My Place in this World
Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Rowling or Meyer, and I have no intention of making profit from my work. I just want to play with their characters a bit. :)
The war had finally come to an end, and I honestly had no clue what to do in a life where I was no longer consumed by anxiety and danger. Prior to the war, I had such high aspirations. I wanted to pursue my education in multiple fields—particularly potions and charms—but it did not seem so important to me anymore. Perhaps I just needed a break, and that was what Ronald unwittingly gave me.
Did he do this out of the kindness of his heart? No. However, his actions definitely gave me a chance to grow on my own, out of the ever-present spotlight that came with being a member of the "Golden Trio."
After the Final Battle, the members of the Order, and many others among the magical community were so happy to be alive that we acted perhaps a bit rashly. Ronald and I had not been dating long, but we decided to move in together and continue our romance. I suppose at the time I fancied it a great love, but in retrospect, it was more of an expected relationship. Everyone thought we were going to end up together, but we truly did not make much sense as a couple. In the back of my mind, that truth existed and attempted to persuade me to move on with my life without my red-haired beau, but I quickly muffled that portion of my consciousness. Truthfully, I may still be with him today if it was not for his inability to stay faithful.
Had I been paying attention, I may have seen the signs that he was having an affair with another. He often smelled of a very strong perfume, but I thought perhaps it was just from the women that surrounded him in the menial office job he took at the ministry. Eventually, he wanted to become an auror, but he too seemed to desire a break from the chaotic lifestyle we'd been leading since adolescence. Certainly he had numerous female admirers. As a war hero, women flocked to him to offer their gratitude through gifts and propositions. It never really bothered me. He enjoyed the attention, and I believed that he loved and admired me enough to prevent him from straying.
Another indicator should have been his late nights at the office, and the disheveled appearance he had when he would come home afterward. Truly, his job was not so important that he needed to stay late, but I thought that perhaps his propensity for procrastination required his attendance after work. I probably never would have caught him if he had not brought this lewd behavior into our house.
Ronald had not expected me home for several more hours. I had been working at the ministry in an entirely different branch. I had been studying under a well-known potions master, and we tested new potions and ingredient combinations. It was utterly fascinating, and I probably would have continued down that path if I had not arrived home early that Friday afternoon.
Upon my arrival, I had not expected Ronald to be home, but I soon saw the plastic containers that once held food strewn across the countertops, and it alerted me of his presence. Rolling my eyes, I quickly disposed of his trash, having long ago become accustomed to his less-than-stellar housekeeping skills, and I went upstairs to our bedroom, thinking I would find him napping. However, as I made it to hallway just outside of our bedroom, I started hearing grunts. I quickly took out my wand, realizing something was out of place, and I inched the bedroom door open only to see Ronald naked and sweating on top of a blonde coworker.
They did not hear me, but my first thought was to hex both of them. I felt so angry, humiliated, and foolish. After nearly unleashing a few particularly nasty spells at the two fornicators, I collected myself, and instead went to grab the magical camera I had received from Harry as a birthday present last year. I took two pictures of them in case anybody had any doubts about why the relationship was coming to an end. I thought the pictures could speak quite clearly in the event that he attempted to turn this on me to save his own pristine reputation. I stuck one picture on the refrigerator…for I knew he'd find that note there before any other place…along with a note telling him under no uncertain terms that our relationship no longer existed.
After writing the note, I realized the gravity of my situation. I could stay in the house and kick Ronald out without any reproach from anyone in the community, but I could not stand to see the looks of pity that I knew would paint the faces of my friends and acquaintances. No, I had to find somewhere else to go, at least for a while. For a while, I considered Australia. My parents had decided to stay there after I came to return their memories to them. At first, they were quite disgruntled and upset, but they realized my good intentions, and forgave me rather quickly. They would let me stay with them, but I truthfully did not feel the urge to move back in with my parents after all I'd been through. I could not stand the thought of being treated like a teenager after all of my life experiences, so I thought about other family members.
The only person with whom I thought I could stay for an extended period of time was my Uncle Charlie. He is the older brother of my mother, and he lives in Forks, Washington. I haven't seen him much since I turned eleven, but he always was quiet and did not pry into my life in the manner my grandparents and other family members did. He was much more relaxed and laid-back, but he was genuinely a caring person. I penned a quick note to Harry and Ginny explaining the circumstances around my departure, and I sent it with my owl Eclipse before apparating to the Ministry to inform my department of the resignation of my imminent departure.
They took the news rather well, although they were sad to see me leave, and with that out of the way, I called my uncle on my cell phone. The phone rang three times before I heard his gruff voice."
"Hello?"
"Hey, Uncle Charlie. It's Hermione."
"Hermione? Wow. It's been a long time. How have you been?" he asked, clearly shocked by my call. I could only recall ever speaking with him on the phone twice, and both times were after he has spoken with my mother first.
"I've been fine, Charlie. How have you been?"
"I've been good. Bells moved in with me a few months ago. It's been nice having her around for a change," he responded.
After a bit more small talk, I told him the reason behind my calling. I explained to him the situation I was in with Ronald, and I asked if I could stay with him for a while.
"Sure, 'Mione. You know you're always welcome here. I have one bedroom left, it's rather small, but hopefully it'll work for now. I'm sure Bells will be very excited to hear that you're coming. She asks about you from time to time. Let me know when you'll be flying into Seattle, and I'll be there to pick you up from the airport."
"Thank you so much. I will be in touch. I have a few loose ends to tie up here, but I plan to leave tomorrow if at all possible."
"Sounds great. I'll hear from you soon, then."
"Talk to you soon. Goodbye, Charlie."
I hung up my phone, and let out a sigh that I hadn't been aware I was holding in all day. Deciding that I did not want to risk running into Ronald at Harry's place, I rented a room in Diagon Alley and made flight arrangements, planning on removing my personal items from my house in the morning, hopefully without running into Ronald. I fell asleep feeling nervous and anxious about my new beginning, but also somewhat content in the fact that I would no longer be following my expected path. I'd be branching out on my own, no longer one of the "Golden Trio;" instead, just Hermione Granger. I'd have my own identity that I could form without my fame overshadowing me.
