"It's the strangest feeling in the world when someone you've never met knows so much about your life," Ron said as he and Harry Apparated into an alleyway not far from where Harry's flat was. "I mean, this one kid knew my birthday, my O.W.L scores," he paused and shook his head, "I'm surprised he didn't know my favorite food."

"Welcome to my life," Harry said before he shoved his hand into his pockets and laughed, "except they do know my favorite food."

"You were absolutely right," he continued. "The majority of the questions were about Voldemort, and you, and what really happened."

"And you," Harry said. "I could hear most of your presentation from my office."

"Well," he said modestly, "perhaps a few."

"You can deny it all you want, but when you get a chocolate frog card, suddenly everyone cares."

"That was the highlight of my life," Ron said in a whimsical sort of way. "You know that's actually quite an impressive icebreaker with people."

Harry laughed again. "You don't actually say that to people?"

"Like hell I don't," Ron said as he and Harry turned the corner onto Harry's street. They continued laughing all the way to Harry's front door, until Harry reached to push open it and was stopped by some sort of force that slammed it back at him. He jumped back as he exchanged cautious looks with Ron. They both quickly pulled out their wands in alert. Harry reached out to push the door open again when it suddenly cracked open on its own accord.

"Harry?" said Hermione's voice.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, annoyed at the fact that ten seconds earlier, he was afraid that someone unfamiliar had been in his house; now he was being questioned on his own doorstep.

"Sorry," she said as she popped her head just slightly around the edge of the door. "I didn't mean to startle you. It's just," she turned around to observe something going on inside, "Ginny picked up her wedding dress today and we were looking at it when we heard you coming." She turned back towards him. "It's bad luck for you to see it."

"Oh," he said, glancing at Ron, who shrugged. "Well, can I come in now?"

"Just a few more seconds," she said, opening the door further once she seemed satisfied that Ginny and her dress were out of the way. It was when she did this that she became aware of Ron's presence. "Oh!" she said with a start, noticing him leaning against the wall opposite of her. "Ron!"

Ron smiled a surprisingly collected smile, clearly amused at Hermione's surprise.

"I didn't know you were…" she stammered and glanced at Harry before looking back at Ron. "It's good to see you."

"You too," he said, still acting rather coolly. Harry was actually surprised to see how collected he was. He wasn't even turning red. Perhaps Paris really had changed him.

"It's okay!" shouted Ginny from somewhere inside the house. Hermione immediately stepped aside and allowed for Harry and Ron to pass.

"Um, so where's the toilet?" Ron asked once he entered. He glanced at both Harry and Ginny, who both pointed to a door on the other side of the room.

"We haven't moved it since the last time you were here," Harry added as he watched Ron walk towards it. "It's still in the same place."

"Oh, right," he said obviously. "Of course you haven't."

Harry threw Ginny a curious expression, but she was busy watching Hermione walk out of the room and into the guest bedroom. He followed her gaze before turning back towards her.

"Sorry about that," she said, pointing towards the front door. "You're home a little early."

"Any other surprises hiding around here?" he asked.

"Not on my end," she said as she now looked across the room to the door that Ron had just disappeared behind. "Seems you do, though."

"I invited Ron to hang out," he whispered. "I didn't realize that…" He nodded his head towards the guest room that Hermione had just disappeared into.

"She had a rough day at work and Martin's working late," she whispered back. "And they had an argument earlier, so I invited her to have dinner."

"Well, this should be fun," Harry said with a hesitant smirk, which Ginny quickly returned.

"They were going to run into each other eventually," she said, just as Hermione walked back into the living room.

"Sorry," Hermione said once she rejoined them, her eyes doing an automatic sweep of the room as if looking for something. "I just wanted to make sure my dress was hung so it didn't wrinkle."

Ginny nodded as she and Harry took a seat on the sofa. "Of course," she said before a strange quiet fell over the room.

"You know," Hermione said suddenly. "I do have a lot of work to finish, so perhaps—"

"Hermione," said both Ginny and Harry in unison, just as Ron made his way back into the room. Whatever else Hermione had wanted to say, she didn't. She instead sat slowly in a nearby chair.

"So," Ron said awkwardly. "What's going on everyone?"

"I got my dress today," Ginny said. "Hermione got hers as well."

"Fascinating," he said in a tone that said it was anything but fascinating. "I'm sure they're lovely."

"How was work?"

"Robards is on holiday," Harry said. "So, I was swamped all day. I barely even left the office."

Ginny glanced back at Ron. "Did anything happen on your first day back?"

"Not really," he said, looking at Harry. "The bossman here wouldn't give me an assignment because I hadn't finished my final reports from Paris."

"Why haven't you finished it?" Hermione asked as she watched him.

"I didn't get to it," he said, sounding a little surprised that she had spoken to him. "What with finishing up actual work in Paris, and making plans to come home, I just never got around to it."

"He did a lot of it today, though," Harry offered. "After I made him chat with the Hogwarts's kids."

"They came by our offices, too," Hermione said as she crossed and uncrossed her legs. "The head of my department was complaining all day that he had to talk to them. He's an idiot though, so they probably would have been better off if they hadn't talked to him."

They all made noises of acknowledgment as a forced silence fell over the room once more. As it was, Ron and Hermione seemed to be looking everywhere but at each other.

Ginny stood up. "Does anyone want a drink? Maybe some wine?"

"Yes," Ron and Hermione said together, causing both to look at one another. Ron cracked a small smile.

"I'll help," Hermione offered before quickly standing to follow Ginny into the kitchen.

Harry waited until the girls disappeared into the kitchen and out of earshot before glancing at Ron. "Well, you two aren't awkward or anything."

"You think?" Ron said sarcastically. He turned towards the kitchen so as to make sure no one was listening. "I just get this feeling she doesn't even want to be in the same room as me."

"That's not true," Harry said. "She was telling me and Ginny how she was hoping to work out your friendship once you moved back. It's just weird because this is what? The first time you've seen each other in over a year?"

"This is the most time we've spent in a room together since we split up."

"Good to get it out of the way, then. You two need to work all of this," he made a general gesture in the air with his hands, "out."

"Well, since it's obviously that easy," he said, giving Harry a hard look.

"I'm tired of being the mediator," Harry whispered harshly as Hermione and Ginny reentered the room. He gave Ron a knowing look as Ginny handed him an empty glass. Hermione uncorked the bottle and started to pour herself a glass before moving on to fill Harry's and then Ginny's. As she reached for Ron's, she met his eyes.

"It's merlot," she said. "It's all they have."

"That's okay," he said, offering her his glass.

Hermione looked skeptical. "You don't like merlot."

"Well, I didn't," he said. "After spending enough time around wine drinkers the past year, I sort of got used to it."

"Look at you," Ginny said as she and Harry avidly watched the two of them. "Paris has made Ron able to appreciate our humble wine collection."

"I think you mean pathetic collection," Harry said he draped his arm over the back of the sofa.

Hermione smiled. "I know what to get you two for Christmas, then."

"You know," Ron said as Hermione handed him back his glass. "I bet I can guess the year of this wine."

"No…" Ginny said as the three of them watched Ron swirl his glass, take a sip, and then swish it around in his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times as he thoughtfully considered the wine in question.

"2001," he finally said. Hermione immediately looked down at the bottle in her hands, as Harry stood to join her and look for himself.

"Is he right?" Ginny asked.

"How the hell...?" Harry asked as he and Hermione both looked back at Ron in surprise.

Ron shrugged and smiled. "I don't reveal my secrets."

"Wow, Ron," said Ginny, looking genuinely impressed. "Who knew you'd become such a wine connoisseur?"

"Not me." He laughed as he leaned back in his chair. "I saw the label when Hermione was pouring it earlier."

"I knew it…" Harry said, though Hermione and Ginny laughed. In an instant, the mood became considerably lighter. It was as if someone had sucked the present tension out of the room with a large hose; things felt amicable again. They felt friendly. Perhaps it was the wine, but even a few hours later, as the group now found themselves in various positions around the living room, talking and recollecting on the past, things felt as normal as could be. It, of course, didn't change the fact that things had changed, but the lack of apparent awkwardness on Ron and Hermione's part was a welcome relief to everyone.

"And the look on Ron's face," Hermione said from a chair. "It was priceless."

"I didn't see it!" Ginny said, grinning at her brother from the sofa.

"Of course you didn't see it," Ron said from the floor next to the chair Hermione was sitting in. "You were too busy snogging Harry!"

"I remember it," Harry said as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "I remember spending quite a few moments during sixth year wondering what Ron's reaction would be. He was the first person I was looking for in that room after we kissed."

"I wasn't mad," Ron said. "Just surprised."

"I was thrilled," Hermione said happily. "Still am."

"It all worked out in the end though, didn't it?" Ron asked as he glanced at Harry and Ginny on the sofa, where Ginny was learning comfortably onto Harry.

"Ron," Hermione said, looking down at him. "You really should have been there the day Harry proposed."

"You were pretty much the only one missing," Harry said, shaking his head. "It was as if I was putting on a performance."

"You were such a ball of nerves beforehand," Hermione said as she rested her head on her hand.

"I wasn't that bad," he said.

Ginny looked up at him and smiled. "He didn't seem very nervous," she said. "He went right to it and it was sweet."

"As sweet as it could have been in a loading dock," Harry joked.

"I can't believe you did it there," Ron said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I missed all of that." He sighed. "I miss everything, don't I?"

"No, just that," Harry said. "You'll be there for everything else."

"Yeah, well it seems like I miss everything," Ron said after he drained the bottom of the glass. "Or perhaps I'm just imagining things."

"You are," Harry said.

Ginny laughed. "Now you know how I felt for all those years, when it was just the three of you in that impenetrable bubble."

"Impenetrable?" Hermione asked with a smile. "I don't know if I would call it—"

"I would," Harry interrupted, taking another sip. "You two were my rock no matter what. I mean, you still are, but…" He trailed off. "Well, you know."

"Yeah," Ron said quietly as he stared at the ground. "We were a close group."

"We still are," Hermione said before she hiccupped. "I mean, I like to think we are." She hiccupped again. "Can be, could be…whatever."

"Well, it's different now," Harry said, staring at both Ron and Hermione and his face suddenly harder. "And to be completely honest, it's crap."

Ginny elbowed him in the side.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked in a genuinely curious tone.

"You know exactly what it means," he said obviously.

"I may have an idea," she said, "but, Harry, if you have something to say—"

"You really need me to say it?" he asked. "You want me to say how crap it is for my two oldest and best friends in the world to barely speak to each other for the last year? How the two people who have been to hell and back with me, and have dealt with things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, act as if their breakup affected no one else but themselves?"

Hermione and Ron said nothing. Ginny sat up. "Well, then," she said awkwardly, "I think that's enough wine."

"Harry," Hermione said finally, sitting up straight. "I know Ron and I haven't exactly made things easy for you," she glanced at Ron, who kept his eyes focused on the floor, "or for you, Ginny. We're both probably guilty of being selfish for making you deal with us and choose between us, but we're working on it. I miss the good old days as much as you do, but all I can offer is that I'm more than willing to work on things now. I can't speak for Ron—"

"No, you can," he said, not looking up. "I feel the same way."

"And tonight is a step in the right direction," she continued. "I've had fun and I've laughed with Ron and you like we haven't done in a long time."

"Yeah..." Ron nodded in agreement.

The room went quiet again as Harry suddenly rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I've had too much to drink and I've just got a lot on my mind. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's okay," Ron said once he finally looked up. "You just said what we all knew you were thinking."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have just gone off like that on the two of you."

Ron smirked. "But Harry, that's what you do."

"He's right," Hermione agreed. "It is sort of your thing."

"Oh, thanks," he said sarcastically, but smiled somewhat guiltily at the two of them.

"We just speak the truth," Ron said before he stood up and stretched her arms. "On that note, I think I'm going to take off."

"I should probably get going, too," Hermione said as she checked the clock on the wall.

"Are you still staying at Mum and Dad's, Ron?" Ginny asked, just as she and Harry stood with them.

"Yeah," he said as he started to walk towards the door. "I haven't really had a chance to look for a new place yet."

"I'm surprised you're not staying with George," Hermione said.

"He's got a flatmate now," Ron said before he opened the front door. "I didn't really expect him to keep the room empty once I moved to Paris." He pulled on his cloak. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. Night all."

"Hey, Ron," Hermione called after him. "Wait a second." She turned back towards Harry and Ginny. "I'll see you later."

"Don't forget your dress," Ginny said to Hermione as she walked quickly into the guest room to fetch it for her. Harry leaned against the door frame observing both Ron and Hermione as they stood there. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ginny reappeared and handed Hermione her dress before he could.

"Bye," Hermione said as she took several steps outside towards Ron. The sound of the door being shut behind them reverberated into the street.

"What's up?" Ron asked as she approached.

"I meant what I said in there," she said while she folded her garment bag over her arm, "about wanting to make our friendship work again."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I did too."

"Okay," she said with a half smile. "I just don't want things to be weird. I want to be able to hang out with you like we used to."

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

"Great," she said with an awkward glance down the street. "Well, goodnight, then."

"Yeah. Night," he said as he observed her before she suddenly disappeared with a small pop. He hesitated as he stared at the spot she had just been standing in for a long moment before he glanced both ways to make sure no one was looking. Within seconds, he, too, disappeared.