Unexpected

Ron's POV

Ron's POV

Great, i'm late. Thank Merlin that my dad is my boss and is unlikely to get me in any trouble. I thought as I rushed out of the floo and into the crowded Ministry atrium. I had been back in Britain for about 2 months after being in Ireland for the past 5 years. The Ballycastle Bats quidditch team picked me up as an alternate keeper after I graduated from Hogwarts. I only ended up playing in one match over the course of my short quidditch career and that was only because the starting keeper was knocked unconscious within the first 2 minutes and the back-up was still healing broken ribs from practice the week before.

The team finally dropped me and I was forced to return home to the Burrow. I was content to sit and wallow in self pity but mum demanded I get a job or move out, which is why i'm now the personal assistant to the Head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, Arthur Weasley. It's a bit embarrassing being bossed around by my father everyday, but the upside is that I get to see Harry and Hermione at work sometimes.

 When I was picked up by the Bats, we had a bit of a falling out. While they both claimed they were happy for me, they didn't like the idea of me living in a different country. I accused them of being jealous of my success which ended up in a big fight right before I left. They both wrote me several times in the months after but I was still upset and convinced I was right so I never wrote back. In the years after I slowly realized how badly I had overreacted and how much I missed them, especially Hermione. I had always fancied her and just when it looked like our relationship would turn romantic, I had left for Ireland. I still have feelings for her and i'm hoping we can try again now that i'm home. 

The first time I saw them at work they were a bit shocked. They were originally very cautious around me but I've been able to slowly start building our friendship back up. Harry was faster to come around and although our relationship is still sometimes strained, he is a lot more comfortable with me and shares more about his life. Hermione is a different story. She has always been polite but she is a lot more guarded. It's taking pretending to care about a wide variety of magical creatures and books that has finally made some progress in our friendship. She is still tight lipped about personal information, and Harry refuses to talk about it in respect for her privacy. He says if she wants me to know anything she will tell me herself and If I want any hope in rebuilding our friendship I need to respect that, so that's what Ive been trying to do. 

It's harder than I thought it would be though, considering how much Hermione has grown up since i've been gone. She is no longer the bushy-haired, bookworm from school whose form was hidden by a loose uniform. She now wears tailored dresses and pencil skirts, her hair more tame, and she carries an aurora of importance and sophistication wherever she goes. The last part is probably due to her position as Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, referred to around the ministry as  the Magical Creatures Department. 

Harry works as an auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or DMLE for short. I tend to see Harry more at work as our departments tend to cross paths for frequently. Thankfully, Hermione is often helping my dad with reports, giving advice on the correct use of muggle artefacts so I have an excuse to seek her out every once in a while. Which is what I'm on my way to do right now. 

My dad had asked for her help on a case involving a flying toaster a few days ago an I offered to check on her progress with it. I got off the lift on her floor and made my way through her department towards her office in the back. Her assistant wasn't at her desk so I decided to just knock on her closed door. 

I heard a mumbled reply of "Yes?" so I opened the door and stepped in. 

"'Mione, I was hoping--" I stopped when I took in the scene in front of me. Hermione was sitting at her small table used for private meetings, documents and books strewn all over the place, and Draco Malfoy was sitting next to her. They both lifted their eyes from the documents in front of them and Malfoy gave me a bored questioning look. "Oh- uh- I I didn't mean to interrupt.." I said but Hermione's focus was already back on the work in front of her.