A/N: I've always wanted to do a breakup and makeup story, so here it is. Please be kind in the reviews, please favorite too, thank you! It's going to stay as a one-shot (A long one as it turns out) but if people want a sequel (as for any of my one shots), then please tell me in the reviews section.

Additional Note: I think a lot of people misinterpret Ron's insecurities for rudeness etc, (especially in the films), if you think that, then please read the books, his insecurities are a perfect display of normal people in their normal lives. We all have fears and insecurities about many things, whether that is about physical appearance, intelligence, or social interactions. Just know that if you yourself feel that way, you are not alone, talk to someone about your feelings, don't suffer alone.

A/N: This story is rated K+ for language and suggestive adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter of any of the characters associated with it, all credit to J.K Rowling

At our own pace

Inadequate. Worthless. Second-best.

These were the common feelings that ran through Ron Weasley's head whenever he looked in the mirror every morning before work. His appearance didn't help these thoughts, his lanky freckled covered frame made him physically recall into himself. He was convinced that the world had it in for him, making every element of his life a misery, so realizing his body issues didn't exactly surprise him.

"How can anyone be that ugly," Ron muttered to himself, yanking on his work shirt and almost strangling himself as he pulled his tie on too tight.

Four years after the war, life hadn't got better in the wizarding world, instead of families being united, they were torn apart. Losing Fred had diminished any happiness the Weasley family once had, his mother in a constant state of depression, not to mention the many runaway attempts made by George. It had gotten so unbearably difficult, that Ron had decided to move out and into his own flat, it wasn't too big, one bedroom and en-suite with a tiny kitchen unit and sitting area, but it was enough. A year after moving out, his girlfriend at the time had moved in, the pure sense of joy he hadn't felt in a year had finally returned. He still remembered the first night they spent together, snuggled together in their large king-size bed, promising each other a lifetime's worth of love and protection. But no less than a couple of months after they settled down, work began to take over, Hermione would be late home, or if she wasn't, she could be found studying in their small kitchen. Then one day, things changed. She left. There was no warning, she left. She left him. Them.

Hermione.

Ron sighed sadly. He missed her beyond words, they hadn't spoken in three years. After a year of dating after the war, their priorities changed, work took over and being apart was the better option, or so they thought. Ron convinced himself that the reason she abandoned him was because of something he somehow did wrong, something to hurt her. Wiping away a lone tear threatening to fall down his cheek, Ron quickly turned away from the mirror, grabbed his work bag and apparated to the Ministry of Magic. Working as a full-time member of the Aurors department, Ron was kept busy by the demanding work schedule it provided him, ranging anywhere from office work to dangerous field missions. None of this took away the constant thought of the girl he'd loved since he was 11 years old, her face appeared in his mind at random times during the day, and it pained him thinking about what they could've been.

He landed in his office, depressed, and frustrated at himself and walked over to his desk where the many confidential files lay unopened from several weeks ago. To add to his sorrow, his eyes traveled over to the small photo frame beside the files. He glanced over the photo of him and Hermione, clinging to each other gleefully whilst laughing and dancing in the rain. It was taken a year after the war, ironically their happiest memories took place on the week they fell apart. 'But she'll be happier now, better off without you' Ron thought, full of self-loathing before bending over to kiss the area of the frame over Hermione's body before leaning back and smiling sadly at her. The picture-Hermione seemed to sense his distress, but he looked away from her before she could signal him to look at her. He had lived with a constant heart ache since they separated, but he had tried everything to erase it, to move on and forget. Even going on dates with other women couldn't stop his feelings, he eventually realized that if he couldn't have her, he'd be better off alone. Many in his family had tried to convince him to talk to her, tell her everything, but he could never find the courage to even walk down to the next level of the Ministry to stand by her office.

Sitting up straight, Ron tried to divert his attention to the pile of work he had avoided for weeks now, Harry had tried to help him, telling him to take things easy. But the growing pile of cases, ninety plus at least, were no longer excusable and he had to finish them if he wanted to keep his job. "Ron?" A familiar voice called from outside his office door. "Yeah," He replied roughly as he continued to separate papers. Harry Potter slowly crept through the door before cautiously approaching his best friend's side. "How are you doing mate?" Harry whispered as he brought a chair up beside Ron's desk. Ron sighed before turning his head to the side, staring back at Harry with sad eyes. "I miss her mate; I miss her so fucking much. Why can't I function without her," He broke off his admission, turning away from Harry and furiously wiping away his tears with his sleeve. He felt Harry shift beside him, before a warm embrace engulfed him, comforting him. He hugged back the best he could, treasuring any human contact he could get. "Ron, listen, Myself, Ginny and your family will ALWAYS be here for you, no matter what, we miss you, and I think you know, deep down, that things will get better," Harry whispered into Ron's hair as the two rocked slightly, the room soon filled with only the sound of Ron's quiet sobs. Before Ron could reply, Harry continued to soothe him. "I know you miss her mate, and I know you love her more than anything, but don't give up, don't think it's over because it isn't. She hasn't stopped talking to us, your family, she wants to be associated with us, and that includes you. Go talk to her, please, I think she needs it as much as you do," Ron continued to cling onto Harry, but his sobs have gone, only occasionally snuffling. But he listened. He heard every damn word his best mate had said. That's it, he was going to do it. After years of battering away opportunities and silencing his families calls, this was the day he was going to change things.

"I'm gonna get her back," He muttered in a muffled yet determined voice. "I'm gonna go in there and tell how much she fucking means to me,". Almost gritting his teeth, he stood up from his chair and out of Harry's embrace, hugged him tightly and strode out of his office towards the flight of stairs that led to Hermione's department. But no sooner had he reached the entrance to the extremely large House Elf Association department, he lost a bit of his courage and took a slight detour to try and resurface his confidence. He was too engrossed in his lonely thoughts that he accidentally crashed into a frantic looking witch passing by, he grabbed her by the waist to steady her. A gasp caused him to gaze into the witch's face and a similar sound emitted from his mouth. Hermione Granger, the woman he had been wanting to see, was in his arms, clinging onto him in fear of falling. She looked just the same as she had the last time, he had seen her, her nose dusted with little brown freckles, her upturned lips still a gorgeous shade of pink, her hair as wild as it had ever been, but flowing down her back, far longer than he had seen it. The familiar feel of her waist brought back mini flashbacks of nights they shared together, touching, and caressing each other as they made love. But most of all, her eyes had not changed. They still had that beautiful brown glow, no matter what she was feeling, they shone when she was excited, confused, angry, happy.

"Ron," She breathed as she gazed up at her former partner, taking note of the lost expression on his face. She carefully straightened herself up, not bothering to remove his arms from her, and brushed her hand lightly over his face, stroking his cheek and running a finger over his bottom lip. As if he had been electrocuted, Ron immediately let her go, backing up several paces to respect her personal space. "Apologies, Miss Granger, that was incredibly inconsiderate of me to invade your space, please forgive me," Ron blurted out in a professional manner, remembering the proper way for normal employers to address her, hoping she wouldn't be to put off by his presence and hope that she would ignore the fact that he had touched her. Her mouth opened and her eyes widened in shock and surprise as she watched him uncomfortably shuffle on his feet, avoiding looking at any part of her body. He kept his head bowed, hoping his method of apology would convince her that he wasn't trying to flirt with her, knowing full well how that would feel uncomfortable, most likely ending their conversation altogether. Straightening up to his full height Ron looked Hermione dead in the eye and once again continued his newfound professional tone. "I'll leave you be, sorry again, I promise it won't happen again, please excuse my unprofessional behavior," giving her a strained smile and a bow of the head, he hastily turned in the opposite direction and all but flung himself up the stairs and back to his office to where Harry was still sat at his desk. Harry immediately stood from his seat, looking at Ron expectantly but soon noticed the crestfallen expression on his face. He instantly gathered Ron in a brotherly hug, desperately trying to think of a way for the situation to get better, any way he could help would be ideal, but Harry was running out of ideas, he had no idea how he could bring his two best friends together again.

"What happened Ron?" He whispered as the two broke apart, allowing Ron to wipe away his threatening tears. Ron had never felt so defeated, all he wanted to do was talk to her, make her understand her importance, yet he failed at the simplest of tasks. "She's gonna hate me I swear- "Ron mumbled before slumping back into his office chair. How could anyone be this much of a failure, she was just a girl, how difficult could it possibly be to talk to a girl, especially one you have known for years. But Hermione was no 'ordinary girl', she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever met, she was special, one of a kind. He hung his head in shame. Maybe there was a reason they were not together, perhaps she was destined to find someone better, someone who could provide for her, someone who would treat her like she deserved. Ron cringed at the memories of the times he had brought Hermione back to his place, they had been crammed in his one-bedroom flat, no personal space for her work, books or really any of her stuff. If anything, he felt embarrassed for her, having to walk out of his flat for work every day, knowing that any of her colleagues could have seen her. Not that he would have said anything, though he knew that was unfair on her, he was always scared for her that her reputation would be tainted with embarrassment by being associated with him. But before he could berate himself any further, he heard a dainty yet concerned voice sounded from the doorway.

"Ron?"

Ron immediately stood from his chair, knocking over Harry's by accident as he clumsily got to his feet, as if a were a soldier stopping to salute the Queen. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Hermione, nervously wringing her hands around the large folder she was carrying. Meanwhile, Harry stood in the corner of the room, beginning to feel awkward, knowing full well he was intruding on an intimate moment. He wasn't going to be the reason for them missing out on this important opportunity to be alone, so he quietly and discretely exited out of the room and headed for the team staff room. Once the door had closed behind him, there was an awkward silence. Ron's nerves caved in as he glanced up at Hermione's gorgeous face, which was now focused entirely on his, it had been years since they had been so close, even if this was all he got, he was going to appreciate every moment of it. It made him start to question why he hadn't thought to try and talk to her before, why he had allowed his nerves to get the best of him. "It's been a while Ron," She whispered, breaking the silence, hoping her initiative to start a conversation would ease the tension, "How have you been lately". Not wanting to ruin the moment, Ron finally got his brain and mouth to cooperate with each other.

"I love you," He slapped his hand over his mouth, immediately dropping his gaze to the floor, wishing the universe would take pity on him and swallow him up. His heart sunk, hating himself for not taking the time to think. A small gasp filled the silence in the room and Ron could not face to look at her, not after how much he'd ruined everything. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable noise of the door closing and footsteps heading back down the corridor. He knew he deserved it, they hadn't been together since the war, he had no right to try and guilt her for their breakup, even if he still had no idea what he did for her to leave him. But as he was berating himself for being a selfish bastard, he felt a soft hand cup his cheek, forcing him to look up into those beautiful chocolate eyes he loved and missed so much. A small shy smile was plastered on her face as she lovingly gazed her eyes over his facial features. He sucked in a breath as she began to stroke his cheek and leaned in closer to him. The next thing he knew, her soft lips had pressed themselves against his cheek.

FLASHBACK (Hermione's Pov)

Hermione sighed tiredly, staring at herself in her vanity style mirror, whilst gently brushing through her curly long locks. Where had things gone so wrong? She was a stubborn woman, always wanting to do things her way, no wonder she gained a reputation with her co-workers as being the 'mood wrecker' the group. It was like she had forgotten what it was like to have fun, to laugh in pure joy, to just live. Rising from her cushioned seat, she strolled over to her wardrobe, carefully running her hand along the many professional looking dresses, tactically dismissing certain colors and styles, hoping the one she picked today would be the one to catch the attention of the man she once had. It had been her fault really, the hiding from his touch, the ignored phone calls, the denied access to the floo network to her flat. She had done everything to block him out, truly believing it was all for the best. Dating others hadn't helped in the slightest, she groaned at the thought, her personal assistant, David, had done his best to be a good support to her, the two stealing kisses, eventually becoming a couple, but Hermione had broken it off, knowing she would never truly happy with him. He had claimed to have understood, but, as every day, he sat at his desk in her office, occasionally stealing glances at her, making her realize that he was not about to give up. It was awkward, who should feel awkward going into their own office?

After selecting a navy-blue knee length dress, Hermione grabbed her work blazer and bag before aspirating directly into her office. A small shriek was emitted from her secretary, Padma Patil, as she almost collided with Hermione.

"Sorry Ms Granger, I had no idea you'd be flinging yourself in your office midday," She giggled as she steadied Hermione with under her right arm and guiding her towards her desk. "No worries Padma, sorry for startling you…wait…MIDDAY," Hermione screamed forcing Padma to step back several paces, almost toppling into the office bin. Hermione began to panic, she glanced at the clock. 1.00pm. "No," She gasped. The biggest pile of paperwork she had ever received was still sat, collecting dust in her desk, Hermione Granger was never behind schedule. Tears of frustration sprung from her eyes but didn't fall, she quickly gathered her papers onto her desk as she desperately tried to organize. Padma awkwardly approached Hermione's desk, shuffling uncomfortably on her feet, trying desperately to lighten the situation. But nothing came. As if all at once, Padma burst into a rushed speech.

"Mr Weasley came down earlier," Hermione's eyes widen and looked up so fast her neck nearly snapped. "He wanted to see you, something about fixing and mending, I-I didn't quite hear what he said, but he looked ever so disappointed at your absence," Padma mumbled as she eventually looked Hermione in the eye. A warm glow spread through Hermione's body. He came for me. She snorted inside at the double meaning of her statement, knowing full well she was being optimistic. Before she left the room, Padma turned to her again, "Maybe you just go for it, if you meet again, go for it, kiss him, show him he's loved, I promise you, it will work," With a final wink, she left the room, leaving a shocked Hermione behind her, but that shock turned to determination, a small grin spreading across her face.

END OF FLASHBACK

Her lips burnt his skin as they lingered on his cheek, both their eyes fluttering shut at the magical feeling. As Hermione pulled away, their eyes met, a look of understanding passed between them. Ron quickly cleared his throat before straightening up, the kiss had messed with his head, his thoughts had turned fuzzy, all he could feel was her. "I apologize..." He began but a finger to his lips immediately halted his apology. He gazed up at her, noticing the mischievous glint in her eyes, her dark brown orbs shone with delight as she traced her finger across his lips, making its way across his chin, round his cheeks and up to his hair. She ran her hand through his soft ginger locks, threading it through her fingertips, smiling at the feeling of his brushing against her palm.

"Don't say anything," She murmured, her face now incredibly close to his, his eyes scanning her features, as if trying to ingrain them in his memory. He admired her freckles, dusted prettily across the bridge of her nose, his eyes switched to her cheeks, the line of freckles continuing to her cheekbones. She was gorgeous, even more than he had remembered when they were together all those year ago. Age had been kind to her, the complete opposite to him, that thought made him pull away slightly, realizing the embarrassment she would feel if someone saw her so close to him. Over the years, he had convinced himself that this was the right thing to do, stay out of her way when it was necessary, not look in the eye, believing it would cause her discomfort if he didn't do so. She had always been a priority, his own feelings came second, if she didn't want him to even look at her, he would one hundred percent comply, even despite his own heart breaking.

"Don't hide from me," Hermione whispered as their eyes met again, her hand laid on his cheek, stroking through the bristle hair, "I think we need to talk about a few things," She finished before giving him a genuine smile, to which he returned, but with a hint of uncertainty. Sensing his hesitation, she continued.

"I know that we haven't seen each other in years, but I never stopped thinking of you," She took a deep breath before pressing on, "I don't think any less of you, Ron, but you deserve an explanation, for everything," She paused, before settling herself in his lap, her legs draped sideways over his, her upper body pressing against his, her arms reaching to wrap around his neck. She giggled as a smug grin spread across Ron's lips, his arms wrapping themselves around her waist, pulling her as close as possible. Her cheeks flushed under his intense gaze, his eyes admiring her with such longing it made her shiver slightly. Pausing her thoughts briefly, Hermione closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against Ron's chest before beginning to spill the truth.

"I had never been in a relationship," She began, now turning to look him dead in the eye, "Before we got together, I had never been with a guy, I had been so scared going into our relationship, I didn't want you to think I was a bad girlfriend, I thought it was best at the time to break up with you, before you realized I wasn't what you wanted, I know it was unfair on you and it broke your heart," Tears began to fill her eyes as she watched his eyes sadden, "I-I know that I hurt you when you did nothing wrong, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but please understand that I did it because I thought…I…" She gave up her explanation, her body slumped as Ron remained silent. His self-confidence had never been so low but knowing she had left him because she believed that she was the issue had caused his brain to almost malfunction with pure confusion. On one hand he was furious at her, leaving him, making him believe he had hurt her, only to find out that she did it out of a confused message, but on the other hand, he felt relaxed and relieved with the clarity that he hadn't in fact hurt her, hence the reason she was now back in his arms. He sighed resolutely, before grazing his lips on the top of her head, causing her to look up at him, her eyes red and puffy.

"I won't lie, Hermione, and say I can just forget the last four years as if they were nothing, I went through shit without you, I lost any confidence I had, I lost my meaning to live, but I lived in hope, hope that one day I would become the man of your dreams all over again," He paused to drop another kiss on her head, scrunching his nose comically as her curls tickled him,, smiling as she giggled angelically. "But being here with you now made me realize that we can't live the rest of our lives with regret and resentment, I want to be with you, so if it means those past four yeas happened the way they did for a reason, then so be it, as long as it means we have the rest of eternity together," He finished before pulling Hermione closer to him. They stared at each other for a little while, before Hermione reached up, cupping his cheeks in her palms. She then pulled his face down to hers, capturing his lips with hers. This kiss was slow and sweet, but the many emotions built up over the years between them soon began to pour out as the kiss became passionate and hungry.

Hermione turned her body and straddled Ron's lap, their lower regions pressing together, causing a growl from Ron. His hands gripped her hips protectivity, his lips breaking away from hers to nip at her neck, smoothing the bites with his tongue. Hermione began rubbing her hips against his, gripping his shirt in her fists, biting her lip to keep in the moans she desperately wanted to release. Breaking away from her skin, Ron grabbed her hips more firmly, pushing her hips slightly away from his, breathing heavily. He opened his eyes again meeting her uncertain ones. Giving her an apologetic smile, he shifted up in is chair.

"I think we need to slow down," He began, pausing when he noticed her questioning gaze, "I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from going further with you, right here, and honestly, I don't think Harry would appreciate that," He finished with a small grin as Hermione shared a smile, blushing red before she turned her head quickly to the door. She gasped in embarrassment as she noticed Harry standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry began with a smirk in Ron's direction, "But I really need to get some cases done, I really can't deal with you two going at it over the desk," He stopped when a flying folder zoomed past his head. Hermione glared at him, a hint of mischief sparkled in her eyes, before she turned back to Ron and smashed her lips to his, their tongues dancing with each other. They heard Harry chuckle quietly before he made his way over to his desk and plopping down on his chair, eyeing up the couple with fascination.

"I'm guessing you two have got your act together," He chuckled again, watching his two clueless friends blush red as they continued to cling onto each other, both turning their upper bodies to face him. Ron grinned bashfully at his best mate, circling his arms around Hermione's waist, stroking her through her miniskirt as she snuggled into his neck, her eyes still focused on Harry. She then chuckled as Harry groaned in disgust as Ron began nibbling her ear lobe.

"I think we're gonna take off mate, we've got a lot to talk about still," Ron whispered as he gazed down at Hermione. She met his gaze before extracting herself from his lap and reached for her discarded folder.

"I need to get a few things from my office and then…" She paused as she traced a hand down Ron's chest, before she leaned up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "We can spend some precious time to ourselves," She finished with a small nibble on his ear before giggling quietly and darting out of his office, beckoning him to follow her. Ron felt his ears burn, but he didn't care as he grabbed his rucksack, vaguely waved at Harry before taking off after her. Harry shook his head, chuckling to himself before grabbing a few pieces of parchment from the pile on his desk and opening his research books.

Ron jogged to catch up with her, grabbing her hips from behind and pulling her to his chest. Hermione let out an angelic giggle as Ron snuggled his face into her neck, hiding his nose in her hair, inhaling her vanilla scent. "Ron, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get out of here," She laughed as Ron let go of her immediately, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards her office. As they approached the door, Hermione playfully pushed him aside and pushed open the door, pulling him inside. Ron stiffened slightly as he saw a finely dressed man sat at the second desk beside Hermione's, his hair slicked back, his biceps bulging, straining the material of his suit. The man's eyes raised slightly, instantly brightening when Hermione walked past his desk. Ron's eyes narrowed as he saw the man's eyes dart down to Hermione's arse, the hunger evident in his gaze. His gaze, however, turned sour as he noticed Ron standing in the doorway for the first time, he straightened his back as if sizing up to Ron.

"Is there a reason for you being here," The man said rudely, causing Hermione to turn around, glaring at him before giving Ron and encouraging smile.

"He's with me, David," Hermione said, as she turned back to her desk, piling pieces of her work into her bag, smoothing the corners as she did so. David snapped his eyes to her and back to Ron again, before clenching his jaw.

"Is he causing you any issues?" David said whilst continuing to glare at Ron. Ron returned the look, not wanting to be the first one to look away.

"No, not at all, he's coming home with me tonight, that's why he's here with me," Hermione commented offhandedly as she took no attention to the two men behind her, swearing under her breath as some of her papers got stuck on the zip of her bag. David's mouth gaped open, but his glare never left Ron's returning one. Ron smirked as he realized the jealousy of this guy, he finally had one up on him. David finally looked away, losing the mind battle between them, before scoffing at Ron and continuing with his work, writing more aggressively than previously. After eventually organizing her bag, Hermione straightened up from her desk and turned to face Ron, who was intently watching her with a small smile on his face. She winked at him before walking over to David's desk, lightly drumming her long nails on the wood to get his attention. Ron felt anger swell up in him once again as David's eyes darkened as he looked up at Hermione, hanging onto her every word, trying to flirtatiously grin at her.

"I'll be in on Monday, same time, please make sure those papers are filled out, I can't have the Finnegan's complaining again about late responses, okay?" She concluded her precise instructions as she looked at David expectantly. He ginned cheekily at her. "Anything for a fine woman like yourself, I'll have them done," He paused before holding eye contact with Ron, "I'm honored that I'm the only guy you trust with such important issues," He displayed a small sneer at Ron as Hermione looked away briefly to adjust her bag. His sneer disappeared, however, as Hermione merely waved him goodbye before walking over to Ron and pressing a raunchy kiss to his lips. She gave Ron a wink before beckoning him to follow her to the staircase. Ron paused before following her, not being able to help himself, he turned to David, flashing him a smug grin and a mock salute with his fingers before slamming the door behind him and jogging up to her.

As he caught up with her, he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him as they made their way down the stairs and through the ministry corridors. As they waited in the floo line, Ron turned to her.

"Who was that arsehole?" He whispered, referring to David. Hermione scoffed at his language before lacing her hand in his.

"David Bridges, he's my personal assistant, has been for two years now, quite sleazy if you ask me, but I have no choice but to work with him, he has a three-year contract," Hermione sighed, counting the down the last days of the year before David would finally be out of her hair and moved to another office.

"Can't you complain or something?" Ron replied, stroking her arm softly as they moved forward a few steps as they queue moved up.

"Unfortunately, not, I've spent more than half the time with him, it would just seem ridiculous to complain when he only has a few months left," She replied before reaching for her wand as their turn to use the floo network had arrived.

"Your flat or mine?" She questioned, briefly changing the subject.

"Yours," He replied simply before they held onto each other and landed in the living room of Hermione's flat. Hermione shed her coat on her sofa and threw her high healed shoes out into the hallway before turning to Ron. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, then we can talk," She whispered before reaching up on her toes to kiss him lightly and making her way down the corridor to her bedroom.

Ron slumped himself down on the sofa. He gazed around the room, admiring the walls, covered in photos and artwork. He grinned at one photo that caught his eye, it was a photo taken from third year, one of himself with Harry and Hermione, cuddling together. He remembered it was taken just before the Christmas holidays. Ron knew that these memories were precious, even more so after he had lost her. Smiling at the new memories made today, he leaned back against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He didn't want to sleep, afraid that today was all a dream, and he would open his eyes to be back in his own bed. Before he could question anything, a pair of small hands covered his closed eyes, a cute giggle emitted from behind his head.

"Watcha doing?" Hermione whispered in his ear as Ron's hands covered hers before removing them from his face. She jumped over the back of the sofa before snuggling her face into his chest.

"But seriously though," She began, sitting up to look him in the eye, "I can't do anything about David, I didn't employ him so I can't fire him, and even if I did control that, I can't just fire someone because they have a crush on me," Hermione finished soothing her hand over his arm, tracing his freckles. Ron sighed, he hated this David guy, he knew he wouldn't think twice about making a move on Hermione, perhaps he already had. With that thought, Ron looked at her again.

"Has he done anything, you know, like made you uncomfortable or asked you out?" He questioned her, analyzing her expressions as she thought of her answer. She sighed, knowing he deserved the truth about everything.

"About a couple of months after he joined me, he asked me out, I agreed, I was so devastated over losing you that I lost my head a bit, he was lovely, I admit, but he was nothing compared to you," She mumbled, maintaining eye contact with him, her heart giving a sad thud as she saw the pain in his eyes. "I didn't love him, not in the slightest, he was rather controlling really, but we broke up last year, I couldn't handle the clash of personalities, but he still tries his luck on me, today was no exception," She breathed out, gaging Ron's reaction.

Ron closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, pushing down the jealousy that emerged for the third time today. He had no right to be angry either, they weren't together at that time, she had every right to move on, even if her choice of man was rather questionable. Another fear sprung to his mind.

"Did you have sex with him?" He blurted out, desperately trying to reign in his anger. Hermione gasped at the abrupt question but recovered quickly before shaking her head.

"Not even close to, he wanted to sleep with me, but I didn't feel the want for him, we kissed but it never progressed further," She explained, reaching out to grasp his hands in hers, encouraging him to look at her. When he did, she saw no jealousy or anger in his eyes. Ron knew deep down she had always been his, no guy could ever take his place, there was no room for anyone else. He smiled at her, before leaning down to kiss her, thrilled when she wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging softly on his ginger locks. They both knew it would take a long time to get over the past years, but together they would learn to trust again, to love, they could do it.

(Epilogue – 6 months later)

"Thank you, David, I really appreciate everything you've done for the department, things have been going smoothly and I know your successor will continue the good work," Hermione politely addressed David, who was sat as his desk for the last time, eyeing her up with interest. She had planned her ending conversation with him, making it clear that she was speaking on behalf of the department, rather than making it an intimate one on one conversation. She had been secretly thrilled when she got conformation that David would be moving on to a new department, but of course, being the professional she was, she rehearsed a speech to wish him well, even when she couldn't care less about his departure.

"I know you'll do amazing in your new department; you'll be a great asset to their team," She finished, knowing full well that he wasn't listening to her. He had never been a listener. Forcing herself to smile at him, she turned away, beginning to pack her bags for the evening, smiling at the thought of Ron waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. An arrogant voice, however, broke her spell.

"You know Granger, I'm gonna miss you, it's been nice having such a beautiful lady around me all the time, perhaps we should see each other…outside of work, you know, go for drinks or whatever," Hermione stiffened as he said this, frustrated that he had clearly not gotten the message that she wasn't interested in him. Even after explaining to him that Ron was her boyfriend, he had still tried to ask her on dates, even asking her to come back to his place for the night.

Hermione slammed her hands on the desk and turned to face him.

"That's it, I'm done with you, leave," She growled out, becoming even more annoyed when he playfully threw his hands up in a surrender before grabbing bag and making his way around his desk. But instead of heading for the door, as Hermione had expected him to, he began to make his way over to her, slowly but surely.

"Stop," She growled, but her confidence was beginning to fade into panic, she couldn't take him down, he was far too strong for her. As he grew closer to her, he dropped his bag off his shoulder and suddenly pressed his body against hers, trapping her against the wall. She gasped loudly, unable to reach for her wand, lying helplessly on her desk. He chuckled darkly before brushing his hands up her sides and placing them on her hips before lowering his head down to hers, their lips inches apart. Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe, she desperately tried to wiggle from his grasp, but it was no good.

"I think," He began, the hunger in eyes frightening her, "We should celebrate my new job, just the two of us, nobody needs to know, your boyfriend doesn't need to know," He continued as Hermione grimaced under his gaze. "We should have some fun, right here, in our office, we could do things over your desk, over mine, against the bookshelf, we can have fun without anyone knowing," He grinned eagerly. Hermione felt tears begin to spring from her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry baby, it'll be good, I'll make you feel better, we can do things we never got a chance to do before," He smirked as he stroked her hip softly.

"Mr Bridges," A booming voice echoed throughout the room, causing David to all but rip himself off Hermione and spin around to face the door. Kingsley, Ron, and Harry stood in the doorway, their wands drawn, all pointing at David. Hermione couldn't' take it, she burst into tears violently, simultaneously grabbing her wand and bag before barreling towards Ron, who caught her easily with one arm, the other still pointed at David. He hauled her up to her full height and gently kissed her on the head.

"We'll deal with this, Mr Weasley," Kingsley whispered before entering the room fully, disarming David and arresting him.

"You heard him mate," Harry piped in, "We saw what he did, he'll get done for harassment, take her home and look after her will you," And with that, Harry also entered the room, only to come straight back out again, but with David being dragged by the collar down the corridor. Ron lifted Hermione into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, before he apparated them to her flat.

"Shh, it's okay sweetheart, I've got you, you're okay," He cooed as he placed her down on her sofa, reaching down to stroke her hair out of her face. Her sobbing continued as he pulled a blanket over her whilst stroking her hair. "Go to sleep angel, everything's okay, I'm not going anywhere," he whispered as he watched her eyes connect with his before drooping sleepily. In a matter of minutes, she was fast asleep, tucked cozily in a warm fluffy blanket and Ron kneeling beside her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Once he made sure she was okay, he straightened up, running a hand through his hair, he then heard a knock at the door. He sprinted out into her hallway and looked through the window to try and make out who was calling at such time in the evening. As soon as he caught a glimpse of round glasses, he flung open the door and pulled his best mate inside.

"How is she feeling mate?" Harry muttered as he flung his cloak vaguely near the coat hangers, toeing off his shoes in the process.

"She's a bit shaken, but she's sleeping right now, bit more relaxed now," Ron whispered as he tossed Harry's boots out of the way before following him into the living room.

"Bless her, she deserves her rest," Harry murmured, brushing his hand lightly across Hermione's cheek before turning to Ron.

"He's gone, fired," Answering the question he knew Ron was about to ask. Ron nodded, wishing he could have just killed the bastard instead. He knew David was nothing but trouble, any time Ron had entered Hermione's office, he would see David purposely flirt with her, unnecessarily touching her, grinning creepily at her. Hermione deserved better than this, she deserved to be treated like a princess, something too precious for this earth.

"Ron?" A small whimper came from the sofa, causing Ron to nearly snap his neck as he turned to Hermione, kneeling beside her.

"You okay sweetheart?" Ron whispered softly as he grabbed her hands, stroking the back of them with his thumb. She smiled softly at him, drinking in his facial features as he bent closer to her face, their breath mixing, fanning against their noses. Her eyes gazed over his lips, loving the plumpness of them, his freckles covering his cheeks. "Yeah," She breathed, lifting her face closer to his, their lips inches from him, "I'm okay now that I'm here with you," She whispered as she extracted her hand from his and lifted it up to stroke his cheek before Ron lent down to kiss her.

An hour later the two of them were stood on the balcony, the view displaying the city of London, the skyscrapers creating jiggered lines in the skyline, the orange sunset making their skin glow. The cool wind blew through the city, the trees surrounding the balcony blew peacefully in the breeze, the leaves springing away from the branches. A muscular arm wrapped around Hermione's waist as the two of them gazed into the night sky.

"Ron?" Hermione whispered as she continued to stare out into the city.

"Yeah," Ron breathed in her ear as he stroked her hair out of her face, smoothing it gently.

"Bear with me with this but, I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. Maybe we're from the same star," Ron laughed at her deep quotes, but he too was immersed in his own deep thoughts. He couldn't even deny the cheesiness of her sentence, but it felt so right, so fitting. They had conquered everything together, maybe this was how it should be, just the two of them. Perhaps three years of waiting, three years of heartbreak and insecurities would eventually fade for a future of eternity.

A/N: Thank you for reading, please review, favorite and follow, it would be much appreciated!