At Twenty, Hermione Granger felt completely alone. The strange bit was, she
thoroughly adored it, for the most part.
For the first time in her life, she lived alone. Free of Hogwarts, of her family home, and of live-in romance. To be honest, free of romance entirely.
It was an adjustment, to be sure, but she had gone in with practical optimism, which had quickly became sheer elation when she discovered the tiny joys of cooking for one, evenings in, and having everything arranged exactly as she liked.
The first two weeks of being a single woman had been rather awkward. Still treading lightly where Ron was concerned, Hermione was determined to reinvent herself, and find out exactly what she had missed out on in her days as the monogamous bookworm.
She had bought a new wardrobe, entirely based on one kind, if not tragically misguided sales witch's opinion, which turned out to be a wee bit more daring than her delicate self-image could handle. Armed with thigh high dragon hide boots and more chain mail brassieres than one could reasonably put to use in three lifetimes as a dominatrix, she had hit the London night scene, both muggle and wizard, and was vastly disappointed with both, each for distinctive reasons, save for one common, major flaw. Men. Apparently, her father was right; they really were all the same.
After several failed attempts at an enjoyable evening out, due primarily to a distaste for both alcahol and over-zealous men (though the unfortunate evening wear may have been partly responsible), Hermione wisely chucked the new clothes (saving only the boots, which she had become rather fond of) and resolved to enjoy being a single woman by strengthening her own person, rather than becoming a new one entirely.
She found a cozy flat in a wizarding neighbourhood near her parent's home outside of London, indulged in a book-buying binge in flourish and blots to battle late night loneliness, and threw herself into her work, taking on additional side projects helping with research for the aurors to distract her from her regular assignments, and more importantly, from her partner, Ron.
Hermione and Ron had been a couple for a year and a half, having entered unspeakable training together. After their first mission, Ron had broken down, and Hermione had pulled him back and taken care of him. For the first time, Hermione saw Ron as defeatable, someone far more delicate than she had ever considered, and he, in turn, saw Hermione's strength, as well as her ability to emotionally detach herself from a crisis.
They grew closer than ever before during the week of recuperation, but afterward, having immediately been sent on separate missions, they felt a rift growing between them; Hermione was frightened by Ron's intense emotional reactions, and Ron was worried about Hermione's lack of them.
Upon returning home, they had awkwardly tried to return to normal, but had finally realized that neither could emotionally provide for each other as a romantic partner, but likewise, could not live without each other as friends.
After a few months of adjusting to the absence of romance between them, they once again discovered the easy companionship they had honed for six years before becoming a couple, and each felt even more love for the other than during their entire romantic relationship.
Ron had moved on quite comfortably, engaging in short trysts every few weeks with different women, from whom he rarely had contact with afterward, which suited both his work and his romantic capacity.
Hermione was indeed finding tremendous freedom in being single, for she had not been on her own since graduation, and she rather liked being an "independent woman", throwing herself completely and utterly into her work. She considered her life, while a bit lonely, perhaps, to be very satisfying on the whole, and found companionship in the people whom she had come to love as family; Harry, the entire Weasley family, and Dumbledore, who had become something of a father figure to her after graduation.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry and all joined the Order of the Phoenix on their last night at Hogwarts. There was to be a large meeting, and an mass initiation of supporting member the following week, but as Dumbledore had specific plans for the three, and wanted them to be as involved as they were willing, arranged an initiation for them with only the core member of the order present.
Their lives had changed that night, and not a one of them regretted it. Finally they were of age to join the fight publicly, and ally their skills with the elder members of the resistance, rather than trying to participate form the sidelines, often causing as much damage as progress.
The night they were brought into the fold, Dumbledore spoke with each of them at length about the commitment and the sacrifices it would require, and embraced each of them as a father might before bringing them into the meeting. Hermione he embraced the longest, almost seeming reluctant to bring her into the next room. He worried that with her zeal for hard work and tendency to throw herself completely into it that she would isolate herself, and miss out of fulfilling relationships.
He had been right. Two years after graduation, after joining the order, Hermione was growing tired of returning home to an empty flat, tired of having no one but Harry and Ron to talk to, both of whom she loved dearly, but neither seemed to fill her need for companionship, and she knew that she would have to give up her job in order to have a chance at a successful relationship; she could not expect a partner to be comfortable with her long, unexplained absences and secrecy, and she was unwilling to abandon her work, her lifeline.
Even her relationship with her parents suffered; they did not understand the war that was going on in a world apart from theirs, and understood even less why their only daughter insisted on risking her life to be a part of it.
Despite having moved nearer to them after her breakup with Ron, Hermione's usually easy going relationship with her parents began to crack as they grew more and more aware of her lengthy absences due to work, and drew their own conclusions about the levels of danger she was in as a result, though they often weren't far from the truth.
Communication with her parents was now limited to the occasional phone call and dinner on the holidays, and her weekly tea with Dumbledore was quickly becoming her primary source for fatherly advice.
Dumbledore, for his part, enjoyed the teas, and Hermione's company immensely, but worried at the prospect of such a young woman finding more social merit in tea with an old man than in the company of her peers.
One Friday afternoon, in late September, however, Dumbledore began to plot.
For the first time in her life, she lived alone. Free of Hogwarts, of her family home, and of live-in romance. To be honest, free of romance entirely.
It was an adjustment, to be sure, but she had gone in with practical optimism, which had quickly became sheer elation when she discovered the tiny joys of cooking for one, evenings in, and having everything arranged exactly as she liked.
The first two weeks of being a single woman had been rather awkward. Still treading lightly where Ron was concerned, Hermione was determined to reinvent herself, and find out exactly what she had missed out on in her days as the monogamous bookworm.
She had bought a new wardrobe, entirely based on one kind, if not tragically misguided sales witch's opinion, which turned out to be a wee bit more daring than her delicate self-image could handle. Armed with thigh high dragon hide boots and more chain mail brassieres than one could reasonably put to use in three lifetimes as a dominatrix, she had hit the London night scene, both muggle and wizard, and was vastly disappointed with both, each for distinctive reasons, save for one common, major flaw. Men. Apparently, her father was right; they really were all the same.
After several failed attempts at an enjoyable evening out, due primarily to a distaste for both alcahol and over-zealous men (though the unfortunate evening wear may have been partly responsible), Hermione wisely chucked the new clothes (saving only the boots, which she had become rather fond of) and resolved to enjoy being a single woman by strengthening her own person, rather than becoming a new one entirely.
She found a cozy flat in a wizarding neighbourhood near her parent's home outside of London, indulged in a book-buying binge in flourish and blots to battle late night loneliness, and threw herself into her work, taking on additional side projects helping with research for the aurors to distract her from her regular assignments, and more importantly, from her partner, Ron.
Hermione and Ron had been a couple for a year and a half, having entered unspeakable training together. After their first mission, Ron had broken down, and Hermione had pulled him back and taken care of him. For the first time, Hermione saw Ron as defeatable, someone far more delicate than she had ever considered, and he, in turn, saw Hermione's strength, as well as her ability to emotionally detach herself from a crisis.
They grew closer than ever before during the week of recuperation, but afterward, having immediately been sent on separate missions, they felt a rift growing between them; Hermione was frightened by Ron's intense emotional reactions, and Ron was worried about Hermione's lack of them.
Upon returning home, they had awkwardly tried to return to normal, but had finally realized that neither could emotionally provide for each other as a romantic partner, but likewise, could not live without each other as friends.
After a few months of adjusting to the absence of romance between them, they once again discovered the easy companionship they had honed for six years before becoming a couple, and each felt even more love for the other than during their entire romantic relationship.
Ron had moved on quite comfortably, engaging in short trysts every few weeks with different women, from whom he rarely had contact with afterward, which suited both his work and his romantic capacity.
Hermione was indeed finding tremendous freedom in being single, for she had not been on her own since graduation, and she rather liked being an "independent woman", throwing herself completely and utterly into her work. She considered her life, while a bit lonely, perhaps, to be very satisfying on the whole, and found companionship in the people whom she had come to love as family; Harry, the entire Weasley family, and Dumbledore, who had become something of a father figure to her after graduation.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry and all joined the Order of the Phoenix on their last night at Hogwarts. There was to be a large meeting, and an mass initiation of supporting member the following week, but as Dumbledore had specific plans for the three, and wanted them to be as involved as they were willing, arranged an initiation for them with only the core member of the order present.
Their lives had changed that night, and not a one of them regretted it. Finally they were of age to join the fight publicly, and ally their skills with the elder members of the resistance, rather than trying to participate form the sidelines, often causing as much damage as progress.
The night they were brought into the fold, Dumbledore spoke with each of them at length about the commitment and the sacrifices it would require, and embraced each of them as a father might before bringing them into the meeting. Hermione he embraced the longest, almost seeming reluctant to bring her into the next room. He worried that with her zeal for hard work and tendency to throw herself completely into it that she would isolate herself, and miss out of fulfilling relationships.
He had been right. Two years after graduation, after joining the order, Hermione was growing tired of returning home to an empty flat, tired of having no one but Harry and Ron to talk to, both of whom she loved dearly, but neither seemed to fill her need for companionship, and she knew that she would have to give up her job in order to have a chance at a successful relationship; she could not expect a partner to be comfortable with her long, unexplained absences and secrecy, and she was unwilling to abandon her work, her lifeline.
Even her relationship with her parents suffered; they did not understand the war that was going on in a world apart from theirs, and understood even less why their only daughter insisted on risking her life to be a part of it.
Despite having moved nearer to them after her breakup with Ron, Hermione's usually easy going relationship with her parents began to crack as they grew more and more aware of her lengthy absences due to work, and drew their own conclusions about the levels of danger she was in as a result, though they often weren't far from the truth.
Communication with her parents was now limited to the occasional phone call and dinner on the holidays, and her weekly tea with Dumbledore was quickly becoming her primary source for fatherly advice.
Dumbledore, for his part, enjoyed the teas, and Hermione's company immensely, but worried at the prospect of such a young woman finding more social merit in tea with an old man than in the company of her peers.
One Friday afternoon, in late September, however, Dumbledore began to plot.