A/N: IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I'm sorry! I've missed you, my pretties! Vacation has made me lazy, but I'm back to school in just over a week and I'll be back on schedule then! I'll probably pump out another chapter before that as well! This chapter is the big date! There's lots of fluff for all to enjoy!

Zarroc- It's amazing how they always manage to get into trouble, isn't it? I'm sure they'll find their way out in this chapter!

Love-is-everything- Cliffie, indeed. I love writing cliffhangers so much, and I love adding a little mystery! I'm glad that you find it all mysterious!

Quidditch7- You'll get your answers about the Minister right now. Lots of things are happening to these characters. Things are not always what they seem. Here's your H/G moment, too!

Violet Snicket- I never get sick of reviews, especially positive reviews! I love that you like the lines, because conversation is the hardest part to write. It gives me a lot of confidence to see that you like it!

Cappygal116- There's lots of mystery in the last chapter. Some of your questions were answered here, so will be answered a bit later on! I promise, by the end of the tale, everything will be clear to you!

The End of a New Life by MyKonstantine.

Chapter 9: Hysteria at Mysteria

Hermione tried to speak, but a strange choking noise was all she managed to get out.

Scrimgeour was leering at Ron and Hermione in outrage. It was as if they had committed a crime. "So you're the people responsible for this!"

She immediately pocketed her wand, but Ron's wand didn't move an inch. It only served to make the situation more embarrassing for Hermione.

"We didn't do anything!" Ron growled with his wand now pointed firmly on Scrimgeour. "It seems like you're the one who has to explain how they got here!"

"A security alert was triggered by an unauthorized entrance to this area! As Minister, it is my duty to investigate!" Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed down on Hermione. "There was a nasty locking charm on the door. So my assistant and I had to use an advanced apparition procedure that can only be used in case of emergency."

Ron gulped. "Oh." His wand was slowly lowered. Hermione paced herself for the blow yet to come.

"And how exactly did such a complicated lock end up on a Ministry door, Miss Granger?"

"I saw a suspicious man enter the room who I believe to have threatened me in the past, Mr. Scrimgeour." Hermione informed him as calmly as possible. She didn't want to lose her nerve in front of the Minister of Magic. He'd proven in the past that he wasn't afraid to take action against her. This occasion probably wouldn't be any different.

Ron coughed, adding in a small yet relevant detail. "I just filed a report with the Aurors if you'd like to read it."

Hermione smirked. Scrimgeour continued to look livid. This did not bode well.

"Yet you didn't see it fit to report this incident to the Aurors before taking it into your own hands?" Scrimgeour looked as if he had defeated an enemy army in a crucial battle. He was smug beyond belief.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Sir, there was no time. This man was-"

"I understand that the Order of the Phoenix chooses not to co-operate with the Ministry," The over-zealous Minister interrupted, "but you will respect the rules within the walls of my facility!"

"The Order of the Phoenix hasn't been active since the downfall of-"

"Shut up, Weasley!"

Now that was uncalled for, Hermione thought. Why wouldn't the Minister allow them to defend themselves? Was he still seeking revenge for their lack of involvement with the Ministry during the war?

After a moment, Scrimgeour seemed to calm down a bit. "I know exactly what needs to be done here." He turned to his assistant. "Quimby, escort these two to my office. I need to speak with an Auror."

After Scrimgeour stormed out of the room in a huff, the meek and proper man who had been standing next to him finally spoke. "Come along."

Ron shook his head in disgust. He knew as well as Hermione that this would not be pleasant.

"Just out of curiosity," Ron chirped, "is your name actually Quimby?"

The assistant gave Ron a stiff glare. "Quisley."

Ron shot a smirk in Hermione's direction. As much as she didn't want to, she reveled in the situation's resemblance to that of Percy and his former employer, Mr. Crouch.

"Well, that's a shame."


"You're not allowed inside the Ministry for the next six months?" Harry gaped at them after Ron had explained. The trio sat in Ron and Harry's flat, each one of them looking a little downtrodden. "Is that even legal?"

Ron shrugged. "Apparently so, because the Head Auror told us he'd bust us himself if we came within fifty feet of the Ministry."

Harry leaned toward Hermione. "What about your appeal?"

"Well, they have to make an exception for me on that one day." Hermione told him. "The Wizengamot refused to sign the paperwork otherwise."

"I guess that means they don't like to reschedule court dates."

"But it also means that if Hermione's first appeal doesn't pass, she can't get a second appeal in time."

"Thank you for reminding me, Ronald!"

Hermione shoved against the table and shot up from her chair. How could this have happened? And why did that stupid git always have to bring things like that up?

She had the desire to simply apparate right out of there, but she didn't. Instead, she made her way toward the lavatory, the only place she could calm down without being disturbed.

"For goodness sake, 'Mione! I didn't mean any harm!" Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. It was so typical of Ron not to allow her to calm down.

"Well you're acting like a prat!"

Harry let out a strange cough. "Well, I have a prior engagement. I'll just being leaving now." He took his wand from the table and tucked it into his robes, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Prior engagement, my arse." Ron laughed despite his frustrations with Hermione. "If you can't stand us arguing by now, you never will, mate."

"No, really!" Harry insisted. "I'm going to get a bite to eat."

"With who?"

Harry cleared his throat quickly three or four times. "A co-worker. I don't believe you've met him. Bye, then!"

Harry disappeared right after he finished speaking, and Ron was left to face Hermione once again. The mood was a little less strained thanks to Harry's intermission, but the atmosphere still wasn't perfect. Hermione needed to be swayed.

"I didn't mean to be rude, but you didn't have to react like that either!" Ron said. He was not helping the situation at all. Hermione was just about to let all her emotions loose on him when he spoke again. "Just let me do something to make you feel better, alright? Let's go out to dinner."

Hermione shook her head. "You just want to find Harry and spy on him."

"No, I don't this time." Ron gave her a crooked smile. "We don't have to eat. We can do whatever you want. Honestly, I'm just hungry."

So, this was Ron's big move. He was actually making his date idea a reality. Hermione couldn't have been happier. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would be amazing.

"Actually, dinner sounds lovely." Hermione was beaming like a fool as she spoke. "I'll even let you pick the restaurant."

"Great!" Ron slapped his hands together and began rubbing them rapidly in a state of deep thought. "There's this new place in Hogsmeade I think you'll like. It's a bit fancy though."

"I'll need to stop at my flat first," Hermione informed Ron. Little did he know that she had a plan of her own unfolding in her mind. "but I'd love to meet you there. How about I meet you at seven o'clock?"

Ron's stomach picked that precise moment to grumble. Ron clenched his belly in one hand and laughed. "I'm sure we can handle it. I'll meet you in Weasley Wizard Wheezes then!"

Hermione turned around and focused all her energy on apparating back to her flat. It was difficult to keep her mind in one place, but she managed it. When she opened her eyes again, she felt more confident than ever.

It was time to set her plan into action.


At ten minutes past seven o'clock, Hermione slid around the corner passed Madame Puddifoot's in a mad rush. This was not her plan!

She had planned to spend a descent amount of time getting ready, then apparate directly to Weasley Wizard Wheezes at seven o'clock. It was there that she would knock Ron off his feet and proceed to have a lovely dinner with him.

Unfortunately, Hermione had spent too much time daydreaming rather than getting ready. By the time she realized what time it was Hermione only had fifteen minutes to get ready. She did what anybody sensible woman would do in the same situation: she panicked.

It was in that panic that she realized her new robes were just a bit too long and no matter how much Sleekeazy's Hair Potion she used, her hair just wouldn't fall the right way.

The stress only seemed to pile on as the minutes ticked by, and by the time Hermione was ready she was already five minutes late. Her distress only intensified when she apparated and didn't end up at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She was at the Hogshead!

Hermione knew she was too distraught to try apparating again. It was likely that she'd have splinched herself if she tried. So, Hermione simply took off running through Hogsmeade Village with her newest robe on in the middle of the night.

Maybe it would have been best if she didn't show up it all, she thought. There had to be some excuse better than this fiasco.

Hermione slowed herself down to a power walk as she came up on Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She tried desperately to control her breathing, but it was not an easy task. Her chest was still heaving when she entered the building.

Ron stood in a daze, leaning against the counter at the front of the store. His look of worry and sadness was obvious even from a distance. However, when he saw Hermione that all changed.

"Hermione!" He called out. "Are you okay? What took you?"

Hermione did the only thing she could do. She stayed away from specific details. "I'm so sorry! I got caught up in something and then I had some transportation issues."

Luckily, Ron didn't question it. "Alright, it's not a big problem anyway." He shrugged and brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder. "Let's get to the restaurant, then."

The walk to the restaurant was a bit awkward. Hermione spent the journey mentally kicking herself until Ron spoke up. "I really thought you weren't going to show up."

"Why wouldn't I show up?" Hermione shot back, sounding a little more flustered then she had meant to sound.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you thought it was going too fast-"

"A textbook excuse!" Hermione injected.

Ron ignored her addition and finished his thoughts. "And maybe this wasn't really what you wanted."

Hermione's heart stopped dead. Was Ron unsure of Hermione's feelings or his own? Was it too much? Was Ron taking back everything that they had just so recently built up?

"I like you very much!" Hermione blurted out. It was deliriously desperate, and her face reddened immediately after. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Ron seemed to sputter for a moment, trying to find a decent reply to Hermione's sentiment. Nothing must have sounded right in his head, because all Ron did manage to do was make a strange array of squeaking noises.

Just in time, Hermione noticed a glowing sign above their heads that read "Mysteria."

"So this is the place?" Hermione choked out as Ron began opening the door. "I've heard all about this restaurant."

Ron nodded with a smug smirk on his face. He was trying to act as casual as possible. "I suppose it must be really good, if you've heard about it."

Hermione always kept up with the development of Hogsmeade, as it was the central hub of Hermione's life as a witch. Not only did she come here to shop, eat, and visit friends, her publisher was located in Hogsmeade. She spent most of her time there.

She knew that Mysteria was supposed to be amazing. Chances are that Ron knew it too. She couldn't help but wonder how long Ron had been planning this adventure.

After that, their dinner seemed to be going smoothly, Hermione had ordered the bouillabaisse, a popular French dish that seemed to make Ron very uncomfortable. He let out an awkward grunt and covered his mouth with his hand.

Hermione's eyebrows perked up. "What's the matter? It is too expensive?"

"No, not at all." Ron replied in a strangled voice. "It just brings back some memories of Hogwarts, that's all."

"You mean that French tart?"

Ron leaned toward her with a wild grin on his face. "I dunno. Do you mean Fleur, the one that married my brother?"

Hermione felt a bit embarrassed. She had not meant to call Fleur a tart, it just came out. Now that the Weasley family had made peace with the idea of Fleur being part of their family, Hermione felt that she had just made an awful impression on Ron.

"Don't why, I can tolerate her powers now and I can tolerate her personality, but still doesn't meant she's not a tart. She is, really. Merlin save me if they ever have children." Hermione was shocked. Not only was Ron not offended, he was agreeing!

"Why would it bother you if Bill and Fleur had children?" Hermione inquired.

"That child will be one-eighth veela. You know what that means! It will think it is the important and beautiful person in the family. The thing would be a bloody menace!" Ron ranted. "Normal children are hard enough it deal with as it is."

"Normal wizarding children." Hermione amended Ron's thoughts.

Ron sighed. "You know what I mean. None of the children in my family are going to be muggles." Ron lifted his glass and took a big swig.

"They could be part muggle, though."

Ron must have mistaken this sentence to be a proposition from Hermione, because he began to choke on his drink before whipped his head up toward Hermione. Liquid still dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Hermione shouted, earning stern glances from many others dining in the vicinity. Oh, this was horrible!

Ron chose not to continue the conversation, probably because he was too busy twiddling his thumbs. It was at that moment that Hermione came to an epiphany. She was awkward! She always had been awkward! Maybe this is why Ron had never pursued her before.

Hermione did not have much more time to dwell on the subject, as their waitress was back again, this time with their meals. She put on a very determined look before levitating Ron's meal into the empty area in front of him. After that, she levitated Hermione bouillabaisse toward her.

"Excuse me." Ron said in a perfectly cool and calm voice.

Apparently, it was still enough to startle the waitress.

Hermione's bouillabaisse came tumbling down all over her lap, causing her and the waitress to let out a horrified shriek at almost the exact same time. Every eye in the restaurant was now on them.

Hermione stood up as soon as possible, but it wasn't soon enough. She could already feel pain searing through her legs as the steaming dish burned her through her robes. She could just barely hear the waitress apologizing in hysterics.

The pain substantially subsided suddenly. Hermione looked down to see that the burning mess on her lap was gone. She looked up again to she Ron standing up with his wand pointed at her lap. She was immediately grateful.

"I just wanted salt." Ron managed to squeak out in the waitress' direction.

Excusing herself as calmly as possible, Hermione began walking toward the restroom. She tried not to look around, but it was difficult not to notice the staring faces at every angle. She had been publicly humiliated on one of the very few occasions that actually meant something to her.

Thankfully, nobody else was in the restroom. As she dissolved into tears, Hermione reckoned it would have been even more embarrassing if several innocent bystanders had witnessed her breakdown.

Her robes were ruined. Her plan was ruined. Her night was ruined.

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, the door cracked open and she could see a mass of red hair entering the room.

"Ron! This is a woman's lavatory! You can't just come in here."

Ron gave her a sympathetic smile as he pushed himself up against the bathroom door. "After being in a girl's lavatory in Hogwarts that was haunted by the most dreadful ghost I've ever met, I fear no restroom."

"The manager is going to hex you into the next century!" Hermione warned him in a delirious voice. As good as it was to have Ron with her, Hermione knew the repercussions would be much worse than her scolding.

"I don't give a damn, you know that." Ron rolled his eyes. "Are you alright? Did your legs burn?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "A bit. I'm alright though."

Ron lurched toward as somebody attempted to enter through the bathroom door.

"We're closed!" He shouted, eliciting a giggle from Hermione. The woman on the other side of the door began to shout, but Hermione couldn't make out anything she was saying.

"I figured it must have hurt." Ron continued as if nothing had happened. "I could see the tears in your eyes and I figured it must have hurt quite a bit. Do you want to leave?"

Hermione wanted to tell Ron that she was crying more because she felt like a fool and less because she was in pain, but she couldn't. It would only make the situation hundreds of times worse.

After a moment, she decided leaving would not be the best option and thus shook her head in reply to Ron's questions.

"I'm fine. I think it would be best if we just kept on eating."

Ron gladly peeled himself away from the door and waited for Hermione to meet him. She had almost walked completely across the room when something caught her eye.

A thin crack in the corner of the last stall to the right was glowing brightly. Hermione went to scream, but Ron capped his hand over her mouth and squeezed her body tight to his. They watched in silence as the gap expanded and a dark shadowy figure left through it. When the glow had dissolved into a white wall once again, Hermione finally let out a sharp breath.

"There was nobody in here!" Hermione insisted. "I checked!"

Ron shook his head. "Well, he was." Ron began to inch toward the other bathroom stalls. "Merlin knows if somebody else was in here before him."

The first stall door swung open. Nothing was there. The second was just as empty, but still Ron seemed to grow nervous.

Ron tried to open the third stall, but it was locked. He gave Hermione a disconcerting look. "Alohamora!"

The door creaked open on its own accord. Inside, a woman sat unconscious with legs up on the toilet, leaning against the back wall. Hermione ran toward the stall for closer inspection.

How long had the woman been there? Was she put there after being hurt somewhere else in the bathroom? Did she faint after something had given her a fright? Hermione couldn't tell.

"How did he know we were here?" Hermione squeaked, far beyond the point of panic. This did not look good at all. "We'd only discussed it at your flat. We were alone."

"Apparently we weren't. He's been watching you." Ron began cracking his fingers, a horrible habit that occurred whenever he was truly angry. He took Hermione's hand and began pulling her toward the door a little more forcefully than he had meant to.

They stormed out of the bathroom together only to be met by a furious maitre de with a thin, curly mustache. "Why, I never.. I can't believe such crudeness is occurring in.."

"Oh, blow it up your arse!" Ron pushed past the man without so much as a glance backwards.

"Leave the premise this instant!"

"That's what we're doing!"

Once out of the restaurant, Hermione began to feel sick. The night had cooled down significantly and the streets of Hogsmeade were dark and worn. Ron only walked a few more paces before stopping dead.

"Are you well enough to apparate?" He asked Hermione, putting a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Come back to my flat with me. Just for tonight."

The suggestion comforted Hermione greatly. She meekly agreed to go with Ron, then scrunched her eyes shut and used all the energy she could muster to apparate back to Ron and Harry's flat.

She had hoped to apparate into the living room, the place where she usually apparated into Ron and Harry's flat, but she ended up on the stairwell. At least she was still in the right building.

From the parlor, she could hear a loud popping noise as Ron apparated home.

"Hermione?" He questioned in a surprisingly low voice. "What are you doing on- Christ! What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Unsure as to what Ron had discovered, Hermione ran down the stairs and through the kitchen to get to him. The man could have gotten to the house before her. He very well could have hurt Ron by the time she got there.

When she turned to corner with her wand in hand, the sight she found was not at all the picture she had expected to find.

Ron stood horrified behind the couch, staring at a giant mass on the couch.

Harry and Ginny lay tangled up in each other on the sofa, their hair disheveled and their skin glistening with sweat. Thankfully, they still had most of their clothes on.

The moment was awkward. The fact that Hermione had her wand out and looked like she was about to hex them all didn't help.

Once she put it down, Ron seemed the regain the ability to speak. "So this is your co-worker? Your male co-worker?"

Ginny sat up uncomfortably. "You're such a prat, Ron! I didn't this to be a publicized. Harry deserves a normal, healthy relationship."

"I'm your brother!" Ron bellowed. "Did you think I was going to run to the Daily Prophet?"

"We were going to tell you, mate." Harry finally spoke up. "We just wanted to make sure everything was right between us first."

"Well, apparently everything is alright!"

Ginny stood up in a fury that she reserved especially for her siblings. "What gives you the right to barge in here and give me hell, Ronald?"

"I LIVE HERE!"

Ginny began to pout. She certainly could not refute that. "Fine!" She began awkwardly. "It's still none of your business!"

This was ridiculous, and Hermione noted it from the start. She knew Ron was fine with Harry and Ginny having a relationship because he was happy with their last relationship. Ron was totally ignoring the fact that he and Hermione just had a very close encounter with one very sinister man who may very well want Hermione dead.

"The man from the portal followed us to a restaurant." Hermione called out, making all else go silent. "I think he was going to abduct me in the bathroom."

Ron let out a nervous cough. "Yeah. That's why we came back here."

"And you couldn't tell us this earlier?" Ginny glared at Ron as if he were the villain.

"I'm sorry!" Ron began waving his arms around as he spoke. "I was distracted by my best mate groping my sister!"

While Ron and Ginny continued their game, Harry found the common sense to speak up. "How did he know where you were?"

"We only discussed our plans in this flat."

That was all that Harry needed to hear. He leapt up from the couch, making Ginny fumble around to stay in place. He pointed his wand all around the room. After deciding it was all clear, he moved out into the kitchen.

"He's going to ransack the whole flat now." Ron groaned.

"He's not ransacking anything!" Ginny spat back. "He's making sure we're safe! You're so ungrateful!" They could hear Harry's footsteps moving up the stairs now, and Ginny jumped up to join him.

Ron slammed his fist into the couch. "Why am I always the prick?"

Hermione elected not to answer that question. Her head had been spinning for the better half of the night and it was likely that she would be attacked in her sleep. She was so unsure of herself and at the time, her mates weren't helping very much.

"I just want to go to bed."

Hermione sat down on the couch where she assumed she would be sleeping and pulled her knees up against her chest. Ron seemed to get the point.

From up the stairs, Ginny yelled out "All clear!"

"Come on, then." Ron mumbled with a hint of guilt in his voice. "Let's get you to bed."

Hermione silently followed Ron up the stairs, unsure of what he was doing. As far as she knew, they didn't have a guestroom.

To her surprise, Ron entered his own room. "You can sleep on the bed. I'll take the floor."

"Why am I sleeping in here?" Hermione inquired. "I can sleep on the sofa and you can have your bed to yourself."

"Bullshit. I'm not leaving you alone." Ron stated as if he were her bodyguard. "We have no idea where that creep keeps coming from."

Hermione felt a sudden rush of joy. Ron mustn't have given up on her after all. Then a feeling of sadness came in. He was just trying to keep her safe. Any good friend would keep the other safe.

There was only one way to tell, Hermione thought. It took her a while to speak, as her heart had jumped up into her throat and seemed to be blocking the ability of air to pass through. With a deep cough, she mustered up all her strength and courage.

"You can sleep on the bed with me, if you want." She stared up into Ron's eyes and smiled sweetly.

Goodness, she hoped he didn't think she was trying to seduce him. Then again, after all these years, maybe a proper seducing was in order.

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Sure."

As Ron climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her lithe body, Hermione felt safer than she had it a very long time. Ron was happy. Hermione was beautiful. The night was splendid.


Here's the part where I beg for reviews! PLEASE GIVE ME SOME REVIEWS! PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE!

They really give me some inspiration and keep me writing, because you reviewers are amazing!

What did you think of Ron and Hermione's night? Was it bad because of the chain of events or good because of their emotions? What about Harry and Ginny? Give me some input!