CHAPTER EIGHT

'The most difficult thing to read is time. Maybe because it changes so many things.'
~Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus~

"The Olympics," Hermione explained, for what seemed like the millionth time, "it happens every four years. Each country forms a team of their best athletes and everyone competes to see who is the best."

"That is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard." Draco drawled, for also the millionth time, not lifting his head from the new book he'd been reading.

"It is not!" She protested, a part of her just wanting to snatch that stupid book from his hand and smack the back of his head with it. Or the front so he'd get a black eye and be less pleasing to look at. Or maybe he'd still look drop dead good. "It takes years of training and dedication! And then there's all the different events: gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, skiing... it's amazing."

"Well, Granger, why don't you do it then, if its so fascinating," He turned the page, running a hand through his hair.

"I can't just compete! Besides the fact that I haven't been training my entire life, there's other... STUFF involved. There's qualifying and then the Olympic trials, and, and are you even listening to me?" She huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned back in the love seat that had basically become hers in the Malfoys' study.

"Yes, Granger," He sighed, "'Stuff,' very articulate you are today."

She glared at him. Their conversations usually went something like this. Not that they had many a conversations, but the show had kind of forced them together. And since Narcissa was the only one attempting to play by the rules, a meeting had been called at the Ministry specifically for them. Wilson Betemit had personally scolded Draco and his father for not getting with the program. He'd also sent Marty along- the pimply kid that had created the show- to all their get togethers to supervise and make sure they were getting plenty of good material.

"Furthermore," Draco went on, "we don't even have a tele-whatever the Olympeds are shown on, so-"

"Television," Hermione interrupted. She knew he knew the right word, he was just refusing to say it properly. "And it's the Olympics. Isn't the Ministry mandating that everyone buy a telly now because of this show?" She didn't have to gesture to the cameras in the room, tapping their every move.

Draco shrugged, "Something like that. I don't know."

Narcissa came back into the room, Lucius trailing behind her looking glum. He was levitating a glass pitcher filled with lemonade. Narcissa had four glasses in the air and they each floated down onto the table between the chairs.

"Hermione, I'm so glad you introduced us to this muggle drink. It is divine," Narcissa praised, using her wand to pour herself a glass. She then did the same to everyone's glass and Hermione felt a little out of place since she had planning to pour herself a glass without the aid of magic. It wasn't an uncommon feeling since she'd started seeing the Malfoys. Every time Draco would finish a book in his chair, he'd simply send it back to the shelf with a wave of his wand and retrieve a new one with magic.

She smiled, never having heard someone refer to lemonade as divine. She took a sip and then glanced at her watch. "Well, I have to go now. I have dinner plans with Ron, but I'll see you tomorrow night, yes?" She said, standing up.

She wished she didn't have to- see them tomorrow night. For dinner. At her house. With her parents.

Draco looked up at her at the mention of Ron. She couldn't read his expression, not that she ever could before, but she had gotten quite good at knowing when he was saying stuff just to rile her up, like his S.P.E.W. comment the night she came to dinner or just now, mispronouncing Olympics on purpose.

She looked away, feeling uncomfortable, for a reason she couldn't pinpoint. She said goodbye to Narcissa and Draco- who responded with a grunt as his eyes went back to the book- and then turned to leave the study.

"Lucius, why don't you walk her out," A new voice said, and Hermione spun around, seeing Marty sending a meaningful look at the older wizard. She could tell Lucius was weighing how likely he'd be able to Avada the bloke and get away with it. The chances obviously weren't good, since he stood up and walked in front of her quickly.

She followed him, even though by this point, she'd been to the Manor three times and knew her way from the door to the study and vice versa. She'd never seen the room they brought her to the night she'd been tortured and wondered where it was and if it still looked how she remembered it.

"Say something," Marty prompted, breaking the quiet that had existed between their feet hitting the hall.

Lucius shot Marty a chilling glare that would have stopped even the bravest of souls, but he turned to her and said, "Mud- Granger," He coughed before going on, "have a nice day,"

"Have a nice day?" Marty said, before Hermione had a chance to thank him. "What is that? I need something better from you."

Hermione glanced at Marty. This was the first time she had experienced being directed. So it was true what they said about reality tv. Lucius looked ready to throttle someone, but he turned back to Hermione and said, "We look forward to meeting your parents tomorrow evening."

Thankfully they reached the door and Hermione fled before Marty could make Lucius do anything else. She was already dressed for dinner, so she Apparated from the Manor in Wiltshire to the centre of London, where she was meeting Ron for dinner. He was easy to spot, besides his flaming hair, but his own camera crew formed a donut around him.

She weaved through the crowd, her heart pounding in anticipation of seeing him. She couldn't help smiling as she bumped into people and she didn't spare a glance to see how the camera crew was fairing. Ron wrapped her in his arms as soon as she was close enough and then kissed her sweetly, making her world turn upside down.

"I already ordered the spinach dip to start," Ron grinned, "I figured you'd be hungry,"

"Thank, Merlin," She smiled, taking his hand across the table. She could feel several patrons staring at them and this time she was glad it was because of the cameras and not because they were fighting. She was also ecstatic, for a moment, that all Ron thought about was food.

After they ordered, Ron launched into stories about his first week of auror training. He talked with his hands, so obviously thrilled at his lifelong dream finally coming true. She listened raptly, grateful to be in conversation with someone that cared compared with Draco who would stare at his book and make sarcastic comments just to annoy her. Her eyes widened when she realised she was comparing her boyfriend to Draco.

What was she doing? What was wrong with her? Why was she even thinking about Draco now? She pushed everything away and tried to get back into the story Ron was telling her about Harry attacking the wrong target and blowing the whole exercise. On the bright side, at least Ron was winning the comparison. But that was no excuse.

She dunked a chip into the dip and shoved it into her mouth, trying to focus on nothing but chewing. Then she'd look up and be back in tune with Ron. It worked and in no time he was listening to her talk about how Joy dropped a box of books on the floor when she tried to do manual labor instead of using magic- as had been Hermione's suggestion.

"I don't think she's ever letting go of her wand again," Hermione smiled, "But enough about work. I feel like I haven't seen you at all," She squeezed his hand, smiling flirtatiously at him- at least, that's what she was trying to do, but she wasn't sure how well it came across, since Ron looked around the restaurant and muttered something about the waiter and their food taking awhile.

"Tell me what's been going on with you," She went on, stroking his hand.

Ron smiled at her, "Just training and the show, pretty much. Oh, I got a letter from Gin the other day. She said you were right about the Paris fight."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You even told your sister about it? Who didn't you tell?"

He chuckled, but Hermione noticed a faint blush tainting his cheeks. "McGonagall? I definitely didn't tell her."

"What a relief," She grinned, "Of all the people that I didn't want to know, McGonagall was definitely number one."

"I can read your mind," He smiled, leaning in to kiss. She happily met him halfway, her whole body tingling. Ron cupped her face with one hand, holding her there. His lips were soft and it felt like he was kissing away any doubts she might have had.

Once she had pulled back, she blushed seeing the cameras capturing every moment. She looked at the napkin in her lap and then glanced at Ron. He was beaming down at her, completely unfazed by their audience and future audience if that footage was ever used.

They went back to her house after dinner. Her mother had baked cookies that afternoon, so there was a fresh plate out on the coffee table for them all to enjoy. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had been this at ease. She fit perfectly against Ron's side, except for that one sharp bone in his side that would dig into her, but if she shifted a certain way it was fine. His arm was around her shoulders and every so often she'd feel his head drift down onto hers. Her parents were sitting on two love seats opposite the couch.

Her mum was smiling and so she couldn't help smiling as she sat next to Ron, the one boy that had caused so much frustration, heartache... but here they were. It was hard to imagine, but looking back on it, she felt like everything was leading her right to this moment.

Ron and her dad were talking about auror training, not that her dad could relate- being a dentist and all. It was a miracle he was even home and awake. Usually he was at his office late working on his keynote speech for this huge dentist convention or, if he actually managed to come home at a decent hour, he was sound asleep, fuelling up for another long day of work and speech writing.

Her dad laughed at something Ron said, bringing her out of her memories. She was in the middle of remembering how sad she'd been fourth year when Ron never asked her to the Yule Ball. But then Viktor Krum had asked her. Viktor Krum, an older, professional Quidditch player. He was also easy on the eyes. But of course Ron couldn't give her that one night after he hadn't manned up and ask her. He'd left her crying on the steps.

And here they were now.

She elbowed him. He looked down her her, "Ow,"

"That was for fourth year," She told him.

"What- oh." She saw understanding flash in his eyes and then he blushed. "Sorry."

"Good," She muttered, "Ruined my night."

"I ruined mine as well, if that makes you feel any better," He whispered into her hair, planting a kiss on the back of her head. He reached forward for a cookie before she could say anything, breaking the moment. She looked around the room, seeing three cameras. They never left her alone. Her mum had been ready for them tonight, her hair styled and her clothes free of any stains.

"So, Ron," her mum started, "Hermione said your family is planning a trip to Romania,"

"Yeah, they are. To visit my brother, Charlie. I don't know if I'll be able to go."

"Now, you said he works with dragons?" Her dad asked, pushing his glasses up.

Ron nodded.

They said goodnight a few hours later. It was amazing how late they had all stayed up talking. About everything: family, politics (Ron was a little rusty on the muggle elections, so he listened), world records (apparently someone had walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls), and the new book in the Red Books series- Hermione had made sure Ron read the book since it was something she and her parents had in common.

Ron and her hovered in the doorway, their hands clasped as she leaned into him. "I wish you could stay," She murmured.

He groaned, "Stop making that face at me or I won't be able to go,"

"What face?" She asked, innocently.

"The one where you look like you really want to push the boundaries." He said, dropping his forehead onto hers.

She sighed and then pulled back. "One of us needs to be the strong one. Go."

He kissed her cheek before Apparating.

George met her at Florean's for ice cream in Diagon Alley during her lunch break. Hanging out with George, it seemed, had become her ritual at lunch. Which was great, he was fun and a good friend. He also knew more about politics than he'd let on. Hermione had grown up thinking George and his crafty twin only cared about pranks. But, it turned out, George had more on his mind than just making up ways to fake an illness.

They had The Daily Prophet spread out between them on the table. The cover was something about a genius dog that could play the piano, but the pair of them had skipped ahead to the pages about the campaign. The Ministry was in the midst having elections for new judges. Since the war, the whole Ministry had gone through a one eighty. Besides just firing people, elections were put in place to ensure the people got a fair voice in the Ministry. They were hoping to give house elves a vote and werewolves so no one group could have more power over the others.

Judges were extremely important since there had been so many trials going on after the war. Death Eaters had to be locked up- but unfortunately, so many had been able to just pay off those in charge. This election was supposed to correct that. Not that those that had gone free- like the Malfoys- would be called back to court. There was a law called double jeopardy that prevented anyone from being tried for the same crime twice. It had been adapted from the muggle form of government, and received outcry from everyone that wanted to retry suspected- known- Death Eaters that had walked. A lot of wizards had walked away defeated, fuming about muggle law and about how they didn't see why had to follow suit.

Politics in the wizarding world were tense, to say the least.

"But this Faraway character just wants the power. Look at his past jobs- personal lawyer for the Lestranges. Jackson, on the other hand, represented low income families and werewolves." George said passionately.

"I'm not discrediting Jackson, but Faraway made an amazing speech the other day. Can we really hold one mistake he made against him forever? He only worked for the Lestranges for a year and refused to represent them when Rodolphus was brought up on charges of attacking muggle borns outside a bar." Hermione argued, her ice cream half gone in the heat. The umbrella above them wasn't helping at all.

"Then how do you explain Faraway saying he wants to see double jeopardy upheld? It lets all his old friends walk." George was clearly not a fan of double jeopardy.

Hermione, though, had a different opinion and it had nothing to do with growing up around muggles and watching crime shows. "Double jeopardy is important! It encourages the prosecution to build a very strong, solid case before going to trial. They only have one chance. And it protects the defendant too. Imagine if you were suspected of a murder you didn't commit and you were acquitted. But then the prosecution finds another piece of flimsy evidence and hauls everyone back into court, only to get acquitted again! This process could go on and on and on. And if you really didn't do it, then no one is investigating for the real murderer and that person just gets to walk. The prosecution needs to take the time to check out every corner and have an air tight case, or else they'll just let people that should be in jail walk.

"But double jeopardy isn't the real problem. Hardly anyone was tried for war crimes. All the pure-bloods that could afford it, paid off the head officials. Some cut deals and served a night in Azkaban. Others gave up names and were let go. That's what needs to change. There needs to be people in charge that want to be in power for the right reasons."

She hoped George understood. She watched as he contemplated what she said. She was glad, Ron would have just burst right in in the middle of her speech and said whatever he wanted too. George was mulling it all over, she saw, in the way he ran his hand over his face and then groaned.

"You make a good point. But I still like Jackson." He finally said.

"Fine. We'll continue this tomorrow," Hermione laughed, standing up to get her stuff and go back to work.

"You should run for something," George said from behind her.

She turned around, the ice cream cup falling into the garbage. "What?"

"You could run for something in the Ministry, Mione. You'd want it for the right reasons." He smiled, "Think about it,"

She rolled her eyes and went back to Flourish and Blotts. Run for something, she mused, that was crazy. She'd never studied political science in her life. But if she did go to university, she'd have the whole world at her feet. Besides, what qualifications did the people running the Ministry even have? They all graduated from Hogwarts and that was the end of it. Maybe that's why no one knew what they were doing.

A/N Hi! Wow! You guys blew me away. That was the most reviews this story has gotten per chapter. Thank you! You all want shout-outs, I take it? If I do shout-outs, will you keep reviewing? I like hearing from you :D And I was curious, have any of you guys read the books I've taken opening quotes from? Tell me! I hope you liked this chapter :D Cheers

And how excited are you for JRK's new book? Oh my gosh. It's so soon! Mine is pre-ordered and I'm anxiously waiting!

Thanks to: FuryPossessed, LadyBookworm80, Loveable Leo, Taylor F, imawitchywolfgirl, megan59, itrSARAHtops1412, zzshilahzz, and pirate-princess1. :D