Disclaimers: Harry Potter and the other lovely characters do not belong to me.
Enjoy.
If Hermione Granger had to name the thing she hated the most in the world, it would not be her hair, flying, or not receiving the best marks in the class. No, all of those concerns were too trivial to be honored as the subject of her hatred.
Though she often envied Harry for being able to charm anyone no matter what state his hair was, being able to fly on a broomstick without praying fervently for a safe landing, or being able to accept bad marks gracefully, she would never, ever give up her life for his.
She was fine with her normal life. Well, she was, before she had to deal with the issue of being a war heroine and being smothered by fame, which was the current subject of her hatred.
"No, Crookshanks! Step away from the paint," scolded Hermione Granger as she attempted to shoo her mischievous pet out of her art studio.
The half-Kneazle blinked innocently as he darted around her and gingerly dipped his paws into the bright orange paint on the artist's palette set on the ground, before streaking out of the room in a blur of orange.
She sighed.
When the war ended five years ago, she was relieved, tired, and eager to move on from the war. Of course, restorations, trials, and funerals were unavoidable, as they were necessary to the healing process from the war. Kingsley Shacklebolt had become the British Minister of Magic, and under his guidance, the British Wizarding World was well on its way to recovery.
Naturally, the Golden Trio was given a healthy amount of money along with the option of returning back to Hogwarts or taking one of the highly paid jobs from the Ministry.
She decided take on a job at the Ministry, while Harry decided to chase after his dreams of becoming an Auror.
Ron, on the other hand, was a different story. At first, Ron had decided to become an Auror, too. However, after Hermione had turned down his ill-timed marriage proposal, he decided to become a Quidditch star. Looking back, she felt no remorse whatsoever about turning him down.
They were dining in a private booth in a Muggle restaurant near her old neighborhood. Hermione was glad that he had finally agreed to dine out in public with her for the first time since the end of the war, because she had something important to tell him.
She was finally ready to tell someone what she had discovered about her parents last month, and she decided to tell Ron before anyone else. Her trip to Australia was heartbreaking, as she discovered that her parents had been laid to rest after being killed in an accident.
"Ron," she said hesitantly, "I was wondering -"
"Hush! Don't speak," he said, grinning. He walked around to her chair, knelt down, and pulled out a small box. Inside was a big diamond ring.
"It's been two months since the day the war ended, and two months since the day we became a couple. I know you said you wanted to wait until you stabilized your career and found your parents, but I can't wait any longer. I need to know you'll be there for me. Hermione Granger, you are the most amazing girl I've ever met," he said confidently. "Will you marry me?"
She stared at him. She had read numerous columns from Witch Weekly saying he would propose soon, but she had ignored them. After all, she had talked to Ron and told him that she wanted to wait several years before she would agree to anything serious.
"Ronald, what are you doing?" she asked, a small frown on her face.
"Proposing to you! I can't stand not having someone there. I need you. Bloody hell, just say yes!" he said, scowling in annoyance. His face was beginning to turn an unflattering shade of red.
"No! I already told you what I wanted," said Hermione disapprovingly. "We're still teenagers! Look at Harry and Ginny, they're happy the way they are right now, aren't they?"
"Forget it. I knew you wouldn't take the leap of faith," he spat. "You and your bloody career can go rot in hell for all I care. Why do you think I'm training to become an Auror instead of playing Quidditch? It's always you, your career, and your job! Don't come crawling back to me when no one wants you."
They had stared at each other for a minute. Her hand gripped the seat shakily as she glared at him with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cub.
"Leave!" she said, blinking hard, as Ron glared at her and left. She paid the bill, before leaving to find Harry.
The minute Harry had opened the door to 12 Grimmauld Place, she had collapsed in his arms, choked out everything, and began sobbing.
Of course, Ron had attempted to send her flowers and apologize, but by that time, Hermione had found a job at the Department of Magical Affairs at the American Ministry of Magic and left Europe. She reasoned that anyone who could not understand her principles on life did not deserve a smidgen of her time, and she did need space away from everyone and the fame.
For a while, she had escaped fame. However, over the last few years, she had become anonymously famous under the pseudonym, Artemis Loutre, for writing articles and reviews, as well as creating exotic paintings. She wasn't complaining though; she wasn't harassed by media and it did bring in a generous amount of money. Most of the extra pocket money went towards paying for the expensive dishes she had a newly discovered fondness for and, of course, new art supplies.
"It's no wonder why I keep having to buy new supplies," Hermione grumbled as she cleaned her house (and Crookshanks) with a flick of a wrist. "Crooks, how many times have I told you not to do that?"
A satisfied meow came from her cat as he sauntered down the hall to her bedroom. She sighed as she returned back to her art studio to continue working on her new painting.
A/N: Thank you for reading, and please no flaming! I know it may have been a bit messy, but I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. Constructive criticism would be nice.
I have finally returned to the world of fanfics again after a super long hiatus thanks to the delightful load of work. A lot has happened over the past two years, and my passion for writing has flared up. I shall update my Snape/OC story when I have time, but I am currently focusing on this one.
Veiled Moon.