“Um…’Mione?�

What does he want now? “What?�

“Why’d you come up here?�

I came here every other time you did this to me, Ronald. Being under the stars relaxes me. It makes me feel like what you say doesn’t matter in the vast expanse of the universe. “I dunno.�

“But it’s the Astronomy Tower.�

I love the Astronomy Tower, Ronald. “So?�

“So…you hate the Astronomy Tower.�

Best friends for five years, dating for nearly one, and you still don’t know me. “No, I don’t.� Maybe if you’d pay attention once in a while, you’d know that.

“Oh. Well…um…I just came up here to say I’m sorry.�

You’re not forgiven, Ronald. Right now, I hate you. I hate that I still love you in spite of that. I hate that every time you say things that “you don’t mean� I always run back to you. I hate that you have that power over me and you don’t even know that you’re abusing it. I hate you with every bone in my body, as much as I want to break every bone in yours. And I’m not backing down this time. “Whatever.�

“It’s just…you know sometimes I get worked up like that…and I say things I don’t mean…�

If you don’ t mean them, why do you say them?

“But I just…well, I already said what I wanted to. I’m sorry.�

Is he waiting for me to apologize? That is not happening this time.

“And…’Mione?�

What now? “Yeah?�

“I love you.�

I know. “Okay.�

“Um…you love me, right?�

Yes. “No.�

“What?�

“No. I am through with this, Ronald. I’m sick of you constantly ripping my heart out and tearing it up and just thinking that a spello-tape apology can fix it.� Did I finally tell Ron what I was really thinking? Surely I’m dreaming…yes…I’ll wake up and this will all be a bad dream. I’ll wake up, go down to the Great Hall and he’ll be there and the whole fight will never have happened.

“I…bloody hell, Hermione, maybe if you had told me that this was so hard for you I could have changed it!�

You’re right. I could have told you. But you couldn’t have changed. You never changed. Any time I ever told you of something that was wrong with you, you never changed. You didn’t even try. “Ron, I did tell you.�

“What? When?�

“Every time this happens.� You really never listen, do you? Not even when someone says it straight to your face. I can’t stand you. I can’t stand being around you. I can’t stand being up here in a place that, for five years, I thought was the most romantic place on earth, with you. A year ago I would have leaped at the chance to be up here with you alone. Now I just want to jump. I just want to end this. “Goodbye, Ronald.�

“What? Wait—Hermione Granger, please don’t walk away from me!�

“Why shouldn’t I?� I was headed for the stairs. I don’t think I could bring myself to jump. I got out before it became too hard. I always do that. I get out before it gets hard. I don’t jump off the Astronomy Tower, I walk away from Ron…Ron. The boy I loved (do I even still love him?) so dearly for six years. He finally loves me, and I walk away because it gets too hard. Or because I didn’t know what I was really getting into.

“Because…I need you, ‘Mione.�

I need you too. “Whatever.�

“No, please, wait—“

And with that, Hermione Granger walked away from the only man who had ever loved her. Or so she thought.

A week later, Hermione was sitting on the lovely, bright green lawn (far too bright and happy to suit her mood, in her opinion) when she spotted them. The absolutely disgusting couple that she’d been trying to avoid. Couples had never bothered her before, especially when she was one half of one. But this one…this particular couple…they made her blood boil. They made her want to rip their faces off and bury them, just so she wouldn’t have to look at them. She hated them. She hated them with all her heart, the heart that had so easily loved half the couple just a week before.

Ron and Parvati.

She didn’t want to believe the rumors when she heard them this morning. It had all seemed so untrue, so incredibly preposterous, she refused to see it. How could Ron possibly get over his heartbreak in a week? It would take Hermione months, if not years, to forget the one year she spent with him. The day after she’d left him, she stayed in her dormitory, refusing to go to class, only staying in her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. In fact, she stayed there for six days. She couldn’t sleep, much to the annoyance of her dorm mates. For two days she ate nothing, until Harry had to make Lavender bring her left over food from the Great Hall. She felt like dying, so much that she’d even missed three of her NEWT-level Potions classes. She never missed Potions, not even when she was within an inch of death. Not only because it was the most difficult class she’d ever taken, but because…it was Potions. It was such a wonderful challenge, creating these amazing concoctions. In the dark, damp dungeons Hermione felt that she was truly powerful. With wand magic, everything was always so flashy, so flamboyant. Potions were subtle, working their magic quietly and sometimes completely undetected.

Exactly like the man who was blocking her view.

And the man who could teach her all she ever wanted to know about her beloved Potions.

Professor Severus Snape.

Hermione wished he wouldn’t have dropped his stacks of paper right in front of her, then she wouldn’t have felt so obliged to help him pick them up. Damn the man, breaking her intense concentration. She was trying so hard to turn her tears into waves that could drown Ron and his blushing new girlfriend. Or perhaps to turn her blind fury into fire to burn them like the bloody bowels of hell would. Bugger…why couldn’t they just leave her alone? Couldn’t they cuddle somewhere else? Why didn’t they just get themselves into a closet and…

“Miss Granger?� The normally harsh voice sounded unusually kind. Hermione jerked her head upward, meeting the dark, yet surprisingly not menacing eyes of Professor Snape. “May I have my papers back?�

Hermione looked at her hands, clutching the papers so hard that her knuckles were turning white. “Oh—of course, I’m sorry, Professor…� Her voice trailed off as she noticed the look of concern in her normally ornery professor’s eyes.

“Are you quite all right, Miss Granger?�

Hermione shoved the papers back at him and quickly wiped her teary eyes. “Yes, yes I’ll be fine.� She stood up hurriedly and walked as fast as she could, away from Ron and Parvati, praying they hadn’t seen her crying or seen her staring intently at them. When she thought she was safely out of view behind a pillar supporting the stone walkway, she glanced back at the courtyard. Just as she’d thought, and not as she’d hoped, Ron and Parvati were still sitting on the lawn, tickling each other and kissing. How utterly disgusting and pathetic. She never thought it was disgusting or pathetic when she was the one in his arms. But now she was not in his arms. Parvati was. And Parvati was utterly repulsive.

Hermione felt her eyes begin to tear. How could he? The question darted around in her mind as the tears brimmed over her eyes. She couldn’t be around them any longer, not if this was what it did to her. She’d already cried for days, shouldn’t she be allowed to stop? No, apparently not. She had to get away. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to Gryffindor Tower and back into her bed.