At the Beginning With You [Harmione]

4. The Not So Hidden Relationship

  Life is a road
And I want to keep going

Love is a riverI wanna keep flowingLife is a roadNow and foreverWonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turningI'll be there when the storm is throughIn the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

- 'At the Beginning' by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis from the movie Anastasia

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"And the sound you hear is the sound of shit hitting the fan." - Phil from the movie 'Elizabethtown'

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"Oh, I almost forgot to ask, how'd the interview go today?" Hermione asked cheerily, asking out of politeness, though the tone in her voice said she had a feeling where the topic might lead to.

"Well, I was going to tell everyone at dinner, but it seems that Bill and Fleur have more important news. Which is ok, I wanted to tell you first anyway." Harry could tell that Hermione's suspicions were probably confirmed right then.

"Well, how'd it go?"

"I got the job."

"Ron, that's wonderful! I'm happy for you!"

"Yeah, and I wanted to talk to you about something then, Hermione. Pretty soon I'll be able to save up money, buy my own place, and—maybe you and I could settle down, if you like." Hermione sighed.

"Ron—"

"Right now I don't have much to offer you, Hermione, I don't even have a ring or anything, but I will, eventually."

"Ron, I—"

"And I promise I'll take care of you, you won't have to worry about a thing."

"Ron, can I speak? Please?"

"Of course," he said.

Hermione sighed again. "Ron, I do care for you. But...I don't love you like you think you love me. I don't think I could marry you right now. It's too soon. The Final Battle just ended a little over a month ago, and we've only been dating officially for that month. And—"

"But you could grow to love me. I know you would."

"No you don't, Ron. And I couldn't go into a marriage unless I loved the man wholeheartedly, not on the basis that I'll grow to love him."

"And as to not having dated long, we've known each other for seven years, that's got to amount to something."

"Yes, but up until right after our sixth year you were a complete jerk to me. Then all of a sudden you had a change of attitude, and were nice to me. Nicer than you had ever been before to me in your life, save for the times when you were trying to get me to let you copy my notes for school. I'm getting to like this new Ron Weasley, but I can't marry you unless I love you. That's all there is to it. And besides, I don't think I'm ready to get married, there are still so many things I still want to do. I want to go back to school and become a healer. If I can't become a healer necessarily, then I want to try something else. I want a career."

"But Hermione, if we get married, you won't have to go back to school and become a healer." Hermione sighed again.

"Ron, the feminist in me says that I do, I can't just give up my dreams because I'm marrying you. I can't just be a housewife and a mother; I have to be doing something else."