*Chapter Three- What He Thinks Is Right*

~+Ron's Point Of View+~

Ron only got a glance of Hermione as she bounded up the stairs. What was wrong with her? Ron looked at the rolled up parchment in his hands and gave Ginny a quick, questioning look before saying a short 'goodnight'. As he made a slow progression up the stairs he had no idea what this had to be about. What would she have to write to him about?

Closing the dormitory door he saw that Harry was the only one still awake.

"What's that, mate?" Harry asked, climbing into bed.

"It's from Hermione." Ron answered turning beet red. Harry smiled and laughed at him. "What are you bloody laughing at?" Ron asked jokingly.

"Why would she write you something?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged and told him what had just happened with he, Hermione, and Ginny.

"I can't wait any longer, I have to read it. Go to bed, I'll talk to you in the morning," Ron said and Harry closed his curtains on his bed. Ron lit a small light to read from and sat on his bed. He carefully opened the parchment and began to read. When he was done, he felt like his heart was going to burst from happiness. But there also was a bit of fear welling in his stomach. What was he going to say in response? What was Hermione expecting him to say or do if he told her that he felt the same way? Ron took out a piece of parchment still deep in concentration. He'd have to respond, he couldn't just leave her hanging when she practically spilled her heart out in a letter. But what could he write? He felt scared. Ron felt like he didn't want to tell her how he felt. What if they did become a couple and then broke up? Things would never be the same and he'd lose her forever. He just couldn't take that. Ron couldn't let himself lose her. He got his quill and began to write.

Dear Hermione,

The truth is I don't like you in that way. I feel that I have a better relationship with just being friends. I wouldn't want to change that for anything. I mean, I love to joke around with you and after being friends for a while now, it would just seem weird to me to change out friendship like that. So, all in all I think that its better just being friends. (well, I do at least) I hope that you feel that way also.

Ron

Ron read his letter a few times trying to decide if this was the thing to do, the way to tell her. He just didn't want to lose her so its the best thing to do, or he felt it was. (A/N: Which is totally WRONG! Ron's a complete idiot!!!) Ron extinguished the light after sealing her letter and laid down. He couldn't stop thinking about it. What if she hated him after the letter? He didn't want that to happen either but he had to do something. He couldn't just forget about it. Ron tossed and turned all night and was unable to achieve any rest. He just couldn't stop his thoughts that were so full of her.

He opened the curtains around his bed to see what time it was but he saw dawn approaching so he just got dressed instead. The rolled up parchment sat idly on his night table and he stared at it with close to contempt. Why did it feel so wrong to write that to her. He was protecting the both of them, from getting hurt so why did it feel so wrong? And why did she have to write him that? Couldn't she just leave well enough alone? He tried to ignore the feelings while he finished some Divination homework. Soon it was fully morning and his room mates were waking up. Ron saw Harry tumble out of bed and mumble a weak 'good morning'. Should he tell Harry what was going on? Or would it be better if he didn't know? Ron pulled on his robes and stuffed the letter in his pocket and he and a fully dressed Harry went down stairs.

Hermione wasn't there but Ginny was.

"Hermione went to breakfast already, she was down here pretty early," Ginny replied as they went through the portrait hole. By the time they entered the Great Hall, Hermione was sitting reading The Daily Prophet. Hermione looked deeply worried about something and Ron sort of thought she was thinking about the letter she gave him the previous night.

"Oh, look!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly. She pointed to a picture in The Prophet. Harry, Ron and Ginny all leaned over to glance where her finger was pointed. It was a story on Viktor Krum. Ron rolled his eyes and thought, Not Viktor Bloody Krum again. Hermione caught the eye roll and gave him an eye roll of her own while folding up the paper.

After breakfast, Ron and Harry's first class was Divination. As they were walking towards Hermione's Arithmancy classroom Ron reached into his robes and held out the letter without looking at her. She instinctively grabbed it and he didn't look as she walked through the door into her class.

~+Hermione's Point of View+~

Hermione's heart was in her throat. She had his answer. The long awaited answer. She sat down and opened it carefully. Hermione read and reread the letter. This couldn't be happening! Tears began to well up in her eyes but she struggled and finally subdued the urge to cry and scream. How could he answer like that when everyone told her that he liked her? How dare he write such an oddly formal letter to her when she felt like she wrote to him her most vulnerable feelings? She was angry, she was hurt. Hermione didn't know what to do or what to say when she next saw him. Her heart was instantly broken. With that short paragraph all the hope she had contained in her heart had flooded out. Her professor began class and she forced herself to pay attention and she wasn't again tempted with tears.

The bell rang and Hermione headed quietly to Transfigurations with her head down, looking at her shoes making progress to class. Her bag was heavy but she didn't care how heavy it was, she only cared how she felt. And she felt completely and utterly shut out and rejected. Hermione kept telling herself, You're not pretty enough, you're not smart enough. He wants a girl like Fleur, not you. You're a dull know-it-all. You're temper is too bad and he wants someone who doesn't nag him or fight with him. He wants someone that's anyone.... but you. A reluctant tear trickled down her left cheek as she arrived at Transfigurations early.

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