She'd grown a lot over the last seven years. To be fair, they had all grown. Harry had once been naïve and innocent, confused and amazed by the wizarding world. Ron had been immature and overreacting. Hermione had been bossy and over critical. During their time at Hogwarts, all of their classmates had grown up.
But in Ron's eyes, the most amazing transformation had been Hermione's. She had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, one who was kind, understanding, and no longer obsessed with rules and books. He'd never really noticed this before. Sure, every September he would comment about how her looks had changed. But now, at the end of their school career, it was much more obvious how she'd changed since he had met her.
He could still remember the snobby girl who had shown off in charms class. He remembered the girl who had grown a tail, and the hair that sprouted all over her body. Ron remembered the brave girl who followed him into the Whomping Willow to save him. The girl who looked so beautiful at the Yule Ball. The girl who looked after a violent giant, and the girl who fought against Death Eaters. Most important of all, Ron realised that he had always loved Hermione, and would never forget her.
As the students begin to file off the train, ready to head home for the summer, Ron sat silently in his seat, deep in thought. He knew he would see Hermione again, they were friends. But perhaps it was time to tell her what he had known all along.
Making a decision, Ron stood abruptly and hurried off the train. He soon found himself surrounded by a crowd of chattering students – none of them Hermione. Miraculously, he finally caught sight of a girl with bushy hair scanning the crowds. With a grin on his face, he manoeuvred through, his gaze fixed her Hermione.
As Ron emerged from the crowd, Hermione caught sight of him and grinned. "Hi!"
Ron returned the smile nervously, trying to get his heart to beat at a normal pace. "Hermione, I er.." he trailed off, and Hermione gave him a questioning look.
"You what?"
He breathed in deeply. "I've got to tell you something."
"Alright." She nodded, signalling for him to keep going.
It was the moment of truth – there was no going back now. "I think I lo-"
Suddenly, Hermione cut him off. "Oh! There's my mum! Sorry Ron, I've got to go. Unless it's really important..?"
Ron tried to shake the sadness that overcame him, as he shook his head and attempted a weak smile. "No, don't worry. It.." He coughed trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. "It wasn't important."
Hermione gave a bright smile, before giving him a quick hug. "Alright. I'll write in a week, and maybe you, Harry and I can hang out!" She waved cheerily, before disappearing into the crowd.
Ron stood silently for a moment, before heading off to find his parents. No point in getting upset about it – after all, he would see Hermione soon.