OMFG! I'm so sorry this took so long but my muse has left me, twice! I can't even write my poetry anymore. So without my muse I found it hard to continue and so I just started to brain storm. I started this chapter about a month ago (today is 6/8/06) but then I stopped. I checked my email and I saw I had a review. I felt so bad! I'm sorry it feels like I've been neglecting this story. Don't worry, I hate when story chapters are too short and stop with a cliff hanger. If I ever leave you with a cliff hanger it's because I didn't know how to start; that's what I did with the first chapter. Well, here it is. ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW.

I'm sorry if I didn't mention this before but this is post HBP.

DISCLAIMER: I'M A FORGETFUL PERSON SO IF I FORGET THE DISCLAIMER, REMEMBER I NO OWN HARRY POTTER.

As The Days Go By, I Die A Little Inside

Chapter Three

I stare him hard in the face and I begin to break. He was still staring me defiantly in the eye, Ginny was looking at us; waiting for my out burst of anger I was sure. I wanted to do so many things at that time, yell, cry – and most of all die. It had only been an hour since I had returned from the ministry and found Harry and Ginny together, what would happen now? What would have happened if I had not returned home two hours early? What would have happened had I not turned down Anthony's request that I join him for our usual after work cup of coffee?

I racked my brain for the date of about six months ago; I was trying to figure out what happened that day, what happened to make him do such a thing as cheat; with my best gal pal. Then slowly, like an old classic televisions program my impeccable memory goes into high gear and the events that happened came back to me.

FLASH BACKKKK

It had been early December, the snow had just began to fall and I was outside waiting for Harry to come home, it was our nightly time together where we would just sit and do what felt natural. I was waiting by the small manmade pond in our back yard when Harry's hands encircled my waist and pulled me into his chest. I sighed in tranquility, his hugs always made me feel, reassured.

I took a deep breath and inhaled his wonderful scent, I loved how he smelled. As the smell of cinnamon apples and vanilla invaded my nose, making it tingle, I leaned my head in the crook of his neck and closed my eyes. At that time there was nothing better than having Harry by my side.

"So, for Christmas I was thinking we travel some where, I just don't know where. What do you think Hermione?" Harry whispered into my ear, making my face hot. He knew I was sensitive around my ear. I giggle and answer him.

"Harry, you know I have a business trip with the ministry, two weeks. God it's going to be a bore," suddenly Harry lets me go and I almost fall over but quickly balance myself. Harry looked at me like I was crazy.

"You can't!" he said like a little child who wouldn't get their way, he was going to guilt me into not going. Harry could be so endearing some times.

"Harry! You knew I was going, I told! Two months ago," I said with a wistful smile on my face. I knew he remembered, he just choose to forget.

"I remember no such thing!" I give him a hard stare and scowl at him.

"All right, I remember now... Come on Hermione; you don't even like to go to theses things and besides its Christmas! A time to take off from work and spend time with your husband, who has been lonely," he pouts at me with a playful look in his eyes.

"Sorry?" I said as a question to know if he was okay. His pout quickly went away and a hard look came over his eyes.

"Damn Auroras! Glad I backed out of that profession," he said smiling at me but his smile was forced; I could tell.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise," I said to him. He then opened his arms to me and we stood like that. The next morning was not what I had expected. I woke up three hours late for work, something that had never happened to me in all my years. Harry wasn't in bed and as I quickly threw on my work robes I call for him.

He walks into our bed room smiling a sweet smile but I glared at him. He gave me a puzzled look and moved towards me and planted a kiss on my cheek. Normally I would have leaned into his lips but not today. He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

"Don't be mad," was the first words to be uttered from his mouth and I groan in frustration and pull away from him. "Don't be mad"? I thought to myself. What did he expect me to be? He chooses the worst day to get back at me; I had a presentation to do from the auroras at work and now I was three hours late! What kind of example is that? Anthony will never let me live it down because I'm always telling everyone to be on time.

"God damn it Harry! This is a really important day in my life! Why today? Any other day but today," I said tears in my eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know! It seems like I never get to spend any time with you so I thought today wouldn't matter, it's Saturday," he said to me; still playing the child card.

"Harry! Don't try and put the blame on my plate. You're always doing something for charity or you're out with the weasley's. We rarely have time to even say 'hi' before either you or I leave," I said to him while putting on my shoes.

"The only reason I do theses charities is because you told me to! I didn't know it would become so time consuming, you're no exception either. You're always doing something for work or you're hanging out with Anthony, yes; there's nothing going on between you two but it's so obvious he wants something to happen." He yelled stubbornly.

I groaned in anger and chose to ignore him, he'd come around. As I finished putting on my two in black heels I stand to look at Harry; he wasn't looking at me but out the window. I open my mouth to say I was sorry but I couldn't do it; I had too much pride.

"Listen Harry, lets talk about this when I get back from work, okay?" I asked. I didn't like it when he was angry at me, it just hurt too much.

"No, let's talk about this now. If we don't talk about it soon we'll never move past it," he said with determination.

"Harry, I'm late as it is, I can't. Tonight, I promise!" I said pleadingly with him.

"Fine, I thought you'd care more about our marriage than your job, "he said to me and Apparated away. I stared at the spot he had been standing in. I was confused, we had fought before; what marriage couple hadn't fought about something? What had he meant? I cared way more about our marriage than my job.

I knew well enough that I didn't have to work; I knew Harry could take care of me and himself and we could live comfortably but I liked working! Was that so wrong? Since I was out of school there would be nothing for me to do. I really didn't want to go work for the ministry, it was so corrupted and why would I want to take orders from Rufus?

But when Rufus died of a stroke a few months after the second war I happily joined, well who wouldn't when they made Susan Bones his replacement I was shocked and happy. I knew Susan would be a great leader, though like fudge she calls upon Harry and me when needed.

I didn't go to work that morning, I just lay in bed and cried for a while; Harry didn't come home until ten O' clock that night and when he came in he didn't bother to be discreet about It., he just walked into our bedroom and made a bee line to me; he still looked angry but I didn't care, he was home.

I jumped out of bed and ran into his arms, tears running down my cheeks. I wrapped my hands around his neck and cried into his shoulder. His hands lay at his side, never moving to return my hug.

"Harry, I'm so sorry! I didn't – mean," and that's were I completely breakdown and start to hyperventilate. Harry, thinking quickly, carried me to our bed and lays me down and starts to get me mouth to mouth resuscitation. After a few minutes of this he puts my head in his lap and looks me in the eye.

"Have you been crying since you got home from work?" he asked me lovingly; the hard look in his eyes disappeared the second I couldn't breathe. I shook my head.

"I didn't go to work today; I was waiting for you to come back," and just as suddenly as Harry's entry my eyes shot up.

"Where were you?" I asked, most of the tears had dreaded off my face. He looked guiltily at me and whispered an apology; I thought he was saying he was sorry about leaving me but now I realize the sorry he meant.

"I was all over and – I – went to visit the weasley's. Spent most of the time eating," he said but he didn't have that smile on his face, the one he wears after every visit with the weasley's.

"Is there something wrong, Harry? If it's about this morning I'm really sorry. It was just – "

"You don't have to explain Hermione; I guess I just over reacted. I'm the one that should be sorry. Lets not talk about it," he said, not looking at me.

"But –"

"It's not important, all that is important is, I have the love of my life," he said with a small smile on his face. I smiled a great happy smile and captured his lips in a kiss. He kissed me back but now that I think back on it, that kissed on his part felt forced. But by the next couple of days the argument was forgotten, in my mind.

After about a week Harry got snappish with me; always over the smallest things. One morning I asked him;

"Which do you fancy, Harry Eggs sunny side up or an omelet?" He looked alarmingly at me and edgily said:

"What does it matter? I always have a cheese omelet, why the sudden change?"

"I just thought you may want a change," I said, eyeing him curiously.

"No, I like things the way they are, "he said, relieved?

Then the weeks following that got to an unbearable point. He was coming home late sometimes too early; the thought that he was cheating hadn't crossed my mind. But as we began to argue I sought help from my only close friend, Ginny. But she was no help, I wonder why.

The months where all we did was fight had past and we finally had one night to our selves, yesterday. He had been so sweat, a romantic dinner to a new restaurant that had just opened. I had a really great time. We came home and we did nothing but sit on our bed and talk until I fell asleep. I wish I hadn't, I wanted to tell him something really important, I just knew he'd like my new. After all, he was the one that put the idea into my head.

The next morning I wake up and he's not next to me. I search and find nothing, not even a note. I go to work, expecting to see him after I get home. Work was just the same as always, if it weren't for my best friend, Anthony, work would be a complete drag. He brings my mood up with his jokes and small pranks; it was like having Ron around, but Anthony was a lot more tactful than Ron, how I miss him.

After work Anthony waits for me so we can go enjoy our after work cup of coffee and relax but I turned him down.

"I want to get home to see Harry," I said with an apologetic smile.

"one day I'll be married and I'll be ditching you to hang out with him, and he'll be a lot hotter than your husband," he then stuck his tongue out at me, smiled and hugged me goodbye; I Apparated home and found Harry and Ginny in bed together.

END FLASHBACK

"Get out," I whispered angrily. Ginny walked up to Harry and pulled on his sleeve; signaling for him to follow her.

"this is my home too, Hermione. I have as much right to be here as you do," Harry said, ignoring Ginny's silent pleas to go.

"I think you loose that right when you have sex with a whore, in our house, in our bed," I said, turning away and looking at the moon. Ginny's Gryffindor spirit made it's way to the surface and verbally attacked me;

"How dare you!You go off to war and come back with my boyfriend's heart! I thought you were my friend, you betrayed me! Harry was mine! He is mine! We will be together and I know what we did was horrible but our love was meant to be, it was for seen in the stars, our love is magical," she ended her angry rant with a smile on her face.

"Shut up! He was more in love with me than you! I didn't steal Harry from you! You two had already spilt up when we went searching for Voldemort. Our love was more than a fling, I really love Harry; he was kind, gentle, sweat, and caring. When he took my virginity he smiled afterwards because I didn't cry; 'warriors don't cry but my lover can' was his words. So don't you come in here and try to tell me about something you know nothing of! Now, for the last time get out you horrid wanker!"

Harry stepped forward and sized me in a hug, not like the ones he had given me before this moment, it held something none of the others did; extreme regret. I had to get them out, quickly; I was going to cry any minute. I pulled out my wand and muttered "impedimenta" and Harry was sent flying into a wall. He fell and landed on the torn in half bed, letting more of the feathers escape.

Ginny quickly rushed to Harry's side and held onto his upper torso and with the blink of an eye both she and Harry were gone with a faint "pop". I quickly walk out of the bedroom and into the bath room next to it. I can out a few seconds later deciding I didn't wan to touch anything with in it. I head down to the downstairs bathroom and slam the door shut and sat on the marble counter and quickly started to cry.

AN/ I hope you guys like it, sorry about the really long wait. I'm going to try and be at least three chapters ahead of every update, it'll be easier that way. I hope this chapter was long enough, I do intend to have at least 4000 words per chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!

IF YOU HAVE CRITISUM MAKE IT CONSTRUCTIVE, TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO IMPROVE ON.

LATER! 6-9-06 11:43 PM.