Hidden Depths, Part 3

After breakfast, the group went out and explored the city, stopping by the lobby to ask Hermione's new friend, Jumana, for tips on where to go. At her suggestion, they visited the port first, since it was most active in the morning. They watched in awe as magical ship after ship (each one more impressive than the last) stopped by.

"So this is how our neighbors got that cat here," Harry muttered as he watched a line of witches and wizards, one with a cat peeking out of her purse, disembark a sleek silver submarine. "I was having a hard time imagining a cat making its way through those currents."

"I was wondering the same about the goblins we saw yesterday," James added. "I've never known them to be big into exercise. They usually just sit behind desks all day and count their gold."

"Huh," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I wonder why the other Hermione picked the currents and didn't just charter a ship."

When she caught everyone giving her a strange look, she said defensively, "What? We're not the same person. You two would know that better than anyone," she said to James and Lily. "Aren't we different?"

"Very different," Lily agreed.

"Also, exactly the same," James countered.

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "It's hard to explain."

Hermione recalled a part of Harry's speech from the night before, the entirety of which had been playing on a loop in her mind all day. "I'd probably miss the other versions of my friends. You, especially. I expect this Hermione is different from you and I - I wouldn't want that."

Hermione saw him watching her out of the corner of her eye and wondered if he was remembering the same thing. She kept her gaze forward, toward the wide ocean, and pointed out a large ship, barely visible in the distance, suddenly eager to change the subject.

Now, they were currently in one of the largest spheres in the city, which was like a cross between a Muggle shopping mall and an open-air market. There were four stories of stalls lined against the edges of the globe, selling everything from exotic, silk robes, to rare potions ingredients, to magical creatures.

"Wow," Hermione said as she approached the next stall, stopping next to James. "Orrarath crystals. I've never seen these in person before."

The crystals were oval shaped and deep black, so black that they looked more like holes in the universe, than actual objects. It reminded Hermione of the utter blackness of the portal she and Harry had used to travel to this universe. She shivered slightly.

"The discovery of these, and more specifically, the effects of their powder, called Gamp's entire Law of Elemental Transfiguration into question, which had previously been in place for four hundred years."

"I know," James sighed. "I also received a N.E.W.T. in Transfiguration and am currently writing a textbook on the subject."

"But that N.E.W.T. was pretty long ago…wasn't it?" she joked.

James scoffed. "Try me."

"What are the five exceptions to Gamp's law?"

"Food, money, love, knowledge, and life," he rattled off easily. "What's the one incantation that works the same in all languages?" he asked, turning the questions on her.

"Duro. Who's the only person to ever successfully transfigure themselves into two types of animals?"

"Calcas Pearce," James replied. "Who invented the Incarcerous Spell?"

"Trick question. It wasn't discovered. It happened by accident. Two Aurors were trying to create a cage using the Incarcifors Spell, when one stumbled on the incantation and lifted his wand up, instead of pointing it down, at the end. Ropes shot out of his wand and bound the prisoners. But there's more to the story."

"There is?"

Hermione nodded smugly. "You can't discover spells like that. You need to tie the magical elements of the spell to the incantation and wand movement. This is accomplished in a lot of ways, but in our country, we use a large grimoire that's stored at the Department of Mysteries. The only reason that blunder worked for the Aurors is because the Incarcerous Spell was already under development and was just two months away from being released to the public at the time of that accident."

"Huh. You don't get extra points for that."

Hermione just smiled. "Have you ever cast a switching spell on three objects simultaneously?"

"No. Because it's impossible."

"I've done it."

James's eyes widened, then he glared at her. "Have you done this outside the Department of Mysteries? Because if not, it doesn't count."

"Fine," she allowed.

"Have you ever turned yourself into an animal?"

"You know I haven't."

James nudged her arm. "It sounds like I win then."

Hermione rolled her eyes. They stopped in front of the next stall but before approaching, they looked back at Harry and Lily, who were still at the Pygmy Puff stall. Lily had three of the creatures on her shoulder and was laughing as Harry poked the green one.

"Why did you move past that stall so quickly?" James asked. "Witches usually go crazy for those."

Hermione shrugged. "You were moving on so I, uh, decided to keep you company."

He gave her a quick once-over. "You've been staying awfully close to me today…" When she didn't say anything, he added with a smirk, "I should probably let you know I'm happily married."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hah hah. I'm engaged."

"Oh, I know. That was the biggest surprise of the trip. And I'm including learning you were from another dimension and all the details from the war in your world."

Hermione ignored him and approached the next stall, which contained a large tank of fish that were more a jaw of large, sharp teeth than anything. The sign on the tank said they were used to rid ponds of dark foes, but Hermione feared if they were put in a pond, they'd eat everything in it, foe or not.

James leaned toward her and said in her ear, "I think the reason you're staying by my side is because you think I'm the least likely of the group to corner you about your feelings for Harry. About how he told you he loved you and that he wants to call off his wedding, but you couldn't return the sentiment."

Hermione's mouth fell open. "He told you?"

"He told Lily. And I'm under strict orders to do everything in my power to change your mind. So, I may not be the safe haven you were hoping for."

Hermione shrugged and turned back to the savage-looking fish. "Nevertheless, I think I'll stick with you. Out of the three, you're the least likely to be successful in that mission."

"Ouch," he laughed, running his hands through his hair. Then he smiled and added, "Though you're probably right."

"I'm definitely right," Hermione said as she turned away from the fish and headed toward the next stall, which was hidden behind a curtain.

James grabbed her elbow before she approached the opening in the curtain. "Hey. Quick word."

"About how wonderful your son is and how I should call off my wedding and be with him?"

James shook his head. "Though, yes, you should do that. I wanted to talk about what you showed me back at the last Wonder. The proof that my Harry and Hermione are going to be okay."

Hermione's throat tightened. "Oh. Yeah."

"Is that really the only way?" he asked.

"I can't think of another way to ensure they're completely unaffected," she replied, keeping her voice low.

James's brow furrowed. He looked back at Harry and Lily, who were finally pulling themselves away from the Pygmy Puff stall. "Did you tell him?"

"No," Hermione admitted.

"I haven't told Lily either. But they deserve to know. You need to tell them."

"I will. As soon as we reach the next Wonder tomorrow."

"Okay." James bit the inside of his cheek as he gave Lily and Harry a final, despondent look. "You really like your secrets, don't you?" he asked, turning to look at Hermione again.

"It's part of my job to keep secrets. It's become a bit of a habit."

"I think the habit extended beyond the boundaries of your job. You've even taken to keeping secrets from yourself, haven't you?"

Hermione met his unyielding gaze. After several moments, her lips turned up slightly and she said in a light tone, "Nice try, James. Better than I expected from you, for sure."

He gave her a half-smirk. "Tell Lily for me, will you?"

Hermione laughed, then motioned toward the deep purple curtains in front of them. "Ready to see what's in there? Five galleons say I'll know more about whatever it is than you will."

"I am older and wiser, Hermione, and this isn't even your world. You're on."

Hermione ended up abandoning James by lunchtime, since they were both getting on each other's nerves. When she rejoined Harry, he said to her with a knowing smile, "Bonding with my dad?"

He knew exactly what she'd been doing. Of course he did. A warm blush crept up her neck and at a loss for anything else to say, she stuck her tongue out at him.

For the rest of the day, as they ticked off each item on the list of sights Jumana had made for Hermione that morning, Hermione braced herself for a confrontation with Lily. But Lily left her alone.

Later that night, while James and Harry were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, Hermione stayed close, looking out the window at the other dwellings around them. She figured if she remained within earshot of the guys, she'd be safe from any ambushes. But again, Lily stayed away, and now, Hermione was getting nervous. What was that witch up to?

Hermione began squeezing her shoulders. She'd been tense all day, waiting for Lily to make her move and trying to stay on guard with Harry, and now… She rolled her neck and moved to her other shoulder. She wished she could ask someone to rub her neck and shoulders. If Ron were here, he'd do it. He gave the best massages, even though he usually grumbled the whole time about how she was too tense and needed to learn to relax, but she usually just tuned him out.

Harry would rub your neck if you asked him.

I know he would but that would be wildly inappropriate. Whose side are you on?

Lily reappeared holding two bottles of red wine. "Look what I found in my trunk. I nearly forgot we had these. You have some too, don't you, Hermione?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her. "I have a bottle and so does Harry. Why?"

"I was thinking...things have been so tense lately. Let's just...have fun. No yelling, no secrets, just a fun game."

"A drinking game?" Hermione asked.

"Are we playing a drinking game?" James asked, appearing in the entrance of the kitchen. "I haven't played a drinking game since...shit. Long before the war. Probably the night we graduated Hogwarts. Remember that, Lil?"

"Barely," she said with a laugh.

Harry was behind him and Hermione was glad to see he looked surprised. He gave her a shy smile and a look that said, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Hermione returned his smile and shrugged. "Fine by me. I'll go get the wine from our trunks. Let's play that game we played at Fall's End. I'll let you two describe the rules to James."

"Hang on," she heard James say as she made her way upstairs. "While I was trekking through that forest, making myself sicker than I've ever been, you were playing a game?!"

Hermione smiled inwardly and thought to herself, Take that, Lily.

Lily kicked off the game with, "I've never been to the Department of Mysteries."

Harry and Hermione took a gulp from their glasses of wine. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, with a significant gap between them, while Lily and James shared the overlarge chair across from them. Their limbs were tangled together and Lily had her head resting on James's shoulder. Harry was trying his best not to be jealous. At least Hermione was here, playing this game. It could be worse. She could have disappeared into her room to read for the rest of the night.

Also, she was smiling at him. After he'd told her he loved her the night before, he'd been expecting the cold, overly polite attitude he'd given him yesterday. This was decidedly better.

"You can have that one," Hermione was saying to Lily as she placed her glass back on the table, "but no more like that. So, no 'I've never visited another universe' or 'Stolen someone else's body' or 'Been an Unspeakable,' and the like."

"Are we just going to make the rules up as we go then?" James asked.

Hermione ignored the comment. "Your turn, James."

Several rounds and a few glasses of wine later, the atmosphere in the room was much lighter. Hermione had nearly closed the distance between her and Harry and was looking more relaxed than she had in days. The line in her shoulders, the one Harry used to track her stress levels, was slack and she was smiling easily.

"I've never been to the Shrieking Shack," Lily said. Harry, Hermione, and James took a drink.

"Solid one," James said, pulling her into his side and causing her wine to slosh around in her glass. "Let me think if I can get all three of you, too…" He gave them a wicked smirk. "Ah! I've never been to one of Slughorn's famous parties." He looked at Harry and Hermione. "You were both in the Slug Club. Weren't you?"

Harry and Hermione nodded as they sipped their wine. Lily nudged James's arm. "Still bitter about the Valentine's Party? That was ages ago."

"You had to bring Clark, didn't you?" he grumbled.

"The first two blokes I asked said no since you'd 'marked your territory,'" she said with an eye-roll. "Clark was one of the only people brave enough to go with me."

James kissed her cheek, then turned to Harry. "That's the night she first kissed me."

"It is?" Harry asked. "After you went to Slughorn's party with someone else?" They hadn't covered this detail when they'd told Harry and Hermione the story of how they got together. James had simply said that after months of pursuing Lily, he finally wore her down.

"I'd stayed up that night, working on homework," James began, "so I was in the Common Room when she returned - a lot earlier than I was expecting."

"You were doing homework on a Saturday night and had somehow managed to clear the Common Room," Lily cut in. "Subtlety was never your thing, James."

"Anyway," James continued. "I was sitting at one of the tables, minding my own business, when she came over, sat on my lap, took my face in her hands, and kissed me. Then she got up and went to her room without a word." James gave Lily a quick kiss. "We've been together ever since."

"What changed your mind?" Hermione asked. Harry thought she was trying to come off as casual, but the way she was leaning forward, toward Lily, and the higher than normal tone in her voice gave her away.

"I finally decided to stop fighting my feelings," Lily said knowingly. She turned and kissed the side of James's mouth. "I was standing at that party, listening to Clark go on and on about which jobs he wanted to apply for, and all I could think was, I wish James were here. Then I realized that he could be there and I was the reason he wasn't. So, I left to go find him. I kissed him, knew immediately it was right, then went to bed with a big, goofy smile on my face."

"As did I," James added, wearing what looked like a pretty good impression of the smile from that night.

"Anyway," Lily continued, "it wasn't smooth from then on, by any means, but I think we've done alright."

Lily leaned into James and he kissed her temple. "If only you'd figured it out a little earlier… Then I could have met the lead singer for the Cauldron Cakes."

Lily swatted his arm. "Ugh. That band. You didn't even like their music. You just thought they were fit."

He opened his mouth, then closed it promptly. "Next round?" he asked Harry. He whispered something in Lily's ear that made her roll her eyes, but didn't wipe away the smile on her lips.

"Okay," Harry said, exchanging a smile with Hermione, who'd shifted a little farther away from him during his mum's explanation about why she'd finally picked his dad. "I've never graduated from Hogwarts."

Everyone except Harry took a drink. "That was a good one," Hermione complimented.

"Thanks."

"I keep forgetting you're a school drop-out," James added with a wink.

"My turn," Hermione announced. "Let me think… You all managed to come up with something that got the other three, so I'll try to do the same…"

"You can go with the obvious, 'I've never been a Potter,'" Harry provided.

Hermione waved him away. "I thought of that. Too easy. I also thought, 'I've never lived at Godric's Hollow,' but that's too sad, then I thought, 'I've never lost my parents,' but that's too dark."

"Yet you said them anyway," James murmured.

Harry laughed. "Hermione lost her filter after the last glass of wine."

"It's true," Hermione replied, without a hint of shame. "Oh! I've got it. I've never jumped off a cliff."

The next two rounds were benign, but then, Hermione went with, "I've never spoken to someone who's passed beyond the Veil."

James pressed her, pointing out that they'd all visited the Tear of the Veil just last week, then she and Harry admitted that they'd skipped it, and why.

Lily went with, "I've never been tortured," next, then stopped and encouraged everyone to talk about their experiences and how they were managing with the trauma in the aftermath.

After that dark round, Harry tried to pull the game in a lighter direction, but when he said, "I've never been on holiday (before this trip)," the mood stayed solemn.

"Not even after the war?" his mum asked.

He turned to Hermione, whose side was brushing against his now. "Australia doesn't count, does it?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head and they went on to explain their Australia trip to James and Lily, who were horrified to learn about the extremes she'd gone to to protect her parents during the war.

"You did all that, just so you could travel safely with Harry, and you're saying you don't love him?" Lily exclaimed.

"I never said I didn't love Harry," Hermione snapped back while Harry said at the same time, rather harshly, "Mum!"

"Sorry," Lily dropped her eyes.

"How are they now?" James asked, steering the conversation away from the awkward topic of Hermione and Harry. "Did they forgive you?"

"Um, we're still working on it."

Harry wrapped an arm around her. "I'm really sorry," he whispered.

"You've apologized a hundred times," Hermione whispered back. "And I've told you that I've never regretted it. Not for a second." She leaned into him and he gave her a brief hug, but forced himself to drop his arm.

Lily kicked off the next round with a jibe at James, clearly trying to lighten things up. "I've never cast an illegal hex upon Bertram Aubrey to swell his head to twice its normal size."

"I've never turned my roommate's hair green for a week," he countered.

"That was an accident!" Lily said defensively.

"Doesn't matter, you still need to drink."

"So do you."

They clinked glasses and both drank a large gulp of wine.

Harry grinned at Hermione as he said, "I've never dropped a class by storming out in the middle of it after the Professor told me I had a 'mundane mind.'"

"What?" Lily laughed. "Who called Hermione's mind mundane? Which class?"

They told the story about Professor Trelawney and the predictions she'd made all year about Harry dying. Then he explained how he sort of believed her, since he'd been seeing a grim all year, but that it was actually just Sirius watching him in his dog form, which made James laugh heartily.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione said, grinning evilly. "I've never received detention for being cheeky with a professor."

"You got a detention for that?" James asked. "I would have lived in detention if that's where the bar was set when I was there."

"This was excessive cheek," Hermione explained. "Tell him what you said. He'll love it."

"It was Snape," Harry began.

"I already love it," James cut in.

Harry laughed. "Anyway, he was being his usual, mean self and he said something - I don't remember what it was, but I replied with, 'Yes." Then he said, 'Yes, Sir.' And before I knew what was happening, I was saying, 'There's no need to call me Sir, professor.'"

James burst into laughter and after a few seconds, Lily joined in.

"What did you have to do at that detention? Do you remember?" James asked.

"Yeah. It was Saturday night and I had to sort out the rotting flobberworms from the good ones without gloves."

"Worth it?" James asked.

Harry smirked. "Absolutely."

The game devolved from there and they just sat around sharing funny stories as they finished off the last of the wine. Hermione was tipsy. Not as drunk as she'd been after that festival in France, but her face was flushed, and she was making jokes Harry knew she wouldn't make if she were sober. She had also given up on maintaining any sort of distance between them.

Harry wanted so badly to lift his arm and drape it across her back, pretty sure if he did so, she'd snuggle close and lay her head on his chest. He clenched his fist and kept reminding himself she wasn't his (even though he was irrevocably hers), that he was a gentleman, and that if she were sober, she'd be behaving differently.

It helped that his parents were there, helping keep him accountable. When they announced they were going to turn in for the night, Harry had a mild panic attack. He couldn't be alone with a tipsy Hermione.

He recalled that night in China when she'd said she liked shagging when she was drunk. And those tiny shorts she'd been wearing, with her wild hair and wide grin. And how he'd had to move her top back in place, to cover up her bra. A drop of warmth spread down his spine. He took a deep breath and focused back on his parents, who were asking Hermione about the next Wonder.

"It's called the Song of the Stars," she replied, struggling to get through the S-es in the phrase.

"Doesn't sound like a place, does it?" Lily pointed out.

"It's the place where you hear the song," Hermione explained.

"Okay. Are we leaving bright and early?" James asked.

Hermione let out a large yawn. "I wouldn't mind a lie in. There's a pretty significant time change, nine hours ahead, but as long as we leave by our check-out time, we'll be okay."

"Nine hours?" Harry asked. "We're going to lose nine hours on one of our last days?"

She placed a hand on his thigh. That warmth returned, more intense now. "Sorry," she whispered.

Harry gulped. "It's fine."

"Okay, we're off to bed." Lily bent down and kissed Harry's cheek, then gave Hermione a small hug and told her to drink a large glass of water before bed. Harry waved at his dad and the next moment, they were gone, leaving Harry and Hermione alone on the couch.

She was ridiculously close, nearly sitting on his lap, and she was still resting her hand on his thigh. Harry reached forward and drained his glass, then instantly regretted it. Shit, he was supposed to be keeping a clear head, not making his thoughts fuzzier.

"Hi," Hermione whispered. She was so close, he could smell the wine on her breath.

He finally gave in and draped his arm over the back of the couch. As expected, she snuggled into him, lying her head on his chest and snaking an arm around his middle. "Hi," he replied, letting out a shaky breath, while inwardly he was thinking, Fuck.

They sat like that on the couch for several minutes. Harry was willing his body not to do anything embarrassing (thinking of things like the love affair between Filch and Madam Pince he and Hermione had imagined back at school and how that boggart had looked when it was Snape dressed up like Neville's gran), while Hermione's mind went pleasantly blank as she counted Harry's heartbeats.

"We should go to bed," Hermione said, pulling herself up to a sitting position, then stretching her arms over her head.

"You're in my bed," Harry said, which sounded so wrong. Why didn't he think things out before he said them? He glared at the empty glass of wine on the table.

"Oh," Hermione said with a small laugh. "So I am." Her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry about you - uh - sleeping down here. We can take turns and-"

"No. It's just a few more nights and-" His throat closed up as an unexpected wave of sorrow crashed into him. A few more nights. Three, to be exact. The next moment, Hermione was on him again, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face buried in his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. "I know how hard it's going to be for me to say goodbye to them. I can't even imagine how you're feeling."

He patted her back, unable to say much else. He was trying to reconcile the mixture of heat (caused by the way her body was pressed against his and her warm breath on his neck) and chill (brought on by the thought of losing his parents again) that were coursing through his body.

Mercifully, Hermione pulled away and got to her feet, swaying slightly. "I guess I should leave you alone. To - um - sleep."

"Come on. I'll help you up." Harry stood and grabbed her elbow to steady her. "I need to get some things from my trunk anyway."

Harry guided her to the stairs while she protested, saying she didn't need any help. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she insisted he leave her alone while he insisted she let him help her. They thumb-wrestled over it and he won in three seconds because, as Hermione pointed out, his thumbs were a lot longer than hers.

As Harry slowly made his way up the stairs with Hermione on his back, she said, "Your mum was trying to get me drunk tonight so I'd profess my undying love to you and promise to call off my wedding."

Harry let out a laugh. "I know. But I'm a gentleman and even if you tried to make a pass at me, I'd deny you while you're in this state." He thought of the snuggling on the couch and added, "Though it would be very, very hard."

"Really? Very, very hard?" She asked suggestively as he carried her through the door to the bedroom. "Is that a scroll in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Harry felt like he'd been hit with a bludger. Fuck. This witch was trying to kill him. He gently placed her on the edge of the bed and forced a smile on his face before turning to face her. "Okay. Time for you to be asleep." He took her wand, which he'd pocketed downstairs, and placed it on the bedside table. Then he conjured a glass of water and placed it next to her wand. "There you go. Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head. "That was fun tonight. Your parents…" She paused to smile. "I can't believe your dad broke into Filch's quarters and put frogs' eyes in his bed."

"Really? You can't believe that?" Harry asked, smiling as he took a seat next to her.

She gave him a sly smile. "It's not as good as handing Umbridge over to the Centaurs...but still pretty good."

Harry laughed. It lit up his face, brightening his green eyes, especially, and Hermione couldn't make herself look away from him, even though a voice in the back of her head was telling her she should.

He seemed to be having just as hard a time pulling his gaze away from her. The thought made her blush and she finally dropped her eyes, focusing hard on her lap. "What?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Nothing. Just…" Her voice trailed off.

He shifted closer to her. "Just…what?"

Her cheeks were burning now. "You just had a look in your eyes. Like...I don't know."

"Like I liked what I saw?" Harry tilted her chin up so she was facing him again. "Why does that embarrass you? I already told you I'm in love with you. Is it really such a big shock that I find you beautiful too?"

She shrugged slightly, which made him roll his eyes.

"You're beautiful, Hermione. I wish that wasn't such a surprise to you every time someone said it."

"Thanks," she whispered. Her eyes landed on his lips. Alarm bells went off in her head and she pulled out of his grasp.

She watched a daring look take over his face and was reminded of James, and how he'd probably looked before breaking into Filch's rooms. "I've known you were beautiful for years," he said in a low voice, "but the first time I realized how sexy you were, and how much I wanted to throw you on the bed and snog you, was that night we arrived in China, when you were drunk."

Hermione's breath hitched. "Yeah? That early?" She liked this version of Harry, more confident and bolder. She wondered if it was the alcohol, or if after telling her he loved her, and every other thought on his mind the night before, he was finished holding back with her.

He nodded. "When did you first realize you wanted to kiss me?"

She frowned. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll rephrase that. When was the first time you thought to yourself, 'This body I'm in, which is not me and whose thoughts and feelings are completely foreign to me, really wants to snog her fiancé?'"

Hermione scowled, but it was half-hearted. "Egypt," she said grudgingly. "When we were in the shower room together."

"Ahh." Harry smirked. "So, you have a weak spot for me without my shirt on. Good to know."

"Also without your glasses," she blurted.

His eyes widened. "Really?"

She nodded and could feel the burn on her cheeks again. "It seems special, like I'm seeing you in a way not many people get to see you." She reached out and touched the rim of his glasses.

"I think from here on out, every time I see you without glasses, I'm going to remember last night and the moment you said you loved me. Because I'm beautiful and brave. Because I'm afraid of heights but not giants. And because I smile in my sleep, hum when I read, and tear up when I watch your parents." She moved her hand up and brushed her fingers against his forehead, where his scar usually was.

"Except for this," she whispered. "Because of this, I can still pretend it's not really you." She pulled her hand back, then lowered her eyes.

"I'll just say it again when we're back. If that's what it takes for you to believe me."

A few tears fell onto her jeans.

Harry almost kept going, but he couldn't stand being the cause of any more tears. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. He wanted to do so much more, and he got the sense she might let him, but he also knew she'd regret it later and he wouldn't be able to bear that.

"I guess I'll keep them on then," he said as he pulled away. "Both the shirt and the glasses, now that I know how you feel about them," he added with a grin. "I know how you get when you're drunk," he teased, "but we should leave this at light flirting, for now."

"Yeah," she breathed. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage and her vision was blurred. She couldn't tell if it was from the wine or if she was simply intoxicated by the look of desire that was darkening his eyes. "I like flirting with you," she admitted.

Harry smiled. He felt like he could float away. Then he saw a hint of realization harden her gaze. She opened her mouth to add something else, but he pressed his fingers to her lips. "Let's end the night there. No buts, howevers, or althoughs."

"What about nevertheless?" she asked, her lips moving against his fingers.

"Not that either." Harry leaned forward and kissed her cheek before forcing himself up off the bed. He gathered a fresh pile of clothes from his trunk, then pushed himself forward. It felt like he was wading through thick mud. His body didn't want him to leave the room, though his mind was shouting at him to get out there. "Goodnight, Hermione," he said in the doorway.

"Goodnight, Harry."

Day Thirteen

Hermione was scrambling the next morning, trying to pack her things quickly and make up for the time she lost sleeping through her wand alarm. She'd just pulled on a clean set of clothes, which was the last step needed before she could finish packing her trunk. Harry had already completed this task since his trunk was shrunken and zipped up in his backpack. That meant he'd been in the room while she was sleeping and hadn't woken her up. Maybe he'd even turned off her wand alarm. She'd have to tell him off for that later.

Once her trunk was packed and inside her backpack, she went to stand in front of the dresser, ready to dry her hair. She could feel a wet spot on the back of her shirt where her wet curls had soaked through. She'd need to dry that too. She winced at the thought. Ever since she'd woken up, the wound on her side had been pounding painfully. She'd barely managed to lift her arms enough to wash her hair in the shower.

Hermione tested it, lifting her left arm first, but she could barely get her hand up to her chin. She tried her right arm, next. She managed to raise her hand higher, just to the top of her head, but released a steady stream of curses and "ow ow ow ow ow ow," the entire time.

Hermione hunched over, bracing her hands on the edge of the dresser, and took several deep breaths. What was going on? Something about that long swim had aggravated her wound. Did the other Hermione have flare-ups like this? What did she do?

Hermione forced herself to stand up straight. The other Hermione probably just powered through it. She took several deep breaths, then raised her right hand and began drying that side of her head. A few minutes later, she was slowly making her way to the back of her head, breathing hard through clenched teeth, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Hermione groaned.

Lily walked in, holding a tray with oatmeal, a bowl of fruit, and what looked like the makeshift Hangover Potion Harry had made for her in China. "Are you okay?" Lily asked as soon as she saw Hermione.

Hermione placed her wand on the dresser and tried her best to stand up straight, but couldn't help but lean slightly to the left. "I'm, uh, fine."

Lily shook her head. "You're not fine." She placed the tray of food on the dresser and went to stand behind Hermione, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "Let me dry your hair. You eat."

Lily was glaring at her sternly through the mirror and Hermione knew better than to try to protest. She pulled the tray of food in front of her and started sipping on the potion. She was about to tell Lily the best way to dry her hair without making it frizzy, but Lily already seemed to know. She held her wand far away, used only cool air, and was careful to limit how much she touched Hermione's curls.

"You know how to dry curly hair?" Hermione asked as she set the empty glass of potion on the tray and picked up her spoon.

"I've done this for the other Hermione countless times. Though not as much as Harry has."

"He dried her hair?"

"She couldn't lift her arms over her head for months. He helped her shower, too," Lily added with a wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're a very strange kind of mum."

Lily let out a laugh. "I just want my son to be happy. Both versions of him."

Hermione looked away from Lily's reflection in the mirror, unable to meet that intense, green-eyed stare she knew so well. "Thanks for bringing this," Hermione said, stirring the oatmeal around with her spoon. "I didn't mean to sleep for so long."

"You clearly needed it. That injury wears you out, so it's imperative you take the rest your body is demanding. We have plenty of time, still almost an hour until check-out, and we don't have a tent to pack up."

Lily was drying the left side of Hermione's head, gently running her fingers through her curls, and Hermione took the break in conversation to eat a few bites of oatmeal. When Lily was finished, she placed her wand down. "The injury is hurting you a lot today?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. "I think the swimming must have been bad for it. It's been hurting worse than normal since we arrived here."

"That's one theory."

"You have another?" Hermione asked, curious to learn what Lily knew about the wound. She should have thought to ask her sooner.

"Sorry," Lily said, guiding Hermione to the edge of the bed. Her mind was clearly in the same spot as Hermione's because after she conjured a small table and moved the tray of food there, Lily sat next to Hermione and said apologetically, "I should have thought to talk to you about that injury as soon as I learned you were a different Hermione. There's been a lot going on, hasn't there?"

"No kidding."

"May I see it?" When Hermione nodded. Lily carefully pulled Hermione's shirt up. The lines that extended across her side were an angrier red than normal. Lily hissed when she saw them. "Oh, Hermione." Lily lowered Hermione's shirt and pressed her hand against the wound, putting her other hand on Hermione's back for leverage. "Better?"

Hermione nodded, finally relaxing slightly, and ate a few more bites of food before turning to Lily. "How does she handle this, Lily?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Hermione nodded.

Lily chewed her lip before speaking, like she was trying to decide where to start. "Hermione had a hard time with her recovery. The Healers at St. Mungo's tried to contain the spell as best they could, but nothing could be done to remove the dark magic, since it had entwined itself with her magic. At first, she was depressed, as you can imagine, but it didn't take her long to dismiss the prognosis the Medi-wizards had given her and dive into her own research."

"What did she research?" Hermione asked. "Surely the Healers at St. Mungo's knew more about magical injuries than she did."

Lily smiled. "Yes. They knew about magical injuries."

"Ohh. She looked into Muggle medicine?"

Lily nodded. "She had a healthy respect for Muggle medicine, reasoning that they actually knew a lot more about the overall mechanics of the body than Medi-wizards, since they didn't have magic to fall back on. She found several studies that linked chronic injuries and pain to stress and confirmed through her own experimentation that she could significantly reduce the pain by keeping her stress levels low."

"That's the big secret?" Hermione cut in. "Reducing stress?" If this was really true, it explained why the injury had been acting up the past few days. Ever since the revelation about these feelings for Harry, and his supposed feelings for her, her stress levels had been through the roof.

Lily shrugged. "I know it sounds simple, but it worked. Though it definitely wasn't easy. Especially for someone as wound-up as Hermione." Lily paused to give her a playful smirk.

"What did she do?"

"Meditated."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I know. That was her same reaction. But she was desperate at that point and willing to try anything. And it worked. She put aside an hour each morning to 'reflect and reset.'"

"R . I saw that in her planner but couldn't figure out what it meant."

Lily nodded. "She found it very difficult at first, but after a month or so, she got the hang of it. She told me once she had to learn to let go of a lot of expectations she'd had for her life and focus on what she called the four pillars, the things that gave her life meaning, and drop everything else."

"What were those?" Hermione eyed her notebook on the bedside table. She wondered if Lily would laugh if she started taking notes.

"First, she wanted to leave the world better than she found it. Next, she wanted to stretch her mind. And third, she wanted to enjoy the life she'd fought so hard for."

Hermione smiled. The categories were almost identical to the ones Harry had laid out when creating his job-scoring sheet for her. It was funny how he had known, intuitively, what was most important to her. "What was the last one?" Hermione asked.

Lily fixed her with an intense stare before saying simply, "Harry."

"What? How is that a purpose?"

"When the idea first popped into her mind during her meditation sessions, she had a small crisis about it. 'I'm a feminist. How can I reasonably tie my happiness to a wizard? What if I lose him, then what? Life is fragile.'"

"Those are good points," Hermione said seriously.

"Maybe. But I told her that he was here now, in her life, offering his whole heart to her. If those four pillars: improving her mind, making the world a better place, trying to get enjoyment out of life, and loving Harry (openly, honestly, and completely), really were her driving forces and they felt right to her, why fight it? So again, she let go of her apprehension, went with what her heart was telling her, and managed to find this sense of…calm.

"She recenters herself around those pillars each day, dismisses anything that doesn't align with her purpose, and, well, that's how she manages the pain."

"That's, um, good for her," Hermione said in a rough voice. She popped a small strawberry in her mouth, but struggled to swallow it down. She shifted the table away.

"What are your pillars, Hermione?" Lily asked gently.

Hermione's mind drifted back to a conversation she'd had with Harry at the beginning of the trip, the first night they'd shared a bed together.

"When they approached me about the job, I was feeling… how to explain… like nothing fit. Everything had gone right, you know? We won the war, I found my parents and restored their memories, Ron and I were finally together, but something was still… missing.

"The Unspeakables, they research the most powerful forces of the universe. The magic no one really understands, like love and happiness, fear, prophecies, time, and I thought - maybe if I was allowed to research those topics, the unknowable forces, I'd find it."

"Find what?"

"I don't know, I haven't found it yet."

"You can let go of me," Hermione managed to force out through the lump in her throat. She turned her head to look out the window. "I'm, um, feeling better."

Lily pulled her hands back and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's arm. "Hermione-"

Hermione pulled out of her grasp. She was glad to find the pain had subsided enough so she could walk without limping. "I – uh – need some air. I'm going to go for a quick walk and will meet you in the sitting room before it's time to go."

"Where are you going? Are you sure you're okay?"

Hermione waved dismissively. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to get out of here. For the first time since they'd arrive at the city, she truly felt the weight of being miles underwater, with nowhere to go. Unable to breathe fresh air or apparate. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm okay. I just…need some space. I'll be back soon."

She grabbed her wand from the dresser and a light jacket she'd draped over her backpack and nearly ran out of the suite. She had no idea where she was heading, just that she needed to be somewhere else.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione was at the end of one of the bridges connecting the different areas of the hotel. The bridges were made of bubbles, almost as tall as Hagrid, that were pressed against each other to make a translucent tunnel connecting the larger glass bulbs. Hermione had found it unsettling when they'd first walked across them the day before, fearing the bubbles wouldn't be strong enough to hold their weight.

They had swayed in the water as they walked across them, but held up fine, even when James had jumped on the bridge to test its strength. For the past few minutes, Hermione had been standing at the end of the bridge, trying to figure out how to breach the protective magic around the bubbles. She knew it was possible, since she'd already watched several merpeople swim past her, push through the edge of the bubbles, and continue into the sea. But every time she tried to put her hand through, the bubble bent with the pressure she applied and the translucent wall stayed intact.

She was studying the output of a diagnostic spell she used often to identify the various elements of a foreign piece of magic, when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Hey."

Hermione dropped her wand and the multi-colored Runes and numbers that had been swirling around the air disappeared. She took a deep breath before turning around to face Harry. "Hi."

"I am so sorry for whatever my mum said," he began in a rush. "She was only supposed to bring you breakfast. I told her not to ambush you and – well – she won't tell me what you talked about but she clearly upset you, and I can guess what she said and I – I don't want you to feel ganged up on, Hermione. We're nearing the end of our trip and this…uh…'will they/won't they' thing is so complicated, and it's not even something we can resolve until we're back home, anyway. I'm not trying to pressure you. I already talked to them, and I'm going to remind them again not to-"

"It's fine," Hermione cut in. "She didn't corner me about us or anything like that. We were just talking about the other Hermione's injury and I needed some, um, air."

Harry's brows knit together. "Did the topic of us being together come up?"

She averted her eyes, and he had his answer. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm going to talk to them. Again."

"They're not going to listen. They're convinced your happiness depends on us being together and will fight as hard as they need to make that happen." She paused to give him a sad smile. "They love you, Harry."

Harry stepped forward and took her hands in his. "My happiness depends on you being in my life and I'm not going to do anything to fuck that up. Friends above all else, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"How are you doing?" he asked, squeezing her hands. "You look really, really sad…and I'm worried about you."

Hermione looked down at their hands, then said in a tentative voice. "I could use a hug."

Harry didn't waste any time. He dropped her hands and scooped her into his arms. She linked her arms through his and gripped the back of his shoulders as she melted into him. He shifted to accommodate her and she thought of the bubbles she'd been observing a few moment ago, which changed their shape when pressed together, filling in any gaps to make a perfect fit.

Hermione immediately felt calmer. More centered than she had all morning. And maybe it was in her head, but her injury hurt a little less.

Lily's voice echoed through her mind. "He was here now, in her life, offering his whole heart to her…Why fight it?"

"Because of Ron!" Hermione's inner voice shouted back. "Because there's no reassurance that the conviction Harry has now will remain when we're back. When his parents aren't pushing it anymore. When he sees Ginny again. When he sees Ron and really considers all he has to lose. He won't pick you!"

Lily's words continued. "Improving her mind, making the world a better place, trying to get enjoyment out of life, and loving Harry (openly, honestly, and completely) were her driving forces… They felt right to her."

"They feel right to you too, don't they?" a faint, kinder voice asked.

Hermione dipped her forehead against Harry's shoulder and breathed in his scent. His embrace felt solid and familiar. It anchored her. He anchored her. He always had. All the biggest moments in her life began and ended with him. Was it possible he was really that important to her happiness? Was this the truth she'd been searching for since the war ended? Did that mean she'd never feel quite whole without him? What about Ron? This would kill him.

She heard footsteps and reluctantly pulled away from Harry. Three wizards walked past them and Harry and Hermione waved awkwardly. When they were alone again, Harry said, "What do you need, Hermione? Some more time alone? Another hug? I can bring you something. A book. Tea. Maybe your notebook?"

"I'm okay, Harry. Really. I'm just having an off day. It happens."

He nodded slowly, unconvinced.

"Let's go. We have one more Wonder to see." She cocked her head to the right, in the direction of their suite.

Harry linked his arm with hers and guided her back to their room. As they walked, arm in arm, she wondered if she could dedicate herself to loving him without being with him. Would that be enough? The thought broke her heart. But not as much as the thought that as soon as they arrived at their next destination, she was going to have to tell him something that would break his.

A/N: Oh no… What is it? You'll find out on Sat, Nov-27.

Thanks to my beta, Lancashire Witch and to all of you for your overwhelming support for this story. You can find me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson or on Discord, refer to this same chapter on AO3 for the server link.