Disclaimer: I get tired of writing this. It's NOT MINE OK!
A/N: Hermione still has to deal with. . . stuff. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my reviewers - thank you all so much.
***
As soon as Ron left for work, Hermione got dressed at top speed and almost ran over to Claire's house. She couldn't wait to tell her success story. The only thing that kept her from actually sprinting all the way over was the anticipation of Claire's smug 'I told you so expression' that she would probably be wearing when she told her about what happened. She giggled to herself and several of the people on the muggle bus stared. She smiled widely back.
"Hello, anybody home?" Hermione was surprised to find the door open. She heard a few thuds and bumps coming from the bedroom.
Concerned she ran to the bedroom door.
"Harry? Claire?"
"Don't come in!!!" came a frantic voice from inside. It was Harry. She could hear Claire giggling in the background. Hermione stopped.
"Alright. Can I come in now?"
Claire's laughing voice replied, "I don't think so Hermione, Harry's. . . not decent." More giggling. Hermione waited a second longer and Harry pulled the door open, his hair sticking up at odd angles, odder than usual that is, and shirt buttons hastily done up.
"Who are you, Postman Pat? So early in the morning." He grumbled.
"You're late Mr. Potter. Ron already left for work."
Harry glared at Claire. "Miss Ballantyne over here has kept me occupied the whole morning and wouldn't let me go."
"Stop complaining Potter, you enjoyed it more than I did."
Harry didn't reply but made his way into the bathroom mumbling something about work and desperate women.
Claire sat up on the bed and smiled. "Well, what news have you got for me?"
"Ok. You can put on that 'I told you so' face now." Hermione sat next to her on the bed.
"Really? Oh that's great. My plan worked, I am a genius." She sang in a sing song voice.
"Well, it's easy now. All I have to do is wait for Ron to ask me on a date." She said smiling.
"Your philosophy puzzles me." Claire said, running her hands through her hair tying in up in to a ponytail.
"Why?"
"Just does. Anyway, so where are you and Ron going to go from here?"
"Did you and Ron have another fight?" Harry walked back in decently attired in his work robes.
Hermione frowned up at him. "We don't have fights all the time."
"Excuse me? I had to live with the fighting for 13 goddamn years."
"Harry? Go to work." Claire told him firmly.
"You have to go to work as well." Harry told her.
Claire groaned.
***************************
Hermione found herself lonely in the apartment and found herself counting the minutes to Ron's arrival. She knew that being an Auror was a demanding job but she paced the living room floor relentlessly. She thought back to what Claire said; where were they going to go from there anyway? The 'ding' of the doorbell was music to her ears and she raced and wrenched the door open.
"About ti - "
Hermione dropped her open arms and stared back at the face of her ex. John.
"John?"
"Hi." John stood there, impeccable as ever, standing in the corridor. Hermione felt like hexing him but unfortunately was wandless.
"What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"
"You secretary Annie told me about it."
Hermione made a mental note to punish Annie with more paper work.
"So how are you? Aren't you going to ask me to come in?"
"No. Get lost John. You already took enough from me." Hermione said through clenched teeth, her anger was coming back to her in full force as she stared at the handsome man through her narrowed eyelids.
"Come on, my - own - ni" John leaned down to kiss her but she furiously pushed him away. Lugging around 30 books for 7 years gave her that power.
"Get off me! I am not your - own anymore. I never was. You slimy bastard."
"Now, now. There is no need for insults here. I tried to deal with you nicely but cannot." John's behaviour turned professional. "I have come to ask for my money."
Hermione was shocked. "Excuse me?" she let out. "I owe YOU money? Hah!"
"This is no laughing matter Hermione. You stole it and ran away form China."
Hermione could not believe she was hearing this.
"I can't believe this."
"You better, because I have the papers from Gringotts, disclosing the withdrawal form my vault the day before you left China."
Hermione raise her hand to slap John but he caught it in his tight vice.
"Let go."
"You want this problem to be solved? Give me back the money."
"I didn't take it you faggot. You took MINE. You thief you bastard you,"
John released her wrists and pushed her inside and walked in himself, slamming the door behind him.
"Mind your language Miss Granger. Obviously that friend of yours, Weasley, has taught you no manners."
"You leave him out of this."
"Oh, so you're attached to him now are you?"
"What if I am?" she asked defiantly.
"This is a nice apartment. . .what are you really doing here Granger?"
"You are the filthiest slime I've ever met. I can't believe,"
"I suggest you hold your tongue Hermione, because I'll have the authorities after you. If you want to resolve this quietly, I suggest you give me back,"
"Shut up! I have been nice enough to let you go after you stole everything form me and have the gall to return and ask for more?"
"It was mine."
"I only took it because you took mine. I took a sum which was less than a hundredth, no, a thousandth of what you took from me. So that I could buy a pass to come back to England. You even took my shoes!"
"You don't have any evidence to show that I took your money, or your shoes for that matter. . .but you had wonderful taste in shoes my darling."
"I am NOT your darling."
John came closer to her smiling a cold smile. "You are, you are. . . I know you still love me. You told me I was the kind of man you've always DREAMED about. Deep down inside, you want me."
John stood less than a foot from her now, and tilted her chin upward.
"Come away with me."
"NO!" she spat and turned and walked ten paces away from him, breathing deeply in preparation for a screaming match.
"Have it your way then wench. I had to endure all your whining about that stupid Weasley of yours, you even moaned in your sleep about him, I lived through all that. And I get NOTHING from you."
"You took everything. And now, you are not going to ruin what a have. So I suggest you leave before I hurt you."
John snorted. "You can't do anything."
"Oh I can."
John grabbed both her wrists. "You don't even have your wand. What can you do to me now?" Hermione lashed out and kicked John wherever without much aim but laughed out loud when he groaned and released her. She kicked him again, with more direction until he sank to the floor. "This is what I can do. Oh I've waited so long to do this!" she said repeatedly kicking him in the stomach as he writhed on the floor.
"You're just a big stupid - AAAAAAAAAAH!"
John grabbed her ankles in mid kick and she crashed face down on the carpet. John dragged her to him burning her skin as she slid on the carpet.
"Let go of me!"
John smiled maliciously and climbed on top of her pinning her down with his weight.
"Not so strong now are you my love?"
Hermione tried to knee him but he was too heavy. She was trapped. She could smell liquor in John's breath.
"You've been drinking." She said almost fearfully. Almost. "Get off me!" she screamed thrashing about she bucked and she strained and moved about but John wouldn't release her.
"Wouldn't it be nice," John stated with malice in his voice, "if your precious Weasel came in on us right now, with you bucking about like that?"
"You disgusting,"
"I think it would be nice. If you offered me the money now."
"Not happening."
"You're wearing a skirt. How convenient."
"Alright, alright. Fine, I'll give you the money. Get off me."
"I don't think so."
"Get off!!! You are so ANNOYING!" she screamed with much frustration and anger.
"You were annoying too; all the time you wanted your stupid idiotic Weasel and not me."
Then all of a sudden, John was off Hermione and he was left groaning on the floor a few paced away from her. Ron had given him a good kick. Hermione scrambled back up and found Ron with an angry yet slightly amused look on his face.
"You must be John." He said pleasantly, taking his wand out he waved it once and John came floating to him, magically hoisted.
"You must be Weasel. You broke my rib. You're going to have to pay for that."
"Tsk tsk tsk. . ." Ron grabbed a piece of parchment off John's robes and read it.
"Oh! It's a paper from Gringotts." He said brightly Hermione tried to grab it off him but Ron raised it above his head.
"Now John. I'm going to destroy this piece of paper; then it will be purely a battle of words."
"Give it back!" John thrashed about but Ron's held him up firmly with his wand.
"And by the way, that was no way to treat a lady. I'll be sure to include that in my report. . . and since I am an auror, I can arrest you now."
"NO."
"Yes." He said with a smile that used to drive Hermione absolutely crazy. Right now Ron's 'I am right, I am the best' grin wasn't having the same effect on her as she smiled with satisfaction.
"I have more credibility that you do." John spat.
"I don't think so. . . I am an auror, a best friend of Harry Potter's who was influential in the down fall of Volemort. I appear in text books. My name went down in history. How about you?" he asked cheerfully.
"I,"
"No let me say it for you." Ron cut in. "I am an idiotic prick who stole from Hermione Granger. I am a sad moron who tried to assault her and I am definitely going to jail maybe even Azkaban! I think that sums it up pretty nicely."
"Let me go and I might let you live."
Hermione and Ron looked at each other and burst in to merry laughter.
"Oh I am so scared, big John might KILL me. . . oh no! I think I'm wetting my pants now. . ."
"You let me go this instant." John furiously spat, spittle flying from his lips.
Hermione watched sadly as Ron arrested John and apparated to the ministry with him. Her past was solved now. What about her future?
***
A/N: Next chapter - Ron and Hermione have a fight that was begging to be fought since . . . er, the beginning of time.
A/N: Hermione still has to deal with. . . stuff. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my reviewers - thank you all so much.
***
As soon as Ron left for work, Hermione got dressed at top speed and almost ran over to Claire's house. She couldn't wait to tell her success story. The only thing that kept her from actually sprinting all the way over was the anticipation of Claire's smug 'I told you so expression' that she would probably be wearing when she told her about what happened. She giggled to herself and several of the people on the muggle bus stared. She smiled widely back.
"Hello, anybody home?" Hermione was surprised to find the door open. She heard a few thuds and bumps coming from the bedroom.
Concerned she ran to the bedroom door.
"Harry? Claire?"
"Don't come in!!!" came a frantic voice from inside. It was Harry. She could hear Claire giggling in the background. Hermione stopped.
"Alright. Can I come in now?"
Claire's laughing voice replied, "I don't think so Hermione, Harry's. . . not decent." More giggling. Hermione waited a second longer and Harry pulled the door open, his hair sticking up at odd angles, odder than usual that is, and shirt buttons hastily done up.
"Who are you, Postman Pat? So early in the morning." He grumbled.
"You're late Mr. Potter. Ron already left for work."
Harry glared at Claire. "Miss Ballantyne over here has kept me occupied the whole morning and wouldn't let me go."
"Stop complaining Potter, you enjoyed it more than I did."
Harry didn't reply but made his way into the bathroom mumbling something about work and desperate women.
Claire sat up on the bed and smiled. "Well, what news have you got for me?"
"Ok. You can put on that 'I told you so' face now." Hermione sat next to her on the bed.
"Really? Oh that's great. My plan worked, I am a genius." She sang in a sing song voice.
"Well, it's easy now. All I have to do is wait for Ron to ask me on a date." She said smiling.
"Your philosophy puzzles me." Claire said, running her hands through her hair tying in up in to a ponytail.
"Why?"
"Just does. Anyway, so where are you and Ron going to go from here?"
"Did you and Ron have another fight?" Harry walked back in decently attired in his work robes.
Hermione frowned up at him. "We don't have fights all the time."
"Excuse me? I had to live with the fighting for 13 goddamn years."
"Harry? Go to work." Claire told him firmly.
"You have to go to work as well." Harry told her.
Claire groaned.
***************************
Hermione found herself lonely in the apartment and found herself counting the minutes to Ron's arrival. She knew that being an Auror was a demanding job but she paced the living room floor relentlessly. She thought back to what Claire said; where were they going to go from there anyway? The 'ding' of the doorbell was music to her ears and she raced and wrenched the door open.
"About ti - "
Hermione dropped her open arms and stared back at the face of her ex. John.
"John?"
"Hi." John stood there, impeccable as ever, standing in the corridor. Hermione felt like hexing him but unfortunately was wandless.
"What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"
"You secretary Annie told me about it."
Hermione made a mental note to punish Annie with more paper work.
"So how are you? Aren't you going to ask me to come in?"
"No. Get lost John. You already took enough from me." Hermione said through clenched teeth, her anger was coming back to her in full force as she stared at the handsome man through her narrowed eyelids.
"Come on, my - own - ni" John leaned down to kiss her but she furiously pushed him away. Lugging around 30 books for 7 years gave her that power.
"Get off me! I am not your - own anymore. I never was. You slimy bastard."
"Now, now. There is no need for insults here. I tried to deal with you nicely but cannot." John's behaviour turned professional. "I have come to ask for my money."
Hermione was shocked. "Excuse me?" she let out. "I owe YOU money? Hah!"
"This is no laughing matter Hermione. You stole it and ran away form China."
Hermione could not believe she was hearing this.
"I can't believe this."
"You better, because I have the papers from Gringotts, disclosing the withdrawal form my vault the day before you left China."
Hermione raise her hand to slap John but he caught it in his tight vice.
"Let go."
"You want this problem to be solved? Give me back the money."
"I didn't take it you faggot. You took MINE. You thief you bastard you,"
John released her wrists and pushed her inside and walked in himself, slamming the door behind him.
"Mind your language Miss Granger. Obviously that friend of yours, Weasley, has taught you no manners."
"You leave him out of this."
"Oh, so you're attached to him now are you?"
"What if I am?" she asked defiantly.
"This is a nice apartment. . .what are you really doing here Granger?"
"You are the filthiest slime I've ever met. I can't believe,"
"I suggest you hold your tongue Hermione, because I'll have the authorities after you. If you want to resolve this quietly, I suggest you give me back,"
"Shut up! I have been nice enough to let you go after you stole everything form me and have the gall to return and ask for more?"
"It was mine."
"I only took it because you took mine. I took a sum which was less than a hundredth, no, a thousandth of what you took from me. So that I could buy a pass to come back to England. You even took my shoes!"
"You don't have any evidence to show that I took your money, or your shoes for that matter. . .but you had wonderful taste in shoes my darling."
"I am NOT your darling."
John came closer to her smiling a cold smile. "You are, you are. . . I know you still love me. You told me I was the kind of man you've always DREAMED about. Deep down inside, you want me."
John stood less than a foot from her now, and tilted her chin upward.
"Come away with me."
"NO!" she spat and turned and walked ten paces away from him, breathing deeply in preparation for a screaming match.
"Have it your way then wench. I had to endure all your whining about that stupid Weasley of yours, you even moaned in your sleep about him, I lived through all that. And I get NOTHING from you."
"You took everything. And now, you are not going to ruin what a have. So I suggest you leave before I hurt you."
John snorted. "You can't do anything."
"Oh I can."
John grabbed both her wrists. "You don't even have your wand. What can you do to me now?" Hermione lashed out and kicked John wherever without much aim but laughed out loud when he groaned and released her. She kicked him again, with more direction until he sank to the floor. "This is what I can do. Oh I've waited so long to do this!" she said repeatedly kicking him in the stomach as he writhed on the floor.
"You're just a big stupid - AAAAAAAAAAH!"
John grabbed her ankles in mid kick and she crashed face down on the carpet. John dragged her to him burning her skin as she slid on the carpet.
"Let go of me!"
John smiled maliciously and climbed on top of her pinning her down with his weight.
"Not so strong now are you my love?"
Hermione tried to knee him but he was too heavy. She was trapped. She could smell liquor in John's breath.
"You've been drinking." She said almost fearfully. Almost. "Get off me!" she screamed thrashing about she bucked and she strained and moved about but John wouldn't release her.
"Wouldn't it be nice," John stated with malice in his voice, "if your precious Weasel came in on us right now, with you bucking about like that?"
"You disgusting,"
"I think it would be nice. If you offered me the money now."
"Not happening."
"You're wearing a skirt. How convenient."
"Alright, alright. Fine, I'll give you the money. Get off me."
"I don't think so."
"Get off!!! You are so ANNOYING!" she screamed with much frustration and anger.
"You were annoying too; all the time you wanted your stupid idiotic Weasel and not me."
Then all of a sudden, John was off Hermione and he was left groaning on the floor a few paced away from her. Ron had given him a good kick. Hermione scrambled back up and found Ron with an angry yet slightly amused look on his face.
"You must be John." He said pleasantly, taking his wand out he waved it once and John came floating to him, magically hoisted.
"You must be Weasel. You broke my rib. You're going to have to pay for that."
"Tsk tsk tsk. . ." Ron grabbed a piece of parchment off John's robes and read it.
"Oh! It's a paper from Gringotts." He said brightly Hermione tried to grab it off him but Ron raised it above his head.
"Now John. I'm going to destroy this piece of paper; then it will be purely a battle of words."
"Give it back!" John thrashed about but Ron's held him up firmly with his wand.
"And by the way, that was no way to treat a lady. I'll be sure to include that in my report. . . and since I am an auror, I can arrest you now."
"NO."
"Yes." He said with a smile that used to drive Hermione absolutely crazy. Right now Ron's 'I am right, I am the best' grin wasn't having the same effect on her as she smiled with satisfaction.
"I have more credibility that you do." John spat.
"I don't think so. . . I am an auror, a best friend of Harry Potter's who was influential in the down fall of Volemort. I appear in text books. My name went down in history. How about you?" he asked cheerfully.
"I,"
"No let me say it for you." Ron cut in. "I am an idiotic prick who stole from Hermione Granger. I am a sad moron who tried to assault her and I am definitely going to jail maybe even Azkaban! I think that sums it up pretty nicely."
"Let me go and I might let you live."
Hermione and Ron looked at each other and burst in to merry laughter.
"Oh I am so scared, big John might KILL me. . . oh no! I think I'm wetting my pants now. . ."
"You let me go this instant." John furiously spat, spittle flying from his lips.
Hermione watched sadly as Ron arrested John and apparated to the ministry with him. Her past was solved now. What about her future?
***
A/N: Next chapter - Ron and Hermione have a fight that was begging to be fought since . . . er, the beginning of time.