Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything I love. Hehe.

A/N: I don't know anyone who hasn't read HBP yet, but just in case, this contains some spoilers.

Chapter 1: A Little Bit Lost

Hermione sighed as she picked at the salad sitting in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" Grace, Hermione's coworker, asked from across the table.

"What? Oh nothing," Hermione said, blushing as she realized she'd been caught daydreaming. Grace raised her eyebrows suspiciously as if to say, your feeble attempts at a lie are not going to work here Miss Granger. Hermione muttered quickly, "You really wouldn't want to know."

"Try me," Grace spit back, putting down her fork and leaning forward across the table, listening attentively. Hermione shook her head, frustrated. She just couldn't tell Grace what she'd been thinking about when she'd seen the little red headed girl skip across the restaurant and into her father's arms with a cry of "Daddy!" The girl's mother followed and greeted her husband with a kiss on the cheek. They were the picture of domestic perfection, but what was more, they were so red-headed. Hermione shook her head again to clear that last thought from her mind.

"Is this about Ron again?" Grace asked matter-of-factly. Hermione's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Don't act so shocked, it's always about Ron, it's getting quite easy to guess what's the matter with you these days." Hermione blushed again, embarrassed at how transparent she'd become. She looked back to the family as they settled down to their lunch.

"If I would have said yes "six" years ago, that's where I'd be right now, that's what I'd have. And I just can't help but think how nice it looks," Hermione said openly to her coworker and closest friend. Grace looked at the table Hermione had been staring at.

"Nice? Yes maybe it's nice. But really Hermione, married at eighteen straight out of Hogwarts with no experience in the real world? You and I both know it wasn't right for you. You needed to test your wings a little bit, meet other men, have torrid love affairs," Grace said dramatically. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes that's exactly what I've been doing for the last six years, isn't it?"

"Wellll, I could help out with that," Grace said. Hermione knew exactly what she had in mind.

"No no no, not another one of your little parties. You invite all these people there under the guise of having a party but really its just an excuse to introduce me to some poor pathetic guy you've wrangled into meeting me," Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Well, if you would just go out on blind dates with the guys I find for you, I wouldn't have to stoop to such levels," Grace said coolly, sipping on her lemonade. Hermione had to admit that she did have a point.

"Who is it this time?" She asked with a sigh. Grace grinned devilishly.

"Well you know how Max is in marketing?" Grace began. Hermione nodded, yes, she knew all about Max, Grace's fiancée. "Well he's working on a project with the owners of this shop, I don't know where exactly, out in the country or something, it's not here in London anyways and—"

"Oh no, my dear, this will never work. You know I could never marry a plain old country bumpkin. Not a city girl like me," Hermione joked in an airy, stuck up voice. Despite having lived in London for the last six years working for the Daily Prophet, Hermione still remained removed from the city life and Grace never missed an opportunity to tease Hermione for her pastoral upbringing.

"Oh hush," Grace scolded, "anyways, Max is working with these two men, brothers actually, who own this little shop. I can't remember what kind of shop, though I know Max told me once. Anyways, it's not that important, the point is they are apparently single and fun and intelligent and I think you should date them."

"Them?" Hermione asked with a slight smirk.

"I mean him!" Grace corrected herself. "Only one of them can actually make it to the party, you see. But if he doesn't work out, maybe the other will!" She added hopefully. Hermione rolled her eyes at her over-enthusiastic friend.

"And does he have a name?"

"Well I'm sure he does, though it sort of alludes me at the moment. There are two of them you know. I can't actually remember either one of their names, but I'll find out from Max before I introduce you, of course." Grace said absentmindedly. Hermione found it a wonder that Grace could ever write anything remotely accurate for the paper considering her forgetfulness.

"Well when is it?" She asked, resigning herself to another one of Grace's matchmaking events.

"Saturday night at 9:00. Oh Hermione I am so excited! You won't regret this, I promise! I really have a good feeling about this one, granted I've never met him…" As Grace babbled on, Hermione gradually tuned her out, lost in her own thoughts.

It had been six years. Six years! The thought was so strange to her, even now. At the very emotional end of Ron and Hermione's 6th year at Hogwarts, the two had finally started dating. It was never that "official," but was the most natural thing as they turned to each other in mourning. Throughout the next year they had been there for each other during the worst events of their lives: tracking down the remaining Horcruxes, defeating Voldemort, and almost losing Harry in the process. In the end, the three best friends came home from the Final Battle exhausted and clinging to one another. It was then that Ron had pulled the box from his robes and told her in a shaky voice,

"Hermione, I promised myself that if we made it home, that I'd never risk losing you again. Will you marry me?" Hermione had sat there bewildered, mouth hanging open, shooting an accusatory glance at Harry as if to say why didn't you warn me. He only shrugged his shoulders and looked away, embarrassed. Then Hermione did the hardest thing she had ever done, harder than fighting trolls, or dementors, or Voldemort himself. She told him no. With a voice devoid of all emotion, she explained to Ron that she was not ready to be married, that she needed time to be on her own. When she got out her explanation she left Ron looking crushed in the living room, collected her belongings upstairs, and apparated back to her parents' house. She had not been back to the Burrow since, not even for the funeral of Charlie, who had died in the Final Battle. Instead, she vowed to move on with her life, starting anew in London with a job at the Daily Prophet.

For many years, Hermione had remained convinced that her decision was for the best. It was only recently that Hermione began to regret her decision. As her coworkers and friends in London began to marry their school sweethearts, Hermione was struck with how alone she was. Rather than meeting a ton of wonderful people at school who she could connect with after graduation, Hermione had spent her days at Hogwarts pining after Ron and traipsing after Harry. She always thought Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasley clan, would be enough. Sure she had made some new friends along with many casual acquaintances and contacts at the paper, but the Weasleys and Harry had been her family. Without them, Hermione was a little bit lost.

A/N: Please please please read and review! All comments are welcome, especially constructive criticism!