Hi everyone, this is the first story I'm actually getting around to publishing so it will probably be pretty short. I won't say how many chapters because I honestly have no clue whatsoever, so keep checking back.

-HP-

Harry James Potter woke from a semi- peaceful night's sleep with a frown. This being the man who briefly held the title of "Most Depressing Personality" during his Fifth AND Sixth years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this came as a surprise to almost no one. It wasn't as if this happened consistently, but it was happening often enough that it was getting to be a bother to his housemates and best friends, Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jane Granger. More specifically, the fact that he was "out-sulking" the previous title holder, the dear...er…well-miss…the departed Professor Severus Snape.

"You alright, mate?"

Harry simply gave an affirming nod and walked up to the counter in order to collect his own breakfast. Years of cooking for the Dursley's had taught him how to get around a kitchen and after an attempt at teaching Ron how to cook the Muggle way, he found it was safer to make his own in the mornings, as well as Hermione's when she remembered to actually eat before leaving for work.

"Are you sure? You look like you've just found out that you had to sleep in Snape's old chambers at the school before they'll accept your application." Harry could actually hear the bacon in the copper-headed male's mouth as he voiced his concern through his breakfast. Some habits he and Hermione discovered were just not meant to be broken.

The trio had moved into Number 12 Grimmauld Place after the War and settled into their adult lives with little difficulty. Instead of actually attending, they had private, by-mail courses at Hogwarts for their final year, due to their fame possibly being a distraction to the other students, much to the grumbling of Hermione. This allowed each to pursue a different, yet fitting career choice.

Ron decided against becoming an Auror, lacking both the essential marks and danger-specific drive to invest in that particular field of work. He now divided his time between Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, which he co-owned and operated with George, and acting as the official scout for the Chudley Cannons, a position he enjoyed immensely as it allowed him to help his favorite team to become a strong contender for the World Cup.

Hermione, in what Harry and Ron decided must be a plot to give the boys simultaneous heart attacks, took on THREE separate yet equally important positions. During the spring months she worked as a political consultant in the Ministry of Magic to add laws which strode to improve the lives of all non-human beings in the magical world, as well as ease the transition into the Magical world for all Muggle-born witches and wizards. In the summer and early fall she was the manager of Flourish and Blott's Bookstore in Diagon Alley. Finally, in the latter fall and winter months, she assisted Madame Pince as the Hogwarts Librarian. Somehow, in the midst of all of this, she was also studying for her teaching license in the hopes of joining the faculty at Hogwarts someday.

In true Hermione fashion, she was already integrating aspects of all three jobs into each other, as she used her resources in the bookstore and the Hogwarts library to include some introductory reading material which covered both the Magical and Non-Magical worlds, noticing the exceedingly small amount of information the library and even the Ministry had on the other world.

Harry, however, in a move which was both fitting and against what they believed he would do, chose to study Healing under Madame Pomfrey, in order to help those who were hurt and scarred by the previous wars. He'd seen enough death and destruction and was in no hurry to spend the rest of his life tracking down criminals. He also began his own study for Mastery in Defense against the Dark Arts in order to join the Hogwarts Staff. He even deliberately applied for the course the same as anyone else; in the hopes of avoiding the favoritism the Magical community was continuing to show him. Even so, upon receiving news that Harry was considering becoming a Healer or the DADA Professor, both St. Mungo's and the Ministry flooded Harry with offers and bribes to choose them even going so far as to guarantee him a license, whether he actually took the requisite courses or not. After hearing this, Harry personally made appearances at both St. Mungo's and the Ministry.

No one really knew what went on during those meetings, but literally seconds after the meeting was adjourned, the letters and floo calls stopped coming, and certain higher-up personnel at both facilities suddenly insisted on far lower pay than they had previously and donated the difference in pay to charities such as the Colin Creevey Muggle-born School Fund and the Cedric Diggory Foundation, set up for families who had lost sons and daughters in the War. These, as well as the Marauders" Den Orphanage in Hogsmeade and the Longbottom Research Institute of Magic Induced Affliction served to assist all those who were hurt by the War.

Though he was happy with the way his life was going and content with his career path, Harry still felt his face slip in to that same frown day in and day out. He even knew the cause. Harry Potter was, for lack of a better word, in a rut. It had been weeks since his last date and for the life of him he could NOT figure the reason it bothered him so much. Sure he'd had outings with women over the past few years but nothing serious came of it. They were all fun and great people to spend a day with, but something always stopped him from pursuing anything further.

"I don't think anything's wrong with you, but it seems to me you just aren't happy with any of them. Maybe you ought to find someone you can just hang out with at first, and see where it goes from there. And if that doesn't work, you can always ask Hermione what she knows on the subject. Merlin knows I can't help you there."

Ron's words of encouragement rang through Harry's ears over the next few days. He conceded that he really wasn't happy with any of them, and though he enjoyed hanging out with them, there was just no spark there. Finally he decided on a course of action, if he was going to figure out what was wrong with his love life, he needed a girl's mind, and he knew exactly where to find the brightest one he knew.

-HP-

Hermione Jane Granger was enjoying her lunch break with a turkey sandwich and an apple at her favorite spot at the Ministry, in the Atrium just across from the Central Statue. She'd just finished a meeting with some of the more open members of the Wizengamot concerning changes to the laws pertaining to Werewolves being unable to serve as guardians to under-age witches and wizards. She was hoping to sway them into rectifying this in a vote in the coming months and it was going fairly well. Remembering the amount of heartbreak Remus must have gone through when he was forced to watch Harry disappear into the Muggle World and be raised by that wretched Uncle of his increased her drive to carry this through to the end, so that the same sort of thing could not happen to some other child. Things were different between Harry and his Aunt and cousin now that the War was over, possibly because they were his only blood relatives left in the world, but the same could not be said of his relationship with his Uncle Vernon. Petunia and Dudley understood the animosity that still lingered between family members and very rarely mentioned one to the other.

'I guess some bad blood was bound to remain.'

Hermione shook her head of the matter and reached for another sliver of the cinnamon bun she'd chosen from the snack bar as a sort of congratulations to herself for a job well done. When her hand reached the treat however, she noticed a good portion more was missing from it than she'd torn off. One of the small habits she still privately retained from her childhood that not many people realized was that she always separated her food into smaller portions before eating it. This allowed each bite to be savored, chewed and digested in an orderly manner, and also allowed for proper pacing in eating her meals. This was one of the reasons she understood that she and Ron would never work as a couple, as even their methods of eating differed wildly. It was a wonder Harry survived being in the same room as the two of them when they were carrying on, let alone the same house.

Looking around for the escaped sweet, she finally saw most of it disappear between the raven-whiskered lips of her aforementioned best friend.

"Wow, I never would have pegged Hermione Granger, daughter of not one but TWO dentists, to be eating such a sugary sweet delight such as this."

Hermione's eyes narrowed as very slowly and pointedly moved the remaining bit of her bun to her other side protectively.

"Since I happen to be a grown woman, brush my teeth four times a day, and floss quite regularly, I believe I am entitled to partake something like this on occasion. Not all of us can have such naturally perfect teeth."

The shines in his green eyes started dancing wildly as his grin grew even wider.

"Now, I know they look pretty good, but I didn't realize the great Hermione Granger considered my teeth perfect. It's a true privilege to have such an honor bestowed upon myself by one such as you."

Harry began melodramatically wiping false tears from his eyes and did a strange half bow and half curtsey in which he lowered himself into the seat next to her.

"Oh, don't be so full of yourself; it's my parents who said it. As soon as they saw you they wanted to me to ask you if they could get a cast of your teeth for display at their practice."

Freezing slightly in his pantomimed acceptance of a trophy made up of the rest of the bit he stole from her snack, Harry turned toward her slowly

"Please tell me you're joking, I have enough praise in the magical world, I don't need your parents suddenly worshiping my teeth."

Hermione feigned a thoughtful look

"I don't know, last I saw of them they were going to see if they could convince Madame Pomfrey to sneak them a scan of your teeth for them to hang in a shrine in their closet."

Her charade fell apart as soon as she saw Harry's eye begin twitching in disbelief and she burst out laughing with Harry soon joining in.

Once their laughter was abated, Hermione decided to ask what brought up the sudden visit

"I know you have a bit of a break between your internship and Defense class, but what brings you to the Ministry?"

"I was hoping to ask your help with something."

"What is it? Do you need help studying?"

"Sort of…"

His answer came out a little too evasive for her tastes so urging him on with her hands she popped the final bit of cinnamon heaven into her mouth.

Harry took a deep breath and let the words flow out of him

"I need your help studying my sex life."

It was at this point that the cinnamon bun, apparently too impatient to hear her answer to allow her to finish chewing, dove for the back of the witch's throat.

And Hermione, always one to perform her duties in a timely manner, promptly began choking.

'Perhaps that was too direct.'