Hermione was up late again sitting in the living room of her small house in catchpole, just down the street from the burrow. Hermione was an independent 21 year old that has 5 published works and another one on the way. A lot of people ask her how she has written so much in the little amount of time she had been writing or why she didn't have a boyfriend or any real relationship going at all. She answered with the same answer, "I'm just 20." But now she was 21 not 20 she officially lost any reason not to have one she had to get her act together. Oh, and for the first question two of her closest friends were away in a secret location training to be aurors. She had Ginny but Ginny was off being a girl and she was stuck being an adult alone in a creepy house, all alone, no one there, being Hermione. Mary was a woman she met at an editor and writers convention and ended up living near her.
Suddenly the phone ring and it startled her from her thoughts, yes it is okay to be a wizard with a telephone, or as Ron said once the fellytone. Hermione answered, it was 1 in the morning but it was still a call from someone who wanted to talk. It was Mary. "Hi… Mary."
"Hermione, I was scared that you wouldn't answer you're not writing are you… never mind that. I have brilliant news, I have a perfect date for you."
"But Mary…"
"No buts. You are always droning on and on about not having a relationship and now's your chance take it and go." Hermione wasn't up for a fight so she reluctantly agreed and decided it was for the best and finally went to bed still mourning the empty bed though she didn't know who would make that better, no one could fill that gap without it being awkward.
The next day she met up with Mary at the Leaky Cauldron along with a man whose name was Henry. When Hermione met Henry it was kind of awkward because it was set up only the day before but she put her best foot forward to do this for Mary. It turns out that Mary doesn't have horrible match making skills, Henry and Hermione actually clicked not into line but closer than she thought possible. The day passed by quickly talking with Henry and having an interview with Luna for the Quibbler. Her day was pretty good and the cherry on top was the letter from harry that they were coming back in les than 3 months, her day was officially perfect.
Ginny flooed her and asked her about the letter being Hermione she pointed out that Ginny's letter from Harry was considerably longer than her own, even through the floo you could see the blush covering Ginny's cheeks. Hermione smiled and was about to comment when she was startled to her a male voice with Ginny. "Ginny who is that."
"Oh that's Charlie he helped me paint the nursery."
"What color did you decide on?"
"An aqua blue."
"Oh that must look lovely… why did you paint it by hand?"
"Because my magic is acting up and Charlie wanted to try it manually, and trust me, it will be the last time he will do that."
"I believe you."
"Good cause George didn't, I don't particularly want to repeat it again."
"Okay. Guess what Ginny I met the most amazing guy today."
"Mary," they said simultaneously.
"Ah, what was his name and what ever did you do not to deserve to my brother?" Ginny said this with a hint of sarcasm.
"This may even be better than Ron, I mean Henry is sweet caring and didn't call me a know-it-all when he met me, Ron always calls me that whether he's mad or not."
"Wait a moment, you and Ron are perfect why isn't he all of a sudden you don't even consider him," all sarcasm out of her voice.
"Ginny listen, your brother is great and all but he can be childish and he doesn't think of me or write me anymore and he can be more than a bit annoying. I have a list of things I can go on and on."
"But… But… you have to have something good about him that doesn't bother you."
"I've tried all day I can't think of 3 let alone my usual amount that convinces me I still like him, 10."
"Like… Like… you loved him why not any more?"
"Henry happened."
"Okay but at least consider Ron." Then she added more desperately, "Please."
"Okay Ginny, I will." Hermione left that conversation thinking her perfect day couldn't get worse.
Hermione woke up the next day still not liking an empty bed but kept moving. She ran through her morning routine faster than usual and got dressed when she heard a message on the phone. "Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at 5 o'clock can't wait to see you, Ginny."
Hermione had made sure that Henry and her weren't having a date that night because it was her and Ginny's girl night and has been ever since Ginny graduated and she wasn't going to miss out on one of the only times Mary couldn't be there. Not that she didn't like Mary it's just sometimes she can be more than a bit boy crazy.
She met Ginny at 4:45 that night and saw that it looked like she was about to burst, not that it was being pregnant it was the expression on her face. "What's wrong Ginny?"
"Hermione I don't feel good, I feel like I'm going to be sick."
"You look it, let's get you home."
"Fine, but what about you?"
"I'll stay with you there so we can talk and I can help you if need be."
"Fine."
Hermione got Ginny back to her and Harry's house that was in Norwich. Ginny sat down and looked at Hermione with an expression of sheer thankfulness. Hermione couldn't take a whole lot of those looks before she would melt, but for her help Ginny snapped out of it. They started talking about the Quidditch team that Ginny played for, The Harpies, she was only on the team for 2 years, but during the time that Harry was here they were one of the most talked about couples, especially when Ginny Weasley changed to Ginerva Molly Potter. Hermione was amused when she, the maid of honor, caught the bouquet and she wasn't even watching, it had fell on her plate of chicken while she was fighting with Ron, after that happened Ron picked up the flowers took a piece of chicken and got out of there. Hermione was more amused than mad at that point, she was laughing and shouting after him when he jumped into the lake. Hermione could remember when she ran and jumped in after him her dress wasn't very heavy so she didn't have to try hard to float but Ron had helped her anyway.
Then Hermione's mind wandered thankful that Ginny wasn't disrupting her. It wandered all the way to the last day before Ron left for this final quarter and, wait a minute, Ron said he couldn't write her it would hurt to much, and in his last letter he had wrote that the only reason he called her a know-it-all was so she wouldn't miss him. He did love her she had been so stupid number one, to forget that Ron had plain out explained it to her and number two, her, herself had thought he didn't love her.
She was awakened from her thoughts by the sound of pecking on the window. Her mind reeling from what she just remembered she tried to focus on the owl, it looked like Harry's new owl, Severus, and of course, she was right. The bird flew in and landed two letters on the coffee table, one addressed to Ginny that had a slightly thicker envelope and one addressed to herself. She picked up her own just to realize it was from Ron, she tore it open and read it as best she could since the beginning had tear spots:
`Dear Hermione,
Hermione, I miss you so much I don't know what to say. I want you to be here or me not to be but you always said that if I want a dream I have to work for it. I wanted to write you to say that I finished the lessons before Harry and that I will be coming home tomorrow. I hope I didn't freak you out when I didn't write I was scared that you had forgotten why I wasn't. I can't wait to see you again.
Always and forever yours,
Ron B. Weasley
PS- I Love You
"Hermione are you alright you look like a ghost and you look terrified."
"Ginny, how do you get rid of men?" Hermione asked desperately.
"Hermione you aren't going to try and run my brother out are you?"
"No, I need to get Henry out of here. I like… love someone else."
"What are you talking about?" Then something in Ginny's head clicked and she added carefully, "Ron." Hermione just nodded her head slowly and could tell that Ginny was hiding a scream from her. "Well come clean with him is the best advice I can give."
"I guess that's the only way."
"Bye, I'm sorry we didn't work out." She paused, "That wouldn't work."
The door bell rang and Mary opened the door and let a grinning Henry into the house. Hermione took too many deep breaths than she could count. "Henry… I want… to… breakup."
"Really?"
"Yes, don't be mad, please."
"I'm not I was coming to ask the same of you."
"Really…. why?"
"I like someone else and they just came back from a trip."
"I understand."
"Well bye."
"Bye."
"That went well Mary."
"Yeah I told you he would understand."
"Okay but I have to go home."
"See you some other time."
"Bye, Mary."
Hermione went home relieved, she broke it off and Ron was coming home today she was good. Hermione went to sleep that night not as frustrated over the empty bed next her. Her dreams had a focal point, Ron.
Hermione woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and awake for a change. At first she had no idea why until she made her way downstairs to the calendar that hung in her kitchen and saw where the day was circled by a thick tipped red marker and remembered and just in time the door bell rang and she ran to open it and what stood there was a man that looked like Charlie but still had the same pattern of freckles and blue eyes she learned by heart almost 10 years ago. She lunged herself at him for a hug and he held her up, she stayed there until anticipation started to eat her quicker than her guilt. She wiggled out and pulled Ron over to the couch and sat down. He smiled at her and she melted and said 3 little words, "I Love You." It felt so right saying it to Ron and she felt she was where she belonged.
"I love you too." Ron leaned his head down to hers and kissed her gently, Hermione was tired of softness and sweetness she was tired of Henry she wanted Ron. She pressed her lips further into his and wrapped her arms around his neck, Hermione guessed that Ron however thick he could be took the hint and pulled her towards him so she was on his lap, now she had one leg on either side of him and was almost flush up against him she kept the energy going until she desperately needed air. She broke the kiss and Ron carefully lain down on the couch so she was on top of him. She withdrew her arms in as Ron wrapped his around her. Her cheek against his chest she said, "I missed you I started to doubt you loved me and then I found a boyfriend then he became boring and Ginny helped me realize I like, love , you and she was scared that…"
"Hermione," Ron said as if it were nothing, he squeezed her and slowly rose to sit up.
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you think? You have bags under your eyes and you are shivering."
"Still have no clue."
"I'm going to put you to bed."
"Why? You just got back and…"
He cut her off with a delicate kiss and picked her up. When he finished his caress he said in a whisper, "Who said I was going to leave?" He placed her on the bed and circled around it to lay. Once he was down Hermione shifted over to him and rested her head on his chest. "Sorry," she mumbled. Ron started rubbing circles on her back and she fell asleep knowing that she would never frustrate herself with an empty bed again.