Author Notes: Thank you to aigooism for the beta.
Contrast and Compare
When they went on their first date, Ron took her out to a Quidditch game. Ron cheered loudly when the Harpies won, and, in his excitement, he almost upended her drink into her lap. He turned pink, apologised profusely, and ended up missing the next Harpies goal.
When Ron kissed her for the first time, Hermione felt like the world was falling away from her. It was a heady, thrilling feeling, but also, there was something comforting about it. Ron had been her friend for so long that this seemed like the next logical step. It was the right thing to do, and Hermione felt her pulse throb when she saw the happy grin on Ron's face.
When she ended up moving in with him, Hermione felt like it was inevitable. They'd been dating for over two years, and it was the next logical step on the long path that twined the rest of their lives together.
"Let's get this table," Hermione urged as she pulled Ron along the aisles of the furniture store. She could feel her veins almost bubbling over with excitement. They were going to be furnishing their home, their first home together. She wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.
Ron laughed. "We don't need to get everything right now."
Hermione ignored him and dug in her bag for her Muggle credit card. "Yes, we do," she insisted. "It's a great table. We're never going to find another one like it."
Ron just shook his head good-naturedly and they got the table.
They ended up putting the table in their hallway. It was the wrong size and shape for a dining table and it was too high for a coffee table. Hermione thought it might work as a hallway table, but they never ended up using it. The table simply sat there in their hallway, gathering dust, until one day, it broke unexpectedly.
Hermione couldn't have predicted the end. She had thought they were happy. Everybody else thought they were happy too. Well, almost everybody. Neville was the only one who hadn't seemed surprised when she told him that her relationship was over.
"I should have known," Hermione said flatly as she grabbed the watering can. "We were fighting so much." She bit down on her bottom lip. "I guess I just thought that it was a bad patch. Harry and Ginny went through one a few years back and now they're happily married."
"I'm sorry," Neville said. He hesitated.
"What?" Hermione snapped and almost immediately regretted the harshness of her tone.
Neville pointed towards the flower pot in front of her. "I think you're killing the plant." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Hermione looked down and immediately lifted the watering can. Neville was right. The poor flower looked half-drowned. Its petals drooped sadly and water was overflowing out of the pot. "Sorry. Look, I can replace it."
Neville laughed softly. "It's not a big deal, Hermione," he said. "It's just a flower. It'll survive."
Hermione's lips twitched. She was overreacting a bit too much over the flower, especially since she never really cared that much about plants anyway. She had started watering the flower because she wanted to do something with her hands. Neville looked so at home among the curling vines and bright blossoms. She'd felt so out-of-place that she had grabbed the watering can and began pouring water on the first plant she saw. "I'd better be getting back anyway," she said. "It's almost time for my next class."
Neville nodded. "You know you can stop by any time," he told her. "I'm always happy to talk."
Hermione felt her breath catch at the back of her throat as she stumbled out of the greenhouse. She shook her head. It was far too warm in there. That was it. Neville was a good friend. He'd been a good friend to her for years, especially since they'd both started working at Hogwarts. There was nothing more to it.
As she entered her office, Hermione looked over automatically at the mirror hanging on her wall. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were overly-bright. With shock, Hermione realised that she looked happy for the first time in weeks.
With Neville, on their first date, he took her on a picnic. He picked a bouquet of wildflowers for her and cooked the entirety of their lunch himself. Hermione had to admit the food tasted terrible, but the flowers were beautiful and it was the thought that counted. At the end of their meal, Neville looked ruefully at their almost-untouched plates. "Sorry about that," he said awkwardly, his fingers fumbling with his fork. "I wanted this to be memorable."
Hermione's heart pounded and she could feel her palms sweating. Seeing Neville's obvious nervousness made her feel calmer. "It was memorable," she told him as she leaned over.
Their first kiss was long and sweet. It was all about the present, that very moment on the soft wool blanket next to the lake. There were no promises and no heady feeling of the future; there was simply the now, which was perfect.
"I should have known," Ron said flatly.
Hermione stared. "What do you mean?" She was acutely aware of Neville's hand on the small of her back and the lump in her throat. She wasn't prepared for this strong of a reaction to Ron, not after months of not seeing him.
"You and him," Ron said, jerking his head towards Neville. "You two were always so close."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "We were best friends for seven years and then we dated for four years after that. If anybody was close, it was us."
Ron snorted.
Hermione shook her head. "You can't believe I'd betray you like that."
Ron shrugged. "I just don't know," he said quietly. There was a flash of pain in his eyes as Ron pressed his lips together. He opened his mouth but then closed it again.
Hermione watched him walk away, his red hair ruffling in the cold breeze. She swallowed, ignoring the ache in her chest. "I thought we could stay friends," she murmured. "We've been friends for so long."
Neville leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Give him time." His arms encircled her waist and Hermione leaned gratefully into his embrace. Being with Neville was so different to being with Ron. Neville was calm; he was her rock, where Ron would have flew off the handle. "Come on," he said. "Let's come back to my place and I'll make you a cup of cocoa."
When Hermione moved in with Neville, she knew that it wasn't necessarily for eternity. She knew that things could change, they could get new jobs, new hobbies, and they could grow apart. She could get annoyed with little things like the fact their apartment always smelt like flowers or the fact that Neville sang loudly and off-tune in the shower.
But Hermione took a deep breath and took the plunge anyway. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but that didn't matter. It wasn't about perfection. It was about the reality of waking up every morning with Neville's arm thrown across her chest, falling asleep curled up on his lap, and being able to sit in silence together. It was so different to being with Ron. When she was with Ron, the silences were always awkward and sometimes angry. With Neville, the silences were perfect.
It was the little things, Hermione realised. Those were what really mattered.
-fin