Six Years Later (2004) \\ The Beginning of Forever and Always \\ WICELA
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series nor everything that comes with it. The rights go to J. K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the holes in her stories that I filled with my fantasies.
Ron Weasley wasn't exactly exited to finally go to work. His Auror education had been a few years longer than it should be, because he skipped his last year at Hogwarts and he had worked with George for a while. Now he had finally the paperwork that proved his qualities as Auror, he didn't want to be at the ministry. Especially since he and Hermione broke up. All because of everything. Because she left to do her last year at Hogwarts with Ginny. Because Ron couldn't deal with the people who died at the war, like Harry. Because Hermione was superior in everything and Ron was just Ron, but with a lot of money now. Harry got over himself and did his Auror education in two years. He had so much field-experience already that he didn't had to prove himself. Hermione got after Hogwarts a job in the Department of Magical Creatures, where she fought for the lives and rights of House-Elfs, werewolves, centaurs and many more magical creatures (Project Dobby was one of the campaigns she had done for them). With that, Ron just stayed Ron. He did his Auror education in four and a half year and today his first day begun. His boss? Harry Potter. Ron couldn't speed his Auror education up, just because he already had done some field-work. Just because of his name and he had helped Harry Potter in a way, it wasn't right to give him a free spot. He had helped Harry Potter in a way. Yeah. Right. Somehow Ron was afraid that they knew that he'd left Harry and Hermione for some time. That part was also something he and Hermione hadn't exactly talked about. It was all just too strange. Harry and he weren't on the best of terms either, because Harry could somehow smell his jealousy of his jacket. Not that he was jealous, of course. Why would he? Hermione had told him not to worry about it and that Harry wasn't exactly happy with it either, but sometimes when Ron opened up his paper and he saw a page about his best mate, he wanted it to be him to stand there. Oh of course his name was mentioned too. Somewhere in a corner, upside down and misspelled or something. It was like he wasn't even there. He could've been standing upside down, running naked into the Ministry and nobody would notice him. Don't worry, Hermione had said. She didn't get why he even wanted the attention, because - 'if you look at Harry with all the paparazzi he and Ginny have in their life, I'd better be you, because that's a lot easier'. Like that was cheering him up in any way. Of course she didn't mean it that way, but she had said it in that way. It wasn't easy anymore. It wasn't how-to-survive-Hogwarts in the most literally way possible. It was somehow peaceful and Ron didn't buy it. He couldn't handle all the…peace. It sounded strange, but it was true. He didn't had a goal. So Hermione and he weren't at good times. Ron's stress, Hermione the workaholic, Ron's jealousy, Hermione's irritations and the fact they fought more than they made love. So, together they decided that space would help them. And they forgot the fact where Hermione worked at the ministry, as Ron did, showed up at Harry's, as he did, and she showed even up by the Weasley-family-meetings, as he of course did. Hermione was family, he knew that, but it wasn't exactly easy. The last two months had been easy, because of the fact he had his study, which was been somewhere else than the ministry and they only saw each other at the other two occasions, but now? Could he handle it to see her?
"Here goes nothing." And he walked to the ministry. When he step into the lift, he saw Hermione already. This was going really smooth, then.
"Morning Kingsley, Diggle." When she suddenly saw Ron, she added: "Weasley."
"Morning Granger." They answered in unison. It was strange to hear her call him 'Weasley' like it was strange to call her 'Granger', but Ron knew more like any other how custom it was to call everyone with their last name. Kingsley and Diggle were having a conversation about something Ron didn't know anything about, while he and Hermione just didn't look to each other.
"This reminds me of the time when we got into here, do you remember?" Ron didn't even know why he said it, but it slipped. Hermione suddenly looked up and laughed a bit.
"Yeah, strange was that. The security is ten times better now, but you already know that as an Auror." She smiled.
"You know, I see your brother Percy very often these days. He's only running to his office by the time I already have my first cup of coffee."
"Coffee?"
"Oh, forgot to tell you, but they have a lot of muggle drinks on the menu. I see your dad also very often, but he's on time." She smiled.
"Something wrong with Percy?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"You should talk to him. I think he really likes that and also think about the last time you spoke him!"
"Hermione, if you want to talk to him, talk. I won't."
"But he's your brother!"
"And you're my ex-girlfriend!" With that, Ron stepped out of the lift. This was the floor he needed to be. He saw the face Hermione dropping and he just walked along. Maybe it wasn't that bad having Harry as his boss. He could talk to Harry and he would cheer him up. And Percy? Well, that was none of Hermione's business anymore, was it?