CHAPTER ONE
FOUR YEARS LATER
"Hello, I'd like to open my vault? It's number 659," Hermione said.
"Key, please," the goblin behind the desk said. Hermione placed it on the counter and he inspected it. "Someone will be with you in a moment," he said shortly.
"Thank you," Hermione said. She looked around Gringotts, at the high ceilings and polished floor, at the red-haired man speaking to the goblin next to her...
"No," Hermione whispered, realization slamming her in the face. "No - it's got to be one of the others. Not him, not him, I can't deal with him right now..." She glanced sideways back at the man, praying for it to be Bill, Charlie, even Percy - but no. Fate was a fickle friend, and as fate would have it, the Weasley next to her was none other than Ron. At the same moment Hermione saw him, Ron saw her. His eyes widened.
"Hermione?" he said.
I suppose I can't run now, Hermione thought. She pasted on a fake, friendly smile. "Hi, Ron." Nice opener.
"Hi!" Ron said. "Wow, I - hi!" Hermione couldn't help but smile at the aghast look on his face. "It's been a long time. You look great."
"About four years, and thank you," Hermione said. "You look... exactly the same." She felt nostalgia fill her. He really did look exactly the same - just slightly taller, with the same over-the-top red hair and freckles. They were 22 now, four years since graduation from Hogwarts, four years since they'd last seen each other.
"I don't know whether that's a compliment or not," Ron said, wrinkling his nose. "So, how've you been?"
"Good, and you?" Hermione said automatically. God - how weird this felt, to be making small talk with him, even weirder than not seeing him at all.
"Great. So, Harry told me last time he heard from you, you were still, er, in Bulgaria," Ron hemmed.
"Yes, I was. But, I'm not, now."
"Oh." Hermione could see him bursting to ask why, so she took a deep breath and answered.
"Viktor and I broke up," she said. "He - he was cheating on me."
"Oh," Ron said again.
"So, um, what about you?" she said, hurriedly changing the subject. "You and Harry are still working for the Order, right?"
"Yeah, day and night," Ron said.
"Are you seeing anyone?" Hermione felt herself blurt out.
"Well, yeah, actually, I - "
"Hermione Granger? Is that you?"
Hermione spun around to see a blonde woman entering the bank. She squinted at her - this woman looked like no one Hermione had ever seen. She moved slowly and almost appeared to wander up to where Hermione and Ron were standing. Her eyes were large and wide, and suddenly it hit Hermione.
"Luna?" she gasped.
"Yes, you remember," Luna said, smiling.
"Well, of course, I..." Hermione's voice trailed off as Luna walked straight up to Ron and put her arm around him.
"So, you've heard our news, I suppose?" Luna asked as Ron slid an easy arm around her waist. Without waiting for an answer, she said, "We're engaged!"
Hermione felt her mouth slowly open and then close. Luna was smiling at her without seeming to notice that Hermione was looking like her heart had just been torn from her chest, while Ron was looking anywhere but at Hermione with an extremely uncomfortable gaze.
"I... oh," Hermione finally managed to stammer. "Wow. I... congratulations. This is... quite a surprise."
"I know, isn't it?" Luna said happily. "It all happened rather fast. It's a strange world, isn't it?"
"Strange indeed," Hermione mustered. "Well - uh - I'd better be going." She couldn't watch them anymore; her throat was closing up in a most unexpected way. "I have to get - to get back."
"Wait," Ron said. "Where are you staying?"
"At the Leaky Cauldron," she mumbled. "See you, then." She turned and ran past them, leaving Luna with a slightly confused expression and Ron with, if possible, one even more awkward, and ignoring the goblin behind the desk as he shouted, "Wait, you forgot your key!"
Hermione pushed through the doors onto the sidewalk, nearly slamming into a little old witch. She stumbled around to the side of the building and collapsed against the wall, letting her head fall into her hands.
Engaged. Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood - engaged? Why had no one told her this? Harry, Ginny, neither of them had mentioned that Ron was even dating Luna!
And Luna, of all people - Ron thought Luna was a joke when they were younger, an odd girl; he treated her nice enough after the Department of Mysteries, but still made fun of her behind her back. And now he was marrying her? Hermione felt like her stomach had fallen out. She hadn't seen Ron or Luna since graduation, and now she comes back to London and the first thing she sees is them wrapped in each other's arms.
Hermione shook her head and took a deep, calming breath. She swallowed the lump in her throat, held her head high, and marched back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"What do you mean, my room is gone?" Hermione shouted at the innkeeper.
"I told you, miss, the wizard in the room next to you had a bit of accident, and half of the second floor is engulfed in Everlasting flames. You're going to have to find someplace else to sleep tonight." He shrugged and walked away.
Hermione clenched her fists and plopped down in a chair next to the window. She leaned her forehead against the icy pane. It had begun to rain a few hours before and hadn't stopped since.
Where could she go? She hadn't spoken to anyone in London since she'd left Hogwarts, save Harry and Ginny. Ginny still lived at the Burrow, and although no one there held anything against her after she and Ron broke up, she didn't think it would be the most comfortable atmosphere. So that left only Harry - but he and Ron were flatmates.
"Not that it matters, Ron will probably be over with Luna, anyway," Hermione muttered under her breath. She sighed and picked up her bag.
Not like I have any other choice.
