A/N: I don't say it often but I do appreciate the reviews you guys leave. I love you all! But for those hoping things get a little heated when they're alone... sorry that's for another time! They won't be shedding any clothes just yet...

Harry and Hermione stayed at the campsite for a few days, just in case Ron decided to come back. It was eventually decided that their friend wasn't going to come back, and the pair started packing up the tent.

Harry walked over to Hermione who seemed to be in her own world. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You ready?"

"Just give me a minute..." Hermione requested as she stood out on the trees, looking ahead of her.

Harry nodded and walked inside just to check everything had been packed away, and then walked out, starting to take the tent down.

While Harry did this, Hermione sighed softly, walking down to the furthest tree by a river and looked out. "Where are you Ron?" she muttered. She missed him. Of course she did. It had always been the three of them against the world. And now it was just her and her best friend-turned-lover, not that she wasn't happy about that. She was overjoyed that they had found each other at long last. She just wanted to share that happiness with her other best friend too, and to others, just to prove that happiness could be found in dark times. She took off her scarf and wrapped it around the trunk of the tree, tying it tightly. She turned to find Harry looking at her, his green eyes full of concern. She walked over. "I'm fine... really..." she mumbled and took his hand.

Harry said nothing, not believing her and they disappeared, reappearing on a cliff top. He had heard the 'I'm fine' excuse before, when she didn't want to talk about anything. He'd used it himself enough times, but even then she always managed to get him to open up to her. "Hermione..."

"Please don't Harry." she said softly, taking the bag from him and she knelt down to take out the tent.

Harry sighed softly and started to walk around a large area, putting up their defences while Hermione put up the tent slowly on her own.

Once she was done she turned to face Harry, holding out her hand for the locket and then forced a smile to her face. "Tea?"

Harry looked at her and reluctantly handed it over. He would rather she didn't wear it, he didn't want whatever evil was inside it to be tampering with her emotions, usually she was so strong, but the light inside of her seemed to have dimmed. "Uh yeah... I'll take watch until tonight."

Hermione nodded and slipped the locket around her neck, heading into the tent to make the tea.

Harry left her alone for a moment before following her inside the tent in time to see her pouring the tea into two cups. He walked over and waited until she'd finished, then wrapped his arms around her to hug her from behind.

Hermione sighed softly and leaned back against him, resting her hands on his arms around her stomach.

"I love you Hermione." He pressed a gentle kiss just behind her ear.

Hermione closed her eyes. "I love you too." She said quietly. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look up at him, brown eyes met green, and she managed a small, genuine smile.

He smiled back and tightened his arms around her.

Hermione turned her head back to the cups, picking one up and held it for him to take.

"Thanks." He dropped his arms from around her and took the cup from her. He walked over to the chair nearby and sat down, while Hermione sat on the bunk, the pair of them sitting in silence while drinking their tea.

Hermione didn't know if it was herself, or the locket playing with her emotions, but suddenly she felt very dark, very depressed, like she was stranded with nowhere to go, nobody to turn to.

Draining the rest of his tea, he set the cup on the table, and walked over to her. "I'll just be outside if you need me." he told her gently before leaving the tent.

Harry walked around outside, keeping watch, making sure nobody broke their wards, either by accident or deliberately looking for them, and it wasn't until much later when he walked by the tent again that he heard the static of the radio fizzle through the air to him. He turned to find the lamp illuminating the tent and he walked over. He peered inside, and his heart broke. There was Hermione, curled up in a chair with her head resting on her knee, staring at the radio with such a devastated look on her face. He wandered in and sat in the chair facing her for a moment, just to rest his legs. 'I have to do something... just anything to make her smile...' he thought. After a minute or so, he rose to his feet slowly, and crossed the empty space between them, and held out his hand in front of her face.

Hermione saw the hand out of the corner of her eye and looked up at him blankly. Then seeing that he wasn't going to let her be, she gave a resigned sigh and took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She asked him wordlessly, with her eyes, what he was doing.

Harry took the locket from around her neck, his fingers just gently brushing her bare skin as he pulled the chain. He then threw it on to the bunk beside them and pulled her into the middle of the room by her hands, and started to move her from side to side in the hope of enticing her into a dance, just to be carefree for once.

Hermione looked at him, she knew what he was trying to do, the little niggling doubts in her mind caused by the Horcrux were now being pushed to the back of her mind as she slowly started to move with him. She knew he had two left feet, and the mere fact he would be willing to make a fool of himself just to see her smile helped her go along with his idea.

Soon the young couple were laughing, the dance having the desired effect to distract them both as they spun and danced around the tent together. But the song ended all too quickly for Harry as he held her in his arms as they spun to a slow stop, his head resting on her shoulder, and hers on his. He felt her pull back slightly so she could look into his eyes, and he felt brave once more. A hand moved from her waist to her cheek just as she was about to turn away. The simple action made her hold his gaze as he closed the gap between their bodies.

Hermione's breathing stopped as she looked into those green eyes she loved so much. Was he going to...- her internal question was cut off by his lips meeting hers in a gentle kiss. Instantly one of her hands moved up to bury itself into his hair as she returned the kiss.

The pair moved slowly until they collapsed into the bunk, Harry on his back and Hermione lay of top of him as they kissed.

Harry knew she was in no right state of mind for anything else, but he was happy just to hold her in his arms and to kiss her. He rolled on to his side so they lay beside each other, Hermione's back against the canvas, Harry's back facing the door. The couple didn't move for most of the night, each happy in the comfort of the other's embrace, just kissing, cuddling and listening to whatever was playing on the wireless until sleep claimed them.

Hermione awoke the following morning to the feeling of a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her and the steady rise and fall of the figure's chest as he lay sleeping. She looked up at him and she smiled, her eyes studying his sleeping form, committing every little thing to memory, and noticed he must have taken his glasses off before he went to sleep. He looked considerably younger, as though he didn't have the weight of the world on his young shoulders. Inwardly she wanted to bring their beloved, most trusted headmaster back just to hex hom for sending Harry on such a mission with next to no information on what they were looking for.

"Do you always watch me sleep?"

She gasped audibly, having lay there in silence for a long while, alone with her thoughts. Composing herself, ignoring the burning of her cheeks, she said; "No. I just had nothing better to do." She smiled as he opened his eyes. She leaned up to kiss him.

Harry smiled and kissed back, then pulled away, turning over to reach for his glasses, eventually finding them on the floor. He picked them up and put them on, and looked back at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have for a while." She admitted, stretching herself out, her bones gently clicking. "What about you?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "A lot better. I didn't even have a nightmare." He shrugged. "I reckon you keep them away." He grinned at her.

Hermione smiled and pushed herself up, only then realising they were still in the clothes they had worn the day before.

She slowly climbed over him and left him for her own bunk, closing the flap behind her to give herself some privacy while she got herself freshened up and dressed in some clean clothes, leaving Harry to do the same.

Hermione walked into the main part of the tent to find Harry cooking breakfast, a cup of tea already waiting for her. She smiled softly and sat down taking the cup from the table beside her.