Disclaimer: You think I own this? Megafreak will not be able to write any more, since she just died laughing.

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Angel of Slytherin – Thanks for the review. I felt really mean letting those things happen, but... the story must go on, lol

Chapter 10 – Over A Cup of Coffee

It took Hermione two hours to get ready before she left for meeting Ron. She wanted to look good; but not like she'd dressed up. After all, it was not like a date. Just a cup of coffee one friend to another. Finally, she chose to dress in a simple beige skirt and a red tight t-shirt. Her dark hair was down with beautiful curls, and she had just some mascara on.

She apparated to the cafe where they had decided to meet, and got there just in time. Ron was late and she started to be worried that he might not show up or something, but then he came, just five minutes late.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said and sat down opposite her. "Did I keep you waiting?"

"Nah, I just arrived."

"You look great," slipped out of him and when he realized what he just had said, he blushed violently. "I just mean... you look like you're feeling better," he added lamely.

Fortunately, a waitress approached their table and interrupted the embarrassing moment.

"Cappuccino, thanks," Hermione said and the waitress noted it in her little note book.

"Just coffee, please," Ron said, the waitress noted his order as well and dissappeared.

"I thought you didn't like coffee," Hermione said with a smile.

"I learned. In France."

"You've been in France?"

"Yeah, I... when... it... happened, whatever you know what I'm talking about, anyway, I went to France for a week."

"And what did you do then?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I went to Rumania, visited Charlie for a couple of months," Ron told her, "he taught me a little about the dragons and stuff."

The waitress returned with two cups of different coffee and placed them on the table. Ron took his and sipped a little before continuing.

"It was pretty cool, but yet I decided to go to Egypt instead, visiting Bill. But that was boring, so I left after about a month. Fred and George planned to start another joke shop, in the US this time."

"They have expanded a lot," Hermione said. "There are five shops in England now, I heard."

"Yeah. So I was in the US for pretty long, helping them getting the shop going, you know..."

"But then you came back."

"Yeah. I guess I didn't feel at home everywhere, I was restless and... I missed England and certain things over here. So I returned. And the rest, you probably know of."

Hermione blushed slightly and all sudden did she seem very interested in her cappuccino.

"Enough about me, what have you been doing?" Ron asked.

"I?" Hermione said. "Well, I... I worked a little on different places. At the ministry, but that was not really my thing. I had put the auror dream behind me, and... I never did find a job I really enjoyed, until I heard that Hogwarts needed a new Muggle Studies professor."

"You never took Muggle Studies for more than a year."

"Yeah, but I am muggleborn, remember? They didn't consider it being necessary. And the rest is history."

"Kind of, at least."

They sipped the coffee in silence.

"So what are you doing now, then?" Ron asked suddenly.

Hermione thought for a while before answering.

"Nothing," she said then.

"Nothing?" he repeated dumbly.

"I'm not working, and I'm not seeing anyone... I'm just sitting in my apartment, thinking, mostly."

"Yeah, you've been having a hard time."

"But I'd need a job," she said. "I need the money. I can't afford the rent for my apartment so they might throw me out soon."

"Throw you out?!"

"But I'll manage. I'm sure there's somewhere I can stay."

"Like at my place," Ron said so quietly that Hermione thought she might have imagined it.

"Pardon?"

"I didn't say anything," Ron said.

"Oh," Hermione said, feeling slightly disappointed.

An embarrassing silence lay between them.

"I wanted to apologize," Ron said suddenly. "For... for just leaving."

"That's the past," Hermione said monotonously.

"Maybe," Ron said. "But I still want to... yeah, just say that I'm really so, so sorry. You have all right in the world to be mad with me."

"I was," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But that passed, I guess. No one's perfect."

"Not even you?" Ron teased.

Hermione stuck her tongue out. Ron's wide grin went into a laugh, and Hermione giggled with him.

"But seriously," Hermione said after a while. "It's quite understandable that you needed some time alone, I mean, your best friend had just died."

"But still," he persisted. "We should have... gone through that together," he added quickly.

"That should have been easier," Hermione agreed. "But... yeah, that's the past. I'm looking forward."

"So, what do you see?"

Hermione thought. What did she see, if she looked forward? A job, popped up in her head.

"A job," she said simply. "A life. Seeing someone comes rather low on my priorities.

"I can understand that," he said.

"What are you going to do, then?" she asked, curious on his thoughts.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "Honestly, I don't. I guess I'll meet someone, eventually, and get married and such. But that seems really far away."

"Oh yes it does."

They had drunken their coffee a long time ago, and now the waitress was glaring at them. Obviously she didn't want them to sit there if they weren't eating, so they paid for the coffee and left.

"So...," Ron said and his voice faded away before he restarted. "Will I be seeing you around, maybe?"

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I guess. I had a good time."

"Me too. And if...," he started but never finished the sentence.

"What?"

"I was thinking... that if it's a crisis and you've got absolutely no where to stay, just owl me, okay?"

She smiled. "Thanks."

When they had split up, she walked slowly along Diagon Alley, thinking about her meeting with Ron, especially what he just had said. Had he really said what she thought he had said?

Living at Ron's?

She got a weird feeling of that thought. It should be the last resort. Which idiot goes to live at her old fiancé's apartment?

But then again, why did she like that thought?

Author's note: Considering this story going towards its end, although there's some more chapters to go; I decided to start up a new story, although I've limited myself to two at the time and I have still got my other story; Tamara Malfoy. However, this new story is called Crushes in the Past and it's a time-turner story; I'd be really glad if someone felt for reading the first chapters.

Until next time,

Megafreak