Disclaimer: Hey! I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter.

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Lonely

"Seriously, can someone tell me whats going on?"

"Dear brother of mine" Ginny sighed "You finally blew it"

Harry pushed his forehead into his palm.

Ron stood etched to the ground. "I'm serious?"

"I honestly thought you'd mess up big enough for her to give up sooner. Much sooner!" Ginny patted Ron on his back. "Good job" she said sourly and walked in Hermione's direction. She gave a look at Harry who gave a nod in return, and in seconds she too was devoured by the mass of witches and wizards in Diagon Ally.

"So" Harry began but was caught off by a sly voice.

"… so you blew it with Granger, huh!" He smirked in his famous way. "good for you Weasel. You didn't deserve her anyways. Don't get me wrong, she's still a filthy mudblood. But if there's someone worse than mudbloods it's you" and with that he shouldered by them. He had a tendency to do this; enter dramatically, and exit even worse. As usual his audience stood quiet and insulted.

Ron regained his voice and roared after him "Ey!"

Draco turned around on the spot with his wand drawn. At the sight of his wand Harry pulled his out as well, however, Draco had already hexed the bloody moron Weasel by the time Harry had managed to get it out. "Don't even think about it, Scarhead" he hissed, now pointing his wand at him.

Harry was more worried about Ron laying in a pile on the ground, than getting revenge for his mate. He put his wand away.

"Good choice." Draco said slyly and watched as Harry had run to Ron. "Let him lay in the dirt where he belongs" he added and kicked some sand in Ron's direction, after which he turned and walked away with his passé.

As Harry managed to get Ron back onto his feet he brushed off some mud off of his giant knitted sweater. "Today is just not my day!" Ron sighed.

Harry shook his head. "It really isn't."

/

"Hermione!" Ginny was jogging through the crowd, having already spotted the fuzzy haired witch. "HERMIONE!"

When she heard her name shouted loudly through the crowd she turned around. Judging by the voice is surely hadn't been Harry or Ron, so she had felt it was okay for her to compile. She was still enraged, and it was showing. If her hair could throw sparks it would!

"Hermione! Are you okay?" Ginny, with regular Quidditch practice, didn't even try to catch air after running through the crowd. She didn't need to.

In response Hermione simply shook her head and looked at Ginny's shoes. They were brown, with red streaks on them.

"Let's go somewhere quieter" She moved to grab her hand "somewhere we can talk". They pushed through the crowd, interlocked by the hands, reaching one of the shops with a roaring fireplace. Without another word they both stepped into the flames. Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out a hand-full of sand, threw it on the fire and clearly yelled "The Burrow". That strange pull streaked through her body. Soon they stepped into the Burrow and, still not letting go of each other, walked up into Ginny's room.

"Sit." She ordered, closing the door behind her.

Hermione complied and put her head in her now free hands. She felt weak all of a sudden. What had she done?

Per automatics they had stayed in their "relationship" for quite some time. She loved him, she really did. Maybe not as a lover, but as someone whom she really cared about. She probably always would. However, she had been feeling mistreated. She had started to pick up on all these small things that he did, or didn't do. Having Harry and Ginny around to remind them of how a real couple in love acts, without overdoing it, it was plain to see Hermione and Ron just weren't the same anymore. Maybe they never really had either. It had been so convenient, so suiting, to have someone close by. Someone to love. Someone to draw the attention off of all the bad things going on during the war. At Voldemort's down fall, it seemed their relationship went with it. The passion was gone, because they didn't need each other anymore. Surely, they still loved each other, but not in a romantic way.

How pathetic wasn't she, she thought to herself. Holding on to someone simply to have someone. Holding on to someone who didn't actually want her, obviously. For a long time Hermione had been feeling lonely, already. Now, though, she really was.

With this a tear slipped through her fingers. It landed with a thud on the wooden floor, just like her heart. It splashed onto the piece of cut tree and broke into many smaller pieces. The metaphor didn't end there though. The small pieces of her little droplet were seeping through the wooden cracks, leaving nothing but a small empty puddle. A memory of something that used to be.

Empty. That's how she felt. And lonely.

An arm wrapped around her closely. Ginny's forehead was resting on Hermione's shoulder.

She wasn't alone.

But she still managed to feel lonely.

More tears were streaming down her face now and a small sob left her mouth. Ginny was squeezing her closer. She can't understand this feeling though, Hermione though, she has never felt this way. Ginny has always had her family, a loving kind and warm family whom stands up for one and other, sometimes maybe too much. She has never had to experience the loss of her parents, her whole family. The loss of the ones you care about the most. The ones that have always been there, and leave a promise they always will. Although Hermione loved Ginny she couldn't help but feel upset and angry that she got to have all of this while all she got was… none. Not anymore. She used to. But to protect them she had had to erase herself from their lives. They didn't know who she was and probably never would. The two people she had always been able to rely on, that she knew always loved her… they didn't even know her name. Let alone why she looked like them! She had lost the two people that meant everything to her. Without them alive she wouldn't be able to live. At least that is how it felt. But they were alive, therefore so was she. She had to be. Even though the war was over she still felt she had to continue to protect them like they always had her. She loved them.

At the thought of her parents there was no end to her tears. She was shaking. Ginny went to wrap a quilt around her shoulders. Like this they sat for another hour before they heard voices from downstairs. Hermione sighed and forced her eyes shut.

Ginny looked at her. "Sleep in my bed tonight." With this Hermione layer down on the bed and Ginny pulled the quilt over her. She patted her foot with a sad face before she exited the room. Yet again Hermione was left alone.

Tears came streaming down her face again.

/

A/N: Hello! First off, thank you so much for all the follows and faves! I am amazed and so honored! To even have a couple of reviews already too, just makes everything tons better! Thank you all so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoy continuing to read it.

I know this was a bit of a short chapter, but I felt I wanted to really express how Hermione feels at this point already.

Love