Ouch!! That's poignant and painful and, sadly, very true to life. You can feel for Hermione there and you can't help but wonder what might have happened if she'd had the nerve to act on her feelings. I could see an alternate version of this one with Harry and Hermione reversed. In either case, though, it's a not-too-unhappy ending but by no means a happy ending.
Author's response
Thank you! Yeah, you can see that alternate universe, can't you. But I think Harry's reaction would be a little different. ...Maybe.
Anyway, I still owe you a couple of fics. Requests?