We arrived back home on schedule the following day. I made Oliver rest as much as possible but I allowed him to at least watch Monday's practice. He was a bit put out, but didn't complain too much.

He returned to practice on Tuesday with gusto and we fell into our normal routine while we were home.

We had two home games before we were off to travel again and Ginny knew our schedule as well as I did. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when an owl arrived asking for a girls' night.

I knew this was going to be the ultimate inquisition, but putting it off would only delay the inevitable.

There had been a significant amount of press after Oliver's grand kiss, so we opted for a quiet night in. I made a mushroom and lentil Sheppard's pie with a nice salad for dinner with some blueberry oat bars for dessert and everything was ready as she arrived.

Ginny knocked on the door at seven, carrying a bottle of wine and a smile on her face.

She was barely over the threshold as she said, "You know I expect every detail. Harry isn't here, there's no chance of owls being intercepted, or that someone will over hear. Spill, Hermione."

"Hello to you too." I rolled my eyes and set the table.

Ginny poured the wine and we sat down together.

"Seriously though. You need to catch me up. What happened? This has been such a whirlwind. I didn't even realize that you were unhappy at St. Mungos and then you were gone. Now you've got this not so new anymore job and a boyfriend and you are just beaming. I haven't seen you happy like this in so long." She thought for a moment. "Actually, I've never seen you happy like this."

I set my fork down and leaned back. "It's because I've never been happy like this. Working with the team has been amazing. I feel so much more fulfilled than I did at St. Mungos. I can see the effects of the people I am helping. Their performance is amazing, it's exciting, and the ability to be in charge of the healing process is something I didn't know I was missing. I was so limited at St. Mungos. Here, I do what needs to be done and I can treat my patients long term. It's really rewarding."

"And then there's Oliver."

A smile broke over my face. "Yes. And then there's Oliver. He came out of nowhere. Taking this new job with its crazy schedule, the last thing I anticipated was finding someone to be in a relationship with. But it works."

"How did it even happen?" She asked as she moaned in appreciation into her meal.

"Well, you know we were hanging out when I first took the position. It was nice to have a familiar face. Oliver sort of took me under his wing and helped make the transition easier. Living next to each other and working together meant we saw each other constantly and our time together just grew. I didn't start thinking about him romantically until that night you and Harry were here and it blossomed soon after that."

I went on to give her the story of how Oliver revealed his feelings for me and she swooned.

"That's so romantic. I wish Harry was a little more upfront with his feelings about me. He tells me he loves me and whatnot, but he would never give me a kiss like Oliver gave you in private, let alone in front of a stadium full of fans."

We had moved to the sitting room, our meals forgotten and simply enjoying our drinks and conversation.

"I definitely didn't expect it and I wasn't expecting to like it, but everything is so intense between us. It's just..." My voice trailed off as I tried to adequately describe the connection between us. "More."

"More?" She raised her brow.

I let out a large breath as I tried to think about how I could describe my feelings towards Oliver. "I can feel his presence from across the room. When he touches me, my whole body becomes alive. Beyond the physical aspect, we are just compatible. We both hold the same work and family values. He likes to read as much as I do, both for pleasure and to research for work. Being with him is as easy as breathing and fulfills a void in my life I didn't know existed."

Ginny melted and a look of relief washed over her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I saw her wiping away a stray tear.

"Hermione, I am so, so happy for you. I was worried about you." I tried to interrupt to defend myself but she held up her hand. "No, listen to me. You were wasting away. Working yourself to the bone at a job that clearly wasn't making you happy. You didn't see anyone. You didn't do anything. You were always alone. Sun up to sun down you were taking care of patients and failing to take care of yourself. Now? You look good, Hermione. The color has returned to your cheeks and you're radiating with happiness. It's quite contagious actually. I can't say he's the one I would have guessed you ended up with, but now that I see you together, I can't imagine you with anyone else."

For the first time, I acknowledged the state I was in before I came here. I knew I was unhappy, but I didn't realize how it hurt not only me, but those around me that I cared about. Sometimes in life you have to take a leap and I will never regret the one I took to get here.

We were silent for a bit as we both contemplated our conversation when there was a knock at the door and I excused myself to answer it. It was after nine and I wondered who would be calling after me while hoping it wasn't something serious.