A/N: Sorry the last chapter ended with a bit of a bummer, but stick with it! And either way, thanks for the continuing support for this story!

Special thanks to adenei for helping on the beta side per usual!

As many of you suspected in the comments last week, Hermione is NOT going to be pleased…

Chapter 14: "Wanna go egg his apartment or something?"

Of course it had to be today.

Hermione shook her suddenly drenched foot as she stepped out of the street and hurried down the sidewalk, the bus departing behind her. The puddle she'd fallen into was still rippling as she glared back at it, irrational anger toward the camouflaged water pouring out of her eyes. She couldn't stay focused on it for too long, though, as she was already late for her appointment.

The day had gotten off to a rotten start. First, Hermione had uncharacteristically slept through her alarm, waking up thirty minutes late in an absolute panic as she'd already ruined her study schedule for the day. By the time she'd taken the world's fastest shower and shoveled some breakfast into her mouth, she made it to her favorite study spot only to find it occupied by two idiots making out with each other instead of preparing for their finals. It had taken another ten minutes to find a suitable substitute, leaving her with only two hours before her women's study final.

Of course, her studying was not high quality in the slightest because she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Hermione was certain she'd overslept her alarm because she'd had so much trouble falling asleep, her mind tormenting her with all of the things she might've done to push Ron away.

Ron. That indecisive, unreliable, untrustworthy, not even really that handsome jerk. Everything that had gone wrong that day could be directly or indirectly attributed to him…him and his last-minute flakiness. It shouldn't have surprised her in the slightest. Once a flake, always a flake. He'd shown his true colors right when they'd first met, and for some godforsaken reason, she'd been under the impression that he was actually changing. Just because he was starting to become more dependable didn't mean that it would last, though, and his text message the previous night only confirmed it.

Maybe I'll see you around? MAYBE I'LL SEE YOU AROUND?! Did he really say that to me? Like he was signing the high school yearbook of an acquaintance that he'd surely never see again? How dare he?

There was no way she was the only one who sensed that things were about to happen between them. When she took stock of all of their interactions over the past week, she was actually somewhat surprised he hadn't kissed her yet. Not anymore, though. Based on his behavior over the last twenty-four hours, she was glad to have dodged that bullet.

The front doors of the hospital parted as she rushed inside, her foot wet and cold and the rest of her body soaked by the rain coming down in sheets. It was almost two o'clock, meaning that the two buses she had to take from campus as soon as her exam was over had gotten her to her follow-up appointment half an hour late. Tardiness was never acceptable in her book, and even though she'd emailed her physician ahead of time, she was still furious that it had been necessary.

Plastering a smile onto her face, she greeted the receptionist and headed toward the elevators, taking them up to the cardiology clinic on the third floor. According to the nurses, her doctor was running behind anyway, so fortunately her lateness didn't cause a major problem. But as she plopped down in the waiting room, her brain started coming up with a whole host of insults she could hurl at Ron if she ever saw him again.

"Ms. Granger?" a voice called from behind her.

Hermione stood up and gathered her bags, tousling her wet hair as she walked toward the back of the clinic. "Yes, that's me."

After collecting her vital signs and some basic information, the nurse deposited her in an empty room. Moments later, a technician came by and ran some tests on her pacemaker, promising to relay the results to the physician. As she waited for the doctor to arrive, she tried to flip through one of the books for her evolution class, cramming in as much studying as she could before her last final of the year the following morning. She couldn't concentrate, though, her eyes skimming over the words without a whiff of comprehension as she continued to silently fume over the perplexing behavior of a certain redhead.

"Hermione, it's good to see you," Dr. Pomfrey said as she swept into the room. "I hope your finals are treating you well."

"Oh, yes," she replied with another fake grin. "Very well so far."

"Good to hear. And how are you feeling?"

Like I want to smash things with a sledgehammer, thanks.

"I've been fine, no problems to report."

"No racing heart, no palpitations?"

"Nope, not really."

"Any shortness of breath, chest pain, or trouble with your everyday activities?"

"Nope."

Dr. Pomfrey glanced at the computer, scanning through the data that was pulled from her pacemaker. "That's excellent. Your device is still looking quite stable, which is good news. The lead is in good position and the battery has over a decade until it would need replacement. I must warn you that you're still not completely out of the woods yet, though. I have seen issues arise even a few months down the road, so I'd urge you to still be cautious."

"Yup," Hermione agreed with a nod, although she knew she wasn't comprehending the information as she usually did. "I'll be careful."

The physician's eyes narrowed and her head tilted to the side as she leaned closer to her patient. "Hermione, forgive me if I'm overstepping, but you seem…distracted. I've known you for your entire life, and this isn't you. Is everything alright?"

Once again, Hermione had barely heard her doctor, blinking multiple times to snap out of her trance. "I'm sorry?"

"Hermione," Dr. Pomfrey continued with a sigh, "I know it's finals time right now, but it's important that you take care of yourself, and not just because of your heart. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Umm, usually," Hermione responded with a sheepish glance in the opposite direction.

"And are you finding time to exercise or be active?"

"I went to the gym once last week."

"And your social life? Are you finding time to relax with friends?" Dr. Pomfrey continued, looking more concerned by the second.

That was a loaded question. Part of her body wanted to scream, and the other half wanted to break down in tears. It took all of her strength to maintain her composure and offer a non-committal shrug. "I'm trying."

"Balance, Hermione. It's all about balance."

"I know, but…Dr. Pomfrey, this is such an important year," Hermione continued, her tone growing more frantic. "Second-semester junior year is the last set of grades that will go to medical schools. How would it look if I bombed the semester right as I started to apply? I have to focus on academics right now. My last final is tomorrow, and I should have the rest of my work wrapped up by the end of the week. Until then, though, everything else can come later, and I promise I'll find a better rhythm over the summer."

"Burning the candle at both ends is never a good solution. I'm glad your exams are almost over. Please promise me you'll give yourself a break after that?"

"I will, I promise."

"Alright. Tell you what, why don't you hop up on the table and I'll take a quick look at you. Then we'll get you going so that you can finish your studying."

"Thanks, Dr. Pomfrey. And I'm sorry I'm so spacey today."

"It's quite alright. I was once an undergraduate myself, you know."

After examining her and giving her a clean bill of health, Dr. Pomfrey shook Hermione's hand and led her back to the waiting room, reminding her one more time to make sure she was getting enough sleep.

The bus back to campus showed up soon after she exited the hospital, and after riding two more buses, she found herself back by the main quad. She wasted no time heading to the library, finding a quiet spot on the top floor, and perusing her notes one more time. Evolution wasn't a particularly difficult class, and she was fairly certain she didn't need any more prep to do well on the exam. Nevertheless, she did her best to maintain her focus until dinner time.

As she was leaving the library, she heard a particularly rowdy group of students coming down the sidewalk toward her. A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized in horror that Ron and his roommates were part of the crowd, which she soon recognized as the Ultimate Frisbee club team. Try as she might, she couldn't stop staring at him as he approached, and when his eyes finally connected with hers, her lungs stopped taking in air.

His face went white as a ghost, and for a moment, he stopped on the sidewalk. Hermione thought that perhaps he was gathering the courage to come and talk to her, but a second later, he shuffled his feet to blend into the group, averting his eyes and trying to pretend as though he hadn't seen her.

She only had a split second to decide what to do, and she couldn't help but be a little disappointed in herself as her mouth remained clamped shut when they walked by. Thoughts of turning around and marching up to him popped into her mind, but to what end? If there was any doubt as to the intention of his message from the previous night, he'd all but clarified it as clearly as possible after that stunt.

So it's really over. If it was ever anything in the first place.

The rest of her walk back home was at a slower pace, her mind trying to catch up with her. As much as she wanted to allow herself to be livid at him for his selfish and cowardly attitude, she also couldn't help but think about what she'd done wrong. Destroying the prospect of a relationship usually involved missteps from both parties. Perhaps she'd been too clingy with him at trivia night? Or she accidentally offended him or one of his friends? Maybe he just finally came to the conclusion that a biology nerd and an Ultimate Frisbee jock would never make a good couple and decided to get out while he still could.

None of her internal conversation was helping her already bruised sense of self-respect, and by the time she turned down her street, tears prickled her eyes.

Just make it home, just make it home. Don't break down in the street, just make it home.

Fumbling with her keys, she finally opened the front door, tossed her bag on the floor, and collapsed into her armchair before burying her head in her hands and letting all of her emotions come pouring out. She didn't even try to dampen the howls coming from her throat, allowing them to echo throughout the small room.

Her cries must have startled her roommate as Parvati came dashing out of her room, her face horror-stricken as Hermione caught sight of her through blurry, water-logged eyes.

"Hermione, what's wrong? What happened?" she pleaded, racing to the foot of the armchair.

"It's over! It's over!" Her blubbering was barely comprehensible, but Parvati seemed to understand.

"What's over? Are you alright?"

"It's over!"

"Hermione, slow down. Tell me what you're talking about, please."

It took several deep, calming breaths and many tissues to dry her eyes and nose before Hermione was able to continue. "Ron. It's over with Ron."

"What? What do you mean 'over'? What happened?"

"Last night," Hermione started, exhaling and trying to get her hands to stop shaking. "He texted me last night. He didn't even have the guts to just say what he meant or say it to my face, so he just texted me that he couldn't give me a ride today, he didn't want to study together, thanks for the tutoring, and maybe he'd see me around. He actually said 'Maybe I'll see you around'...jerk."

Parvati scratched her cheek as her eyebrows knitted together in curiosity. "Just out of the blue? Did something happen?"

"No! Nothing happened! Well, nothing bad…only good things. I went with him and his friends to trivia, and we had a great time. He kept putting his hand on my back and leaning close and whispering in my ear, all the stuff you said meant he liked me. I texted him the next day to thank him for inviting me, and then yesterday he just dropped that bomb on me, leaving me no time to figure out another way to get to my appointment today!"

"Oh, Hermione! I'm so sorry, I wish you'd told me sooner, I would've taken you!"

"Of course you wouldn't have, you had a final during my appointment time. We already talked about it, remember? And I wanted to tell you all of this yesterday, but I went to bed before you got home."

"Oh, right," Parvati responded as her eyes widened with the recollection. "Well, still, maybe I could've helped you find another way."

Hermione shook her head, growing frustrated at how much difficulty she was having getting her point across. "No, it doesn't matter. I got there, it was fine. Dr. Pomfrey said that I'm fine and my pacemaker is fine. But I don't even really care about that now. I just…I don't get it. I don't know what I did wrong. I can't understand why he just…changed his mind."

Relaxation spread from Hermione's head all the way down her body as Parvati started running her fingers through the ends of her roommate's hair. "Oh, honey, don't do that to yourself. I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong. Guys are…weird. Besides, I'll admit that his text is a bit suspect, but how can you be sure he wants to break things off entirely? Maybe he's just really trying to focus right now and he knows he'd be distracted if he was around you."

"Believe it or not, I actually considered that. At least until I saw him today."

Parvati's face dropped, and the optimism drained from her expression. "You did?"

"Yup, right outside the library. He was with his frisbee friends."

"...And?"

"And when he saw me, he tried to hide inside the group of people and pretend he didn't notice me. But I saw his face. He recognized me, I'm sure of it. And yet, he ignored me completely. It was like he knew what he'd done…what a chicken he'd been, and he wasn't brave enough to face the music. So that's how I know he wants to break it off. You don't just pretend not to know someone if you're still on any kind of reasonable terms with them."

"Maybe he was just embarrassed or something?"

"Parvati," Hermione implored with an eye roll.

Her roommate exhaled, her posture slackening against the side of the chair. "Yeah, that's pretty damning."

"Whatever," Hermione said flatly. "Maybe he did me a favor by bailing before I had a chance to…get attached or whatever."

"Hermione…"

"No, I'm serious! He taught me a valuable lesson. Don't trust men. At all. Every last one of them sucks."

A gentle hand on the shoulder reminded Hermione that her friend was still there and still supporting her, even when Parvati got up and wordlessly stepped into the kitchen to make them both some tea. As Hermione waited for her to return, she allowed her gaze to fix on a small speck of dust in the distance. Her eyes relaxed and she fell into an oblivious stupor, hoping that by remaining completely still, her body would start to numb to the pain. It was useless, though, as she couldn't force herself to stop thinking about him no matter what, and the spot right behind her eyes continued to throb.

"Here," Parvati said as she handed her a warm, steaming mug. "Drink this. It might not help, but it can't hurt."

Together they sat in silence, watching the gentle rain continue to fall outside the window, pitter-pattering against the thin glass. As droplets streaked down the windowpane, they blurred her view of her surroundings.

How fitting.

"So…you don't really think that all men are untrustworthy, do you? I mean, what about your dad?" Parvati asked, offering a small smile.

Hermione groaned as she took a sip of her tea. "Come on, Parvati. Of course I don't think that all men are untrustworthy. Just stupid, tall, redheads."

"Oh, okay, good. As long as we're being rational and level-headed about it."

After setting down her mug, Hermione massaged her temples, trying to clear her head. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly, but how could she be expected to given the circumstances?

"Maybe you're right, though. Maybe he's not the problem. Maybe this is on me. I never came right out and asked what he thought about all of this. About us. What if I read everything wrong and he just wasn't into me? What if he was freaked out from the second he picked me up at the hospital? What if it really was all just for a good grade in biology?"

"Hermione, stop…"

"What if I assumed he cared and used the opportunity to start heaping all of this stuff on him? I expected him to drop everything for me during finals week. I was completely unreasonable! You know what, I'm kind of starting to see his point–"

"Hermione! Stop!"

The strength of her roommate's statement pulled her out of her downward spiral and lifted her eyes up to meet Parvati's. She hadn't seen Parvati look so intense in years, probably not since the senior year freakout in high school when Hermione had convinced herself that she'd never get into college. It only happened when she really needed some sense talked into her. Hermione sat up straight and swallowed, brushed the matted hair off of her tear-stained face, and forced herself to pay attention.

"You have to stop doing this to yourself!" Parvati continued. "This is not your fault! Now, you've been filling me in on things throughout, and I'll be honest, up until recently, I thought you weren't going fast enough. I'll admit that I got ahead of myself as well, but you didn't read the signs wrong. He liked you for sure. Everything that happened between the two of you in the last few months was real. I don't know why he had a sudden change of heart, but that's his problem, not yours. Don't blame yourself for his error in judgment. He said he would do something, and he left you hanging. Him. Not you. He did that. And now he's the one missing out on a real catch, and if I ever run into him again, you can be damn sure I'll make sure he knows that!"

A faint chuckle slipped out of Hermione's lips as she grinned at her roommate. "You're a good friend, Parvati."

"Anyone would be on your side with this one, Hermione," Parvati said softly, her eyes full of warmth. "I'm really sorry that happened to you. You don't deserve to be treated like that."

One thing Hermione always appreciated about her roommate was Parvati's ability to call her out when she was starting to spiral. She knew that the way her Type A brain worked put her at risk for certain types of freak-outs, and she was lucky to have a roommate like Parvati to pull her out of the nosedive she sometimes started to take.

She was right, of course. Nobody deserved to be unceremoniously dumped over text message by someone they thought they were falling in love with. And even if she did do something to contribute to his decision, he still could've had the decency to talk to her directly instead of ignoring her when he passed her on the sidewalk. It was all very unfair, but there really wasn't much more she could do at that point.

"Thanks, Parvati. Really."

"Sure thing. Wanna go egg his apartment or something?"

"No, but I appreciate the offer," Hermione replied, laughing for the first time all day. "I think I should just do a little more studying for my Evolution final and then try to get some rest."

Parvati stood up and finished her tea, moving slowly back toward her bedroom. "I think that's a good idea. You've been killing yourself over the last week or so to make sure you're ready for finals. Make sure you're taking care of yourself."

"You sound like my doctor."

"Smart ladies, the both of us."

Hermione smiled to herself as she washed out her mug and set it on the drying rack. "You sure are. Goodnight, Parvati."

"Night, Hermione. I'll see you in the morning for our last finals of junior year!"

After quickly brushing her teeth and washing her face, Hermione retired to her bedroom. Once her door was closed, she changed into her pajamas and crumpled onto her mattress. Pretending to read her Evolution book only lasted so long until she eventually gave up and set it on her nightstand, making sure her alarm was set and the volume was loud enough to wake her up the next morning.

As always, talking with Parvati had helped her put things in perspective, and she wasn't as angry as she had been when she'd first woken up earlier in the morning. But her anger didn't fade to nothing. It was merely replaced by a profound sense of sadness. As she lay alone in her bed, staring up at the blank ceiling as tears started to accumulate in her eyes again, she thought back to the time when Ron had studied with her in that very spot. He had been so sweet, so caring, so much fun to be around. By the end of that night, she was so certain that they could have a future together. What had happened? How could it have all disintegrated so quickly? And was it even worth trying to salvage?