A/N; All rights go to JKR. Set during their fifth year.
"I just want you to take more notice of me! Is that too much to ask?" Hermione yelled at Ron, feeling slightly relieved that she was getting this off her chest. She couldn't help being angry. He'd done it again!
"Take more notice of you? MORE notice? How can you say that? What do you even mean?" He shouted back, anger flashing through his blue eyes.
"You know very well what I mean!" She wasn't about to say why. It hurt too much.
"Stop it! Just tell me!" When she was silent, he continued. "Look, it's not my fault that you're muggle-born, or that you don't have any other friends."
Each word was like a stab of pain through her heart. How could he say that to her? Tears filled her eyes, and Ron looked instantly guilty.
"And I guess your life was perfect until you met me, and now it's terrible." Her voice was small and quiet.
"Hermione, you know I-"
But she didn't hear the end of his sentence, because she'd ran out.
***
Ron couldn't believe what he'd done. He'd practically called his best friend a M... M... Mud... blood. How could he?
He started shaking as he slowly lowered himself into a chair. He felt like he was about to be sick. He was disgusted with himself, shouting at her like that. She thought that she made his life a misery. But she didn't. She made his life so much better. She was everything to him.
He hated himself. Why had he been so heartless? But she had started it... or had she?
***
Hermione was crying alone in her dormitory. It had hurt her more than anything to hear Ron say that to her. She didn't care about the friends thing, that didn't matter too much. But mentioning that she was muggle-born...
She couldn't believe it. She thought Ron was her best friend. He had told her that he didn't care that she was muggle-born. That was obviously a lie.
Why?
***
After a while, when she had stopped crying, she decided to go and talk to him, and tell him how she felt about what he'd said.
She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
Ron looked up at her.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was angry and... I didn't mean it. Please forgive me, Hermione." He stood up and grabbed her hand.
"It's fine, Ron. It just really hurt me. But you're my best friend. I have to forgive you." She smiled at him. "Listen..."
"No. Don't apologise." And before she could object, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her lips to his. He pulled away and stared into her eyes. "I love you." She didn't speak. She was too shocked. And plus, She couldn't think of a reply. As if he could read her mind, he asked, "Say that you love me back?"
And she did.
