...
When lonely days turn to lonely nights
You take a trip to the city lights
And take the long way home
Take the long way home
Take the Long Way Home-Supertramp
...
Something was holding her back. All she had to do was figure out what, and then make it stop. Because she wanted to be with Sirius. She really did.
Hermione already knew exactly what was holding her back. It was Ron. The only thing was figuring out how to get rid of him. Because she didn't know if she wanted to.
Hermione sighed as she stepped out of the castle and into the chilly air. She walked away from the building, down the path towards Hogsmeade. She was greeted by several people she'd known at one time, but one look at her face told them all that she was in no mood to be bothered. One might accidentally trigger an onslaught of tears from the young, unhappy witch.
She hated being so conflicted. On one hand, she for sure wanted to be with Sirius. But on the other, she didn't want to forget about Ron, in case he decided he wanted her back. It was terribly unlikely, but she couldn't help thinking that...just maybe...
She sighed and looked around herself. She had absolutely no idea where she was. In some large city, with lots of lights and people all over the place. Strangely, it helped her to focus her thoughts. She saw the difference between people who were happy and people who weren't. There was an obvious difference, and she decided she wants to be a part of the happy, whereas now she was on the side of the upset and rather lonely. Even though she had no right to be-Sirius wanted to make her happy, he didn't want her to be lonely. And Ron...he just didn't care.
Hermione sighed, and then she tried something. She smiled at someone who looked a bit down as she passed by. They seemed confused at first, but smiled back, however tentatively. It felt nice to bring a smile to someone's face, so as she passed by another unhappy looking girl, she smiled at them. It made her feel happy herself, smiling. Just their returned smile seemed to cheer her up.
All the sudden happiness cleared her head, and she finally understood. She knew what would make her happy, and she was determined to have it.
With one last smile, she darted into an upcoming alley and apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
...
Back again! I'm typing these during commercials-it's a Disney marathon on ABCFamily! Bambi, the Lion King AND Aladdin!
Anyways, please review! ^^