She hadn't really thought this whole thing through. Of course, she had spent a lot of time thinking, just not about what she was going to say to Ron when she got to the shop, or how she was even going to be able to look at him.

She was relieved that she had been given that hour to gather her wits about her. Losing herself in Flourish and Blotts was exactly what she needed to calm her nerves and still her rapid thoughts that went from seething to nervous quicker than Harry could catch a snitch.

She was just passing through the Ancient Egyptian lore and onto the Irish folk tales when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Theodore Nott standing behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here." He grinned down at her.

Hermione just chuckled awkwardly.

"I thought that you and Draco were in Japan already?"

"Yes, well, I came back for a bit. Had to get some work done." She was being as evasive as possible. The last thing that she needed was Theo Nott telling everyone that there was trouble in paradise. It wouldn't be so bad, having him know that things weren't great, but he would inevitably tell Blaise and that man couldn't keep gossip like that to himself for anything.

"Oh yes. The book. How is that going?"

She stood there making idle chit chat, every few moments glancing down at her watch and trying not to be too obvious about it. He was a nice guy, but really could not take a hint. Hermione answered all of his queries, making none of her own, though she knew that it would seem rude.

Finally, she was able to slip away with a promise that she would call on Sandra sometime that week. She was late to meet Ron and as soon as she was out of sight of the book store she ran to the joke shop. She was beginning to feel an ache in her side when the shop came into view.

Hermione knew that she probably looked horrible, her cheeks red and her breath coming out in gasps, but there was nothing that she could do about it now. Looking into the window of the store hoping to use its surface as a makeshift mirror, she saw Ron slump his shoulders and her heart practically thumped out of her chest at the sight of his sadness. Without hesitation, she went into the shop and pushed all of her fears aside, all the while trying to keep her focus from the man in front of her and instead on the task at hand.

When they left the shop, the streets seemed to be even more crowded than before. Witches and wizards were rushing to get home from a day of shopping or working. Hermione's toes were stepped on three separate times. The last person, a heavy set man, nearly crushed her pinky toe entirely and Hermione would not have been surprised to find that it was broken.

It didn't take long to get to the apparition point and a wave of relief hit her once they were finally out of the crowded street. Maybe it was just the amount of people and her being so used to being indoors as of late, but she felt as if everyone were watching her. It sent shivers down her spine and she was relieved when they finally left the hub of wizarding Britain.

The ministry was not nearly as packed. Most people had already called it a day and only a skeleton crew remained. The Auror office, however, was still buzzing with activity. Not everyone was there, but the few that remained seemed just as busy as if it were the middle of the day.

They passed by Harry's cube and she noted that it was just as cluttered and messy as always, but he was absent. Then they headed to the right and went straight for Jedediah Reynolds' office. Hermione had only been there a few times back when she worked for the ministry, and she had rarely ever spoken to the man.

He was small in stature but large in action. That she knew. His record spoke for itself. After the war, he was the man that enabled the Auror Department to catch most of the remaining Death Eaters. However, she had to admit that he frightened her a bit. When he wanted to be nice, he could be, in a gruff sort of way, but if he was in a cantankerous mood then watch out.

Ron knocked hesitantly on the door, and Hermione couldn't blame him. An unscheduled visit could be met with ire or indifference, either one not a friendly welcome.

"Who is it?" Came a bark from the other side of the door.

"Ron Weasley and Hermione Gra-Malfoy, sir."

She could hear a shuffling and a couple of louder grunts then the door opened and a ragged Reynolds greeted them. "I'm a little busy here, so make it quick."

Neither one of them spoke as they awkwardly shifted their feet and Hermione wrung her hands.

"Well out with it, I haven't got all bloody day."

"Well, you see, sir," Hermione began, "I was wondering if I could get the information that you have on Ron's case here. The witness reports and such."

Reynolds eyes scrutinized everything about her. There was a slight blush that came to her cheeks, but she stood firm.

"And why would you need to be seeing that?" His question seemed as if he was probing rather than just disregarding her.

"I just thought that maybe I could be of some help." When he shot her a disbelieving gaze she clarified. "Well I was his girlfriend at the time. Maybe something will look familiar." The red in her cheeks grew at the mention of their previous relationship. She ignored it as best she could, but she couldn't help but notice that Ron had shuffled his feet back and forth at the mention of their past.

Reynolds rubbed at his chin for a bit in contemplation, and then shooting them as favorable a look as anyone would get from the man he said, "Follow me," and walked down the hall towards the back of the Auror's office and into what appeared to be a broom closet.

When he opened the door, Hermione saw that it was most certainly not a broom closet. There were tiny drawers built into the wall. All as tiny as a ring box, each drawer had a number on it. The room stretched on so far that she wasn't able to make out an end. They went into the room, walking single file as it was rather narrow.

They reached a box that said 39872893874 in tiny, tiny numbers, Reynolds tapped it with his wand and out came the drawer.

He handed it over to Hermione. "You can take a look at it in one of the interrogation rooms. Now if you please Mrs. Malfoy, head back out, as I don't figure I can squeeze my way around you even as thin as you are."

She quickly turned and practically flew out of the evidence locker, wanting to see all that she could and as soon as possible. Ron was diligently at her heels and his presence was at equal parts soothing and nerve wracking.

They settled into one of the smaller interrogation rooms, and within seconds Hermione had delved into the file and was thoroughly reading one of the reports. She grew so immersed in reading that she almost forgot that Ron was sitting beside her, though she doubted that she would have ever been able to forget that fact completely. His familiar scent invaded her senses, chocolate and spice all rolled together.

Her eyes glazed over a bit as she reminisced about their past, particularly the memory of their first real kiss after the battle - a kiss in which Ron was the initiator and Hermione the unsuspecting recipient. Heat crept up her neck at the thought, but then Ron shuffled slightly beside her and she blinked the memories away, forging forward into the file.

She was reviewing the statement from a Mr. Elders of Longford when she turned the page and saw the two sketches of the men who Mr. Elders had seen with Ron.

Her breath hitched, it was Draco, or as good of a likeness as a sketch could get from memory. It's just a drawing. It doesn't mean anything. There It could be any number of people. She turned to look at the second sketch. To most people it could possibly have been anyone, but it was this non-descript man that confirmed to Hermione that Draco had indeed been involved somehow.

She didn't need to see anymore. With a snap, Hermione closed the file and stared at the grey door to the room. What to do now? This question applying to so many different parts of her life.

"You okay?"

His deep voice broke her from her contemplation and she responded with a determined "Yes."

It was lie of course. She wasn't even close to being okay, but she would be. She was going to get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what Draco was doing with Ron only a few days before Ron had returned home. She just needed some time to think, that's all.

****

"You okay?"

"Yes."

She was lying. He didn't even need to hear the weakness in her voice to know it. Ron's own heart ached for her.

He was glad that she now knew the truth about her husband, but to see the agony in her eyes was unbearable. It was enough to make him wish that she never had to know, that she would live happily in ignorance forever, even if it meant that she lived that life with Malfoy.

His arms wanted to wrap themselves around her, but he held himself back. She didn't need that right now. He didn't know what she needed, but definitely not him there to confuse her even more. He watched as the glow of determination set itself in her features.

Ron had no memories of that look on her face, but it filled him with an odd sense of calm. As if that look would make everything all right again.

They left the Auror office and she gave him a distracted good-bye at the entrance. Ron didn't know when he would see her again. He hoped it would be soon, but more than likely she would need plenty of time to sort out everything. Even then he couldn't, and didn't expect anything.

He was moving on. That is what he had promised himself. Yes, he was moving on. Ron stumbled as he tripped over a bit of cracked pavement. Okay, so maybe he was stumbling on.

****

"So, how'd she take it?"

"As well as can be expected I guess." Ginny sighed heavily as she plopped onto the sofa in their sitting room. "Actually she practically slammed the door in my face."

Harry came and sat beside her, running his hands over the small bump that was beginning to show on her belly.

"She'll be okay. Hermione is strong."

"I know. It was just horrible watching the look of disbelief on her face. I can't stand her bloody wanker of a husband, and she knows it, I hate to have her think that I delighted in having to tell her what a shit he is."

"Well didn't you?"

Harry's look was partially accusing and Ginny couldn't help but smirk a little.

"Maybe a bit." She paused. "Does that make me a horrible friend?"

"No, but maybe you should let off a bit on the Draco bashing. Let's let Hermione figure this one out for herself."

"But I don't wanna." Ginny fake whined.

Harry chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You may not want to, but you're going to have to."

"Fine," she said petulantly as she sat up and crossed her arms, "but I'm not gonna like it."

"No, I expect you won't." He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her so deeply that all thoughts of Hermione and Draco flew completely from her mind.

****

Hermione walked around Diagon alley for a while after leaving the ministry. Except for some of the restaurants, there were not many people around. The quiet night helped clear Hermione's head from all the dizzying thoughts that were floating around.

"Hermione?" A woman's voice rang out.

She turned at the sound of her name and was greeted by the smiling, yet questioning, faces of Angelina and George.

"Oh, hi."

"What are you doing here?" George blurted.

"Just out for a stroll."

He rolled his eyes. "I meant, what are you doing in England? Aren't you living in Japan now?"

Averting her gaze she answered, "Yes, well, I've come back for a bit."

"Finally come to your senses I see and booted Malfoy out." He smirked until Angelina carefully placed an elbow into his ribs.

"Oomph. What'd you have to go and do that for?" George cried out as he rubbed at his sore chest.

"Sorry, slipped I guess." But behind Angelina's cheeky grin, Hermione could see the scolding in her eyes. "How long have you been back in town then?"

"Just a little while. I've been working on finishing my book."

"That's great. We should get together sometime this week."

"Yeah, I'll floo you." She wouldn't though, and Angelina probably knew that. Right now, the last thing that Hermione needed was to be with anyone. No, she just needed to be alone and think.

"Oh, maybe we could do breakfast!" George's eager voice piped in. "Tell your elf to make those delicious waffles. Yum, waffles." His eyes glazed over and both women looked at each other in amusement.

"What can I say? He's great in bed." Angelina winked at Hermione and then pulled George away by the arm.

Hermione could hear his faint protests and insistence that they were the best waffles in the world. She gave a light chuckle and then went on her way, thinking that maybe she would have Twinkles make her some waffles in the morning. Then her feet stopped and an idea popped into her head.

There was a way that she might be able to figure this all out! With all haste, she went home, her heart pounding in her chest in anticipation and fear for what she might find out. Not two minutes later, she found herself in the foyer of her home with Draco.

"Twinkles!" Hermione's shout reverberated around the echoing corridor.

A loud pop and a startled Hermione later, the elf was there.

"Yes mistress." The elf bowed low and then looked up with her big round eyes.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about something. Let's go into the back parlor."
Hermione led the elf through the hallways as her footfalls fell hard upon her own ears. She settled into the settee against the wall and asked that the elf sit next to her.

Hesitantly, Twinkles approached and sat on the very edge keeping her feet on the floor, an amazing accomplishment considering the elf's small stature.

"I was wondering if you could tell me something."

"What is my mistress wanting to know?"

"I wondering if you could tell me a little bit about…"

A/N: So here is the next chapter. Figured I would get them all up so you guys were caught up. Again sorry about the mistake from last chapter. Thanks Obsessed for pointing that out to me.