A Glimpse at Your Mind

A glimpse at your mind

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 1

Voldemort was standing in a dimly illuminated room, pointing his wand at a figure lying on the floor, screaming in agony. Harry could feel anger and frustration building inside him. The wish to punish the pathetic bundle on the floor for the lack of progress became overwhelming.

“How long ago did I give you the order to find Gregorovitch? When I give you an order, I expect you to complete it. Lord Voldemort has no use for the ones who fail him.” Harry felt grim satisfaction when he raised his wand and said “Crucio.”

Harry woke up drenched in sweat. It was the third night since Ron abandoned them on the Horcrux search. Without him, Harry and Hermione were left to take turns bearing the burden of the locket. Harry wore it at night, and Hermione took it during the day. Unfortunately, the Horcrux intensified Harry’s connection with Voldemort. This caused him to take a trip into the Dark Lord’s mind every night. In the last three nights, Harry had woken up several times to the image of Voldemort torturing.

Harry sat up in bed, trying to bring his breathing and heartbeat back to a normal level. Eventually he stood up and walked to the small bathroom of the magical tent and splashed cold water in his face. He wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep anytime soon, and he hoped the shock of the cold water would help him wake up. Harry was beat, three nights with way too little sleep, weeks with insufficient nourishment, and far too many worries had worn him out. Having to wear the locket more often didn’t help either. It seemed to affect him more than Hermione, possibly because he was already carrying a part of Voldemort’s soul within him.

Harry dried his face with a towel and stepped into the sitting room. To his surprise the room wasn’t empty. Hermione sat in one of the old armchairs. She looked up when she heard Harry approaching. She had lit a few candles, but it was still too dim to make out her face clearly. Good, thought Harry. She won’t see how tired I look in the dark.

“Hermione, why aren’t you in bed?” Harry asked as he sat down in an armchair facing the one she was sitting in.

“I could ask you the same question,” Hermione replied in a very stern tone.

“I had to use the bathroom.” Harry tried to sound as casual as he could.

“Don’t take me for a fool, Harry! I’m a light sleeper, I have heard you getting up several times a night and coming back to bed hours later.”

Note to self: Stay in bed when you wake up the next time, Harry thought.

“How many hours have you slept the past three nights? Two? Three?” Hermione asked, her tone now worried.

In fact, he wouldn’t come to more than three hours if he summed up the sleep he had gotten, but he wouldn’t tell her that. There was no need to burden Hermione with more worries. It was bad enough that he had drawn her into this mess in the first place.

“I don’t count the hours I sleep, Hermione, but I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, Harry. You barely sleep, and you hardly eat. You’re always lost in your thoughts. And don’t think that I haven’t noticed the times you run away to ‘go for a walk’ when your scar hurts again. Stop lying to me, Harry!” Hermione’s voice was trembling now, and even though Harry couldn’t see her face clearly, he knew she was close to tears.

Harry leaned over and took both of Hermione’s hands in his.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to lie to you. I just didn’t want to upset you anymore than I already had.”

“Harry, when will you finally stop trying to deal with everything on your own? I’m not made of glass; I can bear the truth. Let me help you, Harry.” Her tone was very soft, and when Hermione leaned forward to meet his gaze he could see worry and tenderness in her eyes.

“I appreciate your offer, Hermione, but I don’t think you can help me to get rid of these visions or whatever they are.”

“Do you really want to get rid of these visions? It didn’t seem like that a couple of weeks ago.” Now Hermione spoke in the stern schoolmistress tone that she always used to express her disapproval.

Harry hesitated. Hermione was right. He hadn’t been fond of the idea of losing the only connection to Voldemort’s mind, but his opinion had changed. He felt more and more like Voldemort was taking over his mind and the thought of that was simply terrifying.

He looked Hermione in the eyes and answered sincerely, “Yes, I would do nearly anything to end this connection.”

Hermione nodded, obviously satisfied with his answer. “Good, then we’ll start working on the problem first thing in the morning.”

Harry was confused. “Hermione, I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”

Hermione gave Harry her miss-know-it-all smirk. “Well, I didn’t really know what to expect of our journey, so I decided it would be better to be prepared for everything. I thought it would be helpful to know if somebody is lying to us, and to keep the wrong people from looking into my head. You know, just in case. So, I read some books about Legilimency and Occlumency, and I asked Professor Lupin to give me some lessons before you arrived at the Burrow this summer.”

“You want to practice Occlumency with me?” Harry asked.

“That’s the plan” Hermione beamed, happy to be finally able to do something constructive.

Chapter 2

After their late night talk Hermione had taken the locket. Without the Horcrux, Harry had been able to get a couple more hours of sleep.

When he woke up again, he felt slightly better and was eager to start with the Occlumency training. He really wanted to get rid of the disturbing images in his head.

After a breakfast consisting of dry cornflakes, Harry and Hermione sat down in the armchairs they had used the previous night. They were facing each other, and both held their wands at the ready.

“Ready?” Hermione asked.

Harry gave her a nod as response, and Hermione said, “Legilimens!”

His surroundings blurred and were replaced by scenes racing through his mind’s eye.

He was lying under the invisibility cloak, unable to move, helplessly watching Dumbledore be killed.

He was fighting at the Ministry, seeing Hermione’s lifeless body fall to the floor.

He was deep under the surface of the lake for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, frantically trying to free Hermione from her restraints.

He was screaming and trying to free himself from Lupin’s grip to follow Sirius through the Veil.

He saw Ron lying in a bed, deathly pale, after nearly dying from the poisoned mead.

His face was replaced by the one of a 13 year old Hermione, petrified by the basilisk, all life gone from her features.

Harry was surprised when the cascade of memories stopped and the room took shape around him again. He hadn’t done anything to stop Hermione from prying into his mind. All the images of people he loved in a state of death or near death had left him completely incapable of action. He had forgotten where he was and what he was supposed to do, all he could think about was the fear of losing even more loved ones to Voldemort.

To his surprise, Harry spotted Hermione sitting on the armrest of his chair. She had taken his right hand, and she was gently trying to free his wand from the death grip of his clenched fingers. When Harry finally let go of the wand, Hermione placed it on a nearby table.

Harry looked to the ground. He felt confused and ashamed for freezing like that, and he didn’t want to face Hermione. He wasn’t in the mood for one of her ‘You just have to try harder’ speeches.

What Hermione did, instead of reproving him, completely dumbfounded Harry. She threw her arms around her friend’s neck and pulled him into a hug.

Harry went completely rigid. Hermione just hugged him tighter, and Harry could feel the warmth radiating from her body. He could smell the faint lavender scent of her shampoo. Eventually, Harry felt himself relax. He closed his eyes and returned Hermione’s hug. He pulled her closer, until she was sitting in his lap. Harry hugged Hermione tight, closing his eyes and concentrating on her warmth, her scent and the sound of her heartbeat. He desperately needed to take in the signs that she was alive and well and still with him.

As if she had been reading his mind, Hermione started to whisper soothing words to him while gently stroking his hair.

“It’s okay, I’m here. I won’t leave you.”

Harry tightened his grip a little more and buried his face in Hermione’s hair, holding onto her for dear life.

It took him several minutes to realize that he was crying. Ashamed by his breakdown, Harry let go of Hermione and bashfully whipped his face with the sleeve of his sweater.

“It’s okay.” Hermione said again. “There’s nothing you have to be ashamed of.”

“I beg to differ. I completely lost it. I’m sorry.”

Hermione reached for Harry’s face and gently forced him to look at her.

“Don’t apologize. It’s about time that you stop keeping everything bottled up inside you. I want to be here for you, and I’m glad you finally let me.”

“You’re not mad because of my poor Occlumency performance?” Harry tried to give his voice a humorous tone.

Hermione looked at him softly, but Harry noticed a trace of worry in her eyes.

“No, I’m not mad. I understand.”

Harry returned her gaze. He could see that she really did. He felt somewhat relieved that he didn’t have to explain why he had frozen.

“We should take a break, drink a cup of tea, and then take a walk or something. We’ll try again tomorrow,” Hermione suggested.

“No,” Harry stated firmly. “I want to try again, now. You were right; I really need to practice Occlumency. I want to learn how to shut Voldemort out. He won’t be as considerate as you. He won’t stop prying into my thoughts when I’m not in the mood to resist him.”

Hermione didn’t argue or ask Harry if he was sure. She knew the look of determination in his eyes. She had seen this look on him often enough.

“Okay,” was all she said before she handed his wand back and resumed her seat in front of him.

Chapter 3

“Okay, let’s try again. I’m counting to three.” Hermione announced.

Harry nodded and concentrated. He was determined to try and resist Hermione’s intrusion this time.

“1, 2, 3 … Legilimens!”

The room blurred again in front of his eyes and Harry got lost in his memories.

It was Dudley’s birthday, and Harry was lying in “his” cupboard under the stairs. He was hungry because he hadn’t gotten anything to eat after the incident with the Boa Constrictor. And he was confused. He didn’t understand what had happened today.

He was sitting in the small boat that brought the first years to Hogwarts, and was amazed when he saw the castle for the first time. He loved the impressive building at first sight, and was thrilled with the thought that it was going to be his home for the next seven years.

He was sitting in Umbridge's office, writing "I must not tell lies" over and over again until his hand was burning with pain. Then, the memory was replaced by a scene following this encounter. Harry could feel Hermione gently applying Essence of Murtlap on his hurting hand. He felt better immediately. Although, he didn't know if it was due to the cooling effect of the essence or due to Hermione's tender care.

Harry remembered his stomach doing somersaults when she gently stroked his hand, and he was glad that Hermione could only see his memories and not feel the effects her touch had on him. This thought brought him back to the present, and Harry remembered that he was supposed to perform Occlumency. He concentrated hard on shielding his mind from Hermione, but was surprised by the small amount of resistance Hermione offered him.

As soon as he made an attempt to resist, the sequence of memories stopped and the room took shape again. The first thing Harry noticed was Hermione sitting in front of him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, that was easier then it was with Snape," Harry said, confused. "You didn't really resist me, Hermione. Why? Do you think I can't handle these lessons?" His voice betrayed his anger.

"No!" Hermione objected hastily. "I know you can handle this, Harry. You're the strongest person I know. It's just... I got a little distracted. I'm sorry."

The compliment calmed Harry and he looked at Hermione with a mixture of confusion and worry. „It’s alright. But, why did you get distracted? Are you ok? I've never done this as a Legilimens, but it's probably quite exhausting to invade another person’s mind."

Hermione smiled at Harry's concern. It was so typical him. He always thought of his friends first, no matter how exhausted he was.

"It's not half as exhausting as being the one whose mind is being invaded. I'm fine, I just got lost in our shared memories. I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she apologized again.

"Do you think you're up for another try or do you want a short break first?" Hermione asked, before Harry could deliberate the question why she had been so distracted by that particular memory.

"I'm good. Let's try again," Harry answered firmly. He wanted to finally learn this Occlumency thing properly, but that wasn't the only reason he wanted to continue. He wanted to occupy his mind instead of reminiscing about the feelings Hermione caring for his wounds had caused.

Hermione was going to ask Harry if he was sure that he was ready for a third go, but remained silent when she saw the ‘I'm-determined-to-do-this’ look on his face.

"Alright, we'll try one more time and then take a break, okay?"

Harry nodded his head in reluctant agreement.

Hermione raised her wand again and said: "Legilimens!"

He and Ron were sitting in their compartment on the Hogwarts express and Ron was trying to turn his rat yellow when a young witch with bushy hair entered. "Are you sure that is a real spell?" the girl asked before announcing that she had learned all their school books by heart, leaving Harry speechless.

"She's a nightmare!" Ron said, and Harry saw Hermione walking past them with tears in her eyes. He barely knew her then, but seeing her cry affected him more then he would have thought back then.

He saw Hermione entering the Great Hall after she had been petrified for months, and Harry felt happy and carefree for the first time since she had been petrified, when she ran towards him and threw her arms around him.

It was the day of the Yule Ball, and Harry couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Hermione enter the room. She was wearing a pretty festive cloak, her hair was soft and shiny and her eyes seemed to sparkle brighter than the stars on the magic ceiling of the Great Hall. Harry had never seen anything more beautiful.

It was their sixth year, and Gryffindor had just won the Quidditch cup. Hermione came to congratulate him and hugged him tight like she did each time they had won a game. This time was different though, because of the feelings Harry had developed for Hermione. The feeling of her body pressed against his sent his senses into overdrive. Fortunately, Hermione let go of him before she could notice his physical reaction to her closeness. He hurried to the locker rooms to take a cold shower ...

Harry was alarmed. He couldn't let Hermione see the rest of the memory. It would be embarrassing enough if she saw him naked taking a shower, but it would ruin their friendship beyond repair if she saw him in the shower desperately trying to get rid of the hard-on he had gotten from her hug. Harry did his best to resist Hermione's intrusion in his memories, but she gave him a hard time doing so, like she had promised earlier. Harry panicked, and without thinking he clenched his fingers around his wand and yelled "Protego!"

The room was blurring again, and Harry saw memories that weren't his own, although the scenes contained familiar people and places.

Hermione was sitting on a chair in the Great Hall, the sorting hat on her head, and Harry heard a familiar voice speaking. 'Well, that won't be an easy decision. You've a bright head on your shoulder, that's a sure thing, and you’re studious. You're ambitious, and you can be quite cunning from time to time. You are a loyal friend, given the chance, and you have a heart willing to help the weaker ones. I see a lot of courage in you, too. Probably more than you're aware of. You're a tough case; I think all of the founders would have liked you. So, where do I put you, little lady?' Harry heard another familiar voice. 'Gryffindor! I want to be in Gryffindor! It's where Harry Potter will be; I'm sure. His parents were in Gryffindor, and he has to be a fighter if he survived Voldemort's curse. Please, put me in his house, he was really nice to me on the train, and I think we could become friends.'

Harry was surprised. Hermione wanted to be in Gryffindor because of him, even though she had barely known him. Maybe she had felt as lonely as he had before he came to Hogwarts.

She was flying with Harry on Buckbeak's back, her eyes shut, and she was clinging to him, burying her head on Harry's shoulder

Harry remembered this incident, and smiled at the memory of Hermione’s death grip around his waist. She had been scared to death, but she didn't hesitate for a second to join him.

She was watching Harry fight against the dragon. She screamed in panic when she saw the creature spitting fire in Harry's direction.

For the first time, Harry saw his adventures with Hermione's eyes, and it made him fully realize how terrified she had always been when she saw him doing something dangerous. Harry felt slightly guilty for causing her so much worry during the past seven years.

Hermione was in a room Harry recognized as the prefects bathroom, wearing nothing but a light blue silk robe that only went to her knees. She bent down to test the temperature of the water and obviously found it satisfying, because she started to unfasten the belt of her robe.

Harry knew he should end the session now, before memory Hermione was fully undressed, but he wasn't capable of any action at the moment, he just stared in awe at the nearly naked Hermione.

Hermione discarded her robe, and Harry got a brief glimpse at her gorgeous body before she vanished in the bubble bath. Harry could only see her head. She swam a few rounds, and then rested against the side of the immense tub, reaching for a soft sponge at the edge. She started to wash herself and stretched a little so that Harry was able to see the onset of her perfectly rounded breasts. Harry felt himself begin to harden when Hermione started to run the sponge over said breasts.

That's enough! Harry told himself. He was acting like a voyeur and to make it worse he was doing that to Hermione! Harry felt ashamed and was about to lower his wand to stop the session when something memory-Hermione said, or rather sighed, caught his attention.

Hermione's eyes were now closed and she had finished washing her breasts. Her hands were now working lower, and Harry could only imagine where they were and what they were doing there. The thought was disturbing, but incredibly arousing. Memory-Hermione continued whatever it was she was doing and sighed softly: "Harry!" The object of her desire watched in awe as her face became more flushed and her breathing quickened while she moaned, and sighed his name again and again.

The room came into view again and Harry was surprised because he hadn't done anything. Then he saw Hermione sitting in front of him. She didn't meet his gaze, but Harry could see tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight broke his heart. He wanted to apologize for acting like a prick and not stopping the session sooner. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that she didn't have to feel embarrassed. He wanted to say that he felt the same way about her. Before Harry could do anything though Hermione stood up and fled the tent.

Chapter 4

Harry stared at the tent entrance for a few moments, unable to process what had just happened. He was still trying to handle the information that Hermione Granger had erotic feelings for him when she had suddenly left the room. Slowly it dawned on him how his friend was probably feeling right now. She was most likely as confused about her feelings for him as he was about the feelings he had been developing for her. And she had no idea that he returned her feelings. Harry realized that sheprobably felt incredibly embarrassed, and she was possibly afraid that what he had just seen would ruin their friendship. He had to go and find her. Harry didn't know what he would say to her, but he knew that he had to do something to make her feel better.

He left the tent and looked around, but didn't see Hermione anywhere. He called her name several times, and he didn't get a response. Harry started to feel worried. Hermione shouldn't be walking around in the woods alone in times like these. He walked a few minutes, hoping that he had chosen the right direction. When he started contemplating turning around and searching elsewhere, he heard someone crying in the distance. He followed the sound and found Hermione sitting in a clearing, resting against a large tree.

"Hermione ..." he said in, what he hoped to be, a soothing tone. Hermione jerked at the sound of his voice and buried her head in her arms, not daring to look at him. Harry didn't feel encouraged by her reaction, but sat down next to her nevertheless.

"Hermione, please talk to me," Harry pleaded, but Hermione only cried harder. "At least look at me, please."

"I can't ..." she sobbed, still hiding her face from him.

Harry felt helpless, and he didn't know what to say, so he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'm sorry." That seemed to get her attention; at least she lifted her head a little at his words. Encouraged, Harry continued. "I should have stopped sooner, before I ... I didn't mean to spy on you, really, I just... when I saw you... like that ... I felt like paralyzed. ... I'm sorry,” he babbled.

"I'm sorry, too," Hermione finally managed to say. „I’m sorry for ... for what I did. But, I can't take it back, and you can't take back that you saw it and now everything is ruined between us."

"No!" Harry hurried to say. "That's not true; this doesn't ruin what we have."

Hermione snorted. "Yeah, whatever you say. How could my having sexual fantasies about my best friend ruin anything?"

Harry sighed. If he wanted to fix this he would have to be honest, even if it was embarrassing. He chose his words carefully.

"Hermione ... I didn't mean to perform Legilimency on you." Hermione looked as if she wanted to interrupt him, but Harry didn't give her a chance. "No, please let me finish." She nodded silently, and Harry continued. "When you saw my last memory, the one with the Quidditch final, I panicked. I didn't want you to see the rest of the memory, so I instinctively used Protego to stop you. Somehow that ended in me doing Legilimency on you."

Harry took a deep breath before finishing his explanation and Hermione used the moment of silence to speak.

"So this was all about you not wanting me to see you take a shower?" Hermione asked puzzled. The need to solve a puzzle had made her temporarily forget her distress. "I already saw your naked body, Harry, remember? I used Polyjuice potion to transform into you."

"Yeah, I remember, although seeing me undressing in public isn't a memory I'm keen on reliving."

Harry hoped that his poor attempt at humour would lighten the mood a little. Before Hermione could interrupt again or the courage to confess would leave him, Harry continued. "Hermione, the reason why I desperately wanted to stop you wasn't that I was having a shower. It was what I did in the shower. When ... when you hugged me that close after the game ..." Damn, that was a lot harder than he had thought it would be. "... Hermione, you don't have a clue what you do to me when you're so close to me... After you hugged me, I...I had to head towards the locker rooms to take a cold shower. Only that, with the memory of your body so close to mine and your face flushed with excitement, the cold shower didn't help much. In fact ... touching it when I tried to wash myself made it even worse... So, I needed to...relieve some tension and..." Harry gave up, realizing that Hermione had probably not understood a word of his babbling.

Hermione looked at Harry for a moment in utter astonishment. “Are you trying to tell me that you did the same thing I was doing in the memory?"

Harry gave her an embarrassed nod, not daring to look her in the eyes.

"And you were thinking of me when you did that?"

Another nod.

"Does this mean that you ... are attracted to me?" Hermione asked, sounding hopeful.

Harry was starting to feel like a Jeopardy candidate.

At least Hermione wasn't crying anymore. He could handle interrogating Hermione, but not crying Hermione.

Harry gathered the courage to look at Hermione.

"Hermione, I've been attracted to you for years. Ever since I saw you at the Yule Ball I’ve thought of how it would be if we were together, really together. I just never said anything, because I didn't want to lose you as a friend. I always thought you wanted Ron, and I cared too much for both of you to get in the way. I couldn’t bear the thought of asking for more than friendship and losing you for good. I love you too much to take that risk.”

Hermione stared at him open mouthed. "You love me?"

Harry could only nod. He was suddenly afraid that he had just done what he had always feared: ruin his relationship with Hermione by telling her how he felt. Maybe he had been wrong and what he saw in her memory meant nothing. Maybe it was just lust Hermione felt for him while she still loved Ron. His worries grew to outright panic when he saw new tears form in Hermione’s eyes. Oh no! I've messed it up, I lost her!

"Hermione, please, don't cry," he said hastily, trying to cut his losses. "I only said that because I thought you felt something for me too. I guess I was wrong. It's okay, I'm going to be fine, as long as I don't lose your friendship. I won't mention this talk ever again. Just...don't walk out of my life, please."

To his utter surprise, Hermione grinned broadly.

"Oh, Harry, you're such a fool sometimes! Don't you dare try and take back what you just said! I've been waiting to hear this for ages! At the Yule Ball, it was your attention I wanted to get! But you didn't say anything about my dress or Viktor, or Cormac McLaggen. You just didn't seem to care. Ron did though. He was jealous and started to show interest in me, and I felt flattered by that. I cared a lot for Ron, and he seemed to be in love with me. I thought he was the best I would ever get. You were all into Cho, and then there was Ginny and I thought I'd never have a chance with you. That's why I decided to take what I could get and only dream about you," Hermione admitted.

Harry was quite positive that he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care.

"Hermione, you were so wrong! The only reason why I didn't say anything about Viktor or Cormac was that I thought you were using them to make Ron jealous! And, I couldn't show that I was jealous of Ron. I couldn't risk losing both my best friends. Cho was only a silly crush, nothing more. And Ginny ... Well, I think it was a little like you and Ron. I thought I couldn't have you, and I had just found out how shallow Cho really was. Ginny was nice and understanding, and she seemed to really care for me. I always liked her, and I thought that I might grow to love her someday. In the last few weeks, I haven’t been so sure anymore though. The more time I spend with you the harder it was for me to put my feelings for you aside."

Hermione smiled and threw her arms around Harry's neck. He pulled her into a firm hug, and once again, he buried his head in her hair. She felt so good in his arms.

Harry gently kissed her hair and started murmuring endearments. "I love you, I love you so much ... my Hermione."

Hermione enjoyed the embrace a few moments before she pulled away enough to look into Harry's emerald eyes.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I think I always have."

Harry held Hermione at arm length, drinking in her sight as if she was a dream figure that could vanish any second. Harry's dreamy expression made Hermione smile. Apparently, she came to the conclusion that she couldn't expect any actual action from him anytime soon. So, she leaned forward and gently kissed Harry. That's what it took for Harry to realize that this was real, and not just one of the many dreams he had had about Hermione confessing her love for him. Harry hesitantly started to suckle Hermione's lower lip. He had kissed girls before, but this was different, this was Hermione. Harry was pleasantly surprised when a soft moan escaped Hermione's lips. The sweet little sound and her hot breath on his lips, was intoxicating. Feeling bolder, Harry gently ran his tongue over Hermione's bottom lip, silently asking her to give him access to her mouth. Hermione gave into Harry's unspoken request and parted her lips, closing her eyes in anticipation. Harry gently deepened the kiss and started exploring her mouth. Hermione eagerly returned the kiss and soon their tongues were playfully caressing each other. Harry pulled Hermione closer and she went a step further by sitting down in his lap. He was quite surprised by her boldness, but didn't complain, it felt far too good to hold her that close. Encouraged, Harry allowed his hands to wander over Hermione's body. First, he let his hands run over her back, but soon he couldn't resist the temptation of caressing her lovely breasts through her sweater. The hot kiss, the sensation of her groin rubbing against his, and the feeling off her breasts under his hands sent Harry's hormones into overdrive and he could feel himself harden. Damn! Harry thought. He was sure Hermione could feel his arousal and he felt incredibly embarrassed. He broke the kiss and looked apologetically at her.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled.

Hermione laughed softly. "Don't be, I feel the same way. It's just less noticeable when you are a girl."

Harry grinned, relieved that his physical reaction to the kiss hadn't offended her. "Do you want to continue this in the tent then?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione nodded and stood up. Harry took her hand, and they walked back, never letting go of each other’s hand.

When they had entered the tent, Harry was surprised, and a little shocked, that Hermione pulled him straight to the bedroom.

"Hermione...we don't have to...when I asked if we could continue I meant... you know...kissing and stuff..."

Hermione smiled at Harry's shyness, "Does this mean you don't want to do more than kiss?" she asked teasingly.

"Of course I do! I just don't want to push you," he explained.

Hermione's expression softened at his concern. She put her arms around Harry's neck and gently stroked his hair with one of her hands.

"You aren't pushing me, Harry. I want this as much as you do. I love you, Harry, and I've dreamed about making love with you for years."

Harry kissed Hermione tenderly. "I love you, too. I love you more than anything in the world."

Harry didn't object further when Hermione took his hand again and guided him to the bedroom where she sat down on one of the bunks, pulling Harry with her.

Hermione started to pull off her sweater, but Harry stopped her. She looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Wait! This just isn’t right. Not us,” Harry hurried to say when he saw the hurt look in Hermione’s eyes. “I mean this tent, this bunk, everything. You deserve better than that.” Before Hermione could formulate a reply, Harry had taken his wand from his jeans. He touched the bunk with it and said “Engorgio”, causing it to enlarge to the size of a small double bed. He touched the simple bedding with the tip of his wand and transformed it to red silk. Then, he raised his wand and let dozens of floating candles appear.

Hermione gasped at the beauty of the sight. “I’m impressed.”

Harry grinned proudly. “For the first time, I’m glad that you persuaded me to read Hogwarts – A History. I remembered the spell that they used for the candles in the Great Hall.”

Hermione decided for a nonverbal reply and kissed Harry softly, putting all her love for him in the kiss. When they had to stop for breath, Hermione used the opportunity to pull her sweater over her head. Harry couldn’t help but stare at her bra covered breasts. He enjoyed the view for a moment, and then he followed her example by removing his sweater as well. Hermione pulled Harry back in her arms and he started caressing her exposed skin. She so felt warm and soft. Harry let his hands wander and finally started to caress her breasts through the thin material of her bra. Hermione moaned, and Harry felt her nipples harden under his touch. He was arousing her! The realisation was an immense turn-on for Harry. Hermione gave him an incredibly sexy smile he hadn’t thought she was capable of, and she removed her bra at a torturously slow pace. Harry swallowed hard when he saw Hermione’s bare breasts for the first time. She was perfect! He just stared at her breasts for a few moments, unable to make any coherent thoughts.

“I know they aren’t very big…” Hermione whispered, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and shy. Harry looked at Hermione, needing a moment to process her words.

“They are perfect!” He eventually managed to say. “You are so beautiful.” Hermione blushed, but smiled brightly. “May I touch you?” Harry asked shyly. He had touched her breasts through the material of her bra, but he felt like he should ask permission before he touched her bare breasts.

Hermione gave him an amused smile. “You may touch me wherever you want.”

Harry started slowly caressing Hermione’s breasts. When he brushed her nipples she moaned softly. She obviously liked to be touched there, so Harry started experimenting with different speeds and changing pressure until he had found a rhythm that made Hermione moan out load and close her eyes.

Hermione closed her eyes in bliss. She couldn’t believe how turned on she already was. Harry hadn’t even touched her below the waist yet. Deciding to return the favour, Hermione started to stroke Harry through his jeans. He gasped, and his eyes fluttered shut. “Hermione, I need to get out of these jeans.” Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look. She hadn’t thought about that before, but, of course, his pants were uncomfortably tight by now. Hermione let go of Harry long enough for both of them to remove their pants. As soon as they had gotten rid of the offending fabric, Hermione pulled Harry down next to her. Harry gathered her in his arms, and they started kissing and exploring each others bodies again. Hermione returned to stroking Harry. The passion he experienced made him feel bolder. He let his right hand wander between Hermione’s legs and started stroking her through the thin material of her panties.

He was rewarded by a deep moan. Harry followed his instincts, and soon found a rhythm that caused Hermione’s breathing to become shallow and her heart to beat faster. When she suddenly gripped his hand, Harry was afraid he had done something wrong until he realized that she was just removing her last piece of clothing. Harry gasped. Hermione was lying next to him completely naked and he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He stared at the girl next to him in awe, before leaning down to kiss her tenderly.

After a long and gentle kiss, Harry started to pleasure Hermione with his fingers again. He needed a few moments to find her clit, but when he hit it there was no doubt he had found the right spot. Hermione gasped and jerked her hips against his fingers, silently urging him to go on. Harry was amazed by Hermione’s reactions to his touch. She was moaning and sighing uncontrollably and gave in completely to his touch.

Feeling bold, Harry gently entered Hermione with a finger. She gasped at the first contact, but her face told him it wasn’t in pain. Harry explored her inner walls, trying to remember what he had read about that special spot and how to find it. Suddenly, Harry heard Hermione half gasp, half moan his name. He grinned proudly and started rubbing her G-spot with his index finger while massaging her clit with his thumb. Hermione closed her eyes and started panting. “Oh god, yes... Like that... right there... god, Harry, don’t stop!”

Harry was amazed to hear Hermione, his always rational, always controlled Hermione, moaning and muttering incoherent thoughts. He increased the speed of his ministrations and suddenly he heard Hermione scream his name. He felt her muscles contract around his finger and could see her whole body shake. She was cumming! He was giving Hermione an orgasm! Harry felt proud and extremely turned on.

He watched Hermione in awe. She was lying completely motionless, her eyes still closed. Her face was flushed and her breathing ragged. I have done this to her, Harry realized, amazed.

When Hermione hadn’t moved after a few minutes Harry began to feel a little worried.

“Hermione?” he asked softly, brushing a strand of messy curls out of her face. “Are you alright?”

Hermione opened her eyes and laughed at Harry’s confused expression.

“Alright? Harry, I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life. Where did you learn to do that?” She asked amazed.

Harry blushed. “I’m not sure if you really want to know,” he murmured.

Hermione tried to suppress a disapproving expression, with limited success.

“You mean you already did that with another girl?” she asked, trying, and failing to make her tone sound light.

“No!” Harry quickly reassured her. “I’ve never gotten further than first base with any other girl.”

“So, how did you learn to please a girl like that?” Hermione asked curiously.

Harry lowered his gaze when he explained. “My cousin Dudley has a lot of these magazines, you know … I think he has them only for the pictures, you know of …”

“... half-naked women?” Hermione helped.

Harry nodded, blushing further. “I was curious and when the Dursleys where eating out one evening, I snuck into Dudley’s room to take a look. I didn’t look at the pictures for long, just for a moment, really. After that, I looked through the articles. There were a lot of articles about what women liked in bed, and…well, I didn’t know much about these things and there was no one I could ask, so I…just read those magazines whenever the Dursleys weren’t at home.” Harry paused, still not daring to look up. “Do you think I’m a pervert now?”

To Harry’s surprise Hermione sat up and embraced him tenderly. He finally dared to look up and meet her gaze.

“No, I don’t think you’re a pervert, Harry. You were just curious, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve read books about these things, too. And I’m glad you did. Very glad,” she added with a smirk.

Harry was relieved to hear Hermione wasn’t mad at him. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her longingly. Hermione could feel Harry’s erection between her thighs while she was returning his kiss passionately. She pulled back and gave Harry a coy grin. “It’s your turn.”

Harry wasn’t able to formulate a reply, when Hermione started to massage him through his boxers. It didn’t take her long to find exactly the right amount of pressure to make him moan and pant. “Hermione...you have to stop this or I won’t last...any longer.” Hermione stopped her ministrations and gave Harry a gentle kiss.

“Wouldn’t want to risk that,” Hermione replied. She gently pushed Harry on his back, and he let her remove his boxers. Harry was finally lying next to her in all his naked glory, and Hermione gasped at the sight of his fully erect penis.

Harry blushed. He felt very self-conscious under Hermione’s gaze. Sensing his discomfort, Hermione lay down beside Harry and kissed him gently, reassuring him. Harry returned the kiss eagerly, and let his hands wander over her body again. Lying there completely naked, with a naked Hermione in his arms, exploring her body, and being caressed by her in return felt amazing. It was nearly enough to make him orgasm right then and there.

“Harry, I need you inside of me,” Hermione whispered breathlessly.

“Are you sure?” Harry asked, and Hermione nodded.

There was nothing Harry would rather do then fulfil her wish, but he still hesitated.

“Hermione, I don’t know how to do this without hurting you,” Harry confessed and looked at her worriedly.

Hermione smiled at his concern, “Don’t worry about that," she simply said.

Harry thought he hadn’t heard her right. “How could I not worry about that? I could never forgive myself, if I hurt you.”

Hermione’s heart melted. There she was, in the arms of the boy she’d loved for years, about to make love to him and all he could think about was her well-being. Hermione stroked Harry’s hair lovingly.

“It’s alright, really. I will be fine. I don’t care if it hurts a little. All I want is to feel you inside me.”

Harry kissed Hermione tenderly and positioned himself on top of her. He gently probed her entrance with the tip of his cock, while kissing Hermione again. Then, he started to rub himself up and down her walls teasingly.

God, that feels good. Harry could feel that Hermione was very wet for him, and he was glad for that because he couldn’t contain himself much longer. With the last bit of willpower he possessed, Harry forced himself to enter Hermione very slowly. He went inside her only a few inches at first, tenderly placing kisses at her lips, her cheeks, her neck, and the sensitive area behind her ear. Harry slowly pushed inside her a little further, until he could feel a barrier. God, this feels amazing. The sensation nearly drove Harry crazy with need, but he forced himself to stop and kiss Hermione long and tenderly. When Hermione started to clench her inner muscles around him probingly, Harry couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He pulled halfway out, just to push inside her all the way in the next second. He heard Hermione gasp in pain, and the sound brought Harry back to reality.

Harry looked up and saw that Hermione’s eyes were firmly closed. “Hermione, I’m so sorry,” Harry apologized, startled.

Hermione opened her eyes, and met Harry’s concerned gaze. “It’s okay. It only hurt for a second,” she reassured him.

Harry studied her face, trying to see if she was telling the truth.

“I’m really fine,” Hermione said. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It just feels a little strange, but I think that’s normal.”

Harry sighed relieved and kissed Hermione again. Now, that Hermione had reassured him that she wasn’t in pain, Harry wasn’t distracted from the amazing feeling of being inside her anymore. Feeling Hermione’s warmth surrender to him was the most pleasant sensation he had ever experienced. She was so tight and wet and Harry desperately wanted to move. He needed to give Hermione time to adjust to his size though; he didn’t want to be a prick and concentrate on his own pleasure without making sure Hermione was comfortable.

Hermione could feel Harry tense and saw sweat glistering on his forehead. She smiled up at him. “It’s okay, Harry, you can move. I won’t break.”

Harry was happy to obey. He started to move in and out slowly and soon Hermione started to meet his thrusts.

“Oh god, Hermione! Feels so good,” Harry moaned and Hermione grinned proudly. She quickly got used to the feeling of having Harry inside of her and it started to feel quite good. Seeing the ecstasy in Harry’s face and hearing him moan her name was an added bonus. She loved that she could do this to him.

Hermione caressed Harry’s bare back and started gently sucking on his throat, where she could feel his racing pulse. Harry gasped when he felt her lips and tongues working their magic on his sensitive flesh.

“Hermione...I think... I can’t…hold on…much longer.”

“It’s alright, Harry,” Hermione whispered in his ear. “Let go. Come for me Harry.”

Harry stopped fighting against his release and moments later, his eyes fluttered shut and he screamed Hermione’s name when he came harder than he had ever thought possible. Completely sated, Harry collapsed on top of Hermione.

Harry had no idea how long he had lain there, in Hermione’s arms, still joined with her, when he eventually came down from his high and started to perceive his surroundings again. His head was nestled between Hermione’s breasts and he could feel her gently stroking his hair. Harry slowly pulled out of Hermione, and she let out a disappointed sigh.

“Wow,” was all Harry managed to say.

Hermione laughed. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“Really?” Harry asked, suddenly looking guilty again. “I mean, I wasn’t very good. You didn’t...you know. I’m sorry.”

Hermione kissed Harry gently. “Stop apologizing, Harry. Making love with you was wonderful. I’ve never felt as complete and as loved as I did when you made love to me, and I can’t wait to do it again. Besides, you already gave me the most amazing orgasm today. It was your turn.”

Harry smiled proudly and pulled Hermione into his arms. “The most amazing orgasm?”

Hermione laughed and playfully punched Harry. “Harry, you can be such a guy sometimes.”

“If I didn’t make that clear before my statement, I did something wrong,” Harry replied smirking.

Hermione rolled her eyes and then met Harry’s lips for a long kiss. When they pulled away, the playful smirk had left Harry’s features and had been replaced by an expression of pure love and adoration.

“I love you, so much,” Harry whispered, caressing her cheek.

“I love you, too. More than I can express with words.”

Harry pulled Hermione closer, and she snuggled against him, resting her face on his chest, closing her eyes. Harry gently covered Hermione with the blanket, and kissed her forehead, before closing his eyes as well. It didn’t take long until they both were fast asleep. For Harry, it was the first good night’s rest in months.

For the first time since they had started their hunt for the Horcruxes, Harry wasn’t tormented by nightmares, visions, or insomnia. He knew that the next months wouldn’t be easy, and that he still had to face Voldemort. But tonight, his heart and his dreams were filled with nothing but Hermione.

Chapter 5

When Harry awoke from the first restful sleep in months, he was disappointed when he realized that Hermione wasn’t sleeping next to him. Harry quickly put on his boxers and started searching for Hermione. He found her sitting in an armchair, reading a book.

“Good morning,” Harry greeted her smiling. Hermione returned Harry’s smile brightly and quickly walked up to him, giving him a thorough good morning kiss. Harry pulled Hermione in his arms and returned her kiss gently. “I missed you when I woke up alone this morning,” Harry admitted.

Hermione gently caressed Harry’s cheek and smiled shyly at him. “You looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake you up, but when I lay next to you, watching you sleep, the memories of last night came back so vividly and all I wanted to do was kiss and touch you all over again. So I got up, before I couldn’t control the temptation any longer,” Hermione confessed.

Harry grinned at her admission. It was good to know that Hermione was as crazy about him as he was about her. “You don’t have to control the temptation now...”

Hermione smiled and kissed Harry thoroughly, letting her hands explore his naked chest. Harry closed his eyes and returned Hermione’s tender kisses and caresses. It didn’t take long for their kiss to become more heated. Hermione started to tease Harry’s nibbles with her finger tips and Harry reacted by gently kneading Hermione’s breasts through her sweater, causing her to moan. Harry wondered if someday, these sounds coming from Hermione would lose their effect on him. Right now, he doubted that. The young man could already feel his body react to these sensual sounds in combination with Hermione’s ministrations and the feeling of her soft breasts in his hands.

Hermione broke the kiss and grinned. “Feels like someone is eager to repeat last night’s activities.”

Harry returned her grin coyly. “I’d love to.” Suddenly feeling insecure, Harry added, “If you want to, of course.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Of course, I want to. I thought that was pretty obvious last night.” Harry smiled brightly and pulled Hermione towards him for another long and passionate kiss. This time it was Harry who took Hermione’s hand and guided her towards the bedroom. “You’re overdressed.” Harry stated when they were both lying on the still enlarged bed.

“Then we have to solve the problem, don’t we?” Hermione decided and started to undress in front of Harry agonizingly slowly. Hermione stripped down to her underwear and then sat down next to Harry, who was still in his boxers.

“We’re even now.” Hermione stated with a sly grin. “It’s your turn.” Before Harry had a chance to respond, Hermione pushed him gently, so that he was lying on his back.

Afterwards, the young woman started kissing a line from Harry’s chest down to his belly button. And she didn’t stop there. Her kisses wandered lower and lower and eventually, Hermione started to pull down his boxers. Is she really going to do what I think she is going to do? Harry thought astonished. Before he managed to say something, he heard a very familiar voice anticipating his question.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Ron Weasley asked angrily. Harry and Hermione had been so busy with each other that they hadn’t heard the third member of the golden trio enter the room.

"Ron!" Hermione quickly grabbed the blanket to cover herself and stared at her friend, not knowing what to say or do. Harry was equally stunned.

Before one of them had recovered enough to say something, Ron spoke again.

"Never mind, don't answer my question. I don't need an answer anyways. The situation is as obvious as it could be. I thought you guys would be happy to see me, but obviously, I'm just the odd one out to you. Haven't I always been? You know what? I'm leaving. I'm sure you don't mind," Ron shouted and left the tent.

"Ron!" Hermione called, but Ron didn't even turn around. Hermione looked at Harry. "I have to go after him. We can't let him leave like this."

Harry nodded. "I'll come with you."

Hermione gave Harry a skeptical look. "Harry, I know Ron is your friend, too and you want to talk to him. But, frankly, you're probably the last person in the world he wants to see right now."

Harry had to admit that Hermione was right, as usual. "Okay, just go and talk to him," he reluctantly agreed.

Hermione got dressed as quickly as possible and hasted out of the tent, hoping that she would manage to catch up with Ron before he walked out of her's and Harry's life for good.

She found herself facing the same Dilemma as Harry had the day before: She had no idea which direction Ron had taken. Hermione called her friend's name as loud as she could, hoping he was still in hearing distance. After a few moments she heard footsteps nearing and walked in the direction of the sound. A moment later, Hermione spotted Ron's bright red hair behind some narrow standing trees.

"Ron! I was afraid you'd already be too far away to hear me. I really need to talk to you. "

"You do?" Ron asked furiously. "I'm surprised. Thought you were to busy with Harry to even give good old Ron a second thought."

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! How can you said that after all we've been through together?! We've been friends for seven years now. Do you really think I would just throw that away? Maybe you're just judging me by your own standards. After all it's been you who just ran away and left your friends," Hermione replied, as angry as Ron.

"I came back! I came back because I realized that I'd been a total git to leave you two like that, okay? I thought you'd miss me! But it didn't look like that!" The redhead shouted back.

"You think we didn't miss you?!" Hermione asked disbelieving. "Damn, Ron, I cried myself to sleep every night after you left! Harry barely slept at all! He lay awake for hours before falling asleep, just to be woken up by a nightmare of You-Know-Who a few hours later!"

"Well, it didn't look like you cried yourself to sleep last night," Ron said, looking accusingly at Hermione, but sounding a little less angry.

"No, I didn't," Hermione admitted, quickly contemplating what she wanted to tell Ron.

"Harry was really down after you left, Ron. He insisted to wear that damned locket every night. He wanted to give me the opportunity to have a restful sleep when I was exhausted after wearing the locket during the day. The locket made his nightmaresmuch worse though. He had these visions of You-Know-Who every night and was too shaken to go back to sleep after these dreams. Yesterday, I tried to help Harry shield his mind from Voldemort by training Occlumency with him. Somehow that ended up with Harry seeing a memory of me that gave away my feelings for him. After that, he finally worked up the courage to tell me that he feels the same. I know what happened between me and Harry was sudden, but none of us knows how much time we’ve left together. He could die Ron! Or I could. Nobody knows what the future will bring. I just want to give and take as much love as I can today, in case there won’t be a tomorrow for Harry and me. I’ve loved Harry for a long time, Ron. I care a lot for you, but only in a friendly way. I’m sorry that this hurts you, but I can’t change the way I feel. Please don’t walk away like that, Ron. If you do, this might be the last conversation we ever have.”

Ron was stunned for a moment, when he realized that Hermione was right. If he left his friends now, he might never see them again. “That’s not what I want, Hermione. I don’t want to leave you and Harry to fight on your own. I just… I need some time. I thought we might have a future together, Hermione! Seeing you with Harry, like that, was a shock. You can’t expect me to leap for joy!”

Hermione gave her friend an apologetic look. “I don’t expect anything like that. I know I hurt you and I’m so sorry. I should have told you long ago, that I love you as a friend and nothing more. I didn’t want to hurt you and I thought I might start to like you the way you like me when we start dating. But I didn’t and now I just ended up hurting you more than I would have, if I had been honest right away. I just hope this won’t destroy our friendship. It would be horrible for me to lose you and I know Harry would be devastated, too.”

Ron nodded. “Yeah, I know. Just give me some time alone, okay?”

“It’s okay. Take as much time as you need. We will wait for you,” Hermione promised.

She watched Ron leave and turned around to go back to Harry.

Meanwhile, Harry had been sitting in an armchair, watching the tent entrance. He was fighting with a bunch of different emotions. On the one hand, he really hoped Hermione could convince Ron to come back. Ron had been his closest friend since he was eleven and it had hurt Harry very much when he had left. It would mean a lot to him to have Ron by his side again. On the other hand, he had enjoyed the newfound togetherness with Hermione and he knew they couldn’t act that openly as a couple with Ron being with them anymore. The selfish side of him would miss that. And there was this little part of him, that noticed how eager Hermione had been to follow Ron as quickly as possible. This part noted that Hermione had wanted to speak to Ron in private and that she hadn’t taken the time to give Harry a kiss before she left. Stop thinking like that! Harry reprimanded himself. Ron is her friend. Our friend! She just doesn’t want to lose him. She loves you, she told you so yesterday. Even though Harry kept telling himself that there was no need to be jealous, he couldn’t fight of the jealousy completely.

Given his current state of mind, Harry wasn’t sure if he should be relieved when he saw Hermione enter the tent or disappointed that she came alone. Harry carefully studied her face. She looked serious and sad. That was probably a bad sign. But she didn’t cry like she had when Ron had left last time. Maybe that was a good sign.

“I guess it didn’t go that well?”Harry asked.

Hermione went up to Harry, sat down on his lap and placed her arms around his neck. She needed Harry close to her right now. “Better than I expected, actually. Ron was really angry, but when I told him what we went through without him and that he might never see any of us again, if he leaves us to fight alone, he calmed down. He said he needed time to accept this, though. I promised we would wait for him.”

Harry nodded. After a moment of silence, he told Hermione: “I’m sorry.”

Hermione looked at Harry confused. “Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry that you have to live like this because of me. I’m sorry that you had to leave your parents. I’m sorry that you have to live in a freezing tent with too little food, always worrying about the future. And I’m sorry that you’ve no contact to any of your friends anymore and that you might lose Ron because of me, too. You deserve so much better,” Harry explained sadly.

Hermione couldn’t believe what she heard. “Harry, would you please stop apologizing all the time? I’m here because there’s no place I’d rather be than by your side. I love you more than anything else in the world. I’d be miserable if I were safely at Hogwarts, visiting my parents for Christmas like everything was alright, while you’re out here on your own. I’m where I belong.”

Harry didn’t know what to say, so he just pulled Hermione in a firm hug, holding her as close as possibly.He had no idea what he had done to deserve someone as wonderful as Hermione, but he would forever be grateful to have her by his side.

They didn’t know if they sat there for minutes or hours when they heard a sound at the tent entrance. Startled, they both grabbed their wands and pointed them at the door, but lowered them quickly when they heard Ron’s voice.

“Guys, it’s me. Is it safe to come in? I mean, are you dressed and everything?”

Hermione suppressed a laugh and Harry grinned.

“The coast is clear, mate. You can come in,” Harry answered and Hermione quickly stood up. It was clearly better if Ron didn’t find her sitting in Harry’s lap when he came in.

“Hi,” Ron sheepishly greeted his friends.

“Hi,” Harry answered, clearly embarrassed when he remembered how Ron had last seen him.

After a moment of awkward silence, Ron spoke again. “Listen, I want to come back. I want to help you both. You are my friends and I don’t want to leave you guys alone like this. I’ll come to terms with you two being together eventually. I just hope you know a damn good silencing spell, because I’m going to use the second bedroom and I sure as hell don’t want to hear what’s going on in yours, okay?”

Hermione smiled broadly at Ron. “Don’t worry, you won’t hear a thing.”

“Good,” Ron answered. “And Harry: If you hurt her, I’ll break your bones, you know that, right?”

Harry grinned. “I know.” Looking more severe he added, “You won’t have to. I’ll do anything in my powers to keep Hermione happy.”

Ron nodded and the three of them sat down at the kitchen table, after Hermione had made some tea.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Ron asked and Hermione gave him a furious glance. Ron chuckled. “Just kidding.”

Harry smiled when he watched the small exchange between his friends. Everything was back to normal and for the first time in ages, Harry had the feeling that things would be alright eventually. He didn’t know where to find the remaining Horcruxes or how to destroy them, but he believed that the three of them would find a way. They always had.