Author's Note:

First of all, thanks to Very Small Prophet for pointing out some lapses in common sense on my part in some of the earlier chapters. I do plan on doing something about them, but not sure what yet. As for duj's comment regarding the duration of the Clarity Potion part of the potion, the idea was that it instantly restored the user to his or her normal level of clarity, not that it somehow augmented one's clarity for a particular duration. So if it works, it works. It doesn't really need to "last." And finally, thanks to sandlapper, who reminded me how blind Hermione really was in that last chapter.

: : :

Chapter Ten: In Need of a Friend

Dear Severus,

I'm not sure what I did to disappoint you. I thought for sure that we were developing a friendship, even though it seems so strange after our rocky teacher/student history. I never thought I could feel for you the way I did the other night, and it has complicated everything. I don't mind the complication, though. I was sure I could find a way for us to stay friends despite Ron's prejudice, but now it seems you want nothing to do with me. The way you sneered the words "Weasley" and "husband" make me suspect either that you think I will automatically agree with his estimation of you, or that perhaps you have developed romantic feelings for me. As for the first, I can assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. I will make him see that you are worthy of respect and friendship with as much vigour as I've ever put into any project! As for the second idea, you must admit that, considering our past history, it seems absurd to me! Oh, I'll admit I've felt . . . differently . . . around you than in the past, especially since taking that potion, but I cannot understand how or why you could ever have feelings for me - I've brought you nothing but trouble! In any case, if that is the cause of your sudden distance, I apologize. I never meant to lead you on. I didn't know what I wanted, and now I know I want more from you than just a drink - magical or otherwise. I want us to be friends. And, of course, if you're upset for something I haven't thought of here, please let me know. I will make it up to you, I promise.

Your friend, I hope,

Hermione

: : :

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I do not have friends.

S. Sangfroid

: : :

Hermione woke before Ron, but she remembered herself how much energy it had taken to deal with the pain of the potion, so she brewed some coffee, and considered Severus' strange behaviour the night before. She wished he had told her what was wrong. All she had to go on were guesses, and she already missed the comfortable relationship they'd developed working together on the potion. Well, there was only one way to find out. She took out a quill and parchment, and quickly penned a missive to him, then sealed it in a Muggle envelope and, after looking in her phone book, added the address for Samuel Sangfroid at the Blind Eye pub in London. She'd take it to the Muggle post office as soon as she had the time.

By the time she'd finished, Ron was beginning to stir.

"We need to talk," he said, after rubbing his eyes and gulping down half a mug of coffee. "First, how are the Magpies doing?"

Hermione blushed. She hadn't even thought to check on their progress, but of course he'd want to know.

"You don't know," he said, taking another gulp of coffee. "Not surprising, really." He looked around. "Do you have any sweetbreads?"

Another thing she'd forgotten: Ron's sweet tooth. She shook her head. "I'll get some today, I promise." It was Tuesday, but she'd called in a vacation day, so she could spend time with Ron. "I'll get whatever you want."

"Do you have anything to eat in the morning?"

"I have bread and jam - will that do?"

He shrugged, as if to say that it would have to do. She rose and came back with the bread and several flavours of jam and jelly. He chose orange marmalade, and she winced as she saw how much of it he spread over the bread.

"So," he said, talking with his mouth full, "I know I was gone for a long time, over a year, right? What happened in all that time? How is my family doing? Did Harry and Ginny get back together?"

"Well. . . " Hermione stalled, and took a piece of bread herself to chew on as she thought. "I haven't seen much of your family, I'm afraid. I was working on Time-Turners. I thought that if I could make them again, I could go back in time and fix everything, you know, make sure you didn't get hit with the bludger, and so I just pretty much stayed in my office and the library until I discovered the potion idea."

Ron rolled his eyes, but kept eating. "And Harry and Ginny?"

This was what she was dreading. "Well, that was the other thing I wanted to reverse. Harry - Harry, he went, well, after you died, and he'd lost Ginny, well, he thought it would be a good idea to talk to Sirius. I found his cloak by the Veil."

"Harry - dead?" Ron stopped eating, and Hermione could see tears forming in his eyes. People always accused him of being insensitive, but she knew he cared a lot for Harry. "So Ginny's still with Luna?"

"I guess. I haven't seen her much, either. Like I said, I've been pretty involved with work."

He took another bite, and mumbled something.

This time, she chose not to ask, but he repeated himself anyway. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

I have. "Maybe not in how I cope," she conceded. "But I've changed a lot in other ways. I don't have much hope anymore."

"Maybe Harry was the hope."

"Maybe," she agreed, but secretly knew there was more to it. Things had started going wrong before Harry's death.

"So, does anyone in my family know I'm no longer at the hospital?"

"Not yet, no," Hermione admitted. "I didn't tell them beforehand; I didn't think they'd approve. But!" She put up a hand to keep him from interrupting. "But I knew it would work! I tried it myself!"

"Yeah, that's what you said last night," he said, chewing on another slice of bread. "So, when can I see them?"

"We'll meet as soon as they can. I'll send an owl -"

"I'll do it," Ron said, standing and wiping his hands on his pajamas. He hastily scrawled two notes, and called, "Vespy! Got a delivery for you." Vesperion, their screech owl appeared, and Ron attached the two letters to him. He directed the first one to go to the Burrow, and the second to Andra Vance. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"A friend, one of the Beaters on the Magpies," Ron explained. "There's nothing between us. You know I need to know how they're doing. I know I can't go back, but -"

"I know," Hermione said.

Hermione went out around noon when Ron got his response back from Andra and went to meet his teammates. Molly Weasley had written back inviting the two of them to dinner. That would give Hermione enough time to get the groceries Ron would appreciate and to send her letter to Severus.

: : :

Ron followed the instructions on where to meet Andra and the others, and ended up not at the Quidditch pitch as he'd expected, but outside an apartment complex. He had thought that the instructions seemed different from what he'd remembered, but he'd chalked that up to the long time he'd spent out of his mind. He only had to wait a second before Andra appeared. He was struck by how much better she looked than he remembered. He had to deliberately keep his mind on Hermione.

"Ron!" she cried, running toward him and nearly knocking the breath out of him as she took him in a bear hug. "You're really here!" She took a step back to get a good look at him. "You're really here," she said again. "How are you here?"

"Hermione figured out how to bring me back," Ron explained, then looked around for the rest of the team. "How - why am I here? I thought I was meeting with the whole team. Is everyone here?"

Andra's face sunk. "No," she said. "You should have owled someone else for that, I'm afraid. I'm no longer on the team."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Let me tell you over tea," she said, opening the door. "And," she said, winking, "I have some of your favourite sweets!"

Ron began salivating at the thought. The marmalade and bread just hadn't cut it.

He followed Andra up to her flat. He still wanted to catch up with the rest of the Magpies, but Andra had been his best friend on the team, so he was glad he had come to see her. He'd check in with the other Magpies another day.

Andra's flat was bright and cheery, so different from the neutral efficiency of the house he shared with Hermione. She took him to the kitchen, a room with bright yellow walls and all sorts of cooking decor in a variety of colours and shapes that didn't quite match. He felt himself grinning. He hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time. Maybe things would be okay, after all, even if he couldn't play Quidditch anymore. After all, Andra wasn't playing either, and she seemed to be doing okay.

Andra was standing with her back to him, her short pink hair poking out at all angles as she put the kettle on and then brought over a platter of cakes and biscuits.

"So, what happened?" he asked again, after taking a ginger biscuit.

"Well," she said, taking a cake herself. "After your accident, I lost my . . . motivation, I guess." She paused to take another bite, then continued. "I mean, I still enjoyed playing of course, but whenever I was supposed to hit a bludger toward someone, I would see your face and I just couldn't do it. Quidditch is fun, but it's not worth causing someone, even an opponent, permanent brain damage. So, I tried to get back in the spirit, but it became clear that I was only bringing the team down. So I quit. I've gone back to get my N.E.W.T equivalent for Potions so that I can become an Auror. I feel so much better about my life. I still fly, of course, and I practice Beating against dummies to keep up my strength, but I'll never go pro again."

The kettle began to chime, a jaunty tune that vaguely reminded Ron of George's joke shop. She brought over the tea and a bowl of sugar cubes, along with a small pitcher of cream. After pouring both cups of tea, she stirred one sugar and a small bit of cream into her own cup. "You're really lucky," she said, turning her head to one side.

"To be back?" Ron asked, then shrugged. "I guess."

"No, I mean, to have someone like Hermione Granger. You don't know how much I admire her. Like you, she's lost so much, but she's still so strong. Did you know she came up with three patents last year?"

Ron fidgeted. He hadn't even thought to ask Hermione about her work. He'd been quick to criticise her for not remembering that he'd want to know how the Magpies were doing, but had never thought to ask her about the things that mattered to her. And before he'd ended up in the hospital, they'd both vowed to work on their marriage. They'd have to work harder.

"And then," Andra was saying, still stirring her tea, "she created the Weasley Centre just because of you. It must have cost her a fortune. I contributed to it, but . . ." she looked down. "I just admire her. I know you've had your problems, but I also know you were planning to work things out." She reached her hand out to Ron, who took it. "I hope you do," she said, gazing into his eyes. "She's worth it, and you deserve to be happy."

He nodded, feeling his Adam's apple suddenly lurch in his throat. "So," he said, trying to keep the tears out of his eyes, and bringing a smile into his voice, "how are the Magpies doing? Surely you've been following them!"

"Of course I have!" Andra took a long drink of tea, then set it down with a clunk. "Without you and me, they've been struggling a bit." She smiled conspiratorily. "You and me, we were good."

"We were the best!" Ron agreed, taking a lusty drink of the tea.

He had another biscuit, then returned home, determined to make things up with Hermione.

: : :

"I've been a real git," Ron said, as soon as he got back.

"No, you haven't," Hermione said. "It's got to be such a shock coming back. Did you have a good time with -"

"Andra?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, she put things in perspective." Ron suddenly noticed all the food packages around the flat. "Did you get groceries?" he asked.

"I did. I remembered all your favourites," Hermione said.

"You're great!" Ron said, drawing her into a hug. She relaxed into it, but something still felt wrong. She rested her head on his shoulder trying to find the comfort she was looking for, then slowly they disengaged. I've been spoiled. She took a long look at Ron. This is my life. This is what I want.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Andra put some things into perspective. She stopped playing, too. She decided it was too much of a risk to be a Beater."

"She was a Beater?" Hermione's eyes were large.

"Yeah, but after what happened to me, she couldn't do it anymore. She's going back to get her N.E.W.T equivalents so she can become an Auror. And she's happy," he said, smiling at Hermione. "She doesn't play anymore, but she's still happy!" He took a deep breath. "And she told me about all the things you did. I feel like such a git that I didn't ask. She told me about your patents and that you're the one who actually established the Weasley Centre. I didn't know. I didn't even think to ask. But I remember. I remember wanting us to get back together. I'm going to make it work. We're going to make it work, Hermione!"

It was the longest speech she thought she'd ever heard from Ron. But he was right. This was what it was all for. They were going to make it work.

: : :

The reunion with the rest of the Weasleys went about as Hermione expected. George was still trying to pull practical jokes on Ron, and he kept teasing him about having caught the Snitch. Molly refused to even look at Hermione, angry that she'd brought Ron back without saying anything. And the others fell within that continuum, except for Ginny, who'd arrived with Luna.

"Hermione," the red haired woman finally said after dinner. "I'm so sorry about Harry."

"I am, too, Ginny," Hermione said. "It still hurts, doesn't it? And he did it at the Department of Mysteries. If only I'd known . . ."

Ginny nodded.

"Don't blame yourself, Ginny," Hermione said. "Yes, he was upset about what happened between the two of you, but he's been wanting a family for a long time, and he didn't mean, at least, I don't think he actually meant to kill himself. He was just seduced by that bloody Veil."

"I know," Ginny whispered. "He left me a letter about it. But there's something else I wanted to talk to you about." She gestured toward their garden, which was bathed in moonlight. Everyone else was celebrating in the main room. Hermione followed Ginny into the garden.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way," Ginny began, then took a deep breath. "When I started seeing Luna, everything just suddenly came into focus. It was like this great relief to finally be who I really am, instead of just Harry's groupie." She held out a hand to forestall an objection, although Hermione just wanted her to continue. "Oh, I don't think he ever wanted it to be that way, but as we continued to try for a family without success, it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't really love him, as much as I was starstruck. And then, after the war, it just seemed to be the only thing to do, you know? Like everything was already decided - Voldemort was dead, so it was time to marry, just like in a fairytale. You and Ron, me and Harry, it just seemed to fit perfectly, as if it was all just meant to be like that." She paused again. "But I wasn't happy. Just feeling like things are meant to be isn't a good enough reason, Hermione. You have to be happy."

Hermione nodded, unsure where this was going. "I don't blame you for your choice," Hermione said, "and it seems like you thought it out."

"I didn't think it out at all," Ginny said, contradicting her. "I just suddenly knew. I'd thought I had to be with Harry, because that's how the world had decided things, and then suddenly I saw that I didn't. And that's when I realized I was really only staying with him for the chance to have a family. When I saw that, I knew who I really loved."

"Well, as I was saying," Hermione tried again, "I don't blame you for anything."

"I know," Ginny said.

"So why are you telling me all this?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I'm happy to listen, of course, but I got the impression you wanted to tell me specifically."

"I guess . . . have you ever felt like that? Like you're just with Ron because that's how the cards fell out?"

Hermione took a deep breath. She had thought that, but she didn't want to think it. Not when things with Ron were so close to getting right. She tried to control herself.

"Because if you do, I want you to know that I'll stand behind you, Hermione. I mean, if you realize you don't really love him that way, or if you find out you really love someone else. I'll be there for you."

Hermione nodded, but then shook her head. "Things with Ron are fine," she said. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Everything just -"

"I know," Ginny said, "I know. After Harry, I wasn't surprised that you fell into your work the way you did. We all have our own ways to cope. I just wanted you to know that you'll have someone on your side if things go wrong with Ron. I love my brother, and I love you, but that doesn't mean you have to be stuck together if you're not happy."

Hermione nodded, not daring to speak. She hoped Ginny didn't think she was going to dump Ron for someone, and she hoped Ginny didn't have a similar conversation with Ron. She'd just gotten him back; she wasn't ready to think about losing him again. Even if things did feel wrong.