When Hermione woke the next morning, she felt more relaxed than she had all
week. All that she had to do to sort out the relationship with Ron was to
talk to him about it.
She spent all of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes trying to figure out what she was going to say to him. Many different scenarios wandered through her thoughts and she found it really hard to concentrate on her classes with her heart racing like it was.
It wasn't until lunch that she found her boyfriend. She saw him sifting through parchment in the common room, searching for something. Walking over to him, she put an arm around his waist and turned him around to see her. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he smiled. But the blank expression he always seemed to wear whenever they were together returned to his face almost immediately. He continued to ruffle through parchment, turning his head away so that she couldn't see his face.
"Um, Ron, I was wondering if maybe we could talk," Hermione began. Ron tensed up for a moment before turning to look at her. He nodded.
"Yeah, there's something I need to tell you too." Together they walked down towards the lake. Hermione found herself wondering what he was going to tell her. Maybe he was going to break up with her, and save her the trouble of finding out what was wrong with him.
"So.what did you want to talk about?" she asked him, feeling slightly nervous. She'd never seen Ron look so uneasy.
He took a deep breath, and to her surprise, she saw a tear run down his face. They had stopped walking and were now seated under their favourite tree with the lake in view.
She immediately wiped away the tear and put her arm around him. "Honey, what on earth is the matter?" she asked in surprise.
"Hermione, I have something to confess," Ron said slowly, looking very fidgety. "Now promise me you wont be upset, and please, please promise that you wont tell anyone."
"Of course, I promise," Hermione assured him.
"I can't go out with you anymore. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I cant. It's all.wrong for me." He confessed to her. Her hand on his back went slightly limp, and she found herself feeling slightly let down. Not as much as she had been expecting, but still let down.
"Why?" she asked, feeling confused. "I mean, why is it wrong? Surely we could talk through our problems, and sort everything out?"
Ron put his head in his hands and breathed deeply. "No, it's not something we can sort out. Its not you," he assured her, looking up at her with sincerity. "It's me."
Now Hermione was thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Ron groaned and buried his head in his hands again. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" he asked.
"Are you in love with someone else?" she asked, hoping to make it easier for him to tell her.
He looked up. "Well, yes, I think I am."
Hermione deflated thoughtfully. Good. This was better. They were getting some answers now. She found herself not caring very much that he liked another girl, she was glad that after breaking up, they were still on speaking terms.
"Who is it?" she asked. "Is it one of the girls I hang out with?"
Ron seemed to give up his pride at that point. "It's not a girl."
At once, a flash of understanding spread through Hermione. She understood now. "Oh, Ron," she said hugging him. "Who is it?"
"D-do you mind if I don't tell you right now?" he asked.
"No, of course not. But it might help to tell someone. You've seemed so shut up lately."
He sighed and nodded. Whispering in her ear, he admitted the name. "It's Seamus."
"You're in love with Seamus Finnegan?" she asked him incredulously. He tensed up, looking to see if there was anyone listening nearby. Finding no one, he turned back to Hermione and gulped as he nodded.
All Hermione could think of was that her ex-boyfriend was gay. "Is it because of me?" she asked, horrified to think that she had scared him away from women permanently.
"No," he answered. "It's just been gradual, but I've noticed it a lot lately."
"Are you sure this isn't just an experimental thing?" she asked.
"No. I'm positive."
She hugged him once more and told him, "Look, I think it's great that you could tell me this."
"Well, you're the only person I've told. I'll probably tell Harry sometime soon."
"Are you going to tell Seamus?" she asked.
A spark lit in his eye at the sound of Seamus's name. "Maybe."
A feeling of unease rose in Hermione. "Wait, are you sure he's the same as you?"
Ron threw back his head and laughed. "Yes, Hermione. I'm sure. He told me so himself."
Hermione nodded and they hugged again. Inside, she found herself not very surprised that Ron had admitted to homosexuality. She recognized some of the signs now that she was aware. And she was happy for him. And for herself. Now there were absolutely no hard feelings between herself and Ron, this left much more of an opportunity for her to tell Harry how she felt.
She smiled to the skies, as she and Ron stayed by the lake in companiable silence for the rest of lunch, neither feeling very hungry.
She spent all of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes trying to figure out what she was going to say to him. Many different scenarios wandered through her thoughts and she found it really hard to concentrate on her classes with her heart racing like it was.
It wasn't until lunch that she found her boyfriend. She saw him sifting through parchment in the common room, searching for something. Walking over to him, she put an arm around his waist and turned him around to see her. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he smiled. But the blank expression he always seemed to wear whenever they were together returned to his face almost immediately. He continued to ruffle through parchment, turning his head away so that she couldn't see his face.
"Um, Ron, I was wondering if maybe we could talk," Hermione began. Ron tensed up for a moment before turning to look at her. He nodded.
"Yeah, there's something I need to tell you too." Together they walked down towards the lake. Hermione found herself wondering what he was going to tell her. Maybe he was going to break up with her, and save her the trouble of finding out what was wrong with him.
"So.what did you want to talk about?" she asked him, feeling slightly nervous. She'd never seen Ron look so uneasy.
He took a deep breath, and to her surprise, she saw a tear run down his face. They had stopped walking and were now seated under their favourite tree with the lake in view.
She immediately wiped away the tear and put her arm around him. "Honey, what on earth is the matter?" she asked in surprise.
"Hermione, I have something to confess," Ron said slowly, looking very fidgety. "Now promise me you wont be upset, and please, please promise that you wont tell anyone."
"Of course, I promise," Hermione assured him.
"I can't go out with you anymore. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I cant. It's all.wrong for me." He confessed to her. Her hand on his back went slightly limp, and she found herself feeling slightly let down. Not as much as she had been expecting, but still let down.
"Why?" she asked, feeling confused. "I mean, why is it wrong? Surely we could talk through our problems, and sort everything out?"
Ron put his head in his hands and breathed deeply. "No, it's not something we can sort out. Its not you," he assured her, looking up at her with sincerity. "It's me."
Now Hermione was thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Ron groaned and buried his head in his hands again. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" he asked.
"Are you in love with someone else?" she asked, hoping to make it easier for him to tell her.
He looked up. "Well, yes, I think I am."
Hermione deflated thoughtfully. Good. This was better. They were getting some answers now. She found herself not caring very much that he liked another girl, she was glad that after breaking up, they were still on speaking terms.
"Who is it?" she asked. "Is it one of the girls I hang out with?"
Ron seemed to give up his pride at that point. "It's not a girl."
At once, a flash of understanding spread through Hermione. She understood now. "Oh, Ron," she said hugging him. "Who is it?"
"D-do you mind if I don't tell you right now?" he asked.
"No, of course not. But it might help to tell someone. You've seemed so shut up lately."
He sighed and nodded. Whispering in her ear, he admitted the name. "It's Seamus."
"You're in love with Seamus Finnegan?" she asked him incredulously. He tensed up, looking to see if there was anyone listening nearby. Finding no one, he turned back to Hermione and gulped as he nodded.
All Hermione could think of was that her ex-boyfriend was gay. "Is it because of me?" she asked, horrified to think that she had scared him away from women permanently.
"No," he answered. "It's just been gradual, but I've noticed it a lot lately."
"Are you sure this isn't just an experimental thing?" she asked.
"No. I'm positive."
She hugged him once more and told him, "Look, I think it's great that you could tell me this."
"Well, you're the only person I've told. I'll probably tell Harry sometime soon."
"Are you going to tell Seamus?" she asked.
A spark lit in his eye at the sound of Seamus's name. "Maybe."
A feeling of unease rose in Hermione. "Wait, are you sure he's the same as you?"
Ron threw back his head and laughed. "Yes, Hermione. I'm sure. He told me so himself."
Hermione nodded and they hugged again. Inside, she found herself not very surprised that Ron had admitted to homosexuality. She recognized some of the signs now that she was aware. And she was happy for him. And for herself. Now there were absolutely no hard feelings between herself and Ron, this left much more of an opportunity for her to tell Harry how she felt.
She smiled to the skies, as she and Ron stayed by the lake in companiable silence for the rest of lunch, neither feeling very hungry.