Strictly Professional

By Cabbage Rose

Summary: On the day of graduation, Hermione has to move suddenly, leaving Ron heartbroken. 10 years later, Hermione is presumed dead and Ron moves on, taking a job at Hogwarts. But what happens when he finds a certain someone at Hogwarts as well? Will old flames rekindle or will their relationship be strictly professional? RonHer.

Author's Notes: Top of the morning to ya...or day...or night. Oh whatever! Why do I even try? Well anyway, here is the next chapter. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Lavender and Lord Voldemort would have never been created. But then again, people like that do make stories more interesting...What am I getting at again?

Chapter 2

The teacher's compartment itself was the first thing that Ron noticed. It was extremely large-about the size of four compartments put together. There were wide windows that had velvety curtains bordering them, and the cushions were, unlike the students' compartments that were just wood, velvet as well and heavily padded. If you looked in this compartment from the outside, you would have thought it was an ordinary compartment. Ron knew for he was curious in his first year and looked, so Ron figured that they used a clever spell to cover their secret. Ron almost felt envious for his young self for having to ride in the students' compartments when they could of had that, but then he remembered he was riding in it now, and that is what mattered.

Once he was over being awestruck by the compartment, he actually looked around at his peers. Each of the chairs were assigned-a paper was on top of each of them saying the subject that the person taught. That was where you were supposed to sit. Some of the teachers were already there. There was a man that looked in his forties teaching Quidditch. Ron thought that he saw him playing in a professional game once when he was young, but he might have just looked like him. He was delighted to see that Neville Longbottom was teaching Charms, and that Ron was sitting next to him.

"Hey Neville! How have you been doing?" Ron asked him as he sat down.

Neville looked at him, confused, then said, "Uh, excuse me? How do you know my name?"

Ron frowned. They were good mates 10 years ago, and now Neville didn't even remember him. 'He does have a horrible memory though...' Ron thought. "It's me. Ron, Ron Weasley! Remember? You, Harry, Me, Seamus, and Dean shared a dormitory!" Ron said.

Neville just sat there for a few seconds, and then he smiled brightly, "Oh yeah. Hey! I'm sorry; my memory has been getting worse. And everyone thought it couldn't get any worse at Hogwarts!"

Ron laughed and then looked at the others. Most of them were either old men or middle-aged women. Nothing Ron was really interested in. But then he saw her. Lavender Brown, with a Divination sign on her lap, was sitting right across from him. And she was staring right at him. He tried to advert her gaze and talk to Neville, but he was busy getting his teaching plans together. So he just stared around to the rest of the room. The train had started moving and every seat was taken except for 'Ancient Ruins'. He wondered why the teacher for that subject wasn't there.

Just then Lavender spoke to him, "Ronald. You can't keep ignoring me forever, you know!"

'But I will try...' He thought bitterly. He knew that something like this would happen if he took the job, but he went against his instinct and did so anyway. Now he wished he was at home, watching MTV or signing autographs at the mall. Anything except this.

"Come on, Ron. Talk to me, how have you been? Have a family?" Lavender tried again, this time her voice friendlier.

Ron felt like he would toss his cookies. This was so awkward, especially since her daughter just told him that Lavender hated his guts. "Uh, no. But apparently you do. I saw your daughter. What is her name?" He said reluctantly, desperately wanting to jump out the window.

"Her name is Cinnamon. She is a real firecracker, isn't she?" Lavender asked adoringly.

"Yeah, I guess..." Ron said. Lavender's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything else, to Ron's relief.

For a while Ron had nothing to do. He had no teaching plans, for he was only an assistant for Hagrid. He didn't know anyone else there besides Lavender and Neville, but Neville was occupied and he obviously didn't want to talk to Lavender. He was so desperate from boredom he thought that if there was a romance novel there he might have actually read it. So he was thankful when the food trolley came by, and he bought a few of everything, just to keep him occupied. It was then that Neville was not busy and started "helping" Ron with his Chocolate Frogs.

"So, you married?" Ron asked with a mouthful of frog.

"Yeah." Neville said.

Ron nearly choked on his candy. It wasn't that Ron didn't believe him; it is just that Neville wasn't the best looking apple in the bunch. He was better looking than Neville, and he wasn't even in a relationship. Once he had gotten all of the candy out of his wind pipe he said in between gasps, "Congrats, mate! Who's the lucky girl? How long? Have kids?"

Neville looked a bit hesitant before muttering, "Luna."

Ron couldn't help but laugh hysterically. The others started staring at him nervously and tried to scoot away from him. Even though Luna was his friend, the thought of someone marrying her was hilarious. He could see it now, a bunch of forgetful, paranoid kids running into walls. "Hey, she is a great girl. I love her! Just because she thinks differently doesn't make her funny." Neville said on the defensive.

After a few minutes Ron quieted down and continued asking him questions, "What about the rest? How long and how many kids?"

"Two years and no children...yet. We have been thinking about it, but when I got the job Luna thought it was better that we wait until I am back at home more often." Neville said, "What about you? Married to Hermione?"

Even though it was supposed to be a joke, Ron couldn't help but feel a bit angry. Hermione was dead, or at least that was what he thought. But Neville didn't know that. Ron couldn't help but wonder, though, if he would be married to her if it were different. 'No, I just fancied her back then. It wasn't enough to marry her...' he thought. "No, I am not married. Didn't you get the news about Hermione?" Ron said cautiously, knowing that Hermione was probably Neville's best friend out of all of them, since he remembered her.

Neville frowned, "What about her?"

"Um...people think she is dead. She went to Africa on graduation day and never came back. But we may be wrong..." Ron said, feeling awful for having to be the one to explain it.

Neville just blinked. "Hermione is a smart girl. She wouldn't die easily. She just isn't done with what she is doing!" Neville said confidently.

"I want to think that, believe me I do, but it has been 10 years. That is a really long time. Wouldn't she have made contact with us if she didn't want us to worry?" Just talking about her made Ron want to cry, she was his best mate after all, and not a lot of things made him want to do that.

"She is just busy. She probably tried to make contact with an owl or something, but it was intercepted." Neville said, even though his views were far-fetched.

Ron just figured that there was no convincing Neville. He had complete faith in Hermione. 'Maybe it is better that he didn't believe that.' He thought.

"So how's life treating you after defeating Voldemort? Congrats on that, by the way." Neville said.

Ron didn't shudder when he said that. When he was with Harry, Harry said the word so many times that he finally got used to it. Plus, Voldemort was dead now, so there was no use of it. "Thanks. Um, well I am on newspapers a lot, and if I want to go on a simple walk I am plagued with fan-girls."

"Sounds awesome!" Neville said, not knowing what it was like.

"Oh, its not. It is horrible, actually. I miss the privacy that I had before...not that I had much living with seven other people." Ron said, sadly, "I am sort of afraid that some day I will find a picture of me taking a shower in The Quibbler or something."

Neville laughed, "That sucks. Well you don't have to worry about The Quibbler. My wife is now Chief Editor."

"Cool..." Ron said absent-mindedly, noticing that Hogwarts was up ahead. Neville beamed, probably happy that Ron didn't laugh at his wife that time.

Ron and Neville quickly finished up the rest of the treats, and threw the wrappers away. The train pulled to a complete stop and the students piled out of the doors. Once everyone was gone Ron and Neville, as well as other teachers, checked every compartment for stray students or forgotten suitcases. Finding nothing, Ron bid Neville good-bye, and went to help Hagrid in the crowd. "Hagrid!" Ron called excitedly. He hadn't seen the man in 10 years; he only applied for the job and waited for a reply. Hagrid turned and Ron got a good look at him. He didn't look any different, except he had a few gray streaks in his beard and wrinkles. From the back he had looked the same.

"Ron! How are yeh?" Hagrid said while still trying to direct the first years.

"Good! And you?" Ron asked.

"Grea'. Congra's on gehing Vol'emor'." Hagrid yelled, his face now toward the first years. Ron knew that Hagrid didn't talk well, but aging seemed to make it worse.

"Thanks." Ron said. He went to help Hagrid with the restless first years. "C'mon, over here, over here!" He yelled to the first years.

Eventually the two got all of the first years gathered up and put into boats. Ron remembered how awed he was when he went over the lake by candlelight to the large castles that were Hogwarts. He was just as awed now as he was then.

"So 'ow is Harry? 'ermione? Did she geht ba' 'rom A'rica?" Hagrid asked him while they were in the boats.

He broke his transfixed gaze from Hogwarts, and now realized that he would have to explain it again. It was painful enough knowing it, but saying it aloud was horrible. 'Why couldn't Mum tell everyone? I should have seen this coming...' He thought. But then he figured that Hagrid didn't necessarily have to know yet. "Harry is great. He became an Auror. I am sure you read that somewhere. And, uh, Hermione...is still in Africa. Yeah..." He said nervously. Hagrid looked a bit skeptical because of Ron's weird behavior, but didn't have time to question him. They made it to the other side of the lake, and the first years were eager to get inside.

Once inside, Ron remembered that he promised Harry and Ginny that he would give them letters when he got there. "Hagrid, before we go to the Great Hall, I have to mail something. See you there?"

"Sure. Yeh 'etter 'urry though. Yeh don' wan' to miss teh speech!" Hagrid warned as he herded the first years into the Great Hall. Ron laughed as he went to the Owlery, knowing that the speech was the one thing he would want to miss.

Ron got there quickly, for he still knew Hogwarts like the back of his hand. The school didn't change things much, unless it was completely necessary. Most kids got lost there with things being the same, after all. He quickly scribbled this down to both of them:

'Hey Harry/Ginny,

So I just got here and it is great. Hogwarts is as cool as ever. So what is awesome is that Neville is here with me! He is teaching Charms. He didn't remember me at the beginning, I had to remind him. He worries me; I sort of think he will forget where he lives soon. I had to explain to him that Hermione was probably dead, though, and that was REALLY uncomfortable. He didn't believe me though. There is no convincing him when it comes to Hermione. So Hagrid doesn't look like he aged at all! Though his speaking is worse. Maybe it is a giant thing. Well anyway, I got to get going. Wow, a helicopter...I'll explain later. Write back.'

He put these into separate parcels and tied them to Dotty, giving her owl treats to insure a reply. While he was writing the notes a helicopter had landed in the fields near the lake, and a figure came out of it and walked into the school. Ron didn't give it much thought, though he wondered how the helicopter got through the school's barriers. Just then Neville ran in, tied a piece of paper to an owl, and shook Ron. "Ron you won't believe it! C'mon, we have to go!" He said excitedly, dragging Ron out of the Owlery.

"What is it? And who were you writing to?" Ron asked, trying to catch up with Neville.

"Oh, just Luna. C'mon, we got to go, we got to go. You have got to see!" Neville said in what seemed like a second.

"Ok, ok. Don't have a conniption, Neville!" Ron panted as they got to the Great Hall door. Neville stopped abruptly and caught his breath, Ron doing the same. Then they both entered the Great Hall calmly, and Ron was astounded at who he saw...

Author's Notes: Wow. I used the same cheesy cliffhanger twice in a row. And it is once again obvious, not as much as the first chapter's, but still. Gomen (or sorry in Japanese, I also do Inuyasha fics). I was practically giggling when I wrote Neville. I don't know why. He is just so cool in his weird way. Well the next few chapters will get very interesting (not that the ones after those won't be!). Please review!