Hermione waved goodbye as Harry and Ginny exited through the fireplace. They were still arguing over the correct answer to the bezzerwizzar answer when they disappeared in a puff of green dust.

"Oh." She winced. "Ron, you don't have to stay and cleanup."

Ron was juggling a few desert dishes and walking them over to the sink. "It's not a bother 'Mione. I don't mind."

She scooped up the coasters off the table and put them back in the places. Smiling weakly over her shoulder she added. "Ronald Weasly, cleaning! Remind me to thank George for getting you to be a neat freak ."

"It's a matter of life and death over there 'Mione." Ron punctuated each point by washing another dish. "Charmed silverware. Enchanted decorations. And that's not even covering the failed experiments dripping off the ceiling or oozing out of the bathroom. Do you know what he told me the other day? He said he wanted to expand into furniture. Furrnittuurre"

Hermione bit her lip from laughing outright.

"Don't laugh Hermione…. I could be coming home one day, after work, tired and weary. Sit down in my favorite spot and poof! The sofa eats me. It's not safe in that house."

Ron looked up at her wearing her apron and dish gloves. "Old Mad Eye was right. Constant vigilance."

Giggling, Hermione replaced the game board back into its place. "Well whatever the case is I like this side of you. Very mature."

"Why thank you madamouislle." He smirked, making his dimples pop.

"I mean it Ron." She moved over the kitchen, standing across the counter from him. "I think moving in with your brother was the best thing you could have done. For both of you."

Ron sighed and put down a glass.

"So tell me this then 'Mione… why him?"

"I'm sorry?" She blinked.

"Why Malfoy?" He asked again, quietly, big blue eyes searching her face for a hint.

"Ron.. I.. that is.. that"

He raised his gloved hand, "no… 'Mione… don't fumble for words." Noticing the blue rubber glove, he sighed and pulled it off breaking eye contact. Hermione took a small breath.

She knew this question would pop up sooner or later. And honestly she was surprised that he had taken her dating Draco so well. She secretly watched him out of the corner of her eye when she first broke the news of her relationship status. And, unpredictably, he didn't blow a gasket or demand Draco's member on a platter. Instead it was Ginny who took over the role of irate red head. Ron simply nodded, as if he always knew she was going to leave him for the former prince of Slytherien.

"Is it the money?" he broke her out of her reverie.

"What? Ronald Weasly!"

"He can afford to take you out! Hell, he can afford to buy the restaurant if he wanted." He ran his fingers through his hair, resting them behind his head. "When we dated grabbing you a butter beer was hard. And now you're traveling to Wales, visiting Ireland, sampling France."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Ron, no don't be stupid. We…" pointing to him and back to herself, "dated after the war while I went back for my N.E.W.T.S. You were still in training and I certainly didn't have anything."

"Ok… Fine… So it's his body."

Snicker. "Ron. I am not discussing my current boyfriend's physique with my ex-boyfriend."

Ron moved from behind the counter to sit down at the table. Hermione followed his example and took one next to him.

"His… bad boy charm?" he winced, bracing himself for the answer.

"Ro-on." She laughed, laying her head on the table over her arms and sighed. "Why are you so interested?" Her voice muffled from her arms.

"Honestly?"

She peered over at him. Both of his hands were on the table and he was leaning in, looking at her with such familiar blue, blue eyes.

"You haven't talked to me in months Hermione." She raised her chin "Shh. Let me speak."

He waited until she laid her head back on her arms before he continued. "You kept your distance and it hurts. You are one of my best friends and I care about you… Not because I've seen your boobies or miss them. But because we have been through a lot."

Hermione took a moment to look into his eyes. Gone was the carefree freckled sidekick.

"I miss hanging out with you, just the two of us. I miss asking you for muggle advice and I miss hearing your excitement about stuff. As opposed of hearing it second hand from my sister. You have moved on." She looked away for a beat, looking at the wine glass in her hand and at the picture on the wall. "And I'm okay with that." He caught her gaze again, "Harry has moved on and I'm okay for that, too. I just miss being part of the trio."

She bit her lip. She had been avoiding him lately. It was easy to do. He was working non-stop making Weasly Wizard Wares an international brand. She was working awful shifts at the hospital and then spending some time with Draco. But even she could take a moment to pop over for a quick lunch to catch up. She just didn't know when the shoe would drop and he would corner her and yell at her for mixing with bully's from school or berate her for falling into an evil Slytherin trap.

"I know why you are with him."

He sat back with a sad smile on his face.

"He knows what that is." He pointed to an art poster on the wall opposite her. She turned to look at it. It was a Mucha, one of his seasonal prints. "What potions that's good in" his hand pointed to the African Violet growing happily in its pot. "And can argue with you about Jungian theories while also simultaneously convincing you to fly on a broom before choking down what you call cooking. And if that didn't make him a keeper already, he is also willing to sacrifice alone time with you so that you can have a night to be with your friends and ex-boyfriend."

"He doesn't ask that you stop being you. He doesn't pat you on your head when you have a pet cause. He doesn't demand that you stop shining. He helps make you more."

"Ron… I.."

"I'm glad you have him 'Mione." He smiled shyly at her. "I don't want to know the details, mind you. But I do want to know my best friend."

She moved to grab him in a hug. "Deal." Standing back from him she cocked and eyebrow. "And now in a moment of openness and complete truth… I hate the nickname 'Mione'. My name is Hermione. Not 'Mione. Not 'Oney', not Hermy. It's Hermione."

Ron stared at her for a beat before bursting out laughing. "Brilliant! I've been calling you that for years! If we are being honest, then. . . "