Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hi! I know it has been ages, but I've had a lot going on, and very little motivation for this chapter. I'm just ready to get passed all this boring stuff and get where I wanna be! Haha. Anyway, I'll reply to reviews sometime today(?) hopefully. Not much time now, so I'm gonna make this short. Not much going on, but the next chapter should be pretty big. I'll post soon-promise!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. There is a Degrassi reference kinda-high five to anyone who catches it.

CHAPTER TEN: A True Slytherin Underneath

But we're never gonna survive unless
We get a little crazy
No we're never gonna survive unless
We are a little...

"Crazy" ALANIS MORISSETTE

***

Using her wand, Hermione splashed water on her cousin's face.

Jerking awake and upon seeing a small water fountain shooting out of the thin stick in her cousin's hand, Jenna instantly moved back, falling off the bed. She scrambled to her feet and flew up against the wall. "What in the bloody hell, Hermione!?" She exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

Hermione held her hands out diplomatically, palms up to show no harm. "Stay calm. I know this is a lot to take in." Hermione tossed her wand on her bed. "Please, sit down, so I can tell you about this."

Shaking slightly, Jenna slowly returned to the bed, speechless.

Hermione nodded. "Okay, just clarifying here. I am a witch." She repeated. "Do you understand this?"

Jenna gave a small nod.

"And do you believe me?" Hermione continued, her voice unrushed and giving her cousin all the time she needed to digest this bizarre scrap of information.

Jenna's slow head-shake of "no" gradually turned into a muted shrug of her shoulders.

"Okay, I can work with that." Hermione replied. "Take as much time as you need. Just…just let me know when you're ready to talk about it."

Hermione made to lean back but before she could her cousin blurted out, "What the bloody fuck, Hermione!? You're…you just…water and the stick and-and-and…I think I'm going to faint again."

"You aren't going to faint again." Hermione assured her, snapping her fingers in front of Jenna's face. "Um, I guess I'm just going to talk, and you can listen, and if you have any questions-I'm sure you have a lot of them-well, just ask, but let me talk too, okay?" She laughed.

Jenna nodded mutely, and then raised her hand slightly.

"What? You don't have to raise your hand." Hermione said, looking her raised hand absurdly.

"How long have you known? Uncle Daryl and Aunt Sharon-are they? Wow, this is bizarre." She concluded, eyes wide in disbelief.

"No, my parents aren't. They-and you-are what the Wizarding world refers to as `Muggles.' It means you don't have magical abilities. And I've known since I was eleven. I didn't do anything about it until I was fourteen." Hermione answered her. "Do…do you want me to tell you about it?" She asked.

Jenna nodded again.

"Okay, it's kind of a long story, but I'm just going to touch down on some of the basics. When I was eleven, I got a letter of acceptance into a Wizarding school called Hogwarts. It all came out then. My dad had heard legends about it, but never really thought they were true-I get it from his side of the family. There haven't really been many of us cropping up in the family, and whenever it did happen…well, no one embraced the Wizarding community. To make a long story short-the Grangers were exiled from the Wizarding world a very long time ago." Hermione explained briefly.

"Anyway, so nothing happened. When I was fourteen, I got a note giving me directions to a magical library. The letter-I think-was written by Albus Dumbledore, who is the headmaster of Hogwarts. Well, I went to the library, and Clarence-the Liberian-took me under her wing and taught me most of my magical education. In the Wizarding world, a witch comes Of Age at seventeen. They attend Hogwarts for seven years. Last summer, I received my last Hogwarts letter. I was seventeen-soon-to-be eighteen. It was my last chance to go to the school. I had been practicing and learning with Clarence for several years now. I tested with the headmaster, and was granted acceptance. When I told I went to a boarding school last year…I really went to Hogwarts. It was the first time I've ever been in the Wizarding world, except at the library with Clarence." Hermione told Jenna, who was mesmerized by Hermione's tale.

"I graduated from Hogwarts in June, and now…now I don't know what I'm going to do. And that's pretty much it." Hermione concluded.

"That's unbelievable. Can…can you do magic again?" Jenna asked, a little shy now-something Hermione had never seen before.

Hermione laughed. She picked up her wand, flicked it, and caused a pillow to levitate in the air.

"Wow." Jenna whispered, not hiding her shock. "I…I can't believe it…but…but I mean, I see it, and…and it's right there!" She gestured at the floating pillow.

"I want to show you something." Hermione said, a glint in her eye. She opened her trunk and pulled out a photo album she had made during her time at Hogwarts. "This is Hogwarts."

Jenna rushed over to Hermione's side so she could see the album too. Hermione flipped open the cover to the first picture. It was a Muggle picture, unmoving in its frame. Hermione smiled. "That's Ron and Draco, and Harry-well you already know him." She said softly, looking at the picture of the four of them. It had been taken during one of the last few days at Hogwarts. Harry's arm was wrapped around her waist, with Ron to his left and Draco on her right, all with arms slung around each others' shoulders.

She turned the page. "That's Hogwarts." Hermione breathed quietly.

"Holy shit-this picture over here is moving!" Jenna said, astonished.

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, Wizarding photos do that. Anyway, this will show you a lot about the school. The sports. The people. The professors." Hermione said, flipping the page.

For the next half an hour, Hermione went through the large photo album with her cousin, pointing out all the various things she had been able to capture with her modified camera.

"This is the Transfiguration professor. And Flitwick teaches Charms." Hermione said, pointing to two photos of her professors. Harry and Ron each had an arm about McGonagall and were giving a `thumbs up' while the older woman gave the hint of a smile between the two Gryffindors. With Flitwick, he had been a good sport and was standing on Draco's shoulders, who was on his knees, and the professor and Harry posed with their backs to each other and their arms crossed across their chests. Ron was photobombing in the background, making silly distorted faces.

"Wow, he looks scary!" Jenna said, pointing another photo on the next page. Snape-who would not cooperate with Hermione's desire to have a photo of all of her professors-was holding Harry by the scruff of his robes and had his wand pointed at him. In the picture, it looked like just another silly pose. Ron had snapped the picture then ran for his life out the door.

Hermione laughed. "That would be the Potions Master. The unfortunate part of this one is that it isn't actually posed. Snape really is threatening Harry here, and Harry ended up with detention. He's not very nice to a lot of the students."

Hermione looked at the next picture. It was simple. She stood smiling by Snape's desk while he sat behind it, looking up at the camera. No smile. No smirk. His expression-even in the moving photograph-was emotionless. He had been part of the saving of her life. She wanted something to remember him, and after he wouldn't cooperate with Harry's photo, she finally managed to get to him take this one with her.

"He looks a bit like a vampire, like a scary vampire, not a Twilight vampire obviously. Like…like Count Dracula or something." Jenna observed before clapping her hand over her mouth. "Oh-my-gosh, is he vampire!?"

Hermione gave her a half-smile. "No, he isn't a vampire, he's just creepy sometimes. But deep down…he's good, I promise. Somehow, over the course of the year, we came to an understanding." She said softly, and realized she actually missed the miserable old bat.

"That's Dumbledore." Hermione said, pointing to a picture of herself and Harry with the Headmaster. "He's completely brilliant."

"He looks like a wizard. Look at his beard!" Jenna exclaimed.

Hermione grinned. "Yeah, he does have that look. Anyway, keep going."

Pages and pages were filled with Hogwarts memories. Ginny. Luna. The Common Room. Hagrid and his hut. Fang. The beautiful lake and even the giant squid. Harry holding the cup from his last match, standing on the podium with the trophy thrust in the air.

Hermione did her best to describe Hogwarts, but it was difficult. Her words couldn't capture the beauty of the village of Hogsmeade covered in snow, like a Christmas card. She couldn't describe the fumes of a perfect potion that caused her hair to grow even bushier as she stirred over her cauldron. The very presence of power one felt in Dumbledore's office, as if he had the answer to everything. Or the severity of McGonagall's glare. The magical atmosphere in the Common Room at the end of the evening, sitting in front of the fire, carefree laughter bubbling from corner to corner. The ginormous twelve Christmas trees Hagrid lugs in every year, and that get decorated so extravagantly that you know magic must be involved. The ceiling of the Great Hall-so majestic it would make the Sistine Chapel look like a child's work. There were no Muggle comparisons to even begin to give justice to Hogwarts-secrets and surprises around every corner.

***

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) GREEN DAY

***

"You miss it. You miss it a lot." Jenna observed, her voice soft as she caught the faraway look in Hermione's brown eyes.

Hermione nodded and tried to discretely wipe away the tears that gathered at the corners of her eyes. "I do. It's…amazing doesn't even begin to describe Hogwarts. I hate that I only went for one year."

"You said something about the Grangers not participating in the Magical world." She looked down at the photo album in her lap. "Why would anyone turn this down?" She wondered aloud.

"I don't have time to go into too much detail-it would take hours and there is still a lot to talk about. But like normal people, not all wizards are good. There was one that…went very very bad. Grangers already didn't have the best reputation because there was a lot of bad blood centuries ago. Anyway, this wizard...he was evil. Called himself a Dark Lord. He was part of the Granger family. He killed a lot of people. He believed Muggles were an abomination, as well as mixing Muggle and Wizard blood. He was defeated about seventeen years ago. Grangers were already disliked and unofficially exiled. As far as I know, he was the first one in a long time to attend Hogwarts, and no Granger has attended since. Me going to Hogwarts…that was big. A lot of people didn't like it. But they got over it. Realized I wasn't anything like him, or my ancestors." Hermione explained slowly so her cousin could catch it all.

Jenna nodded. "That sucks."

Hermione shrugged. "A little bit."

"What's wrong with Muggles?" She asked, slightly offended.

Hermione laughed. "Some people are just ridiculous. I mean, it's a prejudice, really. It still exists among some even. Blood statuses. See, I'm what they call Muggleborn-it means both of my parents are Muggles. Harry is a Half-Blood-his father is a pureblood but his mother is a Muggleborn like me. If there is any known Muggle ancestry, they are normally known to be half. Ron and Draco-both Purebloods, so their parents and ancestors are all from Wizarding heritage. Some might consider a couple of Wizarding generations enough to be Pureblood, but anyway, that's not important. The Dark Lord, he was a Half-Blood, and wanted to root out all Muggles because they were inferior. He was just a power-hungry control freak, really." Hermione smiled, trying to put her cousin at ease because the look on her face was one of slight terror.

"Okay." Jenna replied, still looking a little alarmed.

Hermione reached into her trunk and pulled out her camera. "I have pictures from Cliffenshire that I want to develop in a special potion to make them move. Do you want to help me?"

Jenna's uneasiness vanished and she nodded, eyes wide with excitement to see more magic.

Hermione grinned. "Let's get started then."

Half an hour later, on small table Hermione had conjured, her cauldron floated over a small flame. Jenna had just dropped the last ingredient into the bubbling potion-the film Hermione had modified her digital camera to use for this very purpose-and various scenes from the summer shimmered on the surface. The ocean. The cliffs. Surfing. Playing video games. Harry's party and his new motorbike.

"Wow." Jenna breathed, watching the scenes unfold.

"Yeah." Hermione agreed, watching the magic as well. "Alright, now we will just need to drop these blank photos in there, and they will slowly start to rise up out of the cauldron when they are done. We will just hang them up on these strings to let them dry," Hermione said, pointing to the several strings she had hung for the photos like clotheslines.

Once the photos began to rise, and her cousin was preoccupied with hanging the moving pictures, marveling at each one, Hermione was ready to lead their talk to her plans for Greece.

"I told you about all of the amazing things-well, not all, there are too many-but I've told you a lot of the amazing things at Hogwarts. But you remember what I said about them being against my family, right?" Hermione said, keeping her tone light.

Only paying Hermione about half of her attention, Jenna nodded.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath. "Well, like anything else, you have to take the bad in with the good. See, there was this bloke…his name was Avery…"

Ten minutes of storytelling about her attacker was met with silence and a look of horror from her cousin. Holding a picture in midair and slack-jawed, she could only stare at Hermione in shock. Finally, she managed to find her voice, "Just what kind of hell school is this!?" She demanded, dropping the picture.

Hermione held out her hands to calm her cousin, ready to pull the same strings she had with Blaise. "So you can understand my anger at this bloke-this bastard?"

Jenna nodded furiously. "I'd chops off his man bits, Hermione. I swear…how could he do that?"

Hermione decided not to continue with telling her Voldemort had returned and that Avery was working for him. It might scare her too much. Instead, she got straight to the point. "And so now, I need a favor, cousin. I need a really really big favor," she said, bending over to pick up the fallen picture her cousin had dropped-a snapshot of Harry playing on the Xbox, unaware of her behind him with her camera.

***

Hours later, Hermione lay awake in her bed, eyes on the ceiling. Her cousin slept in the next room, no doubt completely exhausted. They had stayed up well into the early morning. In fact, she would be waking soon to start the day. She had a lot to get done, and very little time to do it.

Her conversation with Jenna had gone very much like her conversation with Blaise. More worries. More resistance. Less understanding.

Same answer in the end after too much begging.

She could count on her cousin to cover for her, to help Blaise. She was very unhappy about it, quite pissed actually. On some level, however, she understood Hermione's wishes. She understood Hermione could force her go along with it, but wasn't going to do that. She was asking-asking for trust, asking for understanding with a promise of going on another trip sometime. She understood Hermione wouldn't ask this if it wasn't important.

Hermione sighed. She needed to get some sleep, but it wasn't coming. Finally, she rolled out of bed, grabbed her running pants, and headed for her mother's treadmill. "Damn you Harry Potter." She grumbled.

***

"Are you sure this is okay?!" Jenna asked, her expression both filled with worry and excitement.

Hermione shrugged. "Honestly, I haven't a clue, which is why you have to be cool." Hermione reminded her jumpy cousin. Hermione parked her parents' SUV in a parking lot near her destination and then hopped out of the vehicle, Jenna following suit. They walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner to Charming Cross Road. "Okay, I'm not sure how this works. I don't think you'll be able to see it unless I point it out. I know Muggle parents have been to this place before-Harry told me in passing once that he saw a mate of his here with his mum. Now, right there, what do you see?" Hermione asked, pointing to the small pub nestled in the corner.

"The record shop? A book store?" Jenna said, her untrained eyes sliding from the shop on the left of the pub to the one directly to the right of it.

Hermione wasn't sure how this worked. She shook her head. "No, look closer. Between the record store and the bookshop-right there in the corner. Do you see a run-down pub?" She watched as her cousin's blank expression suddenly changed to one of bewilderment.

"Wow. How did I miss it? Um, it looks like an old pub, broken down and empty. Abandoned, I imagine." She said uneasily.

Hermione smiled. "Perfect. Now look even closer. See a sign that says THE LEAKY CAULDRON?" She asked, stepping closer to the pub she saw perfectly.

Jenna stepped closer as well. "Wait, maybe it isn't abandoned. It doesn't look too bad, I guess. I mean, it's dirty and a little run-down, but I see the sign now and…" She shook her head, as if trying to clear it. "That's weird. I swear it wasn't there. Then it was an abandoned building and now…I mean, it doesn't look too bad." She looked at Hermione for clarification.

"It is charmed so Muggles don't see it and go in. But when you are forced to see it, you see just a broken down pub. Once it's pointed out what it really is…then I think you can see it. I'm guessing so, anyhow. But c'mon, let's go inside." Hermione led her cousin into the small establishment. The room was relatively empty this early in the morning. She made a beeline for the back courtyard. Once they were there, she pulled out her wand. "Cousin, please, remember to be cool. I don't know if this is allowed, so it would be best if no one knew…knew what you were." She whispered, looking over her shoulder to the closed door.

Jenna nodded, eyes wide in anticipation.

Using her wand, Hermione tapped the centermost brick thrice, and marveled again as the brick wall gave way to a large archway leading into Diagon Alley. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, cousin." She said with a grin, looking over at Jenna's dropped jaw.

The alley was more crowded than before-students and parents bustling about getting last-minute supplies for Hogwarts. Hermione led her cousin through the crowd, enjoying the expression on Jenna's face.

Hermione gave her a quick tour, pointing out shops as they passed by them. Flourish and Blotts. Quality Quidditch Supplies. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"This is completely brilliant!" Jenna said excitedly, spinning around to take it all in.

"We'll be able to stop in a few shops, but let's pick up my order first." Hermione looked at her watch. "We have to meet Blaise at noon." Soon, the pair of them found the entrance of Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. Walking up to the counter, Hermione waited for the sales lady to finish up with her customer. Jenna walked around and looked at the various items on the shelves, mostly disgusting potion ingredients.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with, Miss?" A woman in her forties greeted Hermione, her blonde hair pulled back into a long plait that ran down most of her back.

Hermione smiled. "Yes. I put in an owl order. Stella Duncun." She replied, pulling out her Wizarding money, thankful she had enough and didn't have to do a currency exchange at Gringotts.

"Ah yes, I have it right here." The woman reached behind the counter and pulled out a large parcel. "Ten bottles of Polyjuice Potion, as well as two bottles of Extended Effects Elixir." She recounted, ripping open the parcel to show Hermione the items inside. With a satisfied nod from Hermione, the lady tapped her wand and the parcel's wrappings mended immediately.

If the woman had any misgivings or questions about why Hermione would need so much of the potion, she gave nothing away. Instead, she took Hermione's money that included a generous tip for her help, and sent Hermione on her way.

Hermione placed the parcel in her bag, fitting easily with her Undetectable-Extension Charm. "Now where would you like to go?" Hermione asked, looking over at her cousin once they left the apothecary.

"I don't know. I mean, everything just looks so fascinating and there is so much to look-oh-my-gosh, tattoos!" She said, spotting a small tattoo shop. Grabbing Hermione's hand, she dragged her across the alley-way and into the shop.

"Don't even think about it." Hermione said quietly, giving her cousin a meaningful look.

"Oh, I'm just looking!" Jenna said, brushing Hermione off before turning to the attractive tattoo artist with a coy smile. "Hello, I'm Jenna." She greeted flirtatiously.

"Jenna. That's a great name. I'm Finlay-my mates call me Fin." He replied, holding out his hand to shake hers.

"Fin…think I prefer Finlay more." Jenna said with a smile.

"Then Finlay it is, love. Thinking about a tattoo, are you?" He asked, gesturing to the samples surrounding them.

Jenna giggled. "Maybe. Can you tell me about them?"

Finlay chuckled. "Sure thing, love. Let's see. We have your basic Migraters, Metamorphosis, and Chameleons. Then we get into the Amphibs, Metagraters, Chamorphosis, and the slightly edgier Scarrings. What do you like?"

Another giggled escaped Jenna. "I have no idea what you mean by any of that."

"Most don't unless they are in the tattoo scene because I've made up all those names. I'm a bit of a Muggle biology nut-my father is a scientist." He laughed. "How about I show you?" He grabbed her hand and led her deeper into the shop with Hermione quickly following, alarmed. "Now I said your basics are Migraters-pretty self-explanatory there. The tattoo moves. A butterfly's wings flap. A smiley face might change according to mood. Whatever you want. Then the Metamorphosis is exactly as it sounds: the tattoo changes." He pointed to the paper in front of him where the words morphed from the word LIFE to DEATH. "Metagraters. Mix of the two. It changes and moves around. I've had a girl get doves change into butterflies as they flew around her ankle. Now the Chameleons change color. Amphibs-more commonly known as Back-and-Forth tattoos-change back and forth." He pointed to a tattoo on his shoulder blade of an angel. With his wand, he tapped it and it changed into a little devil. He winked. "Sometimes the angel doesn't get to come out and I've got to have the devil on both shoulders." He showed her his other shoulder that had the same little devil.

"Then the Chamorphosis is a mix of the Chameleons and Metamophasis-morphs and changes colors. As for scarring…" He pulled a picture from his collection and showed it to her. A man's last name was written across the top of his back, but instead of a potion and ink, it had been carved into his skin and created an elevated scarring.

"Wow. That's a little mad." Jenna said, putting to picture down.

Finlay grinned. "So what will it be, love?"

"She's not getting anything." Hermione interrupted, shaking her head. "We're not interested."

"Calm down, cousin. Be cool." Jenna said, using Hermione's own words against her. "So what's the difference between the…Amphrobs or whatever and the morph one? They sound the same to me."

Finlay shook his head. "Amphibs. The Back-and-Forth tattoo…that's for life. You put that on, and it changes the very make-up of your skin. It's also known as an Impervious tattoo. Nothing can change it. You can get something over it, and switch back and forth, but whichever one you put on with the Impervious Potion…that one will always overshadow the other. The Metamorphosis-it's constantly changing back and forth. Amphibs doesn't change unless…well, I suppose `activated' would be a good word." He laughed, using air quotes. "Amphibs are much more painful and cannot be removed."

Jenna nodded in understanding, "And this morph one…I really like the idea of that one." She began, but Hermione grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No, Jenna. Remember what we talked about?" She asked slowly.

Jenna sighed and looked back at Finlay wistfully. "But I shouldn't, as cool as it would be. Maybe some other time."

Finlay winked. "I'm sure I'll see you back in here. They always come back." He looked over at Hermione. "Maybe you should get inked-might loosen you up a bit."

Hermione shook her head. "No thank you. Jenna, it's time to go." She said, towing her cousin away from the attractive bloke she was still grinning at.

"Time to go." She called softly behind her regretfully. Once they reached the crowded again, Jenna sighed. "He was so cute, Hermione!" She whined.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "A magical tattoo? Really Jenna? You know you can't do that!" She hissed.

Jenna shrugged. "I thought maybe around my ankle would be cool."

Hermione shook her head. "And never wear shorts again? A swim suit? You have to protect the secret." She reminded her earnestly.

Jenna nodded. "I know." She replied in defeat.

"Good. Now we've really got to get going to meet Blaise." Hermione said, looking at her watch. Turning around to make a beeline for the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione's eyes passed over the crowd without thought until one face made her eyes widen and her breathing catch somewhere in her throat.

***

Harry's physical had gone well. He was in top condition. His passing certification was tucked in his back pocket, ready to be turned into the necessary personnel for him to begin his basic training. He checked the time, and saw that he still had about fifteen more minutes before his mother's lunch break. He headed for the lift that led to her floor.

Once he got to his mother's floor, he walked over to the main desk where a middle-aged brunette sat behind black-rimmed glasses dressed in pale blue robes with a crossed bone and wand splashed across her left breast pocket. "Harry!" She greeted him with a warm smile. "Oh, look how much you've grown! I swear you get taller every time I see you!" She gushed proudly.

Harry grinned in response. "Hello, Mrs. Perdint. How are you?"

"It's Ms. now, and don't you forget that! I'm back on the market there, young lad. And I can't help but notice just how handsome you've become!" She jokingly flirted with a wink.

Harry laughed in response. The woman before him was old enough to be his mother. "I'll keep that in mind, Ms." He replied, his smile broadening.

The receptionist giggled. "Oh pish-posh! I've already heard that you've got yourself a little girlfriend these days as it is." She commented, her sparkling eyes telling him she had been filled in quite nicely about Hermione, he was sure.

"You haven't been misinformed then, let me assure you." Harry responded, vaguely wondering what his mother could have possibly said.

"I hear she's very smart, very pretty-must be to have landed a brilliant catch like yourself. She's quite lucky."

"Oh, I'm the lucky one-trust me." Harry said, looking at the older woman with a grin, slightly surprised his mother had complimented Hermione so.

"And why are you so lucky, my son?" His mother's voice floated from behind him. He turned around to see her eyes on a clipboard in front of her, writing furiously before finally looking up.

He reached over and wrapped his arms around her. "To have a mum like you, of course." He said smoothly.

She returned his hug and placed a kiss of his forehead. "Of course you are, darling." She turned to address the receptionist. "Lauren, Elsie is going to need checked on in about ten minutes-I've already told Millie. I've sent Robert's blood in for testing-his nasty rash has flared up even worse now that the wanker Rick Strite went behind my back and did exactly what I told him not to do. Botched up half the progressed I've made so far! If you happen to see the healer anywhere, tell him it would be a good idea to go ahead and shove his wand up his ass now, or it will be even worse if I have to do it myself." She said, irritation tainting her voice.

Lauren laughed in response. "Oh, don't let him get to you, Lily. You know he just needs to feed his ego."

His mother straightened her lime green robes purposefully. "Yes well, next time that pompous git interferes with one of my cases again, the only thing he will be feeding is himself through a tube for a very, very long time." Lily said matter-of-factly, tossing her clipboard behind the counter. After taking a deep, calming breath, she turned back to her son, who was wearing a look mixed between apprehension and admiration. "I'm sorry, Son; he just really knows how to get under my skin! Ready for lunch?" She asked, changing her demeanor instantly, though Harry could tell she was still thoroughly brassed off with her fellow colleague.

"Yeah, just one second," Harry replied, patting down his pockets.

His mother gave him a quizzical look. "What are you looking for?" She asked.

"My wand," Harry replied, pulling it from his back pocket and shoving in his front one for safe keeping. "With you going around shoving wands up blokes' bums, I thought I might want to keep a better eye on mine. Exit only." He shivered in discomfort.

Lily rolled her eyes at her son and gave him a small push in the direction of the lift. "Oh, hush you!" She laughed.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair could be found at a small table in the cafeteria, trays of food before them.

"So how did your physical go?" Lily asked, taking a swig of her soda.

Harry shrugged in response before swallowing his food. "As well as I could have hoped, I suppose. Not like you don't have the file sitting on your desk right now or anything." He called her out coyly.

She gave him a look of astonishment. "I happen to have a large amount of respect for the confidentiality agreement between a patient and healer, as well as the patient's privacy, my son. Don't insult me."

Harry raised an eyebrow without saying a word.

"However," his mother continued, "As much as I love my job, I happen to be first and foremost the mother to my son, and I see nothing wrong with taking a glance at his files to ensure everything is alright." She gave him a guilty smile.

"Of course, Mum. So give me the dirty details then that he might have been holding back-am I dying?" Harry asked, looking concerned.

Lily shook her head. "You are so much like your father. I haven't looked at it yet, but I don't think you should be worried." She laughed.

Harry nodded. "Good. Can't go dropping at camp, now can I? Got to be in top form to run with the big blokes."

While his mother's smile remained in place, Harry could almost see her expression immediately harden. He knew how much she hated his career choice. He pretended not to notice her change in demeanor at his words, but an awkward silence settled between the two. Finally, Harry tossed his fork down and let out a sigh. "Mum, look, I know you aren't exactly fond of the idea of me becoming an Auror…but you have to see that it's only logical with…well, with current events." He insisted. "You can't possibly think it's a bad idea for me to better my fighting skills."

Lily looked down at her food, and replied in an even voice, "And you can't possibly understand my point of view, Harry." She sighed and finally, she looked up. Her expression and voice softened as she reached over and ruffled a small hand through his messy midnight hair in a way that only a mother could do. "It's not that I don't want you to better your skills-with what is going on, it is a must and I understand that. I just…even without…without…him in the picture, being an Auror is dangerous. I see them in here all the time-they have their own private ward with assigned beds even. Knowing you are heading down that same road…" She looked deeply into Harry's matching eyes, "It's rough, and not a future any mother would want for her son."

Listening to his mother's words did not scare Harry-he knew how dangerous his chosen profession could be. However, she did enlighten him to her side of things, and he could better understand her point of view. He never really thought about how while a lot of people knew about the dangers of being an Auror, his mother witnessed the injuries first hand. He reached over and squeezed her hand in understanding. "I never thought about that. And I'm sorry. But I wish you would worry less about me, Mum. I can do this-I want to do this. I want to be able to protect you, and protect Hermione. It's my job." Harry told her softly.

She shook her head. "No, Son, it's my job to protect you." Lily corrected him.

"I think the roles changed once I got taller than you, Mum." Harry laughed. Harry scooted his seat to the end of the table, so that he was sitting beside her and no longer across from her. "It's your job to be my Mum. To fix my scrapes and be in my corner. To worry about whether or not I'm making the right decisions, but supporting me anyway even through my mistakes. To let me make mistakes. And also, it's you job to let me do my job, to let me protect you from anything that I can. Because you're my mum, and I'm not ever going to let anything happen to you." He said, his voice growing serious.

"Just like you'll always be my little boy-I don't care how much stronger or bigger or smarter you think you are than me. Your life is my life-don't forget that." Lily replied, squeezing his arm affectionately.

Harry smiled. "I won't. And when did I ever say I was smarter than you?" He asked with a laugh. "Funnier? Yes. I don't ever recall saying smarter though."

Without warning, his mother chucked a spoonful of her mashed potatoes in his face. "Oh, you think you're funnier than I am now too?" She asked cheekily, the mood effectively lightened.

Harry grinned as he cleaned himself up. "Go ahead, I'll let you win this one."

Despite neither of them changing their opinions on the others' views concerning Harry's decision to become an Auror, their talk had shed more light and understanding for both of them. After a few minutes of light small talk, Lily asked what Hermione's plans were.

Impressed that his mother was voluntarily acknowledging his girlfriend, Harry responded easily, "Not much, actually. Um, you obviously remember Clarence-well Hermione is going to continue studying with her and helping her out at her library. Help with some brainy stuff with the Order-behind the scenes type of thing. Clarence's idea and I'm glad for it, to be honest. It will give Hermione something to do, but still keep her safe, I think."

"Oh really? I hadn't realized the two were so close." Lily replied offhandedly.

"I didn't tell you? Oh yeah, they're super close. She's Hermione's mentor, actually. Took her in, taught Hermione everything she knew before Hogwarts. Studied together almost on the daily. Before Hogwarts, Clarence was her only connection to the Wizarding World." Harry explained, scooping up a spoonful of food and taking a bite. After a few minutes, Harry noticed his mother hadn't said anything. "Something wrong?" He finally asked.

Lily gave him a tight smile. "Oh no, dear, just…just thinking about an old friend. I…I used to be quite close with Clarence myself." She disclosed quietly.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I mean, with…with what her husband did I can only imagine how close our families must have been."

"I've known her…" Lily let out a small laugh, "Well, almost my entire life, actually. I couldn't count the hours I spent in her library. We were close…I've…I've missed her." She trailed off softly.

Harry listened to his mother's words silently, seeing that she truly did miss the woman. "Maybe you should go see her. I was nervous about officially meeting her, with what happened to her husband and feeling like it was my fault. I didn't know how she would react to me. But she was so nice. She doesn't blame me or anything. What happened between you two exactly? I mean…did she ever say she blamed us?" Harry asked slowly.

Lily shook her head. "No, no she never blamed us. When I said we were close, I mean we were close. Perhaps our relationship was much like the one between Hermione and Clarence. She was the first person to really talk to me like…like I was an adult, and not just a child. Once James came along, she approved of him instantly. She was surprised, but thought he was a good balance for me." Lily laughed. "We worked in the Order together. All of us very fond of Dumbledore and trusted his judgment-Clarence above anyone and everyone. We fought together. Once we knew he was after you, we went into hiding. Very few knew where we were-she did. Clarence and Eustace were family. Dumbledore told us we could trust them to help us if we needed it. He never doubted her with anything. She was perhaps the closest person to him in his life." Lily divulged softly. "After…after he came…and Eustace's tragic death…Clarence became a recluse almost. For a very long time, only Dumbledore could get through to her. James and I felt guilty, thought maybe we'd give her space. She didn't respond to my letters. Finally, with trying to raise a family and start my career, too much time passed." Lily's voice was quiet and she had a faraway look in her almond-shaped eyes.

"I never knew she and Dumbledore were so close." Harry commented, trying to draw some of the sadness away from his mother. "Hermione never said anything."

Lily nodded. "No one is closer to Albus Dumbledore than that woman. No one. They grew up together in Godric's Hollow once his family moved there. She was younger than his sister, but still helped his mother care for her. She always had an eye for Dumbledore-no, not romantically." She explained, seeing Harry raise a suggestive eyebrow. "No, it was more admiration for his abilities. Never scared to bring him down a peg or two either. Call him out if he was being too pompous or whatnot."

Harry could not think of a single time he had ever seen his former headmaster pompous.

"After the death of his mother, Clarence was devastated. She often helped Kendra in the garden. It was nice for Ariana-Dumbledore's sister-to have a female close to the same age to play with. It…helped. When she went to Hogwarts, despite their age difference, he often looked out for her. Ariana's death was difficult on the whole family, especially Aberforth-his brother. Clarence-still so young-helped them. She had lost a sister when her sister was just a year old. Medicine wasn't nearly as advanced back then. Anyway, Clarence and Dumbledore had an unshakeable bond. He taught her advanced magic, and she kept him grounded when his ego got too inflated. As they grew older, their bond only became stronger. She had two men in her life: Eustace, her soul mate; and Albus, her best and dearest friend. Luckily, the two blokes got along for the most part. Eustace was very fond of Albus and vice versa." Lily finished reminiscing, almost forgetting she was talking to her son.

Harry shook his head. "I never knew." He had known Dumbledore had had lost both his mother and sister when he was young, but that was all.

Lily nodded. "Fiercely loyal to Dumbledore. Protects his secrets. Fond of his brother as well-has always tried to defuse the tension between the two. She is a Dumbledore in her own right, with what she's given to that family. See, she didn't have much of a family of her own. Alcoholic mother. Father left them. Escaping to the Dumbledores' every day had helped her just as much as it helped them."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "What secrets does she protect?" He blurted out, immediately feeling nosy.

"I don't know. And I don't think I'd want to know, really. Consider what a man like Albus Dumbledore could have gone through his in long life; imagine any secrets he may be harboring…I think digging too much might lead to some scary things." His mother confessed, thinking back on her former headmaster.

Listening to his mother's tales of this man he had known for so many years, he was inclined to agree with her. With that sort of power, who knew what sort of skeletons he kept in his closet.

***

Hermione barely caught sight of him, hidden in the shadows as he swiftly walked farther down a small path that lead to the neighboring alley, Knockturn Alley by the looks of a wooden arrow pointing in the direction of his passage. She stopped in her tracks and took a closer look. Her mind was surely playing tricks on her.

But no, there he was. Except everything about his was different. His normal clean-cut dark blond hair was gone and replaced with an untidy and longer mess on top of his head, unkempt and not styled. His skin was paler than she remembered. He still had his tall, lean frame, but he looked…different. He looked nervous. And skinny. Almost sickly. Or maybe he had always looked like that. No, that wasn't right. He was known to be attractive, confident, stylish even. However, she hadn't seen him like that in awhile. Maybe. She wasn't sure, and Hermione suddenly realized how much time she had wasted just thinking about how different his appearance was, and he was no longer in her line of sight.

"Hermione? Something wrong?" Jenna's voice shook her from her thoughts.

Damn. Hermione forgot her cousin was right here with her. What could she do? Did she want to do anything to begin with? Despite the stories she had told her cousin and Blaise, Hermione had no intention of tracking down her attacker. Avery was not on her list at the moment. It had been the lie needed to gain their cooperation. Nothing more. However, being presented with his presence, she knew it could help with her real objective.

But she couldn't tail him with her cousin. She wouldn't put her cousin in any compromising situation. Hermione bit her lip, feeling torn. She realized Jenna was still looking at her, waiting for an explanation at Hermione's odd behavior. "I'm fine, just saw a friend of mine. I…"Making a decision without thinking it through, Hermione suddenly said, "I need to go talk to them about something. It's really important, but I need to go alone. With you being…it's just not a good idea for you to tag along, just in case because I don't know what…the policy is, right?" She said meaningfully, playing on the Muggle card. "Can you wait in this shop so I know where to find you?" Hermione asked, pointing to the nearest shop, which happened to be the place where she had gotten Crookshanks.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, yeah that's fine." She replied, understanding her cousin's indirect mention of her Muggle status. Without another word, Hermione watched her cousin disappear inside the shop. The second her cousin was inside, Hermione turned around and pushed through the crowd as fast as she could until she met the passage into Knockturn Alley. Pulling her hood up, Hermione cast one last look behind her before rushing off into this new place.

It was a lot different than Diagon Alley. Everything was gray and black. Old and wasting away. It had no charm, but rather an eerie air to it. It didn't bustle with life, but rather had a few shady inhabitants skirting along the stone walls, casting suspicious looks behind themselves guiltily. It was clearly a space no one wanted to be found. Hermione looked down at her pink zip up hoody, realizing just how much she stood out. With a wave of her wand, it turned black-better to blend in to her surroundings. The dark gray overcast of the sky made it appear much later in the day. Stuffing her hands in her pockets and pulling her hood even further up to hide her face the best she could, Hermione quickly crossed the small street and searched for Avery.

Rain suddenly started from somewhere above, surprising Hermione. She tried to side step puddles while searching inside the windows of shops, which was difficult because it seemed most shops had their windows blocked out, as if they didn't want anyone to see what was going on inside. The door to Borgin and Burkes suddenly opened, and Hermione recognized the tall frame and long blond hair of Lucius Malfoy exiting the shop, the cloaked figure of Avery trailing behind. She darted behind the nearest rubbish bin, overflowing with trash and giving off such a foul odor that Hermione almost got sick right on the spot. The two were standing just a few feet from her now, talking in hushed tones. Now that she was closer, Hermione noticed her earlier suspicions were correct. Avery most certainly looked weary and pale. Not at all the boy that had tried to convince her of the darkness she held inside. She felt something crawl suddenly across her hand that was on the stone street, and let out a high-pitched shriek as she shook off two cockroaches from her fingers. She realized there were dozens crawling all over the rubbish bin beside her. They were huge and completely unafraid by her presence. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She inched away, slowly. Her screech had already caused the two blokes in front of her to stop and look up.

"I'll come back next week and check on it, Malfoy. Don't worry. You know he isn't going to say anything-Borgin knows exactly who he's dealing with." Hermione heard Avery assure Malfoy, barely catching the words.

"I'm not the least bit worried about the dim-witted shopkeeper-we've been doing business for years. My only concern is getting the job done, and you handling it with the …discretion it requires. You know He won't be pleased if you mess up again." Malfoy warned.

Hermione watched at Avery's pale cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I'm well-aware of his expectations, Malfoy." He spat, his haughty attitude shining through for just a second.

"Then we have nothing to worry about." Malfoy's lip curled.

"We don't. Now let's get out of here before someone sees us. I can't exactly strut down the street at the moment, now can I?" Avery remarked.

Hermione watched Malfoy reply, but his voice was drowned out by a sudden clap of thunder from somewhere overhead.

With another clap, the two Disapparated on the spot.

Hermione stayed in her hiding spot for another few beats, ensuring she was in fact alone. She slowly eased up and walked over to the shop door. Biting her lip and knowing it wasn't a good idea, Hermione eased inside anyway.

It was dimly-lit and dirty. Glass cases filled the shop, each containing something different. A shriveled hand on a purple cushion. A glass eye. A blood-stained deck of cards. Evil masks leered at her from the walls and hung from the ceiling. Vials filled with dangerous-looking potions littered the shelves. Human bones littered the counter. Rusty, spiked instruments hung on from wires on the ceiling. A long ax was mounted on the wall, encrusted in blood. A small sign beside the ax told her it had beheaded more than three hundred Muggles. Hermione felt her stomach turn as she looked at the blade in horror.

"What do you want?" A voice asked, causing her to jump. A small man with greasy hair slicked back was looking her with small, beady eyes with an accusatory expression.

"I-I…" Hermione didn't know what to say, or what she was doing. She continued to stare at the ax in horror.

"Are you buying anything?" The man asked shrewdly.

Hermione shook her head, eyes wide.

"Are you selling?" His voice unfriendly and aggravated as ever.

Hermione shook her head again, still at a loss.

"Then out! Get out! I'm not running a charity house here. Get out!" He snapped, his bony finger pointed at the door.

Before he could say another word, Hermione scrambled from the shop, tripping over her own feet. Once outside, she made it about three steps before getting sick right there beside the small shop.

Hermione regained her composure, leaning against the stone wall. After a few minutes, she decided she was okay enough to go back to Diagon Alley. She couldn't get out of here fast enough. In the rain, uncaring of how suspicious she might have looked, she sprinted down the uneven street, through the puddles and mud. Before she knew it, she spotted the sunny entrance to her destination at the end of a shadowed passage.

Only when she was back in the safety of Diagon Alley did Hermione stop. She allowed herself a few minutes to calm down before heading over to find her cousin.

She had no idea what she had witnessed. The words exchanged between Avery and Malfoy meant nothing to her. Trying to follow them now would be impossible. She must wait until Harry was gone-that was important. Once he was at a safe distance, then she could go ahead with her plan. While she didn't understand what was going on or what the two men were talking about, she had found one possible shred of positive information-by the sound of it, Avery would be returning to Borgin and Burkes to check on something. He may lead her where she needed to go.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione knew her cousin must have noticed her distraction. Thankfully, Jenna kept quiet about it and instead tried to soak in as much as she could of Diagon Alley before she had to leave. They made it out and to her parent's SUV without incident. The trip to the mall was a short one, and Blaise was already there, waiting on them.

Pushing the events from Knockturn Alley from her mind, Hermione focused on the task at hand: getting Blaise and Jenna comfortable with each other. Luckily, Jenna had the sort of bubbly personality that people liked, and was easy to get along with. Blaise was more drawn in, but still rather easy-going.

"So what story are you spinning for your parents, then?" Hermione asked with a sigh, fiddling with her parents' credit card as they waited outside the dressing room for her cousin.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Blaise raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "What do you mean?" She asked, settling back in her chair.

Hermione shrugged in response, "Well, something tells me they might notice if their daughter is gone for a week and a half. Just wondering where you told them you were going." She replied with a sardonic smile.

Blaise gave Hermione a half-smile. "To their knowledge, I will be vacationing in Greece as one Hermione Granger, while the real formerly mentioned is…handling something." Her voice was calm, as if she were merely noting the weather.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she choked on her water. "Really? You just told them the truth? And they're okay with that?" She asked, both surprised and skeptical.

Blaise laughed. "Pretty much. I'm an adult, not like they can really stop me. They know if I'm doing it, it wmust be important. As far as telling them the truth of the matter…we're a very tight family. Very open, and very honest. I didn't tell them the specifics-I figured you wouldn't want them to know your business-but they know I'm going in place of you because you have something you need to take care of. They aren't happy about you lying to your family, but they know that isn't any of their business either."

Hermione stared at Blaise in amazement. She couldn't fathom such honesty in a family like that. And she thought she had a rather honest relationship with her parents-minus the escaping to Hogwarts and going on vacation alone with Harry anyway. But this…was incredible. "Wow. I…I don't even know what to say to that."

Blaise shrugged. "I'm not surprised. Your response is expected, you know, considering." She said nonchalantly.

"Considering what?" Hermione asked, getting defensive now.

"Considering how deceitful of a person you are." Blaise finished, unabashed by Hermione's tone.

Blaise may as well have struck Hermione across the face with her words. "Excuse me? Who are you to judge me on what kind of person I am?" Hermione ask, defensiveness turned into outright anger.

Still brazen, Blaise met Hermione's glare easily. "I'm not judging. I'm simply noting. You've already lied to me. You're lying to Potter, your parents. Something tells me deceit just might be in your forte, is all.

Hermione snorted with derision. "Getting a character evaluation by a Slytherin seems a little ironic. Perhaps you should have been a Hufflepuff-all this talk of honesty and such." Hermione fired back, wanting to get under the girl's skin as much as she was getting under hers. "Now I'm a little worried you might have a change of heart and not be able to follow through on the plan."

It was Blaise's turn to laugh. "I possess plenty Slytherin qualities-have no qualms about that. I think I can handle it."

Cattiness present in her voice, Hermione asked quietly, "Are you sure about that?"

Blaise held her accusatory glare for several seconds with her own before finally dropping her gaze with a sigh. "I don't see why you are freaking out. I mean, there's nothing wrong with honesty, Hermione. Honesty and loyalty are two of the most important character traits someone can have. Just how I was raised. We don't trust easy, but if you lie to us…well, it pretty well ruins your chances. You lied to me once, but I let it slide. You had good reason to, I suppose. But you came clean, and I can respect that. Every girl is entitled to have a secret or two, and you were just trying to protect yours." She said, alluding to her own secret about almost getting raped. "And I know it seems almost too simple, to just tell the truth, and maybe a little harsh to expect it from everyone else, but…I dunno, it just seems easiest, you know?" Blaise asked, looking meaningfully at Hermione, trying to make her understand what sort of value she put on this type of thing.

It did seem simple. And harsh. And easy. Hermione thought about the lies she was holding over Blaise at this very moment. Lies Blaise had no idea about. Lies about where she was going, what she was doing. She told Blaise what she knew Blaise would cooperate with.

In that very second, Hermione considered telling Blaise the truth. Maybe, she would still go along. Maybe she would still be okay with everything.

But maybe she wouldn't.

Instead, she internally owned up to exactly what Blaise was saying because she knew it to be true-she was being deceitful. A true Slytherin underneath. Because whatever it was, it wasn't simple. It wasn't easy. And the harsh reality was, Hermione was willing to put whatever she had to on the line to keep her secrets to herself.

With all these thoughts swimming in her mind, Hermione suddenly put up a phony smile. "I'm sorry. And you're right, to have that sort of honesty with your parents. I like that. I wish I had that sort of honest relationship with my parents too." Her grin was as fake as her lies, but Hermione was quickly realizing she didn't care. Instead, she buried her guilt with good intentions.

***

My jeans, your shoes, we'll throw away everything we've used.
But there's still your worried mouth
To match your worried eyes.
The only two things left to find.

Drive drive drive drive,
I don't want to get caught.
We'll say, we'll say we're innocent.
And there is enough to prove we're not.
They will believe anything.
I'm packing all my clothes and never going to go home again.
There isn't one thing we forgot.
You'll see, we'll get away with this.

"Left With Alibis And Lying Eyes" EMERY

***

Burying her guilt and forcing her lies was easier when she was alone, Hermione realized. Or staring into Blaise's cold, judging eyes. Also, in her cousin's carefree presence.

With Harry, however, it was difficult. In her room alone, with the clock telling her it was past one in the morning as they cuddled on her bed, she found that only the darkness kept her secrets hidden. Surely if Harry looked into her face, he would see her plans. Just talking to him had her on edge. He was so close to leaving. Just one step closer to being in the clear.

So she kept quiet, for the most part. She urged Harry to talk about what he had been up to, what he was expecting at camp. No detail was too small. He would see the curious side of her, while she kept her oath-breaking plans hidden.

She was grateful when his hands began to wander as his mouth grew tired of talking. He had gone from rubbing her back under her shirt to caressing her stomach, then rose to her breasts. This, she knew. This, she didn't have to fight the urge of letting her lies slip. Her guilt could say buried as his lips roamed the back of her neck and his hands began to peel her shirt up higher and higher.

Guilt, that is, for her lies. Not the guilt for having sex with her parents sleeping just below her in their bedroom, unsuspecting of her late-night visitor.

Sighing, she pushed his hand away. "Harry, my parents are right downstairs." She whined.

"We can use a Silencing Charm. No one will know anything." He said suggestively, reaching for her.

"I will know. And I feel…disrespectful." She admitted, sitting up.

Harry sat up too, and gave her a small half-smile. "Why did I have to pick a girlfriend with integrity?" He laughed before pulling her into a hug. "I'm just kidding, babe. I understand…we'll Apparate to my house-I don't care that my parents are home." He said with a straight face.

Hermione pushed him back against her pillows. "Honestly! You are such a…a…a buttmunch sometimes!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her name-calling. "A buttmunch?"

Hermione shrugged. "I stand by my words. Now come on." She said, grabbing a few pillows and her thick comforter. "Make yourself useful and carry these, yeah?" Hermione asked, tossing two comforters in his arms.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, blindly following Hermione's lead.

"Outside." Hermione replied, tiptoeing down the stairs.

"Getting closer with nature-I like it." Harry whispered back with a chuckle.

A few minutes later, Harry was following her up a small ladder that led to a childhood tree house in Hermione's backyard. The space was cramped, to say the least. The full moon pouring into the space was their only light. Hermione, with Harry's help, managed to spread out the thicker blanket on the floor of the tree house, with the pillows on one side.

"And what are we going to do now?" Harry asked, looking around Hermione's childhood spot. He was on his knees, as it was impossible to stand up.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Harry grinned and crawled closer to her. "You have no notions that tainting your childhood playhouse with sex is wrong or anything, do you?" He asked, his hand curling around the back of her neck.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not a child anymore. Now, this space is just…space. Empty, cold space begging to be of some use." She winked.

"I've got use for it." Harry whispered, covering her mouth with his. With limited space to move, Harry automatically pushed her down against the pillows, her legs sprawled on either side of his hips. Deeping the kiss, he plunged his tongue in her mouth, tangling it with hers. Hermione moaned into their kiss and pulled him closer.

Reaching down, Harry pulled away from her mouth and raised her shirt up and over her head. His quickly followed. Staring at her in the moonlight, bleaching her skin white, he smiled. "You're so beautiful."

Impatient, Hermione nodded and reach for the button on his jeans. "Yeah, yeah-I'm bleeding gorgeous. Now take your trousers off!"

"Yes ma'am. Can't argue with a woman that knows what she wants." Harry replied, quickly divesting himself of his jeans while she pulled off her pajama pants.

***

Some while later, sated and slightly sweaty, Hermione had created a fire in a jar, which gave them a little more light. Lying on his stomach, he looked around the small sanctuary. A small lap table sat in the corner, white sheets of paper with various art supplies in a small cabinet. A few Barbies were put away in a small shelf along with other toys. A miniature china tea party set. A jump rope. Pictures hung on the walls, obviously childhood drawings. "I like your art." Harry said with a chuckle, taking the nearest picture from the wall for a closer look. It was a stick figure of a girl with a blue dress drawn on her body with brown hair and brown eyes. A sun was drawn in the corner and a blue sky was over head the lone girl in a grassy plane, a few flowers cropping up around her. "Could have drawn some company, or maybe a dog or something." He laughed.

Hermione took the drawing from him and smiled at it wistfully. Company would have been a lie. She didn't have friends as a child, not really. Half of the people made fun of her, some only talked to her so she would do their homework for them. Others didn't really dislike her, but she was too shy to approach anyone. In response to Harry's comment, she shrugged. "I'm surrounded by friends and animals-they're all just imaginary." She winked, trying to make a joke of the humiliating situation.

Harry immediately felt horrible. He reached over and grabbed the box of crayons. Old and obviously used, but still in great condition. He wasn't surprised. Taking the drawing back, he used a peach-colored crayon to drawn a figure beside Hermione, arm extended so they were holding hands. He drew in blue jeans and a red shirt with a dark yellow `G' on the chest. Harry added messy black hair, green dots for eyes, and a red smile. Grinning at his handiwork, he showed it to Hermione. "There. Best mates since our childhood days." He laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes as he pinned the drawing back up before he pulled her close to him.

Harry played with the ends of her hair while her head was on his chest. "I love you." She whispered softly.

In response, Harry pulled her closer to him. "I love you, too."

It was quiet for several moments before Harry broke the silence.

"I'm nervous." He admitted. He had tried to appear confident and collect about camp, but in reality, he was terrified he would fail. Harry had tried to keep busy so he wouldn't think about it-train harder so he wouldn't have time to even consider failing.

But with leaving just on the horizon, failing is all he thought about.

"I know." Hermione responded, not even lifting her head.

He didn't really want to talk about it; he just wanted to admit it so someone knew how he was feeling inside. He loved that Hermione got that. Loved that he could admit it to her.

"I love you." He repeated, kissing the top of her mess of hair. "So much."

***

Lookin back laughin
Cause they called us crazy

We were young, we were wild, we were restless
Had to go, had to fly, had to get away
Took a chance on that feelin, baby

We were lovin blind, borderline reckless
We were livin for the minute we were spinnin in
Maybe we were a lot of things
But we weren't crazy

"We Weren't Crazy" JOSH GRACIN

So what did you think? Please review!!!! Thanks!

*~Archie~*

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