"Will you marry me?"
The question resonated around her head, repeating itself every second, echoing into eternity. She stood looking down to a handsome young man, who was holding her left hand with his right whilst holding a small red velvet case with his left one. The case held a white gold ring, with small rubies and diamonds incrusted all around it. If you looked closely enough, you would see a small inscription on the inside "My heart will always be yours- RW". By the look on the young man's face, you could sense that he expected a positive answer; after all, what could go wrong with the love of your life, who has been your girlfriend for the past seven years? Nothing. Or that is what he thought.
The girl observed his light-blue eyes surrounded by freckles, and realized this was the crossroad she needed. She could say yes, and marry the man she loved and live happily ever after, or she could say no, and live an adventurous life in the muggle world- helping them as she had always wanted. She didn't need a diploma for people to know that she was brilliant, and that had always helped her. Her eyes glazed over as her purpose in life finally struck her...
"Ron, I... I can't, I'm sorry... I've been with you for so long that I can't possibly remember who I am, except in terms of "Ron's Girlfriend", I have got to find myself again, build my life again, and then... Maybe we can start over where we left..." she whispered, a quiet tear sliding down her eyes.
She heard his heart break immediately. His eyes were instantly filled to the brim with painful tears, his lips quivered for a moment before he bit them hardly and the pain that flashed through his eyes was even worse than what you saw in the eyes of the Crucio victims. He slowly stood up, and as he did so Hermione felt as if the world was shaking under them, as if it was paining over their loss as well.
"Baby, are you... are you sure about this?" questioned a now crying Ron. "You know how much I love you, and if this is what you want, I will not do anything to stop it. But please, before you leave me here, broken, question yourself, Is this really what you want?"
"I'm sorry Ron, but... Yes, this is definitely what I want... I need to live before I get settled, and I haven't done much of that. Yes, sure, I've had a successful career in the Ministry, but I do not want to be minister, and ... Well, after we defeated Voldemort, there is no excitement anymore, and without excitement, politics is extremely boring. We promised each other, the day of our Hogwarts graduation, that no matter what- we would never forget to love our lives. And I broke that promise a long time ago, I love you, but this life I'm heading towards, I hate... So, please, forgive me, but I cannot lie to myself anymore" she answered. Her speech was cut here and there by hiccups of pain, her body was shivering due to the coldness she now felt, and her heart was broken beyond repair, yet, she knew this was necessary if she wanted to truly live.
She did not think that she was ever going to be able to love someone as much as she had loved Ronald, they had shared too many things together- things that normal couples don't really go through. They'd fought alongside against the Death Eaters, they'd buried and welcomed friends into their lives, and they'd suffered the pains of life as well as its joys together. Their experiences had bonded their souls and hearts, but Hermione could not help and wonder if they'd be better as friends instead of lovers. There was always a lack of passion, an excess of friendliness when they made love (was it making love? Did she feel love whilst doing it?), a longing glance Ronald –or even herself– sent towards a well toned woman or man, desires kept in check thanks (or due) to a deep feeling of loyalty. She couldn't help but wonder, was the only thing that kept her with Ron duty? Loyalty? A feeling of doing 'the right thing'?
She had pondered about this a lot through those seven years. Her head was full of questions she attacked every day, and some of these questions had been left unanswered for years. Yet, right then, at that moment, she knew she was doing the right thing. She was welcoming a new life in, and she knew that this was exactly what she needed to do. A fresh start, new questions, exotic people.
Hermione Granger was ready for a new life.