Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
A/N: So, what's this chapter about? Well, Harry and Hermione finally break up with Cho and Ron. I hope you like it so… please read and review!
How My Love Life Got Even More Complicated
Chapter Five: Aint Really Love
Hermione:
Well, now that I'd told Harry how I felt, my problems went from one to another. The new one; How on earth will I break up with Ron?
I just felt so guilty. Ron certainly didn't deserve this and Ginny didn't either. She told me in confidence that she still liked Harry, believing that she could trust me to support her and listen to her.
I had absolutely no idea how I was going to break this to them…
---
"Why can't we just stay here forever?" Hermione murmured, one Tuesday night. They were snuggled up together on a couch in the Room of Requirement, in front of a roaring fire.
"Mmm," Harry murmured, back, cuddling her closer to him. "They'd come looking eventually," he muttered, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on the top of her head.
"I suppose we should talk about what we're going to do about Ron and Ginny. And Cho," Hermione added, as an afterthought.
"Alright. By the end of this week, we'll both be single," Harry said firmly, sitting up slightly and looking down at Hermione.
She rested her chin on his should and looked up at him. "Okay. What should I say to Ron?"
"That you don't think it's working out and you're both better off as friends," Harry said simply.
"It won't come out like that," Hermione said, sighing and sitting up too. She stretched back and yawned widely. When she relaxed and sat back into the couch, she saw Harry grinning a very silly grin at her. "What?" she asked, a smile spreading across her lips.
"You looked so… hot just then," Harry said, now smirking at her.
Hermione blushed slightly and laughed at him. "Harry, don't tempt me."
"What am I tempting you to do?" he asked, still smirking at her.
"You're making me want to jump you," she replied, smirking back at him.
Harry grinned his silly grin again and said, "Soon, my sweet. Soon, we shall rule the world and have hot and steamy make-out sessions in here, closets and out in the grounds behind trees."
Hermione laughed and said, "Oh I can't wait." She crawled back up to him and leant into him, hugging him again. She felt his arms encircle her body and pull her over so she was sitting on his lap. "We should probably leave soon," she said softly, turning her head to look at him, finding that his face was only about two inches from hers.
"Yeah," Harry said, gazing into her eyes.
Hermione sighed and slid off his lap. "I'll go first," she said, picking her robes up from the ground and sliding them back over her shoulders. "See you in the common room."
He nodded and watched her hips move from side to side as she walked out of the room.
---
"Hey Harry," Cho said in that sickly sweet tone of voice she always used when she wanted something from him.
Harry turned his head to see her smiling at him. "Hey Cho. Listen, I need to talk to you," he said briskly and shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Alright," she said slowly, the smile on her face disappearing.
"We need to go somewhere quiet," he said, taking her arm and leading her towards a vacant classroom. Once safely alone and with the door closed, Harry turned to Cho.
"What is it?" she asked, worriedly, crossing her arms.
Harry sighed and looked down at his feet. "I know we've only been going out for three months and I've really enjoyed being with you. But…" he trailed off, biting his lip nervously.
Cho sighed and said, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"
"Well… yes," Harry said, watching her tentatively. "It's just that the only thing we have in common is Quidditch. We don't talk about anything else. I just think we're better off as friends."
Cho smiled grimly and said, "Fine. Go off and tell your dear Hermione that I'm out of the way so you two can finally get together."
Harry frowned and said, "This doesn't have anything to do with Hermione." Cho raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed, "Fine, it does."
"And I suppose you would prefer it if I didn't say anything to Ron or Ginny?" she said, glaring at him.
"I guess so…" he replied slowly, frowning at her again.
"Alright," she said, in a matter-of-factly voice.
Harry raised his eyebrows at her and said, "Why are you being so…"
"Understanding?" she offered. "Because I'm sick of having to put up with your excuses for missing our dates. And it's not like I'd be bothered to find Ron and Ginny to tell them the dirt on you and Hermione."
"Alright. Thank you Cho," he said in relief.
"Don't think I'm not angry with you," she added, glaring at him again. "If we aren't together then we have no relationship."
Harry nodded and began to walk to the door.
"Just one question," she said softly. Harry turned around. "Did you like being with me?"
Harry smiled and said, "If I didn't like being with you, I would have broken up with you a long time ago."
She smiled slightly back and then seemed to remember she was angry at him. "Well, off you go."
Harry nodded and turned back to the door.
---
"It's done," Harry whispered to Hermione as he sat down next to her in the Library.
She smiled and looked up at him from her work. "Good. I'll break up with Ron after dinner."
"Be nice," Harry said softly, unpacking parchment, a quill and his books and beginning to scribble something down on the parchment.
"When am I not nice?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"When you're irritated. Or sexually frustrated," he added, smirking. "Oww!" he exclaimed as Hermione punched him very hard in the arm.
"Prat," she muttered, turning her attention back to her work.
"I've got a point," Harry said, smirking again as he returned his attention to his scribbling on the parchment.
"Be quiet you," she said softly, poking his side.
"Hey guys!" Ron said happily, dumping his bag down on the table and sitting down next to Hermione.
"Hey Ron," Hermione said, less happily than Ron did.
"Could you help me with this Charms homework?" he asked her, moving his chair closer to her so that he could look at her work.
"I need to talk to you," she said quickly, looking up at him.
He shrugged and said, "Sure. What about?"
"We should go somewhere alone," Hermione said, standing up and taking Ron's hand in hers. She led him out of the Library and up the corridor to the first classroom they came to. Hermione checked that there was no one in there before pulling Ron in and closing the door behind her.
"What are we doing?" Ron asked, a smile hinting at his lips.
"I need to talk to you," she said, biting her bottom lip.
"So talk," he said, shrugging at her and putting his hands in the pockets of his robes.
"Well… Ron… we've been going out for about a month now, right?"
"Yeah. Best month of my life," Ron said, smiling at her.
'Gah,' her mind said to her. 'He's being cute!'
Hermione grimaced and Ron suddenly looked worried. "Are you alright Hermione?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She smiled weakly at him and said, "I'm fine."
"Well, is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.
"No," she said, sighing and crossing her arms. 'Tell him!'
"So…"
"Ron… this past month has been a good time for me-"
"Me too."
"Yes, but… well… I hate to tell you this but… I just don't feel that way about you," she said, feeling tears almost come to the corners of her eyes.
"Oh…" Ron said softly, immediately looking like a lost puppy. He gazed down at his shoes and said, "Alright."
"I'm really sorry Ron," Hermione said, stepping forward and touching his arm. "I just don't want to lead you on any more than I have."
He nodded.
Silence.
"Are you going to say anything?" she asked softly.
"No," he replied, looking up at her, his blue eyes filled with pain.
Hermione nodded and stepped back slightly from him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, before turning to leave the room.
---
When Hermione arrived back in the Library, she found Harry sitting back in his chair, running one finger up and down the centre of his quill, looking very thoughtful and worried.
"Hey," she said softly, touching his shoulder.
He jerked up and looked around at her. "Did you do it?"
She nodded and flopped down into her chair.
"How did he take it?"
Hermione sighed and said, "Not very well. He wouldn't say anything to me."
"That's to be expected," Harry said, rubbing her shoulder sympathetically.
"I don't want to stop being friends with him," she said, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes, knowing her tears were close to letting go.
"You won't," Harry said soothingly, now rubbing her back. "He'll get over it."
"What if he doesn't?" she asked, the first tear sliding down her cheek slowly. "Not only will our friendship be ruined, I won't be able to be with you around him without feeling guilty."
"Hermione, he's a big boy," Harry said, reaching over to wipe her tears away.
"I know," she said, her voice wavering slightly. She sniffed and began to pack her work up. "I'm going back to my dorm."
Harry nodded and said, "Want me to walk with you?"
"No," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Okay," he sighed, watching her walk off.
---
Harry:
It makes me feel physically sick when I think of how Ron must have felt. I just keep on going over in my head the lost puppy look on his face as he returned from the empty classroom he had been in for the past half hour. He didn't say anything as he sat down next to me and began to work.
The only sound he did make was a sort of sobbing sound, but he quickly tried to cover it up by coughing.
The next few days were not very good ones. Ron and Ginny weren't talking to Hermione, which just made her feel even guiltier, and I couldn't see her as often as I would have liked because Ron and Ginny had sort of 'claimed' me as their friend.
I was getting very sick and tired of this…
---
To be continued…