Disclaimer: I did not create any of the HP characters or storyline.

Warning: Book 7 spoilers. Disregards epilogue.

A/N: I know I have so many other fics I am supposed to be writing, but it seems like another idea has gotten into my head and here I am writing it. This chapter didn’t turn out as well as I wished, but it’s still only the beginning, so hopefully it will get better.

The room was completely silent except for the slow, rhythmic breathing of the man lying sprawled out on the bed. His messy black hair was sticking out in odd angles, his mouth slightly open as he slept peacefully. One of his arms was hanging haphazardly over the bed, his fingers brushing against the soft carpet on the floor of his rather messy bedroom. The moon peeped through the gap in the curtains, casting a silvery glow on the odds and ends dotted about the room, but not giving enough light to wake the sleeping man. A photo of three adults was resting on the bedside table, its inhabitants shimmering in the pearly moonlight. The man with red hair was looking beyond the photo, while the brown haired woman and the black haired man laughed silently together. Next to the photo was a small bit of parchment, the words glowing faintly in the light:

Harry,

I know you told me to keep trying, but I feel like I’m talking to a wall. Can’t you do something?

-Hermione

Suddenly a loud bang resounded about the house as someone thumped his or her hand against the front door. Harry sat up with a jerk, his eyes squinting from drowsiness, as he stared about for the cause of his awakening. The banging continued, getting louder and more desperate. With a groan, Harry pushed the covers off his body, grabbed his wand off the table, muttering a quick lumos to light the way, and walked towards the front door, grumbling under his breath about people waking him up at ungodly hours.

He opened the door and paused in surprise, as he saw his best friend, Hermione Granger, standing on his front porch with a bag of what looked like her belongings in her hand. He could tell by the puffiness around her eyes that she had been crying, and he had a feeling he knew why. Ron and Hermione had gotten engaged six months ago, but Harry knew they had been having problems. He had tried to tell Hermione to work with Ron and communicate more, but it seemed it had not worked…

“I didn’t know who else to turn to,” Hermione said by way of greeting, her face taking on such a helpless and defeated expression that Harry felt all his previous feelings of annoyance melt away to be replaced with sincere concern for his friend.

“Come inside.” Harry urged, taking her bag from her and leading her into his home. It was more a small flat than a house, but it was still his home. He had gotten it when he had been dating Ginny, but now he was the only one that lived here. The flat, once a clean and welcoming place, now reflected Harry’s messy nature, though Hermione didn’t seem to mind; he doubted she would have even noticed anything amiss with her current situation.

He flicked on the lights and tucked his wand in his pocket, giving a slight frown at the mess strewn over the floors. He turned back to Hermione, staring at her distraught expression, as he placed her bag of belongings on the floor. It was strange to see Hermione so upset, for he was so used to her being so calm and collected. Then again, Ron had always had a way of making Hermione lose her self-control. He guessed that was just the way their love was.

Hermione continued to just stand in the middle of the room, a lost expression on her face. Harry frowned slightly, not wanting to be the one to initiate the conversation, but he realised that she was probably not going to say anything. He shivered slightly as the cold air attacked his bare chest, and rubbed his arms to keep himself warm. He’d better just get this over with before he froze to death.

“What happened?” Harry asked finally when Hermione showed no signs of talking. Hermione sniffed slightly, her eyes filling with a guilty expression. She collapsed down on the couch, placing her hands in her head, her bushy brown hair shielding her face. He waited patiently for when she would speak, hoping that somehow he would be able to find the words to comfort her.

“I…I told him that I couldn’t be with him anymore,” Hermione half-whispered, her broken tones reflecting how upset she was in hurting Ron, or maybe she was just hurt herself? Harry wasn’t sure.

“Did you take my advice and try talking with him?” Harry asked quietly, trying to keep his voice calm so that she wouldn’t burst into tears on him. He knew she just needed someone to unburden herself to, and with a few gentle questions, he was sure he could get the truth from her.

In truth, he was not really that surprised this had happened, for he had tried to talk to Ron at Hermione’s request, but Ron had proven just as stubborn as Hermione. Neither of them wanted to confront the other, and while Ron refused to believe that anything was wrong, Hermione refused to believe that anything would change. Their relationship was suffering because both of them had such strong views and neither wanted to compromise. Whether it was jobs, homes, wedding arrangements, or even friends; neither of them could agree on anything, and both of them seemed intent on trying to change the other’s opinion. Not only that, but Hermione had slowly gotten more frustrated with Ron’s inability to tell her how he was feeling without getting offensive, and Ron seemed to feel that if he just ignored their problems, everything would be fine. Harry knew better, and while he had tried to help his friends with their love problems, he also knew that he couldn’t always play the diplomat for them.

Turning his thoughts back to Hermione, Harry watched as she nodded her head, pulling her hands away from her face to look at him with her puffy, honey-brown eyes.

“I tried to tell him how I was feeling, but he just wouldn’t listen… he never listens.” Hermione said dejectedly. “He’s still upset that I joined the law department, and when I tried to explain to him why I wanted the job, he just got angry and changed the subject, telling me that I just want to be cosy with my boss.” Her eyes flashed angrily, her lips thinning into a furious line. “He’s jealous of every man that I talk to. I’m just lucky he hasn’t started on you yet.”

“He’s insecure, Hermione, but he really does love you.” Harry said comfortingly, taking a seat next to her on the couch. He had heard Ron tell him so many times how much Hermione meant to him, but sometimes Harry felt like Ron didn’t deserve her. Ron could be such a prat, but then again, Harry knew it wasn’t all Ron’s fault. Hermione often didn’t know how to react to Ron. She nearly always ended up driving him away with her nagging behaviour, or tried to force him to change, just as much as he did to her. He had always thought that was just the way they were, but now, seeing Hermione so upset, and knowing that Ron had once again decided to ignore the problem, Harry couldn’t help but wonder if they really did suit as everyone said they did.

“Loving me isn’t enough.” Hermione declared hotly. “He never listens to me; he never even tries to work with me. He doesn’t respect anything that I enjoy, and he’s constantly suspicious of me when I am around other men.” She rubbed her temples slightly and sighed, “I can’t handle being with someone like that, and just the thought of marrying him makes me feel so worried because what if he never changes?” Hermione asked, raising her eyes, which were beginning to glisten with an unnatural quality.

Harry placed his arm around Hermione, pulling her closer to him to gently stroke her hair in a soothing manner. He could tell she was close to tears, and the last thing he wanted was Hermione crying.

“I know you’re upset, Hermione,” Harry said tenderly, “But you have to realise that you can’t change him. That is just the way Ron is.”

“I know,” Hermione mumbled into his chest, “But I just can’t be with him when he’s like this, and I know that everyone will hate me for leaving him. They won’t understand, Harry. I mean, we were supposed to get married in two months, and now….” Hermione trailed off and Harry could feel dampness against his skin, which could only be her tears. She started shaking slightly, and Harry silently wrapped his arms protectively around her and allowed her to cry.

He understood what she meant. Everyone just expected them to get married; they always had. Molly was in raptures that she would soon be able to call Hermione her daughter, just as everyone else was happy for them. If anyone were to be blamed for the relationship’s collapse, it would be Hermione, simply because not many people got to see Ron’s less attractive qualities. They would just think Hermione was being her usual bossy self and had driven him away, not realising that Ron could be just as demanding and unfeeling. Harry also knew that Hermione would never speak badly about Ron to anyone else but himself. Ron, however, was not likely to do the same. Harry knew that when Ron felt betrayed, he made sure everyone knew about it so they would side with him…

“Don’t feel guilty, Hermione,” Harry said after a few minutes, hoping to comfort her at least a little. “No matter what anyone says, you’ve done the right thing. There is no point staying in a relationship that will only lead to unhappiness.”

Hermione raised her tear-stained face and looked at him with an odd expression. “Like you and Ginny?” She asked softly. Harry stiffened slightly, but then relaxed knowing she was right.

Ginny had broken up with him two years after they had been dating. She had told him that she couldn’t handle being in a relationship with him because he was too distant with her. Harry guessed in a way she was right. He had tried to shield her from all the pain he felt, but it had only frustrated her. Even when she sobbed to him over the phone about how sorry she was for cheating on him with Seamus during her Quidditch tour, Harry had been unable to express the hurt he felt. He had simply carried on, though the affair had made him even more distant to her. Eventually Ginny just snapped and stopped the relationship, something Harry knew they should have done much earlier before things escalated to such a depressing end. He was still her friend now, but something had changed between them. Hermione was smart to break things off now before her and Ron’s friendship was ruined just like Ginny and Harry’s had been…

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said in a mortified whisper. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

Harry shook his head, giving her a sad smile. “It’s fine. You’re right anyway; I should never have stayed with Ginny when I knew that we were both unhappy. I’m just glad you did something before you and Ron ended up the same way.”

Hermione smiled gratefully at him, her body curled up against him, for his arms were still wrapped protectively around her. “Thank you for understanding, Harry,” Hermione said sincerely. “You don’t know how much it means to me to know that I can always turn to you.”

A warm smile came to Harry’s lips, his emerald eyes filling with a tenderness he rarely showed to anyone else. “You know I’m always here for you, Hermione. It’s what friends are for…”

Hermione laughed slightly and pulled herself away. “Then I guess I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

Harry smiled to himself, glad that she seemed to be feeling better. He knew that things were going to be hard for Hermione now, just as they would be for Ron, but he wanted her to know she could rely on him for this. It was the least he could do after all she had done for him over the years.

“I take it you’ll be staying here then? Until things settle down?” Harry asked, as Hermione settled herself beside him on the couch. She nodded her head, a guilty expression coming once more to her face.

“You don’t mind, do you?” She asked anxiously. “I just don’t know where else I can go. I mean, my parents are on holiday, and everyone else is busy, and-”

“It’s fine, Hermione,” Harry said with a small laugh, firmly cutting off her explanations. “I’ve got a spare room you can have, though it’s a bit small.”

“I don’t mind.” Hermione said quickly, her eyes filling with relief that he was letting her stay.

“Alright then,” Harry said with a kind smile. “I’ll just go get the room ready for you.”

He stood up and walked to the spare room next to his, leaving Hermione still sitting on the couch. He opened the door and walked in, glad that this room was at least relatively tidy, since no one used it. With a few charms, he managed to get the room habitable; he figured Hermione would make it more to her liking later.

Tucking his wand back in his pocket, Harry walked back out of the room, his eyes automatically falling on Hermione who was now rummaging through her bag for something. She looked a lot calmer now after their talk, but he could still see the sadness she was carrying.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I could do for now,” Harry said apologetically. Hermione looked up at him with a grateful smile, picking up her bag as she stood up.

“Don’t worry, Harry. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Harry nodded his head, and guided her into the small room. She placed her bag of stuff on the floor, and looked at him through her warm, honey-brown eyes- eyes that had always had such a gentle, soothing quality, though now they looked worried about what would happen.

“It’ll all work out.” Harry said reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hermione nodded her head, taking a deep breath, before giving him a brave smile, though he could see the insecurity in her eyes.

“I hope so.”

“I know it will,” Harry affirmed, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He pulled his hand away and walked back towards the door, turning back to her to give her one last comforting smile.

“Goodnight Hermione,” Harry said softly.

“Goodnight,” Hermione echoed. Harry nodded slightly and left the room, shutting it softly behind him to give her some privacy. He waved his wand at the lights and walked next door to his own room, collapsing on the bed straight away. He lay there with his eyes open, his mind turning over all that they had spoken about. He wasn’t really sure what to think; only that he was glad Hermione had done what she believed to be right...

It was strange to think that after four years Ron and Hermione had split up, but then he guessed people must have thought the same about him and Ginny. He knew that most relationships were not what they seemed, and people changed as well. It was just unfortunate that neither of them had been able to resolve their problems, since he did know how much Ron and Hermione loved each other. Hermione was right, however, love just wasn’t enough…

Harry sighed and rolled over on the bed, wondering what would happen now. Ron was going to find out that he was helping Hermione, and so there was going to be some anger there, though maybe Ron would let it go… Harry snorted to himself, realising that was not going to happen.

He stared blankly up at the dark roof, feeling just a little worried on what to do. He truly wanted to help Hermione, but he was also Ron’s friend. Getting caught in the middle of this would be hard, but he knew this time he had to help Hermione. She had come to him for help, and he would give it to her…