Finally! I'm so sorry about the major delay in this chapter. Major crazy delay, and it isn't even that long (the chapter). Sorry about that, but just keep in mind that it was written after I planned out the entire thing…so yeah…

Wow!!! You guys are so so so good to me. This could take a while, but a huge thanks to RedPhoenix, oneiros lykos, Ramy, alex, jeangab057, Muirnin, Tony, ears91, clyde, cyberfrogx, Bachy A, nerdypurdy, wicked-women (yay t7s! best show!), Fatima, BabyJ5, takari4ever7, usha88, Canadian Crow (yay Canada!), andrea, TJ, hpfreak21 and RocketSolarCat. You guys keep me inspired to write more, and for that, a huge thank you goes out to all of you…and everyone else who reviewed, too.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry. Boo. J.K. does, though.

P.S. Title is from the Neil Sedaka (sp?) song! Enjoy!

~*~

Harry sat alone in the library. It had been several days since he'd told Ron he didn't love Hermione—maybe even several weeks. He wasn't sure. All he was sure of was that he was completely and utterly sick of his solitude.

Ron had almost given up on him, and Harry didn't blame him. He was becoming impossible to deal with, and he knew it. Who wanted to spend their time with someone who wasn't really there?

Harry reflected on what he had said to Ron. "I don't love her anymore." "If she and I can't be together, then what's the point in loving her?"

That had been a lie, of course. He did love Hermione. He knew he would love her forever. She was his best friend. The love of his life. He knew too well that he couldn't just suddenly fall out of love with her.

Not that he hadn't tried, of course. There were times when he wanted to stop loving her, because maybe, he thought, he'd be less miserable that way. There were also times when he wished he could go back in time and stop himself from falling in love with her, just to avoid feeling like this.

To the world, Harry was adamant about distancing himself from the whole situation. The school watched as he blatantly ignored her during class, and everyone was whispering behind their hands about the change in his friendship with Ron.

What they didn't know was that he'd take her back in a heart beat.

Though he wasn't a stranger of being the subject of the school's gossip, this was the first time he would have to deal with it alone. Ron and Hermione had always been there for him. No matter what, at least one of them had stuck by him, and he had always made it through it.

This time, he wasn't so sure that he could.

*

Hermione hovered around the library, trying to keep hidden from Harry. She silently debated with herself whether or not she should go say something to him.

Ron had told her what Harry had said. Understandably, she had been crushed. She'd sobbed into her pillow for hours.

Yet before she'd decided that her fate was set in stone, she'd come to realize something. Yes, Harry was avoiding her. He ignored her in front of everybody and rarely acknowledged her presence. But she'd realized that he still loved her. She still had a chance.

She could see it in his eyes. Over their years of friendship, she had become very good at interpreting the expressions in his eyes. Whenever she looked into them lately—rare as those opportunities were—she could see that, contrary to what he had said, he still loved her.

And she definitely still loved him.

She smiled to herself, thinking of recent days. Harry mostly pretended she didn't exist, but he looked at her whenever possible. He obviously wasn't as sneaky as he thought he was, because Hermione had caught him many times.

Okay, then. I'll just go over there and talk to him. There's nothing to lose and everything to gain. What am I waiting for?

She pushed off from the bookshelf she was leaning on and strode over to him. He looked up as she sat down across from him.

"Hi, Harry," she said softly.

"Hello, Hermione," he answered formally.

She bit her lip. It hadn't occurred to her how much it would effect her to hear him speak her name. It also shocked her slightly to hear the coldness in his voice.

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should leave him alone for a while.

"Do you want something, or…" Harry's voice trailed off.

"No. I mean…yes, I do."

"Well?"

"Well…" she took a deep breath. "I know you're really mad at me. I don't blame you one bit."

"Uh-huh," he replied, scribbling notes from his Divination book.

"And I'm really sorry I hurt you. I wish I could take it back, but I can't."

Harry almost smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"Since I can't, I was thinking that maybe we could go back to being friends again," she said slowly.

Harry's familiar green eyes locked on hers, searching for something. "Just friends?" he asked.

She nodded. "Friends."

He studied her for a few moments, then said, "Yeah, all right."

"Good."

A beat of silence passed. Harry went back to writing his notes. Hermione stood up, feeling that while she may have accomplished something, the conversation didn't feel completely right.

"You know that I still love you, right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry's head jerked up. "What?" he demanded.

"I…nothing. See you later."

Hermione fled from the library.

*

"Dean? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked the next day in the boys' dorm.

"Sure," Dean said warily.

"I wanted to talk about this whole Hermione thing. She and I were together after you said you liked her, so we never actually—"

Dean cut him off. "Yeah, I know. Hermione told me a few days ago."

"Oh?"

"Yes. She apologized, and we had a nice talk. It's all okay now."

"Oh. Good." Harry hesitated, then said, "Did she mention me at all, or…"

Dean shrugged. "Not really."

"Oh," Harry said again.

"What's the deal with you two? Are you going to get back together?"

It was Harry's turn to shrug. "I doubt it."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You really think it's over for you two?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why? Do you want to go after her?"

"She is single now."

"She is."

"But I wouldn't do that to you."

Harry grinned for the first time in a long time. "Thanks, mate."

"Oh, and I've talked to Seamus. And Neville. Even Parvati. I explained to them everything Hermione said. Seamus and Neville are cool with it."

"What about Parvati?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "You know how she is."

Harry laughed. He knew. "I appreciate this, Dean."

"It's no problem. I figured…with graduation in a few months…"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've got to go now. Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Dean."

Harry watched him go, then sank onto his bed, lost in thought. What luck he had run into! He and Ron were becoming friends again; Dean had not only forgiven him, but also got Seamus and Neville to forgive him, too. And Dean promised not to go after Hermione.

Hermione.

He groaned at the thought of her name. Had she really said she still loved him, or had he been imagining things?

No. She said it. Why would she go running out of the library like that if she hadn't said it?

But if she does love me still, why does want to be "just friends" with me?

Somehow, though, he knew Hermione didn't mean it. He realized that she was probably trying to get them talking again, and put the whole situation behind them.

"This is so stupid," he mumbled.

I want to be with her, she wants to be with me.

So why aren't we together?

~*~

Ok! This time, the next chapter is the last chapter. Sorry about before, but another chapter needed to be added before the last one. So..please r&r, and if you do, love, love, double love! J