Hi everyone!

OMG - I can't believe it's been a year! In a year I wrote 40 chapters that have now been viewed 380 thousand times - I literally cannot believe the stats every time I look at them. I want to thank each and every one of the 2500 followers on both platform for their subscriptions. You guys mean the world to me for following along and keep being interested in this story: thank you so so so so so much!

Here's chapter 40! Some needed exposure for the rest of the plot, some smut ( :D ) and finally, the Quibbler-article!

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review!

Love, Flora

Chapter 40: How Hermione and Harry loved doing teamwork in every sense of the word

The glossy paper of Quibbler magazine glimmered in the candle light on Hermione's desk. Harry had stared at it for a bit: the picture of him and Hermione on the front, taken on the sofa in their living room, looked warm and comfy. He wished for a moment that they were seated there right now, and then he noticed Hermione snapping her fingers in front of his vision.

'Hey! Keep up, Harry. We're not reading it until we've thought out this plan.'

Harry quickly blinked and smiled.

'Sorry. I'm losing focus a bit. It's been... How long?'

'8 hours,' Hermione admitted. 'You're right, we should take a little break, but dinner is almost here, I'm sure. Let's do a quick recap, and then-...'

Harry nodded, reached for his already loosened tie and loosened it a bit more. He rolled his sleeves up once more, ruffled through his hair and stood back against the desk.

'You're right. So, gameplan: Wednesday will be my first day at stake-out. I'll go to Glasgow, disguise myself using my Invisibility Cloak and post at the five hotspots we've appointed. Being the station,' he pointed to one of the five pulsing red dots on an otherwise black and white map, 'the apothecary, the Goblin primary school, the pub called "the Hebridean's Head" and the post office. I will have stake-outs there every day for the next four weeks, keeping a different time schedule at each location. I will focus on people and Goblins showing a pattern of repetitiveness. I will also look for suspicious activity.'

Hermione nodded. She looked tired, but extremely cute, with her quill tucked behind her ear, her hair big, bushy and bewildered and a concentrated frown on her face that reminded him of exam time at Hogwarts.

'I'm still thinking we should add the library too. You'll never know.'

'As I said, a library is not frequented as much. We need places were people might be on a daily basis, or were there is a substantial chance of illegal activity, like smuggling stolen goods. Hence the choice for the apothecary.'

'Yes, but if people look for information, they'll end up there. Glasgow has the biggest magical library in the UK, that's not something to be overlooked.'

'You're right, it could be a very valuable location,' Harry agreed. She was right, and Harry loved the fact that working with her meant not being met with an instant "yes sir" and "brilliant thinking, Mister Potter", but he was worried it would be a bit too much strain on him to rotate between six different locations. If only he had more time, but the Department of Mysteries promised him years ago all the Timeturners had been destroyed...

He stared at the map, and Hermione did too, worrying her lip.

'No, forget it,' Hermione finally said, after a few minutes of silence. 'Five is pushing your limits already. We might want to add the library if the other five spots turn out useless, or if we hear it being discussed as a place of interest by key subjects. And I might inquire with the librarian, just to be sure. I was planning to go there anyway for some more research.'

Harry nodded, trying to hide his relief and affirmed the five dots with his wand.

'You're right. Let's narrow it down to five, it makes it more manageable, plus the library is somewhat between the station and the pub. I might catch a glimpse either way.

Then, for a different subject: usage of the cloak is essential. Will add additional Non-Detectable safety charms for good measure. Must not stay at the same exact spot for over thirty minutes, to avoid exposure. Rotating between positions every two hours, starting of with the station, then co counter-clock wise. Will keep record of all suspicious activity via Pensieve-memory, so we can review it later on. Will make notes as well, to summarize important events and prevent having to watch all footage back. Notes will be charmed as Unreadable.'

'Yes. Notes will be redirected to my office as well. Hold on: why not use Protean charmed notepads? We could communicate that way as well.'

'Great idea!' Harry said, scribbling it down. 'Though I have to be careful not to get too distracted. Stake-out is a tedious bore most of the time, don't want to miss anything important because I catch myself sending you notes all day.'

Hermione laughed at him with a beautiful smile and Harry felt a huge urge to kiss her, but he decided against it.

'Yes, no loveletters,' Hermione chuckled. 'And no talking about groceries either. Just work.'

'Just work,' Harry repeated. 'Good. Then, after those four weeks, establish persons of interest. These persons will be spiders in a huge web: people who get intel, who have key positions in society, without it being too obvious. So, for instance, a bar maid or a clerk, someone people easily talk too or confide in. Then: check those people's routines. Form patterns. Double check. Then: shadowing phase. Establish who they are, why they could be of importance. Get to know every intimate detail of that person. Impersonate them, become them. Then...'

'Polyjuice operation,' Hermione stated. 'Take over that person's routine for sometime. Note: person, not being, as being's aren't susceptible to Polyjuice. It will take a lot of careful planning, but we'll have to make the chosen target disappear for some time, all the while being within the boundaries of our law. To do-list: check with Bagman.'

Harry nodded.

'Added that already. Will discuss in advance.'

'During Polyjuice Operation, make sure to put all memories in Pensieve to keep intel open. Evidence like that is not accepted through our Department...'

'But it is through the Auror's,' Harry said. 'If the suspicion is high enough. So, only commence with Polyjuice Operation if serious suspicion has been confirmed.'

'Correct. Without some serious evidence, Justice Department will not accept the means.'

Harry sighed.

'Four weeks is really pushing it, though, Hermione. It's a tight schedule to get all that information to do a proper swap and Nott might have been an idiot in school, but he's not anymore. If he really is behind all this, we'll have to extremely careful.'

'If you don't feel confident, we'll postpone it,' Hermione stated. 'No risks. Not on my watch. We don't want anyone to get hurt.'

'Especially not your handsome fiancé, right?' Harry heard himself joke.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him playfully.

'Fake-fiancé, Mister Potter.'

'Right, Miss Granger. My apologies.'

Again that urge to kiss her senseless. Hermione looked like she has the same urge, but they both bit their lips and stared at the map in front of them.

'So... Now it's just the intel from the Aurors?'

'I think we covered all the other bases,' Harry nodded. 'We just need information from the newest raids.'

'Which you haven't got,' Hermione confirmed. 'What about the information that you do have?'

'We figured out that Nott's hideouts seem to be centered around prominent Goblin villages. We know from raids that Goblin-items were found in their bases. We know from Bill that Goblins are being pressured by "another group of wizards who want to overthrow the government". Lackey has confirmed this as well, when his memory-lock was forcefully broken.'

He winced a bit, thinking about the young boy, and massaged his forehead in a soothing manner. Hermione looked at him in a way that only she could.

'Lastly,' he continued, 'we know Goblins are scared to be seen around Ministry-friendly wizards. It's more than the usual apprehension. I sensed some fear, hostility and anger in Gringotts.'

'Bill noticed that too,' Hermione said, taking her quill from behind her ear. She scribbled something down - her notes were far more extensive and detailed than Harry's. She sighed.

'It just makes me mad to think that Nott would try to influence the Goblins for his own gain. We've worked so hard the past few years, we want the Beings Act to be a success to for all - excluding Goblins could only cause a wider gap between our societies. It would be a disaster. Possibly another war.'

'We've had enough of those,' Harry grumbled, now completely loosening his tie. He sat down, exhausted, and Hermione smiled at him tiredly.

'I think it's time for that break after we've decided who'll get the intel from Eleonore.'

'Can't I get it from Bagman?' Harry said hesitantly. 'We get along much better-...'

'If you ever want back into your old office - no. Enough time has transpired. You need her to get back in the Department too, Harry.'

Harry scowled, but knew she was right.

'And we need to discuss your days off. I guess you want to work more than just the Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday?'

'I need to, in order to get a decent basis,' Harry said, rubbing his eyes. 'I'll have to break up my own routine to discover some of theirs.'

'Right,' Hermione said, 'and as your supervisor, I want you to do a decent job. But I also need you to take care of yourself. I know that, more often than not, you forget that crucial part of being on a mission.'

Harry smirked.

'I'll try to, ma'am,' he said, with a slight wink.

Hermione snickered. She leaned forward on the desk, leaning on her elbows. Harry didn't know whether Hermione knew what the gesture did for her cleavage, but Harry felt his gaze wander.

'And as your girlfriend,' she added, 'I want you to be home too. I can't miss you every day of the week.'

'Wouldn't want to,' Harry replied, his throat running dry. He looked at Hermione, and she looked back at him, and Harry couldn't help to feel the tension rise once again. They'd had these moments throughout the day, but had been able to resist and distract.

He wondered how much longer they would manage. The fact that his persistent desk-fantasies involving Hermione hadn't waned, didn't help the cause. He quickly drew an image in his mind of Vernon Dursley in a mankini. That one never failed him, thank Merlin.

'What do you propose, in terms of leave?' he asked, ruffling his hair and clearing his throat. 'I want to keep my Thursdays as they are. Teddy is a priority.'

'Obviously. I'd say you keep your Tuesdays as well. Aunty Penelope needs you as much as you need her. But you might want to add extra evening shifts, for the pub. And either Saturday or Sunday too. Weekend days could be valuable as well.'

Harry nodded.

'Sounds good. That leaves Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday or Sunday from 7 to 6. Then an evening shift at the other weekend day and two randomly throughout the week.'

'Perfect,' Hermione smiled. 'I'll talk with Alan about the extra hours. See if we can give you a raise. And I have to ask you to leave Wednesday evenings free.'

'Why is that?'

'Because we'll have our first dance lesson this week, remember?'

Harry fake-flinched. 'Oh Merlin! I totally forgot! The horror!'

Hermione laughed and slapped his arm.

'We're going to do just fine, I'm sure.'

She began to gather some of her notes into a neat stack and Harry offered her one of the pages he had lent a while ago.

'You're probably going to injure me,' he joked. 'I mean, I'm clumsy, but you...'

'Hey!' Hermione yelped playfully, yanking the page from his hand with a smile.

'Didn't you step on Krum's toes the entire Yule Ball?' Harry pressed, offering her another wandering page.

'I didn't!' Hermione scoffed and now it was Harry's turn to laugh. 'And by the way: that's rich coming from the guy would looked sick and constipated during his opening dance-...'

Harry guffawed, shocked and amused at the same time.

'I was under a lot of pressure at the time, Granger! Also: your own grandmother thinks you're more of a lost cause than I am. She's said that repeatedly.'

'Yeah, just wait and see,' Hermione continued, reciprocating the glee in Harry's eyes, using her wand to seal the pages with a bind. 'We'll have our instructor decide who's a bigger menace on the dance floor-...'

Hermione stopped mid-sentence when Mimsy popped her head around the corner.

'Your food, miss Granger, mister Potter!'

They ate their food in harmony, bantering and bickering some more, and then they wrapped up the preparation for the investigation. Harry would return Wednesday for his dreaded conversation with his late supervisor.

Even though it was past six, the crowd of journalists that flocked outside of their hallway was still massive.

'You'd think they have a life outside of this,' Hermione grumbled, storing their Quibbler inside her robe, and Harry chuckled, as he said goodbye to Wendell.

'Fat chance. You see the girl in front of the line?'

They both looked in her direction at the same time and a camera flashed.

'Jacky Simone,' Hermione said dully. 'What a pleasant surprise.'

They knew they could both just Disapparate and be done with it, but their stubbornness probably prevented that. No way in hell were they going to cower for someone as superficial as her!

'Come on,' Harry said, grabbing her hand and pushing past the gate. They kept their hands intertwined, ignoring the persistent questions and camera flashes.

'Tell us more, Mister Potter!'

'Do you think The Quibbler had a more honest story to tell?'

'Are you two really in love?'

'Has the War really impacted you that much?'

'Miss Granger, are you able to cope with the attention?'

'Do you seriously love her, Harry?'

Jacky Simone had stepped forward as Hermione threw some powder in the hearth, turning it a bright green.

Harry looked at her - the girl who's ambition had ruined their anonymity - and realized that he wanted to do a lot of things. Shout, scream and curse, first. Maybe even throw a punch or a strong hex second. Her smug, nosy face was almost nauseating and he pictured her to be a lot more tolerable with that Quick Quote Quill stuck somewhere the sun never shone.

On the other hand, that was quite against the rules. Angering Alan Greengrass twice in one day was not a particular wise thing to do.

So, instead, he bowed towards Hermione, gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, put his hand on her small back and gestured her kindly towards the flames, so she could go first.

'Good evening,' he said, briskly, and disappeared in the flames as well.

Hermione's face seemed to say everything Harry was thinking when he arrived in their living room.

'The hell with reading the article - I need something stronger first,' Hermione said, breathing through her nose.

'Make that two,' Harry answered, already getting out of his jacket. 'I'm going to change first. See you in the living room in five?'

Harry had emptied his glass of red wine and refilled when Hermione joined him, wearing one of his sweaters and baby pink sweatpants. He raised his glass at her and she chuckled.

They talked at least an hour about work, laughing and sharing their thoughts on the conversation with Greengrass without the fear of getting interrupted by a nosy secretary. Hermione retold a story about how she and and ex-colleague had been "shredded", as the floor employees named a public scolding by their boss, a week into their internship. Her colleague had quit a few weeks later, not being able to cope with the constant criticism. It had only made Hermione more defiant.

'He actually mentioned it to me a few weeks ago,' Hermione said. 'That he had known I was there to stay when I didn't went to cower in a corner.'

'Pff!' Harry snickered. 'He didn't notice beforehand? The reputation, the vast studying, the work-ethic: that didn't tell him enough?'

Hermione rolled her eyes at the compliments and leaned into him, pushing her head against his chest. She sighed.

'Today was good. It was like we were back on a mission again.'

'We are,' Harry agreed with her. 'Can't wait to begin, honestly. We're going to rock it.'

She chuckled against him and trailed her hands across his hoodie.

'Hey, Harry?'

'Hmm?'

'You're wearing sweatpants too.'

'Yes.'

She looked at him pointedly.

'So...'

Harry grinned, boyishly.

'I thought we were going to read the article?'

'I know, I know,' she said, quickly. 'But you know, out of mere curiosity...'

'Well curious Hermione, why don't you find out?'

He felt her hand dip beneath his waistband and heard her gasp when her hand met his skin.

'You are,' she said, surprised and grasped him firmly in her hand. Harry hissed, absolutely craving the contact.

'And ready to go as well?' she teased as Harry groaned.

'I wanted to take you on that desk so many times today I lost count,' he heard himself reply, giving her more room as he leaned against her.

'Pure torture,' Hermione agreed. 'Merlin, I just-...'

And Harry would never know what she "just", as Hermione jumped half on top of him, stroking him with one hand, using her other hand to grab a fist of his hair and attack his lips. It was clumsy - their bodies touching and rocking against each other in an unsynchronised dance of pure lust, their tongues clashing, their breaths uneaven, to try to relief the pent up sexual tension they'd felt all day.

'Ouch,' Harry said, as Hermione tugged a bit too hard, 'it's too dry-...'

She was on her knees within seconds, taking him in her mouth without a shred of hesitation. Harry made a weird, surprised yelp, followed by a deep, throaty groan.

'Hermione...' he purred, his voice dark and low, looking at her brown eyes, fixating on him as she bobbed up and down. It still was an obscenely arousing sight that he'd never thought he'd see. She felt absolutely divine, her mouth hot and warm, and he couldn't help a loud moan escape from him.

'Yes, please, Merlin...'

Hermione smirked, releasing him from her mouth, putting saliva in the palm of her hands to stroke him.

'Does that feel good?' she asked, seemingly innocent and he groaned as she bowed down again, taking him all the way down her throat. She made a chocking sound and Harry supported her head.

'Yes, it does - just make sure... Merlin you're killing me! ... Just make sure you're - fuck - you're alright-...'

She chuckled and let him go entirely.

'Will you stop it? I won't break, Harry. Just close your eyes and enjoy. I've been wanting to do this the entire afternoon.'

'Yes, but-...'

'Not a peep! You hear me?'

Harry grinned and sat back.

'Yes ma'am,' he joked and Hermione snorted.

'That's more like it.'

Harry kind of liked her bossy like that.

She started slower now, swirling around his head with her tongue, kissing and licking his shaft, softly fondling his balls. After a while she got into a great rhythm, bobbing her head and using her hands to lightly twist and rub the remainder of his member. It was absolutely heavenly - all his sensed seemed to be awakened and every touch, every kiss, every contact set his skin on fire. He wound her curls around his hand, and the grip seemed to only encourage her, like she had been waiting for his hand to guide her. It felt a bit odd at first, not used to being a bit rougher with Hermione, but the moans that escaped her throat as Harry pushed her down on him a bit further sent a shot of arousal through his spine, like a lightning bolt, and it didn't take long for him to feel the familiar feeling build.

'I'm not gonna last,' he said hoarsely, 'you better stop, so-...'

She cut him off with one stern look and Harry groaned, tightened the grip on her head some more, then gave into the feeling completely, thrusting up rapidly inside her mouth. If she wanted it like that, she would get it. It took him less than a minute, then his climax hit him like a freight train and blew all the air out of his lungs, sending him to collapse back into the couch.

Hermione loomed over him, her eyes completely glossed over in arousal.

'A minute,' Harry gasped with a laugh, but Hermione was not in the mood to make jokes. She undressed until she was just wearing lacy knickers and jumped on his lap, kissing his throat and jaw. Harry felt one of his hands settle on the inside or her thighs and he uttered a surprised "oh!".

'Don't judge,' Hermione mumbled through her kisses and Harry chuckled.

'I'm not judging badly, believe me,' he said, his voice still husky. 'It's kind of hot that you've absolutely soaked your panties just because of a BJ.'

He pushed the fabric aside with his index finger and started circling her clitoris with his thumb. She made the most amazing sounds on his lap as he explored her body, grabbed her ass, inserted a finger into her hear, only to have Hermione elicit the most delicious whimper when pulling out again.

'Don't tease,' she almost whined, which was hilarious to hear from her throat. 'Please, Harry...'

He chuckled, revelling in the feeling of her withering body under his touch.

'No, ma'am. I think teasing is exactly what I'll do.'

He removed his fingers and gave her another kiss. Hermione whined - a real whine, which made Harry feel weirdly proud.

'To the bedroom,' he whispered in her ear.

She stood up so quickly she almost fell over - Harry caught her and they laughed, the lust broken for a second.

'Without injury, please,' he teased and she snorted, tugging on his sleeve.

'Follow me, then. Now.'

Gosh, he was completely under her spell.

Half an hour later she lay curled against his bare chest, smiling contently. Harry was absolutely exhausted, but also warm and fuzzy and so incredibly happy.

'I love you,' Hermione said, circling his chest, tracing the scarred lines of the locket still embedded in his chest.

'I love you too,' he replied, yawning.

'Ahw, are you tired, Harry? Did I wear you out?'

He looked at her smug grin and kissed her forehead.

'You think?'

She chuckled as she intertwined her fingers with his, both resting their hands on Harry's chest. They were silent for a while.

'It's absolutely criminal to feel this happy,' she said. 'Don't you ever feel like... It isn't fair?'

'To Fred, and Remus, and Tonks, and Colin, and-...'

'Yes.'

'A lot,' he admitted.

'My psychiatrist called it "survivor's guilt".'

He looked at Hermione, who had her eyes focused on him. He smiled at her.

'That's an accurate way of putting it, I guess.'

They were silent again. They didn't need to say to each other what they felt: the fact that they knew those who had fallen wanted them to go on, but that that didn't help the lingering feeling in their bellies.

'The article?' Hermione said, after a while.

'Yes.'

She used an Accio.

'Homely,' Harry said, commenting on the front picture. 'We just miss a newborn baby and a Labrador.'

Hermione slapped him with the magazine and then turned over to page 4. There were more pictures, aside from a set taken that day - one from their fifth year, where Harry, Ron and Hermione, donned in school-robes, smiled hesitantly at Colin Creevey's camera; one shot at the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, the five friends all wearing black, hands locked in unity and grief; one from last New Year's Eve, their group of friends smiling and waving at the camera, Harry and Hermione hugging each other tightly; one from the Valentine's Day party, where Harry held Hermione hoisted in his arms, their smiles contagious. They'd all seen them previously, but it was weird seeing them together, like a time-line that was stretched through their lives.

'Shall I read it out loud?'

Harry nodded and nestled himself back on his pillow, while Hermione laid back against him.

'Happiness after hardship: how friendship, trust and loyalty blossomed into so much more for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.'

'Better title than the Prophet's,' Harry commented. He felt Hermione chuckle against his chest.

It's a Friday Evening when we meet up at Hermione's residence in London. She and Harry have been sharing it for some time now - living together, now not only sharing their meals, history and the occasional toothbrush, but their entire lives. Crookshanks, Hermione's half-kneazle, circles our legs when we take place at the sofa in the living room. Their contact is immediate and natural as we settle down for this conversation: one they wouldn't have had for some time if it had been up to them.

'Sorry for the mess,' Hermione apologizes, as we sit down and Harry goes to fetch us something to drink from the kitchen. 'Harry and I haven't had that much time to tidy up for the last week.'

That was to be expected. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are known for many things, most notably their heroic acts during the Second Wizard War. He was "The Boy Who Lived", she was "The Smartest Witch Of Her Age". Together they, and their friend Ron Weasley, embarked on a journey that lead our country to the hard-fought victory over looming, dark forces. It is their fame for these feats that caused them to hand in a lot of their privacy. They knew beforehand people would have a certain interest in their lives, but Harry never suspected this kind of intrusiveness.

'Naivety, I suppose,' Harry admits, while sipping a mug of warm tea. 'We knew beforehand there would be some interest, but we had no clue they would actually do stake-outs in front of our house.'

But they did. Last week's article dropped like a bombshell. The news of their newfound relationship was splashed across all newspapers. Journalists still flock wherever Harry and Hermione are suspected to appear: their workplace, their front-door. And they find the press cares little about honest answers.

'It's easier to fabricate something,' Harry explains, his arm wrapped around Hermione's shoulder. 'Once they had the photos, they could write whatever they wanted. Ask about in The Ministry, see who likes to make up some statement for a few coins. But what you read in there, is not what happened at all.'

What did happen? Harry and Hermione agreed to talk openly about their relationship with us, to clear the air. The truth is: they hadn't suspected feelings to develop - after the War it was hard for them to open and feel anything at all.

'I remember distinctly that I felt extremely rotten about having survived,' Hermione says. 'You know you've done the best you could, but you also lost a lot of loved ones. The first few months we used to ponder all the time: what if we had done this... What if we'd done that...'

'It drives you insane,' Harry agreed. 'Soon after The Battle, we left for Australia, to retrieve Hermione's parents. We'd just done all the funerals - we were exhausted, drained. We didn't speak. We still don't really speak. There's just too much - where do you start? You know, you're still here, you've got a job, a home, some friends... There's no reason to be sad, or to feel guilty.'

How did they cope? For Hermione it was her study, then her job.

'I dove in, headfirst,' she says, a sad smile on her face. 'Didn't look back for a second. Every opportunity to improve this world, to make it better for Muggleborns and Beings, I took with both hands. I wanted to make a difference. Make sure a War like that could never happen again. I'm still doing that - I haven't had the time to properly develop other friendships, let other people in my life. I've been too busy.'

'Too headstrong,' Harry adds, chuckling. 'That's what I love about her. Her spirit, her determination.'

'We've both got that,' Hermione smiles, her hand clasping Harry's. 'Harry still thinks he needs to save the world, defeating one Dark Wizard after another.'

She playfully pushes against him, as Harry laughs. 'You just can't help yourself!'

For Harry, he coped by seeking validation.

'From anyone who'd give it to me,' he admits, now a sad look in his eyes. 'Co-workers or superiors, by working thrice as hard. Overindulging in the problems of my friends. And women, sometimes too. But it never worked out.'

Harry and Hermione were both in different relationships at the end of the War. Hermione had been dating Ron Weasley - a romance that had been lingering for some time. Harry was seeing Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister - a relationship they had started in their sixth year at Hogwarts, but broke off shortly during the height of the War.

'It didn't last,' Harry says. 'We wanted different things. We actually kept our relationship going in public longer than it actually lasted in real life, just to keep the press at bay.'

'Ron and I loved each other, but not in the right way,' Hermione agrees. 'I couldn't make him happy. But both Harry and I see Ron and Ginny frequently and we still love them to bits. We are very good friends and we rely heavily on each other.'

A lot of rumours appeared throughout the years about Harry and Hermione dating. Rita Skeeter posted the first article hinting at a relationship during their fourth year at Hogwarts.

'As much as I'd hate to admit it - she was kind of right. I think I always liked him,' Hermione laughs. 'But I never did anything about it. School came first and Harry had other problems to face. It never felt right to act on it, when we were at school.'

'Plus, I was kind of thick-headed,' Harry adds, with a goofy grin on his face.

He turns to me and gestures with his tea mug.

'We've always had a special connection - I think people noticed that very early on. I mean - how could I not have loved her, even then? She is the most amazing Witch of the century - her nickname doesn't lie about that. And she saved my life more times than I can count. She's absolutely brilliant in every way. I just never allowed myself to see her as something more than an amazing human being when I was at school.'

So what caused them to develop their relationship now?

'We've had our moments,' Hermione grins, turning towards him. 'We had those charged touches and then we'd be awkward around each other for a while. Because we were both so afraid of losing the amazing friendship we had, we didn't dare to go there.'

'Until I kissed Hermione,' Harry laughs. 'It kind of happened on a... Can I say a dare, of some kind? And we kissed and I just remember... It felt like everything made sense. And I fantasized about those lips for quite some times before we both had the guts to tell each other that we had fallen in love.'

'It's been amazing ever since,' Hermione beams. 'We never thought it would happen, but now it has it's just... It's been wonderful.'

Yes - almost everything has been wonderful. The rumors anger Harry greatly.

'It's just so disgusting to read that I "used Hermione to get a job", or that she has "lured me to be with her" in some shape or form. It's damaging, it's utter nonsense, and it makes me incredibly mad.'

'We've received threats from people after the article dropped,' adds Hermione. 'Genuine death-threats. A line has definitely been crossed. A photographer had Concealed himself in order to take those photos on my doorstep - that's not being curious about someone's life, that's purposefully breaking in on it.'

Hermione and Harry both hope for a different approach by the press in the future.

'But even if they won't - come what may,' Hermione says, looking at Harry. 'We've weathered tougher storms and so far, as team, we've been unbreakable.'

'Bit sappy at times, don't you think?' Harry looked at Hermione with an amused expression, as she closed the paper.

'Pff,' she responded. 'Luna is a freaking saint. We should send her something nice, she's earned it.'

That night, Hermione fell asleep in his arms, tucked in warmly under the blankets, sighing against his body. Harry couldn't sleep. He was too busy pondering.

The ring, still in the pocket of his jacket, was calling him more and more each day.