A/N Hi! *waves from behind screen* thank you for clicking on this story. After some lovely people enjoyed the character in Pictures of You I have decided to have a go at writing him in a Hermione x Yaxley pairing which I think we are calling Yaxmione.

Big love to Kreeblim Sabs who is alpha reading this for me - especially for this one (the first few chapters need a lot of help!)

Prologue

HPOV

In many ways the end of the war felt incredibly anti-climatic to Hermione, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting but as the conflict that had dominated her early life ended when Voldemort's body quietly slump to the ground in defeat it was as if she was waiting for something else, some great klaxon or light to illuminate the sky, something, anything, to speak to a hirer meaning. Something to absolve all of her sins committed in its name, to finally wash the lingering blood from her hands.

She limped away from the school ground come battlefield and almost immediately the questions started 'what will you do now?' 'will you go back to school?' 'what about you and Ron?' she had looked on with a blank expression blindsided by the celebrations and plans for the future, she wasn't ready for that yet, she had no dreams to put into motion.

When Harry asked the same questions a few days later she felt a raw unforgiving ice grip her heart, call her sensitive but his casual utterance made her feel like he was expecting her to move on, alerting her to the fact that she had become an imposition. He had asked her to come back to Grimmauld Place when they left the destroyed Hogwarts but had that been out of pity?

She had no money, no place to stay, nothing in the whole world to show for the fact she had been narrowly avoiding death for the last few years, nothing apart from the ruined tissue that now covered swathes of her frame and the cracked dust that remained of her innocence.

"I don't know" she had answered, the words sounding hollow even to her own ears, she had never felt more lost than she did in that moment "what are you going to do?"

"Ron and I are going to accept Kingsley's offer to join the auror programme, you should come with us" his cheery voice grated against her as she watched him flip a pancake.

His words implied Ron and he had already had the conversation, without her. Where had she been when this discussion had taken place? Had he always been this insensitive or was it just that her skin was paper thin now? Stripped of her armour by the sudden weight of everything that had hit her in the last few days.

Mere months past she would have followed the boys, her boys, into the training programme like she had followed them into the jaws of death, her preference wouldn't have mattered as long as they stayed together, stayed as a team. She had never needed to worry about her failings when around the boys, Ron was the best at making friends his growing up surrounded by other children had made him more socially affable, so she didn't need to. Harry was brave and tenacious a natural born leader, so she could follow.

But she had seen enough of blood and decay and she found she had no taste for it. She felt so old in that moment, looking at Harry, her friend, as he gleefully prattled on about how amazing it was going to be. It was one thing to do battle when seeking to survive but she didn't think she was made for seeking it out.

That said going it alone for the first time since she was eleven was going to be a fight, Hermione wasn't convinced she was ready for it.

As it turned out for once the universe had decided to smile at her, and this time it was not with derision, that afternoon a large impatient owl appeared carrying an envelope bearing the Hogwarts crest. Ripping open the envelope in haste she sat forward alert as she skimmed the steady script of Professor McGonagall, as expected she had taken up the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts following the death of Professor Snape in the final battle, Hermione was sure she would feel guilty about misreading his intentions and motivations for the rest of her life.

The letter needlessly explained the school's current level of disarray, Hermione had seen the battle scars her beloved home had taken when she was there. Her Professor was organising reconstruction projects that had to be undertaken in order to ensure it would be able to be re-opened. The current plan was to forgo the first term and accept students back in December.

Professor, or rather Headmistress McGonagall asked her to come back to lead a team of ex-students assisting with the works and then asked if she would like to stay on to take her NEWTs.

Hermione only considered the offer for ten minutes, always a practical girl she stripped her current situation down to facts, she needed an occupation, something that would hopefully give her purpose. Now that she gave herself time to think about it as crazy as the idea of going back to school seemed it was no more insane than sitting in Harry's dusty old house reflecting on being unwelcome. Sirius Black had already proved this dwelling was no place for the haunted, Harry had plans of course, to remodel, to make it a family home, it would take more than a lick of paint and some new light fixtures to turn this place around.

She sat to pen her reply in the affirmative.

Spur of the moment decision or not going back to the castle was the best move she could have made, working on the building that she had loved throughout her childhood gave her a sense of purpose that had been missing since she had spent the summer pouring over dark magical texts searching for the next horcrux. It also began to wash away the memories of the final battle and the end of the sixth year, when the Death Eaters had got into the castle, she started replacing the bad memories, remembrances of fear and helplessness with good ones.

As the headmistress had requested she led the small team of ex-students that had returned to lend a hand, herself Neville, Luna and of all people Cormac Mclaggen were the only people that had come back.

They were quite the collection of misfits truth be told, though that wasn't really an issue for Hermione, more like a continuation of every grouping she had ever existed in.

Neville's Gran had fought admirably during the war and at the final battle itself but it had weakened her heart. While Augusta Longbottom herself would protest that she was still 'very much alive' she had lost a great deal of her former vigour and was confined to bed rest for large portions of the day. Unable to watch another of his loved ones slip into decline Neville hid away with the rest of them in the castle.

Luna had spent a large portion of the war under lock and key at Malfoy Manor, a place that Hermione only revisited unwillingly in her nightmares. While on the whole Luna spoke of being treated fairly well she had confessed that she had been hauled in front of the inner circle during several meetings and Hermione heard enough of her screaming in the dead of night to know what fairly well really meant… I didn't die.

Cormac had been the surprise when she had first seen his mop of curly blonde hair she had tensed automatically. Annoyance at herself had made her walk over to him to say hello this wasn't the sixth year anymore and she wasn't a child, avoiding a boy that had been somewhat overzealous in his attentions was ridiculous after you had faced actual monsters. He was haunted in the same way Neville was by life under the Carrows though unlike Neville he didn't try to put you off the scent of his hurt by being exuberant and jovial, Cormac was withdrawn and stoic.

All four of them pulled together into a weird sort of friendship group, they leant on each other and kept each other going through the hardest times.

A month after the works started Hermione requested leave to visit her parents, she had pulled herself together somewhat, regular food had led to her returning to almost her normal size, most of her superficial cuts and bruises had now faded and as such she was no longer concerned about frightening them when she turned up on the doorstep. Permission given Hermione planned her trip down to the last detail, she had spent any free time she had while on the run researching the reversal of the complex charms she had placed on them, yes they were muggle but she believed she had worked out the magic appropriately.

When she got up to go to the apparition point that Saturday she was amazed to find the four figures waiting for her. The Headmistress and the rest of her 'team' smiled indulgently.

"You didn't think we'd let you do this alone did you Granger?" Cormac smirked, she smiled in return. Her first impulse was to tell them she would be fine, that she didn't want to be a burden, but deep down she knew she would need them, even the best possible outcome of this trip would leave her drained magically and emotionally she felt comforted to know she would be around people that she wouldn't need to shield with.

The journey was long and nausea inducing even with magic but as they had regained the time they had lost while in transit Hermione decided to waste no further time and go to her parents straight away. With the help of her headmistress she had managed to get an address for them fairly quickly, as she initially suspected they were in Sydney. She shouldn't have done it, but she had heavily suggested the city as a possible location when weaving the interlocking memory charms, she had learnt a lot from Mad-Eye Moody the first of those lessons had been to hide in plain sight.

Hermione felt a rush of excitement as they found themselves outside an upscale apartment building in downtown Sydney, it had been so long since she had laid eyes on her parents, the last time making up some of the fractured snippets of her nightmares rather than a memory to cherish; her father's brown eyes, eyes just like hers, widening as he realised what she was about to do, her mother's voice pleading with her, the traces of her existence being erased from the home, walking down the quiet street after closing the front door for the last time, alone, totally alone.

She consulted the scrap of paper in her hand one more time, running her fingers over the address, before giving a nod that was more resolved than she felt and leading them inside the building and into the lifts.

When they got out of the lift Hermione made to continue down the soulless corridor but the headmistress hung back halting her progress "I think some of us should wait behind, too many of us would be hard to explain at first"

Hermione considered how strange it would be from her parent's point of view "good idea"

Cormac stepped forward "I'll come" his tone was deceptively nonchalant but Hermione had worked with him long enough to know there would be no shifting his resolve.

Reminding herself that she had only just this morning allowed that she would need help, Hermione smiled in reply before leaving the others at the main atrium with him following her lead down the corridor.

When they arrived outside apartment 43b she paused, she hadn't prepared anything for this encounter, mapping a speech hadn't seemed worth it as she knew her mind would go blank as soon as she took in their faces.

"What's the plan?" Cormac asked quietly.

Hermione bit her lip "Err I was thinking try to get in, maybe... ask to use their phone and then… and then…. stun them" she finished, Cormac raised his eyebrows "I know, but the magic I have to perform... it would be safer if they were already out"

"Okay, best get on with it then" he chided before placing a hand on her shoulder "you'll only lose your bravado if we carry on standing out here"

She raised her right hand that was already gripped so tightly into a fist she was sure her palm would be marked and knocked against the door.

There was no response, she waited a moment and then knocked again, still nothing. Maybe they weren't here, she looked at Cormac who merely shrugged. She thought for a moment, she had come all this way and whether or not they were here it might make sense to go in and have a look around, it might bring up something that would have a bearing on the magic she had prepared.

Decision made she squared her shoulders and pointed her wand at the door "Alohomora"

After a brief second she heard the familiar audible click that signified the spells success and the door opened the smallest amount, it was clear from the crack now visible from under the heavy door that there were no lights on.

Hermione placed her palm, open this time against the cool surface of the door and pushed it gently, herself and Cormac moved inside, both immediately moving towards the hall wall, when she had time to think about it she would probably be saddened by the war honed reflects of two people as young as they were but for now she was grateful to them. She didn't know what it was, whether it be the stillness of the air around her or some other indicator she couldn't even pick up on but something was poking at her senses urgently. Something was off.

She walked further down the corridor hesitantly, conscious that she didn't know the layout of the property and cursing herself for her poor planning, whatever she was feeling Cormac must have picked up on too as he had moved even closer to her, she could feel his soft breath ruffling her curls on the top of her head.

Only one of the doors off the main corridor was ajar, the furthest one, it emitted a slight slither of light and the pair walked towards it after a look of silent agreement, Hermione gripped the handle and after a rough swallow pushed the door open hard and fast wand raised defensively.

Her wand arm dropped limply to her side as she regarded that she had opened the door to total devastation, the room appeared to be the main living area of the flat with a sitting area and open plan kitchen. She had hoped, when she had first got there, that she would be able to spend the time while her parents were unconscious, while the spell reversed, looking around the flat, she imagined herself wallowing in familiar decor and trinkets. That would be an impossibility, the entire space looked like the scene from one of the over dramatised crime shows her dad had loved. Furniture was overturned, papers were scattered everywhere and Hermione felt her mind give over to panic.

No longer able to stand still she moved back out of the door at speed, she lurched back into the corridor and started feverishly opening doors.

Utility cupboard, nothing.

Larder, nothing.

Bathroom, nothing.

Wait.

As she had turned to exit the room to continue her manic search something caught the corner of her eye, there in the middle of the floor was a partial footprint, she folded herself down to the ground to look more closely at the muddy stain, her eyes clouded involuntarily as she took in the copper hue of the old mark.

On shaky legs she righted herself and walked into the corridor, her steps were fumbling and much slower this time. Her eyes zeroed in on the one door she hadn't opened yet, it must have been the bedroom, falteringly she managed to grip the handle and after a couple of failed attempts she pushed the barrier open and she was greeted with total darkness.

She could dimly make out that a blind was drawn across the windows but the small amount of light breaking in through the slats provided no illumination at all. Without knowing where the furniture was her only option was to turn on the light. She raised her hand slowly and felt along the walls for a switch, when her fingers registered the telltale bump of plastic she shut her eyes tightly and flicked it, breathing a couple of unsteady breaths before she opened them.

There on either side of the bed where her parents, or rather what was left of them.

Both bodies had been bound and were positioned to be sat up in bed, a book still lying open between her mother's broken fingers, cups of tea still halfway full on the bedside tables. A parody of their normal nighttime routine.

Their faces were barely recognisable but their eyes were open and she could almost be certain they were looking at her so direct their gaze appeared to be, despite the lack of cognition behind it.

She wanted to run but her legs wouldn't move, she wanted to scream but her throat was uncooperative.

Cormac would later tell her that when he found her she had slumped along the door, sat with her legs drawn up and her face resting on her knees quietly pleading with herself to wake up.

That night they somehow made it to a wizarding hotel, Hermione had no idea how they had got there or any other banal details she just wanted to sleep if she slept there was a chance she could wake up tomorrow and none of this would have happened.

Luna had helped her wash and get changed, she was too out of it to be able to care about stripping off in front of the younger girl, she was sure she would feel the embarrassment later when she had a clearer head. After braiding her unruly hair back and kissing her on the cheek Luna left leaving Hermione alone for the first time since she had made the discovery.

She looked at the large inviting bed and turned away opting to sit instead in the battered leather chair facing the scenic window. She watched the stars quietly for a while until she heard the door click open. Cormac walked in, his hair still damp on the ends from an earlier shower, when her eyes fell down his body she would have laughed under different circumstances, his pyjamas were bright Gryffindor red and the bottoms were covered in tiny golden snitches that darted up and down his legs in bizarre patterns. He looked down following her gaze and he smiled at her a little sheepishly, he tried to play it off but she saw the way his bare feet curled in embarrassment.

After minutes of endless silence he walked a couple of steps further towards her chair and held out his hand. She stared at it for ages, it wasn't like her to accept, she had been a caregiver for so long she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt with the boy before her offering comfort.

But somehow she knew he was safe, he had already seen her broken there was no use in pretending now. She shrugged before placing her much smaller hand inside his. His fingers wrapped around her tightly then he pulled her out of the chair and walked her to one side of the bed, pulling the covers back and gesturing for her to climb in, which she did. He pulled the covers back over her before walking around to the other side and climbing in himself.

He didn't move to touch her, they didn't speak but as the bed dipped adjusting to his weight Hermione turned herself to face him, somehow seeing his impassive face lying next to her calmed her enough that she fell asleep.

Days later when she had been safely transported back to England her brain had cleared enough for her to stop moving with no comprehension of the world around her, questions began to filter in.

How was the scene preserved like that?

Why weren't they discovered?

How long had they been left there?

The Australian Magical Government shed some light, they sent a representative to meet with her at the school, the Headmistress offered her office for privacy and Hermione had accepted asking if she would stay, doing her best to keep her voice from sounding desperate.

Shawn Malbanks was a tall slim man that looked remarkably like an animated paint brush, with his rigid form and ink black hair swept into a rather elaborate quiff for a man of his age. He had all the hallmarks of a wizard who took a certain pride in his work, he was detailed and formal but never officious. While he was clearly sensitive enough to recognise her emotional state he never looked at her with pity, she didn't have enough wits about her to appreciate it at the time but later she remembered and she did.

He informed them that charms had been used to embalm their bodies and steps had been taken to preserve the integrity of the left environment.

She sat in silence as he gave his report, her mind got stuck on words that spat an abstract beat in her mind;

Bodies… excessive… traceless… brutal...unprecedented...sorry.

The information swirled around in her brain and she didn't even have the energy to grow frustrated with herself at her inability to push together the pieces to fill in the blanks a part of her mind was screaming for.

Minutes or maybe even hours later she looked up with a start to find the official gone and her old Head of House watching her through concerned eyes.

"They wanted me to find them?" She asked softly, it had taken her mind forever to weave together what Malbanks had been talking around, but she had gotten there.

McGonagall looked at her sadly "You... or someone else from The Order"

She turned that thought over in her mind, only one question remained "Do they have any idea who did it?"

"None, though it was unquestionably a Death Eater does it really matter which one?"

She got the impression the question was rhetorical but her mind supplied a very definite answer; yes, yes it mattered, she wanted a name she wanted to know if they were already dead.

Following his care of her in Australia her weird, undefined relationship with Cormac continued as the school year began, Hermione felt odd to be back in school uniform skirts and ties again, at nineteen it felt slightly inappropriate.

The four of them that had worked together over the summer had remained close despite the influx of more faces to talk to and an unspoken routine of sharing beds for comfort seemed to be born.

Once or twice a week she would find herself in sock-clad feet moving to the boys dorm room to climb into bed with Cormac, he never refused her. His presence chased away the nightmares, she wasn't sure if it was him or just that it was someone but when she settled herself amongst his pillows the visions of a panting Bella or the wreckage of her parents temporary home would fade and she would be able to get enough sleep to function.

He climbed into her bed too sometimes, she would move the covers up as soon as she saw his form appear in the bedroom, she never asked what haunted him that made him seek her out.

She would probably never know what had triggered it, maybe it was nothing at all, but one night everything changed.

She had woken up to the soft sound of the dormroom door being opened and instinctively moved to open the curtains of her bed as Cormac fell onto the mattress heavily. She shuffled over as much as possible, the narrow beds did not provide the space they had that first night in Australia but they still usually managed to be able to avoid touching each other for the most part, save for the accidental graze of knees or awkwardly placed elbows every once in awhile.

"Hermione" he asked softly and she turned inelegantly in the small space to face him, eyebrows slightly raised to her his voice, even after all this time they never normally spoke.

"Yes Cormac?"

"Why didn't you want to date me, in sixth year, after Slughorn's party?"

Hermione rubbed her face slightly hoping it would clear the remnants of sleep and unmuddle her brain enough to answer his question "I was in love with Ron" she answered honestly "and… well… I didn't think we were that… compatible"

She took his silence to mean she had given a satisfactory answer and she settled herself back down to sleep, just as she was beginning to lose herself she heard him speak again, barely audible this time "What about now?"

She bit her lip, the space in front of her eyes was dark with the curtains drawn and she could have probably pretended to be asleep but she was a crappy liar and if he asked her in the morning he would know from her face "Which part?" she hedged

"Both" he answered, a little louder this time.

"I don't know about the first part, I don't think so. And for the rest, I don't know you Cormac... not really... but then I suppose I never really did"

Once again there was quiet and Hermione closed her eyes tightly though sleep was more elusive this time, she didn't miss it when he responded; "I knew you".

She was fairly certain he hadn't meant for her to respond, possibly not even for her to hear so she kept quiet.

Over time the visits to each other's beds became more frequent, Hermione found she no longer waited for the nightmares to grip her before she padded down to his room.

They spoke more when they were together now, cocooned in the safety each other's presence afforded. She learned that his Grandfather had been a muggle, that he took his Scottish heritage very seriously and even had a kilt which she begged him to show her but so far he had refused.

He told her how he missed quidditch, the houses had not yet got back to organise sports and house teams yet. In a whispered conversation late one night he admitted that he thought he stood a better chance of making the first team this year as Harry was no longer here, her guilt kept her awake far longer than her nightmares that night.

If anyone else noticed their nocturnal activities nobody said anything, that seemed unusual for Gryffindors, brave and bold they might be that usually made them the worst for sticking their nose into each other's business. When she tiptoed quietly out of the dorm one morning to see a stream of white blonde hair poking from the top of the covers in Neville's bed she realised maybe they weren't the only ones.

As the winter months faded away it felt as if a weight was lifted off the castle and its inhabitants, the shadows that had been on the faces of the students began to melt away like the last lingering remnants of the snow outside. Cormac began to break free of his withdrawn state, his personality becoming stronger, more forceful. He seemed to have shaken off his youthful arrogance, he wasn't as desperate for everyone to know how great he was and he could hold entire conversations without reference to his superiority in the given subject. He had really matured, or maybe, as Hermione considered one night while regarding him discussing something animatedly with the boys a year below them, maybe she had never known him well enough before to see beyond the 'jock' like image he presented to the world. She certainly hoped her friends saw past the know-it-all bookworm people assumed she was.

She had come to care for him, after a fashion. It was strange to have a relationship with someone, someone she might like, that wasn't fueled by passionate rows and fierce misunderstandings it was… safe. He had been a rock for her when she really needed one, since her return to school she had seen Harry and Ron very infrequently, they still sent letters but the rigours of the trainee programme prevented them from meeting her the limited times she was available in Hogsmeade. As much as it had left her feeling quite vulnerable she was proud of them, they were truly committed to the programme and she wanted them to succeed.

Not being able to have a face to face conversation with Ron had led to a fairly uncomfortable letter exchange, their kiss in the final battle had been the culmination of years of walking a tightrope between friendship and something more, but then there had been nothing, it made her realise that if there really had been something there before, something strong like love, even young love, it would have manifested itself by now.

Five years of pining was ended in a short note from her freckled friend, he had started seeing a witch in the programme, his missive was sloppy over long and hesitant but she took from it all she needed, he wasn't deliberately trying to hurt her he had just assumed this would be easier than having a conversation about their feelings.

She clutched the note in her hands as she looked up again at Cormac, where her reasons from sixth year still valid? Had she been holding back as she was concerned she was still in love with Ron?

That night she hesitated before going into his dorm, it had been so easy before when she was continuing without the pretence of anything else, now that she had opened the dialogue in her own mind over her feelings for him she suddenly felt obvious and awkward. Did he think she liked him? Was he irritated by her constant interruptions?

She faltered for an hour, twice getting as far as the door before getting back into bed only to shake herself just after midnight and charged to the boys room before she could second guess herself again. When she got to Cormac's bed it was to find the curtains were still open a slither, as she went to move them back she locked eyes with him, his face illuminated slightly by the open window across the room.

"What took you so long?" he whispered as she jumped in and closed the curtain.

She smiled as she laid down deliberating for a second before laying slightly closer than she would have before if her proximity surprised him he didn't show it.

She summoned all of her bravery and spoke "Cormac?"

"Hmmm" he muttered, face planted directly into the pillow.

She played with the end of the bed cover fidgeting a little "why did you ask me to Slughorn's Christmas party?"

He shifted slightly to face her "because I wanted to go with you"

"That's it?" she asked incredulously.

He eyed her like she had said something completely ridiculous, it was an expression she was more used to seeing on Ginny "Yes… isn't that what you're supposed to do, like someone then ask them out?"

Whatever her face betrayed it softened his eyes "they won't all be like him you know"

She flushed "I don't know what you mean"

He smirked at her "I'm sure you don't.. Go to sleep Hermione"

As she fell to sleep she felt his hand slowly intertwine with hers.

The summer term arrived before Hermione was ready, for the first few weeks she had registered a building tension in her blood, she became paranoid and kept looking over her shoulder. It took her a long time to convince herself that nothing was coming for her this time.

Just after she completed her exams she received an official looking letter from The Ministry, further to the Order of Merlin that she had received for her services in the war she was to be awarded a cash sum for her bravery, dedication and applied intelligence.

Part of Hermione really didn't want to take the money, she had no doubt the award would be mentioned in the paper as another PR tactic from the government to absolve their sins, unfortunately she didn't have the resources to take the moral high ground at that moment, she needed the money.

She was expected to get the best NEWT grades possible but despite the shiny achievement it may once have been, somehow she had found herself in the same position she had been in a year before. Where to now?

Once again her former Head of House came to the rescue, a week after the exams were over a signup sheet for a careers talk was placed in the common room. When Hermione went in for her slot the Headmistress handed over a small stack of parchments.

"What are all these?" she enquired leafing through the assorted envelopes.

"Letters from other wizarding institutions" the Headmistress answered a smile tugging at her lips.

"I don't follow"

"Several international schools would be keen for you to join them, for a term or two, learn from their tutors show you the way they do things"

"Why?" she questioned dropping the envelopes to look up at her teacher.

Professor McGonagall smiled indulgently at her "so they can say they taught you of course, you may not understand it yet Hermione but there is a great commodity to be had in claiming you helped shape a young mind, especially if the mind in question is widely reputed to be the brightest witch of her age"

Hermione opened several of the parchments skimming the contents her mind whirring "what do you think I should do?" she spoke into her lap.

"Hermione" she looked up at the woman that had become so much more to her than a teacher, especially in the last year "I think you should go, you can't say this wouldn't appeal to you, learning magic you have never heard of before, being introduced to world-renowned experts, you would be in your element"

She left the Headmistresses office in something of a daze walking out onto the grounds to settle herself on the grass and placing the envelopes in front of her attempting to read in more detail. Most of the students were outside, the end of exams had switched the atmosphere of the castle from high alert to blissed out relaxation in a mere moment and the most challenging thing her peers appeared to be up to was a game of pick up Quidditch.

When Cormac found her an hour or so later the sky had begun to turn purple as the sun set in the distance and Hermione had made it up her mind.

"Where have you been?" he asked jovially as he noted her reading.

"Out here thinking" he dropped to sit down next to her "I had my careers talk"

He placed his hands onto the grass behind him and leant back on them, his eyes fixed on the robed figures zipping around in the sky above them "Yeah? What's the plan then?"

"Headmistress McGonagall passed on some letters from other wizarding institutions that may want to teach me"

Cormac looked down at the parchment pile in her lap "looks like more than a few" she nodded "how long will you be away for?" he asked his gaze assessing the parchments she was still holding.

"I'm not sure, they're from all over and some have some really interesting proposals... It might take, well a while" she sucked in a breath in the silence and forced herself to sound unconcerned "what about you?"

"Ah, life in The Ministry for me thinking of applying in the DMLE, the auror programme opens in September"

"You'd be good at that" she stated honestly

"I know" he smirked and she laughed.

That night Cormac came to her room, it was earlier than normal and she wasn't even properly settled in bed when he slowly pulled the curtains open and moved in behind her.

"It's going to be weird without you here next year" he whispered as he leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder "I'll miss you"

"I'll miss you too" she whispered turning to face him, they locked eyes for several seconds before they were kissing, she wasn't sure who had leant forward first but it didn't really seem to matter, maybe talk of her leaving had forced their hands, making them act now rather than waiting to see where the underlying tension would go.

Cormac's technique had definitely improved since his sloppy attempts under the mistletoe all those years ago, as the kisses heated he pushed her down onto her back his fingers fumbling to lift the t-shirt she was wearing.

On reflection they had seemed to get naked incredibly fast, barely coming up for air it was only when the last piece of clothing between them had been removed that the atmosphere between them suddenly stilled "Are you sure Hermione?" Cormac asked between laboured breaths

"Yes" she responded, and she was.

When she had woken up the next day they were still entwined together, Cormac's arm resting against her stomach pulling her further into his warm embrace, they repeated the changed routine for a week until it was all over.

They crossed the lake in the little boats and landed in Hogsmeade ready to catch the train, well the rest of them were, Hermione was staying at the castle, given leave to remain the two days before her first portkey was set to go to take her to America.

Standing next to Cormac watching the steam billow from the shiny red engine she suddenly felt awkward again. Cormac picked up on her mood and smiled at her opening his arms for a hug which she walked into gratefully "Stay safe Hermione, and write me"

"I will" she promised.

She stood waving off the train at the platform, where she remained for nearly an hour after it had disappeared from sight.

She was on to the next adventure.