Hermione watched the two boys grow up in such separate ways, yet remained friends.
Ron, still so naïve about everything, who feels so left behind and ignored, but who will put this behind in times of crisis, because he loves Harry like a brother.
Harry, so emotionally stunted, but so loyal and so willing. His fifth year was his worst, but he took the knowledge from it and grew into a man Hermione could admire.
They were both her best friends. She loved both of them so equally.
And like many would in her situation, she began to gain romantic feelings for them both. Harry's glances seemed to suggest more, Ron's fights seemed to contain a certain type of tension.
And Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to choose.
Harry understood less about emotions than Ron who was merely oblivious. Two separate types of ignorance, she supposed. Self inflicted and that caused by others.
So despite Harry's intuitiveness toward the feeling that something was different, he didn't know the words to what it was.
And so Ron won the race.
And Harry found Ginny almost everything Hermione could have been.
But only Hermione knew that.