It's the tenth of July. I've been back at work for three days, my job in the Auror's office is mostly inactive at the moment and I'm running myself ill with worry. The main reason I chose to work here as opposed to other, safer jobs was so that I knew I could be with my boys. I need to be with them so I don't worry about what they're doing, I still worry of course, but I think being with them makes my imagination less... imaginative.
Right now they're off trying to bring in a suspect wanted for improper use of magic – honestly, who charms potatoes to uproot themselves and terrorise their muggle gardeners. In any case, it's a fairly routine outing, but you never know what could happen. And ever since, well I just find myself wanting to either be out there with them knowing their safe or at home with them bundled up by my side keeping me company.
In all honesty, I'm finding myself less and less hurt about Dean. I worry that in time, it will be like he was never here.
Later on that night, I told Harry so.
"Hermione, you couldn't possibly forget him, he was such a big part of your, our, lives. True, we may grow more able to handle him not being with us, but that doesn't mean we don't wish he was there. Especially you, you've always had a knack for being compassionate and loving"
When he stopped speaking, he gave me the biggest puppy dog eyes I've ever seen, so when Ron walked in from the kitchen with a piece of cheese hanging out of his mouth, it wasn't really surprising to find us in a tight hug. In fact Ron just walked right back into the kitchen, pretending he was never there.
Actually thinking about it, that was rather odd behaviour. More often lately I find myself more physically loving with Harry, with hugging and small touches than I do with Ron. That's not to say Ron and I are growing apart, it's more to say that mine and Ron's relationship is more vocal, we talk, argue, discuss, joke, while Harry and mine is more physical.
A week and a half after our rejoining of the workforce, Harry, Ron and I sat down to a discussion at the dinner table. They'd both been staying with me indefinitely since Dean died and now it was the time to decide whether things should stay as they are, or whether we were all ready to go back to our separate homes. Harry's – a flat five blocks away and Ron's, a small house near his parents.
When I went to bed that night, I took some time before sleeping to sort through my thoughts, it was a habit of mine ever since I was little. My talk with the boys led us to deciding that Ron would go back to his house, because he felt it was time. That and a small nudge saying he wanted to settle down.
Harry, however was a different story, he and I came to a decision for him to stay with me permanently, his reasoning was that his flat was far too expensive to live in, and my house too big for me to live in alone. We'll help him move his things in on the weekend – three days from now.
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Author's Notes: I know it ended abruptly but I felt that was the best spot. I was going to continue with the move in, but I decided to leave that for the next chapter.