Chapter Four

Hermione turned off the shower, stepped out from behind the semi sheer curtain, only to fall back and pull the curtain with her as she landed on the cold wet tile with a loud scream. "RONALD WEASELY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed after untangling herself from the curtain that had pooled on top of her.

"Sorry! Oh merlin are you okay!?" He panicked his eyes wide with shock as he came rushing towards her.

"Yes I'm fine! I'm naked! GET OUT!" She screeched pointing towards the door, clinging to the curtain like it was a life line.

Ron's ears got red as he looked down at her sprawled out form the curtain clinging to her like a glove, "Right, er, sorry." He mumbled as he stumbled out the door, closing it behind him.

Hermione huffed and stood up with a groan, that fall was going to leave a few bruises. Quickly she dressed in a button up pink shirt and jeans, looking at her hair she decided to just pull it back in a pony tail and leave it.

With shaking hands she walked out into the living room and took her time to look Ron over, he looked better than he had almost a week ago, she had put him on strict bed rest and had taken time off work to look after him and brew the potions he needed herself. But after four days of listening to him whine and beg to let him get up and her threatening to glue him to the bed, she finally relented and let him move about with a warning to take it easy. "Now, why the hell did you walk into that bathroom while I was showering." She finally asked, making him jump.

"I didn't know you were showering I swear! I don't know why I didn't hear the shower running but it was silent from the hallway, so I checked the door, it was unlocked and when I opened it there you were! I was in shock and then you stepped out and jeez Hermione I'm so sorry, are you okay?" He asked worried.

Hermione laughed then, "No don't apologize it was my fault, I'm used to living alone so I don't lock the door, and the reason you couldn't hear the shower is because Harry and Ginny stayed over once and decided to use my bathroom for more than just showering, so I permanently silenced it. I'm sorry for yelling at you, you shocked me, I must have come across as a real harpy."

Ron laughed loudly at that, "No you didn't I think anyone would have yelled at the guy ogling them while they showered."

"You were ogling me?" She asked quietly blushing slightly.

Ron's ears, neck, and face immediately turned a deep red, and his eyes widened. "Did I say that? I only meant it as a figure of speech."

Hermione glanced at her hands then back into his face, he was openly avoiding eye contact, quickly she reached out and pulled his face to look at her, "its okay Ron, I'm not upset."

His crystal blue eyes gazed down into her own chocolate ones with admiration, and slowly they moved closer to each other, like gravity was pushing them together.

"Hermione are you home? Are you okay!?" Yelled a voice from the fireplace, causing both Ron and her to jump away from each other.

Quickly she rushed to the fireplace and met a pair of familiar brown eyes, "Connor! Oh how are you? I haven't talked to you in a while! I'm fine, why?" She asked ignoring the voice inside her that was yelling at her for not contacting him sooner, last time they had talked she had been horrible to him.

"Oh good, I just hadn't heard from you in a while and was curious if something had happened?" He told her smiling kindly at her, "I'm sorry about earlier this week, I know you don't like to feel like I'm babysitting you, I just worry about you sweetheart."

Hermione tried not to flinch, she was such a horrible girlfriend, but once Ron left things would go back to normal, "Oh, I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have snapped at you, I was just stressed out. And yes, something did happen, that person that is after Ron poisoned the potions I gave him!" She exclaimed.

His eyes got wide, "Really? Oh Mione, I'm so sorry, no wonder you have been busy, you've been mourning! Now I understand, it's okay sweetie, anyway I need to get back to work been really busy with this proje…"

"No Connor!" She quickly rushed out, "he isn't dead, I saved him, but I've spent my week taking care of him, I needed to keep a close eye on him, I'm sorry I should have given you a call before now, I was just distracted with him, and then Harry is in and out of the house so much I barely have anytime to myself!"

Connor stared at her for a while, "I see, I'm sorry you've had to deal with this. It must be such an imposition, maybe I should come over, I know you can't leave him alone, but I could come over and help out a bit?"

Hermione looked at him for a moment, "What about work? It sounded pretty important, I can't ask you to do that, not to mention, things haven't changed and I think it would be best if you didn't come here. But if you aren't too busy I could always come over to your place for a while, Ron can take care of himself for a few hours."

"No don't worry about it, you're right I have to get to work. I'll talk to you soon okay?" Connor told her with a charming smile.

"Okay, good luck, you've been working on this project since we started dating, I know you'll do great!" She told him with a kind smile.

"I hope so, it seems every time I think I've got it, something goes wrong, anyway I think I have a lead and then I'll be done and we can celebrate!" He told her happily before leaving the call.

"I stand by what I said; he gives me the bloody creeps!" Ron mumbled from behind her, not really talking to her.

"He isn't a creep; he is hard-working, smart, charming, and a sweetheart!" She snapped at him.

"Oh yes every girl wants to date a workaholic with a seedy personality, something isn't right with him! I'm an auror, I know these things! I'm trained to sniff out the creeps!" Ron snapped back. "What is his last name?"

"Rosier." She answered rolling her eyes.

"Hermione, that's a bad family, an old pureblooded family, he has ties with the Blacks, Princes, Malfoy's, and Lestrange families, no good can come from that." He explained to her.

"First off, Sirius and Andromeda were Black, were they not good and noble enough for you? Narcissa Malfoy used to be a Black and wasn't she the one who saved Harry's life? Severus Snape's mother was a Prince, was he not the bravest man you've ever met? And let us not forget the fact you and Harry have lunch with Draco Malfoy once a month, whom takes over as head auror when Harry isn't there, are you telling me he is still just as terrible as he once was? Not to mention Connor is a half blood, his father ran off to America and married a muggle woman. Why do you still insist on judging someone on their names, it's just as bad as judging someone on their blood status, or if they are a werewolf." She told him passionately crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"I am not judging I'm just worried about you! He isn't right for you and I would appreciate it if you didn't mention werewolves to me now." Ron snapped suddenly looking upset.

Hermione blinked at the sudden change and unsure of what to do sat next to him, "why?" she finally decided to ask.

"Lavender wrote me a note and had Harry give it to me two days ago; she ended it, said, well she said a lot of things that got me thinking. The worst part is I don't even miss her, not in the way I should, I just miss her like I would a friend. I feel terrible." He sighed.

Hermione's jaw dropped open, Lavender had broken up with him, was it because of her? "Oh Ron, I'm sorry, you'll find the right person one day." She choked out, patting his knee.

He stared at her, almost like he was trying to read her for the first time, "What if I already have but I let her go?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide, "then I'd have to say, if she is the right person, she'd come back. Like the saying goes, if you love someone let them go, if they come back they were always yours, but if they don't, they never were."

"You have no idea Mione, you shouldn't be encouraging me." He whispered to her, sending shivers down her spine, she tilted her head to the side in question but before she could say anything he kissed her so softly she wasn't even sure if she had imagined it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, you're dating someone." He mumbled getting up to walk away.

"Please don't leave me again." She whimpered scared she would never get the bravery to say it again. He turned at looked at her.

"I'm not going anywhere Mione, but I won't make you a cheater, it's your choice, I don't mind waiting." He told her with a smile, before walking out, leaving her lips burning and her mind buzzing with a million questions.