CHAPTER ONE

Hermione was tired. She hadn't slept in what felt like days and the paper work seemed to never end. She sat on the loveseat with her legs crossed. The large, round coffee table was pulled close to her and papers were spread out and spilling over it. She was finding it hard to concentrate. She let out a loud sigh of defeat and leaned back.

As if on cue, Luna strolled in from the kitchen, "You're frustrated, Hermione. I can tell." She handed the frazzled girl a warm mug, "I've brought you some tea. It's not as strong as you'd like, I'm afraid. Is there anything else I can do?"

Hermione took the tea from the blonde and patted the empty spot beside her, "You're a saint, Luna Lovegood. I assure you this tea will do well enough." They sat in a comfortable silence as Hermione tried to make sense of the papers in front of her.

The women lived in a flat where, although owned by an elderly witch, mostly muggles resided. Hermione took the stairs most days and even walked to her job at Gringott's on the sunny ones. Luna usually stayed home, poring over books and articles. She was in the editing stages of her third novel and was already researching for her fourth.

There was a small knock and a scuffle at the door as Harry let himself in, just as he always did. A young Teddy was perched on his shoulders and Ginny huffed and puffed right behind him. "You look full to bursting, Ginny!" Luna exclaimed, rising to take a box from the pregnant woman's arms.

"Two more months and he'll be here! I wouldn't be surprised if I went into labor right here and now after climbing all those stairs, though." Ginny slowly lowered herself into a chair and let out a great sigh when her bottom finally hit the cushion.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny. I should have said something about the elevator being out," Hermione stood up and gathered the paperwork into a neat pile before paper clipping them together, "Please apparate in next time, all of you!"

"We were going to," Harry said, "but we weren't sure if you had any friends over."

"If you mean Zachary, we broke it off about a month ago," Hermione stated. Zachary was a muggle man whom she had met at her parents' dental office a few months prior. He was an intern with a nice smile that Hermione had been charmed by the moment they made eye contact. Unfortunately, so were many other girls. "He tried to keep an open mind about my being a witch, but you all see how that went, huh?"

"Oh, dear," Ginny empathized, "I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me? I feel like a right git now – I mentioned him just last week!"

"It's alright, really," Hermione said, smiling at the red head, "I'm honestly not that bent out of shape about it." She was too embarrassed to admit that she was actually waiting for Zachary to come back around. She hoped that maybe he would warm up to the idea of a magical girlfriend. "Would you like to cook with me?" She said, scooping up Teddy, who was mischievously eyeing the pile of papers on the table. With the boy on her hip, Hermione made her way into the kitchen.

Potatoes peeled themselves as a pot of boiling water rolled. Teddy sat on the counter and watched Hermione peel and mince garlic. His tongue stuck out of his small mouth, incredibly interested in the precise, although simple, movements she made with the blade. It was something he wasn't used to seeing as Ginny and Harry always cooked with magic.

"We picked up a cake," Harry said, setting the box that Ginny had carried in earlier down on the island.

"I appreciate it," Hermione said, focusing on an onion, "I'll start some coffee after dinner."

"Hey, Ted," Harry said to the boy, who was also fixated on the onion, "Why don't you show Aunt Luna how you can change your hair now?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, helping the boy down from the countertop. She kneeled at him so that they were face to face, "Show me first, please!" The five year old closed his eyes tightly and the tips of his hair slowly turned a pale shade of pink. She sighed delightedly and took him in her arms, "What a beautiful color!"

"I wish it wasn't pink," he finally said, pouting.

"You'll be able to pick your colors in no time," Harry said, "if you keep practicing. And do loads more than that!" He smiled at Teddy and the boy beamed right back at his godfather. "Now go show Luna – she'll be so pleased!" He ran excitedly from the kitchen.

Hermione continued to focus on cooking and Harry approached her tentatively. She instantly tensed, very aware of what Harry's intentions were. "Hermione," he said in a hushed tone, "Are you alright?" It was a question she had been avoiding for quite some time.

"I'm fine, Harry," she said, waving her hand at him as if to brush the topic away. She poured the hot potatoes into a colander over the sink, making sure to evade eye contact with Harry.

He touched her arm, taking her by surprise, "Hermione. We're all worried about you. Luna says you haven't been sleeping." She was listening but pretended not to hear. She tossed a few pats of butter into the pot and began to mash the potatoes.

"Dammit, Hermione! I know you hear me." His sudden yelling surprised her and she jumped, causing her to drop the pot, potatoes and all. She stood, shocked and embarrassed, for only a few seconds before her lips started to quiver. Harry instantly softened at the sight of her tears. He moved forward and took her into an embrace, "I'm sorry," he said gently, "I just want you to talk to me. Please."

"I'm so lost," she said between sobs, "I hate my boss. I hate my job."

"You're on your way to better things, Hermione. You're working with the minister, right?" He rubbed her back, still holding her close.

She cleared her throat, "I'm tired – I'm exhausted. But I can't sleep. It's one thing after the other when I lie down and I can't stop it from coming. I feel so alone. Everyone around me is falling in love and settling down – even Luna has met someone that she's head over heels for. I thought things with Zachary were going to happen. I really liked him. Why can't I get past this – what's wrong with me!?"

Harry wasn't sure what to say; he only held the distraught girl close. "There's nothing wrong with you, Hermione."

She sniffed and then laughed weakly, "I've gotten potato on your shoe."

Harry drew his wand and casted a cleaning charm. The potatoes were gone in an instant and the pot sparkled on the floor. "I'll help you make some more."