Author's Note: So, it has been a long while since I have written a FanFic but I recently got hit with the inspiration yet again. This story is a H/Hr story that starts just after Ron leaves them in DH. After I get a few things established, I plan on jumping forward in time a bit so that I don't have to rewrite half of DH – let me know if it gets difficult to follow along, but I think I'll be able to make it easy to follow. After you read it, I'd much appreciate a review to let me know what you think – good, bad, whatever.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter universe – that all belongs to J.K Rowling. I just love the story and love to imagine the characters and what could have been. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hermione returned to the tent with her rain soaked hair sticking to her tent. She felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach and the air had been knocked out of her. She swallowed hard, clenching her jaw and trying to regain some sense of composure as she drew a deep breath. Tears were threatening to spill over as she looked down at the ground, her fingers nervously interlocking in front of her. He had left them.

She took another steadying breath before she walked to the kitchen and put a kettle on. She didn't dare glance at Harry; she could sense his anger from across the room.

He was gone. He left. She knew it was out of the ordinary for Ron. He was always quick tempered and although she had seen the two boys fight viciously in the past, she had never imagined that Ron would leave like this. Ron had always been fiercely loyal. He knew what he had signed up for and knew the sacrifices he would be making when he agreed to join Harry to find the Horcruxes. They had discussed it in great lengths before they had left with Harry, and although it was true that Hermione was disappointed at their lack of progress of actually finding any Horcruxes, she cautiously optimistic that this new lead regarding the sword.

She had sensed a change in Ron over the last few days. He was anxious and impatient and untrusting. Ron had passed some jealous glances at her every time she had been near Harry. Whenever she so much as touched Ron, he looked at her questioningly – like he wasn't convinced of her loyalty and love to him. His insecurities were getting the best of him and she knew it was the Horcrux. She should have taken it from him sooner...

The high-pitched whistling sound of the kettle pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up to find Harry sitting in a chair at the end of the table, head bent down and hands in his hair. He looked frustrated and distraught, in complete disbelief of what had just happened and anxiety over what would happen next. She filled two mugs with the hot water and placed their last two tea bags into the mugs – it didn't seem as important to save them any longer. She lifted them and walked to the table, placing the two mugs on it as she sat.

"Drink." The statement had left her mouth without emotion. It wasn't so much of a demand, as a statement.

Harry sighed heavily, removing his hands from his hair to rest in his lap. He wasn't in a mood for tea. Or much of anything to be honest. He glanced up at Hermione, unsure of what he was searching for in her face – perhaps a sign that everything would be okay – but he didn't find it as he stared at her while she looked straight ahead into nothingness.

So he lifted the mug to his lips and sipped. Her eyes glanced down towards him but she didn't have it in her to look at him. She needed to keep her composure and looking at him would be her breaking point.

She took a small sip from her own mug and let the warm tea fall down her throat.

Hermione's eyes didn't leave the empty space ahead of her as she spoke, "We need to continue thinking about where the sword might be-"

"You don't have to stay, you know." The words escaped Harry's mouth quicker than he had intended. He was too ashamed to even look up at her.

Harry's words made her look at him. She furrowed her brow slightly as she turned to look at him. She stared at him hard, until he worked up the nerve to look at her.

"I'm not leaving." The words left her lips with a steady force. She reached her hand over to Harry and placed it firmly in his own. She gripped it tightly as she looked at him and gave him a weak smile. She felt a couple of tears escape her eyes and slide down her cheeks.

He looked in her big brown eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. Ron may have left, but Hermione wasn't going to leave him side.

For the next few minutes they sat there in silence, their hands still held tightly together. They finished their tea in silence, before settling into their respective beds and extinguishing the lights.

Hermione stared up at the dark canvas ceiling of the tent and began to silently cry. Her body lightly shook as the tears streamed more freely down her cheeks now, letting the reality of the situation set in. They were alone now. Ron had abandoned them. It was just the two of them left. And in that moment, she wasn't so confident that they could conquer the task they had set out to do a two months earlier.

The next few weeks passed by mundanely. Hermione and Harry had left their camp the day following Ron's departure – it just didn't feel right to be there any longer and they needed to stay on the move. As they arrived in each new location, it was always the same: they dropped their things on the ground to begin placing all of the necessary enchantments and protective spells around their camp. Harry would open the case to set up the tent, which Hermione would gather sticks for firewood. Once it was all set up, Hermione would sit inside the tent, burying her head into yet another book in hopes of seeing something, any hint of a clue of what they should do next. Harry would sit outside of the tent, wand in hand while he kept the first watch.

Hermione was absent mindedly stirring her cup of wild mint tea as her eyes quickly scanned yet another book.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She didn't lift her eyes from her book or stop the stirring of her tea.

"I've been thinking..." he began cautiously. "I – I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

She looked up at him with the wrinkled brow she always had when she was worried.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I've been thinking about it too. I really think we will have to go there."

"Wait – did you hear me correctly?" he asked.

"Of course I did. You want to go to Godric's Hollow and I am agreeing with you. It will be rather dangerous but I don't know if we will have any other choice. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems to be there."

"Uh – what's there?" asked Harry.

"The sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known that you would want to go back there, it's where Godric Gryffindor was born and –"

"Really, Godric Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow?"

"Honestly, Harry, did you ever do your reading in school?" Her half-scolding of Harry made her sound like more of herself than she had in months. "I figured you would have made the connection since the village is named after him."

She proceeded to pull out A History of Magic, turning the pages quickly until she found the place she was looking for. She stopped and read a passage about the founding of Godric's Hollow. "You're parent's aren't mentioned at all," she said as she closed the book. "But you see? Don't you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection between Godric Gryffindor and Gryffindor's sword?"

"Yeah..."

Harry didn't want to admit that he hadn't been thinking of the sword at all when he suggested going there. The lure of the visit with his parents' graves and the house where he had barely escaped death was his motivation for going there.

The following morning, Hermione and Harry put on their warmest clothes and prepared to apparate to the village.

"I still think we should of used Polyjuice..." she said in a quiet uneasy protest.

"Hermione, I'm not entering this place as someone else," he replied. "It doesn't feel right,"

"I know, I know. But the risk, Harry. If anyone recognizes you..." she said worriedly.

"We have the cloak, we'll be fine." He said.

He lowered the Invisibility Cloak over them and opened his hand out for her to take. She did and they turned into the dark of aparation once again.

Hermione and Harry opened their eyes apprehensively. Hand in hand, they stood on the snowy sidewalk under the dark sky filled with dimly lit stars. The street was lined with small cottages on either side, Christmas decorations in the windows. Up a short way ahead, Hermione could see the glow of street lights.

"All this snow!" Hermione whispered quietly. "Our footprints!"

Harry began to walk forward, unfaltered by the footprints they would be making in the snow.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered frightened.

"Come on, Hermione. This place... I can't enter it like a stranger. It doesn't feel right."

She sighed nervously, but nodded her head in silent agreement. Hands still interlocked, they walked up the snow covered sidewalk towards the center of town. They weren't even sure where they were going exactly. Each window they passed was covered in Christmas decorations that sparkled as the light hit it just right. Carol music was playing in the distance.

"Harry," Hermione whispered cautiously, "I think it's Christmas."

He stopped, his eyes searching around before he nodded softly. "Yes, I think you're right." Silence filled the space between them as they watched their breath in the cold air.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Harry." She squeezed his hand a little tighter and smiled slightly. They continued walking up the street, towards what looked like a small church. As they got closer, they could see a small graveyard next to it.

"Hermione," Harry's voice was just above a whisper. She turned to look up at him. "You think my parents are in there?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "I think they are."

As they entered the cemetery, Harry removed the Invisibility Cloak and bunched it up. They separated, each walking down a different aisle. It was eerie and quiet in the cemetery with the sounds of party goers singing Christmas songs and chatting merrily filled the distant air. It wasn't long before Hermione spotted Harry, completely still in front of a large stone.

When Hermione reached him, she looked down to see the names of James and Lily Potter carved neatly on the stone. Harry instinctively wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder. Hermione leaned her head against his side as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

They stood there for a few moments in silence. Based on Harry's breathing, Hermione wondered if Harry was crying lightly. She turned slightly to wrap her arms around him completely, holding him in an embrace for a moment longer. Harry took a steadying breath before breaking the embrace. He took Hermione's hand in his own and they walked out of the cemetery towards the gate. He turned around, placing the Invisibility Cloak over both of them once again. He took Hermione's hand and with a quick pop, they aparated out of Godric's Hollow.

A/N: So what did you think? All reviews are much appreciated.