Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. I still don't have a Beta for this story.

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

"And when I'm lonely, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you."

Sleeping At Last - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) _ Cover

Hermione arrived at the Potter's house a little before eight o'clock. It was usual coming from her: she didn't like to be late, and she always managed to arrive early. Some people hated it, but she knew that Harry and Ginny would not be unhappy to see her that soon. Why did Harry say that he would cook, by the way? Usually, Ginny took care of everything, knowing that Harry wasn't a really good cook. Hermione wouldn't deny it: she had tasted Harry's meal one day, and it was... well, far from being the most tasteful think that she'd ever eaten.

Smiling at this thought, Hermione hesitated for a second in front of the door. Was it a good idea to ring the bell or to knock at the door? Maybe that James was still asleep... She decided to knock, and she quickly heard the characteristic sound of footsteps coming toward the entrance door. Suddenly, the door flung opened, and Hermione's eyes encountered Harry's green ones.

"Please, come. It's so nice to see you," he greeted her, and kissed her on the cheek. "How was Hogwarts this year?"

"It hadn't changed too much since our last year, to be honest," Hermione answered, before taking a step forward to let Harry close the door behind her. "The professors are still brilliant, and MacGonagall is doing a good job as the headmistress. Filch is still noisy, but I don't think that you were expecting a change coming from him."

She laughed, but Harry just smiled in return. Then, he invited her to follow him into the living room.

"Well, right, I don't have a lot of hope when it comes to him," he eventually said.

"Where is James?," Hermione suddenly asked, almost cutting Harry off.

"He is fast asleep in his crib. My little boy had quite a long day, if you want to know everything."

Hermione sat on the couch, following Harry with her eyes as he went to the open-plan kitchen to take two glasses and a bottle of wine. He had changed, she noticed. Of course, he wasn't the teenager she used to know since a long time, but she realised that, even in six months, Harry Potter had changed; he seemed to be more mature than ever... and a little more taciturn too. Hermione frowned: when she had heard his voice in the morning, her best friend had seemed to be cheerful, as if his life was amazing. How could it be any different? He had a beautiful wife and an adorable son, with a job that everybody envied him. From the young and abused child, Harry had became a man full of confidence with a life that everybody wanted to have.

Harry came back in the living room quite soon, and he handled her a glass of wine. They clinked their glasses and started to drink in silence; a silence that Hermione quickly broke.

"So, Harry? I don't think that I came here to look at you in the eyes while sipping this absolutely delicious wine–I'd gladly take its name later, by the way–," she chuckled. "How is your life going? If I remember well, you were supposed to go on a mission earlier this year, weren't you?"

Harry gave her a little smile, and looked back at his glass of wine. "Exactly. I've returned yesterday. It went well," he explained, "and everything is under control now. I was in the south of Italy, but, truth to be told, I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy its beautiful landscapes."

"I went to Italy two years ago," Hermione remembered. "It was nice, even if I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the summer there."

"Really?," Harry grinned. "Aren't you supposed to be in holidays for three months when you're a teacher?"

"Don't make fun of myself. And I've got some news for you by the way. Ready to hear it?"

Harry nodded, amused by Hermione's superior and funny air. She straightened her back and put the glass of wine back onto the coffee table, emphasizing the importance of her declaration.

"Enlighten me," the young man said to urge her to spread her news.

"It was my last year at Hogwarts."

"Mmh, can you repeat it?" Harry raised a surprised eyebrow.

"You heard me well, Mr. Potter. I quit my job."

"But I thought...," he began.

"...that I liked being a teacher," Hermione finished with a smile. "Yes, you're right. Being a teach is something amazing, it really is. I had so much fun at Hogwarts during these last fews years, and it was hard for me to make this decision, even if I didn't take too long to do so."

"Are you saying that you woke up one day and decided that it was the end?"

"Not exactly... I don't think that it is possible to make a life-changing decision in a heartbeat, even more when it is as important as a career. I realise now that it was something that I was thinking about since a long time, but I wasn't prepared to make the big jump yet, you know."

Harry slowly nodded, and Hermione had the impression that he was thinking about something else.

"Mmh, still with me, Mr. Potter?," she asked playfully when she noticed that he wasn't looking at her any longer. It seemed to be enough to take him out of his torpor.

"Oh, yes. Sorry Hermione. What were you saying?"

"Nothing important... But now, I don't know what to do. I've got all this free time to look for a job, or to think about opening my own bookshop, who knows..."

"I totally see you owning a bookshop. You're the most amazing bookw–"

"Don't. Say. This. Word," Hermione interrupted him in a laugh. "Really, Harry, I am not a bookworm. I just... love to improve myself."

"Don't play with words," he smiled. "We both totally know that you're a boo–"

"Harry Potter!," Hermione almost shouted out, doing her best to hide her amusement.

"Well, fair enough. You're not a bookworm," he finally gave up with a grin.

"I told you not to say this word," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Damn it, Potter, you're so annoying."

"That's why you like me, don't deny it," he retorted with a wink.

"Well, if that pleases you..."

"Going back to your project," Harry resumed in a more serious voice, "I'm sure that you can manage to run your own business. And if you need some money to begin, I can totally help."

Hermione shook her head. "I didn't come here to ask for your money, Harry. I can handle myself, don't worry about it. Thank you but... no thank you," she said with a smile.

She knew that Harry would have offered her his help; he was like that, always wanting to help his friends, to do the best for his family.

"Alright, but if you need anything..."

"... I will tell you, yes. I've heard this sentence so many times before that I don't think that it's useful for you to say it anymore," Hermione said, amused.

"I mean it, Hermione."

"I know. I don't want to flatter you, but I know how caring, how helpful you are. You were like that back in Hogwarts, and you haven't changed since then. Fifteen years have passed, and you're still the same person. I am truly grateful to have a friend like you."

Hermione wasn't the kind of person to open herself so easily, and Harry just nodded, not really knowing what to say back.

"Don't be so embarrassed," the young woman said quickly, taking the bottle of wine to get another drink. "I'm sure that Ginny would agree with me. Where is she, by the way? Taking a long bath like she is used to?"

Seconds before, Harry was embarrassed because of Hermione's compliments; now he was embarrassed because he didn't know how to tell her the truth. "Ginny is gone". It was a simple sentence, wasn't it? He just had to say these three words, these words full of meaning, and it would be over. She would open her mouth out of surprise, would say how sorry she was for him, and would ask him if he needed any help. He would say "no, thank you", like she had said when he had offered her his financial help, and everything would go back to normal.

But what normality was? To act like nothing had happened? To hide his head under a pillow not to see that his wife had gone, the Ginny's place in the bed next to him would remain empty until next year?

Awkwardly enough, Harry hadn't thought about this moment, this exact moment when Hermione would ask where Ginny was. He had thought about the dinner, about the things that he could say to her–his job, how he would handle the situation with James–, he had considered almost everything. But this part, the harder one... He just wanted to forget about the origin of his solitude and just wanted to focus on the consequences of Ginny's departure.

"Harry?"

Hermione's worried voice took him out of his daydream, and he blinked a few times.

"What were you saying?," he asked her, postponing the fatal moment.

"Ginny...," Hermione explained, frowning. "You know... your wife, the petite woman with red hair. Quite stunning if you want my opinion," she went on with a smile. "Where is she?"

It's time, Harry, you have to say it, his inner voice whispered inwardly, urging him to say the inevitable. Saying it aloud would make everything real, he knew it, and that was the reason why he didn't want to do it. He opened his mouth several times, and closed it right away. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but didn't utter a word; she was waiting for him to take the plunge, as if she knew exactly what was going on. Eventually, Harry did it: he said the truth.

"Ginny is gone."

Alright. Short chapter, but I wanted to end it here. Again, thank you for your amazing reviews to this story. I like to read from you, to have your opinion about what I write, about what I share with you. I'm sorry if I didn't answer to you personnally yet, but I've got two really important oral exams next Monday, and I am quite stressed about it. But don't worry: I'll answer to all of you as soon as it's over. Until then, please know that you are all amazing!

I hope that you liked this chapter, even if it is a short one. Don't be shy and let me know what you think about it. :)

PS: I just want to answer to Goundry's review. Well, I didn't think about it when I started to write this story to be honest. To me, when you're involved in a high-level training, you can't go back to your house every weekend so easily. I plan to let Ginny come home for Christmas, but that's all actually. Wizards have Floo and everything, sure, but well, sometimes to be the best, you have to live in a "bubble". After this year, of course, when she'll be in a Tournament, things will be different, but for now, it's not that simple, at least in my point of view. I hope that you'll find my answer satisfying. :D