Title: Letter to Hermione

Author: Audrey (booksmartbrilliance@yahoo.com)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Summary: Ron's forced to come to terms with his feelings at the news of Hermione's engagement. Can he talk her out of marrying someone else? Can he talk her into marrying him instead?

A/N: This dedicated to all the loffly reviewers! Thank you so much for your encouragement! Once again I'm writing this in the early morning hours, so I blame anything nonsensical to half falling asleep at the keyboard.

Once again constructive criticism is deeply appreciated!

* * * *

"Hermione, dear, what about this one?" Mrs. Nordman said holding up a hideous pile of white lace and bows.

Hermione managed a weak smile. "That's lovely, but I think I'm aiming for something…" She frantically searched her mind for the right word. Less god awful, something with taste, something that won't get me mistaken for a huge marshmallow. "Something simple."

Mrs. Nordman pursed her lips and put the dress back primly. "I see," she said coldly.

Not again! Hermione cried inwardly. Her future mother-in-law managed to get offended at everything she did. Nothing she did was ever good enough.

"I just thought that you may want a little elegance on your wedding day," the older woman said with a touch of disdain. "Simple is fine, but no need to cut corners. After all, it isn't your parents that are paying for the wedding. You can afford a little class."

Hermione felt her cheeks go pink. Her parents had offered of course, but Andrew wouldn't hear of it. His family were practically millionaires in the wizarding world and money had never been an issue for him. Obviously, though, her lack of money was an issue for his mother.

"Give her a break, mum," a male voice said from behind before Hermione could respond. "She could wear bunny suit for all I care and I'd still marry her."

The two women turned slightly to see Andrew Nordman smiling at them. "I don't doubt it," Mrs. Nordman said rather darkly before making her way towards another rack of dresses.

"Bunny suit?" Hermione asked as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I find bunny ears quite attractive."

She snorted causing Mrs. Nordman to glance disapprovingly in her direction, "I don't think your mother would approve."

"She's not the one you're marrying. Remember that," he said softly hugging her gently. Then he flashed her that smile that made her feel weak in the knees every time she saw it. "Besides, we could always save the bunny suit for the honeymoon."

"Andrew!" she said swatting at him and earning another glare.

"How do you feel about a French maid uniform?"

Hermione laughed and kissed him to shut him up before he got her in anymore trouble with the old bat.

* * * * *

It was funny how love found you at the most inappropriate times. Just when she had decided that she didn't have time to chase after it any longer, just when she had decided she could live without it, it had come knocking on her door in the form of Andrew. Only a year ago, Hermione had resigned herself to dying an old spinster with her cat Crookshanks as her only companion. After a handful of relationships with disappointing results she had decided that love was far to fickle and unreliable for her tastes. She hated getting to know someone only to come to a certain point where she would feel that familiar feeling in her stomach that told her it couldn't go any further. It always seemed that the guys she saw was looking for something else.

Was it asking too much for someone to grow old with? For a close friend to come home to at night? For a familiar form to wrap your arms around? She wasn't foolish enough to think that there would be an overpowering emotion involved. Overpowering emotions were dangerous. They caused you to stop thinking clearly and they always burned themselves out. No, what she was looking for was something longer lasting, something eternal. And now she had finally found him, or he had found her rather.

* * * * *

"I think your mother hates me," Hermione said. They were standing outside the door to her flat, their hands intertwined.

"She doesn't hate you."

Hermione frowned at him. Andrew sighed.

"She won't hate you once she actually gets to know you," Andrew corrected. "Don't mind her, she's a tad overprotective."

"A tad?" Hermione said unbelievingly.

Andrew smiled, "Okay, then. Very overprotective. Can you blame her though? I am her only child."

"A shame it is too," Hermione said returning his smile. "Ginny keeps asking me if you have a brother."

"She does, does she?"

"Yes, I don't know if I should be worried. She talks about you more than I do."

"Hmm…perhaps I should send her some flowers…"

"Shut up, you," Hermoine said pulling him in for a kiss.

"Ah, the jealous type," he said with a mischievous smile when they pulled apart. "Perhaps I should threaten you with unfaithfulness more often."

"Not if you know what's good for you," she said pulling away from him and turning to unlock her door. She swung the door open and stepped inside. "Are you coming in?"

"I'd love to, but I have a prior engagement with Ginny. We're due to shag in twenty minutes and I can't afford to be late."

She rolled her eyes at him.

He grinned, "I'd love to, but I have a meeting first thing in the morning. I'd better go home."

She leaned through the doorway to kiss him goodnight. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said with a smile, then there was a loud pop and he apparated from sight.

* * * * *

Hermione smiled to herself as she threw her coat over the sofa and sat in her favorite reading chair. She found a note on an end table that her roommate had left behind for her, telling her she had received quite a bit of mail. Hermione picked up the stack of letters and looked them nonchalantly. Most of them were bills, one or two were congratulations and some were junk mail. She finally reached the last letter and her eyes widened when she saw the messy scrawl. She couldn't believe he had responded so quickly.

She began to read the letter.

Dear Hermione,

There is something that I need to tell you. I don't know how you will respond to this letter, but I have to tell you the truth. This letter is so hard to write, I hardly know where to start…

She read the letter twice before she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her mind was spinning as she tried to grasp the information that had been revealed to her. Ron was still in love with her?

Ron was still in love with her and he wanted her to marry him?

How dare he.

She felt her cheeks grown warm as she looked down at the letter.

How dare he tell her not to get married to a man who so obviously adored her. How dare he act like he know anything about her life. He hadn't even been a main part of it for over five years ago. How dare he tell her he loved her now. Now at the worst possible time.

What was he trying to do?

She exhaled through her nose, folded up the letter and grabbed her coat. There was only one way of finding out.

* * * * *

Hermoine knocked on the hotel room door more forcefully after getting no response to her initial knock. She heard someone mumble, "I'm coming,." from the other side and then the door was swung open.

"Look, I don't need anymore towels--" he snapped before stopping abruptly and staring at her.

A minute ago in her own flat, surrounded by her things and enveloped in a rage she had known exactly what she would say to him face to face. Mentally she had mapped out every possible scenario. There was only one thing she hadn't been counting on. She had never in her wildest dreams (okay…well maybe her wildest) thought that he would have come to the door wearing only a bath towel.

"Hermione," he said at last, self-consciously, "What are you doing here?"

She stood speechless a moment, unable to speak at the sight of all that skin. It was distracting. She quickly collected herself, though and took a deep breath.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked pointing a finger at his bare chest accusingly.

He gave her a confused look, "What do you mean what am I trying to do?"

"I mean what made you write that letter, are you trying to ruin everything?"

"What letter?" he asked, the tips of his hears going red.

"This letter!" she cried, pulling the letter out of her pocket.

All color drained from his face in an instant. He looked at her his eyes wide. "I didn't send that letter!"

"You didn't?" she said, a little more harshly than she meant to. "Because it's your handwriting."

He sighed and shook his head. "I mean I wrote it, but I didn't mean for it to be sent.

She blinked, "What?"

He shook his head sadly. "Look, I'm sorry if I've upset you. I didn't mean for that letter to be sent to you. Seamus must have mailed it for me by mistake."

"But you did write it," she said studying him closely.

"Yes I did."

"Did you mean it?"

He looked her directly in the eye, "Every word."

Hermione made a frustrated noise. "Give me one reason. Just one reason why I would choose you over Andrew. You don't even know me anymore! I'm not the same girl I was at Hogwarts. What makes you think for one second that I would even consider breaking up my engagement because you suddenly have the fancy to marry me, Ron Weasley?"

Ron stepped out into the hall so that he was only inches away from her, his face red with anger. "Don't yell at me. You haven't changed at all. You're not even listening to me. I said I was sorry. I know I don't have a chance in hell. Don't you think I know that? I don't have anything to offer you, I never did. I didn't know what to do. You just write me out of the blue to tell me you're getting married? How am I supposed to react?"

"The way best friends are supposed to react! You're supposed to be happy for me, not trying to talk me out of it! Andrew is a good man, he wants to take care of me. He loves me."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," she said quickly. Of course she loved him. She was marrying the guy.

"Then I'm happy for you. Go off and get married, have a thousand babies, what do I care?"

"Obviously you do care or you wouldn't have written this letter."

"What does it matter!" Ron cried almost dropping his towel. "It was a stupid mistake. I never meant for you to see that."

"Well just stop it," she snapped. She realized she sounded childish, but he had no idea what this could to do her if she let herself accept it.

"Stop what?"

"Stop loving me."

Ron snorted. "Yes, why don't I just turn off the "I'm still madly in love with my best friend" switch?"

"You've got to do something!" Hermione cried. "I can't have you going around being in love with me at my wedding."

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Why not? What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? What's the big deal!" Hermione said, hysterically. "Ron, I'm getting MARRIED."

Ron opened his mouth to say something when she stopped abruptly. "What am I doing here? I never should have come. You just don't understand, do you?"

"No, I don't." Ron said fighting back his frustration. "I don't understand why you're so angry with me."

"Because now it's too late to do anything!" Hermione said in frustration. "If you had told me sooner, maybe…"

"Wait? Sooner? You mean you still had feelings for me too?"

Hermione frowned at him. "No! Yes! Oh what does it matter? It's too late now. I was stupid for coming here. I'm leaving."

"Hermione wait!" Ron cried, but she had already apparated. With a sigh Ron turned back to his door only to find it had closed behind him, locking him out. In only a towel.

"Bloody Hell," he muttered as he tightened his towel around his waist and turned towards the elevators. Could this night get any worse?