the decision

She stormed down the corridor with the letter clutched firmly in her left hand and her wand in her right. She stood in front of the Gryffindor common room and shouted the new password "Slytherin Sucks!!!", Ron and Harry were sitting playing wizard chess, Hermione was still red in the face, she slammed the letter in front of Ron and rushed to her dorm.

As Hermione lay on her bed, now in tears, Ron looked quizzically at the letter and recognised the writing … it was his! He unfolded the letter which read;

To my beloved Luna

I do love you ever so much, and it wont be long until we're together properly. Please dear give me time, 'Mione is under so much stress with extra lessons, but soon I will leave her.

Dreaming of you everyday

Ron.

His hands trembled and his ears turned red, he stared at Harry who was still oblivious to his best friends antics, Ron stood up and said "I retire from the game Harry, I need to talk to 'Mione"

He passed the letter to Harry, he accepted and read it as Ron took the steps to the girls dorm.

Hermione took the locket that Ron had given her, inside there was a picture of them on Valentines day, Ron had given her the locket and a red rose the same colour as his ears. Hermione brushed away another tear as the girls dorm door creaked open and a pale Ron stepped in sheepishly " 'Mione I know you hate me right now, but please let me explain"

Hermione looked up and replied "What could you say, that I don't already know?" she rose from the bed and stood in front of the window and watched Luna look up to the window nervously and continue talking with her friends. Ron edged closer to Hermione and slipped his arms around her waist, she whimpered slightly and repeated in her head 'this is wrong'

"Ron please… let go of me" Ron stepped back and turned her around

"I'm sorry 'Mione I never meant to hurt you"

Hermione began to vent quietly, "Ron you say that because you were caught out how long would you have left it before you told me the truth?"

Ron's ears became a deeper shade of red, something Hermione had never seen occur.

"I sent it that time we argued and you told me that you didn't think we would continue"

"You told her you loved her, is your love for me gone that fast?" her body slumped on the chair and sighed heavily

" 'Mione please … forgive me?"

Hermione whispered " Leave me Ron, you've done enough, you've hurt me for a lifetime, go now before I do something I regret"

Ron began to feel warm tears flow down the contours of his cheeks "Can I ask you one thing?"

"What is it Ron?"

"Keep wearing the locket"

Ron walked through the door and back to Harry in the common room, he sat in front of the fire and barely spoke.

Eventually he said "I've lost something that I never knew I had "

Harry sat close and asked "Is the letter true, you wanna be with Luna, after all the time it took for you and Hermione to hook up?"

" I thought I did, but seeing 'Mione upstairs … I don't know what I feel or what I want anymore"

Back upstairs Hermione was still slouched in the chair twisting the chain around her fingers, she wished she knew what to do next, a way forward from her first boyfriend and her first love.

She moved to the trunk and pulled out a deep purple crushed velvet pouch, she untied the twinning and tipped out onto her hand, the one thing she was supposed to have handed back the 'Time turner' ideas ran through her mind and finally she stood in the middle of the dorm two turns to the left and one to the right. The dorm began to spin and people were moving in a backward motion, once everything was back to normal she dashed to where it would happen, the argument was loud and hurtful and Hermione's face blushed as she saw how aggressive she was to Ron. She hid behind the headless statue that occupied the third floor corridor

" Ron I don't think there can be an us…"

"But 'Mione please I don't understand?" She watched Ron scuttle away, she stepped behind and placed her hands over the other Hermione's eyes and said in a hushed voice

"Don't scream, don't turn around, Hermione you need to talk to Ron more, you need to reassure him that you two will stay together, if not you'll lose him completely"

Hermione gasped " Oh Ron what have I done, you sound like… oh you are … thank you"

Hermione let her hands slip off the other Hermione's face and hid again behind the statue

"Thank you again" and the other Hermione rushed off, Hermione felt the world spin back forward which made Hermione feel nauseous.

She resumed her place in the girls dorm and placed the Time turner back into the pouch and replaced it in her trunk. A knock on the door and Ron stepped in " 'Mione where've you been?, We were going to have a walk around the lake"

Her smile shone from her face, she raced over to him and hugged him tightly, kissed him quickly and spoke "Oh Ron I love you… I do love you"

" 'Mione of course you do, you've told me everyday since our first and only major argument and like I say I love you too, come on grab a coat you'll get cold" Ron replied in an amused tone

Hermione grabbed her coat slipped her hand into his and walked with Ron to the lake. As they strolled the moonbeams refracted off the dark lake, she looked at him and knew she had done the right thing.

THE END