Hi!

Cheesy is currently on cheesecation, so californiacougar was kind enough to look over this chapter!

Thanks for all who leave me comments, I read and appreciate every single one!

oOo

Hermione floo'd straight to her flat from the Ministry, desperate to get to some peace and quiet in order to calm down. With an agitated huff, she kicked off her heels before collapsing onto the sofa. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, though as soon as her eyes were shut, all she could see were Ron's cold ones glaring back at her, letting her know exactly how he felt about her return.

She groaned. Her day would have gone perfectly if not for her two awful run-ins with him, both interactions unpleasant and hostile. Luckily, Kingsley had been so impressed by her that Hermione had landed the job even before leaving his office. For a moment there, she'd thought that Ron had rattled her too much for her to do well during her interview, but somehow she had managed.

Forcing her thoughts to something more positive, she willed herself to think about her other old friend.

Harry.

Seeing Harry again- talking to him again- had been wonderful. He'd looked so happy and at peace, something Hermione had never really seen before. It suited him well, and it overjoyed her to know how great he was doing. She couldn't get over the fact that he and Ginny were to be married soon. Honestly, they were meant to be, and she couldn't be happier for them. Her mood went sour again as she remembered the moment with Harry had been marred by Ron's presence. Ron apparently hadn't been over their earlier run-in, and his displeasure over Harry inviting her to his engagement party had been all too clear.

Hermione had, of course, accepted the invite. Ron could either accept her presence or be miserable about it, but she refused to be pushed away from the life she was desperately trying to reclaim. Still, if only for Harry and Ginny's sake, she hoped for the former.

Not wanting to sit around and think, Hermione decided to get up and start unpacking. She still had a week before she started work, and she planned on using every bit of that time getting everything organized to make her flat feel more like home. Levitating a box of her clothes behind her, she made her way into the bedroom. She didn't have a dresser yet, but her walk-in closet had plenty of shelving, and she didn't have much clothing, anyway.

Working slowly, she folded and put away all her clothes. It wasn't until her stomach gave a low rumble that she realized it was almost dinnertime. Standing from her spot on the floor, she made her way into the kitchen. There had been so much to do that Hermione hadn't yet had the chance to go grocery shopping, though she had managed to grab several frozen meals while she was out.

Grabbing a lasagna from her freezer, she let out a startled scream as her kitchen lit up with a silvery light. Hermione spun around to see a beautiful horse Patronus running in mid-air towards her before coming to a halt and speaking.

"Hey! Harry says you're back," Ginny's voice sounded, causing a grin to spread across Hermione's face. "I hope this message finds you, since I don't know where you're staying. If you receive it, would you mind popping over to Grimmauld for dinner? I'd love to see you. You remember where Grimmauld is, I hope? If not, send a Patronus back and I'll help."

Hermione's decision was a quick one and she threw the lasagna back into the freezer before making her way to the bedroom. Wanting to dress more casually around friends, she changed into jeans and a light blue jumper, excitement coursing through her at the idea of seeing Ginny again.

Once dressed, she Apparated straight to the front of the dilapidated buildings, watching as they slid apart at her presence. The secondHermione knocked on the door, Ginny flung it open and let out a squeal of delight before embracing her.

"You got my Patronus!"

Hermione laughed, hugging her friend back. "I did."

"Gin!" a voice admonished. Hermione looked over Ginny's shoulder to see Harry's arms crossed as he gave his fiancé a stern look. Ginny let go of Hermione and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said. "Hermione, what was my pygmy puff's name?"

"Um, Arnold?" Hermione said slowly, not sure why she was being asked such a random question.

Ginny laughed as she pulled Hermione inside by the arm and shut the door. "Harry and Ron both insist on checking that people are who they appear to be. Aurors. Anyway, I'm so happy you're back!" Ginny gushed as she led Hermione inside. "When Harry told me he saw you today, I could hardly believe it!"

Wide-eyed, Hermione looked around Grimmauld Place, stunned at how different it looked since the last time she'd been there. It was no longer dreary and dark, but bright and cheery.

"It looks amazing in here," she praised, turning in a slow circle to take it all in.

"Doesn't it?" Ginny said in a proud voice. "It took a lot of work, but I'm happy with how it turned out."

"It was worth it," Hermione said. "It's like a completely different place."

"Most of the credit goes to Ginny," Harry said with a smile. He walked over to give Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "She planned and designed it all. I just helped with the expense," he added with a chuckle, giving Ginny's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

"I made dinner," Ginny said, blushing as she changed the subject. "Please say you'll stay."

Hermione nodded. "Of course. What are we having?"

"Chicken curry," Harry answered as all three of them headed into the kitchen. "Gin had just put it under a warming spell when you knocked."

"It smells delicious," Hermione said as the aroma hit her nostrils. "I didn't even realize how hungry I was until now."

"Good. Because there's plenty. You might even have to take home some leftovers," Ginny said as she stared into the big pot.

"She gets that from her mum," Harry said with a smirk, causing Ginny to turn around and glare at her soon to be husband.

"I heard that!"

"It's not a bad thing, Hun," Harry said in a sickenly sweet voice that Hermione had never heard him use before. Ginny only grinned before turning back to stir the curry.

"Why an engagement party so close to the wedding?" Hermione asked as she sat down at the large table next to Harry.

"Between my job and Harry's, there hasn't been time for any events," Ginny explained as she turned and leaned against the countertop. "We decided to throw everything close together in the last couple of weeks. It just makes more sense for us."

"Ginny is impatient to tie me down." Harry teased.

"You've been tied down, Potter," Ginny responded. "For five years."

The mention of the amount of time that had passed made Hermione's face fall as she thought about all she'd missed in between then and now. Harry saw her expression and cleared his throat before placing his hand on top of hers. "We've missed you a lot, Hermione," he said earnestly. "Ron too. He'll come around, don't worry."

"Speaking of my brother, I heard you two had a couple of run-ins," Ginny said as she summoned three bowls from the cabinets and set them in a line on the counter. "What happened?"

"He wasn't very happy to see me," Hermione admitted. "And I didn't help matters by snapping at him about it."

"Sounds like you two," Ginny said as she spooned out three portions of curry "but Harry's right. He'll come around."

"How is he?" Hermione couldn't help but ask. "Is he happy?"

"He is, yeah," Harry supplied. "He's a damn good Auror. One of the best, actually. He has a flat not far from here, and we see him a lot."

"Is he seeing anyone?" Hermione asked. She tried to sound nonchalant, but she didn't miss the smirk that appeared on Ginny's face at her question.

Harry shook his head. "Nah. I mean, he's gone on a few dates here and there, but he hasn't had a girlfriend since Lavender, if you can believe it."

"Oh," Hermione said, surprised. "I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Hopefully, soon we can all-" Hermione stopped talking as she heard a sound coming from the other room. A familiar voice called out, and she held her breath, panic taking over.

"You invited Ron over?" Harry asked Ginny under his breath. He looked worried as his eyes shifted to Hermione.

Ginny shook her head. "No. You know how he is. He likes to randomly pop in."

Not wanting to cause any more trouble for her friends today, Hermione was about to excuse herself to leave when the door was flung open and Ron walked into the kitchen, a bottle of firewhiskey in hand.

"After dinner, I want to get drunk as fuc-" Ron stopped talking mid-sentence when he spotted Hermione, his eyes widening in surprise. "Gin?" he asked. "What's she doing here?"

"Hermione's here for dinner, too," Ginny answered calmly, holding a bowl of curry out to him.

Ron took it with his free hand but said nothing, his eyes still on Hermione.

"I do have a name, you know," Hermione said in a cool tone. "And it's incredibly rude to talk about someone like they are not there when they are right in front of you."

Ron composed himself, moving his eyes away from Hermione as he walked towards the table. "Harry, Ginny, did you guys hear that little buzzing sound? I couldn't quite make out the words." Making a big show of moving to the opposite end of the table, in the furthest possible chair, he sat down and started to eat.

"Very mature, Ronald," Hermione chided.

Ron looked up at Harry. "Blimey, I just heard it again! Rather annoying innit?"

Ginny rolled her eyes as she handed Hermione a full bowl. Fighting the urge to argue further with Ron, Hermione dug in. After a minute, she spoke. "This is delicious, Ginny."

Ron then made a dramatic show of slapping his ear as if there were an insect flying around him. "It's that noise again!" he complained when Ginny glared at him.

"You are such a child!" Hermione snapped, causing Ron to finally look at her.

He chuckled, but in a way that infuriated her rather than humored her. "I think I found the source of the noise. I was right. It is annoying."

"Ron!" Harry hissed through gritted teeth. "Just stop."

"Relax, Harry," Ron grinned. "I'm just playing around with her. She knows that. Right Hermione?"

"We all know you're not playing around," Harry said before Hermione could answer.

Ron shrugged. "Think what you want."

Harry sighed. "You should be glad Hermione is back. She was once one of your closest friends."

"Was being the operative word here," Ron responded.

"It's okay, Harry," Hermione cut in before Harry could say anything else in her defense. "Ronald is free to continue his hissy fit. I'll just be the bigger person and ignore him."

Ron set his spoon down and glared at her. "Hissy fit? I'm just messing with you! You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"You're being the opposite of welcoming, and I don't appreciate it."

"What do you expect me to do, Hermione?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "Throw myself at your feet and cry about how happy I am to see you? It's not gonna happen."

"The only thing I expect is for you to stop acting like a-"

"I never could do anything right in your eyes, could I?" Ron cut in.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he replied, his blue eyes burrowing into hers.

"Obviously I don't, because if I did, I wouldn't need to ask, would I?"

Ron only scoffed at her before picking his spoon up to resume eating in stony silence.

oOo

It was taking everything in Ron not to storm out of Grimmauld Place and get as far away from Hermione as possible. In fact, the only two reasons he was still rooted in his chair were his stupid stubbornness and his empty stomach.

"So, what have you been doing these last few years?" Harry asked Hermione, effectively breaking the awkward silence.

Hermione, sounding relieved by the question, was quick to answer. "Well, as you know, I was living life as a muggle. I went to university, and I-"

"Did you meet any cute muggle men at university?" Ginny cut in. Ron looked up to see his sister wiggling her eyebrows, and he had to resist the urge to kick at her legs underneath the table.

Hermione was quiet for several seconds before taking a deep breath and answering. "Only one. His name was Blake. We were together for two years and only recently split."

Ron froze at the information, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?" Harry asked, sounding sympathetic.

"Well," Hermione said in a slow voice. "He was great, but-" she paused, and Ron could tell she was hesitant to divulge the entire story. "I just didn't see a future with him, so I broke it off," she finished quickly. "That's all."

"Muggle man didn't do it for ya, then, Hermione?" Ron asked before he could help himself.

Hermione's mouth opened and closed in disbelief. "At least I had a relationship!" she shot back. "From what I heard, you haven't been in a relationship with anyone since Lavender Brown."

Ron felt his face grow hot. "How would you know?" he demanded in a low voice. "Are you asking about me, Hermione? Did you hear any juicy bits of gossip? Merlin's hairy ballbag, you're back one bloody day and you think you're some kind of Ron Weasley expert!"

Hermione's face also turned red. "I can't-I didn't-" she sputtered before huffing. "My god, you're so full of yourself!"

"Me?" he scoffed. "You're little miss perfect! Oh, except when you up and abandon your friends. Maybe not so perfect after all."

The furious look on Hermione's face scared him, but Ron refused to back down and kept his eyes locked on hers. "You can win back everyone else, but you will get nowhere with me," he said before standing to his feet and levitating his now-empty bowl to the sink. "I'm going to head home," he said, addressing Harry and Ginny. "I have a feeling I've outworn my welcome."

"You'd be right," Ginny said, her eyes narrowed.

Harry said nothing, his eyes on his food. Ron grabbed his bottle of firewhiskey from the table and turned. He walked out of the kitchen, making it to the fireplace in only a matter of seconds. As he stepped back into his flat, he was surprised to see a figure sitting on the sofa.

"Hey, baby brother," Fred said with a grin. "Where've you been?"

Ron took a steadying breath, not wanting his brother to see how worked up he currently was. Fred stopped by fairly often and Ron never minded, but right now, he wasn't in the most sociable mood. "Harry's," he finally answered.

Fred spotted the firewhiskey in Ron's hand and grinned. "Well, come on, let's drink."

Ron couldn't help but smile at the prospect of getting some alcohol in his system. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and summoned two glasses from the kitchen before sitting down on the sofa next to Fred and pouring them each a glass.

"How was your day?" he asked his brother as he set the glass firewhiskey bottle on the table with a thud.

"Not too shabby. Just felt too quiet at my place."

Ron nodded in understanding. After growing up in a large family, quiet got old really fast. Ron reckoned it was worse for Fred, though, as he'd always had George until George had gotten married and moved out of the flat over the shop. Not that Fred had anything against Angelina, but Ron knew he missed living with his twin.

"George told me that Harry told him you were shagging your work partner. Is it true?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah."

Fred gave a low whistle. "You lucky sonofabitch! She's bloody gorgeous."

"She is," Ron agreed. "Can't believe she'd willingly choose to have sex with me, of all people, but I'm not going to complain. She's a great shag."

"I can only imagine," Fred replied before draining his glass and refilling it. "So, how did it happen?"

"Well, while we were out on this latest mission, she came into my tent when I was sleeping and climbed on top of me. It took me a moment to wake up and realize what the hell was going on, but once I did, I was only too happy to comply. Obviously."

Fred's eyebrows furrowed. "Did she explain to you why she did that?"

Ron chuckled. "Yeah. After we-um- I asked her and she explained she was lonely and just needed some affection." He chuckled again at the use of the word "Her family lives far away and she works too much to meet anyone new. She told me I was the logical choice because she knew and trusted me, plus I am one of the few Aurors who take her seriously and doesn't ogle her like a piece of meat."

"Got Fleur to thank for that one," Fred pointed out. "If you're around Veela often, you build up some sort of immunity. I'm barely phased by them anymore."

"Exactly." Ron agreed.

"What's her name, again?"

"Maureen."

"Right. So you and Maureen aren't hiding a secret romance or anything, are you?"

Ron laughed. "No, not at all. I mean, she's lovely, I respect the hell out of her, and I enjoy her company, but-" He paused, allowing himself to really think about the prospect before shaking his head. "I just don't feel that way about her. She's just-" He paused again. "She's cool, you know? The kind of bird you want to hang out and party with, but not one you imagine in a white dress walking down the aisle towards you. At least not for me."

Fred reached out and squeezed Ron's cheek between his thumb and pointer finger. "My little Ronniekins, waiting for the One. How romantic."

"Sod off," Ron grunted, smacking his brother's hand away.

Laughing, Fred drained his second glass before standing up. "Thanks for the drink, but I'm knackered. Going to head home now."

"See you the next time you decide to come drink my alcohol," Ron replied in a dry voice, a wry smile on his face

Once Fred was gone, Ron sat on the sofa, the clicking of the clock on the wall grating his nerves. With nothing to distract him, his thoughts went back to Hermione and how mixed his feelings had been since he'd seen her earlier that afternoon. The alcohol seemed to only make it worse, and his stomach felt sour. He felt anxious, as if he needed to do something, but he wasn't quite sure what.

No longer able to take the quiet, Ron grabbed his wand and closed his eyes, just managing to conjure up a Patronus with the memory of single-handedly snagging his first death eater.

He cleared his throat before speaking to the silver terrier. "If you're awake and not busy, come over. I promise I'll make your time worth it."

Several minutes later, Ron smiled as Maureen showed up in his fireplace wearing a silky pink robe.

"Randy, are you?" she teased as she walked towards him.

Ron stood, the grin still on his face. "Might be. When you made the rules of our… arrangement, you told me I could contact you if I felt I needed the company."

Maureen nodded. "Of course. It goes both ways, Weasley."

Ron reached her and lifted her in his arms, his lips going to the pulse point on her neck as he suckled the skin there. They'd kissed a handful of times, but both of them had agreed that it felt a little too intimate, so they usually stuck to using their mouths on other body parts.

She let out a low moan and leaned her head back to allow him better access. "You are just way too good at this," she breathed.

"I aim to please," he replied. Ron lifted her further, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He carried her into the bedroom, and as he lay her down on the bed, the image of Hermione once again came unbidden to the forefront of his mind.

Ron tried to push her out of his head, but she remained persistent and as he undressed Maureen and ran his hands all over her body, he couldn't help but wonder how Hermione's skin would feel beneath his fingertips.

He trailed kisses down Maureen's front till his head was settled between her legs, all the while wondering how Hermione would taste on his tongue. What kind of sounds would she make as she came apart on his eager mouth? His restless mind tormented him with endless possibilities.

After Maureen quieted, Ron moved back up, positioning himself before pressing into her. He kept his eyes closed as he moved inside her, and it nearly made him believe it was Hermione underneath him. When he came, he barely managed to stop from uttering Hermione's name aloud.

With shaking limbs, Ron pulled out and collapsed next to Maureen, both of them panting. Shagging was supposed to make him feel better, but now he felt worse than he had before. Hermione had already managed to worm herself back into his subconscious, and this made him somehow even more angry at her.

"Maureen?" he asked after a moment.

"Hmm?" she hummed, her eyes still closed as she lightly strummed her fingers along the top of her collarbone.

"Nevermind."

Maureen opened her eyes and turned to him. "What is it, Weasley?"

"I was just wondering… how long is this supposed to last? What if one of us meets someone?'

She let out a laugh as she sat up and stretched, Ron's eyes glued to her breasts as she did so. "We aren't exclusive, Ron. You know that."

"I know, but…" he trailed off.

Maureen stood up and used her wand to clean herself before picking up her robe and slipping it back on. "You're thinking too much. This thing between us- it's simple, okay? No need for any of the complicated shit."

Ron nodded. "Right. Sorry."

She smirked. "You good, Weasley? Need me to tuck you in before I go? Maybe read you a story?"

"Get outta here, Page," he replied, already closing his eyes.

"See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."