Dedicated to the wonderful Robbie Coltrane, our Hagrid. There's no Hogwarts without him

Understandably, the student populace had quite a lot to talk about following the unconventional and dramatic conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament. Wherever the trio went in the castle, they were bombarded with questions about what had truly happened that evening. Most of the time, Matthew would bark at them to leave them alone, which usually worked. He'd become even more protective of his friends after the incident, as if he believed that something else could go wrong at any moment. Neither Harry nor Hermione were complaining about his close proximity; after how lucky they had been to survive, they were simply making the most of surrounding themselves with the people they cared about. The constant questions from their peers were almost irrelevant - background noise that they were able to tune out when they needed to.

The other champions chose to visit them at one point. Krum wasn't one for many words, nodding his head at them briskly when he'd first seen them. He had glared slightly at Matthew, though that was likely down to the fact it must have looked as if he'd been stupefied by that very boy. It was probably a rather damaging hit to his self esteem, even if he'd already been told about the truth of what happened. It was likely a good thing that he was heading back to Bulgaria. Fleur, on the other hand, was much more pleasant towards them, the friendliness earnt from the second task still spilling over. She'd gushed over them both, repeatedly exclaiming just how happy she was that they were okay. Harry was rendered dumbstruck when she gave him a quick peck on the lips in farewell. Hermione was even more astounded when she received the same treatment, standing there with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging slightly agape.

Cedric didn't treat them with the same level of affection, but Harry was quite relieved about that. As much as he knew that the Hufflepuff was a supposedly attractive boy, he felt that Cho Chang would prefer to be the recipient of his kisses. They could tell that he was still clinging onto some annoyance at the way things had ended, his chance of winning taken away from him by an external force. But he had surprised them all when he told them he was simply relieved that no one had been too badly hurt, and that he hadn't gotten anywhere near the cup in the end. After all, there was no telling what would have happened to him if he'd entered the graveyard that night.

The most entertaining part of the final few weeks of the school year had come fairly soon after they'd been allowed out of the Hospital Wing. Watching Rita Skeeter be frogmarched from the school, a massive audience massing to observe the spectacle, had been incredibly sweet. The fact that she was escorted away by Ministry officials had just been the icing on the cake, making them hope that she would receive more punishment than just losing her job. Then again, Harry suspected that, from her point of view, that was the harshest penalty she could have come up with. She'd lost her voice. They were going to enjoy the quiet that ensued as a result.

"I just hope that we haven't made another enemy," Hermione had said as they bid a cheerful farewell to the former reporter. "There's nothing stopping her from targeting us even more now."

"Besides the fact that she won't be able to use her powers as an Animagus now," Harry had pointed out, not allowing himself to think too negatively for once. There would be time for that. There was a window now where they had the chance to relax. "That's how she got all of her stories."

"She can still write stories, no matter how much truth is in them. We've already seen that. She could have exposed Matthew's secret! She still could."

Matthew had smirked at that. "I don't think that's going to happen."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing!" He'd never been good at acting innocent. "First of all, she's lost all her credibility. Before, she could write any sort of nonsense and a large proportion of the community would have listened to her. Even if she somehow gets a job at another paper, not that there are many and none that have the audience of the Prophet, people aren't going to acknowledge what she was to say. Which means that the Tardis is safe once again. Who cares about an old wooden box?"

"I feel like there's more that you're not saying."

"Well…she was in the hospital wing when we were discussing everything that happened…which means she heard some rather incriminating stuff. We knew that we couldn't let that stand once we caught her."

"Did you obliviate her?" Harry had asked.

"I didn't. And neither did Dumbledore. The headmaster was very keen to test a charm that makes certain words sound nonsensical to a particular listener. She won't be able to remember the word 'Tardis'. Or, for that matter…Potter or Granger. He thought it was about time that she kept your names out of your mouth."

Once they were fighting fit, there was one thing that Hermione had been eagerly waiting to do. She didn't know when the next time would come when her parents were allowed to stay in Hogwarts, if it ever did, meaning she had to make the most of it while it lasted. The one thing they'd said that they'd wanted to do was go on a tour of the old castle. With lessons suspended, and exams already cancelled for the champions beforehand, it meant they just had enough time to scratch the surface of what the place had to hold. If they'd wanted to visit every last spot on the grounds, then it may have just ended when they were finishing their seventh and final year. Katherine and Peter were just happy to get the highlights, using their daughter as a tour guide. The boys had been invited to tag along, but Matthew had argued that it was only right that Hermione got some time alone with her family after such a hectic year. And it gave him a chance to interrogate Harry further about his magical exploits in the graveyard.

Her parents were walking closely behind her with their arms intertwined as they were led through the corridors. Every so often, they would stop and marvel at something that Hermione had walked past countless times. It was serving as a reminder of how she may have started to take such things for granted, the exuberant, wide-eyed energy she'd had in her first year dimming slightly. It was a logical progression, of course. Growing older and spending so much time there would mean that the shock and awe of it gradually wore off. Then again, magic would never stop surprising her, and she wanted to hold onto that mindset for as long as possible. More than anything, she was grateful to her two friends for constantly reminding her about that way of life, finding the wonder in things rather than always having to find out how they worked.

"I don't know you do it, Hermione," Katherine said wistfully. "How do you get any work done in this place? It's too beautiful! Too…distracting!"

"It can be easy to simply get lost in its majesty, that's true," she replied. "There's so much history to explore that can't be found in any books."

Peter chuckled softly. "I don't know what your mum is trying to say. There's no place on Earth that'd stop you from doing your work."

Katherine clucked her tongue. "Well, I've heard from reliable sources that she still makes time for a bit of fun from time to time."

Hermione spied her suspiciously. "Who have you been talking to?"

"I couldn't disclose my sources. Mainly because they told me not to, in case you reacted in this very fashion."

"Matthew," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"I find it rather sweet that he's so terrified of me that he has to hide behind you."

"He wouldn't stop talking about just how good you are in class," Peter added. "He says your skill with a wand is largely unmatched." He shook his head. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I can casually talk about magic and wands, even after all these years."

"Well, he's definitely flattering me there. I may be top of our classes, but he and Harry are definitely more powerful as wizards."

"He mentioned that you'd say that," Katherine responded with a playful hint to her voice.

They walked past an old portrait of a man in a long nightshirt, complete with a cap. Peter happened to glance at it and the man doffed his hat in greeting, along with a wink of his eye. Hermione's dad jumped back in fright, still not used to that particular trend.

"There's no need to look at me like that!" the painting complained with a huff. "It's not as if you look any better! And I'm only in two dimensions!"

Hermione dragged him away before a proper argument broke out. "It's best not to stare at them for too long, dad. Most of them are perfectly pleasant but you should be wary of rubbing some of them the wrong way. I think being stuck in paintings makes them a bit grouchy at times. You'd probably be annoyed if you just had to watch people living their lives all day whilst being trapped in a frame."

"But…they can talk…" Peter sputtered. "How is that possible? You're acting as if that's perfectly normal!"

"There's no such thing as normal around here. You should know that by now. As for how they do it…the simplest and yet most infuriating answer is…magic."

"I had a feeling that you were going to say that. I get the sense that you like having all this knowledge that you can lord over your old folks."

Katherine hit her husband on his arm. "I'd strongly advise you not to call me old again, thank you very much."

"Just wait until I show you our common room," Hermione said excitedly. "You'll get to meet the Fat Lady. She always has something to say. Or sing. But she's still much better than the temporary portrait we got last year." She shuddered slightly, remembering just how annoying and dangerously useless Sir Cadogan had been. Hermione noticed her mum smiling at her. "What is it? Did I say something funny?"

"It's just…it's so nice to be able to see you in your natural habitat. We obviously haven't had the chance before to be with you when you're properly in this world. We've had a few trips, of course, and they've been lovely. But this is where you live…where you're…growing up." Her smile faltered somewhat, tears threatening to overwhelm her. "You know how difficult it was for me and your dad to agree to let you come to Hogwarts in the first place. Because we knew we'd be missing out on a massive chunk of your life. But now we get to see the end product…of how much it's clearly benefited you. You're more confident now, more sure of yourself. Oh, Hermione…you make us both so proud. We love you so much."

"Mum! You're going to cause a scene!" It was a good job that no one else was walking along that particular part of the school. And maybe there was an element of Hermione not wanting to spend too much time receiving such praise. She could feel her cheeks going pink. "But thank you…it means a lot. It really does. And I love you too. More than I tell you."

"What she's trying to say is that, being here, we're getting to see that we made the right choice in the end," Peter amended, wrapping his arm around his wife to comfort her. "Especially because we've been debating that decision so much lately, after everything we've learnt."

Hermione bowed her head, always worried that they would return to this topic. "I'm just really glad that you're here with me now. Because you're getting to see the benefits of the magical world. You're seeing Hogwarts and all the brilliant stuff it holds. You get to interact with my friends, which wasn't really something you could have done when I was in primary school because…you know…I didn't have many, if any." She'd been practising this speech for quite some time, though she was still nervous. "From the outside, you were only hearing about the bad stuff. I want you to know everything, which means I have to expect that there's going to be that sort of balance. As much as I'd like you to just focus on all the good things."

"We're trying to do that," Katherine assured her. "But it's difficult when the bad things involve getting attacked."

"You don't have to remind me about that."

She looked at her child carefully. "How are you feeling after it? That nurse said that she would have preferred for you and Harry to remain in bed for a bit longer."

"I'm fine, honestly. More fine than I have any right to be. Harry should have been confined to a longer bedrest after what he was subjected to, but no one's able to keep him tied down for ages. He'd think he was missing out on something."

"And you're not just saying that to appease us, right? You'd tell us if something was truly wrong?"

"Immediately. Like I said…I'm trying not to hide stuff from you anymore. Matthew made me realise that I should be keeping you as close as possible, even if it's frightening at times. Because bringing you close risks pushing everything else away." She smiled despite her words. "And, if I was actually suffering from the other night, Matthew would be marching back to the hospital wing before I could utter a single word."

Her parents shared a look, Peter coughing in a manner that didn't sound like any normal cough. "Why don't you tell us more about what you get up to in school?"

"I must have told you everything by now." Hermione thought about it for a few moments, racking her brain for the most interesting facts she could extrapolate from her memory of Hogwarts a History . "I don't think you've actually been in the Great Hall yet! That's an absolute travesty! It's the most gorgeous part of the school, especially in the evenings. The candles float in the air above us whilst we eat, and the roof is charmed to mirror the sky outside. The feasts are amazing, though I'm not going to tell you how much of the desserts I tend to eat, because you'll no doubt start worrying about my teeth. You should blame Matthew for that, by the way. He's got an unbelievably sweet tooth, and I feel as if I've been influenced by him over the years. It's nothing too bad! Before you book me in for an appointment…"

"You know," Katherine began, and Hermione instantly knew that something dangerous was happening. "That's the second time you've brought up Matthew in roughly thirty seconds…"

Hermione tried to look extremely casual about that tidbit of information. "Is it? How peculiar. Don't tell him that, otherwise his head will get even bigger."

"He said something incredibly interesting to us on the night of the task. I don't think he really knew what he was saying at the time, mainly because he was so worried about you. And Harry, of course." She knew that she was meddling in something that didn't really involve her, and yet desperately wanted to give her daughter a bit of a push. She'd been waiting for that particular news in one of her letters for ages and her patience was now wearing thin. "But he definitely stood by the admission, judging from the look on his face."

"Katherine…" Peter murmured, immediately sensing what she was doing. He didn't like it for two reasons. He knew that they didn't have any right to interfere. And he also didn't want to think about his precious young girl in that context. He needed at least another decade before he even considered it.

"An admission?" Hermione asked, instantly curious about what they were talking about. She tried to figure out what the boy could have said, knowing what she wanted him to have uttered. And her mum was being suspiciously coy about the matter, serving to increase her desperation to find out the reason behind her behaviour. "What did he say?"

Her mum knew that she'd caught her hook, line and sinker. "That's not up to me to say, I'm afraid. You'll have to ask him about it."

"Mum! That's not fair! You know that I have to know everything! You can't tease me like this!"

"Oh, Hermione." Katherine hugged her close. "Let's just say that it's one of the main reasons why we're going to let you stay here once we're out of your hair. Along with these feasts you keep talking about. How long is it until the next one because all this walking has made me incredibly hungry! Do these corridors ever end?"

xxxxxxxxxxx

"And then you just…reached your hand out and the shield appeared?"

Matthew was looking at Harry with such intense curiosity that it was almost off-putting. They had secluded themselves in their dorm room once again, mainly because this sort of conversation couldn't really be had in the common room. There were too many ears, and this was still sensitive information. Not to mention that Matthew was trying to get his friend to actually show him what happened, something that couldn't be kept under wraps in the corner of a busy room. Not to mention the fact that, if it went wrong (Harry couldn't yet control it after all), this meant there was less chance of people getting unintentionally hurt. Harry had expected them to do this within the safety of the Tardis, but Matthew had pointed out that she'd been put through her paces recently and was acting rather temperamentally. He had described it as if the ship was having a strop for being pushed so hard.

"Exactly," Harry answered. "There was no thought that went into it, which is kind of the point, right? You're not supposed to think about it."

Matthew leaned his back against the post of his bed. "Well…you should be thinking about what spell you're doing…only because you could then do absolutely anything by mistake, and uncontrolled magic can be deadly at the best of times. But I understand what you mean. You're not supposed to think about anything else, especially in the beginning. With time, you should be able to perform a similar level of wandless magic whilst also doing something else, like making a cup of tea or reading a book."

"And how long is it going to be before I reach that level?" He was sitting forward, eager to get to the next step.

He got a pointed look in return. "How many times have I told you that you can't rush this?"

"That was before I managed to protect Hermione. I've shown that I can do this now!"

"A feat of skill that I'm immensely grateful for. But it doesn't mean much has changed. You've…unlocked it, I suppose. I guess that's a fairly accurate way of putting it. So you've got rid of the lock but the doors are still old and stiff, if you get what I mean."

"I…don't think I do, no."

Matthew laughed through his nose. "It's going to take a while to get the doors open."

"Is this entire process just a seemingly endless line of hurdles to cross?"

"Now that's a much better metaphor. Except you're trying to clear the hurdles whilst also being constantly pulled back to the starting line. Your body is going to resist these sorts of changes. You basically have to be reprogrammed."

"I really thought that I'd made a massive step forward."

"Are you kidding me? Of course you have! To perform that sort of magic, especially given the circumstances, is amazing! I would never have thought that you'd be at this stage by now, since you only started learning at the start of this year." He could tell that Harry was still rather downcast after the news. "Try and do some now."

"What? Here?"

"Right now. Conjure up the same shield you used to protect Hermione."

Harry shut his eyes tightly, concentrating as hard as he could on repeating the trick. He held out his hand, thinking it was in the same place as the last time. But then he started to think about his surroundings, wondering what would happen if he accidentally caused one of the beds to catch fire. Or what if he inadvertently sent a huge wave of magic outwards, knocking out Matthew and destroying everything? McGonagall would definitely not be happy about that. And his friend would likely want to enact revenge too quickly for Harry's liking.

He gave up after a short while, opening his eyes. He half expected Matthew to be smirking at being proven right, but his expression was simply one of curiosity. "I can't do it. You're putting me off!"

"I'm just sitting here! I'm not even making a sound!"

"You put me under too much pressure to do it without any warning."

"Which is exactly the point I'm trying to make. You can't do it when you want yet. In the graveyard, you'd lost all hope. Like you said, with everything going on, all you wanted to do was protect Hermione. That gave you the level of concentration required to perform the magic. Compare that to now…you don't have that stress, meaning your mind can wander. You have to control your mind just as much as your magic."

"Which means more sessions sitting in the Tardis, attempting to meditate."

"I'm trying not to be insulted at how annoyed you sound about that."

"It's just…I feel as if I'm very good in the moment, when I need my magic to work. When I don't have that pressure, I don't feel as if I'm as capable."

"To be honest, Harry, I'm not going to complain about that. Mainly because those moments you're talking about usually involve a life or death situation. You wouldn't want your abilities to work the other way around."

Harry had to admit that his friend had a point. He lowered himself softly onto the mattress, landing with a huff. He was only there for a matter of seconds before there was a knock at the door, forcing him to sit up straight again. They'd locked it when they'd come upstairs (not that they were strictly allowed to do that but they didn't usually listen to the rules), just in case one of their roommates interrupted their hushed conversation. The last thing he wanted was for this chat to end, knowing that there was plenty more that he needed to discuss, questions burning a hole in his skull. They couldn't do that if Ron or Neville was sitting in the next bed along, unless they wanted to deploy a hasty obliviation charm (even Matthew wasn't going to do that to them).

"We're busy at the moment," Matthew shouted briskly.

"Matthew…how many times have I told you that you need to work on your manners?" the person asked from the other side of the door.

The clipped tone was only ever going to belong to one person. They were quick to allow Hermione into the room, though they didn't lock the door behind her. The last thing they needed was people jumping to conclusions if they discovered that the three of them were alone in a locked room. Even without Rita Skeeter writing anymore, the scandalous rumours would spread like wildfire, just when things were moderately returning to normal.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," she complained, her hands firmly on her hips. "The Tardis doors were locked and she wouldn't let me in, which I thought was really rude! And then this door was locked, and I was ready to lose my temper."

"And no one wants to see that," Matthew quipped.

She eyed him dangerously, though there was something else there in her gaze that he couldn't quite get a read on. "Have you been practising magic in here?"

"I wish," Harry grumbled. "I can't produce any pure magic."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "As you can tell, he's taking the news really well."

Hermione perched on the edge of Matthew's bed. "Well, I don't think you should be pushing yourself so soon after the attack anyway. Magical exhaustion is a serious thing to go through. Just take it easy until we're back on the Express."

"Did Hermione Granger just tell me to take it easy?" Harry gasped in pretend shock. "Maybe you banged your head when we landed by portkey."

"Be careful, mister."

"How are your parents?" Matthew asked, before she physically attacked the other boy.

"I don't think they understood most of what's in Hogwarts, but they certainly enjoyed it. I'm hoping this can be more of a regular thing, their visits to the school. Hopefully in better circumstances, obviously. Then again, I don't deserve any preferential treatment with Dumbledore allowing them to stay."

"If anyone deserves special treatment, it's you, Hermione."

Again, there was something else in her gaze that confused him. "As it is, I've left them to pack now. They said they can't keep their practice closed for too long, otherwise clients will start to leave. They just had to make sure that I'm fine before heading back." She could already feel herself missing them and they hadn't even left yet.

"Well, you'll be seeing them again in no time for summer!"

"That's very true. I'm hoping it's a little less chaotic than the last holidays. No ministry trials this time."

"Speaking of…are you ready to be living with Sirius, Harry?"

Harry grinned widely. "I'm so excited. I've got this image in my head where we'll stay up all night. He'll be making breakfast for me in the morning. We'll just get to know each other better. That's what I'm most looking forward to. And all the stories he'll undoubtedly have to tell me."

"Do remember to see us though! Not that I'm needy or anything, but it's sounding as if you won't even need us over summer!"

Harry doubted he'd ever not need them. "I'm sure you'll get your invites within the first week. He wants to get to know you as much as he wants to get to know me. I'm worried that there might be some awkwardness at first."

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. "I think you've been through too much together to experience that. It might take some time but, soon, you won't remember anything other than living with him."

"I hope so," Harry sighed. "Because that means I won't have to think of the Dursleys ever again."

"And I won't have to accidentally land on your aunt's flower patch just to save you," Matthew commented.

A comfortable silence descended on the trio as they sat there, simply enjoying the fact that they were able to do that. It was the small moments that made everything else special, and made them so relieved that things hadn't been brought to a premature end. Matthew noticed that Hermione was acting a bit strange still, occasionally looking towards the door, then between the two boys. She would wring her hands nervously for some reason, fidgeting constantly on the bed. Their knees accidentally touched at one point and she may as well have been given an electric shock for how much she jumped at the contact.

"Harry?" she asked after a while.

"Yeah, 'Mione?"

"Would you…would you…oh, I was hoping to talk to Matthew…alone…and I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to…you know…leave."

"I'm getting kicked out of my own dorm room? When you're not even supposed to be here?"

"There aren't any rules against it! And it'd only be a short while. I just need to have a quick chat with him."

"You're not going to kill him, are you?"

Matthew sat up straighter, also concerned by her behaviour. "I was worried about that prospect too. Have I done something wrong?"

"Everything's perfectly fine!" Her tone suggested otherwise. "Please, Harry."

The boy grumbled but stood up. "If you're doing secret training behind my back again , then I'm not going to be happy."

They waited for Harry to leave, who gave them one last suspicious look before walking out the door. Hermione was suddenly very aware of how close the two of them were sitting to one another, though she didn't think her legs were capable of moving her with how shaky they were. Matthew was obviously waiting for an explanation for the strange turn of events, though she was thankful that he was at least giving her the time to speak first. There was no pressure coming off him, and she really needed that to compose herself.

"I need to talk to you."

"I know. We've established that already."

"No. None of that. Not now. You can be funny all the time, besides now. Because this is important."

His face grew grave. "Are you okay, Hermione? Has something happened?"

"My parents told me something…"

"Are they taking you out of Hogwarts? Because I can get Dumbledore to stand in the way of that. We've convinced them once before to not make that choice, so we can do it again. Just tell them not to make any rash decisions and…"

Hermione placed a hand on his arm. "It's nothing like that. They told me that you…admitted something to them…after me and Harry were taken during the task."

Matthew's face went pale. "Oh."

"Are you going to tell me what that was?"

"Does that mean you don't know?"

"I could be testing you…"

He sighed, beginning to rummage through his cloak, an action that confused her. "I wasn't going to do this now. I wanted to do it properly. Now…where is it?" He opened the inside of his cloak fully, digging his entire arm into one of the pockets before pulling something out. "Ah, got you."

"What is it?" She realised this was likely one of his tactics to distract her from a more serious conversation, and yet she was falling for it easily.

Matthew dangled it in front of her, a key attached to a length of string. "You said that you were annoyed that the Tardis didn't let you in before. This should come in handy with that."

"You mean…this is a key…to the…"

"Tardis, yeah." He was the one sounding nervous now, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "If I'm going to trust one person with that, it's always going to be you."

"Why now? Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because of what happened. I was so close to losing you. If Harry's ill thought out plan hadn't worked, which, by all rights, should have been the case…then I never would have seen you again. I've lost so many people over the years. Losing you…it would have been unbearable. Afterwards, I had a decision to make. I could push you away, out of fear of the heartbreak I'd go through if you were taken away. Or…I could cling onto you tighter, so that I can make every moment count." He dangled the key softly. "This is me taking the risky option."

Hermione allowed him to carefully place the key around her neck, acting as the greatest piece of jewellery she'd ever been gifted. "But…why?" Her voice was a whisper now.

"Does it need saying?"

"You want to make every moment count…I think that means it does."

"Hermione Granger…this key signifies that no matter what happens, no matter how dark the days get, no matter how much hope is lost…I will always be there with you, and for you. Because…I love you. And I don't want to risk you never hearing that, damn the consequences."

"Personally, I think that the consequences might be rather good," she said as she leaned in, smiling into the gentle kiss they shared.

They jumped apart when the door opened, Harry sounding breathless as he panted after running up the stairs. His eyes went wide at the compromising position he found his friends in, not knowing what to say.

"This is why you wanted me to leave?" he asked exasperatedly. "You know what? Good choice. Because I'd rather not be sitting next to you both when you're doing… that ."

"Is there a point to you coming back so soon?" Matthew growled, wanting to get back to what they'd just started. "It better be important."

"Um…yeah…sorry, I'm just…trying to get that picture out of my head."

"Harry James Potter," Hermione said in a terrifying tone of voice.

"You're going to want to come downstairs. Fudge…he's just announced that Voldemort's back."