Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am not the almighty writer of Harry Potter and therefore I do not own it.

As I awoke, once again, I turned to my side to see if anyone was there. No one was. I knew I was being stupid. I mean, I felt stupid doing that every single morning. I just couldn't stop. It had been six months, and I still wanted to wake up with him beside me.

I pulled myself out of bed, showered, and got ready for work. Six months ago I had moved to America and opened a muggle beauty shop, just like he had wanted. I had never cared much about my appearance until I fell in love with him. At seven in the morning, I walked over to the shop, named Ginny's: Beauty Specialists and Supplies, and opened shop. I felt like I had to name the store after my one and only friend left in the wizarding world.

"Hermione! I'm here! Let's get to work!" I heard from the front of the store, and I smiled. Lily. She was the co-owner and my best friend in America. She's amazing. She was even okay with how much time I took off of work to write my book. My book. I had just finished it last week. As much as it hurt me to write it, it needed to be written. The wizarding world needed to know what had happened, and after it's published, they all would. I was somewhat afraid to tell people. I mean, I knew people knew some of the story. I had been friends with Harry Potter for goodness sake, and my life has always been in the spotlight because of it. But no one knew the real story; no one knew about the man I was in love with, not even Ginny! I let all of these thought leave my head as I started to work.

"Welcome to Ginny's! How may I help you?" I asked a woman as she walked in the door. She nods her head no and goes to look around. I walked back over to the counter and Lily looks at me.

"I'm considering going back to England for the book's release," I said as her mouth started to open. "Don't say a thing yet! I need to see Ginny and my old friends when they read it. It's really important to me. I'll be coming back, just not for a month or so. I'm sorry to leave you like this, hun, but I wouldn't if it wasn't important."

Lily just looked at me. Finally, she just smiled and laughed. "That's such a funny joke, 'Mione. Really it is. Now anything else you'd like to joke about before I get back to work?"

"What are you talking about, Lily? That wasn't a joke. I miss my family, I miss Ginny, I miss…" I said as she cut me off.

"What about me? What about the shop? Don't we even matter anymore?" She whispered. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry. It was the third time I'd mentioned it this week and all three times she got this upset. Every time before this I had always given in and said I wouldn't leave, but I couldn't give in anymore. I had to go back. The book was coming out next week. I needed to be there. I needed to make them understand. I needed to find him.

After much fighting and arguing, Lily finally let me leave. My bags were packed and I was about to walk out there door. Lily thought I was going to the airport to take a flight back, but she, luckily, couldn't take me because the shop needed to stay open. As I got far enough away from people, I apperated to The Burrow. I didn't know if that was a good idea or not, but I needed to see Ginny.

"Mum, who was that just arriving?" I heard Ron yell. It made me smile; not only was he still living at home but he was still lazy as ever.

"I don't know, dear. Why don't you go check and tell me?" Mrs. Weasley yelled back at her son.

I heard Ron walk to the front hall, and when I finally saw him, I smiled. He looked the same as he had six months ago. I suppose I looked somewhat different, because he yelled, "Mum! There's a strange woman in the house! Come quick before she steals something or worse, kills me!"

At that comment, I burst out laughing. "The only thing I'll be stealing, Ronald, is Ginny for lunch." I knew I looked different, but I didn't think I looked unrecognizable. Ron just looked and me and looked at me. "You can stop staring at me, Ronald. I know I'm good looking but there's really no need." From the look on his face he still had no idea who it was he was speaking with.

Before I could say anything else, Ginny rushed into the room. "Oh my gosh! What are you doing here? Well, Ronald, don't just stand there. Take her bags up to my room! We have so much to catch up on. Like your book! Why didn't you owl me and tell me?"

Once I could get a word in, I replied, "Ginny, I can't have an owl in muggle America. You of all people should know that; you've been there. My book is actually one of the reasons I'm back. My book, you, and my family, in no particular order. It is so good to see you and……Ginny, you're pregnant? But it's only been a year since you've been out of school, and I've only been gone for six months. It looks like I'm not the only one who has things to tell."

She blushed and grinned. "Well, I kind of….eloped. But please don't be mad for not telling you! Like you said before, I couldn't owl you in muggle America! And I'm assuming you want to know who my husband and the father is?" I just looked at her as if to say yes! "Well, it's….."

He sat at his desk in his manor, looking over the recent letter her got on the status of his wife. She had no idea about this, of course. She hadn't seen him in six months. It sounded obsessive, it did. But he knew she still loved him. Damn the public for thinking what they did about him. As he read on in the letter, it spoke about her new book. That left him thinking. Why was she writing a book? Why was she back in England because of it? He loved the fact that she was back in England, but knowing that he didn't help to bring her back made him hurt. His Hermione was no longer his. She probably even had a boyfriend in America. This shouldn't hurt him. He left her those six months ago. He had done nothing to hurt her intentionally. He had never lied. She had never asked about things that he hadn't told her. He still loved her, and he had to win her back. She was here and now was his chance.

"Ginny! Oh my gosh! He could have told me too! You both….how long were you dating for? Why didn't you even tell me that? Ginny! I've only been gone for six months, not six years." I shrieked.

She looked at me and sighed. "We couldn't tell you. You were having all those problems with the rest of the dream team and…."

I interrupted her. "Don't even say his name. I can't bear to hear it. He's the reason I didn't want to come back. Ginny, I miss him. But I can't go back to him. I just can't. I don't want to explain what happened, but once you read my book all will be explained." I started to cry. I was so in love with him. Yet it was over. I know he would take me back. And now that I'm back in England, it's going to be harder to avoid seeing him somewhere. He is a very popular man. His face was bound to be on the cover of some magazine.

I remember right after we first got married and he was named England's Sexiest Bachelor. He brought home the cover. He got out a big red marker and started to cross things out. He said, "I'm not a bachelor anymore, although I still am sexy." He circled the sexy with the marker. "I am English too." He circled that too. "But I'm taken. I'm not giving that up for any female. I love you." He had said.

The eternal question that plagued my soul was why he didn't come looking for me. He knew that we had made plans to some day move to America and open a beauty shop. He knew where we wanted to live. He should have known me well enough to know that that's where I'd go. He was my husband. He should have come. But Ginny was more important! She was married and going to have a child! That's much more important than me and….

"Hermione? Hermione? Are you there? Are you listening? Well, as I was saying, we picked out the theme for the baby's room, since it is due in April. We've picked…." Ginny went on as I tuned her out. She is my best friend and has been for years but when she gets on a topic she stays there. And when I say stays there, I mean stays there. She is there for hours if I would let her. I thought more before there was a loud sound coming from the kitchen of the house. Ginny and I jumped up and ran toward the sound. Once inside the kitchen, I saw who it was that had just come into The Burrow.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled.

A/N: This is my first story! I'm read many and decided to write my own! Please review! Cookies to all who do!

Hugs and kisses!

Kim