Hermione was done. With dating that is, especially dating men like the Weasley's, never before had she felt like this. Insulted and angry that Ron sat back and did nothing while his boss called her filthy names, and yet torn apart because she knew that he was completely clueless. In long angry strides she walked down the hall of the Ministry, narrowly avoiding bumping into the people that bustled around, her head was tilted back at a proud angle and her delicately featured face was set in a shielded expression.

She could still see the placid look on Ron's face as his boss, an arrogant jerk by the name of Richard Bosley, had torn him a new one over a few mistakes on a file, and then the look of frustrated surprise when she had stepped in to defend him. The words still burned in her ears, repeating like bell in her head until she was ready to rip her hair out.

"Hermione! Wait!" Ron called down the hallway but Hermione didn't turn. "Please stop!"

"You, of all people, should know how much names hurt."

"Hermione, I'm sorry that he said those things, but I can't…"

"Can't what, Ron? Can't defend your own girlfriend? Can't stop someone from saying meaning things to someone else?"

"He's my boss, I can't just tell him to stop. It's disrespectful and I could lose my job."

"You're what?!" Hermione flipped around to confront Ron who was trailing not far behind her, her face bright with fury. "You're job?!"

"No! Hermione I didn't mean it like that!"

"Of course you didn't! You never mean it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means…. It means…." She struggled to contain the raging emotions within her. "It means that you never mean what you say, whether you're angry or happy or anything. You never mean to hurt me, but you do."

"Honey…" he started towards her, his arms outstretched.

"No, Ron. No more. I can't anymore." She turned her face.

Ron's arms fell away and his blue eyes seem to fade a little. "Just call me when you get a backbone."

With that comment, Hermione turned on her heel and strode away, leaving Ron in a confused state, briefly in a fit of anger she considered setting his desk on fire but threw the thought away knowing it wouldn't soothe her ire. Instead she concentrated on getting out of the Ministry, out of the echoing hallways full of people, and away from Ron and getting into her car. All she wanted to do was go home, pull out a tub of ice cream, curl up on her couch and watch a movie….. an action flick full of exploding buildings and high speed car chases. That might put her in a good mood, an even better mood if she can find out with one of those hunky, sexy, American actors with asses you could bounce a quarter off of. To hell with carbs and calories, to hell with magic, and to hell with men (unless of course those men happened to be shirtless in movies)!

Just thinking about it was putting a smile on her face, with that plan in her head and a determination for her quest she jogged the rest of the way to the "phone-booth" and got inside. In jerky movements she pulled back her frizzy blonde hair and tied an elastic band around it then pulled her cellphone from her jeans pocket and scrolled through her contacts. When Ginny's number popped up, she pressed the send button and placed the receiver up to her ear.

"Hello?" Molly, Ginny's mother, answered in her usually cheerful voice.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wealsey, may I speak to Ginny?" she said in a polite voice that belied how she really felt.

"Hermione, is that you? Why of course, dear! She's just helping me with a bit of baking, let me go get her."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem."

There was a slight pause. "Is everything all right dear?"

It was strange how she always seemed to know when Hermione was feeling upset, it was as though she had a sixth sense of these things, and it unnerved Hermione somewhat.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Her voice broke a little.

"Okay, then." She seemed hesitant to give the phone over.

A moment later there was a click and Ginny's voice came over the line. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ginny." She said I a quiet voice.

"Hermione? Is everything alright?"

"Ron and I broke up."

A pause. "Oh, hon. You want me to come over?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Hermione Granger! It's never too much trouble, I'll meet you at your apartment in an hour. I'll bring the ice cream.

"I'll bring movies."

Ginny said good-bye and hung up the phone, reassuring her, it felt wonderful to have a plan, it gave her a sense of stability and something to look forward to. Finally, she exited the phone booth and walked over to her car with only one sad look behind her, was she doing the right thing by ending things with Ron?

Ron

She was gone. Really gone this time, gone from his office, his sight and his life, so why did it feel right? Why did it feel as though it was for the best? Why did he feel like Hermione had done him a favor? Hundreds of questions ran through his mind, plaguing his concentration and confusing him, it was supposed to hurt wasn't it? He was supposed to feel something? But he didn't, just an emptiness he couldn't explain, and for almost an hour it was all he could think about, it possessed his mind like a ghost, it wasn't until he heard a crash in the hallway that he came back, realizing that he had been staring at his paperwork.

"Ron?" someone's voice called from beyond the closed door of his office.

"What?" he snapped back.

The doorknob turned and the faded, wooden door creaked open, Harry stuck his head into the office with a smile and looked at Ron.

"Someone's a little cranky today."

"Yeah, sorry." Ron didn't look up but continued to stare at his paperwork.

"You know, paperwork doesn't just get up and do itself."

"Uh huh." Ron nodded, not listening.

"And I wear women's underwear…" Harry said, trying to gain a response.

"Uh huh….. wait what?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Distracted?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"A little?"

Ron looked up; a strange hollow look was in his eyes. "She's gone."

"Who?" Harry looked confused.

"Hermione."

"Oh."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, his head disappearing for a moment, then reappearing as he shifted his long, lanky body through the narrow opening and leaned negligently against the doorjamb.

"You have really got to clean this office. I can barely get through the bloody door!"

"I'll get right on that."

Harry stared at Ron, who was busy staring at his desk, his head pressed against the light wood, his hands hanging. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Hell no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to get up soon?"

"No."

"Not even for lunch?"

There was a pause. "Maybe."

"Well, I'm going now, so if you want to come, you better hop on the train."

Ron lifted his head and peered out, Harry had his arms crossed over his broad chest and was staring intently at him, his dark green eyes intense. "Fine."

Half an hour later Ron and Harry were sitting in a pub, holding a couple of cold sodas, it being far too early to drink and they both had jobs to get back to. The atmosphere of the pub was clean but male in feeling, scarred oak tables and high stools were scattered around, dully shining from the dim light coming from domed chandeliers above and a huge, big screen that was hung loftily behind the bar was playing non other but the great sport of rugby.

"Tell me why we're here again? It's a muggle bar."

"Because the one we usually go to is the one I went with Hermione too."

"So?"

"So I don't want to go, is that a crime?"

"No."

Harry nodded absently and took a sip from his glass, Ron had his fingers wrapped around the glass and was staring intently at the bubbles that were slowly floating to the surface.

"You think it's forever?"

"I don't know."

"Is it your fault?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know anything?"

"I think it may be my fault."

"Might?"

Ron waved his hand in dismissal. "Can't you find something else, just as fascinating, to talk about?"

"No."

Ron sighed. "When did you become so nosy?"

"When you two started dating." Harry touched his shoulder in a brotherly sort of way. "Do you love her?"

The question hung in the air for long moment, stretched tight with the anticipation of his answer, Ron's heart did a flip-flop. Did he love her? Automatically he opened his mouth to say yes, then closed it, then opened it again. "Yes." He paused. "And no."

"Huh?"

"I don't why but I'm not upset. I still love her, but it's….. well, let's just say it's complicated."

"It is more sisterly?"

"Not quite." Ron took a sip from his glass. "It's hard to explain."

"I can imagine."

Harry nodded as if he knew. "Look, I can see you're a little upset and I don't want to seem rude but…." Harry leaned forward. "…tonight there's a little party going on at the Leaky Cauldron, a kind of speed-dating place for singles."

"No, I thought it was for couples."

"Very funny, smart ass. I'm not saying you should participate but maybe you should just come to get your mind off of her."

"Isn't it a little earlier to be dating again?"

"Don't worry about it, you can just come and have a drink with me, if you feel like you want to, you can, if not no hard feelings."

Ron thought about it for a minute, his expression serious then said with a silly grin. "What time is this shin-dig?"

TBC

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