"Fuck it, I give up," Harry growled and slammed the door, walking briskly along the edge of the forest, and breathing heavily to calm himself down.

Everything was fine, they were getting things sorted around the cottage, and Charlie was finally healing well and resting at home. And then they just have to go and start arguing about…what was it they were arguing about again? He couldn't even think straight, so frustrated and tired that his brain refused to cooperate. So instead of thinking, he let his feet carry him up the hill on the northern side of the reserve, appreciative of the exercise despite the slight burn in his calf muscles at the sharp incline.

He reached a clearing and plopped down onto the hard, cold ground, knowing he shouldn't sit on the solid soil for too long. Winter was knocking on the door and they were to have snow in a few days, it wouldn't do to freeze his ass off. Christmas was two and a half weeks away and he still hasn't replied to the letter Molly sent them to ask if they were coming home. His training was slow these days as he tried to cram in study in between care for Charlie and little Flori, and he felt like his world was spinning a bit over the past two weeks... They really should be grateful. Charlie was healing very well with the aid of potions, salves, and plenty of rest. The only problem was that the active man was not used to just lounging around and doing nothing for more than a few hours, maybe a day. With being cooped up inside with someone constantly hovering around him and pushing his physical therapy, it was no wonder he was a very cranky dragon tamer.

Harry knew the angry teenager that he was once would have thrown in the towel after a couple of days. The years of traveling and learning have been good for him thought, and he felt he possessed the patience necessary for correct bedside manner as a healer. Whether to a human or a dragon. That was until today when he finally just lost it and told Charlie to go….do pleasurable things to himself in very unpleasant words…. Oh who was he kidding. He told Charlie to go fuck himself after the dragon tamer growled at him one time too many. It was not enough that Harry had a headache ever since the moment he opened his eyes for the day, Charlie just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and hasn't said one kind word since the morning.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finding his centre quietly and letting the breath out again. He needed to get back, apologise, and give Charlie some space until the physical therapy in the late afternoon while staying close enough to make sure he was alright. Charlie was honestly trying and making a good progress. He was nearly good to walk on his own but standing for too long was a bit of a strain still, and bending over caused a dull ache at the injured side. Alica was however confident that he would be fit for work come Monday. All the more reason for Harry to make sure Charlie was well enough because the redhead was stubborn, and if the mediwitch said that he can go to work come Monday, he will.

Damn, he was going to clean up the kitchen after making lunch for Flori before the argument. He needed to get back and sort it out before he had no time for it... The little dragon had grown a couple of inches and was doing progressively well, with baby food now being introduced into her diet alongside the medicine. Harry made it himself, cooked meats and vegetables blended finely, always giving her a few spoons until she was happy to eat half a small bowl and growing more used to it by day. Maybe she yet had a chance of growing a bit beyond their expectations, or so he hoped. Wrapping the thick, woollen sweater around himself more tightly, he jogged down the hill before heading back to the cabin, breaking into a run when he noticed Flori outside, looking around and calling for him.

"Baby! You can't be outside!" he said in distress and picked her up off the cold ground, instantly swaddling her into his chest, feeling her belly was a little cold from the ground.

She trilled weakly against his chest, tired from climbing up to the window to escape out and find her other human. Her humans were loud and angry, and she was afraid they would leave her alone.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have left. Everything will be fine though, I've got you," Harry cooed as he swiftly got her inside, closed the slightly open window she had escaped through, and flicked his wand at the fireplace. The fire roared large and bright and he quickly kicked off his boots, before carrying Flori over and sitting as close as he dared to get her warm as quickly as possibly. "There now, all nice and warm. You have to promise me that you won't do that again thought," he said a bit more sternly, making sure she knew what he was referring to. "No leaving the house without daddy or Harry. Understood?"

She lowered her little head and made a small, sad but affirmative sound. Harry instantly pulled her close and pressed a couple of kisses to her soft, scaled head. "Good girl. We're just very worried about you, you need to stay warm. Okay, baby girl?" he cooed again and smiled lovingly when she trilled happily at being swaddled in the love and warmth of her human again.

"I'm sorry."

Harry stiffened a little, not counting on the fact that Charlie would be out of bed immediately. He turned to look at him however, taking in the sorrowful expression on the usually content, cleanly-shaved face. The dragon tamer was wearing only a pair of boxers, the easiest for comfort and access to his healing injury for checking on progress. And something Harry grew to view both with a clinical eye, and occasionally appreciatively when he allowed himself to feast his eyes on the impressive physique of the second Weasley son. Right now though, Charlie looked tired and was leaning against the door frame for support as he watched them, awaiting a response from the young man who had come to mean quite a bit to him over the past weeks.

Harry shook his head. "I shouldn't have said…that. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have lost my patience," he admitted with a sigh and held Flori closer for comfort.

"Not your fault, I was being a brat. I took out my frustrations on you, when you've done so much for me, for us," he nodded to Flori who was watching them both curiously. "So, can you forgive me?" he asked.

Harry stood, careful not to jostle the baby girl in his arms. "If you can forgive me."

Charlie offered a small smile. "Deal."

"You should get back to bed. I know you're getting tired of it but after last night's bout of insomnia, you should get some rest," Harry suggested, stepping closer with the intent to usher him into the bedroom.

Charlie however reached around him and pulled their bodies close with a large, warm hand on the small of Harry's back. "Take a nap with me. You've been taking care of both of us without getting proper rest. A couple of hours at least," he said softly, bringing them once more into that slightly intimate zone. Since the hints and small affections shown in the hospital right after the man's injury, they had little time to address the changes in their relationship; pain, exhaustion, and frustration preventing them from getting anywhere.

Harry's shoulders instantly relaxed a little, glad the fight was over, pent up emotions spent, and Charlie's warmth so comforting like nothing else he'd felt in a while. "I wish. I have to clean up and settle Flori."

Charlie chuckled softly. "She's out of it," he nodded down to the baby girl who indeed knew not of the world around her by the soft sleepy sounds escaping her.

"Poor thing," Harry sighed. "The little trip outside must have tired her out. Nearly had another heart-arrest in two weeks. You two are so not good for my heart," he said with a hint of teasing, a small spark of mischief brightening his tired eyes for a moment.

Charlie just shook his head and walked him backwards to the large bed. "Rest with me."

Harry fidgeted a little, looking at the bed and trying to figure out how to rest without jostling Flori and injuring Charlie's side. He slowly managed to slip the sweater off and tightened it around Flori to keep her nice and warm, settling her on one of the pillows. "I don't think it's the best idea. I could hurt your side or roll over onto her.." he said a little worriedly despite the bed already calling to him with its comfortable softness. Blessed be whoever invented memory-foam mattresses….

Charlie would however have none of it and lied down on his good side, pulling Harry along with him and holding him close, the strong forearm around Harry's flat belly clearly brokering no argument. He sighed and relaxed back into the heat of Charlie's body, letting the redhead spoon him comfortably. He shuddered a little at the tickling warm breath that caressed his neck before turning his head slightly to look at the man behind him. "Just a small nap."

"Hmmm…" Charlie hummed noncommittally. "Rest."

"Hold me tight, I don't want to roll over or squirm too much." he mumbled, eyes closing on him. He felt the arm tightening around him, and the warmth of Charlie's body and soft blanket surround him, calling him into the land of dreams.

"I won't let you go. Sleep.." Charlie said softly and pressed a fleeting kiss to his cheek before they fell into a comfortable nap.

...

"Madame?" Luke asked hesitantly, noticing she was off in her world again. It was something that happened often after she returned from the private investigation with Auror Weasley. He wasn't necessarily worried, knowing Madame Granger was probably the strongest and most rational person he knew, but her continued lack of focus was starting to make him reconsider that assessment.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, focusing her gaze and setting down the pen she has been holding for Merlin knows how long without making a mark on her notes.

"I got a memo from the DMLE," he said, stepping into her office and handing it over. "And I'm done with clean up. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?" he asked, observing her closely. Yes, she looked a bit tired, but he himself was exhausted so that wasn't necessarily something out of the ordinary. So many bodies and only so many hours in a day...

Hermione took it and nodded with a small smile. "Why don't you head home then. I'll close up here and see you tomorrow."

Luke paused, looking at her for a moment silently. "Uhm…it's Saturday tomorrow, Madame," he said gently.

Hermione shook her head and looked into the open diary by her side, noticing that it was Friday today indeed. "Oh right, of course. I'll see you on Monday then, and send my regards to your fiancée," she offered another tight, small smile.

Luke nodded and paused in the doorframe. "Madam Granger, if I may?" he asked, waiting before he had her attention and nod of encouragement. "It may sound unprofessional but I'm starting to worry for you," he admitted.

Hermione looked at him surprised. "Worry? Whatever for?"

"You seem distant, Madame. Not that it affects your work, I wouldn't dare say that. But I can tell something is wrong," Luke said, not sure if he was crossing a boundary or not.

Hermione observed him for a moment. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's just been a long week," she finally said, trying to tell herself that as well.

Luke shook his head, not accepting the explanation. "I know I'm just your assistant and you wouldn't tell me if something was wrong, but I am sure you have friends who are worried as well, and would listen if you wanted to talk to them," he said, ducking his head a bit, aware that he was definitely crossing a boundary right now.

Hermione however found herself strangely warmed by his words and leaned back in her seat with a soft sigh. "Thank you, Luke. I'll consider it," she finally said and watched as he turned away. "And know that you are more than just my assistant. You've become a friend, and once you complete your degree and we are academically on a more even footing, I will be happy to acknowledge it publicly. Until then, for professional reasons…" she left the sentence hanging, knowing the young man would understand.

Luke's smile was brilliant at being acknowledged by his personal hero in such a way, and he bowed his head slightly in respect at her professionalism before finally heading home.

Hermione looked down at the finished report, remembering she needed to sign it and quickly wrote her name with a flourish, closing the file and setting it on the finished pile. The last week has been…challenging. Yes, that would sum it up the best. She was very much nearly the victim of a serial killer magical creature, just because it was good sport. She had to testify a few days ago in front of a full Wizengamot about the investigation and then her kidnapping, reliving the events minute by minute in her mind as the veritaserum forced the answers out of her. She watched the beautiful woman in the magical cage subdued and drugged up to keep her contained, paraded in front of the judges like an attraction in a zoo. What were they all but animals in their very base? What separated them from that creature in the cage? Nature versus nature, or so it seemed. They all had instincts, needs, desires…. and yet some of them ended up murderers. What was it that made them all so unique in the end?

She shook her head and swiftly stood up, gathering her things. When she was getting philosophical, it was time to go and have something strong to drink. Her mind was dealing with the consequences of her kidnapping in its own way, mostly through swiftly processing it through the facts of the encounter and shoving it in the back of her mind, letting the emotional impact simmer in there before it was time to deal with it properly and let it settle. Her mind was vast enough to prioritise her thoughts and there was never a time when she was more grateful for it. Shrugging on her warm coat, she stepped around the table to get to the door, pausing in step when she noticed Ginny standing silently, leaning against the doorframe and watching her.

Truth be told, she had been evading the redhead over the past week, not ready to see her or talk to her, letting Luke handle communication with the DMLE. Shit, the memo. She should have read it and get out of here sooner. Now there was no escape and she had to face this.

"Hey.." Ginny broke the silence between them softly, wincing a little at how loud it suddenly sounded even to her own ears.

"Hey," Hermione replied in kind, leaning a bit against her table for support.

She had woken up alone in the hospital and refused to stay, knowing she could very well nurse a simple concussion at home as long as there was no danger of a hematoma developing. The healer let her know she should be fine but wasn't happy that she was leaving. Like she cared. The guard outside her door was swiftly dismissed and she spent the rest of her weekend locked up in her flat, floo disconnected, door locked, and wards erected against anyone and everyone. And come Monday morning, she was back to work, knowing there was no use being at home when she was fine and there was work to be done. The dance of dodging and running was getting tiring and she knew they had to talk at some point to figure out what to do now, but she had hoped for another week maybe. Never one to run from problems before, this was definitely a first and it certainly looked like she was crappy at it. Seeing Ginny's worried face now though made her feel a tad guilty, knowing her friend was as uncertain about this as she herself was.

"How are you?" Ginny asked after a moment of trying to figure out how to go about this.

Hermione sighed and nodded. "I'm well, no need to worry. Just tired, long day. Was just heading home."

Ginny nodded and thought about what to say next, wondering whether she should give Hermione more space as that seemed to be what she wanted. Could she be this patient though? Hermione observed as the woman she considered her best friend, and lately someone much more important, stood before her quietly. She could see the hesitation, the worry, the stress of trying to do what was right for her in Ginny's face and at that moment something shifted inside her. Ginny looked up when she saw Hermione come closer and closed her eyes with a content smile, her arms wrapping around the brunette's soft curves when she felt her initiate a hug. Merlin did she need this. She just held onto Hermione for a long moment, breathing her in and feeling her close. Only now did she know that her friend was okay. Not happy and perfectly fine just yet, but okay. And that was what mattered.

"I missed you.." She whispered, feeling Hermione's arms tighten around her.

"I just needed to breathe for a bit," Hermione replied softly, knowing Ginny understood why.

The Auror just nodded and pulled away a fraction to look into her eyes. "Are we good?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment. Were they good? Could they possibly start a personal relationship while working together? Was it wise to be in a relationship for either of them considering their schedules, stresses, and professional deformations? Would they be accepted by the Weasley family? Merlin knew and only time will tell, but they were both realists and aware of all of the potential problem. And there was probably no better way to start a relationship that without rosy lenses. "Yes, I think we're good. Dinner?" she asked, her belly rumbling hungrily.

"Chinese, my treat," Ginny grinned, easing back into their usual dynamics.

Hermione picked up her briefcase. "You spoil me," she replied in a teasing tone and slipped her hand around the gallantly offered elbow.

"I haven't even started yet," Ginny winked and led the way towards the muggle Central London exit.

Turns out it wasn't that difficult after all...