Standing with their pile of twigs and the handle of the broom between them, Hermione kept smoothing her magic and taking deep breaths. When the runes began to fade both of them lifted their wands and after an exchanged glance, cast together. Their magics met above the runes and they worked carefully to funnel it into the small carved rune before they slowly cut the flow. This was the third and last one on the handle.

The last one was the enchanted metal band that attached the bristles to the handle. It was by far the most sensitive and volatile rune in the project and their magics would have to balance nearly perfectly.

Not able to help it, she closed her eyes and when she opened them, the bright blue ones of the man across the table from hers were captivating. So many things in them, heat, excitement, and certainty stood out most in the second that they faced each other. She nodded slightly and he grinned at her. Not as stressed by the pressure as she was. That made her grin and she shook her head before refocusing.

Yaxley caught her eye from his seat in the corner. Since he arrived, he had said little after going through their plan again and just watched them. As if they were a fascinating play, she tried to ignore their audience.

At Thorfinn's nod he counted to three and then they cast. Without thought, her left hand came up and she began using her ambient magics to slow the flow they were pouring into the rune. She could feel the slight vibrations of too much magic to quickly. Her rune stones had worked like this, it was much like the rose quartz one.

Thorfinn reacted as if they had done this a hundred times and very slowly he lessened the amount of magic he was pouring into the rune and she kept pace with him. When she felt it begin to be at capacity, she let her magics fall away and then slowly began pulling back until it was a trickle they were each adding to the rune. At its slight flash, they stopped carefully and waited. A minute passed with all three staring at the rune and then the whole broom shuddered.

Hermione's heart was pounding and she could barely believe it when it slowly lifted off the table and floated, at the perfect mounting angle, about two feet off the surface it had been lying on.

Silence reigned.

Then Hermione quickly but carefully ran for the door to the room and both men looked concerned for a moment before following her.

They were surprised by her dancing around the main work room and shooting fireworks out of hand and wand.

She caught her wizards eye and couldn't help the beaming smile at their success. He watched her for a moment until he ran and picked her up, spinning her around. Neither noticed when the older wizard left them to their fun.


"Potter." Thorfinn wasn't best pleased to have his head in Potters kitchen fireplace. Desperate times called for desperate measures though.

"Rowle?" He heard the younger wizards voice and waited. The girls were at dinner with Susan Bones and so he knew the coast would be relatively clear. He didn't know what else to do and felt more everyday that he needed to do something.

When the green eyes peered at him from behind glasses he just waited. Preferring not to have parts of his body in different fireplaces.

"Come through." Potter gestured once he realised what he was waiting for. Standing in the same room, they just looked at each other for a minute and then he decided this wouldn't get easier and just spoke.

"It's about Hermione. I'm not sure if something is actually wrong or she just needs time. If she hasn't spoken to you about then I don't feel like I can." He blurted this out and the other wizard just looked at him for a moment and then gestured to the table. Summoning a whiskey bottle and two glasses, he sat.

"Is this about Dolohov?" Thorfinn was surprised that the witch had told him. As far as he knew, she hadn't spoken about it again.

"No she didn't tell me anything. Just observation. She doesn't, when it's not relevant." The man rolled his eyes and Thorfinn nodded his agreement with the sentiment.

"Did something happen or was it in her head?" He stumbled at the less pleased look and hurried on.

"Not her imagination but a realization or something." Understanding, he nodded.

"That's the worst because only she understands what has changed. It's insane when it's you, totally baffling. Confront her. He needs to, not you." Thorfinn thought this over.

"So tell him? I don't want to." He didn't. Really didn't want to talk about this with the Russian. It was private and the man demanded more discretion than most.

"Don't then. Just indicate that if he wants to know, he has to ask her. I've told her that I've done it before. It's your decision whether you do, or don't." There was no judgement on his face and Thorfinn was surprised by his readiness to speak about his friend so openly. Reading something maybe, Potter spoke his thoughts.

"You've been good for her. Haven't seen her so content or even lazy sometimes. Less frantic. Dolohov was good but this is even more relaxed." He spoke as of this made total sense and Thorfinn decided to think about it later. Her magic had calmed or something, she said that during that embarrassing conversation. Maybe it had when Dolohov took her on too.

Having a totally unrelated thought and not wanting to talk about his witch anymore he changed the topic.

"Draco and Theo mentioned wanting to play pick up once a month. Any ideas of who might want to?" Immediately the man's eyes lit up and he began openly speaking about people who might play beater with George Weasley and whether it was worth it to invite Ginny.

"She is really good but I love not seeing her regularly. Maybe on the if we need to list. Who else do you guys have?" Thorfinn laughed at his honest response and they spent a half hour talking quidditch before he took the floo back to the witch's house and then apparated out

Striding toward the cabin Thorfinn tried not to overthink or even really think about talking to them about this. They had asked him and he had made it clear that he wasn't to be used like this. As a go between, but he had decided that this couldn't go on. Hermione deserved to have all of her enjoyment and the Russian deserved his usual apprentice. If they couldn't have it had to settle into a different relationship that was better than this extended waiting that seemed to be happening. Hermione couldn't see it, or was choosing not to but he could. It was taking some of the spark out of life.

They didn't open to door for him and he rolled his eyes and knocked. Yaxley's voice bid him enter and he did. Without invitation he strode to the corner chair that his witch liked and sat there.

"What brings you?" Yaxley asked him, looking interested enough.

"This bloody situation brings me. I'm not happy about it either. Regardless of what I think, my little witch isn't happy. Not miserable, not with me at all, but this is her dream and it's being tarnished." Having just let the words come out he fought the desire to blush under their intent stares.

"We are at a loss." Yaxley said after the two exchanged a glance and Thorfinn rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know what to do. I won't talk to you about it. That's not my place. So I went to Potter, who didn't know what had happened but had put a few things together. Long and short of it is that you have to ask her outright. She will answer I think, it's the least of the things she has done because you asked her." That was true and both men exchanged glances again. He stood, getting ready to leave.

"Sit, please." Yaxley tacked the polite word on as an afterthought and he reluctantly sat back down.

"Things seem to be going well between you." He started and immediately Thorfinn didn't like where this was going.

"Are you okay?" The rougher voice of the Russian grated the words out but kept eye contact. Thorfinn had to think that over, he didn't understand.

"Yes." That was a safe enough answer. They both looked expectantly at him and then Yaxley nodded once.

"Alright. Come as usual with her tomorrow." That was his dismissal and he headed back into the chill night air.


"You were right." Hermione admitted with little grace to the two witches looking her over without seeming to. To others it appeared that way but Hermione could see all their tells at the moment.

"About which thing exactly?" Susan asked with her happy smile.

"Coming here." Hermione's tone was a bit curt, admitting no other faults. Then all three laughed and Hermione forgot for a few minutes that people were watching her.

It had taken some persuading and guilt and a promised extra special tomato salad to her her back in Cleinfeld's this evening. Of course they could have gone somewhere else, as she had argued, but the girls didn't want to give up a place they liked to the vultures. It also wasn't like Hermione to change anything she did, for others.

The tomato salad had been very good and Susan had stood only twice to head off people who were approaching their table, without invitation.

Draco walked away with a pout after clearly attempting to charm the redhead into letting him pass. That had been amusing.

"So what's up Hermione?" That was blunt but Susan had waited until after their meal which couldn't have been easy for her.

"Don't prevaricate. If you don't wish to explain then say so." Astoria seemed a bit put out and Hermione caught her eye. She just shrugged slightly and her face said not right now.

"If it hadn't been Sabrina's idea to do dinner like that I would be creating a whole new gift basket tier for her alone." She let some of the exasperation show through and both witches winced in sympathy.

"It has been, unkind." There was a pause as Susan searched for a word and then settled.

"Vicious." Astoria corrected and had a murderous glare for a moment.

"I'll take veritaserum if it comes down to it." Letting some of her defeat show. Maybe they could move eventually. It was an idle thought but tempting until she considered her friends, family really.

"You will not." Susuas sounded aghast as the suggestion and Astoria looked thoughtful.

"Have you taken it?" Hermione asked her, interested in her reaction.

"No." Her tone was forceful and Hermione caught Astoria's eye. She didn't know either. Hmmm.

"Have you?" Astoria looked her over interestedly and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course. I thought everyone had tried it." This was an actual assumption of hers and two witches faces said it was false.

"Oh. Well if you decide to try it just make sure your wards are tight and you trust the person asking you. Or are ready to fess up if you spill something you shouldn't." She smiled reassuringly at them. They looked a bit shocked by her candid advice and she let a grin take over.

"Done anything interesting lately?" Astoria looked keenly at her and she thought. Then decided she could share this and looked around. No one was near. They had empty tables on either side at the insistence of Astoria's cousin, who loves that the girls came here.

"Finn and I charmed a broom together." She didn't whisper but she was quiet. It felt private.

"Cast the magics together?" Susan breathed with a look on her eye like that was a fairytale. Hermione nodded and smiled contentedly. It had been amazing. After had been amazing too.

That must have showed on her face because both witches perked up and she just shook her head. No way, not in public and probably not at all. Her eyes said it all and after a moment of looking crestfallen, the girls nodded good humoredly.

"At least tell us what it was like. How is it different than when it's you alone?" Susan was curious and Hermione didn't blame her. Not many did it. It was magically intensive to say the least.

"I have more respect for brooms themselves and broom makers, if I ever meet one I will tell them so. The twigs took ages, I bet it would have taken me over a year, I don't usually have much left over for that kind of magic. But the enchantment and runes were beautiful. It was amazing. To have done something like that with someone else and have it be balanced enough to hover on its own. One of my proudest moments I think. Top ten anyways." She said this seriously and the witches exchanged the glance they usually did when they thought Hermione an overachiever.

"Tell me about how things are going with Harry." It wasn't a demand but she wanted some of the witch's viewpoints.

Author's note: As usual this mostly belongs to JKR except what I created and the influence from other authors and their character development.

I'm looking for someone or a few someone's to read stories for me. Beta them or even just bounce ideas off of. I've got several stories on the go and would like to hear your opinion on posting more partially written stories. Apprentice was finished when I started and Compromises is close, sixty five chapters or so done. There are twenty something chapters of Potential and probably another 10 stories with twenty or so chapters. Let me know what you think.

-Maybenotahufflepuff