One Week Later

I am doing fine! Really I am. My relationship with Harry has been taken to a level where we now know everything about each other. It is so amazing. Sure I still have not talked to a single family member in a week, and all my presents are still at my parents house. But whatever. I am trying to be Zen. Nothing will faze me anymore. I will no longer have temper tantrums. I am a twenty-four year old woman who is going to be married soon! I really need to grow up. It is not my fault that Hermione is the anti-Christ.

The doorbell was chiming again. I was sitting in the bath when it started going off so now I'm scrambling around trying to get something to cover my body. Its like three degrees out.

I was just putting my bathrobe on when it impatiently buzzed again.

"In a minute!" I snapped and stumbled over to the door. "Who is it?"

"Hermione," Hermione said. "Can I please come in? I have been standing out here for twenty minutes."

"Why?" I asked trying to decide whether I was still angry.

"Well you have a barrier around your house! I couldn't floo or Apparate! Everyone has been so worried about you! No one has heard from you in a week! They sent me to find you," Hermione said and I could see her standing anxiously by the door. "Why aren't you in work?"

"I'm sick," I lied. "Why would they send you?"

"Ok honestly I picked the shortest straw," Hermione said sounding guilty.

I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door. It creaked open and I saw her total look of shock and surprise.

"Wow I didn't think you were going to let me in," Hermione said her cheeks pink with the cold.

"You're gonna freeze," I said stepping aside so she could walk in. she gratefully stepped into the house and looked around.

"I like what you've done," Hermione said gesturing wildly at the living room.

"We didn't do anything," I said folding my arms.

"Right," Hermione said and looked down. "I'm really sorry."

"I know," I said quietly.

"You have every right to be mad," Hermione said still staring at her hands.

"I know. I am," I said walking over to the kitchen and putting a pot on the stove. She cautiously sat down on a stool and peered at me with great interest.

"So what have you been doing with yourself for a week?" Hermione asked tapping her nails on the granite top. She seemed very afraid I was going to fling a handful of steaming water on her. That is so old me. This is new me. More mature. No more tantrums and taking advantage that I usually get my way no matter what. I am going to act like an adult. What ever that means.

"I learned how to knit," I said showing her a pair of soft green booties I made for the baby.

"These are really pretty," Hermione said smoothing down some of the wrinkles.

"Well its not as good as you or my mother, but I taught myself," I said shrugging.

"Wow it took me ages to learn. You must have had a lot of patience," Hermione said sounding shocked again. I decided not to tell her about the forty ruined pairs and the fact that I blew to couch up in anger. Really no need.

"Yeah," I said rolling my eyes. My back was turned so she didn't see me. "A lot of patience."

"Your mother sent some cookies over," Hermione said and I turned back to her. "But Ron ate them."

I shrugged again and got two mugs. Zen, Zen, Zen, act Zen!

"The bet is up to ten thousand already!" Hermione said cheerfully. ZEN! ZEN! ZEN! THINK ZEN! YOU ARE AN ADULT, BE ZEN!

"That's nice," I said through clenched teeth. Wow. I totally just suppressed all my anger. That cant be good…Eh.

"We thought if you guys can make it, you can have it," Hermione said again.

"Well I should think so," I said not rudely. I was really proud of myself. "So any more morning sickness?"

"Tons!" Hermione said smiling. Apparently she had said all she came here to say and was now glad I wasn't throwing her out. "I'll vomit for ages. Sometimes I cant even look at food or I get sick."

"That sucks," I said placing tea bags into the mugs.

"Yeah," Hermione said glancing at me. I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head. "I brought your presents." I turned back to her and she pulled out a tiny bundle from her pocket. It was the size of a quarter.

"Thanks you can just leave them there," I said pointing to a space on the counter.

"You sure you wont loose them?" Hermione asked me. I turned to her and shot her a glare. She hurriedly put them on the counter and sighed.

"Yes?" I asked again trying to shove down all the hateful things I wanted to say. What I had started doing was writing really hateful letters, then tearing them up. It has helped some. It would be better if I could send them but according to the self-help book that is a big NO-NO.

"So how long are you going to be angry?" Hermione asked sounding slightly cautious again.

"I didn't think there was an expiration date on these type of things," I said leaning my head to the side.

"We all really miss you guys," Hermione said sadly.

"We didn't die, we are just taking the necessary space to stop us from killing you all," I said smiling slightly.

"Harry is still angry?" Hermione asked sounding once again surprised. What am I really that much of a hot-head? Don't answer that.

"Yes, because see before it was just a little thing between me and him. Then I made the mistake of telling Y-O-U. You then proceeded to tell my entire family that I was giving up sex. Everyone, thinking I must spread my legs at any opportunity, made this huge thing and exploited, humiliated, and hurt me! Honestly I didn't have sex until I was nineteen years old! Colin paid me to pretend to sleep with him so he could get Bella Fitzgerald in fourth year! I lost my virginity to Harry! Don't tell him that though!" I cried finally loosing any form of Zen. Hermione looked absolutely shocked.

"Why didn't you ever say so?" Hermione asked finally.

"Because it wasn't anything big! Honestly if I had known it would come back ten years later and bite me in the ass I would have said no!" I snapped slamming a mug on the counter. "He was my friend, and then suddenly boys took notice of me! Of course they dumped me when I didn't put out. I really didn't mind because I was still in love with Harry."

"You're brothers-"

"My brothers like to tease me. I am not a slut. Far from it," I said sipping my tea. "Ew, no sugar."

"Well how come you never said anything to them?" Hermione asked tensely sipping her tea.

"What say, 'Hey guys Colin paid me to pretend to sleep with him. I really didn't have sex until I was nineteen to Harry. He didn't know I was still a virgin and it was a one nighter. He has been one of two guys I have slept with in my entire life?' Is that what I am supposed to say to my brothers? They wouldn't have known if Colin didn't go blabbing to anyone who would listen. It was supposed to be this tiny little thing that just exploded into the big pile of dung!"

Hermione looked horrified. "I am so sorry!" Hermione sobbed and pulled me into a giant hug.

"Alright," I said patting her back. "Calm down. Seriously. Let go."

She held on to me for twenty minutes and sobbed for nineteen of those minutes. When she let me go it looked like I had taken a snot shower.

"Do you think you'll make it?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. I went two years in between boyfriends. I can do no sex. It take a lot of getting used to," I said wiping my face.

"I am so sorry!" Hermione sobbed again and pulled me back into a hug.

She held onto my neck for like another hour before the front door opened and Harry walked in. he pointed at Hermione and started making wild gestures. I waved my hand and told him to try and stop. He finally got the message and quickly ducked into our room.

"Was that the front door?" Hermione chocked.

"Yeah, Harry just went to change," I said smoothing her hair.

"Good I want to say sorry to him too," Hermione sobbed again.

"Oh sweetie we don't have time," I said kissing her cheek. "You can come over tomorrow if you want."

"Don't you have work?" Hermione asked.

"No I have food poisoning," I said and led a giggling pregnant lady out of my house. I shut the door and leaned against it.

"Is she gone?" Harry called from the bedroom.

"No," I lied. He quickly walked out looking embarrassed.

"Very funny," he snapped and went back into the kitchen. "What did she want?"

"To say how sorry she was," I said rubbing his back. "I forgave her." Harry started choking on his tea and turned to look at me.

"Just like that? You didn't make her beg or anything?" Harry asked sounding just as shocked as Hermione.

"Yes! I am not a big bitch!" I yelled throwing my hands angrily in the air. "Maybe I loose my temper all the time but really you've met my family. And yeah I have a best friend who is the most annoying person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. But I have learned to keep my temper in check. I am being Zen," I finished proudly.

"You read my self-help book?" Harry asked looking amused.

"Yes," I said getting it off the bedside table. "Really it has been a great help. According to this I was a spoiled bitch."

"It didn't say that," Harry said getting a cookie.

"Yes, see. Spoiled bitch," I said reading right off the page. "Now it says I am thinking of others first."

"Wow my little girl sure has grown," Harry said sarcastically picking up a paper and walking over to the couch. "Well I'm glad you and Mione made up. I met Ron for lunch today."

"Oh, what did he have to say," I asked trying to keep the viciousness out of my voice. I don't think it worked because Harry sounded more amused when he answered.

"Well he acted like nothing happened so I did too," Harry said through a mouthful of cookies. "Did you know we're getting married in less than six months?"

"I know. I need to start planning or there will be no wedding," I said feeling a worried clench in my stomach.

"How hard can those be to plan?" Harry asked.

"I don't know how hard was it to kill Voldemort?" I asked snapping slightly.

"Not very hard. Actually for all the shit I had to deal with my entire life, it was one of the more easier things. Exams were harder than that final fight," Harry said sarcastically.

"Well then," I said coming out and setting a mug on a coaster. "I think I need to get in touch with my mother."

"Why?" Harry asked turning to look at me.

"Well she wants to be involved in the wedding," I said reaching for the remote.

"And you're going to let her?" Harry asked handing me the remote and flipping through the t.v. paper.

"Yes," I said turning the t.v. on. "Anything good?"

"Yeah," Harry said pointing out a program. I turned to the channel and watched reruns of BBC. Silly muggles. Really that woman who bought a goat should just shrink it and she wont have to worry about feeding it.

"Oh Hermione brought our presents over. Want to see what the family got us?" I asked walking over to the counter. I searched for the presents and couldn't find them. "Oh I do not believe this. I actually lost them. She was right again," I mumbled angrily.

"What's that?" Harry asked putting his feet on the coffee table.

"Nothing," I said finding them under a plant. "Here we are." I walked back into the living room and enlarged them.

We sat on the couch for the rest of the night and watched t.v. I knitted and Harry watched a muggle sport he seemed obsessed with. Whatever. To each his own.

A/N Please read and review. Oh some of you say that I mention Snape a lot, well that is because I write out of order. Like if I get an idea that I cant write yet I'll write the chapter anyways. So a lot of the chapters were written pre-HBP. Ok anymore question that you may have, feel free to ask me.