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Forever Knight	By : AdamantEve Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 15409 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Author�s
notes: More HBP tie-ups here. Smut�s
pretty mild, but Harry and Hermione are still all over each other. Can�t be helped. Their hormones are getting away from me.

Standard
disclaimers apply.

Chapter rating: NC-17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Second: Dazed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two weeks that followed was strangely Weasley
free. Not that they didn�t want Ron to
be there, but they had quite a few things to work out between them, still, and
perhaps it was better if Ron wasn�t there to interrupt all the time.

Ron wrote them, of course, and Harry was just glad Ron
hadn�t asked him questions about Hermione.
He didn�t know if he could stand to lie to Ron about her, and he wasn�t
sure how to say what he had to say about it, either.

Harry had wondered, time and again, how he was going to
break such a thing to their best friend, especially if Ron fancied her.

Oh, by the way, Ron,
he imagined
himself writing. Hermione and I have been sleeping together every day, sometimes two
times a day, in the last two weeks. I
hope that�s alright with you.

The mere prospect of it made him groan.

Hermione was mum about what Ron wrote her. She certainly didn�t look as if they bothered
her, and Harry thought that was a good sign.
Of course, the fact that Ron had mentioned absolutely nothing about it
could mean it was bad, too.

Harry wondered if Hermione was capable of lying to Ron to
spare his feelings but realized that Hermione would never do such a thing.

Ginny wrote to him, as well.

Her letters were filled with chatter and good cheer, as if
they had never been anything more than friends in the sixth year but he
noticed, with slight apprehension, that she always signed her letters, �Love,
Ginny.�

He didn�t know if it meant anything, but he thought maybe
he had to be careful about what he wrote her back.

His first reply to Ginny was a smashing failure, as after
he gave it a read, it was filled with �Hermione and I� and �We� and �Us.�

Honestly, why don�t
I just tell her Hermione and I just finished showering together and that my
hair�s still wet as I�m writing this?

He didn�t want to encourage Ginny, but he didn�t want to
be mean if she still had feelings for him, either. So he had to redo his letter, crossing out
sentences and phrases. He left a
smattering of �Hermione and I� while he sprinkled some Remus in the mix. The letter ended up being very short, and it
occurred to him that it was because everything he had been doing included
Hermione somehow, and that left very little to tell if he was going to avoid
�Hermione and I� in his letters.

By the fourth letter, Harry was tired of editing and
decided that he would just write whatever came to mind. Consequently, that lengthened the letter a
bit, but only because �Hermione and I� wasn�t being edited out anymore.

Ginny stopped writing after the seventh letter.

When Remus told them at dinner that Ron and Arthur would
be arriving the following day at Grimmauld Place, Harry tried not to look so
flustered. He desperately avoided
meeting Hermione�s eyes as he was sure Remus would find them out if he was
caught looking.

Remus had, for the most part, said nothing about having
seen them kissing in Harry�s bedroom.
They were careful, anyhow, not to get caught kissing or doing God Knew
What.

Harry prayed the old werewolf really didn�t know the
things they did when he wasn�t around, and that he wasn�t just turning a blind
eye to it all.

Even Harry blushed at the mere memory of how he and
Hermione had carried on in the last two weeks.
Mrs. Black would be hideously outraged.

He didn�t know what got into him, sometimes. He wasn�t exactly the most experienced young
man in the world (not by a long shot!), but he had, in the two short weeks he
had been with Hermione, begun to understand what �chemistry� meant. It was almost crazy how he often felt that he
knew exactly what he was doing in that respect, and the fact that Hermione
never complained about when, where and how hadn�t helped his self restraint,
either.

After their adventure in the linen room, they seemed to
have made a playground of the entire house.
They�d done it in the most likely and
unlikely places. And the library! Oh, how they liked that library!

Sometimes, he would find himself spacing out and thinking,
Good heavens! I did that?
WE did that? But quite
understandably, it wasn�t something he thought anywhere near dreadful. The inevitable blush that followed was almost
always attached to a grin.

Being with her was slowly becoming some kind of
obsession. He didn�t know if it was
healthy, but it felt so good that he didn�t lose sleep thinking about it. All he knew was that hearing and feeling her
pushed over the edge was essential.

She was certainly intent on driving him spare with
lust. He didn�t know how she knew so
much about the male anatomy, and he could only surmise that she had read up on it, but he wasn�t about to
complain, either. The woman knew how to
turn him into some kind of randy maniac, and while he didn�t mind this in the
least, it was almost as if she were punishing him for something, because she
would work him up in the most inopportune times, usually when he can do nothing
but wait until the coast was clear
before he had her shoved up against the wall and�well, there went the general
idea.

Overall, it had been a complete escape from his worries;
his entire life, really. With her, he
hadn�t had to think about the sordid details of horcruxes, or Dark Lords, or
Ministries. He wondered if she somehow
decided he needed this escape and that she was doing all of it for him.

He hoped not. It
was more gratifying to know that she was doing it for herself, as well. Being with her; getting lost in her, had been
half about giving her something, too.
And it wasn�t just sexual, either. It was the comfortable companionship;
the pleasant promises that her mere presence implied; the quiet laughter and
those words they exchanged with their eyes.

He sighed.

So now Ron and Arthur would be there the next day. It was like a wrench in the fantasy and he
would soon have to face the reality of it all.
Funny how he had considered the Weasleys
to be his escape, two week ago.

Harry�s eyes practically glazed over at the prospect of
Hermione wreaking mad havoc on his libido now that surely, they wouldn�t have
as many opportunities to be alone.

�Will they be spending the rest of the summer with us,
then?� asked Hermione in a perfectly unaffected voice.

�Just Ron, and yes, he is expected to spend the rest of
summer here,� said Remus, smiling gently.
�Funny how you say that. Are you
going somewhere in the fall? Should I
take this to mean then that you�re planning to go back to Hogwarts if it
opens?�

That knocked Harry out of his stupor. He looked at Hermione and saw that there was
nothing but cold determination there.

�I�ll only go back to Hogwarts if Harry does,� she
said.

Remus looked shocked by this, and Harry felt an
overwhelming wave of warmth. He knew
what Hogwarts meant to Hermione. He knew
that under any other circumstance, Hermione wouldn�t forego Hogwarts for
anything, yet here she was, telling Remus without a hint of hesitation that she
would skip Hogwarts if Harry did.

Just for that, Harry wondered if he should go back at all,
just so she could.

�And he can�t, really,� she continued, as if determined to
settle the matter as she calmly scooped some mashed potatoes on her plate. �He has a world of important things to
do. I�m going to help him. Ron said he�d join us, of course. He said so in his letters. So he�s not going
back to Hogwarts either.�

�Hermione�� Harry breathed, awed by her friendship and
loyalty.

She flashed him a radiant smiled. He thought maybe that was the moment he
realized he loved her. There were a
million other things that made her the kind of special girl he always thought
she was; he might have loved her forever, for all he knew, but it was then he
really said it to himself, and meant it.

Christ almighty, I
love this woman.

Remus wasn�t quite so emotional. He frowned.
�Hermione, are you sure? And I
can ask the same of you, Harry. I
understand the importance of everything; this war; its consequences; but
school� it�s important, too. And
Hermione, shoot me with a silver bullet if you don�t become Head Girl this
year.�

She shrugged. �It�s
just a title, Remus. What am I going to
do with that when we�re fighting a war?
Deduct house-points from a Death Eater?
I don�t think Antonin Dolohov is going to defer to me when I tell him to
drop his wand because I�m Head Girl.�

I love her. I truly do.
I truly, madly, deeply love her.

But in spite of his inner revelations, he took control of
himself and sighed, half-exasperated with himself. �Hermione, it means a lot to me that you�re
doing this, but Remus has a point.�

�Shut it, Potter.
There�s nothing they can teach me in Hogwarts that I don�t already
know. Why do you think I�ve been
spending so much time in the library?�

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. So we
can shag?

She reddened, seeing the answer in his eyes. To her credit, she kept her poise
valiantly. �To do some seventh year
reading, is what. And while I might have
to devote some extra time in the future to try brewing some potions for
practice, I think I�d be able to pass my N.E.W.T.s with reasonable results
should I ever get the notion to take them.�

He supposed he should have expected that she would still
think about taking her N.E.W.T.s. She
was Hermione after all.

Remus sighed, the determination in her eyes making it
clearer that he wasn�t going to convince her to go back to school. If he couldn�t get Hermione to go back to
Hogwarts, then there was little to be hoped from Harry and Ron.

�Minerva�s going to blame me for this,� Remus grumbled. �I
just know it.�

Hermione grinned.
�Oh, she won�t. I have a nice
long letter prepared for her when we�re asked back. She�ll be terribly disappointed in me, of
course, but she isn�t going to be blaming anyone for it.�

Harry thought briefly that McGonagall might blame him for leading her favorite student
astray, but to his surprise, Hermione smiled at him and put a hand on his
thigh, rubbing it reassuringly.

He smiled back, reaching for some pot roast, when her hand
crept higher, her fingers brushing just where
it sent tingles through his poor, tormented Harry-kins.

Didn�t even wait
until pudding, he
thought morosely.

He dealt her a glare.
She merely smiled up at him and continued to eat her dinner as if
nothing was amiss. Remus certainly
didn�t think anything was wrong.

Harry stifled a sigh.
Punishment indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione giggled as Harry knocked over a tall stack of
books and swept them off the hip-high shelf, sending the books splattering to
the floor.

�Oh, dear!� she whispered as he swept her up and plopped
her on the cleared space.

He kissed her then, parting her legs so he could stand
between them. Running his hands up her
thighs as he pushed her flouncy white skirt up, his fingers groped for
knickers. He was delighted to discover
that she didn�t have any.

�Why, Ms. Granger,� he said in a softly playful tone. �How very considerate of you to do away with
the formalities!�

She smiled as she bit her lip. �Think nothing of it, Mr. Potter. We�re all friends here.� She began to work on his trousers, undoing
the buttons with expert ease. Soon
enough she had her hands inside his boxers, stroking him with one hand and
massaging the rest of him with the other.

He let her work, his eyes rolling back in his head with a groan.

�Like that?� she asked with a satisfied smirk.

He looked at her, seeing that gleam in her eyes that
bespoke mischief. She seemed to find a
sick pleasure in tormenting him until he would come undone before she did. Since that first night, he hadn�t failed her
yet, and while he didn�t think she
wanted him to fail, he could only assumed that she liked seeing him work for
his rewards. Like really work.

Maybe she IS
punishing me. For all those years I
never noticed how utterly exquisite she is.

So when she asked if he liked this, there was simply no
other way to say it.

�Excessively,� he said.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands out of his
underpants, putting them over his shoulders to keep them as far away from
mischief as possible; at least for the moment.
Then he let his fingers work, sliding into her in the rhythm she loved.

She was instantly more compliant.

Moaning appreciatively, she pulled him down for a kiss,
biting lightly on his lips.

�Harry,� she breathed.
�You do realize that tomorrow��

�We�ll worry about that when Ron gets here, yes?� he said
softly, slipping off his trousers and boxers.

He kissed her while he entered her, their combined moans
muffled by the press of their lips and tongue.
He held her thighs tight while he stroked himself in her, setting a
rhythm that would prolong their joining.

She squirmed, pushing for a faster pace.

�No, you don�t,� he whispered in her ear as he bit the
lobe of it. �You don�t get me worked-up
at the dinner table and expect that I won�t draw this out for as long as I
want.�

She pouted as she moaned in frustration. �Harry� I was only teasing��

He chuckled. �Yes,
you were, and now I�m making you pay for it.�

A hiss escaped her lips, but she made no further
complaint. He wasn�t the only one who
liked getting punished.

He did as he promised, dragging it along for as long as he
could take it. Finally, she begged him
to put her out of her misery. The
begging always broke him. He gave in to
her, picking up the pace. She was very
appreciative of his mercies and she let him know it.

So from that point on, holding back was a tad more difficult.

It was practically a miracle that he managed to hold off
long enough to feel her come, and he let the clenching of her inner muscles take
him with her. It was a spectacularly
orgasmic tumble.

When coherent thought returned to him, he realized they
were panting heavily, they were sweaty and they both seemed quite
exhausted.

He pushed the damp hair from off her forehead as he looked
down on her upturned face. �I wish you
can sleep with me tonight.�

�D�you think it would shock Ron so much if he found us in
bed together?�

He smiled wanly.
�You tell me.�

She said nothing, probably analyzing what he meant by it,
exactly. He was thinking about Ron�s
letters when he said it, and this was the first time he would bring it up. He had been wondering what her correspondence
with Ron consisted of, and maybe he was still insecure.

�He hasn�t brought �us� up directly,� she replied.

�Us?�

�Him and I,� she replied softly.

He steeled his features.
�There�s that now, is there?�

She frowned a bit.
�Don�t be daft, Harry. I�m
sitting here and you�re still inside me.
How can you ask me that?�

In retrospect, how indeed can he feel so insecure at that
particular moment? He reddened,
caressing her cheeks apologetically before stepping back to pull his trousers
back on. �Sorry� so he hasn�t brought
your relationship up directly?� With his
trousers in place, he held out his hand and she took it.

He led them to the couch, settling her down so he had her
legs across his lap while she leaned against the armrest.

She nodded at his question. �He said that he�s really looking forward to
seeing me at Bill and Fleur�s wedding, and that I�� She blushed, pointing at
him warningly. �Don�t laugh.�

�Well, is it funny?�

�He said that he can�t wait to see how beautiful I�ll
look.�

�Him and me, both.�
He caressed her calf, squeezing gently.

Her cheeks glowed pink in the candlelight and she smiled
shyly. �Well, anyway, I always pretend
I�m not getting the hint when he gets that way.
I can�t exactly turn him down because
he�s not saying anything that needs turning down. I just say that I�m looking forward to being
there with the both of you, and really daft things like that. I�ve tried to
bring it up myself, but knowing I�d be letting him down� sometimes I feel
there�s no saying it on paper. It just
seems cowardly to do that, or maybe I�m really just being more of a coward by
putting it off altogether.�

�Well,� he muttered.
�Ginny certainly hasn�t reacted to� you and I.�

Hermione�s eyes widened.
�You�You told her? You told Ginny
about what we�re�you know!�

Harry was beginning to think she wanted to keep their
affair a secret forever. �Not that, but I made it quite clear that
I�ve been spending a lot of time with you.
She stopped writing last week.
Probably means she figured out something was� up.� He had an urge to giggle at that last word, but the look on her face chased any giddy
thoughts away.

She stared at him as if he�d grown horns and a third
eye.

He frowned. �What?�

�You realize that it if you want to go back to Ginny��

Merlin, is she still
on about that?

�Hermione, I don�t want to go back to Ginny.�

She was quiet for a while before she shifted and curled
against him, leaning her head on his shoulder.
She gave as sigh, as if completely content to be where she was and he
put his arm around her, closing his eyes as he kissed her forehead tenderly.

They talked a bit more after a comfortable silence,
murmuring about silly, nonsensical things like Felix Felicis potions and
Slughorn and even Cormac McLaggen.
Slowly, they slipped into easy sleep, exhausted from their earlier
efforts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry felt someone nudging him in his sleep. He opened his eyes and half expected to see
Hermione peering down at him. He was
about to reach out and pull her into bed when he realized that it wasn�t
Hermione but Ron staring at him from above, looking very upset.

Harry groaned.
Whatever melodrama Ron had, and whatever time it was, it was too
early. He shifted, determined to ignore
Ron, but his movement was hampered, for a couple of reasons. One, his bed was too small and two, someone
was lying on top of him; someone very soft.

His eyes widened and his first thought was, Good Lord!
Ron found us in bed!

His second thought was that he needed to cover Hermione
with a blanket.

But there was no blanket.
In fact, there was no bed, and Hermione was perfectly decent in her
flouncy white skirt and linen beige sleeveless top, even if she did forego the
knickers.

There was the problem that his hands were around her, and
that she was perfectly content half draped on him while she lay tucked between him
and the back of the couch, but the real issue was that Ron had come upon them
that way, and that likely, it looked quite bad.

Harry could either panic and jump off the couch, treating
Hermione to a very rude awakening, or he could play this out as calmly as he
could, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with this picture.

He couldn�t very well say that it wasn�t what Ron thought,
as it was exactly what Ron thought, and that denying it would be tantamount to
lying, which Harry didn�t want to do.

So summoning his nerve, Harry signaled Ron for quiet as he
carefully extricated himself from Hermione�s embrace.

It was going really well until Hermione gave a soft
complaint and murmured his name quite audibly.

Shite. This is going to be a hard sell.

He turned and led Ron out of the library.

When they were out in the hallway, Harry tried to sound as
nonchalant as possible. �Late night,
studying. Been doing it all week,
too. I think it finally caught up on
her.�

That wasn�t exactly a lie.
Hermione had been studying
when Harry came barging into the library to study her. And of course, she was
quite tired after all that.

Ron eyed him suspiciously.
�You were studying too?�

Harry shrugged.
�Keeping her company and bothering her, mostly.� Boy,
did I BOTHER her. �Where�s Mr. Weasley at?� Harry asked to keep the
conversation going.

�Downstairs with Remus.�

�I�ll meet you downstairs then. I need to go to the loo.�

Ron nodded, eyeing him still as he headed for the
stairs. Harry made for the bathroom just
to appease some of Ron�s suspicions.

He washed his face, brushed his teeth and tried
straightening his clothes. When he was
more presentable, he made straight for the library. Somehow, letting Hermione go down knickerless
didn�t sit well with him.

He gently nudged her awake. She stirred, blinking languorously and
smiling as she reached out to run her fingers through his hair.

It killed him to break the news when she looked so
content, but he had to. �Ron�s here.�

She froze and her smile disappeared. Her hand dropped and she sighed, stretching
lazily on the couch. A swath of skin
peeped between her skirt and blouse and he had a strong urge to touch it. He always liked seeing her in the morning,
all drowsy and relaxed and filled with a million possibilities. It was such a turn-on, but he didn�t think it
very prudent to start anything at this time, as Ron was downstairs with
scenarios already running through his head because of what he�d seen earlier.

�He saw us,� said Harry.
�On the couch.�

She stopped stretching, mid-arch, then she slumped back
down. �I suppose we were going to have
to deal with this sooner or later.�

He nodded. He
wished he could be as cavalier about it.

�Go on ahead. I�ll
be down in a few minutes.�

He rubbed her tummy for a bit, giving in to his earlier
impulse and rose to go to the kitchen.

Ron was stuffing pancakes in his mouth on one end of the
table. His unbelievably long legs stuck
out from beneath. He was at least an
inch taller than Arthur now, and he showed no signs of stopping anytime soon if
the amount of food on his plate was any indication.

Arthur greeted Harry with the same warmth and enthusiasm
Harry had come to expect from him.

�We would have gotten here sooner you know, if we hadn�t
been pressed to finish a few Order matters.�

Harry was surprised by this. Ron hadn�t mentioned anything like that at
all. He looked at his best friend. �You�ve been doing Order tasks?�

Ron nodded. �Oh,
dad�s quiet about the details, so I don�t really know anything, but I did a bit
of body-guarding for him with Fred and George.
I reckon what dad�s been doing is way too important for him to be left
by himself.�

Arthur blushed.
�Well, of course it was important, but I think the intelligence I
delivered is far more important than I am.
It had to be done, you understand, even if we�re without a leader at the
moment.�

Harry had been wondering about that particular bit. He looked to Remus. �How does the Order choose a leader?�

Remus seemed amused.
�We don�t know, really. Albus set
up the group and led it ever since.
We�ve never had to get a new one.�

He found that to be very unsettling. �Well, I�ve never heard of a proper group
without a leader. Shouldn�t choosing a
leader be the Order�s first priority now?�

Arthur nodded. �It
is, but there�s a�� he paused, clearing his throat while looking quite
displeased ��matter that members can�t seem to come to agree on, for some silly
reason or another.�

�What matter?�

Arthur and Remus exchanged looks. Harry turned a questioning eyebrow at Ron who
merely shrugged.

Remus looked to the stairs. �Is Hermione waking up anytime soon? I�d rather she be here for this.�

Harry�s face registered surprise.

Ron began to stand up, his breakfast yet unfinished. �I�ll go get her.�

�I met her on the hall coming down here,� said Harry. �She�ll be down in a while. What�s this about, Remus?�

Ron sat back down, shooting him another suspicious
look. Harry ignored it.

�In a while, Harry,� said Remus. �We�ll wait for Hermione.�

Harry tried not to be so worried as they waited. He helped himself to some breakfast and
Arthur cheerfully made conversation.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione emerged, showered by the
likes of her. She was back in jeans and
a well-fitting sports shirt, like a football jersey. Her curly hair of brown shiny ringlets fell
unhampered, halfway down her back now.
Last time Ron saw her, she had her shorter hair tied up, either in a
tight ponytail or a bun. Now it was
loose, and it gave Hermione a whole new different look, like she was
unfettered. Harry found it very appealing.
Ron did too, it seemed, if the look he gave her was any indication.

Harry took consolation in the fact that she didn�t even
notice Ron looking.

�Hullo, Ron. Hullo,
Mr. Weasley.� She gave Ron a pat on his
shoulder as she passed him and she gave Arthur a daughterly kiss on the
cheek.

Harry saw Ron�s gaze following her. He frowned.

�Hullo, dear,� Arthur said. �How are you parents?�

She went for the coffee pot. �Perfectly fine. I think they saw Tonks the other day. Daddy said there was a strange, green haired
woman that kept loitering outside their clinic.�

Remus looked a bit alarmed.

Arthur, however, smirked.
�Sounds like her.�

Hermione looked at him squarely as she held up her
mug. �Is the Order guarding them,
then? I didn�t realize they were in
danger.�

Arthur winced, looking like he had let something slip.

Remus certainly shot Arthur a slanted glare, as if to
scold Arthur for it.

Arthur hastened to explain. �Well, it�s just a precaution, really. Nothing to worry about.�

She leaned against the sink, sipping from her mug. They could all feel her displeasure, however
controlled her face was.

�You know,� she began.
�You can�t keep doing that. You
can�t always keep us in the dark. Not
anymore. We�re all adults now.�

Harry stared at her in mild shock. She wasn�t being disrespectful, but she was
talking awfully grown up to Arthur.

He looked at Ron who seemed even more shocked than he was.

After a moment, Arthur sighed and exchanged looks with
Remus.

Remus nodded.

�Hermione,� said Arthur.
�Please sit down. You can have
breakfast while we talk about all this.
You�re right, of course. You�re
not children anymore.�

Satisfied that she got her point across, she sat, taking
the seat beside Harry. She smiled up at
him, a hint of triumph in her gaze. He
couldn�t help but smile back. She was
amazing.

When he looked back on the table, Ron was staring at him,
scowling. Harry decided to completely
ignore him for the moment.

�So,� she said, taking some toasted bread. �Why does the Order think my parents are in
danger? They have nothing to do with any
of this.�

�But they do,� said Remus.
�They�re your parents,
Hermione, and like it or not, you�ve gained the attention of Voldemort�s
followers.�

She seemed surprised.
�I�ve gained their
attention? Where do I fit into the grand
scheme of things? I�m just a pesky mudblood according to them.�

Everyone winced at the word.

Arthur blinked a few times before replying. �Whether they really believe that or not is
immaterial. The fact of the matter is
you�ve been identified as a willing participant in the fight against the Dark
Lord and his minions. You�re a known
supporter of Harry Potter and you�ve shown your worth on the matter of keeping
him alive.�

Harry was beginning to feel terribly uncomfortable and her
frown was deepening.

�But I wasn�t the only one in the Department of
Mysteries,� she said. �And really, it�s
the only time I can figure that they�ve marked me at all. Ron and Ginny are marked because those
skull-faced degenerates think all Weasleys blood-traitors�no
offense��

�None taken,� said Arthur, looking rather proud, in fact.

�But the rest of us are just�well, we�re really just flunkies
of a sort; Luna, Neville and I.�

Harry scowled.
�You�re not a flunkie,
Hermione.�

�I am,� she said.
�I�m just a geek who knows how to use a wand. Everybody knows it.�

Harry bristled but she smirked, dispelling his annoyance,
somewhat. He caught Ron staring at them
and Harry felt like bristling anew. What
was up with Ron and his looks?

�No matter what you think, Hermione,� said Arthur, �Harry
is right. And we�ve some intelligence to
prove that you�re quite marked, particularly because you�re muggle-born and you
survived a Death Eater curse. By their
twisted philosophies, you shouldn�t have survived Dolohov�s hex. They�ve taken your survival as a personal
insult, of sorts.�

Hermione�s eyes widened.
�There�s intelligence?�

Arthur nodded. �Justin
Finch-Fletchley called in a report last week, said his house was being stalked
by Death Eaters. Apparently, he had
relied on a cheap sneakoscope to come to the conclusion, but it proved
sufficient enough. He was right. We think the Finch-Fletchleys would have
fallen victim to a vicious attack if Justin hadn�t come and reported the
stalkers. The Finch-Fletchleys have
taken shelter somewhere else, but we�re keeping an eye on Justin�s house. So it seemed prudent to suppose that if the
Death Eaters are interested in the Finch-Fletchleys��

Harry groaned.
�They�d be even more interested in the Grangers.� He felt fear pooling in the pit of his
stomach. It was happening again. Someone he loved was in mortal danger.

Ron�s brows knotted.
�What does Justin have to do with Hermione and her family?�

�Justin is muggle-born,� she said. �Both parents muggles. Just like me.�

Arthur remained grave. �You understand, of course, that
the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters have no love whatsoever for muggles and
muggle-borns. Justin fits their twisted
profile for execution, but you� you�re a symbol, Hermione. You�re an ace student in Hogwarts, you�re
Harry Potter�s friend� reported as his girlfriend
once upon a time and you were in the Department of Mysteries�err�raid. They kill you and your parents,
they get their point across in ways the Finch-Fletchleys� demise couldn�t.�

She was finally quiet, and Harry wondered if she had been
better off not knowing.

�So now they�re being guarded,� she said softly.

Remus nodded.
�Round the clock, whether they�re at home or in their clinic.�

�And they don�t know about this?�

�They do, actually.�

Silence fell upon them and Harry could practically feel
Hermione�s anger radiating off her.

�Well then, why didn�t they tell me about it?� she
demanded.

Arthur smiled apologetically. �I think they just didn�t want you to worry,
Hermione.�

�Worry! I
can�t�then why did daddy tell me about Tonks, then?�

�He doesn�t know who Tonks is, dear. He was just probably telling you about a
strange, green-haired woman. Our
mistake.�

Hermione�s grip on her mug tightened. �I can�t believe this. I can�t believe they kept this from me. They usually tell me everything, and now
they�re treating me like a child, too.
The Order seems to be catching on
that respect.�

Arthur looked crestfallen and Remus seemed mildly
embarrassed.

Harry shot her a look of reproach and she sighed.

�I�m sorry,� said Hermione. �I didn�t mean that. You treated me like an adult just now and for
that I�m grateful. I�m just mad my
parents are keeping secrets from me.�

Remus gave her a conciliatory smile and Arthur
grinned.

�Don�t be too hard on your parents, poppet,� Arthur
said. �They always have your best
interests at heart. You�ll know what I
mean when you have little twins running around and getting in trouble at
Hogwarts.� He glanced furtively at Ron
as he said it and Ron�s eyes widened in horror.

Harry didn�t know he could ever feel resentment for
Arthur, but that last comment about twins,
coupled with the telling stare was practically a motive for murder, or at least
a very uncomfortable slug-puking hex.

Splendid. Of course the father would root for the son, he thought bitterly.

Hermione blinked several times before forcing a tiny
smile. The smile missed her eyes, but
Arthur didn�t seem to think anything was amiss.

�Now to the next order of business,� said Arthur
jovially. �The matter of leadership in
the Order of the Phoenix.
Since we lost Albus, the workings of the Order have been left in the
hands of a governing body of sorts.
Instead of appointing one leader, we�ve resorted to having deciding
body. Senior members are represented by myself
and Remus, the school is represented by Minerva and the Aurors are represented
by Kingsley Shacklebolt. This circle of
leadership has worked so far, but��

Harry�s eyebrow arched, waiting for Arthur to continue.
Whatever it was, it wasn�t easy for him to say.

�There�s no easy way to say this so I�ll just say it. Remus and I believe that you should be part
of this board, Harry.�

Hermione and Ron�s jaw dropped, synchronized like.

It didn�t sink in on Harry quite as quickly. �I�m sorry, Mr. Weasley, I thought I heard
you say� WHAT?�

Arthur looked to Remus, as if in silent plea.

Remus leaned over the table. �You know that you have shown an uncanny
ability to inspire a group of students to fight competently against the most
senior of Death Eaters.�

�Uncanny ability?� cried Harry. �I almost got all of them killed!
And it was because I stupidly believed Sirius was being held
captive!�

�I was talking about last June Harry, at Hogwarts, when it
fell under attack and students bravely rose to fight back,� said Remus. �And I understand that you led a group called
Dumbledore�s Army in your fifth year, teaching your classmates Defense Against
the Dark Arts. It�s the reason they had
the confidence to fight back, after all, and let�s not forget Justin
Finch-Fletchley. I doubt he learned
�constant vigilance!� all by himself. If
not for Justin, Hermione�s parents might be dead
right now.�

Harry paused a moment at that, but he shook his head. �First of all, the D.A. wasn�t my idea, it was Hermione�s, and second
of all, I may be legally an adult, but even I can admit that I�m not old enough
to be given this kind of responsibility.�

Remus sighed. �It�s
not just that, you know. And I�d be
lying if I told you this wasn�t the most important thing: In the last seventeen
years, you�re the only one, aside from Albus, who has come in contact with
Voldemort, fought him, and lived. You have an incredibly valuable
perspective of his motives, Harry, and apart from that, you spent a lot of time
with Albus during his last days. Knowing
him, he shared with you a lot of vital information, whether you know it or
not.�

Harry sighed. It
always boiled down to being the Boy Who Lived, apparently. It was something he would have to accept
sooner or later, but it didn�t make things any easier. �Look, I can sit in these� I dunno, meetings and give my input, but to
decide on anything��

�If your vote isn�t given any importance, then your input
might be worthless. You�ll need leverage
to start with. Giving you a vote is as
much as we can do to help you along with that, but given time, you�ll earn the
trust of your elders. Besides, if you
just stand there without a vote and be Harry Bloody Potter, it wouldn�t be much
different from Scrimgeor asking you to play Poster Boy for the Ministry.�

This was all too surreal for him. �Even if I took a fancy to being on this
governing body, I can�t do it. I have
too many things to work on. It�s the
reason I�m not going back to Hogwarts at any rate. We have things to search for; things to
find. We can�t do that if I�m on-call
for meetings.�

Remus and Arthur looked perplexed at this.

Arthur gestured to speak.
�Yes, I�ve been meaning to ask you about that. Ron told me you weren�t going back to
Hogwarts, and that he and Hermione aren�t going if you�re not� what is more important that school,
son?�

�I told you, we have to search for things.�

�What things?�

Harry exchanged looks with Hermione. She nodded.

�Horcruxes,� said Harry.

Remus�s eyes widened.
�Horcru��

�Voldemort�s Horcruxes,� Hermione said.

Remus now began to look ill and Arthur looked seriously
perplexed.

�What is this Hoc-rucks?�
Arthur asked.

�Horcrux, dad. And
it�s very bad magic,� Ron replied in the same dark tone he used for words like
�scarlet woman� or �He Who Must Not Be Named.�

�I have heard that it is
very dark magic,� said Remus. �But I
don�t know the details. There are no
written references to it.�

Hermione looked to Harry and he realized she wanted him to
explain. He was hoping she would take
over for that, but he supposed she figured he would be the best authority in
this matter. She had always been a
stickler for accuracy and referring to the proper sources. At this point, he was the best reference they
had.

He stifled a sigh, but he explained. �It involves the killing of another human
being to create a rift in the soul, so that the torn pieces can be stored in an
object, or a vessel.�

Arthur was properly shocked. �B-But why would anyone do such a thing?�

�It anchors the soul on Earth,� concluded Remus in
awe. �So that if your corporeal self is
killed, your horcrux prevents you from moving on to the beyond. You live,
even if you�re only living on a fragment of your soul.�

Harry wasn�t surprised Remus caught on so quickly. The man was the brains in the Marauders after
all.

Arthur looked utterly revolted. �That�s�that�s monstrous!�

Remus turned to Hermione.
�And you say Voldemort made a horcrux?
But of course! That seems to make
sense; that he�s so difficult to kill and that he�s been rising from the dead.�

She nodded. �Harry
has reason to believe Voldemort made seven
horcruxes.�

�Good Lord,� Remus gasped.
�Seven? Harry, where did you��

�Dumbledore,� he replied.
�Last year, all I did with him was look into Tom Riddle�s past. From what we learned of the stored memories
about him, Dumbledore and I formed theories about the horcruxes. That there are seven is speculation, but it�s
entirely possible based on the known facts.
I think we�ve destroyed two.
Dumbledore took care of Marvolo Gaunt�s ring and I destroyed Tom
Riddle�s diary. Voldemort�s a piece in
himself, so we�re looking at four more objects.
We... Dumbledore and I believe that one object is Helga Hufflepuff�s
cup. The other is Salazar Slytherin�s
locket. I�m thinking the other two
should be something from Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor.�

Remus scowled.
�Voldemort always was a self-important bugger.�

Ron sputtered on his pumpkin juice and Harry was
pleasantly surprised by Remus�s candid take on it. Hermione, however, seemed completely
unbothered.

�At any rate,� she said loftily. �I think we�ve seen Slytherin�s locket. We just have to find it again.�

Harry whipped his gaze to her. �WHAT?�

Ron�s voice rang with him.
He had completely given up on the pumpkin juice.

She reddened. �Well
I�I�ve been doing research these last two weeks, see, just to make sure. I didn�t want to go traipsing around chasing
theories� the locket. I think it was
here, Harry. In this house. I had to go back on the Black family tree and
all that, just to make sure that R.A.B. is Regulus Black��

�Regulus!� gasped Harry. �But what��

�You remember that summer we first came here, Harry? This place was a mess. We were cleaning, and we threw out some
things��

Harry�s eyes glazed over, remembering the time; remembering
the moment when they had cleared out the bric-a-brac from those glass-fronted
cabinets. There were rings with the
Black family crest, snuffboxes, tweezers, silver-framed family photos and they
also stumbled on a particularly interesting locket, one they couldn�t open�

�Bloody hell,� Ron said.

Harry stared at her in disbelief. �You�re right,� he whispered. �You�re brilliant� amazing!�

She blushed. �Well,
it�s still just a theory, and I�well, I haven�t found the locket yet. I borrowed your Finder, Harry. I hope you don�t mind��

He smiled at her adoringly. �Of course I don�t.� He paused for a heartbeat, realizing that she
had referred to the locket being in the house in the past tense. �It�s not here,
is it?�

�No, but it couldn�t have walked out by itself, so I�m
guessing we can ask Mundungus if he happened to nick a silver locket during one
of his raids. I think he�d remember how
he got rid of a locket that couldn�t be opened.
Knowing Old Dung, he wouldn�t simply toss something made of silver in
the trash. He�ll do something with it to
make money off it, and since it probably couldn�t be destroyed, being a horcrux
and all, he couldn�t have had it melted.
Either he still has the locket or he conned someone into giving him
money for it. He�d be able to give us a
solid lead of its whereabouts.�

Mundungus, thought Harry. Now he was in complete awe of her. It was difficult to maintain his composure in
the face of such brilliance, and so he let himself admire her.

�But Dung�s�� Ron began, wide-eyed. �Dung�s in Azkaban!�

That snapped Harry out of his reverie and as Ron�s words
sunk in, he knew exactly what Hermione was going to say.

Hermione raised her chin.
�Then we go to Azakaban.�

I knew she�d say
that.

�What!� cried Ron in a rather shrill tone.

Harry met Remus and Arthur�s glances. They seemed resigned to the fact that Ms.
Hermione Granger had made up her
mind. There was no point in arguing
about it at this time, in any case.
They�d have to butt heads with her later.

�This is all�� Arthur said, breaking the argument before
it could progress further ��very disturbing, and frankly, aI agree with you; that finding these
horcruxes is paramount, but it doesn�t change the fact that the Order needs
Harry.�

Harry began to protest, but Arthur cut him off.

�The Order can pool its resources to discover the
remaining horcruxes. I think a whole
complement of experienced wizards and half a dozen Unspeakables doing the
research is about equivalent to one Hermione Granger, don�t you think? So now we�ll have an equivalent of two Hermiones looking for answers.�

Hermione reddened at the compliment.

�There can�t ever be a substitute for her,� said Harry
before he could think better of it.

She smiled prettily, her eyes shining with something that
made him feel warm all over. �That�s
sweet of you, Harry.�

�Right,� said Ron, his face suddenly gone of all
emotion. He leaned back on his seat,
crossing his arms over his chest.

�It�s about time the Order listened to what you had to
say, Harry,� said Arthur. �If you�re
afraid of making the wrong decisions, welcome to the club. We all make decisions based on what we know
and what we think we know, and we pray to Merlin those decisions are the right
ones. Remus and I have complete faith in
you; that you�d be guided. We�re not
even forcing you, anyway. Call it a
worthy suggestion, if you will.�

Harry tried not to scoff.
Arthur was serious, and really, it was an honor to be so trusted by two
of the most trustworthy men he knew, but he found it a bit too frightening at
the moment. He�d give it some thought,
but he wasn�t going to promise anything.

�I take it Shacklebolt and McGonagall don�t think much of
me, then,� he said.

�Oh, Minerva�s quite understanding of the matter,� said
Remus. �Shacklebolt�s just being
himself, but the real protests are coming from some of the Order members, for
one reason or another. Bickering wastes
time, you know, so I�m hoping we can get past that and have you on the board as
soon as you say you�d do it.�

�And what does this have to do with Hermione?� He hadn�t
forgotten that they�d wanted her there for this particular discussion.

�Hermione and Ron,
actually. They�re your best
friends. They know you best. Talk it out with them, and then you can work
from there. I firmly believe that if
you�re going to go into this, you�ll have these two to back you up all the
time. They�re your board, so their opinion is equally important.�

Harry was surprised at the depth of Remus�s understanding
of his friendship with Ron and Hermione, until he realized that Remus had known
this kind of friendship before with James and Sirius.

Hermione looked quite abashed. �R-Remus, I don�t know what to say��

�I do,� Ron muttered.
�You�re all bloody mad.�

�Now, son,� said Arthur, shooting him a warning
glare.

Ron said nothing more after that.

Remus smiled, expelling a breath. �Well, that�s all for today, class. Now that the weight of the world is on your
shoulders, I�d like you to make a three foot report on How Not to Lose Your
Marbles In Times of Great Pressure.�

Harry smiled in spite of himself. Hermione paled and Ron laughed bitterly.

She got up, muttering something about homework and how it
was no laughing matter. She started to
magically gather the dirty dishes in the sink for washing. Ron didn�t protest when she took his
half-filled plate. It seemed that
something had finally staunched Ron�s appetite.

�Need help there, Hermione?� asked Ron.

�No, Ron, I�m washing Muggle-way now. I need to think.�

�What?�

�That�s what she does,� Harry explained. �When she needs to think she cleans.�

Ron shot him a menacing glare before he rose and went for
the stairs. He was gone quickly enough,
climbing the steps four at a time. Harry
tried not to let that murderous look bother him.

�Well, Remus,� said Arthur. �I�ll have to go back to the Ministry for the
meantime. I�ll leave Ron in your capable
hands. I�d expect you and the kids to be
at the Burrow for Bill and Fleur�s wedding, yes?�

Remus smiled and nodded.
They shook hands and Arthur turned to give Harry a similar goodbye. Hermione gave him another one of her
daughterly kisses before he finally went and apparated out of the house.

�I�ll be in my study if anyone needs me,� Remus said. �Lord knows I�ve put off my paperwork long
enough. You children behave.�

There was a brief twinkle in his eyes that Harry prayed
wasn�t what he thought it was. Remus
left.

Harry wasted little time as he slid up behind Hermione
while she was wrist deep in sink water and soap.

He ran his hands along the waist of her jeans, kissing her
neck. She sighed happily, letting him,
though she didn�t stop working.

�You are positively
brilliant,� he said in her ear.

She shuddered delightfully. �I try.�

�You�re a smashing success.�

She grinned, turning her head to catch a kiss from his
lips. They relished the contact for
several moments and his hands began to trail up her stomach. He let his thumb graze her breast and she
pulled away, giggling. She went back to
work on her dishes.

Well, when she puts
her mind to something�

�Ron�s going to be difficult, isn�t he?� she asked in a
quiet tone.

He hadn�t expected that question, but it made him smile a
bit. He knew she wasn�t talking about
her �relationship� with Ron. She was
talking about what she and Harry had, however� unlabeled it was, as of yet.
It meant she was at least willing to tell Ron that�well�they had something.
To Harry, it was a good thing even if he wasn�t looking forward to
any of Ron�s possible reactions. He
closed his eyes and buried his nose in her abundant hair. He smelled her shampoo and it was
wonderful. �Yes. I reckon so.�

�How are we going to do this, then?�

�I�ll talk to him.
Alone. It�s better that way.�

She sighed, but it was with relief. �Alright.
But Harry, you know that if you tell him, it means that� you know� there�s no easy way to turn back.�

He frowned. �Why
would I want to turn back?�

Her hands paused a bit before resuming its work. She smiled plaintively and she gave a tiny
shrug. �I don�t know. For whatever reason you may have. I�m well aware that this all started with
me�practically jumping you. And then
everything we�ve done� maybe it was unfair, because I�I know that I�ve� encouraged this� this. But I honestly had the best of intentions, especially that
night on Privet Drive.
I care for you, Harry, so I�d do these things for you. I wasn�t hoping
to trap you or anything��

�Too late. I�m
trapped.�

She craned her neck to look at him and he was astonished by
the apology in her gaze. �You�re not,
really. You can always back out��

�I don�t want to back out.
I love you.� He finally said it,
and she looked utterly surprised. He
could tell she hadn�t expected it at all, and that was a bit
disconcerting. He didn�t think it was so
far-fetched for him to fall for her. He
had, in the last twenty four hours, realized that it was really the only thing
that made sense in his life right now.
For her to look as if it was practically supernatural was
unnerving. Maybe she didn�t love him.

He began to worry.

�R-Really?� she asked.

�Don�t sound so surprised.�

�I just�I never thought you�d�I love you, too, you know.�

He smiled. It was
wonderful to hear her say it.

Maybe he should be jumping around; celebrating, or something. He certainly felt like it, but this closeness
was so much more fulfilling. He pressed
his lips to her neck, closing his eyes again to relish the feel of her. �Truly?�

�Yes, truly.�

�Brilliant. That
settles that, then. You�re not going to
have little twins with Ron.�

She giggled and pressed her back against him in a sensual
motion. Up went the trapped little
bugger in his pants.

�Hullo,� he said, delighted. �And just where do you plan on finishing what
you started, witch?�

She smiled, pressing a bit more. �Oh, you know� I always think of something.�

�And you know I love it when you think.� He kissed her, his hands creeping beneath the
front of her jeans. He felt the line of
her knickers against his fingertips.

There was a sound behind them, and it startled them
both. They looked, and there was a flash
of trainers disappearing up the steps.

�Shite,� he breathed.

�Oh, dear,� she whispered, beginning to wash her hands, as
if she was going to put off the cleaning so she could fix this emergency first.

He pressed his hands to her shoulders. �No.
Stay here. I�ll go. Might as well get this over with.�

�But��

�I�ll take care of it, alright?� He placed a comforting kiss to her neck
before he left to follow Ron up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry gingerly opened the door to Ron�s room and saw him
sitting on the edge of his bed, his back to the door.

Ron whirled to look at Harry over his shoulder, his eyes
blazing. �You know, you�re something else!� he growled. �You just had
to take her away from me, didn�t you?
You can�t bloody stand to let me have
her, at least. You just have to take everything all the fucking time!�

Harry felt a wave of magic pulse, as if to push him away,
and the intensity of Ron�s feelings made him cringe. Ron�s anger was catching. Harry didn�t appreciate Ron talking about
Hermione as if she was something, like
she was a prefect badge or a Firebolt.
And she shouldn�t have to be anyone�s �at least� either. She was the best thing to happened to Harry
since he found out he belonged somewhere,
and he wasn�t very well going to give her up to someone who considered her an
�at least.� But he figured he couldn�t
let the anger take him. Not as long as
he could help it.

There were a million hurtful things he could have
said: She was never yours� You botched it when you went off with Lavender and
kept snogging her in Hermione�s face� She CHOSE me� She kissed me first� She
was the one who came to my doorstep looking utterly desirable� She said she�d
always fancied me more, you git� You bloody lost your fucking chance.

But he said none of those things, and all he could do was
say the one thing that mattered.

�We�re in love.� He
didn�t even have to yell it. It was just
the truth.

Ron stood and turned to face him, the shock evident on his
face. He clearly hadn�t expected that,
then the stubborn set on his jaw returned, his eyes reclaiming its fury. �Well I
saw her first!�

Harry�s jaw dropped before he scowled. �You did
not. We saw her together! You called her a nightmare��

�I�m talking about the Yule Ball!� cried Ron. �I noticed her. I knew I fancied her then. You didn�t know shit!�

Harry felt his shoulders go tense before he let out a
reluctant chuckle. �Well, I was a
blithering idiot��

�I could�ve told you that,� Ron hissed.

Harry�s grin wavered into a glare, realizing that Ron
wasn�t going to budge on the matter.
�You weren�t exactly the most brilliant wizard alive when you started
snogging Lavender out of spite, you know.
You had an entire year to work it out with Hermione and what did you
do? You blew you chance. And she had to suffer that bloody git McLaggen for your petty mind games��

�And what about you?
Don�t tell me you held back because you thought I fancied Hermione. If you tell me that, so help me, I�ll kill you, because that means you used my
sister��

�I didn�t use Ginny!
I really did fancy her, but that�s beside the point! Hermione and I got together in the last few
weeks and��

�Fuck� me! You mean all this time I�ve been writing to
her, she�s been snogging you?�

Harry bit back the hurtful retort that rose in his lips
and thought better of it, but for all of Ron�s shortcomings when it came to
picking up subtle hints, he chose this time to be incredibly perceptive, and he
had apparently understood what Harry had deferred from telling him.

Ron�s eyes grew wide with outrage. �You�ve been shagging haven�t you?� he hissed.

Harry glared, pointing a warning finger at him. �Stop right there, Ron. Don�t say anything else you�ll regret.�

Ron�s shock mingled with his anger. �You are, aren�t you?�

�Look, it�s not all about that. We care for one
another��

�You son of a
BITCH!�

Ron launched at him, throwing a punch that knocked him to
the side.

Harry had had enough of being sensitive to Ron�s
feelings. He gave back as good as he got
and soon, they were tumbling and yelling on the floor, cursing each other�s
lineage and calling each other the worse names.
There were blows everywhere, but it was as if neither of them could feel
a thing.

Harry vaguely heard someone screaming from the door. �Stop!� or something like that. It wasn�t exactly registering. All he knew was that Ron, the giant, was
attacking him, but he wasn�t about to roll over and be overpowered.

Ron was just about to give him another good one in the
face when another voice cut through the rage.

�Dissendium!�

They flew apart, sending Ron crashing to the bedside table
on one end of the room while Harry got knocked breathless against the
dresser.

He saw stars for a moment then he felt a soft touch,
accompanied by a string of words filled with distress. Hermione�s voice, though frantic, was a balm
to his strained nerves. He listened to
that voice amidst the blur and let its sweet tones calm him.

�Are you alright, Harry?
Oh, Merlin, what did he do to your face?
Your glasses� oh God! What in
heaven�s name� ohh, my boys!�

�Easy there, Ron,� came another voice; a man�s voice from
the other side of the room.

�Occulus reparo,� Harry heard her whisper.

He felt her gingerly put his glasses back on, and while he
saw things more clearly, he realized that his right eye wasn�t being very
cooperative. It was probably swollen
half-shut.

She was helping him up, and the look on her face was of
pure worry. No anger. No reproach.
She was holding him, but she was glancing over her shoulder at Ron who
looked as bad as Harry felt. Remus was
helping him to his feet.

Hermione�s brows knotted with concern. �Ron��

�Shut it, you!� Ron hissed.

Harry felt the anger rise in his chest again. �Don�t you
talk to her like that!�

�I damn well��

�Enough!� said Remus sternly. �That�s enough! Or I�ll stupefy
you both and let you sleep this off!�

They fell silent and began to realize the error of their ways. Harry felt heat rising up his face, not
because he was sorry he had socked Ron a few good ones (those were immensely
satisfying), but because they must have looked like a couple of ten year olds
rolling in the playground, and they had wanted to be treated like adults not
more than a half hour ago!

Hermione sighed. �I
don�t know what happened but��

�You happened,� Harry said, looking at
her. �You happened to us both.�

She stared at him, her cheeks reddening before she looked
away. There was a brief silence.

Remus coughed.
�Come with me, Ron. I�ll take
care of those bumps for you down stairs.
Fancy some butterbeer? I believe
we have some straws. I�m thinking that
mouth of yours is going to be more swollen in a minute or so� Hermione, why
don�t you take care of Harry? You can
come down and join us when he�s in better shape, alright?�

Hermione nodded.

Remus led Ron out of the room without further
incident.

Face drawn with worry, she pulled Harry gingerly to the
bed and sat him down on the edge of it. She told him she would be back in a
second. Harry didn�t think he was in any
mood to go anywhere.

She came back with a first-aid kit and she began to apply
potions to the cuts and bruises. The
worst one on his face was his eye and a bit of a split lip. His cheek felt like it would bruise but she
muttered a healing charm and it felt instantly better.

Her hands pressed gently on his sides and he hissed at the
tenderness in his ribs.

Damn, Ron can throw
a bully punch�

She frowned in disapproval and helped him out of his
shirt. He didn�t even have the slightest
pep left to joke about her getting him undressed.

She applied more of the potions to his bruises and she
cast more healing charms. When she had
dealt with the worse of his injuries, she took a healing stone from the kit,
activated it and tied it around his wrist.

She blinked as she did it, as if she were holding back
tears. When she tied the last knot on
the charm, she kissed his palm affectionately.

�There! All
done!� There was a tremble in her voice,
and she was still blinking. She tried to
smile but it only made her tears fall.

His insides went weak instantly. He could never stand to see a woman cry, and
Hermione�s tears just took every ounce of fight from him.

�Hermione�� He crooned softly as he cupped her face,
wiping the tears with his thumb. �What�s
wrong?�

She sniffed, her brows knotting with the effort to stop
her tears. �I�m so sorry, Harry. I didn�t�I didn�t mean for you and Ron to
fight. I didn�t realize he would�it just
never seemed like I mattered that much
to him, you know?�

�Of course you matter that much,� he said softly, pulling
her into an embrace. His bruises ached
at the press of her body, but she was sensitive to his injuries, so it was
bearable. �But, it wasn�t your fault at
all. It was mine and Ron�s fault� for
being a couple of prats.�

He felt her tears on his bare shoulder and he stroked her
hair gently as she sniffled. �It�s not
something you should worry about. It was
all fists and bad words. Nothing
permanently broken. I promise. Ron and I will talk again, alright?�

She looked up at him worriedly. �And you�ll still be best friends,
right? We�ll still be best friends?
All three of us?�

It was difficult to be so optimistic at that particular
time, but in Harry�s heart, he had a feeling that everything would be
fine. �Of course, Hermione.�

They were quiet for a bit before she tilted her chin up to
kiss him.

Three minutes of comfort snogging later, Harry realized
that though the spirit was willing, the flesh was most decided beaten to a
pulp, so the snogging had to stop.
Besides, there was Ron to talk to downstairs.

Hermione helped Harry back into his shirt and they headed
to the kitchen where Ron was drinking some butterbeer through a straw. He had bandages stuck to his face.

When Remus saw Harry and Hermione, he stood, gathering the
first aid kit littering the kitchen table.

�Well,� he said.
�I�ve got quite a bit more paperwork to do. I trust you�ll both take care of Hermione.�

It was a subtle way of saying that he expected they
weren�t going to brawl in her presence.
It was the height of diplomacy.

Harry and Ron nodded.

Remus left, and Harry and Hermione sat at the table with
Ron.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, and Harry didn�t
bother hiding the fact that he had his hand on Hermione�s lap.

�So,� muttered Ron through his swollen lip. �When were you going to tell me about this?�

Hermione squeezed Harry�s hand to tell him she would
handle this for the meantime. �We were
going to tell you today. We were just
trying to figure out how.�

�Well, when Harry and Hermione put their heads together
they can accomplish anything,� was his scathing reply.

Harry frowned, growing annoyed all over again. �Sod off, Ron. We didn�t do this to hurt you.�

Ron narrowed his gaze at him. �Nice!
It�s the thought that counts, I suppose?�

Hermione sighed.
�I�m sorry you found it out the way you did, but I won�t be sorry Harry
and I are together.�

�I care for you,
you know. And I�ve been carrying this
bloody torch for you since fourth year! Ask the Chosen One when he began fancying you!�

A scowl tightened Harry�s expression. �This isn�t about who fancied her the
longest! And for your information, I�ve
cared for Hermione even longer than you have.
You only noticed her during the Yule
Ball. I�ve watched out for her ever
since I met her.�

�Oh, yeah? Well,
I��

�Stop it!� hissed Hermione. �Just stop it, you two! That�s all beside the point! And Ron, I gave you your chance, but that
chance is gone. I may not be the Belle of Hogwarts, but I
was never desperate. Snogging Lavender,
indeed! Did you really think I�d have
you after that?�

�That was a phase!� protested Ron.

�Come off it!� growled Hermione. �Contrary to what you think, the women of
Gryffindor aren�t your bitches.�

Harry choked on a laugh and found that it was painful on
his ribs to do so. He grunted with
laughter, anyway, especially seeing the look on Ron�s face which was quickly
becoming redder with shame.

Hermione continued to frown. �Anyway, I don�t even know what you were
hoping to achieve with that Lavender debacle.
If you thought I would lose it and jump her from behind� pulling at her
hair and clothes so we can wrestle in a vat of slushy in our knickers, then
you�re more delusional than I thought!�

Ron�s eyebrow arched.
�Now there�s an idear��

She glared at him.
Harry did too.

�Oy, don�t you be looking at me like that! She
brought it up!�

�Now I regret it,� she muttered. �Ron, seriously! We�re going to be able to work through this,
aren�t we?�

Ron frowned. �Well,
I don�t know, Hermione! How would you
feel if it was Harry and me?�

�Well, surprised, for the most part.�

�That�ll make two of us,� Harry muttered.

Ron reddened. �I
mean if I were a girl.�

Hermione began to look amused. �Well, now I�m feeling rather tickled.�

�I think Ron would make an ugly girl,� Harry said.

�You know what I
mean!� cried Ron
in frustration. �This entire thing is
just�it�s derailed! It was supposed to be me and Hermione,
Harry and Ginny! Like one, big��

�Happy Weasley Family,� Hermione finished tiredly. �Or Express, since you�re talking about derailment.
I hate to tell you this, Ron, but the constellation of train tracks
doesn�t revolve around your family.�

�I know that!
But�But things were supposed to be that way, anyway.�

Harry shook his head.
If Ron was going to be like that, then he really didn�t have much more
to say about it.

Hermione was more patient.
�Things aren�t meant to be foretold.
That�s what I think. If�If
Voldemort didn�t hear the first half of the prophesy, he wouldn�t have made the
mistake of fulfilling it in the first place.�

Harry looked at her, once again awed by how brilliant she
was. It was funny how she still
surprised him. The thought that she
could sent a pleasant tingle through him.

She smiled, abashed by the intensity of his gaze. �What?� she whispered.

�Nothing,� he replied softly as he gave her a fond
stare. He clutched her hand as he
pressed it to his heart.

�I can�t watch this,� said Ron, rising from his seat in
disgust.

Harry didn�t even bother to give him the attention he
wanted.

She sighed. �Where are you going?�

�Somewhere I don�t have to listen to the two of you!� Ron
walked out of the kitchen and they could hear him retiring up the steps.

Hermione looked to Harry, worried.

�He�ll be fine,� said Harry, touching her face.

�I know. I�m
worried about you.�

That surprised him.
�Me? I�m perfectly happy
listening to the two of us.�

She smiled wanly.
�Ron�s important to you. He was
the one you saved during the Second Task, you know, and that was after he�d
acted like such a prat. I�ll never
forget that. It meant that when you
love, you love unconditionally.�

He hadn�t realized until now that she really was worried about his friendship with
Ron, and how this rift was going to affect him.
She had cried about it earlier, after she�d patched him up, but Harry
had thought she was worried about all three of them. He had misinterpreted the depth of her
anxiety.

�Ron and I will be fine,� he said. �I have too much faith in him to believe that
we�ll never get back what we had. And
he�s your best friend, too. He�ll miss
you. He always does.�

�I hope so, Harry.�

He tilted her face up by her chin and kissed her. �You know, I was saving you from that second
task, too. But that Bulgarian came out
of nowhere��

She chuckled. �Ah,
yes, Viktor.�

�If I didn�t know any better, I�d be wondering if he Wronskied
your Feint.�

She slapped his arm playfully. �Harry!
Don�t be vulgar!�

He grinned, gathering her in his arms and pulling her to
his lap. She was careful not to hit his
bruises and he appreciated her more for it.
He placed kisses along her jaw. �I thought you liked it when I sometimes
talked�you know�dirty.�

She couldn�t help but laugh. �Well, I do
admit I�m rather� partial to it at times.�

�Partial?�

�Alright, it�s a dreadful turn-on.�

�That�s the spirit.�

He began to kiss her, slipping his hands up under her
shirt. Their kiss deepened and Harry
whispered his thoughts with such dirty eroticism that he had her gasping and
giggling at how crudely delicious it was.

�I�m thinking�� she
sighed as he rolled his tongue on her neck.

�And you know I love it when you think�� he murmured.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs.

�Where��

�There�s a bathroom upstairs that has this quaint tub...�

His eyebrow arched in surprised before he grinned. �Oh?�

�I was thinking those bruises of yours can do with a hot,
relaxing soak.�

Harry smiled.
Indeed, her mind was a beautiful thing.
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Forever Knight