Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N Another chapter....this one is a touch more upbeat than the last one, and it also deserves the rating... Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her typically terrific work on this chapter...BTW...Happy Howls...see I got it in this chapter too...

Chapter 46: One Last Turn Around the Pitch
******************Glencarry, Scotland, Ministry of Magic Archives*************
April 15, 1998.
1:30 pm

"This feels weird, Harry," Hermione remarked as she dropped a large stack of dusty folders onto a battered table. Generations of tea and coffee rings, and a few pipe and cigarette burns decorated the top of the old table. She squinted slightly in the dim lighting, she had come to despise as one of the hallmarks of traditional Wizarding construction, to peer at the titles on the folders. She dropped half of them in front of Harry, and perched on the edge of the table facing him.

"What, not being in class?" Harry shrugged slightly, "We are just missing Defense, Mione, besides," he coughed softly in the choking dust of the archive, "you'd have had to get used to it in a month or two anyway."

"I know," Hermione replied, "but I missed Arithmancy this morning, too." Harry opened his mouth, but remained silent as she reached out to press her fingers against his lips, cutting him off. "I'm not saying anything other than it's weird, Love, that's all." She grinned slightly, "I'm actually learning more here anyway. These are interesting," she remarked as she slid down into a chair next to Harry and opened the large, black folder in front of her. "Seems that when Dumbledore was in the Auror service...last century, that there wasn't really an academy, not like they normally do now, appears as if it were more like what we did. A sort of apprenticeship and direct appointment."

"Why are the files on Dumbledore here, anyway?" Harry muttered, ducking as a stack of books few past his head. He bent forward, trying to read the tidy scribble of a long-dead wizard.

Hermione sighed softly, shrugging, "When he, died," she said quietly, "the files automatically transferred into long-term storage here. The Ministry ran out of room, even with magic, for records in eighteen fifty-seven." She bent forward, and sorted through a large stack of files, that a Googling Charm had retrieved from the depths of the cavernous archive, "This file though, it's different, it shouldn't be here." Harry gave her a look, she grimaced slightly, "It has to deal with the Knights of Walpurgis...the forerunners of the Death Eaters," she added unnecessarily.

"All of them are dead, though, right?" Harry muttered, catching her eyes.

"They should be," Hermione said slowly, "though with Wizards one never really knows..." she shook off the thought. "Honestly, though...we've agreed that Riddle wants to prove that he is the greatest of all time, that he would think that Dumbledore's greatest accomplishment was the destruction of Grindelwald." Harry nodded absently, as he listened to Hermione talk to hear herself think, "Many of the early Death Eaters were either survivors of the Knights or their parents had been members." She frowned, biting her lip as she stared across the table, unseeing, at a flickering oil lamp, which was providing the majority of the illumination. "But what do we know about them..."

"Evil wankers, bought into that bloody superiority nonsense--" Harry replied instantly. He pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Harry then glanced over at her and shook his head slightly. Hermione reached out and brushed the hair out of his eyes before giving him a small, half smile. Harry mouthed, "Thank you." A Ministry archivist walked past the small alcove they were sitting in, out of the main view of the chamber and of several other patrons that were performing various bits of research, and shot a disapproving look at them. He had not seemed to want to allow them access to the older records, but the flashing of a pair of black badges had caused a sudden rethinking of his position.

"Yeah, Harry," Hermione muttered, watching her fingers as they moved through his hair for a moment on their own before she looked back to his eyes, "but there are the oddest, bloody...gaps in the information on them...and I can't help but think that something in those holes could be important." She muttered something under her breath, Harry grinned as he caught dark comments about those who lose information, "I mean everyone knows that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald...but where, how. How many times did they fight, where was the final battle? Did Dumbledore fight though hordes of followers, or did they just bow and duel...all we really know is that he defeated him in '45, and that's on the sodding Frog card." Hermione took a breath and gave Harry a sheepish grin as his hand came up to cup the back of her head lightly.

Harry pulled her head to him, and kissed the top of her hair, before she pulled her head back to meet his eyes, "None of that is in the records, is it, Hermione?" she shook her head, and he nodded, "Fine, Love," he whispered, bending forward to kiss her quickly before standing slowly and pulling her to her feet. He flicked his hand over the files, vanishing them to their quarters at Hogwarts for later perusal, his authorization more than adequate to remove the documents, "Let's go ask the one person who knows."

Hermione nodded and stepped forward, hugging him tightly, I was going to, Harry, she whispered ruefully, but I was hoping that there was something here...and then, I...

We are on the ragged edge, Mione, he muttered, hugging her tighter and returning the glare of the attendant as he walked past again, it's alright.

Hermione looked up at him slightly, her own bangs falling in her face, she leaned into his hand as he moved them out of her face, It's my job to get you the information you need, Harry. I bollixed it up...I...

We are in this together, Hermione Jane, he said tenderly, it's alright, just have to find this last one...then I dare say that the other two will come to us...

We could leave, Harry, leave him England...but we won't, even though our powers grow with every minute, Hermione closed her eyes and dropped her head to his shoulder. Let's go talk to the old codger. Hermione felt the familiar swirling of power surround her, before she felt herself being squeezed through an endless tunnel to take a quick dogleg at the end. She opened her eyes to find herself standing in Harry's arms in the center of their Common Room. She and Harry vanished again, in a microjump to reappear sitting on the couch. She settled back against Harry, feeling that she might as well get comfortable for what might very well be a long conversation. "Professor," she said firmly to a currently blank piece of framed canvas.

They waited, slightly impatiently as Dumbledore appeared in the picture, oddly without coming in from the side but just appearing directly. "Yes, Hermione..."

********************Quidditch Pitch************************

3:30 pm

Luna watched with an utterly rapt look on her face as Ron dove back and forth on his broom, fifty feet in the air, while enchanted Quaffles shot at him, one after another in an endless stream. Ron flitted to the side, caught the shot on the right goal, and streaked back across to barely catch a shot on the leftmost goal. He panted heavily, shaking longish ruby locks out of his eyes. His hand blurred to his hip, drawing his wand and stopping the next shot seconds before it came at him. He flicked it again and sent the twenty or so Quaffles he had set up in an endless looping series of shots on goal back to the broomshed at the edge of the pitch.

Ron rolled his broom over, flying to the stands where Luna sat, absolutely alone in the center of the Gryffindor box. He floated to a stop in front of her, barely managing to dismount his broom before Luna launched herself at him, trusting him to catch her, which he did, of course. Ron let her legs slip to the floor as she continued to press closely against him. Ron grinned as he bent his head, capturing her lips for a second as she slowly worked him back until his back hit the sturdy sidewall of the box.

"You're so sweaty," she purred softly, working a leg of hers between his and starting to move against him. "I like it when you're like that. Keeps off the Snaptailed Flycons," she added in a breath. Grey eyes glittered as she slowly started to work at ties of his Quidditch jumper. The jumper came loose, and flew back over Luna's shoulder as she removed it with a quick jerk upward.

Ron glanced around the area, briefly concerned that McGonagall or someone would appear at any second. He glanced up towards the castle, which was the only structure high enough to see them in the stands and shrugged, grabbing Luna's hips and spinning them around so she was pinned against the wall. Luna giggled against his shoulder, her soft laughter turning to a contented sigh as Ron started to unbutton her uniform shirt. She had already discarded her outer robe on the warm spring day. Ron worked her tie over her head, and flipped it over his shoulder. It caught on a railing, and fluttered in the breeze, a spot of sapphire and bronze on a sea of crimson and gold. A moment later, Ron managed to get her shirt undone, and lowered his face to her chest as he lifted her up easily, picking her up under her bum, his hands already under her short school skirt.

Luna moaned as she touched her wand to her belly, Inconceivious, and a warm rush filled her middle. Her wand tumbled from heedless fingers, rolling under the seats until it hit the side wall. She pushed back against him, rocking against his hand as she felt her heart start to race. Luna shoved him back with her hands a half step, before nimble fingers dove for the waistband of his jeans and frantically un-tabbed them. She reached down, tangling her fingers in damp red hair and pulling his lips to hers, "Now," Luna growled, tossing her legs around his waist. She gasped loudly as Ron pushed into her, and began to move.

Luna smirked down at him, and began to meet him move for move, pushing back off from the wall and arching her back into him. That's pretty...is that a Scottish Firebird? she thought as a large bird flew overhead, its feathers catching the afternoon sun, before she looked back to Ron, and their eyes locked, and any other thought than him fell away. Luna lowered her lips to his, holding the kiss as her eyes slipped mostly closed and moaned into his mouth.

"Uhhh..." Ron whispered, trying to stay mostly quiet, having suddenly realized that they had forgotten any sort of Quieting Charms. "Lunnnna....." he growled as she started to move faster, bouncing hard against him. He felt her heart race with his faster and faster, and fought to keep from letting go.

"I'm...." Luna whispered harshly as she felt a pool of warmth start to spread along her body, radiating outward from her core. "Ronalddd..." she took a shuddering breath and crashed, falling limp against him, shaking. Ron managed one more thrust before he went with her, pulled along by the feeling of her around him.

His knees buckled slightly, he caught himself and lowered both of them to sit on the wooden benches, polished by hundreds of years of use. Luna hung languidly on him, panting. She blinked sweat out of her eyes as she kissed him again, willing her heart to calm along with his. Luna smirked down at him, as she noticed that he seemed utterly fascinated with a rivet of sweat that trailed down from her neck down between her breasts. She kissed his nose, getting his attention, before kissing him again, almost shyly.

His breath was back almost instantly. Quidditch is good, he thought idly, he started to rub his thumbs in small circles over her the points of her hips, "We should probably get dressed," he mentioned after a moment. Luna shook her head quickly, sending damp hair flying and burying her face in his shoulder. "Come on, luv, we need to get out of here."

"No."

Ron rolled his eyes and chuckled, "I'm supposed to be the irresponsible one." Ron slowly re-buttoned her shirt, and kissed her, before nudging her enough to get her to stand. Luna fixed her skirt, before dropping to her knees to reach under the seats to retrieve her wand.

Luna abruptly sped up her efforts as she heard voices start to come from the pitch. She grabbed it quickly and hurried over along the stands finding her tie and pocketing it. She glanced over the edge of the stands, to see a dozen small figures in green and silver mounting brooms. She looked up at Ron, and grinned as he grabbed her around the shoulders and lifted her onto his broom, which he had found and remounted while she was locating her, by choice for once, wayward items. A cold sensation trickled down from her head, as Ron disillusioned them both, and with a rush of wind they dove off the back of the tower, Luna fighting to keep her giggles quiet as they slipped away unnoticed.

************************Somewhere near Suffux*********************

Five black-suited Aurors tumbled out of the air, fighting to remain standing as the laws of physics took hold and tried to keep them moving counter to the rotation of the Earth. The leader, a tall man with a single gold earring glinting in the afternoon sun, looked around and closed his eyes briefly. Smoldering fires, with odd purple flames, danced here and there amidst the shattered brick and wood town homes and shops of a small, Muggle village. A grinning, green skull hung low in the sky, directly over a large house at the far end. He waved to either side, watching with a slight headshake as the scratch team he had assembled from those at the Ministry spread out to cover the street.

The Auror furthest to his left coughed in the slightly toxic smoke and gasped loudly as she opened the door to a quiet home with her wand. "Sir," she snapped lowly. Kingsley hurried to her side to find a small, growling dog standing protectively in front of a crib in the center of a Muggle living room. He gently stunned the dog with a quick blast of his wand, and rushed over to the crib. Only hard-won experience allowed him to ignore the two bodies he stepped over at the door. He looked down at the crib to find a six-month-old girl crying. He flicked his wand over the child, verifying that no spells or other damage had been inflicted on her. Finding none, but raising an eyebrow at the reading that indicated that the child was a Muggle-born, he looked back at the female Auror, "Liz," he waved at the girl, "can you?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth Bassler, the one truly experienced agent he had with him except himself, sighed. She moved ran across the room to the crib, and gasped slightly as she sensed the slight presence of the infant witch, "She wasn't..."

"No," Kingsley shook his head with an odd, considering the circumstances, sense of relief, "she didn't pull a Girl-Who-Lived, she just got lucky," he glanced back towards the parents, "I suppose they were in a hurry to get to the end of the street." He looked out the window towards the end of the street, "Stay with her, Liz."

"What about," she waved toward the outside, where the other three Aurors waited in a defensive half circle around the entrance of the house.

"They are gone," he muttered, and shrugged, "besides it's our job, despite what certain Ministers may have thought in the past, to the defend the innocent at any cost-she seems pretty innocent."

She looked at him and nodded briskly, watching as he turned on his heel and strode quickly from the house. "Let's go," Kingsley snapped at the remnant of his team and moved at a slow lope towards a still-burning and shattered house at the end of the lane, set away from the rest of the houses by an odd wall of bushes.

He gestured towards the door and motioned towards each side of the house. The Aurors stacked at the door, Kingsley nodded...The door exploded as the lead Auror blasted the door and dove inward, followed by the next who slipped in and moved right, with his partner moving left. Kingsley rushed into the house at their heels, "Clear."

"Clear."

"Clear over here, boss..."

"Back room's clear..."

"Yeah," Kingsley muttered, "all clear except for except for this poor bastard." He knelt next to the corpse of a tall, sandy-haired man, and flicked his wand, causing the man to flip over. Shacklebolt glanced over at a broken wand lying half under an upturned couch before looking back at the victim. He reached down and closed unseeing eyes, and looked up at the Aurors with him, "Sanitize this house, before the Muggle authorities get here." They nodded and he walked out onto the lawn and flipped open a mirror from his pocket, "Tonks." He waited a moment, before a head of vibrant blue hair faded into view. "They got Garibaldi..."

"Bloody hell," she looked around the area where she was, "Wotcher...it's all for naught, isn't it? They took out the..."

"Yeah," Kingsley cut her off, "looks as if the Death Eaters took out the whole village, but they didn't really take their time; they were here to destroy the Interdiction Charm before it could be set."

"So it probably worked then?"

Kingsley shrugged, "I doubt we'll know, it was an experiment to see if we could keep the Dementors confined to a certain path, but we'll have to see if it works somewhere else, now. I doubt the Ministry will allow us to try again, not when the cost is this high."

Tonks nodded, "So we are back to square one."

"Yes, and the Prime Minister is going to have to be seen doing...something, so he will have to put forces into place."

"They will be just fodder-" Tonks growled exasperatedly, "that's why they are so effective against Muggles, it takes a wizard...a powerful wizard to fight Dementors...Wizards, Death Eaters can die, but those things..."

"Blimey, Tonks, I bloody well know, I told him when I was his advisor, but you see how that turned out," Kingsley snapped and took a breath, "I'm sorry, I'm going to go back to the Ministry, and report, I assume you can handle informing the Hogwarts group?" She nodded and he closed the mirror with a final nod. Kingsley looked around as his team, minus himself and Liz, double-checked for survivors and started casting delayed Reductors, for the "gas leak"; that would soon take place. He gave one of the Aurors a high sign and vanished with a loud CRACK.

***********************Heads' Common Room, Hogwarts******************

Dumbledore's image sighed and looked out at the pair looking back at him with tired expressions on their faces. Hermione slowly ran her fingers through the hair on the back of Harry's head as the two of them looked back at Dumbledore, watching as the image of the ancient wizard frowned and took a drink from a tumbler at his elbow. The image seemed to take a breath, "Though you had brought up the idea earlier...I will confess that I had set it aside in light of the events since," Dumbledore admitted almost sheepishly, "But I agree that it is the best path available to us. I admit that last year, I concentrated so much on delving into Tom's past; I never thought to look inward. Curious really, as any truly wise man should know that true answers come from within, not from without." He grinned just for a moment, "I suppose that my reputation was somewhat-overstated."

"Why is there so little on that period in history in your journals?" Hermione asked, her voice oddly peeved as if she were taking the lack of information as a personal affront.

"Two reasons, mostly," Dumbledore shrugged and set his tumbler aside on a painted-in table and leaned back into the image of a deeply padded armchair, "First...the Ministry itself hid or destroyed much of the records, they thought that if the information was unknown it would discourage another to rise in Grindelwald's place. Even with the long lifespan of Wizards, relative to Muggles, there are few remaining who fought in that war, most who were alive at that time, like Minerva, and indeed Tom, were your age or younger. As to why my journals are somewhat bereft of information on the time-much of it, I could not stand to relive for purely personal reasons, even on paper."

Harry glanced at Hermione, but did not say anything, as Dumbledore did not elaborate. "So, thinking of that time, is there any place that stands out?" Harry asked into the sudden silence. Hermione leaned into him, curling up half on and half off of his lap, as she too waited. "Anywhere that Tom would have thought would be a particular thumb in your eye?"

The portrait paused, his eyes flicked to the side as if he were suddenly distracted, before he answered, "There are two, that I know of, perhaps three if truth be told." Dumbledore's image looked pale, and ice-blue eyes closed for an instant behind gold, half-rims, "The first, is Hogsmeade itself...look on the site of what is now, the Shrieking Shack. I once dueled Grindelwald there at a...significant cost." Hermione glanced at Harry, as he dropped his head and nodded, not noticing the eyes that flashed to her for a moment. Dumbledore took a sip of his drink, and went on, pausing for an instant as Crookshanks hopped up to drape himself across Harry and Hermione's laps, "There is another place that I can think of, in Dover, where he and I dueled for a day, finally withdrawing."

"And the third?" Harry pressed; watching as Dumbledore seemed to flinch slightly.

"There are places, such as Stonehenge and others where the myths of Muggle and Wizard overlap," Dumbledore pronounced, "places where for good or ill, our worlds share history. Sometimes we have caused the event, sometimes the Muggles, and sometimes both. In the early thirties, Grindelwald allied himself with the Muggle powers that were trying to rule the world, to impose their views of reality on others. They, like he, thought that one's station in life and indeed their intrinsic worth was determined by their birth. It is for that reason, among several others, that the Wizarding population of Europe is still rather low."

"So, Grindelwald was what, a member of the National Socialists?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"No," Dumbledore replied, shaking his head, "his association was more a matter of convenience. He provided them with experience in Dark Magic and protection from allied wizards and they provided him with physical support, and...subjects." He seemed to take a breath, steadying himself. "There was a castle in what is now Germany, where the darkest of rituals were performed about the time of the Founders. It was a place seeped in the darkest of magics. Under Grindelwald's direction, the castle was expanded in the thirties and forties, using slave labor to a create a larger keep."

Dumbledore stood in the picture and started to pace, passing from one picture to another, among several that lined the walls of the common room. "At the end of March, in nineteen forty-five, I tracked him down to that castle, which he had made his headquarters for years. By then he had given me adequate reason to track him to the ends of the Earth." Hermione held Harry's eyes as she worried her lip with her teeth. "History, Muggle history rather, records that the retreating German forces destroyed the castle to keep the Allies from capturing it...Between myself, Grindelwald and his forces, that he hid behind, the castle was destroyed over a matter of a day." Dumbledore paused in his pacing to look pointedly at the pair, "If you must go there, you cannot go there lightly, there are few places as cursed as there."

"We won't," Harry replied.

***********************Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts*******************
April 18, 1998
4:23 pm

Harry looked down far, far below as a sea of red and gold rushed the field, piling on the victorious Gryffindors as they grounded in the center of the pitch. A loud boom echoed over the pitch as Luna threw down her microphone, and sprinted out of the announcer's box, running down the stairs and appearing at the base of the stands, and started to push through the crowds. Harry let out a silent sigh, and looked down to his right as a hand grabbed his, pulling it away from the rail that he was gripping almost tightly enough to dent the wood, and taking it in both of hers. Around them the Gryffindor box emptied as if-by magic, the entire house heading to greet their conquering heroes.

She leaned against him, and smiled up at him, as she let him pull her to his chest, her back to him, before they both looked back to the pitch as one. They watched as far, far below, seven figures in green and silver stomped off, the one in the lead throwing down his broom in disgust. At the center of the pitch, a tiny shape topped with blonde hair flew out of the crowd, barely being caught by a tall, red-haired figure with one arm. He spun her around, kissing her to the accompaniment of thunderous applause. They stopped, weaving on their feet, as a black-haired witch in tartan robes handed a huge golden cup up to Ron.

The crowd exploded as he raised it above his head, the noise rapidly becoming deafening as sheaves of illicit Weasley's Wizarding Whiz Bangs went off, filling the late afternoon sky with fiery Dragons, flaming Catherine Wheels, and in a new addition, a large red and gold Phoenix that opened its mouth and shot sparks into the sky. Harry applauded for his best friend along with the rest, watching as Ron picked up Luna once more in one arm and swung them around, holding up the Quidditch Cup with one hand.

"Let's go congratulate, him, Mione," Harry said softly in her ear, a faint edge of strain that only she knew him well enough to hear. She squeezed the hand resting on her stomach before stepping out of his arms, holding his hand as they started towards the stairs to the ground leading from the corner of the Gryffindor box.

*************************Gryffindor Tower************************

11:35 pm

Hermione walked back to the side of the room, a pair of butterbeers in her right hand held by their necks. She glanced over at a pair of fourth year boys she had felt watching her the entire way across the room and gave them a small smile. They looked away quickly and she shook her head, smiling to herself as she slid up to Harry, and handed him a drink before she tucked in to his side, leaning against him as she felt his arm go around her waist.

Harry turned enough to kiss her, before looking back to Neville, who was standing with Parvati leaning back against his chest and Lavender sitting on a small table at his left. "So, Harry;" Neville said, pausing as Parvati turned and dug in his front pocket for a moment. She found a tube of flavored lip gloss and pulled it out, shrugging slightly as she applied it. Hermione laughed as Neville and Harry shared put-upon looks. "Done, Honey?" Neville said as she put it back in his pocket, her short dress not having a pocket of her own. She nodded and returned to her previous position, leaning against him. "You going to make us train tomorrow or?"

Harry shrugged and motioned around the room with his beer, relatively safe in the center of Gryffindor Tower, "I seriously doubt that anyone will be up for that." As he waved, Ron stood up, with Luna's adoring eyes on him, and related, loudly, how he had performed two Sloth Rolls in a row, to keep the game tied into the fourth hour when Ginny had finally managed to wrest the Snitch away from the Slytherin Seeker.

Neville nodded and stepped away, drifting away slowly in the crowded room as Harry and Hermione slipped back slightly, unconsciously pulling away from the celebration of the rest of Gryffindor. Ron looks happy, Hermione whispered, glancing up Harry, and smiling to herself as he just nodded and pulled her into his side a touch more. She let her head fall to the side to rest on his shoulder, turning and kissing it, before looking back at the commotion by the fireplace.

Yeah, he agreed, and bent his head to hers, he is. Ron deserves it, Mione... Harry beamed and waved at Ron as the third member of the trio waved them over. With an inaudible sigh, Harry let his arm slip from Hermione's waist, took her hand and started to lead her over to the boisterous conversation surrounding Gryffindor's newest hero.

**********************Head's Chambers, Hogwarts*********************

April 19, 1998
9:25 am.

Hermione groaned as a soft, annoying buzzing pulled her from the comfortable slumber she was enjoying. She pried open a slightly bloodshot eye, and waved towards the bedside table. A small clock whose digital display read, "You should be doing something productive", screamed as it flew across the room to shatter against the stones of the tower next to Hedwig's empty perch.

"Thanks, Mione," Harry muttered hoarsely without opening his eyes. She nodded against his shoulder and settled back down against him, stretching slightly to rest her cheek against his. She grinned as she moved her thigh over and brushed his morning erection.

Are you trying to tell me something, Harry? Hermione whispered, her "voice" low and throaty. She slipped on top of him fully and groaned as she pressed her lips to his. Hermione laughed as she reached up to twist her fingers in his hair, as she deepened the kiss. She squeaked into his mouth as he reached down to cup her arse. Harry!

What? he laughed, kissing her nose, before dropping his head slightly to kiss her again. She shrugged, and shook her head. Harry reached up and pulled loose a black ribbon from her hair, letting it fall free from the rough tail she had put it in to hold it while she was sleeping. It fell, curtaining their faces as she bent her lips back to his, grinding against him slightly; causing him to groan in frustration.

You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Harry, Hermione smirked as she dropped her lips from his and started to work down his neck, nibbling as she went before she settled in the hollow of his shoulder.

What are you doing? And you bloody well know that I can keep it, Harry added as she began to suckle softly on the skin of his neck. He sighed, and closed his eyes as the fingers of one hand started to idly trace the bumps of her spine.

Marking my property, and since most people can't see your ring...Hermione whispered, as she finished and started to kiss her way back to his lips, I saw that sixth year Ravenclaw, Cassie Wandsmith, trying to catch your eye at the game.

The one with the huge knockers? Harry asked amusedly, as he pulled her head to his, kissing her with enough passion to cause her to blink for a moment, before she remembered their "conversation".

See, it worked...Hermione said primly; you're mine, she said hotly, then giggled as he tickled her ribs. The window slid open, allowing a cool, April breeze to enter the room, along with a large, snowy white owl. Hedwig landed on their shared, cluttered desk and hooted softly at them. Neither human noticed her plight as she sat shaking her leg, trying to get several missives off. The owl seemed to sigh before she looked over at Crookshanks dozing in the bright morning sun and hooted again. The half-kneazle opened one eye and closed it again. Hedwig repeated herself, a touch louder, and Crookshanks stood slowly, hopped down from his window ledge and paced over to the desk. In one blurred move, he leapt to the desk, cut away the cord binding the letters to Hedwig with a swipe of his claws and landed on the floor. He returned to his perch and closed his eyes as Hedwig flew to hers and started to doze off herself. Neither human noticed a thing.

Mione, I've been yours forever, Harry said tolerantly, running his fingers through her hair, no matter what someone does to me, gives to me in my food or shoves in my face...I only noticed because Dean was making such a big deal about it, that he almost fell out of the stands.

I know, she grinned.

Then why?

Well, we do, Harry reasoned, and reached down to pull her more tightly to him. His eyes glowed faintly as he flipped them over with deceptive ease and started to kiss down her body. He paused at the valley of her breasts, to slowly run his lips along the faded scar he found there, before he moved on. Hermione squirmed as his lips traced down the center of her abs and paused to twirl his tongue in her navel, causing her eyes to cross slightly as a spasm shot to her core. He grinned against her belly and moved on again, only to move over to kiss her left hipbone. Hermione let out a loud disappointed moan, tangled her hands in his hair and moved him to where she wanted his attention.

That's better, she breathed as he nipped at her lower lips and began to work. She gasped, as his teeth scraped her clit only to be replaced by his tongue as his fingers lightly trailed up her thighs to slide into her. She arched off the sheets, her hands slipping from his hair to ball in the sheets as growled incoherently, shuddering as Harry sped up. She felt herself start to crash, and shook her head fitfully. "Not like that," she groaned, her eyes glowing as well now as grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. He grinned at her, "Get up here," she hissed, "now."

Like this? Harry whispered as he slid into her easily, almost causing her to pass out with the act, and kissing her eyelids as they fluttered closed. His grin tightened as he began to rock against her, feeling his heart start to rush and sweat begin to pool between his shoulder blades. She nodded jerkily and came up to meet him, her eyes slipping almost closed as she felt her stomach tighten. She took a breath and rolled them over again, tumbling an unlit candelabra from the bedside table with a wild, flaying arm. It crashed to the floor and she giggled wildly until her eyes met Harry's and froze, taking a deep breath. She reached down and linked her fingers with his, curling forward to press her lips to his. He groaned quietly, as he felt Hermione's feelings over lying his own and he trembled for an instant as he barely kept control.

Her tongue ran along his lips, causing them to slip open, and to allow her tongue to dance with his. She started to move against his hips, and Harry whimpered softly, his eyes half closed. Harry felt his pulse hammer in his veins as a second heartbeat beat inches from his, demanding his match hers.

Crookshanks woke up and ran for cover and Hedwig took flight out the window as the few candles lit in the room went out with an invisible wind. An entire stack of books lifted from a stack near the couch and flung themselves across the room, and a full hamper of clothes tumbled down, spewing garments throughout the room. Hermione looked down at him, and shook her head, throwing wet bangs out of her eyes, not stopping as she felt the puddle of warmth low in her belly begin to extend tendrils to her fingers and toes along her nerves.

Oh...Harrry, Hermione moaned, leaning back against his hands as he held her up, moving quicker, and causing her heart to thunder in her ears. She felt herself begin to go, bounced once more and shuddered, almost jumping back out of Harry's hands. He grinned and grabbed her while she was still shuddering, flipping her onto her back with one quick move. Hermione panted for a moment before her eyes widened as she realized he was still in the game. Oh...shyte...

Harry just smiled mischievously and started to move in and out of her, increasing his pace with every move. Hermione felt warmth begin to pool again in her belly, before the last one had even finished. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she locked her ankles behind his back, and held on for dear life. Harry slammed into her several more times before he stopped suddenly. Hermione's eyes snapped open. Got you, Harry replied as he slowly pulled almost all the way out; teasing her before slamming back into her with a soft, damp sound.

He leaned back in, and kissed her, holding his lips to hers, his tongue moving in time with their hips as they started to gyrate madly. Hermione watched the room fade away until only his face was clear, a single focused point in a sea of gray. A heartbeat later, she slipped over the edge without warning, like she had stepped off a cliff in the night. Her vision slipped away into blackness. "Harry," she moaned, as she felt him letting loose though both their bond and the sudden, welcome warmth spurting into her. Hermione went limp, and never noticed his weight as his arms gave way and she only distantly heard someone screaming incoherently and the sounds of books crashing to the floor and glass breaking.

A timeless moment later, her sight returned. The first thing to greet her, a pair of worried emerald eyes, still glowing slightly, looking into her own eyes from inches away. His hand came up slowly to sweep her hair out of her eyes. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes again, and cooed under her breath. "Mione?" he whispered, with a slight edge of concern in his voice as he held her gaze. She smiled tenderly and reached up languidly, threading her fingers through dark wet hair and pulling his face to hers.

Harry kissed her again, almost shyly, before he let his head fall to rest on her breasts. "I love you, Hermione Potter," he murmured; as she began to slowly comb through his hair, moving the limp strands idly this way and that. Her heart beat strongly under his ear, slowing in time with his, to the forty or fifty beats a minute that their relaxed rate was normally.

"I love you, Harry," Hermione paused in her idle petting to lift her head enough to kiss the top of his hair. She let her head loll back onto the pillows, and began to play with his hair again. "You are my whole world, you know that, don't you, Harry?" She felt his slow nod as she went on, stopping his response with a pair of fingers across his lips. She smiled as he kissed them; "I know you feel the same way, baby, you don't need to say it." She bit her lip, "I suppose it's for the best that we live or die together."

"True...I don't know what I'd do if there was no one to pester me to do my homework."

"Prat," Hermione laughed and pushed him off her. Harry rolled to his side, barely catching himself from rolling off the bed and settled in, facing her. Hermione rolled over to face him and smiled faintly as he leaned forward to kiss her. He held out his arm and tightened it around Hermione as she pressed close to him. A soft, contented sound issued from her throat as she watched his pulse slowly beat in his neck. With a skittering of claws on stone, Hermione felt a brief thump in the bed behind her back, as a rather large half-kneazle decided the unnecessary commotion was done with for now and came to visit. Crookshanks' whiskers tickled her back as he sniffed them both, and rubbed his head against her neck. He made an odd cat face and then sauntered off to lie at the foot of the bed. "Harry," she asked suddenly as the focus of her eyes danced around what little she could see of the room other than him.

"Yeah?" he asked, settling in more comfortably into the bed and pulling her even closer. He closed his eyes slightly, and yawned.

Hermione frowned, "Harry...would it bother you if we used the nursery at Godric's," his eyes shot open abruptly and she giggled quietly, "not soon, Harry, we talked about it, and but..."

"No," he said after a moment's consideration, "it wouldn't bother me, the house itself doesn't bother me, anymore, anyway. I'd be all right with it...what bought this on?"

"Mum," Hermione whispered, and sighed, buried her face in his chest, tucking her head under his. It's just that...well we don't know what will happen, if we can actually get any closer to the end before we will loose our cover and have to leave Hogwarts...they still may be there and...

Mione, he soothed, Love, it's your house too, and I would be honored if your sister slept there...I'm sure that by the time we're ready, your parents will be able to move home.

You don't know that, Harry, Hermione returned, her voice not accusatory, just tired. She kissed the center of his chest, over his heart, You don't know that we're not all wrong and Riddle didn't really just make a Horcrux from a gum wrapper or something and stick it in the middle of a snowbank somewhere?

We don't, Harry admitted, and rested his chin more firmly on the top of her head. But even if he did, I have you, and that's all I really need to beat him. He felt her frown and he tickled her sides, running his fingers along faintly visible ribs, and she giggled softly.

That's not fair, Harry James, Hermione snapped, still laughing. She made a soft, ambivalent sound; I wish that I had your confidence in me.

It balances out, Hermione, Harry replied, without you; I might actually believe the hype. He slipped a hand down between them, and slowly rubbed her belly, she pushed into his hand, smiling slightly.

Good, then I'm going to change the colors in the room, I'm not sure that my new sister will like an ever-moving Quidditch pitch.

You never know, Harry chuckled, she might grow up to fall in love with a Quidditch player or something...he trailed off, and began to trail his fingers up and down her hip, his hand rising and falling slowly as he followed the curve of her body. Hermione did not say a word, but fought tears that she knew he would not let free. Not for that.

Why don't we go play, now? Hermione asked suddenly, and rolled back out of bed. Harry cocked an eyebrow, as she walked over to their closet. She fumbled around in the bottom, before she started to pull on clothes. Harry watched, quite entertained really, as his wife slipped on a pair of pair of black workout pants to hang low on her hips, low enough to see the straps of the underwear she had chosen. She walked over to the hamper, and dug a bit more, and turned to him with a crimson and gold jersey in her hand. She smiled brightly as she slipped his old Gryffindor jersey over her head, and shook out her hair. Well are you coming?

Harry sat up on the edge of the bed and caught the sweats and long-sleeve t-shirt she tossed, him, the shirt bearing the legend: "Quidditch, where else can a grown man play with his broomstick in public?". He dressed rapidly and stood, and walked over to her, folding her in his arms as she looked around on the floor for her trainers, "You are playing?"

"I can fly, Harry," she snorted, and shook her way out of his arms, bending at the waist and looking back at him with a smirk as she picked up her trainers. "I am a fully qualified witch." She stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him half-heartedly.

"Oh, you most certainly are;" Harry agreed after a moment, shaking off a fleeting distraction. He took her hand after he pulled on his trainers and led her into the Common Room, "Is it just us, or?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione chuckled evilly, "let's get the rest of them up, we can probably find enough in the boys' dorm to make up a short team." She pulled on his hand, leading him through the door that led to the main part of Gryffindor Tower. She did not even pause as she headed up the stairs to the boys' dorm and pushed open the heavy oak door.

Hermione's lips pursed slightly as she took in the sight, not that her and Harry's room was tidy, she wouldn't dare to claim that, but she was more than a little annoyed as she stepped over a pile of clothes on the way to Ron's bed. She looked back over her shoulder at Harry and pointed to Seamus' bed. The curtains were open enough to show him lying face first in his pillow and snoring softly. Long black hair peaked out from under the blankets at his shoulder, Hermione held her hand over her mouth to hide her snickers. Harry nodded and started to work his way over, as Hermione turned back to Ron's bed. She carefully poked her wand through the hangings, not knowing if she really wanted to know what was behind those curtains exactly.

A soft yelp came from behind them as her wand found something soft. A second later, Luna's head slipped out from behind the curtains, she blinked at Hermione stupidly for an instant, her grey eyes still cloudy from sleep, a touch of firewhisky, and other nocturnal activities. "Yes," Luna said after blinking at Hermione for a minute longer, "The Kneazles have risen up, haven't they?" she asked resignedly.

Hermione blinked in turn at her for an instant; then shook her head, "Nothing so dramatic I'm afraid; Harry and I are starting a pickup game in thirty minutes. Get Mr. Lovegood up and on his way to the pitch." Luna grinned at her, and disappeared behind the hangings.

"Bloody hell, woman," a voice growled a beat later and Hermione moved back to the door, to meet Harry after he finished waking Neville. Hermione rolled her eyes slightly as Parvati sort of fell out of Neville's bed with a loud thump. Hermione shook her head as none of the other boys, all of whom were now awake, seemed to even notice as Parvati slipped to the end of Neville's bed clad only in a red lacy bra and matching knickers and bent over to rummage through his trunk.

Parvati found an overly large Gryffindor t-shirt, and black sweatpants, that seemed to be hers as they fit perfectly, slipped them on, and looked over at Hermione. "Well be along in a bit, Hermione, Lav says she's cheering." Hermione nodded and pulled Harry along as Lavender climbed out next to Neville and both girls started to pull on Neville. Harry laughed just as the door closed behind them, as they watched Neville pull both of them back down on the bed.

10:20 pm.

Several more minutes passed than their stated deadline, but neither Harry nor Hermione noticed as they sat cuddled together, with Harry's back propped up against the center goal post of the Northern goal. Hermione was sitting, straddling his lap, and occasionally closing for a lazy snog, when a group of disheveled Gryffindors and various others shambled from the castle and stepped out onto the pitch. Luna was in the lead, pulling Ron along and gaily swinging their joined arms. Ron held both of their brooms in his other hand, and looked down at Harry as the Head Boy smiled up at him.

"Ginny's playing," Ron stated, then dropped his voice slightly, "That's alright, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, "Of course, mate." He looked at the others, and to the side as Ginny came running up with her Firebolt over her shoulder she paused at the edge of the pitch, then smiled and ran forward as Hermione motioned her forward. She came to stand next to Ron, and sat the end of her broom on the ground, still holding the grip in her hand.

"How are we splitting up teams?" Neville asked as he watched Hermione stand by pushing against Harry's shoulder and reaching down to pull him to his feet with one hand. Parvati and Padma were standing next to him, with Seamus their other side, both girls looking identical, their glossy hair up in braids on either side of their head, except for Padma wearing a cropped Ravenclaw t-shirt. Lavender waved at them and laid down in the lee of the stands at the edge of the field, stretching out on the grass and closing her eyes.

"Boy/Girl?" Padma asked with a grin. Seamus stuck his tongue out at her, she snapped forward like a viper and grabbed his tongue between her lips. The kiss deepened as the rest looked on, Parvati let out a soft wolf-whistle and her sister extended one hand back, a single finger extended.

"Promise, sis?" Parvati replied, smirking.

"Anyway," Harry put in, cutting off things he probably didn't really want to know. Parvati and Padma gave him identical, slightly salacious, smiles and laughed softly as Hermione gave them a small, half-serious glare. "We'll just pick teams, I'll take one and Ron, take the other, I suppose." He glanced down at Hermione, "I pick Hermione."

Random sounds and coughs, that sounded suspiciously like "whipped," and other aspersions on his manhood answered his pick.

Ron nodded and quickly picked Ginny. The rest of the choosing went quickly, with Harry gaining Neville, Parvati and Seamus and Ron choosing Luna, Padma and Dean to round out the teams. Ron immediately took charge, and sent them to their brooms, playing with full Chaser squads and dropping the Beaters and Bludgers as they both did not have the players, and to avoid injury. Ron flicked his wand, as he took up position orbiting the north goal while Parvati took up the other for Harry, and the Snitch shot into the air with the bright red Quaffle flying up, to be snagged from the air by Neville who immediately charged towards Ron.

High up in the stands, under a fluttering Gryffindor banner, a crowd started to gather, as Neville took a shot at Ron, who blocked it easily and flung the Quaffle the length of the field to Luna who was playing Chaser. Remus looked up from his post at the edge of the rail, after watching Parvati deftly snag a shot out of the air, proving that she was much more of a tomboy than many would believe. His eyes widened slightly as Minerva McGonagall smiled a rare smile, crinkling her eyes behind her square frames as she sat down next to him. They both watched as Harry shot past at least two hundred kilometers an hour, with Ginny in hot pursuit, the pair theoretically chasing the Snitch as it flitted by, but Remus thought that Harry was just fooling around. "He looks good up there," Minerva said, glancing back as several other Gryffindors along with a scattering of Ravenclaws filtered into the stands.

She watched, shaking her head slightly, as her Head Girl tumbled sideways out of the way of Padma's charge with the Quaffle, neatly stripping it from the Ravenclaw and shooting downfield to slide sideways. She said something to Ron, he laughed heartily and she easily shot the Quaffle through the far goal while he was distracted. "I never thought she could play... It's a shame he didn't play all this year."

"I don't know;" Remus replied as they watched a rather rare occurrence, the Seeker stopping to kiss one of his Chasers in congratulations a hundred feet in the air. "He had other compensations." Minerva looked at him with a twinkle in her eye worthy of Dumbledore himself.

"And that's probably the only thing that has kept him sane," Minerva remarked, she smiled softly, as Padma and Luna charged Parvati. Luna pulled up hard, bouncing the Quaffle on her palm for a moment, before she shot forward, tossing it sideways to Padma. Padma caught it, faked a shot and flung it back to Luna, who shot it in to score. McGonagall chose to pretend she did not hear what Parvati said to Padma as she gathered the Quaffle and tossed it back into play.

Neville caught the Quaffle, he flung it to Seamus, only to have it intercepted as Padma shot up from below. She laughed and turned the other way, and tossed it downfield to Luna only to have it turn over again as Hermione slipped past and snagged it out of the air. She shot downfield, flipped it to Seamus who fired a rocket at Ron, who snatched it out the air with trivial ease. Lavender yelled something from the field, and Remus leaned over the rail and looked down at her, to find her sunning happily on the warm April day. He sighed at her and looked back up, resolving to not call attention to her.

Harry flew past, inverted, and yelling back occasionally at Ginny who was still following along on his tail. She laughed and peeled off, barrel-rolling to the right to miss the Ravenclaw visitor's box. Harry spun on his broom, flying backwards and shrugging slightly. Hermione yelled something towards him; he laughed and shot off in the direction he was facing towards a glint of gold hanging over the North goal. He swerved out of the way as Seamus took another shot on goal, which Ron once again easily knocked aside. Harry turned with the shot, and when he looked back the Snitch was gone.

He turned aside and shot straight up, and started circling, shaking his head all the while at his lapse of attention.

Back in the stands, Remus looked back as Colin stood and his camera snapped off shots like a trip hammer. He paused as Tonks yelled, "GO HARRY!" She looked at Remus sheepishly, and he laughed.

McGonagall watched as a few Gryffindor stragglers wandered in, along with quite a few members of Ravenclaw house including the head of House who settled in among Gryffindor house. Someone conjured several large tubs of popcorn, and the tink of bottles of butterbeer greeted her ears. She quickly cast a covert speck to make sure that the beer was the nonalcoholic version, and smiled to herself as they were.

The game went on, with Harry rather obviously missing several chances at the Snitch, even letting Ginny go after a few which she also missed on purpose. The crowd started to cheer, loudly placing bets on who would win.

Two hours passed, in which Harry concentrated more on watching the others play than anything else. His face held a small grin as he saw Hermione actually score two more goals legitimately, even though Ron obviously was trying about as hard as Harry was. Parvati was playing rather well, actually, for someone who did not play regularly, though like many kids growing up, Wizarding children that is, she had played in the kids' leagues in primary school.

Finally after another two hours, when Ron started complaining loudly about being hungry, Harry spotted the Snitch hovering directly below Ron's goal only five feet above the ground. He smiled, flipped inverted and shot downward. Hermione gasped as he shot past, Oh, Harry...she moaned as he purposefully started to spin his broom on the long axis.

In a heartbeat, the makeshift game was over. Ten feet from the Snitch, Harry's eyes widened as it suddenly shot upward. He jumped, pushing off his broom and leaping upward to snare the Snitch in his hand. He continued on into a forward flip, stretching out his hand and calling his broom to him wandlessly. He caught it, and remounted the broom five feet above the ground, pulling out of a crash with a meter to spare.

Sparse applause came from the stands and Harry looked up, slightly stunned, as he hadn't really noticed the crowd. Almost automatically he held the Snitch above his head and started into a victory lap. The crowd started to slip away, with bets being loudly settled as the 'teams' settled to the center pitch. Harry laughed as he landed next to Hermione and leaned in to kiss her. She grinned into his lips, as she let her broom fall to the ground and her arms came around his neck. She cocked an eyebrow at him as he stepped back and pressed the Snitch into her hand. Hermione looked down at the fluttering wings of the small golden ball resting in her palm, she then looked up and watched his eyes glinting with happiness, "What's this, Harry?" she asked softly.

"It's what you should have got this year, except this is just a practice one, not the Snitch from the Quidditch Cup game," Harry explained, shrugging.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Behind them, on the lawn of the Pitch, Lavender jumped up and ran to Neville and Parvati, and tumbled down onto the grass where the two sat catching their breath. She kissed Parvati deeply, before moving on to Neville. Ron shook his head at them, and pulled Luna to him.

"You're welcome, Mione."

There you go....Next Chapter: The Crucible....that's really the title.

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