Author's Note: Sorry for the slow update, but with everyone busy, it took a while to write and beta. I hope you all enjoy the end product. Evidently this chapter is over 10000 words, so I guess there's some reward for waiting.

Many thanks to SweetShireen and TyrannicPuppy for going over this chapter.

And especially ProphecyMarauder45 for co-writing. You may have also noticed the cover art for this fic, all credit goes to ProphecyMarauder45 for this. It looks amazing doesn't it?


Chapter 6: Mine and Yours

The week following Harry's birthday, Harry, Hermione, and Tonks travelled to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for the upcoming school year. Tonks had told them earlier that morning that Dumbledore gave the 'all clear' for them to leave the Granger Residence, so long as an Order member accompanied them at all times.

They, of course, chose Tonks to accompany them, since she was not only trustworthy, but also great company. Hermione had brought up the topic of asking Lupin to come along as well, but Harry only seemed bitter by his response.

"I really do appreciate him passing on Sirius' gift, but I would've thought he'd make more of an effort to meet with me over the years," he said solemnly.

She gave his hand a squeeze as she looked at him with understanding eyes and a sad smile.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Everyone who's ever cared for me has either proved to be false in that regard, or has left me…" He paused, his eyes meeting hers. With a smile, he added, "Except you, of course, Hermione."

A crushing hug from the bushy-haired brunette then met Harry.

Hermione admitted she had similar qualms about their former defence teacher. Remus had all but disappeared after their third year, making no attempt to contact Harry. The next time they had seen him was the summer before their fifth year, and he barely said anything to them, too preoccupied with Order duties. Hermione knew that his life as a Werewolf was a hard one, but she thought that Harry deserved more contact with one of his parents' best friends.

Even now, Lupin seemed to be too busy to talk to them when on guard. Hermione was not sure if Remus was simply looking out for Harry or just avoiding him. Whatever his reasons, it never failed to sadden her best friend, and who could blame him? He had lost his parents and godfather, the least Lupin could do was to be there for him. Harry only had her and the Weasleys left, but she did not know how much he considered the Weasleys as family anymore. Hermione supposed she would find out when they arrived at Kings Cross Station on September 1st.

Together, Harry and Hermione side-along apparated into Diagon Alley with Tonks, and surprisingly Harry landed on his feet.

"Guess your body prefers apparition over floo travel," she quipped with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, "It was one time."

Tonks laughed at that. "Oh, don't worry, Harry. It took me dozens of attempts before I landed on my feet. At least you got side-along apparition right the first time," said Tonks with a grin.

Hermione linked his arm with hers and leaned into him. "Hey, sorry for teasing you," though there was a quirk of a smile which betrayed her thoughts.

He shook his head with a smile, "Hermione, it's fine, don't worry." Their heads were so close, Harry seemed to make a split-second decision, and went in for a chaste kiss.

"Awww," said Tonks, with a look similar to Harry's 'puppy dog eyes'.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in annoyance, "Must you, Tonks?"

"But you two are so cute together," replied Tonks. "It's like I'm watching a couple who are perfect for each other."

The young couple rolled their eyes at her in synchronisation.

"Maybe you should be more focused on your own love life rather than two teenagers, Nymphadora," commented Harry.

But Tonks seemed to miss the fact that Harry used her first name, only grimacing and sighing in response.

"Sorry," apologised Harry, slightly panicked. "You all right, Tonks?"

The Auror gave Harry a surprised look, not thinking he would be one to ask how she was. "Yeah, just…" She shook her head. "Never mind that. We're here to get supplies for you two. Let's go."

Harry wanted to question further, but Hermione gave him a critical look, saying that Tonks wanted to leave the topic alone.

"Come on, Harry. We need to make sure there's enough time allocated for Flourish and Blotts after we do everything else," Hermione said as she started dragging him by the hand towards Madam Malkin's.

He chuckled. "Okay, okay." Turning to Tonks, Harry added, "You better keep up with us Tonks, Hermione will make sure we're done within half an hour."

She slapped him on the arm lightly and huffed. Which only caused Tonks to burst into laughter again.

Well, at least the tension is broken, thought Hermione.

The three of them travelled to the stationery store after getting new robes fitted for the teenagers. Noticeably, Hermione found that Diagon Alley was still as packed as ever. Hermione and Harry had hoped that perhaps people would open their eyes and see through the lies of The Daily Prophet. Yet it would seem that everyone was convinced this returned 'Dark Lord,' which the paper had come to call him, wasn't a threat at all. The Daily Prophet had even forgone using the name 'He-Who-Must-Being-Named,' believing that it would create panic among the wizarding community.

Still, she noticed that there were a few more Aurors standing guard around Diagon Alley, presumably through the initiative of Amelia Bones.

"Are more Aurors on duty than normal, Tonks?" questioned Hermione as she browsed the various quills.

"Yeah. Madam Bones seems to have more faith in Harry than Scrimgeour and Fudge, meaning she's taking the threat of 'You-Know-Who' seriously."

"His name is Voldemort, Tonks," said Harry with a frown, causing Tonks to wince. "Too bad Madam Bones didn't become Minister," commented Harry quietly. "She would've at least prepared the country for another wizarding civil war."

Tonks nodded her head sadly. "She's a great witch and boss, Harry. She'll do everything in her power to stop You-Know—"

She was cut off by the teenagers giving her pointed looks and raised eyebrows.

"Tonks, just say his name."

"But Harry, it's just something you don't say out loud," argued the young Auror.

Knowing that Harry would not let this go easily, Hermione joined in. "Voldemort," she said punctually, articulating every syllable, causing Tonks to look at her like she was mad. "Look, nothing bad happened, Tonks. It's not a thing that only Dumbledore and Harry can say."

She looked between the two of them, trying to decide. Finally, the Auror sighed and relented. "Vo—" Tonks closed her eyes. "Voldemort." She slowly peeked an eye open, afraid something would happen but was only met with the smiles on Harry and Hermione's faces.

"See. Wasn't so hard, was it? Look at it this way, you're probably one of the few Aurors with the guts to say it," he added with a wink.

"Hang on a minute," began the Auror. "I'm the one supposed to be protecting you two. I should be telling you what to do, not the other way round."

Hermione let out a very un-Hermione like giggle. "What, and you thought we—" waving her hand between herself and Harry, "—two people who broke the great Dumbledore's orders this past summer, would do what you wanted?"

Tonks muttered something in response and shook her head, "You're right. I should've known what to expect." As they continued on into the next store, Hermione heard Tonks say under her breath, "Kids."

A while later, Harry–being irritated by the usual stares aimed at him–commented, "Every year it's the bloody same."

"The general population is only ever going to see you as their saviour," informed Hermione sadly. "They've grown up with stories of how you saved them as a baby, what do you expect?"

"You're right, of course," he replied with a sigh. He then added quietly, so only she could hear, "But one day they'll see me as something else."

What does he mean by that? Hermione wondered. She had some dark ideas of what he was potentially implying, but doubted she would be right in that regard. She gave him a look, but he simply shook his head. Guess he'll tell me in time.

As they still had substantial funds left, they went to Flourish and Blotts. Tonks, not one wanting to be 'stuck in there forever,' as she stated, stood outside munching on a snack.

Hermione had much love for Muggle books, but Wizarding books were so much more interesting; even if they did often hold centuries-old values.

Instead of simply choosing books that piqued her interest, Hermione took a more practical approach. She began gathering charms, defence, and generally informative books on various topics which she thought would help Harry in his endeavour to defeat Voldemort.

"Need some help?" asked Harry, appearing behind her with a few books of his own.

"Yes, please," she replied and dumped an additional five books on top of his own, causing him to feign distress at the extra weight.

"These are seventh year and above books," he said absentmindedly, noticing the various titles.

"Mm, you've already proven yourself capable of learning more advanced charms before, so I thought we could work on more advanced spells." She turned to him with a grin, "Besides, I need to spend all this money you gave me earlier this Summer."

"I wasn't expecting you to spend it all on me though," he said with furrowed brows.

"It's for us," she retorted. "I'll be learning this right beside you," she added a bit forcefully.

Harry was taken a bit back but didn't increase their distance. Instead, he took a step closer. "Hermione, I didn't mean to offend you," he said, putting down the books and resting a hand on her shoulder giving it a small rub.

His touch soothed her and she breathed in before turning to him, "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so aggressive, it's just—"

"I know," he interrupted. Harry slowly brought his mouth to her ear, "And if we were home right now, I'd be kissing you senseless."

Hermione looked at him with something that could only describe as desire, something not missed by Harry. She could not help the feelings of both desire and happiness she felt for him. Harry thought of her home as his 'home' as well. It was a thought that made her heart beat infinitely faster. Everything between them was going so fast, but so comfortably at the same time.

She then shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically before commenting, "You're unbelievable."

"Yes, but you love me anyway," he replied with a lopsided grin.

She hummed in response and pretended not to hear him, going back to browsing, though she could not help but let the smile that had appeared on her face stay for the rest of their trip.


OWL results arrived the very next day and were something both teens were anticipating, one with much more enthusiasm and fear than the other.

As Hermione's teeth chattered, Harry put a comforting arm around her.

"Hermione, you're going to do great." With a squeeze on her hand, he added, "Please don't worry."

She sighed as Helen came into the room with an amused look on her face. Addressing Harry, she asked, "Test results today, I take it?"

"Yes. And for some reason, Hermione is worried she won't get straight O's."

Hermione huffed in annoyance and interrupted her mother before she could reply, "I-It's just that..." She sighed. "I've always been really academic and love getting top marks. I'm just worried about how I did in the DADA exam."

The exam itself had gone off relatively well. She had aced the theory aspect, that was for sure, and she was pretty sure her practical work was top notch. Though hearing that Harry got extra credit for showing off his Patronus charm made her wonder if she would only score an E.

Harry chuckled. "Hermione you ran the DA with me, if you didn't get an O then we'll be paying a visit to the examiners."

She calmed at his words, gracing him with a small smile.

Ever since Hermione had attended school, she had always been bullied in some way or another. Whether that was because of her appearance or her love for books. As a result, she had spent much of her early life striving to be the best academically. She liked to be the seemingly 'average' student who was better than everyone else, and that ideal had continued on into Hogwarts.

She had studied hard for her OWL exams and knew she had more than likely got straight Outstandings in all her subjects. It was more about the principle, being the best academically at school against the 'school bullies' and others who thought themselves as her betters. She knew Malfoy was far from smart, but getting significantly better marks than someone who saw her as less than vermin always gave her a wave of satisfaction. Proving that they were wrong about her.

"It's not just that, it's the principle behind it. Showing that I, an average Muggleborn student, am better than those Pureblood bigots who brag about their blood purity."

"Hermione. You're far from average, never think of yourself like that, ever," replied Harry, leaving no doubt he meant every word.

Helen laughed lightly. "He's right, honey. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Her mum then grinned. "Glad to know you chose a smart cookie," Helen added with a wink.

Letting out a dramatic sigh, Hermione complained, "Mum! You're worse than Tonks."

Helen only began laughing harder, this time with Harry joining in, though a quick glare aimed at him shut him up.

Calming down, her mother said, "Oh, haven't you heard? We're always discussing all our various ideas on how to tease you two. So, don't worry, there won't be any end in sight."

"One day, I'll be getting you both back for this endless teasing."

"And she'll have my help," added Harry with a smirk. One she loved to see, although for Helen it was another story.

Something seemed to shift in her mother's demeanour, but it was gone so fast Hermione wondered if she ever saw it. Biting on her lower lip in a way that resembled herself when she was nervous, Helen replied, "Well, I guess I can tease you two a little less." But the way she said it was laced with a cautious tone.

Harry didn't seem to miss it either, and his eyes met hers with a concerned gaze.

Hermione supposed she should not be surprised. I can't imagine anyone, not even my parents, seeing me the same as their innocent little girl after what happened with Dolohov. But she admittedly did not regret what she had done. She loved her parents... she really did, but Harry held a special place in her heart that no one could compare to.

And for the most part, Helen and Robert seemed to accept that, but there were times when she and Harry teamed up and some of her parent's worries would creep through their faces.

She wanted to say something to lighten the mood, assure her mother that they would never do anything to harm them in any way, but she had no idea how to do so. They had already talked to them and been in constant contact with them.

Perhaps there are just some wounds that can't be fully healed, mused Hermione.

And was she all right with that? Yes. Yes, she was. It was not ideal, far from it, but she would rather her parents see her as who she was: not some young innocent girl, but a strong and powerful woman who would do anything for those she loved. Even kill, if necessary.

The three occupants of the kitchen looked at each other in silence, with Harry trying to communicate with Hermione through his eyes. Luckily for them, the tension was broken by a loud tap on the door.

On alert, the two teens moved briskly to the door, cautiously opening it to Alastor Moody.

"Ah, there ya two are." After a couple of seconds of looking wildly around with his glass eye, he commented, "Hmph! I suppose things seem safe enough." Grumbling once more to himself, he passed Harry the two letters. "OWLs," he said simply.

"Uhh—thanks?" Harry said unsurely.

A gruff of response was all that was heard before Moody closed the door, his wooden leg hitting the stone path in the distance and signalling his departure.

Harry passed her letter to her, with a warm smile. "Don't overthink, it's just a letter on a piece of paper. Hardly important in the grand scheme of things."

Her mouth opened instinctually to contradict him but decided against it. "I won't. You're right, there are more important things." Her gaze clearly locked in on him.

A sigh of contentment sounded behind her, where her Mum and Dad were casually leaning on a door frame. A small squeak escaped Helen's mouth.

"Eh—Don't mind us," said Robert, nudging his wife. An encouraging smile spread over his face as he asked, "So are you going to open it, Hermione?"

Taking a short glance at Harry, she shrugged and carefully opened the letter.

A slab of metal dropped into her hand, breaking her from her nonchalant attitude. She supposed she should have expected to be a Prefect again, but she had been so caught up with studying, helping Harry and just having fun that she completely forgot it.

Last year she was ecstatic about getting such a responsibility, but now… she could not help but care little for the title. The only thing it means is I'll have to spend time away from Harry and do every responsibility myself as Ron sure as hell won't. She paused, thinking through whether she really preferred to do her duties or stay with Harry. No, I won't dedicate all my time to being a Prefect. I'll do my duties as needed, but Ron needs to pick up his slack, because I'm not dealing with that git this year.

Wrapping an arm around her waist and moving closer to her, Harry breathed, "Congrats again, Miss Prefect." It only earned him an eye roll.

Unfolding the letter, she looked upon her results, a grin spreading across her face as she read every line. Harry chuckled and brought his head to her shoulder, whispering, "I'm so proud of you. Knew you'd do it."

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Hermione Jane Granger Has Achieved:

Ancient Runes: O

Arithmancy: O

Astronomy: O

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Herbology: O

History of Magic: O

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

A smile of satisfaction graced over her features as she looked down at the page, I really did get a perfect score.

"So, how did you do, Hermione?" asked Helen cautiously, mistakenly taking their close embrace and lack of words as a bad sign.

"I got Outstanding in everything," she said breathlessly, looking up at her parents excitedly.

"Oh! Congratulations, honey." And her two parents went in to hug her, with Harry stepping back and watching with a smile.

Making her way back to Harry, she watched him closely. He ripped open the letter in a much less elegant manner than her and pulled out a badge with a frown.

"Quidditch Captain," he noted with surprise.

Hermione inwardly winced at that. But quickly berated herself for doing so, Harry loves to fly and play Quidditch, I shouldn't be mad at him for getting something he's probably wanted for years.

"I'll have to write a letter to McGonagall," said Harry, breaking Hermione from her thoughts.

After seeing her quizzical look, he added, "I'll be too busy studying and training to play Quidditch. Besides, I just enjoy flying, dodging bludgers for hours on end in the rain isn't the most enjoyable activity." He paused, and suddenly a grin broke out on his face.

"Why are you grinning like a fool?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd like to know too," said Robert. "I don't see how skipping out on such a thrilling sport could be good."

Harry laughed lightly. "It's not about Quidditch," he explained, earning him raised eyebrows. "I just came up with a wonderful idea for Hermione's birthday."

An idea for my birthday? Repeated Hermione to herself. Over the years at Hogwarts, her birthday had been a small affair between her, Harry and Ron, yet this year Harry was planning to do something big for her. Considering the current conversation when he got the idea, I assume it'll have something to do with flying.

"Does this idea involve flying, by any chance?" She asked innocently.

His mouth opened in surprise. After overcoming his shock, he clicked his tongue and complained, "You're not supposed to read me like a book, it's no fun that way."

With her suspicions being correct, she smiled triumphantly at him. Considering that Harry was a great flyer, if not the best in school, she supposed she would enjoy whatever experience he had in store. Flying never had been a particularly interesting activity for the bushy-haired witch. She was only initially worried over flying because she had no idea what to do. There were simply some things that could not be learnt from a book.

Having spent hours flying from Scotland to London in fifth year, it was evident that she did not have acrophobia. But even so, she had more control over herself on the ground, so she barely ever went flying. But these days, anything done with Harry was extremely enjoyable. And she imagined whatever idea he had in store would be romantic.

Looking over his shoulder, Hermione read his results.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Harry James Potter Has Achieved:

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: E

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: D

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

Harry visibly blinked a few times at the page, clearly surprised by the results. "Huh," he murmured aloud while still looking at the page.

She gave him a peck on the cheek, breaking him from his trance. With a smirk, she said, "Now imagine what you would have gotten if you hadn't put off studying."

It caused the desired result, making a smile break through his face. "While I could definitely make improvements in my marks, I could never compete with you."

"Not with that attitude, mister," she countered.

After congratulating the teenagers once more, Helen and Robert departed for work, leaving the duo alone.

As the door closed Harry sighed and muttered, "Damn."

Leading him to a couch, she sat down, curled against him. "What's the matter?"

"I just realised I wouldn't be able to learn my NEWT level Potions this year. I needed an O, but I only got an E." He chuckled, "Oh, well. At least I won't have to deal with Snape this year."

Professor Snape was on the tip of her tongue, but she reigned in that side of her that automatically respected authority figures when they deserved none. "Who knows, maybe Snape will get his wish this year and become our DADA teacher."

"Oh god, I hope not. That'll be ten times worse than potions."

She grimaced at the thought, "If that happens we might end up learning less than we did with Umbitch."

He raised an eyebrow, "Umbitch?"

She flustered slightly in embarrassment, but feigned innocence, "Oh my, did I say that aloud?"

"Did I ever mention how much I love you?" asked Harry in awe.

"Mm, perhaps another reminder wouldn't hurt."

He chuckled in response as his lips brushed against hers.


The last couple weeks of Summer went by faster than any Hermione had experienced. Normally her holidays went by at a snail's pace; using every moment she had to study, read, and entertain herself as the days slowly ticked by.

But now it was different, and she knew that her best friend, boyfriend, the person she cared most about most in the world was the cause of it. Scarcely did a moment go by where she was not entertained by him, whether or not he intentionally was doing so.

She had come to love so many things about him. Whether it was the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her; the intense feeling she felt when he gazed at her with those intense green eyes; the happiness she felt at watching him sleep peacefully; or the feelings of elation and sense of rightness as they lost themselves in each other

Even if they were currently living through a time of fear, danger, and prejudice, Hermione could not help but feel happy and fulfilled.

Still, she knew that they could never truly be happy until the threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters were purged from society.

Unfortunately, they had come no closer to finding out who might have aided Dolohov in his attack on the Grangers. It was simply impossible that Dolohov could have found them without help, let alone know how to talk his way into the living room before committing his final sins.

Harry had jumped to the conclusion that Snape would be the likely culprit. She was inclined to agree with Harry, especially since his point was not without its fair share of evidence. Even if Snape had helped them a few times during the years, he had only ever treated Harry, her and Ron with disdain. Ever since the return of Voldemort, Snape had not directly helped them in any way. He had supposedly warned the Order of their attempt to travel to the Ministry, but they took hours to travel there, leading them to believe that Snape severely delayed in sending the message. Perhaps even warning the Death Eaters ahead of the time that they were coming.

If this was the case, they would have to hope that no one else knew of Dolohov other than Snape and that he really was playing 'their' side. Though, if given the chance, Hermione was prepared to kill her Potions Master. She never knew the full extent of Occlumency training before Harry brought up the topic with her. The anger she felt towards Snape after learning he had practically 'mind raped' Harry was immeasurable; it had taken Harry hours to calm her down enough so she would not go and kill the 'former' Death Eater herself.

In fact, she would kill anyone who was a threat to Harry; and she meant anyone.

Hermione was done dealing with people's shit and knowing that they were entering sixth year, it was likely that Harry would get more attention from girls this year than ever before. She knew Harry would never betray her, but was wary of what intricate ways his 'fangirls' may attempt to 'steal' him.

If they think insulting me, saying how plain I am, or how much better they were than me is going to work, they have another thing coming. She snorted at the thought. The other night when they had gone to the cinemas, a random man had accidentally knocked into her shoulder. Next thing she knew, Harry was glaring at the stranger with a deadly gaze and had wrapped his arm around her possessively. If looks could kill, the man would have been dead ten times over.

In fact, this was just one occasion of him being overprotective, possessive even. She was never upset about what he did, she even felt smug in a way that Harry did it for her.

She supposed that maybe she should have felt angry at Harry's possessiveness of her, but she would be a hypocrite to feel such a thing. She had lost count of the amount of times she'd had to glare, clench her teeth, or pull Harry closer whenever someone had given him a second look.

She was his, and he was hers.

And Hermione would make sure it would stay that way, no matter the ethical morality of her methods.

Hermione was not prepared to kill anyone over petty jealousy, but if circumstances deemed so, the person in question may end up on the wrong end of her curses. Ginny and Luna, she could tolerate to a degree, as they were her friends. But if either made a move, they may find themselves in a less than pleasant situation.

Though she doubted Luna would be a problem, having seen the glances Hermione saw her sneak at Neville. She smiled to herself, Maybe they'd be a nice—

She startled slightly when Harry pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry," he muttered with an apologetic smile.

She blinked, awareness of her surroundings coming back to her. They were still in bed in the early hours of the morning. She didnot realise that Harry had rolled over and was staring at her. He had probably been doing for minutes, but she had been too lost in her thoughts to notice.

"It's okay," she replied sleepily. "Just a bit distracted."

"I realised that. What were you thinking about?" Asked Harry with a sheepish grin, his crinkled eyes being more prevalent without his glasses.

Moving his fringe back, she replied, "Mostly just about school."

He snuggled closer, intrigued, "What, exactly?"

"Mmm, just thinking of all the ways to bat off your fangirls."

"Scared of the competition?" He questioned with a smirk.

She snorted. "As if they could possibly compare to me."

Harry's eyes darkened slightly, but his gaze stayed firmly on her face as he raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Hermione smiled at him slyly, accepting his challenge. She slowly leaned forward and brought her lips to his. Not one to waste the moment, Hermione rolled on top of him without breaking their kiss. Harry responded eagerly, wrapping his arms around her and enthusiastically met her lips with his own.

She touched his lips with her tongue, seeking entrance, which the young wizard was only eager to give. No matter how many times they have done this, the feel of his tongue dancing with hers had always heightened her need for the boy underneath her.

Harry instinctively tightened one arm around her, while his other hand moved up her back and rested at the nape of her neck, lost in the tangle of her hair. It was one of the wonders in kissing Harry, he was never an idle participant. He would give as good as he got.

She was so lost in the sensations that Harry's mouth on hers gave her that she lost track of time. She wanted to stay where she was for as long as she could.

When they broke apart, Hermione asked breathlessly, "So? Still think I have competition?"

Harry almost stopped breathing as he stared at her. He said his next words with such utter conviction that her heart melted. "There never was anyone who could compare to Hermione Jane Granger in the first place."

She knew he felt this way, but to hear him say it never failed to make her feel stronger, happier, and fulfilled.

"Good, because otherwise, I'd have to remove all other adversaries by any means necessary."

He smirked, and that was another thing she loved about him so much. These comments never made Harry feel uncomfortable or frightened, if anything he seemed to love everything dark about her and only wanted her more.

It was so nice to simply speak the truth, say what she meant, without having to fear the judgemental stares of society.

"If I'm still sane, I'll be sure to help you in any capacity possible. Just so you know that if anyone tries anything with you, they'll face the same–if not worse–consequences."

She smiled at him. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry then rolled on his back, covered his eyes with his arm, and said with a sigh, "So the school term starts tomorrow."

Giving him a sympathetic look, she said, "Not excited?"

Removing his arm and turning to look at her, he replied, "It's not that I'm not excited, I'm looking forward to seeing our friends again. It's just…" He paused. "We'll have to deal with so many problems when we get there. Mainly Draco and the general student population, considering what happened earlier this year. And if Dumbledore's threat was anything to go by, he'll be trying to make sure that I only do exactly what he wants."

"We won't capitulate to his or anyone else's demands. We control our lives, not people who have no relation to us whatsoever."

"I know that. You know that. But I doubt Dumbledore, Voldemort, or other adults will see it that way. Dumbledore has set me up to defeat Voldemort by any means since birth, and I'm sure he has some fail-safes in place to ensure that happens. And I will defeat Tom one day, only I won't be restricted to the methods Dumbledore would deem as appropriate.

"However, I'll be at least slightly cooperative with whatever he wants me to do this year, so long as it's nothing outlandish. If he wants to actually teach me ways to become a stronger and better wizard, I'll be all for it, and it'll act as a way for him to assure himself nothing is amiss. If Dumbledore knew about Dolohov, there surely would've been some communication to either of us about it. And if Snape is responsible, I doubt he would want to share the fact he helped plot your murder."

He cupped her hand with both of his. "So, do you think I could follow through with such a plan?"

She frowned. "Harry, I shouldn't tell you what you should do, either; it's your life."

He shook his head, "It's not like that. You always have my best interests at heart, you see things from another perspective, one with less bias than anyone else I know. Which is one of the reasons why I'm asking for your opinion in this instance. That, and I trust you more than anyone else in the world."

His words made her smile, so she sighed and gave it some thought. It's a good idea in theory. Make his small discrepancy this summer simply look like a teenager's rebellious fit, potentially get some training from the best wizard in Britain. And probably some insight into how deep Dumbledore's manipulations run. I see little downsides to this plan, other than having to spend time around a master manipulator. So long as Harry will be delivering penance to the old man one day.

Looking back to Harry, she replied, "I think it's a good idea in theory. Just as long as you remember who you're dealing with."

"That won't be a problem," he replied simply.

"And why's that?"

He smirked, "Cause anything he wants me to do, you'll be right there by my side, no exceptions. If he can't accommodate that, we will find other ways to deal with threats. His Order's protection is nothing compared to my friends and—" He paused, his mouth wide open before he slowly closed it. After what seemed like an eternity, his gaze hardened as he looked deep into her eyes. "My best friend, my Hermione."

Hearing the words, Hermione felt her heart grow warm. Harry had always been her best friend, someone she would do absolutely anything for. But now she knew that he would also do the exact same for her.

No words or grand gestures were needed to convey her response to him. She communicated everything through her eyes, hiding nothing from him, only showing him the truth: Nothing he had said to her had scared her in the slightest, and nothing probably would.

His eyes responded in a similar manner, shining a bright shade of green, more beautiful than anything she had remembered. A smirk grew on his face, one so insidious, she felt shivers run down her spine. She wondered if anyone else would be able to hold the gaze and not feel fear. But to her, it said something entirely different: it communicated him getting exactly what he wanted, and it made her happy in a way. She imagined he was feeling the things she did when she walked around with him, killed Dolohov or even punched Malfoy.

She licked her lips languidly, watching his eyes follow her every movement, causing him to let out a groan of annoyance.

Flashing him a triumphant grin, she pulled him closer, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

In a voice so quiet and raspy she later wondered if it was her own, she whispered into his ear, "Anything—for my Harry."

She revelled in the small shiver that went down his spine before his grip tightened on her.

"You're perfect," he whispered back after an eternal second of suspense.

She smiled into his skin, loving the tingles and feelings she was experiencing from every skin to skin contact they shared. "As are you," she said with every fibre of her being. "Now let's sleep in for a while. It's our second last night together."

She had some ideas of how they could get their arrangement to work throughout the school year, but right now she was focused on enjoying the present with him.

His melancholy was clear to her but instead of complaining about it, he kissed her softly on the cheek before replying in a bright voice, "That's the best idea I've heard all day."


Before long they had arrived at Kings Cross Station and were passing through Platform 9 & ¾.

While Harry had his qualms about Hogwarts, he was at least glad that he would see his friends again. Mainly Neville, Luna, Ginny and Ron, although he would have a talk with the latter tonight regarding his attitude towards Hermione, though he doubted it was going to end well.

He hoped their insults at one another would not start as soon as his two best friends saw each other. But was adamant that if such a thing was happening, he would take the right side.

As he had arrived with Hermione and her family, they were some of the first students on the platform, meaning it was largely deserted save a few families here and there.

After shaking the hand of Robert and receiving a surprising hug from Helen, Harry bid the Granger parents goodbye.

"Stay safe, you two," said Helen after hugging her daughter.

"We will, Mum," and even Harry had to admit the blatant lie sounded truthful. It was a disconcerting thought that they could lie so easily and succeed in the process. Especially since both of them had been terrible liars in the past.

The likelihood of them avoiding danger and staying safe was next to none, especially considering they had discussed the idea of leaving Hogwarts every now and then. For what purposes, had not been fully finalised. Although they did have some ideas.

"Wanna get a compartment now or wait here for our friends?" Asked Harry.

Hermione shrugged. "We may as well get a compartment for ourselves before too many other students arrive." She rolled her eyes, "Besides we'll be waiting for least an hour before Ron and Ginny arrive. They always get here at the last minute."

"Good point."

They purposefully chose a compartment near the end of the Hogwarts Express to avoid any unnecessary visitors and quickly settled in closing the curtains. Hermione grabbed out one of the advanced textbooks she had bought the other day and began reading it while snuggling up to Harry.

Chuckling, he attempted to read over her shoulder. But it was a half-hearted attempt as he knew he could not keep up with her insane reading speed. Knowing that it would be impossible to talk to their friends in their current position he cherished every moment of her body against his.

He admitted that perhaps he was getting slightly obsessed over being near her, hearing her voice, touching her, making her smile. In a couple of months, he had found that his favourite pastime was not playing chess, flying, or goofing around with Ron, but simply making Hermione happy.

And right now, going by her smile and the way she nuzzled his arm, he was succeeding.

To be honest, Harry didn't really care about what people thought if they saw Hermione and him in this position. She felt like home and he did not want to be away from her. Though he supposed Ron would freak out upon seeing them. Always got to think about other bloody people.

"Harry, Hermione, you guys in there?" Asked a voice sounding just like his best friend.

"Yeah," he responded while untangling himself from Hermione with a sad smile, before unlocking their compartment. Outside was Ron looking slightly worn out.

"Blimey, why did you have to choose this compartment? I was looking all over the platform."

Right, we probably should've made it easier for others to find us… Not that I wasn't enjoying the peace and quiet of just me and Hermione. Forcing a small grin over his face and patting Ron on the back, he replied, "Sorry about that, Hermione likes to read in silence, you know. So we set up a silencing charm."

The redhead let out a small chuckle. "That must've been loads of fun," he said sarcastically.

Fighting the urge to frown, he remembered that this was Ron. Letting a grin rise on his features, he shrugged. "It was," he replied seriously.

Ron gave him a weird look.

As Harry retook his seat next to Hermione, she looked up briefly from her book, "Hello, Ron."

"Hey," he replied slightly bitterly.

Ron seemed to stand in the doorway slightly confused, looking at where Harry sat.

Realisation came to the raven-haired boy at that moment. Oh, I'm sitting next to Hermione instead of him. But like hell am I moving from here. He internally winced after realising what he had just thought.

Awkwardly, Ron sat opposite him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Hermione's eyes were not focused on the page in front of her.

"Urm, so how were your holidays, Ron?" said Harry, trying to break the silence.

Ron shook his head before grinning, "It was brilliant. Most of the family was around, meaning lots of Quidditch practice. Also, did you hear about Bill?"

Shaking his head in response, Ron continued with a smirk growing on his face, "He's got himself a fiancee: Fleur Delacour. You know, the French Champion from the Tournament."

Harry noticed that Hermione was now fully paying attention to the conversation. He raised an eyebrow at Ron, "Fleur Delacour?" After Ron's enthusiastic nod of response, Harry continued, "I didn't know she was living in Britain."

"Yeah, working at Gringotts apparently. Mum's furious about it, she thinks Fleur is using her Veela charm to seduce Bill." It seemed like every mention of Fleur made Ron smile.

"Well, her charm certainly seems to work on someone," mumbled Hermione from behind her book, to which Harry failed to hold in a laugh.

"Oi! It's not my fault!" he complained, to which Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes. Ron had practically been smitten with the French witch at first sight. The kiss on the cheek after the second task had only made things worse.

"Anyway, it really sucks that you weren't able to come over this summer, Harry." Chuckling to himself Ron added, "Hope Hermione didn't make you do all your homework."

Clenching his jaw unnoticeably, he responded calmly, "I actually chose to do it myself, with Hermione's help, of course."

The word "What," seemed to escape Ron's mouth as he looked at him disbelieving. "Why in Merlin's name would you torture yourself with studying over the holidays? Summer is supposed to be fun."

"We know Voldemort is back," he began, causing Ron to wince at the name, "So yes, I chose to get ahead, since there's a literal mass-murdering-dark-wizard which is hell-bent on killing me out and about right now. I'll take every advantage I can, even if it's at the expense of some fun."

His best friend seemed to take in his words and gulped, but stayed silent.

"Ron, we're at war now. You can't keep continuing on like there's nothing wrong in the world, because there is. Did you think Harry could just cast some spell at Voldemort then it's over?" questioned Hermione.

"No! Of course not."

"Well, then stop looking at him like he's crazy. He's been through more than any of us, leave him be."

Ron suddenly narrowed his eyes at her. "You put him up to this."

"Put him up to what?" replied Hermione in a raised voice.

Ron gestured wildly with his hands. "This—making Harry all serious and solemn."

Before things could escalate, Harry interrupted, "Stop, both of you. Hermione didn't make me do anything, Ron. And for your information, I had lots of fun at the Grangers. Now, will you leave it alone?"

This took his best friend by surprise, who flinched in response before trailing off with, "Yeah…"

After an awkward thirty seconds of silence, Hermione with a huff stood up and made for the door, turning back she turned to look straight at Harry and said softly, "I'll be back soon, Harry."

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

Hermione let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Well, Ron. If you're still a Prefect, you'll know we need to head to the Prefect compartment to meet the Head Boy and Girl like Prefects do every year."

"Blimey, no need to attack me, woman."

Harry tried to fight off the building anger he felt towards his best friend, but his anger won over and a retort was on the tip of his tongue.

Hermione merely sighed before he could talk and walked off.

"What's her problem?" questioned Ron, his anger clearly getting the better of him.

Her problem, she doesn't have a problem, thought Harry bitterly.

Okay... he supposed after a moment of thought, maybe Hermione was acting a bit rude towards Ron, but that was hardly anything new. Besides, Ron seemed to only reciprocate the attitude right back at her without even attempting to be diplomatic. No, that role always fell to Harry, and at the moment he didn't feel like being caught in the middle.

"I don't know," he lied. "Though you better catch up before she hexes you for being late."

Ron grumbled as he stood up, "You're probably right."

As Ron left the compartment, Harry seriously wondered how on earth someone like Ron became a Prefect. Out of all the Gryffindor sixth years, Ron was probably the most immature and most irresponsible of all the boys.

Harry didn't think Ron was a boring person to be around, but he did not think his best friend was the correct choice after him. Really, someone like Neville should've been made Prefect. It would've been nice to be Prefect, but considering my record, Neville would've been a far better choice. Still, anyone was better than Ron. When Harry thought of a role model student, he thought of Hermione, not Ron, so thinking back on him being a Prefect utterly baffled him. Then again, both Draco and Pansy made Prefects, when there must have better candidates in Slytherin. Not that he knew anyone else in Slytherin.

The Headmaster interfered with the Prefect choice for me, what's the likelihood that he gave the all-clear for Draco and Pansy as well? Just how much power does he hold?

He put those thoughts away for another time.

Sighing, he picked up Hermione's book and made sure to bookmark her page, before reading whatever intrigued him.

This particular book was on advanced offensive spells and also acted as one of the handbooks for hit wizards. The fact that it was available at Flourish and Blotts raised some questions, but the bookstore owner did not seem to notice this particular book in Hermione's pile. And considering how much she spent, Harry doubted the owner really cared what sort of books a sixth-year student was reading.

Sometimes he had to do a double-take on some spells. He had reached a section of spells which were under the title called Banned Curses of Warfare. Apparently, in the late 19th century, the international wizarding community had discussed the inhumanity of some curses and banned them. This was separate to the three Unforgivables, but after reading the effects some spells had, he understood why they were forbidden.

Each of these banned curses was given a small summary which included its appearance and effects on the victim. Harry didn't consider himself a squeamish person, but some effects implied some of the most painful deaths imaginable. Thankfully—or unfortunately, thought Harry momentarily—only the counter curse incantation was listed. Although noticeably about half the spells had no known counter curse.

Well, guess it's a good thing the knowledge of such incantations is extremely limited. I wouldn't wish these spells on anyone… well, maybe not anyone.

Reading the book raised another thought: Why did the Hit Wizards have such a little part in the last war? They are supposed to act as an elite anti-dark wizard unit, yet he had hardly found any evidence of them interfering in the internal war of Death Eaters versus the Ministry. Surely there must have been some reason, as throughout history, the military had taken on huge roles in internal wars. If the Ministry managed to gain the support of the Hit Wizards, combining that with the Aurors, and the rest of the DMLE would mean Voldemort and his Death Eaters would stand little chance. Then again, there was almost undoubtedly going to be some pureblood sympathisers inside this group, so perhaps that is why they had stayed mostly out of the fight. With his mind exhausted of possible reasons, he made a mental note to look further into this later.

Just as he was about to turn the page, he heard someone stomping loudly up to his compartment. Instinctually his hand grasped around his wand, but upon realising that there were two people arguing and that they were two very familiar voices, his grip loosened but he braced himself for the coming confrontation.

As the door slid open, Hermione furiously made her way in, teeth clenched and her eyes blazing.

Harry's reaction to Hermione's state was to glare at the doorway for the obvious culprit, even if this culprit was his best friend.

Though he had to admit Hermione looked absolutely stunning. But he mentally shook his head, Now is not the time for those thoughts. These next few minutes could determine a lot.

Ron came in a second later, red-faced and bursting in outrage.

"I cannot believe you, Ronald Weasley!" Hissed Hermione. If it was not for the fact that Ron heard what she said, Harry would have wondered if Hermione spoke Parseltongue.

"Me?! What about you, obviously confounding him into not leaving! What did you do?!"

Standing up and moving between them, Harry seethed. "What the fuck is going on here?!" Instinctually, he had positioned himself slightly towards Hermione and had most of his gaze directed at Ron. Not that the redhead noticed.

"This blithering idiot!" Shouted Hermione pointing at Ron. "Thinks I somehow, I don't know, confounded you, or even seduced you, into staying at my house rather than going to the Burrow for the summer." Directing a glare back at Ron she added, "How many times does Harry have to tell you that it was his choice?"

Ron snorted, crossed armed. "I did not say seduce."

Hermione scoffed and retorted, "That's what you implied."

The redhead mumbled, "Not like you bloody could, anyway, as plain as you are." With that last statement, something inside Harry snapped. That was the last straw.

"Ron, stop," demanded Harry coldly. "Hermione's right, I chose to stay. She played no direct part in my choice of staying."

Ron threw his hands up in anger. "Why the bloody hell are you taking her side?!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at him dumbly, "Why shouldn't I? She's also my best friend and I agree with her completely. I know the facts and I know you're just acting like a jealous git for no bloody reason! Just like fourth year!"

"What?" Ron was outraged. "A jealous git?"

"Do you want to know the truth of what I think, Ron? Well, here it goes. Your unreasonable anger right there is a prime example. You threw any sense of logic out the window when interrogating Hermione. And you're acting like a spoilt fucking brat who didn't get what he wanted. Do you really think Hermione, of all people, would do anything to manipulate me like that? Or anyone else, for that matter?" Harry knew the latter was a lie, but he wasn't going to share Hermione's growing darkness with Ron at this point in time.

After a moment of hesitation, Ron mumbled, "No."

But then Ron suddenly burst, his anger getting the better of him… again. "Why should I listen to you, Harry?! You have everything, now you're telling me how to act! Just because your name is cleared and you're suddenly the Chosen One, doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want."

Hermione was about to argue in his defence, but Harry put a hand on her shoulder, conveying that he would handle it. Glaring at Ron he began, "I have everything do I, Ron? Do you know what it feels like to grow up without parents? What it feels like to be used as a tool, to get up every day and do shit for someone else, getting nothing in return?"

At Ron's silence, he continued, "Sure, I have money and friends but I also have the biggest responsibility in all of Britain. I didn't want it, but did I get a choice? No. Do you know what kind of burden that is? No, of course you don't. You grew up in the wizarding world, free of horrendous living conditions and with people who loved you unconditionally. I didn't get any of that. Now, I'm not saying my life was the worst out there because other people have come from much worse backgrounds. But for you to say that I have everything is the most idiotic thing I have heard from you yet. If you would just pull your head out of your arse, just for one second, you would realise how fucking lucky you are with what you have. I've always taken your side in the past, and you know what? I regret it. Especially when you act like a fucking cunt."

His best friend (though Harry was wondering if that friendship had been irreparably damaged) stood there in silence, taking in his words. Ron's anger clearly had not subsided, but neither did he try to argue his own opinion back. Instead, he then walked to the door cautiously and muttered with distaste, "I'm going for a walk."

"I'm going to murder him," spat Hermione a few seconds later.

"I might beat you to that." But he wasn't entirely serious. Quirking a brow, he added, "Put him in a vat of acid, feed him to Fluffy? Oh no, what about leaving him in the Forbidden Forest with the acromantulas?"

That got a smile out of Hermione. "That does sound like a nice idea," she replied, in a tone which showed she knew they were only joking.

Harry walked up behind her and put his arms around her. Heaving a resigned sigh he said, "If he reacted to me not coming over like that, imagine the trouble we'll have upon telling him we're a couple."

She turned her head to look at him curiously. "You're not going to let him get between us, are you?"

"What? No!" He exclaimed, suddenly worried he had done something wrong. "If he's not all right with it, he can go fuck himself. It's your choice just as much as it's mine, and if he can't understand that, he doesn't deserve to be treated as a friend."

Hermione relaxed at his words and proceeded to peck him on the lips. Harry couldn't help but feel like she had rewarded him in some way, which in all possibilities could be true, considering that he had always put her after Ron.

Five minutes later Ron returned and simply slumped into the corner, ignoring both of their gazes.

Harry waited a few moments, seeing if his supposed best friend would apologise for his unjust actions. But he seemed dead-set on ignoring them. Of course, he's not going to even bother apologising. He's never done it before, why would he do it now?

At that moment there was a knock on the compartment door.

"Hmm? Who is it?" he asked.

"Umm, Neville, Luna and Ginny," replied an unsure Neville.

A smile gracing across his features, he waved his wand and the door slid open.

Hermione made a disapproving noise, "Was that necessary?"

"No," he replied with a grin. "But I haven't had the chance to use magic in months, so I'm getting it out of my system." Harry then realised that he had just opened the door to three of his friends. "Oh, sorry. Hey Neville, Luna and Ginny."

"Mind if we come in?" asked Neville looking oddly at Ron who was looking down in the corner.

He looked briefly at Hermione, who gave a small smile and replied, "Yeah, of course. You're our friends."

As they all sat down, Ginny asked, "What's the problem with my brother?"

"We got into an argument, and no we don't really want to discuss it," said Harry tentatively.

The three newcomers seemed to accept that and did not follow up on it. A trace of a smile spread through Ron's downcast expression. "Anyway, how's things, Neville?" asked Ron, his mood improving.

Neville shrugged as he replied, "Alright, I guess. Gran was nicer in the summer, especially once she saw my OWL results. Can you believe I got an O in Herbology?"

"Yes," replied everyone in unison.

The Longbottom boy looked at them all in confusion, "What, why would you all think that?"

"Please, Neville. You're even better than me at Herbology," said Hermione.

"Yeah and she's not one to admit when someone is better than her often," added Harry, only to receive a playful punch on the arm from Hermione.

Ginny's eyes seemed to grow wide at their small playful display before deflating slightly. Though moments later her composure straightened, and her gaze locked onto Harry. "So Harry, do you know who the new Quidditch Captain is? I hope they won't be as strict as Wood," asked Ginny.

He knew he had to put this carefully, so to not cause another argument to begin. "Yeah, Katie is the new captain."

"How do you know that?"

"I would've thought you'd become captain Harry," said Luna in her dreamy voice.

"Uh, well…" How was he going to put this without pissing everyone off? "I was made captain—"

"'course you were…" muttered Ron, resulting in Ginny pinching him.

"But I decided to hand it back, as I want to be more focused on my studies and my training to fight against Voldemort," he continued, ignoring Ron.

Ginny seemed devastated by the news. "So you're not even going to be playing Seeker?"

He shook his head. "No, besides," he began with an unsure smile. "I still have that lifetime ban active, I'm sure I could get it removed, but I have more important things to do than losing hours every day to Quidditch."

It was clear neither Ron nor Ginny agreed with his choice, but they didn't voice their objection.

"That's a mature thing to do," said Luna, surprising everyone. "Though I'll miss watching you flying towards the snitch."

"I certainly won't," said Hermione in the background, which caused everyone in the compartment to fall into laughter, with her joining in soon after.

Slowly, the group fell into easy conversation with one another. But it was not long before the tension returned.

"We better go do those patrols, Hermione," said Ron slowly.

Surprise flashed in Hermione's eyes, probably wondering why Ron decided to do something mature, or if it was just another ploy to begin ranting at Hermione again. "You do that, Ron. You can do the first half, and I'll do it with Harry once you get back."

"What? You can't do that. He's not a Prefect and we're meant to do this together."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Not like that's ever stopped you from making me do it alone before. And there's no rule saying I can't do patrols with a non-prefect. You can check, though I doubt you've even looked at the Prefect manual."

"Hermione," warned Harry quietly.

However, his friend seemed to only take it in stride, laughing at her comment. "You're probably right. So who wants to go with me then?"

Ron looked at Harry, but he simply shrugged. "Sorry, mate. But I'm going with Hermione."

He looked around the compartment until finally Ginny rolled her eyes and conceded, "Fine, I'll go. Though I'm only helping until I get back to my other friends."

"Great," muttered Ron as the two left.

"Things aren't great?" asked Neville.

"With Ron? Eh, it'll probably be fine. Though I'm not going to be a pushover with his attitude this year," explained Harry.

"I mean he's always been a bit like that, Harry… I haven't wanted to say anything but—" began Neville, but Harry held up a hand interrupting him.

"Yeah, I get it. I guess I've always been blind to my first friend. But from now on, he doesn't get any special treatment. Hopefully, he'll understand that's all it is."

"Good luck with that, Harry," said Luna. "Ron's had some wrackspurts around his head, but they usually go away after a while."

Neville was smiling at Luna before he eventually realised what he was doing and quickly looked away. Turning to Harry and Hermione he asked, "So, how were your holidays?"

"Great," he replied cheerfully. "Hermione and her family made it spectacular, don't think I ever learnt and had as much fun before."

"Got up to anything interesting?" Questioned Neville, surprised but happy at his response.

"We got up to some very interesting things…" he replied cryptically. Yeah, like killing a Death Eater in the living room of my girlfriend's house. Oh yeah, did I mention I was sharing a room with Hermione every night? Yeah, he certainly was not going to share those bits of information.

Neville made a motion for him to go on. Luckily for him, Hermione spoke. "We visited the Muggle Cinema a few times and watched some movies. Have either of you ever gone to the cinemas?"

Luna and Neville looked at each other. "What's a cinema?" Inquired Neville, embarrassed.

So Harry and Hermione went on to explain the cinemas, movies, and other Muggle technology. From there they described other parts of their holiday and listened to Luna's adventure overseas.

All in all, Harry found the day to be very enjoyable. Being here with his friends, discussing innocent things gave him a sense of calm that he hadn't felt for years.

Yes, maybe going back to school wasn't that bad after all.


Author's Note: It never sat right with me that Hermione didn't get an O for DADA, I think it was just something JKR forced to show that Harry could excel at something even Hermione couldn't compare to.

But the choice to give her an E makes little sense, considering that it's almost a guarantee that someone else would've got an O that year, and considering Hermione was one of the leaders of the DA, for her not to get an Outstanding, is frankly unbelievable.

Also yes, Hermione Jane Granger. It's Jane for me, don't try to argue with me otherwise. Besides, it flows so much better with Potter.

And a question to you all: would you prefer chapters 5000ish words long, or do you like the current length of 8000+? I'm open to either, though longer chapters will mean slower updates obviously.