When things ended between them, it was a slow and subtle breakdown. Neither wanted to accept what was clearly in front of them. They had both put so much time and effort into making it work, neither wanted to accept the failure. Hermione knew deep down that Ron wasn't the man for her. She loved him, but after five years… she couldn't say that she was in love with him. He would always mean a lot to her. He would always be her best friend.
Ron had taken it hard when she finally worked up the courage to have the talk with him. They fought for hours. He called her selfish and countless other names. He begged her to reconsider but when all was said and done, he agreed it was for the best. They had been at an impasse for months. Neither was truly happy, but neither wanted to hurt the other. They wished each other best and Hermione decided to move out of the place they shared together.
Living alone for the first time was a sobering experience for Hermione. It had been the first time since the war that she had really been alone. She had spent months on the run with Harry and Ron. After the war, she went back to school with Ginny by her side. She stayed attached to Ron. She had never really been her own person. She wasn't sure what that would mean and it scared her a bit. Instead of facing it, she threw herself into work. It was easy and comfortable.
Sitting in her office one night, three months after things ended with Ron, she got a knock on the door.
"Come in,"
Hermione didn't bother to look up from the pieces of parchment that littered her desk.
"I've been persuaded by a certain red headed witch to drag you down to the pub tonight."
She didn't have to look up to know who it was. With a chuckle, "With all due respect Harry, you're going to have to do better than that."
"We've barely seen you Hermione. This new assignment has been eating up all your time."
Putting down her quill Hermione looked up at her best friend and rolled her eyes, "You know how important this could be. I am on the verge of cracking this cypher."
"It will be here in the morning," Harry said as he made his way to stand directly in front of Hermione's desk, "You are coming with me, even if I have to drag you out of here."
With a sigh, Hermione gave up any chance of winning the argument. Harry was right. She could use the time away. She had been staring at these parchments far too long.
"Two drinks, that's it. Then I'm going home."
They walked to the bar; all the while catching up on things Hermione had missed. How Mrs. Weasley had commandeered the wedding planning and Ginny has been going crazy without Hermione. He told her about the new house they just bought and how excited Ginny was to finally make it to the first string on the team. Hermione had felt like in a short few months she had missed so much. She vowed to come around more as she made her way into the bar.
The place was crowded, filled with the loud rumble of everyone talking. Many of the faces in the crowd were familiar. They were former classmates and coworkers. A proverbial who's who of the up and coming in the ministry. Hermione felt overwhelmed. She had expected a few drinks with her friends all crowded into a booth. She had been a little uneasy with large crowds since the war. Even though she knew she was safe, she couldn't help but scan the room for anything that looked out of place. It was a habit born out of necessity, one that had been incredibly hard to break.
"Where's Ginny?"
Hermione voice strained as she tried to yell over the crowd. Grabbing her hand, Harry led her through the crowd towards the back of the bar. A small booth in the back was their destination. Ginny was already there waiting for them.
"Oh thank god," Hermione laughed as she slid into the seat, "I thought we would have to be stuck in the thick of all of that tonight."
"They're celebrating, haven't you heard?"
Ginny poured Hermione a shot of firewhiskey and pushed it across the table. Harry sat down next to his fiancée and kissed her on the cheek.
"Heard what?"
Ginny held up her glass and raised it to Hermione's before she gulped it down, "Malfoy is the newest Auror to join the ranks."
Hermione let out a snort, "You have got to be kidding me."
Harry poured another round of drinks, "Not kidding. Actually, I was going to tell you about it. We got carried away when we were catching up. You'd be surprised; he's not the same Malfoy."
Hermione quickly drank the liquid in her glass. She hadn't seen Malfoy in years. Not since that morning when everyone was recouping in Great Hall after Voldemort was defeated. She couldn't imagine what he had done to change Harry's mind. He would always be that pompous ass.
Harry cleared his throat, "we've actually decided that it would be best if he were assigned to your case."
"You expect me to work with Malfoy on this? How can we trust him? He has no interest in saving anyone who is muggle born. Are you forgetting that he watched me get tortured? Or that he nearly had us burned to death because he sent his dumb henchmen after us?"
Harry's eyebrows furrowed, "Look I know this isn't the ideal predicament for you Hermione. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think that you two really had a chance of figuring this stuff out. Just give him a week, for me please."
Hermione shook her head, "It's a horrible idea Harry. But for you, I'll do it."