Dear Hermione,

You should really give me warning before you write something funny. I read your last letter when all of my dorm mates were sleeping and I'm very lucky that they're all such sound sleepers…and yet very unlucky that they are such accomplished snorers.

To say that your letter made my day is an understatement. I don't know what part was my favorite…the bit about our friendship…or the part where you broke Malfoy's wrist. Mione, I'd be lying if I said it was you breaking Malfoy's wrist.

Yes, I remember when you broke my nose. I promise you, I will not be forgetting that any time soon. I always knew you were a fast learner, but I never realized how fast…well until you broke my nose of course. You had a very impressive right hook. I still can't believe you gave me your jacket to stop the blood. I know how much you loved that jacket. I promise you when we meet at Hogsmeade I will buy you a new jacket.

Training isn't exactly what I thought it would be like…there's a lot more to it. Everyday we will go through physical training, then we'll learn about wars and missions in a lecture hall, which is something I'm sure you'd love, and then we'll apply those skills we learned in the lecture to real situations. Today we introduced ourselves, oh, Dean Thomas is going through training as well. It's nice having some of my roommates with me in training. All we're missing is Seamus and Neville. After introductions the captain went over the rules, which are all very long…and very redundant. Then we had lunch and saw our dorm room…which is less of a room and more of a hallway filled with beds. After that we played the most intense version of capture the flag that I've ever played. My team actually won the game, and as a reward we got our letters from home. The captain made it clear that we would not be earning our letters everyday…and he made it clear that we would not be able to send letters everyday either. I know I promised you a letter a day…and I'm going to keep that promise just as long as I can. If you go a few days without a letter, just know that your next letter will be the size of a small novel.

Don't put yourself down Mione, it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job being Head Girl. Remember when Dumbledore award points to Neville for trying to stand up to us…well before you hexed him that is. Mione, you just had a Neville moment. Ginny is reasonable, she'll understand eventually. You and I know the Weasley temper better than anyone. They get angry, say things they don't mean, and then feel badly. Everything will be fine.

I don't know what Ron said in his last letter…I'm assuming it had something to do with Malfoy…but if he said anything that made you upset, try not to be. He said it out of anger, yes, but in the end I think he means well. He may not always show it well…but that's Ron.

Harry looked down at his letter and sighed. He looked over to his best friend, who was still sleeping soundly. Ron was a good person…he just didn't always think through everything as thoroughly as he should.

We're both really looking forward to spending the day with you and Ginny. Captain said we'd be able to earn our days off once a week. They're giving us a few days off around Christmas…but I was thinking that after this visit I'll try and save up as many days as I can. That way I might be able to have your entire winter break off.

Hermione, I hope you see just how good you really are…because I'm not exactly sure you see it. No one really understands me the way you do. In your last letter every word you said came through crystal clear. I know you could never mean anything bad by those words…you're Mione. You're too kind to say anything mean. I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything Hermione. You stood by me when no one else would, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

This training is going to be hard…but knowing a reward for doing well will be a letter from you…that will help. A lot.

I miss you Mione. I can't wait for the end of September.

Love,

Harry

Harry quickly sealed the letter and silently walked out of the dorm room. He stepped outside of the building and walked across the small field to a little owlery. He was in his pajamas…and barefoot, but he didn't care. The night still had the slightest hint of summer, with a cool breeze, but thankfully not too cool for his bare feet.

Harry saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He continued walking, inconspicuously grabbing an even firmer grip on his wand. He spun around quickly, his wand raised. "Captain?"

The captain nodded and lowered his own wand slightly. Harry followed in a similar manner. "What are you doing out of bed Potter?"

Harry gestured to the letter in his hand, "I just need to send this letter."

The captain gave him a knowing smile, "A letter to a girl?"

Harry tried his hardest not to blush, "Yes sir, my best friend actually."

The captain looked confused, "Do you not have a girlfriend?"

"No sir, I do," Harry shrugged, "I just really need to send this one."

"To the girl who's not your girlfriend."

"To my best friend," he politely corrected, "Sir."

The captain studied the young man, "You're waking up mighty early to send a letter to a girl that isn't your girlfriend." He noted the tired look in his eyes, "Unless you haven't gone to bed yet Potter."

"Sorry sir," Harry admitted sheepishly.

The captain smiled, "No Potter," he paused raising his wand high in the air, "I'm the one who's sorry."

A horrible siren sound filled the air. Lights quickly turned on in the dorm room. Harry clasped his hands over his ears and ran to the Owlery. Today was going to be a very long day. He watched the orange owl fly off with Hermione's letter and he couldn't help but smile to himself…yes, today was going to be a long day…but it was going to be worth it.


Harry was right about the Weasley temper. Ginny apologized to Hermione the very next morning, and Ron's letters began getting longer. Hermione learned quickly that as long as she didn't mention Draco to Ron…Ron would simply pretend he wasn't there, choosing to remain blissfully ignorant.

The first three weeks of school went by fairly normally for Hermione…especially when compared to all of her other years at Hogwarts. She had finally established some sort of routine. In the mornings she would shower and get dressed, then Ginny would come over, shower, and then the two would finish getting ready for classes. Hermione would have her first round of classes, eat lunch, have her second round of classes, have a small homework break, and then begin her final round of classes. Afterwards she would have a quick dinner with Ginny before heading to the common room and doing even more homework before her rounds with Draco…which remained silent. Then she would end every night by reading her letters from Harry.

Her letters from Ron came frequent enough, usually four times a week…but Harry's letters came everyday, with the exception of one day where a member of Harry's team accidentally blew up the dummy they were trying to rescue. The story of the incident was good enough to make up for the lack of one letter.

Harry's latest letter was definitely his shortest…but it was one of her favorites,

Mione,

This has got to be quick. Tomorrow, lets me in front of the three broomsticks at ten o'clock. We'll see you then. Can't wait.

Love,

Harry.

Hermione was never one to get dressed up…especially for a guy. Her Mum had raised her to look at inner beauty…the beauty that really mattered…

…and yet she remained in front of her bathroom mirror for nearly an hour. She looked down at the little makeup she did own and sighed, "Ginny."

Ginny looked over at her make-up challenged friend. She gave her a small smile, "I'll help." She hurried into Hermione's bedroom and emptied the contents of her purse. "We have two completely different faces-"

"-No fooling."

Ginny shot her a playful look, "Make-up wise Miss Smarty-pants." She grabbed a small bottle. She walked back to Hermione and dabbed a drop or two in her hair. Hermione watched in amazement as her puffy curls turned into frizz free waves. Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, "Wow."

Ginny nodded approvingly, "I love this little beauty. Without it, my hair would be a mess." Hermione gave her an unbelieving look. Ginny laughed and admired her hair in the mirror, "All right, maybe I am just blessed with amazing hair." She grabbed a tube of lipstick. Hermione frowned, "lipstick?"

Ginny nodded, "Of course."

Hermione frowned, "But that's so messy."

"You don't want to leave lipstick smudges on my brother," she teased. Hermione blushed slightly and shrugged. Ginny put the tube back, "Poor Harry is going to be covered."

Ginny studied Hermione's face, "You really are beautiful Hermione." She dabbed a little bit of subtle eye shadow onto Hermione's eyelids. "You have amazing eyes." She began applying mascara, "You just need to play them up a little bit."

She leaned back and admired her handy work, "All you need is a touch of lip gloss and you're all set."

Hermione pulled out a small clear container, "That one I've got."

Ginny was about to insist on Hermione using a lip gloss with color in it, but she gave in. Hermione was new to make-up, and you have to teach a baby to crawl before it can walk. Ginny hopped off of the bathroom counter, "So what are you going to wear?"

Hermione looked down at her simple t-shirt and jeans, "This?"

Ginny gave her a sympathetic smile, "Oh sweetie." She walked past her and began going through her wardrobe. After some time she reemerged with an outfit. She tossed a simple purple long sleeved shirt at Hermione, "The jeans can stay," Ginny informed her, "As long as you pair them with my black boots."

Hermione frowned, "I never wear boots…unless it's winter and there's snow on the ground."

Ginny began taking off her boots, "Trust me, they are very mild boots…they stop just at your ankle." She handed them to Hermione, "They'll look very sharp with your purple shirt and jeans." She gestured to the heel, "And the slight heel will help showoff your curves."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she put on the boots, "Sure."

Ginny grabbed Hermione's plain white practical shoes, "Not the best with this outfit or any outfit for that matter…but they'll do the trick." She stood and gestured for Hermione to do the same. She spun her finger, "Twirl."

Hermione did as she was told. She stopped when she was in front of Ginny again, "Satisfied?"

Ginny grinned widely, "My brother is going to love me." She grabbed her bag, "C'mon we need to meet the boys." She headed out of Hermione's room into the common room, "I want to get there a little early." She looked over at Draco on the couch, still in pajamas. She could have said a great many mean things…but she kept her mouth closed…no matter how tempting it was.

Hermione gave Draco a pleasant smile, "Draco."

He nodded in her direction, "Hogsmeade?"

"We're meeting Harry and Ron there-"

"-Our boyfriends," Ginny quickly interjected.

Draco laughed to himself; "Have fun."

"Aren't you going?"

He shook his head, "The Quidditch team has a lot of younger players this year. I'm going to spend the day training them-"

"-What time?" Ginny asked intently.

Draco shot her a look, "Trying to spy on the competition?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "You're hardly competition. I ask because I have the field reserved for this afternoon."

Draco shrugged, "McGonagall said we could share."

"We cannot share," she insisted angrily, "You'll see everything we have planned." She let out an annoyed sigh, "When are you beginning your practice?"

Draco looked over at the clock, "Two."

Ginny gritted her teeth, "Great." She turned to Hermione, "I need to talk to my team before they leave."

Hermione shrugged, "All right."

Ginny shot Draco a hateful look, "I have to tell them that practice has been moved forward two hours because of the bloody Slytherin team."

Draco flashed her a dazzling smile, "Anytime Red."

Ginny marched out of the portrait, Hermione following quickly behind her. "I finally get some time with Harry and now I have to leave early." She shook her head, "I get two hours."

"It's better than nothing," Hermione offered helpfully.

Ginny glared, "I hate that git." She stopped halfway down the hallway, "You go on to Hogsmeade, tell Harry that I'll be there as soon as I can. Just, tell him to stay at the Three Broomsticks." She ran towards the sets of stairs, "I'll be there soon!"


Hermione fiddled with her sleeve the entire walk to Hogmeade. She was nervous…not nervous like she was going to take a test…more like nervous excited. She looked at all of the trees that were just starting to change colors. She always loved this time of the year…call it her Gryffindor pride…but there was something comforting in the shades of red and orange on the trees.

With every step her heart beat faster. She told herself that it was silly to get this anxious over seeing her friends…but somehow that message was not relayed to her heart, which continued beating rapidly. She passed shops without even noticing which ones she passed. She hurried along the main road that she had walked on so many times before. Finally, the Three Broomsticks came into view. She paused for a moment, a small knot forming in her stomach. She took a deep breath and continued walking. The small grin on her face began to grow. She walked even faster towards the shop.

Her smile faltered. She looked down at her watch and sighed. She was late. She looked inside the shop and her smile turned into a full out frown. They weren't there. She walked into the store and sat down at the bar. She tried to hide the disappointment, but she had a small feeling that they were not coming. Somehow they didn't earn the right to be off for the day.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Hermione smiled at the bartender, "I'll have a butterbeer, thanks."

He nodded and began filling her order. Hermione returned to playing with her sleeve. She began formulating a plan. She would still enjoy her day in Hogsmeade…she could buy some new stationary…visit George's joke shop…

The bartender placed the drink in front of her and gave her a small smile, "Cheer up Love, it's the weekend. How about a smile?"

Hermione gave him a polite smile and took a sip of her butterbeer. She sighed. After this butterbeer she promised herself that she would still have a pleasant day. She looked down at her butterbeer and couldn't help feeling disappointed…after all…she had promised to have a pleasant day after her butterbeer.

She raised her glass to take another sip when someone covered her eyes. Hermione placed the glass down and felt the persons hands, a grin returning to her face. "I know who it is." She reached back and felt the person's face…glasses and all.

She beamed and gently grabbed a hold of the person's wrists, "You know, my best friend taught me how to break wrists."

The person laughed, "I heard you're also pretty decent at breaking noses."

Hermione spun around on the barstool. She threw her arms around Harry's neck, "It's really you!"

He lifted her off of the barstool and began to spin her around. He planted her feet firmly on the ground and hugged her even tighter. "Hi Mione."

She smiled into his shirt, "Hi Harry."

He pulled out of her hug, "Where's Ginny?"

Hermione gave him a small smile, "She'll be here soon. She just needs to finish up something." She looked around the shop, "Ron?"

"He's not coming Mione," he said sadly, "He had his day off revoked after he and Dean decided to prank the Captain."

"Brilliant," Hermione said disappointingly. She sighed and smiled up at Harry, "At least I get to see one of you."

Harry pulled her into another hug, which she quickly returned. "Ron wanted me to give you a hug for him." He pulled away for a moment before pulling her into another tight hug, "Those were still for me." She laughed and he pulled away joining her at the bar, "I'll give you Ron's hug later."

The bartender placed a butterbeer in front of Harry. He looked over to Hermione, "There you go love, that's the type of smile I was looking for!" He leaned over to Harry, "You brought her smile back."

Harry gave Hermione accusing look, "Oh really?"

"Make sure she stays that way boy, no pretty young lady should be frowning like that."

Harry nodded, "I agree sir." He took a sip of his butterbeer and looked to Hermione, "You look beautiful Hermione."

She blushed, "It's Ginny's handy work."

Harry shook his head, "You're always beautiful, make up or not."

Her blush grew, "That's very sweet of you Harry." She took a sip of her drink, "You're looking good too." She studied the way her friend looked in his shirt. In the past month of training he had put on weight. He was bigger…but in a muscular way. In a way that was definitely appealing. She blushed, "You've gotten stronger."

Harry shrugged, "It's hard not to. With all of our training on a daily basis we're all getting more fit."

Hermione smiled, "All right, tell me more about training."

"Well a couple of people-"

"-Harry!"

Hermione didn't need to turn around to know who had come through the door. She watched Ginny throw her arms around Harry's neck and straddle his lap. She kissed him frantically.

"Gin," Harry managed to say in between the attack of kisses, "Gin, wait."

She pulled away and pouted, "Why?"

"We're in a public-"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I haven't seen my boyfriend in a month, you're going to have to come up with a better reason than that My Harry Potter."

"Hermione," he said softly.

"She's probably doing the same thing with Ron." She looked over at Hermione. Hermione gave her a grin and a quick wave…not in a friendly way…more like a hey I'm here sort of wave.

Ginny frowned, "Where's Ron?"

"Not here," Harry said quickly, "He didn't receive time off."

"Bloody hell," she turned back to Hermione, "I'm so sorry."

Hermione shrugged, "It's all right."

"No it's not, you got all pretty for nothing and my prat of a brother can't even get time off." She gave her a sympathetic smile, "I'm so sorry Hermione." She paused for a moment, "Would it be all right if I stole Harry for a couple of hours?"

"Ginny the three of us can-"

Ginny shook her head and rested her forehead on his, "My Harry…I haven't seen you in ages. I need time to have you all to myself. Hermione understands." She glanced over at Hermione, "Right Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged, "Sure-"

Ginny didn't need to hear anything else. She grabbed a hold of Harry's hand and pulled him out of the shop. "He'll meet you back here at twelve," she yelled from outside the shop.

Hermione rested her cheek on the palm of her hand. She drank the rest of her drink in one sip. She reached into her purse to pay for her drink and Harry's drink.

"There's no need," the bartender insisted. He had seen everything, as bartenders always do. The brilliant smile that had once been on the young lady's face was once again hidden by a slight frown. "These drinks are on me."

She gave him another polite smile before leaving behind money anyways, "Thank you for being so kind." And with those words she left the store.


Harry felt awful. Everything in him was telling him to go back to Hermione…and yet he allowed Ginny to drag him out of the Three Broomsticks. He hurried down the main street towards the shop. Hermione was nowhere in sight. He walked into the shop and looked around. He spotted the bartender and walked over to him, "Have you seen the girl I was in-"

The bartender frowned at the young man and shook his head, "She left about two hours ago." He looked Harry in the eyes, "You promised to keep her smiling."

Harry's guilt continued to grow, "I know." He thought for a moment…where would Hermione-

He ran out of the shop. If he knew Hermione half as well as he thought he did he knew exactly where she'd be.

Harry ran over to place the trio had sat at many times before. He saw her sitting on a log looking at a rather large book, "I had a feeling you'd be here."

She continued reading her book, "You know me pretty well Harry."

He walked a little closer to her and examined the book in her lap, "Hogwarts, A History?"

Hermione looked up at him, "I decided to treat myself." She looked back at the book, "It's the newest edition. Usually I don't spend that much money on things I don't really need," she shrugged, "But I just had to get it."

Harry nodded and gestured to the log, "May I join you?"

She slid over, silently giving him permission to sit beside her. She continued looking through the book, "We're in here Harry." She flipped to the back of the book, "We're mentioned on every page in the last chapter."

Harry gave her a small smile, "Why am I not surprised."

"I never thought that would happen." Hermione said softly, "Sure I hoped to maybe write a new edition." She looked down at her beloved book, "But I never imagined I would actually be mentioned in it."

"We certainly left our mark on Hogwarts. It only makes sense that you should be mentioned so often."

She grinned shyly, "It'll just take some getting use to, you know, seeing my name in a book."

He bumped her shoulder with his, "With all the wonderful things you'll do in this world, I can see people writing hundreds of books about you."

She returned his shoulder bump, "You're funny."

The two sat in silence for a moment or two. "I'm sorry about earlier Hermione."

She gave him a sincere smile, "I know." She shrugged, "But of course you'd want to spend time with Ginny, she's your girlfriend after all."

Harry shook his head, "That doesn't matter, you're Hermione." He paused, "Hermione should always come first. Period."

Hermione was stunned, touched, but stunned, "Surely you can't mean that Harry."

"I do Hermione," He said seriously, "And I am so sorry. And I'll do anything to make it up to you."

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes, "All right Potter."

"I mean it Granger," He stood up from the log, "And I'm going to start it by having the best Hogsmeade visit ever with my best friend." He held out his hand, "Are you ready?"

Hermione accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her up, "All right."

He beamed at her, "Great, we just have to make on quick visit to George and then we can do whatever you want," he kept a tight grip on her hand and began running away from the shrieking shack, towards Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.


Hermione licked her vanilla ice cream cone, "Vanilla really is the best ice cream flavor."

Harry laughed, "And why is that?"

Hermione shrugged and licked the ice cream once more, "The flavor is simple, it isn't overwhelming, and it's very light, which means you can eat a lot of it." She took another lick, "And when you feel like adding something too it, you can."

"No way," Harry said jokingly.

She laughed, "You can dress it up with fruit or chocolate…or gummy bears-"

"Gummy bears?"

She nodded, "Especially the green and yellow ones."

Harry smiled, "Vanilla is reliable."

"Exactly!" Hermione agreed, "Vanilla is like a best friend that you can do anything with. Some say that vanilla is boring-"

"-Not boring," Harry said firmly, "And it's not safe either. It's comforting and supportive." He thought for a moment, "And when vanilla does dress up with chocolate or fruit-"

"-Whoa, look out!" Hermione laughed, "Vanilla isn't flashy like chocolate."

"Vanilla doesn't have to be. Vanilla shouldn't want to be like chocolate. Chocolate needs to be loved constantly. Vanilla…" he searched for something profound to say, "Vanilla is just better."

Hermione raised the remaining bit of her ice cream cone, "To vanilla."

Harry laughed and tapped her cone with his, "Cheers."

Hermione smiled and checked her watch. She frowned and her shoulders slumped forward.

"How much time do you have?"

"Half an hour," she answered sadly. She sighed, "I wish I didn't have to go."

Harry wrapped his arm around her, "Me too. Can I walk you back?"

Hermione thought for a moment, "I don't see any harm in that." She rested her head on his shoulder, "But just to the gate," she added.

Harry laughed and pulled her even closer, "Just to the-"

Hermione was falling. She began falling backwards, her feet flying out from under her. Harry caught her just in time.

"What happened?" He asked inches away from her face.

"I guess I twisted my ankle." Harry slowly brought her back up to a standing position. He knelt down, "Which one?"

"My right one." She gestured to the boots, "I told Ginny that I probably shouldn't wear them."

Harry stood up, "Can you walk?"

Hermione took a step forward. Pain shot through her body, but she tried her best to hide it, "Yes," she whispered.

Harry laughed, "You're going to have to try harder than that. You're in pain, it's written all over your face."

She took another step forward, "No it's not," she answered stubbornly, "Look, I'm walking just fine."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Sure you are," he scooped Hermione into his arms, caring her princess style, "you're walking just fine."

Surprise covered her face, "Harry! Put me down."

Harry kept walking, "No can do Mione, Aurors are taught to always put the citizens first." He grinned down at her, "You're a needy citizen and I'm an auror in training that's not going to let you mess up your ankle even more by walking on it." He looked at the path in front of him, "Any questions Hermione?"

"You won't be able to get past the gate."

Harry laughed, "Good thing I know a shortcut." He opened the door to Honeydukes. The pair received many odd looks. Harry simply smiled and said good evening to everyone he passed. Hermione laughed and rested her forehead on his shoulder, "That was embarrassing."

"You might want to hold on tight, we're going downstairs." Hermione latched her arms around his neck. Harry instantly was filled with the smell of vanilla and…ink.

"Just like your letter," he said aloud.

Hermione wrinkled her eyebrows, "What?"

Harry blushed, "Nothing." He continued walking through the narrow passage, "Did you have a good day Hermione?"

She smiled up at him, "I got to see my best friend," she paused, "I had a great day."

Harry grinned and nodded his head, "That's just what I wanted to hear."

"And you?" She asked.

"I loved spending time with you." He paused, "I just still feel so badly about earlier." He shook his head, "Ginny's changed."

Hermione studied him carefully, "She has?"

"All she wants to do is," he blushed, "well you know-"

Hermione sported a blush of her own, "Physical stuff."

"Yeah, and I mean that's important…but I don't think we talked a total of ten minutes."

Hermione gave him a look, "Well no need to ask what you two were doing-"

"-No I mean we," he paused, "Yes, we kissed for a bit…but that was it."

"Harry, you have got to be the first guy to complain about spending two hours kissing his girlfriend."

Harry laughed, "I know, there has to be something wrong with me." He shifted Hermione so that he could tap the one eyed witch's hump, "Dissendium," he waited for the statue to shift and he stepped through the hole. "You're going to have to direct me from here."

"I'm just straight ahead actually." She pointed to the portrait of the young child, "It's right down this hallway."

"Oh," Harry said disappointingly, "I was hoping you'd say that it was farther away."

She leaned up and pulled him into a hug, "I don't want you to go either."

Harry laughed, "How do you know that's what I was thinking about? Maybe I was thinking about experience I was getting from helping you."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You miss me Potter. Just admit it."

He shrugged, "Maybe a little."

She playfully swatted at his arm, "Liar." They reached the portrait of the young child.

"House Cup" she said firmly. The portrait swung open allowing the two inside. Harry looked around, "Nice common room." He walked over to a door, "Is this one yours?" She nodded. He gestured to the doorknob, "May I?" She nodded again and he opened the door. He smiled as he entered the room. This room looked like Hermione. It was organized and neat…but cozy. He looked at her bed, "Your bed is huge!" He frowned, "We never got a bed this large."

She shrugged, "Now I bet you wish you were Head Boy. I get to sleep in my own room in my large bed…while you sleep on a cot with thirty other men."

"Ouch, low blow Granger." He plastered a fake hurt expression on his face, "so low that I have no remorse doing-" He dropped her onto her bed, "This."

Hermione laughed, "Why did I have a feeling you were going to do that?"

Harry shrugged, "I guess you just know me."

"I guess," she agreed. She pulled herself into a sitting position, "That's bound to happen after you've known someone for eight years."

He grinned, "Has it really been that long?" He nodded his head, "That's the longest friendship I've ever had."

"Me too," she admitted. She fiddled with her sleeve, "When will I be able to see you again?"

Harry sighed, "Not for a while. I'm trying to save all of my days off for your winter break."

Hermione avoided his glance, "That's a really long time."

Harry gave her a small smile, "I know," he gestured towards her bag, "But I have something for you."

Hermione gave him a confused look and shook her head, "Harry, you shouldn't have got me anything! I got to see you, trust me that's enough."

He rolled his eyes, expecting an answer like that, "Trust me," he repeated, "It's not." He reached toward her bag, "If you won't look in your bag, I will."

She laughed and delicately felt around in her bag. Her hands roamed until they felt an unfamiliar leather bound book. She slowly pulled it out of the bag and studied the book, "A diary? Did you finally get tired of being my personal diary?"

Harry laughed, "No." He tapped the leather bound book, "This will help. George's been helping me with this for a few weeks now." He shrugged, "It's still in testing mode, but it should work."

Hermione studied the book, "This isn't a prank, right? It's not going to make the words I write in here appear on my face is it?"

Harry laughed, "You should tell that one to George, I'm sure he could turn it into his newest best seller. No, this isn't a prank. Just give me an hour and I'll show you how it works."

"Ok," Hermione said hesitantly, "Why don't you just tell me how it works now?"

He laughed and pulled her into a tight hug, "That will take all of the fun out of it. Just give me an hour." He looked into her deep brown eyes, "I have to go now."

Hermione nodded sadly, "I know."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "One hour," he whispered against her skin.

She watched him walk towards her door, "Goodbye Harry."

He stopped when he reached the door. He gave her one final smile, "Not goodbye, remember?"

She smiled at him, "Talk to you later Harry."


Hermione stared at the open leather bound book. For the past hour she had flipped through all of the pages, searching for something, anything.

"Aparecium," she whispered pointing her wand to the leather bound book. It shook for a moment before returning to its stationary state. She flipped through the book one last time before giving up. She return to the first blank page, only this time it wasn't blank. Hermione touched the letter that appeared on the page, smearing it. She examined her hands for an ink stain, but she found none. She looked down at the page once more and found two sentences:

Hello Mione. I promised I'd find a way for us to talk every day.