The Trouble with Love Is

AN: Most of you probably won't like the end of this first segment (Ron and Hermione alone for the first time in a year), because something happens between the two. Nothing against the rules, but something that parallels my one certain scene is chapter 31, when house elves pop up. But never fear, it's just me trying to portray their relationship realistically and to show closure. It won't happen again, at least for them. As well, it stated previously in Hermiones letter that Harry was in Auror training, but I would like to change that for a few reasons. He is currently working with Kingsley in rebuilding the wizarding world. So that is his real occupation. *wink* Please read, rate, and review! And I beg of you, tell me if you find any errors (i.e. spelling, grammar, or glaring plotline mistakes).

The door to Ron Weasleys opened and slammed with a single purpose. After leaving the Burrow, Hermione was filled with many emotions regarding what she had to do. Ron was about to be on the ending part of all of that soon enough. At the noise, the man in question peeked his head over the wall to see who entered the foyer. Ron immediately backed away and into the other direction. He'd mysteriously left minutes before she did, undoubtably to hope that a fight did not occur. Boy was he wrong.

"You! I hope you have a good explanation for this," she said angrily. Ron cowered, his face turning red.

"Look, Hermione, I can explain..." She stared at him with astoundment.

"Explain what? How can I be gone for a year, twelve months! and go by without more than one letter from you? Yeah, you better explain that. I got letters from Harry, Neville, Luna, Ginny, even your parents more often than you. There was so much to be explained and discussed, but that wouldn't be interesting, would it? No, the epic Ron Weasley of Puddlemere United can't be bothered with things that matter to me, his girlfriend, while she's over in a different country, while we're at it." Ron looked pained.

"Like I said Hermione, I can explain everything," he tried to plead. "There's so much I wish I could change, and so much I wish I could have told you, but come on! Let me explain my side of the story." Hermione ignored him.

"Like I was saying before you interrupted me, Ronald Bilius Weasley, my life isn't important. You're just too busy shagging people and attending parties and such for his reputation. How many were there, Ron? Six, seven? They must have been involved in the elaborate game of keeping me out of the loop!" Ron glared at her.

"How dare you imply that I cheated on you once, let along several times, while you were away? God dammit, Hermione, you don't understand what it was like back here. You were traipsing off in Italy while the paparazzi was up our backs every turn we made, not just for the Quidditch aspect of my life, but because of defeating You-Know-Who, too-"

"You didn't defeat Voldemort!" Hermione screeched, Ron flinching at the name. She was just about as angry as she was the time she ordered canaries on him, if not ten times worse. "Harry did it, no thanks to you. You, after all, walked out on us during the middle of a hide-out, and nearly blew everything! Unless of course," she added, her tone quieter, but much more full of malice, "you happened to tell the Daily Prophet that without you, we'd still be living in a time of terror. Tell me, Ron, what was it like for you after you took all of the glory?"

The atmosphere was drastically changed. Ron and Hermione, less than two feet away from eachother, were both red in the face. Rons talking mirror in the corner said in it's stuffy voice, "Well, this is perfect for your relationship, isn't it? What's next, fighting over Viktor Krum and Miss Hermiones correspondence?" Damn that mirror and its ability to read situations and minds to a certain extent. The pair ignored it. Ron looked shocked and astonished, almost disbelieving. He muttered a string of curse words under his tongue.

"You really think that I'd do that, after what all of us have been through? I regret walking out on you two, Hermione, but you know what? I'm always going to have that thrown in my face. Like fifty years down the road, you'll tell my grandchildren that their grandfather walked out on his best mate and the love of his life, for lack of a better term. For your information, they knew exactly what our positions in the war were." He almost spat the word exactly at her. "Once upon a time, I thought that you trusted me with your life and that you would be the mother of my children in the future, as well as my wife. But I guess I was reading into that wrong, too. Seems like I've done that a lot lately." He just shook his head, his eyes half closed. "That's the beauty of it all," Ron muttered.

She cocked her head angrily, looking at him, her eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" Hermiones voice was low. "Since when does that have anything to do with what we're fighting about? You selfish, egotistical jerk! What am I to you- the eventual perfect little trophy wife to bring to all of your premieres? I am a normal person, Ronald Weasley, one with scruples, one with ambitions, one that can actually make a difference in the world." She was about to add 'unlike you,' but refrained from doing so. It seemed that Ron understood what she meant regardless.

"It's relevant to everything," Ron growled, grabbing her shoulders tightly. She winced at the slight, dull pain. "It always has. Remember our sixth year, when you were so jealous of Lavender and me? I still have the scars. Remember our first kiss in the middle of the battle? I still harbor the jealousy that the first things on your mind for weeks was Harry and his problems, even after he got back together with my sister. What was I to you, and what am I to you now? What is Harry to you? I need to know, because I love you more than ever, and I need to know if it's foolish of me to think that you love me back."

Hermione faltered. "I don't know what you mean," she stammered, her heart beating wildly. Was he telling her to choose between him and Harry? "It doesn't matter what I feel for Harry, anyway, because he's with Ginny now, and I'm with you. I love you more than you know, more than I show," she said sadly. "Please don't do this." Ron rendered her silent as she gazed into his dark blue eyes. They were full of a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"What you feel for him? Is that a confession? Because it sure as hell feels like one." He eyed her. "What was I supposed to do, Hermione?" he asked bitterly. They were back onto the issue of the letters, or lack of. "You chose him years ago, and I can't-" he ran his hands through his hair biting his lip, "I can't keep pretending anymore. God, I was almost happy when you left. It gave me a chance to realize that I can't be second, not to the one I want to be with and be happy. I grew up like that. And you... it would never work, because you're always off saving Harry from himself, or trying to fix him in some way, or making him happy when my sister can't keep up with the drama. You'll always be first to him, because you were there and Ginny wasn't. And he'll always be first to you. We can't keep fooling ourselves anymore. So why would I write to you about how I was doing, if it only led to this?"

Hermione felt as though Ron punched her in the stomach. She didn't imagine how he collected these thoughts, and how he gained the confidence to say insistently how true they were. It was true, Harry was a touchy subject for her, one she never dwelled on. But that was what studying abroad changed in her.

He just laughed derisively. "You look like you don't know what I'm talking about," Ron said. She could almost hear a bit of pity in his tone. "This, Hermione, what we have, it isn't a real relationship. What you have with Harry, that is. You choose him. It's always been that way, it always will be, and don't try to hide it!" He was not even a foot away from her, they'd inched closer. Hermione flinched at his loud tone. "I can't deny that I'm in love you, but bloody hell, this is wrong. We've chosen different paths. It's over. So frickin over." He looked like he was about to continue when Hermione impulsively stepped up and kissed him.

They leaned into eachother for support, her hands on his chest and his in her hair. Hermione felt as though she was oblivious to everything around her, as always, and she welcomed it. He was a sense of comfort and warmth, something familiar from her past. Rons left hand wrapped around her waist gently as she swayed in place, spinning them in circles. Their hold on eachother was tight. She reveled in the familiarity of things. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck tenderly, turning her torso into him. She felt as though she were flying. His hands were wiggling back into her hair like worms. They battled the battle of love when it ended. The cruel, harsh, unfair world had taken its rightful place in their lives, and everything from the previous times returned. Giving her a sad look, Ron broke away and apparated out of the building, not giving Hermione to chance to explain herself.

Hermione choked back the tears that were threatening to come afloat and bit her lip. She fought back the urge to find him. She knew this would happen eventually. Ron had always been jealous, but why now? She understood him, though, what he said was partially true. Ron did not deserve to be loved half way while the other half was devoted to a love unable to explain. They were just Harry and Hermione. Two parts of one whole. Where did Ron and Hermione fit into it? But their relationship was real, what just happened showed it. That was where his logic failed. There was passion, and heat, and yet... Hermione used the wall she leaned against as her guide, shrinking to the floor. She knew there was something missing, but just didn't know what. The mirror called to her:

"Go after him."

"What if I don't want to go after him?" Hermione heard herself retort.

"Go to Harry, then. Stop being so stubborn, woman. I'm just a mirror!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The events following the party was making #12 Grimmauld Place an awkward place to live, at the very least. Harry felt as though Ginny was avoiding him, however right she was. On the Sunday after, Harry woke up with no one beside him.

Hermione was now a regular tenant of the building, considering Ron was the owner of their once shared flat. Her breakfast skills were now being put to work. As Harry clambered down the stairs and entered the kitchen, he welcomed the smell of freshly cooked bacon and scrambled eggs. The woman in question stood over the stove like a parenthesis with her hair up in a messy bun, her clothes wrinkled from hours of sleep.

"Are you planning on saying good morning to me?" he said in a teasing tone from the doorway. She spun around anxiously, as if someone was stalking her. Hermione put on a good natured expression and chuckled. "Because you know," he continued dramatically, "I'm just standing here all alone, with no one to comfort me as once again, my girlfriend leaves at the crack of dawn." Hermione frowned.

"Does anyone really know where Ginny goes when she leaves?" she asked suspiciously. Harry shrugged before sitting down at the table.

"The Burrow, probably, or some early practice," he told Hermione. "George said that she was also spending time at the shoppe, helping him with sales and such." Hermione took this in and returned to the stove to pour everything onto their plates. "Accio plate," he mumbled, bringing the stacked toast and eggs to him. He also said, "Accio Hermione." Hermione shrieked as she flew across the kitchen to him. "Sit down and eat," he told her. "Usually, you cook for the both of us, than skip out on it because you aren't to work early enough. So you are going to eat everything on that plate."

"But-" Hermione began to complain, but Harry looked at her and said, "you will thank me." He then patted her on the shoulder and looked at his watch. "Boy, look at the time. I better get to the Ministry before Kingsley puts me on the chopping block." Harry chuckled. "I'll see you later, Hermione. And if Kreacher tells me you didn't finish every single thing you put together, there will be punishment." Hermione giggled.

"Have fun at the Ministry today, Harry," she said as a goodbye. "I might just go to work now so I can see what kind of punishment you will bring me. Don't let Kingsley work you too hard," she also warned. "I don't want you in St. Mungos any time soon. I might just have to treat you in the most painful and time consuming ways as possible." Hermione gave him a teasing smile, then kissed him on the cheek, holding her hands to his face. "See you when I get home, okay? We should do something tonight."

"Definitely," Harry agreed. "Bye, Hermione, until tonight. "He separated himself from her gently and apparated to work happier than he'd been in days.