"But, Hermione!"
"Ron just forget it! Forget you ever met me and that I was ever your friend, if you were even that to me!" As soon as the vicious words left the young brunettes mouth, she knew she would regret them. Looking over at the boy standing in front of her, the secret love of her life, she saw the sheer pain and hurt etched on his face. Hermione noticed his eyes glaze over as if he was on the verge of tears, but before she knew for certain, Ron stormed out of the Gryffindoor common room.
Hermione slumped onto one of the overstuffed couches and buried her tear-streaked face into her hands. Her crying softened after a while, and she stared into the crackling fireplace in front of her.
"How could I have said such horrible, heartless things to my best friend; to the man that I love?" The depressed Hermione thought to herself. "If only he knew how deeply I feel about him; if only he felt the same way. Yeah, like that'll ever happen after what I said to him earlier. Now he won't even be my friend anymore, that I'm sure of; not that I deserve him." Hermione knew she had to tell Ron she was sorry, and express her true feelings toward him, but she just didn't know how.
Hermione decided she should to find Ron and apologize to him. She started towards the Great Hall, hoping he might be there. Opening the enormous, wooden doors leading into the Great Hall, she saw nothing but long tables and empty chairs. Thinking that Ron may be outside by the lake, she wandered outside into the chilly night air. The crisp wind blew strongly, forcing Hermione to pull her robes tighter around her body. Once she reached the dark, rippling lake, she saw no sight of Ron. Hermione, feeling rather hopeless, ambled towards the north tower. Walking down the long, stone hallway she felt oddly nervous. Every time Hermione's shoes hit the floor, they created an eerie echo that sounded all around her. Hermione, much to her relief, finally found Ron sitting in an empty stair well, his back against the wall, and his head resting in his hands.
At that moment Hermione just wanted to run to Ron, hold him in her arms, and tell him that she was sorry and she loved him; but Hermione knew she couldn't. She walked hesitantly over to him; Ron didn't even look up. Hermione sat down on the cold, stone steps next to him. Apparently, Ron had just noticed her, and jerked his head up. Hermione could tell he had been crying; she got a terrible feeling in her stomach.
"Ron…I'm so sor-"
"That's just it Hermione; you're always sorry! Don't you get it? It hurts me when we fight! You don't know how hard it is to be torn down over and over again by your best friend…by the person that you love!"
Hermione stared at him for a few seconds, too shocked to speak. Did he just say he loved her? She felt as though she was walking on clouds. "Yes I do know how hard it is, Ron, because I…I love you too."
Ron looked at her wide-eyed, possibly as alarmed as Hermione, but once he snapped out of his trance, Ron leaned down towards Hermione softly pressed his lips to hers. Hermione's hands slipped around Ron's neck as he wrapped his hands around her waist. Hermione's heart was going wild. She felt as though time had stopped, and the only people in the world were Ron and herself. When they pulled away from each other, Hermione noticed a silly smirk on Ron's face. He stood up and offered his hand to Hermione. She graciously took it, and they walked back to the common room hand in hand.