A/N: Submission for the Houses Competition

House: Ravenclaw

Year: 7

Prompt: Character walking away from a bad situation

Word Count: 1278

They had been in love once.

Hermione sat alone in the Three Broomsticks the night after her latest fight with Ron. It had been a hard day at the Ministry, and she had gone home to yet another argument. Hermione sipped at her Butterbeer, contemplating whether or not she needed something stronger. Tucking a loose strand of her curly brown hair behind her ear, she thought back to what had started it all.

Hermione walked in to find a candlelit dinner, and her heart swelled. It wasn't often that Ron made a lot of effort in their relationship. Not to cast him in a bad light; he was thoughtful, sometimes.

He stood behind the table in a pair of dress robes with that goofy grin on his face. "What's this?" Hermione asked as she felt her breath catch.

Ron moved over and helped her to her seat. "A surprise." He smiled nervously, and she could see his hands shaking.

The night flowed effortlessly. They chatted about work, his family, and the fact that Harry and Ginny were expecting their first child. That carefree evening came to a close when Ron served dessert, a rich chocolate cake with ice cream.

There, in her champagne glass, was a ring. She fished it out and looked at Ron in surprise. Sure, they had talked about getting married, but not now, just a year after Hogwarts and after only a year together. There was so much more she wanted to do before then.

She had turned him down that night, saying that, while she loved him, she was not ready to get married yet. She wanted to progress further along in her career first. That had been two months ago. Since then, Ron's behaviour had been… frosty. Hermione had tried to explain her reasons to him several times, but he'd started hinting more and more that she didn't need to work, that he would provide for her, that she could stay home with the kids like his mum had. This had sparked the series of arguments that had followed that otherwise romantic evening.

She came home one night shortly after the proposal to see him, standing there once more before a candlelit table. This time, the ring sat in a box on the table.

"Hermione, please. I love you, and I want to marry you." Ron took her hand and pulled her to him. "I know it's what you want, too. I know that your career is important, but we could make it work. You could work until you had the first baby, and leave after that."

Hermione couldn't believe him. She was completely astounded.

"Ronald, I don't want to quit my job. I understand that you want to get married, and have kids right away, but I told you. I'm not ready for that." She tried to keep her cool, but his irate expression was making it impossible.

"I went to all this trouble TWICE, and you still won't marry me? Your career isn't that important, we can get by with my income alone." A fire burned in his eyes. They often had small arguments, that was how their relationship had always been, but this was worse than usual.

Hermione had stormed out after that argument and went back to the office. She had a lot to do anyway, and she found that working was the best way for her to calm down. This formed a pattern, first every other day, then it soon grew to a nightly basis: she came home, he tried to ask her again, he pressured her to quit her job, often referencing his mother and how Harry and Ginny had married just out of Hogwarts and they were doing great. Soon, the spark she had felt at the beginning of their relationship was gone.

Their relationship had gone sour after all the arguments, both too stubborn to admit that they were in the wrong. Too often, she jumped to the conclusion that he wanted her to become like his mother, and he was too impatient to see that she needed time.

Hermione took a sip of her Butterbeer and knew what she had to do. It would be difficult; she loved Ron, but she was not in love with him anymore. Their relationship had become toxic. He had started to criticise her work habits, and she had started avoiding him. Ron was not all to blame, but Hermione felt that there was no way forward for them as a couple. If she wanted to save their friendship, she would have to sacrifice her relationship with him.

Hermione ordered a Firewhisky and downed it in one go. She needed a bit of Dutch courage to go through with it. Hopefully, one day, Ron would forgive her for breaking his heart. He deserved better, but she needed to get out of the bad cycle that they were perpetuating.

Gathering her belongings, Hermione rose from her stool at the bar. She knew that Ron wouldn't take it well but this was the way things had to be for them. With a deep breath and a steeled expression, she Apparated home.

The sight that greeted her was unusual. Ron sat in a chair by the fireplace and didn't acknowledge her as she walked in. Removing her coat and placing her bag on the table by the door, she walked into the lounge and sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Ron, we need to talk," she said softly, not liking what she had to do. He looked up at her defeatedly, like he wanted to convince her again but felt like he wouldn't be able to. He nodded, unable to bring himself to say anything.

"This isn't easy, Ron. I love you but this constant string of arguments and proposals has got to stop. We are making each other unhappy and I… am afraid I don't love you like that anymore," she said, her hands shaking and her eyes watering.

"Hermione… no… we can make this work!" Ron spoke his first words since Hermione had come home. "I know that I have been putting a lot of pressure on you to get married but honestly, I just wanted to start our life together, just like Harry and Ginny, and George and Angelina." He paused for a moment, as if he couldn't bring himself to continue, his own eyes glistening with unwept tears. "George kept teasing me saying I should seal the deal."

Hermione was speechless. That explained it. While it didn't change her decision, she had suspected that Ron had felt too much pressure from his family to follow the trend just as he had at school, wanting to become Prefect, Head Boy and be on the Quidditch team just like his brothers and sister.

"Ron, I get it, I do… but," she sighed, "It doesn't change the fact that I wasn't ready." Hermione reached over and crossed the gap between them, placing a hand on his. "I don't know when I will be and I am really sorry about that." She brushed away the tears that had begun to fall.

"There is no way forward for us now, we are not good for each other, we are both too stubborn and we argue over the smallest things. We can't go back now, it's over. I hope you can forgive me."

She rose and headed for the door. She didn't dare look back at him, willing her resolve not to break. "I will come for my things in a few days—goodbye, Ron."

She grabbed her bag and coat and left, not looking back despite her heart screaming to do so.