Harry and Hermione had agreed to go and visit Ron the following Saturday at the Burrow and were planning to try and reconnect with him, or at least see what was making him so angry. Fred had offered to give her a pep talk and give her a list of "sure fire things that will make Ron stop being such a git". As tempting as it had been to ask for said list, Hermione decided that her best effort would be to sit down with him and address the issue head on. However, knowing Ron and his temper, she wasn't even sure if it would work, she was just so desperate to have her life back to normal and that meant dealing with Ronald Weasley. Fred hadn't offered the pep talk again but had instead taken to promising all of the ways that he and George could torture their little brother for not moving on. She had laughed at that, much to his amusement, and promised that if all Ron needed was a punch then they would have to get in line.

She was ridiculously nervous and anxious to fix things with Ron before they got too bad to fix.

Hermione was in her flat trying to tame her hair when Harry arrived. She heard him knock on the front door and she left her place from in front of her full length mirror to let him in.

"I'm nearly ready, I thought I'd at least make an effort." She told him as she tried to set her hair into neat curls.

"You're really nervous aren't you?"

"A little, yes. I haven't seen Ron properly in weeks and he's been so angry…"

"Hermione, it's going to be fine, I promise." Harry gave her a smile.

"I'm just so scared that he gets really angry at me again. I just want to sort everything out so that we can all move on like adults."

"I know that and he probably does too which is all the more reason for us to go and do this."

She knew that he was right but it still made her nervous to picture Ron screaming at her that night in the Twins flat. She finished with her hair and found Harry waiting for her in the living room.

"We best get going, you know how Molly gets if we're late."

Hermione mumbled an agreement and took Harry's arm to apparate to the Burrow nonetheless.

They arrived to a hug from Molly and they were informed that Ron was out in the garden.

They found Ron sat in a lonely chair at the bottom of the garden. He looked miserable.

"Hi Ron," Hermione said cheerfully as they approached him.

"What are you two doing here?"

"It's Saturday, we told you that we were coming, remember?"

"Oh yeah…I'd forgotten." He told them before an awkward silence ensued.

"Is everything ok with you Ron? You've just seemed so…angry recently and we're worried about you." She felt that a head on approach was the best way to tackle it rather than dancing around the issue.

He didn't answer her. Instead Ron looked out across the fields that surrounded the Burrow and acted as if she hadn't even spoken.

"Ron I just want things to go back to normal again, can you please let me in on whatever's wrong?"

"You really don't see how much you've hurt me do you?" he told them quietly.

"I'm going to give you two some time to talk this through." Harry told them and quickly slipped away back to the house.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Picture this. You're in love with someone for four years but they don't realise. You'd do anything for this person and then you finally get that chance with them and it's bloody perfect. But they don't agree so they call it off before it can even start. Then, and here's the kicker, you have to find out at a party that not only has that person been spending a lot of time with your sibling, they're dating them too! So you watch the one person that you love the most in the world love someone else. Which would be fine if it was a complete stranger. But it's not. It's my brother and I see you all of the time with him and it's killing me Hermione!"

Ron looked distraught by the time that he had finished.

"Oh." Was all that she could reply.

"I tell you all of that and all you can say is oh?"

"I'm sorry Ron, I really am. But things between you and I and then things between Fred and I are completely different."

"I was there for you for seven years when we kissed and Fred was there for five minutes before you got together, I just don't understand."

"Fred and I have a history, a connection that I don't have with anyone else."

"You and Fred barely interacted the entire time that we were at school, you always gave them into trouble and they didn't even listen to you half the time so please tell me how you have this "connection" and that it's special."

"There's more to it than the few conversations that everyone saw. Fred was my first kiss under the mistletoe in Grimmauld Place. He and George listened to me when I told them off for their plans and they sought me out for advice. I can't believe that I'm even telling you this but I lost my virginity to Fred on my seventeenth birthday so there is a lot more to this than you think you know!"

Ron recoiled as if he had been hit. His face was turning a bright shade of red and it was creeping up into his ears.

"So there never was a chance for us because you were too busy with my brother?" he asked her.

"There was a chance Ron and we took it when we were in the Chamber of Secrets but it just wasn't right. Not for me anyway and I thought that making that decision when I did was the one that was going to hurt you the least."

"It was always going to hurt to see you with him and I can't stand it."

"I'm really sorry Ron, I mean it." She reached out to take his hand.

"You should have thought of that before you slept with Fred." He snatched his hand away from her.

"That's not fair Ron. There was nothing romantic between us at that time and I didn't realise that I had to get your permission to date somebody. I really want us to be close again because I miss you but I think you need to remember that you are my best friend and not my father or my boyfriend. The choices that I make, even if they are stupid, are mine alone to make."

There was silence as Hermione's words clung to the air.

"I'll see you inside for dinner." He got up from his seat and retreated into the house, leaving Hermione completely confused and a little annoyed.

Harry found her there a few minutes later and asked what had happened.

"I really do see why I hurt him and I am sorry for that. But he can't keep holding it against me, it's just not fair!"

"He'll come around eventually, hopefully before the wedding, and he'll move on, he just hasn't met the right with yet."

"I hope that's all it is. It just feels as if I've destroyed him, I can see it when I look at him and he hates us." She sighed.

As she and Harry returned to the Twins' flat that she finally explained the conversation to them. Once she was finished she nearly laughed at the two men as they were staring at her with their mouths wide open.

Harry bid his farewell to her not long afterwards and Hermione made her way to bed, wondering just when Ron would talk to her again.

The answer came on the night before Ginny and Harry's wedding, nearly two months later, as they all squashed around the table at the Burrow, and Mrs Weasley tried not to cry. Even Charlie had arrived from Romania, complete with burned forearm which had landed him in trouble with Molly. Hermione was wedged in between Fred and George, who was awaiting Angelina's arrival later in the evening, with Ron directly opposite her. She had given him a smile as she had sat down but he hadn't returned it. Fred leaned in to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Don't worry about it love," he said quietly before he shot Ron a look.

"What was that for?" he retorted.

"For acting like a child and ignoring Hermione."

"You can't help but rub it in can you Fred?"

"Grow up Ron." Fred sighed but Hermione felt his hand tighten its grip on hers.

"That's enough from both of you," she told them before turning to chat with George.

As the meal wound down Ginny excused herself and Hermione, citing "Bridal Duties". She kissed Harry goodbye, as the boys were travelling back to Grimmauld Place until the ceremony the following day.

Once they finally reached Ginny's old bedroom she collapsed onto the bed and pulled Hermione down with her.

"I'm getting married tomorrow can you believe it!?"

"Not really Gin. It seems like it wasn't that long since you and Harry were being all cute in the common room at Hogwarts!"

"I know…well it wasn't really. We've been together for two years which doesn't even seem that long but after the war, when Harry felt really liberated he decided that he couldn't wait any longer and that we just had to get married."

"I couldn't think of a happier couple right now," Hermione smiled at her best friend.

"I can!"

"Who?"

"You and Fred!"

"I wouldn't say that we were happier, it's not us getting married tomorrow!"

"I know that, but he's told me how important you are to him and I think it's really sweet, Fred's not exactly the one that we thought would be settling down anytime soon. But seriously, even though Ron's been a douche about it, it doesn't mean that the rest of us aren't thrilled, Mum especially."

Due to Ginny's excitement the girls had a late night, aided by Angelina's arrival once she had finished work at 10pm. They caught up with her into the early hours and it was only once Ginny checked the time that she realised that she should get some sleep.

"I'll be a hideous bride if I don't get some sleep now!"

"Ginny you will never be a hideous bride but you should definitely get some sleep!"

Hermione bid goodnight to both girls before she finally curled up under her covers and slipped into a deep sleep. She felt as if she had been asleep for a matter of minutes when Ginny woke her by jumping on her whilst she screamed "I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAAAAAAY!"

Hermione couldn't help but burst into a smile and tear up a little as it hit her: they were finally adults and this was the first very important moment in their adult lives.

They made their way downstairs with Angelina to have breakfast where they found Mr and Mrs Weasley and Fleur chatting excitedly as Fleur nursed Victoire.

"Good morning girls!" Arthur called from his place at the head of the table as Molly began to tear up.

"Muuuuum!" Ginny groaned, "It's first thing in the morning, you can't be crying now!"

"I know but you're our baby and only girl and now you're getting married! I-I just can't believe it!" she managed between sniffles.

Ginny dismissed her mother and sat down at the table, pulling everything that she could get her hands on onto her plate. Hermione followed suit, guessing that it would a long time until she had another proper meal.

"So how are things with you and George?" Ginny asked Angelina.

"Good I think, he's a little quieter than I'd thought he was at school, maybe he's just grown up." She laughed.

Hermione decided to intervene, "It's because he's ridiculously nervous because he really likes you. I was at their flat the night before he asked you to be his girlfriend and he was debating whether or not it was time to ask you and whether or not you'd say yes. You make George Weasley nervous, if that's not something special then I don't know what is!"

She watched as Angelina began to blush and then burst out laughing.

"Am I allowed to tell him that I know that?"

"He'll absolutely kill me but of course you can, it's totally worth it!"

"Thanks Hermione," Angelina told her honestly. "You both know as well as I do that George isn't all that great at being serious so it's nice to know that he does really like me!"

"Don't be so silly! I haven't seen George this happy in forever. I'm glad of it too, he was getting a bit mopey when Fred took a fancy to Hermione!" Ginny grinned at her best friend which earned her an elbow in the ribs from Hermione.

"Eat up girls, big day ahead of you!" Mr Weasley called to them as he went outside to see how the preparations were going.

As much as they all wanted to continue larking around they all knew that he was right. Hermione also knew that Ginny might send a pretty mean hex at whoever disrupted the perfection of her big day so took to her plate of food and gobbled it down.