Chapter 1:

Ailing Red Rose / Ailing Red Rose

Hermione was shuffling papers around on her desk when Ron burst through the door. This violent action caused her many, perfected piles to go flying. Hermione pushed her hair back exasperatedly,

"Honestly Ronald, the least you could do is knock!" Ron rolled his eyes and went to her desk drawer and pulled out the whiskey that was always stashed there.

"I could, but would that be any fun?" he said, sitting in her chair and putting his feet on the desk.

"Ronald," she said, her voice trembling with lack of control, "would you please leave? I am very busy at the moment, and I really don't have time to deal with you." She started to pick up the papers that had managed to get their way to the floor.

"Fine, but don't come complaining to me when the minister comes by the house tonight and you were completely unprepared," he said, standing up and managing to push down more papers. "I've got to go anyways."

When he was gone Hermione continued to sit on the floor and do nothing, not bothering to clean up the ink spill that had been created by her husband.

Ailing Red Rose / Ailing Red Rose

Hermione arrived at her front door at around six thirty. She sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. She didn't really want to go in, she couldn't take another falsely joyous dinner with Harry for the press. But she knew that she owed it to Harry and he would be immensely disappointed if she didn't show up. After all, what was the golden trio without the golden girl? She dug in her purse for the keys and inserted them into the lock of their enormous house. She was caught off guard by the bustling house elves; Ron had fought her over that one, what was the point of money without the luxuries? They were carrying large trays of highly expensive food and setting up flowers and cocktail bars. It seemed even with Ron's warning she was still off guard by the enormity of this meaning.

"May Mindy take your work stuffs madam?" asked the house elf in front of her. Hermione smiled distractedly,

"Um sure," she tenderly handed over her things and ran upstairs.

When she arrived in her room she saw the glittering elaborate dress laid out on her bed. She sighed and picked it up. It was gorgeous, it had long silver sheer and the flowing body was velvet and blue. She and Ron had bought it the previous year in some boutique in Rome. They had been happy then, it had been the before the press started monitoring their every move, before Harry had been elected minister, before Ron had been elected deputy minister. Those had been some of the happiest days of her life. But now Ron was obsessed with looking good for the paparazzi, he was obsessed with outshining Harry again, because, once again, he was in his shadow, literally. Hermione sighed and went to her dressing room to put the dress on.

Just as soon as she was finished styling her hair Ron came through the bedroom door.

"Good, you found the dress," he said. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I know the drill, Ron," she said bitterly.

"I'm glad to see you've settled so wonderfully into this life, my dear," he said kissing her neck.

"Get out Ron, I have to finish my make up," she said, coldly. Ron looked angry but exited quietly, reminding her to be down in 10 minuets.

Ailing Red Rose / Ailing Red Rose

Draco arrived at the Weasley's house looking extremely handsome. He was wearing one of his most expensive suits, he was smoking a cigarette, his silver hair has cleanly cut, but his eyes were dead. They were unseeing and cold. This was thanks to many similar parties he had attended in his youth and his adulthood. No one seemed able to let him alone, not even after his father had been arrested for being a deatheater.

"I suppose it has something to do with the name and the job," said Malfoy, bitterly. But, if truth were told he did enjoy these parties, but he was not looking forward to this one. He did not want to speak to Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger-Weasley. He had not spoken to them since his schooldays, and only then to insult them or defend his honor. These people were not his friends, and he did not know why they kept speaking good of him at press conferences, inviting him to parties and not speaking to him. It angered him that they kept helping him, when he did not ask or want their help. It was also too obvious that all their help was fake. It was degrading.

He stamped the cigarette into the ground and walked up to the door. He could see the many people already inside, laughing and having fun. He raised his eyebrows at them and put on his party face and stepped through the door.

Ailing Red Rose / Ailing Red Rose

AN: this is my second story, well my third-but the second one kinda sucked, and maybe this one does too, but maybe not.

If I didn't the beginning of this plot across here it is-ron and Hermione live a public political life, they're extremely unhappy, but then she meets Draco…:)

Please review, any review helps me, any at all.

Ailing Red Rose