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Hermione shivered as the world coalesced around her. It was chillier out than she’d anticipated, and she drew her cloak closely around herself as she began the short walk to Snitch College. She made the walk briskly, and soon enough the home of Harry and Ginny Potter rose up before her. Well, ‘rose up’ was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. Snitch College was small in comparison to the Burrow, but it was the perfect size for two newlyweds.
There was a flower garden out front and a vegetable garden out back, both courtesy of Harr. Also out back was a small Quidditch Pitch and a pond for swimming. Unseen, complex wards and charms surrounded the home. Hermione could feel the light touch of magic across her skin as she let herself in the gate. Nothing happened, of course. Harry had keyed herself, the Weasleys, and a few other trusted friends into the ward ages ago.
“Hello?” Hermione called out curiously, knocking at the door. “Harry? Ginny?”
There was no answer, but she realized she could hear faint voices. Hermione walked around the side of the cottage and immediately found the friends she’d come seeking. Harry and Ginny were at the pond. Harry was sitting on the edge, thankfully wearing swim trunks, while Ginny was swimming slow laps around in the water. Hermione raised her eyebrows, wondering how they weren’t freezing, until she got closer and realized that the area around the pond had been covered in some pretty intense warming charms. Harry’s doing, no doubt.
“Hermione!” Ginny said happily, spotting her. Harry turned, and his face lit too when he saw her.
“Hi Hermione. Uh – were we supposed to do something today?” he asked, his happiness fading into apprehension. Hermione smiled and shook her head.
“No, I just wanted to drop by,” she said, shedding her cloak. It was more than warm enough around the pond for her robes to be okay.
“Well, pull up a seat. Do you want to swim? I have spare suits in the cottage,” Ginny said. “Actually, I think you may have left one here last time.”
“Thanks, but I’m not staying long.” Hermione sat down beside Harry, though she didn’t let her feet dangle into the water the way that he was. She could tell that neither Harry nor Ginny had heard the news, and for a moment she regretted come here so quickly. Maybe it would’ve been better to let someone else tell them first.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked, regarding her with a faint frown, and Hermione gave him a small, wary smile. Harry could be pretty oblivious at times, but he’d got better at noticing the people around him since becoming an Auror.
“I needed to tell you both something,” Hermione admitted.
“Wait, are you pregnant?” Ginny said, sounding shocked. She swam to Harry’s other side and pulled herself out. She was wearing a blue bikini that fit her Quidditch-toned form very nicely.
“No!” Hermione said, flushing. “God no. Definitely not.”
“Good,” Ginny said, looking relieved. “Because Mum would lose her shit if she found out Ron got you pregnant before you guys were married. She must have asked me about a million times whether I was sure that Harry and I weren’t rushing down the aisle because of a mis-step.” She rolled her eyes.
Harry smiled. “Your father asked me the same thing,” he said.
“Parents!” Ginny shook her head and began wringing out her hair. “Then what’s the news, Hermione?”
Hermione hesitated for several seconds, her stomach churning with nerves. This felt almost as bad as her conversation with Ron. Harry was like a brother to her, and Ginny was her best friend. She and Luna had been Ginny's bridesmaids during the wedding. She could live without Ron, would have to live without him until the initial hurt cooled at least, but she didn't think she could live without her dearest friends. But they would find out eventually, and maybe it would be best coming from her. So she drew upon her Gryffindor courage and made herself say it.
"I broke up with Ron today."
For a moment there was a stunned silence, until Harry said, "Wait, what? Why?!"
"Because I realized something during your wedding," Hermione said in a small voice. Despite herself, she remembered back to that day.
Harry’s and Ginny’s wedding had been spectacular. They’d held it at the Burrow, of course. The heavy protection wards laid on the grounds during the war had helped keep out all the snoopy people who wanted to see the Boy-Who-Lived get married. Andromeda had walked up the aisle carrying young Teddy, who was the ring bearer. Then Hermione and Luna had walked up the aisle in pale purple robes. Hermione had walked with Ron, of course. She could still remember how nervous walking up the aisle with Ron had made her feel.
But all those feelings washed away when Ginny had appeared with her mum and dad on each arm. She'd looked absolutely beautiful in a gorgeous white gown. But what really caught Hermione's attention was the sheer joy radiating out of Ginny's face as she walked up the aisle. Likewise, Harry's grin had stretched from ear to ear. Both of them had looked so happy, so in love, like they wanted nothing more to just be with each other. There had been zero hesitation as they turned to face each other in front of the Ministry official.
"What's that?" Ginny asked, startling Hermione out of her memories. Hermione looked up as Ginny twisted her hair up in a towel. Then Ginny took another towel and wrapped it around her body, meeting Hermione’s gaze with a curious but, surprisingly, not angry look.
"I'm not in love with Ron," Hermione admitted, feeling terribly, awfully guilty as she said it. "I thought that I was. But - " During the wedding, she'd realized that what Harry and Ginny felt for each other was nothing like what she felt for Ron.
Harry looked very confused. "But you and Ron were so happy. You guys have been dating for ages."
"I know. I don't think I really understood it until then," Hermione said, embarrassed to admit that out loud. She was the smart person! She was supposed to understand everything.
“Understood what?” Harry sounded a little impatient now.
"I love Ron, but I'm not in love with him. I don't want to get married. I don't even want to live together." Hermione bit her lip. That was one of the reasons why she'd finally ended things. Ron's insistence that they move in together already had been getting harder and harder to push back against.
"I don't understand," Harry said. "If you don't love him, why did you lead him on?"
"Harry," Ginny said softly, sitting down on Harry's other side. She put her hand on Harry’s leg.
"It's a valid question," Harry muttered.
Hermione nodded. "No, you're right, it is. I - I didn't mean to lead him on. I guess I thought that if I dated him and did all the normal relationship stuff, someday I would learn to want it." She frowned to herself.
“This doesn’t sound like it’s about Ron specifically,” Ginny said, watching her closely.
“I don’t think it is. The truth is that I don’t think I want to date anyone,” Hermione admitted. Saying it oud loud felt very freeing and very scary. “Dating someone and being in a relationship is just – it’s work to me, I guess? I think I’m just happier by myself.”
It had taken her a very long time to figure that out. She and Ron had been dating on and off since the end of the war, and she knew that everyone expected them to get married and have kids. In fact, she knew a lot of people had been surprised that Harry and Ginny had married first. But there had always been something holding Hermione back, and now she finally understood what it was.
Ginny nodded and said, “Hermione, have you ever heard of the term aromantic?”
“Oh,” Harry said, relaxing a bit. “Is that it? Like Luna?”
“I think so,” Ginny said. “But – ”
“I’ve never heard that term,” Hermione interrupted, feeling prickly. She had never liked it when other people understood something that she didn’t.
“Harry, love, can you see if you can find that issue of the Quibbler?” Ginny asked, squeezing Harry’s leg. “You know the one, the June issue?”
“Yep, I think I know where it is.” Harry pulled his feet out of the water and got up, grabbing a towel. He wrapped it around his upper body and dashed out of the reach of the warming charms, hurrying back to the cottage.
“What’s going on? Why did you bring up Luna and the Quibbler?” Hermione tried not to sound too disdainful, but that was hard. She’d never got on very well with Luna, who had her head stuck firmly in the clouds as far as Hermione was concerned. And the Quibbler was just not a good source of information. She hadn’t bothered to look at it in years.
Ginny smiled calmly. “Luna is asexual and aromantic, Hermione. Put very simply, that means she doesn’t feel sexually or romantically attracted to anyone, respectively. For Luna personally, it means she thinks sex is gross. It also means she doesn’t want to date anyone, and that she’s not interested in being in a relationship. She’s happiest when she’s on her own doing her own thing. Sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?”
Hermione blinked several times, taken aback. Ginny had just very concisely summed up everything that had been whirling through Hermione's head for the past six months, and it was all, apparently, because of Luna Lovegood. She really did not know how to feel about that. The thought of her and Luna having something in common, especially something so intimate, made her feel really strange. Luna was probably the last person that Hermione would have ever thought she would have something in common with, especially this.
"She - she is?" Hermione said finally, sounding faint.
Ginny nodded. "Not long after we left Hogwarts, Luna went travelling. Maybe you remember," she said, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Hermione wracked her brain to remember. "Um - sort of," she lied. Truthfully, she had never paid much attention when Ginny talked about Luna. But she wasn't about to admit that to Ginny.
"Well, one of the reasons she went travelling was because she said she had a lot of stuff to figure out. Luna never dated anyone when we at Hogwarts, but I wasn't sure why. I don't think she was sure why either. It was only after she came back that she understood it. She said she learned a lot about herself on that trip," Ginny explained.
For a moment, Hermione was speechless with yearning - and with a little bit of jealousy. The trip that Luna had gone on, a trip to find herself and figure out what she did and didn't want, sounded absolutely amazing. Right after the battle, Hermione had returned to Hogwarts to retake her seventh year. Then she'd immediately been accepted into a job at the Ministry, where she had been steadily working her way up ever since. The thought of a trip like that had never even crossed her mind.
"And she's okay with you talking about it?" Hermione asked, because she didn't know what else to say.
"Luna is very open about it. You'll see what I mean when Harry brings the Quibbler back," Ginny replied. "Anyway, my point is, there's nothing wrong with you, Hermione. But you shouldn't try to squeeze yourself into a box just because it's what other people think you should want. You were right to break up with Ron."
"Thank you," Hermione whispered, throat tight. She felt unexpectedly emotional at the support. Ron thought she was crazy, and she knew that everyone else would too.
Ginny gave her a kind smile. "How about we go inside and have some tea?"
"That would be nice," Hermione said. She gathered up her cloak, and Ginny gathered up the rest of the towels, and they hurried back to the cottage together. Harry met them at the door, now dressed in jeans and a jumper and clutching an issue of the Quibbler. He passed it over to Hermione while Ginny ran upstairs to dress.
Hermione looked down at the cover of the magazine somewhat doubtfully. During the war, the Quibbler had been a solid source of information. But since then, it had gone back to its old ways. Now most of what was in the Quibbler was utter rubbish. If any of her Ministry colleagues knew she was standing here holding an issue of the Quibbler, she’d be laughed out of the building.
"The unknown orientations," she read, her eyes catching on the list of articles. Then she looked up at Harry.
He smiled. "Ginny made me read it, but I have to admit that it was pretty interesting," he said. "If that's how you are, Hermione, it's okay."
"But what about Ron?" Hermione said.
Harry sighed and pushed his glasses up. "Ron will be okay eventually. Did you tell him?"
She shook her head ."No. I didn't think it was the right time."
"Then what did you say when he asked why you were breaking up with him?" Harry asked.
"I just said it I was too busy," Hermione said, her cheeks warm. She knew she'd taken the coward’s way out in that respect. She'd intended to explain everything to Ron, but the words had inexplicably tangled up in her throat. Then Ron had got upset, which made her upset, and then finally Hermione had left his flat in tears knowing that their break-up had unfolded in a pretty disastrous way. Ron deserved better than that.
"Hermione," Harry said, giving her a look. “You couldn’t have come up with something better than that? You’re always busy.”
"I know. I was going to tell him, I just - " Hermione looked down at the Quibbler again. "I lost my nerve," she admitted.
It startled her when Harry reached out and hugged her. Harry had never been a particularly handsy bloke, but becoming a member of the Weasley family in the wake of the war had done him a lot of good in that respect. He had loosened up a lot, and now he never hesitated to throw an arm around her shoulders or pat her arm when he thought she needed it. And Hermione definitely needed that hug right now. She threw her arms around Harry and hugged him as tightly as she could.
"I'll make it right," she said when she thought she could speak without crying. "I will. I'll tell him the truth."
"You don't have to, but it would be kind," Harry said, gently patting her back. "Ron will definitely think it's all his fault otherwise."
"I know. I'll talk to him. I will." Hermione sniffed and finally broke the hug so that she could wipe her face. Harry passed her a tissue.
"I could talk to him for you, if you want," he offered.
"Thanks, but I think it's best if I do it," Hermione said. "Are you - it's really okay?" She looked at him hesitantly.
"Of course," Harry said instantly. "Whatever makes you happy, Hermione." He paused, then gave a crooked little smirk. "You know, as long as you're not going to go off and become the next Dark Lord or whatever."
Hermione laughed, startled, as Ginny came back into the room wearing jeans and what looked like another one of Harry's jumpers. Ginny smiled when she heard Hermione laughing and went into the kitchen to make tea. Hermione and Harry followed her in. Harry waved Hermione into one of the seats at the table and then moved over to help Ginny. It was so interesting watching them, Hermione thought. They moved almost like they were one, with such knowing that they never banged into each other despite the small space.
"Ginny," she said.
"Yes?" Ginny said, putting the kettle on.
"Could you - do you think Luna would meet with me?" Hermione asked hesitantly. She knew she hadn't been overly nice to Luna in school, which was wrong of her. But it would be so nice to talk to someone who really understood how Hermione felt.
"Of course," Ginny said. "I'll write her as soon as we've had our tea."
"Thanks," Hermione said, putting the magazine on the table. She'd read the Quibbler from cover to cover tonight in the privacy of her flat. Actually, she was sure she'd read it several times before she met with Luna.
"Pudding, Hermione?" Harry asked, walking over to the refrigerator.
"Sure," Hermione said. She was suddenly exhausted after all of the emotion of the day, and something sweet sounded just right. She settled into her chair, feeling grateful for her dearest friends.