The night was long but comforting. They didn't speak much. They let the stars sparkle above them and the inky canvas bleed into fire orange as the sun rose. Their gloved hands had intertwined many hours ago. Before Ron and before Ginny they quite often found themselves resting their hands together when they were studying or strolling through the grounds. In many ways they were the same. They were raised muggles, as only children really, and they were treated as both heroes and outcasts. Harry and Hermione had always been close.

Harry eventually stood to stretch out and feel the new sun against his face. He smiled down at Hermione. It felt like a sign off and a welcome to the new morning.

"Breakfast?"

After a well needed but bland breakfast they set to work on their tasks for the days. When the morning had brightened, they set training. Today were defensive spells. Hermione was happy to have an easier session of spellcasting. Her offensive spells and curse work were adequate but where she shone was defensive and counter curses. Something insider her personality clicked with them. Harry threw everything he could think at her, yet she flourished. She felt stronger by lunch. Following a quick snack break was a study session for Hermione and she insisted that Harry took some rest. He'd been on second shift the night before last and hadn't slept since.

He stumbled into the kitchen as Hermione finished up the soup for dinner. She couldn't resist laughing at the nest of hair messed on his head.

"Nice look there Harry, massive shame your adoring fans can't see this!" Hermione teased.

"Oi!"

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah ok, thanks. By the time I've eaten I'll be awake enough for some exercise, shower and then start watch."

"I should join you. I'm so tetchy I need to relax. Some cardio should knock that right out of me."

"Course it will Hermione" Harry smiled.

He seemed happy enough with that. In honestly when he'd been asleep, she found herself pressing her arms into the table she had worked at. Just the feel that pressure. She didn't want to hurt herself, but the pressure felt right. Like she needed it.

They ate their food in comfortable silence. Harry cleared the table and Hermione felt another twinge when she realised it was Ron's night to clean. She smiled through the pain and followed Harry outside to exercise.

She despised Quidditch at school. Why would anyone want to smack into each other tens of feet into the air? She had (regrettably) told the boys once that she didn't consider Quidditch a true sport, it was essentially a game with a crowd. Ron and Harry physically stood to their feet and talked over each other, not noticing when she rolled her eyes and left. But that didn't mean that she thought exercise was a waste. During her years as a Prefect she could leave the castle for the grounds earlier and later than other students. Every other day she'd start her run 5km run at 06:30, get back to dorms for a shower and would finish by the time that Ginny stirred for breakfast. On the other mornings Hermione would stretch and complete body weight exercises. Since being on the horcrux hunt the three of them had tried to maintain a sense of normalcy so had agreed to keep up the exercise as they never knew what was going to happen next.

Today Hermione couldn't keep her eyes off Harry. She felt like her delirium was causing her to stare more than usual. Did he really know what he was doing? Could Ron be right? Of course he knew. He completed drills with ease, his breathe hardly laboured. His hair had always been such an annoyance to her, it's crazy nest like shape refusing to behave. On his birthday Ginny had a done a fair job chopping short and she had done a less than favourable job hacking it in between. It still managed to flop everywhere and stick slick to his forehead the more he worked.

Even hot and bothered he still looked sure of himself, still confident. Hermione smiled at the comfort that look gave her. She tried to focus, but she was distracted as she cycled through her own drills. She felt a tightening in her body. She shook the feeling from her mind. She can't be feeling this. Not even with Ron would she experience these feelings. The search for the Horcruxes and the dear of the war had really put any other thought out of her head. She was just in need, lonely. She knew what she needed when she got back to her bunk.

"You must be exhausted, when did you last sleep Hermione?"

"No no, I'm fine."

"You're barely holding your head up. Let me take you to bed."

And she did.