She woke up cold, shivering, to the sound of Ron trying and failing to be quiet stomping around the kitchen. For one moment she forgot the pain and fear of last night and it was like a normal morning, wait no it wouldn't be a normal morning if Ron was up before her. She got up slowly, absent-mindedly getting dressed trying to prepare herself for the coming confrontation. Wafting through from the kitchen was the smell of burnt bacon. The smell seemed to swamp her- like it was her that was slowly burning up, shrivelling up, instead of the bacon. Slowly, dragging her feet she walked into the kitchen and stood in the doorframe. Ron was attempting to make breakfast, as if a burnt meal would make up for everything he had put her through. Hearing her footsteps, Ron looked up and gave her one of his trademark half smile. That smile. She had seen it so many times. She remembered how much fun they had used to have with each other. Growing up under that shadow of Voldemort had done nothing to dampen his since of humour. So many memories... She could feel her anger melting, melting like the snow in spring. But then, like a surprise thunderstorm in March, she remembered the feelings and her anger kindled up again.
"What the hell was that Ron?" She heard herself screaming at him.
His smile faded and she hated herself for ruining it.
"You sound like my mother," he said laughing.
"How would you know? You haven't visited her since... Since Fred." The words came tumbling out of her mouth, "She's your mother, she needs you."
"How would you know anything, anything about Fred. You don't have a sibling. So stop sticking your big nose into my family matters." His mood suddenly changed, like a cloud over the sun.
"Ron I'm your girlfriend! Fred was my friend! Stop pretending your the only one who feels grief. Maybe if you did something to distract yourself rather than drinking yourself senseless you would feel better!" She felt so hopeless. They were supposed to comfort each other rather than rip each other apart.
"Oh yes maybe I should be like Hermione. Go back to hogwarts and get perfect grades. Get a job in the ministry and attempt to create a better world." He said the latter in a high tone riddled with sarcasm, "Not all of us want to be like the Gryfindor princess!"
Having Draco Malfoy's words repeated to her by her boyfriend was the last straw for Hermione. She had expected them from Malfoy, the bully, but to hear them from the very person who had used to defend her from, such insults just broke her in half.
"I can't do this right now. I'm tired and I really don't want to see you right now."
She turned and walked out the flat.
She didn't really think about where she was going, her feet followed the familiar path down the street into busy London. She found herself in a favourite muggle bookshop of hers, it was always somewhere she went after she had had a stressful day at work. Walking in, she breathed in the familiar smell of books and coffee, her two favourite things. Books had always been her solace, when she had been a small, bullied ten year old, to when she had been on the run from Voldemort searching for horcruxes. Indeed books had saved her and her friends lives more than once. Wondering through the shop she ran her fingers over the spines of the books, it was like they could speak to her as she flicked through the familiar pages of her favourite novels: Pride and Prejudice, the Lord of the Rings, War and Peace... Selecting a book she sat down at a table and ordered a coffee and a big slice of chocolate cake. She figured she could afford to treat herself. Time sped forward as she entered the familiar world of Frodo and Sam. Suddenly, awaking her from her trance, she heard a crash, as a cup of coffee spilt onto her table, quickly spreading over the wooden table.
"I am so sorry" said a familiar drawl, "I shouldn't have been so clumsy, do you need a napkin?"
Hermione looked up in shock to see Draco Malfoy bending over the table with a napkin.
"What are you doing here?".