“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.