As She's Walking Away

Ron Weasley and Britt Williams began to walk through the woods in complete silence. Neither of them knew exactly how to start this conversation. So much had happened in just a few hours.

First, Britt had taken her boyfriend Cedric Diggory to a secret spot in the Forbidden Forest that she shared with her best friend- Ron Weasley.

Then, Ron caught them, creating a gigantic fight between the two friends. It ended with Ron storming out of the woods, Cedric completely vanishing somewhere, and Britt being unable to tell her best friend why she had suddenly invested everything- all her time, all her secrets, everything she once shared with Ron- in Cedric.

Then, just when she needed a shoulder to cry on, Britt finally found Cedric. Snogging another girl. Breaking her heart all over again and halting her whole Universe.

Then, with nowhere else to go, she came back to that spot in the woods- finding Ron there once again, all alone.

A huge lump formed in her throat now, and Britt swallowed hard. It had only been a few hours… Cedric’s footprints were still in the sandy grass. The same rain… the same puddles. It was still the same. It wasn’t a memory there… it was a moment. And it was still alive.

She began to turn… to run again.

Ron took her hand.

Maybe this time wasn’t the same…

He led her over and and they sat on an old log, looking at the puddles below.

“So…” He sighed after a few more minutes of silence. “Here we are again.”

Britt nodded slowly as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

He sighed again. Britt knew she wasn’t holding up her end of the conversation well.

“Britt… I’m not mad at you anymore. Not after seeing Cedric with Romilda.”

“I know.” she said quietly. “But you should be.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I wasn’t being fair to you.”

“How’s that? Ron, I did everything wrong you had every right to lash out on me the way you did…”

“No… I mean, I wasn’t fair to you all along.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just wasn’t.” He said quietly. Britt didn’t push him on the topic.

“What I said earlier,” he continued. “About you putting Cedric over me,”

“You were right.” Britt butt in. “But it wasn’t like you think. I was trying to tell you before… I was afraid.”

“But of what? Why couldn’t you tell me?” Ron asked.

Britt opened my mouth to talk, but nothing came out. This was harder than she thought.

“Because I… I still can’t tell you.”

“Britt! You’re just putting us in the same mess again! Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because it would change everything!” she said with a raised voice and tears beginning to stream down her face.

“Everything is already changed! In bloody three hours, our whole worlds changed!” Ron yelled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Just tell me.” He continued barely above a whisper.

“I can’t…” Britt murmured, turning her face toward her other knee, gripping her legs tighter.

He was silent for a second.

“Then obviously you’re not ready for this.” He sighed, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt up as the rain had turned into a downpour. Britt wasn’t sure what he meant by “ready.”

He stood up and wiped the wet soil off his hands. “I’m going.”

“No! Ron! Please, don’t!” she pleaded as she stood up to stop him.

“What else can I do if you won’t tell me!?” He snapped.

“I said I was afraid!” Britt screamed, holding in as many sobs as she could.

“Of what?” He yelled.

“Of YOU!!” Britt sobbed.

“…Of…me?” He whispered as Britt sat back on the moist earth and buried her face in her hands.

“Yes of you! Ron, I knew I had feelings for you! You meant more to me than anything but I couldn’t screw this up! I couldn’t screw things up with you! I couldn’t screw things up with Cedric! I told myself I had the picture perfect world…”

Ron looked at me in shock.

“You… had feelings for me?”

“Of course I did Ron! I always have! And I knew if I was near you…” she trailed off for a second. “I’m so sorry I ignored you. I thought being farther from you would bring me closer to Cedric, and it did. I convinced myself that he was perfect… and he was…“

“No he wasn’t!” Ron said. “You never deserved what he did to you!”

“Next to you I never cared about anyone more.” Britt said, ignoring him, almost against her will. She wanted her thoughts about Cedric to end… but it was too soon. He was perfect… all up until tonight…

“Forget Cedric.” Ron interjected, taking both Britt’s hands and standing her up. “He doesn’t matter anymore. Britt, I’ve always felt the same way. I never gave Cedric a fair shot because… well… I was afraid too. And jealous. And I turned all of that into anger toward you and I never should have. I should have told you from the start.” He admitted. Britt stared at him blankly.

“But now its all OK?” He half said half asked, nodding his head. “Because Cedric is gone… we can finally be together…”

Britt continued to stare.

“Right?”

Tears began welling in her eyes again. She looked up trying to drain them back into her head, but the rain caused her to turn away.

“Ron…” she said softly , backing away and releasing his hands slowly. “I… I can’t.”

Ron turned a deathly gray.

“Why not?”

“Because… you’ll hurt me.” She said in the gentlest and most apologetic way she knew how.

“What?”

“You’ll hurt me! I can’t get this close to anyone again… I can’t do this, Ron, I’m sorry.”

He took her hands again as she tried to fight them off. “But Britt, I’m not Cedric. I-“

“I can’t,” Britt continued to shake her head. “I can’t let you hurt me the way Cedric did.”

“I would NEVER hurt you.”

“Goodbye, Ron...”

“Britt!”

“Goodbye!” She yelled as she turned and walked away, her soaked robes trailing behind her. Ron stood alone. He could do nothing more then watch her, the girl he loved, as she’s walking away.