Ron's thoughts had been racing in circles for hours. After he found out she had run away successfully he didn't have the energy to yell at her accomplice: His sister. He couldn't understand why she had to avoid him. He didn't need to touch her just to talk with her! No matter how much he wanted to. He kept thinking about her, over and over again. He decided to go over every detail again to see if he had missed anything.
After he had found out that she "cheated" in seventh year, he couldn't feel anything for days. His heart felt like each half was on an opposite side of his body. Ginny and Harry had tried to comfort him but he knew that it was just as painful for them. They lost Hermione as a friend. After a couple of weeks he decided that he deserved an explanation from Hermione. He was going to ask why she thought some other boy was so much more attractive, so much more desirable than he, that she should go and shag him? Why she wanted to wait when the subject was brought up between them but all of a sudden she was so ready with another guy. He remembers trying to catch her alone in the common room, during studying in the library, even with everyone around in the Great Hall at meal times, anything to see her but she seemed to know his every move, and she had no intention on seeing him. From her behavior, he knew she seemed ashamed which only reinforced that the cheating was in fact true even though he didn't see her with anyone else.
So he was down to one best friend from the original crew. Harry was always there to help him out but he just plain missed Hermione. He missed her face and the way she argues with him. She stopped going to classes, which was extremely upsetting. He didn't think she'd every get out of seventh year but she passed one N.E.W.T. that got her into the Muggle world duties. He couldn't believe that either. The Aurors would be missing out on a great Witch.
He actually got enough N.E.W.T.s to work at the Ministry of Magic with the new program of the "Defense Against Dark Magic". Harry, being also an Auror, taught the basic defense spells (a refresher course if you will) to older Witches and Wizards and even more advice on Voldemort no one had ever learned before. It was absolutely brilliant and everyone felt safer because of it. Ginny and Harry were becoming closer as everyone foresaw but they still weren't an official item. Harry kept it that way on purpose much to Ginny's efforts otherwise. He, however, was so lonely he almost couldn't stand it. He thought he fell in love a couple of times after he graduated but each time the relationship ended with the girl saying to him, "I know that when you look at me and say that you love me, you're seeing someone else." He tried to deny it. Even begged a couple of them to come back, but he knew deep down, it was true. All he wanted was Hermione.
A couple really low periods in his life, he got so restless and so caught up in memories that he was determined to find Hermione. He didn't care where she was, he was going to see her. He finally got a hold of the Muggle Department and their formerly active members. Hermione's name was on there but not a current address. After some digging someone said they thought she was around the same flat. So he took a map and went out a couple of days to search. Nothing came of it and he felt stupid. Trying to find one person in the entire city of Muggle London? Good luck!
When Fred asked him back to the burrow for a meal with the family it sounded really good so he decided to take a little break and go there. The last thing he was expecting to see was Hermione. When he saw her, she took his breath away. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked and all he wanted to do was say hello to her. Then we she turned and walked out of the room, the anger from seventh year came flooding back with that demand for an explanation suddenly flaring up again.
He slept on the couch because his brothers had taken over his room again. Grabbing his customary late night snack was enjoyable when he heard someone stumble on the stairs. He looked, and there was Hermione standing there with a loaded suitcase looking scared out of her mind. He was just in briefs and a t-shirt and feeling a little sheepish due to his lack of clothing when she made a move towards the fireplace. He tried to sit her down and ask her why she was leaving. He couldn't help but try and hug her. He wanted to feel her warmth and have her in his arms again. He felt the pain of the Cruciatus Curse and immediately wondered why she was cursing him! She didn't have a wand so he looked around expecting to see Voldemort in the room. Realizing that it was just her and him he became extremely confused and angry at her again. Then he saw her crying and his heart leapt to his throat. Hearing her trying to explain that it wasn't her, she couldn't tell him why and then the part that confused him the most, her telling him that she didn't actually cheat on him. His heart stopped pounding in his chest, but his head started to ache like it did in school when he was cramming for one of Snape's potions exams.
The next time she tried to leave, he was ready. Determined to get everything he knew out of her, he stayed awake until he heard her coming down the stairs once again. Of course he got hit with the curse again, it always took him a couple of times to learn things. He was glad he said he thought about her a lot and it made him feel things he hadn't felt in years when she said, "I think about you all of the time."
When Ginny helped her escape behind his back he felt betrayed. He asked Ginny where she lived but it was like talking to a brick wall now with her. Even Harry had to ask Ginny why she was acting so different. Ginny knew something but she wasn't telling anyone.
He had to go back to work again soon but he wanted to uncover this mystery. He drifted off to an uneasy sleep. He started to dream of Hermione and how he wished what he saw of them was actually happening.