A/N: Chapter 3, yay! I've never posted chapters this quickly before… wow. It's another short one, but I think it gets the job done nicely.
Thanks so much to everyone who's read and reviewed so far; you're really making my day.
Also, did anybody else sit and constantly refresh the Chapter Statistics page the first time they posted something? I can't help myself! :)
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
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The festivities at Hogwarts lasted all that day, until the sun began to set and everyone was just too exhausted to celebrate any longer. People pitched in to clean up the grounds and then started Disapparating home (the wards having been broken by the battle). Harry, who had sobered up a little since Hermione had made him swear off Firewhiskey that morning, quickly ran around to find everyone he knew (The Weasleys, the Lupins, Neville, Luna, Hagrid and even Professor McGonagall) before they left, and told them that he was going to hold a little get-together at Grimmauld Place the next day around noon, to "catch up with everyone". He then located Hermione, who was nodding off against the tree they had spent most of the day lying behind. He smiled and gently prodded her back to alertness.
"Come on, love, everybody's leaving."
She sat up straighter and rubbed her eyes. "Mmm… leaving?" she repeated. "I'm guessing that means we're leaving too, right?"
"Right," said Harry. "Unless you'd rather sleep on the ground."
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'd prefer a proper bed," said Hermione. "Where are we going?"
"Grimmauld Place," he told her.
"Oh," she said, getting to her feet. "OK." She gave Harry a curious look when he reached out and took her hand in his.
"I can Apparate on my own, you know," she told him. "You're the one without the license. If anything, I should be Apparating you."
He smiled. "I know, 'Mione, but it gives us an excellent opportunity to hold hands without anyone getting too suspicious, doesn't it?"
She nodded. "Yeah, it does. I guess we ought to make the most of it, huh?"
Harry nodded. "We should. Now come on, I want to get some sleep, and by the looks of it, so do you."
She rubbed her eyes again with her free hand. "Mm-hm," she said sleepily.
"Well, try to stay awake long enough to Apparate, OK?" Harry asked with a grin. "I'd prefer it if you didn't end up leaving half of yourself here."
"I'll try," she said, grinning back drowsily. "But no laughing at me if I end up Splinching myself."
"All right. On three, then, and make sure to concentrate on the top step, just in case there's still a mob of Death Eaters outside," said Harry. "One, two…" He visualized Grimmauld Place as clearly as he could, making sure to put emphasis on the details of the top step, as that was where he was aiming to end up. "Three."
The two turned together and disappeared from the Hogwarts grounds, being pulled momentarily into the uncomfortable tube-like space that was Apparation. They reappeared on the top step of the dreary Number Twelve, a quick glance around telling Harry that there were no longer Death Eaters swarming the place. He tapped the door with his wand to unlock it and kept his wand hand raised, just in case someone had managed to get in. The house seemed quiet and none of the protective charms activated (they were probably deactivated, since Voldemort and Snape were dead), so Harry relaxed a little, still keeping his wand in his hand as a precaution. Hermione noticed.
"Harry," she said, "relax. Nobody's here."
"How can you be sure?" he asked. "If those protective charms don't activate anymore, anybody could be in-"
"Harry, just watch," she said, cutting him off as she pulled her wand from her pocket. "Homenum revelio," she said, and other than Harry feeling a weird sort of cold rush over him, the spell achieved the same result as it had the last time Hermione had cast it: dead silence. "See?" she asked, putting her wand back in her pocket. "No signs of life except for us."
Harry became slightly alarmed. "What about Kreacher?" he asked. Though the elf wasn't exactly his best friend, he still hoped that the little creature was all right. Kreacher had just led an army of house-elves in an attack against the Death Eaters, possibly saving the lives of many witches and wizards, hadn't he?
Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly. "The spell only detects humans, Harry. Kreacher's either here or at Hogwarts, where you sent him."
Harry nodded. "Right, right… I was worried for a minute there…"
Hermione smiled. "Wow, you were actually worried about Kreacher? That's new."
"Well… yeah, I guess I was a little worried about him," Harry admitted. "I mean, he's not the sweetest thing, but he's still… well, I don't want to say "mine", because that sounds pretty weird, but he's still… well, it's like he's part of my little makeshift family."
"Your what?" asked Hermione.
"Well, I do kind of have a makeshift family, don't you think? I mean, I haven't got any kind of real blood relation to anyone except for the Dursleys, but the Weasleys are like my adoptive family, and you're… well, I don't really know what part you'd be, but you're still very important. A while ago, I would have said that you were like my sister, but… well, I don't think I'd spend any length of time snogging my sister," he said with a grin. Hermione blushed a little and Harry continued. "And then there's Remus and Tonks, who are kind of like my uncle and aunt. Well, the Dursleys are technically my uncle and aunt," he admitted, "but everybody knows how much we hate each other. Teddy gets the closest to actual family, because he's my godson. And Kreacher… well, he's not really anything resembling an actual relation, but I still want him to be safe and healthy, like I would with anyone in my family."
Hermione pulled him into a hug the minute he had finished speaking. "Harry, that has to be one of the sweetest things I have ever heard you say."
"Yeah, well… I guess I can manage the sweet stuff once in a while…" said Harry, blushing a little as he hugged her back.
"I'm glad you've had a change of heart about Kreacher," she said.
"Well, he's not a bad little guy, I guess… I mean, he was pretty nice to us after I gave him that locket."
"I told you, Harry, he'll be nice if he's treated right," Hermione reminded him.
"Yeah, you were right, as always," Harry said as he gently broke their embrace. Hermione tried not to look terribly flattered by this, but Harry could see that she liked his little compliment. "But I think I was right about you needing some sleep," he added, seeing that she looked quite tired.
"You were definitely right about that," she said, rubbing her eyes again. "Sleep would be very welcome at the moment."
"Well, go on and find a room you like, then," said Harry. "Try not to be suffocated by the dust, though. And make sure you look around for Boggarts and giant spiders. Oh, and try not to get strangled by a bunch of murderous old robes, either."
"Oh, ha-ha," said Hermione. "You know that Kreacher's been keeping the place a lot cleaner nowadays."
"I know, I know," said Harry. "Go on," he repeated, "before you fall asleep on the floor."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You seem eager to get rid of me."
"Of course I'm not eager to get rid of you, I'm just trying to get you to go to bed before you faint."
"Get me to go to bed?" she repeated. "What about you?"
"I'm going too," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked, grinning. In the tent during the winter, the two had gotten into the habit of sleeping in the same bed (for warmth, they had always agreed whenever one of them began to wonder exactly how decent their nightly accommodations were) and had never quite given it up. Mrs. Weasley would probably have had a fit about it being improper, but Harry and Hermione didn't care. (Well, really, they were only sleeping in the same bed, not sleeping together!)
"Of course, if you want me to," he said.
"I most certainly do," she said. She grinned and threw her arms around him in another tight hug, making uncharacteristic puppy-dog eyes up at him. "I couldn't get to sleep without my teddy bear, could I?"
He rolled his eyes but smiled. "You know, you've turned into such a girl these past few months," he commented.
"I've always been a girl!" she protested. "It might've taken you and Ron three years to notice it, but-"
"I've always known you were a girl, 'Mione," Harry chuckled. "But lately you're actually acting like one, with the giggling and the snogging and the tackling your poor boyfriend to the ground and all."
She grinned and giggled. "That was fun."
"Yes, it was," Harry said with a smile. "And look, you're giggling. My point has been proven," he said triumphantly. "Hermione Granger has started to giggle! What's next, the sky turning yellow with purple polka dots?"
"Harry," she said, rolling her eyes, "I've always been like this, at least on the inside. I just never had anyone to show this side of me to, that's all."
Harry looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"
Hermione sighed. "Everybody always expects me to be the oh-so-serious Hermione Granger, top of her class, devoted follower of rules and the biggest killjoy in the history of the world. Nobody wants to know if Hermione Granger giggles or not, as long as she brings in the house points and keeps the Gryffindor hourglass nice and full. Except for you, though," she added, smiling up at him. "You let me giggle."
"Of course I do," he said, kissing her forehead and holding her tight. "Oh, 'Mione, I didn't know it was like that for you. I thought you liked being the oh-so-serious Hermione Granger."
"I do, sometimes," she said. "Part of me is the oh-so-serious Hermione Granger, but I don't want to be like that all the time. As I said, I'm still a girl. I giggle. I like snogging my boyfriend. And I especially like having someone to cuddle with before I fall asleep," she said contentedly, snuggling into his chest.
"Well, stuff me and call me a teddy bear," Harry chuckled. "And as girly as this sounds, I have to admit that I don't mind the cuddling either," he told her, blushing a little. "But I reserve the right to deny ever saying that if you let it slip to anyone."
"Aww, how sweet," she said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But I'm not to be held responsible if I accidentally call you my teddy bear in front of Tonks or someone," she warned him, grinning. Tonks was the worst person to let those sorts of things slip around, because she would never, ever let you live it down.
"Let that slip and I might have to tickle you to death," he threatened, and before Hermione could react, he had tackled her in a perfect imitation of how she had tackled him that morning and was tickling her senseless, making her shriek with laughter.
"Harry James Potter - I'm going to - kill you!" she gasped through her mirth, trying to wriggle away from him.
"Ooh, when the full name comes out, I know I'm in trouble," he said, rolling his eyes and looking mock-terrified at the same time. He tickled her for a moment longer before he finally stopped.
"Honestly, Harry," she panted, breathless from too much hysterical laughter. "Are you trying to kill me or what?"
"Nah, of course not. Whomever would I snog, with you gone?" he asked innocently.
"Nobody," she said firmly. "I wouldn't let you."
"Really? Would you haunt me or something?" he asked.
"Probably. How could I ever exist without my Harry?" she asked sweetly.
"You couldn't," he said. "I'd have to bring you back with the Re-" He stopped suddenly and got a curious look from Hermione.
"Harry? What is it?" she asked.
"It's nothing," he said quickly, running a hand through his messy hair. "Nothing important. Come on, let's get to bed," he said, changing the subject quicker than you could say 'Quidditch'. "It's late."
"OK," she said, still looking rather confused by his sudden subject change and curious about why he had suddenly cut his sentence short like that. She took the hand that he offered to help her up and got to her feet, searching his face for any indication of what was bothering him, but finding none. She let him lead her through the house until they stopped in the doorway of a room that she recognized as the one that Harry and Ron had stayed in during the summer before their fifth year at Hogwarts. She was surprised that he still remembered it.
"This one all right, 'Mione?" he asked her.
"Yup," she replied. "See? I told you that Kreacher would have kept everything clean," she added, gesturing around the spotless room. Not a speck of dust was present on anything.
Harry nodded. "So, you'll get changed here and I'll take the bathroom?"
"Sure," she replied, digging through her bag until she found a pair of his pyjamas. "Here you go."
"Thanks," he said, before heading back downstairs and leaving a bemused Hermione standing in the doorway.