Disclaimer: All Harry Potter related characters, places and themes belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic.

Family Trouble

Chapter One

"Janet! Meeting in 2!" Hermione called out as she strode into her office. She had just returned from Norway after chairing a treaty talk between their Ministry and resident Mer-people. It was not a good day.

Kicking up her glossy brown curls into a high ponytail, Hermione's hazel eyes shone with pure concentration as she recalled all the pointers of the General Assembly, organised them precisely, and transferred them down onto paper with a swish of her wand.

Hurriedly, Hermione kicked off her power heels and donned a pair of trainers, transfiguring her office attire into a work out suit at the same time. She had figured that she would be able to save time that way. Time was of an essence.

She started her treadmill on Alpine Walk, Janet walked into her office seconds later with a brown doggy bag and a clip board.

"Did you manage…"

"Consider it done Hermione."

Hermione beamed at her, "I've got a meeting with the Ministry in a quarter to the hour, and tomorrow, I'll be in London till seven, then I will be port-keying to Sweden by 7.30; I won't have time to come back here, in between."

"I know Hermione, I scheduled the meetings. I'll send the files over to the hotel in Sweden, no worries. Plus I just love to wait on you in my free time." Janet replied.

"What is free time?" Hermione replied with a laugh, cranking up the treadmill to Hard Jog.

Janet, her secretary then took the initiative to brief Hermione about the meeting, "Minister Neville wants to cover your latest developments, particularly the meeting with the Goblins, and he also invites you to tea with his wife and daughter next weekend and adds that his brother-in-law is dropping in."

Hermione smiled. "I'll try to make it though I highly doubt it." she added with a roll of her eyes.

"Attendance?" Hermione questioned.

"Besides the minister, the directors on the board of Home affairs and Madam Bones as state representative."

Hermione felt the muscles on her calves stretching from the pull of the treadmill. The workout was an intense one. Hermione loved to exceed her physical endurance before meeting her clients. It cleared her mind, and allowed her to keep alert through out the different time changes.

"Thanks Janet."

"It's my job, plus I brought you a bagel, hot with jam and cream cheese."

"Just how I like it, you're a life saver Janet!" replied Hermione, snatching her tote and accepting the brown doggy bag from her secretary, she rushed into the office showers.

Janet smiled as the brunette whizzed past her. Hermione was so full of fire; it shone through her eyes and illuminated her body. Radiating, it had an effect on all of her clients; sometimes their fury and deep lines of worry could be brushed aside by her simple presence, her iron reliability.

Hermione zipped into the showers. Balancing on one leg, her slender arm supporting her against the wall, she reached out to release her hair from its confinements at the same time shaking off her pants with her leg.

Hermione quickly charmed the shower's clock to ring in 15 minutes before stepping into the cold shower. She embraced the soothing water break over her skin. Hermione relished this short time of relaxation. Her thoughts quickly went though her meeting to come and the points she wished to cover. Finding herself fully prepped, she then let her thoughts flow to more personal matters, Neville's message of instance.

Once again Hermione's brow furrowed with riled anger. It seemed now that she was nearing thirties, everybody, even those whom she had a business strictly relationship, were always trying to get her married. She didn't comment on their divorces, their affairs. Why was her personal life so interesting to them? The shrill alarm broke her out of her contemplations and she shook her head to clear it of its troubling thoughts.

Drying her body and brown curls with a flick of the wand, Hermione slipped into pinstripe sleek black pants, and a matching blazer over a blue silk under-top. Tying on her heels, she dashed from the showers, sending her tote and gym clothes to her office with the wave of her wand and grabbing the files Janet had passed her. On second thought she retrieved the bagel as well, and ran to the meeting room. Hermione loved her job.

The letter arrived while Hermione was in the meeting. Her secretary left it on her table, unsuspecting, amidst all her other important mail. That was why, Hermione was unprepared when she opened the vanilla envelope and read the tidy printed font. She was baffled and rummaged through her personal mail, from a few days back, hoping yet dreading that there was a follow up letter. She found it. A tiny scrap of paper from a week before, she had missed it due to its size. Its familiar penmanship cried out to her.

Hermione was a first class ambassador, the youngest in history and the best in her field. She could deal with revolutionary goblins, grumbling Giants and still have time for tea with a foreign minister, but what Hermione could not deal with was this. Hermione blacked out.

Hermione awoke to find herself on herself on her office room couch with her co- workers surrounding her.

"Move out! Give her some air. Don't you have work to do? Clear off!" Hermione almost smiled has she heard her domineering secretary take charge of the situation. She almost smiled, till she remembered what had brought her to this predicament. Shakily she drew herself to her feet.

Giving an assuring smile to her co- workers, she strode out of her office, keeping a strong front, till she turned the corner and apparated home.

Janet looked after her with worry etched on her face; she had never seen Hermione so flustered before. Quickly she flooed London and thereafter Sweden, reporting with deep regret that Mistress Granger was unable to meet her appointments due to dire circumstances. On second thought, she rescheduled Hermione's meetings for the next day as well, the girl needed a break.

Hermione shuddered as a wave of emotion over took her in the comforts of her home. Hurriedly she retrieved the crumpled letters from her pocket, which Janet found it necessary to stuff them into.

Smoothing them on her kitchen counter, Hermione scanned through the printed letter.

To: Ms Granger,

We would like to inform you that you have been mentioned in the will of Mr and Mrs Weasley. We would appreciate your appearance at the Weasley Willow, on the 21st of this month at 9'o clock where you will be informed of your holdings.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Wescott

Lawyer.

When she opened it in her office, Hermione was too shocked for words. Assuming it was another prank from the Weasley twins, she had not taken it too seriously, until nagging conscience told her to go through her personal mail once again.

Sure enough she had found the letter, a crumpled parchment. Bringing it into the light, Hermione was just able to make out Ginny's scrawl. It was smudged in several spaces and blotchy wet spots had let the ink run. Hermione took a deep breath before deciphering the handwriting.

It was a simple message, leaving no room for doubt, it read:

Hermione, Ron and Pansy were –smudge- on Tuesday –smudge- funeral tomorrow –smudge- hope- be there.

Today was the 20th, the parchment was a week old.

Hermione felt tears leak out of her eyes. She recalled that it was just two weeks ago when Pansy and Ron had invited her to their house for dinner. She had declined it politely, too tied up with her work. Hermione let out a strangled scream before sinking slowly to the floor and breaking out into broken sobs.

She could practically see Ron at the back of her eyelids when she shut her eyes. She could hear his voice in her ears, complaining about studying too much or debating over Quidditch, and she could almost smell his honey-wood scent. It was all so overwhelming.

She curled her body into a ball, hoping to shut out the memories and everything else that reminded her of Ron, and of Pansy. She rocked and cried till she had no more tears to spill and her voice was hoarse. She took a deep breathe and then another before pulling herself up off the floor.

Her eyes immediately flew to the photograph of the trio, she had framed on the mantle piece. They smiled and waved back at her, carefree and completely happy. Her eyes travelled, to the photograph next to that, one depicting a blushing Pansy with Ron giving her a whooping kiss, both were decked in wedding outfits and Harry and Ginny were smiling from the background.

Hermione's thoughts flew to her two other best friends. She knew what she had to do.

Moving, she travelled to her room and in her haphazard state threw clothes and belongings into her suitcase. She then scrawled a small note on a piece of paper, informing Janet that she would not be appearing at work the next day, or the next few days for that matter and if she could forward her mail to her.

With her wand in one hand, and her suitcase in her other, she left her apartment and entered the main streets of Hong Kong. Flagging a taxi, she hurriedly directed him to the international airport, arriving just in time to catch a plane to London.

Hermione hardly remembered the taxi ride to the airport, nor did she remember the flight to England. In fact, she could not even recall how she got to the Burrow, only knowing that she had reached there with everything intact.

Hermione nearly collapsed with fatigue when she arrived at the once familiar doorstep. All the way here she had never lost her nerve, only knowing that it was the right thing to do. Up till now she had not realised how distant she had become from her friends ever since she took up her job as an ambassador, in a foreign country.

It was what five years? Six? Since she had last seen them? Hermione was now scared. What if they did not accept her? "Stop being so silly!" She told herself, ringing the doorbell. She could hear it vibrating throughout the house. She never recalled the Burrow being so silent.

So lost was she in her contemplations that Hermione did not notice the door swing open and a familiar red head peak out. What she did notice was when the red-head wrapped her in a bone crushing hug threatening to strangle her. Realising the woman was non other than Ginny; Hermione hugged her back with gusto. Ginny was now sobbing silently on her shoulder.

"I am so sorry Gin…I.." Ginny shushed her, and straightened, attempting a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Mione" she squeaked, her eyes overflowing with sorrow. Hermione nodded in comprehension. Retrieving her bags from the doorstep, she followed Ginny into the parlour and was reintroduced to the solemn Weasley clan.

They smiled faintly at her. Long gone was the sparkle in their eyes and the aura of warmth. Hermione offered a weak smile, and was enveloped in a strong hug from . Hermione weakly patted her shoulder. Amongst the four of them, Ginny was always the best at comforting people. Hermione failed miserably in that aspect. Yet at this moment, she let the older woman cling to her, she seemed to need all the warmth she could get.

"Harry! Hermione is here!"

Hermione heard Ginny's voice echoing through the house. Moments later footsteps were heard on the stairs and a dishevelled Harry appeared. Hermione smiled at her best friend. He had hardly changed. His untameable black hair still stuck up in all directions and glasses framed his green eyes.

Harry smiled his first smile on seeing her, and in a hoarse yell he grabbed her hands and swung her around. This certainly lifted the mood temporarily amongst the Weasleys. Molly finally straightened, " Dinner's up in two." She shouted, bustling to the kitchen. The familiar paraphrase soon returned a bit of spark to the Weasley family though their wounds were still raw within their hearts.

Hermione woke due to her natural bio-clock. Glancing at her watch, she realised it was 2 in the morning, Hong Kong 8am. Hermione hurriedly got up. She had not flooed the office since she arrived.

Clad in her overlarge T-shirt, which served as her night-ware, Hermione padded down to the Weasley's kitchen to service their floo network.

"Harry?"

"Mione, you scared me!" Harry replied, clutching his heart in mock trepidation.

"Sorry." Hermione entered the kitchen to find Harry seated at the counter, seeking solitude in a mug of coffee.

"Hold up, I need contact the office." Hermione added in brief after thought, throwing the floo powder into the fireplace and calling out to Janet's private cubicle.

Meanwhile Harry busied himself with preparing another mug of coffee.

"No, Janet, I need the papers."

"No, I am fine"

Harry smiled as he heard Hermione's side of the argument, she was still the ever work immersed girl he grew up with.

"Yes, I can manage."

"Janet!...Neville?"

Hermione asked in confusion, she was arguing with Janet to collect her unfinished paper work, but her secretary firmly held her ground, not wanting to pass anything to Hermione while she was enjoying her leave. To her utmost surprise, Neville had personally written in to back up Janet's stand. Hermione growled in frustration and severed the Floo connection.

Turning to Harry, "This is ridiculous. My own secretary refuses to send me my paperwork, and my boss is in agreement with this" Hermione managed a flustered growl before seating at the counter with a pout on her lips.

Harry broke into a laugh, and voiced his earlier thoughts "You remind me of the time when you got mad at the Professors because they did not assign us homework over our Easter break."

Hermione glowered. "It was our NEWTS year! They were being ridiculous, the exams were right around the corner- it is not funny!" Hermione countered as Harry broke into a chuckle.

Harry observed Hermione as she drank her coffee, he hadn't seen his best friend for ages, yet some things hardly seem to have changed over time. She was still the same passionate bookworm he had known and grew to treasure.

"I can't help it that I love my work." Hermione added, in contemplation of her answer.

"So do I, but I am not married to it!" replied, Harry.

"Neither am I!" Hermione shot back, yet she felt a bit unsure.

"Speaking of which, Gin and I are leaving for home tomorrow, can't leave the boys alone for too long."

Hermione nodded vaguely, this was a part of Harry's life that she was unfamiliar with, she had been far too involved with her work.

"Harry? I am sorry that I wasn't here for you and Ginny, after Ron…"

"Nah, I think Ginny needed you more than I did. But it's fine, the best thing is that you are here now."

Hermione nodded he head, her brown curls catching her chin. She didn't tell Harry of the deep sense of guilt she felt. Of how, she had not known of Ron's death till the naming of his will came up.

Harry seemed to sense her inner turmoil. "Hermione?" he questioned.

"I don't know Harry. It seems so…" Hermione searched for the right words to describe the feeling of loss she felt without Ron. It was queer, how she had hardly seen them, yet knowing that they were there, alive, had kept her assured. Yet now to know that she would never get to see Ron, or Pansy for that matter, no matter how she rescheduled or postponed her meetings and work, she would never ever see his sparkling eyes and fiery mass of hair!

Harry nodded in comprehension. He understood the feelings she went through. After all they mirrored his own.

He listened to her in silence.

Hermione was glad that Harry did not attempt to interrupt her or mollycoddle her with passive words that they both did not believe in. She did not think she would be able to digest another 'it is alright' or that 'she should forget about it and move on'. Tomorrow she was sure she would be back to her usual self, but right now she wanted to just morn in silence without any disturbance, and to remember everything about her best friend.

And that was how daybreak found them, seated in the Weasley kitchen and staring out in deep thought.

a/n: So it has been awhile. 2 years to be exact. I have gone through this once more, re-editing and adding here and there. Hopefully you will like it! I would love to hear from you if you do or don't like it.