Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Two: Recovery and the Plan

Ron moaned in his sleep and sat bolt upright all of a sudden, just as the sun's morning beams were starting to fall across the floor in his room. After Harry had invited his family to stay in Grimmauld Place when the Burrow was decimated, Ron had moved to a new room, one with a window. He had said he wanted the fresh air... but the truth was he couldn't stand the confinement.

He could finally understand just what Sirius had meant.

He put a hand across his face to wipe the cold sweat that had gripped him after his latest nightmare, and then frowned to himself. All he ever seemed to see these days when he slept was Luna's battered form during their torture... he could practically feel his own pain still, but seeing her like that was even worse.

Even though he was known for sleeping in, he hadn't managed it even once since leaving Hogwarts for the summer. He got up quietly enough and pulled on a fresh set of robes before settling himself on his bed again with a long, drawn out sigh. Reaching over to his night stand, he picked up both a picture frame and a piece of parchment.

In the off-silver frame (as Harry had actually gone around the entire house and gotten rid of anything that was actually silver for Remus's sake) was a picture of him and Luna, taken midway through the previous year... before they had been kidnapped. She was leaning into him and was rolling her eyes at something, and he was laughing.

The parchment was actually a letter she had sent him from the elven forest. He wasn't sure how she could still read and write when she couldn't exactly see - he knew she could see something, but not the same way - but he decided not to look a gift hippogryff in the mouth.

There was one of those in the attic if he had any desire anyway.

Just as he was starting to read over the letter detailing her time in the forest - for the fourth time since receiving it the previous night - a strangled cry came from further down the hall. He was out of bed in an instant, his wand in hand and out the door before he could even think about it, and then paused just outside the bathroom door as the cry came again.

It was Ginny... and it wasn't a terrified cry or anything of the sort... but more of a moan of anguish, like something was terribly wrong. "Gin?" he called softly, knocking on the door as quietly as possible, hoping to avoid anyone else hearing him. "You in there?"

There was a sniffling on the other side of the door, and he heard some movement before it cracked open just enough for him to see inside, but not enough for him to see his little sister. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked in a startled voice.

He shrugged and gave a wry grin. "Couldn't sleep. It's hard to recently... you know..."

The door was pulled open then and she grabbed him and yanked him inside before slamming it behind him again. "Why didn't you say anything?" she demanded, all trace of sadness gone from her voice again. "I mean, someone in the house could have easily made up a dreamless sleep potion, you know that!"

"Look, I'm fine, okay? I'll get through this, no problem, so just butt out."

"Put your claws away, Talon, this is serious," she replied angrily, using the nickname given to him for his animagus form. His was a red-tailed hawk, while she was a nightingale. "If you can't sleep, then..."

He sighed and looked away from her for a deep breath before looking back. "This is something I have to get over, Gem. I can't just push it down and pretend it didn't happen." Even if he wasn't aware of using her nickname, she caught it and gave a little grin despite the situation. "It'll be better once Luna and I are together again."

His sister gave him a pointed look, and then huffed as she turned around. "Fine then, but don't say I didn't offer."

"Speaking of offering, any chance you're gonna tell me why you were crying earlier?"

Ginny looked back to him quickly, her hand that had been plying through her long red hair halted midway. "You... heard that, did you?"

"I'm surprised the house didn't hear it, actually." He then paused and chuckled to himself. "Well, at least Willow. Her hearing's uncanny, you know that."

"I suspect Willow might be a little preoccupied this morning with Tor, you know that," Ginny replied with a grin of her own. It was an unspoken agreement between the two siblings that when they were talking about Harry and Hermione with either of the two not around, they would use their nicknames in case anyone else was listening in. She then sobered up again and fished into the pockets of her nightrobe to pull out a piece of parchment. "You sure you wanna know?"

"Look, you're my sister... I'm not just gonna let you hole yourself up in the bathroom and cry over..." he paused as he scanned over the letter, and was surprised at the hard ball of anger that suddenly bubbled up inside his chest. "Is this for real?"

She snatched it back from him and leapt up onto the counter, sitting next to the sink as she slouched her shoulders. "Yeah."

"And it's actually from Colin? Creevey, the guy with the camera?"

"And the guy I've been snogging most of the year? Yeah, that's him."

"More than I needed to hear, Gin." He then paused and looked back to the letter, even though it was in her hands again. "This sounds almost like an ultimatum."

She nodded and looked away from her brother to hide the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes at any minute. "He wants me to come visit him this summer, and come clean about last year." She paused for a second and looked back to Ron significantly, ignoring the fact that her tears were now making streams down her cheeks. "All of it. He knows about... about Gem..."

Ron took a deep breath to keep himself from tearing the parchment in half and going off half cocked in anger. "And?"

"Well clearly I can't do that!"

"I know that!" Ron snapped back. "That's not what I meant!"

"Well what did you mean?"

"Just... you know... tell him you can't!"

Ginny bit back a sob and looked away from Ron again. "It's not that easy, Ron! If I tell him I can't, then he'll..."

He hesitated for only a second or two before stepping forward to offer a light embrace to his sister. It was such an unusual thing for him to do that it unlocked all of the dams that she had erected, and she collapsed against him. "Want me to tear him a new one?" he asked.

"Ron!"

"Kidding, don't worry," he said quickly as she tensed up. "Look, I'm not much at writing letters or anything like that... well, except to Luna, but she seems to understand me even when I don't understand me, but then that's Luna for you. Still, I'll help if you want, but I think Hermione would be a better bet. She might even have thought about it already, who knows."

"Why would she have thought about it?"

"She's Hermione," Ron said as though that answered the question. When she looked up to him with a confused glance, he shrugged. "What can I say? Mental, that one."

"You're doing really well in our lessons with her, though," Ginny pointed out. "She thinks you're something of a natural."

"You aren't bad yourself, Gin," he admitted with a grin. "But really, did you ever think you'd be practicing fighting with daggers?"

She shook her head as she pulled away from him and sighed when she leaned against the counter again. "No, but I doubt she thought about either herself or Harry training with a dagger, either. And I know she didn't expect you to take two short swords like Kailyn... even if we are using fake wands right now instead."

"Why take one sword when you can have two?"

"That's the reason you took two?"

"If one sword's powerful, two's twice that, right?"

"You're hopeless."

"Maybe, but at least I got you smiling again."

-------------------------

The sound of a scratching quill against a dry piece of parchment was all that could be heard in the kitchen later on in the day as noon approached. Ginny was sitting across the table from Hermione watching her friend write quickly, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she worked.

"I bet Harry finds that endearing..."

"Trying to distract me from helping you?" Hermione asked in a grin as she looked up. That didn't quite hide the faint blush that had formed on her cheeks, and Ginny giggled to herself as she looked away.

"Sorry."

When Hermione set her quill down on the table again, she picked up the parchment and scanned it from top to bottom. A simple letter was what Ginny had asked for, but she rarely - if ever - kept things simple when writing anything. "That should about do it. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Ginny shook her head and refused to meet Hermione's eyes. "No," she whispered. "But there's not much choice in the matter, is there?" She bit her lip for a second and then finally looked to the older girl again. "Don't tell Harry, okay?"

"Why not?" she asked, surprised by the odd request. Both of the Weasley children who lived in Grimmauld Place knew that the two shared everything - well, everything shy of Harry's training, anyway.

"I don't want him to think my breaking up with Colin is his fault," she whispered. "He doesn't deserve that."

*Thanks, Gem,* Hermione purred to herself as she passed the letter across for Ginny to read. Even if the youngest Weasley couldn't understand kneazle, she did apparently get the meaning behind the words.

The door to the kitchen was pulled open suddenly, showing both Ron and Harry standing there. "Lunch ready yet?" Ron asked with a grin as he entered first. Looking beyond him to Harry, the reason for the smile became obvious - the two must have been playing exploding snap, and Harry's eyebrows were still quite singed.

"Honestly, you two..." Hermione said with a grin of her own as she stood up to intercept Harry. As she placed a cool hand on his forehead and willed her own magics to work in healing him, she noticed Ginny stuffing the letter into her pocket out of the corner of her eye. "There..."

When she made to pull away her hand again, he caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him in a brief hug before releasing her again. "Thanks, Mione."

"How much longer till school starts again?" Ron asked in a rough voice as he pulled up a spot at the table next to Ginny. Both Harry and Hermione whirled on him in surprise, and he shrugged. "What can I say, mate? I'm not gonna see Luna again until school starts, so..."

Hermione just shook her head as she smiled and leaned into Harry again before releasing him from his spontaneous contact. It had taken quite a while for him to become comfortable with her touch - he had never liked any kind of physical touch at all for such a long part of his life thanks to his aunt and uncle - so she revelled every time he did anything like that.

"You may see her before that, Ron," Harry said, looking back to the door as it started to pull open again. "Won't say anymore just yet, but don't go packing your school things just yet, alright?"

"Indeed, Ronald," a soft voice said from the doorway as a green cloak became visible. "I have another letter for you from Luna, by the way," the elf added as he held out a hand. Ron was up from the table in an instant and caught the message as it floated over to him. "And she sends her warmest regards as well."

"That was a fast trip, Talisien," Harry said, turning back to the elf in question. "I thought Noyadin was a lot further away than that."

"It is further than words can describe," Talisien admitted. "But with the right spells and magics, distance is never an obstacle." He then shook his head and pulled back. "On another note, I have come up with an idea to further your training in the fastest possible methods. What we have been doing thus far hasn't been working, would that be fair to say?"

"Indeed sir," Harry said with a sigh. At the elf's pointed look, Harry rolled his eyes. "Sorry... Talisien." The elf hated formalities more than anyone Harry had ever heard of, even when such a thing was of respect.

"We'll talk in this afternoon's lesson. For now, I would suggest you get your cloak... it is rare that I see you without it, and it is a part of the lessons and your protection."

Harry looked to Ron pointedly, and the redhead just shrugged. "You didn't have to listen to me, mate."

"I put it in my room before playing a game," Harry explained when it became clear that Talisien was waiting for an explanation. "I'll go get it."

"I'll get it," Hermione offered, picking up her inkpot and quills. "I've got to return these to our room so I don't lose them anyway."

"I'll get some lunch started, then," Harry offered, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze as he passed her in the kitchen to head for the coldbox and the stove. He stopped after two steps, however, and turned around slowly, as though he had just noticed something. Talisien was gone from the room again - but that was no real surprise, since he came and went literally at will - but that wasn't it. There was something else, something nagging him in the back of his mind...

Finally putting a finger on it, he lifted a hand and pushed towards the door, putting his intent behind the magics like Talisien had taught him. It wasn't a terribly useful spell by any means, but it did open the door, spilling light into the darker hallway. It also revealed a Mrs. Weasley who looked to be in some sort of shock, but the door opening was apparently the release she needed.

"You... and him..." she started, obviously not sure of just what she was trying to say. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing from those simple words and the way she was looking from Hermione to him and back again exactly what was going through her mind.

"Yes," he said with a calm he didn't really feel. "Hermione can get into my room through a means unavailable to anyone else in this house," he explained, walking back and putting an arm around the elder female Gryffindor in the room. "Her parents are already well aware of the situation and give their full blessing."

"But it's shameful!" she finally managed, her voice taking on a higher pitch than either of the two non-Weasleys were used to. Ron and Ginny exchanged quick glances and stood up from the table quickly.

"Mum, calm down," Ron said urgently. "You really want to think before you talk right now, okay?"

"Don't give me that rubbish Ronald Weasley!" she snapped. "I suppose you already knew about it, didn't you? Both you and Ginerva, hiding this from me? How could you let this happen? How could..."

Harry held up his hand again and closed his eyes once again. "Silencio," he said in a clear voice. He certainly didn't yell it, but the effects were the same, given how everyone in the room fell silent instantly, Mrs. Weasley because the spell had struck her, the others out of shock that Harry had cast such a charm on her. "There," he said simply. "Now, I believe you were about to go saying something that simply isn't true, and I won't have any of it here. If you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for my afternoon lesson with Talisien." He looked away from Molly and down to Hermione for a second before leaning in and giving her a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. "Save something from lunch for me... I don't think I'll be as long as usual today."

She nodded to him and met his eyes before letting him turn. He was surpressing a lot of anger, and she knew it, so before she would let him go to his lesson, she pulled most of it out of him through her Legilimency connection - she was the only person in the world who could actually get into Harry's mind thanks to the magical dagger at his side.

Harry walked passed the shocked Mrs. Weasley and paused at the door. "If you start to yell again, then I am sure Ron would be willing to cast another silencing spell on my behalf, given how he's of age now and using his wand is permitted, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said in a soft voice. "But for now... finite." With a wave of his hand, the spell was cancelled and the door shut behind him, leaving three Weasleys and Hermione standing in the kitchen alone.

"I'm going to go and speak with your parents," Mrs. Weasley said forcefully, looking directly at Hermione. "I assume they're in the library reading, like they usually are at this time of day? Or were you too busy sharing a bed before marriage to even know that?"

Hermione didn't get a chance to say anything before Molly have left the kitchen in a huff, and then she slowly sank back to her chair. She looked up to Ron and Ginny and smiled weakly to them. Ron grinned back and sat down on the table, reaching out and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit that was sitting at the end.

"Well, that went about as well as could be expected, didn't it?"

----------------------------

The door closed to the study on the main hall silently, and Harry looked around quickly in the empty hallway for some sign of anyone. The lesson hadn't really happened just yet... but he understood what was supposed to happen, at the very least. To say he was nervous about the plans the elf had in store for him would be fairly accurate, though.

"Alright Remus... where are you?" he muttered to himself as he closed his eyes. The hood was up on his dark green cloak, shrouding him in the shadows of the ill-lit hallway. Several people in the house had offered to improve the lighting from time to time, but he had requested that the front hall, at least, remain darker.

He lifted up a hand to grasp at the golden necklace that had come lose from his robes and tucked it back inside after holding it for a brief second. His necklace meant a lot to him, as did his bracelet and ring - all gifts from Hermione, all gifts following the elven traditions of romance.

"Well, the house seems quiet enough. I guess that means Mrs. Weasley probably isn't here right now," he said with a small chuckle. "Hope the others weren't burnt by her shouts for too long."

He shifted suddenly down into his feline form, the form of a mighty grey leopard with black splotches and sniffed at the air. He had learned that everything had a distinct scent - something he had known before, but never really understood - and found himself climbing the stairs towards the library to find the werewolf.

His blue translucent/transparent wings shimmered briefly before he climbed up into his human form again and turned the latch to let himself into the library on the third floor. Remus Lupin looked up from his reading on the other side of the massive room and closed his book upon seeing Harry.

"Lesson done already, is it?"

"Not really," Harry admitted. "Actually, I'm up here to ask you something about them."

"Are you going to be as vague as ever about them?" Remus asked as he stood up. "You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Dumbledore when this training is mentioned."

"Perish the thought, Moony!" Harry said with a smile of his own as he pushed the hood to his cloak down again. "You know how much I hate keeping this from everyone. Can you imagine having to keep something from Tonks?"

"That's hardly the same thing and you know it."

"Not from what Hermione tells me," Harry explained. "Or perhaps she was just making sure your mouth had healed properly... Rom."

"Rom?"

"Rom Fenyir, recently hired Auror for the Ministry of Magic," Harry said in a near perfect monotone. "Little is known about his past, but he has sworn to help however he can in the war against Voldemort."

Remus shook his head and looked away from his godson. "You know the Ministry laws on hiring my kind."

"Hmm," Harry admitted. "But Mione had a good point... Rom being close to Rome - the legend of Romulus being raised by wolves - and Fenyir is so close to the name of the legendary wolf Fenrir..."

"I knew I should have picked a better name," Remus muttered under his breath, which only caused Harry to laugh. "No one can know about this, you know that, right?"

"I'm pretty sure that Tonks knows already, doesn't she? And you know that Hermione and I know, too." He held up a hand before Remus could say anything else and shook his head. "Don't worry, secret's safe with us. I think it's great anyway."

Remus sighed and sat back down in his chair, motioning to the chair across from him for Harry. "Quite the commotion this morning, you know."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"She came up here to speak with Hermione's parents. They spoke to me afterwards."

"Still won't change anything."

Harry looked up as Remus held a hand out to him. "You know I'll help if I can, right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, thanks." He paused for a second and then took a deep breath. "But that's not why I came looking for you right now. Talisien's got this idea for my training..."

"Right, the training. That's how we got onto my secret identity, isn't it?"

"We've been working on my wandless magics, among other things, but it's not coming along properly. He wants me to rely on instincts to use them, and to be able to cast things more powerful than simple accio charms."

Four fingers drummed along the edge of the wooden table, and then stopped as Remus looked up again. "You have any idea how many wizards would give an arm for even that?"

"Doesn't matter," Harry replied easily. "Comes with the job territory, I guess. If they'd rather kill Voldemort themselves, more power to them. Anyway, he wants... well..."

"Is it dangerous?"

"No," Harry said quickly. "Not really, anyway. But he does want me to leave the house alone everyday." When Remus didn't say anything right away, Harry continued in a bit of a rush. "There's a park nearby that kids go to play in all the time. He thinks if I were to go play with some kids - you know, stuff I couldn't really do when I was a kid myself - that that might be some sort of key to unlocking the door... as it stands."

"How far away is the park?"

Harry drew himself upright at that. He had expected Remus to refuse outright, quoting Dumbledore's orders or something similar... "A couple of blocks, maybe a little more. I can get back here without being seen easily enough - he started training both Mione and me that way while at Hogwarts still."

Remus nodded slowly and motioned for him to stand up. Once the young man had done so, the werewolf sighed. "I think it makes sense, but there is one problem. Actually, it's great, but for this it's a problem." At his confused look, he shrugged. "You cut a fairly impressive figure these days, Harry. You've finally grown, and stand as tall as most adults, taller than many. You look strong, and you've got this aura of confidence about you... I don't think many little kids will be willing to just run over and invite you to play with them."

"It's okay otherwise though?" Harry asked in amazement. "Really?"

"Well, we almost never tried to keep you locked inside when you were at the Dursleys, did we?" Remus pointed out. "You could still walk around outside, so long as you slept at the house, right?"

Harry smiled brightly and nodded at that. "Thank you Remus, that tells me all I needed to know."

"What about looking like an adult, Harry?"

"Oh, that?" Harry asked, looking back over his shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Ask Mione sometime... or you might just be smart enough to catch me coming home at some stage to see it. But don't worry... even if Dumbledore asks, Harry Potter will not be leaving the house regularly this summer. But James Lupin will be."

"Lupin?"

"You don't mind, do you? I needed a name, so I took my dad's as my first name, and I figured that yours would work well as my last name..."

"But what about Sirius?"

Harry sighed deeply and closed his eyes again, trying to hide himself from his feelings. "Sirius was a great man who had much of his life stolen from him by prison and then died far too young. My hidden identity's middle name happens to be Black, though." He paused at the door and looked back to his godfather. "Thanks, Moony."

"Anytime Tor."

As he pushed the door open to leave the library, he found it lighter than he had expected and actually tumbled out onto the landing in heap. Looking up, he found Hermione holding the door open and looking down at him, a broad smile on her face as though she was trying desperately hard not to laugh at him.

*Hey, Mione... how about giving me a hand?* he mewed to her in as plaintive a tone as he could possibly manage. *I seem to have fallen down...*

*I'd say so,* she purred back, reaching down to haul him to his feet again. When she caught his hand, however, he yanked hard, pulling her down to fall on top of him. In an instant, he had rolled the two of them over so she was pinned to the ground looking up at him, and now he was the one holding back laughter.

He wanted to say something witty to her, but as he looked down to her large warm brown eyes, he found words failing him, so instead, he just leaned down and pressed his lips to hers gently. He released her arms at the same time and felt them come up to hold him, pulling him down closer to her at the same time as she opened her lips to grant him access to the inside of her mouth with his tongue.

As the kiss deepened and all other thoughts flowed out of them, a creaking floor didn't seem loud enough to warrant their attention. The cold spray of water that doused them a few seconds later was not so forgiving, and they pulled apart spluttering, looking up quickly to find the one responsible.

"I believe you two have a room for that sort of thing, don't you?" Remus asked with a chuckle as he stood over them. "Really, in the middle of the hall... I don't think that would do it for me."

"Don't knock it until you try," Harry said before his brain could stop him. Fortunately, Remus just laughed at that, and Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as the two got up from the ground again. "You could always tackle Tonks and find out."

"You really aren't going to leave me alone about that, are you?"

"Not until we actually see it, no," Hermione answered for Harry. "It is true though, isn't it?"

Remus sighed and nodded to her. "I did always say you were the brightest witch of your age, Hermione. Perhaps that wasn't strong enough, though..."

"Actually," she said, turning away from their old Professor and looking back to Harry. "Are you going back to your lesson or are you free for the afternoon?"

"I've gotta go talk to Talisien, sorry," he admitted. "Remus gave the plan a go ahead, so we've got to work out the details. If you need something first, though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting another few minutes."

She smiled to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing him towards the stairs and shutting the door to the library behind her, leaving a rather confused Harry standing in the hall. Shaking her head at how easy it had been, she turned away from the door to find Remus still standing there, looking a little confused himself.

"Well, he has to get back to his lesson, and I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

"This wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with the loud voices even the dead could have heard earlier today?"

Hermione groaned and sat down in her chair. It was one of the larger chairs in the library, covered with a rich red velvet and placed in front of a round oak table that had been around for ages. Several of her books were still sitting open, waiting for her to return to them, but she didn't pay any attention to the runes that needed translating or anything else just then. "You heard that, did you?"

"I was telling Tonks just yesterday that when the eruption came, it would be loud and messy," he said softly. He then chuckled and turned away from her. "I won't tell you what she said in response to that." He chanced a glance back to the young witch and saw that she was very carefully not looking at him. "I expect we haven't heard the last of Molly's complaints, have we?"

"She spoke to my parents in this very room, Remus!" she said. "You'd think she was my mother the way she's carrying on, except my parents have known about this since last year! And they don't have any complaints!"

"We'll deal with it tonight, okay?" Remus suggested, smiling to himself at the fact that she had finally taken to calling him by his first name and not as `Professor.' "Tonks and I will both be around for supper, and I'm sure Molly will do us the favour of bringing it up. We'll even distract her for you if you'd like."

She looked up to him in surprise, but then shook her head. "No, that would just be putting it off, and I'd really rather not have to deal with her tonight once we're wrapped up in bed."

"Is that what they're calling it now?" He held up a hand before she could object and smiled broadly to her. "I know, I know, don't worry. One step at a time for Harry, right? Don't forget... he spoke to me last November about the two of you."

Hermione brought her hand up to pull out her golden necklace, and laid out the four pieced jewel in her hand. The warmth that was flooding through her had nothing to do with the fireplace that had crackled to life in the corner and everything to do with the emotions attached to the jewellery. "I know. I never thanked you for that, either."

"You didn't have to." There was a loud silence, and then Remus moved a seat from another one of the tables over to join her at her table. Although there was another chair already there, it clearly belonged to Harry, and he wasn't about to sit in it without asking first. "What did you want to talk about, though?"

"I... I wanted to ask you about Harry's aunt and uncle," Hermione said after a moment. "I know they were horrible people, but what happened to them after last year? Their house was destroyed while they were away, but with Harry missing I never gave them another thought."

"I doubt Harry's given them much thought since either, Hermione," Remus said gently. "So don't worry too much about it."

"But he has!" she objected. "We've spoken about them a few times now, actually. I think... was something done about their house?"

Remus took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he wracked his brain. Like most of those who had ever had the... distinction... of meeting the Dursleys, he was happy enough to simply forget the entire experience. "Everything was restored by the Ministry's Accidental Magic Reversal Squads," he said finally. "It took them the better part of three days after we left, but they pulled it off and altered the Dursleys' memories so they thought they had just been away from a couple of extra days."

"So, everything's back the way it was before Harry left?"

"Harry... he's got a big heart," Remus said, sensing where she was going suddenly. "Sometimes, I think a little too big, but I would never fault him for it. Dumbledore has said it before, and I agree with him... love is a powerful thing, and despite never having any growing up, Harry is more capable of it than perhaps anyone I've ever met."

"He wants to make sure they're alright, and he wants... he wants to say goodbye."

"Knowing him, he probably wants to thank them for giving him a roof for the first eleven years of his life, too." Hermione nodded and Remus ran a hand through his grey hair slowly. "I'll talk to Dumbledore about it the next time I see him," he promised. "But I can't make any guarantees. Going outside in the afternoons is a far cry different from leaving London and heading for Surrey."

"Outside?"

"I imagine Harry will tell you all about it later today," Remus said kindly. "But he did tell me that you could explain something to me." At her attentive look, he went on. "Well, I'll leave the details for him to explain, but what I'm wondering is how he's going to fit in with a bunch of kids in a park. He said he had that covered, and you knew how that would work."

Hermione looked away from him and turned towards the books on the table again, knowing that she'd be reading through more of them once she was done talking with Harry's godfather. "I'm surprised you're not just asking Tonks."

"I know Harry's not a metamorphagus."

She lifted a hand and held it out towards one of the books that was just out of reach. "Accio book," she said firmly, despite the fact that she held no wand. When nothing happened, she looked up to the werewolf again. "Harry's always been a little different, though, hasn't he? I don't quite understand it either, but I'm hoping to find an answer in one of these books that Talisien left for me," she explained. "But essentially, he can shift into a couple of different forms using wandless magics - transfiguration as far as I can tell."

"Self transfiguration as a disguise?" Remus asked in surprise. "That's nearly impossible magic! And you're saying he's got two disguises already figured out?"

"Although he doesn't know what one of them looks like at all - which is another thing I've got to work out for myself, since to do transfiguration you have to know your target change - but yes. I've seen one of them, actually. He looks about thirteen, has different clothes entirely, and his voice even sounds younger. I can tell its him because of our connection, but if I didn't have that, then I'd have no idea!" She paused for a second, and then shook her head. "Well, once he's got his bandana on to cover his scar, anyway. He can't seem to get that to disappear no matter how hard he tries."

"Connection?"

"I can't say it's just our feelings, because then you'd obviously know what I was talking about, but it's more on a mental state. Despite the protection Harry has around his mind since he never goes anywhere without the dagger that Talisien gave him, I can still enter the outskirts of his mind to take his anger away. But because of that, I feel like I can always sense him, even if he doesn't look like himself, you know?"

There was a soft knock at the door that interrupted whatever it was Remus was going to say in response to that, and when they both looked up, the door opened just enough for Tonks to squeeze inside. She was wearing a set of purple Auror robes, and her hair was set to match - a rich purple braid ran down her back. She was a little shorter than Hermione was used to seeing her, but she knew better than to say anything.

"Wotcher, Hermione. How's it hanging?" Before Hermione could even think about answering, Remus groaned loudly and laid his head in his hands. "Oh, lay off, wolfie. I'll use whatever terms I feel like and you know it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Tonks," Remus said warmly. "But I was just afraid that she was actually going to answer..."

"That's right, she might be able to, at that. Well, about Harry, anyway. A question for another time, I suppose." She paused for a second and scrunched up her face. With a soft pop, her hair turned a light brown and shortened to her shoulders as she grew almost a full foot in height. Her purple robes lengthened as needed and then shifted to a rich black and red as they pulled in around her, fitting closer to her form than most robes normally could. "Ah, that's better," she said with a sigh. "I'm guessing our little Hermione here knows, eh?"

"Harry too," Remus admitted. "But before we get into that..."

Hermione cleared her throat to try and get a word in between the two of them, and they both stopped and looked to her in surprise. "Sorry, I won't be long, and then I'll leave the two of you in peace. I've got to go speak with my parents about supper tonight anyway. You'll speak to Dumbledore for us, right Remus?"

"Of course," he said with a glance to Tonks that just screamed of `I'll tell you later, don't worry.' "And we'll both be there at supper to back the two of you up, alright?"

"Thanks," Hermione said gratefully as she gathered a couple of the older elven books up from the table, as well as her translation notes that Harry had written for her earlier. Having a boyfriend who could read/write/speak any language ever known - or unknown - was a definite bonus. With her books in hand, she smiled to both Remus and Tonks and then slipped out of the library to head for the second floor, and her parents room. She knew they'd either be there or in the backyard, inside the protective field that kept the house hidden to all who weren't in on the secret.

---------------------------

Harry found Hermione in the library with her parents an hour or so later, once he had finished going over the plans for his continued lessons with Talisien. As he had half expected, Hermione was sitting at her table pouring over one of the elven texts with his translation chart - while it wasn't enough to actually give all the words, it would give her a basic understanding at least - while her father was sitting near the window reading through the Daily Prophet. Her mother, on the other hand, seemed to be going over a few letters that she had brought in with her.

As he eased the door closed quietly behind him, Jane happened to look up from her letters - presumably to say something to her husband - but caught sight of him instead. "Harry, lesson over already?"

"For today," he replied, taking his place at Hermione's table and resting a hand on her leg after she smiled to him and turned back to her reading. "Actually, he seems to think that we're approaching the limit of what he can safely teach me while I can't use my wand," he added.

"I seem to recall that being underage meant not being able to legally drink... guess it has more meaning in the wizarding world, eh?" Mike asked, peering over the top of his paper to Harry. "Looking forward to your birthday this year?"

"I'm in my own home, surrounded by friends and those I consider family. What more could I ask for?" Harry replied seriously, meeting the elder Granger's gaze steadily. "Hermione is by my side, and my friends back me up. Beyond that..."

Hermione then closed her book - after sticking in a marker to hold her place - and smiled weakly to him. "Almost supper time, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry said, looking down to her and moving his hand so he could pull her closer to him. "But don't worry. Mrs. Weasley can't stay mad forever. I assume she spoke to you two earlier?" he added, looking up to Hermione's parents again.

"Before today, I had always thought she was a rather charming woman," Mike said with a shrug as he put the paper aside and stood up. "But now I think she's trying to put her foot in where it doesn't belong."

"Too right, there."

"You know where we stand on the issue, Harry," Jane said in a calm voice. "Hermione told you before, and I'll tell you now - we trust our girl to make the proper choices. And we trust you to keep her safe."

Harry looked away at that comment and took a deep breath. "I trust her more than anything else," he said softly, meeting Hermione's gaze as he spoke. "But I can't promise you that I will keep her out of danger. All I can say is that I will protect her with everything I have... even if she doesn't need it."

"Lucky you added that part, Harry," Hermione said with a small laugh as she pulled away from him and started towards the door. "You know full well that I can take care of myself."

"Ah, but that's not the point, is it?" Mike asked as he helped his wife to her feet. "Even knowing a loved one can take care of themselves, being willing to protect them is all part of the game too. If you can call it a game, anyway." He then looked back to the two younger people and smiled. "Now buck up. I believe we're about to go face a witch on a rampage who's trying to standing between you, happiness, and food."

"Well, heaven forbid she delayed supper for this!" Jane said, rolling her eyes at her husband. "I suspect she'll be wanting words first anyway, so your appetite will have to wait dear."

"No worries," he said as the group of four started downstairs. "I believe we're about to see a bit of Harry is action - protecting something he believes in. Isn't that what drew our little Hermione to him in the first place?"

Harry didn't bother responding to that, though he did notice Hermione carefully looking away from him when he chanced a glance. Pausing in front of the door to his own kitchen, he took a deep breath and pulled it open, walking in quickly before his nerves fled - like he had half a mind to do, too.

The kitchen was less crowded than often times during the dinner hour at Grimmauld Place. While often several members of the Order would stay, it seemed that most had begged off that night... perhaps sensing the overwhelming amount of tension that had built in the room recently.

Dumbledore was not there, but then Harry hadn't really expected him to be, either. Ron and Ginny were already sitting at the far end of the table, while their mother was sitting closest to the door instead. Remus was sitting right in front of the fireplace, his hands folded before him on the table, looking for all the world like he was about to referee a duel of some sort.

It was then that Harry started. Mrs. Weasley wasn't actually cooking supper - but she was glaring daggers at the one who was. On the other side of the kitchen, Harry recognised the shoulder lengthed brown hair that Tonks had taken to wearing more often than not while in the house. He cocked an eyebrow and looked to Ron and Ginny, both of whom shrugged but said nothing.

He stepped aside of the doorway then and motioned for Hermione and her parents to go in ahead of him. Once they had taken their seats at the table - Hermione next to Ron and Ginny, leaving a single space free between Mrs. Weasley and herself for Harry, and her parents next to Remus on the other side of the table.

"Well, I must say, this is a surprise, Tonks. I had no idea that you knew how to cook," Harry said in a cheerful voice, even if that cheer didn't actually reach his face. "I half expected you to be a bit clumsy in the kitchen, too, and that usually spells bad things for food."

"Wotcher, Harry, bout time you got here," came the reply as she looked over her shoulder. "Actually, my wolf over there's had to save a few plates so far, but nothing too bad. I'm told you're something of a wizard with food, though - any chance you could offer a hand?"

"Point of fact, I'm not just something of a wizard in the kitchen," Harry said with a chuckle as he quickly crossed the room and took the skillet from her hands deftly, shaking it to keep the meat from burning. "I'm a wizard all the time... or so I've been lead to believe, anyway."

"Alright, alright, point for you then," she said with a smile. "How have I done so far?" He looked away from the small cubes that she had cut the chicken into and at the array of vegetables and both sauces she had prepared before looking up to her. He was surprised when he saw her to find that she was mouthing words to him. `Air's getting thick in here, but I'm trying to lighten it a little...'

`Don't worry,' he mouthed back before leaning over the stove to take a wiff of the smells originating there. "Smells good, which is half the battle," he explained. "I'm surprised you managed so many things at once though."

"Hey now, just cause I'm your friend and I'm bunking with your godfather doesn't give you the right to sass me that much," she said with a grin. "I am an Auror, you know. I'm sure I've got a couple of interesting curses I could use on you. Attached to your ears, are you?"

Harry stepped away from the stove and reached up to one ear, giving it a slight tug. "It appears so," he replied. "I'll give, don't worry."

He then turned away from the metamorphagus and found Ron and Ginny staring at her in amazement before looking to Remus, and then back to her again. "I thought we agreed that we'd break the news in a better time, Tonks," Remus said softly.

"Oh, sorry Remus, love, didn't mean to," Tonks replied, turning away from the cooking as well. Harry rolled his eyes and gently pushed her aside to take over, and she smiled to him and took her seat next to the werewolf. "Just slipped out - I knew that Harry knew already, and I sort of forgot that everyone else was still here."

"Another thing Harry's been keeping from us?"

"It would hardly have been his place to say anything on this matter, Molly," Remus said quickly, coming to Harry's defense before anyone else had the chance to. "This was between Tonks and myself."

"I suppose you already knew about Harry and Hermione sharing a bed, then?" Molly replied, standing up from the table to glare at him. "I would have expected such encouragement from Sirius, but I always thought you were more levelheaded than that!"

Whatever anyone else was going to say in regards to that was cut off by the sudden roar of flames from the fireplace. Hermione was on her feet in an instant, and had taken two steps towards Harry before they had fanned down again. "No matter what is going on with anything else," Harry said in a soft but cold voice. "This was and remains the most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Do not insult his memory in my presence, Molly Weasley."

"I... I'm sorry, Harry, that didn't come out as intended," she said quickly. "You know that I think Sirius was a great man..."

"If a little irresponsible?" Harry finished for her, turning away from the cooking once more. He walked across the room then and took a seat next to Hermione as she sat down again. "The food is set with a warming charm from the stove," he explained at everyone's looks. "However, I had to live with eating meals for eleven years at tables filled with anger... I have no intention of eating another meal in the same regards." He paused for a breath, and then looked up from the old wood to Mrs. Weasley. "I am sure you've had plenty of time today to calm down and think through what you intend to say. I'm sure you would rather Arthur was here as well - though I am not sure if he would back you up on this or would beg impartiality. As it stands, it is obvious that you have something to say."

She looked taken aback by this direct approach, the strange air of calmness that was surrounding the young man talking to her. All of her own children had rather small fuses that burned like explosives - talking things through rationally wasn't something she had a lot of experience with when dealing with children. "Alright," she said slowly, sitting down again. "And you're right... I do have some things to say. I think it is..."

"Sorry, can I say something first?" Tonks asked, leaning forward and cutting Molly off. "Look, I might not have known these two," she said, motioning to Harry and Hermione. "For as long as you have, but I can tell you anyway that they are pretty special. I may not be like a mother to them, but I can tell you that I've heard Harry waking up after a nightmare screaming. I've heard him whimpering in fear, crying out in the dead of night for reasons not his own fault."

"Tonks, really..." Harry started, but she shook her head and pressed on anyway.

"The only time I've ever really seen any calmness and rational brought into his life is when this young witch is around him," she explained, pointing fully at Hermione. "And to that, I say more power to you and... well, even if it isn't my place, I thank you, Hermione. He stands taller and looks stronger when you're around... and if my own experiences say anything, then I know that it's not just appearances."

"I'm not saying that Harry and Hermione don't go well together, Nym... Tonks," Molly said, correcting herself at the sudden glare the Auror sent her way. "It's just that..."

"She gives him a comfort that has been denied him his whole life, and now you want to take that away."

Profound silence followed the Auror's words as she leaned back. Remus put a hand on her shoulder as encouragement and gave her a soft smile, but said nothing.

Finally Molly sat forward again, apparently determined to have her say at last. "I just don't think it's proper for a boy and a girl to share a bedroom if they aren't siblings or engaged for wedlock. And given how young they both are..."

"In case you've forgotten," Harry said in a soft but firm voice. "We are both still in the room."

She suddenly turned towards both Harry and Hermione and smiled to them. "Harry, dear, and you too, Hermione... I'm not saying anything against you specifically, but you have to admit that under such circumstances, sharing a bed isn't right!"

"I understand what you're saying," Harry said, his voice still surprisingly calm as he turned towards Hermione. "Would you care to respond to that, or shall I?"

"Well, this is your house, Harry."

"No," he said quickly, before she could go on any further. "It is not just my house, and you know it."

"Just go on, mate," Ron said with a grin. "You say what you wanna say, and Hermione here will just correct you if you miss anything, just like normal, okay?"

Ginny smacked him in the arm and frowned at him when he glared at her. "You're not helping, Ron."

"It's just that..."

"I have... three things to say," Harry said calmly as he stood up from the table again. As he took a deep breath, he paused for a second, though, and then smiled. "Well, four, I suppose. I would appreciate it, Mrs. Weasley, if you tried not to interrupt until I was at least finished with a single point... okay?" When she nodded, he smiled warmly to her. "Thank you. First of all, the most basic information. I could just leave it here, too, but I respect and care about you too much to do that. This is not your house, and neither I nor Hermione are you children. In that regard, you have no say one way or the other about our sleeping arrangements. Understand?"

"Now see here, Harry, that's..."

"The truth," he said firmly, cutting her off. "I know that my parents happen to be dead. There's no changing that, no matter how hard you may wish it - believe me. I also know that my first guardian who mattered is dead. Another fact that we aren't getting into just yet," he added with a warning glance at all those gathered around the table. His closest friends knew that he had yet to actually talk to anyone about the loss of Sirius for more than a minute or two, but they all knew better than to say anything now. "But Remus here is my godfather, and even though I do not believe I require his permission, it is something I am happy to say that I have anyway."

Molly looked affronted at this news, and turned away from Harry to look to the werewolf quickly. "You knew? How long has this been going on? From the sounds of things..."

He held up a hand to stop her and smiled softly, shaking his head before looking away from her again. "Molly, the length of time at this stage is immaterial... just know that he is telling the truth in this matter - as I believe he has always done, more or less." Harry knew instantly what the `more or less ` comment was about... he did tell the truth, unless it was about his own welfare, but he often ended up leaving out parts of a story at the same time.

"Secondly," Harry went on as though that entire conversation had not just happened. "Although it was after the initial fact, we do have permission from Hermione's parents to share a bedroom - and yes, even a bed. They trust her judgement, her instincts, and her heart just as I do - in fact, I trust her with everything, more than my own life."

"Don't forget, Harry, that we trust you, too," Mike pointed out when he looked over to the two sitting next to Remus. "Trusting Hermione is part of being a parent - we have to assume she will try and make the best decisions possible for herself... but trusting you was simple too. You intentions and heart are so easy to read, how could we not trust you?"

"Thank you," he whispered, touched beyond what he was willing to show by their kind words. He knew he had their support before, but their trust was another matter entirely - he had never openly asked about such a thing, after all, given how hard that would have been to do. "So, aside from this being my house and my rules, so to speak, we also have permission from both my guardian and Hermione's parents... so again, your complaint can't stand."

"Harry, I am just trying to look out for your best interests, I'm sure you know that. Yours and Hermione's."

"I am aware of that," he admitted with a shrug as he stepped away from the table and started to pace up and down the kitchen slowly. "But I hope you are also aware that, although your concern is appreciated, we are not your children, no matter how much you may wish it. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but this is something that I will fight for if I have to - and believe me, I'd rather not have to use more than words, but if you force my hand, I will. I will not lose the love of my life by my side," he said with a smile, pausing in his pacing to look directly at Hermione, who's eyes were bright with unshed tears at his words.

When he again fell silent, Ron spoke up after a minute or two. "So, would that be two points or three? I sort of lost count..."

"I'm counting it as two, you can count it how you want." Harry then stopped his pacing directly next to Mrs. Weasley's chair. "Your last point, I believe, was about engagement or marriage, right? At least, ignoring that age comment, given how no one here is a child anymore, no matter how much any of us may wish it to be."

"If you can table arguments for later, so can I," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "And the age issue is one of those points, I suppose."

"Very well," Harry said with a curt nod. "But on the topic of engagement... did anyone ever tell you about the jewellery both Hermione and I wear? Or did you ask anyone?"

"I... no, not really," she admitted. "I barely knew you wore any - with you wearing that cloak all the time, it is often difficult to tell at all."

In an instant, Harry's dark green cloak fell to a pool of fabric of the floor as he stood tall once again. Unbidden and uncovered, the golden bracelet on his wrist sparkled in the firelight of the kitchen, the ring he wore was clear as ever, and the necklace he had about his neck was obvious as he pulled it out from the folds of his robe.

"Are you familiar with elven traditions?" he asked in a soft voice that was not unlike a child's asking about Santa Claus. Knowing the answer before he had even asked, he simply went on. "The bracelet we both wear represents a vow of commitment to one another, to cherish one another, to protect one another however we can."

"A vow?"

"Yes, spoken from the heart," he said simply. "Our necklaces are a little more complicated, in that they represent family. Hermione had a bit of an easier time than I did, I suspect..."

"Says you..." she muttered under her breath just loudly enough so everyone could hear her. She smiled to her parents, who understood, but no one else knew what she meant just yet.

"What they mean is that family is involved in our relationship... if something were to happen to Hermione, her parents would do everything within their power to help me survive the loss. In my case, however, I have no blood family... so I improvised. First, I spoke to Remus on the matter, and then I sought out two people you know quite well who, despite their often childish behaviour, can be more serious than almost anyone I have ever met when the need arises. All three swore wizarding oaths to me that if anything were to happen to me, that they would do everything in their power to help Hermione."

"My Fred and George swore wizarding oaths for you, just because you asked?" Molly asked in disbelief. "They know how serious such a thing is, surely, and yet..."

It was Hermione who interrupted her this time, simply by leaning forward. "I think that is part of the point," she said softly. "They know how important such a thing is, but when Harry asked them to help, they refused to back down. They told me later that it was the least they could do for the black-haired Weasley."

"They said that?" Harry asked in surprise before Molly could say anything.

"Mate, you've always known that that's how we all see you," Ron said firmly. "So why should that come as a surprise at all?"

"Well, I knew it was how you saw me, but..."

"Ever since you saved my life in the Chamber of Secrets, you've been one of the best big brothers I could ever ask for," Ginny said softly. "Even if I never did say so." The fact that Ginny actually mentioned part of her first year really drove home to both Harry and Mrs. Weasley just how important such a thing was to her.

"So... what are your rings for, then?" Mrs. Weasley finally asked after a long pause. She saw that they both wore them on the ring finger of their left hand, but wasn't sure if that meant anything or not.

"We've already covered a vow of commitment and a vow of family," Harry explained. "What else do you suppose there is?"

She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, not sure what to think of all the sudden information Harry was giving her to support why he and Hermione should share a room despite her arguments. "A vow of love?"

Harry knew he didn't really have to answer that... he could tell by the sound of her voice that she knew she was right. "Of course," he said softly anyway. "What else would it be?" He paused, and then picked up his cloak once again, clasping it shut around his shoulders before sitting next to Hermione easily. "To the elves, that means there is only one step left before being bound together for eternity... to us, it simply means... well... I'm sure I don't have to explain to you what that means, Molly. Just think of what Arthur means to you, and you'll understand."

"I do," she whispered, not meeting his blazing green eyes suddenly as she looked away, towards the fireplace, as though hoping Arthur was going to pop out of it through floo at any minute - despite the fact that the flooing fireplaces were elsewhere in the house. "And even though I don't necessarily agree with you two sharing a room - much less a bed - just yet... I won't say any more on it. I'm sorry."

"Worrying simply means you care, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said quickly. "So we understand. And since you aren't going to try and force us apart at this stage, we'll leave it be, too."

"Thank you," Harry said softly, though whether he was talking to Hermione or Mrs. Weasley, no one could say for certain. "I love this witch more than anything else in life," he added softly. "I have fought through hell to protect her, fought to the end of my own life to keep her with us, to keep her alive. She is my everything." As he spoke his last words, no one was really sure, given how his head was bent down, if he was saying them to anyone in particular, or even if he meant to say the words out loud.

Following the silence his words left behind, eventually Ginny leaned forward onto the table and smiled. "Guess you won't be needing that fourth point then, eh Harry?"

"Of course I will!" Harry said, seemingly surprised at the very notion.

"No," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "You've made your point, and we've made our peace, remember?"

"Well, yeah..." Harry admitted, sounding a little confused suddenly. "But my fourth point was that Tonks spent a lot of time and energy to make us dinner, and I, for one, am starving, so I was going to suggest we eat!"

--------------------

As soon as Harry and Hermione were in their room that night, Harry just walked over to their bed and collapsed onto his back, not even bothering to change. He lay there, staring at the ceiling as Hermione said nothing. She could tell he was thinking about something - something important - and she didn't want to interrupt. It was as good a time as any, however, for her to change into her pyjamas.

Just as she had pulled her shirt off after tossing her cloak over the foot of their bed, Harry let out a soft sigh. "What a day..." he said quietly.

"Yeah," she agreed, snapping her bra off and tossing it, along with her shirt, into the hamper in the corner. "I knew she'd find out eventually, but I didn't think it would be so soon. And I really didn't think it would be such a big deal, either!"

"With Mrs. Weasley, everything's a big deal sometimes," Harry said with a grin, still staring at the ceiling, completely unaware of Hermione's state of undress. "But that's not exactly what I was talking about... though I suppose that was a big thing, too."

"What is it, then?" she asked as she pulled her pants down, rolled them up, and tossed them into the hamper as well. She then went over to their dresser and started rummaging about... she wanted her nightgown that night. After Harry's little speech at dinner, there was only one thing she really wanted to do, but the opportunity hadn't quite seemed right with everyone else around the table too...

"Can I tell you about my lessons?"

"What?" she asked in surprise, abandoning her search and turning to face him. "Your private lessons with Talisien that you said you couldn't tell me about?"

"Yeah, those," he said with a grin. He looked away from the ceiling then and opened his mouth to say something else, but whatever words were on his lips faded away at the sight of Hermione standing on the other side of their room in just her knickers. A low growl escaped his throat before he looked back up to the ceiling. "Uh... s... sorry..."

So it wasn't exactly how she planned on stunning him that night - the white nightgown that was practically see-through had been her idea - but it did the trick anyway. *For what?* she purred back to him as she started towards the bed. Information on his lessons would wait a few minutes, she was sure. She paused at the edge of the bed and set a hand gently on his shoulder.

It was all the invitation he seemed to need before turning back to her in an instant. Before she could understand just what was going on, he had reached up and caught both of her arms just below the shoulders. In a sudden twisting motion, she found herself lying on her back on the bed, with Harry straddling her nearly naked body, his hands now resting on the bed above her shoulders as he leaned over her.

*For that,* he growled back before dipping down and pressing his lips against hers. She wasted no time in opening up to invite his tongue into her mouth as hers darted into his, tasting each other in a nearly frantic exploration, despite having done so many times before.

Her arms seemed to reach up of their own accord and caught the clasp to his cloak, undoing it in a simple motion and flinging it from his back. His robes were next, though the sash he had been using to tie them shut would need repairs in the morning. Once the rich black fabric was pushed away from his upper body, her hands found his back and pulled him closer to her, his arms collapsing as she invited his weight down upon her.

Even though she knew he weighed more than she did, and by all rights such a thing should hurt, at least, scientifically speaking, it was pure bliss feeling so much of them together. Flesh against flesh, the sensation sent a shiver down her spine as their lips pulled apart suddenly, a mewl erupting from her throat that was a mix between a sigh and a squeak.

Harry's arms were on her shoulders then, and with her arms on his back, the two found themselves rolling over, switching positions so she was on top of him, straddling him instead. His hands found their way off her shoulders in their new position, and she pressed herself down on him with a low growl of pleasure as his hands started their magic on her breasts.

She rolled a little with the movement, and Harry let out a growl of his own, something that encouraged her to simply roll a second time, a little more force applied this time. His hands seemed to pause as he gasped for breath at the sensation before renewing their work, one hand caressing her breast fully while the other had almost released her, only to pull at her harden nipple, sending another shiver down her entire body that pooled below her stomach in a great warmth.

Her eyes met his as she rolled down on him again, and the emotions screamed so loudly that they were almost deafening. Still, it was impossible to miss the quiet purr as Harry's lips moved while keeping his eyes fixed on hers. *I love you...*

Even though she had thought she was a long way away from peaking, a lot of petting, rolling, and caressing away from the waves of pleasure that he sometimes managed to send through her during their... er... explorations - they often stopped themselves before going that long - the dam seemed to burst at his words. Her mouth was already open as she was practically panting with the energy that was already pooling within, but her open mouth was now a conduit for her release. Although the intense sensations washed over her started where it almost felt like she was on fire (in the most pleasant of ways, of course), the screams that tore from her throat told of her intense feelings.

As always when she reached her peak, Harry's hands stopped moving instantly. Somewhere in the back of her mind (most of her mind taken up with something else entirely), she remembered the first time he had brought her over the edge, and how frightened he had been that he had hurt her. This time, though, as every other time that had followed, he seemed to simply marvel in her feelings, as though trying to absorb them himself.

After all, she had never sent him over the edge - it was both an unspoken and a spoken agreement between them that they would wait with a good deal of things still.

She opened her eyes as her orgasm started to come down again, her pulse slowly starting to return to normal, and locked her gaze with Harry's again. This only seemed to intensify the feelings that were still moving through her, and she thought that it was almost happening a second time without either of them doing anything extra.

One of his hands was now on her shoulder, steadying her and keeping her from collapsing, while the other was at her side, his thumb rubbing gently against her stomach. Even if she couldn't actually enter his mind, the feelings in his eyes were plain as day and impossible to miss.

Once the second wave started to ebb and her body started to relax again from its incredible high, she lowered herself towards him again, meeting his lips for a more sensual visit. The rush that had been present had faded, though the emotions were still clearly behind it.

When they pulled away this time, she shifted herself down a little - the feeling of her centre pressed against his as both their hearts were beating heavily was almost too much for her to want to calm down again. As she shifted, she realised that she did, in fact, feel both her own pulse as well as his there, which meant just how excited he had been, too. She let out a slow, shaky breath as she rested her head against his shoulder, still turned towards him so she could see him.

*I love you too.*

He smiled to her and kissed her nose before pulling back to look to her eyes again. His hands felt warm on her bare back, and he smiled at that thought as well. *Are we going to spend the night like this, or do you want to hear about my lessons?*

*Why can't we do both?* she purred back.

*Think you could concentrate with me almost naked lying on top of you?*

*Hmm,* she purred, her lips finding their way to his neck as she did so. She knew he loved the feeling of the purr against his neck, so she did it as often as possible when they were in such positions. *We've never tried that, have we?*

He chuckled, the feeling shaking both of them as the laughter came from his chest. *Listen, Mia... we will sometime. Later, okay?*

*I'll hold you to that.*

* I count on it.*

A little more than just reluctantly, Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position. When she noticed him watching her very carefully out of the corner of her eye, she slowed her movement down again, causing him to actually start to purr like the large feline he could become.

Once she was standing, she felt a little trickle of warm, sticky liquid on the inside of her thighs, and she looked down quickly to find the centre of her knickers to be nearly see through and more of her inner juices having spilled out beyond that. She turned slightly so he wouldn't see - it wasn't that it was embarrassing for her, but she though he might appreciate that a bit more.

She looked back to him and found that he was staring at the ceiling again and trying to start breathing normally. His wand and dagger were both on their night stand - she hadn't noticed them earlier there, but then, she hadn't been paying attention to that fact, either. However, since he wasn't watching her - pointedly not watching, really - she striped her knickers off and pulled out her silk bottoms to pull on in their place. She then pulled her blue camisole over her head and stuck her arms through the straps that made the sleeves before pulling it down over her breasts and walking back over to him.

*Better?* she asked with a mew.

*No,* he purred back, grinning up to her. *But I'll be more coherent this way...* She just smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed as he shucked his robes, leaving him in just his boxers, before she laid down next to him. The covers were already pulled to the side - they might have pushed them earlier, but again, she had her thoughts elsewhere at the time.

*Prat,* she replied, knowing full well that he did, in fact, like her silk bottoms and thin camisole almost as much - if not more - than she did. *So, your lessons. Talisien said you could tell me?*

*Finally, yeah,* Harry mewed with a grin. *I've been asking every day for the past two weeks of training.*

*Harry, it's only been thirteen days.*

*Fine,* he corrected, rolling his eyes. *For the past thirteen days of training, I've asked if I could tell you. Today, he said yes.* He paused for a moment, and then shrugged, which was a little interesting, given how Hermione's head was on his shoulder now that they were lying down again. *Mind you, that could be because he's going back to the forest tomorrow - probably for good. He's not sure if any of us will actually see him again unless we go to the forest ourselves.*

*What?* she asked in surprise, actually sitting up to look down at him. *He's giving you two weeks of training, and that's it? I thought he was...*

*Mione, he's taught me everything he can, really. I can't learn elven magics, but he did teach me how to disguise myself,* he reminded her. *And he's done all he can for my wandless magics, but again, he can't do a lot except explain how it should work for me. He does have an interesting theory given what happened to my last wand, but I'll get to that,* he added after a second's pause.

*So he's been teaching you about wandless magics?*

He smiled up to her and invited her back down to lie on his shoulder again, but she shook her head. If they were going to have a long conversation, it would be easier if at least one of them was sitting up. *Among a few other things, but mostly, yeah. Only he calls the ones I use for casting spells - like the summoning I can do - wandless, and the other odd stuff, like what I did to Snape last Christmas as core magics.*

*Like the part of us that shifts shape with us for animagus work?*

*I think so,* Harry said, though he clearly wasn't sure. *But the point is, he's done all he can - I have to figure out the rest on my own. So my training's not done for the summer - it's just changed, that's all.*

*So you're going to be locking yourself in the study for all hours of the day to try and teach yourself?* Hermione growled. *That's...*

*Nonsense,* Harry purred, cutting her off gently. *And no. Actually, I think I'd prefer that, though. He... well, I'm leaving the house, I guess, while I'm training.*

*You'll be gone all summer?* Hermione asked surprised and more than a little hurt by that thought. She had expected them to spend the summer together - the first one they could do so from start to finish.

*No,* he said quickly, reassuring her the best he could. *No, just in the afternoons,* he explained. *He wants me to go to a muggle park a few blocks over. Said something about releasing the locks on my own past.*

Hermione looked confused for about half a breath before something clicked in her mind. *A muggle park?* she purred in thought. *Well, that makes sense, I suppose, though I can't see how it would help directly with wandless magics. It certainly would give you the chance to see what a childhood should have been like for you, though.*

*Yeah,* he admitted. *I figured that's what he wanted, too, but he never said. Still, if it'll help, then I'm going to go through with it. I need to - anything to give me some sort of edge of Voldemort.*

*Need I remind you that he's only got one arm right now? Isn't that a kind of edge, too?*

*I'm sure he's got a new one by now,* Harry replied in an almost accepting tone. *He's got the power to give Wormtail a new hand - why not himself a new arm?* When Hermione didn't reply, he took that as she meant it - good point. *You remember the disguise I showed you yesterday?*

*The one where you look younger and more innocent?*

*So, what, I'm old and corrupt now?* he asked with a grin.

She smiled back and leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the nose. *Well, you did manage to convince me that breaking rules for the sake of doing the right thing - or sometimes just for fun - isn't that bad a thing, so corrupt... maybe.*

He didn't reply right away, and she could see the uneasiness in his eyes without him saying anything. He had never been around normal kids, he had never had a chance to understand what kids usually did for fun. She knew, though, that she couldn't help him with this unless he asked - he had to do it on his own for now.

*My name in that form's gonna be James Lupin, by the way.*

*Really?* she asked, shocked by that revelation. *Not Black?*

To her surprise, Harry chuckled at that statement. *You know, Remus said the exact same thing,* he admitted. *Middle name's Black, though. I didn't want to use Black because there's a chance someone around here might remember a Black living around here before - and I doubt it would be a good memory.*

She had to admit that that was probably true, given how dark most of the Blacks had been in the past - Sirius being the `black' sheep of the mix. Even Tonks was related to the Blacks, but she was probably one of four or five on the family tree in hundreds of years that couldn't be considered dark. *So, are the kids gonna call you Jamie or Jimmy?*

*Think I need a nickname, do I?*

*Kids like that kind of thing,* she purred softly. *At least, all the kids in my neighbour did. I didn't care for them much, though.*

*With the names they gave you, Mia, I'm not surprised,* he purred back gently, reaching up to hold her cheek in his warm hand. *But I think you like the one's you've got now, right?* She replied to that with a kiss before settling down to lie with him again, her head resting gently on his shoulder as usual.

*You could use Tor.*

*Think they'd like Tor?*

*I've never met any of the kids around here, so I wouldn't know,* she replied honestly. *But if you tell them you've got a cat named Tor, and everyone just started calling you the same thing, they'd probably like it.*

*Funny story makes it better?*

She just sighed and nestled in a little closer to him, pulling up the blanket to cover both of them as he yawned suddenly. *I guess so...*

*Tell you about my old wand in the morning, okay?* he purred softly in her ear just as she was starting to drift off to sleep. She nodded and closed her eyes again, listening closely until she could hear the sound of his heart beating again as it lulled her to sleep.

Harry was awake for another hour, thinking about what the next day would bring, before finding sleep's hold for himself.

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When Harry opened the door to his room the next morning, Hermione shot out in her kneazle form, dashed down the hall and into the bathroom just before he managed to make it there himself. He knew she had been planning it, though, so he just smiled at her morning behaviour and turned back to their room.

On the ground in front of the door was a sealed letter. The wax was a rich blue in colour, and shaped like a drop of water. The letter itself was addressed oddly as well - HPHG, DF. Frowning in thought, he then couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he clued in.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Destiny's Force. The name of their team within the DA, the name of the team that had held two members for such a long time. Now, technically speaking Ron and Luna were both also a part of their team, but apparently the letter wasn't meant for them.

He knew that Hermione wouldn't mind him opening it - so long as he did so carefully and preserved the wax seal the best he could so she could see it later. Once the envelop was open, he slid out the stiff parchment within to find the back stamped with the same dark blue drop of water insignia.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

Like the seal and the mark? Well, they are the symbol for my team, so I thought it only appropriate. I'm guessing you both figured out just what I meant by the address, too!

Harry smiled to himself as he recognised the neat handwriting (neater than Ron's, anyway, but nowhere near Hermione's level) of Neville Longbottom, the leader of the blue group called the Garamonde Brigade, as well as fellow soon-to-be seventh year Gryffindor student at Hogwarts.

I wish I was simply writing to show you both this, but if that was the case, I would have included Ron and Ginny, too, since you said they were staying with you. And no, you didn't come right out and say that you two were going to be together over the summer, but after this last year, there's no doubt in my mind.

`No doubt in your mind, eh Neville?' Harry thought to himself with a smile. `You've come a long way from the nervous first year who couldn't remember anything or even hold onto a toad...'

I wanted to let you know that Lavender asked me about my animagus form. Although I told her about the form itself, I refused point blank to tell her where I learned to become one, who else I knew was an animagus, and then refused to explain why. Hermione, you were very clear on how careful we had to be with this secret - and it's not that I don't trust her, but I don't trust her enough to risk any of the rest of us who are aware. I'm not sure I can explain it better than that... but I thought I should let you both know that she's asked, and I don't doubt that she'll be asking again before too long.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes as he tried to simply focus on the air escaping his lungs. There was a touch of pain in the centre of his chest from breathing in so deeply - there always had been ever since the mortal injury he had taken in the rescue of Ron and Luna last year - but that wasn't what he was focusing on. It was more that Neville was once again standing up for what he believed in, no matter who was trying to crack his senses. He distinctly remembered Hermione freezing him in their first year when he tried to stop them... but somehow thought that he wouldn't have taken the same tactics against Lavender in this case.

Still, Neville was never one to count out, and Harry was proud to be able to count him as one of his best friends. The letter might have been a bit upsetting - Lavender's pushing for answers, anyway - but he had other concerns for the day, really.

Once Hermione was out of the loo, he handed her the letter, smiled softly to her, and then went in himself. When he was done in the bathroom, he got dressed and joined everyone else downstairs for a quiet breakfast. He didn't even have to look up for once at the silence that told of Talisien's arrival in the large room, but he did give Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek before rising to follow his private teacher into the large study area they always used for his lessons.

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Author's Note

Well, there's another chapter come and gone - hope everyone enjoyed it! I'm sure there are more questions cropping up now... and trust me when I tell you that even if you think you know where something's going just yet, I suspect you'll be in for a surprise.

Incidentally, I've updated my profile to show some of the upcoming chapter titles, in case anyone's curious.

Also, if anyone has the time/urge, I would always appreciate hearing from you at my yahoo group - link is in my profile - about either this story or my novels that are posted there. I am especially interested in hearing opinions/suggestions for the War of the Ancients.

Sorry I haven't replied to reviews just yet - though I will over this coming week. Thanksgiving just passed (Canadian, eh?) which meant a time surrounded by family and friends... unfortunately made quite difficult for me. Still, you can all expect replies very soon.

Thanks, and please feel free to let me know what you think of this so far, too!

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Until the sun sets upon a broken world...
The Shadows

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