Marry Me (Dramione)

01. The Beginning

A/N: Before I begin, this story will take place just a few years after war. I don't want anyone to get confused, that's all.

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What had she done wrong? Everything was going perfectly as planned, right? She was in love with him and he was in love with her. When two people loved each other so dearly, marriage was obviously something to think about. But something happened. What had she done wrong?

Everything had been perfect. Just a few weeks ago, she had accidentally stumbled upon a wedding ring in one of Ron's jacket pockets. She had tried desperately hard to look nonchalant and casual all two weeks. And tonight - tonight was the night he was supposed to propose. He had told her to wear something nice and meet him at the restaurant across from their flat. He had told her he had something important to tell her. He had told her he would be waiting for her to come. And she got ready as quickly as she could, put on her best dress, styled her hair meticulously, and even took extra time to make sure she put on the perfume he liked the most. She was ready to go.

But then he broke up with her. Instead of him going down on one knee and proposing to her, he took her hand and broke up with her.

Hermione opened a bottle of firewhiskey and reached for a glass. She looked down at it and shook her head, putting it back in place as she took a long sip of the drink straight of the bottle. The drink burned and stung as it slipped down her throat, causing Hermione to shut her eyes tightly. She finally slammed the bottle down next to her as she stood in her empty flat, instantly feeling cold and lonely.

The brunette heard a crack and knew who it was. "You heard?" She asked quietly, eyeing the bottle of firewhiskey once more. Maybe she could drown the pain and numb it out.

"Hermione, what happened?" The fiery redhead walked over to her friend with concern running across her face.

"Ron dumped me." She answered harshly and suddenly felt an empty void in her heart. It felt different saying it out loud. It actually happened - Ron had actually dumped her. "Ron dumped me." She repeated again, gaining a sense of clarity from that one sentence. Hermione turned to her friend with a look of confusion. "I can't believe it. We're over."

Ginny sighed deeply and put her hand on her friend's back, rubbing circles to comfort her. "What happened?" She asked quietly, peering over at her friend curiously. "Everything was going great, you two were great just a few days ago. How did this happen?"

The empty pit in her stomach, the deep pain in her heart, and the reality of her relationship hit her all at once. Tears spilled out of her eyes as they sailed down her rosy cheeks. "I don't know." She answered truthfully, shaking her head and blinking away more tears. "I don't know, Ginny. What did I do wrong?"

Ginny pulled Hermione into a warm hug, patting her back. "It's okay, Hermione ... it's okay." She whispered softly into her friend's ear. "Ron ... is stupid, Hermione. He doesn't deserve you - you deserve someone so much better than my brother. I promise, you're going to find him soon. You're okay, Hermione, you're okay."

Hermione sniffled as she pulled away from the hug, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Everyone knows, don't they?" She asked, her lips trembling. "I thought he was going to propose to me tonight." Her voice cracked as a new wave of sadness and anger hit her. "I thought he was proposing, Ginny."

"Hermione, I'm so sorry." Ginny spoke softly, not knowing what to say. It was her older brother who had caused her best friend such pain. What was she supposed to do?

"I'm so stupid. I should've seen the signs." Hermione said and nodded. "There were signs everywhere and I was stupid to overlook them. He became a little distant a week ago, I thought he was just getting nervous because he was going to propose to me. I thought he was just nervous, I didn't think he stopped loving me. God, I'm so stupid." Hermione whispered as she broke down again, this time she covered her face with her hands as she silently cried.