"Come on Hermione, you could at least try to be more sympathetic. You're the one who's punched him in the face!"
"I believe you've done the same thing, Harry. Multiple times." Hermione responded (in a notably unsympathetic fashion).
She sat on Harry's couch calmly listening to him fret and rant as she sipped her tea. Honestly, she thought that she really shouldn't be all that surprised that Harry hadn't grown out of his juvenile hatred for Malfoy over the past seven years since the battle. It was Harry she was talking about here. Since when was he not ruled by his emotions? Especially anger and resentment. She sighed, tuning out his sarcastic retort.
"You're both going to be professors - you can't go around bickering all the time anymore! I know you don't particularly like him, and neither do I. He was a right git throughout most of our time at Hogwarts, and he made some really poor decisions, but he also didn't turn you in to the snatchers. And you saved his life in the Room of Requirement, and his mother saved yours by lying to Voldemort (one of the most powerful legilimens in the world)! We may have had a bad start with him, but he's not evil. I'm sure if you just talk to him and tell him you don't want to fight, then you two can be perfectly civil."
Harry looked as if he'd just gotten a scolding from Mrs. Weasley. Which, he realised, he had, just not from the one he was thinking of. He was thrilled that his two best friends had finally gotten married, but he was still getting used to thinking of them that way.
If it had been up to Ron they would've been married within a year of the final battle, but of course Hermione didn't agree. She wanted to further her career, and only once she became head of the Muggle Liaison office at the Ministry did she accept his proposal. Her independence made it especially hard for Harry to think of her as 'Mrs. Weasley,' a name that only brought up images of Molly in his head. No, she would always just be Hermione.
"Okay, I'll try, but you know how he gets under my skin. And if he starts being a prick I can't make any promises."
"Just talk to him. I want this job to make you happy, okay? You've been so down ever since Ginny and you...well, you need a change of pace and you can't be happy if you're always fighting with Malfoy."
"Yeah, I guess, thanks."
"Oh Harry, come on, don't go all mopey because I mentioned Ginny. It's true, you've been taking it too hard."
"Well how am I supposed to be taking it? She's the only serious relationship I've ever had! We've essentially been dating since Sixth Year, and we've been married for five years!"
"You mean you were married for five years."
"Oh thanks Hermione, I really needed that reminder," he spat sarcastically.
"Honestly, I didn't mean it that way, but you've got to move on. It's been almost a year now, I mean she's moved on-"
"Oh I'm well aware of that. She's the one who wanted-"
Hermione continued on patiently.
"And you should as well. Since when have you needed someone in your life? In school you didn't date hardly at all. You weren't even interested in anyone until Cho Chang, and you only sort of dated for like two weeks! Come on Harry, you know things weren't working out- that's why she wanted the divorce. You guys wanted completely different things from life. You want a lot of kids and that's great, but Ginny doesn't. She doesn't want to be like her mother (not that Molly's not a lovely woman), and she doesn't want to possibly give up her spot on the Holyhead Harpies or miss a season for a baby. This job is what she's dreamed of her entire life! She's not going to give that up to have a child she's not ready for. Plus with her playing professional quidditch and you being an auror, how was the baby going to be looked after? You guys would be gone all of the time!"
"I know, I know. I just wish...that things had been different. I mean that was kinda my life plan. Get married to Ginny, become an auror, have a big family. I guess I didn't really think about..."
"If you really wanted it? If it would work? Harry I think you made the right decision in quitting the aurors. I know they tried to guilt trip you into staying because you're the 'Saviour of the Wizarding World,' but you really didn't need all of that stress. And I know you're tired, I mean you've been chasing dark wizards practically your entire life, you've got to give it a rest at some point."
"Yeah, I am kinda tired. And I'll try to make a truce with Malfoy and put the whole Ginny thing behind me if it makes you feel better."
Hermione sighed.
"It's not about me feeling better."