i know this dosen't sound like it should follow on from the last chapter but it does honest. just thinkof it as my homage to goblet of fire's first chapter.

as ever i don't own harry potter or any of the other funky fantstic charecters.

enjoy.

Hydiki watched Remus from across the office, he occasionally looked up and smiled at her but the look's were few and far between she sighed and lay back in her chair.

" you're so readable you do know that don't you?" said tonks from the desk next to her. Hydiki pushed her dark brown hair out of her eye's and looked at her best friend.

" yeah we'll it's in the genes right?" she said adjusting her chair slightly so she could see him through the crack in the cubicles.

"obsessed" said tonks her hair long and blue today.

"yeah but it's a nice sort of obsession"

" he's almost old enough to be your dad" said tonks as she read a file on her latest case.

"like that bothers me" Hydiki smiled as she thought about it ." by the way hermione called in yesterday to see you"

"yeah?"

" she wanted to know when we were taking in a new trainee class."

" what did you say?" said tonks her eyes looking at Hydiki with intent.

" told her I wasn't sure."

"good, I have to run it past Arthur anyway. I mean I can't understand why Harry wasn't on the list."

" I was talking to Ludo this morning, some how I don't think Harry will be to bothered. puddlemere, cannons and the bats all want to sign him."

Tonks whistled, " your right I wouldn't want to turn down that to come work here" she gestured around at the mess that passed for aura headquarters.

"I'll still mentor Hermione if you want." Hydiki smiled "she's smart she'll be wasted at this job but I'll take her as my trainee."

" and I'll take Ron if his dad thinks he's up to it"

"Ron will be up to it if your taking on Hermione" said Remus as he leant on the make shift door way to Hydiki and Tonk's quarters. Hydiki nearly fell of her seat at being directly addressed.

"they haven't killed each other yet?" tonks asked ignoring Hydiki's embarrassing predicament.

" what? They haven't had enough free time to do any sort of permanent damage yet, although hermione has already started the crusade to save hogwarts, didn't shamus's owl get to you ?"

Tonk's pushed several piles of paper around on the desk till she found the envelope. She waved it at Remus.

" I'm going over this after noon if you want to come along" he said wandering off.

" we'll be their" tonks said after him.

"he is gorgeous." said Hydiki picking herself up of the floor.

" and you are deluded."

Ron watched as Hermione organised everyone in to groups to work on separate parts of the castle, toughs not of age that had offered to help ran around trying to clean some of the mess left in the death eaters path of destruction. Dobby and the house elf's had already made a start on the dormitory's, so that meant slightly less work.

Ron was busy trying to repair the giant hour glasses that stored the house points, hermione watched him from the table she had set up by the front doors, Susan bones and Padama were trying to fix the front doors Padama was wearing the same sort of dazed look that Fred had been walking around with since George had died, Ron had felt the lump forming as they had talked earlier, nether of them sure how they were coping but somehow coping all the same.

Professor Flitwick walked around supervising the situation , at around three pm snape turned up and headed down to the dungeons, he nodded curtly to Hermione as he walked through the door, he no longer needed to treat them as students but chose to treat them as equals. Something that surprised Ron. Snape didn't have to do it but he chose to , Ron and Hermione had both exchanged significant looks when that had happened.

As it began to grow dark and become dangerous to continue working, people began to make their way home. Hermione had arranged for the four of them to stay at the three broomsticks for a few nights, Madam Rosmerter had been kind enough to let them have the rooms for free, seeing as how it was for a good cause.

As Ron watched the last of the people head down the school driveway, he began to wheel himself around to the lake, the crunch on the gravel behind him told him he wasn't alone.

" you don't have to follow me everywhere you know Hermione"

"what if I want to ?" she said softly.

"then I guess theirs nothing I can do to stop you then." he said as he gazed out across the lake, h could here the womping willow in the distance, his stomach did a sickening flip as he thought of George.

"are you ok?"

"no Hermione I'm not ok but I'm surviving" he said quietly.

" you know I'm always here for you right" he heard her say , her voice sounded cracked.

"I know".

The sound of the gravel indicated that she was coming over.

" I feel so useless I can't do much to help"

" you're here and that's all that maters." she said leaning on the side of his chair.

" I couldn't even get a simple repair spell right today , what was all that about H?"

Hermione smiled at him , she took hold of his hand.

" why do you think I sat behind that desk for the best part of a day?, it was weird to be back here… their was so many people I kept expecting to see, but they just weren't their, everyone felt it , you weren't the only one."

Ron stared down at his lap.

" I don't know how Fred's coping, did you see Padama?"

Hermione nodded. And rested her head on Ron's good leg.

" you know I didn't think it would be this hard to come back here." he said . " I don't know how Ginny will be able to stand being here for another year."

"tomorrow were taking down the willow" said Hermione quietly.

Ron said nothing, but Hermione felt him try and hold back the tears, she wished he would just cry, he shouldn't have to bottle up all the emotions he had to be feeling . If he could just cry they would be on the road to acceptance.

"Ron?" she said lifting her head to look at him . He had his eyes closed. She just sat looking at him holding on to his hand, she looked away , then she felt him squeeze her hand.

"thank you"

"what for?"

"being here for me I do appreciate it you know…" he smiled weakly at her.

"we'll Harry doesn't need me anymore does he, he doesn't really need either of us…" she trailed off.

Ron stared at her …

" I guess he won't mind if I need you for a while then?" he said.

" can't see why not"

Hermione was about to say something when Ginny's voice carried across the night air.

They sat around the bar at the three broomsticks , Harry had watched the way that Hermione had moved around Ron she used a great deal of attention as if she didn't want to scare him , Ginny giggled beside Harry,

" she likes being his nurse way to much" said Ginny quietly to Harry so that tonks couldn't hear.

Harry silently agreed.

Ron sat next to Hermione on the sofa , tonks soon joined them, her friend that they hadn't been introduced to also accompanied her.

"Ron Hermione this is Hydiki , she's my partner at work."

"we met the other day" said Hermione shaking Hydiki's hand.

" we'll I've got some news for the pair of you" said tonks. Looking at them both.

" you have?"

" yeah I have , don't look so shocked Ron."

Ron didn't realise he did.

" each year when the N.E.W.T results come in the ministry makes a short list of thoughts that did we'll enough to get on to the aura training program, but obviously you Hermione already knew that. ( Hermione nodded) we'll both your names were on it, so if you want me and Hydiki would like to take you on as our apprentices."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"your serious?" asked Hermione.

" that 's what you wanted wasn't it?" tonks smiled at her.

" we'll yeah but…"

" I never knew you wanted to be an aura." said Ron looking at Hermione as if he had just discovered some deep dark secret that changed her personality.

"yeah " said Hermione blushing.

" so is that a yes?" asked Hydiki. Hermione nodded.

"Ron?" asked tonks.

" when do we start" he asked smiling from ear to ear.

Conversation dissolved in to talk of the sort of things that they would be learning and what they would have to do , including the fact that they would have to both be in London .

" we don't need your answer right away , just think about it for a bit" said tonks getting up and signalling for Hydiki to follow. Ron turned to Hermione when they were alone.

"I guess this is a big decision, I mean I really want to be an aura but…"

" what's the but? there is no room for a but in this Ron."

"what about Harry ?"

"Harry doesn't need us anymore, he's fine the way he is , we have to start living for us" said Hermione .

" for us?" asked Ron had that been a fraudulent slip?

" I meant for ourselves " Hermione corrected herself. But he could have sworn she checked to see his reaction.

"we'll if we do take it we're going to have to start looking for somewhere to stay in London."

" we are?" Hermione .

" like I'm letting you stay by yourself , do you know how many weirdoes there are in London?"

"yes Sir Cadogan?" said Hermione jokingly.

" oh well if you want to be alone in the big city with no friends…"

" I was joking Ron, it's not as if I'm likely to get any better offers."

" there are plenty of people that would love to live with me."

" yeah their the weirdoes you were talking about" said Hermione noticing for the first time that she was leaning on Ron .she went to move but Ron stopped her.

"if you move I'll get cold" he lied .

" can't have that can we." Hermione said resting herself back on his side.

They sat watching the others for a bit, occasionally Harry would look over to se what they were up to, but he would soon return to his conversation with Ginny,

" think he's ever going to ask my sister out" Ron asked her.

" eventually."

"suppose so, I mean I wouldn't mind if Harry went out with her , I mean that Michel was a pain in the ass , but Harry I suppose I could deal with that."

Hermione sighed, they had had this conversation before when they were on prefect duty. It always ended up with Ron saying if Harry ever hurt his sister he would kill him , and Hermione laughing at the thought of Ron even trying.

"I'm tired I think I'm going to go to bed" said Hermione as Ron ended his rant with exactly the word's Hermione had predicted.

" don't " said Ron as they watched the last of the guests leave for their room's.

"I'm tired, and I need to put refinishing touches to Harry's birthday present."

"stay a bit longer" Ron insisted .

Hermione gave in to his pleading and sat back down.

"so when is Krum coming over?" he asked her.

" tomorrow." she said .

" so will you be happy to see him"

"course I will he's my friend Ron"

" that's not what I meant Hermione" said Ron .

" I know what you meant Ron , we've had the Krum conversation before. It always ends up with you not believing a word I say."

" I still can't believe that nothing happened between the two of you."

" we'll nothing did "

" but he's a world famous quidditch player…"

"and if I was only after people that were famous I would go out with Harry right… sometimes I wonder if your not related to Rita Skiter."

"but you went to se him in Bulgaria I know you did…"

" and I was their for two days…Ron we went over this a million times when I came back from Bulgaria, Krum liked me and I thought I liked Krum but the entire time I was their all I did was talk about you , you know this , I've told you , you know the reason that nothing happened between me and Krum was you …why do I have to constantly remind you ?"

Ron grinned at her .

" because i like it when you get angry , it lets me know that everything's alright between us, we were getting a bit serious back their and we hadn't fought in a good few months that's not normal."

Hermione found herself grinning back.

"you're a git"

"oh you know it" he said.

" but why always the Krum argument?" she asked him .

He looked at her , oh well now was as good a time as any.

"cause I like to here that you used to like me Hermione, why else." he said she looked away and went red.

" you like to make fun of me"

"yeah there's that as well." he shrugged, she hadn't gotten the hint.

The two of them sat in silence for a bit.

" want to help me in to my chair?" he asked her and she obliged, she wheeled him to his door.

" we'll night then " she said.

"night h" he said before she leant down and kissed him on the cheek.

" sweet dreams"