Chapter 1

A wince crossed Hermione's face as a gust of cold, biting wind cut through her while she walked down Diagon Alley. She tightened her grip on the umbrella she held - sounds of the late afternoon mist bouncing off of the material as she quickened her pace. With an inaudible sigh of relief, Hermione opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron and stepped inside. The warmth of the pub was a welcome change from the damp coldness outside and she was thankful for it.

Her dark eyes scanned the room until they fell upon the man with the unruly hair and glasses seated at a table in the far corner. She smiled to herself as she approached her long-time friend.

"Hi Harry," she greeted him as she pulled out her chair and sat down, only then beginning to take off her scarf and jacket.

"Hey Hermione," he reciprocated with a grin as he pushed a full glass of butterbeer towards her on the table. "I went ahead and ordered, I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all," she told him. "Thank you."

"Glad to see you didn't shrivel up out there," he teased at seeing her shiver despite the change in environment.

"The weather's dreadful. I should've just apparated," she said in admonishment of her own actions. "I hope you haven't been waiting long," she said as she gestured with a nod at his partially empty glass.

"No, only ten or fifteen minutes, tops," he assured her. "Was able to wrap up my paperwork early for a change and got out a few minutes ahead of time."

Hermione gave him a tight smile despite her efforts to make it sincere. She couldn't seem to push aside that unsettling feeling that came about each time Harry's work was brought up.

After the war, Harry had done as all had expected him to do and he became an auror - a very accomplished, successful auror. The Auror Office had to be more or less rebuilt after the war, as so many people had fallen. The obvious recruits had been Harry and Ron - yet two odd things had happened since, Ron had transitioned out of the Auror Office and one Weasley was replaced with another - Ginny.

Ginny's decision to join the Auror Office had surprised many, but as Ginny's graduation from Hogwarts neared, Hermione knew that the redhead's path wouldn't lead to the quidditch pitch. The war had changed everyone and all in different ways. For Ginny, she no longer viewed quidditch as anything more than a pastime and instead had devoted her energies to becoming an auror. Ginny, too, had proven to be very adept at Defense Against The Dark Arts, and she and Harry had emerged as two of the most skilled aurors in recent history.

While Hermione was extremely proud of Ginny, she couldn't help but feel that over time they had ended up in two very different places in their lives. Try as she might, Hermione couldn't help but notice that all of Ginny's conviction and devotion to ridding the wizarding world of any lingering corruption had come at a price, and despite what she wanted to believe, Hermione felt that she herself was part of that sacrifice.

"Let me guess, Ginny's working late?" Hermione asked rather stiffly as she focused her eyes on her butterbeer as she took a sip. Even then, she could see Harry's hesitation.

"Yes, I believe so."

Hermione let out a soft chuckle that she knew didn't mask her distaste.

"I thought she might be," she stated in a tone that didn't go unnoticed by Harry. They'd gone down this road many times by now.

"She's doing good work, Hermione," Harry reminded her. Though she knew he meant well, Hermione couldn't help but react to his statement.

"And I'm not? You are too and I don't see you spending all day and night at the office or out in the field. Luna still gets to see you and have a life with you. If I was supposed to meet Ginny right now I'd be sitting here all by myself and I'd be leaving just the same," the words coming out of her mouth in a rush despite her efforts to put a cap on her bubbling emotions.

"Hermione-"

"I have more of a relationship with you than I do with her, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione exploded, only vaguely noticing the other patrons who glanced over their shoulders at her outburst. She forced herself to take a calming breath and settled in her seat a little more. "I'm just so sick of it," she went on quietly as she dropped her gaze to the worn down table.

"Hermione," Harry repeated patiently and waited until she looked up at him. "I understand why you're upset. I do. But you also have to understand that Ginny sees things a certain way now too and you need to respect that if you want to be with her."

That isn't what Hermione wanted to hear, and as such she narrowed her eyes at him. "And what about her? She doesn't have to see things from my side too? It seems like I'm doing all the compromising here."

"Just try to be patient with her," Harry suggested.

"I don't understand why you're supporting her so much. We go further back, Harry Potter. I may not work alongside you every day now, but-"

"I'm not taking sides," Harry asserted in a curt voice. "I'm just trying to be diplomatic here. Figuring out who's right and who's wrong won't fix anything - so I'm trying to give you my side of things."

A shaky sigh escaped Hermione's mouth and she gave a slow nod of her head. "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't take out my frustration on you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said.

"I am trying to compromise," she explained. "I think I've been very understanding so far. I never used to give her a hard time about staying late or cancelling, but it's just such a habit of hers now. I've always admired how she wants to make sure the Ministry and the people are in good hands and nothing like the war ever happens again, but I never used to feel as though I was taken for granted or forgotten. I do now though. She never keeps her word anymore and if something has to be cut off the list, I know it's me who goes first."

"And she doesn't listen when you tell her this."

"And she doesn't listen when I tell her this," Hermione confirmed. "You know how Ginny can be," she added with a wry smirk. "When I bring it up she just dismisses it or starts to lose her temper."

"Ah yes, that notorious Weasley temper," he chuckled before draining the rest of his drink. "I've seen that unleashed on many offenders by now."

They shared a knowing look and despite everything, Hermione had to succumb to a soft laugh about the resulting combination of Ginny's drive and her temper.

"She says I'm being unreasonable," Hermione explained.

Harry leaned back in his chair and contemplated the situation before venturing, "And in her eyes, you probably are being unreasonable."

Before Hermione could protest, he forged on.

"Ginny's strong willed, you know that, and right now she's focused on making sure that the Dark Arts are eradicated - as much as possible anyway."

"We all want that; she's just brought it to another level. I know that losing Fred and the others changed things for her, but more and more I just realize that she's living in the past and trying to right wrongs that have come and gone."

"That's possible," Harry conceded. "I do see that she gets great satisfaction out of the job when we do put someone away, but I also see it eating her up inside when someone eludes us. All I know is that this is very important to her right now and only she alone can change her priorities."

As he finished, the pull that started in Hermione's stomach grew. As she knew before and as Harry's confirmed before, there wasn't much she could do to change things and one thing was certain, Hermione was not used to feeling helpless.

A rueful smile formed on Hermione's face as she tilted her head and spoke. "The funniest part is that everyone thought I'd be the one to be consumed by my career."

"The war taught us all different things," Harry expressed. They shared a somber look and Hermione gave a single nod in agreement.

"It did."

Hermione could only imagine how terrible it was to lose a sibling. It was obvious that George was torn apart by Fred's death, but it tore Ginny apart as well. They all lost friends and mentors; everyone's world was left in disarray, but even Ginny sometimes forgot that Hermione had experienced loss too, even if it was on a different level.

In Hermione's case the loss was reversible. However, for a period of time, Hermione had lost her family and all existence in the Muggle world. She erased herself and didn't know if she'd ever have a chance to see her parents again. Yet, she would never outwardly compare her loss with Ginny's since the younger witch's was permanent and true. As a consequence, their lessons were different as well.

Ginny felt the need to take action in the best and most effective way she knew how; she became an auror. As for Hermione, while career was still of great importance, it wasn't paramount anymore. She took action in her own way by working with the Department of International Magic Cooperation, but beyond that, she learned that time and relationships were more important than career. The ones you loved could be taken from you at any given time through a variety of means and you didn't always get the chance to do things over. She never thought she'd hold such values, but while books and work were essential, they weren't what mattered most.

At the end of the war, Hermione knew that if she had died during any of the battles, she would've died with regret in her heart because she didn't devote what she could, or now felt, should, to those who she held dear. She spent her teen years with her nose buried in books while everything flew by her. Not only that, but she spent so much energy trying to be perfect and the best, so focused on being in control, that she often overlooked what was really important.

Now, not only was Hermione afraid for their relationship, but she was also afraid that Ginny would let her life pass by her and forget to enjoy and appreciate it. The war was over and most people were eager to move on, but Ginny just couldn't seem to fully bring herself to do the same.

While Hermione regarded Ginny's career with the utmost respect, it didn't mean that she didn't wish for more for their relationship. Her unrest had been growing the past year or so and things only seemed to be getting worse. And really, how do you tell others, outside of Harry and Ron, that your girlfriend spends too much time saving the world?

Ginny worked so hard to preserve the world around them, and though that was a remarkable and amazing feat, the reality stayed the same that Ginny neglected their relationship altogether. If things didn't change, Hermione really wasn't sure if there'd be anything left to salvage.

From that point on in their conversation, Hermione and Harry wordlessly committed to steer clear of any shop talk and managed to enjoy the rest of their outing.

By the time Hermione arrived at the flat that she shared with Ginny since they left Hogwarts six years ago, the moon was high in the sky. As the green flames died around her, she was greeted by the dark and silence she'd become too familiar with in this so-called home. If not for Crookshanks, she'd be completely and entirely alone.

Knowing it was pointless to wait up for Ginny, Hermione headed for bed well aware that she would be wise to not expect to see Ginny in the morning either.

AN: Well hello again! It's been quite some time, but I was recently struck with inspiration and felt the need to start writing again. This story is not connected to my two previous ones, and I hope they don't blend together or are too much alike. As always, I sincerely hope that you enjoy this chapter and any feedback is greatly appreciated! Big thanks to AnneBuffy for taking the time to be my beta ;)