Summary: The 10 year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts is in two weeks and the supposed champion of love has never felt more alone. What is love? Is it real or is it just something he had been imagining all this time. With his life in a state of upheaval will our hero be able to find his way, the right way, the only way? A Harry/Hermione story set 10 years after the fact. All book compliant except the epilogue of course. Also for those that are looking for Ron bashing look elsewhere cause I'm sorry but I just don't hate him like most people who wanted Harry and Hermione to end up together. Rated M just in case things get too graphic at some point. I'll update when I can but being as this is a free site and of course all credit for the amazing world goes to JK Rowling I still have to have a real job with a real life so it may take a while. Hopefully you'll stick with me. Make sure to check out my other two stories in the meantime, both Harry/Hermione fics one set in Deathly Hallows and one immediately after. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: 10 Years Later

What is love? For nearly 10 years Harry Potter thought he knew. He thought that he had it all figured out and that he was living the greatest love story ever told. In two weeks it will have been ten years since he had vanquished the most evil dark lord ever to walk the face of the earth thanks in large part to love but now, for the first time since he had talked to Dumbledore that night, he wasn't sure he knew what love was anymore. Ginny was gone, leaving nothing but a note and her ring attached to it;

Harry,

I have to leave. Please don't try and come after me. We had a great run and I'll treasure it forever but I think that I fell in love with the legend. I never took the time to get to know the real you, just the stories. I'll always love the legend Harry, I just can't pretend to love the man anymore. I'm sorry.

Ginny

As he swept up the remnants of all the dishes that had been sitting on the counter next to the note Harry tried to figure out when she had stopped loving him. Was it before or after their marriage nearly eight years ago? Was it before or after she had said she didn't want a family, that hers was big enough and they didn't need to add any more to it? He should have known really. The twinkle in her eyes had faded long ago. Did he even still love her? Even that he didn't know for sure, after all, what was love anymore? The only thing he did know was that he needed to get out of this house, needed to talk to someone, to just be with people before he destroyed all of his worldly possessions. He'd been down that road before, clean-up was no kind of fun.

But who, where? In the past any time he needed to talk to someone he'd call up Ron or maybe George. But now, just the thought of the name Weasley made him sick to his stomach. He went to the cupboard and pulled out the old leather address book that he hadn't used in years. Ginny's friends had become his friends; he'd just followed her. She always wore the pants in the relationship, which was obvious, with Harry following dutifully behind. He flipped open the book to a random page and looked at the first name he saw, Granger, Hermione. Wow, isn't that a coincidence if ever there was one. He hadn't seen Hermione since she had walked out on Ron more than 8 years ago. When it first happened he had tried to contact her but she never responded. Thinking back now he should have tried harder but it made sense. If she felt then what he was feeling now… Harry and Ron were as good as brothers, of course she wouldn't want to see him. But now? Well she just may be the only one in the world that could understand what he was feeling.

He pulled out his want and gave it a wave, "Expecto Patronum," he said and his silver stag erupted from his wand and presented himself to him. "Hermione Granger: Ginny left me. It's been a long time but I could use a friend. Could you meet me at that little coffee place in Soho we used to go after the war in half an hour?" With another flick of his wand the stag disappeared and Harry resumed sweeping up his mess.

A few minutes later he heard a soft whooshing sound and he turned to see a familiar otter standing in front of him and heard a familiar voice, "I'd love to, but make it an hour." And without another word the otter vanished from sight. Harry smiled as he threw the dustpan full of debris away. He went up to the second floor or Grimmauld Place and went into the guest bathroom, somehow using the one he had shared with Ginny just didn't sound too appealing. He got into the shower and attempted to wash some of the pain away. It didn't work, but at least he got out feeling a bit refreshed as he summoned some clothes from his room and put them on. Looking down at his watch he saw that he still had about 20 minutes before he was to meet Hermione so he decided to walk to the coffee shop.

He made his way to the coffee shop and grabbed a table. He ordered two drinks and sat back to wait. Right on time Hermione walked through the door. It was almost as if he was seeing her for the first time all over again but what stood before him now was a far cry from the little girl he had met on the train all those years ago. Gone were the freckles that had peppered her skin replaced by a smooth, milky complexion. Gone was the brown bushy hair that went wherever it pleased replaced by auburn locks that gently waved down to her shoulders. She was beautiful. How had he never noticed that before? He stood up as she smiled at him and they took each other into a warm embrace. It was in that embrace that Harry truly recognized her at last. She may look different than he had ever noticed before but she was still the same girl, the one that had been there for him no matter what. "Harry it's great to see you," she said, releasing him as they sat down at the table.

"It's great to see you too Hermione," he said. "I got you a caramel latte. I hope that's still what you drink," he said.

"You remember that?" she asked.

"Just one of those things that stuck with me I guess," he responded. "How've you been, where are you living, what are you doing?" he asked all at once.

"Not bad I suppose. I live in Plymouth now. Still work for Magical Law Enforcement, I'm actually the department head over there now," she said.

"Yeah, I'd heard," Harry said. "Saw a note about it in the Prophet, thought about calling you, didn't know if you'd take it," he said remembering the last time he had thought about calling her when McGonagall had shown him the article in the staff room.

"I'm sorry I didn't return your calls," she said. "I heard your messages, you sounded worried."

"It's okay, I understand. It just took something like this for me to understand completely I guess," he stated somberly.

"So what happened? I mean you two were the couple that people write sappy movies about," she said smiling.

"I guess maybe that was the problem. Just like the movies we were never real. I mean she was never really in love with me, just the idea of me," he said, his words just exploding out of his mouth as even he heard them for the first time.

"Did you love here?" she prodded taking another sip of her coffee.

"Yes… I mean, I think so… Oh I don't know. The more I look back on it the more I wonder if I was just in love with the idea as well. I mean did I love her or just the fact that she was my damsel in distress? Don't get me wrong, she could take care of herself but I think I was always just her hero and she, the one I had to save."

"That sounds nice," Hermione said.

"It was, at least for a while but I don't know. I mean in love I guess the story just has to be deeper than that. I don't know, I just don't know anymore."

"With Ron and me it was another idea. We loved the idea of being together, of being in love. We made sense. But in actuality I don't know that true love was ever there. At least that's what I've convinced myself of, and ever since then it's like I've been looking for something that I now realize I really know nothing about" she said now looking down at the floor.

"Is that why you left him?" he asked, his mind suddenly flipping.

"I didn't."

"You didn't?"

"Did he tell you I did?" she asked.

"Well come to think of it no. I guess… I mean he just… he never wanted to talk about it. I just assumed," Harry stuttered.

"So he never told you?"

"I just assumed he couldn't deal with it so I never bothered him. I had hoped to hear it from you but…"

"Still sorry," she said, her head down.

"It's okay, but why did he leave you?" Harry pressed.

"I'm not sure I should tell you then, I mean you're still his best friend right?"

"Yeah but we both know he has the emotional ability of a cupcake, what made him leave, please?" he asked trying to look into her eyes.

She dropped her head again before saying, "Lavender."

"What do you mean Lavender? I haven't seen her since we left Hogwarts."

"He hadn't either until one night he went out with some guys from the team. She was working at the club they went to."

"A club?" he asked.

"They went to The Tabby Cat," she continued.

"Lavender's working at that strip joint in Noctern Alley?" Harry said.

"Yeah, she's pretty good apparently because after she gave Ron a lap dance he decided that he needed a little more fun in his life."

"He never told me."

"Great friend huh," Hermione said.

"Wow I'm so sorry Hermione, I didn't know," he said now feeling like a complete prat.

"No it's fine," she responded. "He seems to have done quite a good job of covering it up."

They spent the next hour or so catching up. They quickly fell back to their old comfort level as they shared stories of the past four years. Before they left they made plans to meet for lunch the next day as Hermione hadn't been to Hogwarts in years and off she went. Harry though, decided to make a stop before heading home.

After the uncomfortable tugging behind his bellybutton Harry opened his eyes and looked up at the brownstone four story building that housed Ron's flat. He looked down at his watch, Ron should be just getting back from practice about now. Assuming of course that he didn't go to see Lavender, he thought to himself. He rang the bell and soon hears Ron's voice from the speaker, "Come on up mate," he said as the buzzer sounded and Harry made his way upstairs.

Ron was waiting at the door for him when he got there. "Hey mate I heard about Ginny. I'm sorry. We always knew she was a little crazy. I mean don't get me wrong I love her but she's always had a bit of a hero complex now hasn't she," he said allowing Harry to come inside.

"Funny that's what Hermione used to say about me."

"Yeah um…. So yeah sorry I haven't heard from my sister at all," Ron replied uncomfortably.

"I'm not here to talk about Ginny," Harry said gruffly.

"Oh," Ron said, clearly taken back a bit. "Just here for a pint then?" he asked.

"Not here for a pint," Harry stated.

"Okay, what's up?"

"I wanna know what happened with Hermione," he stated bluntly.

"Hermione, that was years ago," he said with an astonished look on his face.

"Yeah but you never told me why it ended. We didn't ever talk about it."

"It just wasn't right mate. We just didn't work."

"And what brought you to that conclusion?" Harry asked.

"Just time I guess, it just took time."

"That's it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah mate why?"

"You know I love you like a brother right?"

"Yeah of course, brothers for life."

"And you know that no matter what happens I'll always be there right?"

"Of course what are playing at Harry? What's going on?"

He looked into his brother's eyes and, with one swift movement, hit Ron clean across the face. The blood sprayed just a bit as Ron fell back and Harry turned towards the door. "Tell Lavender I said hi," he said as he opened the door. He looked back at Ron and saw the true remorse he needed. He may still be daft at legilimency but he knew Ron, probably better than he knew anyone else, and he knew what Ron was thinking. "Oh, and poker at The Hogs Head next Saturday night, I'll see ya then." With that he walked out the door. He had made his point, he knew Ron was sorry but still, someone needed to defend Hermione. He walked back onto the street and walked home.