Hey guys, sorry I didn't update sooner. I am in the middle of a move but I plan on updating every Monday. Also thank you to all who added me to their favorite authors and story alerts. Please review! Thank you to all who did. Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. It all belongs to the incredibly talented J.K. Rowling.

Nerdand1/2

CHAPTER TWO

There she was, in front of him, like a ghost. Hermione.

"Hello, Ron." Ron looked at Hermione for only a few seconds before slamming the door in her face. Hermione rapped lightly again. "Ron. Open up." Her voice was serious and insistent. Ron didn't care. He walked away from the door and into his living room, settling himself onto the couch and setting his scotch down on his new marble coffee table. His watch read 2:35 a.m. He picked up the newspaper he had neglected early that day and attempted to read it, but the words were too hard to concentrate on in his impaired state. He set it back down on the table and raised the tumbler to his lips once again. Ron could hear Hermione's pleas from outside. "Ron, don't be so ridiculous." She rapped the door again. "Fine, don't answer. I'll just stay out here till you go to work in the morning."

"I'll just apparate from in here," He yelled towards the door. Ron tried listening to the radio instead but it couldn't be heard over the nonsense Hermione was talking from the other side of the door. Annoyed, he got up and walked to his bedroom, her voice following him the whole way.

"Well at least it is a nice night out. The stars are out and look there's Orion's Belt." Ron was becoming more and more annoyed by the minute. Once in his bedroom he escaped into the adjoining bathroom to take a shower. He could still hear Hermione, who had by now magnified her voice and was listing the ingredients for a Polyjuice Potion. Her voice was finally drowned out when he stepped into the shower. Finding temporary relief from the nuisance that now presented itself outside his door, he could now think clearly. What is her problem? She shows up at my place at two in the morning, demanding to see me after two years. What the hell could she want? But as curious as Ron was he didn't want to give into temptation. He convinced himself that he didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to talk to her or hear her voice, her laugh. Mainly, he didn't want to fall in love with her again. He knew he could never trust her again. He was finally moving on and Hermione showing up on his doorstep, he decided, was not going to help his relationship with Rachel.

After about an hour of solace, Ron stepped out of the shower and instantly heard Hermione talking again. "Newt Scamander goes on to say that Kneazles…" Ron couldn't help smile at her persistence and he hated himself for it. He walked back into his bedroom, slipped on a pair of blue striped boxers and climbed into bed. He lay in his bed attempting to sleep for a half of an hour with no luck. Hermione had begun to recite passages from Hogwarts, a History and then he realized Hermione was prepared to spend the entire night outside on his porch if she had to.

Ron rolled his eyes, lifted himself out of bed and walked to the door. He opened the door again to see Hermione standing in the same place as she had been before. This time Ron looked at her for a long time before speaking. She was wearing a white, cotton sundress and a light colored jean jacket and her hair was as messy as ever. Ron hated that just looking at her could evoke memories of years past. She looked up at him, suddenly unsure of herself.

"What do you want?"

"I-" Hermione's voice caught in her throat. Hermione couldn't help but stare. Ron was standing in only his boxers and it was apparent his chest and arms were still as strong led as they were two years ago. Hermione wanted to reach out and touch him. For a moment Hermione imagined a different welcome, one where Ron would understand and take her back but reality came flooding back when Ron yelled.

"Hey!" Ron waved his arms and stared at her, pulling her out of her reverie. "What? What could you possibly say to me?"

"I need you to do me a favor." Hermione blurted and shook her head. She bit her lip as Ron stood for a moment with his mouth wide open.

"Is this a joke?"

"No. This is serious." Ron stared at her stunned.

"Why the bloody hell would I ever do anything for you? You've got a lot of nerve coming here in the first place but you want me to do you a favor. I'm pretty drunk right now so I am going to pretend that you didn't just ask that."

"But I did." Hermione continued before Ron could object. "I need you to not tell anyone that you saw me today or at all."

"Why? Why would I do that for you?"

"Please, Ron. Nobody can know where I am. It is crucial that you don't tell anyone."

"You still haven't told me why I should keep your secret."

"Ron. I am not allowed to talk about it but please I need you to not say anything. Please." Hermione was begging and although Ron wished he could deny her, he knew he couldn't. There was something about the fear in her voice that convinced him, even if he wasn't going to admit it aloud.

"Why don't you want anyone to know where you are?"

"I can't talk about it," Hermione was almost in tears. "Just please Ron, for your sake too. Just don't."

"Jesus. Don't cry," Ron said disgusted. He wasn't sure why he felt so ill. Maybe it was because he had drank too much, maybe it was the fact that she would dare to cry in front of him or more importantly make him want to comfort her. "Bloody hell, I won't tell anyone. Besides why the hell would I want to talk about you anyway? I will keep your god damn secret if it means you are getting off my porch."

"Thank you. It does. I'm leaving." Hermione said as she turned to leave, wanting so badly to hug him and thank him. She stopped when she heard Ron speak.

"Does your boyfriend know you're just going to leave him? That one minute you'll be having sex with him and the next sneaking off in the middle of the night?" Ron felt that he needed to get her back somehow for the last two years. She had left him devastated and alone and he was drunk. He had spent the better part of a year and a half searching for her and imagining her lying dead somewhere. He had then resigned himself into believing that she had left him. Ron knew that it would hurt her for him to say ask that question but what he didn't know was how he would feel when she looked at him. When she turned back around he noticed for the first time how tired she looked and he also knew that his vengeful comment had stung. He could see that clearly on her face but she didn't speak. She just looked at him for about five seconds and turned to leave.

As Hermione walked away, Ron resisted the urge to call after her. He wanted her to respond, he wanted to fight. He couldn't explain the thoughts going through his head. He wanted so desperately to hold her and feel the physical evidence that she was alive but at the same time he was happy to see her leave. Not only was it extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that she had, indeed, left him, but Ron was irritated that when he thought he had finally gotten over her and moved on with Rachel, Hermione decided it was time to make an appearance, after two years.

Hermione walked away from Ron's house feeling worse than ever. She knew that it wouldn't be easy facing Ron, especially after the encounter at the tea shop but the last comment he made was harsher than she'd expected. Hermione furiously wiped away the tears that had been falling continuously since leaving Ron's. Hermione wanted so badly to just go back and explain everything to him. He deserved the truth and she wished she could tell him. She wished she could hug him again, could kiss him. It had been such a long time since she had seen Ron and all she wanted to do was be near him, to have him hold her they way he used to. But she knew that Ron couldn't and wouldn't ever forgive her for what she did.

Hermione apparated outside her building around 4 a.m. She looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her face, wiping away the mascara smears and reapplying lipstick in the foyer before walking up the stairs and into the flat. Hermione was on her way to her bedroom when she heard a voice behind her.

"Where were you?" Hermione turned around and saw her flat mate Thomas sitting on the couch looking at her through his glasses over a tattered copy of Hogwarts, a History. He was wearing a frayed gray v-neck sweater and faded jeans. Hermione walked toward him, smiling and ignoring his question.

"Hogwarts, a History?"

"It's yours." Thomas set it down and looked at her. "So?"

"So what?"

"Where were you?"

"On a walk." It was the best lie that Hermione could think of.

"At four in the morning?"

"Yes."

"By yourself?"

"Well I had a lot on my mind." Thomas raised his eyes.

"Is this about earlier… because I am really sorry."

"No." Hermione cut him off and shook her head. She didn't want to discuss the awkward kiss they had shared only a few hours earlier. "It's already forgotten. Don't worry about it."

"So, how many times have you read this exactly?" Thomas said picking up the book, intent on changing the subject.

"God, who knows?" Hermione laughed.

"What house were you in again?" Thomas asked conversationally.

"Slytherin, of course. You too, right?" Thomas nodded looking a little suspicious of Hermione.

"Okay well, I'm going to bed. Good night, Thomas." Hermione waved goodnight and walked toward her room.

"Good night, Jackie." Thomas replied.

Over the next couple of months Ron tried to forget Hermione and her sudden reappearance in his life but he was obsessed. He always wondered whether or not he would run into her again at the tea shop. When he walked through town he tried to decide where she worked. He was constantly curious to see if she would visit him again. He had become a mad man. He couldn't tell anyone why he was acting so strangely or why he had suddenly become an alcoholic. It was almost as if she had broken up with him again but he wasn't allowed to tell anyone. He hadn't seen her since that night and often wondered if she had actually ever been at his house or if he had imagined it all in his drunkenness. Ron tried pretending that fact didn't affect the amount of alcohol he consumed. As Ron began to fall back into old habits, working long hours and feeling lethargic, Rachel become more and more irritated and eventually dumped him. It wasn't as though Ron really cared or blamed her, but it did give him more reasons to dislike Hermione.

About two months after Hermione had shown up on his doorstep Ron came home after a normal day at work. He had avoided conversation with Rachel, had a quick lunch with Harry and finished his repot. Ron walked into his house and looked around, taking in the familiar surroundings. He sat down at the table, fixed himself a drink and began to finish some paperwork. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until he heard an urgent knock on the door. Ron looked up at the door suspiciously. The knocking continued urgently and when heard a familiar voice.

"Ron! Open up! Now!" It was Harry. What could he possibly want? I saw him not two hours ago, Ron thought. Ron grabbed his wand, a little frightened and walked towards the door.

"Harry! What's go-" Ron felt his stomach turn over. Harry was cradling an unconscious Hermione in his arms.

"We need to go." Harry said firmly pushing his way into his flat.

"What-" Ron's mind raced with a million questions. What happened to Hermione? How did Harry find her? Why were they together? Why did they need to leave?

"There is no time to explain. Grab a few essentials, clothes, toothbrush, your wand and then we are leaving. They will be here any minute."

"Who?" Ron was frozen until he heard Harry yell.

"NOW, RON!" Ron ran to his room frantically stuffing his duffel bag. He took a quick look around, making sure he had his wand before heading to the living room. Harry was peering out the window.

"They are right at the edge of your property. Grab my arm and I will take the two of you in side-along apparation." Ron threw his duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed Harry's shoulder, Hermione still in Harry's arms. The feeling of being sucked through a pipe took over as they the three disappeared into darkness.