***DISCLAIMER*** I don't own any aspect of Harry Potter that you may recognize and I am not trying to make a profit, I'm just having some fun doing what I love to do! Hermione's song is "He's Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon, a pretty old song but whatever. Ron's song is "Your Mistake" by Sister Hazel. Whenever I have text started by a * and ended by a * that's the beginning of a section of the song and the ending of the song section.

Those who reviewed: thanks for the encouragement! This is for you! I'm glad you like my story. It means a lot to me!

A/N Hermione, Ron, and Harry are all 22. I'm going by the birthdates JK has mentioned in online chats for Hermione (Sept 19) and Ron (March 1), but I took the liberty of making them both older than Harry for my purposes. If you make the cutoff date for the entrance to Muggle elementary school September 1, it makes perfect sense that Hermione is that old (would have turned twelve in first year). This also means that she has a birthday coming up soon in the story. *mischievous smile* Enjoy!

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Chapter 4 ~ Remembering

By Americanangel

Summary in first chapter.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Hermione woke the next morning bright and early to her alarm clock. Sighing, she slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before going back into her room to iron her clothes. Remembering her important meeting, she picked a medium length black skirt and soft grey ribbed tank top. Mr. Cummings normally let his employees dress down, but this meeting was important; it could seal the fate of her career, and she did not want to mess anything up. She would be presenting her report to Mr. Cummings and his board, in hopes of a promotion. She knew she was lucky to make it this high up in the ranks of the ministry in such a short time, but this promotion would almost double her salary. Hermione needed that money; she needed to be able to pay for her apartment. Melanie, her roommate, had moved out five months earlier.

~Hermione's memories/thoughts in her POV~

I walked in from work on a late Friday afternoon. I had a date with Ian that night. Ian was so perfect, exactly what I wanted in a guy. He was smart and studious, like me. I could have an intelligent conversation with him and he'd know exactly what I was talking about. He said everything that needed to be said exactly when it needed to be said. He was strong and could protect me, and we rarely fought. I thought I was in love, but I wasn't. It was just an obsession. There wasn't any love there. Not after he met Melanie. I remember that late Friday afternoon. Ian was supposed to pick me up at 8:00 that night. I got home at 4:00, much earlier than I normally do at 6:30. Melanie and Ian, of course, knew what time I'd normally get home. Melanie was a beautiful girl with long, straight blonde hair and deep hazel eyes. Every guy who met her on the street wanted her and every girl envied her. She was an American witch who had gone to a school in San Diego, a typical California girl. I remember that Ian had become good friends with her after we started dating.

*Somewhere there's speaking

It's already coming in

Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind

You never could get it

Unless you were fed it

Now you're here and you don't know why

But under skinned knees and the skid marks

Past the places where you used to learn

You howl and listen

Listen and wait for the

Echoes of angels who won't return*

That Friday afternoon. I remember it was pouring down rain. Ian had come to the house early. I saw his car (A/N yes, even though Ian is a wizard he likes to drive) in the driveway when I Apparated from work to my home. This made me happy, as it had not been a good day and Ian could always make me feel better. He had been so sweet lately; buying me roses all the time, telling me how much he loved me, and talking about what our future life could be like.

*He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why*

I walked into my living room/kitchen. No sign of Melanie or Ian. I found them making out in her room. I was furious, to say the least. I knew they weren't expecting me back until much later. Ian had probably planned to leave before I got there and they would have been fine. At that point, I wondered how many other things they had done together. I later found out they had been dating in secret for a month. My roommate and my boyfriend. Melanie moved out a week later and I haven't talked to her since.

*You're waiting for someone

To put you together

You're waiting for someone to push you away

There's always another wound to discover

There's always something more you wish he'd say

He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why

But you'll just sit tight

And watch it unwind

It's only what you're asking for

And you'll be just fine

With all of your time

It's only what you're waiting for

Out of the island

Into the highway

Past the places where you might have turned

You never did notice

But you still hide away

The anger of angels who won't return*

I realize now that I never loved Ian, and he never loved me. If he had loved me he wouldn't have cheated on me with Melanie. That's all there is to it. But I did give a piece of my heart to him, a piece I can never get back, and I regret it now. Ian did so many things for me, but there was no heart behind them; they were empty actions. I've realized that about each boy I have dated. They all did things, but there was no heart or love behind the actions.

*He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why*

~end of Hermione's thoughts/memories~

Hermione sighed, it was painful to think about. This was why she had to test Ron. She had to prove his love was genuine. No other man had ever truly loved her for who she was; they all wanted something else. She didn't want to ever be naïve in a relationship again because all it led to was heartbreak. After eating a bit of breakfast, Hermione gathered what she needed for her presentation and Apparated to her office.

* * *

Ron awoke early to get ready for his day mission. He took a quick shower and then dried his red shock of hair, after which he brushed his teeth and combed his hair into the right position. Harry had already used the bathroom and Apparated to Hogsmeade; he held the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts and went in early to coach the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He had taken the job after an injury from one of his Reserve Auror missions had forced him off of the Chudley Cannons. Dumbledore had accepted his application as soon as it arrived. As Ron got ready, he thought about Hermione. He really wanted to prove himself to her, but wasn't quite sure how.

*I'm not right

I'm not fine

I wanna be rain that tastes like wine

I wanna be good, I wanna be great

I wanna be everything except for your mistake

Send me inside your mind

I wanna know what your thinking

This time I'll try to be the one you always thought you knew

It's true

I'm blue

And without you

I'm not right

I'm not fine

I wanna be rain that tastes like wine

I wanna be good, I wanna be great

I wanna be everything except for your mistake*

Ron wanted to do everything he could to show Hermione how much he loved her, but he didn't know what she wanted him to do. He wished he could read her thoughts and know exactly what to do to prove how much he loved her.

*Let me into your view

I wanna know how you see this thing that's us

I must keep managing my madness over you

It's true

I'm blue

And without you

I'm not right

I'm not fine

I wanna be rain that tastes like wine

I wanna be good, I wanna be great

I wanna be everything except for your mistake*

He wished he could understand her struggles more clearly, and what she had gone through in the past four years. He wished he could have been with her, rather than off capturing Death Eaters all around Europe and even at times on other continents.

*And I don't want your sympathy just understanding

We'd be better off if I just took some time to try to understand you*

Sighing, Ron went downstairs to breakfast still lost in his thoughts. He knew he had all day to figure out something to do for Hermione, but he was drawing a blank.

*I'm not right

I'm not fine

I wanna be rain that tastes like wine

I wanna be good, I wanna be great

I wanna be everything except for your mistake

I'm not right

I'm not fine

I wanna be rain that tastes like wine

I wanna be seen, I wanna get clean

I wanna just fall out of in-between

I'm not right

I'm not right

I don't want to be your mistake*

Ron smiled. He loved her. He would show her. That was all that mattered.

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Had to explain the background a bit for you. Hope it cleared things up!

I'll update soon, hopefully.

~Americanangel