Malfoy had taken when Hermione said to heart and she knew it. Over the course of the next few hours, he had been so cold towards her. So formal and businesslike. She came to realise that he now appeared to be sufficiently trained and contemplated just ending it here. She could leave and know that her department was in capable hands. He was capable. Very much so, in fact.
She left the office at lunch time and made her way to the Auror's department to find Harry. She was desperate to talk to him, find out if he had seen Ron and see how Ron was doing. If she was honest with herself, she missed Ron. He was a jerk to her, yes, but she loved him. In her way. She always had.
Harry was in a fire call with someone when she entered the office and she waited on his plush maroon armchair. He was the team leader for his Auror section and had his own office.
"Hermione" he said as he brought his head out from the floo.
"Harry, its been so bloody long, I thought we could have lunch together" she said.
"That's just what I was hoping you'd say" he said, as he took his coat from the coat rack.
"Not going to the cafeteria?" she asked, wishing she had brought her own coat.
"There's a nice sandwich place down the street that make the most incredible food" he said, taking a women's coat from the rack and handing it to her. "This is Ginny's, I'm sure she wont mind" he said.
They made their way to the reception of the ministry and out via the main entrance. The streets of London were busy but no one noticed their sudden appearance.
"How has it been, training Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"You know?" she asked him.
"I know that it's Malfoy? Yes, of course I do. I know everything Hermione" he said with a smile as he nudged her shoulder.
"Does… did you tell Ron?" she asked.
"When he didn't mention it, I didn't say anything" he said.
"I think that's for the best" she said.
"Ron's missing you, you know" he said.
"I miss him too Harry" she said, sadness in her eyes.
"Go to him. Go back to him. He knows he messed up and he wants to change" Harry said.
"He hasn't even tried to come see me. Or Rose" she said.
"Look, I don't want to champion him. I know he's been an ass to you Hermione, but he has been giving you space. He has stayed away and worked on himself. He's been eating at my house every blooming night and Ginny's sick of him to be fair" he said as they entered the sandwich shop.
"So he misses me cooking for him" she said flatly, looking over the menu and ordering a ham and salad sub.
"No, he misses you. He misses having you around. He goes home and you're not there, Rose isn't there. Its too quiet. He can't handle the quiet" he said.
"I'll go back to him Harry. I know I will. I just… I want things to be different" she said.
"Trust me, the way he talks, he is different" Harry said as they received their orders and sat at a table by the window.
After lunch, Hermione felt so much lighter. Everything she had been holding in since last weekend was now off her chest and she was ready to forgive Ron. She wouldn't ever forget how he had treated her, not only on that one occasion, but on a daily basis. Relationships should be based on love and giving. Not on demands, taking and hiding.
She returned to work, now feeling lighter and eager to apologise to Malfoy for how she spoke to him.
Assuming he wouldn't have left the office paid off, because when she returned, he was in the same place he was when she left. She handed him a sub that she bought before she left the sandwich shop, recalling the look Harry gave her when she did so. 'Its nothing' she reminded herself.
"Thanks" he muttered, looking back down at his work.
"I'm sorry" she said.
"For?" he asked, putting his quill down.
"You're actually one of the things I look forward to about coming here. I have really enjoyed getting to know you" she said.
He smiled, a small but sincere smile.
"Its been interesting" he offered back.
"I will miss this place, I will miss coming to work, I'll miss actually having someone stimulating to talk to" she said, placing a hand over her mouth at his shocked response. "I mean… stimulating, intellectually" she said, swatting at him from where she stood beside his desk.
"We should celebrate or something tomorrow" he said.
"Really? Be seen in public with me?" she asked faux shock on her face.
"Drinks at a little place I know" he said.
"Just a couple? I have to go and mend my relationship with my fiancé" she said.
"Sure" he said, holding her gaze for just a fraction longer than necessary before returning to his work.
She turned to leave the office and at the door she paused.
"Make sure you take a break and eat something" she said.
"Sure thing" he said as he waved her out the door.
She had been working from the group office cubicles for the day, putting the finishing touches on many files that she had worked on. She was compiling handovers and summaries of all of her cases, and the coffee table in Malfoy's office had become too cumbersome for her back.
It was almost 3pm when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. It was Missy.
"Uh, sorry to disturb you Hermione, but the minister would like a moment of your time" she said.
Hermione looked at her with confusion on her face. Kingsley had basically dismissed her the day before after meeting with her to find out how the training had gone so far. She had expressed her confidence in Malfoy and said that once she was finished with her summaries and handovers, she was done.
She made her way to his office, her low heels clicking on the floor in an ominous manner. She felt like a school child being sent to the headmaster's office, knowing she hadn't done anything wrong, but feeling guilty nonetheless.
She tapped on the door after his secretary sent her in and his booming voice called for her to enter.
"Ahh, Hermione Granger, how lovely to see you again" he said, extending his hand for her to shake.
She frowned at his formal tone and then looked around when she noticed Harry and a man she had recalled meeting before but couldn't place. They rose when she entered.
"Hermione, you know Harry of course. And this is Angsley Savage, the head of the DMLE" Kingsley said.
"Lovely to see you again, Mr Savage" she said.
"Please sit" Kingsley offered, and the strange group of people sat.
"I must say, minister, you have me at a loss as to why we are gathered here" she said.
"I'm sure you must be confused, and I promise I will cut to the chase. Harry has been offered the position that is currently held by Angsley, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement" he said.
"Harry that's incredible" she said, excited for her best friend's promotion.
"Just wait a second Hermione" Harry said.
"He turned it down" Kingsley said.
"Harry? Why would you do that? That's an incredible opportunity" she said.
"I don't want to be the head of the department, I want to run my own ops. I enjoy field work" Harry said.
"That's where you come in, Miss Granger" Angsley said.
"Me?" she asked.
"I want you to be the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement" Kingsley said.
"Me? I know nothing about law enforcement. I wouldn't even know where to begin" she said.
"I will train you" Angsley said with a smile.
"I… I don't know what to say" she said.
"Take the night to think it over" Kingsley said.
"Its an incredible opportunity Hermione, you said so yourself" Harry said as they rode the lift after the meeting.
"For you" she said.
"For you. You already know half of it anyway from your old job. You're a quick learner and Kingsley offered you four days a week. How can you turn that down?" Harry asked.
"I'd be your boss" she said.
"Even better. Back to bossing me around like the good old days" he said with a smile.
"I'll need to talk to Ron. And to Molly. She's been caring for Rose these last two weeks but I can't expect her to continue it… what? Forever?" she asked.
"She is Rose's grandmother. I'm sure if Ginny wanted to return to work she's take James" Harry said.
"That's different" Hermione said.
"How? Tell me how" Harry said.
"Well, Ginny is Molly's daughter" she said.
"Molly is Ron's mother. Rose is as much a parent to Rose as Ginny is to James. Its no different. You're just stuck in your own head Hermione" Harry said.
"This is the gateway to minister of magic" Harry said quietly.
"What? What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Minister of magic Hermione. Once Kingsley realises he's had enough, he'll be looking for someone. Someone fresh, with great ideas and a humongous brain inside their head. Know anyone like that?" Harry said.
"No way, not in a million years" she said.
"We'll see" Harry said, bidding her farewell as he exited at the Auror department.
Hermione contemplated her future. Certainly, she had been dreading returning to be a stay at home mother, but the idea of running a department that she had no idea about was daunting to say the least.
She arrived at Malfoy's office ready to attend the afternoon meeting. She collected the paperwork, stood by Malfoy's side while he spoke with confidence to his eager team and nodded in the appropriate places, however, her mind was reeling with possibilities.
"Where was your head in that meeting?" Malfoy asked her when it was over.
"Oh, sorry, I was a bit off wasn't i?" she asked.
"A bit? When I suggested a case for Hilary to work on you said 'yes, lunch sounds good'" he said.
"I did? I'm sorry, I just… I have an incredibly difficult decision to make" she said.
"About your relationship?" he asked.
"For once, no" she answered. "Kingsley… I mean, minister Shacklebolt has offered me a job" she said. Malfoy's face fell and a scowl formed.
"Let me guess, he's by far unimpressed with my performance and wants you to come back" he said.
"Actually, no" she said. "He's more than happy with my reports on your suitability for the job. He thinks you're perfect for it in fact" she said.
"Oh…" he said, standing a bit straighter and smiling to himself.
"He wants me to be Head of DMLE" she said.
"DMLE?" he asked, his eyes widening and shock forming on his face. "Wow, that's… congratulations Granger" he said.
"I don't know if I want to take it" she said.
"Of course you do" he said.
"I know nothing about it" she said.
"Rubbish. Since I've been here you've spat out about a million laws and regulations and you're the quickest learner I've ever met" he said.
"You don't know that" she said.
"Eighth year, you learnt the entire 7th year curriculum in a month" he said.
"How do you… Never mind. It's just… I don't know if I can commit" she said.
"What are they offering?" he asked.
"Two weeks training, four days a week work for full time pay" she said.
"That's just… I mean… You'd be crazy to say no Granger" he said, pacing around his office.
"You really think?" she asked with a smile.
"I think… I know… you're brilliant. You would be great at whatever you do" he said.
Hermione left work just after 4pm, still no closer to deciding what she wanted to do. The idea of running a department again was thrilling, but the anxiety provoking idea of starting again with something new was intense.
She supposed, she ought to consider Ron's opinion on the matter, after all, he was still a main part of her life.
That night, she put Rose to bed and headed downstairs to the floo.
"Heading out dear?" Molly asked from the kitchen sink.
"If that's ok? I was going to go and speak with Ron. I think its time" she said.
"That's perfectly fine dear" Molly said with a smile.
"I've cast a monitoring charm so I'll be alerted if she wakes and return straight away" she said.
"Nonsense dear, take your time. These things don't work themselves out straight away" Molly said.
Hermione would never been grateful enough to the older witch for all the things she had done for her in her lifetime.
She took the floo for what felt like the first time in forever and arrived in the living room of her home. The home she shared with Ron.
The place was tidy, impeccably so, and she was surprised.
"Ron?" she called, her heart thundering in her chest. She knew him, she loved him, yet she was nervous as anything to speak with him again.
"Hermione?" he called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, its me" she said.
He entered the room and his face was full of sadness. His eyes filling with tears just at the sight of her.
"Merlin…" he said quietly.
"I think its time we talked" she said, making her way to sit on the couch.
"Anything… I'll give you anything. I'll do anything Hermione. Anything you want" he said, moving closer to her.
"I want to come home Ron. I miss you, I really do. And Rose does too" she began.
"I miss you too, so much" he said, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Things cant be how they were though Ron" she said sternly.
"I know, I'm changing, I am. I'll change anything" he said.
"The drinking needs to stop. Or at least slow down" she started.
"Done. No more firewhisky" he said.
"And you need to make an effort with Rose. She shies away from you because you reject her Ron. You need to spend time with her" she said.
"I will, I promise" he said.
"You can have friends over and I'll happily cook for them but I just need some notice. I need time to prepare, to shop, to organise things" she said.
"I know, I know and I'm so sorry" he said.
"And…" she said, taking a deep breath. "… I want to be able to say no to you" she said.
"No?" he asked.
"And have you understand it" she said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Sometimes, Ron, when I'm tired or I have a headache, or I have a bad back, I try and say no but you get angry. That's not how things should be. That isn't how I think a relationship should work" she said.
"Sex?" he asked.
"Yes" she replied.
"So, when you say no to sex, you want me to acknowledge it? I can do that. I thought… I just… I guess I haven't thought about it like that" he said.
"No you haven't Ron. And its something that affects me so much, but I can't ever say anything to you because you get so upset about it. I want this to work. I want to be with you. I want us to be ok. But these things… If they don't get better, I'm afraid that we'll both just be miserable forever" she said.
"I promise… I'll try Hermione, I mean it" he said, moving closer to her and wrapping his arms around her.
"I'd also like to go out sometimes" she began, talking into his chest. "Like we used to. Even the occasional afternoon drink with friends. I've shut myself away almost, since I fell pregnant and I don't want to be that person" she said, pulling away from him slightly to look at his face while she spoke. "I love Rose, Merlin, I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Rose, but I've come to realise that my life has been all about her and I've completely forgotten to take care of myself" she said.
"I think that is a great idea. We can go out together, or you and Ginny can go out and I can do something with Harry" he said, pulling her back to him.
"Or we can all go together?" she asked, earning a smile and a nod from Ron that she felt on the top of her head.
She felt safe in that moment. Secure, at ease, like he actually meant everything he was promising. That he could possibly be the partner she wanted. The husband she needed and the father that Rose needed.
"There's something else" she said, once Ron had finally released her.
"Ok, it sounds serious" he said.
"It is. I've … had an offer" she said.
"What kind of offer?" he asked.
"A job" she said.
"Your old job?" he asked.
"A new one actually. Head of the DMLE" she said, hesitantly.
"Wow. Hermione… wow. Do you think you can?" he asked. Hermione groaned internally. Why did Ron have to be the only one to question it.
"Well, I think I could, yes. I wanted to talk to you about it first. And your mum, of course" she said.
"What does mum have to do with it?" he asked.
"Well, she's been looking after Rose. I want to make sure she'd be happy to continue before I accept" she said.
"I think…" he began, thinking hard about his next sentence. This threw Hermione. If Ron had to think so hard about how he reacted to her, it would prove to be a rough next few weeks. "I think you should do it" he said. "I also think… maybe we should move to the Burrow" he added. Hermione's mouth almost hit the floor. She was gobsmacked. Move to the burrow? Why? How?
"I… what about our furniture?" was the first thing she could think to say.
"We can store it… Think about it, Hermione. Most of the problems we have been having are because we don't really have time together. Its difficult enough for you when you're at home, and now, if you're going back to work, it will be even harder. Mum will love having us back and Rose will be surrounded by people. Its perfect. We can even do things together like we used to. Maybe even go out for dinners" he said.
"I…" she began, thinking hard about the reasons why not and coming up blank. "Ok, but you have to speak with your parents first" she said.
"I will. I'll do it tomorrow" he said, pulling her back into his arms. "Everything is going to be fine, Hermione. You'll see. I promise" he said.
AN-
AHH Bloody Ron. Screw you for apologising!
Thanks Chalice13 for your review. It does take a lot of effort to leave and i hope you can stick by while she grows and finds her strength. It will get hard, far out, it will get terrible for her, but shes strong. This is so good for me. I've been a writer my entire life, so i have written and journalled this story 100s of times. As it stands, I'm looking back at all this with 13 years between now and then and living in my happily ever after.
SereniteRose Counselling wouldn't work because Ron would never agree. He's an ass.
I'm so excited to be coming to the last 1/4 of writing for this whole thing. I am at least 10 chapters ahead as this stage, having written most of it. Just tweaking every now and then before i post. I'm supposed to be working today but am smashing this out instead. Gotta love working from home still.