Healing the Heart (Dramione)

06|| Difficult Dinners

It was pretty common for Hermione to work through her lunch break, leaving she and Ron less time to spend together. He'd just learned to stop by her office during his lunch hour so he could sit at her desk and talk with her ask she worked; today was no different. His fingers lightly traced the grooves in Hermione's desk as he waited for her to finish writing. This was the first time they really had seen each other since their latest fight.

She lifted her eyes towards his and smiled. "I'm so sorry that took me so long. What time are you off work?"

"I'm off at seven." Ron stopped his drawing and glanced towards the door as Draco spoke. He was leaning against the frame of her door with a lazy smile on his lips.

"Oh, hello Healer Malfoy." Hermione chuckled. "My question was actually directed at Ron but if you'd like, then you could join us for dinner. Maybe invite Pansy?"

Ron's eyes narrowed at the blonde. "'Mione, I'd rather we had dinner alone. Just the two of us. I need to talk to you about something." His gaze turn towards her. The anger in his eyes instantly caused her to sit up a little straighter.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Healer Malfoy. I..."

Draco smirked. "Don't worry about it, Granger. I have plans tonight anyway. I just dropped in to pass on the report from this morning's meeting. If possible, don't miss the next one. I don't want to take notes for you again." His cheeky grin disappeared as he turned to leave, giving a curt nod to Ron. "Weasel."

"Ferret."

Once Draco had walked down the hall, Hermione rolled her eyes. "You do know that a Ferret and a Weasel are pretty similar creatures, right?" At his scowl she continued. "Honestly, you two should stop it. It's been years."

"Why should I? He doesn't even address you properly, Healer Granger. You've got seniority over him. He should be more respectful. He's also a right foul git."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't be childish."

"My lunch is over." Ron rose from his seat and strode towards the door. "I get off of work at six. I'll meet you by the lamppost at seven, that is when you get off, isn't it?" He kept his back to her as he spoke.

"Yes, but we should make it seven-thirty, you know how I tend to run late."

He couldn't help but smile at her comment. "Alright, seven-thirty it is. Bye 'Mione."

~~~

It was well past eight by the time Hermione arrived, he wasn't surprised; overworking and running late were part of her personality now. She hadn't had time to change out of her work clothes yet, her Healer's robe was wrapped around the strap of her purse. Her hair was still in a tight bun though a few strands had slipped free down her neck and across her cheeks. His eyes met hers for a brief moment before they dropped to the ground. Breathing in the night air, he closed his eyes.

"Sorry I'm late, I'm completely swamped with work right now." Hermione smiled apologetically, reaching for his hand. "We'll have to make this rather fast. I have a lot of paperwork to do tonight."

He nodded slowly, eyes still closed, this was common. "I understand. Do you want to just grab a sandwich really fast?" Wrapping his fingers around hers, he shoved away from the lamppost and glanced around them, avoiding eye contact as he spoke.

"Of course, I've actually been wanting a sandwich lately. There's this pretty great restaurant about three blocks down. Wanna try that?"

"Sure."

~

Hermione supplied the conversation during dinner, chatting on about work while they ate. Ron occasionally agreed or asked a question, but never spoke more than a couple of sentences. Her eyes remained glued to him as he fiddled with his napkin, his plate, his sandwich. She knew something had been bothering him for a couple of weeks, tonight it was more obvious, and she had a pretty good feeling of what it was.

After they finished their food the two walked through the streets till Hermione stopped by the lamppost.

"What's the matter, Ron?" She asked softly.

His eyes snapped up for a moment before he looked to the side. "I'm... I'm glad you wanted to go out tonight. I actually have something I want to talk to you about..." He took a deep breath before he continued. "Hermione, you're amazing-"

"Thank you, so are you."

He put up a hand to stop her. "No. Please, don't." Minutes of silence passed before he spoke again. "We've been together for a while now and I really do care for you but I think that we should-"

"You want to break up?" She answered simply.

Ron's eyes widened in shock as he truly looked at her for the first time that evening. "Well... Y-yes. How did you..."

Hermione smiled sadly, "I could tell. " Looking up into the sky she sighed deeply. "I think I've known for a while."

"So... you're not mad?" Ron asked hesitantly.

"No. I've felt the same way. We've been drifting apart, don't you think? Work keeps getting in the way, we hardly see each other anymore and the fight... I feel like we're better as friends than as anything more."

A small chuckle escaped his lips as she said this. "Yeah," He agreed. "I'm sorry, Hermione."

"Don't be. I'm fine. We're fine." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a quick hug.

"I'll grab my stuff tomorrow, while you're at work if that's alright."

"Sure.... Well, I better go, the paperwork isn't going to do itself." She took a step back and flashed him a smile. "I'll see you around." After giving his hand a squeeze, Hermione turned and walked away. It was only when she had heard the crack which signified Ron's departure, that she let out the breath she'd been holding. It was over. Six years and it was over like that. Placing a shaky hand to her forehead, Hermione glanced around and entered the nearest store she could find.

~~~

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Draco stood in front of the slightly ajar door of Granger's flat. The paper in his hand was meaningless information, an excuse really, one he'd done countless times before, designed to gain him access to her house or her office so he could see if she was alright.