Hermione Granger sat on the grassy bank, gazing at the sunset over the lake. The view was literally breathtaking. So serene and calm...peaceful. Her thoughts drifted, flitting though memories of time gone by, thinking of the people who had shaped her, helped mold her into the person she was. They were a part of her, and she would leave them next year, after graduation.
She thought of Harry, her best friend who had been through so much. His childhood had been stripped away so rapidly, he never really experienced it. He had lived through the hardest times, becoming tougher. All she wanted was for him to succeed, to live, to fight Voldemort and win, to ride the world of the evil hated and feared above all.
She thought of Ginny, her closest girlfriend, who had always been there. All she wanted was for Ginny to be happy, to live up to her parent's expectations (which were high!) But also, to live up to her own expectations (which were much higher then those of her parents!). Ginny deserved to live the life she has always wanted, after living in the shadows of her six older brothers for so long.
She thought of Neville, an unspoken acquaintance, who she helped in Potions, and any other subject that required her assistance. She remembered how he had fought bravely at her side in the Department of Mysteries. How he wanted to live up to his father, though his grandmother constantly reminded him that he could never do it. Hermionie smiled. Neville could do it. He could live up to his father...he already had. He had shown her that...he had shown everyone that in the battle inside the Department of Mysteries last year.
She thought of Parvarti, and her desire to be better then her twin sister Padama, a Ravenclaw. She remembered how excited Parvarti had been when she achieved higher marks in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, and how gutted she had been when Padama had sneered and said "Non-academic subjects don't matter. You just enjoy crawling around in the dirt with the animals and plants.". Hermionie had comforted Parvarti then, and tutored her. The proud smile Parvarti wore when she found out she had beaten Padama in most exam marks was the best reward Hermionie ever could have asked for, and she told Parvarti so when payment was due.
She thought of Dean Thomas, how he wanted to be like Harry and Ron. She remembered how he had whispered to her hurriedly one night, asking how he was different...what made him differ from Harry. Hermionie had answered honestly. "You are different from Harry because you are Dean Thomas, not Harry Potter. You will always be Dean, no matter what you do, or how you change yourself. Don't try to be someone else. People like you as you. Remember that."
She thought of Lavender, and her desire to be desired by all the boys in the year. She remembered how Lavender had tried to "snare" Ron, and how she stopped flirting with him the moment she saw the murderous look on Hermionie's face. She remembered how, for months afterwards, Lavender had claimed Hermionie LOVED Ron.
She thought of Ron. Ron...he was so blind. Would he ever see her? Really see her...as a woman, not as a friend? Probably not. She sighed. Of all the boys to fall for, it just had to be Ron, her red-haired, freckled, lanky, stubborn best friend. She remembered the way he had hugged her at the beginning of the year. How he ran towards her as he spotted her, and swept her into his arms, off her feet. It was so romantic. Time had seemed to stop...until Harry arrived, turning the embrace into a friendly group hug. Ron had no idea...no idea how important he is to her. Ron...the first, and only boy she had ever really loved. Was he? She paused in thought.
She thought of Viktor Krum in her fourth year...she hadn't really liked him that much...but he had noticed her and Ron hadn't. She smiled, remembering how jealous Viktor was of Harry, thinking the rumors about Harry and her were true, or at least based on truth. Viktor loved her...and Ron hadn't. The slight smile faded. Ron would never love her, never notice her the way she wanted him to. He would never hold her, never kiss her. She would always be in the shadows, watching another woman in his arms.
A lone tear trickled down Hermione's cheek. She didn't bother wiping away this first tear, and others followed, silently streaming down her face. She sat, staring at the sunset, her beautiful brown eyes producing two identical waterfalls of tears. She did not know that the object of her love, that red-haired fellow she cared so much about, was standing close behind, composing himself. Once he gathered his nerve, Ron sat down beside her. "Hermione, I-" He cut himself off as he saw she was crying. "Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked, concern standing out clearly in the worried tone with which he addressed her. "I was just thinking..." She replied softly as she slowly turned her head to face him. His own blue eyes widened as he saw those brown eyes he loved so much brimming with tears. "What were you thinking about that makes you cry?" Ron asked, his own voice softening slightly. Lifting a hand, he brushed a tear off her cheek.
Hermione stilled for a moment, thinking, choosing her words carefully. "I... I was thinking of all the good times I've had, the people I've met. This castle is my home, it's people have become my family. We'll be leaving next year. Leaving this castle and everyone in it. I wish I didn't have to leave." She murmured softly, not meeting his eyes. "Oh, 'Mione, don't cry. Everyone grows up." He pulled her into a hug. "... even me." he added, chuckling, his chest rumbling a little as he laughed. She buried her head in his shoulder a small murmer of a giggle moving through her body in time with his. He inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. She smelled like the ripe strawberries his mother put in his favourite pie. He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and pushed her back slightly so she was looking into his face, but still sitting in his lap. "'Mione," he muttered, eyes on the ground "It doesn't matter how you grow and change, I'll still care about you." He looked up and wiped the last tear from her face with his thumb.
She stared at him, hardly daring to believe that he meant that he loved her the way she loved him. "Ron..." He interrupted her. "'Mione, I've cared about you for years, and I just can't hide it anymore... I know that you deserve better then a freckled, red-haired loser, but I-" he was cut off by Hermione gently touching the tip of a finger to his lips. His lips quivered beneath her touch, and then she was leaning forward, moving her finger. Her soft sweet lips touched his, and he lost his train of thought. All he thought of was her. Never, in all his dreams, all his fantasies, had he imagined this. The kiss was so soft and sweet, it was perfect. She was perfect.
Hermione broke the kiss, and touched her forehead to his, her beautiful brown eyes looking into his. Slowly, softly she spoke "Ron, I have a thing for freckled, red-haired losers." she whispered. "I-" he started to say, but she interrupted him again. "Just kiss me, Ron." she murmured. "But I-" He started to speak again, and she stopped him once again with a whisper "Shut up and kiss me Ronald Weasley, or I'll- " He threw caution to the wind, and kissed her, as she was in the middle of threatening him. Her arms slipped around his neck, and his around her waist. The end of the friendship era, and the beginning of a lifetime together. Their love---and their future---was sealed with a kiss.