Chapter 1

The sun was bright, that afternoon in June, and the weather was amazingly warm for the northern part of the UK. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team was at practice, Ron and Hermione were sitting by the lake, sitting under a nice tree, trying to enjoy the last of their days at Hogwarts until they would leave it forever.

This thought scared Hermione, more than she ever thought it would. Leaving Hogwarts was always supposed to open doors for her, but now it seemed as if she was just fiddling with the knobs. What was she supposed to do?? Become dentists like her parents?

"I don't think so," she mumbled.

"What Hermione?" asked Ron, his tall figure sprawled across the grass, his hair, as red as ever, turned golden when the sun hit it at exactly the right spot.

" Nothing Ron," she replied, looking at him sadly. God! She was going to miss him. He was going off to become an Auror; he had never really gotten over the fantasy that Moody had put in his head. Aurors had to go away for training for one year, where they would see nobody except the other Aurors during that time.

And Harry, as expected, was going off to play for England, touring the world, and busy at practices. They'd be on the opposite sides of the world, and Hermione would be settling into her small flat, in London near Diagon Alley, with no idea what to do or where to go. Alone.

Alone. She hated that more than everything else that was wrong. Being best friends with somebody for seven years did not make it easy to leave them.

"Are you sure you won't come to Auror training with me Hermione?" asked Ron.

" You know I can't be an Auror, and besides, I don't really want to."

" But how am I going to survive without you telling me what to do?" Ron teased. If Hermione had looked, she would have noticed that his blue eyes, the eyes that turned many heads in the halls, were very serious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"Nothing. Just that I'm going to miss you, that's all," he said carefully. The tears that Hermione had been holding in for what seemed like ages finally came out. Slowly however. One small tear fell down her cheek, and another followed. She hiccuped trying not to sob and Ron looked over.

" 'Mione, what's the matter? What did I say?"

" Nothing Ron.... But I'm going to miss you too!" …He wiped a tear away from her face and grinned.

" It's only a year. By the time I get back, you'll have fallen in love with one of your books or that-that Viktor Krum, all over again. You probably will have forgotten who I was…" This what Ron worried about. Not where he was going to go or what he was going to do, but that he would return home and Hermione wouldn't want anything to do with him.

" Ron! You know that's not true. I never understood why you hated him so much, anyway."

"Because he took you to the ball, and danced with you, talked to you, made you pay all your attention to him, ever since he met you in that stupid library.I dunno, I guess I was just jealous…" There. He'd finally said it. He had been meaning to for 3 years now, and Harry had been bugging him everyday to do it.

" You were jealous? Why?"she said incredulously. Being the smartest witch in the school didn't help her in this situation.

" Don't be blind Hermione!" …Ron didn't know why, but suddenly he was angry." I've been in love with you ever since I first made you cry because of Crookshanks, and it's been staring at you straight in the eye for four years now, and if you hadn't been so involved in your books, then maybe you would have noticed, that the only reason why I was 'procrastinating' was because I was too busy looking at you! Maybe if you hadn't spent so much time in the library, you would of realised how many times I tried to kill Malfoy because of what he said about you! Unfortunately, Harry held me back. But still! Maybe if you had thought of my feelings instead of those house-elves you would have realised that I went through so many pieces of SPEW parchment trying to leave a decent note in their for you! Honestly! I think you care more for Dobby than you do for me."

"Ron, please don't be angry," Hermione said. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say.

" Do you really love me?" she asked.

"Always have," he said, staring at the ground.

" Oh.'

"Please, 'Mione, tell me that you love me too!" He said flopping on the ground beside her.

" I do. I do love you Ron...... but I'm not IN love with you. Please don't let this ruin us. I really do need you."

" That's what I used to think, " he said, then he turned away and walked back into the castle, leaving Hermione sitting there asking herself if she was right.

Chapter 2

It was the last day at Hogwarts, and they were getting off the train at London. Hermione felt even worse than she had before, she and Ron hadn't talken since. The graduation ceremony had been amazing, Gryffindor had won the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, again, but she still had this pit, right in her stomach, that she couldn't get rid of.

They stepped off the train and onto the Muggle platform, where Hermione saw the taxi her parents had sent her so that she could get to her flat. She decided to break the silence.

" You guys, you have to owl all the time, and I'll send you birthday presents and packages from home, and oh, I can't wait till you get back!" she said, throwing her arms around Harry. Ron was leaving tomorrow, and Harry was staying at the Burrow until he had to go to Zambia for a game in 3 days. She was about to hug Ron too when he said, "There's my mum. Come on, Harry, we'd better go." And with that he said goodbye, turned and dragged Harry after him.
" Goodbye Ron!" Hermione called after him. She felt sad all over, and thought that tears were going to fall again. When she got into the taxi, she told him where to go, then climbed in the back and let the tears fall. The kind old man driving smiled sadly and said, " Couldn't help but notice you back there. He loves you doesn't he?" How right can he be? Thought Hermione.

"Yes,' she whispered. They were silent for a long time and had almost reached her flat when he spoke again.

" Do you love him?" he spoke gently, almost like Harry.

" I don't think I do," she said, and the tears started again. This is silly, she thought. You are not in love with him! He's your best friend! It is not possible to be in love with your best friend! You are not in love with Ron Weasley. He pulled over to the curb and said" looks like a nice place. I hope you get settled in all right, miss. And I would think about that guy back there, I doubt there are more like him out there.It's on the house," and he drove away, with one last smile. Hermione waved goodbye, wishing that every taxi driver would be like him. I am Not in love with him, she thought once more, before walking into her flat.

That's what she thought.