A/N, So, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction I don't write too much of it. I'm more of a Teen Titans and X-Men writer but I just needed to write this story. Please R&R, constructive only. I really don't want to hear how Ron and Hermione are perfect and so forth. Keep it to yourself please.

Simple would be the last word Harry would use to explain his relationship with his best friend. It was complicated, he loved having her around but he was also feeling something he never felt before. How do you tell your best friend of 13 years you love them as more than a friend? You don't that's how. Well that's what Harry was going to do but plans change.

Hermione was a mess, she and Ron just had another big fight and she no longer wanted to be in the same flat as him. Apperating from her and Ron's flat she showed up on Harry's doorstep. As she raised her hand to knock on the door she heard giggling coming from inside.

"Harry don't do that!! No stop!" The female voice giggled again. Hermione then heard Harry's deep voice, "Oh come on you know you love it when I do that."

Hermione put her hand back at her side she really shouldn't bother Harry when he had someone over. She turned around to leave when she heard the elevator ding. The doors slid open and out stepped Ron. Looking up he spotted Hermione standing outside Harry's door he turned a lovely shade of red.

"You fight with me and run to Harry. You always run to fucking Harry!" Ron yelled. Hermione tried to say something but Ron just kept on going.

"It's always Harry! We get in a fight and you run to him! You have exciting news who knows first, Harry! Something goes wrong and you go to Harry!" Ron was doing a great impression of a tomato right then. He began to advance towards Hermione. Grabbing her wrists he slammed her against Harry's door.

"YOU CARE MORE ABOUT HARRY BLOODY POTTER THAN YOU DO ABOUT ME! I'M YOUR BOYFRIEND AND YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN! DO YOU?"

With all that yelling it was no surprise when Harry's door flew open.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE!?" Harry yelled. Upon seeing Ron holding Hermione he quieted down.

"What is going on out here guys? Ron let Hermione go she looks like she's in pain."

"Nothings going on Harry." Ron spat. "This is between me and MY girlfriend. You can go back inside."

Harry took one look at Hermione and shook his head.

"I can't do that. See you're yelling outside my door and seem to be hurting my bestfriend so I can't just leave. How about you guys come in and talk about whatever it is." Harry opened the door wider to revel his modest home. Cho was stranding in the living room looking out the door to see what the commotion was.

"I think we should go Harry, you seem to be busy." Hermione whispered, Ron tightened his grip on her and she winced at the pain.

"No, I think you need to come in and talk. It's no problem at all." Harry insisted. Ron let Hermione go a little.

"No, I think me and Hermione will leave and talk at home." Ron pulled Hermione down the hall. Harry watched as Hermione's face became panicked, with a pop they were gone. Harry turned around to face Cho, "I think I need to go after them. Ron looked really pissed off." Harry walked down the hall with the same pop he was gone as well. Arriving at Ron and Hermione's he heard a loud crash and Hermione's voice pleading with Ron not to hit her, she would never do it again. Another loud crash was heard, Harry had enough he decided it was time to end this. Pulling his wand out he pointed at the door.

"Ruducto!" He yelled in a strong voice. The door blew apart; the pieces flew into the living room of the flat. Ron was looking at the door, stunned as a very angry Harry swept into the room. Walking over to Hermione he picked her off the floor in one movement and walked back towards the door. Ron had come to his senses by then and followed Harry.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing Potter?"

"Taking Hermione away from here before she gets hurt."

"The hell you are! She's my girlfriend, not yours, you can't take her." Ron reached for Hermione and grabbed her arm. She moved closer to Harry and whimpered.

"Let her go Ron before I do something I know I will regret in the morning." Harry threatened. Ron pulled harder on her, glaring at Harry while he did so. Harry let out a sigh that could have dispelled the flames of hell. Putting Hermione on the floor gently he pulled his wand out and pointed at Ron.

"One last chance Ron let her go."

Ron held tighter.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled. Ron fell over backwards stunned. Harry picked Hermione up again and walked out the door and down the hall. With a small pop he and Hermione disappeared back to Harry's flat. Opening his door Harry noticed Cho was no longer there. He let out a sigh of relief that he didn't have to deal with her at the moment. Walking down the hall to his bedroom, he placed Hermione on his bed to let her sleep.

"She really is pretty when she's not worrying." Harry thought. "I guess she had reason to worry with the way Ron was treating her." Harry sighed it was going to be a long night. Two hours later Harry was woken by someone moving around in his kitchen, pulling his wand out of his pocket he made his way towards the kitchen. Turning the corner he saw a mass of brown hair leaning into his fridge, putting his wand back into his pocket he walked to the island bar and leaned against it.

"What are you doing out of bed? You really should get some sleep." Harry said. Hermione jumped and hit her head on the top of the fridge.

"Blood Hell! Harry I didn't hear you come in. Why are you awake? You need sleep too; you have to go to work tomorrow."

"No I don't, tomorrow we are going to your apartment and getting your stuff, you're moving in with me."

Hermione looked at Harry as if he had grown a second head.

"Why?"

"Hermione how long has Ron been hitting you? Has it been the whole time?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment then choose her words carefully as not to upset Harry too much or seem too weak.

"No, he was really nice in the beginning. He wined and dined me. Then he started to work constantly, it wasn't so bad in the beginning but it got worse with time. He would start stupid fights about everything; Dinner wasn't cooked right, or on time, his clothes weren't pressed, and then he started to hit me. It wasn't so bad at first. He hit me for things I deserved to be hit for. Making dinner late, not cleaning the flat, missing important games, talking to you without his consent." Hermione trailed off.

"First of all no one ever deserves to be hit no matter what they did or didn't do. Hermione you should have come to me the second he started to hit you?" Harry walked over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug. "No matter what happens I will be here for you to protect you and you are always welcome in my home anytime, day or night."

"Thank you Harry this is really great of you to do. I just can't believe I let it get this far. I mean I work with these kinds of things at the ministry. How could I not see that I was in an abusive relationship?" Hermione tried to rationalize.

"Because you loved him and didn't want to believe that this could really be happening to you. It's a hard thing to admit when someone you love is hurting you in the way Ron did. Not just physically but mentally as well. I didn't want to say anything but I noticed he would put you down and call you names when he was angry with you. I thought that you would talk to him in privet afterwards but I guess not."

"It was always easier to ignore him and keep pretending everything was okay." Harry just hugged her tighter and rocked back and forth. "He always apologized afterwards, than he would buy me something nice. I would forgive him and then everything would be fine until the next time."

Harry looked at her with sad eyes, "Well you're safe here for as long as you need it." Harry explained as they made their way into the living room.

Hermione hugged Harry tighter, as they sat down on the sofa; Harry rocked Hermione back and forth till she fell asleep; grabbing a blanket off the back of the sofa he covered both of them. Harry tried to get as comfortable as he possibly could and tried not to move so Hermione could sleep. She let out a deep sigh and wrapped her arms around Harry's middle the best she could, snuggling closer. If anyone walked in and saw this they would think something they shouldn't be thinking. Harry prayed that no one walked into his flat, especially Ron or Cho. Of course the gods were not listening to his prayers, on the upside it wasn't either Ron or Cho, no it was much, much worse. Ginny decided to visit Harry while she was in town for a fashion shoot. Draco was meeting up with some of his old school mates for the night and Ginny figured that Harry would like some company. She decided to let herself into his flat with the key she took from Ron earlier that month.

"WHAT THE BLODDY HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Ginny yelled. Harry and Hermione jumped and fell off the sofa.

"Bloody hell Gin you don't have to yell. It's nothing, Hermione needed a place to sleep and we fell asleep on the sofa."

"Why would Hermione need somewhere to sleep, she has a flat, with Ron."

"She and Ron had a fight; things got bad, so she came to me. It's really none of your business."

Ginny stared at the couple on the sofa in confusion.

"What did Ron do this time?" She asked.

"It's not important right now." Harry replied.

Hermione looked at Harry and then Ginny, "He hit me Ginny." Ginny's face paled considerably; "He did what?"

"He hit me. He was angry because I didn't make him the dinner he wanted that night. I ran to Harry and he followed to drag me back home. Then Harry showed up." All the while Hermione explained this Harry seemed to get redder and redder. Ginny was stunned to silence, her brother had done what to Hermione all because she didn't make the dinner he wanted, and Harry had to rescue her. Ron was so dead in Ginny's book and wait until Mrs. Weasly heard about this one. Oh yeah, Ron was going to be six feet under before you could say "bloody hell." Ginny regarded the couple again before smiling and excusing herself. As she left the flat Harry swore he heard her say something about Ron being six feet under where he couldn't hurt anyone. Harry took one look at Hermione to see if she was okay. She seemed just fine, so Harry decided to make breakfast for them. Slowly making their way into the kitchen he pulled out eggs, bacon, bread, butter and jam. Harry set to work, humming a tune he had heard yesterday. Hermione sat at the island bar and read the Daily Prophet.

"Ron's team won again last night. That means he's in a really good mood and will try to win me back."

"Over my dead body will he set foot near you." Harry mumbled to himself. Hermione studied Harry as he moved about the kitchen; he had grace and seemed to know what he was doing. Harry turned to glace a Hermione only to see her studying him, he smiled slightly, that was the Hermione he knew. After a few days of this things seemed to have settled into a normal routine. Harry cooked breakfast; Hermione read the paper or watched Harry. Today was the one week mark of when she had left Ron; it was very hard not to go back to him when he sent her the dozen or so white roses, or the beautiful emerald choker with inlayed diamonds. Harry had really helped her through everything that was going on. Ron had threatened to tell everyone that she was cheating on him with Harry, and that's why they broke up. Hermione was in a near panic about that. What would happen to her reputation? Her Job? What about Harry? All he had done was help her in her time of need. She almost went back to Ron so he wouldn't do that, but Harry had stopped her. He told her it didn't matter what Ron said because no matter what he was there for her. It took a lot of inner strength to deal with everything that was coming her way. Ron did tell everyone the Hermione had in fact cheated on him with their other bestfriend Harry Potter. When the news got out on that one Hermione received so many hate letters and howlers that she almost broken down. Yet she hadn't, because Harry was there to help again. He began to screen all the mail, that way nothing harmful could get to Hermione. All in all it hadn't been too bad a month for them. Hermione began to see that she really loved Harry as more than a friend but felt she couldn't tell him. He had already done so much for her; she didn't need to add that small fact to his already full mind. Little did she realize that Harry had been in love with Hermione for close to 7 years. Neither planed to tell the other what they were feeling. Soon everything seemed to be dying down around them, no more hate mail, or angry people banging on Harry's door. It was a bright afternoon when it really happened. They were sitting out on Harry's balcony when Hermione had a strange thought. What if she told Harry how she felt? What would happen? Thinking to herself she began to see that maybe, just maybe it would be okay in the end. Turning in her chair she faced Harry.

"Harry I think I have something I need to tell you."

"Please don't say you're going back to Ron. You were making such great progress without him."

"No, it's not about Ron. It's about you and me." Hermione said carefully. Harry's expression changed.

"What about us?" He asked equally as careful.

"I think I love you, no, not think, I know I love you, more than I could ever love Ron." She said rather thoughtfully. Harry was more then stunned by this statement. Hermione loved him; Hermione Jane Granger loved him, Harry James Potter. It was a dream come true for Harry. Hermione watched Harry's expressions carefully. Harry turned to look Hermione in the eyes.

"I love you too. In fact I think I've loved you for a very long time." Harry said back. Hermione smile and reached for Harry's hand. The two intertwined their fingers, just as their lives where, intertwined with each other no matter what happen. I love you was not as hard to say as either of them thought it would be. 13 years they had known each other so far, they hoped that there would be plenty more to come.