**Hey guys! So, here's the next update. I've decided to change a few details from the original story, so it will be slightly different than the original story that I wrote. Reviews are always helpful because I don't have a beta or anything. Hope you like it!**
Seven months after the accident. Seven months after Hermione's life went to hell. Everyday the same thing. Get up. Go to work at the cafe down the street. Come home. Try to survive Michael's rage. Go to sleep. Do it all over again the next day.
She would look down at the engagement ring on her left finger whenever she thought of leaving. She couldn't forget the way he use to be. The guy who helped her learn to ride a bike. The guy who hugged her when she left for Hogwarts and didn't want to let go. The guy who, years later, held her while she cried over her parents. The guy who would have done anything to make her smile. The guy she fell in love with. It was that guy who she thought of, not the man she was living with. It was that guy who, no matter what happened, she couldn't leave.
And then the day came when he sent her over the edge. Her lip bleeding, her arms bruised and scratched, she walked out the door and got into the old car and left. Oh sure, she knew it wouldn't last. She'd come crawling back to him as she always did. But she needed to get away. So she went somewhere she'd been avoiding for months. She went to see Ron.
When he opened the door of his new apartment, Hermione was the last person he expected to see standing on his doorstep. She looked up at him with those sad eyes that melted his heart. Her eyes were red and puffy, as though she'd been crying, but that's not what worried him. He saw the bruises that she'd tried to cover with clothes and make up. He saw the gash in her lip, and he knew it wasn't from her habbit of biting it when she was thinking. His hatred for Michael grew by the second. He couldn't understand how anyone would even think to hurt Hermione, let alone actually do it. He automatically moved forward and hugged her, not caring about their fights, not thinking about how he hadn't seen her in months. Both of them only thinking about that moment, right there, with eachother. He held her tightly and never wanted to let her go. She began crying in his shoulder, letting all of her frustration out through her tears. He knew she would never admit to letting anyone abuse her, she was too proud, so he tried not to say anything about it. They finally broke apart and sat on his old couch he'd bought from a sketchy wizard on Knockturn Alley that had a tendancy to change from one horrible design to another. When they sat down, it was a hideous orange with purple stitching. They sat right next to eachother, hand in hand, neither saying anything. The make up Hermione wore to cover the bruises was coming off with her tears, and it was finally too obvious for Ron to ignore it anymore.
"Hermione, why are you covered in bruises?" She tried to laugh it off, but only managed a weak choke when she lied, "Oh, Michael and I took up karate. It's this muggle form of-"
"Hermione. I know you're lying."
"Ron, I really don't want to talk about this."
"Oh, so I'm suppose to just ignore this?"
"Yes, that's exactly what you're suppose to do!"
"Well, I'm sorry Hermione, but I can't do that! After months of not seeing you, you show up at my door, covered in bruises, start crying, and you expect me to just *ignore* this?!"
"I didn't come here to be yelled at, Ronald."
"Well, obviously someone needs to do it! You need to get away from him, Hermione! I don't know what happened to the guy you were friends with, but this is NOT him!" She looked away and didn't answer.
"Hermione, would you just talk to me? I'm trying to bloody help you!"
"Well stop it, Ronald, you're not helping at all!" Her eyes were filling again with tears.
"I know he's abusing you, Hemione, why can't you admit that? I don't want him to hurt you."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Michael is a perfect gentleman, he wouldn't even think of-"
"Oh, come on, Hemione! You and I both know that's not true. Look at you! You're covered in bruises. I don't know why you stay with him, Hemione, it's not like that bloody bastard is even capable of love." She snapped.
"Ronald Weasley! The people I keep in my life have nothing to do with you! The fact that you have the audacity to even say-" But the rest of her sentence was lost when Ron pressed his lips to hers. When he pulled away, there was nothing but shock in her eyes.
"I.. I should go." She turned away and walked through the door.