*Slap*

"Ron..." Hermione cried out tearfully, clutching her cheek. "How could you do that?"

"What do you mean how could you do that?" Ron shouted, mimicking Hermione. "How could you? I am your boyfriend! How dare you push me away when I try to kiss you! You should let me do what I want to you. Never try and stop me again."

-

Hermione was shocked how she and Ron had even gotten to this point in their so-called relationship. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione and Ron became an official couple, with her moving into the Burrow at the beginning of this summer - just like Harry did, in order to be around Ginny. It had all been plain sailing until Ron began to start acting very controlling. First, it was little things like what she could eat, what she could wear or how long she had to spend time with him in a day. But what started to get Hermione more concerned was him controlling where she could go or who she could meet up with. Ron always had to know who the person, or people, were before Hermione was allowed to even go and see them.

In fact, Hermione wasn't even allowed to meet up with her old primary school friends, all because, of course, Ron didn't know them. This upset Hermione, but what could she do? It's not like she could go
out and meet people with Ron ever knowing. She tried this once, and that didn't go down too well.

Hermione decided to go and see her primary school friend Emma Picard, where Emma now lived in London. Hermione had never introduced her to Ron - she had never had the opportunity to. After she got back to the Burrow, Ron had gone absolutely ballistic, questioning where she had gone, who she had met up with, and if she was cheating on him. Hermione had tried to answer him calmly, but that only riled Ron up more. Ron didn't talk to Hermione for a whole week after, not doing anything for her; whilst she still had to do his washing and cook for him, when Molly wasn't around.

After that incident, wherever Hermione went, Ron went too. The two were now super inseparable, but not in a sweet way, instead of a controlling and uncomfortable kind of way. Hermione felt there was no way out of this. There was no one she could tell, no way for her to leave him because that would be leaving Harry, Ginny, all the other Weasleys, and all of her other magical friends. Even if she did tell them, Hermione predicted that they wouldn't believe her. From the outside, she and Ron's relationship was perfect. From childhood friends to high school sweethearts. The most beautiful love story - just like Harry and Ginny. Hermione didn't even have the courage in the first place to tell anyone that their relationship was actually rocky, which they did not display publicly. There was no hope that she could see.

-

"No Ron!" Hermione said, trying to contain her anger. "We have come back to my parents' house, my childhood home, to discover that both my Mum and Dad have moved to Australia after I used Obliviate to protect them from Voldemort so that they didn't get hurt! And, worse of all, I hear it from the neighbours that they left! How do you think I feel right now having my parents living halfway across the world from me? I can't just get up and leave them right now. I sure wish I could, but I can't. You have your whole family here right where and whenever you need them! I can't just go and see them whenever I like! I don't even know where they live in Australia, let alone if they still have the same names! Is this not a little selfish Ron? How did you think it was the correct time for you to kiss me, and slap, for goodness sake Ron, slap me?"

"I am your boyfriend Hermione! I can do to you as I wish! If I want to kiss you, if I want to hug you, if I want to slap you I can!"

"Is that all you can do? Repeat yourself! It's getting a bit boring Ron! You're making me bored. I'm getting sick and tired of it. You are getting on my last thread and it is about to snap soon. And I'm sure you know what happens when that thread does snap."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that!" Ron growled, shoving Hermione against the wall. "When will that get into that thick head of yours? You answer to me! And me only! You do as I say. I can do whatever I want, and that includes doing whatever I want to you! There's no way of getting out of that. This is the only way. You will never be free of me. And that's a promise!"

"No! It does not Ron!" Hermione replied, gritting her teeth. "You can not control me, whether you like it or not! I can not believe you. I really can't believe you right now. You have changed so much. I can't even how long I've put up with you treating me like this. You are leaving right now. Get out!"

Hermione pushed him roughly away from her, leaving him half gob-smacked, half furious. Walking towards the front door, she passed several empty photo frames that once contained the memories of her childhood. From her on her set of swings in her garden, to the family picnics in the park she used to have with her mum and dad. But that was not to be dealt with just yet. Hermione threw open the door and pointed for Ron to leave. She couldn't even look at him while she did this, fury building within her at how he is treating her. He grabbed her chin in his hand, squeezing it tightly wanting to leave a bruise.

"This isn't over, you know." Ron glared, pulling his hand away, happy with the mark he made on her chin. "Just wait. You'll be running back to me in no time. You just wait and see. There's no in hell that you will leave me. You don't have enough courage to leave me."

"Yes, it is, Ronald." Hermione shoved him out, quickly shutting the door behind him. "This is definitely over. I am leaving you. You better realise that fact."

Hermione slammed the door shut, rattling the glass chandelier on the ceiling. She slid down the door and sat there sobbing quietly, her shoulders quivering, while Ron banged on it demanding to be let back in. Then he started to ask her nicely. Hermione noticed how he was able to switch up his emotions so quickly. Ron clearly knew how to control her, but from now on she vowed to not give in to his games. It confused her how the kind and generous young man that Ron had once been has now turned into the complete opposite. Hermione knew that no one would believe her even if she did tell someone about how Ron was treating her. He had only changed around Hermione, not around any of his family members - even with Harry he still acted the same.

The banging stopped after a few minutes. Hermione heard Ron's angered footsteps stomping down the paved path of the front garden, pushing the gate open, slamming it hard against the stone wall.

Brushing her tears away, Hermione stood up and made her way back down the corridor to where the photos frames were. Recalling old memories, Hermione was able to fill the empty frames, with old childhood memories. Pictures from her 5th birthday, her first day at school, her getting her acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Hermione smiled sadly. Her parents don't even remember these events, and especially don't even remember Hermione herself. They were over 9,000 miles away and Hermione didn't even know how she could contact them, in order to try and restore their memories.

Hermione made her way into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass of cold water, she made her way up the stairs to her old bedroom. Pulling on her pyjamas, Hermione found only a shell of the room that had been left by her parents when they cleared out the house to leave for Australia. Hermione expected that they just had a feeling they needed to leave, that something bad was going to happen if they didn't. Reading about using Obliviate, Hermione had intensely studied if there was any way that the person/people that had the memories taken away could have them restored. Unfortunately, it was highly rare - with even the most powerful wizards not being able to accomplish it. This diminished Hermione's hopes, but she still had that small glimmer that made her want to try and see if she could do it.

There was only a bed frame and her old set of drawers in her bedroom now. Breathing in the nostalgic smell, Hermione crawled under the duvet that she conjured up, nestling down on the pillows she conjured up too. She pulled the duvet up to her chin, and hugged it like a teddy bear, finding comfort in the warmth and somewhat safety of the sheets. Closing her eyes, memories flooded back of all the times she had had with Ron: from the Wizarding Chess game in their first year to the kiss they had shared in the Chamber of Secrets during the Battle of Hogwarts. How does one bad moment overshadow the good memories since the time she met him?

Rolling over, the pillow under her head started to smell like Ron. Hermione threw it across the bedroom, knocking over the bag she had brought with her. Exhausted from her eventful day, Hermione's eyes closed slowly again. A field of darkness covered her and a wave of dreams enclosed over her. 

Hermione suddenly snapped awake. Looking at her alarm clock, she noticed it was 2 a.m in the morning. Hearing an annoying tapping sound, she pulled a pillow over her ears, thinking it was the neighbour's dog in the garden next to her. When it continued for another ten minutes, she got up grumbling
and looked where it was coming from. Noticing an owl outside the window, she opened it and the owl flew in, landing on her set of drawers. Hermione took the letter out of the owl's beak and read it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmistress: MINERVA McGONAGALL

Dear Miss Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you are being invited back to Hogwarts in order for you to
complete your 8th year. This is completely optional, however, but it would be good for you to complete your education so that you have the best opportunities offered to you in the future. Some of your fellow peers have also been invited back. Others have not been invited back, due to many reasons. If sure you can guess some of the reasons, without me disclosing what they are. Those we have invited back are expected to all get along and work extremely hard in order to get the grades you deserve at the end of the year. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment that you will need for your final year. Term begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

I am looking forward to seeing you again and hope that you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress

A huge smile grew on Hermione's face, but then it fell. She would have to see and live with Ron again. But Hermione knew she could do it. No one could keep her down, especially a stupid idiotic boy like Ron. Her parents had taught her better than to let someone get her down. It would be a dishonour to their name if she didn't do so. Hermione knew she had to make her parents proud, despite them not being in the same country as her to witness it.