Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot.

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Simply.

Wandering through her living room, she pushed a mutinous lock of hair away from her eyes, only to have it fall back to its original place. She sighed and collapsed onto the sofa, seeking refuge amongst the cushions. She watched the trees rustled in the wind outside of her flat window, and smiled sadly as she saw the final leaf be plucked off and sent towards the ground. It was scattered, then forgotten. Spreading her arms out, she looked at her watch, only to be informed that he was late coming home.

Again.

She sighed wearily, and relaxed; knowing that she should probably be doing some washing right about now, but she simply couldn't summon up the energy, opting instead to hum quietly to herself. She was about to lay down and fall asleep when she heard the front door click open. Daring to hope, she crossed her fingers and ceased her humming, wishing with all of her might that it was him.

"Hey there sleepy head. Did you miss me?" His voice whispered across her skin, causing goosebumps to appear on her arms. She shivered slightly, but stayed upright – only closing her eyes. She could hear the smile coming through in his voice. When she felt the sofa dip down, she leant against him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist delicately, easing her towards him. He kissed her nose, and she sighed contentedly. They sat there in peace for a while, relishing in the inaudible conversation that was going on between them.

Finally turning to face him, she ran her hand through his hair, and he leant down and hugged her, shifting slightly to move her onto his lap. She ran her finger over his chest idly, still holding onto him with the other hand. She was afraid that if she let go, he'd be gone again.

He always was. They always needed him for something.

He too held her close. It had been far too long since he last had, and it was starting to bug him. Surely they didn't need him as much as they said? He would bet money that they were simply still prejudice against his relationship with her. This was the first actual trip he had been assigned on in a while. It was either the relationship, or they were still smarting from when he turned down the position as head of the department. He kissed the top of her head, and rested his chin in the same spot, still holding her.

"Always." Was her eventual reply. He grinned, feeling her heartbeat dance in perfect time with his. He withdrew from her slightly, only to entangle his fingers with hers, and bringing them up to kiss her knuckles.

Each and every one of them.

She smiled and released one of his hands, bringing hers to the back of his neck, brushing her lips against his own. She was so happy to have him home again. Two months was too long for them to be apart, she decided. It was putting a strain on their already fragile relationship. They had overcome so many barriers by simply being together.

"Oh and Harry? By the way, whilst you were gone, Draco and Hermione finally stopped dancing around each other." He laughed – a deep rumble that echoed through his chest and around the room. She savoured the sound, and became even more determined to keep him here.

"Always knew that they'd come to their senses eventually. Silly people. Why couldn't they be more like us?" She poked her tongue out at him, not bothering to remind him that he had, in fact, taken a solid seven months after her telling him that she really liked him for being Harry, rather than the Boy-who-lived, to ask her on a date. She smiled internally and rubbed the material of his shirt between her fingers.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?" he looked down to see her watching him intently.

"Do you think that they'll ever stop trying to split us up." He frowned, thinking deeply about whether to answer truthfully or not. He wished that everything could run smoothly for them, that people could simply stop the prejudice and leave them alone. But alas, it was not to be. He sighed raggedly.

"No Pansy, I don't. I'm sorry." She smiled slightly at his frankness. She breathed in his scent before resting her cheek on his shoulder. His arms were still around her, not daring to let go.

Lest she be gone when he did.

They both knew that the threat of being split up; the judging and the hypocrisy would never truly leave them.

But for now, they were content to simply be.

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17/11/08