AN: I hope this meets with everyone's approval. This was rather emotional to write as the inspiration for this scene was taken from the day my marriage fell apart...the largest difference being that my knight in shining armor was not there that way. I am leaving on vacation until next wednesday so dont expect any updates until after then because I will be out of internet range. I hope this can hold you over until I get back. I will be a writing fool for the next week because I know you are all DYING to find out what happens next!

Please review! They keep me going!

Enjoy!

During the next couple of days, Hermione fell into a pattern of sorts. She summoned breakfast from the kitchens to be ready when she got out of the shower. After eating and getting dressed, she headed off to her laboratory to get some work in, often bumping into Severus. They hadn't shared anymore private conversations since the day of her arrival. However, Hermione had to stop herself from blabbing her secrets out to him more than once. She was still trying to internalize everything and figure out how to tell Ron the wedding was over.

Dealing with Ron was proving to be more of a pain that she would have liked. Every morning Pig arrived with another love note and treat from Ron, usually asking if she had made up her mind yet. Hermione refused the note she got on the second day and sent nothing back with Pig. That led to a barrage of notes throughout the entire day until she got so exasperated that she replied back just to shut him up. She had no clue what she was going to say to him on Sunday. She was already dreading the thought of leaving and said as much to Minerva over breakfast on Saturday morning.

Minerva paused over her donut and said simply, "well stay here then. There is no reason you have to go back."

Hermione sighed and said "You don't know Ron. He expects me back tomorrow. If I don't show up, he will come here to get me. You know he is just not going to give this up."

"Have you heard from any of your friends or family on this?"

"Not really. Ron probably hasn't told any of his family this because he doesn't want them to think there is 'trouble in paradise."

"How about Harry or any of your other school friends?"

"Harry is Ron's best man. He would automatically take Ron's side."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Ron has already seen to that."

Seeing that she was going to get no farther with Hermione , she patted the young witch on the arm and stood up to plan her day. Minerva had invited Hermione to go to Diagon Alley with her for the day to do some pre-school shopping but Hermione declined. Too much of a risk of running into someone she didn't want to. Minerva questioned her decision but knew Severus was planning to stay in the castle so she wouldn't be all alone. .

Hermione grabbed an extra apple to take back to her room, planning on perusing some of the books on her shelf and reading. Maybe she would ask Severus if he wanted to wander into Hogsmeade for dinner.

Stopping short at that thought, Hermione wondered where the hell that thought came into her head from. She didn't recall thinking it before and certainly had no desire to ask Severus for a date. Yet, there was the thought still rolling around in her head for no particular reason.

As Hermione walked back to the tower, the thought of going to dinner with Severus was still on her mind when she was brought up short by an astonishing sight.

Ron Weasley was sitting at the base of the tower, obviously waiting for her. He held a box of chocolate frogs and two dozen long stem roses in his hands. As Hermione approached, he rose and instead of walking toward her, he waited. Hermione stopped and stared at him, not knowing where to begin in her thought process. Instead of waiting for her to come home, he had come to her a day earlier than planned, throwing her off guard. She could hardly believe his audacity…or the rising bile in her throat at the mere sight of him. Ron seemed like he wanted to be appealing to her so he had put on his best dress robes and had a fresh haircut. He stood looking, feigning an almost regal air, almost like how Percy stood when he was first appointed to the Ministry after graduation. Hermione found that instead of finding him impressive, she found him surprisingly fake…like he was trying to be someone he wasn't. She knew in that moment that the relationship was over. She didn't care how many owls she would have to send canceling the wedding or how many Galleons she stood to lose. She knew in her heart that she would never be Mrs. Ron Weasley.

As Ron stood there, Hermione approached until there was about two feet distance between them for that is how close she could get without feeling very uncomfortable. She wanted to be polite, but was so angry at Ron for showing up like this without a word that she glared at him and demanded "what the fuck are you doing here?"

Ron winced at her language but kept his voice calm and almost haughty. "I have come to beg your forgiveness for whatever wrongs I have wrought against you and to ask your hand once more in marriage."

"Have you gone MENTAL?"

"Now Hermione, listen to what I have to say, calmly and rationally. I hoped that by coming here we could talk in private."

Hermione suddenly heard a voice in her head so clearly, it might have been spoken right next to her. "Don't leave the courtyard." She glanced up and saw the shadow of Severus in a nearby window staring at the scene intently. He gave her a little nod as she turned back to Ron.

"We can talk right here, Ron. There is no one else here so we won't be disturbed." Unless need be she added to herself. "So what is it that you have come here to say?" Knowing Severus had her back suddenly made her feel stronger than she had felt in days, yet she didn't know why.

Ron took out a sheet of paper and began to recite a poem he claimed to have penned the day before. The poem rambled on about how fair and beautiful she was and how Hermione Weasley sounded so much better than Hermione Granger and how he could provide for her and how she completed him and how his life would be so empty and worthless without her. Hermione found herself growing more and more repulsed as he spoke. When he finished he handed her the chocolate and flowers and stared at her expectantly, as if he thought she was going to come running into his arms to take him back and live happily ever after.

Instead she stared at him speechless before repeating, "have you gone MENTAL, Ron?"

Ron's hopeful face collapsed as he said, "No. I'm serious. I believe all those things and don't see a single reason why we shouldn't get married." He paused for second as if to realize there could be another option. "Unless… you…." He couldn't go on.

Hermione saw this as her chance to finally say her piece. She took a deep breath and very calmly and evenly told him "it's over, Ron."

Ron stared at her disbelieving for a second before his face contorted with rage. "But I came here ON MY KNEES to beg for your forgiveness. Isn't that what you women WANT?" He collapsed on his knees in front of Hermione before continuing. "Nothing I ever did was good enough for you. I come here to bare my soul and to sweep you off of your feet and THIS is how you react?"

"Ron…I…"

"oh shut up Hermione. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel."

"But Ron…it's not that I don't like you…it's that I don't love you like a wife should love her husband and our marriage would be wrong from the start."

"Oh great. The truth comes out. Why have you lied to me all along then Hermione, telling me you love me and not refusing me in bed. Why did you waste your time then? Oh wait…I get it…make a bloody laughingstock of Ron Weasely. Kick him to the curb so you can sit and laugh with the rest of the world about how you made a fool out of me. You were always a spiteful bitch."

"RON!" Hermione started crying not knowing what she said wrong.

"Save your tears. All you're doing is just trying to manipulate me into taking you back, despite your OBVIOUS lies and deception."

"I have done no such thing!" She stared at him in disbelief but Ron kept raging.

"All I wanted to do is come here to TALK to you and to let you know how much I love you and this is how you repay me? You're just screwing yourself, you know."

"How so?"

"Who else is going to love you? Who are you going to go crying to? You had better believe all your friends will know how you treated me and how you threw my love away like it was NOTHING! No one is going to want you…whatever happens to me it will be all your fault!"

"Ron! Why the bloody hell should I marry you if this is how you're going to treat me every time I disagree with you? You've always had to have your way…from where I lived to what color our damn wedding cake should be. And I've always given It to you because this is how you would react. When the hell did you get so self centered?"

"On nice one…trying to turn the blame off me and onto you. If you cast the evil light on me, then you are Miss Perfect Know-It-All and everyone will love you. I see your petty games but I'm not going to buy it. Everything you say about me is just bullshit anyways."

Hermione had had enough. "Ron, I think it's time that you left."

"I'm not leaving here without you. And we're going right into town to get married."

"The hell I'm not. Not after what you said to me."

Ron's rage disappeared for a moment and the haughty air returned. "I just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Now that you've seen how it feels, maybe you'll be nicer to me in the future."

"Ron, I am NOT going anywhere with you. You've just given me the answer I've sought all week."

"Bullshit you were looking for answers to our relationship. You had your mind made up about me before you even left that apartment."

"How do you know? You left before me!"

"Only because you made me."

"Not the way I remember."

"So you're calling me a liar now."

"Yup." Hermione and Ron had been pacing in circles as this conversation went on. Every time Ron stepped towards her, Hermione had taken at least two steps back. He finally turned away from her and seemed to stop to catch his breath. Hermione put her head down and took a deep breath trying to figure out where to go from here. Severus' voice came back into her head. "Easy now. You're doing fine. Don't give up." Before she could assimilate the words of encouragement she saw a movement out of Ron. He had turned around and now was brandishing his wand at her. "What the fuck, Ron?"

"You are going to be my wife, Hermione Granger. If only because no one else will have you. You are too plain to look at and your brains are a threat to any man's masculinity."

"oh like yours?" the words were out of her mouth before she could take them back. Ron's face went red with anger as he started advancing towards her, wand point out as if to strike at any moment.

"Don't you DARE insult me like that. A wife's place is to HONOR her husband."

"I'm NOT your wife." Hermione's voice was brave but inside she was scared. She kept backing away from Ron but he wouldn't relent. She mentally cursed herself for leaving her wand in the apartment. She started looking for an escape route but found none.

"You will be by the end of the day. I did EVERYTHING you asked of me including to give you your precious SPACE and TIME. Now it's your turn to give me something."

"Ron, my answer is no." Her back hit the brick wall and she started praying Merlin…help me….

"The hell it's not, Granger," Ron sneered as he tried to lean in for a kiss.

"GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF OF HER AT ONCE!"Hermione slumped down in relief and fear against the wall as Ron turned around bewildered at the voice and saw Severus Snape storming out of the castle, wand up , with a look that would have brought any sane person to their knees in fear. Ron, however, was too worked up to notice.

"Well if it isn't the sniveling HERO come to save the day again" Ron spat at Severus. "Thank you for your KIND concern but this is between me and Hermione."

"You threaten her and back her into a wall and it becomes my concern, Weasley."

"She deserved it. Certainly you understand?"

"Hardly. Your father would be most displeased if he saw you treating any women the way you have treated Hermione."

"Father knows how Hermione has treated me and has declared her no longer part of the family for her treatment to me. I was going to marry her out of the kindness of my heart anyway."

"Kindness?" Severus spat. "So you were being KIND when you drew your wand, knowing she was unarmed? Or was it when you threw chocolate at her and then called her a bitch when she said something you didn't like?"

"No kinder than you ever treated women back in the old days. No wonder Lily didn't want you."

"YOU LEAVE LILY OUT OF THIS! And for your information, I have done many things but I have NEVER EVER mistreated a woman. Now get out of my sight." Severus then turned his attention to the woman curled up on the ground, afraid to look at either of them

Ron stepped between them and looked at Hermione before having the audacity to say " I can give you the rest of your vacation to think about it and come back tomorrow to collect you if you want."

Severus flipped the boy around by the shoulder and said "you will do no such thing. I suggest you get out of here."

"That's for Hermione to decide."

"I believe she already told you once to leave after she had given the answer you obviously did not want."

"I will not leave until I hear it from her lips."

They both looked to Hermione, still slumped on the stone. She didn't want to look at Ron but she still stated softly yet firmly, "go home Ron." Before Ron could reply, she went to stood up, but her knees were shaking too much. Without thinking about it, Severus went and put his arms around her and lifted her up and held her against his side. Ron took notice of this and realization dawned on his face. His anger showed through as he advanced towards Hermione. "You cheating WHORE!"

Severus drew his wand and demanded "APOLOGIZE NOW!"

"I SAW you two in the park the other day holding hands. You are a lying cheating whore! You came here to be with your lover so you two could play me for a fool. You fucking bitch. I wouldn't take you now if you were the last woman on the face of the earth. You really have dropped your standards. SNAPE? How the hell can you stand those clammy cold hands on your body? You slime…"

Had he not had Hermione against him, Severus would have hexed Ron into the next century. Instead he called on his years of leading a double life in order to keep his emotions in check and his face passive save for the angry sneer. "Get the hell away from here Weasely and never come back."

"Fine. I can't stand to be around the sight of a whore." Ron turned to walk away. He had taken about three steps towards the exit when he turned back and yelled "You know you're only a substitute for Lily, Hermione. No one is ever going to want you as you are. You're a worthless ugly whore."

"WEASLEY!"

"Fuck you, Snape."

With that, Ron stormed out of the front gates and disapparated.