"Oh! Hello, Malfoy." I said startled.

"Please, no need to use last names. Call me Draco."

"Well, Draco, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks, and yourself?"

"I'm great, thanks." Was he actually being nice?

"Well, that's good then. I just thought I'd say 'hi'. It's been so long since I've seen you."

He smiled and turned to walk away. That was odd. We were actually having a civilized conversation. Not once did he fit in the words "filthy little Mudblood". It felt nice.

"Draco." I called after him. He turned.

"Yes?" He replied.

"It was great to see you." I can't believe I just said that.

"It was great to see you too. Hey, um, maybe if you're up for it, would you like to get coffee sometime?" He asked shyly.

"Oh, well, I guess we could do that."

"If you'd rather not, that's okay."

"No, no, I think that'd be lovely."

"Alright, well, can I call you later and make an arrangement?"

"Sounds great." I smiled.

Everything about this situation was so strange. Since when did Malfoy acknowledge my existence in a positive way? Throughout all seven years at Hogwarts, all he ever did was insult me. I was pretty certain he hated me.

On the other hand, it was really nice talking to him. "Maybe he's changed." I thought. I mean, it has been a couple of years since we've graduated. Perhaps he's finally come around and accepted muggle borns.

So many other possibilities crossed my mind. However, they were interrupted when I noticed I had been in the store for over an hour. Ron would be worried.

"I'm home!" I called out as I walked through the door.

Ron was sitting on the couch, "How many groceries did you buy? You were gone for almost an hour and a half."

"Sorry, I just had a difficult time deciding which brands to buy." I lied.

"Well, I missed you." Ron came towards me and kissed me.

"I missed you too, honey." I gave him a hug. "I'm going to start dinner, anything in particular you might like?"

"Whatever you make will be just fine."

I pulled the roast from the bag and prepared it. Afterwards, I turned to pour myself a glass of wine. Before I could place it on the counter, the glass slipped from my hands and shattered on the ground. Ron jumped from the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"Damn." I said kneeling down to pick up some of the broken glass.

"What did you do?" He sounded irritated.

"I just dropped the glass by accident."

"You're such a reckless person." He rolled his eyes.

"Ron, it's fine, it's just a glass."

The back of his hand struck my face and the next thing I saw was the ground.

"You have no right to talk back to me." His voice was filled with anger.

"I'm sorry, dear." I looked down hoping he wouldn't see my tears.

"Just clean it up, and be careful next time."

I swept up the remains of the glass and I finished cooking dinner. "Dinner's ready, Ron!" I called.

We sat at the table in an awkward silence. I knew why he was quiet. This always happened. He'd hit me, and then he would refuse to make eye contact with me because he felt bad. Eventually he'd get the nerve to apologize.

"I'm sorry I hit you again." He said shamefully.

"It's fine. Hopefully it won't bruise." I said quietly.

"You know, sometimes you're just so careless. There are times when you only seem to think of yourself."

Every word that came out of his mouth angered me. I was the selfish one? Who takes care of him? Who made his dinner and did his laundry? I did, and all I was repaid with was his abuse. I had done nothing to deserve any of this.

"I'm selfish? You're joking right?" He rose from his seat.

"Sometimes you are."

"I do everything I can for you, and you actually have the nerve to call me self centered. Unbelievable."

I threw my fork down and stormed upstairs. Half way up the steps, I felt Ron pull me backwards and I tumbled down.

"I've told you over and over again not to talk back!" He yelled.

Every inch of my body was in pain. I just wanted to cry, but if Ron saw me crying he'd only hit me again. He kicked my side.

"How many times do I have to hit you before you get the message?"

I couldn't answer. All I could focus on was the pain I felt physically and emotionally. Ron had beaten me many times before. Naturally, I assumed that by now I would have left him. Although, I actually never had it in me to do it. I loved him. There was a part of me that insisted to stay because I believed that he'd stop. That he'd never do it again, and every time he proved me wrong.

I grabbed onto the railing of the stairs and pulled myself to my feet. I made my way up to the bedroom and crawled into bed. It wasn't very long before Ron came in to join me.

"I'm really sorry. I always promise to never do it again and then I do it." He hugged me.

"It's okay, really."

"It's not, but I'm so glad you're still here. I love you so much, Hermione. I would give you the world if you asked for it."

This was the Ron I stayed for. This was the Ron I fell so madly in love with. No matter when happens, he always shows he's sorry and that he loves me as much as I love him.