(Long) Author's Note: I'm back with a new fic starring our favorite couple!

This story is dedicated to romioneB and her fic Camp Wizarding World (CWW). I've been living in that fic for months. It is amazing and when a cliffhanger came up, I couldn't stand waiting for more, and thus a bargain was struck. She 100% delivered on her end of the deal, and this fic is me fulfilling my end. So, basically, you can thank her for this fic being published. If you haven't had a chance to read any RomioneB's fics or start CWW, you really need to go check them out. Seriously, like, after this, go save her fics and, in particular, CWW to your reading list. You'll be glad you did.

A big thank you to accio-broom, who is patiently reading through and beta'ing this entire fic and saving me from many embarrassing grammar issues (because grammar is my nemesis). She is fabulous and an amazing writer. If you're looking for another AU worth saving to your reading list, you need to check out Lego House. It was my binge fic when I needed an escape and is sooo good. Again, you'll be glad you did.

Final comments: This fic is basically all romance and smut. By now you should know me and my style, so if it isn't something that speaks to you, no worries! Don't read it and instead head over to one of the above fics for some great entertainment. If you do choose to read on, thank you so much. Writing is one of my top self-care activities right now and having people to share it with brings me lots of joy! I hope this gives you a mini escape and break, because you deserve it!

The fic is six chapters and you can expect an update every 3-4 days (or sooner, because I usually can't help myself).

Happy reading!


Chapter 1

Hermione's hands were overflowing with parchment rolls as she reached her front door. Work had been non-stop these days, and she was resorting to dinner and reviewing scrolls nearly every night. She was also regretting choosing an apartment in the muggle side of town, as it obligated her to appear as if she left and arrived from work the muggle way so her neighbors wouldn't be suspicious.

With a frustrated huff, she reached for the wand in her pocket. A few parchment rolls fell to the ground. Ignoring them, she magicked the door open and stumbled inside, dropping the remaining parchment rolls unceremoniously on her couch.

"Lumos," she called as she made her way back to the front door to grab the fallen work papers.

Something next to the doorstep caught her eye.

Sitting behind her favorite bobblehead baby possum figurine was a box wrapped in brown paper and tied together with a white string. On the top left was an all too familiar and neatly stamped 'W' with a mini-explosion coming off the top.

Hermione grabbed her haphazard rolls of parchment and the box and kicked her door shut. She flipped open the folded note attached to the box.

'One more to test. You'll like this one…' - George

Hermione sighed as she set the box down on her kitchen counter.

It had been well over a year and a half since Fred's death, and George was digging into Weasley Wizard Wheezes more than ever. At first, it seemed as if he was coping by drowning his way through work, but as time went on, Hermione and his friends and family could tell that it was more of a way to stay connected with his other half.

A little over six months after the funeral, two of the exact same packages were delivered to Hogwarts, one addressed to Ginny and the other to Hermione. The box contained a simple request from George to be testers for his newest product.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, ready to list the rules about Weasley Wizard Wheezes products on school grounds, but clamped her lips shut the moment that she caught Ginny's fiery look. Ginny handed her the bubblegum flavored gumdrop, and from there, she knew that she was going to be a permanent tester for Weasley Wizard Wheezes products moving forward.

Hermione slipped her shoes off and tossed her wand onto the counter as she pulled the heart-shaped string off of the box. She unwrapped the thick brown paper and lifted the top.

Hermione stopped short and stared at it. Normally, she would receive an edible candy or something that would screech the moment she touched it, but this time was different.

Patent Pending Deeply Dreaming Charm

Are you a fan of the Patented Daydream Charm? Well, look no further. Now you can experience an even more vivid, even longer, even more intimate experience, all while you sleep. Plus, it will leave you refreshed and fully rested to start your day off right.

Instructions: Simply go to bed as normal, drink one vial and fall asleep thinking about the person or thing you wish to experience, and the serum will create a world just for you.

*Note: Do not drink multiple doses in one night as it has been known to cause severe gastrointestinal issues. You've been warned!

Hermione bit her lip as she lifted the notecard out of the box.

Underneath the note were three perfect looking vials with a ruby red heart-shaped stopper on the top, sitting snugly in a velvet, midnight blue casing. She rolled her eyes. George tended to go over the top with romantic packaging.

Hermione didn't have to think twice about who she'd be envisioning when she tested this product, and the feeling both excited her and filled her with a sense of despair. It was hopeless, so why put herself through this wishful thinking when nothing would ever come of it. They'd been more awkward around each other than ever, and it didn't look like it was ending anytime soon.

After the Battle, Hermione anticipated life would slow down for the Golden Trio, but the opposite had happened. There were endless funerals to plan and participate in (not including the process of mourning those they lost), and that was only the first step. The Trio were expected to sit for interviews, help rebuild Hogwarts, attend therapy regularly, and it took up all their time.

On top of this, Aurors and historians also reached out for a detailed report on everything that had occurred in their lives related to Voldemort from the first year all the way through the battle. With Harry exhausted and Ron spending most of his time with his family, Hermione offered to complete this assignment while she went to retrieve her parents in Australia, finally able to return their memories. Despite her desire to be with Ron and Harry during this difficult time, she was encouraged to go to Australia and rest.

The day she left, Ron had seemed as though he'd wanted to say something to her. She'd wanted him to as well. After their kiss in the Room of Requirement, she assumed things were changing for them and that they were now together. Unfortunately, at any spare moment, they were pulled in opposite directions...and even more than that, Ron had acted as if the kiss had never happened.

Ever since she departed for Australia, a seed of doubt grew deep in Hermione's belly. Maybe he had returned the kiss because they had been in the heat of the moment? Maybe it was the battle and recognizing his own mortality that caused him to lift her up off her feet in a passionate embrace? What if he didn't have feelings for her at all? After the battle, they'd had so much on their plate, maybe he realized he didn't actually see her that way. Maybe she was just his brainy best friend?

Initially, her instincts were to march up to him and demand an explanation, but her logical side insisted that he was trying to let her down gently. She knew they were good friends, and maybe that was all he wanted to be. He was simply trying to find a gentle way out without breaking up the Golden Trio.

The more those thoughts swirled, and the longer the time and distance came between them, the more she realized that her feelings for Ron were forever to be unrequited.

After the summer in Australia, she barely had time to see Harry and Ron off as they left for Auror training, and she returned to Hogwarts with Ginny. During that year, she kept in contact as best she could with her best friends, but they were often training or out on missions, so their responses were inconsistent and random at best.

Then, when all was said and done, they found themselves together again, working at the Ministry. Ron and Harry both as Junior Aurors and Hermione as a Junior Aide to the Director of International Regulation. All three were busy, but they committed to Friday lunches together whenever they were all at the office.

Hermione tried not to think too hard about those lunches. Everyone always watched them as if they were celebrities at the cool table, but even more than that, they were more awkward around each other. Ron was weirdly aloof, and Harry attempted to act as if nothing was going on.

Ron rarely made eye contact or even spoke to her directly, except when being polite, and she didn't know what to say other than share the list of projects she was working on. Every once in a while, she and Ron would end up in friendly banter, but soon after the laughter subsided, something else slithered in its place, and she left her friends feeling even more alone.

Hermione returned back to reality, eying the pearly glow that emanated from each of the vials. With a huff, she tossed the open box onto her bed in her room at the end of the hall and went back out to heat up her leftover pasta.

The evening went as it usually did, a quiet night snuggled in her chair as the sun set over the London streets. The spoon in her tea stirred itself on the end table as she made grammatical changes and adjustments to her documents.

By the time she was finished reviewing, night had come, and she was exhausted. She followed her routine, and like clockwork, she cleared dishes away, washed her face, brushed her teeth, pulled on her comfiest pajamas and grabbed her latest library book to read until she fell asleep.

This time, however, as she walked into the room and prepared to slip underneath her down comforter, George's three shimmering vials smiled back at her.

She wasn't planning on testing them out tonight. She didn't want to go through the heartache of feeling those feelings so vividly again. That's why she had stopped purchasing the Daydream Charm. It did nothing but place a grey cloud over her head for the rest of the day and increased her longing for the one person she couldn't have.

Hermione gently picked up the box and tugged a vial out of its comfortable slot in the velvet holder. She turned it upside down and rolled the cool glass across her palm.

Her feelings bounced back and forth between her head and her heart. She glanced between her book and the vials, hoping they would speak up and offer the right answer. Though, her eyes kept sliding toward the vial.

She'd have to test it out eventually, right?

"Okay fine." She clucked at an imaginary George.

Hermione situated herself in bed, the giddy anticipation growing. Her book now placed in her bedside drawer, she smacked her pillow to form a gentle crease for her head, shifted around and then pulled the heart-shaped stopper off of the first vial.

She managed the entire contents in one quick swig, like a shot of firewhiskey, knowing that was the best way to consume the Daydream Charm as well. It went down, coating her throat, but the flavor was something odd and alluring. She couldn't quite pinpoint the taste, but it landed somewhere between cinnamon and red velvet cake.

Hermione rested the vial on her end table and tugged at her bedside lamp switch, turning it off, so the room was now only lit by a stream of moonlight from her window. She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes, thinking of only one person.

Ron Weasley.