"How are you feeling?" Ron asked as he and Hermione walked into his office.

Hermione just smiled tiredly and shook her head.

"That bad?" Ron said as he put on his coat.

"It's been a long time since I've been this tired or sore," she said with a hint of sadness.

Ron nodded, "I felt the same way after the first week of training." He snatched her bag up again as Hermione reached for it and shouldered his own as well. "It seemed like everything about that first week reminded me of the war." He put his arm around her once again and gave her a one armed squeeze. "I'll tell you what, how about I make you dinner and see what I can do for those sore muscles of yours while you take a well deserved break for the night?"

Hermione meant to say no, that she would be fine, that she had quite a bit of work to do for tomorrow, but it was as if her brain had a mind of its own and simply replied, "Okay."

Ron's face lit up. "Well then, let's get you home and off your feet."

***

They Apparated to the alley behind Hermione's (and Ginny's when she was there) apartment building and many flights of stairs later they were standing in the hallway at her door. Hermione led them in and made to take her bag from Ron after he shut the door behind him. Ron shook his head and placed it on the floor under the coat rack and began undoing her coat. "You need a break, 'Mione," he said as she swatted away his hands and removed her coat.

"I was only going to work until you finished dinner," she said in an annoyed voice as she handed him the coat.

"I'm sure," Ron said as he led her to her own sofa. "Sit, rest, read Hogwarts: A History. You're taking it easy tonight, remember? Can I get you something to drink or a snack?'

"I'm fine, Ron. You're already cooking dinner. I can get my own drink," Hermione tried to reason.

Ron shook his head, "Come on, 'Mione. Let me be a gentleman and wait on you for one night."

Hermione sighed and sat down. "Water is fine," she said in defeat.

Ron grinned, "See that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and picked Hogwarts: A History up off of the coffee table.

***

Twenty minutes into cooking, Ron walked out to the sitting room and found Hermione passed out along the length the of the sofa with the enormous tome on her lap. Ron gently eased the book out of Hermione's clutches and back onto the coffee table. Ron began to wonder how many meals she had missed in the last few weeks as he stared down at her sleeping form; she had lost the healthy glow that had taken her so long to regain after the war. He knelt down beside her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before heading back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

***

Hermione woke to the feeling of Ron's lips on her own with a soft sigh. She loved it when her woke up like that, not that she would specifically tell him that. She returned the kiss and the two of them stayed in that position for nearly a minute.

"Dinner's, ready," Ron said quietly when he finally pulled away.

"It smells wonderful . . . Is it your famous chicken and pasta?" she said with a yawn.

"Very good, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryfindor," Ron said as he helped Hermione to her feet.

***

Dinner was a quiet affair. Both either preoccupied with exhaustion or their own thoughts, in Ron's case. Ron watched on in slight surprise as Hermione out ate him, not by much though. With a flick of Ron's wand, the dishes began cleaning themselves. He then led a very sleepy looking Hermione to the sofa where he sat and gently pulled her into his lap. He held her tightly in his arms and listened to her breathing and waited until it became slow and even.

"Are you still with me?" he asked in a soft voice.

Hermione gave a soft moan of protest; she had every intention to fall asleep in Ron's arms right there.

Ron gave a soft chuckle. "Are you saying that you don't want a mentally stimulating conversation with me?"

"Yes," she sighed tiredly.

"I'm afraid you might just get one," he said with a laugh.

"What do you want, Ron?" Hermione said in an annoyed tone.

"Well since you asked so politely . . . How was your week?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It was fine, Ronald; thanks for asking," she replied sarcastically.

"How about the week before? It's been awhile since we've had a chance to talk." Ron felt Hermione stiffen.

Damn, of course Harry told Ron about lunch. "What did Harry tell you?"

"Oh the usual, You putting in too many hours, skipping lunch, . . . You kicking some arrogant git's arse for trying to hex you. . . . You know, the usual," Ron said in pseudo-casual voice.

Hermione hesitated. "Just the usual."

Ron waited for an explanation, but none came. "So you regularly threaten to curse every git that walks into your office. That's funny because Harry didn't say anything about you hexing him when he came to get you for lunch."

"That's because I don't usually consider Harry a git . . . came close today though."

Ron bit back his anger. "So what did this arse do to make himself a git in your book?"

Hermione dodged the question like one of Torres' hexes. "You know, acting git-like and such."

Ron nearly let out a growl of frustration. "I'm a bit rusty on git-like behavior, care to educate me?"

"I don't know, you seem to be doing a pretty good impersonation of one right now."

The only thing keeping Ron from pacing in aggravation was Hermione still being in his lap. "So he, what, asked you too many questions, made you dinner, cared about you too much? I'm a little lost at the moment," he said with his anger barely contained.

Hermione felt as if she'd been hit in the gut. She jumped to her feet and out of Ron's arms. "No, he pulled his bloody wand on me because he thought it was my fault that he was being fined for building on centaur land!" she yelled.

Ron took hold of her wrist as she turned to leave the room. Hermione turn back to face him. Neither said a word, but both held the other's stare. After more than a minute Ron said in a quiet voice, "You didn't have to deal with it alone. Harry and I, we'll always be there for you if you need us."

Hermione looked away. "It hardly seems fair since I can't return the favor," she said in a whisper.

Ron paused. "I don't understand," he said gently.

Hermione eased her wrist out of Ron's grasp and walked to the kitchen. Ron followed and watched her draw a glass of water and sip it slowly with her back to him. "Do you ever second guess being an Auror?" she asked after finishing her water.

"Sometimes," he said truthfully. "George is still offering me a full partnership at the shop."

"Why don't you take it?" she asked.

"I don't know, I guess I feel like I still have work to do at the ministry . . . that there are still Death Eaters left to catch. I can't leave the ministry while it's still trying to get back on its feet."

Hermione nodded and stared at her empty cup.

"Are you second guessing working for the R.C.M.B.?" Ron asked when she failed to go on.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Hermione Granger doesn't know something . . . this can't be good. Ron stood behind her and ran his hands slowly up and down her arms as she leaned forward onto the edge of the sink. "What's made you so unsure?" he whispered.

"Everything, it feels like," she said. "I'm so sick of everyone telling me I'm wasting my time there, that I'm wasting my time fighting for fairer laws for nonhuman species. . . . I'm sick of the political bureaucracy that keeps me for doing my job to the potential that I want to perform at. . . . I'm sick of feeling like I owe the wizarding world for not becoming an Auror," she finished in a whisper.

Ron gently turned her around to face him and stroked her face. "You owe the wizarding world nothing, not a single bloody thing. . . . If anything, they owe you. You're the one who gave up a year of your life to save the bloody world, not to mention all of the times you helped to save the world while we were still in school."

"But you and Harry did all of that, too. I should still be out there fighting with you two,' she said in a fragile voice.

"But you are still fighting with us, 'Mione. Maybe not chasing down Death Eaters, but you've never really wanted to do that though, have you? That's what Harry and I have wanted to do since the war started up again. Even though you could probably still beat Harry and me in a duel, you've always been way more dangerous with a quill than a wand. You're trying to make sure Dobby didn't die in vain . . . trying to make sure the centaur's help in the war doesn't go unnoticed . . . that werewolves receive fairer treatment. . . . Should I keep going?" He wiped a stay tear from her cheek. "Your job is harder than mine and Harry's, and not just because of the paperwork." He smiled when he got a watery chuckle out of her. "The work you do does have a tendency to go unnoticed and unappreciated. . . . I wish I could change that, but like you said the bureaucracy at the ministry is still thick enough to cut with a knife. But if I know you as well as I think I do, if any one can do it, you can. You're that stubborn," he said with a smile.

Hermione looked away with a watery smile trying desperately to keep her composure. I've already sobbed on Harry's shoulder today . . . I need to calm down. Ron can be so sweet sometimes . . . "I've been a bit of an idiot lately, haven't I?" she asked Ron.

"Who, you? That's just not possible," he said with a chuckle.

"You've been trying to talk to me for weeks, but I just ignored you. . . . I-I'm sorry. I should have listened to you," she said with her voice cracking slightly.

"That's understandable . . . I mean, how often am I right anyway?" he said trying to brush off the apology.

"No, it's not. If I can't . . . I need you to talk me down sometimes, and if I can't even bring myself listen to you . . . It's not okay. . . . I'm not always right and you're not always wrong . . . It doesn't work that way," she said unable to look him in the face. "I don't understand why you put up with it - with me - for so long. . . . You deserve better."

Ron took Hermione's face in his hands and gently forced her to look him in the eye. "As far as I'm concerned, there is no one better for me than you," he whispered. "No one's perfect . . . we both have our faults, but we work through them. And if that's not a good enough reason for you then how about 'because I love you and care about you,'" he said with a smile.

Hermione stood there speechless for, what felt like to her, ages. Never again will I accuse this man of having the emotional range of a teaspoon, she thought as she embraced Ron tightly. "I love you, too," she mumbled into his chest. In his arms, she felt so safe, so warm, so . . . "Ahh!" she hissed as Ron tightened his arms around her shoulders.

Ron loosened his hold and looked down with concern. "Are you okay?"

Hermione rotated her right shoulder slowly and grimaced. "I must have missed my shoulder when I was healing my numerous injuries from my play-date with your boss."

Ron grabbed her hand an led Hermione from the kitchen. "Well let me have a look at it then," he said with a grin.

Hermione laughed as they entered her bedroom. "This wouldn't by chance be one of your many ploys to try to get me to remove an article of clothing, would it?"

"I would never do such a thing! My only concern is your welfare," he said in mock-outrage. "Besides you wouldn't actually have to take off anything. . . . Maybe just undo a few buttons or something . . ."

Hermione shook her head in slight disbelief, but took Ron's advice and, with her back to him, only undid a few buttons and slid her blouse off her shoulders. "What's the diagnosis, Healer Weasley?" She suppressed a shutter of pleasure as she felt his hands ghost over her bare skin.

"I'd have to say that this one was probably from your spill after the obstacle course," he whispered in her ear. He put the tip of his wand to the purple and blue flesh and watched as it quickly turned back to its normal tanned-cream spotted with the occasional freckle. "There we go, all better."

Hermione was about to thank him when she felt his warm hands kneading the sore muscles of her shoulders. Her thank you came out as a "Hmmm."

Ron smiled as he felt her relax under his hands. They could talk more in the morning, right now all Ron wanted to do was ease the physical pain of the woman in front of him. He let his hands trail down the naked flesh of her arms as his lips found their way to the soft skin of her neck.

Hermione's breath caught and coherent thought humanely ceased as she gave into Ron's soothing touch.

***

"Well it's about time, Miss Granger! Late back from lunch yesterday and late coming in this morning, is this a sign of what's to come?" Jean asked as Hermione walked in to work five minutes late the next morning.

Hermione gave her friend a tired smile. "Of course not, you know me better than that. I just had a late start this morning," Hermione said as she began to settle into her desk.

Jean walked over to her. "Hold still, 'Mi," she said while taking out her wand.

Hermione gave the woman an confused look, but obliged. Hermione felt Jean place the tip of her wand on the back of her neck, and cringed from embarrassment.

"So did a certain red-head of yours have anything to do with your late start this morning or did the two of you have a late night instead?" Jean whispered with a grin.

Hermione could feel her face burning. "Both."

Jean howled with laughter, effectively drawing all of the attention in the room to them. Hermione pretended not to notice by going through the abnormally large amount of memos on her desk. "Oh my goodness," she whispered staring at the longest of the pile.

Jean calmed herself enough to read the parchment over Hermione's shoulder and chuckled. "Now how many people receive a thank you note from what looks like the whole Auror department for besting their boss in a duel."

Hermione turned to her co-worker. "You know about that?"

"Honey, practically the whole ministry knows. I particularly enjoy that little note on the bottom requesting you not to mention the thank you to Auror Torres."

Hermione fell into her chair laughing as her other co-workers came to examine the note and congratulate her for her victory. As everyone settled back to their desks, Hermione returned to the pile of memos. Much to her surprise, the next one she opened was from Torres.

"'Mi, unless you're trying to catch flies, close your mouth," Hermione heard Jean say.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Torres wants me to moonlight for her department on occasion."

"Will you?"

Hermione smiled and shrugged. "I don't know," she said as she pulled out her research for their centaur project and prepared for the day.