It's Not Like You'll Marry Me!

Chapter 7: Unreachable Heart

Author's Note: Very sad chapter. Prepare to cry some more. Prepare your tissues, people.

Hermione stared back at Ron. "Ron!" She called again. "Ron, what happened to you? Why do you do this?" She asked.

He made no answer, he just grinned evilly. "Crucio." He said again, and Hermione rolled on the floor, screaming, just wishing the pain would stop.

"Hermione!" Harry and the group yelled, but they stayed back. They were still in too much of a shock.

Ron released the pain, still grinning. "Did you really think I would let your talk of leaving move me?" He said, in a harsh voice that Hermione had never heard Ron talk in.

Hermione panted, looking up at him. "Ron…" She moaned. "How can you do this? What happened? Did she do this to you?"

"Actually, it was all my idea." Gwyneth said, coming out from the shadows. "He makes a much more handsome man, once his heart has been turned, don't you think?" Gwyneth came up to him, rubbing her hand over Ron's muscles one more time.

Hermione lost it. "Hey, bitch! Get your hands off him! Only I can touch him there!"

Ginny and Harry stared. "I so didn't need to know that…" They said together.

Gwyneth grinned. "So what do you think of your precious boyfriend now? He is much improved over the wreck he was before. After all, I expected you to hurt him, but not like you did before."

Hermione looked at the ground, with tears in her eyes. "I know I hurt him, but I didn't want to hurt him that bad…it's just…I thought…"

"You thought I would kill him, didn't you? Don't worry, I cannot kill such a handsome man…he is safe with me. Don't worry; I'll take good care of him."

Hermione looked up at Gwyneth. Though her eyes held tears, she looked more determined and angry then ever. "You…YOU BITCH!" Hermione jumped up. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM!" Hermione whipped out her wand. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Gwyneth brushed off her threats. "I'll leave you to this, lovely Ron. And I'll see you later…" Gwyneth disappeared in a burst of bronze light.

With no one to attack, Hermione stood there, looking at Ron. "Ron…please…you have to come back…"

Ron grinned. "I like the way I am, Hermione."

"No…" She said. "You can't mean that…" A single tear fell down her cheek."

"Crucio!"

Hermione screamed again, falling to the floor. She heard her name being called again, by Harry, but she didn't see what happened until the pain was released. She opened her eyes. Harry was standing in front of her, holding his wand in to Ron.

"Ron…" Harry said, tightening his grip on his wand. "I don't want to hurt you..."

Ron smirked. "I bet you don't."

"…But you can't keep hurting Hermione! Ron, we're your friends, are you going to go with her, or with us! Please, come back!"

Ron huffed. "Right. I have more power here then I ever did. Remember school? I was your sidekick! I was always the last one to be remembered in the family! I was ickle Ronnikins, no good for anything!"

Hermione looked up. "No Ron, you weren't…you were always the one to look after us…I never thought you were a sidekick…you were always there for me… and I was always there for you…you were the one to cheer us up when things got really down…"

Ron's frown stiffened. "Silence, bitch! Crucio!" He yelled.

Hermione shuddered, and prepared for the pain, but none came. Harry had yelled, "Protego!" Before the spell hit her. "Ron, you have to snap out of this!" Harry yelled. "You're hurting Hermione, the girl you love! The girl you wanted to spend the rest of your life with, remember?"

Ron looked away. "I was stupid to believe that."

"No you weren't!" Harry said. "You loved Hermione, and she still loves you!"

"Ron," Hermione yelled. "I do still love you! Please, please stop this! It's breaking my heart! Ron…you're breaking my heart…" She cried, tears coming down her face like a waterfall.

"You don't really mean that." Ron replied, but this time in his normal voice.

Hermione gave a small gasp. "I do Ron. I really do! I can't stop myself from ever loving you Ron! I told you so two years ago, remember? In this very place! Please, can't you remember?"

For a second, Hermione thought she saw the hatred fade from Ron's eyes. For a second, she believed that he was back. But then he shook his head and his eyes regained their malice. "I don't need to hear you talk lies! You don't love me and you never did!" He raised his wand to perform a curse, but he was stopped when someone yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

Harry and Hermione looked behind them. It was Ginny. She stood with her wand out, looking fierce. "Ron! How can you do this to Hermione?" Ginny shouted. "Are you going to give up on us? Give up on her? I don't think so!" She yelled, gripping her wand tightly. "I don't want to hurt you, Ron. But if you try to hurt Hermione, I will!"

Ron didn't even listen to her proclamations. Using his fast quidditch reflexes, he dove for his wand. Harry managed to yell, "Ginny, no!" Before Ron shot blue light at her. Almost in slow motion, Ginny was hit and was flying through the air. She hit a wall, hard. Neville stared for a second and ran up to her, cradling her head.

Harry looked around. He was the only one standing against Ron now. He held his wand menacingly, still unsure of what to do.

Ron smirked. "So, Harry, what are you going to do? You obviously are fighting yourself. I can see it plainly that you want to hurt me, but you can't. So, are you going to attack me or not? I always wanted to face up to the powers of The Boy Who Lived."

Harry looked back at Hermione, and then at Ron. Closing his eyes, he lowered his wand.

"What?" Ron asked. "You're not going to fight me?"

Harry's emerald eyes stared back at him, with fierce determination. "No, I'm not. I won't fight you, Ron. We've been friends for nine, almost ten years. Do you think I can just hold a wand against you that easily? You can hurt me any way you want, but don't do anything to Hermione."

Ron pointed his wand at Harry's face. "Just one more question. Why are you protecting Hermione? Don't you forget, she's the one who dumped me and made me like this."

Harry shook his head. "You're wrong. She may have dumped you, but she had a good reason. She dumped you because she was trying to protect you. As your making you like this, she didn't. That was all Gwyneth's fault. And unless you snap out of this now, you may do something you'll regret forever."

Ron grinned, and suddenly, Harry was sprawled on the floor, knocked unconscious. Hermione yelled, "Harry!" But it was too late. He couldn't hear her. Hermione couldn't take it anymore. Ron, her Ron, the one who would do anything for her, was attacking her friends. Her face stained with tears, she stood up, and took a stand against Ron.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to bring you back." Hermione said.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Sure. Anyway, don't you get it, I like myself like this. I've never felt so alive!"

"Ron, you are hurting your friends! Can't you see that? Can't you tell what's going on? Can you even hear me?" She asked.

"Of course I can hear you, know-it-all. I have fully functioning ears, you know!"

She shook her head. "I don't mean like that, I mean…can your heart hear me?"

He brushed her off. "Now you're just talking crazy."

"Maybe, but I'm trying to help you Ron! You need help! You need to come back to us! Please…hear me…I'm begging you, to hear me…" With that, a tear fell on the floor.

Ron watched as her sad form begged him to return. His heart tugged on him. For a reason unknown to him, he wanted to return. He wanted to just hold her in his arms and tell her she was safe. But the effect of the curse Gwyneth had placed on him took hold. He knew he just had to get that girl away from him; she was causing his heart to change.

He swished his wand down in a slashing motion. But before Hermione could feel the pain, she was pushed out of the way of the curse and down to the floor. Harry and pushed her out of the way. Ron stared as Harry crawled over to Ginny and Neville.

"Ron…" Harry said. "We're sorry, we can't help you…but we won't leave you like this. We will come back."

"Wait," Hermione asked. "What are you going to—"

Harry made sure he was touching Ginny and Hermione as he disappeared, taking them with him.

Hermione gave a "No! We can't leave him!" As the sewer faded out of focus. The last thing she saw was Ron, looking hateful and angry that they had gotten away…

Author's Note: Did it make you cry? I did while writing this. Oh well, I gotta be happy…cuz I am listening to J Pop, eating pocky (God's gift to the world), and greatly anticipating seeing ROTS tomorrow!