***DISCLAIMER*** I don't own any of the Harry Potter world, nor do I own "A Thousand Miles," they are owned by JKR, Warner Bros, and Vanessa Carlton

A/N Sort little ficlet, takes place five months after Hogwarts graduation, one month after Ron has left for the Auror Academy.

SUMMARY: Hermione is lonely and she is thinking about Ron.

A/N This story is really sort of for my friends in Cali. I miss you so much! I love ya'll! No amount of mileage can separate me from my feelings for you. Please come visit me! Also, for my friends here in this wonderful place I live, I will do my best not to lose contact with you after graduation next year. Ya'll have made my life so amazing and wonderful and I owe you so much. Thanks. You guys are awesome!!!!

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A Thousand Miles

By Americanangel

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Hermione left the Ministry of Magic building and stepped outside, deciding to walk to Diagon Alley to do some shopping before she headed home to her apartment which she shared with her new friend, Melanie. Melanie had recently arrived from the States and didn't know anyone in London. Hermione had been reading ads for potential roommates in The Daily Prophet when she came upon Melanie's name and gave her a call. Now, five months after graduation, she was finally settled into her new home, with a new friend, and a new job. But she still couldn't help thinking about her old friends, especially one friend in particular.

*Making my way downtown

Walking fast

Faces passed

And I'm homebound*

After she did her shopping, she headed in the other direction towards her apartment, preferring to walk rather than Apparate so that she could think.

*Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making my way

Through the crowd*

She didn't seem to notice anyone around her, nor did she seem to be looking anywhere in particular. She just wanted to think about Ron and Harry, and how much she missed being with them and hearing them laugh. Though she frequently bickered with Ron, she still missed his voice and his smile, as much as she missed Harry and the way he always made her feel like she was important. He was like the brother she never had.

*And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you tonight*

Hermione had sent each of them a letter the other day, but neither had responded. They had each remembered her birthday a few weeks before and sent her cards, but she still missed them more than she could say. Harry was off at Quidditch training with the Cannons and would not be back in London for some time, while Ron was in Scotland; quite a distance from London. She thought about man she had been dating since her birthday, Bryce. He was a nice guy; he just wasn't Ron, or Harry. He wasn't what she was used to, or what she wanted right then.

*It's always times like these

When I think of you

And I wonder

If you ever

Think of me

Cause everything's so wrong

And I don't belong

Living in your precious memories*

Hermione reached her apartment and took out her key to open the door. She stepped inside and turned on the light before closing the door and hanging up her coat. Sighing, she took her purse up to her room and went down to the kitchen to make some dinner. Melanie was looking for work and would not be home for another couple of hours, so Hermione had the apartment to herself for a while. She looked over everything they had before deciding to make a plate of warm spaghetti and meat sauce. Her mother always made it on blustery days like this one when Hermione was feeling down. Spaghetti was one of her favorite foods, and her mother's special meat sauce was a family secret that had been passed down for generations on the Italian side. Hermione gathered all the ingredients she needed and then set the water to boil while she watched a bit of television. Sometimes, it was nice to remember that she had been raised by Muggle parents and she knew how to live like a Muggle.

*Cause I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you tonight*

Sitting silently, Hermione twirled her spaghetti, again lost in her thoughts. Bryce had wanted to go on a date again tonight, some little Italian café he had found in Diagon Alley; Hermione had turned him down, just for the night, but she was considering turning him down for good. Bryce Herran just wasn't the man of her dreams. That was Ron Weasley. Even though she was trying to date other guys, Ron would always hold a special place in her heart, even if he married another woman. Bryce was a great guy, but he couldn't measure up.

*And I, I

Don't want to let you know

I, I

Drown in your memory

I, I

Don't want to let this go

I, I

Don't*

For the thousandth time that night, Hermione wished she was still at Hogwarts with her two best friends. She played memories over and over in her head. Ron fighting the troll at Halloween, their snowball fights, hours in the library, Harry flying at the Quidditch games, Ron belching slugs, each Yule Ball she went to, summers at the Weasleys, getting charms right, helping Ron and Harry with their homework. . .

She couldn't get the memories out of her head, but she didn't want to. These were her friends, her best friends. No matter what, no one would take their place. Not Melanie, not Bryce, nor any other person who came into her life. She would always have Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Always.

*Making my way downtown

Walking fast

Faces passed

And I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making my way

Through the crowd

And I need you

And I miss you

And I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass us by?

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you . . .

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you

If I could just hold you

Tonight*

No matter how many miles lay between them, Hermione knew that nothing would damage their friendship. They would always be her Harry and her Ron. No Death Eater, not even Voldemort himself would be able to sever their bonds of friendship or destroy the love she had for them in her heart. Smiling, it was almost as if they were with her. After her dinner she took a bubble bath and wrote each of them another note, saying how much she missed them and inviting them to come over some time soon. Finally satisfied, she got in bed and fell asleep dreaming about her friends and their adventures.

*fin*

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Review, review!

Sorry that I haven't updated "How Many Ways" in a couple days. I've been thinking about where I want to take the story and I'm happy to say I have it all planned out and I know exactly how Ron is going to go about proving his love to our favorite girl; Hermione! Just give me a few days. I'm so stressed right now with tests, but I promise! In two weeks my life will become infinitely simpler, once AP tests are over and crew has ended (then I won't have anything to do, haha, I'll be stuck at home all afternoon!). Perfect time for writing!

Thanks for reading my stories. It means a lot to me!

~Americanangel