A/N: Hope you all don't hate me too much after the end of the last chapter! And sorry it's been so long but on with the story. I don't own anything but the storyline. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

Five Years On

Stood at the iron fencing of the newly renovated astronomy tower, Hermione Granger stared out across the grounds of Hogwarts. It had taken them the past five years to finish rebuilding the Castle and complete all the spell work required to maintain the magic within the beautiful place.

Hermione and Harry had worked diligently alongside many others to create a safe place once again for the students of the Wizarding World and along the way they had found themselves with the urge to teach, to impart the knowledge that they had learnt along the years upon those new and willing students of the age. Hermione had taken the position of Transfiguration Professor as McGonagall had stepped up to become Headmistress of Hogwarts upon the death of Severus Snape. Hermione had found it a great pleasure to walk in the footsteps of a women she so admired while Harry, her best friend, had given up his dreams of becoming an Auror having felt he had seem enough death to last him a life time. He had slotted nicely into the position of Defence against the Dark Arts Professor and was constantly getting into mischief with McGonagall for his very practical methods of teaching. Not that Minerva minded, she loved Harry as if he were her own and admired his love for teaching, likening it to that of her own when she started.

Hermione stood gazing out across the grounds, reminiscing about the paths their lives had taken, ones neither of them could ever have foreseen. They had poured themselves into teaching, finding it both rewarding and fulfilling. Hermione smiled to herself, appreciating that her home at Hogwarts had remained throughout the years and although her parents could not be found after she had obliviated them, she had found family within the walls at Hogwarts. The children she taught she could see herself in them, but more importantly, with the newest intake of students, with the laughter and the lack of fear she saw hope within them. Hope for a better future. And within them she saw Ron.

With every beat of her heart she missed the redhead. Everything seemed to remind her of him, even so long after his death. Harry and Hermione had both come to terms with the loss of their friend, knowing that grieving for the rest of their lives would have been the exact opposite of what Ron would have wanted for them, a fact Molly never ceased to remind the pair.

Behind her footsteps in the hallway alerted her to the presence of another, tearing her out of her ravine. Harry stepped forward from the arched doorway, coming towards her. His eyes still held the same excitement they had held when they were children and his hair was as untameable as ever, much to Hermione's chagrin.

A huge grin spread across Harry's face as he crept ominously towards Hermione. Confusion flashed in her eyes before she began to back away from him, lifting her hands up in front in order to stop the oncoming attack. Forgetting her wand for a moment she begged Harry not to proceed.

"Harry, no. No. Come on now, please no PLEASE!" The last please was squealed as Harry leapt at Hermione, his hands coming up to grasp at her sides in a frenzy of movement. The tickling had Hermione falling to the floor, dragging Harry with her. Eventually Harry relented, mainly because of the constant screams emitted from the brunette. Flopping to one side, Harry lay panting.

They stayed like that for a while, neither moving, both breathing hard from the exertion of the tickle war. Hermione broke the silence as she stood, rolling her head from side to side to work out the kinks and bending her back to relieve the tension from lying on the cold stone floor. Harry simply rolled onto his side and watched her, content to stay lay down until absolutely necessary.

Casting a cushioning charm beneath the two of them, Hermione once again sat down next to her childhood friend. Turing her head to him she smiled and cocked her head to the side, curious as to the stare Harry was giving her.

"What?" she asked, smiling still and staring as intently back at the man before her.

"Nothing, I was just watching." Flopping back onto his back he propped his head up on his forearms and sighed. They both looked exhausted.

"Busy day today, I've not been able to get away from students for even a second to come see you." Harry's voice was soft and his demeanour suggested he was dancing around the elephant in the room.

"Harry, you know its okay to feel sad today you know? I know how hard the 2nd of May is, I was there, remember?" Hermione shrugged off her outer robe and folded it to make a cushion for under her head. Despite knowing she was a witch for over 11 years now she still preferred to do what she could in a muggle way, it reminded her of home.

"I know Herms, I've just not been very nice to anyone today, I didn't want you to suffer as well." Harry sat up and rocked himself onto his feet to begin pacing. "I mean, he died five years ago Mione, how is it we just keep going?"

Hermione put on her best impression of Molly Weasley and stood. "Because it's what Ron would have wanted, now stop mopping, we all lost someone that day!" Harry smirked slightly, causing Hermione to stop her silly behaviour and walk towards the wizard. "What is it, really?"

Wrapping her hands around his waist and pressing her cheek to his shoulder he heaved a sigh, patting her hands and breaking free of her embrace to walk towards the iron railings, clasping them so tight his knuckled turned white. Hermione knew he was crying. She hadn't seen him cry since the Battle. It seemed good to let him get it all out.

"He died, Hermione. He died and we couldn't even say goodbye because we were too busy up here, chatting away like a fucking war hadn't just happened. Like we hadn't killed all those people. Like it was just some normal fucking day!" Harry punched the railings, cutting open his hand. Hermione rushed forward to heal it but felt better of it and just rested her hand on his shoulder.

"He knew we were okay. He knew how we felt about him, even if we never said goodbye he knew what he meant to us." Hermione stepped forward again and gathered Harry up in her arms, holding him as he cried over their lost friend. "Harry, its okay. Don't blame yourself anymore, there's just no use." Hermione cradled the back of his head, soothing him as he calmed down enough to remove his head from the crook of her neck. Smiling weakly Harry smoothed his thumb over Hermione's cheekbone ad placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thanks. I love you Hermione." Smiling back at Harry, Hermione admonished him, aiming to lighten the mood before the memorial dinner tonight.

"Don't let Ginny hear you say that, she'll get jealous and I'm not sure I could withstand the ridicule of a bat-bogey hex." Hermione's laugh echoed around the tower before she noticed the dejected look on Harry's face. "What is it? What's wrong? Did I say something?" Hermione's speech became nearly incoherent as she shot question after question at Harry, forcing him to clasp his hand tightly against her mouth. The hand that Hermione proceeded to lick until he released her face. Laughing Harry slumped to the floor with his back against the railings and patted the floor next to him, inviting Hermione to sit with him.

Taking the invitation, Hermione unceremoniously dropped to the ground and rested her head against Harry's right shoulder.

"It's Ginny and me. I'm not sure how long we'll last after this season with the Harpies. Ginny had jumped straight into her career with the Holyhead Harpies as their new beater as soon as she left Hogwarts. She had been doing exceedingly well with them, rumours flying around about her being made captain next season.

"Why? You're made for each other, I remember when you proposed, oh that was so romantic Harry." Hermione gushed dramatically at the memory of Harry proposing to Ginny the year she had made the team. If only she could find someone to love her that much.

"I don't know how to explain it, I just don't think we'll last that long." Hermione looked confused at this, feeling the desperation for her to understand rolling off of him in waves.

"I don't underst-" She was broken off by Hary pressing his lips to hers, furiously trying to make her understand what he meant. When recovered from the shock Hermione's lips began to move along with his running the tip of her tongue across his upper lip. Once they had both been thoroughly snogged the broke apart, breathing heavily and pressed their foreheads together laughing. Hermione was in heaven; she'd just experienced the best kiss of her life with her best friend. Harry pulled away first, running his hands through his unruly hair, making it stick up in several different directions. Sighing and pulling herself back, Hermione knew that he instantly regretted what just happened. She had doubts herself as to whether, despite it being truly amazing, was sensible giving that the man in front of her who had stood up and began pacing, was engaged to her best friend no less and completely and utterly devoted to her. Although a niggle of doubt about that rested in her gut. Hermione stood, following the movements of her best friend with her eyes and brushed off what little dust she had accumulated from the marble floor below her.

"It's okay Harry, don't worry, bad idea, I get it. If you're staying up here just make sure you're not late for the dinner at the burrow tonight. Molly basically demanded that we both be there and I think it would be good for us." Harry nodded back at her as she began the descent down the cold stone steps to the corridor below, taking her back to her rooms where she unfastened the formal teaching robes from around her neck, unzipped the pencil skirt she wore underneath and unbuttoned the white quarter-sleeve blouse and stepped out of her clothes, heading towards the inviting idea of a hot shower to ease her muscles and hopefully relieve some of the tensions she felt before that evening rolled around.