Disclaimer: characters and world owned by JK Rowling

The next day, Saturday, Hermione and Remus were visited by Harry and Ginny, 'making sure they were okay' but really Hermione knew that they were there because Ginny was suspicious of what was going on. Her friend's attitude saddened Hermione, but then she felt a twinge of guilt, she was cheating on her fiancé after all.

After finding no evidence to suggest that anything untoward was going on, Harry and Ginny left an hour later. As soon as they had gone Hermione breathed out in relief. Ginny's anger towards her was causing a horrible atmosphere. Remus rubbed her back reassuringly and Hermione allowed him to comfort her for a moment.

They didn't have time to relax because not long after they were surprised by a visit from Kingsley and Tonks, who were both amazed at Remus's return. Hermione struggled to explain how it had happened, she didn't want to mention the Resurrection Stone in front of the Minister for Magic because she knew he'd confiscate such a dangerous magical item- she wanted to avoid anything that threatened her tenuous existence with Remus.

They stayed for a couple of hours but left just before lunchtime. Hermione showed them to the door and Kingsley drew her aside and asking her, in a low voice, if she really was okay and warning her to be careful. She looked at him in surprise- she was so happy that Remus was back that she couldn't understand why Kingsley was so wary of it.

That afternoon, Hermione and Remus walked around the village arm-in-arm, looking like any other couple. They sat in the park and talked for a while, watching the ducks swimming in the pond and listening to the laughter of children playing on the grass. They strolled slowly back to Hermione's apartment and they spent the evening cuddled up on the sofa watching Saturday night television.

When she grew tired Hermione stretched out on the sofa and rested her head on Remus's lap, pleased that he felt as real as he always did. As she began to drift off, her mind went over the day's events, thinking about the people who had visited them. A thought niggled at the back of her mind- she still hadn't had to deal with the person who would be one of the angriest about Hermione's situation: Mrs Weasley. Her stomach clenched with anxiety but the gradually thought faded as she finally fell asleep.

On Sunday morning Hermione awoke in her bed. She turned over and saw Remus lying on his side facing her, his head propped up on his hand. There was a tender smile on his face as he watched her. When he noticed that she was awake he picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it lightly.

'Good morning,' he said softly.

'Mmm morning,' Hermione murmured sleepily. She viewed him through barely-open eyes. 'Did you carry me to bed last night?'

He nodded. 'But I was a perfect gentleman, as always,' he joked.

'No, I wasn't thinking about that,' Hermione said, stretching. 'You're just very strong, that's all.' She smiled up at him. 'What do you want to do today?'

He thought for a moment. 'Hmm, I don't know, anything you want.'

'It seems like the weather's bad again,' she said, listening to the sound of rainfall outside. 'Do you want to go to the cinema? We'll find something nice to watch.'

Remus nodded as Hermione's stomach growled. 'You need breakfast first,' he said, touching her stomach gently with a smile.

She got up and went into the kitchen, Remus following her. She decided she would have porridge, and began preparing it on the stove.

A flash of blue light appeared from the living room and Hermione frowned, realising it was someone contacting her via the Floo Network. She looked at the clock, it was barely nine o' clock- it was a bit early for callers.

Leaving Remus in the kitchen she went into the living room and saw that there were roaring blue flames in the hearth. She threw some Floo powder in, allowing the caller to connect with her fireplace. Mrs Weasley's stern face appeared in the blue flames and Hermione gasped slightly.

'Hermione,' the older witch said, her voice cold.

'Mrs Weasley,' Hermione said quietly, sitting down and waiting for what she knew must be coming.

'Ron came to see me yesterday,' Mrs Weasley began and Hermione sighed. 'He told me that you've been living with another man.' Her voice had become dangerously low.

'Remus has returned,' Hermione said, and Mrs Weasley showed no wonder at her words- Ron had probably told her everything. 'And he's been staying with me at my apartment.'

Mrs Weasley glared at her. 'And who think it's appropriate for you to be inviting another man into your home when you're engaged to be married?'

'Mrs Weas-'

The older witch interrupted her. 'Ron's your fiancé, Hermione and what you're doing is hurting him!' Her voice had become shrill. 'He's thinking all sorts of things!'

'Mrs Weasley, I-'

'I would have never believed it of you, Hermione, how could you-'

'Molly,' Remus said in a deep, calm tone. He'd just entered the living room and had glanced at Hermione, giving her a reassuring look.

'Remus,' Mrs Weasley said with an angry nod. 'What have you got to say for yourself, imposing on one of your ex-students - a young woman - who is soon to be married!?'

'Molly, I have never taken advantage of Hermione,' he said solemnly. 'I am sorry that I have caused problems in Hermione and Ron's relationship- that was never my intention.'

Upon hearing his words and his calm, gentle voice Mrs Weasley seemed to calm down. She glanced from Remus to Hermione and finally she said, 'I see... I still thinks it's inappropriate for you to be living with her though, Remus- you should make other arrangements.'

Remus nodded, Hermione lowered her head, everything Mrs Weasley was saying was true but she didn't have the energy to deal with Ron's mother anymore. Mrs Weasley met Remus's eye again and spoke almost begrudgingly. 'Arthur is happy about your return, Remus, and he wants to see you. I suppose... it would be alright if you came to Sunday lunch next week with Hermione, if you wish.'

'Of course Molly,' Remus said quietly.

Mrs Weasley turned to Hermione. 'You should talk to Ron,' she said sternly, and then her face disappeared from the fireplace.

As soon as she'd gone, Hermione let out a shuddering breath. Tears stung in her eyes in the aftermath of the confrontation, guilt churning sickeningly in her stomach. She considered the situation she found herself in, a situation of her own making - had the war really destroyed her so completely that she couldn't do the decent, brave thing?

Remus pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head on his chest.

'She's right,' Hermione whispered as Remus began to stroke her hair. 'He has to know the truth, I'm going to speak to Ron.'

'So what are you going to say to him?' Remus asked Hermione for the second time in half an hour.

They were lying in bed, ready to go to sleep and they'd been talking about Hermione's situation with Ron for the last few minutes.

'I'm going to talk to Ron and call the wedding off and... break up with him,' she said, the finality of it hitting her suddenly. 'But, Remus... do you really think I should do it at a family dinner at his parents' house? All those Weasleys- I can't stand the thought of humiliating him in front of them...'

'Just ask to speak to him in private,' Remus said. 'I know it's going to be difficult but doing it at the Burrow is probably for the best, his family will be there to support him and I'll be there to help you if things get out of hand.'

'Ok,' Hermione sighed. She leaned over and turned off the lamp at the side of her bed.

'I know you don't want to hurt Ron, but this is the best thing to do- the only thing you can do,' he said firmly. 'To be honest, I should be having a word or two with him, after he was so rough with you. In fact-'

'Remus, please don't,' Hermione said quickly. 'Me and Ron have already sorted that out. You're just going to make things worse if you say something. It's already going to be bad enough. Oh… it's going to be horrible!'

'Shh,' Remus murmured, stroking her hair. 'It will all be over in a few hours.'

'I know,' she breathed, a feeling of dread beginning in her stomach.

She curled up next to Remus, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. Despite her worries, she found herself gradually falling asleep.

The morning whizzed by and Hermione's trepidation about the day increased as the time that they had to leave drew nearer- she felt like she'd swallowed live snakes. Molly was serving lunch at one o'clock; Hermione and Remus weren't arriving much before then so they didn't have to endure any small talk.

Hermione felt nervous about seeing Ron. She hadn't seen him all week and they'd barely spoken. She'd only called him once and their conversation had been strained- to say the least. She hadn't planned exactly when she was going to tell him but she knew she didn't want to endure a two-course Sunday lunch with Ron and his family.

Hermione was ready to go but she stalled for time, fussing with her bag and coat. Eventually she took the Resurrection Stone and slipped it into a zipped pocket and turned to Remus.

'Ok, let's get this over with,' she said resignedly. She took out her wand and disapparated, reappearing instantly in the little lane near the Burrow.

She took out the Stone and turned it on her palm until Remus appeared to her. Together they walked along the lane and then cut across the grass. She gazed up at the tall, ramshackle house before her, knowing that it was probably the last time she was going to be there. They reached the front door, steeled her nerves and with a glance at Remus, who was standing quietly by her side, she knocked on the door.

The door opened. 'Hermione,' Mr Weasley said warmly, kissing her on the cheek. She was glad that it was he who'd greeted her. 'Remus!' The older wizard looked happily surprised to see his old friend, and immediately hugged him and then shook his hand. 'It's a miracle.'

'It certainly is, Arthur,' Remus said with a nod.

'Come in, come in!' Arthur said eagerly, standing aside to let them pass.

They walked straight into the kitchen where everyone was already gathered, sitting at the long, worn wooden table waiting for their lunch to be served. They all called out their greetings to them and Hermione cringed inwardly. Ron stood up as she stepped further into the room. She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek awkwardly.

'Alright, Hermione?' He said breezily.

She nodded and sat down on the chair next to his. Remus sat on the chair that was on the other side of her. Percy Weasley, who was opposite him, immediately drew him into a conversation without even remarking on his miraculous return. Harry was sitting directly opposite Hermione.

'Are you okay?' He mouthed to her and she gave a small nod. Ginny, who was sitting next to Harry was resolutely ignoring her, and she felt a pang of guilt.

Luckily Bill Weasley was there and he started a conversation about Hermione's job, which she was grateful to him for.

'How's Fleur?' She asked him politely, after they'd finished discussing their jobs.

'She's fine thank you,' he said. 'Not feeling brilliant because of her gestational diabetes but she'll be okay.'

Fleur was pregnant with her third child, which would also be the third Weasley grandchild to be born.

'Hoping for a boy aren't you, Bill?' Mr Weasley said with a grin.

'Well, I don't know,' Bill replied. 'If we do he might have trouble keeping up with two older sisters who both take after their mother.' He smiled happily.

'Food's ready,' Mrs Weasley said, bustling over with vegetables and potatoes. 'Oh hello Hermione, Remus.' Her voice was terse and it was if she'd only just noticed they'd arrived.

'Molly,' said Remus, greeting her good-naturedly.

Mrs Weasley placed a large chicken that had been cooked to perfection in front of Mr Weasley and he began to carve it. Everyone else started to pile food onto their plates, passing dishes around and asking each other to pass the gravy or vegetables. Hermione put a small amount of food on her plate and she waited until everyone else had finished serving before picking up her knife and fork.

'Before we start eating,' Mr Weasley said, 'I'll like to propose a toast. 'Everyone picked up their glasses of pumpkin juice. 'To the old friend who is back with us - to Remus!'

'To Remus,' everyone repeated, and clinked glasses together. Hermione noticed that Ron put his glass back on the table rather sourly.

There wasn't much talking to begin with, Bill was talking to Audrey, Percy's wife about her pregnancy, which was in the early stages and Harry and Ginny were discussing the latest game that the Holyhead Harpies had played.

'So, Remus,' Mr Weasley began, 'may I ask... how did you manage to return?' All the other conversations dwindled as everyone turned to Remus.

'It was the Resurrection Stone,' he said simply.

'And who does it feel, being back?' Mr Weasley asked.

'It was strange at first but I'm getting used to it,' he replied.

Bill made a whistling noise through his teeth. 'What are you doing with yourself now that you're back?'

'I've been gaining my strength back slowly, reading, that sort of th-'

'He's shacked up with Hermione,' Ron said, suddenly. 'Living and eating and sleeping with my fiancée. And I'm expected to be perfectly okay with that because, of course, nothing is going on.' His voice dripped with sarcasm.

'Ron,' Hermione admonished. 'Don't do this...' She didn't want there to be a scene in front of everyone.

'Well I think it's amazing that you're back,' Bill said, not letting any of them exchange any angry words. 'It's... beyond words.'

'Indeed,' said Mr Weasley.

'It's a splendid roast, mother,' Percy said, apparently not listening anymore.

'Thank you, my dear,' Mrs Weasley said, and everyone continued to eat their lunch, the conversation back to being casual now.

Hermione sat through the entire main course, eating her way through a plate of roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables without saying much. Although she barely looked at him, Ron was sitting tensely in his seat, which made Hermione herself feel tense. Remus was a solid presence on her other side but she wanted to avoid saying much to him in their present company. She was relieved when Audrey engaged her in conversation- even if it was about the wedding.

'Oh, that sounds pretty,' Audrey gushed after Hermione had described her dress.

Despite the current subject, Hermione smiled at Audrey. She'd always found her to be a very kind, genuine person, and the complete opposite of her pompous, sometimes arrogant husband.

'And, remind me, when is the wedding?' Audrey asked.

'We decided on the end of June,' Mrs Weasley butted in.

Hermione's mouth went dry. There's going to be more than one devastated person when I'm finished speaking to Ron, she thought.

'Oh that's lovely, a summer wedding! We had a summer wedding, didn't we Perce?'

Percy nodded quickly before going back to his conversation with Bill about banking.

'It'll be really nice,' Audrey said with a warm smile.

Ron snorted and Hermione glanced at him, but avoided his eye. She looked down at her plate, she only had two thin slices of chicken left. I have to tell him before pudding, she told herself. But she didn't think she could stomach the rest of the meal.

'Can you pass me the gravy please, Remus?' She asked him.

Mr Weasley, Bill and Harry all turned to him to see if he could pick up the gravy boat, which of course he could. As he handed it to Hermione his fingers brushed against hers and she looked at him, he gave her a small smile back.

'Don't touch her!' Ron burst out, nudging slightly into Hermione, knocking the gravy boat out of her hand. It cracked as soon as it hit the floor and gravy started seeping out.

'Ron, calm down,' Mr Weasley said.

At the same time Mrs Weasley sighed. 'Really, Ron. I know you're upset but you can't act like this at the dinner table.' She took out her wand and repaired the gravy boat and made it soar back up onto the table.

There was silence for a moment. Hermione glanced at Remus for a second, who looked back at her steadily and then, without looking at her fiancé or asking permission to be excused, she stood up.

'Ron, can I speak to you for a minute?'

He grunted in reply but stood up and followed her. Hermione led him through the overgrown garden, her palms sweating, until they were far enough away that they couldn't be seen or heard by his family.

'Why did you have to bring him for?' Ron bit out nastily.

'Your mother invited him,' Hermione said, sounding calmer than she felt. 'And your dad wanted to see him.'

Ron snorted again and crossed his arms, not quite meeting her eye. 'Mum said that she told him he'd have to move out of your apartment. Has he done that yet?'

Hermione bristled at his tone, sick of him talking about Remus like he was a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoe, but she bit her tongue.

'No, he hasn't,' she said clearly, 'and he's not going to either.'

Ron's head shot up; his eyes met hers and seemed to darken. 'Why?' His voice was low.

'Well... Ron,' Hermione said slowly, 'I've been thinking a lot lately, and I've agonised over it but I think I've finally come to a decision...'

Ron's face started turning a horrible shade of purple. Hermione took a deep breath before saying the words.

'Ron, I'm breaking up with you.'

'What!?'

'You heard me, Ron,' Hermione said, a slight shake to her voice. She took a deep breath and continued. 'I can't be with you anymore.'

'Why not?' Ron said loudly, stepping closer towards her.

She just shook her head. She wasn't going to discuss Remus with Ron. But Ron was practically shaking with anger so she said, 'It's not really working; I don't think we should marry.'

'Don't give me that rubbish! It's because of him isn't it!?' He cried, pointing haphazardly towards the Burrow. 'That werewolf scum in there.'

'Ron don't say-'

'Oh just admit it!' Ron shouted. 'You've been sleeping with him haven't you? All the while my mum and Ginny have been planning the wedding, all the while I've been getting ready to give you everything- you've been shagging another man!'

'No Ron! I haven't, I swear!' Hermione cried desperately.

'How long has this been going on?' Ron spat at her.

'I told you,' Hermione said, beginning to feel tears welling up in her eyes. 'He hasn't been back long.'

'Oh come on, Hermione, I'm not that stupid,' Ron said, dragging a hand through his hair. 'You expect me to believe that this only started then? This has been going since before the war ended, hasn't it?'

'I've never slept with him,' Hermione insisted.

'Then what!?' Ron's voice was so loud that she feared his family would hear and come out to investigate. 'What's going on Hermione? Tell me, I'm your fiancé!'

'I love him!' Hermione said passionately, the words out before she could stop them.

Ron looked like he'd been slapped. He was speechless, so Hermione continued to explain.

'I love him,' she said more quietly. 'I have done since sixth year. Don't look at me like that- we never did anything back then... but we fell in love with each other. After the war we were planning to be together-'

'But I fancied you,' Ron said incredulously. 'Didn't you realise?'

'Of course I did but I ignored it. I didn't think we were ever going to happen. I was so in love with Remus I couldn't imagine being with anyone else but... but then he died.' Her voice caught as she spoke the word. 'It was hell for me for a long time, grieving for him, never being able to heal but then we started dating and I was a little happier. I intended to spend the rest of my life with you and then, out of nowhere, Remus returned. And the feelings were still there, I couldn't stop them...' Her voice trailed off and she hung her head, ashamed of herself.

'How could you do this to me, Hermione?' He sounded utterly defeated.

'I'm so sorry, Ron,' she said, looking up at him. She expected to see him with all the fight gone out of him but his face was still red and his hands were clenched into fists. Hermione was glad that he didn't appear to have his wand at the moment.

'That's it then isn't it. That bastard can get out of my mum's house.' His voice was hard. He gave her a disgusted look and turned away from her, marching back towards the house.

'Ron, don't,' Hermione said warningly, hurrying after him. 'Don't.' She grabbed his arm, trying to stop him but he just shook her off.

He'd reached the house and he stormed inside, Hermione on his heels. He strode into the kitchen and in one quick movement wrenched Remus out of his chair and punched him to the ground. Ginny gasped, her hand to her mouth. Harry and Mrs Weasley were looking at Hermione and everyone else was staring at Ron, who punched Remus again and again. Remus was sprawled on the floor, he didn't yet have the physical strength to throw him off.

'Stop it Ron!' Hermione shrieked, tears streaming down her face as Mr Weasley and Bill shot out of their chairs. They grabbed Ron, wrapping their arms around him and hauling him away. Ron struggled against their grasp.

'You bastard, you bastard, you've ruined everything!' Ron shouted.

Hermione rushed over to Remus and began to help him up. Mrs Weasley and Ginny were glaring at her.

'Hermione, what's going on?' Harry asked as he came to her side and helped her with Remus.

Hermione shook her head, crying too much. Remus, apparently unharmed, put his arm around her shoulders and steered her quickly towards the door.

'Hermione, what's going on?' Harry repeated.

Hermione looked at him quickly. 'I'm sorry Harry, we've got to go.' A split second before she left, Mrs Weasley caught her eye.

'You bitch,' she said nastily.

Without giving her time to react, Remus pulled her outside and they hurried through the garden and onto the little lane. Hermione pulled out her wand, not caring that she might be too upset to apparate, she just wanted to get away. She spun gracefully on the spot and disappeared; the last thing she saw was the Burrow becoming a blur before her eyes.

As soon as she was in her flat she took out the Resurrection Stone with trembling hands. She turned it over three times and Remus instantly appeared, immediately pulling her into his arms. She peered up at him through her tears.

'Are you okay?' She mumbled.

'I'm fine, he can't hurt me,' Remus said soothingly, holding her tight against him. 'It's over, he knows now. And we're together. I love you and that's all that matters.'