𝐂𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐄 | 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

one

Hermione walked down the street, lost in thought. The last case that she'd been assigned was particularly mind-boggling, and she was looking forward to puzzling it out. She turned the corner, spaced out.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

She collided suddenly into someone else, her nose smacking into their shoulder. The coffee in their hand spilled all over her new blouse and their papers flew everywhere.

"Oh, let me help you-" she said, crouching down to pick up the papers. She gathered them all into a nice, neat pile and handed them back to-

"Draco?"

"Thanks, Hermione," Draco said, eyebrows raised as he accepted the papers from her outstretched hand.

"You're welcome," she said, eyes skipping down to the abandoned coffee on the ground. "I'm sorry about your drink, would you like me to buy you a new one? I can-"

"No, it's alright. Thank you though," he said, offering her a crooked half-smile. She frowned slightly.

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully.

"Absolutely." He started to walk off in the opposite direction and winked. "See you around."

She was too confused to reply, watching him turn around the corner. She let out a breath and picked up the coffee cup. She couldn't be responsible for litter.

She sat down in front of the telly and turned on some show that Blaise liked. He kept nagging her to watch it, and so far she was unimpressed.

She kept thinking about her run-in with Draco. She hadn't seen him since they'd repeated their last year at Hogwarts. Stayed behind to repeat 7th year, of course. The credit was needed for the Magical Creatures department at the Ministry, and she knew that was where she wanted to work. Draco and Blaise's parents had made them go, and Ginny stuck with Hermione. The only other 7th year students other than Pans and Theo were Seamus, Dean, and Hannah Abott. Everyone was too scared to come back. Those three kept to themselves, and Ginny and Hermione bonded with the Slytherins. Especially since Hermione and Draco were Head Boy and Girl.

Her phone rang and she answered it without looking at the Caller ID, snapping out of her reverie. "Hello?"

"Hermione?"

"I told you not to-" she began, already angry. She'd made it very clear to Ron that she needed space and time, and that he was not to contact her.

"Wait, wait, please don't hang up," Ron pleaded. Hermione pressed her lips together, but didn't hang up.

"I wanted to ask you...uh, I want to buy our house back from you."

"What?" Hermione asked, her heart dropping. She loved it here. It was her first house, filled with more good memories than she could count. He didn't have the right to just waltz on into her life and take it from her. Ron- she'd never expect this from him. He knew how much this house meant to her.

"I just- I'll pay you back, I will, but you really don't own it, my name was the only one on the mortgage and the title-"

"Ronald, that's because I did all of the other stuff. You just signed your name," she said. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream.

Foolish! She hadn't signed her name on the mortgage, added it on the title. She didn't think it would matter, she and Ron would be together forever. Right?

She'd been so tired that day, and she'd thought it was nice of him, when he said, "Why don't you take a rest, I'll handle it, I promise", she had been so stupid! "I can't- I-"

"I'm sorry, I really am, but Katy wants to live in-"

"Oh, it's what Katy wants," Hermione said angrily, annoyance coursing through her at the woman's name as she cut him off. Kate, the woman he'd met, the woman he'd slept with and left her for. "Fine. Fine. I'll just stay with Ginny."

Ron let out a breath, sounding relieved. "Thanks, Hermione."

She growled under her breath at his nerve. "I'll be gone by the end of this week."

She hung up on him.