I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with JKR's universe.
She wasn't sure how things had gotten to this point. It was never supposed to be like this.
Hermione was supposed to marry Ron.
They were supposed to have a June wedding at Harry and Ginny's house in Godric's Hollow (Ron had wanted the Burrow but Hermione put her foot down and refused to budge). Then, after a year or so, they would have had children. Two, maybe three, but no more than that. The kids would have been a perfect mix of Hermione's cleverness and Ron's bravery. And then, after a long, happy life together, they were going to close their eyes for good- leaving behind a thousand years' worth of laughter and memories in their wake.
But somehow, somewhere along the way, everything went wrong.
Hermione hadn't married Ron. Not in Godric's Hollow or at The Burrow. They didn't have children. And they certainly didn't have a lifetime of shared laughter and love.
Not that anything tragic had happened. They had left Hogwarts arm-in-arm after they'd defeated Voldemort.
Harry, Hermione and Ron. Just like it had always been.
The important things were still the same- Harry was still brave. Ron still cracked jokes. Hermione still read books.
But everything else had changed.
Harry got married and settled down, with a toddler running around and a second baby on the way, he was no longer reckless. No longer volunteering to be the first to die, much to everyone's (especially Ginny's) relief.
Ron had gone home to his family. But the Weasley family was forever changed the moment Fred died. They all still laughed at Ron's jokes; but everyone secretly listened for Fred's laughter, hoping, beyond all logic and reason, that they would hear it one more time.
Hermione went back to Hogwarts for a 7th year, then on to the Ministry. Her parents were still alive, albeit in Australia as Monica and Wendell Wilkins who had no children, so they adopted stray dogs and cats to fill the strange emptiness in their hearts. Once in a blue moon, Monica would lay awake, suffocated by panic, feeling like she had lost something a long time ago- and she'd never be able to find it again. But by the time she woke up, it always seemed laughably silly in the light of day.
Ron, Harry and Hermione still loved each other. They would still, without a doubt, die for each other. But a childhood crush, which in Harry and Ginny's case turned to love and passion, was not enough for Ron or Hermione.
Although too much had changed for them to be happy together, they still gave in to the expectation and began dating shortly after Hermione went back to Hogwarts to complete her education. For the first year, the distance, with her at school and Ron in Auror training, became the scapegoat for all their problems.
Everyone had some advice as to why the relationship wasn't working out.
Nothing to talk about? Well Ron, dear, that's because you and Hermione are in different places in your lives- just wait until she graduates! You both will be up late every night talking. (That bit of motherly encouragement came from Molly).
No passion? Hermione, you know that's just because you both are too stressed. Give me a few hours and I'll lock you both in a room and throw away the key. Then you'll see that everything's fine. (Ginny had nearly carried out her threat multiple times).
But the real problem was more than that.
Hermione realized it a few months after they got together. She suspected that Ron figured it out not long after. But at that point, it had been easier to stay together than to blow the doors off the whole facade. So when she graduated and began working at the Ministry, they moved into a flat together.
They went to work; came home; made dinner; some nights Ron played chess against himself while Hermione read; some nights they made love. On weekends they saw Harry and the baby and once a month they all went to The Burrow for dinner.
And then Hermione moved from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to the Department of Mysteries.
She became an unspeakable.
They had run out of things to talk about long before she took the position. There was only so long she could listen to Ron talk about Quidditch; and there was only so long he could pretend to care about Goblin legislation or House Elf welfare programs. As an unspeakable, she could no longer talk about work, but the job-imposed restrictions didn't change much between them.
Ron had proposed out of the blue one night; and she'd said yes on instinct, didn't even pause to think about it. After all, that was what they were supposed to do, not what they wanted to do. But as the weeks passed, the ring got heavier, as if it could sense that it didn't belong on her finger. Until one day, something just snapped. So when she sat Ron down a few days later to give back the ring- and when he accepted the ring without a fight- they both knew it was finally over.
There was no big scene, just an friendly hug and an agreement that Ron would keep the flat and Hermione would move closer to work.
Hermione shut the door behind her that day knowing that they'd finally done what they wanted. She leaned against the wood and inhaled deeply, without the weight of expectation on her shoulders. And Ron leaned against the wood on the other side with a relieved grin on his face.
Of course, the newspapers had a field day. And Rita Skeeter certainly earned herself a big bonus by printing lies about mistresses (Ron's) and mental breakdowns (Hermione's). But eventually, even she lost interest- especially given that Ron and Hermione were still the best of friends and could frequently be found having a quick spot of tea after work. There was no drama, no tantrums, just a good old friendship.
But none of that explained how Hermione had gotten into her current predicament- in Cormac McLaggan's flat.
More accurately, in Cormac MgLaggan's bed... again.
Naked... again.
Please let me know what you all think!
I. I'm aware that this is a pretty rare (maybe unpopular) pairing, but I've recently realized that there's a bit of a Hermione/Cormac ship out here :)
II. I wrote this in about an hour because I couldn't get it out of my head- no knowing how long it'll be
III. Give me your feedback so I can figure out what to do with this- I'm currently not even sure if I want to continue it!
IV. As always, please review, leave me your thoughts, send me your ideas, or just message me to say hi!
-M-