A/N: Nearing the end! Hermione starts to really look at the big picture in this chapter.

I used to be my own protection/ but not now

'Cuz my path has lost direction/ somehow

A black wind took you away/ from sight

And held the darkness over day/ that night

...

And now you're gone

And I was wrong

I never knew what it was like

To be alone

On a Valentine's Day

-Valentine's Day

Three days later Ginny figured it was probably safe to stop by. She caught Hermione just as she was getting home from work.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" she asked after greeting her friend.

"Date night. Dinner, movie, 'adult entertainment', you know."

"I see. So, girls night out, then?"

Hermione smiled. "I guess that sounds good."

"Awesome. Let's go."

"Can't I get changed?" she looked over her work pants and blouse.

"You look fine. Who are you trying to impress?"

She smiled and nodded. "Away then?"

Ginny laughed and playfully grabbed Hermione's arm. They walked down the street arm in arm, several men stopping to look in their direction. They entered a chain restaurant just a few blocks from Hermione's flat and were seated immediately.

"So," Hermione started, once they had ordered and gotten their drinks. "Since Girls Night Out is usually planned days in advance and not on a Tuesday I'm guessing there's an ulterior motive for you to ask me to come to dinner tonight."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "If you figure that much, I'm sure you can figure out said ulterior motive."

Hermione sighed and stared into her drink. "George."

"I just think you need to hear his side of the story."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because I saw him that night after the party," Ginny said, launching into a narrative about what had transpired in George's flat.

Hermione continued to stare at her drink.

"Amanda quit," Ginny said hopefully.

"Good," Hermione muttered.

"She got another job at that new restaurant. And George hasn't been out of his office during business hours for days."

"Good," she muttered again. "Let him brood over what he's done."

"I can take that two ways. Either you want him to be miserable because you're miserable because the relationship is over, or you want him to be miserable because you're miserable because you miss him horribly."

"Yeah, it's one of those two."

Ginny sighed exasperatedly. "Come on, 'Mione. I don't like to see either one of you miserable. Why don't you go have a talk with him?"

"Because I'm hurt, Ginny. It hurts that he would let himself get drunk enough to kiss another woman, and I'm really hurt that he did kiss another woman. And the more I think about it, the more I think 'this is George Weasley'. How much does he really take seriously in his life?"

"I think you know that he takes a lot seriously. I don't think he could have made a successful business if he didn't. I don't think he would have let you come live in his flat with him if he didn't. I know he loves you, Hermione. I know he'd do anything to get you back."

"I know. But do I want him back?"

"That's a question you're going to have to answer yourself."

Hermione looked around, wanting to see anything but the redhead in front of her. She loved George, more, she thought, than she had loved Ron. She felt loved back in a way Ron never had loved her. She needed to talk to George before she made any decisions.

"Whatever you want to do, 'Mione, I'm here for you. Just give a call."

Hermione nodded. "So," she said, changing the subject. "How is life as a Mediwitch?"

____

That night Hermione couldn't sleep. She laid in bed, looking up at the ceiling, doing her best to ignore the noises coming from the next bedroom. This couldn't be it. She wouldn't be living back with Harry and Ron, being the third wheel. It seemed so... right before. The Golden Trio. She, Harry, and Ron, inseparable. Why? Because they had been best friends? Plenty of people had best friends they didn't live with, work with, spend all day every day with. So why had she resigned herself to this fate?

Her job. She hadn't really been interested in an Auror position. She had enough excitement for one lifetime without going after some other nutter who wanted her killed. So why was she still in it? Especially now that she was doing nothing more than going after idiot teenagers who thought it was funny to send up a Dark Mark. And the paperwork. She spent late nights filling out the tedious paperwork while Ron and Harry went off and had fun. Why was she doing it? They were big boys, they should be doing their own damn paperwork. They should have learned how to do it at Hogwarts.

But what would she do? She wanted excitement, and she wanted to help people. Back at Hogwarts, when the future was wide open, she had considered becoming a Healer. She had read up on Experimental Healers, those who look for new ways to help those who had been injured or who were sick. They found cures for things that were thought incurable. St. Mungos had a good department for Experimental Healing, she would have to talk to them.

The idea of switching her job made her more awake, not less, and her mind invariably wandered to George. What would she do? She loved the man, but she was afraid. Afraid of getting hurt again. But was George really out to hurt her? Maybe he was just drunk and being an idiot, like Ginny had said. They had a passionate relationship. She had even dared to let her mind start to think of a future again. Was this really worth giving it all up for?

She got out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans. Quietly she moved through the flat, out the front door, and Apparated to Diagon alley. She rushed through until she found where Amanda worked. They were just closing up, Amanda was standing out front talking to another waitress.

"Amanda?" she called nervously.

Amanda turned and frowned slightly. "Oh, hi, Hermione," she muttered. She turned back long enough to bid her friend good-bye and then walked over to stand in front of Hermione, looking at the ground between them.

"I need to know," Hermione said, unable to put any buffer between the greeting and the painful conversation.

Amanda nodded and looked at her, sadness across her face. "George and I were in the kitchen, talking business. He was drinking, I was drinking. He wasn't flirting or anything, but the more I drank, the more I realized how handsome he was. I hadn't done anything before, he is my boss, but something told me to kiss him. So I did. And that's when you walked in. I don't think he had even totally registered what was going on before you found us."

Hermione nodded, tears in her eyes.

"You should know, before I kissed him he was talking about you. How much he loved you, how he was thinking of planning a life with you. I was jealous. I wanted to be loved like that. My brain just didn't register that I couldn't get that with George."

Hermione nodded again, feeling warm tears running down her cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Do you need an escort home? The chefs are about to come out, I can get one of them..."

"No," she shook her head. "I'll be okay." She turned and walked back down Diagon Alley. Amanda had confirmed everything Ginny had told her. It wasn't George's idea, he wasn't even a willing participant. As she walked she kept thinking of what she was going to say. Would he even take her apology for overreacting? What was going to happen?

She looked up and saw Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in front of her. She knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath and headed for the door.

Sorry for the cliffie. I'll update soon. Please leave a review or feedback!