Author's Note: Once again I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter to you. I'm back at college for yet another year. Even after a month I'm still baffled over the fact that I'm a junior. Anyway, I'm going to warn you right now that it will probably take some time before Chapter Nine comes out. I actually was very good and have written several chapters while waiting for some of my other ones to get beta read, however, they don't set the mood that I wanted for the story, so, after a wonderful brainstorming session, I have some new ideas I'm incorporating into these upcoming chapters, causing me to rewrite them. Compared to what they were, I expect the newer versions to be more suspenseful and enjoyable. I apologize for the fact that it may take me awhile, especially since I'm taking both advanced composition and news writing courses. You can only imagine where all of my creative talents are going this semester, but I really am trying to set aside some time to write this fic. And yes, I know I'm rambling, so I'll shut up now and let you get on with this latest, relatively unchanged chapter. Finally, some major H/Hr interaction!
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE NEXT LEVEL
Fun is exactly what they did have. For the first few days, Harry and Hermione remained at her house where she introduced him to the joys of television comedy before letting him see nearly every photo album in the house. The Grangers obviously loved to record history via a camera.
When Friday arrived, Hermione apparently decided to do something different for him after their conversation at breakfast.
"You've never been to a cinema? Even before you went to Hogwarts?"
"Does that surprise you?" Harry asked, sipping his orange juice. "I did have quite the deprived childhood. The Dursleys never even taught me how to swim."
"We've got to change that." She grabbed the Muggle newspaper her father had left behind on the table before he and Mrs. Granger had gone to work. She rifled through it until she came to a certain page and began to read.
"It's not a big deal, Hermione," he assured her.
"We're going to see a movie today and that's final," she said, scanning the listings. "Oh! Here's one I've heard that has been receiving great reviews."
"Which one?"
She folded the paper with a mischievous grin. "I'm not telling."
He laughed. "That's mean."
"It's a surprise," she said.
"How are we going to get there?" he asked her.
"About seven or eight blocks down the main road is an Underground station. We'll take that into London."
"Er-okay. I'm up for a little walk."
She laughed. "Good. I'll bring along a little extra money so we can buy popcorn. Mum and Dad won't approve, but you've got to have the full cinema experience."
He couldn't help but give her a bemused grin. "If you say so."
Around 11:00, they made their way to the Underground station and rode into London. After buying popcorn and sitting in rather comfortable seats for over three hours, Harry and Hermione finally departed the cinemas.
"What did you think?" she asked him.
"That was…incredible. Really good. Certainly was a lot of water though. And he died in the end! I wasn't expecting that," Harry rambled.
Hermione gave him a sideways glance. "No comment about the-er-drawing?"
He laughed. "Oh, I could, but I won't. Did you know about that?"
"No."
"Would you still have seen it if you had?"
"Probably. But they could have left that part out. It didn't add or subtract anything to the plot."
He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But I'm sure it gave the male audience a thrill."
She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him away. "That's what the second half of the movie was supposed to do. There was a lot of action there."
"And romance, for you girls. It appealed to all audiences, I suppose," he said, returning his arm to its spot around her shoulders.
They passed a flower vendor on the street. "Hey sonny! Want to buy a flower for your girlfriend?"
Harry turned to face the vendor while Hermione blushed. Regretfully, all Harry had was wizarding currency on him. "I wish I could. Really. I'm out of money though."
"Aw, that's a pity. You're such a cute couple too." The vendor eyed them up and down. "Tell you what, I'll give you one for free." He handed a red carnation to Harry.
"Really? That's awfully nice of you, sir," Harry said, accepting the carnation.
The vendor shrugged. "I remember my first love and how I wished I could buy her a flower."
"Well, thank you."
"Don't mention it. Have a good day, you two!"
Harry and Hermione waved good-bye as they continued on their way. Harry gave the carnation to Hermione. "If we were to take a detour to Diagon Alley I'd buy you a bouquet."
"What on earth for?"
"Just because."
She stopped and shook her head. "Why are you being so sweet?"
He stepped closer to her as a pedestrian passed them. "What do you mean?"
"The flower, saying that you'd buy me a bouquet, calling me beautiful, kissing me…I'm not used to this from you."
He looked around, searching for someplace a little more private. He spotted an alley not too far away and, grabbing her hand, dragged her into it. "You do remember," he began, "that at the train station, I said, after I kissed you, that I wanted it to happen. That I knew how I felt about you?"
"Yes," she said quietly.
"Well, I wasn't lying. I wasn't just saying it."
"I know you weren't."
"And then you told me-"
"That I love you, yes."
He nodded. "We agreed that we had a lot to talk about and we haven't. We haven't discussed it at all."
"I know."
"Why not?"
She looked down at her shoes. "Because I've been afraid."
He stood straighter. "Afraid?"
She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Oh, Harry, I've had time to think and when I think, I dwell on all these negative thoughts and I've been able to convince myself that you couldn't possibly fancy me. It's impossible. Every time you had kissed me you were under some emotional distress and that, if anything, I was taking advantage of the situation."
"Hardly," he said. "I wanted to. I've been afraid that I've been taking advantage of you, like in your room the other day." He looked away sheepishly.
"You've never taken advantage of me. I took comfort in that kiss you gave me and I'm glad you did it," she said and blushed significantly.
"So where does this leave us now?"
"Well…that all depends…"
"Depends on what?" he asked.
She looked as though she was trying to find the proper way to say what she wanted to. "It all depends on what you want to do."
He was trying to pick up on her line of thought, but was failing and he knew it. "I'm not quite sure what I want to do."
There was disappointment in her eyes when she gave him a slow nod. Again, sounding as though she was trying to choose her words carefully, she said, "When you do, come and talk to me."
She made to leave the alley, but Harry caught her by the upper arm. Why was this so difficult? Why couldn't they express what they wanted? Harry took a deep breath. "What I want more than anything right now is to force you against this wall and snog you senseless. Those are possibly my hormones talking, but my heart heartily agrees with them."
She stared at him for a brief moment-and suddenly laughed. She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him soundly. "I think our whole problem is that we've been friends for too long."
"What do you mean?"
"We're afraid to take our relationship to the next level," she told him. "We're scared of what might happen. I know I am."
He chuckled. "We're not really acting like the Gryffindors we are, are we?"
"Not at all."
He stood taller. "Very well. It's time to stop acting so cowardly. Hermione, can I snog you whenever I feel like it?"
She laughed. "You sort of already are."
"Good point. So-erm-do you wanna…I mean, would you like to-" He stopped when she placed a finger over his lips.
"I'd love to."
A feeling of elation unlike anything he had felt before filled him. "Really?"
"Yes!" She laughed.
He couldn't help himself. He was kissing her before he could stop himself, not that he wanted to. It felt so right. It seemed as though suddenly parts of his life had clicked into place. He and Hermione were…together. And they always had been, really. There was no separating them. This was, as Hermione put it, taking their relationship to the next level and it felt perfectly natural. All the anxiety Harry may have felt beforehand had evaporated, leaving him feeling completely contented.
When they finally exited the alley, they strolled hand-in-hand all the way back to the Underground station.
*****
Harry did manage to convince Hermione to go to Gringotts so that he could exchange some of his wizarding money into Muggle currency, arguing that it wasn't right for a lady to pay for everything. She called him "far too much of a gentleman" and "a tad traditional," but eventually agreed. After he exchanged his money, he did end up buying her a bouquet of flowers from a Muggle shop, but not before Hermione dragged him to her local library, saying that she wanted to read up on the history of the movie they had seen. When they arrived back at Hermione's house, it was around dinnertime and Mrs. Granger was placing the last dish-a large bowl of green beans-on the table.
"Well there you two are," Mrs. Granger said with a grin. "Where have you two been all this time? And where did you get those beautiful flowers?"
"I decided to take Harry to see a movie, since he's never been to the cinemas before. Then we went to Diagon Alley on an errand before going to the library," Hermione replied, holding up her bag full of library books. "Harry bought me the flowers as a thank you."
"How sweet of you, Harry. You should put those in a vase, Hermione, dear. Did you two have any lunch?" Mrs. Granger asked as Hermione went to a cupboard and pulled out a vase.
"No," both Harry and Hermione replied in unison, causing them both to grin at each other.
"Well then you must be famished. Come, sit, I just put the pork chops on the table," Mrs. Granger said, gesturing to their chairs as Hermione filled the vase with water and set the bouquet in it.
How Mrs. Granger was able to come home and make dinner after spending nearly the entire day checking people over for cavities was beyond Harry, and he expressed such a thought as he sat down and tucked in.
Mrs. Granger laughed. "Oh, it's not all my doing. Mark is the one who prepared the side dishes."
"Which didn't take all that much," Mr. Granger said, grinning. "I really should check on my tomatoes tomorrow morning though-see how their coming. The carrots too."
"Mark has a vegetable garden," Mrs. Granger explained to Harry.
"Oh, yeah, I remember Hermione mentioning something about it while we were at school," he replied.
"What did you grow last year, dear? Cucumbers and…"
"Just cucumbers last year. We pickled them afterwards."
"Yes, that's right."
"Home grown vegetables…so much better than the pesticide-covered stuff that the grocer sells."
"So what will you two be doing tomorrow?" Mrs. Granger asked Harry and Hermione.
Harry looked to Hermione for the answer.
"I'm not quite sure," she said. "It's not like I have our whole summer planned out. I suppose we'll do whatever strikes our fancy. Right Harry?"
"Yeah, sure. That sounds good to me."
"Your dad and I decided that tomorrow night, seeing as it will be Saturday and all, we'd go out to dinner. Perhaps you two would like to join us?" Mrs. Granger asked.
Hermione turned to Harry. "Ever been out to eat at a Muggle restaurant?"
"Er-if I have I can't remember," he replied.
"We'd love to," Hermione said, turning back to her mother.
Mrs. Granger beamed. "Wonderful! I hope you like seafood, Harry."
"I can eat my fair share of fish and chips," he replied.
She laughed. "Then you'll do alright, I suppose."
*****
He didn't exactly have fish and chips the following evening while sitting next to Hermione in a booth, her parents across from them. Instead he and Hermione shared a huge plate of shrimp while Mrs. Granger ate salmon and Mr. Granger ordered lobster. It was quite the lovely evening. The following day, Mrs. Granger whipped up a whole chicken served with mashed potatoes before she and Mr. Granger returned to work on Monday, leaving Harry and Hermione alone once again.
That morning, Harry stood in the bathroom wearing only his boxers as he finished shaving. There was a knock on the door.
"Harry, are you in there?" came Hermione's voice from the other side.
"Yes. Just a second while I finish shaving," he said, running his razor blade against the bottom of his chin in one final stroke.
"Take your time. I just want to brush my teeth, that's all," she said.
Harry wiped his face with a towel and then examined his own teeth, which he had yet to brush that day as well. Completely not thinking about his lack of shirt and pants, he opened the door to admit Hermione, who was standing in her pajamas. "Why don't we brush our teeth together then?"
Her gaze traveled up and down his body. It was then that he reminded himself that he was only in his boxers. Both of them blushed significantly. "Er-I should probably put a pair of pants on first," he said awkwardly.
"No-it's alright," she said, stepping into the bathroom. "I've seen you without your shirt on before. Besides, it's not like you're actually exposing anything." She grabbed her toothbrush.
He blushed again, and then laughed. "I suppose it could be worse. I could be in a towel."
The toothpaste she had been trying to squirt onto her toothbrush squirted out violently into the sink. "Erm-oh…"
He grinned at her and grabbed his own toothbrush. "Pass the toothpaste, would you?"
They brushed their teeth in silence. Afterwards, Harry spun her around towards him, asking, "How's my breath?" before planting a kiss on her lips.
She laughed. "Minty. I want to go back into London today, so why don't we both get dressed and go, okay?"
"As you wish," he replied. As she left, Harry let himself get an appreciative glance at her bum before ginning and heading back to his own bedroom.
*****
There was standing room only on the Underground as they took it into London. Hermione had insisted upon dragging her school bag along with them, making things even more crowded. At one point, Harry noticed that there was a young man on the train around his age who seemed to be taking quite an interest in Hermione, so he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She looked up at him with a curious expression on her face, but he just grinned at her.
"So where are we going, anyway?" he asked her when they exited the Underground.
"Someplace fun, where you and I can just enjoy each other's company," she replied.
"Enjoy each other's company? Sort of like a date?" he asked.
She paused momentarily to ponder on this. "…Yeah. This could be considered our first date."
"Well I'm all for whatever you have in mind," he said.
She grinned. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Of course," he said and pecked her on the tip of her nose. They walked across the street and entered a park. Harry looked around. "Are we going to settle down on the grass and watch dogs chase after Frisbees?"
"Settle down on the grass, yes-watch dogs chase after Frisbees, no." She looked around. "There," she said, pointing to a spot underneath a large willow tree.
They walked over to the spot Hermione had pointed out and sat down. Harry glanced curiously at her bag when she started to fiddle with it. "What's in there, anyway?"
She grinned coyly up at him before pulling out a large bottle of pumpkin juice.
Harry stared at her. "Where did you get that?"
"I bought a bottle one day in Diagon Alley because my parents were curious about the things wizards drink. They never tried it, so I thought it really shouldn't go to waste," she said, taking out a blanket.
Harry dived for her bag as she laid the blanket out for them. "You planned a picnic!"
She took the sandwiches that he had just plucked from her bag. "Yes, I did."
He regarded her suspiciously. "You had this first date planned all along."
"So what if I did?"
He laughed. "Hermione, you're the greatest."
She blushed slightly at the compliment. "Hand me the grapes, will you?" As he did so, something must have caught her eye because she reached over and pulled the chain bearing Harry's Snitch pendant out from underneath his shirt. She stared at it with a bemused expression on her face. "It surprises me every time I notice that you're wearing this."
He smiled at her. "I always wearing it. About the only time I'm not is when I take a shower or sleep." He took the pendant out of her hands gently before placing it back underneath his shirt. "It makes me think of you, and it provides me with a bit of luck, I think."
"I'm glad you like it," she said. "You have no idea how much I fretted over giving you that gift."
"I think it's a great gift," he told her, leaning forwards and placing a kiss on her lips. "Now, let's get the rest of this food out."
Once all the food was out, Harry and Hermione commenced with their picnic in the park. They talked about some of the fun attractions around London and how Harry had never gone swimming in a swimming pool. He even mentioned that he didn't even own a pair of swimming trunks.
"That's got to be fixed," Hermione said.
After finishing, Harry leaned back against the tree. With a little gesture, he had Hermione join him, sitting down right in front of him before leaning back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.
"This has been a great day," he murmured and kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you," she replied. "What do you think the new year at Hogwarts will be like?"
"Hopefully not like the last one," he growled. "But I doubt we'll have a peaceful one-not with this war going on."
"I agree." She slid her hands over his. "What do you think people will think?"
"About what?"
There was a pause. "Us."
Harry stared out over the park. To be honest, he hadn't even thought about it. But now, as he did, the only thing he could think of was how much danger he had put Hermione in just by asking her to be his girlfriend. She was in considerable danger. If Voldemort found out about the two of them, he'd kill her instantly. Suddenly he remembered his initial hesitation to get involved with her. By caring for her the way he did, he was putting her life at risk. He shut his eyes and willed all of the thoughts that followed away.
"I don't think we should tell them," he said at last. "I think it would be better if nobody knew."
She turned her head towards him. "Not even Ron?"
He frowned. "Of course we can tell him. He's our best friend. He has a right to know. But no one else."
"Ginny?"
He thought for a moment. "Maybe."
She turned back towards the front before taking his arms and wrapping them tighter around her. "This will be a hard secret to keep."
"I know. But we should. We have to."
"You're worried about my safety." It wasn't a question.
"I am," he confirmed.
"I don't want to lie to people, but I understand your concerns. We will keep this a secret."
He sighed and touched his forehead to the top of hers. "Thank you."
He felt something catch on the top of his right hand. Looking down, he saw his ring, one of the three that he had bought for Ron, Hermione, and himself the previous Christmas. On Hermione's right hand, which was rubbing his, was her ring. He stared at both of their rings for moment before and idea sprang into his head.
"I have an idea," he said.
"What?" Hermione asked.
He took her hands in his and placed them together. "See that ring?" he asked her. When she nodded, he continued, "It's supposed to be a friendship ring-and it is-but I think it can symbolize so much more if I did one little thing." He slipped the ring off. "I don't know a whole lot about relationships, but I think that when someone promises to be with another person, they place a ring on this finger." He wiggled the ring finger on his left hand. "So I, Harry James Potter, do promise to remain faithful and true to you, Hermione Jane Granger." He placed the ring on his finger.
She smiled up at him and there were tears in her eyes. "Oh, Harry." She slipped her ring off of her finger. "And I, Hermione Jane Granger, do promise to remain faithful and true to you, Harry James Potter." She then slipped her ring onto the finger of the opposite hand. "I love you." She leaned back against him and kissed him softly.
*****
They didn't return to Hermione's house. Instead, with Harry's returned thoughts of Voldemort, he asked her if they could take a detour over to Grimmauld Place. She agreed and before Harry knew it, they were standing in front of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.
"Let's go in, shall we?" he said.
"Don't you think we should ring the bell first?"
He shrugged. "Technically, I own the house. Why should I have to?" He went to turn the doorknob, but found it to be locked.
"Maybe that's why," Hermione said sardonically.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, we'll try it your way." He rang the bell.
They didn't hear Mrs. Black's screams from behind the door-they didn't expect to. Harry recalled that Professor Dumbledore had apparently come after Sirius's death and took her down.
It was Tonks who opened the door. "Wotcher Harry-Hermione! What are you doing here?"
"We dropped by for a visit," Harry said, "seeing as we were in the neighborhood."
"In the neighborhood. Why would you be in the neighborhood?" she asked, but shook her head. "Never mind. Get in, get in." She ushered them inside.
Harry looked around. The place was a lot cleaner than the last time he saw it.
"Moody, Kinsley, and I were having a drink down in the kitchen. Care to join us?" Tonks asked, heading down towards the basement.
"Sure. Kingsley's here as well?" he asked, following her along with Hermione.
"Yeah. He's on his lunch break. Me, I'm here until the Ministry gives me new orders. I've just finished two weeks in Wales, scouting for where the Death Eaters might be hiding," she told them.
"Did you have any luck," Hermione asked.
"None," Tonks replied. "They're crafty blighters, that's for sure." They entered the kitchen. "Look who's here!"
Kingsley Shacklebolt looked up at the doorway while Moody's magical eye swiveled over and looked directly at Harry and Hermione. "What are you two doing here?" he growled.
"They've come to visit. Be nice, Moody," Tonks said.
"Sit down," Kingsley said, gesturing to two empty chairs.
"Thanks," Harry said and sat, Hermione sitting beside him.
"This proves it," Moody said, scowling. "I knew we shouldn't have let Mundungus be the one to have the job."
"Dung? What job?" Harry asked.
"He's supposed to be keeping his eye on you, make sure you two don't go anywhere," Moody said.
"Why shouldn't we go anywhere?" Harry asked. "And has he been following us around this whole time?"
"Potter, open your eyes," Moody said. "Why else would we have somebody checking in on you?"
"To make sure the Death Eaters don't pay us a visit," Hermione answered for him, looking crestfallen and ashamed.
"You're a smart one, that's for sure, Granger. That's why I like you," Moody said. "But sometimes neither of you has a whole lot of common sense!"
"We're sorry," Hermione murmured, thoroughly chastised and unable to look up at any of them.
Harry felt annoyed. "But if you've got someone watching our back, then why can't we go out?"
"Because no one is actually following you around, Potter. We don't have the manpower currently to do that day after day. So we've been sending Mundungus to check in on you and he has been doing a pretty lousy job of it! The idiot has to do his thieving during the day and then checks on you around dinnertime when, of course, you'd have already returned from whatever jaunt you two have taken that day. That's the problem with this whole set up-no one thinks!"
"Alastor! That's enough!" Tonks chided, glancing over at Hermione, who looked near tears.
Harry frowned. "Look, if anyone is to blame here, it's me. I'm the one who asked Hermione to go into the city with me. I'm the one who was looking something different and fun to do. Something completely Muggle. So don't take it out on her, okay?" It was a bold faced lie, but Harry didn't care. He wasn't about to let Moody make Hermione feel any worse.
"It's completely natural to want to do something fun," Tonks said. "I don't blame you two for trying to enjoy your holiday." She emphasized the last three words, glaring at Moody.
"Besides, Harry is quite the capable wizard when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts. We know that. We also know how highly both Remus and Dumbledore speak of him," Kingsley reminded him.
"And Hermione isn't a shrinking violet when it comes to magic either," Tonks said. "Remus tells me how all of the teachers at Hogwarts think she's amazing…truly the head of her class."
Hermione blushed a bright red, but looked very pleased at the comment. Harry couldn't help but feel proud too. He even added in, "She can kick my butt in a duel, you know. She's very capable."
Moody growled in frustration. "Look, Potter, I'm just after what's best for you here. I know you're a capable and competent wizard, just as I know that Granger's a capable and competent witch. But you have to think about your own safety. This isn't a good time to be running around outside and smelling the roses. Constant vigilance! Never let your guard down."
"I don't," Harry said. "It's why both Hermione and I have been traveling with our wands."
"Good." He let out a long sigh. "So what do you two want?"
"To see what's going on," Harry replied.
"That's it?" Moody asked.
He shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah."
"Well what do you want to know, Harry?" Tonks asked.
"Were any Order members in Manchester when the attack took place?" he asked.
"I was," Kingsley said. "As was Remus."
"Professor Lupin? How is he?" Hermione asked.
"Fine," Tonks replied. "He's getting all set for another year at Hogwarts."
"So he's going to come back and be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher again? That's great!" Harry said, grinning. He had been pleased with Lupin's return the previous year; hearing that he would be staying on for yet another year made Harry extremely happy.
"You will learn something, that's for sure," Moody said.
"So he was in Manchester," Harry said.
"He, myself, and the other Aurors present tried to prevent Muggle casualties, but there were a lot of Death Eaters. It was impossible to stop them all," Kingsley said sadly. "And then once that fire was started…"
"You did the best you could, I'm sure," Hermione said sympathetically.
"Any idea on why the Death Eaters attacked when they did?" Harry asked.
The three Order members glanced at each other. "Well…"
Harry's fears were confirmed. "Because of Seth."
Moody frowned at him. "It was retaliation, yes. You-Know-Who's not above that. He enjoys enacting revenge. That's what makes him so deadly."
"Dumbledore told me that the baby has been taken to a safe place," Harry told them.
"No place is safe," Moody said. "But wherever Dumbledore has the kid is a lot less dangerous of a place than where he was at."
"We've given that baby a chance to live a normal life," Tonks said.
Harry didn't reply. Instead, he asked, "How's Buckbeak?"
Moody look agitated. "Becoming a nuisance."
"Why? What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"Scratching up the floorboards, making noises in the middle of the night, trying to peck out the window…He's a menace!"
"He's probably just tired of being cooped up in that room. He's been in there for practically two years now," Hermione said. "It's an outrage! Something should be done about it."
"We've thought about approaching Hagrid about taking him back to Hogwarts, but we've had some concerns about that," Tonks said.
"What?"
"He's been sentenced to death. If someone at Hogwarts recognizes him, they'll contact the Ministry and he'll die," Tonks reminded them.
"Hagrid can hide him," Harry said. "He's been hiding Grawp."
Tonks gave him a bewildered look. "Who?"
"Exactly my point," Harry said, grinning.
"Besides, we have a new minister, and Dumbledore's back on the Wizengamot. There can be another appeal," Hermione said.
"True," Tonks said. "We'll contact Hagrid and talk it over."
Harry nodded and then broached a subject that had been bothering him. "So what are the Aurors like since Crow was discovered to be a traitor?"
Both Kingsley and Tonks frowned. "Shocked, naturally," Tonks said.
"And angry. But things are being taken care of to ensure it never happens again," Kingsley told him. "Minister Bones and Xavier Jarrett, Head of the Auror Department, are having all Aurors take psych evaluations before they become Aurors and then every year thereafter. Tonks and I have already taken ours."
Harry couldn't help himself. "And Mara Frost?"
Mara Frost had been one of three Aurors placed at Hogwarts during the previous school year. Harry had originally believed that she had been the one behind all of the murders, especially once he found out that she had hated her mother and called her a Mudblood. He found out that he was wrong, however, and the consequences had been fatal.
"She passed. And she strongly supported them," Kingsley said.
Moody glanced up at the clock on the wall. "You two should get back to Granger's house. The longer you stay out, the more trouble you can get into."
Hermione nodded. "We'll go. It was good to see you all again."
"Likewise," Kingsley said. "Take care."
"We will," Harry said as both he and Hermione got up. "Bye."
When they exited the house, Harry let out a breath. "That went worse that I thought it would."
"Moody's right, though. We've been stupid," Hermione said. "We should really try to limit our activities to the indoors."
Harry imaged that their indoor activities would include snogging. "That's fine by me."
Hermione caught the grin on his face. "What are you thinking?"
His grin only grew wider. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
She made a noise indicating that she didn't believe him, but said nothing. Still grinning, he took her hand in his and held it all the way back to the Underground station.