A/N: Ok, I know this is LONG overdue and everyone's been waiting ages to read this, but just so you know, this isn't the last chapter. I am really sory.

Believe you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact. -Norman Vincent Peale

Ron found himself sitting in the waiting room of St. Mungos. His eyes were on the ground as people milled around him. He was oblivious to the world, every little word filtering through his ears but he couldn't recognize anything.

Hermione wasn't getting better. In fact, this would probably be the last chance for him to speak to her before she slipped away to an unreachable state. Which was why he had been called to the hospital. The Healer had decided to allow Ron into the room even if Hermione was still against the thing. Davidson wanted to give Ron a chance to say goodbye.

Goodbye?

She wasn't going anywhere…

She wasn't dying…

She wasn't even going into a coma…

She was just… leaving…

"Ron… you can come in…"

He looked up to see a nurse watching him carefully, a hopeful smile on her face. Ron took a deep breath and followed her to the room, waiting until she had shut the door before turning to where Hermione was sitting, her feet dangling off the edge of the bed while she stared out the window.

"Come to say goodbye?"

Those four words cut him so hard.

"Hermione…"

"Please, Ron… just turn around and leave… Believe me… you don't want to see what's left…"

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold her so badly. He wanted to just touch her, but she looked as if she'd shatter if he did. From where he stood, he couldn't see her face, but her arms were skinny and her hair had completely given up, falling, tangled and sweaty, around her sagging shoulders. He took a step closer but her cold voice stopped him.

"Just go."

Even her voice, no matter how cold it was, had a hint of defeat in it.

"Hermione, please… don't push me away. Please don't push me away," he begged, moving closer to her as he spoke.

"Please go away," she whispered.

"Hermione-"

Suddenly she got up and whirled around, glaring at him.

"Take a good look, Ron! Take a good look! Is this what you want to say goodbye to?!" she screamed, her chest moving up and down sharply.

Ron couldn't believe what he saw.

Her eyes had sunken in and her skin was completely pale, almost grayish. Everything about her was smaller from lack of exercise and eating. She looked as if she were about to fall any minute.

But that wasn't what caused Ron's heart to break.

He could see the defeat in her eyes. The once burning flame had gone out and now all he could see was a loss of will to live. She wasn't just losing her mind… she was losing her soul as well…

Hermione could see her appearance tearing him apart and that caused her to start crying silently. She crossed her arms and looked away.

"You should go…"

"Hermione… you… what…"

He reached out for her but she pulled away, knowing that if he touched her, it would be her undoing. Suddenly, faintly in the background she could hear the whispering and she closed her eyes, trying to block it out.

"Please go, Ron… just go…"

Ron shook his head.

"How can I just go? I can't just leave you like this…"

She looked up at him, anger in her eyes.

"You've done it before," she shot.

Immediately she wished she hadn't said it, but the damage had been done. She had just ripped his heart out of his chest and threw it on the ground.

Suddenly a new wave of whispering surged over her and she closed her eyes, covering her ears as she tried to get rid of them.

"Go away," she whispered aggressively, backing up into the wall as she tried to get rid of the noise.

Ron watched her, his eyes filled with dread.

She really was losing her mind.

"Hermione… why won't you-"

"GET OUT!" she suddenly shouted, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Hermione, please!"

"GO AWAY!" she screamed, sliding down the wall, tears running down her face. "Please, Ron… just go…" She grabbed her head again, the voices seeking that chance to invade her mind with scrambled words and blaring words of advice. "Go away," she whispered. "Don't bother saying goodbye…"

Ron shook his head, sitting down against the opposite wall.

"I'm not leaving you," he whispered.

Hermione looked up at him.

"I won't remember who you are…"

Ron suddenly got up and walked right over to her, pulling her up to him before she could even pull away.

"Don't you ever say that again," he whispered, holding her arms tightly.

Tears poured down her face as she tried to pull away.

"Let me go," she pleaded.

Ron shook his head.

"I'm not going to let you go… never," he told her.

Hermione continued to shake her head as she tried to pull away.

"Please Ron… I… I can't stand this anymore… the voices… the nightmares… just let me go…"

The pleading in her voice and the vulnerability in her eyes finally showed him that she couldn't do it. She wouldn't be able to do it…

"I'm so sorry, Ron… I should have told you about Ian…"

With that, Ron let her go. He watched her crumble to the ground, a sobbing wreck. He sunk to the floor as well, leaning against the bed as he closed his eyes, trying to drown out her cries.

"Hermione…" he whispered, trying not to cry himself.

Maybe if he couldn't hear her anymore, the pain would go away…

Maybe if he pretended that she wasn't there, his heart would stop tearing apart…

Maybe if he could just disappear, the world would be a better place…

A/N: I have a lot of reviews to get to.

smz12231994: The thing is, I have a bittersweet relationship with these stories, because I love them yet at the same time I hate them and want to cry. It's complicated.

Anna Marie Raven: I'm known for making heartbreaking endings. Don't be surprised if this one turns out to be.

marauders rox: Thank you!

Sarah Butter: No, this isn't, but I have a feeling the next one will be.

HpC0ldplay: Yes, well, things happen...

mione-ron-4ever: By the looks of things, it doesn't look possible.

younggem: Yeah... I think this is the last time I'm going to do something that bad...

Wesker888: Not too good, by the looks of things.

charma10: Amen to that.

HerFathersJoy: Finally! Here you go!

paulalou: You give me too much credit. They'll probably just be very agitated parahnas and I probably wouldn't wait until you grabbed onto the life preserver.

tefy: Don't worry, it'll get better!

theISHA: Well, don't knock yourself out! You might need to read the remaining chapters.

Coconut Girl: I don't think I'd do something that painful, but if I do do something like that, I'll let you give me the idea for my next story! PLEASE, update the Darkness sequel! I'm driving myself crazy. I know you're busy, but when you find time! BTW, how are you doing?

sballLuvr5: I needed to lighten the mood a little.

LunaSky: You're still going to have to be a little more specific. I've messed up so many lives already. :-)

Mione-Girl.x: We'll have to just wait and see.

I'm sorry, I can't do a Chapter Tease.