A Whole New Chapter

Ashley walked into the kitchen to search for something to snack on. She was exhausted from work, moving some things into Hermione's place for a bit, and from catching up with old friends. She opened the refrigerator, only to be sorely disappointed. Healthy food filled up the shelves as far as the eye could see. She opened the freezer door to find the same thing. She grew frustrated.

"Hermione, is this some weirdo diet where you can't eat any good food?" she whined. Hermione walked into the kitchen, still in her bathrobe; she had asked Ashley to help her get ready for her date with Ron.

"Did you check in the back? I put all of the good stuff there. The healthy food is just a pick-me-up, or a little white lie for my parents should they visit," she answered. Ashley furrowed her brow while she dug in the back of the freezer. Sure enough, there were three cartons of ice cream, two opened, one brand new. Taking the unopened one out (cookie dough), she turned to Hermione.

"Why the lie, Hermione?" she asked. Hermione shrugged nonchalantly.

"They're dentists, and they don't believe sugar is good for you. I suppose it's true, but only if you have too much. But as Ron always says--"

"You can never have too much sugar," the two of them quoted simultaneously. They laughed. Hermione grabbed two spoons and two bowls, saying that she couldn't possibly wait until dinner. She had about 2 more hours to get ready, she deduced, looking at the time. It was 5:30.

Ashley pulled Hermione to her room, insisting they choose an outfit now. While Hermione stumbled into the closet to gather her top selections, Ashley carried on conversation.

"Do you remember my proposition to save myself for marriage?" she asked. Hermione assured her that she had. "Well, I'm dropping that." Hermione came out of the closet with clothes in her hands, her mouth open. (A/N: Please no comments about Hermy and the closet, sickos.) "It's just--well, what if it I trust someone enough to...do that? I don't really see the problem anymore." Hermione shook her head.

"And of course, after you do it, you'll break up about a week later and you'll regret that you gave a part of yourself to someone who didn't matter. Every time you have sex with someone, you create a connection, even a one-night stand. Suppose you think the guy after that is the one. You do it, and break up, and the whole thing continues. When you finally get to the right one, it won't be so special anymore. That special connection you were supposed to have with him and only him is now between you, him, and a few other guys." Ashley stared at the floor throughout Hermione's lecture. When her friend had finished, she looked up.

"What if I'm engaged?" she inquired. Hermione shrugged.

"That's a bit different."

Ashley narrowed her eyes, trying to hide a grin. "You seem to know a lot on the subject, Hermione." Hermione blushed and did not respond. "That's all I needed to know."

Hermione had picked 4 outfits to choose from; a spaghetti-strap, knee-length, crimson dress that Hermione said was soft against the skin was first to try on. After that, she tried on an off-the-shoulder black dress that reached her ankles, which made Hermione feel like she was wearing nothing. The third one consisted of black dress pants that flared out at the bottom slightly and a cream top; it made Hermione itchy, so they canceled it out. The last one was a sleeveless green dress that had a slit up the side. The two of them decided that that would be the one.

"What should I do with my hair?" Hermione inquired. Ashley thought for a moment.

"Well," she said, "we could straighten it or curl it. After that we have to decide whether to put it up or down. I say up, because you have a sort of swan-like neck. I assume you want to show Ron what he'll be getting." She winked suggestively, causing Hermione to blush. Hermione decided that she would curl her hair and put it in a messy bun. The bun was Ashley's idea, and when she first suggested it, Hermione didn't understand why it had to be messy.

"Didn't you absorb a bit of what Lavender and Parvati would ramble about?" she asked, feigning annoyance. "It's a care-free look, even though it might take more than a few minutes to do. It's 'sexy.'" Hermione was a little iffy about it, but Ashley assured her by saying that she had tried it herself and it looked great. This was a lie, of course, but once they were done, Hermione did look stunning. A touch of make-up and she was ready for a night on the town.

A knock on the door signaled that they had gotten ready in the nick of time. Hermione patted her hair and smoothed her dress before taking a deep breath and opening the door. She held back a gasp as she took Ron in. For her sake, he had worn a navy blue Muggle suit; somehow he managed to keep his hair out of his face, and, thankfully, he didn't have one speck of dirt on his nose (dinner with her parents had taught him that lesson). He offered her his arm and she took it. The happy couple bid good-bye to Ashley and they were off.

Ashley smiled after them as the door closed. They really are perfect for each other, she decided. Sighing in happiness for them, she turned to put on a movie only to bump into something.

"Crookshanks," she tutted, looking down to see Hermione's ginger cat rub against her ankle. "I should have known you would be here, too. Wonder if Ron knows he's going to be marrying two people?" She picked him up and carried him into the kitchen. After a few moments of confusion, she found his bowls and served him his 'dinner.' Crookshanks munched away noisily, occasionally spilling some, ignoring his surroundings. Ashley shook her head, muttering about cats with Ron's qualities as she headed into the living room.

She was thinking about what Hermione had said. Yesterday, thinking it through, she had decided that if she felt enough love for a guy and he felt the same, maybe it was okay to have sex. But the idea of doing that when it wasn't solid was a bit frightening. She finally settled on the fact that, if she did decide to do it before marriage, she definitely had to feel safe and secure with that special someone. Enough of that for tonight. If I was on a sitcom I'd be dead boring.

"What to watch, what to watch," she said to herself, browsing Hermione's collection of movies. Titanic? No, too long. The Lion King? She wasn't really in the mood. She finally settled on Charlie's Angels.

She popped it into the VCR, picking up the carton of ice cream and eating straight from it. She had just gotten to the part where the Angels found someone tied up when there was a knock at the door. She jumped, surprised. Who on earth would come over tonight? Hermione hadn't said a thing about any visitors.

"Hermione?" the visitor called. "It's me, Harry."

"Holy shit!" Ashley exclaimed through a mouth full of ice cream, almost falling off the couch. Crookshanks cocked his head and mewed.

"I know I should have owled or flooed before coming over, but I was walking around and wanted to ask you something before you and Ron went out." How could he not know they left already? Surely Ron would have... Wait. Harry's walk must have led him elsewhere. He might never have even gone to the flat. Boy, was he a piece of work.

Slowly, hesitantly, she got up from the sofa, making her way to the door, careful not to slip in her socks. She could always call through the door that Hermione had already stepped out, but it would lead to a meeting anyway. What if it wasn't Harry? The war was over; she had nothing to worry about. But what if he was going to pull a trick on Hermione as soon as he thought she was opening the door? She picked up her wand, holding it behind her back. After what seemed like forever, she opened the door.

Harry had been in position to knock again, thinking that Hermione had not heard him when the door opened. But it wasn't who he expected. His mouth dropped open and he quickly closed it.

Ashley was standing there, looking at Harry with wide eyes. There he was, in a white button-down shirt, black pants and black shoes, his hair the same as always though slightly longer, and he was still wearing glasses over his now vibrant green eyes. He looked like he had just arrived from a job in a Muggle office. His face appeared brighter; a bit troubled, but brighter all the same. Her mind snapped back into awareness and she almost kicked herself.

What a sight she must be! There he was, dressed rather decent, while she was standing there, her hair pulled into low pigtails, blue plaid pajama bottoms, a Falmouth Falcon T-shirt (she never thought too highly of the Cannons), in her socks, and she was pretty sure she still had some ice cream on her lip.

Well, don't just stand there, her conscience told her, talk!

She licked her lips, effectively removing that bit of ice cream, before greeting him with an enthusiastic, yet slightly surprised, "Hi."

Harry remained still, and just when she thought he had frozen in shock, he gave her a small wave. "Hello." Now what?

"Uh, Hermione's not here. She and Ron already left," Ashley explained. Harry nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. I don't believe it, he thought, she's here. Harry vaguely realized that his heart began to race and his body temperature was rising, particularly in his face. Ashley still didn't look away. She gestured to the flat. "Would you like to stay for a bit? If you're not busy, I mean." Smooth, a voice inside said sarcastically.

His mind said no, but Harry didn't always listen to reason. He nodded, and she led him in. Crookshanks made his way toward him, and Harry stooped down to pet him. Ashley crossed her arms over her chest, aware that it was an act of nervousness. She scolded herself, but her arms wouldn't budge, so she swirled her foot around.

"So," she said. "So." Harry stood up, trying to find conversation. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk to her?

"I didn't know you were here," he blurted out. It was true. Though he supposed Ron might have told him if he had actually gone to the flat like he said he had. She froze, though it didn't show. Why was it so difficult to talk to him and explain? Guilt?

"I just came today," she explained, thankfully she didn't stutter. "Hermione sent me a letter explaining Ron's slip of the mouth," here Harry snorted, "and asked me to come and stay while she planned the wedding." Harry nodded, looking around. She arched an eyebrow, amused. "Do you want to sit down or are you looking for an escape route?" He blushed, mouthing 'sorry' as he sat down on the couch. She sat next to him.

"What were you watching?" he asked. She glanced at the screen, which showed Drew Barrymore frozen solid while running. She smiled a little bit.

"Charlie's Angels," she answered. "I'm not really in the mood for it now." He turned to her, asking his question silently. She understood. "It's not fun to watch that kind of movie alone. No one to poke fun at things with." He chuckled. She mock glared. "Do you want some ice cream?"

"Get me a spoon and I'll eat from the box," he said, nodding. She stared at him. "What?"

She shook her head. "That's exactly what I've been doing. Hermione won't be happy, but, oh well." He grinned.

"I don't do it often. Hermione says it's not right," he stated. "But since when have I listened to her?" Ashley laughed, getting up to get a spare spoon. She sighed when she realized the rest were dirty and in the sink, which wasn't like Hermione at all. As she washed one and a few other dishes as well, Harry stood in the doorway of the kitchen, striking conversation.

"So, what do you do?" he asked. Startled, she turned to see him standing there.

"I'm a Healer at St. Mungo's," she said. "But I'm looking for something more fulfilling." He smirked.

"So helping people who do magic so improperly they end up with gills isn't satisfying?" She splashed some water at him.

"Hey! I'll admit there aren't many life and death situations like Muggles have, but it's good. I just want something else." He nodded. She hastily turned the conversation on him. "So what do you do? Everyone was sure you'd become an Auror." Harry grimaced, and she raised both of her eyebrows as she turned off the sink.

"Am I that predictable?" he questioned. She smiled.

"So you are then?" He shrugged. "Don't tell me you don't know what you are." He rolled his eyes, his hands in his pockets.

"I'm looking for something else within the Department, just for a little change, but I like it a lot," he said. He looked around, shocked that the kitchen wasn't spotless. He would have to relentlessly torment Hermione later. "I caught Bellatrix Lestrange about a year ago." Her eyes widened.

"Really? That's great! Did you kick her ass?" she asked excitedly. She felt her cheeks burn as he looked at her, his eyes shining with held in laughter. "Sorry." He held up his hands to say it wasn't a big deal. She tossed him a clean spoon, walking back into the sitting room. "You wanna finish this or see something else?"

"Well, since there are two of us this one'll be more fun," he said, grinning. She narrowed her eyes, trying and failing to hold back a small smile.

"Don't paraphrase what I say." He raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

"If I do?" he asked bravely, taking a step forward. She quickly grabbed the box of ice cream and picked up a big spoonful.

"I'll chuck ice cream at your face, and if you don't stop I'll drop some down your pants," she replied, pretending to flick the ice cream at him. He backed up.

"I'll stop," he assured her quickly, causing her to laugh. She told him he was a coward, to which he glared and said it took one to know one.

"You're such a child--" He cut her off.

"Says the woman who threatened me with an ice cream fight." She responded the only way she could: she flicked a chunk of ice cream toward his mouth. She would have yelled in triumph, but it him square in the eye area. It didn't seem like a big deal, but it wasn't what she had aimed for, and years of Weasley experience told her that "eye contact" was how fights started. Her mouth formed a small "o" as he slowly wiped his face and glasses. She slowly scooted away from him, clutching the ice cream toward her chest. His body turned to her, his eyes narrowed, a spoonful of ice cream at the ready.

"I was aiming for your mouth," she tried. He inched toward her. "I didn't know you didn't like ice cream on your face. You should have told me." He grinned evilly. "Holy shit," she muttered again, scrambling off the couch as a wad of ice cream flew her way.

That's how their little war started. Both of them got hit with ice cream, but it was Hermione's furniture that suffered the most "battle wounds". The couch, the walls, and the entertainment system were covered with ammo. They laughed as they hid from each other, launching surprise attacks while Crookshanks hissed at them constantly. He ran off when Harry "accidentally" slathered the cat with ice cream. An hour later the two of them, covered in cold dessert, stood and surveyed the damage.

"We could always get rid of it and pretend it never happened," Harry suggested, performing a few cleaning charms. Ashley stood there, smiling as she glanced at the ceiling, which was somehow littered with chocolate ice cream (Harry's doing, obviously).

"Hermione can sense when things were dirty," she joked.

"The kitchen says otherwise," Harry countered. Ashley grinned.

"That's my doing. The only thing Hermione doesn't like to clean is dishes." Harry stood there, awestruck.

"After how much she nags Ron and I about dishes?" Ashley shrugged.

"C'est la vie." The two of them sat down on the couch, out of ice cream and exhausted. They continued talking, ignoring the movie still playing. Soon, it was like they never lost contact. They were now on the subject of relationships. Ashley was currently explaining her social life to Harry.

"I don't have a lot of time for that stuff, but when I do, it's not really worth it. It's your fault," she teased. He sputtered, indignant. "You ruined me for other men." He rolled his eyes, smiling all the same. "It's not just you, though," she continued, ignoring his look. "The guys I meet don't do anything. Yeah, talking is good, and they respect me, but they're not exciting. They could have the most dangerous job in the world and all they want to do is talk about the weather and TV." Harry was confused at this. A lot of women complained of just the opposite.

"But I'm not really worried. Things are fine right now. I don't have a lot of time for leisure stuff." He shrugged, holding his tongue. He pushed what he was about to say out of his mind. She faced him, her mouth twitching upwards. "What about you? Why are you such a ladies' man?"

He turned away from her, but she could still see the blush crawling up his cheeks. "Mostly because of the press; you know how they exaggerate things," he explained nonchalantly. "In actuality, though, it's because no one has really appealed to me yet."

She scoffed. "Please. You expect me to believe that? So beautiful women aren't exactly your forte, is that what you're saying?"

"You can be Miss Universe for all I care, but if I can't talk to you about things, what's the point?" he argued. "Most of the women I see only want me because I'm famous, because I come with a history. They don't understand how hard that history was. I think they're just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame." The two of them remained silent, Ashley picking up the remnants of ice cream and Harry staring at Crookshanks.

"You think very little of yourself," Ashley announced. Harry turned to her, surprised. She went on. "It's probably true that most women are there for the fame, but what about the ones who really want to know you? Why do you push them away? It's not fair that you judge them so quickly. You have to give some people a chance." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking.

"I just don't fee up to it," he stated lamely. She rolled her eyes. "Mimblewimble." She raised an eyebrow.

"Speak English," she ordered. He sighed, repeating himself quietly. She put a hand to her ear, signaling him to speak up. "None of them are..." as he got louder the last part would trail off. Exasperated, she threatened him until he finally spoke clearly.

"None of them are good enough. I know that sounds superficial, but there's nothing in any of them that I want."

"Have you considered men?" she asked cheekily. He glared at her, leaning forward and staring straight ahead at a spot over her shoulder. There was something he wanted to say, but feared to bring up. She seemed to notice his discomfort. She herself leaned forward, her facial expression inclining him to speak up. He sighed, choosing his words carefully so as not to give her any ideas.

"Do you ever wonder what would have happen if we were still together?" he asked, barely above a whisper. Ashley looked at Harry as if he had grown an extra head? Why the hell wouldn't she wonder? She had been regretting her decision the first few months after it was done. She was over it now, and while she couldn't deny a slight physical attraction to him, it wasn't the same.

"Sometimes," she admitted finally. "But I think we would have broken up anyway." At this his head jerked up, his face contorting into a frown. "We're very different people, Harry. I bet you didn't have a good reason for asking me out." He thought about that for a moment. Yes, he had liked her, yes, he was jealous when she made contact with other guys at school. He liked her hair, her eyes... as the list went on in his head, he realized that it was all physical. That was exactly what had happened between him and Cho the previous year.

"You were good looking," he tried. She sighed. In truth she had been hoping he would say, yes, I had plenty of reasons. It was false hope, she knew; those kinds of things never happened.

"Big deal. Stuff like that only gets you so far." She turned her head to the screen to see that the movie had ended a long time ago. She turned everything off before facing Harry again. She bit the inside of her cheek. Something had been bothering her for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. She licked her lips, silent. "What's wrong?" he repeated.

"Why?" she asked finally. His brow furrowed; he was confused.

"Why what?" he inquired. When she looked at him, he could see that her eyes held a different emotion.

"That day when you were waiting for me, the day it all started," she paused, not sure if she should finish. Her heart pushed her further, saying it wouldn't do good to abandon her query half-way through. "Why? Of all the things you could have done: owl me, call, or even waiting outside, why did you break in and do that?" He didn't answer her. He knew exactly why. There were many reasons, of course, but only one had finally convinced him to go there and do what he did. He knew now that it was stupid, but he had been so sure back then. "Harry, it's not that hard to tell me why." Without meaning to, she sounded angry.

He turned to her, opening his mouth to answer when the door opened. "I'm back!" Hermione called cheerfully. Ashley caught the brief look of disappointment on Harry's face as Hermione walked in, practically skipping. "Harry!" she exclaimed, catching sight of him. "I didn't know you were dropping by!" Harry unwillingly tore his gaze away from her and faced Hermione.

"Ashley and I were catching up," he said. She almost laughed at his response. Way up. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Bye Ashley, Hermione." With that, Harry left the flat, looking back before he closed the door. Hermione turned to observe Ashley. Noticing her gaze, Ashley looked up to see her friend's suspicious gaze.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, flustered, embarrassed, and a little snappy. Hermione's stare turned into a curious one.

"You don't look very well. Is everything okay?" she asked. Ashley was confused about how to answer that question. She remained so as Hermione leaned down and peered into her eyes. She shifted, uncomfortable with the situation. Should she tell her what happened? No, because nothing had happened--nothing except for very uncomfortable vibes. She was starting to think she would never know why he did what he did.

"You kind of startled me. I thought you were going to be out later than this," she lied, checking the clock, which said it was only 12 o'clock. Hermione smiled.

"Well, I'm rather tired. Plus Ron was being Ron, if you know what I mean. He said that there were things to do tomorrow. That's why I came home," she answered, putting her things down. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get ready for bed." Ashley nodded as Hermione yawned, heading to her room. Ashley was about to head to bed when Hermione called to her. "What on earth is that smell?" Ashley stood there, shocked. The ice cream fight; she didn't actually think that Hermione would notice after they cleaned it up. She rubbed the bridge of her nose when thoughts of the fight brought her mind back to Harry. What was she going to do?

Hermione walked out of her room, her nose scrunched up. "It's Crookshanks." She picked up the struggling cat and carried him into the bathroom. Ashley breathed a sigh of relief as she settled into Hermione's makeshift guest bedroom.

According to Hermione, she had planned on fixing it up and making it homier, but instead had shoved things that wouldn't fit into other parts of the flat into that room. So, while there was a bed and a bureau and a chair or two, there were also boxes of useless things that Hermione had yet to place.

She lay in bed that night, thinking. What was so hard about that answering that question? All she had wanted to know was why he was there. It was a simple question that required a simple answer.

She began to think that she hadn't worked out the kinks in her friendship with Harry.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A Few Weeks Later...

"Hey mate, what's up with you?"

Ron had been worried. Harry had been going about his regular routine, which was to be expected as there was no more danger lurking around every corner (at least, not much). The problem was that Harry had been more quiet than usual. He wasn't brooding because there was nothing to be sad about, Ron was sure of that. It was almost as if Harry was in another world.

Finally, Ron confronted him one morning as they were sitting in the living room. Harry was pushing the contents of his bowl of cereal around, not really paying attention to what he was doing and splashing milk on the floor. Ron was thankful that Hermione was not there to witness that action.

"Earth to Potter!" Ron exclaimed, sending a cushion Harry's way. It hit Harry in the face, causing him to drop his bowl. Ron quickly got rid of the mess and crossed his arms over his chest. "What's wrong with you?" Harry threw the cushion back at Ron, who caught it.

"Nothing, just thinking," Harry muttered. Ron clicked his tongue.

"Well, don't hurt yourself, Harry. Thinking's hard," he teased.

"Shut it, Weasley," Harry said. Instantly Ron grew serious.

"What in the name of Merlin could occupy your mind for this long?" This slew of questions with no answers continued for a while before Harry finally gave in and explained his troubles to his best friend. Ron listened, his eyes getting wider and his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"That's all? Bloody hell, just answer her. Big deal; if it bothers her you might as well put both of you at ease," Ron advised. Harry disagreed. He was lying on the couch, his arms behind his head for support.

"You do remember why I really wanted to go over to her flat, don't you?" Ron blanched.

"You knew how she felt about that," he started indignantly, but Harry silenced him with a glare.

"Not that," he said pointedly. Realization dawned on Ron. Oh, bugger; Harry most definitely couldn't tell her. Harry seemed to read his mind.

"That's exactly how I feel. I'd never hear the end of it," he said morosely.

~~~~~~~~~~

"A girls' day out; how about that? Come on! I guarantee we'll have fun. We can go out, have lunch, maybe go shopping, and see a movie..."

Ashley moaned. "Hermione, I don't know about all of that." Hermione frowned. She had been feeling very perky today and wanted to have a fun day for girls only. As Ginny had been very busy lately, she couldn't join them until after 1 o'clock, so it would be just Hermione and Ashley in the morning. She knew for a fact that Ashley would love something like that. Plus, Hermione was also feeling very girly, due to the fact that she had been seeing Ron more often since the engagement.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, concerned. Ashley covered her head with a pillow.

"I think I'm having an identity crisis," came her muffled answer. Hermione grabbed the pillow from her, sitting down.

"How so?" she asked kindly. Ashley sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't feel like everyone is seeing the real me," she explained. "This isn't even my real hair color, and you know that it's really curly, not straight. Not like yours, of course, but somewhere along the way." Hermione sat there, listening to her friend and thinking. "I feel like I have millions of different personalities, and I show them all off at the same time. I don't feel like myself."

An idea struck Hermione. She jumped up, startling Ashley. "Well, let's push those personalities aside." At Ashley's blank look, she expanded further. "Change your hair back to your original color; say what you want to say and not what other people want to hear. Basically, be yourself. It's simple, really. I've been doing that all my life and look at me now." Ashley thought about this for a moment. It was simple, actually.

"I guess, but how do I do it?" At this Hermione grinned in a way that reminded her of Ron.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing her keys. Ashley got off the couch and put on her shoes. "Ginny showed me some places in London that can help. We can even pick up some books that give pointers on the subject."

Ashley shook her head as they headed out. "One day," she stated dramatically, "one day, Hermione, you will find a problem that won't be solved with publications." Hermione stuck her tongue out in an extremely immature manner as she shut the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't know the etiquette, Harry. Do we get the rings together or separately as a surprise for each other?" Harry shrugged at Ron's query, his hands in his pockets.

"You're asking the wrong person there, Ron," he answered. Ron wasn't paying attention. He had already given Hermione her engagement ring. Now he had to find a wedding ring. It was nearing the end of June, and Hermione had been hinting for a December wedding. She had insisted that they be as efficient as possible, which surprised Ron, but he complied.

"Have you given any thought to what we've suggested?" Ron asked him. Harry was looking at some watches when Ron's question startled him. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to avoid the question.

"Still thinking." Ron heaved a sigh.

"You've been thinking for weeks. One would think that would be enough time to think it over."

"I don't think it would be right, Ron, that's all. Why do you insist on making me miserable?" he pleaded. Ron snorted, his gaze wandering over to the musical lockets.

"You've done a pretty good job of that yourself," he commented. Harry glared at the back of Ron's head. It wasn't as simple as Ron would think it was. He thought Harry would be taking a step forward; in actuality, though, Harry would be taking two steps backward.

Early July...

"This is not a good idea," Ashley hissed. Ginny and Hermione weren't paying attention to her. They were too busy with her appearance. "Are any of you listening?"

Ginny, her brilliant red hair in a bun at the nape of her neck, nodded, taking a bobby pin from her mouth and placing it in her cousin's hair. "Yes, and we don't care."

"I don't like this. I don't think anyone would like this," Ashley complained, tugging at her hair. Ginny swatted her hand away, frowning.

"You really need this. You haven't been on a date in how long?" she pointed out. Ashley pouted, slouching in her seat. 2 years, 5 months, 6 days, seven hours and counting, Ashley answered silently. Well, she wasn't really counting, was she? It didn't matter. "All done. Is that so bad?" Ashley stood up and looked at her reflection. Not bad; better than usual.

"He'll certainly be pleased," she heard one of them whisper. She whipped around.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed. Hermione silenced her with a look.

"I sort of set you up with someone. All you have to do is give him a chance," Hermione pressed. Ginny giggled.

"You'll definitely want to give him a chance when you see him," she sang mysteriously.

Great! The look was one thing, but shoving a guy in front of her? No way! This was like being in a cheap movie. It was like the blind date that would never end. Oh, God. She felt a bit nauseous now. Why is everyone against me? "No guy!"

"Yes, guy," her friends argued, shoving her out the door. "We'll do this the hard way!"

Hermione had organized a little engagement party and had told Ashley she was going to present her new (or rather, old) self to everyone. Ashley refused, saying she was busy. Hermione had scoffed at this, asking when she had become so shy and reclusive. Ashley responded by saying it was her true self.

"I can't believe you're setting me up!" Ashley whispered. Hermione bit her lip.

"Trust me. If you don't hit it off, then forget about him." That was true. Just because they were introduced didn't mean anything had to happen. They walked into the kitchen, not without passing a flurry of "Congratulations, Hermione," and "Good luck," from the guests.

"He's in here," Ginny announced, gesturing inside the kitchen. Without knowing it, Ashley took a deep breath. Ginny sent her a reassuring smile. "If anything, you'll come out with a friend." Ashley smiled back. Hermione took that as her cue to gently nudge her inside.

As the door swung behind her, Ashley had to catch her breath. His dark brown hair lightly fell into his eyes. He was tall, probably close to Ron's height. His skin was very tan and his body wasn't too bad. The thing that caught her attention, though, was his eyes; they were a deep blue, and she wanted to stare into them forever. Oh, yes, she thought, I'll definitely be taking a chance on this one.

He walked up to her, a curious expression on his face. She really hoped she wouldn't collapse. "Hi," he greeted. "I don't think we've met. I'm Ben Hudson," he said, holding out his hand. She shook it, nodding. At his curious look, she said, "Ashley Halliwell."

"I've heard a lot about you from Hermione," he stated, smiling. She smiled back, aware of the blush crawling up her cheeks.

"How do you know her?" Ashley asked, pulling up a chair to sit in.

"Actually, Bill introduced us. I used to work alongside him in Egypt. Now I'm working with Hermione at the Ministry in the Department of Creature Rights," he answered, stopping to drink some water.

"Why the sudden change of occupation?" He smiled crookedly.

"Let's just say I'm connected to the matter one way or another," he said. She smiled and nodded. She wasn't exactly foreign to avoiding topics. He turned the conversation on her. "What about you? Where've you been, what do you do?"

"I came here from America, in case my accent didn't give it away, (he snorted at that) to go to Hogwarts with Ron, Hermione's fiancé and my cousin," she replied. "I'm a Healer at St. Mungo's, but I'm currently looking for something else." He nodded, intrigued.

"Any other reason for coming here? I mean, just to go to Hogwarts isn't much, no offense," he said hurriedly. She laughed.

"I guess you could say a change of scenery. Something different, you know? My family could never stay in one place for too long."

"Classic case of itchy feet," he remarked. She smiled.

"Exactly."

He stood up, gesturing toward the glasses. "Are you thirsty? Would you like some water or juice?"

&ldquoYou know, this isn't your house nor is it your party, so you don't have to offer things like that," she said, "but since you're offering, I'll take juice." He grinned as he poured her a glass of juice. "What else should I know about you?" she asked, taking the glass with a nod of thanks. "Are you from around here? Are you trying to escape something? Are you the serial killer everyone's being warned against?"

Amused, he answered her questions in quick succession. "Born and raised in Wales; I haven't done anything bad to escape from, just a little curious about other places; and what serial killer?" She grinned.

"Just checking," she answered. They laughed.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Ginny was rooted to the door, listening to the ongoing conversation with a smile on her face. They definitely hit it off. It was a bit difficult to hear through the door what with the surrounding party, but she had left her Extendable Ears© at home. While Hermione and Ron were getting buddy-buddy with everyone, she decided to make sure her plan was working. So far, so good; she hadn't been caught, anyway. She almost gave away her position when she was tapped on the shoulder from behind.

"Hermione!" she hissed, jumping up at least a foot in the air. Hermione held her hands up in surrender, her light blue skirt blowing in the wind that came through the open windows.

"Sorry," she lamented, "but I came to tell you--Ginny, you shouldn't be eavesdropping." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Hermione, it's not like she wouldn't tell us what happened anyway," Ginny said, exasperated.

"Then why not wait until later? Eavesdropping leads to trouble because you don't know the whole story," Hermione lectured, her hand on her hip.

At this, Ginny grinned evilly. "I've been listening since she went in and I think they're hitting it off."

"Move over," Hermione commanded, putting an ear to the door. She immediately removed herself from it, grabbing two cups from a nearby table. She handed one to Ginny. "We'll hear better through these." Ginny held back a laugh; Hermione could be so sneaky when she allowed herself to be.

~~~~~~~~~

"All right, so maybe it wasn't a good thing to do," Ben admitted through laughter. "But she took it over the edge!"

Ashley sat there, one hand clutching her stomach and the other wiping tears from her eyes. "No, I agree! It's forgivable. I just--I just--my God! Three casual dates and you've got a wife!" They were laughing so hard they didn't notice someone come into the kitchen. It was Hermione, who was trying to hide her smile.

"Oh!" she feigned surprised. The twosome looked up at her, mirth reflecting in their eyes. "I see you've met." She couldn't help it; her smile came through.

"Sorry we've been a little detached, Herm," Ben apologized. Hermione glared; everyone knew she hated being called that. That was probably why most people did it anyway. He stood up, turning to face Ashley. "Maybe we should finish this at a later time." Ashley smiled.

"Is that your way of asking me out?" she asked, eyes twinkling. He smiled a bit shyly.

"Did it work?"

"It was pretty lame, but I'll forgive you," she joked. He left, saying he would owl her later. Ashley gazed after him, stars in her eyes, until she noticed Hermione's triumphant look. "What?" Hermione only grinned wider. "Oh, fine. You were right." Hermione clapped her hands in joy. "I would tell you what went on, but I bet you and Ginny were outside listening."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ron was feeling very nervous. He was talking to Hermione's father all by himself. Hermione had gone off to do who knew what and he was alone. Damn it, he cursed mentally. In all honesty, even though Paul Granger was a dentist and Ron had the advantage of magic, he was scared of him. He had heard Hermione say that her father was on a wrestling team when he was at school. That was enough to keep Ron in line.

"Mind if I steal him away, Mr. Granger?" someone behind them asked. Ron almost let out a sigh of relief. Thank Merlin.

Mr. Granger smiled. "No problem, Harry." Ron followed Harry to the other side of the room.

"Thanks mate," said Ron. He looked around. "Where are the girls?" Harry frowned.

"I haven't seen them all day," he answered. Ron shrugged, bringing the conversation to Quidditch. While arguing over the Cannon's sudden winning streak, Hermione came over to grab their attention. "Yes, love?"

Her face glowing, Hermione answered, "I just came to tell you that whatever plan you had cooked up involving two certain people should be ignored because Ginny and I have done pretty well on it."

Ron was about to feign innocence (how the hell did she find out?) when Ginny and another girl walked over to join their group.

He and Harry almost fainted in surprise.