Happy Sunday everyone, it's snowing here in the UK! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I have a sequel to At The Yule Ball With Fred Weasley in the works. If you haven't read this, feel free to check out my profile. It was the first fanfic that I uploaded on this site.

The sequel will be called New Year's Eve With Fred Weasley, and I'm just pondering when to release it. It still needs editing but I think it could be ready just before Christmas, but as the story is set in the days between Christmas and New Year it would probably be nice to upload it then. Or maybe you'd like the story as a sort of early Christmas present? Hmm, I'm still undecided

Anyway, on with the story!

Hermione spent most of Monday feeling relieved but with a slight hollowness none-the-less. She was uplifted because she'd finally ended things with Ron but equally, she felt the loss of a group of people she'd known for many years, a surrogate family, some of whom she'd become quite close to- and there was no way any of the Weasleys would speak to her now and she thought of her friendship with Ginny with regret.

She hoped that her friendship with Harry was strong enough to survive- they'd been through so much together but she still worried that he wouldn't want to know her anymore. She was relieved when he contacted her the next day.

On Tuesday morning Harry had sent a copy of the Daily Prophet to her office with a note attached.

Have you seen this? Meet me for lunch later. Harry

Hermione unfolded the newspaper with trepidation- she should have been expecting the Prophet to report on her break-up with Ron, it was still gossip-driven rubbish. She didn't even have to search for the article, there was a photo of her and Ron plastered across the front page with the headline: GRANGER DOES THE DIRTY: THE GOLDEN DUO SPLIT.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione began to read:

Yes, The Daily Prophet can exclusively confirm that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have officially called off their engagement. Unfortunately (or maybe Ron's fans would say 'fortunately') the pair were unable to stay together when Ron discovered that Hermione had been cheating on him.

Hard to believe? Well this newspaper has often pondered whether Hermione might have a penchant for dating Quidditch players. In the past Hermione has been romantically linked with players such as Viktor Krum and Cormac McClaggen, a boy who was in the year above her at Hogwarts. It has also been suspected that Hermione and Harry Potter were an item in the past. They are very close and it is interesting to note that Potter was also a star of the Quidditch pitch while he was at school.

But the object of Hermione's unfaithful affections isn't a Quidditch player. He is a little-known ex-Professor of DADA at Hogwarts: Remus Lupin, who was thought to have died in the Battle of Hogwarts. We are unable to confirm his whereabouts or activities over the last few years and we are unaware of how long their affair has been going on. Our source informed us that the affair began at some point since the engagement and Lupin has even been living with Granger while she was been keeping her fiancé in the dark.

Although Ron was unable to comment, his mother, Mrs Weasley said, 'Hermione is no longer part of our family. She has betrayed my son in the worst way possible and he's doing his best to pick up the pieces.' Also, Ron's sister, Ginevra Potter said, 'I never would have believed Hermione was capable of it. I mean, I was aware that she and Lupin have been friends for years- but I never thought she'd do anything to hurt my brother.'

So Ron Weasley, Quidditch player extraordinaire, is single once again and on the dating market. His fans are waiting with baited breath to see who he'll choose as his next conquest. Whoever she is, she'll be a lucky lady to have gained the attention of one of the most famous wizards in the country.

Hermione sighed but was unable to become angry. The Daily Prophet hadn't been wrong, apart from rehashing the ridiculous rumour that she and Harry were an item. Remus was the object of her affection. She only hoped that the public found it in themselves to treat Remus and herself with dignity.

Hermione tried to focus on her work that morning but she was distracted when she couldn't help noticing that her colleagues were staring at her wherever she went. When she went into the department kitchen for a cup of tea she was sure that two of her colleagues had been talking about her a split second before she entered the room. They blushed guiltily and one of them was clutching a copy of The Daily Prophet.

She was relieved when it was lunchtime and headed to the canteen to meet with Harry. She felt several pairs of eyes on her as she walked up to the counter and bought herself a sandwich. She flushed and sidled over to the table where Harry was sitting with Tonks and Kingsley.

"Are you ok, Hermione?" Kingsley asked kindly. Tonks shot her a small smile.

Hermione nodded, glad that at least two people weren't treating her like a social pariah. "I have to say, I've been better…"

"Don't worry, Hermione," Kingsley said in his deep, slow voice. "Whatever is happening, whether the papers are right or not, this will all pass."

Tonks put her hand over Hermione's and squeezed gently. "Everything will be alright 'Mione."

"Thank you," Hermione said, "both of you."

Tonks and Kingsley nodded and began to get up out of their seats. "We should get going," Kingsley said. "I've got a stack of reports that need signing off by the end of the day."

"And I've got to prepare for that meeting at three o'clock," Tonks said. "I'll see you there, okay, Harry?"

Harry and nodded and the two aurors left the canteen.

Hermione picked up her sandwich and took a small bite, not feeling all that hungry anymore. Harry finished his jacket potato and sipped his coffee. "So how are you really, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged, "About as well as I can be, considering. Have you spoken to Ron?"

"Yeah…" Harry said slowly. "He's pretty devastated. He stayed over at the Burrow last night. Ginny and Mrs Weasley are taking care of him."

Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. "You know my mind has been going over what happened at the Burrow yesterday. It wasn't a good way to end things with Ron."

"I'm not going to lie, it wasn't the best situation," Harry said carefully. There was a pause for several moments. Hermione took another bite of her sandwich and sipped some water.

"Ginny told me everything about you and Remus," Harry said. "I had no idea. Why did you keep this to yourself all these years?"

"I wasn't expecting any of it to happen," Hermione began. "But Remus and I became close during the war. I suppose it all started the summer before fifth year. Don't give me that look, Harry! Nothing happened back then - but slowly, over time Remus and I developed feelings for each other."

"But why didn't you say anything after the war? We could all see how badly you were feeling."

"How could I say anything?" Hermione felt tears prick her eyes. "I fell in love with my former professor - and then I lost him before we had a chance to be together."

"I can't even imagine how difficult these last few years must have been for you," Harry said, "I wish you'd told me".

They sat in silence for a while. Harry people-watched while Hermione managed to finish half of her sandwich. The room was filled with the rumble of conversations, and since Hermione had been sitting at the table the furtive glances she had received from her peers had subsided.

"Hermione," Harry said slowly, "I'm really glad you're happy."

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but'?" Hermione said with a wry smile.

"I just want you to be careful, that's all," Harry said, putting his hand on her arm. "Remus was brought back by the Resurrection Stone. He's not really h- I mean he's not really ali- you know what I mean," he faltered, giving her an uneasy look.

"I know that, Harry," Hermione said quietly, tears pricking her eyes. "I know that."

Harry squeezed her arm gently and then let go. "Just please don't get yourself into a position that will get you hurt."

Hermione nodded. It may be a bit too late for that, she thought to herself. She glanced at the clock, she had less than five minutes left of her lunch break. She picked up her plate and started to get up out of her seat.

"I've got a lot of work to do this afternoon," Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "Oh, Hermione, I should mention, be careful when you're leaving the Ministry. We've had reports of some dark-cloaked figures loitering in and outside of the building. We're looking into it, but just be mindful, ok?"

As Harry's words lingered in her mind, Hermione returned to her apartment resolved to enjoy her time with Remus. Foolishly for her, she hadn't been thinking of the future. It was doubtful she and Remus would even have a future together. But now that she had him back, no matter for how long, she was determined to enjoy being with him. Rightly or wrongly, her happiness revolved around him.

Hermione shut the door to her apartment, kicking off her shoes and shrugging out her coat. She rolled her aching shoulders and dropped her keys into the little dish on the table by the front door. She padded into the lounge and found Remus sitting on her sofa with a cup of tea in front of him.

Remus stood as soon as she entered the room and went over to her. He put his arms around her and drew her into an embrace. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent. 'I missed you,' he whispered.

Hermione tightened her arms around him and sighed. She yawned quietly and Remus gripped her shoulders, moving her away from him so that he could see her.

'You must have had a difficult day,' Remus said. 'Here, sit down and drink this.' He sat back down on the sofa and pushed the cup of tea towards her. He'd made it perfectly and served in her favourite mug, decorated with a night sky.

'Well, it looks like I'm the latest office gossip,' Hermione said wearily.

Remus nodded. 'News often travels fast in the workplace.'

'It's not just that,' Hermione explained. She reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet. 'We've made the front page.'

Remus frowned and took the newspaper from her. He a took a moment to read it and then shook his head. 'We shouldn't be surprised. Ron is an international Quidditch player. It was inevitable that someone was going to alert the media.' Remus glanced at the clock and stood up. 'I need to finish cooking your supper. Just relax and let me take care of you.' He smiled at her gently and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Not wanting to flick through the rest of the newspaper, Hermione turned on the TV and switched onto the Muggle news. She'd always made sure to keep up with the happenings of her parents' world.

A few minutes later a delicious aroma floated through the open door of the lounge. Hermione smiled to herself. Remus had gone to the trouble of making her salmon en croute from scratch, which was a lot of effort for someone who couldn't eat and enjoy the food.

Hermione switched off the TV. She glanced at the newspaper lying on her coffee table, eyeing it with disdain. Without even giving it another look she dropped into the wastepaper basket and got up, venturing into the kitchen. Remus was standing at the kitchen counter with his back to her, preparing some mashed potato. The kitchen had been warmed by the oven. The summer sun was still bright in the sky, the rays shining in from the window highlighting Remus's hair. The table was set and there was also jug of water, a vase of flowers and a single candle burning atop it.

Hermione was struck by the perfect domesticity of the scene - something she never thought would have made her happy. But as she watched Remus quietly humming to himself, cooking her a meal he'd lovingly prepared, Hermione realised that this was what she'd wanted all along.

Hermione went over to Remus, ducked under his arm and hugged him. Remus stopped what he was doing and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his cheek on her hair.

'Something smells delicious,' Hermione said contentedly. She felt Remus smiling against her hair.

'It was nothing,' he said modestly.

'Hardly,' Hermione said, pulling away from their embrace and gesturing at the oven. 'If what you've cooked tastes half as good as it smells, you're very talented indeed. But you really didn't have to go through all this effort.'

Remus smiled and shrugged slightly. 'Yes I did.'

'Well I could really get used to this,' Hermione said happily. She looked up at Remus, catching the glint in his grey eyes.

'You will,' Remus replied. He put his hands on either side of her face and leaned down, touching his lips to hers. 'Because I'm not going anywhere.' He turned slightly to continue cooking but Hermione put her hand on his shoulder moving him to face her again.

'No, you're definitely not,' she said clearly, pulling his head down to hers and crashing her lips onto his.

Remus inhaled sharply and pulled her against him, kissing her back joyfully. The food, although delicious, was forgotten about. For now, at least.

If you have a preference of when you would like to read New Year's Eve With Fred Weasley, let me know!