Just Being There Is Not Enough

Just Being There Is Not Enough

Hermione and Ron fall in love during the Christmas of their sixth year. Their passion for each other had been smouldering for a while and Hermione could stand it no longer. She blurts out her feelings for Ron, and he reciprocates.

Parting for home at the end of the summer term is like being ripped apart. They spend a long time together in a quite part of the railway station, away from prying eyes until their parents separate them. The summer holidays start and the first week drags for the pair of them. They were exchanging owl post, but Ron is not eating and sleeping a lot. Molly is getting worried, so she writes to Hermione's parents and finds out that Hermione too is not right.

At the start of the second week, Hermione turns up on the doorstep of The Burrow; Molly had arranged for her to stay for the remainder of the holiday. Ron is thrilled and the pair of them are inseparable. Ron shows her all round the area, skinny dipping a pond in the middle of the wood at midnight, picnics by the river. Hot days, lazing around, talking, kissing, holding hands.

But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. Ron realises that having Hermione around means he has to be responsible for her and time spent with her starts to eat into what he used to call his own time. Hermione feels that Ron is not paying her enough attention when he goes off to practice Quidditch with Fred and George, or to mess about with gnomes, ignoring her completely, and the arguments start.

It comes to a head when Ron comes home from messing around on his broom and Hermione announces during the evening meal that she wants to go home after just two weeks. Ron realises what he has done, but a day on her own has forced her into a decision that she is unwilling to break. He pleads with her not to go as she packs, but she is resolute and her mind is made up. They go to the railway station, and she waits for the train that will take her away while Ron pleads with her to stay.

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In one single moment your whole life can turn 'round
I stand there for a minute starin' straight into the ground
Lookin' to the left slightly, then lookin' back down
World feels like it's caved in - proper sorry frown
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Ron tries to speak to her. She is staring up at the ceiling, her eyes glistening with tears, lower lip trembling, but she is ignoring him. He starts to plead with her that he could pay her more attention, he could change, but nothing he says has any affect.

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Please let me show you where we could only just be, for us
I can change and I can grow or we could adjust
The wicked thing about us is we always have trust
We can even have an open relationship, if you must
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He is looking at her face, but she continues to ignore him. Her heart is breaking, but she must leave him. He had proved himself to be more interested in material things rather than her. She feels a little selfish at this, but it was the many occasions where he had swept through a room without even looking at her; she means nothing to him and that hurts.

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I look at her she stares almost straight back at me
But her eyes glaze over like she's lookin' straight through me
Then her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity
When they open up she's lookin' down at her feet
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Ron coughs as the tears start. He was losing the most precious thing in his life and he could not stand it. There is this voice in his head that starts to make sense:

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Dry your eyes mate
I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now
It's over
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He moves a little closer to her, and tries to reach out for her. She feels his Quidditch roughened hands on her face, but feeling his hands on her no longer has the magical touch it used to have.

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So then I move my hand up from down by my side
It's shakin', my life is crashin' before my eyes
Turn the palm of my hand up to face the skies
Touch the bottom of her chin and let out a sigh
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He is crying now. Floods of tears come as he reaches out for the only girl in his life that ever meant anything. He knows he has done wrong, but he is desperate now. He wants her back, but she is having nothing more to do with him. His thoughts stray to the future.

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'Cause I can't imagine my life without you and me
There's things I can't imagine doin', things I can't imagine seein'
It weren't supposed to be easy, surely
Please, please, I beg you please
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His touch does not hold any feelings for her. She is not going to make a scene, it is not her way. She has told him it is all over between them, but he still needs to be told one last time.

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She brings her hands up towards where my hands rested
She wraps her fingers round mine with the softness she's blessed with
She peels away my fingers, looks at me and then gestures
By pushin' my hand away to my chest, from hers
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The motion of him being pushed back starts to destroy him. This final movement is the end, or is it? The voice in his head returns:

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Dry your eyes mate
I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now
It's over
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There is nothing more to be said. Ron was weak with sorrow, and Hermione is staring up at the arrival board and sees that her train will be on the platform in a few minutes. Ron's mind is racing: trying to find the right words, but his brain has gone numb with sadness.

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And I'm just standin' there, I can't say a word
'Cause everythin's just gone
I've got nothin'
Absolutely nothin'
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Ron looks at where Hermione is looking and sees that he only has a few minutes left to reason with her to stay. He turns and looks at her with his tear stained face.

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Tryin' to pull her close out of bare desperation
Put my arms around her tryin' to change what she's sayin'
Pull my head level with hers so she might engage in
Look into her eyes to make her listen again
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He pleads with her again more forcefully this time. They were inseparable in the past but now, after a few silly arguments, he cannot believe she is willing to throw away after everything they meant to each other. But she can also remember the arguments, the fights, the futility of it all.

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I'm not gonna bloody, just bloody leave it all now
'Cause you said it'd be forever and that was your vow
And you're gonna let our things simply crash and fall down
You're well out of order now, this is well out of town
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He puts his arms around her to show her he can be gentle and loving. The time clicks over on the clock and the signal drops as the train pulls onto the platform. It is time for her to go. The train pulls smoothly to a halt and the commuters get off and stream up the platform.
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She pulls away, my arms are tightly clamped round her waist
Gently pushes me back and she looks at me straight
Turns around so she's now got her back to my face
Takes one step forward, looks back, and then walks away
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She gets on the train and closes the door behind her. He puts his head through the open window to see her leaning up the side of the coach. She has both hands over her face as she cries bitterly. Ron looks at what he has done, and the voice in his head is back again:

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Dry your eyes mate
I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now
It's over
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He tries one last push at getting her to change her mind. But he knows it is useless and it breaks his heart into a thousand pieces.

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I know in the past I've found it hard to say
Tellin' you things, but not tellin' straight
But the more I pull on your hand and say
The more you pull away
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The station manager blows his whistle and the signal rises. This is the last time he will see her before the start of their final year. The train pulls away from the platform and Ron runs alongside it before it gathers speed and disappears in the distance. He stands on the end of the platform, tears staining the front of his shirt.

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Dry your eyes mate
I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now.