STALE BUTTERBEER
14 February 1999

Ginny and Hermione walked arm in arm bundled up as they trudged through the snow. The latter was instantly regretting the decision to wander into Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day. The garlands and floating hearts served as a reminder that she was miles away from Ron in London, but Ginny insisted. She said the two of them could use each others company. Besides, the halls at school would just be littered with first and second years trying to transfigure the statues into cupids.

"Come on," Ginny dragged her toward the Three Broomsticks.

"How about Hog's Head?" Hermione told her. "No fairies, no garlands..."

"And stale Butterbeer?" Ginny scoffed. "Maybe for Halloween. Now come on!"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she followed Ginny into the warm pub. Madam Rosmerta was bumbling around the room serving the unending stream of new customers. The two girls sat down at the only empty table which was tucked under a flight of stairs. Madam Rosmerta quickly took their order of two Butterbeers, one with cinnamon for Hermione, and then Ginny excused herself to use the restroom.

Left alone, Hermione looked around the room. The pub was buzzing with new couples. The war had been tough on everyone and they were all eager to fall in love and find happiness. Even she and Ron had been infected. She imagined they likely would never have admitted their feelings for each other had they not been fighting for their lives.

She had struggled in her final year at Hogwarts. The halls of the school were so foreign to her without Ron and Harry by her side. Even Luna had opted to abandon her education in favor of pursuing the rarest beasts.

Ginny was gone awhile. Hermione remembered how long the line usually was on Valentine's Day. All the girls reapplying lipstick and checking their hair to make sure they were perfect for when their beau made the first move.

During Ginny's absence, she noticed Dean Thomas walk in accompanied by Parvati Patil. Hermione knew she had gone on to work at the ministry and assumed she was in Hogsmeade just to spend the day with Dean, whose education was derailed due to his Muggle-born status. They had become an item practically seconds after the fall of Voldemort. They were quite the pair, even Ginny thought so.

"Hey," Ginny snapped Hermione out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Sorry I was gone so long."

"Oh, it's no –" Hermione stopped short when she saw Ron standing next to his sister, a grin spread across his face.

"Look who I found," Ginny teased.

Hermione practically threw her aside as she jumped up to hug Ron.

"I can't believe you," she laughed.

"I had to," he replied. "Haven't seen you in weeks."

He kissed her sweetly as Ginny backed away to find her friends. When Hermione pulled away, Ron took her hand and led her up the steps.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I got a room," he told her. "We can be alone."

Her heart dropped. She hadn't anticipated that. She hadn't really anticipated Ron showing up in Hogsmeade unannounced but she thought, after the talk they had, that she had made herself clear.

"Ron," she tugged on his arm as he pulled a brass key from his pocket, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"What are you talking about?" he opened the door to a private room.

"I thought you understood," she explained. "I'm not going to..."

"Hermione," he shook his head. "I'm not trying to –"

"Why the room then?" she asked. "I don't want you pressuring me into something I'm uncomfortable with."

"Hermione," he stopped short, "believe me, I am fully aware of the fact we're not sleeping together. I just wanted a chance to talk to you, away from the love potions and singing cupids. Besides, the peppermint gives me a headache."

"So you won't try anything?" she asked.

"Of course not," he replied.

She laughed at her ability to turn the tiniest comment into a full blown issue. Ron constantly mocked her for it, but deep down he appreciated her talent for piecing clues together to find the big picture. They both knew that she had saved their lives dozens of times due to the nasty habit of looking past the surface.

"Why don't you tell me," he took a seat on the bed, "what you've been up to."

"It has literally been so dull at Hogwarts," she laughed. "All I ever do is go to classes and study the course work. No trips to the Forbidden Forest or exploring off limits corridors."

"Reminds me of our first few months at Hogwarts," he replied. "Quite dull, weren't they?"

"I remember someone battling a troll," she teased, "only months after arriving."

"That's true," he laughed. "Forget Fred and George. We were the real trouble makers."

"Hey," she took his hand, "how is he? George."

"How would you be?" he sighed. "I guess he's faring better than expected. The shop is doing well. Lee's been helping him. And Seamus too, working on explosives I think."

"That's good," Hermione smiled. "I really should have gone to The Burrow for the holidays. All I did was take a long tour through Australia and I found all the places my parents are not hiding."

"We'll find them," he assured her, "and when we do, I'll buy us all a nice house to live in together. You'll never take your eyes off them again."

"That's sweet," Hermione took his hand. "You've changed, you know."

"We've all changed," he sighed.

He was right. The war changed everyone. They no longer bickered over little things. They relished every happy moment they had. And they were stronger. They had to be.

"Sometimes I miss the old Ron," she sighed.

"Oh yeah?" he laughed. "What about him?"

"I was smarter than him, for one," she laughed. "I never have to explain anything to you anymore."

"Auror training is like a one way ticket to the library," he laughed.

"And it's going well?" she asked.

"You know I can't talk about my secret auror work," he teased.

"You don't fool me," she smirked. "Harry sent an owl last week. Shacklebolt has you debugging broomsticks for Quidditch players."

"I'll have a word with Potter when I get back," he laughed.

"Potter?" she raised an eyebrow.

"We do surnames now," he shrugged. "It's an Auror thing."

"Right," Hermione went along with it. "I probably wouldn't understand."

Then she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Oh, I better get going," she told him. "Train leaves soon."

"Before you go," he breathed.

Ron never finished the sentence. He leaned across the bed and kissed Hermione. She smiled into the kiss and looped her arms around his neck before falling back against the pillows.

"Wait," he told her, "you have to get back."

"Do you have your broom?" she asked. He nodded. "You can take me back later."

"Oh, okay," he broke out into a smile. "We'll just...er..."

"Shut up," she said, before kissing him once again.