Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.
Another week went by, and Hermione's mood had not improved. Ron decided that drastic action was necessary.
"Hermione, come out please." She remained in her house.
"Fine, I'll start without you. I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a boy who thought he was inconsequential. He had five older brothers, all successful in their own ways. Most of this boy's possessions were hand me downs from those brothers. Anything this boy did was expected, because chances are that one of his brothers already did it."
"This boy met a girl on a train. She made fun of the magic spell he was using, and she said he had dirt on his nose. He didn't like her at all. He thought she was an obnoxious know it all."
"The first few weeks of school did not change his mind. She nagged him for every indiscretion and broken rule. She criticized every bit of his school work."
"On day she told him he was doing the incantation for a spell wrong. He told her to do it if she was so smart. She did. Then he did something terrible. He called her a nightmare. He said she had no friends. She went into a bathroom and cried all day."
"Later that day someone set a troll loose in the school. The boy and his friend realized that the girl did not know about the troll. They went to tell her, and they met the troll. They locked it in a room. Unfortunately that was the room she was in. They rushed in to save her. His friend jumped on top of the troll and the boy used the very spell she criticized him for earlier that day to knock it out."
"The teachers came and the girl did something they never thought she would do. She lied for them to get them out of trouble. And a funny thing happened, she became their friend. The boy and her still fought sometimes, but it was mostly playful. They both liked the back and forth banter."
"The next year the girl was attacked by a monster and as petrified. The boy worried the whole time she lay in the hospital wing, unaware and unmoving. He even followed a trail of spiders into the forest (and he hates spiders) to try to find out what attacked her."
"In their fourth year he discovered that she was a girl, but too late. A famous person asked her to the ball, and the boy was angry. He didn't realize for a long while that it was jealousy. But he started to image himself and this girl as being more than just friends. He didn't do anything about it because he was scared she didn't feel the same."
"In their sixth year everything between them went to hell. It started well, she asked him to a party. But then someone told him that she had snogged the famous person from their fourth year. He had no experience at all. As stupid as it was, he felt betrayed. He was nasty to her and she had no idea why. Then, after he thought he'd been given a lucky potion for a sporting event, she insinuated that I only performed well because she thought he had taken the potion like he thought he had. He got angry and threw himself at the first girl who was nice to him. He snogged her in front of everyone."
Hermione poked her head out of the house.
"I'm so sorry about Lavender, Hermione, I hurt you really bad. I think we were both miserable that year. If I had not been poisoned, I don't know if we ever would have made up. But after that you were my friend again and I was so happy. I was also tired of Lavender, but I was too scared to break it off. I like to think I just wanted to avoid hurting another person that year, but I was probably just being a coward. Anyway, my life was much better with you in it than out of it."
"During the time of our hopeless quest with Harry, the only thing that kept me going was that we were there together. I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter how long or short it was. I was going to tell you that."
"What I'm saying is I love you, Hermione Jane Granger. I wanted to tell you that the night we were ambushed."
"I still feel that way today. I'm ashamed of my behavior after I got out of St. Mungo's. I thought my dream was shattered and I was feeling sorry for myself, but I'm back now. I love you, and I always will."
"I know you probably don't feel the same way anymore, if you ever did. That's OK. I know you need someone more intellectual and sophisticated. I will not make things awkward for you. I will not stand in your way. I will always be your friend. All I hope is that I can earn your full forgiveness for what I did this year."
"I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable, but I had to say it."
Ron looked pleadingly at Hermione. She lay there, stunned, for a second, and then scurried back into the otter house he made her.
Ron waited half an hour and she did not come out. That is that, he said to himself.
Ron retired to his room. From the bottom of his dresser he pulled out a bottle of fire whiskey that he hadn't touched since Harry threw him out. He quickly took three shots from it. He returned the bottle to the dresser and lay on the bed. For the first time since Voldemort's defeat, he cried, silently, but powerful enough to shake his entire body.
It's over, he thought, but at least now I know. He let the fire whiskey take him and he fell asleep.