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A/N Ron is OOC in this chapter. Tsk tsk.

Ron picked up the plate and threw it at the wall. The plate smashed and the food stained the wall, dropping onto the floor below. He stormed into the back garden and paced, lighting up a cigarette. Hermione woke when the plate hit the wall and sat up in bed. She got up and slipped her wand into the waistband of her shorts.

"I didn't know you smoked..."

Ron turned around quickly and glared at Hermione. He took a deliberately long pull and blew it out as he looked at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to go back inside before the smell of smoke got in the house.

"Don't smoke in the house" she called over her shoulder as she vanished the mess from the wall and floor, then climbed the stairs.

Hermione woke in the morning to an empty house. She knew that Harry went to his office earlier than Ron so she owled him immediately.

"Harry,

Where is the warehouse that Draco is sorting? Also, how can I attract his attention without breaking my leg?

All my love,

Hermione xxx"

Across the country Harry chuckled as he read the note from Hermione. He stroked her owl and gave him an owl treat before writing his reply, cursing as the owl spread his wings and knocked over his inkwell.

"Mione,

It's Warehouse 7B on the dock road in Liverpool. As long as your wand isn't in your hand you can just knock on the door and he'll hear it. You won't break your leg.

You and Ron should come round soon for a few drinks. Molly's been asking when she can see the kids again, she can have them by babysit.

Love Harry x"

Hermione was just getting out of the shower when she heard her owl hooting in the living room. She ran down wrapped in a towel and took the note from her owl. She laughed as she read it and dropped it on the coffee table before going to finish getting ready.

Half an hour later she was walking to the warehouse where Draco worked. She knocked on the door lightly, afraid that the metal would hurt her knuckles. She only had to wait seconds until the door creaked open. She cringed at the sound of metal on metal and looked to see Draco pulling the same face.

"Hermione?" Asked Draco, looking thoroughly confused as to why she was wandering around Liverpool.

"Good morning Draco. Um, how are you? You left your change in the cafe..."

"God Hermione, you didn't have to come all the way to Liverpool to give it to me!"

"Well... You might have needed it..."

Draco laughed and beckoned her into the warehouse. She stepped around him and stood awkwardly, waiting for him to close the door. She frowned as the room darkened considerably as the door shut. She smiled as she noticed the flickering blue lights floating in the air.

"How do you work in this place? It's so dark..."

"There's not much I can do until Arthur Weasley's department can get here..."

"I'll help if you like... I can make it a bit lighter I think"

Ten minutes later Hermione put the finishing touches to her charms and pocketed her wand. She picked up her cloak and dusted it off before putting it back on. She cast a final heating spell on the warehouse before picking up her briefcase.

"Okay then Draco, got to go to work now."

Draco stood quickly from his position on the floor and rushed over to her. He fixed the collar on her cloak and smiled.

"Thanks for that, feels warmer already. And I can see now!"

Hermione smiled and told him it was fine. She turned to walk to the door and paused with her hand on the door handle. She put her briefcase back down and turned back towards Draco. He looked at her questioningly as she put her hand in her cloak pocket. She pulled out all the money Draco left and handed it to him.

"I almost forgot."

Hermione turned and left, after checking there was no one around she turned on the spot and disappeared before Draco had a chance to say anything.

Ron went to work angry that morning. He left early and arrived at Harry's office just as he sent off Hermione's owl. He recognised it at once and glared at Harry.

"What have I done?" He asked, standing and picking up his wand and some papers he needed to give to Kingsley.

"She went out with Malfoy yesterday. And she caught me smoking. She doesn't even care."

"Oh... Hang on, you're annoyed that she didn't get angry with you for smoking?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. It's like she doesn't even care. She should shout at me for it, not tell me not to smoke in the house."

"Ron is that the only reason you smoke? I know you don't really understand biology, but it messes up your lungs"

"I know mate. I don't know. Seamus gave me one when I was drunk, I just want them all the time."

"Great, you're addicted."

"Am not!"

"And you've regressed, fantastic!"

"Shut up Harry!"

Harry laughed and they walked out of his office together, Harry heading to Kingsley's office and Ron to his cubicle. As Ron walked past the other aurors cubicles he heard his work mates laughing as they crowded into Greene's desk. He walked over to see what they were talking about.

"...And then he got blasted in the air and snap! There goes his leg! I swear he's not meant to be an auror! I mean, I can understand Malfoy not listening properly but Weasley? I told you he should have taken the exams. He wouldn't have got in I don't think. No one thinks he's cut out for it! I do feel quite sorry for Malfoy, apparently there was gravel embedded in his arse!"

Ron was livid as the other aurors agreed and jeered with Greene. He barged through the crowd and slammed his fist on Greene's desk. They all stared at him with wide eyes and some tried to hide their smirks.

"Weasley..." Drawled Robertson, another auror. "What are you doing here? You're not normally in this early..."

Ron glared at him and turned back to Greene.

"If you had said clearly what you meant I'd never have broken my leg!"

"Weasley, how much clearer do you need 'Weasley, stop moving! Get away from the door!" to be?" sneered Robertson again.

The others laughed and Ron felt his neck get hot as it went bright red. He turned and faced Robertson and moved towards him.

"I didn't see you there Robertson, how do you know..."

"Of course you didn't see me you dolt. I'm the protection. I was on the roof ready to stun anyone who got too close!"

"Don't! Call me a dolt."

"Or what Weasley?" Robertson goaded.

The smirk faded from his face to replaced by a look of fury as Ron pointed his wand in his face. He was breathing fast and his face was red. He was glaring at Robertson and was about to jinx him when his wand flew out of his hand. Ron turned violently and saw Harry standing in the doorway holding his wand.

"Harry? What the fuck?"

"Weasley, I'll thank you not to swear in work." Said the head of the aurors, "Now, you will leave this office without any more threats of violence and you will not come back until I tell you so. Consider yourself suspended."

Ron gaped at his boss, then at Harry. He looked back at Greene, Robertson and the others as they tried not to laugh. He turned on his heel, walked to Harry who handed him his wand, and left the office.

Once at home Ron pushed the magazines off the coffee table and put his feet on it, he pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. Inhaling deeply he savoured the slightly minty taste of the menthols he had bought. He spent the day smoking and eating whatever junk food he could find, whilst watchinf reruns of various shows on TV. This is how Hermione found him when she arrived home.

As soon as she opened the door she smelt the smoke. She cleared her throat and walked in, putting her things away as she did so. She grimaced at the sight in front of her; magazines on the floor, chocolate wrappers everywhere, chocolate frog cards frisbeed all over the room and glass bottles of butterbeer lying around. Ron was lying on the couch with a cigarette hanging out of his lips, flicking through the channels.

Hermione sighed and walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bin bag out of a the drawer and walked back into the living room. She started picking up bottles and wrappers until the room was fairly tidy. She sat down next to him turned the tv off.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ron, tell me what's wrong?"

"Got suspended from work."

"What? Why?"

Ron sat up and rubbed his eyes. He put the cigarette out in Hermione's pot plant and looked at her. He seemed close to tears and Hermione felt so much pity for him in that instant. She put her hand on his knee and rubbed it slightly.

"People were saying I don't deserve my job and if I had to do auror training I wouldn't pass. So, I got angry and ended up nearly attacking Robertson when Harry and the head walked in. Harry disarmed me and I got suspended..."

Hermione sighed and shook her head.

"Oh go on then, tell me how perfect Hermione would have dealt with it?"

Hermione looked at Ron in shock and took her hand off his knee. She sat back into the couch and looked at him critically. Ron sighed and leant back too.

"Sorry, I'm just upset."

"Thank you, while I agree that Robertson shouldn't have said what he did I also think you shouldn't have reacted how you did. I think if I was in your boss's position I would have suspended you too."

Ron looked at Hermione disbelievingly and went to stand up and walk out.

"Ron wait. Listen to me, I've been thinking about what I said yesterday. I really think you're clinging on to the past too much. I know none of us really had our teenage years but that's just a fact of life. You need to start acting like a proper adult. And before you protest think about it, would an adult react the way you did today?"

"...No"

"No, an adult would react in a rational manner and tell him to keep his opinions to himself. You've worked on a lot of hard jobs with Harry and coped haven't you? Why does it matter what they think of you?"

"Because I've never had anything Hermione, I've always been the one in the background who had shit all."

Hermione felt stung to think that he thought they had shit all, that they were shit all. But she kept it to herself and let Ron speak.

"You were the clever one, Harry was the brave one and I was the poor one who bungled along with you..."

He finished speaking and Hermione thought about what he had said. Whilst she agreed in some aspects, in others she didn't.

"But... Harry was the one with no parents, who Voldermort was trying to kill. I was the mudblood with the bushy hair and big teeth. You were the popular Quidditch goalie with an amazing family. You're just thinking of things in a pessimistic way."

Ron shrugged and looked at the floor, he was stung that Hermione wasn't agreeing with him. Things weren't going his way at the minute and he didn't like it one jot.

"Why can't you just let me feel sorry for myself?"

"Because I don't see the point in it Ron. Frankly we have a brilliant life compared to some people, even in your family! Look at Bill, he's depressed about his scars and his relationship with Fleur is suffering. Look at George, he's lost his best friend."

"I've lost him too!" Ron said hotly, glaring at Hermione.

"I know you have. Please stop jumping down my throat."

"Everything's about you isn't it Hermione? I've been suspended from work and I'm ventng my frustration, but I'm not allowed to. No, suddenly I'm jumping down your throat."

Hermione breathed out slowly, trying not to immediately get angry. She was so irritable at the moment anyway, and for Ron to shout at her when he was the one who'd been suspended for a stupid reason was likely going to make her erupt.

"Frankly Ronald, the suspension was your own fault. You're not even complaining about that now. If you look at everything in a negative way then things are going to be negative."

"I'm going out."

Ron stood up and grabbed his jacket, he walked to the door and stopped. Hermione watched him as his head turned slightly to the left. When she said nothing he opened the door and turned around.

"Don't wait up for me."

Hermione sighed as the door slammed and picked up her wand. She began vanishing bottles and wrappers that Ron had left, then put her feet on the couch and picked up the TV remote, spending the rest of the night watching crap TV seemed like a good idea to her.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, especially who has kept me entertained with lovely messages :)