Author's Note: This is a short two chapter ficlet, which if accepted well, will have a follow-up fanfiction. For now, enjoy!

Kaat xx

P.S. Thanks to Nothanksnoname for pointing out my glamour error. and Harry and Ron just want Hermione to have a normal life. and you know that Neville always turns up at the wrong place at the wrong time i.e. Philosopher's Stone.

Arigato for your imput :D

Ron had been in turmoil since he had seen Hermione in the library earlier that day. He couldn't stop thinking about her and as he made his way down to the station by Hogwarts alone – without Harry or Hermione – he realised that he couldn't be with Lavender any longer. She wasn't the one he loved. She never was. He was still trying to get his head around why he'd dated her in the first place when he saw Harry at the bottom of the stairs that led down to the platform that would take him home again. He thought as it finally sunk in that next year was his last year with Harry and Hermione. His eyes twitched slightly, trying to stop the tears flooding out. Harry was leaving with them both before the start of seventh year. Harry let out a harsh laugh as he mentally corrected himself. Hermione wasn't coming, that Harry had made sure of. But Harry wasn't going alone. Ron's eyes pricked with tears as he remembered that conversation with Harry that would leave them all of them heartbroken and in the end, alone.

Harry had been alone in the Gryffindor Common Room when Ron had came down the stairs to speak with him. He'd asked him as soon as Hermione was out of sight at lunchtime that day and Ron had been confused since then. But when Harry turned to face Ron after being sitting on the couch for so long, Ron's heart stopped dead. Harry's eyes were sunk, and their usual sparkle was gone, he was so thin and Ron gasped in fright before putting a hand to his forehead.

"Mate...what happened? What?" The red-haired boy babbled slightly and Harry, despite himself, grinned a little at the boy's reaction. He could see the underlying worry quite clearly but he found the way the boy brought it across almost comical. But the grin quickly disappeared as Harry realised he had to explain himself.

"Nothing's happened Ron. Nothing. I've been like this since the end of second year. I've been using a glamour since it started to keep it from everyone. It's only got really bad in the past few years, particularly after I lost Sirius. I can't fall apart and I couldn't let anyone know. I'm the one that everyone has their faith in to save them from Voldemort. Well not everyone, but you get the idea. So you can imagine the reactions at seeing 'The Boy Who Lived' their saviour, a broken shell of his former self. So I used a glamour and tried with all my might to keep it up all the time. There were times when it failed me of course, like when Voldemort attacked me at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, and when Ginny was being attacked by Him in the Chamber of Secrets. Times when no one who actually believed in me could see me and I could focus my strength on saving those who needed me rather than those who want me to be some super boy." Harry stopped talking and Ron just stared, his mouth opening and closing in shock. Then, much to Ron's surprise as well as Harry's, he ran to his best friend and enveloped him in a bear hug. Harry was still transfixed in mute shock as Ron pulled away and frowned at his best friend.

"Why did you decide to tell me now mate?" Ron asked, slightly bewildered.

"I'm going after the Horcruxes and I don't want you to be shocked mid battle if the glamour fails and you see the real me for the first time."

"We're going after the Horcruxes Harry. Me, you and Herm..."

"Just me and you Ron. Just us."

Ron nearly spluttered as Harry interrupted him, informing him that Hermione would not be coming with them. He was torn between relief and despair. Relief that she would be safe from whatever came their way, but despair at not being able to protect her at what might come her way, not being able to be by her side.

"When did this come about Harry?"

Harry frowned and Harry's voice, laced with sorrow, replied, "One of us should have a life, Ron. And who better than Herm?"

"But this will kill her! Us leaving her...It will kill her." It will kill me Ron tried to meet Harry's eyes, but the other had been dodging them up until now and wasn't about to stop now.

"I know Ron. But I know I'll feel even worse if I watch her die, knowing that we could have saved her, but didn't. That I could have saved her." As the tears that had been pushing against Harry's eyes threatened to fall down his face, Ron nodded and hugged his friend tightly once more.

"When are we getting on the train then?" Ron asked, his voice muffled by his mouth against Harry's shoulder and Harry sighed in reply.

"We're not. We're staying here and then going to Grimmauld's Place to decide what the next step is."

Ron nodded awkwardly in reply and then Harry pulled away.

"I'm going upstairs to pack. Night Ron."

"Night Harry." Ron said as he watched his friend walk to the bottom of the stairs. He was about to follow him, when Harry stopped and turned to face him.

"You have to tell her Ron. Don't let her live knowing that the only man that she wanted to love her back does, but he died trying to protect her in the only way he felt he could."

Ron blinked once or twice as Harry ascended the staircase and then sat down. Bedazzled as to how Harry knew, he let it slide and waited for a while before going upstairs himself to sleep, having already packed a few hours earlier.

He was now clutching to a tiny bit of hope that Harry had not already sent Hermione onto the train and so he could tell her. He had woken up halfway through the night trying to think how to tell her how he felt. At breakfast, he'd tried to get her to come with him to the library, in a vain hope of telling her before he left her forever. When she had said she had to pack, he despaired. So much so that he'd gone directly to Lavender then and told her that they couldn't see each other anymore, hoping to spur some reaction out of Hermione, it had failed but Lavender demanded an explanation. He said that he couldn't be there for her anymore, before storming out of the Great Hall in annoyance and upset, trying not to cry until safely outside, where Hermione couldn't see him. However, he got a second chance when she had come to the library but as the moment came to tell her, it slipped away as he lost his nerve, not wanting to lose her so quickly after having her. He'd failed himself and Hermione. He'd make sure she knew before he left, or before he died.

As he reached Harry, he saw the raven-haired boy's eyes fail him at once when he caught sight of Ron and Ron saw the weariness there and the strain and he instantly knew that Hermione had been told to go on ahead. Harry managed a weak smile and Ron waved it away in an instant.

"Don't pretend mate. It was hard enough watching you do it this morning, knowing the truth and all."

Harry's smile immediately fell away and he felt the tears roll down his face and Ron sighed, his face almost as crestfallen as Harry's own.

"She's on the train isn't she?"

Harry's eyes flashed with surprise and momentary confusion.

"Yes why?"

"I didn't tell her Harry."

Harry's face fell and he almost looked angry for a moment.

"Ron! How could you do...never mind, I can see this is killing you already without me going on at you about it."

Ron smiled weakly in appreciation of his friend.

"Thanks mate. I lost that chance, but I'm not going to let her lose the chance we gave her."

The train behind Harry tooted loudly and both boys covered their ears in pain from the sound. As the train started to pull away, Ron saw something that would break his heart - permanently. Hermione was looking through the glass window of her compartment, which was directly over Harry's left shoulder. Her mouth was hanging open in surprise, but her eyes shined with desperate tears. She finally managed to find the movement in her mouth again and mouthed, 'Why? Ron...Why?'. Ron was stunned and couldn't reply until Harry met his eyes.

"Harry..." Ron pointed behind Harry and the boy turned to face Hermione, his eyes reflecting his distress at Hermione, who looked helpless behind the glass.

"She wasn't supposed to see us...Oh Ron!"

Ron has broken into racking sobs and Harry held his friend to him as the boy sobbed on his shoulder as the train – and Hermione – disappeared from view.

"Ron! Harry! Thank heavens I haven't missed the train!" A voice came from behind them both and they swirled to see Neville standing there, just registering Ron's face.

"Oh Ron! We only missed the train. Yet there's no other way home is there?"

Harry shook his head and decided that seeing as Neville wasn't going home, it was only fair to tell him it all.

"No, he's crying because we're leaving everyone today, in particular Hermione."

Neville's face was one of utter acceptance and it stunned Harry.

"I thought this might happen. That's why I hung around a little longer, hoping to miss the train."

Harry, at this point was spluttering incoherently and Ron, though still greatly grieved, had realised that Neville was there.

"How...why...what! Neville!" Harry said in pure surprise. Neville smiled, a little sadly and then spoke.

"I just knew you wouldn't come back next year, but I didn't know what you planned to do, until I overheard you talking to Ron about the Horcruxes. Then I knew you'd be staying with the Order and not going home as you'd originally planned. I decided that even if you weren't taking Hermione with you, I'd stay with you to keep you safe."

Harry was quite angry by this point and exclaimed, "Have you been spying on us Neville!" Neville looked mildly surprised and shook his head.

"No, but I usually hear things I don't want to. Sorry."

Then it finally registered with Harry what he had just said and shook his head at Neville, an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Don't apologise Neville, it's just, well, this is really hard on me – us," He said, motioning to Ron, "And we don't know what's going to happen. Frankly, I'm a little scared."

Neville nodded understandingly. But before anything else could be said between the two boys, Ron spoke up, tired of listening to them both idly bantering when there was work to be done.

"So, are we going to go see McGonagall and or not?" Ron spoke up, having finished crying and sounding thoroughly fed up with everything. Harry sighed in agreement and with a nod of Neville's head, they headed back towards the school, filled with dread, anticipation and loathing for the task they were about to start.

FIN CHAPTER II