Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sorry, folks, but this isn't going to be the last chapter. A review I got the other day made me realise how weak I made Ron, and I'm going to change the ending. Now it will be about 8 chapters, with an epilogue. Keep reviewing! Love you all!

Warning: Has a swear word. Sorry, but there's only so many times you can put substitute words in.

(Ron's pov)

"Ron!" she called out and I turned around, scared, with my wand drawn...

"Her-Hermione?" I said, with disbelief. I turned around quickly to brush my tears off. I heard her come down the staircase. I turned round to look at her.

"What the –?" I said; she was in a mess. "What happened?"

"N-nothing," she said, but I could see she had been crying. "Where are you going?"

I realised why I was going, and was brought down to earth with a crash.

"Somewhere," I said vaguely, and started to arrange my bags. I had to get out of there the quicker I did it, the better it would be, if I just left from here...

"Don't go," she cried quietly, and I lost my temper. Who was she to say anything, when she was yelling and hitting me at any opportunity?

"Oh yeah?" I yelled, and I saw her flinch. But I was mad. Very mad. "And why shouldn't I?" I looked at her for an explanation, and I could see how scared she was. But I couldn't stop yelling; look what she'd done to me! I was a wreck! And now she tells me not to go? She has to be kidding me!

I turned round; she obviously had no reason.

"Because... because I love you, Ron. I do, and if –"

"You've got to be joking!" I roared, trying not to yell, but it all came out of me. "Now you love me? You hit me, say you never want to see me again, and not you love me? Give me a break, Hermione!"

"So what?" she yelled back, her wild hair getting wilder by the second. "So what I yelled at you earlier! I was confused! I didn't know what to do, I –"

"Don't give me that rubbish! You told me you loved him, and now I know he loves you too, and – stop crying!" She had just clutched on the banister and wept.

"Ron, this is not what I n-need right n-now," she began, but I cut across – I was sick and tired of being me. I wanted out. Now.

"And this is not what I bloody need right bloody now, but it's happening, isn't it? So don't give me any of that rubbish! I wasted time on you, and I know, OK, so you don't have to tell me anyway, I know you and Malfoy are together, I know you don't love me, so just don't lie, OK, just don't lie!"

"I'm not!" Hermione shrieked and I have never seen her loose control like that. "I love you, OK? What more do you want from me? Huh? What do you want?"

Why does she keep saying that, why does she say she loves me? Why does she keep torturing me?

"I want to get out, so just, just leave me alone, OK?"

"Don't go!" she yelled and grabs my arm, and looks me into the eyes. Through all the tears, I see her eyes, and I can't help it. I can't help it that I love her, and I lent in...

I had waited for that kiss for a long time, but as soon as it started, I broke it off.

"I - I can't do this right now!" I said, and pulled back. I could see her hurt and angry face. I looked down at her. What had happened? She stared at me through her tears, and I knew I just had to go – it was too hard, I couldn't do this – especially what she put me through, now she wanted me? This wasn't right.

"Hermione, just let me go!" I wrenched from her, and picked up my bags. "Let me go!"

"Is that it?" she yelled at me. "Is that what I mean to you? Nothing?"

No. She didn't, and I told her so. I took a deep breath.

"No, 'Mione. You mean way too much." I said as sincerely as I could muster. And, with that, I left the castle behind me, I left Harry behind me, I left a good seven years of my life behind me at that place, but most of all, I left my only love behind.

I apparated when I had gone out of the gates. It was time for me to go home.

(Hermione's pov)

He did it. He left me. I put a finger to my lips, where I could still feel his, and one more tear came out. I straitened my body and walked slowly back to... nowhere, really, but I knew I couldn't leave the castle too. I decided the hospital wing would be a great place to go, as I could talk to Harry and he wouldn't say anything. Good old, reliable Harry.

I walked slowly up to the Wing, but when I opened it, I got a shock. Harry was sitting up, drinking some water.

"Harry!" I cried, and I completely forgot about Ron when I ran over to him and hugged him as tight as I dared.

"What happened to you?" I asked, smiling with relief that he hadn't died.

"Hermione, what happened to you?" He asked, his face contorted with concern.

"I... er," I managed to say. Harry was my best friend. He didn't know what I had done – he thought I was alright, he didn't know about Ron...

"Hermione, sit down" he patted the side of his bad, and I did. "Now, tell me what happened," he said patiently, and I felt bad because he had just woken a few hours ago...

And I don't know how he did it, but the words all came out, like I had been dying to say it. Well, not everything.

"... And now he's gone, Harry, he's gone. He's never coming back. I told him I loved him, we – we kissed, but he p-pushed me away, and now he's g-gone..." My voice trailed off and he pulled me into half a hug.

"Well," he said rationally, "I can't say you've got a perfect record," I sniffed loudly, "but if I know Ron, and I think I do, he still loves you. But he needs space, OK? He needs sometime away from you. He needs to get over what you did."

"I know. You're right." I sniffed again.

"Now, you never managed to tell me why you look like this – what happened?" I looked down, and gingerly placed a hand on the bruise on my cheek. Then he must have realised. "Did – did Malfoy do this?" he asked, with a horrible glint in his eye. He was mad. "Hermione, answer me, did Malfoy do this?"

I shut my eyes. He was going to find out anyway. I slowly nodded my head.

"The BASTARD!" He yelled, and it made me jump. "I'll get him for that, in fact, I'm going to get him right now, I will, I'm going to go and murder him right now..." And he made to go out of bed, but I pushed him back in it.

"You need your rest." I looked at him; he wasn't looking at me. Instead his mouth was open, and he was staring at the other end of the Wing. Anxiety was all I could read on his face, and I snapped round to see what he was staring at.

Ginny.

I slowly got up, and was leaving the room, when she ran past me and they embraced so tightly they could have been glued together.

(Ginny's pov)

"You're... you; I mean... you're awake!" Happiness filtered through my body and I hugged him one more time.

"Pretty much so," Harry said with a laugh. "How've you been?" he asked, and my heart melted just from the question. He'd been through so much, yet he wanted to know how I was.

"Awful," I said, with a small smile. Oh, how I had missed his eyes. "And I just wanted you to wake up so I could see you smile, and so I could see your eyes, but most of all, to tell you how much I love you, and –"

His kiss was sweet and gentle. After what seemed like forever we broke apart.

"And what?" he said, as I leant in again...

And that's chapter 5! What do you think! Comments, reviews, criticism, and plot twist you want, I want them all! Let's see of I can get over 10 reviews! Woohoo!

autumnlover