Authors Note: This is not DH compliant. Harry, Ron and Hermione defeat Voldemort during their 6th year at Hogwarts. Just to clarify Hermione had a large infatuation with Ron and he knew it, yet didn't have the feelings for her. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Essence of Murtlap, a bit of powered worm root and six drops of dragon's blood. What's missing?" cried Hermione in frustration, running her fingers roughly through her hair. In the black smoke rising from the smoldering remains of the potion beneath her she appeared deranged. Her hair had come loose from her severe bun, as Ron loved to point out, quite similar to Professor McGonagall's own severe bun. In the acrid fumes her hair was nearly standing on end, her potion had blown up yet again for the forty fifth time in the past week.

"Evanesco" she sighed, vanishing the charred contents of her cauldron with a flick of her wand. For the past week Hermione had been working a potion to take the drinker to a time in past according to want they wanted most. After perusing one of her father's muggle "sci-fi" books she had wanted to create a less permanent way of time travel than a time turner. With time turners it was possible to change history, with this potion one could go back in time without worrying about altering the future. She wanted to be able to visit a time then, when she was done visiting just swallow the antidote and return seconds after she drank the potion. She had worked out some kinks in the potion such as undoing the things the drinker would have done. For that she used a Reversal Incantation, it was desperately tricky but would stop things from changing the future. Hermione had everything covered but one thing. The Reversal Incantation upset the balance of the potion; she needed some stabilizing ingredient that still remained elusive.

"Hello Hermione," said a dreamy voice, startling Hermione quite thoroughly. "I was hoping you would visit me at my office, I've perfected a charm for you. I hope it will help with your wrackspurt problem." Hermione hunted around her office for the source of Luna's voice. She finally spotted a tiny silver hare bouncing around in her bottom filing cabinet drawer. "Come by my office as soon as possible please" the hare jumped once more then faded into a sliver mist. Hermione smiled at the rapidly fading silver fog, a break from brewing potions would be a welcome break. Seeing Luna always managed to cheer her up after another failed potions disaster. Fastening her hair back into its normally tight bun she strode out of her office towards the lifts, quite unaware that the smoky smell that now followed her was due to her somewhat singed eyebrows.

Rounding the corner and striding along another corridor towards the golden lift entrance she ran over the list of ingredients she had already tried to stabilize the potion. As the lift gates clanged open and the breathy female voice announced the arrival at the Department for Experimental Potions, a few hurried people spilled out followed by the occasional violet paper airplane which flew towards their respective recipients. "Hello Dean, Cho, Oliver" Hermione greeted her fellow lift riders getting a smile or nod in return. They were some of the few other employees who she knew from Hogwarts. She sighed as she waited for the lift to rise to Luna's floor. Hogwarts had been in such bad shape after the last battle that it was still under repairs. "Shame I couldn't have taken the N.E.W.T's" she thought. She, Harry and Ron had beaten Voldemort during their 6th year at Hogwarts. They could go back for their seventh year in a few years once Hogwarts was fully repaired but like many of the students they had decided to join the ministry until Hogwarts was ready for students again. Harry and Ron had joined the Aurors and now were rounding up Death Eaters. At16 they had had caught nearly fifty Death Eaters, a feat which many were astounded by.

"Department for Experimental Charms" sighed the woman's voice as the gates clanged open. Hermione stepped out of the lift, hurrying down towards Luna's office. When she arrived there was a note pinned to her door for Hermione saying she had popped out to a muggle wig shop and would be back momentarily and that Hermione should make herself at home inside. Pushing open the door she glanced around inside at the décor. Enlarged copies of the Quibbler hung on the walls of her office. A clump of gurdy roots hung room the south east corner for they, according to Luna, attracted Kipperlings better when in that corner. Smiling at the gurdy roots she sat down behind Luna's desk and glanced around at the photo's lining her desk. The first one had her father and Olivander in it (whom Luna had grown quite close to) playing a game of wizard's chess, the second had Harry, Ron, herself, Ginny, Neville and Luna grinning madly up at the camera. As she watched Olivander's rook being smashed to bits and everyone in the other picture having an Ugliest Face Making Contest, a third picture caught her eye. It was of Ron and Luna out in Hogsmede, they were embracing and every now and then Ron would squeeze her extra tight or softly kiss her on the top of her head. Luna would usually shyly kiss Ron's cheek tenderly, usually making him blush.

Hermione smiled sadly at the newest addition to Luna's pictures, things would never have worked out between her and Ron and they had both agreed to would be best to stay best friends since their love for each other was more a brother and sister love. Yet it still made her feel rather lonely when she saw the picture. Ron had Luna; she had forty five failed potions.