This was written for the Hogwarts' Muggle Studies's Assignment: Five stage of… (getting over you), and for Samantha (HP Slash Luv). I hope you like it!

Word count: 1758

Regular Miracles

stage one: finding out he doesn't want you

'He doesn't like you.' The realization echoes in Hermione's head until they're all she can think about, until she feels like she can't breathe, like someone took ahold of her heart and is squeezing it tight.

It hurts more than she thought it would, considering that she hadn't even meant to be in love in the first place.

She doesn't even know why she's surprised. It's not like Ron ever made a move on her, not like he ever really seemed interested or anything like that. It's just, they've been friends for years now, and maybe it was wrong of her to do that but she's always imagined that there was something more between them, like a spark just waiting to ignite.

(silly Hermione, her minds whispers cruelly, who could ever want a know-it-all like you?)

But maybe she was just fooling herself. Maybe years of society telling her that best friends were meant to fall in love had finally gotten to her, despite her thinking she knew better than that. Or maybe she had simply thought that the way Ron looked at her sometimes, the way he had gotten jealous at the Ball two years ago, meant he felt the same as her.

But well, if he could go out with Lavender Brown like this, then clearly she had been fooling herself.

It still hurts though.

stage two: find someone to commiserate with

"I'm sorry about Ron," Harry tells her the next day at breakfast. He looks incredibly awkward, playing with the eggs on his plate idly, but his eyes bore into Hermione's with the same burning intensity they always do. It is oddly comforting.

Two seats over, Lavender giggles loudly as she pats at Ron's arm. Hermione grits her teeth and stabs at her breakfast. "Thanks," she replies, "but it's really not your fault."

Harry shrugs. "Still. It's Ron," he says, like that explains everything. And maybe it does—after all, how many times have they used just that excuse to justify Ron's behavior.

"He's an idiot," Hermione states.

Harry laughs. "But he's our idiot."

"I guess," Hermione replies, sighing heavily and rolling her eyes. Her tone is fonder than she'd meant it to be, and it twists something inside her chest a little. She busies herself by drinking pumpkin juice, because she's not sure her voice wouldn't croak if she tried to speak now.

"It wouldn't have worked out anyway," she says afterwards, unsure of who, exactly, she's trying to convince. "We're too different, and Ron has no table manners."

"And no work ethic," Harry adds laughingly. They're all complaints she's had so many times they might as well be rehearsed, but they still make her smile.

"And he doesn't like books—who doesn't like books, Harry?" she doesn't even have to try to sound horrified at that—because really, who doesn't like books?—and they both smile at that. She shakes her head. "It'd never have worked out," she repeats, and she wishes it sounded more like the truth.

"But you wanted it to," Harry states, or maybe asks.

"I guess so," Hermione mutters in guise of an answer, shrugging a little. She smirks, hiding the pain, and hits him on the arm. "But anyway, when did you get so knowledgeable?" she teases.

"I've always been knowledgeable," Harry answers, "you've just never listened."

Hermione scoffs. "Right. Sure. I definitely believe you. But seriously, how did you know? You're not usually as dense as Ron when it comes to feelings, but you're definitely no genius there either."

"Duh, thanks Hermione," Harry drawls, rolling his eyes. "It's always so nice to be appreciated around here."

"You're welcome," Hermione snorts. "But seriously, how did you know?"

"I guess I just know what it looks like when you want someone you can't have," he sighs, eyes suddenly far away, and Hermione winces when she thinks about the other redhead in a relationship in their dorms.

"Weasleys suck," Hermione says, knocking their glasses together in a mock toast.

Harry doesn't reply, but he looks a little less sad and he toasts back. Hermione will take it as a win.

stage three: try a rebound

She takes McLaggen to Slughorn's party and it is an absolute disaster. He is loud and rude and everything Ron is without any of the good qualities her friend has, and every second she spends in his company—every second he spends leering at her—just makes her wish the ground would open up and swallow her whole. This had definitely been the worst idea she had ever had, and she wonders what she ever thought she saw in him.

Fortunately, it is very easy to duck out of sight when her date gets distracted, and the party is big enough that she can avoid him after that.

Ginny is the one who finds her after a while.

"That bad, uh?" she asks.

Hermione looks up from the drink she's nursing and snorts. "Worse. McLaggen is literally the worst."

"I could have told you that," she points out with a smile, and Hermione laughs.

"Then why didn't you?"

Ginny shrugs. "He's an ass, but he wouldn't hurt you-"

"-please, I'd hex him first," Hermione scoffs.

"Exactly," Ginny replies with a pointed look before sipping at her own drink. "And I guess that maybe there were some things you needed to find out for yourself, things I couldn't just tell you."

Hermione stares at her. "Thanks, but no thanks. Next time, don't hold back on my account."

Ginny smirks. "I won't, then. But just… Did it help?" She looks concerned for a moment, and Hermione smiles back fondly. She thinks of the way she ran from McLaggen when moments earlier she had thought she wanted him, of the way she doesn't want to date him or anyone like him and how she hasn't thought of dating Ron in a while, hasn't felt that tight burn of jealousy in her stomach lately.

"You know what?" she replies, "I think it did."

"Then I'm glad."

stage four: realize you're definitely over him

Ron kisses her on a Saturday. She doesn't even notice that they were on a date until he does—she should have known though, because Ron had looked oddly excited and Harry's smile had been a little too tight—and so she freezes for a few moments.

"Sorry," she says when he pulls back. Her heart is racing in her chest but it's the oh-Merlin-what-if-I-ruined-everything kind of racing instead of the happy-love-you kind. She doesn't particularly like it.

"It's fine," Ron replies with a self-depreciating smile. "I should have known." He doesn't sound mad, or jealous, just kind of sad, and Hermione breathes more easily.

He shuffles his feet and then sighs. "Let's go find Harry, then," he says. At Harry's name, Hermione's heart skips a beat and her stomach fills with dread.

This wasn't supposed to happen—getting over Ron had never been supposed to mean falling for someone else, Harry least of all.

(not that Harry wasn't… not that she didn't want to fall for Harry, because Harry was kind and brave and he deserved the world, but this wasn't supposed to happen)

(and then Harry's eyes literally light up when he sees the distance between her and Ron and the way Ron says, "It just didn't work out, mate." and Hermione thinks that 'supposed to' or not, it doesn't matter—it happened)

stage five: date someone you love

"Do you think Ron knows?"

Harry looks startled by her question. "Knows what?" he asks, head tilted to the side.

"That we're dating," Hermione explains, rolling her eyes. They're in the Library, where she dragged Harry to study for their exams—there may be a war going on but their education is important—so they have to keep quiet, but as long as they do they can still talk. Also, Ron isn't there, so it's the closest thing to a date they've managed in a while.

There are, Hermione reflects idly as she turns another page, many more dating options in the muggle world than in the magical one.

"Is that what we're doing then?" Harry teases. "Dating?"

"Obviously," Hermione replies dryly, but she's smiling. Her heart swells in her chest—after all, not so long ago Harry wouldn't have considered dating her (or anyone else, for that matter) because 'it was too dangerous'. He's still worried, she can see it, but also so much lighter now that he's accepted that this wasn't a choice he could make for her.

(honestly, boys)

Harry laughs, muffling the sound into coughing when they start to get dirty looks. "He probably knows, yeah," he admits. "But then again, it's Ron, so who really knows?"

"I just don't want it to be weird," she sighs.

Harry's eyes soften as he reaches for her hand. Its weight on hers is warm and comforting, and Hermione's smile gets wider.

"Hey, you and me? That could never be weird," Harry replies, winking.

"I love you too," Hermione laughs, squeezing his hand lightly. "But you know I was talking about Ron and us."

"Ron will be fine," Harry states with all the conviction he can muster, "and so will we. You'll see."

"You really believe that?" Hermione asks, heart beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings in her chest.

Harry's eyes flash with something she can't quite identify, and Hermione realizesthat they're not just talking about them dating anymore. "I do," he says, and that sounds like a lie. "I have to," he adds, and that doesn't.

Hermione gets it, and she thinks she might hate that, but she does. The prospect of any of them not getting out of this is terrifying, and she doesn't want to consider it, so she won't let herself. Not here, and not now anyway.

"Well, if you say we'll be fine, then I'm sure we will be," she states, injecting in her voice all the steadfastness of her trust in Harry.

Harry's lips quirk up in a smile, that little sliver of something like sunlight that never ceases to amaze her. "Thanks," he says.

"You're welcome," she replies, nodding regally. "Now, let's go back to work—there's only forty-five days left until the exams, and we need to be ready."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replies, eyes jerking back to his books. He lets go of her hand but he keeps the smile for a while longer, and Merlin, Hermione wishes she could stay in this moment forever.