The Tragedy of Chemistry (DM/HG)

Choices

Friday, The Three Broomsticks

"I had no idea this whole thing was still bothering you," Pansy said before emptying her butterbeer in one long sip. Her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall before she straightened her shoulders and looked at Hermione expectantly. "You've said you wanted Draco. I thought that meant you're all in."

"I am."

Pansy judged her with wary eyes.

"And you're meeting Weasley here because?"

"If I want to make this work with Draco, I can't have Ronald trying to make things right anymore. He sent me another owl this week and he stopped by at my office every day to ask me out. I just want him to stop."

Her first week at the ministry had been a lot. Exciting to say the least, if she could ignore the moments where she had felt close to suffocating from her ex-boyfriends attempts to lure her into conversations whilst bringing her coffee. When he had asked her today to have dinner with him for the third time this week, she had agreed to meet him for a drink instead. His shoulders had sunken at her ask to meet at a public place, but he had agreed.

Pansy sighed. "And did you tell Draco you're meeting your ex-boyfriend here for such honorable reasons?"

Hermione picked at the coaster in front of her but looked up at her friend through her lashes.

"No, I haven't had the chance to tell him. I will see him later tonight and tell him then. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Two dates in one night. Look at you." Pansy teased and laughed quietly at the way Hermione frowned.

---

"I don't know how to make it right," Ronald said calmly with his eyes fixated onto the table in between them.

Hermione eyed Pansy on the other end of the pub. She was giggling and flirting heavily with Neville Longbottom. She sighed.

"I need you to stop trying to make it right."

"Don't push me away like that, Hermione. I understand you need time, but I can still fix this... fix us..." He reached for her hand over the table, and before she could retreat he held her tightly and squeezed.

She stared at her hand in his and felt how everything inside her refused to accept the touch as something she could endure. They had been talking in circles for a while now, and he clearly wasn't ready to accept her wishes. She had told him there was no going back, that she didn't want to get back together with him. He kept trying to convince her otherwise.

Hermione didn't bother to pull her hand away from Ronald when she spoke quietly in frustration.

"When I'm saying that I don't want to get back together with you, I'm not saying that I don't know how to forgive you. I'm telling you that we both need to close this chapter for good."

He finally let go of her, and she pulled her hand from the table onto her lap. She rubbed her skin to silently get rid of the ghost of his touch.

"I miss you, Hermione. I know I made a huge mistake but can you really just cut off your feelings like this?" His puppy eyes made her sigh again. There was no easy way of telling him; but he pushed her further into the corner and she had to make sure he understood she had moved on.

"I'm seeing someone else."

Their eyes met and Hermione held her breath at the way he pulled his brows together. His jaw tensed.

"It's him - isn't it?" The disgust in Ronald's voice was repulsive.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. You're not only throwing away our relationship, but also our friendship and the friendship to Ginny and Harry. I honestly don't even recognize you anymore, you've changed." Hermione felt her heart contract in a tight knot. Her throat closed and she tried to avoid looking at him.