It was dark outside when Harry woke up.
Hermione's head was tucked into his chest under his chin, her hand was placed on his heart and it seemed to keep her calm. His hands held her tightly against him, tangling one into her hair.
She took a deep breath and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. He knew that this was just a calm before the storm started back up again and he hoped that she could rest peacefully.
When this was all over, they were going to be parents.
He found that he liked the idea.
Ideally, it wasn't the right time. He thought about Dumbledore and what would he have thought of in this situation. His insides ached just a little bit, thinking of the man who changed his world. He bit his lip. He was going to have to start looking for Horcruxes and he was going to have to tell Hermione about them.
Harry shook his head, he couldn't think about that now.
Hermione whimpered in her sleep and Harry hushed her, hoping she would sleep a little longer but her eyes opened slowly. She stilled, but Harry could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his chest.
Slowly she looked up, sitting up slowly and pinning the blanket to her chest. He could tell that she was confused. She turned to look at him, her hair fanning over her shoulder like a veil. "Hey." Harry said carefully, he wasn't sure how she would react. He hoped that she wouldn't panic and bolt out of the room, but at the moment she was completely out of her element, any element.
"Hey." She whispered hoarsely, her throat raw from crying. It was followed by a small smile and her hand went slowly and unsurely raked through his hair. "Your hair!" He returned the smile and closed his eyes as her long nails raked through his scalp.
He caught her hand after a moment. "How are you?" He asked.
She bit her lip and he pushed her curly hair behind her ear. "Um." She said as his hand traced from her ear, down her neck and down her bare arm. Her skin erupted in bumps and a shiver went up her spine.
"A good um? Or a bad um?" He asked with a smile that Hermione was sure if she was standing, would put her on the ground.
"A very good um." She said and he leaned up, pressing his lips to hers. She pulled back slightly and pressed a hand to his cheek. "Is this real?"
Harry looked up at her, knowing full well that he needed to tread lightly. "This is real, Hermione and I'm going to be here for whatever you need." He answered, sitting up and taking her hand in his. "I'm in this with you for the long run, so you better get used to it." His tone was light and he watched as Hermione glanced at their joined hands.
He was pleased to see that her hair hid a smile and a faint blush rested on her cheeks. His free hand brushed her hair back behind her ears. "You are so beautiful." He whispered.
She was quiet for a long moment, her free hand had wrapped around the one at her cheek and she sighed contently. "Thank you, Harry." She whispered and he captured her lips with his own and pressed her back down onto the bed.
Their love making was slower than the last, this time giving Hermione the chance to discover Harry for herself, but only lasted until the feelings inside her came to overwhelming and he took over.
The night ended with both of them crying each other's name and both falling back in the bed completely satisfied.
They laid there in comfortable silence, fingers tracing lazy patterns on skin until they both fell asleep.
/
Remus ran his hand through his tangled hair. He really should go get it cut, but he couldn't bother, especially now. He watched as Mad-Eye Moody interrogated Rowle and was getting nowhere as Kingsley Shacklebolt stood paced in front of Dolohov, who wasn't talking.
They had been in there for hours, trying different techniques and every time a failure.
It was early, he was unsure the hour but he was tired. He turned around to see Nymphadora napping in the chair. Her legs scrunched up underneath her and her head in her hand with her long red hair hiding her face. He smiled slightly at the sight of her as he brushed the hair out of her hair way.
The heavy door pushed open and Remus looked up to see a disheveled Harry Potter. "Hey." He said quietly.
"How is Hermione?" He asked, pushing through the awkwardness.
There was a scream from the makeshift prison and he didn't flinch. "She is sleeping comfortably." He answered vaguely. "I want to talk to Dolohov."
Remus bit his lip and was saved by Mad-Eye Moody throwing a chair, growling under his breath before sitting another seat. "Go for it!" Growled Moody. "Son-of-a-bitch won't way anything."
Kingsley tiredly appeared and shook his head. "I don't think that is a good idea, Harry." He responded. "Professor Snape is brewing some Veritaserum . . ."
Harry glared at him and moved to push past him. "I'm going to talk to him, now." Harry said and Kingsley grabbed his arm to stop him. "I need to know if this goes back to Voldemort."
Kingsley sighed. "He hasn't said anything, Rowle is just his lackey. . ."
"You don't understand!" Harry roared, getting into his face. "Because of this bastard, I will have a baby that is on the way and I need to know how far back this goes."
Kingsley Shaklebolt's shoulders dropped in defeat and let Harry go, Remus got up to follow him wordlessly. Harry walked down the stairs and into the cell that held Antonin Dolohov. The man almost perked up at the sight of Harry.
"Potter!" He exclaimed, his tone was almost sadistic. "How is Hermione? I would've thought you would be shacked up at the moment, you should thank me." Harry folded his arms and glared at him. Dolohov's face fell slightly. "She picked the Weasley, didn't she? I was almost sure that she would pick you."
Harry kicked the chair closest to him, sending it across the room. Harry grabbed him by the collar, his emotions getting the best of him. "You will not talk about her, you rat bastard." He snapped as Remus pulled him back. "And for as long as I live, you will not come near her again."
Dolohov laughed maniacally and leaned forward, his bound wrists pushing him up. "I won't have to come near her, she's going to think of me every single day for the rest of her life." He said. "She was supposed to beg me for it. . ."
Harry went red with rage.
In the blink of an eye, his wand was jabbed tightly against his neck and Dolohov struggled to breathe as he laughed. Remus placed a strong hand on his shoulder and struggled to pull Harry back, when had he gotten so strong? "You son of a bitch!" Harry roared, barely struggling against Remus. The room shuttered with Harry's pent up power.
With the flick of his wrist, Dolohov ended up on the floor, skin erupting in boils. "When the Dark Lord hears about this. . ."
Harry roared and moved to attack him, but was hoisted out of the room by Remus and Kingsley, Moody was there to pick up the Death Eater. Harry struggled against the two men and soon to be Tonks, who met them on the stairs.
"Calm down, Harry." Tonks shouted over his string of words that would've made her blush in a different situation. Harry continued to fight to break free, until her wand touched the tip of his nose. "I will stun you."
He took a deep breath and glared at her, pulling slightly at the hands holding his arms. "Harry go back upstairs, we will take care of this." Remus said leading him into the hallway, turning him around and shoving him in the direction of the halls. Harry struggled against him. "Go back to Hermione, Harry. There is nothing more you can do here."
Harry walked away breathing heavily, kicking an unsuspecting statue as he headed towards the Great Hall. The halls were empty, most of the students had gone home for the holidays leaving Harry to his thoughts.