The next day, Hermione drove over to Ginny and Harry's for their full first day together. While Harry was at work for the first few hours of the day, Ginny and Hermione were shopping in London. Ginny still hadn't gotten the chance to ask Hermione about how she had taken the news that Ron was married. Harry had told her in bed, the night before, after Hermione had left, that she wasn't very shocked or mad or anything. Ginny wondered why. After all, Hermione had only been in love with the boy for over ten years, maybe more.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" Ginny said as they stopped in front of a ring shop. Ginny remembered it as the one Harry had bought her engagement ring from.

"Ginny, you can ask me anything, you know that." Hermione said.

"When do you know you're in love? Like, real love?"

Hermione gave Ginny a quizzical look, then an alarmed, shocked one. "You're not…Ginny, you're not thinking that you're not in love with Harry anymore, are you?"

"Oh, no, of course not! I love Harry. I always have and I always will."

"Okay, then what are you asking for? You know what love is. You've been in it- you are in it."

Ginny sighed. "I guess I do know. What I really want to ask, I guess, is…have you ever been in love before?"

Hermione clenched her jaw, tensing up. "Yes, I have been, Ginny."

Ginny looked at her and cocked her head to the side. "Are you in love, Hermione?"

Hermione gaped. "I..."

"OH MY, MERLIN, HERMIONE GRANGER?" A shrill was heard. Hermione had to grimace, due to its highness. She opened her eyes to see Lavender Weasley (my name has a better ring with that last name, Hermione couldn't avoid thinking) standing in front of her with five billion shopping bags, all hung down her arms, a wide grin spread across her face. "I didn't know you were back! Oh my goodness, it is so nice to see you!" Lavender tried to hug Hermione. Hermione was nearly toppled down by all of the bags.

"Hi Lavender. How are you?" Hermione asked as politely as she could.

"I'm great, really! Yourself?"

"Oh, I've been..." Hermione imagined what would happen if she said "better". Then she could actually tell the truth to somebody. She could scream and rip all of Lavender's shopping bags apart. Maybe even this ugly little dress that was peeking out of one of the bags currently. But Hermione stopped smirking at her daydream and finished;

"I've been excellent."

Lavender smiled. Hermione of course didn't let her true emotions show, and smiled too. Ginny, who had been glaring at Lavender, finally sighed and said to Hermione, "We really should get going, Hermione. Lots more shopping to do. See you later, Lavender."

"THERE'S A SALE DOWN AT MADEMOISELLE'S FASHIONS FOR LADIES, BE SURE TO STOP THERE!" Lavender shouted down the road to Hermione and Ginny, both of whom were now walking as fast as they could. Hermione raised her hand up to show that she had unfortunately heard her, and Ginny slapped it down.

"What are you doing?" Ginny hissed.

"Well she wouldn't leave us alone without being assured that we knew about the clearance prices, would she? If I showed her that-,"

"No, not that!"

"Well then what did I do?"

"You were being nice to her!"

"So? I'm a nice person most of the time. And I was feeling nice today, so I decided to be nice to her."

"But you shouldn't have been! Why be nice to her when she took your..." Ginny hesitated. Should she say it? If she did, she feared that Hermione would leave again. Would she get mad at her? Would she admit all of her feelings? Would she...

"When she took my what, Ginny?" Hermione asked, peering down at the younger girl. Her eyes showed she was worried. She swallowed hard and stared hopefully at Ginny, hoping she wouldn't finish. She couldn't confess all of her feelings yet. If she said them out in the open, that would mean she'd really believe them then. Maybe if she kept her thoughts about him to herself, they would disappear. But then again, she had been doing exactly that for the past years; they still hadn't gone away.

Ginny sighed. "Nothing." She shook her head. "She...didn't take anything."

With that done, the two girls quietly walked down the streets of London.

Harry was sitting at the bar at a local pub on his lunch break, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned to find Ron, pulling out a chair next to him. "Scared me." Harry said, then sipped some of his drink.

"Sorry." Ron said. "One butterbeer, please." He said to the bar tender.

"What's with the non-alcohol drinks lately?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron shrugged. "It's not like I used to drink alcohol that much, Harry."

Harry tried not to scoff. "It's okay, now, you know, to admit that you used to drink constantly."

"Okay, so I used to. I don't anymore, though, and that's the point." Ron said, looking down at the butterbeer in front of him.

"Yeah, that's the point. Why the sudden not-drinking?" Harry asked.

Ron looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You're implying something."

"I'm only implying something if you think I'm implying something."

"Well then you're implying something."

"What would I be implying?"

"It's not a what, it's a who. You're implying somebody."

"Okay then, who am I supposed to be implying about?"

"Hermione."

"Brilliant, Sherlock."

"Who?"

"Never mind, it's a muggle thing."

"Oh."

The two were quiet again. Ron took this opportunity to change the subject. "Nervous about the wedding?" He asked Harry.

"As hell." Harry said.

"Perfectly understandable. I was nervous about getting married to Lavender. It's such a commitment."

"Yeah. I love Ginny, completely. But then you think about all of the things you won't be able to do and you ask yourself 'Is it worth it?'."

"It almost sounds like you're backing out, mate." Ron said, his voice hardening.

Harry laughed. "No, no, no. I'm going to marry her. If I didn't, I think I'd die."

Ron smiled and clamped a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Oh, hell, I've got to go. My lunch break was over about a half-hour ago. Coach is gonna kill me." Harry said.

"Just threaten to leave the team, if he threatens to kick you off. Then you can tell all the tabloids you quit, you didn't get fired."

Harry laughed and shoved some money to the bartender. "See you later, mate. Dinner tonight? Ginny's making your favorite I'm pretty sure."

"Yeah, sure. Not like Lavender can cook anything. I think I broke a tooth the other day, trying to eat her meatloaf." Ron shouted towards the door as Harry left, while laughing. He turned back towards the bar. "Can I get a beer?"

"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked for what must've been the fifth time that night. As if her question was a cue for him to walk in, Ron stumbled slightly into the kitchen. All three of the people who had just been eating dinner peacefully, now looked alarmed.

"Ron?" Harry said. "Ron, are you okay?"

Ron groaned and slammed a beer down on the table. "STOP YELLING!"

"Ron, where have you been?" Ginny asked.

"It's pretty obvious, Ginny! He's been at the bar, drinking, ever since we had lunch there today!" Harry waved his hands in frustration. Ron groaned again and covered his eyes.

"Ron...Ron, look at me." Hermione said quietly. He snorted underneath his hands and shook his head. "Ronald, look at me."

"NO!" Ron shouted, taking his hands away from his face.

"Stop acting like a two year old and talk to me like you're your age." Hermione hissed, getting impatient.

"Why the hell would I want to talk to you?"

Hermione looked hurt, but still looked determined to get him to calm down. "Harry or Ginny, can I talk to you in the living room for a second?"

Harry nodded. "Ginny, you stay in here with your brother." Ginny nodded. Harry followed Hermione out of the kitchen into the living room.

"Has he ever been drunk before?" Hermione asked him. Harry nodded. "When, and how many times?"

"He...used to get drunk, a lot, countless times, the first few months after you...left."

Hermione gaped. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Why?"

"I'll tell you why." Ron slurred from the doorway. Ginny stood next to him, defeated. "You left. You left and you never came back. You made me marry her and I didn't wanna marry her. I didn't love her, and I don't love her. But I didn't wanna be alone. And you were gone and you had left me. And I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you, but I...I didn't! And now it doesn't matter! If I told you what I-I wanted to tell you, it wouldn't matter, because you've...you're...it doesn't matter...I want to tell you now, I think I'll..." Ron repeated himself, over and over, like a little child searching for words. He hit the door, frustrated.

"What were you going to tell me, Ron?" Hermione asked soothingly, now standing in front of him. Ron didn't say anything. Hermione lifted his chin so they were face to face. "Ron, tell me what you were going to say."

Ron batted her hand out from underneath his chin, and looked down at the ground, breathing hard. He looked up at her again, his eyes blazing in a way that made Harry want to step in front of Hermione protectively, as if Ron was going to hurt her. The room was quiet, all until Ron spoke.

"I hate you." He whispered, not slurring anymore. Ginny gasped, and Harry clenched his hands into fists. Hermione felt a tug at her heart and tears well up into her eyes. She was not going to cry, she told herself.

"Get out, Ron." Harry said coldly. Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder at Harry.

"What?" He must not have heard correctly.

"Get out, right now. I don't want to do anything to you that I'll regret later on." Harry repeated.

Ron brushed past Hermione forcefully. He looked around to all of them, anger etched on his face. But his expression softened when he saw Hermione...a tear had made its way down her cheek.

What have I done? He thought to himself before shutting the door behind him, and setting off into the cold night.