A/N: First I want to thank you all for the wonderful response I received! My email was flooded all day yesterday with story alerts and favorites. I just want to thank you all so much! I'm thrilled to say the least :) Also, I know several of you were wondering where Ron is, as of now. Based on how I have planned the story; not everything will be revealed in one chapter. Information about Ron will be given in this chapter but the break up and the cause of it won't be explained until a bit later. Hermione is simply going to be learning a few things that have occurred. Harry doesn't want to overwhelm her with too much information at once. If you had lost your memory, I'm sure it would be difficult to handle an information overload, so I've paced it to work with my story line. If you are displeased then I sincerely apologize but I know where this story is going and I like the way I've planned it. So this is just a heads up for those who might be concerned. Enjoy!

Oh! And dreams are in italics.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter.

When Dreams are Better than Reality

Hermione felt herself land in a puddle outside of the Potter house. She looked down at her feet as she felt the muddy water seep into her shoes. She shivered as her socks rapidly dampened and soaked in large amounts of brown water. She tried to pull her foot from the mud but it was much stronger than she had initially believed. She squirmed and tried to remove her foot but to no avail. She was drenched in a matter of minutes and she could feel her hair dripping onto her shirt, which only caused her to feel colder. She then noticed Harry beside her. He held her arm and smiled at her as he provided his arm to her so that she could have a stable grasp. She smiled up at him as she used all her strength and removed her foot. On her shoe was a muddy mass of what looked like a disgusting combination of earthworms, grass and rotten decaying plants. Harry helped her across the rest of the yard and they stopped at his front door. Hermione removed her shoes and looked at them in disgust. She drew her wand and muttered a cleaning spell, but even the spell wasn't enough to remove all traces of filth. She sighed exasperatedly. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now. Hermione stood up and blatantly chose to ignore the now less filthy, wet shoes and socks that were almost taunting her with their presence.

Harry walked inside after removing his wet shoes and socks too. Hermione was thrilled by the warmth of the house and quickly moved toward the now crackling fire. The warm glow of the flames hit her face and she couldn't help but smile. She looked over to Harry who was somewhat patiently staring out the window. She looked outside and past Harry as she watched Ginny and Malfoy apparate into the garden. Ginny appeared to be in fierce conversation with Malfoy and Hermione couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about so quickly. Harry moved to open the door and ran out to help his wife take her now filthy shoes off. Malfoy entered the house first and Hermione watched as he rubbed his now wet hair. Drops glistened on his clothes and he shivered slightly before looking up at her. Hermione held eye contact for a moment before turning back to the fire. She heard Harry and Ginny enter as the door closed and locked.

Harry and Ginny joined Hermione on the couch while Malfoy stood by wearily for a moment before plopping down in the large armchair closest to the fire.

"Hermione, I feel that it is important that we tell you a bit about what has been happening in your life up until now. But before we answer any questions you may have or fill you in, we were wondering if you could tell us what you do remember. I know you told the doctor a brief synopsis, but we were hoping to hear something a bit more in depth." Harry smiled kindly at her. His smile was reassuring and Ginny nodded beside him. Hermione wasn't sure what Malfoy had done. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him again. She was a bit embarrassed, ashamed and honestly slightly bothered by the idea that she was his wife.

"Well… In my mind, currently I feel like I'm still dating Ron. The last I remember was being with Ron and then I woke up in Malfoy's house. I remember dancing with Ron at you and Ginny's wedding, which feels like it was only a few months ago. As far as I know, I am still working as a secretary for the Minister of Magic but I was hoping to further advance S.P.E.W. Harry was Head Auror, you are still Head Auror, right?" Hermione paused and looked at Harry hopefully. She needed something to be the same.

"Yes, I am." Harry smiled at her assuringly. Hermione let out a deep breath. Finally something normal.

"Ron and I were discussing our jobs and he was considering becoming an Auror. He had just filled out his paper's to start his training actually. I remember working on writing some legislation and promotional pieces for S.P.E.W. but due to the alarming amount of paper's Kingsley had, I was unable to complete the pieces in time for the rally I wanted S.P.E.W. to be apart off. I was devastated to say the least. Ron was there for me though. He comforted me and took me to our favorite restaurant." Hermione smiled dreamily as she remembered herself and Ron laughing as they ate ice cream together. What had happened between them? The smile drifted from her face as a look of concentration and confusion washed over her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy's fists clench. Hermione decided to avoid asking about Ron for a while. She didn't want Malfoy to get angry. She shuddered slightly. "Is Kingsley still Minister of Magic?"

"Yes, Kingsley is. You don't work for Kingsley anymore though."

"I don't? Was I fired! Please don't tell me I was fired…" Hermione looked from Harry to Ginny and even to Malfoy with a pleading look in her eye. Harry laughed at the pure horror on Hermione's face.

"Calm down, Hermione. You were not fired. How about I show you where you work tomorrow? And no worries, you still work for the Ministry."

"Does Ron work for the Ministry yet? Is he your partner now?" Hermione looked at Harry hopefully. Harry avoided making eye contact with her.

"No… Ron is not my partner. After you two split he changed his mind about becoming an Auror but it was really the best choice for him." Harry said quietly.

"Do you have a partner or as Head Auror, do you work cases alone? Because the last thing I remember about you being an Auror is you and Ron devising an elaborate plan to fight evil wizards together and bring safety to the wizarding world." Hermione smiled lightly. Harry laughed and looked into the distance as though he could see it happening.

"My partner…actually that leads us into another story, which I'm not sure we should tell tonight. At least not all of it…" Hermione looked at Harry with a questioning brow and then she started to think about what he had just said. Hermione felt a light bulb go off in her head. She then turned to Malfoy. It all made sense now. Harry and Malfoy's civil attitudes toward one another…

"Malfoy's your partner isn't he?" Hermione looked over at Malfoy who was smiling slightly. She briefly returned the smile before turning back to Harry.

"Hermione you are definitely the brightest witch of your age." Harry chuckled.

"Well they don't call me that for nothing. It made sense as to why the two of you aren't trying to rip one another's head's off. To be honest, when I saw you both walking together so amicably I was a bit shocked. But I placed what made the most logical sense in my mind and it proved to be right. " Hermione beamed at Harry who was laughing. She felt a lot better after interacting with Harry. It reminded her of some of the greatest years of her life. She only wished the third member of the trio was present. She sighed sadly as Ron once again infiltrated her thoughts. "So is that how Malfoy and I got to know one another, through you Harry?" Hermione cocked her eyebrow suspiciously.

"Actually no. It was the other way around." Harry looked from Malfoy to Hermione.

"You mean… Malfoy and you became friends because of me?" Hermione looked at Harry in surprise.

"Yes, Potter and I became what you could call friends because of you." Hermione looked up, this was the first time Malfoy had spoken to her all night. She nodded briefly at him, trying to make sense of it all.

"So you are an Auror then. How long have you been an Auror?"

"A little over a year now. About three and a half months before we tied the knot to be accurate." Malfoy's eyes were practically digging into her. Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable with his unfamiliar intense grey eyes staring at her.

"So um… how long did we date before… we…um… got married?" Hermione looked around the room trying to avoid Malfoy's intense eyes.

"We dated for about 6 months but the first few weeks can't really be called dating. We were interested in one another but nothing much was happening because I was too afraid to make a move." A small smirk played on Malfoy's lips and Hermione gaped at him for a moment.

"So… I can't remember around the last year and a half of my life, which also happens to be about the amount of time I was with Malfoy. So Ron and I must have ended fairly shortly after that point, correct?"

"Yes… Probably no less than a month or two after, if my memory is correct." Harry said quickly. Hermione took in a deep breath.

"Okay… So um… where is Ron now?" She couldn't keep the desperation from her voice. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Ron had constantly been on her mind.

"Hermione, I don't think it is a wise idea for us to tell you everything at once. Some things may be a lot to take in, considering what you believe to be true. Our lives have changed a lot since a year and a half ago, especially yours… We don't want to overwhelm you. So I think it's best that you take it easy for the rest of the night and we can answer more questions as time progresses." Ginny stoked Hermione's hair soothingly as Hermione listened intently to Harry. "What happened between you and Ron is something you should talk to him about."

"Harry just answer the damn question." Hermione demanded.

"Ron is in his home right now…" Harry remained evasive.

"Harry you are avoiding something very important…"Hermione glared at Harry who looked away sheepishly.

"Hermione, I hate to be the one to tell you this but seeing as Harry can't answer you properly, I guess I must. Ron is married to someone else. He moved on just like you did." Ginny said quickly. Hermione felt her heart shatter. Ron was married… Ron…Was…Married… Hermione held her chest as she felt herself choking on a sob. She tried to keep herself from crying but she couldn't stop. She didn't care if an eerie awkwardness had shrouded the room. The man she was in love with was with someone else. While she was married to her sworn childhood enemy. What the hell was this place? Hermione held onto the redheaded girl beside her and cried for what seemed like hours. How could this have happened to her? She had always imagined herself as Ron's wife…She could never imagine someone else filling in that position. Hermione started to cry even harder. Ginny was soothingly stroking her hair and telling her it was all right.

"It's not okay Gin. I'm in love with Ron…" Hermione whispered softly. She heard someone leave the room abruptly and assumed it was Malfoy. But she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. "I want to go to bed, right now." She felt Ginny nod as she helped Hermione get up. Hermione looked around and realized that both Malfoy and Harry were gone. She knew she should care but she didn't.

Hermione changed into a large nightshirt and pajama bottoms, both belonged to Ginny. She sat and stared into the void as she pulled the covers over her legs. She felt no joy. She felt broken. Her heart felt like it would never mend. She lay on her side and looked out into the night. Rain was falling evenly as she watched a tree sway quietly. Not even nature could calm her senses this time. She began to cry again. She slowly cried herself into a restless sleep…

A warm buzz filled Hermione's ears as her bright yellow sundress swirled around her. She was running ahead of a man and laughing as she turned around to smile at him. Hermione ran to the swings in front of her and jumped onto one. Her feet slowly swayed in the air as her dress swished against her legs. A light breeze kept her neck cool and she could feel her hair falling out of her messy bun. Light brown curls began to cascade down her back as she closed her eyes to feel the warm sun against her face, once again. An unrecognizable laugh came from the unfamiliar yet extremely familiar man. He approached her and placed his hands on her back as he pushed her higher in the swing. She said a name that was unrecognizable as he pushed her higher and higher. Hermione turned around as he stopped the swing and whispered something in his ear. He laughed at her and nodded as she jumped off the swing and ran into his arms. Hermione felt herself being spun in his arms and she laughed as he planted gentle kisses across her face. She licked her finger and tried to press it into his ear but he quickly ran from her.

"Come back here!" Hermione said slyly. "I just want a kiss." She smirked devilishly at him.

"Hermione Granger I know what you really want to do and I refuse to comply! You will never get my ear, ever. So don't even try." He was shouting from far away and he had continued running. Unfortunately he had run right into a tree. Hermione screamed and ran towards him. She jumped down beside him.

"- Are you okay?" Hermione looked down in concern. She yelped in surprise as he jumped up and slung her across his shoulder. He was laughing at her.

"You are too kind Hermione, that is your greatest weakness." Hermione squirmed in the man's arms but his hold was too strong. Hermione reached up and licked his hand.

"Ew- Hermione did you lick my hand? I've been outside all day, do you know how unsanitary that is?"

"I don't care! It made you put me down, didn't it?" Hermione laughed as she made it halfway across the large expanse of a field, her dress danced around her. The man smirked at her and laughed yet again. Hermione thought it was stunning to hear such a beautiful sound.

Hermione woke up to the loud down pour of rain. She blinked for a moment and wondered where she was… Only to remember the reality she was currently living in. Why couldn't she go back to that wonderful dream and that wonderful man? Hermione sighed. She wished she had been able to see his face. There had been something quite familiar about this man but she couldn't quite place it. She hoped that it was Ron but unfortunately the man's hair color had not been distinguishable. The dream had seemed like something she and Ron would do. She had gone to muggle parks with him before...

Ron… She had forgotten, if only for a moment that Ron was now a married man. It was only a dream what she had just seen. It meant nothing… Even if it had been Ron, it didn't mean that anything would change. She was still stuck in this horrible world where Ron and her were no longer together. She felt her eyes ache as new tears cascaded down her face. She grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it. It wasn't fair. How could this have happened to her? Everyone except for her remembered his or her life. But she couldn't recall how anything had happened, to get her to this point. Why had she forgotten her life? She had been a good person.

She didn't deserve this. No one did. Hermione screamed into her pillow once again. It was torture. Pure torture; especially imagining Ron waking up next to another woman. Hermione wondered what she looked like… If she had beautiful straight hair… Was she blonde? Brunette? Maybe a redhead? Hermione glowered in anger.

Hermione just wanted to go back to sleep. Her dream was much better than reality, especially with the beautiful man's laughter. She hoped that he would take Ron's face if she ever dreamed about him again. Hermione laid her head against her pillow and let the tears fall freely as the sun rose in the brisk morning sky.

A/N: So Ron is married and Hermione isn't handling it very well. Aside from that her dreams are being plagued by a mysterious man, who reminds Hermione of someone; it quite possibly could be Ron...Or not. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I won't be able to update until next weekend. But I will try my best to update frequently. Until then- jesokaa :)