"No," whimpered Hermione, failing to keep her desperation out of her voice. "You can't do this, you-" "I have to." Ron gripped her shoulder with one hand, raising her chin with the other. "You'll understand later. I just – I have to go." He broke his gaze into her eyes to kiss her swiftly, and slowly walked away. Turning around, he said, "Hermione, please, promise me one thing." "Anything." "Don't be sad. Remember the happy memories, and live on those, not the bad ones." He walked through the threshold, closing the door behind him. Hermione sank to her knees and wailed, feeling her life slip through her fingers.
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It hadn't always been this way. Harry remembered the times when Ron and Hermione were nothing more than friends. Or were they? There had always been an odd sort of chemistry between them, a chemistry that often caused them to bicker and argue. All this time, could that have been something more? Harry shrugged to himself, and continued the letter he was writing. He didn't know who this letter was to, or when it would be delivered to its recipient, but he knew that he needed to write it. He looked around the room, seeing nothing more than the familiar moldy walls and humble wooden furniture. It reminded him unpleasantly of 12 Grimmauld Place.
His deep concentration was broken when Ron and Hermione stumbled through the doorway, giggling loudly. Harry raised his eyebrows, and returned to his letter. 'At least they're not fighting,' he thought. Eventually, he gave up trying to ignore them, and said, "Look – if you two don't have anything to do, can't you at least go in another room? I'm busy." Hermione blushed, and left. Ron followed, saying, "Why d'you have to be such a prude?" Harry rolled his eyes and dipped his quill into a bottle of black ink. There had often been fights among the trio, but Harry had always had an ally. He didn't think he could stand much more of this. Wasn't the point of this trip to find and destroy the Horcruxes, and bring Voldemort down for good? This wasn't just a long date for Ron and Hermione. Harry scowled.
---To be continued---