She found herself visiting the bookshop quite frequently, at least once a week. Some weeks she would visit nearly every day, and some weeks she would not visit at all. She found other routes from the Ministry to get to the shop, some ways were faster and some ways took longer. She found other book stores but she always went back to The Weeping Willow. She could never get enough of its charm, it was her place of comfort a place that she was sure no one else knew of, her small sanctuary.

"Where do you run off to?" Harry had asked her one day. She was getting ready to leave the Ministry and trying to be quick about it before someone stopped her. She had not been to the shop in two weeks and was itching to get there as soon as possible. Harry happened to be leaning against the doorframe of her office.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't see you there." She said and she quickly wrapped a scarf round her neck.

"Hermione, you would tell me wouldn't you?" Harry asked arms crossed looking down; she gave him a puzzled look and asked what he meant. "You would tell me if you had a secret wouldn't you, perhaps you're seeing someone, I won't tell Ron." He said looking back at her putting one hand up to stop her from protesting, while the other rested against his heart in complete sincerity.

"What would give you that idea Harry?" Hermione asked with her eyebrows knitted together.

"You're always running off around this time, I noticed it a few weeks ago." He said walking into her office, "I didn't think much of it but then I noticed a pattern, sometime you wouldn't leave your office, and other times you left early a few days in a row." Hermione couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "I'm not mad if you think I am. I don't want you to think I would be upset that you're seeing someone other than Ron."

"Harry, I am not seeing anyone." She said looking at him.

"Oh." Harry uttered. "I just thought…" His voice trailed off.

"You thought wrong." Hermione said teasingly as she smiled at him. Harry rubbed the back of his neck.

"Then where do you go, if you don't mind me asking." He said head down with his eyes looking at her. Hermione let out a sigh; Harry was giving her THAT look. The one where he looked like a lost child, like a puppy without a home, the one he used at Hogwarts when he would ask for her notes, or for help with a paper, the one she could never really say no to. He was giving her the look that would make her feel horrid and guilty if she didn't let him have his way.

"I go out Harry." She said grabbing her bag and putting the strap onto her shoulder walking towards the door to her office, trying her hardest not to look at that face of his.

"But out where to Hermione?" Harry asked stepping in front of her.

"Harry, please." Hermione said, a pleading tone lacing her voice, doing everything to keep her eyes off him.

"Is it that bad that you can't tell me?" Harry asked with hurt evident in his words. She couldn't help but look at him, that damn face of his! She had lost, her eyes never left his as her shoulders dropped. She let out a sigh and moved to sit on the edge of her desk.

"Alright," she said, "but you have to promise not to laugh at me."

"I swear!" Harry quickly replied face serious and full of concern, taking a step closer towards her.

"A while back, well a few months ago actually, I had a row with Ron; and I had a bad day in the office. Well, I went around muggle London and somewhere along my aimless walking I stumbled onto this treasure of a bookshop." She looked from her folded fingers to Harry who looked bewildered.

"You go," he paused for a brief moment, "to a bookshop?" He finished face twisted in confusion as though the sentence that just left his lips were the strangest string of words ever to leave his mouth. "Why couldn't you just tell me before Hermione?" He asked sounding rather frustrated, and relieved; she wasn't sure if he was frustrated about the fact that she had kept something so trivial from him, or because he was disappointed that it was not that big of a secret as he had intentionally thought it was. Something told her it was the latter.

"Because Harry, if I had told you about it you would have wanted to tag along."

"And why shouldn't I tag along?" Harry asked body starting to turn towards the door showing every indication that he would be joining her.

"Oh, no you don't Harry James Potter!" Hermione said standing up with her chin in the air.

"What?" Harry asked taking a step back with his hand out to his side and shoulders slightly lifted.

"Don't think I haven't a clue on what is going on in that head of yours, you will not be accompanying me to this store."

"Why not, I like books." Harry said defiantly.

"That maybe the case but if you join me you would want to go somewhere else afterwards."

"What are you going on about Hermione?" She let out a deep breath.

"Harry this place is where I go to get away I will not have you ruin it for me."

"I would do no such thing." Harry said with a scoff.

"Then tell me, if I were to tell you where this place is, or show you, would you promise me that you would not go there just to find me?" She asked. Harry stood silently, eyes cast onto the floor going over different scenarios in his head. "Harry, you and Ron have Quidditch, if you needed to let out pent up stress, or to vent, you take it to the pitch, you get on your broom and you fly about." Hermione said waving a hand in the air. "I enjoy reading and to be surrounded by books. This place, it feels like it is the only thing I have to myself. You understand don't you Harry?" He nodded his head as he looked at his feet, feeling guilty that he had tried to intrude in her new found sanctuary.

"I'm sorry Hermione." He said giving her a lopsided smile.

"It's alright Harry." She said taking one of his hands and squeezing it slightly. "I better be off." She said as she gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek. "And Harry, do not try and follow me. You have that gleam in your eye when you are planning on either being sneaky or doing something incredibly stupid, and I will not hesitate to hex you." With that she left the office leaving behind a deflated Harry.

A/N: Going back on yesterday when I posted about certain characters... I had originally planned this story with only three Characters ever making an appearance.

1) Hermione

2) Darco

3) Ginny

As I started to write down the story there was always this one character that would slowly open the door and peak in his head; you see the messy hair, followed by his glasses and finally a small smile. Harry never demanded his appearance, he just made it very obvious that he would not be ignored, by placing himself in different parts of the story never making too much of a fuss but always in the line of view that you just had to add him in. Really he is smarted than he gets credit for, I think it may be a bit of Dumbledor's influence.