(A\N: Yay! This story is finally hitting double digits! xD I'm excited to move into it a bit more and I hope you guys enjoy it :D Pleaseee review! xD I know I'm needy but I just love hearing all the positive feedback :) )

Hermione apparated to the parking lot behind her flat building extremely tired from her traumatic day. She walked towards her building in a daze, completely unaware of her surroundings. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. She let Draco sodding Malfoy to get away with beating the complete shit out of her.

She groaned out loud, completely conflicted. She knew what she'd done was the right thing to do. Turning him in would have made things so much worse and she could tell from that terrible deadness in his eyes that his apology was sincere. But, it still didn't mean that he should have as stupid a consequence as the one she gave him. It was too late to turn back. And there wasn't really anything Hermione could think of to give him as a punishment.

Hermione climbed the stairs to her flat on the third floor and took her keys out from her bag. She reached her door and was surprised to find it slightly ajar. Her heart started racing and her mind went into overdrive. Oh no. How could this have happened? No muggle could have gotten past my wards, so it must have been a wizard. She got herself together and slowly straightened while taking her wand out of her pocket. She held it firmly in front of her ready to strike.

She slowly entered her flat. All the lights were off, and she didn't dare light her wand, afraid it would give away her presence. As her eyes adjusted, she saw nothing was destroyed or out of place, but when she turned towards the opening arch of her kitchen she saw a silhouette of a person through the moonlight shining in the kitchen window. And guessing from the broad shoulders and height of it, it was a man.

Thank Merlin I have a wand, Hermione thought. She lightly put down her purse on the coffee table, and walked as silently as she could to the kitchen. When so got there she peered around it and was surprised at what she saw. Ronald Weasley was sitting at her small kitchen table, a glass in his hand. She looked to see if there was a bottle of Firewhiskey or other type of alcohol, but there wasn't and he looked perfectly sober.

"You can put that away now." He said deeply. Hermione wasn't surprised that he knew she was there. He had become much more aware since the war and all his Auror training.

"What are you doing here, Ron?" she asked a slightly confused tone in her voice.

He shrugged. "Been missing everything, I guess…I dunno. Harry and I haven't talked much lately. He and Gin are too busy with the kids. Mum and Dad are away in American to see her cousin Maribel, and, well, I've just been missing it." He finished lamely. He looked up at her and his eyes widened. "Blimey, Hermione! What the bloody hell happened to your face?"

Hermione inwardly cringed. Damn, the bruises. She gave out a humorless laugh. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." It was true, but she was just trying to buy time to think of a lie good enough for him to believe.

He raised a ginger eyebrow skeptically at her; "Oh, really?"

She rolled her eyes; "Alright, fine," she huffed, playing the part of innocence well. "I was in the shop today on one of the rickety ladders – you know, the one in the back that I keep having to repair?" He nodded. "Well, I was putting some books on the top shelf when it broke underneath me. I fell and hit my head and back on the nearest bookshelf, and the top part of the ladder fell on my face." She finished, pointing to her bruised eye and cut lip.

She waited anxiously to see if he bought it. He did. "Merlin, Hermione, you could have been killed! Why don't you just buy new bloody ladders? It's not like you can't afford too."

She rolled her eyes at him and turned on the lights. She squinted at him as she adjusted, and said; "I know, Ron. I was thinking about it even before I had the fall." She walked to the stove to give the kettle and went to the sink to get water. When she had the kettle placed on the stove, she went and sat next to Ron.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. It was like old times when they were never together and things weren't complicated. They began to talk about everything and anything going on in their lives, catching up. They talked about work and family, all their adventures, and most recent things.

Finally, when it reached twelve thirty, they decided to call it a night.

"Goodnight Hermione." He grinned at her as we walked out the front door.

"Goodnight Ron." She called back. She closed the door and went back to the kitchen, cleaning up their mugs. Although her back and head were aching all throughout her chat with Ron, she couldn't bring herself to ask him to leave. She missed having her best friends in her life just as much as he did.

She shut off the light to the kitchen and walked to her room. Her room had light purple colored walls and dark purple bed sheets. On her bedside table there was a most recent picture of her Harry and Ron, and her, her mother and father.

She shed her clothes and went into the bathroom for a much needed shower. The warm water relaxed her stiff body and she felt much better when she got out. She looked in the mirror at the bruises along her face and put on a special cream to help get rid of them. Then she went into her room, put on her pajamas and got into bed falling asleep almost instantly, her mind finally settling, pushing away reality and into her dreams.