Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters or elements of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Anything written here is purely for entertainment and will not be making any profit.

Sometimes It Lasts In Love

Summary: Dramione Songfic: Someone Like You – Adele. Hermione must make a choice in love. "Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead."

Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Ginny Potter, Harry Potter.

Rating: T

Warnings: None.

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Songfic.

All italicised lyrics are from Adele's Someone Like You, and have been written by Adele and Dan Wilson.

THIS IS NOT A ONE-SHOT.

~ Sometimes It Lasts In Love ~

Chapter One

I heard that you're settled down,
That you found a girl, and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true,
I guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

Hermione gazed out the window, unable to focus on the droplets pattering against the pane of glass. The Daily Prophet that had arrived that morning lay strewn across the dining table, tear stains marking the paragraph announcing the first birthday of the new Malfoy heir, Scorpius Hyperion.

Her heart heavy as tears continued to fall down her cheeks, matching the weather beyond the glass barrier, she turned back to the living room of her empty flat, a bitter reminder of her solitude.

Hermione rarely received visitors nowadays. Her imposed isolation built walls around her that she hadn't been aware of, until her birthday passed her by with little thought of the day and minimal contact from the outside world.

Her personal relationship with the Minister for Magic, former Order member Kingsley Shacklebolt, provided a further segregation from the business beyond her front door, as she quickly received approval for completing all her work from home.

A blustered owl tapped at the window she had previously stared past, the rain coating her forearms as she opened the latch to let it in. The bird held its leg out, nipping her gently, affectionately, as the damp parchment grazed her knuckles. She untied the haphazard knot, an evident sign of the sender of the letter, when the owl trilled softly before leaving again through the open window.

The scrawl across the front of the folded note further confirmed that Hermione's dear friend had written to her, no doubt aware of the social proclamation in the morning's newspaper, but lacking the emotional know-how to deal with her sensitive state, she was grateful that Harry had at least thought to check on her.

His written words dictated so, as he insisted she must come to the Potter's for an evening sometime soon, although both knew full well this was most unlikely. Hermione smiled at the smudged ink, the muscles in her jaw aching from underuse, as she trailed towards the kitchen of her modest apartment, intent on seeking comfort in a wine bottle.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

The Wizarding Wireless in the corner of her living room set to plain white noise, Hermione wrapped the thick blanket tighter around her body, wishing herself the common sense that would have given her the foresight to close the window earlier that day.

Her curtains were damp from the continual rain, and a small puddle from the wet feathers of another delivering owl, this time from Ginny, had been left to dry on her dining table.

A knock at her front door caused her to start, knocking the long-empty wine bottle from the low table facing the sofa she now huddled against. As it rolled across the floorboards, away from her, Hermione lurched to her feet, previously unaware of how the red liquid had affected her.

She stumbled to the door, tripping on the blanket still enveloping her, as the knock sounded again. A foolish hope stemmed deep within her, as she attempted to firmly dampen the irrational optimism of the identity of her late-night visitor.

The door swung to from the frame as she finally mastered the set of locks, and a windswept head of ginger hair came into view. She sagged against the doorway, unable to prevent the acidic disappointment coursing through her. Ron's arms supporting her, she was unaware she had slipped towards the floor until he laid her on the sofa she had been resting against before his arrival.

He sat down on the coffee table in front of her taking in her neglected state, aware she had probably ignored daily functions such as eating, in favour of wallowing in her melancholy.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it,
I had hoped you'd see my face,
And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over.

'Hermione...'

'You don't need to be here.' Her muffled voice came through the cushion she had buried her face in.

'Yes, I do.'

A sound somewhere between a choked laugh and strangled sob was her reply.

'Hermione, I care about you. We all do. I just wanted to see...'

'See what, Ronald? See if I'm still here? In case I'd chucked myself off my eighth floor balcony?' The bitterness in her eyes caused him to flinch at her tone. Noticing his reaction, she softened slightly, aware that she couldn't inflict her own pain onto the gentle soul in front of her.

'I'm sorry.'

'You don't have to be, 'Mione. I understand, you know. More than you realise.'

'Understand?' The anger flared up inside her, stoking the flames the lit the darkness encumbering her being. 'Ronald Weasley, understand heartbreak? Don't make me laugh.'

'You know, while you've been shut up in here for months on end, wallowing in what-might-have been, the rest of us have been getting on our with our lives...'

'Really helping, Ron, thanks a bunch.' She sat up, righting herself.

'No, I'm just trying to say...' He paused, studying his shoes. 'I'm just trying to say that other people out there have felt the same thing. I know it's hit you hard, Hermione. I've seen what it's done to you. But...' He paused again.

'Ron, I just need time. I'll snap out of it eventually.' She reached out a hand, placing her warmth on his cold fingers. 'And then life can go back to normal. I'll be back to normal. I just... I can't just flip a switch and turn my feeling off. It's not like that.'

'I'm well aware.' He muttered. He raised his eyes, meeting her puffy-eyed gaze, 'But this doesn't have to be the end for you, you know.'

'It's not the end for me, of course it's not. You know I wouldn't do anything stupid. After all, you and Harry couldn't cope without me, we all know that.' She smiled, interlinking their fingers.

'I don't mean... Merlin, I don't mean that.' He watched their hands, swaying slightly together between them. 'I mean, you might love again Hermione. You will be able to love someone again, after all this.'

'Oh, Ron.' She stilled.

He stood up, pacing slightly away from her.

'You know...' He began. She heard him swallow before restarting, aware of how hard this would be for him, for the both of them.

'You know how I feel about you, Hermione. How I've always felt. I just... I wanted to... I wanted to remind you. That you aren't alone.'

'Ron, I...'

'I know, I know. I'm well aware of your feelings, and your emotions. I just wanted you to be aware of mine. Because, after all of this...' He turned back to face her, 'After all of this, I can't help but love you. And maybe... Maybe in a while...' He stepped toward her, taking both her hands in his, 'You might learn to love me too.'

She looked down, unable to meet his searching eyes.

'Hermione, I can't bear to see you like this. And I know it's something you need to go through, something you have to go through in order to come out the other side. But, maybe, once in a while, you might think about me. Because I'll always be here for you.'

'Ron...' She mumbled, as he continued on.

'I understand that you love me as a friend. But feelings change. People change. And... And I want to say this now, while I can, and please, don't feel you have to give me an answer now, in fact I'd rather you didn't. But it will always stand, whether you come back to me in a week, a year, ten, twenty years, I will wait for you. Because I love you Hermione. And, at some point in our lives, I would very much like to make you my wife.'

She took a step back in shock as the blood drained out of her face. This, she had not been expecting.

'In a way, it's a safer option for the both of us. You know, not... Not necessarily a fall-back, but people can learn to love each other. And I would never hurt you. You know I could never do that to you.'

She sat down heavily on the sofa, unable to think clearly, unable to see clearly, as he rambled on about safe-guarding their future. Her thoughts became slightly less muddled as she managed to interrupt him.

'Ron, please. Just... Stop. I need... I need time to... process this...'

'Yeah,' He straightened up, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets, 'Yeah, of course.'

'I think it would be best if you left now.'

'Sure. Look, don't... Don't get up. I can see myself out.' He turned away from her as she sat, tense, waiting for the door to click shut. She felt herself let out a deep breath she hadn't realised she was holding when she heard the latch. She slumped back onto the cushions, her mind tripping over itself as she attempted to make sense of the evening.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you, too,

Hermione was back by the window, watching the sun rise over the urban horizon of Greater London, her head finally clear and her thoughts ordered.

She moved back into her flat, feeling a fraction of the heavy weight that had burdened her chest for an immeasurable length of time, lift from her. She stooped to pick up the abandoned wine bottle from where it had trailed to before the insanity of the previous night's events.

She set it to rest on top of the dining table it had come to a stop against, noting the newspaper that had been blown about a little across the table top. Pulling it towards her and holding onto the ledge for support, she traced the printed words of the announcement with her index finger.

Don't forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead,"

She folded the newspaper twice before heading into the kitchen to deposit it in her recycling bin, aware that wherever she left it, the words would still creep into her mind.

Closing the lid of the box, Hermione braced herself against the work top, running through Ron's words from the night before.

'I understand that you love me as a friend. But feelings change. People change.'

She knew she could not let this feeling of despair crush her completely, ruining her chance for a real life, a real future.

A real family.

As the sun broke fully over the new day, Hermione slowed her movements to stop her hand from shaking any more than it already was, as she reached for the quill and parchment, marking out one word:

Yes.

Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead.

A/N: I sincerely apologise if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes. A sudden bolt of inspiration caused this to be written at 3am, and as such, I couldn't get it to my Beta before I felt the need to get it online. It's now 8am, and I've finished the whole story. I'm aware that this could work as a one-shot, but I'm a sucker for a resolution.