Chapter 1

Hermione

I cupped my hands around the warm cardboard cup, trying to absorb the heat. I picked up my pace to get out of the cold wind of the afternoon. Finally I reached the glass doors of the police department and walked in, relishing the warmth. I made my way into Sheriff Wells's office. He looked up when I came in and smiled marginally.

"Granger," he greeted.

I nodded. "Sir." I paused momentarily. "I'm here to pick up that case file that McKinnely dropped off." He silently grabbed it and passed it to me. "Thank you, Sir," I said and began to leave.

"Granger," he said again. I looked at him. "There's a new agent so please make sure Nelson behaves himself.

I smiled at Detective O'Reilly as we waved at me on my way out. I didn't really need to be wasting money, but I decided that hailing a taxi would be a better idea that freezing to death. When it stopped in front of my apartment building I paid the cabbie and stepped out.

I walked up to the front doors and entered the building. I walked up two flights of stairs before I made it to my apartment, number thirty-seven. I unlocked my door and collapsed onto my couch.

Not a minute later, a large, orange ball of fluff landed on top of me. "Crookshanks, I can't breathe." I grabbed the cat and pulled him up to rest under my chin. I sifted my fingers through his thick fur and cooed at him about how he was such a pretty kitty.

It must have been a longer day than I thought, because before I knew it, I was opening my eyes to sunlight hitting my face. I sat up and stretched, yawning widely. Seeing the clock, I decided that I better start getting dressed or I would be late for work. I dressed in a pair of black pants and a blouse. I put on my beige pea coat and black flats and was ready for the day. I made some tea and put it into my travel mug. Leaving, I set off at a quick walk.

It didn't take very long to get to the station. I was checking my phone when I walked in and didn't notice the person coming out. I bumped into him rather hard, almost dropping my tea. "I am so sorry," I apologized.

The man bent down to retrieve my phone that i hadn't realized that I had dropped. As he stood straight again, I got a good look at him. If only all men looked like him. He had bright red hair and beautiful blue eyes. He spoke with a deep voice, "Don't apologize. I should have realized that you were on the other side."

"Don't be silly," I started before he interrupted.

"Wait a moment. Aren't you that Humane Officer?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes.

"That would depend on who was asking," I said slowly.

He grinned widely, making him even more attractive. "Agent Ron Weasley," he introduced. "And I know who you are because I saw you on the local news last week."

"Oh," I said simply.

He smirked. "Yeah. Well, I'll let you get to work," he said.

I frowned. "You're not the new agent?" I asked him.

"No, That's my best friend. I just started over at Kelvin Station," he told me.

I nodded. "Well, it was nice to meet you. And once again, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be." And with that, he turned around and walked away.

I looked after him for a moment before shaking my head and entering the station. I sat at my desk and pulled out the case file that I was supposed to look over the night before. I was so caught up in my work that I didn't notice how much time had passed by.

When I heard my name being called I looked up and was surprised to see that over two hours had passed. I saw the sheriff looking at me expectantly and realized that he was the one who had called my name. I stood up and walked over.

"Yes sir?"

"This is our new agent. I need you to show him around, introduce him to the others. Then both of you head on over to Kelvin Station. I just got a call from Jacobson and he's got some new information on that case of yours."

I nodded and smiled at the new agent. "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger."

"Hello. Harry Potter," he introduced himself. I walked him around and introduced him to most of our other agents.

As we walked to Kelvin Station I listened as Harry told me stories about some of the cases he had worked. I laughed when he told me some of the funnier stories.

As we made it the steps of the station I said, "Does your friend Ron work here?"

He nodded. "Have you met him already?"

"Yes, I met him this morning. I, quite literally, ran into him this morning as he was leaving our station."

"Oh." He was smirking.

"What?"

"I talked to Ron just after he left and he might have mentioned that he ran into a very pretty girl this morning."

I blushed and looked away as we walked around. We followed the same process as this morning until we came to a desk with a name plaque that read: Ronald Weasley.

Harry and I stopped in front of his desk and he looked up. He smiled and said, "Hey Harry." He looked at me. "Hello Hermione."

I flushed when I heard that he had remembered my name. "Hello Ron." He grinned.

"How has your day been?" he asked politely.

I shrugged. "Just a whole lot of paperwork."

He shook his head. "There's nothing more boring than paperwork. How about you Harry?"

Harry grinned. "Great. I got to be shown around by this lovely lady."

I blushed again and didn't say anything. Ron gave Harry a tight grin and said. "Sounds nice. Were you and Ginny coming to dinner at Mom's tonight?"

"Of course." I looked around the office while they talked, not wanting to seem nosy.

I tuned back into the conversation when I heard Harry say my name. "Hmm?"

"We were just discussing lunch. It's about time. Would you like to join us?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to intrude on your guys' lunch."

"Don't be silly. I'd love to hear some more about your work and the other agents."

I squinted my eyes, still not sure.

Ron looked up at me and he was just too adorable looking up through those lashes of his. "I agree with Harry. You should come."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you. That sounds nice."

Ron put the paperwork he'd been working on into a folder and stood up. Boy, was he tall. We headed outside and I thanked Ron as he held the door open for me.

He grinned and walked next to me as we walked to the nearest diner. I informed them of my job as we walked. I told them that my job was to deal with the cases dealing with crimes against animals. To me, those were the worst, among those against children. I would never understand why people would harm something so sweet that couldn't defend themselves.

I shook away my sad thoughts as we came to the restaurant. Ron held the door open for me again, and I couldn't help but think that this was the most gentlemanly thing somebody had done for me in a very long time, which was also kind of sad.

We chose a booth with me and Ron sitting across from Harry. The spot next to Harry was for Ginny, who was Ron's sister and also Harry's wife.

The waitress came over to a table and took our drink orders. I ordered a coffee to silence my caffeine craving while the other two got sodas.

We were chatting about something completely random when Harry's phone rang.

He answered it, "Hey Gin." His eyebrows furrowed as he listened to Ginny speak. "Okay. Well I'll be right there. Okay. I love you."

He sighed and looked at us. "Ginny's car broke down."

"Is she okay?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. So, I'm gonna walk back and get my car and go pick her up."

Ron nodded. "Are you fine going back alone?" Harry nodded. "Alright, well, tell her I said that I'll see her tonight."

"Alright. See you later." He nodded his head at me. "Hermione."

Ron and I watched as Harry left before turning back to each other. There was a long moment of awkward silence where neither of us knew what to say. Finally, I said, "How's your new job?"

He smiled. "It's alright. Most of the other officers seem nice, so that's a plus. And you? What's your job like?"

"I love it. It can get stressful, but it's worth it." He nodded. After all, his job was the same way.

We were quiet as we ate our lunch, and I observed him silently. The sun shone through the window, gleaming on his hair, making it look as though it was on fire. His blue eyes sparkled as we watched the people walking past.

He turned his eyes toward me, and I looked down at my empty plate, not wanting to be caught staring.

"Are you ready to head back?" I nodded and pulled my wallet out to pay for my food.

"I've got it," he said and put some money on the table.

"Ron, I can pay for my own food," I protested.

He shook his head and said, "It's fine."

I sighed and decided not to argue the subject. "Fine, but next time I'm paying." I spoke without thinking.

He smirked at me. "Next time, huh?"

I blushed heavily. "I - I just meant..."

His smile turned reassuring. "It's okay. I look forward to the next time."

I smiled and bit my lip as we left. I found myself looking forward to a next time as well. He insisted on walking me back to Harolds Station, telling me that he'd be fine walking back to work on his own.

Arriving on the front steps, he turned to me. "So, um... Would you like to go to lunch with me tomorrow?"

I bit my lip to keep from smiling and nodded my head. "That sounds good."

He smiled widely. "Great. I'll come by and get you then."

"Okay. Goodbye Ron."

"Goodbye Hermione."

I watched as he walked away, then went inside. I had a hard time concentrating, but the day passed quickly.

When I got home, I fed Crookshanks before heating up the leftovers from last night. I watched television as I ate and when I was finished, I cleaned up and headed to my room. I grabbed the new book I had bought and laid down.

I was asleep before I finished the first chapter.

A/N: So, this chapter is probably crap, but I'm trying to get a feel for how this story wants to go. Let me know what you think, if you like it or have any suggestions. Please leave a review! Love you guys :)