Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I used to get really upset when I saw my friends with their girlfriends or boyfriends. I never said it out loud to any of them, but I got jealous so easily. I didn't have anyone, and sometimes it felt like my classmates were pairing off, and there was no one left for me. When I felt like that, I would just tell myself that I was being silly, and someday I would find the right guy. It made me feel better for a few minutes, at least. But I never really believed it. That was a "happily ever after" ending, and I don't get those. If I ever found a guy that was right for me, I would be destined for a "we need to talk" ending, not a "Will you marry me?" or "I love you".
I finally found the right guy. Actually, it was the wrong one; wrong in every aspect except that we were perfect for each other. Of course, neither of us would admit it, not even to ourselves.
It's not important how or when we realized it; all that matters is that we did. And while I was with him, I had the most fun I'd ever had in my entire life. It was perfect. While it lasted.
Because I am not a "happily ever after" type of person. For a while, I had tricked myself into believing the lies I had told myself for so long. But the truth caught up with me.
"We need to talk." Possibly the worst four words in the English language. And I was of the receiving end of them. He had explanations that I didn't need to hear and apologies that meant nothing.
Except one thing. The thought that cheered me up, as absurd as it sounds.
Draco Malfoy apologized to a mudblood. The girl who he hated for years, the girl who stood for everything he was against.
He thinks I'm crazy now. Because as he was breaking my heart, I was laughing. I was laughing and crying, crying because I was hurt and because I was laughing so hard, and laughing because he was apologizing to me, of all people, and because I saw the look on his face when I started to laugh. So what if I'm alone for the rest of my life? I can live "happily ever after" all by myself.
Author's Note: In case you couldn't tell, that was written from Hermione's POV. I wrote that in about ten minutes in the middle of the night, so it's bound to be a bit off, even for me. R&R, because I review everything I read. And in case you're wondering about my other stories, I'm pretty sure that the only unfinished one I've posted is "Threat of Love", and I still need, like, eight or nine reviews before I start writing the next chapter. "The Remembered Ones" is finished now, though it hasn't been updated in forever, because I decided that the last chapter I wrote was as good a place as any to end the story. If anyone wants to steal it from me and keep writing it, it's fine with me. Lots o' luck!