Author's Note: I'm not able to answer reviews, but if I were I would personally thank Angry Penguin, rhmac12, McLaughlin, Eckles, 79AvadaWeasleyKedavra, placebo13, Billybob, and James1110 for just remembering who I was. It's been so long since I posted that I really thought I would be starting from scratch. It really, really means a lot to me that you reviewed. :-)
Beta's Note: You know what's really hard? Relationships. I think everyone should really keep that in mind. Also hard: surviving a war. These are two things that would have a huge effect on romantic relationships. Imagine someone who is dealing with both. That is the most important.
Chapter 2: "NEVER going to happen – ever"
Ron couldn't help but notice the time as he waited in the crowded line to exit the Ministry via the Floo network.
Bloody hell, she's going to be boiling mad.
SHE was none other than his girlfriend going on seven years: the impossible, sexy, and brilliant Hermione Granger. The boiling mad part was the fact that he realized that he wasn't going to show up at her flat for dinner on time. Plus, he didn't send an owl that he was going to be late. For Ron it was the Owl letters he hated way more than showing up late or having Hermione go on at him. Over the last four years, Owl letters had become an obsession with her. It had started during her last year at Hogwarts and it continued even when she started her job at the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. No matter how busy or how far away Ron was, he was required to send a daily owl to his girlfriend. She always wanted to know what he was doing, who he was with, and when he would be back.
Blah, blah, blah. It was enough to drive a bloke insane.
He wasn't quite sure when the exchange of Owl messages turned into a mandatory daily status report. All he knew was if he failed to write one, he faced the wrath of his incensed, impossible, sexy and brilliant girlfriend. He thought about his recent mission to East Africa. One would think dealing with a death breathing and diseased Nundu that was running loose across Africa would warrant a reprieve from daily owl letters.
"No excuse," chirped Ron, his spot on imitation of Hermione's voice as he moved forward in line.
"Excuse for what," asked an elderly gray haired witch, holding tightly on to her pink polka dot purse. Ron wasn't sure if she was holding the ugly purse in fear of losing it in the floo or of someone snatching it outright.
"Nothing," grumbled Ron, in hopes of getting her to ignore him.
The elderly witch seemed perplexed by Ron's outburst but said nothing more as it was her turn to step into the fireplace.
"Harry's the lucky one," he thought. Harry rarely ever had to write an Owl to Ginny while away on missions. Harry was even luckier because Ron never once heard his sister complain. And at least she always understood the fact that both of them were working as hard as possible to capture Death Eaters, rounding up Dementors, sorting out Mountain giants, and Merlin knows what else. Not Hermione though. His Hermione couldn't stand not to hear from him. Even when he had a day off and she was working, he was required to send a daily Owl. Merlin help him if he didn't. Arguments, unavoidable nagging and if she was really cross and upset– no sex.
"Nothing, zip," he grumbled to himself, "I'd be lucky to get a kiss goodbye for work."
Finally it was his turn as he stepped forward into the fireplace. "Hackney," requested Ron, then tossed the floo powder at his feet while standing inside the fireplace.
As Ron made his way to Hermione's North East London flat his spirit was feeling a bit muddled. It wasn't as if he couldn't handle the investigation and apprehension of Dolores Umbridge. "No that wasn't it at all," he thought. It was the inescapable fact that once again he would have to explain the need to work long hours to his girlfriend. To say their relationship had soured the last few years since the War ended wouldn't be far off the mark. In fact, the constant nagging and arguments about the daily Owl messages had been driving him to places he never imagined he would go to. Efforts to avoid fighting led him to use half-truths and then outright lies on why he couldn't commit or where he really was in one form or another. It wasn't that he didn't want to. Far from it, he was an Auror in training for four years, and an Auror working on ongoing missions for the last three. He was always too broke, from being a poorly paid Ministry employee, to pay for an expensive romantic dinner.
To make matters worse after Hermione insisted he move out of the Burrow and find his own apartment, he was constantly struggling with money. But he really couldn't blame her for forcing him to get a new place of his own. Getting caught by his Mom in the middle of one of their late night sex-fest was one of the worst nights of his life. Hermione had forgotten to perform a silencing charm on his room and it seemed as if the whole house had trouble sleeping that night. George had jokingly claimed he was able to hear them all night via the hole where his ear once was.
"Hopefully she won't be too angry with me," Ron thought as he knocked on the door of her flat.
"Come in, Ron."
Ron wondered at the serious tone in her voice but managed to keep his expression blank as he casually entered her flat as he had done so many times in the past. What he saw made him nervous, confused and scared all at once because a very calm and serious looking Hermione was sitting at the empty dining room table, wearing a lovely black dress and a pearl necklace. She was wearing a modest amount of makeup that she usually reserved for when they were going out. He even noticed that her long hair had been tied back with a white bow. He started to panic as he tried to remember if he had promised to take her out.
"Are we... I mean... were we planning to go out tonight?" Ron stuttered, not sure what he had previously agreed to.
"No Ron, please take a seat," she requested quietly, and gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't surprised at Ron's inability to remember if they were going out.
Ron cautiously sat down at the table as Hermione stared at him, her expression way too calm for Ron's liking. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come to his head. Instead he waited for her to begin speaking. Unfortunately, he didn't have to wait too long.
"Ron, as you know, we haven't been ... doing well together. I'm—"
"Because of us both working so hard," interrupted Ron, feeling a bit scared about where the conversation was going.
"Please Ron, let me finish," Hermione said, as if she had a whole speech planned out in her head.
"Bloody hell, this isn't good," Ron thought.
"I'm sure that in time you will see this as I do," Hermione continued. "Ron, Its time for us to move on. I feel like I've been waiting fourteen years of my life for you and all I get are excuses, half-truths and lies."
"What are you going on about?" Ron stared at Hermione, trying to figure out where this was all coming from.
"Ron, I'm talking about all the chances I've given you over the years and all the excuses you've given me in return. Every time I tried to talk about ANY of this with you, all that would happen is you'd cut me off and tell me that all you wanted was to have a good time or a relaxing night without any nagging."
Ron couldn't deny that last part.
"You didn't seem to care about what I wanted. How can any kind of long term and lasting relationship exist with no open communication? We both know this relationship has been dead for several months now so I think we need to end it and move on," Hermione firmly declared.
A feeling as if his insides were being twisted into knots began to travel up Ron's body and he couldn't focus enough to respond.
"I'm returning your key to your flat and I've already moved my things out."
"Say something!" Ron's heart and brain angrily ordered, but words began to fail him as the twisting knots moved around his chest and heart.
"Maybe... if we just take a break then... after a while we can get back together." Ron felt as if his tongue weighed a hundred pounds.
"No Ron, it's NEVER going to happen – ever. We are never getting back together again and as soon as you recognize that the better off you will be!" Hermione stood up from the table, turned to the cabinet behind her, took a key from the top and dropped it on the table in front of Ron.
"Here's the key to your flat."
Ron's heart had dropped and his vision seemed to be going through a black hole. After a few second that felt like hours he mustered the last bit of false bravado that he had.
"I hope... I wish nothing but the best for you."
"Thank you, Ron. I have to go now so please leave."
Ron felt as if his legs would give out on him at any second but somehow he stood up from the table and made his way to the front door. Hermione didn't even offer him a goodbye hug as she opened the door for him.
"Hermione, can we-"Ron pleaded, hating the way his voice sounded to his ears.
"No Ron we can't. Have a nice life and be well."
Hermione slowly closed the door to her flat, leaving a heartbroken Ron standing motionless in the hall, still trying to figure out what had just happened.
A/N: First, this was very painful to write. I know a few of you will say that Hermione is Out of Character. I respond with sadly no, she is not.