A/N: It isn't that I don't love a good Harmony story because I do. It's just that there's something sort of amazing about Harry and Hermione's friendship. I love stories that have their friendship somewhere in it.

This isn't part of some greater piece of work. I just wanted a way to show how much trust exists between these two characters. This scene has been rolling around in my brain for months and I finally realized that I could use it here.

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"Stop!" The Muggle police shouted.

Trapped, Hermione whirled to face them. She had nowhere to go, and her wand had been accidentally snapped by an ignorant inspector. They had no idea who or what she was, but they didn't want to let her escape. Stupid! She'd been so stupid, but it was impossible to ignore a possible lead in her latest case. The disappearances of several Muggleborn witches had frightened her and enraged Harry. They both suspected that something Dark was going on, but they had no proof to take to their superiors.

As she backed away she felt her back hit the wall, and something else. She turned around again and almost cried with happiness. Maintenance stairs... stairs which led to the roof and escape. Once they lost sight of her, Hermione would be able to conceal herself and find a way to contact Harry. Without considering it any further, Hermione turned and began to climb the stairs as quickly as she could.

"Miss, I need you to stop," the police shouted at her.

One of them raced to the stairs and began to climb after her.

Bloody buggering hell. Hermione climbed faster. The little door that led to the roof was locked, but Hermione forced her will and her magic on it and the lock snapped. She pushed the door up and let it fall onto the roof. She scrambled out onto the roof and began to run.

"Miss! Stop, or we'll be forced to shoot," called the police.

Hermione risked a glance back and saw that the officer was holding a taser. She raced to the edge of the roof and looked down. Vertigo washed over her and Hermione swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. Merlin, she hated heights. She turned her back to the dizzying edge and took two steps forward. The officer had frozen near the door—apparently worried that she would fling herself to her death.

"Look, miss, whatever it is you're frightened of, it isn't worth killing yourself," the officer protested. He looked over his shoulder for his back up.

Soon, they were all on the roof, keeping Hermione from any possible escape route. Panic set in and she bounced on her toes, looking for a break that she could use to her advantage.

"Oi, Granger!" A familiar, much beloved voice bellowed. "To me!"

It was directly behind her. Hermione carefully made her way to the edge and peered over. Several flights down, standing on the street, was Harry in his full Auror robes. There were a couple other Aurors that she couldn't quite make out who appeared to be focused on crowd control. Relief filled Harry's face and she could see the tense line of his shoulders relax.

"Come on, love," he called to her. "I've got you."

Hermione nodded and gave him a thumbs up. The she turned back to the police who were spread out in a loose semi-circle around her. She took a deep breath and then walked toward them. They bunched together nervously and eyed her movements warily. She turned her back to them, took a deep breath and began to run to the edge where Harry was waiting for her.

"Miss! Don't!" She heard the cries of consternation behind her, but she blocked them out.

The one constant in Hermione's life had always been Harry Potter. Closer than a brother or a lover, the other half of her soul, no one understood their relationship. Harry was her safe harbor—he was her lodestone. She felt her feet touch the lipped edge of the roof. Automatically, her eyes sought out Harry who was standing below with an encouraging look on his face. She closed her eyes, spread her arms, and jumped.

Magic slowed her descent and when she reached Harry, he caught her easily. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. The sickening lurch of Apparation wasn't a surprise. Hermione had known that they would have to leave as quickly as possible.

"Thank you," Hermione mumbled into his robes.

"I'll always be there to catch you, Hermione," Harry said gently. "You're bigger than a snitch, but you're worth a lot more to me." He set her down carefully and then pulled back to glare at her. "That doesn't mean we aren't going to have a chat about investigating without back up."

"They snapped my wand," she confessed. "The inspector had no clue what it was and he just... broke it."

"Did you find out anything?" Harry asked with a sigh.

"Yes, I... I think maybe I did," Hermione replied.

"Good... just... don't do that again. When I realized that you had left, and then when we found you trapped on that roof—do you have any idea what you put me through?" Harry demanded.

Hermione snorted. "The same thing you put me through when you fling yourself in front of every madman with a wand."

"Fine, we're both inconsiderate wankers," Harry retorted. He sighed again. "I'll try if you try?"

"Deal," Hermione agreed.

"Good. Let's fill in our reports and then we can go get something to eat. Rescuing you always makes me hungry," Harry complained.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let's go."