Apology

Sometimes 'I'm sorry' doesn't make things better.

The second she stepped out of the car she regretted coming. 'So much for feeling better'. She though sadly to herself as Harry grabbed her hand and dragged her towards to door. This was destined to be a disaster.

The evening started off slowly and Hermione found herself with her heart in her throat a few times as people asked how Ron was. "I wouldn't know." Was her current favorite response. Why did it seem like he followed her everywhere? Even when they were no longer together she just couldn't get away. So she enjoyed the open bar and soon was feeling a little bit better about herself.

Harry reintroduced her to all his team mates and she found a few of them surprisingly attractive. It was only a surprise because she hadn't really found anybody attractive in the last few months, unless you count Cary Grant…but nobody seemed to.

"Hermione?" She froze as she heard an all too familiar voice behind her. She couldn't move. She couldn't blink. She couldn't breathe. "My God Hermione you look fantastic." Putting on the fakest smile she ever had, she turned. It was him. It was them. It was her. Hermione thought she was going to vomit.

"Hello Ron." Harry heard her whisper across the room and would've been there in a heartbeat…if he hadn't been in the middle of a conversation with the new head of the Ministry for Sports. But for Hermione, the whole world had slowed down. It seemed like every second lasted a lifetime and every breath was a struggle. Her nails dug into her hands and she felt blood wet her palms. She was angry and upset and wanted to disappear. "I was under the impression you were still at Hogwarts."

"Oh yea, got the night off just for this. It's nice to see everyone again. Will you go get me some champagne?" He said quietly to the girl on his arm, not taking his eyes off his former flame.

"Of course I will Ron." She replied kissing him softly on the cheek and delivering an icy glare in Hermione's direction.

"It's great to see you, you know." He said softly. "It's been quite some time." She nodded in agreement.

"So how's your little whore and have you cheated on her yet?" Hermione couldn't help it. The words just slipped out. She had a feeling there would be more before the night was through.

"That's unfair." He said, looking down at the floor.

"Is it? Is it really?" The tone of her voice had raised an octave. "Ron…" he slowly raised his head and looked up at her. "How could you do it?"

"I just." He let out a big sigh and looked straight into her eyes. She felt the tears rising again and tried desperately to fight them. Tried desperately not to start drowning again. "I just couldn't say."

"That's all? All that we built. Those years of friendship. You destroyed it all."

"I know." He said with a bitter tone.

"You lied to me. To my face. And that's not okay."

"I know." The bitterness was softer now.

"I really loved you."

"I know." It was gone now. "I loved you the most." A lone tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away before he even noticed. There had been plenty of times she'd cried that he hadn't noticed. Hermione started to walk over to where Harry was standing. He'd had his eyes on her the whole time, and she knew it. "I'm sorry." She stopped and turned to face Ron again. His apology had been exactly what she wanted to hear, but now that she had heard it…it really didn't mean anything.

"No you're not. If you were truly sorry…you wouldn't have done it. It's not like you slip and fall into a sexual relationship. I just wish…" She took a deep breath and stopped herself. "You're apologizing because you think it will make you feel better. News flash: it won't. You feel guilty because you did something you knew was wrong. And no matter how many girls you're fucking; what you did to me will always be wrong. Somewhere around the corner, karma is going to catch up with you and fuck you over, just like you did to me. And I hope you have friends to help you through it. Because what you did, made you lose a lot of them. Goodbye Ron. I will never forgive you. But I will try my hardest to forget you." And with that, Hermione Granger began her exit.

However, before she got very far, she ran into the one person she hated even more than Ron. Hannah looked up at her with a haughty air. As if she wanted to really hit home the fact that she had won.

"It was nice to see you Hermione." She said mockingly. Hermione raised her head and took a deep breath. And with all the hurt and pain she could muster behind it, she punched Hannah Abbott in the face.

"It was nice hitting you Hannah." And with that, Hermione Granger finished her exit.

A few days later and Harry still wouldn't speak to her. She had tried calling/owling him a few times, but he was obviously angry about the disaster that was the Quidditch Benefit. So she took it upon herself to visit him at home.

Apparating inside Harry's flat was always an adventure. The wards he had created asked you multiple questions about who you were, how you knew Harry and about the man himself. After saying her favorite bath oil, a snippet of the time turner story and explaining Harry's favorite boxers, she was finally granted entrance. He was waiting for her.

"I'm angry with you right now."

"You're not allowed to be angry with me; I'm emotionally unstable."

"That was a really low thing you did to Hannah."

"She deserved it. And you knew I would if I was given the opportunity. I'd TOLD you that I would if I had a chance. In fact I should've done it ages ago it made me feel great. Well…maybe my hand didn't feel fantastic, but after I healed the broken bones I was ecstatic." Harry managed a small smile. "See! You thought she deserved it too."

"Maybe she deserved it, but I didn't deserve the humiliation of a having a picture of my date punching Ron Weasely's playmate out on the front page of the Prophet for three days." Hermione shrugged.

"Casualty of war." She walked over and sat next to him on the couch, snuggling up in her favorite position with her head on his shoulder. "But it was an excellent hit; wasn't it?"

"Truly magnificent." He said chuckling.

"Good. Want to watch Sabrina?"

"Back onto the Audrey I see."

"She was one of the most amazing hidden witches of her time. Someone truly to be admired. I've been thinking of being an actress myself…do you think I'm damaged enough?"

"If anyone is damaged enough…it's you." He said softly, tightening his arms around her. "I have been thinking about what you should do though."

"What do you mean?"

"You're unhappy."

"Wow…am I that transparent?" She said flatly. He sighed and shook her.

"You should go to school." She looked up at him with a confused look. "The winter semester at the university starts in January."

"Harry, I would never get in." She hissed. "They only allow a certain number in a year and I think I missed my chance to study under Prospero."

"Do you really think so lowly of yourself? The Hermione I used to know thought she could do anything. And she did." He took a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. "At least talk to him."

"But that would mean I would have to leave London."

"Wales isn't so bad. You'd be on the ocean. And we could finally use those mirrors that Sirius and my dad had." She started to say something but he stopped her. "I fixed it."

"I don't know."

"Promise me you'll give it a try? I happen to know that Prospero is in London until tomorrow night. And being the fantastic best friend I am I got you an interview for tomorrow." She made a surprised noise.

"That was awfully presumptuous of you. What would you have done if I hadn't come over to quasi-apologize tonight?"

"Dragged you there." He said bluntly. She looked up and him and he was smiling. "Tomorrow then?" He said softly as he flicked his wand and the movie started.

"Tomorrow."

Standing outside the Savoy Hotel, Hermione's mind was going a million miles a minute. She could see this definitely being a huge mistake. But then she heard Harry's annoying voice in her head and she realized he was right. What did she have to lose?

She couldn't sit still and standing in a crowed elevator, feeling claustrophobic was not an attractive option. So she took the stairs. She found it amazing how it cleared her head and when she stepped onto the landing on the seventh floor she was feeling confident and intelligent, two traits that had abandoned her the last few months.

Prospero was…indescribable. And, as she excitedly told Harry that evening, completely ancient. They had chatted for upwards of two hours. He explained how impressed he had been with her work during the war and how lucky she had been to work so closely with Dumbledore, one of Prospero's most successful students. But the biggest surprise, she said with a grin on her face, was that Prospero had been hoping that she would apply. In fact he had thought she would've applied directly after the war, he'd had a space open for her for years! Harry smiled at her glowing face, but wasn't particularly surprised.

"It was the most amazing afternoon." Hermione gushed.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. He is an interesting old coot I'll give him that."

"I can't believe this is happening!" He grabbed her hand across the table in the restaurant where they were enjoying some exceptional Indian curries.

"When do you leave?"

"I'm going to leave a couple days after Christmas I believe. It'll be really nice to start all over again." The breath in Harry's throat caught.

"What about all of us here, in London?"

"Well of course I was going to ask you to come with me for the first two weeks to help get me settled!" She grinned and he smiled back, his breath starting to return to normal. She wasn't just leaving him. He had become attached to her the last couple months. Maybe they were spending too much time together. And sure she could be a royal bitch…but knowing that he could help her in a way that nobody else could kept drawing him back. He was her best friend and she was his. "And although I am excited to get out of London, I'm going to miss some of you."

"Just some of us?" He teased.

"I'm going to miss you Harry. You've been the best friend I could've asked for. And you can count on me calling you up and bothering you every day while I'm gone."

"I'll expect it."

"Thank you for pushing me into this."

"I didn't push you. I just finally made a suggestion that made sense to you. You've done great things Hermione and I fully expect you to continue." He held up his wine glass and looked at her fondly. "To new beginnings and old friendships."

"I'll drink to that."

A/N okay, extremely random. Some of it is clearly not mine (slip and fall into sexual relationships goes out to he's just not that into you. Some of the conversation between Ron and Hermione is a song by the Stars. Prospero is the wizard from the Tempest) but some of it is most definitely mine…mostly things I didn't have the guts to do/say but I'm glad Hermione did. I hope you enjoyed it.