This is my first Harry Potter fic. I had this idea for a while, but i haven't really got round to writing it.

Coming Together Again

Summery: Five years after the fall of Voldermort, life hasn't really become any better for the trio. After the final battle, they all went their seperate ways to deal with their life and to truly find their meaning in life. But when a new election to find a new Minister for Magic and a candidate who has a dislike to muggle borns, will the famous trio be reunited in their greatest time of need?

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this fic. This fiction is purely for entertainment and in no circumstance will make a profit out of it. I do not own Harry Potter.

Hermione choked a small sob as she read the headline on the front page of the Daily Prophet. The big bold black letters felt like a stab to her heart and dignity every time she read the headline that took all of the page. ' New election means fear for muggle-borns'. Hermione felt outraged that the Ministry was even considering this man as a candidate for a new Minister for Magic.

With a fit of anger, Hermione threw the newspaper across the table and placed her head in her hands, she tried so hard not to cry, but she couldn't help but feel a few drops of warm tears falling slowly down her face.

Ever since the death of Voldermort her life began to spin out of control. She had been badly injured during the last battle. She had suffered the effects of many different painful curses, each more painful than the last until her contribution in the battle had cruelly ended with one curse. She had suffered greatly from one of the Unforgivable Curses. The Cruciatus Curse was aimed directly at her by a hiding Death Eater just as Voldermort was about to be defeated, she didn't know how long she was under the cruel curse since she passed out after the first few minutes.

The next thing she knew she was waking up on a ward in St. Mungo's. Harry was in a stable condition and had woken up just a few hours before she did. He had a few cuts and bruises on his body and had suffered from numerous spells and curses, but apart from that he was fine. Ron appeared to be well, to Hermione's relief he just sustained some cuts and bruises that were on the verge of healing. All three of them will forever carry a constant reminder of what happened that dark night. Memories of the final battle haunted all of their dreams. Even years later, they still had clear images and feelings of the night that went down in history, the night they finally defeated the Dark Lord.

After the battle things didn't get any better for Hermione. Two years after the battle there was a breakout from Azkaban. Some of Voldermort's followers has escaped and were on the run. The wizarding community was on high alert, but that didn't stop the escaped Death Eaters from killing again. One night the Death Eaters broke into her house. Her mother was the first to hear the disturbance downstairs, thinking it was just Crooksanks knocking something onto the kitchen floor so she went to investigate. After hearing her mother scream Hermione ran as fast as she could, only to be blinded by a bright green light as the words 'Avada Kedavra' left the Death Eaters lips. She then saw her lifeless mother fall to the ground, with the Death Eater that killed her grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Hermione could never forget what happened that night. The screams of her mother haunted her sleep.

About a month after her mother was murdered, Hermione's father suffered a fatal heart attack. Deep down Hermione knew it wasn't a heart attack, she knew that her father died of a broken heart. Her mum and dad had always been together. They met in school and since then they had been the perfect couple. The devastation and heartbreak was what lead to her father's death. The death of her mother, resulted in the loss of her father. That was the thing that hurt her the most, she couldn't be there for him. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't help him with the pain he felt. She lost both her parents, and nothing she could do could bring them back.

Another thing she let slip from her fingers was her friendship with Ron, Ginny and Harry. She didn't know what happened that caused them to drift apart like things being lost in a strong current. After the fall of Voldermort, Harry seemed to be going through a time of crisis. He didn't know what his life was for anymore, since all his live he was known as the Boy-who-lived. He was going through a major life changing time. He needed to find what he was truly about, and felt that to fulfil this need he had to find himself alone. He didn't like making that decision, neither did his friends' but they soon understood. The last she heard from Harry was two years ago, he wanted to help the wizarding community, so he decided to train to become an Auror.

Ron was a slightly different story. After the fall of Voldermort, Ron became more confident in his magic. He decided to train to become a qualified Auror. For the first few years after the final battle they still wrote to each other, but after the death of her parents and Ron's constant missions the letters seemed to stop altogether. The last time she received a letter from him was before he went on a secret mission to Egypt.

Hermione and Ginny still kept in contact, but only with occasional owls. After a few years the letters stopped altogether. This saddened Hermione since she treasured the friendship she had with Ginny. The last time Hermione heard from Ginny was that she was a qualified nurse working at St. Mungo's.

Hermione got a job working in the Ministry. She worked hard, coming in early and leaving late. Work seemed to be paramount for Hermione since everything else in her life seemed to either have gone or was fading like an old painting.

Hermione looked up at the clock that hung next to the door of her flat. She almost leaped out of her seat when she realised she had less than ten minutes to get to work. She grabbed her pink scarf and wrapped it round her neck to keep the cold out. She grabbed her coat and bag and ran out the door.

She didn't like to apparate to work, she liked to walk even in the blistering cold. It gave her a sense of reality and gave her time to truly think before going to her desk where she will be surely stacked with work to do.

When she finally got to her department she made her way slowly towards her office. She dumped her bag on the back of her chair. She took her coat and scarf and hung them on the peg that was placed on the wall to her right.

Her office was painted light blue. Several bookshelves where placed around numerous places in her office, all of which were cluttered with books. Her large window looked out onto a busy street where she liked to stand and watch life go by right in front of her.

She was just about to open up a file to work on when she heard a knock on her office door. She wondered who it might be, since all of her work she needed was already on her desk. She slowly stood up and walked over to open the door, the person who knocked for her was one of the last people she expected to see. The person, who was standing in her doorway, was Ronald Weasley.

Hermione was shocked. She would have never thought that she would see him again since they never exchanged letters anymore. She stood there staring at her old best friend and noticed how much he had changed since she last saw him. He seemed to be more muscular and taller. His wavy red hair stopped at his ears. His face seemed to be the same, but some features had obviously matured.

"Hello Hermione"

Hermione was still in shock. She couldn't believe that after all this time Ron would be standing in her office doorway, smiling at her.

"Well aren't you going to let me in then?" Ron asked with a cheeky smile on his lips.

Hermione snapped back into reality, she looked at Ron again and gave a light smile as she moved out of the way so Ron could pass through. She walked over to her desk and sat down, she gestured Ron to sit in the chair opposite.

"Blimey Hermione, this office is big" Ron said in amazement. Hermione knew he was only trying to break the thick ice that had been made between the two.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks" She said as she took a cup and filled it with some hot tea using her wand. "Would you like a drink?" She asked politely.

Ron looked at Hermione's facial expression, she seemed nervous and he didn't blame her. "No thanks Hermione"

Hermione simply nodded as she took a sip from her tea and placed it back on the oak wood desk. She looked at Ron with an uneasy expression. What do you say to a friend who you haven't had any contact in years with?

"So" Ron and Hermione both said at the same time. They both gave a nervous laugh "You first" Hermione said to Ron.

"I was just going to say how have you been" Ron asked curiously.

"Oh I have been fine, considering the circumstances" Hermione said politely "You?" She asked curiously.

Ron shrugged "Cant really complain" He said unenthusiastically. Hermione simply nodded. Ron looked at her with a light smile "So what was it you were going to say to me?" Ron asked suddenly.

Hermione looked to the side and back to meet Ron's blue eyes. "I just wanted to ask, what are you doing here?" Hermione said as she moved a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Ron knew she was going to ask a question like this, and quite frankly he knew he deserved it. He hadn't been the best of friends to her in the recent years. After he left to Egypt he never wrote, he never expected Hermione to since there are strict rules that disallow people at home contacting Aurors who were on a mission. He felt immensely guilty that he didn't write to her when he was out there, and even when he came back. "I was expecting that question, I just wanted to see you" Ron said in a sincere voice.

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. "So after all these years you decided to see me now?" Hermione asked with a small sob "Why didn't you come sooner?"

Ron looked at the floor he knew how upset she was. He knew how much loss she had been through, the death of her mother and soon after the death of her father. Ron just wished he could have been there more for her. He left for Egypt shortly after her dad's funeral. He knew that Harry felt the same, for he too abandoned his friend at their time of need. Harry knew about the death of her parents from Ron, but he too never gave her much support afterwards. Something Ron knew Harry deeply regretted.

Ron looked at Hermione and sighed "I couldn't, I wanted to but every time I tried I tried I just couldn't face you" Ron explained.

Hermione nodded "So you think I am some kind of monster, who will rip you to shreds if you go anywhere near me, is it?" Hermione cried in an annoyed tone.

Ron's eyes widened "No! That's not what I meant" Ron defended.

Hermione gave a small snort "Then what did you mean?" she challenged.

Ron ran his hands through his hair "I meant that I was scared. I was scared that if I came sooner I would have to leave you again. I was scared that if I came back you would have forgotten me" Ron said in a melancholy tone.

Hermione sighed "I thought you and Harry forgot about me, you never wrote, or replied so in the end I gave up" Hermione confessed, her eyes glossy with tears.

Ron wasn't surprised to say the least, he knew that one of the reasons Hermione felt like this was that he didn't write to her, or at least give her some indication that he was alive "I'm sorry Hermione, I know I should have written to you. I know how hard it's been for you and me not bothering to write letters must have added to your pain. I know I had several chances to write, but whenever I sat down with the quill and parchment I didn't know what to write. I never once forgot you Hermione, I thought about you everyday and it killed me not being able to see one of my best friends" Ron explained softly.

Hermione gave a small smile as Ron wiped the single teardrop that fell down her face away.

"I knew deep down that you didn't forget me, but when the letters stopped coming doubts began flowing in my head. I shouldn't have given up, but when I didn't receive any I just thought what's the point?" Hermione sadly explained.

Ron looked into her eyes he could see what she had been through. Her eyes showed a lot of sorrow and heartache. He hated seeing her like this. He couldn't help but feel partly responsible for this.

"I'm sorry Hermione" Ron said apologetically.

Hermione looked confused "Why are you apologising?"

Ron stood up and walked round the desk to Hermione "I haven't been fair, neither me or Harry have. We weren't there for you when you needed us most, you were there for us and we couldn't be there for you. You had to deal with your parents' death practically on your own, and that wasn't fair on you" Ron explained.

Hermione sucked on her lip and smiled "It's ok, really. You needed to find yourself and you did, I don't want you to regret that. I am fine really, I dealt with their death, yes I still mourn them, but I learnt to move on" Hermione tried to reassure Ron, but his guilt was just too stubborn.

"Hermione, you didn't deserve the treatment we gave you. We were too preoccupied with finding ourselves that we completely forgot about another important thing in our lives, you" Ron said softly.

"Why are you talking on Harry's behalf?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"I know Harry feels the same way and I thought it would be best to clear it at once" Ron explained.

Hermione took a deep breath "If Harry feels the same way, let him come to talk to me. You can't defend Harry forever Ron" Hermione told him.

Ron didn't know what to say everything he said dug himself deeper. He knew Hermione was hurting, but he knew she didn't want to admit it to him.

"I just wanted make it clear to you that we both care about you Hermione, I don't think we have been making it clear lately" Ron explained.

"I know you care, you proved that today when you came. I don't want you to tell me what Harry feels, I want to know why you came here. What you think about what happened to us" She reassured the red head.

Ron gave a short sigh "I don't know what happened to us Hermione, after the war things changed. We all changed. I guess we needed to find what we could do with our lives but along the way we must have lost each other."

"We did lose each other, we tried to deal with the after math of the war in our own way. Unfortunately dealing with it in our own way had its own consequences. We lost contact with each other, the last time I heard from you was when you were just leaving for Egypt, that was two years ago. Same with Harry, last I heard he had joined the ministry as an Auror. My own consequence was far greater than yours was, for mine is a constant memory. The constant memory of my parents dying right in front of me!" Hermione choked out. She had broken into tears. Ron brought her into a comforting hug to try and calm her down. He rubbed her back gently to soothe her sobs, gently moving side to side to try and make her relax.

Ron rested his chin on Hermione's soft brown locks. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He needed to be strong for Hermione. She desperately needed her best friends in her life, and he was only beginning to realise that. He felt horrible for leaving on these missions that did nothing to help him when he could have been at home, doing something that meant something to him. His family and friends are the most important thing in his life, he didn't need to go on different missions around the world to find who he was, and he always had the things he needed here. He didn't realise what he had until this moment.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to you parents Hermione. It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself. The Death Eaters are the ones that should be blamed!" Ron said in a calm tone, he felt Hermione tense when he mentioned the Death Eaters. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned.

"I don't blame myself, not anymore. I just wake up in cold sweats most nights with an image of my mother lying on the floor lifeless with the Death Eater smiling at what he had done! Smiling at her like she were a prize! That smile won't go away! If I am not waking up due to that, it's the time leading up to the death of my father. He died shortly after my mum was murdered. I remember that night clearly. The night the doctors said he has a heart attack. He didn't have a heart attack Ron; he died of a broken heart. The look on his face was something I never want to see again, I couldn't do anything, I couldn't do anything to save them!" Hermione cried with tears falling down her cheeks. This was the first time she had told anyone how she really felt. How much pain she was going through. "I lost both of my parents that night, I was so scared" Hermione added in a hoarse whisper.

Ron stroked her hair, tears ran down the side of his face as he realised how much his best friend was hurting. He wasn't there for her when she needed it most. He could tell how much she needed Harry and him just by holding her. She was so vulnerable. He just thanked Merlin that she wasn't killed that night as well.

"Hermione" Ron began with a guilty tone "I am so sorry I wasn't there for you, you needed me and I wasn't there as much as I could have been" Ron apologised softly.

Hermione pushed gently away from Ron and looked into his eyes that were now filled with tears. "It's ok, you're here now" She said lightly as she wiped a tear from his eye with her thumb. She wiped her tears and put on a smile. Hermione looked at Ron for a moment "Ron, not that I am ungrateful that you are here, but why are you here? Surely you didn't just come for a surprise reunion, there must be a reason" Hermione asked curiously.

Ron looked uneasy. He didn't know whether or not to tell Hermione about the real reason he came. He didn't want to worry her. Then again she probably would already know about it, knowing Hermione she would. He took a deep breath as he prepared himself to tell Hermione what was going on.

"Have you been reading the Daily Prophet recently?" Ron asked casually.

"Ron, this isn't the time to be making small talk" Hermione scolded.

"No, I mean have you been reading it? Did you see the front page of today's paper?" Ron explained nervously.

Hermione paled. As soon as Ron mentioned the front page of today's Daily Prophet her heart began to race. "Yes…" She answered quietly.

Ron saw Hermione turn a ghostly white, she reminded him of the poltergeists back at Hogwarts. "So you know about the upcoming election?" Ron said with worry.

Hermione simply nodded. Her throat seemed to have clogged up with fear, the fear of what Ron would say next.

"One of the candidates, Dean Mattican is running for Minister of Magic, he…he…how do I say this? He has a…strong dislike for…muggle-borns. He thinks that they aren't good enough for the wizarding world" Ron stopped. He couldn't say anymore, but he knew he needed to. Hermione had a right to know since she would be one of the people affected by the election if he is chosen as the new Minister. He took hold of Hermione's now cold hands and held them tight. Giving both some form of comfort. " He doesn't want them in the wizard world. He thinks muggle-born witches and wizards are weak and have only weakened us. He blames everything that has happened on muggle-borns. He claims that muggle-borns, including witches and wizards that have muggle and wizard parents are to blame. He thinks that if they weren't allowed to learn magic, then Voldermort wouldn't have obtained the magical knowledge to become something so evil. I know it sounds stupid, but people will buy it. That's where I come in, I wanted to help fight against this campaign and stop him from winning the election" Ron explained. He had also gone pale. He hated people who were prejudiced and discriminated against muggle born witches and wizards.

Hermione had been silent for a while now. Ron could feel her hands were icy cold. Her face was still pale and her expression was dull. He put it down to shock. It was a lot to take in, especially for Hermione.

"I can't believe it, why would someone blame Voldermorts' evil doings on muggle borns?" Hermione whispered hoarsely.

Ron looked into her brown eyes. He saw how much sorrow filled them, how much was the world going to destroy her? He could never begin to wonder how much pain she felt. He brought her in for another comforting hug. He leaned his head on her hair as a tear fell down his face "I don't know Hermione, but I promise I will do anything I can to stop him before he hurts you" Ron said in a brave tone. He would do anything in his power to stop that man from hurting Hermione and put an end to this, once and for all.

Well here is chapter one! Please tell me what you think.

cutehelenjames