Font:  VerdanaTimes New RomanCourier NewGeorgia10pt12pt14pt

She stood there, breathing hard for a few seconds, then shook her head slowly and backed out of the room, looking as though she was fighting back tears. Ron tried to yell to her, to tell her to come back, to tell her that her still loved her and this was all a horrible, terrible mistake, but found that, although his lips could work, his vocal chords couldn't. Just as the door was almost all the way shut, it flew open again. Alyssa stepped back, as Hermione stomped over to Ron and slapped him, hard, across the face. This time, he knew she wasn't sorry

 

***

 

“There's a girl up there in her underthings, and he's kissing her, Ginny!” Hermione gasped through her tears, stumbling down the stairs.


“What?!” Ginny shrieked, while Harry looked revolted. “No, Hermione, he wouldn't! He's been pining for you for the last week... how could he? He couldn't, you're wrong! Look, he even got your shampoo!” she pulled the bottle out of the bag, but Hermione knocked it out of her hand as she ran to the fireplace to leave.

“Oh, I am going to kill him.” Ginny said as she ran upstairs.

 

***

 

Hermione was crying, her faced pressed against the window. She felt hurt, more hurt then she ever had in her life. If she thought Lavender was bad, it had nothing on this.

 

She hadn't know if the fate of their relationship was sealed. She'd figured that maybe she'd made a mistake, maybe Ron could change. He loved her, she loved him, they could get through this. This day was out of control. She couldn't handle it. Her head was spinning as the picture of Ron kissing the girl flew through her mind over and over again. She was ill with the thought of his kiss, his wonderful kiss, and that overwhelmed her senses every time it was bestowed on her lips, the kiss that was now placed on another girl's lips.

 

“Shut it out, Hermione.” Hermione whispered. “He's not yours anymore. You have no claim on him. He has every right to kiss her. You can't wear his freedom down. You made this decision in the first place.”

 

Of course, she hadn't been thinking about how it would feel when he was with another girl, but still. He had his freedom. There was nothing she could do about it.

***

 

“Ginny, have you seen Hermione yet?” Harry asked through the darkness a few days later, lying in bed with Ginny.

 

“Yes, I have. She's right pissed. I have to admit, getting together with someone so soon after a breakup of a three year relationship is pretty low. Ron doesn't realize how stupid that was.”

 

“I guess.” Harry muttered, not fully understanding the qualifications of breaking up. “So what's your plan?” he asked a little louder.

 

“We are going to put Hermione and Ron on a game show called 'The Perfect Match'. We are going to fill out their pamphlets for them so they are picked for each other and they are going to go on dates and fall right back in love- right in time for our wedding.” Ginny recited, smiling smugly at her brilliant plan.


Harry sighed.

 

“And I thought killing Voldemort was the hardest thing I'd ever do.”

“But it was the smartest.” Ginny supplied.

 

“No.” Harry said. “The smartest thing I ever did was fall in love with you.”

 

Ginny gave him a kiss.

 

“I stand corrected, then.” she grinned.

 

***

 

“Hermione, this is so stupid. Just forgive him! Please!” Ginny said urgently, trying to talk to Hermione one more time before she had to be accused of ruined her life by putting her on a game show.

 

“I can not and will not forgive Ro... your brother.”

 

“Oh my GOD Hermione, you won't even say his name! You're handling this in the most immature way possible.” Ginny shouted, beside herself.

 

“I bet he doesn't even miss me.” Hermione said quietly.

 

“Yes, he does! I told you! He's been pining over you forever.” Ginny hissed. Hermione hesitated for a moment. Then she turned her back to Ginny and said,

 

“I hate him anyway.”

“Truly? You really and truly hate him?” Ginny said quietly.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And there's no chance of getting you to fall back in love with him?”

“Not a one.”

“You guys are perfect for each other, Hermione!”


“WELL THEN PROVE IT, GINEVRA WEASLEY!” Hermione yelled.

 

“Fine.” Ginny said smugly. “I will.” Then, “By the way, you're going to have to be civil to him at my wedding.”

“Fine then... wait, what?”

“Harry proposed, and I said yes.” Ginny announced excitedly. But instead of being thrilled beyond all belief, Hermione looked furious.

 

“What? No! Ginny! You're 19! You can NOT get married.” Hermione cried.

 

A frustrated tear leaked out of Ginny's eyes.

 

“Fine.” She said angrily. “Be that way. You're still the maid of honor... when you stop acting like a total bitch. And I'll be 20 by the time of the wedding, by the way.” Ginny added before popping out of the apartment. And Hermione realized with as she fell to her knees that she had just lost another person that she loved.

 

***

 

Ginny marched into the offices of 'The Perfect Match'. She strode confidently up to the desk, cutting everyone in line and pulling Harry right behind her.

 

“I'm registering two people for the game show.” she said. “I'm trying to prove to them that they're the perfect match. Hermione Jean Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley.”


“Right.” The wizard said. “You think you can just walk up to this desk and announce that...”

 

Ginny pushed back Harry's hair, revealing his scar. The attendant gasped in shock and immediately shuffled through papers.

 

“Just have them fill out these forms and then turn them in by next week. You're a little late for sign-ups but we may be able to fit you in and push one of the current couples to next season..”

 

“Thank you.” Ginny said, taking the paper and walking to the corner of the room to sit in a chair.


“Ginny!” Harry said angrily.

 

“Hmmm?” Ginny asked.

 

“You played the Harry Potter card!”

 

“Your point being...”

 

“Ginny, you know I don't like to play the Harry Potter card.”

Ginny turned to face her fiancée.

 

“But Harry, you are Harry Potter. You're going to have to face that. You are and will be Harry James Potter for the rest of your life.” she said gently.

 

“Yeah, but I don't want to live in the limelight!” Harry hissed.

 

“I'm JUST trying to get Ron and Hermione back together!” Ginny cried. “Come on, Harry, have a little spirit. I'm sorry I played the card but it's taken them so long to get to where they were and now they've totally ruined it. Do you want to wait 10 more years for them to get back to where they were when they broke up?”

“No.” Harry admitted.


“They really need our help, Harry.” Ginny said softly.


“Fine.” Harry grumped after a moment.

 

“Thank you.” Ginny said, giving him a small kiss. “Now, this is Ron's registration form. I want you to fill it out and copy my exact answers.”

 

“Er- Ginny,” Harry said a few moments later. “Ron's favorite pastime isn't to read books... and I'm pretty sure Hermione doesn't care about the Chudley Cannons.”

 

“Look, Harry, the show is called the perfect match. I'm setting them up to be matched, and I'm trying to balance it out so that Ron will get some things he likes to do and Hermione gets some things she likes to do... Ron and Hermione are total opposites so filling out the right answer won't do anything for them. If they are matched, however, they'll have to go on romantic, expensive dates and spend time with each other on and off camera. The show loves a happy ending, they'll do anything. Last thing: under advisor write Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter. Okay?”

 

“I guess.” Harry said, not liking the fact that he was putting his name on the paper.

 

Then, once again Ginny marched up to the desk, cutting everyone in line, and handed the clerk her papers.

 

“Come on. Lets go get dinner somewhere.” Ginny said.

 

“Cleary's?” Harry asked grinning.

 

“We'll never be able to get in.” Ginny huffed.

 

Harry discreetly lifted his hair up, showing his scar.

 

“OMIGOD!” cried a girl with a Harry Potter Tattoo.

 

“Are you HARRY POTTER?” asked another wearing all pink

“I LOVE YOU!” exclaimed another wearing almost nothing at all.


“HARRY!” screamed a sobbing teenage girl

“OMIGOD!” cried another girl with a I Love Potter tee-shirt on.

 

“You filthy hypocrite.” Ginny said in shock.

 

Harry smirked a smirk worthy of Draco Malfoy himself.

 

***

 

Hermione was disappointed. Even in her time of need, Ginny wasn't home every second of the day to have a cry fest with. She guessed, in Ginny's defense, Ginny had no reason to be having cry fests. She had no need to eat box after box of triple chocolate ice cream and then rip it up when she was done. She was blissfully in love. She was happy. She didn't need Hermione raining on her parade, or being a wet blanket. She had Harry. She was blissfully in love, just as in love as Hermione had been a few weeks ago. Or was it days ago? She couldn't keep track of time anymore. The point was, Hermione was not in love anymore. She hoped.

 

She sighed and walked over to her bedroom. Just as she was about to open the door, she heard a movement from inside of the room. Oh, merlin. She'd left the house to go talk to Ginny for 10 minutes and a burglar had come? It had to be now, when she was feeling so terrible. Her magic, unfortunately, was suffering from it.

 

“Calm down, Hermione.” Hermione told herself in her most quiet voice. “You fought death eaters, and you destroyed Horcruxes. There's no need to be afraid of a common burglar.”

 

With that, she kicked the door open. The lights were off.

“Lumos!” she muttered, and a light appeared at the tip of her wand.

 

There was Ron, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Hermione felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach at the sight of his face. He was standing over the nightstand that used to be his with his diluminator in one hand and his wand in the other. He slowly raised his hands into the air and gave Hermione a hopeful half smile. This time, however, it had no effect. If Ron had been expecting Hermione to sigh, lower her wand and say 'Oh, it's just you', he was terribly wrong. Instead, she raised it higher and her mouth became a thin line. When she spoke, her voice was so thin Ron felt as though he could have broken it apart with a slash of his wand.

 

“What are you doing here.” Hermione asked, her eyes hard. She didn't say it as a question, it was more a statement that Ron was meant to reply to.

 

“I came to collect my things and drop some stuff of that I won't be needing anymore.”

“How did you get in?” Hermione asked.

 

“I still have my key.” Ron said helpfully dropping his wand and raising his key in the air. Hermione lowered her wand and Ron clicked the lights on.

 

“Drop the key. Take what you need. Get out. Don't come back.” Hermione said. Ron dropped the key on the nightstand, grabbed a trash bag full of his clothes, and left the room. He didn't look back once to see Hermione crumple into a exhausted heap on the floor and start crying harder then she had in days.

 

A/N: I know, I suck, there's not a lot of Ron or Hermione in the story right now. But Harry and Ginny are really crucial to the storyline. Well, they find out about the game show next chappy, so stay tuned! And PLEASE review!