Chapter Three: Already Gone

"Remember all the things we wanted, now all our memories, they're haunted, we were always meant to say goodbye. Even with our fists held high, it never would have worked out right. We were never meant for do or die. I didn't want us to burn out, I didn't come here to hurt you now I can't stop..." (Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson)

oOo

Hermione apparated outside her cabin with a loud crack; she walked briskly towards her doorstep when she immediately stopped. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and let out a loud groan; "I know you're there Harry" she said.

Harry stepped out of the dark and smiled; "How did you know it was me?" he asked.

Hermione threw him a disbelieving look and huffed; "I have wards as well you know," she replied.

Harry walked towards his best friend and stood right in front of her; he eyed her for a couple of seconds and frowned. "You left the hospital without waiting for us, you know" he chastised.

Hermione winced as she scratched her nape; "You were there?" she asked.

Harry raised his brow as crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Of course I was there. Ginny sent me a patronus after she took you to St. Mungos" he answered.

Hermione froze; "Ginny? Oh Merlin! Where is she? I forgot about her!" she stammered.

Harry shook his head and chuckled; "You forgot about her alright! She was scared to her wits did you know that? That poor woman didn't know what to do when you collapsed right in front of her eyes" he said.

Hermione bit her lower lip as she fumbled with her hands; "I—I was just feeling under the weather Harry, if you see Gin, please tell her not to worry about me" she said.

Harry studied her face again; "What really happened Mione? We just had lunch and you were fine, so please, don't lie to me..." he pleaded.

Hermione felt her eyes heating up again so she opted to turn around and walked towards the door; she swished her wand and instantly the locks on her door clicked open. "Do you want to come in?" she asked.

"Yes, we need to talk" Harry replied.

Hermione pushed the door open and walked towards the couches; she flicked her wand once again and instantly bright lights illuminated the whole place. She then padded towards the couch and sat down unceremoniously. "Please sit down" she said.

Harry followed and slumped beside her.

Hermione leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Harry waited for Hermione to speak but was only met with silence; he turned his head towards her and saw that her eyes were closed. He let out a huge sigh and sat straight; he was about to stand up to leave when he heard her mumble. "Did you say something?" he asked.

Hermione still did not open her eyes when she repeated what she said; "He's having an affair..." she said loudly.

Harry froze.

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at her other best friend; tears immediately ran down her cheeks so she hastily wiped it. She bit her lower lip and sniffed; "I—I came to your office this afternoon to surprise him but I guess I was the one who was surprised" she laughed bitterly.

Harry's face darkened as anger started bubbling inside his chest; "What did you see? Is he with somebody else inside our office?" he asked.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked away; "No, he was not with her. But he was talking with her..." she replied.

Harry clenched his fist tightly; "What were they talking about?" he inquired.

Tears began falling down Hermione's cheeks again as she stifled a sob; she stood up from the couch and turned towards the fire place. "He—he was with her the night he left and—and they had..." she choked out, cutting off her sentence. She sniffed loudly again and cleared her throat; "They've been at it for Merlin knows how long and I'm so so stupid not to see it. He made a fool out of me again Harry, I'm so stupid!" she shouted brokenly.

"Hermione...you're not stupid! Ron is just-"

"NO!" Hermione bellowed. She turned towards her best friend with tear stricken face and shaking hands; "You don't get to defend him Harry! He cheated on me for the second time! For the second fucking time!" she yelled.

Harry immediately stood up and walked towards Hermione; he pulled her into his chest and hugged her tightly. "No Mione, I'm not siding with him. I've already made that mistake once and I won't do it again. That son of a bitch doesn't deserve you and I swear to Merlin, he won't get off that easily!" he whispered.

Hermione cried harder as she buried her face into his chest; she encircled her shaking arms around his waist and whimpered like a lost child.

Harry began rubbing her back comfortingly as she continues to cry.

After a couple of minutes, Hermione pulled away. "I'm sorry Harry...I didn't mean to lash out on you like that..." she croaked.

Harry moved closer and began wiping the stray cheeks on her face; "It's alright...please don't cry anymore, that git doesn't deserve it" he said.

Hermione let out a small smile; "I know Harry. I also left him a big remembrance that he will never forget" she said slyly.

Harry fixed his glasses as he moved to sit down again; "What do you mean?" he asked.

Hermione also sat down and faced him; "Let's just say that he won't be using his car for a couple of months" she replied.

Harry's eyes widen as his jaw hang open.

Hermione chuckled; "Close your mouth Harry, it's not charming"

Harry snapped his mouth closed; "What did you do?" he asked.

Hermione flicked her wand and instantly a tea set levitated towards them; she leaned towards the table and began fixing them a drink. "Do you want a little fire whiskey in your tea?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you" Harry replied, still eyeing her curiously.

Hermione swished her wand again and summoned a bottle of Ogden's finest; she carefully uncapped it and began pouring a hefty amount on each cup. She placed the whiskey on the table and carefully lifted the first tea cup and handed it to Harry; "There you go" she said.

"Thank you" Harry said after accepting the drink; he started stirring it for a couple of seconds and took a small sip. "Errhhh...is this tea with fire whiskey or fire whiskey tea?" he asked while grimacing.

Hermione took a sip of her own cup and smiled; "It's good" she replied.

Harry shook his head and placed his cup on the table; "So, what did you do?" he asked again.

Hermione took a generous sip and sighed contentedly; "I love fire whiskey, it relaxes my nerves" she said.

"Hermione" Harry whined.

Hermione rolled her eyes and placed her cup on the table; she leaned back and crossed her arms on top of her chest. "Ishatteredhiscarswindshieldwithacrowbar" she mumbled.

Harry furrowed his brows and leaned forward; "What? Please speak clearer" he said.

Hermione sighed; "I shattered his car's windshield with a crow bar!" she shrieked.

Harry just stared at her, dumbfounded.

Hermione averted her gaze and stared at the furnace instead; "I also scratched my initials on the hood and glued my cheap engagement ring on it..." she added.

Harry then let out a loud laugh as he clutched his tummy.

Hermione's head snapped towards him and raised her brow; "What's funny?" she asked.

Harry kept laughing as tears began forming in the sides of his eyes; he then took off his glasses and leaned back on the couch. "Oh dear!" he exclaimed between deep breaths.

Hermione huffed; "Harry!"

Harry took a deep breath again and shook his head; "That was—that was brilliant!" he said while wiping his eyes.

Hermione bit her lower lip as she tried to stifle her smile; she leaned forward and made a grab for her cup.

Harry perched his glasses on top of his nose and cleared his throat; "YOU ARE AN AWESOME WOMAN" he said proudly.

Hermione took a sip of his tea and winced; "You are right, too much whiskey" she said.

Harry shook his head and grabbed his own cup; he took a sip of his tea and smiled. "Not that bad now" he said.

Hermione laughed; "Do you think he already saw it?" she asked.

"I doubt it, because if he did, I'm sure he'll be banging at your door by now..." Harry replied.

Hermione nodded; "You're right, I bet he's still with that slag that he took to The Savoy last week" she said bitterly.

Harry furrowed his brows as he places his cup on the table again; "What do you mean he took to The Savoy?" he asked all traces of humour gone.

Hermione huffed; "That arsehole think he's sneaky and all! I bet he didn't think that I would find the stupid receipt inside his glove compartment!" she replied.

Harry closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fist; "I think it's time that I pay him a visit" he said while standing up.

Hermione's eyes widen as she hastily stood up as well; still holding the cup she threw Harry a pleading look. "Harry, please don't—"

"No! I will not keep quiet Hermione! He's an arse and he deserves to know it!" Harry hissed.

Hermione sat down and placed the cup on the table; she then braised her elbows on top of her knees and buried her face in her palms. "I just don't want to complicate things between you and him. This is our issue Harry and as much as it pains me, you cannot hate him in behalf of me. He's still your best friend, you know" she said.

Harry huffed; "He lost that title the moment he opened his fly for another woman" he replied coldly.

Hermione peeked from her fingers and sighed; "Oh Harry, don't be like that..." she said.

Harry shook his head; "It's my decision Mione, I'll be friends with whomever I want to be friends with and he's not on my list any longer" he said.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when there's a loud crack outside her doorstep; she felt her heart thump wildly as her body began to shake.

Harry's head snapped towards the door and popped his knuckles; "I guess I didn't have to wait long then," he said darkly.

Knock...Knock...Knock

"Hermione love, are you there?"

Harry huffed; "Love? That arsehole has the nerve to call you love? I'll wring his freckled neck!" he hissed. He then proceeded to walk towards the door with resolve when he suddenly felt a hand holding his arm tightly.

Knock...Knock...Knock

"Harry, please...Let me deal with him first, then, you can have him after...please?" Hermione pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Harry eyed him for a couple of minutes and sighed; "Will you be alright?" he asked.

Hermione nodded furiously; "I'll be alright, I won't murder him don't worry" she said with a tight smile.

Harry took a deep calming breath and conceded; "Make sure he gets it. Don't fall for his stupid reasons Mione, please, please, use your head this time" he said.

Hermione nodded; "Okay...I'll owl you after..." she said.

Harry padded towards the fire place and scooped a heap of floo powder; he threw it on the fire place and shouted his destination. He then turned to face Hermione and asked; "Are you sure you will be okay with him alone?" he asked.

"I'll be alright Harry, thank you. Please say Hi to Torry and kiss Candice for me" Hermione said.

Harry nodded; "I'll see you then" he said. He then stepped inside the fire place and was gone almost instantly.

"Hermione! Are you there?"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and began rolling her shoulders; "You can do this, you can't cry in front of that bastard, he's not worth the tears" she said to herself.

"Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes snapped open; "I'm here! Can you bloody wait!" she shouted. She then walked towards the door and yanked it open; "What the hell is wrong with you that you cannot wait?" she snapped.

Ron's eyes widen as he took a step back; "I—I was worried..." he replied.

Hermione glared at his ex-beau as she leaned on her door frame.

"Aren't you letting me in?" Ron asked.

Hermione crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her brow; "Why should I?" she asked defiantly.

Ron furrowed his brows and moved closer; he then leaned forward and placed his palm on her forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Hermione slapped his hand away; "Don't you dare touch me with your dirty hands" she spat.

Ron's face redden with anger as he took a step back; "What the hell is wrong you?" he demanded.

Hermione's face darkens as she stood stiffly; "How long?" she asked.

Ron felt his heart drop to his stomach; "What—what do you mean?" he asked nervously.

Hermione gazed at him for a couple of seconds and instantly burst into mirthless laughter; "Come on, Weasley. Are you that dumb? Do you want me to spell it out for you?" she hissed.

Ron leaned forward and grabbed her arms; "What is wrong with you? I don't know what you're saying!" he said.

Hermione shook his hands off her arms and took a step back; "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" she yelled.

Ron was taken aback with her anger so he kept silent.

Tears ran down Hermione's cheeks as she clenched her fists at her side; "Did you think that I won't find out that your fucking someone else? Do you think I'm that stupid?" she asked coldly.

Blood drained from Ron's face as he struggled with his words; "Hermione...love" he said lamely while moving forward.

Hermione took a step back again and instantly snatched her wand from her back pocket; she pointed it at Ron with a shaking hand. "Don't call me love, I HATE YOU! I never want to see your face near me nor my house ever again! You are a bastard and meeting you is the most unfortunate day of my life!" she yelled with so much anger.

"Hermione—let me explain...please" Ron pleaded.

"THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO EXPLAIN! YOU DON'T GET TO HAVE THAT PRIVELEGE AFTER YOU CHEATED ON ME TWICE!" Hermione screamed wildly.

Ron took a step back as he felt his knees buckling; he grabbed the nearest iron chair and leaned on it.

"WHAT? YOU DIDN'T EXPECT ME TO FIND OUT?" Hermione said harshly.

Ron sat on the chair and braised his elbows on his knees; he lowered his eyes on the floor as he kept silent.

Hermione eyed his slumped form as her heart struggled with so much pain; she took a deep calming breath and wiped her cheeks. "Just tell me one thing..." she half whispered.

Ron's head snapped towards her and nodded dejectedly.

Hermione hugged herself tightly as she mentally prepared herself; "Was I not good enough for you?" she asked.

Ron closed his eyes tightly as he clenched his fist; tears ran down his freckled cheek as he sniffed. "You were always enough Hermione, I was just stupid..." he said.

Hermione bit her lower lip and nodded; she averted his gaze and stared at the starry night sky. "I guess—I guess it never would have worked out right if we stayed together, yes? Perhaps, we we're always meant to say goodbye..." she said sadly.

Ron's eyes widen as fear starts to grab his heart; "What—what do you mean?" he asked fearfully.

Hermione turned to face Ron; "I can't do this anymore, you can be with whomever you want to be with" she said.

"Please don't do this...We can still fix this...Please Hermione..." Ron pleaded.

"No" Hermione replied.

Ron fell down on his knees and bowed his head; "Please love, don't do this...I LOVE YOU...I LOVE YOU SO MUCH...I'm so stupid, all of them don't mean anything to me. You are the one I want...please..." he pleaded desperately.

Hermione shook her head; "No...You should go home" she said. She then moved towards her door and stepped inside. "Go home Ron...there's nothing left for you here..." she said while closing the door shut.

Ron hastily stood up and moved towards the door; he began knocking fiercely as he screamed his lungs out. "OPEN THIS DOOR HERMIONE AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!"

Hermione let out a sob as she leaned back on the closed door; she shakily flicked her wand and whispered, "Silencio". She then moved away from the door and padded towards the couches; she sat down with a sigh and grabbed the fire whiskey bottle on top of the coffee table. She uncapped it hurriedly and took a swig straight from the bottle; she closed her eyes as swallowed a heaping mouthful.

Ron leaned his forehead on the closed door as he heard her mutter a silencing spell; he felt his whole world crumble down his feet as realization sunk in. He hit his head repeatedly and only stopped when he felt dizzy; he staggered a bit but he was able to find his bearing. He then took his wand out from his robe pocket and began walking away; when he reached her porch he swished his wand to dissapparate.

oOo

"Hey guys!" Draco greeted jovially.

Theo, Gregory and Blaise's head all snapped out towards the cheery voice; "Hey" they chorused together.

Draco sat on the vacant seat right in front of his friends and furrowed his brows; "What are you guys looking at?" he asked curiously.

Blaise smiled widely as he took a swig of his beer; "You'll never guess what Theo saw this afternoon" he replied.

Draco opened a beer and leaned back on his seat; "What did you see Theo?" he asked.

Theo grabbed his phone from Gregory's hand and offered it to Draco; "Take a look" he said.

Draco grabbed the phone and stared at it; he eyed the picture and let out an appreciative whistle. "That's nasty! Whose car is that?" he asked.

"You'll never guess" Gregory snickered.

Draco rolled his eyes; "That's the purpose of me asking mate" he replied.

Blaise laughed loudly.

Theo snickered as he took a swig of his beer.

Gregory shrugged his shoulder as he looked away with a very red face.

"So? Who murdered the car? And whose car is it?" Draco asked.

"It's the Weasel's car and the murderer would be his fiancé" Theo said.

"It's ex-fiancé mate, she left his cheap engagement ring on top of the hood" Blaise pipped in. "Granger is HOT!" he added.

Draco's mouth hangs open as he digested everything he heard.

Gregory threw Draco a look and snickered; "Close your mouth Drake, it doesn't look good on you" he said.

Draco immediately closed his mouth and cleared his throat; "Err, so you mean to say, Granger murdered Weasley's car? When was this?" he asked.

Theo started playing with his beer bottle as he furrowed his brows; "It was just today, around noon, I think" he replied.

Draco leaned back on his chair and whistled again; "Oh, really? It's curious because Granger was just my patient this afternoon. I didn't know that she recover's fast..." he said absentmindedly.

Gregory huffed; "She is a mud—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, I don't want to hear that word" Draco snapped, cutting his friend off.

Gregory raised his hand in defeat; "I'm sorry man, it's just a habit" he said.

Theo threw Gregory a warning look and turned to the blonde man sitting right in front of him; "Granger was in the hospital?" he asked.

Draco nodded; "Yes she was. Based from the nurse who tended to her before they paged me, she collapsed in the middle of the Ministry" he replied.

Theo nodded.

"Well, that's that. Let's talk about something else, shall we?" Draco said. He then turned towards his best friend and smiled; "How's Daphne?" he asked.

Blaise smiled widely; "She's fine, she's always around kids lately. Torry, brought Candice this morning and Daphne is overjoyed because she gets to play dress up with her" he replied fondly.

"Why don't you give her a daughter mate, I'm sure Daph is dying to have a daughter" Theo pipped in.

"We were planning to, but knowing Daphne, she thinks she'll never get her figure back" Blaise said.

Draco rolled his yes; "Woman these days" he said.

Theo, Blaise and Gregory sniggered.

oOo

Ron apparated in the middle of the street with a loud pop; he was still in a daze when he passed by his car so he didn't saw the wreckage. He was about to climb towards his porch when he stepped on something that crunched under this foot. He frowned and carefully lifted his boot; he bent forward and studied it carefully. Understanding dawned on him so he immediately turned to face his car; he felt his heart drop into his stomach for the second time when he saw the rubble. He willed his legs to move so he was able to walk slowly towards his car; he stopped at its front and felt his knees buckle. He perched himself at the hood and gently traced the initial that was engraved on it; he then moved his hands towards the ring and paper on top and snatched it. He fisted the ring in his left hand as he scan the paper on his right; he then felt tears ran down his cheeks as he bowed his head in defeat. He crumpled the offending paper and let out a deep guttural sob.

oOo

A/N: Tell me what you think? Please read and review! Cheers!