A month later Hermione sat at dinner yet again as the 5th wheel. Harry and Ginny were talking animatedly about their upcoming nuptials which were still a little less then 3 months away. Ron and Padma were there too and Hermione as usual was alone. It was nice to be speaking to Ron again in had been a hard year and not talking to him had made it alot worse.
"I tried to get Bill to come." Ron explained. "Mum says he's barely eating she's really worried that he is going to hurt himself or something he's been really depressed about Fluer and all.
"I would be too." Hermione replied. "She told him she was leaving him for another guy and then had the nerve to put an engagement announcement to the guy in the paper 3 days later. Their divorce isn't even final yet."
"It was cold of her. Mums a wreck over it, you know she thought Fluer actually loved him inspite of his injury..."
"We all did Ron." Padma said affectionately.
"Sometimes people aren't what you think they are." Harry chimed in.
"Ron's right Mums a right mess, she's been crying and saying she's lost her chance and grandchildren, I keep telling her that Harry and I will have them but she won't listen." Ginny said with a half hinting smile at Harry. Hermione had never thought of it that way before. Bill had married Fluer about three years earlier but they'd never had any children and now they were getting divorced, Charlie had never even married and showed no interest in it whatsoever, Percy was married to Penelope Clearwater whom he'd dated since school, but he had basically detached himself from the family, and the twins were too busy running the joke shop to care about girls. If she had been Mrs. Weasley she might be starting to worry herself.
"So anything going on with you Hermione?" Ron asked a knowing look in his eye.
"Nothing really." Hermione explained. "Trying to get a new apartment, everytime I turn my kettle on to work on my potions the old muggle lady below me beats on the ceiling with her broomstick handle. I'm trying to be healer and I have to do my homework."
"Thats awful Hermione, when's your lease up?" Ron inquired.
"End of the month but all the flat's I've been looking at are either too expensive or worse then what I've got." Hermione explained.
"I can't afford much, and I can't seem to find a roommate." Hermione said defeated.
"You'll find something Hermione, if not I'm sure mum would let you stay at the Burrow until you do, Ron's the only one still living there." Ginny said in almost a mocking fashion "and he's going to be leaving soon might cheer her up to have you there for a little while."
"I couldn't impose on your family, if I wanted to live with parents, I could go live with mine." Hermione reminded. Thinking of how horrible it would be go back and live with her own muggle parents. She was just about to open her mouth to speak again when she saw Bill Weasley walk into the leaky cauldron. He looked horrible. His once handsome face was still maimed from the werewolf bite he had recieved in their Hermione's 6th year at Hogwarts, but that wasn't what Hermione noticed. He was thin and pale. He had taken out his famous fang earring and was wearing what Hermione could've sworn were old sweats. She smiled at him bravely.
"I hope it's alright that I came." Bill said. Even thought it was the Leaky Cauldron several people gave Bill strange suprised looks.
"Yeah." Ron said dazed he grabbed and chair and stuffed Bill in close to Hermione. "I thought you said you weren't hungry?"
"I wasn't, but I decided I'd better get out, I've been doing nothing for weeks now, just sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I reckon I should've changed first though." Bill said as if realizing for the first time the state of clothing.
"No you look fine." Ginny lied hoping Bill was to depressed to recognize the note of sarcasm in her voice. luckily for her he was.
"I've been going over some stuff." Bill said. "I'm going to have to move back in with mum and dad."
"Why, what's wrong with your place?" Ron said strangely Padma looked at him intently too.
"Nothing you know I love that place." Bill said a new wave of depression coming over him. "But Fluer and I could barely afford the rent with a joint income, I definitely can't afford it on my own."
"Have you thought about a roommate." Harry said instantly looking at Hermione. Her eyes grew to the size of large tennis balls and she looked as if she may slap Harry.
"I don't want to live with someone I don't know." Bill managed. "Wizards can be shady characters and you don't always know that when you first met them."
"What if you did know them?" Ron asked catching on to what Harry was saying. Hermione was shaking her head now.
"I'd do it but no one is going to be willing to pay the price, it's a very expensive place." Bill explained. "It's 550 Galleons a month. Did you know that's over a thousand muggle pounds." Bill smiled.
"It's only 225 a person?" Hermione said. If she had done her conversion right she was paying 300 Galleons for her small apartment now.
"Yeah." Bill said. "But that's alot for one person."
Hermione had to agree that was outrageous for one person, but if the rent was split it wouldn't be so bad. It was cheaper then her current rent and she wouldn't have the crazy old lady banging on the floor boards at the slightest sound. She looked across the table and saw that Ron and Harry were looking very pleased with themselves. She rolled her eyes at them. It was Padma who broke the silence.
"Weren't you just saying that you were probably going to have to go live with your parents, Hermione?" Padma said catching on to her fiancee hints and helping.
"Really?" Bill exclaimed hopefully. "If you could move in Hermione, I wouldn't have to move out and we know each other.."
Hermione stared at the ragged looking man in front of her. He looked like a strange lost puppy in those moments and he smiled at her oddly. She considered for a few more seconds before finally daring to speak.
"I need to see the place before I decide for sure, but if I like I'll be up for it." Hermione finally said. Bill leaped from his seat and hugged her. It was quick and surprising. She looked at Bill strangely. They hung there for a moment not completely hugging but not letting go either each staring into each others eyes. It was Bill who finally broke contact. He contained himself and sat back down. She couldn't help it, she thought about that hug in for a few extra seconds wondering if the strange spark she'd felt all the way to her toes had been normal. She shook it off as nothing more then a strange sort of excitement about the apartment.
"I need to go." Hermione said looking at her watch. She had been working full time at the Flourish and Blotts booksellers while attending healer classes at uni at night. "Would you rather I came to look at the place after my shift at 7pm or in the morning?"
"Tonight's fine." Bill said. "See you then."
"Yeah." see you then". Hermione said making herself walk out the door. As she worked her shift that day at Flourish and Blotts she found herself daydreaming about Bill's gorgeously maimed face and thinking about that hug. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She couldnt' wait for 7pm to come.