"Hermione Granger," Theo muttered, shaking his head with the barest hint of a smirk visible, almost in disbelief. "After all this time it was you."

"What are you talking about Nott?" Hermione replied, pushing herself up to her knees. The aftershocks had settled into a pleasant feeling that made her body feel too warm but she did not dare move, trying to catch the eye of the Slytherin.

Theo glanced at Harry, their green eyes meeting for a brief second before Theo's attention turned to Hermione.

"I apologise but it is not my place to say. It was simply a slip of the tongue," he said, crossing his arms with a slight shake of his head.

Hermione frowned, uneasy at the sudden change of mood in the room. Pansy was slowly regaining consciousness and Blaise had joined the girls on the sofa, lifting Pansy's feet up so he could rest them in his lap. Daphne kept glancing at Theo but refused to meet Hermione's eye. The Gryffindor knew that something was amiss and that the Slytherins knew the cause, but once Theo shook his head in finality, Daphne seemed to drop any inclination of knowledge, an action mimicked by Blaise simultaneously.

Deciding to childishly ignore the rest of the group, Hermione turned to Harry and held out one delicate hand. The wizard instantly slid his own hand into her palm and helped lift her from the floor, a confused look on his face at her sudden attitude change. The Hermione Granger he knew would not give up so easily for information that she desired, and would usually go as far as threatening with her wand. Harry could see the dynamic of the childhood friends who were all looking at each other then Pansy as if communicating somehow.

Hermione had found that over the past three months her ability to touch people, particularly males had caused pain to both her and the recipient, like a static shock. After a week of trial and error, the witch found that she could touch Harry and Mr Weasley, but the other males would receive shocks that would knock them flat to the floor. When she had brushed her fingers over Sirius' purposely at dinner one night, he had slumped over into the soup. Remus had been sent flying backwards and Ron had passed out at the intensity of the shock. The twins had avoided touching her skin but were the only ones, besides Harry and the girls who would attempt to hug her.

No amount of research had surfaced an answer and to go hand in hand with the shocks, Hermione could no longer stomach the personal scents of many in the house, particularly Remus'. She had confided in Tonks who was dumbfounded at the revelation. McGonagall also had no idea and Hermione had resorted to breathing through her mouth only and wearing skin covering clothes when the house was full.

"Well, it's almost dawn so I am going to get breakfast, you're welcome to refresh yourself in any of the rooms on the third floor." Hermione didn't even turn to address the new housemates and all but dragged Harry out into the hallway.

The wizard managed to push his glasses up his nose before Hermione continued to drag him up the stairs and they slipped again. The witch cast a quick spell in the direction of the kitchen and at their feet before ensuring that they were taking at least two steps at a time. The speed increased when Harry heard the door to the living room open, but all too soon he was pushed into a room on the third floor and into the corner behind the door.

"What ar-"

"Shush, and hold still."

Harry could no longer see Hermione but he felt her warm breath on his jaw, and he could feel her body pressed up against his, but he couldn't see either of them. The dissolution charm finally encompassed and hid their feet when the door opened once more, with Blaise carrying Pansy and Daphne leading the way. Theo brought up the back of the pack and he slunk into the room with no sound, looking around with tired eyes.

Harry felt Hermione's hand cover his mouth and he panicked for a second. His heavy breathing had stirred Pansy's hair as Blaise carried her past the hidden Gryffindors but if he noticed, it didn't show. All the pair could do was watch and listen as Theo began to unbutton his shirt and Blaise placed Pansy in one of the three single beds.

"I cannot believe you wouldn't send me anything. A cryptic clue or a howler would have been appreciated. I was worried sick," clucked Daphne as she cast some simple healing and cleansing spells to rid the boys of blood. Hermione mentally scolded herself for overlooking Blaise's bust lip or Theo's bruised and bloodied hands.

"It's not like we could Daph, we were in a complete hole. It's miraculous we could even receive owls, but we could never return them." Daphne visibly calmed at this and allowed Theo to wrap his arms around her once more. She leaned into his bare chest as he drew patterns on her back. "Merlin, I've missed you."

"Honestly Daph, don't leave him again, he wouldn't stop moping about the place. If you ask me, I think Theo's the reason Millicent left," laughed Blaise as he began snooping through the chest of draws. Theo's easy smile dropped once Millicent was brought up, but Daphne had intervened. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed the softest of kisses to Theo's lips, her small hands dwarfed as she cradled his face.

Hermione was astonished to see the intimate act, oblivious to Daphne's relationship status despite becoming quite good friends. The pair looked right together, as Daphne's body moulded into Theo's. Hermione could tell they knew each others body language and facial expressions, and they were easily able to slip back into their previous connection, despite the months apart.

"Are you going to tell Granger?" wondered Blaise as he pulled a simple cotton shirt off its hanger from inside the wardrobe. Harry recognised the shirt as one of his own that he thought Kreacher had lost on purpose whilst doing the Order's laundry. It was grey and had a faded Quidditch crest on the left breast, an old hand-me-down from one of the Weasley's.

"He has to be the one to tell her. How old is she now, seventeen?" Daphne asked, looking up at Theo.

He nodded. "If this damn war wouldn't have happened he could have courted her at Hogwarts."

"Like she would have agreed to that," scoffed Blaise as he threw a maroon jumper at the couple who were still locked in a tight embrace. It settled over Theo's left shoulder and he grinned down at the witch in his arms.

"I want to be there when he shows up, he hasn't seen or smelt the girl in nearly a year," Theo said through a yawn. Daphne nodded, a pensive look on her face as she pushed her boyfriend into the second empty bed.

"She's not with either of the Wonder Boys is she?" Daphne shook her head and kissed his lips once more, before she turned to Blaise, expecting him to be in the final bed. He was dressed in a mismatch of clothes that he had found from the wardrobe and odd socks. Every item of clothing belonged to a different person and Harry finally realised which room they were in. The third floor was for guests and Kreacher and Dobby would place clothing from the Order members who didn't reside permanently at Grimmauld Place in the guest rooms for anyone to wear. The biggest room now belonged to this trio he guessed.

"No, she said they were more like brothers than lovers. A few months ago she kissed one of the twins but said it felt wrong, almost like her lips had been burnt." Hermione's eyes widen as she recalled the late night conversation the three girls had had. After indulging in too much fire whiskey at Ginny's small birthday gathering, Hermione had pecked George but the action had scorned her and she had confided in the girls.

"The bond is strong. She jumps when she hears his name and scorching is something that is only found in mates. He must be half dead where ever he is, the poor bastard," murmured Theo as his eyelids drooped sluggishly. Daphne and Blaise shared a worried look before he turned to the door.

"Let's go get some breakfast, we can worry about it when Draco writes again," suggested Blaise. The blonde witch nodded and allowed her friend to lead her out of the room.

Hermione allowed the spell to fall and Harry could finally see her petite body pressing his into the wall. The two were staring at the sleeping Slytherins for a few moments, both lost in thought. Hermione's mind was reeling from the potential answers to the problems that had been voiced over the course of the hour. Her eyes flashing, the electric shock and even previous dilemmas, like her inability to kiss or touch someone without being burnt and the reoccurring nightmares of the bitten boy.

Harry's mind was hung up on the fact that Malfoy was communicating with his friends but not the Order and had obviously kept something back, hence the 'half dead' comment. He couldn't understand how that linked to Hermione and what they could possibly need to tell her, but he knew that he needed to corner Blaise and get the information.

"Shit!" cursed Hermione as she became animated once one. "They think we're making breakfast."

Harry looked down at one of his oldest friends and he could see her mind whirling as she tried to understand her recent changes. No matter how hard she tried to hide them, Harry knew should couldn't touch anyone else and that if she had been stood nose to chest with any other male, she would be nearly retching at the smell. He had been attempting to research the causes for the past few days but he hadn't gotten very far. The young wizard wrapped an arm around her delicate shoulders and pecked her forehead, apparating the pair into the kitchen only seconds before the door was opened by Daphne and Blaise.