Strictly Professional
By Cabbage Rose
Summary: On the day of Hogwarts graduation, Hermione has to move suddenly, leaving Ron heartbroken. 10 years later, Hermione is presumed dead and Ron moves on, taking a job at Hogwarts. But what happens when he finds a certain someone at Hogwarts as well? Will old flames rekindle or will their relationship be strictly professional? RonHer.
Author's Notes: Hello! This is my first RonHer story! Yay! It is in the future, obviously, and the one thing I'd advise for this one is don't jump to conclusions too quickly! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I would make Ron and Hermione kiss already. But have they? No, so I don't own HP.
Chapter 1
The early morning sun shone through the stain-glass windows of the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. Ron could hear anxious voices around him, as well as the rustles of heavy robes. He groaned, and put his pillow over his ears to drown out the disturbances of his sleep. 'Why are they all up so bloody early in the morning?' he asked himself. His answer came from a familiar voice.
"Hey, mate, wake up. We are going to be late!" Harry muttered, who was half asleep himself.
"Why do we have to get up so early on a Saturday?" Ron yawned under his pillow.
"How could you forget what day it is? Do you even remember your plan with Herms'?" Harry asked, shocked.
"Harry, you know she hates that name. And no, I don't know what day it is." He said, now sitting up. There was no way he was going to get back to sleep with all the racket anyhow. "What plan?"
Harry rolled his eyes in a Hermione-like fashion, "Dude, it is graduation day. We actually are going to graduate, despite Voldemort and our horrible grades. Cool, huh?"
Ron jumped off his bed suddenly, landing hard on the wooden floor. "Ow...Wait, graduation day? So soon...I'm not ready!" Ron exclaimed, starting to panic.
Harry, who did not understand what Ron was worried about, said, "It will be great. Since we defeated Voldemort, we can get pretty much any job we want. I can be an auror and you can...uh, well you have a lifetime to figure it out!"
Ron got off the floor and started dressing in the graduation robes that lay near the foot of his bed. Ron didn't mention to Harry that they didn't quite defeat Voldemort, but only got him weaker to where he would not be able to fight for a while. He knew Harry knew this, but was just trying to be optimistic. Part of what he said was true, though, for only they knew that Voldemort was still living. Them, and Professor McGonagall, that is. "I am not nervous about that, mate." Ron said. Ron rushed out the door before Harry could question him, following the other seventh year boys.
Ron, closely followed by Harry, made their way to the Great Hall. Ron heard the graduation meals for seventh years were the best foods around, and Ron found that amazing, for he thought the normal food was great. He wanted to get there first, but not because he was worried the food would run out, for there was an unlimited supply, but because he wanted to sit next to a certain someone. He didn't know if he would go through with the plan that he thought of for years. It would take a lot of courage, but he was a Gryffindor. He "defeated" Voldemort with the help of his friends, and faced many exams, of which he almost failed and later got Howlers for. He had faced worse than being rejected, right? Right...
Now being in the Great Hall, he scanned the Gryffindor table that was specifically for graduates. There was no sign of her anywhere. No bushy haired girls. No amazingly long books. No nothing. There were a few girls that were giggling and gesturing at him to come towards them, but he ignored them. He wasn't interested in that kind of attention anymore, unless it was from Hermione. And he wasn't expecting her to express it, if she ever would for him, in that manner. That was one of the reasons why he liked her so much. She wasn't like other girls.
He looked around at the table for younger yeared students, considering that she was just sitting at the wrong table. But she wasn't there as well. He was starting to worry. This was probably one of the most awaited days of her life, this being the most awaited breakfast, at the most awaited table. She wouldn't miss this. Just then Harry came up to him. "Wanna sit down or what?" Harry asked.
"Nah. Just looking for Hermione. You seen her?" He inquired.
"No. It isn't like her to to be late for things. Usually that's us!" Harry joked.
"Just what I thought...I am going to go look for her. Meet ya later?" Ron said, walking quickly towards the door as he did so.
"Yeah, I'll save some food for you guys!" Harry hollered back to him before Ron left the Great Hall.
Ron checked Hermione's 'hang out' areas, which included the library and the girl's restroom.
"You came to say good-bye? That is so sweet!" Moaning Myrtle said while Ron was checking the restroom, teary eyed.
"Uh, yeah. So, have you seen Hermione lately?" Ron asked casually.
Moaning Myrtle's smile vanished from her face, and she started crying loudly. "Oh, so you didn't want to see me! You wanted to see if she was here! Well she is not, so go away!"
"Sorry..." Ron said, not really in the mood to deal with over-dramatic ghosts. He rushed out of the girls' toiletries, but then he realized that there was no other place he could of looked. He stopped and caught his breath. He thought of what other places she could be. He could only think that she was still in her Head Girl dormitory. He doubted that she would sleep in, especially on a day such as this, but there were no other places that she could be. Besides, he wouldn't have minded seeing her in a nightgown.
He made his way down the marble corridors that led to the Head People dormitories. It seemed like forever, but he finally found himself in front of a portrait of a heavily jeweled and extremely large queen. "Password?" The queen asked, annoyed. Ron figured that she was tired of seeing him. The Head Peoples' dormitories were allowed to have the opposite gender in them, for they were trusted not to do anything that would disobey school rules. So, of course, Ron had been here often. It was nice to have a whole living room to themselves, with no annoying first years blabbing about their newest trading cards or blasting the latest rock band at three in the morning.
"Carmeled stinklets." Ron said, and the door swung open. He climbed inside and walked through the living room. It was clean, except for the few hats that Dobby was unable to collect. He was about to pass through until he saw some parchment on the table. He couldn't read it, but he could tell that it was her writing. He didn't want to be nosy, but what if it was for that stupid Victor? Or what if it was just last minute homework that would have made him worry all day? 'Hermione never has last minute anything. She is always ahead...It couldn't hurt if I just looked...' Ron thought to himself, picking up the note with caution, as if it would explode into millions of pieces with his touch. He started reading, and saw that it was not addressed to Victor, but him:
'Dear Ron,
I don't know how to say this, but I know I must. Let me start by saying it has been wonderful being your friend for the past seven years, despite our many quarrels. You have become very close to me, and I will never forget you. Never. But...After Hogwarts, my family and I are moving to Africa to help the starving children. And I am not sure that...I could see you...or Harry, ever again. I do not know if our mission would be completed. There are many starving children there, and everyone should do at least one huge good deed in their lifetime, and you could say this is mine.
As much as I would like to stay in contact with you, trust me, I do, I do not think that the children will think that birds with parchment flying into my hut will be normal. I plan not to use magic while I am in Africa. If I could I would just make enough food for the children, but unfortunately that is not the case. I think that would be dishonest. I will just help for a while, and then, if I am fortunate enough, I will return and find you. But there are many diseases in Africa, as well as deadly weather. I doubt that any harm will be done to me, but I am just warning.
Oh, no, I am rambling. Well anyway, I am sorry that I have to leave so suddenly, right after graduation. Just to let you know, I care for you, just like my own family. You have always been there for me, even when Harry got all moody and wasn't, and I thank you. I don't know how I would have done without your support. You may find that hard to believe but it is true. The fact is that...'
Ron tried to read the rest, but it was smudged. He was thinking that the note was saying what he had been hoping for years. He sat down, a bit overwhelmed. Everything was still registering in his mind. But then it finally hit him: Hermione was leaving, that day! He ran into her bedroom, with a bit of hope that she was still there, and thankfully for him, she was. She was a large, shivering lump underneath velvet covers. Seeing her still with him made him elated, despite the fact that he was angry that she was leaving him like that. "Hermione?" He said, walking up to her bedside and shaking her gently. "Are you ok?"
"Ron?" She asked, her voice quivering. Ron noticed the sweat on her forehead.
"It's me. You look sick. You look really sick." Ron said, stating the obvious.
"I-I am so c-cold." Hermione shivered.
He reached over and felt her forehead. It was extremely hot. "Yep, you're sick. I wish I knew what to do...Do you think you can stomach something? Want medicine? Maybe I can get you to the hospital wing or something..." Ron said, worried.
"No, R-Ron. Just stay with me for a-awhile. I will feel b-better by the time g-graduation starts." She said, moving a bit over so that Ron could lie next to her.
Ron was amazed that Hermione was allowing him to lie by her. He might have imagined it, but he could have sworn that he saw her blush. It probably was his imagination, he figured, for her face was already very red from her fever. "If you say so..." He said, as he positioned himself next to her. She was sleeping again, and she rolled onto her side, her face in his sweater. Ron could feel her shivering in her sleep and was amazed at how close she was...
"Did I ever tell you that I'm not like that? Girl, the one who gives it all away? Yeah! Oh!" An American song blasted on Ron's alarm clock radio. Ron groggily sat up and realized that it wasn't echoing loudly in his head. He figured that he didn't get drunk that night. He left the radio on and listened to the song, for it had always reminded him of his long-lost friend Hermione. He was always reminded about how she wasn't like other girls and how infatuated he was with her for those many years at Hogwarts with that song. If it wasn't that song that reminded him, it would always be a copy of Hogwarts: A History or one of the many dreams, such as the one he just had, of his past.
"And that was Avril Lavigne with 'Don't Tell Me'! She is one heck of a bird, isn't she? Heh, heh. Now here's Julian with the weather..." The radio announcer said. Ron shut off his radio and got dressed in his finest robes that September 1st, for he was going to return to his past. He was going to be Hagrid's assistant. This was rather remarkable for him, for he wasn't really good at that class. Heck, he wasn't good at any class. But somehow, he got the job. Perhaps being Hagrid's friend for about 17 years had something to do with it.
The idea of it excited, and yet frightened him. This was going to be his first actual job. After Hogwarts he assisted Harry in keeping Voldemort at bay. They secretly got money from the Ministry of Magic, and even from some old D.A members, to pay for food and if they needed to buy information out of some ex-Death Eaters. A few months ago they finally defeated Voldemort. It was very exciting for him, and even now he was still in the newspapers. He should be, since he dedicated more than 17 years to killing him, after all!
But he was a bit frightened that Hogwarts would bring back memories that he would rather keep forgotten. Many terrifying things had happened to him there, like when he had to flee from Eragog. But it wasn't only that. He didn't really want to remember Hermione; he already dreamt about her a lot. And he didn't know why. He guessed that he just missed one of his best mates. Hermione never returned from Africa, so everyone presumed that she was dead. She did mention that there were many diseases there. They couldn't go and check in on her for she had strictly forbade all of them from coming, so they wouldn't scare the many muggles there. She made sure of it by putting a spell around her campsite.
Ron grabbed a breakfast bar from his pantry and walked out the door. He wasn't really hungry, and he was eager to get to work. It was sort of like he was going back to school again. In fact, it was exactly like going back to school, instead he would teach. 'Oh great!' Ron thought, 'I am becoming what I hate!' He climbed into his car and drove into the country. His mother warned him when he bought the car that he would have to wait until he was in a deserted area before flying. Unfortunately, sometimes people did see him, but they just thought that the car was an U.F.O.
Hours past, and he finally made it out of busy London into the rolling hills of the countryside. He looked around for houses and, seeing nothing, took off into flight. It would be less than an hour before he made it to the train station. At first his plan was just to go straight to Hogwarts, but the day before he got a letter from Headmaster McGonaggal (who was still amazingly alive) that said that the teachers would meet one another on the train.
Meanwhile, he looked into the fluffy clouds and thought about everyone's lives at the moment. Harry had become an Auror, and received a metal for his outstanding achievement of beating Lord Voldemort. Ron himself had also got one, but he was considered more of Harry's sidekick, as he always was considered. Harry had been dating various girls, like Ron, but it never got really serious. Most of them were one-night stands. Harry had been hanging out with Ron's sister Ginny a lot lately, but Harry claimed that they were just friends, and that he couldn't endanger someone by being in a serious relationship with him. The sacrifices of an Auror, he says. His brothers Fred and George were extremely successful with their joke shop, and at the time they had more than 1000 stores on 4 continents. Fred was dating Angelina Johnson, and George was like Harry and Ron. Ginny had been Fred and George's secretary for a while, but then quit and now worked for the Daily Prophet, probably making sure nothing bad was printed about Harry or him.
The evergreen trees and pastures soon dispersed and he was once again in a busy city. He pushed the button that made the car invisible for short distances. He would be at the train station shortly. He wondered if he would see anyone he knew teaching there (besides McGonnagal and Hagrid), for they were hiring many new teachers that summer. He also wondered if he would see any descendants of his friends. He never was in contact with any of them, being busy with Voldemort and all, and wasn't sure if they married and had children.
Now above the parking lot of the train station, Ron lowered the car and looked down for a parking space. He groaned as he realized that the only ones available were quite a bit of a walking distance away, and settled for the space. He carefully landed in the space, not to scratch other cars, and pushed the 'Visible' button. If anyone were looking they would have thought they were delusional for they saw a once empty parking space now filled from thin air. Fortunately though, for everyone's' sake, no one was witnessing this process.
Ron walked empty handed into the train station. His suitcases were already at Hogwarts. His new grey owl with black specks of which he named 'Dotty' was also there. With each station sign he passed, the more excitement grew in him. He hadn't visited this station in years; the last time he had was when he was going home from his seventh year. He felt like a young Hogwarts student again. Even though he hated classes back then, he would have loved to relive his past again. As he walked he listed the signs in his brain, and paid attention to every detail. This was for no reason, except to be able to remember it when he was older. He skipped a little when he passed Station 9, and hurried over to the next column. Making sure no muggles were looking, he ran into the column and found himself at Station 9 3/4: Hogwarts.
He quickly walked into the train, for he was a bit late, and made his way to the teacher's compartment. He looked at the new students of which he would soon be teaching. They looked pretty normal: The Slytherins were laughing about some 'Mud-blood' joke, the Gryffindors were threatening the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws were getting in some last minute studying, and the Hufflepuffs were trading Wizarding Cards. The new students, who were easy to spot due to their size, were huddled together in the same compartments, looking worried and excited. To Ron's dismay, he couldn't spot any 'Deans', 'Lunas', or 'Seamuses'. 'Maybe my mates do have children but they look more like their spouses that I haven't met?' Ron thought.
After a long walk and a few lectures to naughty students, Ron stood in front of the teacher's compartment. Bracing himself, Ron reached for the doorknob, only to come up with thin air. The door had been opened and closed by what looked like a third year Ravenclaw, who had light brown hair and blue eyes. She looked familiar to Ron. "Uh, you aren't allowed in the teacher's compartment. You should be sitting down; the train will be starting any minute." Ron warned.
The girl, completely ignoring Ron's warning, asked, "Is your name Ron Weasley?"
"Professor Weasley, yes. What can I do for you?" Ron said, wanting to sound like an authority figure.
The girl gave him a cold stare, and then dug through her luggage. She came up with a bright pink book with stickers from different places, such as Paris and Egypt, and flipped through it. Then, finding the page she wanted, she showed it to Ron, "Does this look familiar to you?" She asked coldly. Her eyes were filled with hatred.
Ron wondered why the girl was being so rude to a professor and looked at the page. The book was a scrapbook; it was filled with pictures. The one that the girl was showing Ron startled him. It was of a young him and a young Lavender Brown, kissing underneath a tree near the lake at Hogwarts. He wondered how the girl got the picture and things started clicking in his mind. "Yes...are you Lavender's daughter?"
The girl gave Ron a slight nod before saying, "You broke my mother's heart. How could you do that to her?" Her face was still as stern and cold as ever.
Ron did not understand why Lavender was still mad at him for braking up with her. It was one of the many things people are upset about for a week or two, and then move on. But Lavender's daughter made it sound like Lavender was still angry with him. I mean, he knew girls held grudges, but not for 10 years. "Things were not working out...I had to follow my heart." Ron said, slightly remembering the predicament he had with Hermione that year.
"Well Mother still hates you for doing that to her..." Lavender's daughter stated.
Ron didn't know what to say. He hoped that Lavender wasn't still in love with him as well. Why else would she still hate him though? "So...is your mother married?" He asked.
For the first time during their conversation the girl broke her stare from him, and looked down in shame. "No...She never married." The girl said sheepishly.
Ron realized that her daughter was a bastard. It was a very embarrassing thing, at least for this girl, and decided to drop the subject. "Well, you better get going. You wouldn't want to get in trouble!" He said.
The girl regained her icy composure and said sarcastically, "Yes, sir." Then she bounded off.
An overwhelmed Ron stood there, wondering why the girl was in the teacher's compartment in the first place. He got his answer when he opened the sliding door...
Author's Notes: Most of my chapters will be quick, somewhat short, and have a cliffhanger (though this one is quite obvious) like this one does. So I apologize if you aren't into that kind of thing. So I just wanted to clear some things up incase you were confused: 1. Lavender's daughter is NOT Ron's (or at least at the moment; I will see what happens). It would be kind of freaky if she were. 2. This isn't a RonLav fic, as mentioned in the summary. So I apologize to RonLav fans. 3. Bastard can mean two things: a child that was created when the parents were not married or an insult...or both. But when Ron thought she was a bastard, he meant that Lavender and some guy, probably in a one-night stand, made the girl. I apologize if you were confused and offended for some reason. 4. I am not sure if the song 'Don't Tell Me' can be played on the radio. It is an awesome song, though! Hmm...I apologized for a lot of things this time. I apologize for that too! Lol. Well, if you could review I'd appreciate it!
