A/N - I've been working on this story on and off for almost a year and have finally gotten to where I think I know where it's going. I won't have a regular update schedule as I have in the past but hope to post a new chapter every 1-2 weeks. I know this is a rare pairing, but I hope you all like what I've done with it!

Also, be aware that I have been to Venice exactly one time in my life and it was a million years ago so I apologize if there are any errors related to the setting. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 1

Hermione stepped out of the Italian Ministry and squinted into the mid-afternoon sun. Pulling a pair of sunglasses from her bag, she slipped them on and began to make her way to the small café that would take her into the Muggle side of Rome. The Portkey was the only bit of magic Hermione intended to use while here. Otherwise, she planned to go completely Muggle. She had her wand with her, of course, and had enlarged her suitcase while still in the Ministry. Otherwise, she didn't intend to use her wand unless it were absolutely necessary. She needed a break from the magical world for a while.

Rolling her suitcase behind her, Hermione quickly found the café the clerk at the Portkey office had described to her and walked through the magical barrier. She ended in a small corridor, near the loos. The café itself was not hidden from the Muggle world as the Leaky Cauldron was. In fact, all of the patrons appeared to be non-magical, although Hermione knew that was unlikely. Magicals in Italy appeared to be better able to blend in than their British counterparts.

Deciding to grab a bite to eat before finding a taxi to take her to her hotel, Hermione settled at a table and picked up a menu. Italian was not one of the languages she spoke well, but because of the similarities with Spanish, she was able to get by. She intended to speak Italian much more fluently by the time she went home.

Thinking of home made Hermione sigh. Harry had been against this trip and even Ginny had had her reservations about it. Not the trip itself but the fact that Hermione was going alone and had rebuffed all offers for any of them to join her for even part of her holiday. Molly had been the most upset about it, not that Hermione was surprised. Hermione's boss had surprisingly been the most supportive, even though she had taken a month's leave of absence. Of course, she was in between projects at the moment, which was why she had planned the trip now.

The thing was, she needed to be alone. She had been surrounded by people in the nearly two years since Ron's death, she needed a bit of breathing room. They meant well; she knew that. But it wasn't as if she was going to fall apart if she was alone for a few days. She couldn't count the number of times that a member of the Weasley or Potter family had fallen asleep on her couch. Hermione had even thought about setting her wards to keep them out but she knew it would only cause worry and conflict.

Hermione understood, she honestly did. And she had been grateful for the company at first. Those first few weeks after Ron had been killed Hermione had stayed with Harry and Ginny, unable to bring herself to stay in the flat that she and Ron had just begun sharing a few months before. She thought that Harry and Ginny needed the company just as much, Harry especially. He and Ginny had been on their honeymoon when Ron was killed and Hermione knew that Harry blamed himself for not being there with Ron in the raid.

The war had been over for two years when the Auror department had received a tip as to the whereabouts of the Lestrange brothers. They had escaped from the Final Battle and had gone into hiding. There had been a few sightings over the years but none of them had ever amounted to anything. Ron had gone in with the team that had raided the small cottage where the brothers were reported to be. He had been killed by a Dark curse that had been deflected by another Auror.

When Hermione had been given the news, she hadn't believed it at first. Just the week before, Ron had told her that he was considering leaving the Auror department and going into business with George. He couldn't be dead. There had to have been some mistake. She had rushed to St. Mungo's and it wasn't until she saw his still form lying on the hospital bed that she realized that he was gone. Her best friend, the man that she was going to marry, gone, just like that.

For the first few weeks, she was numb. She knew that she had gone to the funeral, but she didn't remember much of it. She took a week off from work and then went back, much to everyone's dismay. She worked, mechanically and methodically, but she couldn't have said what, exactly, she worked on. Her boss encouraged her to take as much time off as she needed but Hermione knew that would only lead to her falling further into herself.

She had finally moved back to her flat three months after Ron's death. Harry hadn't wanted her to go and Hermione understood. The two of them gravitated toward one another even more now that their third was gone. Ginny tried to understand and she mostly did a decent job of it, but she had lost her brother and needed Harry just as much as Hermione did. They didn't try to shut Ginny out but after Hermione had overheard one too many arguments between the two, she knew it was time for her to go.

The flat seemed empty without Ron's presence. It had been Hermione's flat first; she'd taken it just after she graduated from Hogwarts. Ron had moved in six months later. The first thing she saw when she stepped inside was Ron's old Quidditch jersey, haphazardly flung over the back of the couch because he was always leaving his things lying about. She'd broken down, grabbing the shirt and sobbing into it for hours. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. They had all survived the war and it was supposed to be the four of them, Harry and Ginny and Hermione and Ron. Not this.

Hermione dutifully went to all the Weasley dinners at the Burrow, all the holidays and the birthday celebrations, even though they invariably ended with someone drinking too much or someone crying or both. The loss of Fred and then Ron in only two years had put a strain on the family that Hermione didn't think would have been there had it only been one of them that had been lost.

Victoire's birth had tempered some of Molly's grief. Fleur had recently announced she was expecting again and Hermione knew that Percy was planning to ask Audrey to marry him. While Harry and Ginny weren't planning to have children yet, they were married and George was dating Angelina off and on. Hermione hoped that the birth of another grandchild would only help Molly further and perhaps take some of the attention off Hermione.

Molly was constantly clucking over her, asking her how she was doing, giving Hermione pitying looks whenever she thought Hermione wasn't looking. It was as if the woman thought that Hermione would forever be alone now that Ron was gone.

Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready to move on or not. But she also didn't imagine that she would pine for Ron for the rest of her life. She had loved Ron, still loved him, but she also knew that it was likely she would find someone else someday. At least, she hoped she would. She wasn't out looking for it or anything but if the right person came along, she wasn't going to ignore that in favor of mourning for Ron.

Except that sometimes, Hermione got the feeling that's exactly what Molly expected her to do. It was one of the reasons she had decided to take this trip. One of her co-workers had tried to set her up on a date a few weeks ago and to her surprise, Hermione had actually considered it. She made the mistake of mentioning it to Ginny at the Burrow and Molly had overheard. While she hadn't said in so many words, Molly had made it clear that she didn't approve.

Harry had found out as well, walking into the kitchen when Molly had been questioning Hermione about it. Hermione knew that Harry wanted her to be happy and if she did date someone, he would do his best to accept whoever it was. Still, he hadn't been able to hide the look on his face when he realized what they were talking about. It was a look of raw grief. Hermione knew it was just a reaction to the fact that Hermione seeing someone was one more reminder that Ron was really gone, but she had started planning this trip that night when she got home.

She needed to be away from everyone. Time to figure out if she really was ready to date again or if she even wanted to. Sometimes, she thought it might be a reaction to being alone and seeing everyone else coupling off. Hermione didn't mind being by herself, she never had. In fact, at times, she relished it. But with everything that had happened and the hovering of her friends and surrogate family, she hadn't had a chance to just be in quite some time.

And so, she had planned this trip. Italy was one place where she didn't have memories of her parents. They had never taken a holiday here and while Hermione knew that they were safe and well in Australia, she had found them after the war to make sure, the fact that she had lost them just as surely as if they had died was still extremely difficult for her to deal with. The spell she had used to erase herself from their memories couldn't be reversed in Muggles, something she hadn't known before she'd done it. She didn't regret keeping them safe, but she had never expected that she wasn't going to get them back someday.

The second anniversary of Ron's death was in a little over a month. Hermione knew how the day would likely go; she had seen it on the anniversaries of Fred's death already. While a small part of her had considered staying away and marking the date in her own way, she knew she couldn't do that. Harry would be devastated and she likely wouldn't be welcome at the Burrow any longer. But she needed some time before she had to deal with all of it. She planned to go back home just two days before the anniversary.

Sipping at the lemonade the server had brought her, Hermione pulled a notebook from her bag. She intended to spend about a week in Rome and then travel, visiting other cities around the country. She had no set itinerary, save her first week, which was unusual for her. However, she wanted this to be a trip where she moved on once the fancy took her. She might not even stay in Rome the entire week if she had seen all she wanted. In the notebook was simply a list of possible destinations and some of the places she might like to see if she decided to visit them.

It was a bit difficult for her, to be so outside her comfort zone of planning and organizing everything to the last detail. But this was part of the purpose of the trip. She needed to get away, get out of her routine and figure out just where she wanted to go with her life.

Finished with her lunch, Hermione paid her bill and rose, taking her suitcase in hand. She left the café and found a taxi. Giving the driver the address, she looked out the window as they drove through the streets of Rome to the hotel, hoping that this trip would give her what she needed.


Adrian scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed as he finished reading the letter from his father. He'd been given a date for his return, only three weeks from today. The engagement announcement would take place three days later, the party a week after that.

Adrian didn't know why he thought that he would be able to postpone things further. He had already pushed them as far as he could. He was twenty-four and the marriage contract stated they had to be married by the time he was twenty-five. That was only ten months from now. While he was certain that his mother and Mrs. Greengrass likely had the entire wedding already planned and probably had for a few years now, there had to be an acceptable period of time between the engagement and the wedding. Adrian snorted at the ridiculousness of it all. The marriage contract had been drawn up when Daphne was eight and he was ten. The entire engagement was a bit of a farce for something that was a foregone conclusion.

It wasn't that he didn't like Daphne. They got on just fine and he would be lying if he said she wasn't beautiful. But he felt nothing for her. There was no attraction beyond the superficial, given her looks, and he certainly didn't have feelings for her. When he had raised this with his father, his father had simply looked at him if he were mad. His parents weren't in love with each other. He thought that they had an affection for one another, likely born from years of being together, but love didn't enter into the equation. Not that it mattered. That wasn't the point of Pureblood marriages, after all.

Adrian sighed and leaned back against the sofa. It might be stupid, but he wanted more than his parents had. He could marry Daphne and have a family and be content he supposed. But would he ever be truly happy? He didn't think so. He supposed it was possible that he could one day love her but there was no guarantee.

He had attempted to talk to Daphne about it before he left on his trip. He'd been careful about it, he didn't think that she loved him anymore than he loved her but just in case she did have some kind of feelings for him, he didn't want to hurt her. But if they both felt the same way and neither of them wanted to marry, perhaps Daphne could get her parents to cancel the contract. She had basically confirmed his suspicions about her feelings but was clear on the fact that she would do what her parents wanted her to.

He knew that her sister, Astoria, had caused a bit of an issue when she had gotten involved with Draco of all people. Astoria had had a contract as well, but her intended had died in the war. Her father had been in negotiations with a family from France when it had been discovered that Astoria and Draco were together. Her family wasn't happy about it. The Greengrasses had always been neutral in the wars and the fact that Draco had taken the Mark, not to mention his father, didn't sit well with them. Not that they still didn't spout the same Pureblood agenda behind closed doors but Gerald Greengrass was extremely careful in public. Much like Adrian's own father. But still, the Malfoys were actually Marked, not something the Greengrasses wanted to tie themselves to.

Because of Astoria's choice, which her parents had eventually acquiesced to, the Malfoys were Pure after all, the marriage between Adrian and Daphne was being focused on much more closely. Mr. Greengrass had been pushing for the last two years to announce the engagement. Daphne was the first born and as long as she did what was expected of her, there was a bit more leeway for the second born. Adrian had been able to put his father off until now. There were no more excuses.

Adrian himself couldn't care less about the purity of blood. He'd dated a few girls in school, two of which had been half-bloods. His father hadn't really cared, knowing that none of the relationships would come to anything given the marriage contract. Of course, it was understood that he wouldn't even date a Muggleborn. He could have as many dalliances with them as he liked, sex was fine but Muggleborns were not even appropriate dating material.

The one concession Adrian had gotten from his father was this trip. He had been abroad for the last six months, 'sowing his wild oats'. His father had told him that Adrian could sleep his way through the entirety of Europe if he so wished, as long as he didn't leave any little bastards in his wake. His father had actually encouraged him to stick to Muggles this trip, given they were so much easier to Obliviate and would have no way to find him if an accident should happen. Adrian curled his lip in disgust at his father's callous regard for what would be his own flesh and blood, regardless of the baby's mother.

In reality, Adrian had simply been using the trip as a way to escape his responsibilities for as long as possible. He hadn't shagged his way across Europe as his father had suggested but there had been a few women. Most had just been one night encounters. But one had lasted a few weeks with a girl from the States that was on a Muggle university exchange program. Not only had it been difficult to hide his magic from her, but Adrian began to feel as if he could develop real feelings for her. And so, he had finally broken things off.

It was after that short relationship that Adrian had realized how little he really wanted to marry Daphne. He had known already, but the way things had gone with Amanda had made it even more clear to him.

Defying his father wasn't an option, however. Adrian would immediately be cut off from the family. He could manage without the money; he was sure he could get a job somewhere. Marcus had mentioned a coaching job with the Falcons. But Adrian couldn't lose his sister.

Anna was ten years younger than him. His parents had given up hope of having another child at all when his mother fell pregnant with her. The pregnancy had been difficult and Anna was born early. She'd been delicate and often ill when she was small and then at five, had contracted dragon pox. Adrian would never forget the night Professor Snape had come to his dorm and escorted him to the Floo in the Headmaster's office. They hadn't thought that Anna would survive the night.

Miraculously, she had, although it had taken her quite some time to recover. Adrian had spent quite a few weekends at home that year, being replaced on the Quidditch team because of it. He hadn't cared, was only worried about his sister.

His parents had gotten even more protective of her after that. It seemed even the smallest sniffle terrified them. They had also discovered she had a severe allergy to one of the main ingredients in Pepper Up potion, which made it difficult to treat the typical maladies of childhood. She hadn't even been allowed to attend Hogwarts, their parents hiring private tutors instead.

Adrian couldn't lose her. Despite the age difference, they were still close. And given her delicate health, it was unlikely even when Anna came of age that her parents would allow her to leave the Manor and live on her own. As long as she lived with their parents, Adrian would be unable to see her should he be cut off from the family. That wasn't something he would let happen.

So, he would spend the next month continuing his journey around the continent and then go home and be the dutiful son. He would marry Daphne Greengrass and produce the requisite heir. Perhaps he even might come to care for her over time. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.


Hermione sat at a table in St. Mark's Square sipping espresso. She had just arrived in Venice the afternoon before and was trying to decide what, exactly, she wanted to do today. She had done all the touristy things in Rome before moving on to Venice and thought to spend just a couple of days here. Now, though, she had decided she would extend her stay a bit. There was something about the city that relaxed her.

She had also gotten more, well…settled, since arriving in Venice. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she'd been rather busy in Rome. She had done all the sight-seeing she wanted to do in less time than anticipated, mostly because she'd been on the go most of the day. Since she'd been in Venice though, Hermione had taken the time to slow down, to be alone with her thoughts and just contemplate.

Moving on from Ron still seemed a bit daunting. She had been thinking that maybe she should just have a fling to get over that feeling. She was shocked when the notion first came to her. That did not seem like something Hermione Granger would do. But why not, really? People did it all the time, one-night stands or holiday flings. Why shouldn't she just enjoy herself without worrying about what might happen or what could come with it? It was perfect, really, if she thought about it. Someone she'd never see again, didn't have to worry about any entanglements to, just meaningless sex.

Hermione blushed a bit thinking about it. She wasn't going to deny that she missed that aspect of her life. She could most definitely take care of herself when she needed to, and did, but being with someone else was different. She missed that.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Hermione let her gaze wander the square. She thought about taking a gondola ride, not to get anywhere in particular, but the tourist ones that just took you on a tour around the city. It seemed like such a romantic, couple thing to do though, she wasn't sure she wanted to take one on her own. It was silly, she knew, she had seen families and groups of friends taking the tours as well, but she couldn't shake the pang of sadness of doing it by herself.

Sighing, Hermione took another sip of her coffee. This was what she had wanted, wasn't it? Taking this trip alone to get some space and perspective on her life? She shouldn't let something like this deter her from taking the tour. Mind made up, she finished her espresso and stood from the table. She turned to make her way to one of the stalls to hire a gondolier, tucking her small guidebook into her bag as she did so. Not watching where she was going, she ran straight into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said in Italian, having picked it up rather quickly during the week she had spent in Rome.

"My fault," a man said. He spoke Italian as well but had an accent similar to hers. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at the person in front of her.

"Granger?" he said, sounding equally shocked to see her standing in front of him.

"Pucey," she replied. She had never had a problem with Adrian Pucey, never really interacted with him at all. She only knew who he was because he had played Quidditch for Slytherin and Harry, as well as Fred and George, had always said he was the most decent bloke on the team. He didn't commit the nasty fouls or attempt to cheat as some of the others had. She also knew that he had never been a Death Eater, nor had his parents. She hadn't seen him since he'd finished school.

"Seems an odd place to run into you," he said with a slight smile, switching back to English.

"I could say that same," she replied.

"On holiday?" he asked. She nodded.

"You?"

"Something like that," Pucey said. He looked around and then frowned at her. "You're here alone?" She immediately bristled.

"Why? I can't take a trip on my own?"

"No, no, I just, I'm not used to seeing you without your friends, I suppose." He shrugged and gave her a sheepish grin. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We're not joined at the hip, you know."

He laughed. "Guess I'm still thinking of how you were in school. Always with Potter or Weasley." As soon as he said Ron's name, he grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she said quietly. The stood there in awkward silence for a few moments.

"Well, it was nice to see you," she finally said. "I'll just be off." She smiled one last time and then turned and began to walk away.

She had to admit to herself that he was rather fit. He always had been in school and the six years since he'd been gone hadn't changed that. She wondered what he had been doing since finishing school. He had been good enough to play professional Quidditch, but she had no idea if he had. She didn't follow the sport at all and she'd been just a bit busy helping Harry save the world.

Shaking her head at her thoughts, Hermione continued towards the stall to hire a gondola. She wasn't interested in Adrian Pucey.


Adrian watched Granger walk away and cursed himself for the thoughtless comment about Weasley. He knew the story; it had been in all the papers. Even Anna had showed him an article in Witch Weekly, something about tragic romance or some other such rot. And Adrian had brought his name up flippantly with no thought for how Granger would feel about it. He hadn't done it on purpose but he still felt badly about it.

He turned to leave as well but paused. It had been such a surprise seeing her here, he hadn't conducted himself all that well. Perhaps he could make it up to her. He wasn't sure how long she would be in Venice, but Adrian was very familiar with the city. His parents owned a villa not far away and he'd spent many holidays here growing up. The villa was where he was staying now, in fact. He could offer to show her around.

"Granger," he called before he could think better of it. She stopped and turned to look over her shoulder at him. He jogged towards her.

"I'm sorry for being insensitive before," he said. She opened her mouth to interrupt but he held up a hand to stop her. "Can I take you to lunch?"

"That really isn't necessary," she said. "You didn't do anything."

"Still," he replied. "I know a great place just a short walk from here." She looked at him for a moment, as if trying to figure out just why he was asking her. Truthfully, he wasn't so sure himself. But something had made him ask.

"I was planning on taking a gondola tour," she said. "Maybe another time." He nodded, feeling oddly disappointed.

"How long are you in Venice?" he asked.

"I haven't decided," she said.

"How about dinner then," he pressed. "We could meet back here at say, eight?"

"It was just an innocent comment, Pucey," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It certainly doesn't warrant this large of an apology."

"Look, we're both alone," he said. "I don't know how long you've been on holiday but I'm getting a bit tired of eating by myself. Consider it a favor so I don't go stark raving mad." Her mouth twitched in amusement. Then, she cocked her head and studied him for a moment.

"Is it a wizarding restaurant?" she asked, dropping her voice although there really wasn't anyone close enough to hear them.

"No," he said, brow furrowed in confusion. Adrian wasn't sure why that mattered. She was Muggleborn so surely she would be comfortable in a Muggle establishment. When he saw the look of surprise on her face that she quickly tried to hide, though, he understood. Of course, given his name and his House, he supposed she might be confused as to why he would take her somewhere Muggle. Forcing himself not to react, even though the comment stung, he simply looked at her.

"All right," she finally agreed. "Eight o'clock then." She took a few steps away, then stopped again. "But I'm paying my own way. You don't owe me anything." He nodded and then watched her walk away, looking forward to the evening, despite her reaction.