Chapter 1

February 2004

Lunchtime in the Ministry canteen was always hectic. From the people going into meeting to the ones just getting out, to the Ministry employees themselves there was never a shortage of people looking for a quick bite to eat. Although 'quick' was not how Harry would describe it. The queue to get any food would take half his lunch break on some days, and sadly, today was one of those days.

"Blimey Harry! Look at the queue. We've barely moved at all in the last five minutes. We should've just gone out to eat." Ron grumbled.

He was right. On the one day Harry had wanted a quick lunch so that he could get back to work to finish up early, the canteen was packed. Now, with only 20 minutes left of their break, he was about to suggest a new plan when a conversation caught his attention.

"...Hermione. Yeah, she's just gotten back."

Harry turned to Ron to get his attention, only to find it was already on the source of his intrigue, Pansy Parkinson.

"She's meeting with the Wizengamot, trying to get them to implement muggle practices into healing. I know! The swot always loved to study though. Anyway, are you in town? Great we should meet at the Leaky this Friday then. Great, see you Friday"

With that Pansy walked off, leaving the two Gryfindors in a state of bewilderment.

"Was she talking about Hermione? Our Hermione?" Harry questioned furrowing his brows, advancing in the queue.

"I think so, I mean, do you know any other 'Hermione's? But why would Pugface Parkinson know before us? We're her best friends" Ron said before proceeding to order his food.

"Parkinson probably took her family seat on the Wizengamot, and saw her at a session, she did just say 'Mione had been meeting with them"

"I guess. Wow. Hermione Granger. Wonder what she's been doing."

A few hours later Ron was sitting in his office in the DMLE barely able to focus on the work he should be doing. Strategizing high risk missions and basically trying to predict the future was quite difficult to do when you couldn't focus. He was busy thinking about the past.

After war everyone was given the option to repeat the year they were in at Hogwarts. Ron was never very fond of schoolwork, so he and Harry, unlike Hermione, decided against going back and instead took Kingsley up on an offer to work as Aurors. However Hermione decided to repeat her year to complete her N.E.W.T.s, which came as a surprise to no one, except for Ron.

He had assumed that they were all going to become Aurors and carry on with their adventures. Fred's death had been hard on Ron, deep down he knew Hermione wasn't going to go with them, but he needed as much normalcy as he could get. At first it was messy, while Ron and Hermione were never officially together, they were there for each other while they grieved. They were each other's shoulder to cry on but Hermione's return to Hogwarts ended whatever that was and while they agreed to remain friends, it wasn't the same.

Over the next few months the letters were less and less frequent between Auror training and study, the two of them were too busy to sit down every week to fill the other in. Ron only saw Hermione twice that year, once when she came to the burrow for Christmas, although she spent the majority of that time with Ginny and then at her's and Ginny's graduation ceremony.

It was that year that Ron was reintroduced to Lavender Brown. Upon exiting the floo at his brother Bill's house to be greeted with the sight of her sipping tea with Fleur, Ron was surprised to say the least. He soon learned that Bill had been helping her with her recovery in the aftermath of the Final Battle. Having suffered a Greyback attack of his own, Bill was able to navigate her through the curiosities of her "almost lycanthropy".

The Lavender he was met with was a far more mature and far less viscose Lavender. She was no longer the clingy sixth year school girl but a woman that could be attentive, but not suffocating. They developed a close friendship during that first year. She had taken over from Rita Skeeter at the Daily Prophet so they would often grab lunch together. The romantic feelings that had been overpowered by hormones their sixth year reappeared, but it was different this time. It wasn't about snogging in the common room, or in broom closets, or anywhere anymore, it was about spending time together. By April they were back together, living together the following November and engaged February the following year.

He's now been married four years and couldn't be happier. But since lunch that day his mind kept coming back to his childhood friend. All he knew was what Hermione had told Ginny of her plans, she was doing a mastery in France. That was all he knew about Hermione's life now, but with her back in Britain, Ron knew that this was the perfect opportunity to reconnect.

Across the hall Harry was having a similar problem focusing. While Harry had been better at keeping in touch with Hermione during that 8th year at Hogwarts, he had lost almost all contact after that first year in France apart from the annual Christmas card.

He and Ginny had gotten married right after Hogwarts which Hermione was there for. They had made sure to have the wedding before Hermione left so she could be there. They had had a simple ceremony with just their closest friends. Harry had wanted as little media attention on the day as possible, which was the main reason for keeping it so small. Within that first year Harry had gotten a promotion and Ginny had been signed to Holyhead Harpies. It kept them busy, all their free time was spent together, absentmindedly neglecting their friend overseas. And just last year they had had James Sirius, which meant any hope of reconnecting went out the window.

But with Hermione back now he was determined to rebuild that bridge. Setting aside the paperwork he was never going to get finished anyway and took out a blank piece of parchment. Dipping his quill in the ink he began,

Dear Hermione,

I heard you're back in Britain and I'd love to see you. It's been far too long. Let me know when you're free and yourself, Ron and I can grab some butterbeers at the Leaky, just like old times.

Lots of love,

Harry

He attached the letter to the leg of his owl, who hooted before flying off in search of the curly haired recipient.