Alone
It's a funny thing, being alone. You read and hear so many stories about it and you just think: Shut up, no one can get that lonely.
Then it happens to you.
You've all of your life for your special day and he ruins it. The one who you've trusted and been through hell and back with abandons you.
Ron Weasley abandoned our wedding and I, Hermione Granger, never want to see him again.
I peer off the edge of the cliff; it's a long way down to the crashing waves below. I look to the horizon, hoping to see Ron sailing towards me telling me he didn't mean to do it. There's no ship.
Ginny had told me to remain calm and that Ron was just being nervous. I knew that wasn't true and by the looks of it she knew too. I wasn't thick; I knew Ron had been seeing Anna Holding behind my back. I walked in on them a few months ago but something told me Ron was drunk and I was right. I just let it go because we were getting married in a few months. If Ron really loved me he would marry me and choose me over her.
It turns out he didn't love me and left me at the altar.
Harry had told me not to do anything rash, well as soon as they had left me I disapparated to the cliff. I never had any intentions of jumping; I just wanted to be alone because I knew Ron Weasley wasn't worth dying over.
Mrs Weasley had eyes like fire when she stormed out after Ron. I knew that if Ron didn't get out of there quick he wasn't going to make it anywhere. She had shot a quick glance to me before she had gone after her arrogant son. Mr Weasley just sat there and looked nervously at me, afraid I was going to burst into tears, something he couldn't handle. I laughed as the image of Mr Weasley trying to comfort a twenty-two year old woman after her fiancé had just left her wedding.
I took my shoes off and felt the cool grass beneath my feet. My dress had a rip in it and my hair was coming down. I bent down to pick up a single buttercup. Memories from my fifth year came flooding back to me.
'Hermione! Over here!' I heard Ron call and whirled round in the direction of his voice. I spotted him and Harry sitting by the lake. I waved to them and made my way over.
'Hey Hermione' Harry yawned when I got there and I tried to hide a laugh. 'What?' Harry asked.
'Nothing' I smiled sweetly. The sight of him lying on his back with his glasses lopsided was enough to send anyone into a fit of giggles. Hands suddenly started to tickle me and I screamed and spun around to meet Ron.
'Hello!' Ron laughed. I smiled back and sat down beside him.
'Hermione what lesson have we got next?' Harry asked sleepily. I rolled my eyes.
'I have Transfiguration. YOU have Defence against the Dark Arts.'
'What about me?' Ron asked.
'You have, I think the same as Harry' I looked down and started to fiddle with the grass. A few snores could be heard coming from Harry and Ron laughed. I laid down on my front and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, however I felt something tickle my neck. I opened one eye to see Ron looking down at me.
'What the hell are you doing?' I asked. I wasn't angry, I was actually amused as his face had gone bright red.
'I was just seeing if you like butter' He whispered and held out a buttercup. I took it from him gently.
'You know about that?' I asked him. It was meant to be a muggle thing.
'Oh you know? Fred and George annoyed me with it. You see, I never used to like butter and I would never eat it. Mum was getting pretty desperate so Fred and George shoved a buttercup under my chin and told me I liked butter. I always had to eat it after that.' He said. I looked at him and met his eyes. He smiled at me and I smiled back. He took the buttercup from my hand and clipped it into my hair.
I still have that buttercup, pressed in a book.
I sighed and looked for somewhere to sit down. There was a small rock a few metres away and I slowly moved towards it. My dress was heavy and I just wanted to get it off. I'm not meant to be wearing it any way. The rock was hard underneath my bottom and I started shivering. My life seemed so wrong at the moment and I just wanted it to be clean and start afresh. But that will never happen. I've been through far too much with Ron to forget about him.
My eyes slowly opened and I could faintly see the outline of a person asleep on a chair next to where I was lying. It felt like I was lying on something soft, a mattress perhaps but I had no recognition of what happened. The last thing I could remember was being in the most horrific pain at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. The figure gave a loud snore and yawned. When it slowly got up I could see that it was Ron. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes slowly darted to me and when he caught my eye his eyes widened.
'Hermione!' He cried and rushed to my side. He looked at me concerned.
'R-ron' I croaked but winced in pain. It hurt to speak.
'Shh, don't worry you don't have to talk. I'm here' Ron soothed and stroked my hair. I wanted to ask him so many questions. How had I escaped Malfoy Manor? Where was he kept? Were he and Harry ok?
'I never gave up on you.' Ron whispered. I looked at him confused. 'When we apparated here y-you looked d-d-ead. But I knew that you couldn't die and that you wouldn't. I stayed here for a week, yes that's how long you've been unconscious for. I'll never let you get hurt again.' He told me and I started to cry.
'R-ron' I said, ignoring the pain. 'T-thank you for n-not leaving me t-there' I sobbed. Ron held me tighter.
'I will never leave you'
That memory seemed far away from the Ron I knew now. After everything we went through I just could not believe he went. I stood up from my rock and walked over to the cliff edge. I took a breath of the salty sea air and remembered a poem that Ron gave me one valentine.:
A gentle word like a spark of light,
Illuminates my soul
And as each sound goes deeper,
It's you that makes me whole
Tears started streaming down my face as I remember that nothing would ever be how it used to be. I'll go back to the burrow say goodbye and leave for somewhere where I could start a new life. I hated Ron, he ruined my life and I could never make it right.
Suddenly I feel hands at my waist and I scream, my arms flying about the place and my feet slipping on the edge. I see a flash of red hair before I fall backwards and off the edge of the cliff.
'RON!' I screamed and shut my eyes as I felt something grasp my wrist. I dared to open my eyes and I see Ron on his front, leaning over the edge of the cliff, holding onto my life, quite literally. If he were to let go, I would die. Then I realise that he's crying. I start to slip but Ron grabs me with his other hand.
'I'm sorry' He said and one of his tears fell onto my tear stained cheek.
It's nice sometimes, to be wrong.