The argument between the trio was getting very heated, very quickly. Ron had just rubbed it in Harry's face that he doesn't have any parents; no one to take care of him. Hermione and Harry believed that it was the Horcrux. It had to be. Hermione tried to get them to stop fighting.

"Hermione!" Ron said firmly. "Let's go." she looked at him in disbelief.

"What?" she asked. Did he really just ask her to ditch Harry?

"I said, Let's go." he repeated through clenched teeth.

"Ron..." she started, her eyes welling up with tears.

"It's either me, or him." he said hastily.

"Ronald please! You can't be serious-" her eyes were begging him to not leave. She took a short breath and continued. "This is Harry!"

"Me. or Him." he looked at her with stone cold eyes.

"But-" she was immediately cut off by Harry.

"That's enough! Both of you!" he said looking at both of them. His eyes contained hurt, but he didn't show it. "I am not going to be the reason you two split apart! You've waited years for this!" his voice cracked in the end. He hoped that Hermione didn't notice it.

"Hermione, you should go. Go with him! You'll be happy. Knowing that, I'll be happy. I finish the hunt on my own. Only a couple more to find. I can do this, just leave me your beaded bag with a few things." he looked down. Not wanting to meet either of their eyes.

"Harry! How can you say that? How can you even think that I'll leave you?" Hermione exclaimed.

"You have to, Hermione. Live your life." he said in a quieter tone. He took a step closer to her and looked at her eyes begging him to say something else. Something good. He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered.

"Do you remember it?" he asked her. "The quote. The one you showed me in the third year from the muggle novel?" Hermione nodded. She bit her lip to stop herself from letting all those tears out as she looked into his green eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she could see it. Those eyes, once filled with happiness, now, not. "Say it, 'Mione." Harry told her.

"If you love me, let me go." she said trough tears. "But Harry, no!"

"I love you, Hermione. You're my best friend, that's why... I'm letting you go." a tear managed to come out of his eye on that last word, causing him to stutter a little. She kept her eyes locked onto his. She was still crying. He removed his hand from her shoulder, and just when she thought he was going to pull her in and console her..... He didn't.

Harry took her hands in his and patted them a couple times. "I'm going to leave you to pack." he held himself as strong as he could. "Goodbye.... Hermione." and with that, Harry dropped her hands and walked out of the tent.

As soon as he was out, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him until he found a shaded space behind a huge tree where no one could find him. He leaned back against it's cold, rough trunk and sank down. Letting himself break. He pulled his knees up to his chest to contain his body heat and cried into them. He had no idea how long he was there.

He was so focused on the loneliness, he didn't even notice footsteps coming near him and a voice. He didn't notice anyone was there until the person shook him.

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