The day that Ron Weasley met Hermione Granger was an exceptional day indeed, although it began like every other day before it. The sun rose that morning, like it had for the most part of summer, and Ron, however unwillingly, dragged himself out of bed to get ready for work. At this time of the morning his small apartment building situated in Onslow Village in Guildford, Surrey, housing only two other occupants plus one spare unit, was full of the sounds of the morning. The water pipes could be heard making gurgling noises, and Ron could just hear the sound of the radio in the unit above him telling the listener about the morning traffic. The aroma of toast could always be smelt wafting through the upstairs hall where his two neighbours lived, the empty room across the hall downstairs giving Ron the opportunity to be as loud as he wanted, though this was seldom the case. Deciding to skip a shower this morning, leaving his hair to look unkempt, he proceeded to make himself some toast and a coffee, needing the caffeine to get him going or he would never make it through the day.
Glancing out the window, he smiled slightly to himself at what looked like a beautiful day. It had been an exceptionally warm summer this year, which Ron loved and hated at the same time as the sun brought out his freckles and made him look like some strange red headed spotted animal. The upside was of course the warm weather, and every second of spare time was spent in the back garden the tenants shared, where Ron usually equipped himself with nothing more than his sunglasses and a beer. Although lately, the only spare time he had was weekends, as his job as at a local cafe making food and serving customers kept him busy for almost ten hours a day, and by the time he got home all he wanted to do was collapse and watch some television. He was the assistant manager and was in charge of things like the ordering and bossing everyone else about, but most of the day was spent cooking in the kitchen, then serving towards closing time.
If he was lucky when he got home his favourite show would be on. Though he would never, ever admit it to anyone else, Coronation Street seemed to reel him in and leave him wanting to watch the next episode like no other show had before. His co-workers at the cafe he worked at knew however, because a few of them were of similar age to his Mother and Ron was ashamed to admit that they had regular chats about what was going to happen to what character. His Mother, Molly, had watched it since she was younger and Ron had got hooked from an early age, much to his brothers' amusement. They liked to tease him endlessly, especially if a much loved character in the series died and Ron was there almost sobbing along with his Mother. Shaking his head, and deciding that although he apparently had a rubbish taste in TV shows, he was a much better person than his brothers. Or so he would continue to think. Standing up and depositing his empty mug and plate in the sink, he went into his rather messy bedroom and rooted around for something to wear. Opting for a pair of dark jeans and a grey t-shirt, he shoved his feet into a pair of shoes and grabbed his bag from his bed. On the way out towards his front door, a wet nose nudged into his hand and he grinned.

"Alright, Alfie," He said and scratched the Jack Russell Terrier behind his ears. The dog licked his fingers appreciatively and followed Ron to the food bowl. Ron poured some biscuits in, gave the dog one last scratch and took off out the front door.

He was immediately confronted with a deep red two seater couch that for a second seemed to be floating in mid air as if by magic, but on closer inspection, Ron noticed a pair of work boots sticking out from underneath and another man came into view. Ron waited in the door way until both men had put the couch down to open the door and gave them a quick smile.

"Moving day?" He asked them and the first of the men grunted and opened the door to the empty unit across from Ron's. The second man, who had the most chaotic jet black hair Ron had ever seen, rolled his eyes in the direction of the first man and gave a shrug in Ron's direction.
"Don't mind him, it's too early for him to be functioning properly yet," He offered in explanation and Ron grinned. "We're moving these in for a friend of ours-she's actually the one who rented this place but she got stuck in classes and can't get here till this afternoon so look who got the job. But I'm a good friend so you'll probably see me around here just as often. The names Harry-Harry Potter."
He held out his hand and Ron shook it, returning Harry's smile. It sounded silly even thinking it, but Ron liked the idea of having someone of similar age-well, he looked of similar age-across the hall because although he had friends, they weren't that friendly and as hard as it was to make friends at his age, not like when you're at school and your best friend is only that because he sits next to you so it would be much easier if they were frequenting the house across the hall.
"I'm Ron. Good to meet you," He replied and the first man announced his return with another grunt. "I'll let you guys get on. I'll be home later so if you need a hand, let me know."
"Thanks, we will. See you," Harry replied and Ron waved them off as he exited the building out into the morning sun. Taking a left once out of the front gate, he began the five minute-if that-walk to the cafe where he worked. At the end of the street, he turned out of Rupert Road and into Guildford Park Road and could just see the building in the distance.

He passed familiar sights until he was outside the cafe, its bright yellow fence seeming even brighter in the glare of the sunlight. He smiled at the woman on her way out with a coffee and at the regulars sitting in the window, enjoying the sunshine. Holding the door open for a couple on their way out, Ron waved to the woman behind the counter, June, who was nearing her 60's and was still working 9 hour days. She smiled back and called out a greeting as he came behind the counter and went out the back and into the office just off the kitchen. The owner, and his manager, Cormac McLaggen was possibly the most arrogant person Ron had ever met, and had it not been for the fact that Ron was made assistant manager by the previous owner and had a contract lasting for the next year, he was sure McLaggen would have got rid of him. It was blindingly obvious to everyone, excluding McLaggen himself apparently, that Cormac didn't really want the job and only bought the cafe because he was fired from the local football team for fighting with another member. Word had got round of this, and the reason behind it-that he was so sure of his own abilities, he faked a letter to the other member that he had to leave the team and the team member approached McLaggen leading to a fight-and Ron, June and the other workers were either irritatingly bright and happy towards Cormac, or the opposite, refusing to do much of what he said.

Cormac looked up as Ron entered and offered him the slightest hint of a smile. Ron decided it was too much of a nice day to be moody and gave McLaggen the biggest smile he could muster. After a disgusted look, McLaggen picked up a file on the desk and threw it towards Ron's side of the desk. Ron picked it up and read it through.
"Morning," He started, and McLaggen ignored him. "Tinies rung yesterday after you left and wanted the order in for next week. Have you finished it? I'll send it off."
"Yes. It's under that mess on your desk," He responded and Ron snorted. His desk contained a laptop, a photo of himself and his family on their holiday to Egypt when he was 13, some pens and a pad of paper. The order he was talking about sat underneath the pad of paper and Ron extracted it.
"Thanks, I'll go fax it now," He said, making his way to the other side of the room and beginning to send it. McLaggen then muttered something about a meeting and stormed out as Ron let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in. Cormac irritated him in ways he couldn't describe, and he would like nothing more than to buy him out of the cafe so they wouldn't have to see him again, and Ron would finally own this marvellous business. June popped her head in, breaking into Ron's thoughts.
"Sorry love, could you give us a hand? Just got a rush on-apparently Coffee on the Corner down the road had an emergency and closed for the day-we've got all their regulars," She explained and Ron nodded, dropping the files on the desk and following her out. Their other full time barista had arrived, Grace, and she was making coffees like there was no tomorrow.
"Morning, Grace," Ron called as he brushed past her and began to serve. "Hi there, can I help you?"

Ten minutes later and they were finally slowing down slightly, with a few people still coming in but the rush that was there before had disappeared. Ron was about to stop serving and leave the girls to it when she walked in.
He heard the bell over the door before he saw her, and looked up in anticipation of another rush. What he saw stopped him suddenly, as if the world had simply stopped for the moment while he registered what he was seeing.
She was beautiful, that was his first thought. Her shoulder length brown hair was tied up behind her head, though a few strands had fallen loose and hung around her face, framing it brilliantly. She had on a knee length dress, a white one, but she had matched it with colourful shoes and bracelets, making herself look like summer all in one. Her chocolate brown eyes surveyed the cafe, as if she was deciding whether or not to choose this one, and as she looked around, her eyes caught Ron's and for a second, time stood still. She smirked slightly, as if aware of him watching her, and then broke the gaze, moving to the window to claim a table basked in sunlight. Ron continued to watch her, a cloth in hand as he pretended to work. She busied herself sitting down, and looking at the menu of breakfasts, her delicate hands turning the menu over to read the back. He had never seen her in here before, surely he would have remembered such a stunning person, and he was all at once glad that she had chosen to come in today.
"Uh-Ron? Hello?" Grace laughed, following his gaze. He turned to face her, sure that there was a dopey look on his face. "Did you hear me? I was just saying that June and I can manage-you can go into the kitchen to help Kieran now."
Reluctantly, he nodded, replacing his dopey look with a grin and with a quick glance back at the girl, who had her head on her hands and was looking out the window, he disappeared into the kitchen. When he resurfaced twenty minutes later after prepping the vegetables for their lunches in record time, she had gone and he felt his heart sink slightly.

He had not had many girlfriends. They had employed a girl named Lavender briefly last year, not long after Ron had started at the cafe himself, and she had immediately taken to him. He was flattered, but not really interested until one day they were both stuck working late, doing stock take or some other time consuming task, when she had made a move and Ron surprised them both by not stopping it. They dated for a few months, but it became very clear very soon that Lavender was not the kind of girl Ron wanted to be with. She became incredibly clingy very quickly and when he took her to his sister Ginny's house for dinner one night, she had to leave early due to work commitments and the second she left, he got it.

"What on earth are you doing?" Ginny had hissed quietly, although there was no need and Ron realised it was only for effect. The only other people there was her best friend Luna, and Luna's partner Neville. They agreed with Ginny however, and all three of them ganged up on her.
"What are you thinking? She's nuts!"
"What was she wearing?"
"Where did you find her? On the corner of crazy and barking mad?"
"I thought she was quite nice, just a little over the top with showing her affection."
Ron smiled at Luna but then froze at Ginny's look.
"Ron, seriously. Was this a joke?"
"No, of course not! We just-hit it off, I don't know. She is a bit clingy, I know. And it's really hard when she wants to snog me all of the time-especially if we're at work-but we have fun together." He desperately tried to defend himself but his sister wasn't having any of it.
"Stop kidding yourself."

Thinking back now, he was glad Lavender had come into work crying the following week, saying that she had to move back in with her Mother, who so sadly lived in Scotland, and that she would miss him so much, and could he come with her? He kindly apologized, saying it was probably best if they went their separate ways and moved on. She didn't take it well and almost went to slap him, and possibly would have if Grace hadn't walked into the office asking about missing food. Lavender had left and Ron never saw her again. Since then though, there had been no one. Not that he minded, really. He had his work mates who were good for a drink when he got bored, and he had Alfie to entertain him. Most of the time he spent the days being lazy, or just walking around the village on his days off. He didn't really feel the need for a girlfriend, but of course he was thinking differently after the vision of beauty that had walked in this morning. After a busy lunch rush, McLaggen came back-funny how he was never here for the busy periods-and told Ron to take the rest of the day off as holiday. Ron never really took holidays, as he had nowhere much to go, so took the chance happily, despite Grace's pleas not to leave her with him. It was just past 2pm when he left the cafe, not heading home just yet but walking to the supermarket first to pick up a few things for dinner.

Living on his own had definite advantages and he regularly ate whatever he wanted. Looking at the shelves, he decided on steak and-because he tried to be healthy sometimes-salad too, picking up the smallest amount his conscience would let him get away with. After picking up a bottle of coke-he didn't quite feel like beer tonight-and purchasing his shopping, he made the trip home. The whole walk his mind kept wandering back to the girl in the cafe, and he was hoping that she would make a repeat visit. If only he hadn't been stuck in the kitchen; he could have served her and talked to her. No doubt her voice sounded like heaven, he thought and then shook his head. He mentally berated himself for being so silly, and turned the corner into his street. Up ahead he could see a moving truck outside that he must have missed when he left this morning, and remembering his comment to Harry about helping with the move, he decided to make good on his offer. He turned into his front gate just as someone disappeared through the front door and he ran to catch it before it closed. It was Harry, and he turned at the sound of someone entering the building.

"Oh hey-Ron, isn't it?" He said and Ron nodded. "We're still here, unfortunately. The other bloke helping me had to leave for work so for awhile it was just me."
"Do you want a hand?" Ron asked, opening the door to his unit and dumping his bags inside before turning back to Harry who was wiping the sweat of his forehead.
"If you don't mind? I've got Hermione here-she's who is moving in to this place-but she isn't the best at helping."
"I heard that." A voice came from behind Harry and a girl stepped out next to him, her eyes focused on Harry as she slapped him playfully on the arm. "I'm the best help you've got, Harry Potter-oh, hello"
She noticed him standing there and Ron's face must have shown visible shock because she had that same smirk on her face from earlier. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity as Harry looked between the two of them, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"It's you, from the cafe in the village, isn't it? I'm Hermione Granger," She said and her voice was exactly as he imagined it; soft and beautiful. Ron managed to regain his composure and nodded a little too vigorously. She giggled softly and Ron thought he might faint right on the spot. He finally found his voice just as Harry shook his head and walked away to find something else to bring inside.
"Sorry. My name is Ron. I live just through there." He gestured, his voice coming out all husky and he cleared his throat loudly. "I've offered to help you guys move."
If he said it to impress her, he didn't think it really worked. She smiled and Ron's heart leaped, causing him to smile stupidly back. She giggled again and gestured to where Harry was struggling with a side table. Ron rushed over and picked up the other end, helping him move it into the unit.

It was set out the same way as Ron's was. The door opened into the small living area, where they had already set up the couch Ron had seen this morning, along with a TV, bookcase and small coffee table. There was a blanket lying over the back of the couch and a few papers on the table; it was as if she had been living here for years. The kitchen was to the right of the living area, and its bench was covered in boxes. The small dining area came off it and there was a small table with four chairs situated around it. A vase full of daffodils sat on the table and the effect of that plus the couch made this unit seem a lot more inviting than his own. They moved down the hallway, passing the door to the bathroom and laundry and entering the bedroom. Ron tried to look around surreptitiously and caught sight of a huge double bed, the bed side table they had been carrying in matching the dark purples of the bed. They placed it down next to it, and Hermione thanked them both. Harry stood there for a second, catching his breath and Ron tried not to make it obvious that he was staring at Hermione.
"Do you guys want a drink?" She offered and they both nodded, following her back out into the kitchen.
"You've set this place up really nice." Ron said, attempting to start a conversation; anything to keep this girl in front of him. "And really quickly too."
"Yeah, that's only thanks to Harry here, and the idiot this morning from the truck company," She explained and Harry sent her a smile. "It's only a small place though, I guess, so it doesn't take much setting up."
Ron nodded in agreement and accepted the water he gave her. Their hands touched as she passed it over and he was sure he felt sparks fly. Hermione avoided his gaze however and moved over to sit next to where Harry had sat down on the couch. Ron stood their awkwardly finishing his drink before walking into the kitchen to put the empty cup in the sink. He walked over to the door, unsure of what to do next.
"So is there anything else you want bringing in or...?" He left the question hanging, playing out a scenario in his mind where Harry leaves and Hermione asks him to stay for tea. He pictured them hitting it off, talking about anything and everything but this image quickly disappeared when both Harry and Hermione stood up, Harry's hand on her back as she almost fell backwards again. Ron was sure Harry had said friend this morning, but in that second he knew Hermione was off limits.
"No, it's just little things now," Harry said and Hermione stood smiling at him. He averted his eyes, not wanting to get lost in those pools of chocolate, and forced himself to look at Harry. "But thanks for your help with that table."
"Oh, no problem at all." Ron replied and made his way to the door, the two of them following. "Well, if you need anything else just let me know."
Harry shook his hand and gave him a grin, and Ron chanced a look at Hermione. She had a dazzling smile on and Ron sent a soppy one back.
"Thanks, Ron," She said and her voice saying his name almost sent shivers down his spine. "See you."

Back in his own unit, Ron went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, looking at himself in the mirror.
"Snap out of it," He told himself, and Alfie came trotting into the bathroom, looking up at him.
It was obvious there was something between Harry and Hermione, even if they didn't know it themselves. They seemed incredibly close and the way Harry had touched her back seemed too intimate for them to be friends. Maybe that was a good thing, Ron mused, because Hermione didn't seemed too interested in him either. Granted, they had spent all of ten minutes in each others company, but Ron had made a fool of himself with the staring. He sighed and gave up his quest for answers in his reflection and made his way out to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Alfie followed in his wake, desperate for attention. Ron ignored him, and set to work preparing his dinner for one. He looked at the lonely steak cooking in the pan and sighed again, resigning to the fact that he would never, not in a million years, not matter how much he wanted it or tried, get a girl as striking and beautiful as Hermione Granger.

Please let me know what you guys think! As I said in the description, they aren't witches/wizards. This is done mostly out of HP, other than the basics of the characters and their families. I hope you liked it! Please let me know. I hope to continue it on anyway, whether people review or not, lol, I just need the time. And Rupert Road is actually a road, I checked on google maps for the area I made them live in because I wanted to get it right, and I spotted that so I had to use it, of course. Did I do okay at adding in the other characters? Please let me know! Thaaaanks!