A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been late, if you've read my other A/N's you'll know my grandad has been ill, he's been in and out of hospital so I've spent almost all of my week off with him. What a week! So I managed to write this little chapter for you guys and I'm starting now to focus on certain people within this story. To get everything out and try not to leave any unfinished business. So hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Not my story, I just own Zach.

Trouble in the Sweet Shop

Chapter 36

What he saw was blood, blood spilling onto the floor and Hermione's blood curdling scream. For him everything happened so fast and his instincts as an Auror kicked in. He pursued Zach, pushing and shoving people who just wouldn't move. He vaguely remembered knocking someone over, he would have apologised but this was more important. Across the room, Dawlish lay...dead. A scandal that would surely appear in tomorrows Daily Prophet.

The red haired man chased the dusky blonde towards Dawlish's now empty office. He needed this, all that he knew was that Dawlish was dead and Hermione was screaming and that's what drove him on. If he could of, he would have stopped everything to be next to her, holding her, but this was more important. He fought his way towards Dawlsh's office, towards Zach. He shot a curse to which Richman dodged. He was sneaky and good at it, but then again he had spent years in training, first as a law enforcement officer and now as an Auror and so he knew all of the tricks in the book as well as how Ron fought; all of his hidden skills to surprise the suspects, he had trained with Zach for a few weeks now, making it impossible to surprise him.

Zach was running the short distance, knife still in hand and looking over his shoulder occasionally to see how close Ron was, as he ran, panicking, he pushed things behind him, folders, chairs and even kicking a table back to try and trip Ron over. Ron easily evaded them with either a quick swish of his wand or by simply jumping over them. He lost a little distance but turned the corner into Dawlish's office to see Zach eurgently fiddling with the floo system, pulling back a tiny glass door of a cabinet next to the fireplace to grab the grey dust inside. He turned to see Ron, panting in the doorway holding his wand up. Without thinking Zach threw the knife with all of his strength and Ron instinctively ducked, sending a binding spell towards the crouched man, hitting him straight in the chest. Zach froze, shock on his face and fell with a thump on the floor. Ron elevated him and went to bring him into the corridor but realising Hermione's sobs were still present, decided to leave the body there with him until help had arrived. Who knows what anyone would have done.

Ron shook his thoughts from his head, it was a very hectic day but right now he was standing, looking through the glass to see the love of his life, the one girl he had been waiting for for 5 years, sitting on a bed, holding the man of her dreams, Ron's enemy, and crying with tears of joy as he woke and smiled at her. At that moment Ron realised that he had already lost her, that there was no way to get her back because he saw how much Draco loved her too, sitting between the couple was their son, looking just like his father but would obviously have the smarts of his mother, he was such a smart young boy and he shared her compassion and love already. He hated himself at that moment for leaving. He hated the fact that if he had chosen to stay with Hermione, when their relationship was good, he might be married to her and that might have been their child. She would be sitting on his bed, holding his hands and between them would be a small red-headed boy, their son. All of this was now a dream, something that would never happen because he had done so much to the couple and it had only brought them closer together.

He left. Ron had chosen work over love and had left Hermione alone in a broken world, as people were trying to pick up the pieces of their broken lives, Ron didn't really understand everything that had happened, all he knew was that he had been thrust into this spotlight and trusted as his job to protect the innocent people of the world. Although he always knew Harry was and would always be the favourite, he strived to put his best foot forward and do his best. Back then he thought the opportunity would help his career and after the war he didn't really know what he wanted. He still felt like a child and tried everything to feel more adult. Moving away had done that, he was so independent over there, he fought for himself, lived in his own apartment with Harry, where they cooked and cleaned and earned their own money and paid for their own bills, coming home turned him back into the small childish boy that he was before he left. Hermione on the other hand had adapted and grown so much that she had her own family and her own life now and that didn't include Ron. Something inside had finally clicked and it dawned on his that he may have lost her as a friend too. It was too painful, watching her kiss and smile and laugh at the boy that once made her cry so much that Ron was the one to make her smile and laugh, killed him. Malfoy tormented Hermione for years and Ron would never forget that. Although he loved Hermione more than anything he realised at that moment that now was the time to let her go. He looked once more at the woman he loved and smiled reminiscently at the past memories they shared and turned to leave. Walking towards the exit of St Mungo's he heard a door shut behind him and a voice called his name.

"Ron." He turned and came face to face with the same brunette in the room, a moment ago.

"I just came to see if you were OK." The Brunette's face lit up as she smiled and explained to Ron everything, his smile was laced with the sadness and guilt he felt.

"Hey what's wrong?"

Ron sighed, this would be the hardest thing he would ever do.

"I can't do this any more Hermione, I can't watch you be with him...and no let me finish. I get it, you love him...and he loves you. I see that now and although it kills me, I accept it. You need each other and you have a son and so much history. He was there for you when I never was."

"Ron...please. Don't do this now."

"I have to say this Hermione, just let me say this. I love you Hermione, I thought coming back, that everything would be as it was, that you would still be living at mom's and the three of us would hang out and I would come back to the girl of my dreams and sweep her off her feet and marry her. I thought we were it Hermione. But I left, I decided to leave, maybe we would have been together if I hadn't left, maybe we would be married or have had kids by now, but I was deluding myself to think that you would put your life on hold for me."

"But I still love you Ron, you are my best friend. Always have been and I don't want that to be ruined. We can work through this, you understand now how me and Draco feel for each other. I know it won't be easy for the both of you but we can make it work and someday you will find a nice girl and get married too."

Ron let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"I can't stay. I accept it Hermione but I can't watch it. I can't spend every day watching what I might have had. What I missed out on."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm going ask for a transfer, I think a new place would be good for me. Somewhere I can start over."

Hermione nodded and a small tear fell from her eyes, she didn't want him to go but she knew it would be for the best. She moved towards the red haired man and wrapped her arms around his hugging him so tight, pulling back she kissed him on the cheek.

"But you'll visit?"

"Probably not. I just can't do it. Maybe in a few years time when I've moved on but not right now." He hugged her once more and whispered in her ear.

"I love you Hermione Granger." Letting her go, he walked away and out of the door, wiping his eye as he left the building before apparating back to the Burrow. Hermione stood there in silence staring at the spot her former best friend had stood. She whispered back, nobody around to hear.

"I love you Ron."

A/N: A very short chapter but I wanted to let Ron have his moment. Thank you so much for all of the support and reviews and just being amazing. Let me know what you think of this one. I'm doing my best to write when I find a moment.

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DD

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