Disclaimer-J.K. Rowling owns everything in this fic. I only own the plot.

Only You

Chapter 3-Moving On

After the breakup, Hermione threw herself headfirst into finding a new place to live. She settled on a two bedroom cottage a few miles outside of Diagon Alley. She was close to the Daily Prophet office but far enough away from town. She didn't want to be around people anymore. She just needed a comfortable space that she could write her column in peace and she didn't want people dropping by her house all of the time to check up on her. But most importantly she didn't want to be reminded of George. He was part of her past now, and she didn't want to live anywhere near the house that they had shared.

Hermione settled comfortably enough in her new cottage, she spent most of her days either writing for the newspaper or the book on Transfiguration she had decided to write in her spare time. She wanted her life to be as full as possible, and the only way she knew to do that was to bury herself in her work.

About a week after she had settled in her new house, George sent her a letter.

Dear Hermione,

I hope that you're reading this, and haven't already thrown it away. If you are reading it, thanks for giving me the chance to apologize. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need to know that I tried, and I need you to know that I care enough for you to offer an explanation.

I never meant to hurt you, and I am so sorry that I did. I never meant to cheat on you. It was selfish and stupid of me and it is a mistake that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I will never know why I sacrificed the best thing that I have ever had in my life for some woman I don't even know. I know that you will never speak to me again, and I understand why you won't give me another chance. I don't deserve one. I just want you to know how sorry I am that I hurt you. I will always love you, and I will cherish the time we spent together for the rest of my life. Thank you for giving me a chance all those years ago. I feel I am a better man because of you, although I know that I am not the man you thought me to be. You saw something in me that no one else has ever seen, and I'm so stupid for ever having done anything to lose your faith in me. I am truly sorry for all that I have put you through. Good luck in your life. I hope you find someone who is worthy of your love, and I hope that you will be very happy.

Love Always,

George

Hermione stared at the letter for a long time before throwing it away. She wiped the single tear that she had shed from her cheek, and went back to working on her book. After only a few minutes she stopped writing and moved to look out of her living room window. She stared at the window into her backyard and looked at the trees that reminded her so much of the clearing where she and George had once spent so much time at.

"I told myself that I wouldn't let him make me feel this kind of pain again, but the letter brought it all back. It is so hard to hide from something that I miss so much. I still love him, more than ever, but I know that I could never forgive him for ruining our relationship. Every time he left I would be wondering if he was with another woman or if he was going to leave me. He ruined everything we had. It was as if our five years together didn't mean anything to him. What am I going to do without him?" Hermione said aloud as she stared out the window. Tears were pouring down her face, but she didn't seem to notice. "I thought we were going to get married soon! I guess it's a good thing we weren't married. I never should have let him get this close to me or let him mean this much to me. I shouldn't have fallen so deeply in love with him. I swear I will never do it again. I won't ever feel this pain, not from any man. I can't! I just couldn't bear it."

The next year went by in a blur. Hermione spent her all of her days and a good portion of her nights working. She would work until she could fall into the deep sleep of exhaustion. Her friends and family worried about her constantly. Twice a month Harry and Ron would drag her out of her cottage. They would make her go to dinner with them and each time they left more worried about her then the last time. Ginny spent a lot of her time at Hermione's cottage as well. She even suggested that they find a place together, and they could be roommates, but Hermione dismissed that idea. She told Ginny that what she really needed was privacy, and that even though she loved Ginny like a sister she didn't think that it would end up working out. Hermione told her that she needed quiet to work on her book. Ginny had left disappointed and a little insulted, but she told herself that she had tried to help Hermione and that hopefully she would get over her depression.

Hermione's friends also tried to get her to start dating again. They tried to set her up on many blind dates, but Hermione would just laugh and say that she didn't need a man in her life. They brought nothing but trouble.

One day, Harry had dragged Hermione out of her office to go to lunch with him. He once again brought up the topic of dating.

"Hermione, you know it's time for you to start dating again," Harry said. "You can't be alone forever. It's not natural and it's not healthy."

Hermione sighed and said, "Harry we've been over this before. Yes, I can be alone forever, and yes, I will be."

"Herm, I know that George hurt you deeply, but you know that not all guys are like that."

"You're right. You and Ron aren't like that, but unfortunately we don't have that romantic connection. Name a guy other than you or Ron that isn't a total jerk."

Now it was Harry's turn to sigh. He hated when Hermione got in such a stubborn mood. He could never talk her into anything when she was like this, which was every time the topic of dating came up. "Hermione, I don't have to list them for you. You're not stupid. You know there are plenty of guys who would never cheat on you. You know there's a guy from my office that really likes you."

"Oh, you mean that guy with the messy blonde hair and brown eyes. The one who wears those big glasses and stutters ever time he sees me?"

"I give up! You're impossible, Hermione."

A/N-I know it's a little short this time. Haven't had a whole lot of inspiration to do anything lately, especially anything involving writing, because I feel guilty if I work on one of my fics because I should be doing homework.