AN: The long stream of italics are previous/earlier events. It should be obvious when a character is thinking versus when we delve into a flashback scene. If this is confusing, please let me know, and I will try to reformat for better ease of reading. This is my first go at a fanfic, so please be gentle. (:

The corridor was dimly lit as Hermione Granger flung herself into the dark, unyielding door of the potions' classroom. A soft, strangled cry burst from her lips as she placed her opened right hand and forehead against the cool wood, bringing up her clenched left fist to swat futility at the wall before slumping down altogether onto the stone floor. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her chest heaved with the exertion of keeping her sobs at bay whilst also propelling enough air into her lunges to still the dizziness that threatened to thrust her into unconsciousness.

How did this happen? she thought as her head lobbed side to side against the wall. Just moments before, before her blind, frantic sprint found her in the depths of the dungeons, Ron had been pressed up against her in the Astronomy Tower. Why she agreed to meet him there in the first place was beyond her, but she quickly realized her mistake.

Ron had been wanting to take their relationship to the next level, as he called it, since the pair had been going on and off for the better part of a year. He had told her that it was expected of girlfriends to put out for their boyfriends, to make them happy, even though Hermione had, on several occasions, said that she just didn't think her heart and her body were ready to go there with him. It all came to a head earlier that evening when she had received his note telling her that he wanted to meet up, to make things right after their heated row from this morning had left them both off kilter for the rest of the day.

When Hermione had first taken the piece of parchment from Parvati and Lavendar, she was furious that he would write her and have those two deliver it rather than come face her himself. If things were going to be off for them, for good this time, because of his stupid need to have sex with anything that had two legs that would open for him, well, she thought the bloody prat should have the decency to end things with her in person.

Hermione read his note once, then twice, before nodding to the two Gryffindors, confirming she'd be there. She and Ron had, after all, been friends since the middle of first year, and she felt it was up to her to ensure they stayed that way.

It was in honour of that friendship, of their Golden Trio, that she found herself walking up the stairs of the tower at exactly ten o'clock that night. Hermione had long been rehearsing her speech:

Ronald, you and I have been through a lot. We've had a lot going on these last few years, and with the war looming, I understand your feeling that timing just isn't on our side. But I just can't go there with you, not yet. I'm not ready, you know I'm not, and I can't change my mind on this. I love you, and I always will; but maybe we are better suited as friends. We've been down this road too many times over the last year for us to smile and pretend everything's okay. It obviously isn't, and it's become apparent to me that I am not what you want and need from a girlfriend. I hate knowing that our relationship is ruining our friendship, so it's time, Ron. It's time to move on to other things, other people. It's not goodbye to our friendship, just goodbye to our failed go at being more than friends. We can go do different things with different people, and at the end of the day, it'll still be you, me, and Harry in the common room, me fretting about the pair of you and your lack of studying and you guys nagging about my library habits. We'll be okay.

But when she approached Ron and opened her mouth to speak, she realized that they weren't okay, nor would they ever be okay again.

Ron had grabbed her and pulled her into a rough kiss before she had time to inhale her breath. Her eyes were wide as she pushed with both hands against his chest, but he was relentless. His lips plowed against her mouth as one of his hands darted under her sapphire jumper, groping upwards. Hermione redoubled her efforts and managed to break their lip lock, and when she looked into her friend's flushed face, she was torn between rage and searing tears.

"Ronald!"

"What the fuck, Hermione?" his voice ringing through the inky darkness on the balcony.

"I, you, what do you think-"

"What do you mean, 'what do I think?'; you came to me!" He paused and frowned, brow drawn and eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. You agreed to come here to tease me again, did you?" Ron's face was bright red as he slowly walked towards Hermione, effectively backing her into the railing. "Think you're something special, little know-it-all. Did you think after what you said to Harry this morning that we could go back to what we were, that we could just come up here to chat or snog or what? I heard the two of you whispering as I was leaving the bloody common room!" He was seething, and not for the first time in her dealings with Ron, Hermione felt a wave of fear prickle in the pit of her stomach.

"Ron, I meant to come up here to tell you that we can't—we can't go on like this!" Her voice had risen from her usual cool tone to a shrill pitch that betrayed her nerves at their situation. Seeing Ron's eyes narrow and his fist clench by his side, she continued. "I, I know you love me, Ron, and I know you want to, you know, but-"

"But what, Hermione?" he shouted. "Don't give me that same shit excuse that you're not ready. We've been dating for months. You're more than fucking ready! You just want it with Harry bloody Potter, huh? Have the two of you been shagging this whole time?" Hermione tried to speak, to protest, but in his delusional jealousy, he would have none of it. "Stupid girl, you're my bloody girlfriend." With that, he pressed his body into hers once more, pinning her with his arms on either side of her, gripping the rail.

She tried in vain throw up her hands to push at his chest, his shoulders, anywhere she could reach, but she wasn't as physically strong as he was. She huffed and felt the known sting of tears in her eyes, but in that moment, she knew she wouldn't shed them. Not yet. She knew she had to get out of his grasp and away from him before he did something worse that they would both regret immensely.

As Ron aggressively attacked her neck with sloppy, forceful kisses, Hermione's brain kicked into overdrive. She knew she couldn't best him in a physical battle of force without access to her wand, which was currently digging into her side from the holster on her arm that was also digging into her side due to the nature of being pinned. She also knew that, even though she was afraid and Ron was being a right bastard, she couldn't cause him permanent harm. So Hermione decided that the best course of action was to get her arms free enough to palm her wand and stun her former friend.

A thousand thoughts darted through her mind before she settled on playing up Ron's need for physical release. Her brain immediately declared that distraction was the best policy in this case, and so Hermione quickly tried to relax her body against Ron's. Soft moans and gasps began to force their way from her lips, and at that, Ron jerked his head up to look into her face with a small grin, his weight still forcefully holding her in place. She looked him in the eyes and slowly licked her lips, trying for a sultry look that she knew would fool no one but the red head before her. Her brain noted that his hardness pressed even further into her pelvis at the gesture, so she dared to speak.

"You're right, Ron. I am ready. I'm so stupid for not realizing how much I need you. I'm so, so sorry." His eyes were hooded as he continued to stare at her, judging her sincerity. "Please. I need, I want, this."

Taking her at her word, his lips crashed into hers once more, and Hermione had to bite back the bile that burned her throat as she kissed him back, willing him to forget his need to hold her still. Slowly, agonizingly slowly in the worst way, Ron moved his hands to trail up her arms and over her shoulders to grip her hair and press her even closer. Hermione forced a believable moan as he broke the kiss to suck on her neck. She knew she needed to get some distance between their bodies, quickly, in order for her to get her wand and get the hell out of there.

"You have, ah, too many clothes, oooh, on!" she managed to breathe out. That was all the encouragement the hormonal teen needed to push off of her and begin attacking his belt to release himself. Hermione seized advantage of the small space between them, and in an instant, she had grabbed her wand and whispered a quick Stupefy. Ron hit the ground with an eerily loud thump, as Hermione tore off down the stairs and through the castle.