The Beauty and The Beast

Chapter 24: The Cheat

Hermione's P.O.V
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"Sweetheart..." he started, walking toward me slowly but I put my hand up to stop him. I know he wasn't put under any kind of potion because as a researcher my self I knew the symptoms and he displayed none.

My heart felt like it was breaking into two. I gave him my heart. I thought he could make me happy. I thought he was different. I thought he had changed. I knew we had fights sometimes, even though it was hardly ever, but I never thought he would stoop that low.

"Don't sweetheart me!" I said, crying.

He told me to believe in myself, that I was beautiful, strong, talented, important and special, but how could I believe that when the only two people I actually cared about left me for another woman! That too, my best friend. I loved him and he did this. I loved him.

"Baby I can explain!" He said loudly, flinching when he saw my tears, guilt etched on his face.

"Baby?" Ginny's quiet voice said and I almost hissed back at her. Harry pulled at his hair and left the room. I didn't care where he went.

"Yes, baby. He's my boyfriend" I said and Ginny gasped loudly.

"Yeah Ginny, you just fucked my boyfriend. Well ex boyfriend" I said monotonously and Draco's eyes clouded with fear.

"No baby, please no. Please love, don't do this!" He begged trying to step closer but I shook my head, trying to appear unaffected.

"Did she beg that hard two minutes ago?" I asked, smirking sadly.

"Mione please baby, I can fix this" he said and his eyes lit up. "I can fix this" he chanted.

"No you can't. You don't have an excuse this time around. We're over" I said and he ran toward me, his eyes desperate.

"No no no no. It was a mistake, baby, just a mistake. It will never happen again. Sweetheart please, look at me" he said, cupping my cheek lightly, "Please love, I can fix this. I love you" he said softly and my eyes shot up in surprise.

"You don't love me, if you did you wouldn't be here, with another woman while you were with me" Shaking my head again, I walked away.

"Don't you love me?" He called after me.

"Not in this lifetime" I responded immediately.

***

"Hey Harry" I said, walking to the rock next to him to sit down. I turned to his glassy eyes and wrapped my hands around him for comfort.

"She forgot. She was so invested in Draco she forgot about our date" he said and my heart clenched painfully.

"Do you know how much it hurts to know the person you live doesn't even remember you changing because of them. All my sacrifices, out the window" he said, his voice cracking.

"I loved her" he said, tears staining his face.

"It probably doesn't hurt as much as watching your best friend fuck your boyfriend" I spat and he looked at me pitifully.

"Oh Mione, I'm so sorry" he said, tightening the hug and I felt tears leak from my eyes.

"I loved him. I really did. We hardly ever fought, he was so genuine and sweet with me, I would've never have guessed"  I whispered.

"How long?" He asked, referring to our dating.

"One week. We dated for a week and he already screwed it up" I said and his eyebrow shot up.

"We started officially dating a week ago, but we had a relationship way before that. It was made public a few days back" I explained.

"But how did you love him then?" He asked.

"Like I said, we already had a relationship before that. We kind of acted like a couple but he didn't ask me so it wasn't official to either of us" I said and he nodded.

"What went wrong between us Harry? We were really close this past week, at least I thought we were really close. I guess I was wrong then" I added, sighing. He shook his head.

"I saw how he looked at you, his eyes twinkling whenever he smiled at you or you smiled at him. He looked so in love with you" Harry said and now I shook my head.

"He really did act like he loved you" he said.

"What did I do wrong Harry!" I said sadly.

"Maybe it wasn't you, maybe it was him." Harry concluded, sighing thoughtfully.

"What about Ginny?" I asked, worried about him. He had loved her for so long.

"I think...I think it's time to move on. If she would've remembered our date but still fucked Draco, I wouldn't be as...disappointed. But she didn't. She completely forgot. I wasn't enough for her. Our date didn't occupy a single thought in her mind. But she took up all my brain cells all day. It hurts to know someone doesn't return your love. When I spent so long trying to redeem myself, she didn't care" he said, voice cracking at the ends.

"She didn't care that I was waiting. That I changed. That I saved up for months to buy her a dress I thought she would like and pay for a restaurant booking that cost me a fortune. But I said to myself hey, it's just money, if I win her over on this date, money wouldn't matter because I would be the happiest man alive. But she broke me. I had to work so damn hard, all the time, to try and get as much money as possible" he continued and I leaned my head into his shoulder, silently urging him.

"It cost me 572 dollars. For the dress and the reservations. She didn't even wear the dress, actually I bet she didn't even see it. And what about the reservations that I spent countless nights preparing for? What about it! I convinced them to give me my money back, somehow, don't ask, but it isn't a matter of money anymore. It's a matter of happiness. And right now, I'm broke as fuck" he said, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Oh Harry. It's ok. You can't undo the past, she ain't worth your time or effort. Move on, find yourself another girl, one that can make all of this count" I said and he nodded.

"I will, and what do you know, maybe she is hiding right under my nose" he said, looking up at me and smiling. I smiled back, hugging him tighter.

"Thanks for being my friend" he said and I nodded. He excused himself to go to the bathroom.

I clutched my knees to my chest, hid my head into my lap and cried softly. When will I ever be good enough to keep someone with me?

"Don't cry, sweetheart. Please don't cry" a voice whispered softly and I tensed, hearing the person I wish I could never see again.