I pray that I don't disappoint.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. The story is set after Deathly Hallows, but I am ignoring the epilogue.

Raspberries After Dark

Chapter One: Blishen's Firewhiskey

"Please, Draco?" Pansy whined. Again.

Draco looked up into her eyes, which happened to be only centimeters away from his own. He regretted coming over to her place. Again. All she wanted was sex. Again. And Draco didn't want it. Again. At least, not with her. He found her physically unattractive. Plus she was demanding, rude, loud, vain, pushy-

"What are you thinking about, baby?" She asked as she ran a bony finger along his jaw line.

She pushed her breasts up against his chest and with her free hand she twirled a strand of her plain hair. Once she reached his chin with her finger she brought her it up and traced his lips. Then she leaned in for a kiss. Leaning back into the coach, Draco pretend to be interested in an invisible hangnail. He was beginning to feel agitated with her body pushed up against his. Her hips dug into his stomach and he ached to get her off of him.

"Uh," he muttered as he pushed her off onto the couch. He stood up and flattened the winkles on his suit jacket with a few brushes of his hand. "What? Oh, uh, I need to go. I have important business to take care of."

He smoothed his hair back into place and checked to make sure he didn't have any scuffs on his shoes. Pansy looked like a stubborn child as she pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Business? What type of business?" She whined. Draco wished she would learn how to speak as though she was twenty, not five. "Dray-cooo, it is almost midnight. What do you possibly have to do? Wait! Can I come with you?"

Her eyes lit up as if that was the greatest idea ever thought of. Draco felt as if the temperature in the room had jumped to unbearable conditions. He strutted over to his briefcase next to her fireplace and he lightly loosened his dark blue tie. Grumbling, he stepped into her fireplace.

"No. I'll see you some other time. Don't follow me to my office, either. I'll owl you in a few days... or something."

Lie.

Pansy rushed over to the fireplace and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "A few days? That's so long."

"Mm," Draco nodded, "I'll uh.. miss you."

Lie.

"Miss you too, sweetie! Miss you already!"

That seemed to make Pansy happy. Damn, shouldn't have said that. Is it too late to take something like that back? Probably. Oh well.

"I'm leaving you."

Hermione was standing outside of her flat with her keys still in her hand, staring at Ron Weasley who was holding an envelope in one hand and the handle of his suitcase in the other. Hermione blinked. Less than two minutes ago she could not wait to get home to tell Ron about her remarkable first day at work. Tears gradually started to swell in her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Hermione," Ron exhaled carefully. "I am leaving you."

Everything in her vision began to swirl. Ron extended the envelope that was in his hand towards her. Hermione looked down at the envelope and took it silently while a few tears spilled off of her cheeks. She looked back up at Ron who was pinching the bridge of his nose. Her fingers started to shake, then her legs started to wobble. The urge to vomit was increasingly overtaking her.

"Leaving?" she managed to choke out.

Then she impulsively shoved him. He stumbled backwards and tripped over his suitcase. There was an awarding thud from his body crashing into her hardwood floor. In two quick, fluid motions she stepped over him and furiously chucked her keys across the room. Her bushy, brown hair fell in front of her face and she furiously attempted to swipe it out of the way as she fumbled with words.

"Wha.. wh- WHY?"

Ron was scurrying to get off the floor and outside of her front door.

"The letter explains ever-"

"Blimey, Ron. A letter!" Hermione screamed as she stepped towards the entrance of her flat, waving the envelope in her hand. "You don't have the guts to tell me to my face? You're a bloody coward! You.. you bastard!"

Ron shook his head and murmured, "I expected you to handle this a bit better."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry, dear. Should I be grinning from ear to ear right now? Perhaps you expected me to kiss you on the cheek and happily wave goodbye instead?"

She flopped her arms in the air and glared at him.

Ron swallowed and ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "We're not right for each other, Hermione. I will always love you, just..." he sighed as he uncomfortably shifted his weight, "just not like love-love. Like a 'I have known you for a really long time and I love our friendship-love.'"

Every muscle in Hermione's body felt tight. Confusion punched her in the gut and she suddenly could not bring herself to understand why everything seemed perfectly fine between them yesterday. They were happy, laughing, and kissing more than usual. And now he was leaving her? It made no sense to her. Ron looked agonizingly uneasy.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

Hermione held up a single finger, hoping he would get the message to hold on for a second. She stepped over to her fireplace and grabbed her favorite photograph of her and Ron. In the moving picture Ron was kissing Hermione rather passionately outside of Harry's flat. The pictured couple pulled back and smiled at each other. Hermione wanted to hurl it across the room or hit him in the face with it, but she walked back over to her front door and tossed into Ron's open hand. Ron looked down at the picture and frowned.

"You-" he stammered, "but... this was your favorite picture of us."

Exasperated, Hermione said, "Why in bloody hell would I want it now?"

After taking the picture out of the frame and tucking it into his pocket he looked back up at Hermione and handed her the silver frame that was in the shape of a heart. His face was blank – emotions unreadable. A moment later he was gone. Apparated. Hermione was left staring at the door of the flat across the hall from her.

Moments later Hermione was looking up at her ceiling while lying horizontally on her bed, an empty bottle of Blishen's Firewhiskey in her hand. Ron didn't remember to take it so Hermione decided to drain the contents of the bottle. Hermione heard someone walk inside her flat and then the letter that Ron had gave her fluttered upon her stomach. Hermione rolled her head over to find Ginny lie down next to her.

"I saw the letter on your dining table," Ginny said while lightly taking the firewhiskey bottle out of Hermione's hand. "So I read it and I think you should read it. Ron showed up at Harry's while we were watching a muggle flick. When I saw his luggage in his hand I didn't even bother to ask him any questions, I quickly left and apparated to the outside of your building. How are you holding up, sweetie?"

Hermione closed her eyes and chewed on the inside of her lower lip.

"How do you know I haven't read the letter already?"

"Because I know you too well, silly."

Hermione sat up a little too quickly. A wave of dizziness rushed over her and everything momentarily turned into little black dots. She chuckled at how tipsy she had already gotten and fumbled with pulling the letter out of the envelope. Once Hermione finally worked the letter out of the envelope the letter slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor. She got down on her hands and knees, giggling all the while, and attempted a few times to pick up the letter. After a few tries Hermione gave up and leaned up against her nightstand. She sat cross-legged on the floor as looked up at Ginny with a pleading face for help.

Ginny retrieved the letter with a chuckle.

"Would you like me to read it for you?"

Hermione smiled and nodded about six times. "That would be wonderful, Gin. You're the best bestest friend."

Ginny laughed out loud, "You tell me that every time you get drunk."

"That's because it's true. And I am not drunk."

Ginny cleared her throat and unfolded the letter,

"Hermione,

I am proud of you. I really am. I'm glad that you got your new job at the ministry. And I hope that you had a lovely first day.

After Harry defeated Voldemort things were still really rough for me and my family and you were there for me. You comforted me in some of my darkest times and I am thankful for that. As you know, I asked you to be my girlfriend a few months after the final battle.

Things were moving fast. Too fast. You got your place and you were working two jobs. I was in auror training with Harry and I felt like we were becoming distant. So I asked you out. And now that I think back, it was stupid of me. It was selfish. I was missing the person who was most comforting for me to be around and I wanted you to be my girlfriend so you could continue to be there for me.

I slowly began to realize that I did have some feelings for you. I feel as though you deserve much better than me. You deserve to be taken care of, Hermione, not the other way around. I know this part will hurt you, but I have been seeing someone else. My relationship with her is significantly different than ours and after falling in love with her, I realized I wasn't truly in love with you. All I ever wanted from you was friendship.

My brain is scattered as I write this and I feel horrible because I know this will hurt you. But, I suspect you will quickly get over me and find a man that will truly love you. I don't expect to be hearing from you for a while so this is goodbye. For now. Perhaps one day you will be able to forgive me.

Ronald."

The knot in Hermione's throat seemed to be strangling her.

He cheated? He didn't really ever love her? It was all just friendship? I was only a comfort? Who did he fall in love with?

"Who writes a letter like that?" Hermione frowned.

Ginny stood and tossed the letter in Hermione's trash bin under her desk, then Ginny sat down on the floor in front of her. She took Hermione's hands into her own. Hermione looked into Ginny's red rimmed eyes and watched a single tear stream slowly down her pale skin. Hermione sobbed as she bent over and rested her head in Ginny's lap. As Ginny ran her fingers through Hermione's untamed hair, she casually worked out all of the knots and tangles that Hermione had gained from stomping around her apartment. They were both unaware of how much time had passed when Hermione ran out of tears to cry. She sat up and squeezed Ginny for a few seconds before they both stood up.

"I'm twenty years old."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Yes, yes you are."

"What if I get consumed by work? Before I know it I'll be thirty-five without a husband and without kids! What if I am just not meant to fall in love? I think I'm destined to be alone for forever."

Ginny smiled as she sat down on Hermione's bed. "Hermione, you're gorgeous! And you are intelligent. For Merlin's sake, you are the wizarding world's most recognizable woman, you are in the paper practically every day. You helped Harry with the horcruxes and you are the bravest woman I have ever known. Any man would drop anything and everything to be with you."

Hermione snorted and paced across her room.

"So why doesn't Ron want me? Why did he give me up for another woman?"

"He's Ron. I know my brother well. I think everyone knew something like this would eventually occur in your relationship. He changes his mind every four seconds and he never has a clue about what he really wants in his life. You are better off without him."

Hermione was unconvinced, but no longer felt terribly upset. In fact, she felt overwhelmingly sleepy and flopped back down onto her bed.

"I guess you're right," Hermione agreed. "I just wish I had noticed he was cheating on me. I mean, it can't be that hard to tell. Right?"

Ginny shrugged as she stood. She grabbed her coat and looked down at Hermione. "You need some rest, love. Don't stress too much over men. They are not worth it. I'll come by tomorrow when I get done with practice and we can go and grab a nice meal out."

Hermione grumbled in agreement and climbed under her covers, quickly falling into a deep slumber.

I sort of feel like this chapter is a lousy start. Review and let me know what you think – it'd be really helpful. Thanks!