"Ugh, I hate this stupid fucking thing." Hermione yanked on the zipper to her skirt. She was determined that there was something wrong with it. The option of her having gained weight was unacceptable and nothing that she had time to deal with today.

"Hermione?" Ron leaned his head out of the bathroom. He had a toothbrush and suds in his mouth. His hair was disheveled and eyes still had traces of sleep. He was wearing only a pair of faded striped pajama pants. His bare chest looked pale in the dim light of their shared apartment.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Hermione snapped. She yanked on the zipper harder. It slipped up a half an inch. She held her breath and yanked again. Ron shrugged and turned away. She heard the sounds of him spitting in the sink and gargling. He made the stupidest sounds when he gargled. Normally she didn't mind but this morning everything was bothering her.

"I just could have sworn you said fuck and you never said fuck." Ron rummaged through a drawer looking for suitable clothes. He pulled out some dark professional looking robes and started to pull them over his head.

"Not those." Hermione said exasperatedly. "We're going muggle today remember? My parents are meeting us for lunch." She wiggled the zipper up a tiny bit more and gasped. She only had a few centimeters left to close the skirt.

"And I have that stupid last minute lunch meeting remember?" Ron straightened his robes with an experienced flick. "I told you last night. If you don't remember that's your own fault." There was a hint of venom in his voice. Hermione blushed. She had been drinking quite a bit of wine last night in preparation for meeting her parents.

"Yeah, well….." Her voice trailed off. The truth was even though she loved her parents this meeting had her frazzled. Things were kind of crazy and she knew there would be some awkward questions. Even though it had been 10 years since she joined the wizarding world they remained apprehensive about her life. They constantly worried even more so after all that she had put them through during the last dark year of Voldemort's life. She felt that if she even for a second acted like her life wasn't perfect they would start worrying and making small comments against the wizarding world as they had in the past.

Of course she wished that she could tell all this to Ron. A couple years ago she would have. It was just that lately things had become stiff between them. Conversations were left unsaid. Longer hours were worked at the office. More alcohol was consumed. She wished that she didn't know the cause of it all. Wished she could pretend it was a slump that they would grow out of in time. However she couldn't ignore the facts. All of the hostility had started exactly four months ago with the ring that Ron had put on her finger.

She held her breath and finally yanked the zipper up the rest of the way.

"Nevermind." She tried to put on a cheery voice. "I'll see you after work then?"

"Yeah"

"Tell hi to Harry for me?"

"Sure."

"And Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She hated how desperate her voice sounded. He turned to face her a little startled. They hadn't said the L word in days. His eyes were tired but she saw some of what she was feeling too. Maybe all was not lost.

"I love you too.