Chapter 4: The Definition of Awkward

Hermione opened the door to her flat and was shocked to see a tall red head leaning against her door frame. "Ronald?! I – I didn't think you would be coming!" she was hesitant at first and then moved to the side so he could come in. She didn't hug him, or kiss his cheek like she usually did.

"I know I was angry Hermione but I want to try" there was an uncomfortable silence until Hermione spoke up again.

"I am glad you are here, but Ronald?" she was attempting to hold her temper. He had angered her during their last fight that had nearly gone too far and she feared this was the end of an already dead relationship.

"Yeah?"

"Please try to get along with my other friends?"

Resisting the urge to sneer at her words he replied with a snarky "I am here aren't I? I said I wanted to try 'Mione."

Hermione walked away to the kitchen and counted backwards from ten. She listened carefully to see if her current boyfriend was saying anything that might set her off. She really did want Pansy's party to be a success. Last year had been hard for her; she lost the only family she had left after the war that was kind to her just before her actual birthday. This was simply a celebration a few days before with close friends. Getting her to agree was the hard part and Hermione didn't want anybody fighting tonight. It was all about Pansy!

Looking around her flat Ron noticed that Hermione had changed some things in the past month. He had not been around much since their most recent argument and he wasn't sure if she would be okay with him here for the evening but he cared for Hermione, he wanted to remain friends with her. He knew their relationship was burning and he wanted to try and mend it before it was nothing but ashes. He looked around and noticed all the photos that didn't move, he also noticed that he was not a part of many of the ones that did. And the worst part is he should have been. The paint in her living room was now a purple color Hermione loved; he couldn't recall the actual name though. Much better than the bland white she used to have. She had new furniture; her couch was a light tan color and soft like velvet and in the shape of an 'L'. Her television was on the wall above the fireplace and on either side had vases of fake blue carnations and baby's breath; the vases were filled halfway to the top with glass like pebbles. It looked nice; everything looked great with her dark hard wood floors. The only thing he noticed she did NOT change.

He knew he was being an asshole but he felt like she was being irrational. All of her logic thrown out the window the day he came over to Hermione's flat and found her consoling a very upset Pansy Parkinson. How could she want to be friends with that woman? She tried to give Ron's best friend to Voldemort! Hermione was smarter than this and to Ronald Weasley she was being rather daft! Over the past couple of years their fights all started when she would say the former enemies of 'The Golden Trio' were going to hang out with her at her flat or that they were going to dinner or something to that degree. Tonight he came simply to try and see if he could stand them and if he could would he be able to tolerate them enough to actually have a good time with them?

"Well, it is a surprise you showed up Ron. But I am glad that you did, I am sure Hermione is thrilled you are here at least trying?"

"Well you know I don't understand her sudden interest in these people, but I mean it isn't like they are Draco Malfoy or anything."

Harry gave his wife a look that said 'this will not go well' and she rolled her eyes at him.

Ron noticed the sudden tension between his sister and best friend "Everything okay?" he said pointing at each of them.

"Huh? Oh yes we are fine Ron. Just a little shocked that you are here is all. I am going to see if Hermione needs an extra wand."

Ginny walked into the kitchen and saw all of the food that was prepared and was once again shocked at how much time Hermione had put into the evening's festivities.

"So, what is wrong Ginny?" Hermione asked giving her friend a knowing look "I saw that look you were giving Harry when you walked in earlier. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Harry and I got into an argument about Ron and him acting like a child again. We were shocked he showed up because he and Harry had gotten into a row before we left the house tonight. Ron was going on and on about how you were being stupid for being friends with so many former enemies and apparently think all of these friendships are sudden, we of course know better. We have all been around them for some time now. It's not like it really should come as a shock to anyone. We all matured over the last few years, we are not in house rivalry anymore and the pureblood – muggle born prejudice is mostly gone from our world; aside from a select few." Ginny said pointing her head towards her brother.

"So what was the argument about exactly? I am confused."

"Well Harry started taking Ron's side at one point and it really bothered me. He being your best friend knows that you would not intentionally get into a situation without going through every scenario possible first. But Ron started to use guilt on Harry, I ended that quickly but Harry didn't understand why I wasn't seeing both sides. And honestly if everything had happened suddenly I don't know how I would see things. But I have been around Pansy, Theo, and Blaise enough to know that they are nothing like they used to be. And for Harry to even think about going to the dark side is an immediate turn off. So we fought a minute before he saw reason, but I still wanted to slap him in his stupid face." Hermione chuckled at that last bit and thanks Ginny for sticking for her and her friends. They had all become very close, minus Ron who decided anyone who was once in Slytherin house was a terrible person. They made mistakes but you cannot help how you are raised. What matters is learning to be able to speak for yourself and know right from wrong.

"I love Ron, Ginny but I don't think this relationship is going to last if he cannot accept my friends and forgive their pasts."

"I will understand whichever way this turns out Hermione, now to get to what is important!" she said with a little bit of squeal.

"Ah, yes Pansy's Party!"

"No! You didn't think that you would get away with not explaining a certain blonde ferret that you were eating lunch with today now did you?"

Hermione felt the blush creep up her neck and with a laugh dove into her morning with Draco. She told Ginny about him helping her with dinner, and that he might even show up. Of course Ginny and Harry thought he would probably be there judging by what they were told after lunch that day. Hermione does not simply start being nice to someone and then not invite them to a party especially if it involved so many of their old friends. Now that it was confirmed Ginny was worried Draco might show up and the fire from hell would boil from Ron's core and explode in the small flat.

Just as she was about wave the thought out of her mind, thinking Ron walked into the kitchen being followed by a blonde

"Mione' another guest has arrived." The look on Ron's face told the two witches that he was not happy and he was very confused. "When did he get invited to this party? I don't remember you saying he was coming." He seemed calm but on the inside Hermione knew he was holding it together by a thin string.

"I invited him today….at lunch…..with Blaise and Theo…." Ron had never liked that Hermione had lunches with the other two men, mostly because he didn't know them. But that was his own fault; he wouldn't hang around if they were all going to be there also.

"So, not only did you have lunch with TWO people I have asked you NOT to be around ALONE but you also had lunch Draco Malfoy?" she saw the heavy rising and falling of his chest and knew he was going to burst with anger any moment. She needed to get a handle on the situation before things escalated.

"Ron, Blaise and Theo met me today to go over last minute party ideas. And I ran into Draco in the park this Morning while I was reading. And invited him along because he is Pansy's friend and I thought perhaps he would like to be a part of today." Hermione had a call exterior but inside she was seething. How dare he act like these men are going to hurt her. They had been nothing but gentlemen since they started being friends. Even if he didn't trust the men in question couldn't he at least trust her judgement? Ugh this man was infuriating.

"I am trying 'Mione, but I'm not sure I can handle this. I'll give it a go for your sake. But don't ask me to be happy."

"Honestly Ronald if you don't want to be here you can leave. It's not like any of us expected you to be here tonight anyways." She had a point, he had told her that he would rather be Avadad then be a room with her bloody weird friends.

"I will stay." He tried not to grimace when he said it.

"Fantastic! We will set another place for you."

Hermione was happy that he was trying. She ran up to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Thank you Ron. It means a lot that you're here tonight"

Looking into her deep toffee colored eyes he couldn't help but hug her and bury his head in her wavy hair. She had learned to tame it with some charms that Ginny had showed her and liked it better this way. "I'm trying Hermione, it won't be easy but I want us to work. You look ravishing tonight by the way." He let her go to arms length so he could appreciate her figure more. She smiled at him and then decided maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad.

At that moment Blaise walked in and informed everyone that Pansy and Theo were almost there. He looked in the kitchen and saw a second redhead. "Who invited Weasel here?" he joked. Ron didn't take it that way. But he held his tongue for once.

"Blaise, so happy you're here. Maybe you and Ron can play some wizards chess for a bit while I finish last minute things for dinner. Maybe Blaise will give you a run for your money Ron. He really is quiet good." She was beaming. All of her favorite people were going to be in the same room! And not fighting. She knew this night was about Pansy but she couldn't help but feel like this was a present to herself! Nothing would beat this moment. She was drinking it all in when they heard Pansy's voice outside the door.

"DRACO! YOU'RE HERE!" she practically leaped into his arms making him nearly topple over. "Theodore Nott! Why didn't you tell me that Draco would be here tonight?!" she was beaming and it did nothing but make her husband the happiest man alive. She had been dreading coming out tonight but knew that Hermione was trying to help her out in her depressed state over her parents. Birthdays would never be quiet the same.

"Well Love, I didn't want to say he would be here and then the opposite be true once we got to the party. I couldn't bear to see you hurt." Pansy let go of Draco and gave her husband a very deep and passionate kiss followed by the promise to show him his birthday thank you when they got home.

"Oh Hermione, it is just beautiful in here. Your décor is lovely, who did it for you?"

"I did actually; I was tired of the boring white walls and decided I needed a change."

"You know you could go into business with me with this kind of inspiration. I will make the clothes, you can decorate the insides of homes and the closets the lovely clothes would be going into! That would be so fun!" She swooned and sniffed the air a little bit. "Oh Hermione you made all my favorites!"

"Correction, Draco and I made all your favorites." She said smiling at the witch. She looked at Draco who had a tinge of pink on his cheeks which made her smile even more.

"Draco knows how to cook? The muggle way?" she asked seeming a little skeptical.

"Well I am helping him learn how to do a few things the muggle way, apparently he has been living off of those microwavable meals and burns water." she joked

"I do NOT burn water Hermione!" he laughed a little so everyone knew he wasn't really angry.

Ron looked ill. The idea of him having to sit at dinner with the youngest Malfoy was going to be difficult enough. Now he was going to have to enjoy a meal he helped make? Ugh this day could not get any worse.

"I think she is in love right now Ms. Granger you out did yourself" Theo was staring at his wife with an adoring expression as she tasted a little bit of all the things that were laid out in front of her. Hermione couldn't help the lone tear that danced down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away not wanting anyone to see it. She had only ever hoped Ron would look at her with adoring eyes but always came short.. Always having some excuse to exit stage right when it came to any other emotion other than angry.

"Since everyone is here, why don't we all sit and eat?" She masked a smile that would make everyone think she was just fine. As the evening passed they had went through several glasses of wine with dinner and then moved to the study for a few muggle games. They went from wine to whiskey because they had all decided to play Never Have I Ever and if you had not done the task then you didn't drink. If you had participated in the task then you drank and sometimes this could reveal some juicy secrets.

"Never have I ever kissed a witch or wizard of the same gender" Theo proclaimed with a slight drunken slur. They had managed to go through an entire bottle of firewhiskey already and were currently on their second one.

Everyone in the room stared at one another; finally Ginny took the first drink. Then Harry, then Pansy, and to her surprise Draco and Theo. Blaise was of course grinning ear to ear as he thought long and hard about all the witches and…..yes he took a drink! And wizards he had kissed in his lifetime. He didn't mind experimenting. Everyone was staring at Hermione with dumbfounded looks. "Hermione Granger, you had better drink out of that crystal glass!" Ginny was giving her a knowing look.

"Hermione? You have kissed a witch?" Blaise asked, everyone stared at her and glanced at Ginny wondering what she knew. "I must (hiccup) hear this story!" Draco was the only one not surprised. He had actually witnessed this moment and thought back to it often. Hermione Granger did not back down from dares nor was she called a coward.

"This story I must hear!" Gasped Pansy; with a slight slur.

"Good Godric do none of you feel like that's a little personal?"

"No actually we do not. Besides I would like to know what witch my girlfriend has fallen for" Ron laughed a little bit; as he started making a list in his mind of who it could possibly be.

"Heavens Ronald, don't be a pig. Fine it was 5th year, me Ginny, Hannah Abbott, Pavarti Patel, Lavander Brown, and Susan Bones were in the astronomy tower being naughty and out past curfew. We played truth or dare and I was dated to kiss Lavender or Ginny with passion. So, I chose the latter and we shared a very passionate kiss that night." She smiled wide and was blushed a little. She had just told her friends and boyfriend that she had snogged his sister.

She looked at Ron for some kind of reaction and he looked almost angry. It was a dare; surely he couldn't be angry with her. It happened so long ago. They are adults and all of them had clearly done something crazy in their school days.

"Ron, are you okay?"

"Okay? You expect me to be okay after you just told everyone about you being a slag all for some dare?"

Ginny interrupted "Ron, it's a game of Never Have I Ever and that was a game of Truth or Dare. When have you ever backed down from a dare?" she saw him thinking hard "Exactly so you cannot get upset with Hermione about something because it was all in good fun of the game."

"Yes Ginny, I should give my girlfriend a special pass because she was made to look easy with a bunch of girls. And she corrupted my sister!"

"First of all I was not your girlfriend at the time Ronald! You have no right to get mad at for something I did when I was single!"

He thought some more. She was right, he shouldn't be angry. But he was because none of the 3 women in his life had ever told him about that night. He saw Lav at least 3 times a week for various reasons. At first it was innocent, he had been shopping at the book store for a new book for Hermione when she approached him and he was instantly reminded of all the times they had. He couldn't help himself after that.

"Hold on, and second of all I did NOT corrupt your sister. It was a game and I won." She said with a devilish smile.

"Can we get on with the game now?" Blaise asked impatiently

"Yes, please!" shouted Ginny a little too loud.

"Never have I ever sprained something during sex" Blaise wriggled his eye brows to everyone before taking a long drink of whisky. Everyone except Hermione took a drink, suddenly everyone was staring and she grew red with embarrassment. "What?" Ron felt himself start to blush. He realized that he had not sprained his thigh while he was with Hermione. Maybe she wouldn't catch it this time. In fact he prayed she didn't.

"Ron, what could you have possibly sprained?" it was her understanding that they had been one another's firsts for sex at least. He still didn't answer he tried to pull his stomach out of the sink hole it just fell into as he realized that Hermione was connecting the dots.

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Thank you for all of my reviews and help from my beta on helping me out with critiquing of my work. Please let me know what you all think. It took me some time to write this due to home life getting kind of crazy. Everyone have a great rest of June!

Thanks everyone!