A/N: I do not own Harry Potter. This is an AU that I am submitting for the Houses Competition. Hermione is a bit OOC in this.

House: Ravenclaw

Year: 4

Category: Short

Prompt(s): [Speech] "I didn't mean to hurt him"

Word Count: 1883

My name is Hermione Granger. This is the story of how and why I left Ronald Weasley at the altar on our wedding day, and why it was the best decision that I've ever made.

But first, let's go back to before that fateful day.

I didn't mean to hurt Ron. I just didn't love him enough to be able to marry him.

We sat at the table in a busy restaurant, Ron and I, waiting on our meal to be delivered to our table. It was a Muggle restaurant that I always enjoyed dining at. I was distracted by a nearby couple at a table near the window. Looking back to Ron, I find him not in his chair, but on the floor.

"Hermione Granger, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Ron asked, knelt down next to the table on one knee in front of me.

I gasped as I saw the ring he was holding up to me. That was the moment I had been subconsciously waiting for my entire life. The moment where a man would ask me to marry him. I felt a little giddy, but only because he was asking. Even then, I wasn't really sure if I loved him enough to marry him.

I answered, "Yes, absolutely. I would love to marry you, Ron."

He stood and hugged me. I still felt awkward whenever he touched me and I really wasn't sure why. I guess because I wasn't used to that kind of affection.

Once the other patrons of the restaurant realized what was going on, they applauded our engagement. The manager of the restaurant sent out a dessert free of charge for us after our meal.

The months that followed were occupied with the planning of the wedding, with the help of Molly and Ginny of course. My future mother-in-law was ecstatic when we announced our engagement. She instantly began planning for us to have our wedding there at the Burrow. However, I put a stop to that right away.

I had always dreamed of having my wedding in front of the fountain at Regent's Park in London. I had always loved going to the park with my parents when I was a child. Seeing them cuddle together when we sat near the fountain was the way I viewed love. When you're in love, you should want to sit and cuddle, hold hands as you walk in the park, talk to each other after work over dinner, or just generally want to be with each other. I never felt that with Ron.

Of course, Molly was a bit miffed about my suggestion, but I didn't really care too much. It was to be my wedding after all, not hers. She finally came around once she saw how beautiful the park was.

A date was set, and yet I felt like something was missing. While I did love Ron, I still wasn't sure that I loved him enough to spend the rest of my life with him. Day in and day out, seeing only him in my home.

No, I could do this.

He was safe, he was familiar, he was one of my best friends. I could marry him, sure I could. I was only having cold feet. Everyone who was about to get married had cold feet at some point. Right?

As the date neared, I still felt apprehensive about marrying Ron. I began to feel more and more that this wasn't right. I wasn't supposed to spend my life with him. The more days that passed, the more I began to realize that I really only loved Ron as a brother, not as a husband-to-be.

When the day of the wedding arrived, Molly had sent the men ahead to the park after they dressed in their black dress robes and were getting underfoot while we tried to get ready. She wanted me to make a grand entrance and didn't want any of the men to see me before I walked down the aisle.

As Molly fussed over my hair, I rolled my eyes at Ginny, showing my frustration with the older woman. My hair was fine, not much I could do with it anyway. It had always been unruly and frizzy. When she finally finished patting at my hair, I sighed.

"Now is time for the dress," she announced, reaching for the dress hanging on the door.

Molly and Ginny tried and failed to get the dress up over my head. Frustrated again, I snatched the dress out of their hands.

"I'm supposed to step into it," I snapped. This day was not going well.

Holding the dress out, I stepped into it and then slipped it up over my arms. Molly began fastening the buttons up the back. How would I ever get out of this damned dress. Who thought to put a hundred buttons up the back of a dress that a woman was going to wear only once in her life? Must have been some man who had no clue about how a dress should function.

When the final button was slipped into its' hole, Ginny slid the veil over my head. Finally, I was ready. Ready to walk down the aisle and give my entire life over to Ron Weasley, a man I didn't really love as a husband.

The three of us Apparated to the point at the park where we wouldn't be noticed. Molly was more nervous than I was. I think I was just indifferent. A carriage appeared in front of us pulled by two beautiful black horses. I reached forward and stroked the neck of the one nearest me, marveling at their beauty.

"It's time, dear," Molly said, offering me her hand to help me into the carriage. Ginny followed behind me and settled into the seat beside me.

The carriage pulled away as Molly Apparated on to the fountain ahead of us. The carriage ride was slow and relaxing. Ginny and I enjoyed the silence as we rode. As the fountain came into view, I began to breathe rapidly.

Ginny became concerned and asked tentatively, "Are you okay, Hermione?"

"I can't do this, Ginny. I can't marry him," I said, between breaths.

"Sure you can. You love him and he loves you. You two are perfect together," Ginny tried to reassure me.

I began to calm down slightly. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was just over-analyzing like I always did. Maybe I was just wrong. Maybe… maybe… maybe. That was all that was going through my head at that moment. Maybe, just maybe this would all work out.

The carriage came to a stop at the end of the path leading up to the fountain. Ginny got out and held her hand out to help me down from the carriage. Each step I took hardened my resolve.

I couldn't marry Ron.

I didn't see a future with him. When I looked at my life 5 years down the road, all I could see was nothing. Just blank space where there should be life and love.

How was I going to tell him? How could I tell him that I didn't love him enough to spend the rest of my life with him? Taking a deep breath and steeling my resolve, I began the walk down the path to where Ron waited with the minister and Harry by his side.

Ginny took her place and I neared my spot next to Ron. Turning to him, I took another deep breath and began to speak before the minister could start the ceremony.

"Ron, you are one of my best friends. I love you, I really do, but not like I should to become your wife. The woman who marries you should be madly in love with you, not indifferent as I am. I'm so sorry, Ron, but I can't marry you. I don't see a future for us together. You should be with someone who is completely devoted to you. I'm not that person. I can't dote on you like your mother dotes on your father. You can tell that they are still madly in love after all these years. I'm afraid that if we marry now, we will regret it in a few years," I said shakily as tears began to form in my eyes.

Ron looked stunned. This was certainly not what he was expecting. This was not what any of us were expecting. "Hermione, you don't mean that. I know you don't. I love you and I can't see spending my life with anyone else. You'll see, we'll be great together. We'll have a great life," Ron pleaded.

I shook my head, "No, Ronald. I can't spend my life married to you. I can't see us making a home together , or even having children with you. I just don't love you that way."

Ron began to cry weakly, silently. "Hermione, how can you do this? Now, here, in front of everyone we know? How can you throw our future away like this?" he asked, trying to understand my decision.

I knew it would be hard for him. I didn't want to do this, but I couldn't marry him. I couldn't tie myself to him for the rest of my life. That wasn't fair to me and it wasn't fair to him. "In time, you will understand, Ron. You'll agree that this is the best decision for us. I'm sorry that I waited until now to make this choice," I assured him.

Ron shook his head, "No, I won't let you go." He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me closer to him.

I jerked my hand away from his grasp. "Ron! You can't change my mind, you know that. I can't marry you!" I exclaimed, frustrated that he was trying this in front of his family.

I turned and walked back toward the Apparition point and didn't look back. Hearing footsteps behind me, I expected Ron to be following me but it wasn't him. It was Harry. Harry chased after me. Not to change my mind, but to be a friend as he had always been.

He grabbed my arm and Apparated with me to my flat, then gathered me into his arms.

"I was hoping you would realize how wrong this was," he whispered.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," I stated. "I just couldn't go through with this. We aren't like you and Ginny. We were never meant to last this long together. Some day, he will realize it and be glad that I called this wedding off."

Harry nodded and began to undo the buttons on my dress for me. Once the last one was undone, he turned me around to face him.

"Ron will understand... eventually. I'll help him get there," he said with a smile. "Molly on the other hand will be furious, but you're on your own there."

"She'll understand," I said quietly and watched him step into my fireplace, and disappearing behind the green flames to go and comfort his other best friend - our friend - and comfort him.

I knew that Harry would still be my best friend, even if I possibly had just lost my other one.