Coincidences II

Hermione let the hot water run down her body for a long while before she began to wash her hair. She needed the water to somehow fortify her for the day ahead. In truth, there wasn't anything she could think of that would give her the ability to make it through the day without at least one breakdown. It was inevitable, either before or after a visit with the Weasleys, she would fall to pieces. Never, she promised herself long ago, would she ever cry in front of Molly or Arthur. They had somehow managed to move beyond their losses with a sort of dignified sorrow that she hadn't been able to manage yet.

She took her time getting ready, blow drying and flat ironing her hair until it lay in smooth layers around her face. Chantay had taken her to a hair stylist in Soho who now claimed Hermione's hair as "his," and he had shown her how to control the mass of frizz. Ironically, it was just what she needed. It cemented the reality that she was living a very different life now. The chaotic halo of brown hair that Ron loved so much was now tamed and highlighted with blonde. She wasn't the Hermione that had went through seven years of Hogwarts. She wasn't the Hermione who fought Voldemort. And she most certainly wasn't the Hermione who had carried Ron's child.

Tears flooded her eyes. Everyone had been so happy when she told them, even if they did disapprove of her being pregnant while still in school and unmarried. They decided to keep it a secret, because of how dangerous the times had become. Only the family knew. Molly had done wonders with moving up the wedding arrangements so they could have the ceremony before Hermione started to show. Ron was ecstatic. Every night, he would place his hand on her still flat stomach and pronounce that she was getting bigger. When she did gain weight, she hid it beneath her robes and her role in the order became less and less prominent. In fact if it weren't for cruel fate, she and Ron would never have been at the battle in the first place.

The battle. She still had nightmares about it. That morning had been quite peaceful. She had woken up in Ron's arms and they had apparated to Hogsmeade to meet Ginny for breakfast. Ginny Weasley was not only her sister in law, but also her best friend. She was so young and full of life. Many people had speculated that she had captured the heart of Harry Potter, and that included Voldemort. He sent Death Eaters to capture Ginny and lure out Harry. The last time she had seen either Ron or Ginny, Lucius had Ginny in his grasp and Ron was chasing after. She remember screaming as she saw him fall with blood streaming out of his mouth and eyes. She heard his terrible cries of agony. The last thing she remembered before being hit by a curse and blacking out was Ginny's neck snap in the hands of the mad man.

She woke up in St. Mungo's four days later, after the death of Voldemort. The Healers told her that she had lost her baby and that it was unlikely that she would ever bear children. The next days and weeks had been torture. Every bit of the man she loved had been taken from her on one horrible day.

Brushing away the tears, Hermione began to apply some makeup to hide the redness of her face. The last thing she wanted was for Molly to realize how much it hurt Hermione to see her. Molly was the only mother she had now, and she loved her so much.

Hermione hadn't wanted an extravagant apartment. She, unlike Draco, didn't need that sort of thing, but she had demanded that there be a fire place and that it was hooked up to the floo network. Stepping in, she disappeared with a pop and reappeared in the Burrow.

"Oh, Hermione dear! You've made it!" The older woman swept her in a crushing hug.

"I thought I'd stop by and see how you were all doing. Did I come at a bad time?" she asked stepping from the fireplace.

Molly set her hands on her generous hips. "Hermione Weasley! Don't you ever think such a thing, child. You are welcome here at any hour of any day for as long as you like." She took Hermione's hand. "I'm just so happy. Two visits in one day."

"Two?"

"Oh, yes. Bill is here," Molly beamed. After the war, Bill had decided to stay at Gringotts to be closer to his family. Although, Hermione hadn't seen him in almost two years. She followed the older woman into the living room where Bill stood examining a photo of the whole family in Egypt.

"Hermione! It's been ages," he said as he set the picture aside. He gave her a brief hug. "New York seems to agree with you."

"It does. And how has Gringotts been to you?" she asked settling down on the couch beside Molly.

"The same as always. The place is nothing if not predictable." He smiled at her with a wry sort of twitch to his lips. "It would bore you terribly."

"Would it? These days boring is good." The floor hadn't changed since her last visit, she would know that more than anyone from the amount of time she spent staring at it when she was uneasy.

"I guess we've all had enough adventure," Bill admitted.

"Well, you two catch up and I'll have something for us to eat in just a bit. Oh, I do hope you'll both stay long enough to see Arthur!" Molly said as she happily left the room.

Hermione sighed. She wasn't sure if Bill's presence was making things better or worse. There was a time when she had felt as though she belonged with the Weasley siblings, but that time had passed. Now, she had to settle for desperately trying to keep polite conversation going. "Do you see much of the twins?" she asked

"They're very busy these days. Between the joke shop and their significant others, they don't get around much. I think George will ask Angelina to marry him soon. Fred, on the other hand, is as happy as can be keeping a casual relationship going with Dean. Who would have guessed those two would end up on opposite sides of anything?" He laughed. The sound was deep and pleasant, and made Hermione smile.

"What about you and Fleur?"

He winced. "You really are out of the loop. We split almost a year ago."

Feeling guilty, she met his blue-eyed gaze. "I'm sorry. Your mother never mentioned it. I just assumed that you were still seeing each other."

"It's alright. Mum never talked about it because she never liked Fleur that much. She never took her in the way she did with you, and it took me years to finally figure out why. I'm not sorry I was with her, but I'm not sorry I'm not with her anymore." He shrugged. "Besides, it gives me a chance to play the field a bit. I needed to find out if I could still get the girl."

Hermione giggled. "And how has that gone for you?"

The look he gave her was indecipherable. "I'm still working on it."

Over the next few hours, Hermione laughed like she hadn't laughed in years. Bill made her feel like she was home again. Molly and Arthur spent the afternoon exchanging knowing looks. In truth, Hermione wasn't sure what Bill was up to, but it didn't matter at the moment. Her face hurt from smiling so much. It was late in the evening when Hermione finally decided to go home.

Bill walked her to the door. "It was good to see you again. I'm sorry I kept missing you over the holidays. Things just have been hectic for me."

"It was good to see you, too." For some reason, Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of his handsome face.

"I don't want to wait another two years to see you," he confessed.

"Neither do I." It was almost as if Hermione was completely incapable of thinking for herself.

"Can I take you out to dinner some time this week?"
Her heart skipped a beat. This was Ron's older brother asking her out. This was real, but was it even decent? "I don't know. It's strange thinking of Ron."

"I know, but I still have feelings for you, Hermione. I've waited a long time debating about it myself, but I still come to the same conclusion every time. I'm not Ron, and I'll never replace him, but I would like a chance to make you happy."

"Bill, I…I.." Hermione shook away the feeling of guilt. "How does Friday suit you?"

AN Hey all thanks for reading! A special thanks to everyone who's reviewed.

Loveandpeace—BIG kisses sweetie! I appreciate your reviews. And I loved your Kenshin story! Hey all check this girl's stories out!

Tuesday Night—thanks for reading, and yep it's on another site too. When things get a little more heated the unedited version will be on that site rather than on here, but I will put a clean version on this site.

DMWeasley—Thanks. Hopefully I'm not making you wait too long ;)

Nickel Nerd—I love them too, but no this story isn't named for that song. But you did give me the idea to do a song fic to on of the other songs on that album.

Chaney—I get activist-y too. Most of the what the characters go through in this story is based on things that have happened to me and my friends. Draco and Harry are based off of friends of ours who were badly injured in a car accident. And Neville is based on someone very close to be me. So I've seen the looks that my friend gets and heard some of the nasty stuff people say just because he doesn't look normal. Luvs you for the review!

Anika N—thanks for the support!

Nitwittie—well, I'm odd so there you have it! LOL Thanks

Fudgebaby—Wait no more love!