A huge banner across the room spelled, “Happy Birthday Hermione!” Hermione gasped. She herself had not even remembered it was her birthday. But, she thought, they’re right. It is the 19th of September. She couldn’t believe how many people were there. Lots of the members of the Order were there; Moody, Tonks (who today had long curly green hair and a long pointy nose), Lupin, Hagrid, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, Dumbledore, the Weasleys: Arthur, Molly Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy and quickly she noticed another man sitting on a table a little ways away…It was Ron.
“Happy Birthday, Hermione!” Everyone yelled cheerfully. Well, everyone except Ron.
Harry caught Hermione staring at Ron and whispered, “I think his mum made him come, I don’t know whether he would have or not if she hadn’t made him.”
“O-oh, I see, well that’s alright then,” Hermione said sadly. She really wanted to talk to him, at least for a few minutes. But she was soon so crowded by people wishing her a “happy birthday,” she forgot he was there in the corner.
They had a wonderful dinner, pot roast with mashed potatoes, one that Hermione actually ate, instead of staring at it, though she still wasn’t that hungry. Hermione wanted to sneak away, to talk to Ron, but the opportunity hadn’t come up.
After dinner, presents were shoved in Hermione’s face. From Harry, she received a beautiful eagle feather quill complete with Quinilda’s Quill Care Kit. From Fred and George, a wizard camera, but as she found out when she took a picture, it wasn’t a camera, but the latest invention of Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes. It shot out ink in every direction instead of smoke when a picture was taken (The group who were in the picture weren’t too pleased with the twins the rest of the night). Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave Hermione a book entitled, Aurors in Today’s Society. Dumbledore and Moody gave Hermione the most extravagant present of all. They gave her a pocket mirror. It wasn’t just a pocket mirror though. Dumbledore explained that it had the capabilities to contact anyone with a mirror, just by calling a name. Hermione could even contact people with muggle mirrors. The mirror had an ornate wood border made of dark cherry and intricate designs of an otter (the animal her Patronus forms) all around it.
“So Hermione,” Harry said casually as they were cleaning up, “Was I convincing when I told you Moody was having another outburst?”
“Oh yeah,” Hermione agreed, “The only thing that didn’t occur to me, that might have helped me figure this whole thing out, is that today was my birthday.”
Moody added, “And she probably would have figured it out, too!” The whole room laughed at that. Then Kingsley went into talking about his latest adventure. I need some air, she thought. She snuck away from the conversation, and went outside into the night.
As she stepped out, she found Ron sitting on a bench in Moody’s garden of dead plants. She sat next to him. “Hello,” she said trying to sound casual.
“’Ello,” Ron replied not making eye contact.
“It’s been a while hasn’t it? How are you?” Hermione asked, still trying to keep her casualty.
“It has been a while. I’ve been…I’ve been okay I suppose,” Ron answered, while staring at his fingernails. He seemed almost determined not to make eye contact.
“So how’s the store go---”
Ron interrupted, his ears turning red, “Look Hermione, if you think that just because I came to your birthday party we’re going to be buddy-buddy again, you’re wrong. I didn’t want to come. Mum made me.”
Hermione’s eyes filled with tears as she said, “Well, I thank you for sacrificing your time. Obviously you have wasted it. You may leave if you wish. Goodbye Ronald.” She cried as she went into the house and she ran quickly into a bathroom slamming and locking the door behind her.
Ron continued to sit, motionless, staring at the ground. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. He knew she only meant to be nice. But he didn’t have the courage to apologize, especially to Hermione. He always got tongue-tied around her. And he had been avoiding Hermione since right after Ginny’s death, though he loved her very much. Hermione reminded him too much of the positive attitude Ginny had toward everything that was thrown at her. He couldn’t handle having those reminders of Ginny around him.
It had almost been two years since the death of Ginny. He could still remember the exact moment when he received an urgent owl from Dumbledore telling him to report to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries immediately. He had done as he was told. Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Tonks, Lupin, Hagrid, Kingsley, his father, mother, and all of his brothers were already there. There was a silence about them that frightened Ron.
“What is it?” He had cried into the silence. “Wait a moment, where’s Ginny?” He asked the silenced crowd. Mrs. Weasley started sobbing at this point. Ron’s sister was here, in this place. “What’s wrong with Ginny?” Ron had yelled. He hated being uninformed.
Lupin was the one to answer. “Look, Ron, well, Ginny was attempting to take on a whole pack of angry dark wizards on her own. They were Voldemort supporters," Lupin said (as not one person flinched at the word "Voldemort"). He continued, "She was trying to stop them from starting a riot. They all sent spells at her at the same time. They were very unusual spells, and, the healers, they’re having a hard time treating it. They say she might be untreatable, that she might not make it, that she might…” Lupin let his sentence trail off.
Ron was shocked. He ran to Ginny’s ward. He looked through the window. He saw a limp body in a bed, with forced breathing and heavy eyelids. He cried for hours. Then he went into Ginny’s ward, kissed her on the forehead, and left. He wanted to get away, to make this just go away.
Ginny died a week later peacefully in her sleep. All of the Weasley’s (including Hermione and Harry) were there standing around her until the last moment. Ron had decided he couldn’t handle the stress of being an auror, so he retired. He never spoke to Hermione again, and he spoke rarely to any other members of the Order, even Harry. And so that is how it has been for two long years.
Harry heard the door slam, and excused himself from a conversation he was having with Fred, George and Mundungus. He ran to the bathroom. “Hermione?” He called.
Hermione heard him, but didn’t want to talk.
“Hermione, come on, I know your in there. I’ll unlock this door myself if you don’t do it for me.” His tone was very serious now.
She quickly ran toward the door through a sob she whispered Alohomora and the door opened. Harry looked solemnly at her. “Look, Ron is just…” But Harry didn’t know how to finish the sentence. Hermione helped him with that.
“Ron is just a real jerk?” She yelled hoping Ron would hear her.
Harry sighed. He had nothing to add. Hermione sighed, also. Her birthday was ruined. She made the mistake of talking to the man she loves.
Harry decided to check outside, before he took Hermione outside to calm down. Ron was gone. All that was left was a little package on the doorstep, and attached to it, a note.
Hermione stared at it for a long time, until Harry asked, “So...Are you going to stare at it or open it?”
She gave him a look of disgust, then picked up the package. She walked over to the bench in the dead garden and sat down, ripping off the note in the process. She read the note silently, without a change in expression as she read, then handed the note to Harry. The note was written in a hurried scrawl--Ron’s scrawl:
Dearest Hermione,
I’m deeply ashamed and embarrassed about my actions toward you earlier. I hope that you can accept my apology and this gift. I was planning to give you this in person, but, because of my rude outburst, I thought it would be better just to leave it here for you. My heart goes deeply into this gift, for you. I give my deepest apologies.
Hermione looked at the present in her hand. “Should I open it?” She questioned Harry.
“Sure, I don’t see why not.”
She nodded in agreement and unwrapped the tiny box. What could it be? She thought to herself. She opened the box to find the most marvelous white gold locket, with one jewel encrusted in the front. Then she noticed an engraving on the back of it. It read: With My Love, To My Love. She opened the locket to find a picture of Ron and an old Hogwarts picture of herself and Ron. The pictures waved, and Hermione cried.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter enough to review (Yes that's a hint for you). Chapter 3 is well underway! I just need to make some adjustments to it to make it fit to your likings. I will try to put it up soon, just keep your pants on (I was kidding just there). The third chapter will reveal Harry and Hermione's relationship (meaning relationship as friends, nothing more), especially after the death of Ginny. Thanks for your reviews and I hope to have the next chapter up soon!!