"Was that your boyfriend." Thomas asked after Harry and Ron had left the room. Hermione nodded slowly.

"I guess that's what you'd call him." Hermione didn't think boyfriend was the right word to describe them after all they'd been through. It seemed like such a bland word, no depth at all to it.

"You love him." Thomas pressed his lips together, not really wanting to know the answer.

"I have since I was thirteen." Hermione smiled weakly. "Maybe before that." She whispered quietly. If all Harry had implied was true then Thomas had changed his life purely based on what he felt for Hermione. Thomas reached up and touched her face. His thumb stroked her cheeks as she tried to hold back tears. She felt terribly guilty. "I should have known."

"Thomas, please." Hermione said reaching up to remove his hand. Thomas cleared his throat and stood up.

"He doesn't seem to like me, that one." He jabbed a finger toward the door where Ron had exited. Hermione shrugged and smiled slightly. Ron's jealousy had always made her laugh. As if it were possible that someone could steal me away from him. Hermione shook her head.

"He's just jealous, that's all."

"Why? He doesn't even know me. I could be a wanker who you had the misfortune of living with for two years. Although, I truly hope that isn't what you actually think." He smirked at her.

"Stop it." She laughed. "He knows of you and that's enough." Hermione didn't say much more. She didn't actually want him to remember anything that had happened between them.

"He thinks I turned you in?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think it's just that." She emphasized and Thomas nodded, understanding what she was getting at and it pained him to remember how close he had been to consummating his love. When Thomas had found out that his Jackie was actually a mudblood, muggle-born he mentally scolded himself, named Hermione Granger he was shocked. Not only had she been intelligent and witty, but she was famous. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. He had been blinded by how much he had enjoyed her company far more than that of other women. She had been so calm and rational, not something he had commonly experienced. He had been immensely confused at the revelation. What did that mean for him? He often wondered. He had been raised to think of muggle-borns as useless, unintelligent humans. People who had tainted the ways of purebloods and should be cast out of society. How could he have possibly fallen in love with one?

At first, he tried to convince himself that it was just the muggle-borns doing what they did best and that was to manipulate people and make themselves more important in society by taking advantage of pure bloods. Yet, the more he pondered it the more he came to the conclusion, that maybe his forefathers had been wrong. That he had been wrong. All he had known was when he saw Roberts and Sal torturing Hermione, he had been sickened. He refused to participate claiming he had other duties to attend to. After that moment it was impossible to deny that he, Thomas Meyer, pureblood, had fallen hopelessly for a muggle born. And to make matters worse, she was best friends with Harry Potter. Thomas chuckled to himself at the thought causing Hermione to frown and narrow her eyes.

"It's not funny, Thomas." Hermione's voice was stern. It amused him that he was willing to betray his entire upbringing to be with someone who had been taken for years. It stung but he couldn't do anything but admire how he had gotten himself into this disaster.

"No. Of course not," he pulled his face into a strained smile. "So, what about my accommodations?" Hermione raised her eyebrows in confusion. "My room, Jack-Hermione." He corrected himself quickly.

"Um, well, we weren't exactly expecting guests." Hermione bit her lip.

"I can see that." Thomas glanced quickly at the unmade bed and her disheveled appearance. Hermione unconsciously smoothed her hair under his gaze and met his eyes. They both cleared their throats and directed their gaze at the floor. Hermione scuffed her foot along the carpet. "Sorry. That was inappropriate. I was never very good with envy." Thomas said softly. Hermione gave one stiff nod before extending her arm toward the door.

"This is house is enormous. There are plenty of rooms around here." Hermione lifted her arms to emphasize the fact. "We may need to do some cleaning though. Ron and I have almost completely organized the library. That's where we spend most of our time. We figured it would be the hardest room to organize and clean. I think we'll only need to be in there one more day."

"You spend your time cleaning?" Thomas chuckled.

"Well most of it." She laughed. Thomas' smile faded. He felt a stone hit the bottom of his stomach in discomfort. He felt slightly ill as an image of Hermione wrapped in the arms of the thin, red-haired man, flickered through his mind. Hermione panicked slightly as she realized that he thought there was a double meaning that she hadn't intended.

"We read otherwise." She touched his arm, reassuring him. Hermione felt bad about this situation. She knew that what she had felt for Thomas was not even a tenth of what she felt for Ron but she couldn't help feel badly. She thought she had led him on before but when she realized what Thomas had sacrificed because of her, she felt terrible. She knew it had probably revolted him at first when he had found out what she was, a 'mudblood.' Yet the fact that his feelings for her had changed him, well that couldn't be so bad, could it?

"Oh. Is there… a good selection?" Thomas needed to change the subject.

"Yes. I'll have to show you the library later but I think Ron and Harry are in there talking."

"You mean, arguing."

"Yeah…" Hermione trailed off. "They really haven't been on the best terms lately." Hermione added as he followed her to the other side of the house where most of the bedrooms were. She didn't know why she told him that, Ron would have probably been upset by that. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around him. He had been her only real friend for two years. She opened one door and looked around inside. She turned to look at him.

"It's a fixer upper but it's down the hall from my room." She grinned at him.

"Will you be sleeping in there often?" Thomas asked hopefully.

"Um, I don't really know." Hermione realized this was the truth. An hour earlier she would have been sure that her room would be vacant from now on but now, with the return of Thomas, she wasn't sure. Thomas raised an eyebrow, as if asking for an explanation. She didn't want to give him one. Her relationship with Ron seemed like an off limits topic.

"I missed you Thomas." She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a hug. She had missed him. At the time she had been utterly perplexed by that emotion, considering she thought he had ratted her out. Now, knowing the truth, confirmed by Harry, she was happy to see him again. He snaked his arms around her shoulders and stroked her hair. The smell of her was intoxicating. He closed his eyes, delighting in the way her body fit against his.

"I missed you too." Hermione smiled against his chest. There was a faint thudding and shouting outside the room but she ignored it. Harry and Ron's fighting wouldn't phase her. The door to Thomas' bedroom slammed open. Ron stood in the door way worry etched in every line of his face. Then two other emotions flickered across his face. First, relief immediately followed by rage.

"What the hell?" Ron shouted. "I thought you had been kidnapped!"

"Don't be absurd, Ronald. Thomas wouldn't do anything to hurt me especially with the two of you in the house..." Hermione stepped back from Thomas cautiously as she turned to him.

"Absurd! Absurd? How the hell am I supposed to know that? What did you do, sneak off so you could… be alone?" The anger faded from his voice and was replaced with hurt and a ting of disgust.

"It's my fault," Thomas exclaimed. What am I doing? He pondered. He was taken aback by his sudden outburst. He could have used this information to his advantage, to play the friend card before he made his move. What was wrong with him? It was so uncharacteristic of him to do something that was not in his best interest, but he knew that he didn't want Hermione to be blamed and in a fight with someone she cared about over such a minute little thing. Ron glared at him and then cocked his head toward Hermione, silently questioning her.

"I was eager to get my things in order. I wanted to find a bedroom for myself. Hermione just happened to be the one that got the chore of finding one for me." Thomas continued.

"I bet." Ron snarled.

"Ron, calm down." Harry sighed. Hermione realized for the first time that Harry was standing behind Ron when he spoke. His face also showed his concern but she was grateful that he didn't lecture her.

"I can't calm down." He whispered angrily to Harry before he rounded on Hermione. "Now that I know you are safe. I think I'll go." Ron turned and stalked out of the room, fists clenched at his sides, toward his bedroom. His heart was beating rapidly as he laid on the bed, trying to calm himself. He had panicked when he had seen that Hermione was gone from his room. Fear had coursed through his entire body and immediately he had run through the entire house searching for her. He was embarrassed that he had overreacted but for that few moments Hermione had left him again and he couldn't bear that.

There was a light rap on the door and saw Hermione's bushy hair peek through the door out of the corner of his eye. He could feel her eyes on him as he continued to look at the ceiling. He felt her weight shifting next to him on the bed and only when he felt her hand on his chest did he move. His hand traced across her arm and then closed over her hand. He squeezed it gently. They lay together for a moment, neither of them saying a word. Hermione's head rested on Ron's shoulders, one leg thrown across his hips and her hand stroking his chest. It was comfortable, easy, something that didn't happen very often with her and Ron.

"I panicked." Ron said suddenly.

"I know." Hermione whispered.

"I had this horrible flashback to when you left. I…I don't think I can go through that again. Those few minutes alone nearly killed me. God, Hermione, I don't know how I will be able to survive this."

"Jealous?" She teased, looking up and smiling. She was trying to loosen up the mood.

"Intensely. These past two years I've had no idea where you are but this, Thomas, he, well he got to be with you. He got to hear you laugh, you have inside jokes together…" Ron trailed off. "It's not that I think he'll hurt you, although I am skeptical, I'm just insanely jealous. I'm so sorry." Ron sat up, his back leaning against the headboard. Hermione sat up as well. She wrapped her legs around him, one on either side of his legs and straddled him. As she stared down at him, feeling his hands warmly caressing her legs, she laughed.

"Care to enlighten me on what is so amusing." Ron asked annoyed, looking at her sternly.

"What do you think is going to happen? I'm going to fall in love with Thomas?" Hermione chuckled. Ron didn't answer, he just narrowed his eyes. "I couldn't even fall in love with him when we were alone what makes you think that I could even think about him as more than platonic when you're around?"

"That hug looked pretty friendly." Ron pouted.

"You stupid, stupid man." She leaned down to kiss him softly on his lips. He slowly ran his hands up her back. She pulled back slightly, Ron already began tugging at her shirt trying to get over her head. His attempt was successful, taking her bra with it. His hand tangled in her hair crushing her lips to him. Hermione leaned into him and with one swift moment Ron flipped her over causing a giggle from Hermione. He licked her bottom lip and sucked it gently. Hermione ran her hand across his back and a pulled off his shirt.

Ron pulled back suddenly and his eyes were piercing. His jaw clenched and he brushed her face roughly with his thumb. "God, Hermione. You are going to be the death of me." He stated before lowering his head again.

"What about the people, Ron? What are they going to think when they know we know?" Hermione whispered trying to pull herself away.

"What are you going on about?" He questioned gruffly kissing her neck.

"The people. You know the ones who are watching us."

"Let them watch." He murmured moving his lips to her collarbone and trailing down her stomach.

"Ron…"

"Hermione those people need some form of entertainment." Ron looked up from the baseline of her jeans plucking it open with his fingers.

"Ronald!" She slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "So you think we should put on a… a show for them?"

"Hermione I'm not going to let some cooped up ministry employee stop me from having sex with you again. Sorry, but that's just silly."

"You think not participating in pornography is silly?"

"Hermione can we discuss this later. I have more pleasing things on my mind right now." Ron slowly pulled off her jeans and Hermione sighed in annoyance and gave up. Ron chuckled softly as he kissed up the length of her leg. Like I could hold out when he's doing that. Ron looked up at her and she sent him a glare as he ran his over what was left of her clothing.

"Just let me have my way Hermione. You won't regret it." He grinned devilishly. And with that, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger's safe house became the most requested and most talked about safe house in the whole of the Ministry's surveillance office.