Chapter Text
Alone, he walked through the deserted alleyways, every sense alert…
Sensing danger, he quickened his pace.
Soon, he was running… someone was following him!
Breathless, he turned left into one of the narrow, dark alleyways… the wind whispered around him, echoing the frantic beating of his heart… He peered into the darkness, holding his breath… he knew his pursuer would soon be there…
He was not surprised when a smaller figure appeared in turn, straining to make out the slightest shadow…
He pressed himself closer against the cold wall as raindrops began to fall…
He watched intently. His pursuer had just drawn a long, slender wand from their robes… He could see their hands trembling, and he smiled…
Without a sound, he Apparated behind the slender figure, turning round and round in desperation…
With one swift movement, he opened his arms just as the figure turned around once more… and a scream rang out through the little abandoned village…
....................
A little further away, a young man straightened at the sound of the scream and ran towards where it had come from, drawing his wand as he went…
Harry came rushing over in a panic, only to stop dead at the sight before him… He let out an exasperated sigh, ruffling his already thoroughly untidy hair…
“It’s not funny, Ron!” his best friend cried indignantly at the young redhead, who was clutching his sides with laughter… She made one last, futile attempt to look angry.
“That’s enough, Ronald! Oh, will you just shut up!” She tried to hide the smile creeping onto her face behind her hand, but Ron gently caught her hand in his, grinning.
“No hiding it, Mione… it’s dazzling…”
A faint blush coloured the brunette’s cheeks.
“This is a training ground, children, not a singles bar…”
The young redhead turned towards their best friend without letting go of the witch’s hand, despite her attempts to pull it free.
“Harry! What are you doing here?”
Harry walked over to them, putting his wand away, and shrugged.
“When I heard Hermione scream, I came running straight over…”
“I’m really sorry…” Hermione said, smacking Ron’s hand and shooting him a reproachful look as he let go of her, still grinning.
“It’s all this great oaf’s fault! I was supposed to follow him…”
Ron raised an amused eyebrow. She ignored him.
“But of course, instead of staying hidden, he’d rather mess about and scare me…”
Harry chuckled under his breath and turned to his best friend.
“We’re never going to become Aurors if we can’t even follow instructions. You two are always messing about… and always without me! You could at least invite me!”
Hermione was about to retort, but Ron got there first, clapping the Boy Who Lived on the shoulder.
“Mate! You know as well as we do it’s just a formality!”
Which was true…
Over the five years they had been away, their greatest task had been to destroy the remaining Horcruxes… With the help of information provided by the Order of the Phoenix, they had managed to destroy the three other objects that had belonged to the founders of Hogwarts: Salazar Slytherin’s locket, Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem…
The mission had, of course, left its mark on their young bodies and minds… They had grown up; they no longer possessed the innocence of their younger years… They had survived countless battles, both physical and mental, but together, the three of them had found the strength to carry on and still hold on to hope for the future…
They knew there were still some missing… one was Nagini… Harry had never spoken of the other…
The Death Eaters’ attacks had grown increasingly violent and deadly… Their mission complete, this was the first day of their return…
They could have gone straight to the Burrow, but still unable to face that first step that would make their return real, they had gone to enrol for Auror training instead…
Not that they truly needed the “training”. After all the battles they had fought, all the times they had nearly lost their lives, they had come back stronger… and they knew it…
Harry ran a hand through his wet hair… his scar no longer hurt.
Over the years, he had gradually learned to control the advantage that came with sharing a fragment of memory with Voldemort…
He followed behind his two friends, who were bickering ahead of him, a faint smile on his face…
Ron had given Hermione his cloak, and she was talking to him about new spells they could try out…
Harry sighed… five years… Five years since they had left Hogwarts, and his friends had never left his side…
Time and again, he had tried to shake them off, or even made himself so unbearable and unfair that they should have left him alone… but… they had seen straight through him and refused to listen to any of it… They had fought together; they had been there for one another…
That emptiness he had felt in his sixth year had never returned…
They had been surprised when, at the end of their first year away, Ron asked them to go back to Hogwarts, just in time to sit their N.E.W.T.s…
Hermione had teased him for ages about his sudden devotion to his studies, but he had pointed out that he hadn’t spent six years of his life “working his brains out” just to leave without his qualifications!
Oh, they had passed their exams without too much trouble… Though having their own private tutor during journeys, breaks and even before bed, seven days a week, had certainly paid off! Hermione was relentless…
Those few days of respite had done them a world of good… seeing his old friends again, his professors… the Weasleys… He shook his head, trying not to think about it… He had barely seen Ginny, and they had only managed to exchange a few words, but seeing her again had hit him like a ton of bricks… he missed her…
Mrs Weasley had been so proud of their results… Harry laughed inwardly as he remembered Hermione’s face when Ron and he had beaten her in Defence Against the Dark Arts… Come to think of it… he listened more closely. Yes, that was definitely it… they were arguing about it again…
“That’s simply because you were lucky enough to get spells you already knew!”
Hermione muttered grudgingly.
“Wasn’t difficult, seeing as we know practically all of them,” Ron replied without missing a beat, a teasing grin spreading across his face.
“See, Mione, the thing is… the exam was practical, not theoretical.”
“Are you implying I don’t know how to cast them?!”
She planted herself in front of him, hands on her hips, looking genuinely furious…
Ron grinned and rolled his eyes skywards, raindrops falling onto his face.
“No… Believe me, the very thought of facing you terrifies me. You’re scary!”
Hermione couldn’t decide whether to feel offended or proud, and pouted.
“I’m just saying Harry and I have had more practice actually casting them…”
Hermione twisted her mouth, looking affronted.
“You hardly ever let me fight on the front line!”
To her surprise, Ron’s grin faded.
“As long as I’m around to protect you, Mione, I’m not going to stop…”
Harry smiled openly as Hermione flushed and shot him a pleading look, hoping he might help change the tall redhead’s mind…
Harry merely shrugged, and Hermione rolled her eyes in defeat… It was common knowledge that Ron was as stubborn as a mule… Besides, by now Harry was used to these more honest exchanges between his two best friends…
He slung an arm around each of his friends’ shoulders, leaning against them.
All he wanted now was a comfortable bed and a proper meal… That very morning, he had signed the last of the paperwork for the little house they had bought on the outskirts of the city…
“Shall we go home?”
Ron smacked a hand to his forehead.
“I forgot! Pig came back with a letter from Mum… she wants us at the Burrow for dinner tonight…”
Harry’s face froze. He would have liked just one more day to prepare himself… He turned away, letting go of them, then tried to smile.
“Tell her I’m sorry, please, and that…”
“Don’t even think about it, Potter!” Ron cut him off.
At the look on his friend’s face, his expression softened. He put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and spoke more quietly.
“You’ll have to face it sooner or later, Harry…”
“I know…”
Hermione shoved Ron aside and wrapped Harry in a fierce hug. Seized by sudden inspiration, Ron threw his arms around them both, laughing.
“We’re going down!”
All three of them tumbled to the ground in a fit of laughter.
“You’re squashing meeee!” Hermione cried.
“Oi! You three!”
The booming voice made them jump to their feet.
Their team leader was striding towards them, looking furious… and distinctly menacing… The three of them stood bolt upright, struggling desperately not to laugh. Harry muttered to Ron, hiding his grin.
“If he asks, I’m blaming the whole thing on you…”
Hermione whispered too, trying to keep a straight face.
“Me too!”
Ron rolled his eyes, looking thoroughly put-upon.
“Thanks, mates…”
OooOooO
Harry pulled the keys from his pocket while Hermione hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep warm…
The rain was still pouring down, and they were both completely soaked.
Exasperated by how long he was taking, she snatched the keys from his hand and opened the door herself.
“Finally!”
She hurried off to her bedroom while Harry closed the door behind them and put the protective spells in place.
He took off his cloak and hung it in a cupboard by the entrance, then made his way into the small sitting room, where three armchairs stood around a fireplace. He quickly lit the fire with a flick of his hand…
Hermione emerged from her bedroom, pulling on a jumper. She smiled.
“You did it again…”
Harry shrugged and headed for his bedroom. He dried his hair with a spell and changed, and was pulling on a jumper when Hermione called out to him.
“Coffee or tea?”
“Either…”
He came out and made his way to the kitchen, where she handed him a steaming mug. He patted her on the head.
“Thanks…”
Hermione gave him a searching look before sitting down opposite him, her expression serious.
“We really ought to look into this… Professor McGonagall might be able to help us!”
Harry sighed.
“You worry too much, Hermione! Ron’s right…”
All his life, he had been treated like some sort of freak… he didn’t want to be examined any more. So he could perform magic without a wand… so what ? As far as he knew, wizarding children did it too, without even realising, whenever they were overwhelmed by emotion…
Hermione sighed.
“Don’t talk to me about that idiot… I hope he’s enjoying those press-ups… -she added with a smile.
Harry laughed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Admit it… you’d rather have stayed and watched him do them…”
“Harry!” Hermione spluttered, going scarlet as her drink went down the wrong way.
Harry laughed again, getting to his feet and making a quick escape towards his bedroom.
“Nothing wrong with that, Hermione… hormones and all that, you know…”
Hermione shot to her feet, red as a tomato.
“You… you… Do you even realise what you’re saying, Harry?! I am absolutely not…”
“Yeah, yeah!” the Boy Who Lived cut in before shutting his door.
Hermione stood frozen for a moment, so furious that no words would come.
Harry opened the door again and poked only his head out.
“Still… you’ve got a dirty mind, have you?”
He had the good sense to shut the door just before the first spell hit.
“JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET THIS DOOR OPEN, POTTER! I SWEAR YOU WON’T BE THE BOY WHO LIVED MUCH LONGER!”
“Blimey… the way you’re shouting, even Voldemort would think twice!”
Hermione spun round, still red with anger.
Ron was closing the front door behind him, an amused grin on his face as he took off his shoes.
Hermione stared at him, feeling herself turn even redder… All right, so his soaking clothes clung to his skin, outlining the muscles he had developed through years of fighting and endless miles on the run… All right, so watching raindrops trail down his neck and disappear beneath his shirt was not exactly an unpleasant sight… All right, so the sight of his lips parted slightly from the cold made her knees go weak, but…
She turned away, wrenching herself from the tempting sight, thoroughly annoyed with herself.
SHE DID NOT HAVE A DIRTY MIND!
She gave Harry’s door one last thump.
“You’re not safe yet, Harry!”
Laughter answered her, and she headed for the kitchen.
“I made tea. Want some?”
Ron walked past, rubbing his arms against the cold, then stopped to poke his head into the kitchen.
“I’m going to have a shower. Could I have some hot chocolate, please?”
Hermione looked at him fondly and pulled out her wand to take the saucepan off the heat.
“Yes, you may…”
Ron gave her his best smile and wandered off to his bedroom, humming to himself…
A few minutes later, he emerged again, sniffing appreciatively at the smell of chocolate.
“Ahh… that smells brilliant!”
Hermione poured him a large mug and sat down opposite him with a smile.
“So, how was the punishment?”
Ron grimaced.
“He had me doing jumps and press-ups and all sorts of ridiculous stuff in the rain!”
Hermione laughed softly. Ron took another drink, then asked with a mischievous look.
“So what were you and Harry arguing about?”
Hermione went red at once.
“Nothing!”
His curiosity thoroughly piqued, Ron put down his mug, his eyes lighting up.
“Tell me…”
“Absolutely not.”
“Come on…”
“I said no!”
“I’ll tell you, if you like…”
Hermione spun round towards the Boy Who Lived—for now—and ran after him.
“You!”
Ron leant against the kitchen doorway, mug in hand, watching in amusement as they chased each other around the little table in the sitting room, leapt over the armchairs, Hermione hurling cushions at Harry, Harry ducking and covering his head, Hermione charging at him, Harry dodging out of the way…
Hermione nearly went down face-first.
“Thanks…”
Ron grinned as he helped her back onto her feet.
He turned towards Harry, who was putting the cushions back in place with an absent flick of his finger.
“So? What’s this unspeakable secret?”
Harry waved him off with a grin…
Hermione watched him tidy up without his wand, then caught hold of his hand and examined it before stepping in front of him.
“Let’s see how far you’ve come. Cast a spell at me…”
“What?” Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison.
“Cast Expelliarmus at me… I want to check something…”
Harry looked at Ron, who seemed every bit as horrified as he was, then drew his wand, thoroughly confused… Hermione made an impatient gesture, took the wand from him and handed it to Ron.
“Without that…”
Harry frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but something in Hermione’s expression made him think better of it. With an exasperated sigh, he raised his hand…
Hermione arched an eyebrow and smiled.
“Without raising anything, Harry… try.”
Ron sat down, and Harry sighed even more heavily.
“This is really stupid, Hermione…”
“Go on…” she insisted.
He looked her straight in the eye… She saw his eyes darken, and a sudden gust of wind swept her hair back…
Ron whistled. Hermione looked satisfied as she smoothed her hair back into place.
“Now try it with your finger…”
Harry raised his arm. Hermione barely had time to meet his gaze before she was thrown backwards, though she managed to regain her balance before she fell…
“Sorry! Are you all right?!”
Harry and Ron had both rushed towards her. Hermione gave them an exasperated look.
“When are you two going to stop fussing over me?”
Harry and Ron exchanged openly amused looks before answering in unison,
“Never!”
OooOooO
Molly let out a shriek as two long arms wrapped around her waist… Harry only just managed to catch the falling plates while Ron laughed even harder, his mother still in his arms.
“Ronald! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”
By way of an answer, he only squeezed her tighter. Molly smacked his hands and turned around to kiss her youngest son soundly.
Hermione hugged Molly in turn.
“He can’t help himself… it’s his new favourite pastime…”
Ron gave her a wry smile as Mrs Weasley wrapped the young woman in her arms.
“Hermione, it’s so good to see you!”
She looked past her, then couldn’t help crying out in delight when she spotted Harry putting the plates back on the shelves.
“Harry, dear!”
Molly hurried over and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe. Ron and Hermione watched, and Ron leant slightly towards her with an expression of mock hurt.
“Makes you wonder which one of us is her son…”
Molly Weasley pulled away from Harry, flushing, and gave her son a swat.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Dinner’s ready!” Then, looking at Harry, she exclaimed, “But look at you, dear! You’re all skin and bones!”
She turned to the other two and took Hermione by the arm, steering her towards the table.
“Merlin, Hermione, you too!”
Hermione and Harry exchanged a smile. Then, as Molly turned towards her son to make the same remark, Ron raised both hands and sat down of his own accord.
“Don’t bother, Mum. Doesn’t work with me, I’m a bottomless pit!”
They all laughed, and soon each of them had a bowl of soup in front of them. Molly explained that her other children were away on missions and wouldn’t be back for another two or three days…
Ron tore off a piece of bread, took a bite and asked :
“And Ginny?”
At the sound of her name, Harry nearly choked on his soup.
“Are you all right, dear?” Mrs Weasley asked with concern. Then she turned back to her son and continued stirring her soup to warm it.
“Ginny’s still at St Mungo’s… her professors are very proud of her,” she went on, her own voice full of pride. “They ask her to join them for operations, missions, conferences and all that… In fact, that’s why she hasn’t been home for a week. They finally gave her a room at St Mungo’s itself. You know, with all these Death Eater attacks… they were short-staffed and asked for her help… my little Ginny…”
She had a dreamy look on her face, glowing with maternal pride…
Hermione brought her back to the present.
“Was that the attack near a railway station?”
“Oh, yes! Those wretches even went after the Muggles who happened to be there! The strange thing is, when the Aurors arrived, none of the Muggles could remember what had happened…”
“That was us…” Ron informed her, drinking the rest of his soup straight from the bowl. He handed it back to his mother with a grin, silently asking for another helping.
Molly stared at him, then at the other two, who were smiling back at her.
“You?!”
Ron eyed the saucepan impatiently and began explaining to his mother, who didn’t seem inclined to move.
“Yeah… when we were in An…”
“Ron!” Harry cut him off, shooting him a dark look.
Ron grimaced and waved it away.
“Anyway… Harry sensed there were Death Eaters nearby, and when we heard the screams, we didn’t hesitate… I was the one who wiped their memories…”
Mrs Weasley stared at them, wide-eyed. They had fought Death Eaters, and none of them seemed particularly bothered by it!
Trying to collect herself, she repeated,
“You?”
Ron grinned.
“I’m an expert at wiping memories! Aren’t I, Harry?”
Harry chuckled, remembering the unfortunate fate of their former professor, Lockhart… Ron’s first victim when it came to that particular spell…
Ron looked pointedly at the bowl in his mother’s hands and asked with a pout.
“Mum, can I have some more?”
“Oh, yes, dear, of course! Sorry!”
She hurried to refill the bowl and handed it back to her youngest, who looked positively delighted as Hermione watched him in amusement…
Molly smiled fondly at the sight of the three of them finally together beside her… For the past four years, despite the owls and the Patronuses sent through the fireplace, she had feared the worst… Not a day had gone by without her looking at the clock in her kitchen and praying with all her might whenever she saw that the hand belonging to her youngest boy pointed to “mortal peril”…
But at last, they were back…
Their return filled her with joy, certainly… but with worry as well. Because it could only mean one thing : the final battle was drawing near…
She turned back to the saucepan to hide her tears… Why did they, so young still, have to carry such a heavy fate in their hands?
She swallowed her tears and turned back to them with a smile, making conversation as though nothing were wrong…
....................
Hermione ate hungrily… It had been far too long since she’d had a proper meal!
Ron could manage well enough in the kitchen, but there wasn’t much variety when you spent most of your time camping… and besides, nothing could compare to a meal cooked by Molly Weasley!
She reached for a piece of bread and her hand brushed against Ron’s.
He smiled at her before cutting two pieces, placing one beside Hermione’s bowl and the other beside his own.
“Eat.”
Hermione flushed slightly, caught off guard by the exchange.
She heard Harry chuckle beside her and promptly stamped on his foot to shut him up.
Mrs Weasley hadn’t missed a thing.
When Harry got up for another helping, she took the bowl from his hands and whispered, nodding towards Ron and Hermione… They were talking together, smiling.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Harry shrugged.
“I’d like to know myself…”
Molly stole another glance towards the table and smiled at the easy closeness between the two of them. She clasped her hands together, delighted.
“Maybe it was a good thing you all went away together after all!”
Harry smiled, not wanting to contradict her… Hunting Horcruxes had been anything but a moonlit stroll!
But… it was true that, surrounded by danger, his two friends had allowed themselves moments like these during those rare times when they could rest…
....................
Molly had insisted that they wait for Arthur to come home…
The three friends were half-dozing in the large armchairs in the small sitting room.
The gentle warmth of the fire wrapped comfortably around them, and it wasn’t long before Harry drifted off, his head resting against Hermione’s shoulder.
Sitting between her two friends, Hermione had made a pillow of Ron’s arm. Wrapped in this warm little cocoon, so different from the cold nights they had spent sleeping under the open sky, she too eventually drifted off…
Ron breathed slowly, the steady sound of his best friend’s breathing almost lulling him to sleep… He carefully eased himself away from her, then lifted her into his arms.
He chuckled under his breath when Harry lost his support and woke with a start, completely disoriented.
“Wh…?!”
Ron glanced down at the sleeping Hermione in his arms, then back at Harry. Harry waved for him to carry on before stretching silently with a huge yawn.
Ron carried Hermione into the kitchen… His mother was there and came over to him, barely managing to hide her smile.
“Mum, where can she sleep for a while?”
“Ginny’s room, dear. There are pyjamas in there, she can borrow a pair… Do you want some help carrying her?”
Her son shook his head. Molly stroked Hermione’s cheek, and the sleeping witch nestled a little closer against Ron’s chest.
“She must have been exhausted to fall asleep so quickly…”
Ron chuckled softly as he headed towards the stairs.
“That’s partly my fault… I’m always getting on her nerves…”
He made it up the three flights of stairs to his sister’s room without any trouble.
He didn’t need magic. Hermione was light enough to carry with ease…
He went into the room and laid her down on the bed, then carefully took off her shoes without waking her.
He gave her cheek a gentle pat.
“Mione… you need to get changed… wake up…”
She didn’t answer.
Hesitating, he leant closer and tucked one of her unruly curls behind her ear.
“Mione, get up, or I’m changing you myself…”
She didn’t move, and suddenly he realised what he had just said…
His heart began to pound in the dimly lit room.
“Hey. I really will do it…”
He waited several seconds, but Hermione slept peacefully on.
She was the only one who hadn’t properly changed… she was still wearing her trainee uniform, which couldn’t possibly be comfortable… or at least, that was what he kept telling himself…
“I’m getting up…” he warned her.
Still no reaction.
He went over to his sister’s wardrobe and found a long nightshirt she used as pyjamas.
Then he returned to the bed and carefully removed Hermione’s cardigan.
She let out a small grumble…
He swallowed quietly and slipped the nightshirt over her white shirt, pulling it down until it reached halfway down her thighs…
Hermione’s eyes fluttered open at all the movement, still heavy with sleep, and settled on him.
He froze, completely at a loss.
A sleepy smile curved her lips. She reached up and touched his cheek, then her hand fell limply back onto the bed…
She had fallen asleep again…
Ron’s hands were trembling slightly… This really wasn’t a good idea.
He looked once more at her peaceful face, then, cursing himself, closed his eyes and undid her trousers.
With one quick movement, he slipped them off, revealing two slender legs that pressed together against the sudden chill…
His ears were ringing.
He pulled the covers over her and stepped back as though she might suddenly burst into flames.
His throat was dry…
He ran a hand over his face, trying to regain some semblance of control.
He stopped himself just before his hand could reach her cheek.
He got quickly to his feet, turned off the light and, after one last glance, left the room.
In the darkness, Hermione rolled onto her side, opened her eyes… and smiled.