thoughts from her mind, they would not understand anyway if she spoke to them about it and they would only presume she was nagging once again.

Both rose from their respective seats, threw their bags over their shoulders and while Ron reached for Hermione's hand, Harry walked on ahead. All three made their way down to the Great Hall in companionable silence.

Mid morning found Hermione silently taking notes in her advanced Transfiguration class, Ron and Harry sitting on either side of her, absent-mindedly either drumming their quills on the desk, or staring off into space. Hermione was too used to their lack of attention in class, after seven years it ceased to aggravate her like it used to. Instead she placed her hand on Ron's to still his drumming, while lightly elbowing Harry in the side to wake him from his daydream. Harry, whose mouth was hanging open during his reverie, quickly snapped it shut and turned his attention on Hermione, who just smiled.

She returned to the notes they had to take down for the transfiguration of a beetle into a cat and the stages one must go through. Occasionally Hermione would raise her head and listen intently to some additional notes Mc Gonagall would give, bout throughout the majority of class Hermione had her attention on the class work. What drew her attention away from the theory of animal-to-animal transfiguration, surprisingly was neither Ron nor Harry, but the newest Gryffindor couple, Parvati Patil and Dean Thomas. They were sitting further up and to the right of Ron, Harry and Hermione and both of their attention was very far away from the class work. From her vantage point, Hermione could see they were holding hands under their desk. Parvati was leaning towards Dean, while he was whispering into her ear whenever Mc Gonagall wasn't looking, causing her to giggle quietly. Fascinated, Hermione watched then intently, Parvati had let go of Dean's hand and had it resting on his thigh, a slow grin forming on her face, while a slow blush was creeping up on his cheeks. Dean was busy trying to act normal; overtly shuffling through sheets of parchment all the while not realising it was drawing other's attention and that of Professor Mc Gonagall. Parvati had just begun whispering something into his ear, her hand still on his thigh, when Professor Mc Gonagall imperiously walked up to their desk.

"Miss Patil, Mr Thomas, I would kindly ask you to refrain from whispering until after class is over or I may have to take away house points", she said sternly. Mc Gonagall fixed the two with a hard glare before adding, "And might I remind you two that your seats are meant to be apart for a reason! Now eyes on the board", she turned around and swept back to the front of the class, leaving a very red and embarrassed Dean blushing furiously.

The two lovers quickly moved their chairs further apart, each very red in the face, though they continued sending each other secret smiles. Hermione watched the happy couple from between her notes. There was a slight sadness in her eyes; it seemed like a long time ago when her and Ron were like those two. There was a time at the beginning of the relationship that they literally couldn't keep their hands of each other; that had been the same time as their legendary arguments, and while she did not miss those, she did miss the excitement. She really had nothing to complain of, Hermione scolded herself, she had a loving boyfriend who she loved dearly and they had grown so much into their relationship to be completely comfortable with each other. The arguments were gone; there was no jealousy to argue over, and she knew the reason the excitement was gone was because nothing was new anymore. Dean and Parvati would reach that stage soon too, Hermione mused, but still she couldn't help feeling a little jealous of them. This thought greatly disturbed Hermione, and she could not concentrate for the rest of the class.

Potions class that afternoon found Hermione in much the same mood as Transfiguration had put her in. Ron and Harry had noticed her sullen mood at lunch, and after expressing concern for her, Ron was distracted by the sight of his favourite desert, Spotted Dick.

With a cry of "Yum!" and a flurry of spoons, Ron was too preoccupied to remember his conversation with Hermione. To say Hermione was annoyed was a little of an understatement, but she was used too used to Ron to let it affect her for long. Currently she was a little more preoccupied with the assignment Professor Snape had given them in Potions class, and unfortunately for her, he had teamed up the "Dream Team" with Draco Malfoy. Hermione couldn't understand why he would do that, Snape's favourite pastime did seem to be torturing Harry, but why involve his favourite student in the exercise? Then again, Hermione mused, since the teams were teams of four, maybe he knew Malfoy would get the best marks if put on their team. It was common knowledge that Crabbe and Goyle were the stupidest in the class, nay in the year!

Malfoy was making it extremely difficult for Hermione to concentrate on the complex potion they were meant to be brewing and the antidote for it. Harry and Ron were busy with the antidote, it was the less complex of the two potions, and Hermione watched with a small smile on her face Ron screwing up his forehead in concentration, while adding the right amount of Mandrake Root oil.

"Urgh, what a disgusting sight, Mudblood cooing over her Blood Traitor boyfriend!" Malfoy spat, shaking his head as if the thought really did disgust him. Hermione bit down hard on the retort she was about to utter. Malfoy, who unfortunately decided he would rather work with Hermione than Ron and Harry, had been taunting her since they began their assignment thirty minutes earlier and so far he had broken through her, but if she didn't begin controlling her temper soon, he would soon succeed.

"Pass the Scamander legs", Hermione replied irritably, ignoring his latest attack upon her, and instead concentrated on stirring the potion the correct amount of times. Malfoy handed her the jar with the shrivelled up grey legs of a Scamander, all the while pulling a disgusted face, though when Hermione took the jar of him, making sure not to touch his hands, Malfoy kept his eyes on her. Hermione at first did not notice, for she was busy, lightly chopping up the Scamander legs and adding them one at a time to the bubbling blue potion. It instantly turned a blue-grey colour and the bubbles ceased, causing Hermione to smile. According to the book, she was brewing it correctly and with a satisfied smile she turned back to her notes for the next step. At that moment she caught Malfoy looking at her, and though it was only out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn it was a far softer look than she had ever received of him. When Hermione swept her eyes up to Malfoy's cold grey ones to see if she had observed correctly, his haughty demeanour had returned.

"Don't tell me Granger needs confirmation in brewing up a potion? I always knew you weren't as smart as everyone made you out to be!" Malfoy laughed a cold laugh, causing Hermione to grit her teeth.

"Shut up Malfoy!" she hissed through clenched teeth, her temper only a second away from exploding. Her hands, she noticed, while staring down at them, were shaking lightly and she firmly grabbed the edge of the table to stop them from trembling.

"Is that the only comeback you can come up with Granger?" Malfoy laughed, sneering at her. "The oh so brilliant Mudblood Granger, smartest witch on our year and that is all you can say?"

"Shut it Malfoy!" Hermione threatened, her hazel eyes glinting dangerously. She raised the knife she had been chopping the Scamander legs with in her right hand, not aware she was holding it threateningly in front of her so fierce was her anger. "If you're not at least going to help me with this potion, then at least shut up or you will seriously regret it!"

Malfoy warily eyed the knife in her hand and turned his gaze back up to her, smirking as he replied, "And what are you going to do Granger?"

"Oh you don't want to find out!" Hermione was visibly shaking by this point.

"But I do!" Hermione's eyes widened slightly. Malfoy was gazing at her intently and it began unnerving her. She looked back down onto her cauldron and busied herself with continuing with the potion. By looking away, Hermione gave off an air of disinterest, but in reality she was quite unnerved. That was the second time in one day and she did not like it. She could have sworn that Malfoy had tried to flirt with her, but that was preposterous. Malfoy flirting with a Muggle-born, especially her was almost laughable if she didn't presume it had just happened. Hermione inwardly shook her head. Presumably Malfoy had just found a new way to get to her. She had to concede that this was the most likely case, but it still didn't do anything to dispel the fact that she was profoundly unsettled. Whatever Malfoy was playing at was working and Hermione certainly didn't like that! For the second time that day Hermione couldn't concentrate in class, and if she didn't do something about it soon, it would only get worse.

By the end of class, Hermione was just glad to get out as fast as possible. Malfoy staring at her and coupled with his snide remarks had pushed Hermione's temper further than she ever wanted it to go. A very frazzled Hermione sprinted out of class as soon as the bell went, leaving behind a smirking Malfoy and a very confused Ron and Harry, who of course had not noticed anything. They ran off after her and finally managed to catch up with Hermione in the Entrance Hall, where she turned around reluctantly to face the very confused boys.

"You okay Hermione?" Harry asked, a frown creasing his forehead that caused the bridge of his nose to crinkle and made his glasses sit at an odd position.

"Yeah I'm okay, its just Malfoy trying to get to me!" Hermione sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Hey come on 'Mione. It'll be okay, and if he keeps it up, me and Harry will just sort that scumbag out", Ron added, wrapping an arms around her shoulders, pulling her close and placing a kiss on her forehead. Hermione nodded her head and smiled up at Ron, and then Harry.

"Thanks, and I'll be fine", she smiled.

"You wanna come watch us at Quidditch practice?" Ron asked, looking down at her.

"No, I'm tired and I've got homework to do", Hermione replied, disengaging herself from Ron's arm and smiling slightly at the two. "You go on ahead I'm going to head back to the Gryffindor common room". She gave them both another small smile and made her way up the marble staircase, slowly and tiredly making her way back to the common room.

Once she finally made her way through the portrait hole, she fell onto the nearest sofa, which thankfully was empty. Hermione was glad to see that everyone had made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner, but she was too exhausted to get up, nor was she in the mood for any food at that moment. She was just glad to have some alone time and not to be bothered by any other Gryffindors. She made herself more comfortable on the sofa, draping her legs over the arm of the sofa, while her head rested on the other one. With one hand she was lazily twirling a strand of hair through her fingers, while the other was resting on her stomach. Hermione couldn't think straight from all the stress of the day and she let out a frustrated cry, her hands on her face as she released the pent up irritation that had been building up over the course of the day. She let out a large sigh and let her hands fall back onto her stomach, gazing up at the wooden rafters of the ceiling.

Yes my life is perfect, she thought once more, remembering what she had been thinking only that very morning. Everything is as it should be, she thought sarcastically, snorting to herself, but her mood changed and became sombre. But if life was so perfect for her right now, why did she feel so empty?