"Ron." Hermione bit her lip nervously. The two friends were sitting in the Gryffindor common room together a few days after the final battle. Hermione had purposefully waited until everyone else had gone up to bed before starting the conversation. She had no idea how it would go.
"Yeah?" Ron replied, his tone was reluctant, like he knew something important was on Hermione's mind.
"Ron, you've been my best friend since first year," Hermione began, knowing if she paused for even a breath she wouldn't get the nerve to bring this up again, "and I always want to be your friend. You've been an amazing, and supportive friend through all of this, and I do have feelings for you, but, I'm sorry, their purely platonic, and I don't mean to hurt your feelings but-"
"It's okay, Hermione." Ron chuckled a little. "I know what you mean."
"You do?" Hermione tried not to sound to hopeful or desperate. For the past few days she'd just been working up the nerve to talk to Ron, to tell him she wasn't sure she wanted to be his girlfriend.
Ron nodded. "Yeah, to be honest I've kind of been thinking the same thing."
Hermione sighed in relief. "Oh, good." Then she realized how that must've sounded. "I mean because I still really want to be friends. Best friends. I just don't think I- I don't think we like each other like that." It was hard to tell if the last part was a statement or a question. "It would kill me to lose you and Harry."
"Yeah, I couldn't lose a friend like you Hermione." Ron agreed. The two embraced (though somewhat awkwardly) and then went their separate ways, Hermione to the girl's dormitory and Ron to the boys. They both went to sleep feeling as though an enormous weight had been lifted off their shoulders.