Disclaimer: All characters that are from the Harry Potter series, along with locations & other things recognizable to Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 4

Their first night at the Burrow had gone rather smoothly. Hermione thought to herself. Ron glared a few times at Severus, but otherwise he kept his mouth shut. Though the couple thought that had to do with Harry sitting next to him and occasionally smacking him upside the head whenever he muttered something.

That night as Hermione and Severus crawled into bed, Hermione felt peaceful. She had found her parents in Australia but until she found a way to reverse the memory charm she put on them she was just the daughter of a college friend to her Mother. It was hard to handle sometimes but having the Weasley's helped. Thankfully tonight is not one of the nights I miss them so much it hurts. She thought to herself as she tried to snuggle up to Severus.

"Shut your mind off, Granger. You're keeping me up." He said snidely.

Hermione just looked at him. She didn't know where this temper was coming from. She hadn't so much as said two words to Ron and Ron hadn't said a single word to Severus, as far as she knew. As she turned her back to him, she tried not to fume. She was starting to feel very alone in that bed, even with him lying but a few inches from her.

"Sorry." Hermione said quietly. She was trying not to show he had hurt her.

After ten minutes neither had fallen asleep. Severus knew he had been harsh with her but he just couldn't shake what Ron had said about her wanting only his money. He was up to something; Severus knew Hermione. He knew she wasn't one to worry about money. She wasn't shallow like that. God I'm angrier with him for thinking so little of her, he thought. He couldn't sleep and knew Hermione wasn't asleep yet, but he couldn't say sorry. Not yet, not until he knew how to explain his fears to her.

"Screw this. If I'm going to feel like I'm sleeping alone, I'll go sleep in Ginny's room." Hermione said as she got up. She pulled her robe on over her light pajamas. "Lord knows, at least there I can understand why I'm alone in bed."

"Wait." Severus said as he sat up in bed. "I'm sorry. It's not you, it's just…"

"Oh please. Spare me the 'it's not you, it's me' line." She snapped. She was tired; she wanted to snuggle with the man she loved. Was that really too much to ask for? She thought.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. If you'd let me finish you'd realize I wasn't going to say that. It's that damned Weasley fool you still consider a friend!" Severus snapped back. "He's the one trying to tell me you're only with me for my money. The lack of faith he has in your character astounds me, to be honest. And you call him a friend? Either I've lost it or you muggle born witches have a strange sense of loyalty."

"Muggle born? So know my blood is coming into question? Need I remind you that this mudblood saved your life?" She saw red. She was going to kill Ronald and then Severus. How dare they question her! "Yes Severus, as I cried my eyes out trying to get the bleeding to stop I was worried about not having access to your money."

"Do not call yourself that! That was not what I meant and you know damn well that I didn't." Severus got off the bed and stomped toward her, grabbing her arms and shook her. "I know you don't give two shits about my money. What has me upset is that this supposed friend of yours is not only trying to break us apart but is trying to make you out to be some money hungry floozy."

"Well if you know I'm not that way then why won't you hold me? Why won't you kiss me? You haven't touched me since you came up from your bloody Firewhiskey night cap with the boys!" Hermione didn't care that her voice was rising. To hell with the Weasley's! She thought. Their youngest son was the cause of her anger; they might as well be awake for it too.

"Because I hadn't got a handle on my anger yet and I was going to be damned if I'd take it out on you!" Severus shot back. "Merlin's beard, Hermione. First he insults me in our home and now he insults you in your second home! And you want to know something else? Neither Potter nor Arthur did anything to shut him up! And you want them as your second family!" Severus turned from her. He knew they were testing him and they probably ripped into Ron after he left but damn it, they should have been more worried about protecting Hermione then testing him!

"That's rich. Seeing as I tried to get close to you and you snapped at me to shut my brain up. Oh and you went back to calling me Granger. Well sir, since my mind is such a hindrance to your sleep, I'll leave!" With that Hermione left the room, slamming the door behind her and stomped up the stairs to Ron's room.

Severus glared at the door before turning to the chair he had placed his clothes on. After quickly dressing again, he left the room with a slam of the door as well. He headed in the opposite direction of Hermione, before he knew it he was going by a shocked Molly, Ginny, and Harry. He didn't give a damn to what they thought. He stormed out of the Burrow and headed to a bar in the town not far from the Weasley house.

She wants to accuse me of pushing her away. Fine that's her right, he thought as he entered the bar. He ordered a double whiskey and found a seat in the back that was barely lit. He wanted to be left to his thoughts.

"You son of a bitch!" Hermione shot at Ron as she stormed into his room. "How dare you tell Severus I'm only with him for his money." She pulled Harry's pillow off his bed as she walked by and started smacking Ron in the face with it.

Ron rolled out of the bed to try and get away from Hermione. "Merlin, help me! What the hell is your problem, Mia?" Ron asked.

"Don't you Mia me, you asshole! You tried to break Severus and me up. You told him I was only with him for his money! What kind of friend does that?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I just can't understand why you would want to be with that greasy old git!"

"Do not call him a greasy old git! Just because you're pissed that I wouldn't marry you doesn't give you the right to mess with what makes me happy!"

"Did you ever think that I really did want to marry you?"

"Oh, please. You saw Ginny and Harry getting married and didn't want to be beat by your baby sister!"

"Hermione… Ron…"

"Screw you Hermione. I loved you!"

"Oh that's rich, Ronald. The only thing you love is getting screwed by any girl that would spread 'em for you!"

"Hermione… Ron…"

"Merlin, you're never going to let it go that Parvati and I had one drunken night of sex, are you? We weren't even together then and you where with Krum!"

"Oh fuc…"

"SILENCE!"

The two turned to stare at Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Harry, and the rest of the Weasley family.

"Oh god!" With that Hermione pushed through and ran to the room she was sharing with Severus. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Ron's family and her embarrassment at them hearing her and Ron. "Severu… Great!" She looked around the room only to realize that he was gone. She let the door bang shut and sank down on the bed.

"Hermione?" Ginny knocked gently at the door. "Can Harry and I come in please?"

She nodded her head, not sure her voice would be stable. Ginny opened the door and entered, taking her silence to mean yes. "He stormed out of the house after you. I don't know where he went, Mia." She crossed over to Hermione and gave her a hug.

"Hermione, Ron was in the wrong. I was just so shocked at what he said I couldn't say or do anything to stop him." Harry knelt down in front of her. "I swear, I would have stopped him if I wasn't in complete shock."

"It's not your fault Harry. Ronald is just a child that doesn't want to get over the fact that I never loved him beyond friendship. But that doesn't give him the right to mess up my relationship with Severus." She said barely above a whisper.

"Hermione, dear." Arthur walked into the room and sat down next to her on the bed. "If you want, I can take you to where he is."

"You know where he went?"

"He went down to a pub in town. The owner's a friend, he sent me an owl letting me know that there was someone like me there."

"Like you?"

"A wizard, sweetie. So why don't you get dressed and we'll go down and get him, okay?"

Hermione hugged him and thanked him. She quickly threw her Gryffindor sweats on over her pajama bottoms and a matching hoodie. "Okay, lets go."

With that Arthur, Hermione, and Harry left the Burrow. Even in the front yard, they could still hear Molly and Ginny ripping into Ron for his behavior towards Hermione and Severus. Hermione would have found it rather funny if she wasn't worried about Severus. She hated when he would drink instead of talk to her. Men of few words suck, she thought to herself as they walked down the hill towards the little town.