Disclaimer: Car payments, insurance, telephone bills...Yep still belongs to J.K.

A/N: Yay me! Still going strong. Thanx to all my reviewers. I didn't know I was so missed (Tear!) Sooooo inspired to keep going.

Chapter Sixteen: The Path

"I love you," He absentmindedly pushed a large curl behind her ear. Hermione giggled. Man, he loved that giggle. On a whole, she was too serious and grounded to giggle, unless she was with him.

"I love you too, Harry."

"Of course...Ow! If you're going to pinch me at least pick another place 'sides my arm." Harry gulped louder than he thought possible.

Hermione's sanctuary a.k.a the library was always deserted at this hour. No other student, Head Girl or no had ever been given the types of privileges that Madam Pince had allotted to Hermione. She frowned at the thought of betraying her trust to indulge Harry's whim but he promised to make it worth her while. Harry could tell that, so far, she was disappointed. "Seriously, 'Mione. I really love you."

Hermione's right eyebrow quirked. "Yes..I really love you too?"

Harry sighed in frustration at himself. "You know I'm going to marry you someday."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, really? Aren't you forgetting something?"

He smiled. "Let's see...Beautiful girl who I'm not nearly good enough for: check." Harry dramatically fished through his robes before extracting a small box. "A ridiculously priced sparkly ring.." He opened the box before Hermione. "Check... And a proposal that will never sound boring to grand-daughters down the line...check." His Gryffindor bravery crumbled as he fell to his knees. "An acceptance that would complete a young man's dream?..."

"Check." Hermione sniffled in an unromantic way that flooded her new fiance's heart with happiness.

"Whoo!" The young wizard pulled his witch into an embrace then a passionate kiss which wasn't as chaste as the ones before. This one had his new fiancee weak in the knees; she needed to lean back against the shelves to catch her breath. His emerald eyes filled with a different light as he pulled Hermione into his arms to kiss her once more. His hands slid down her hips to rest as he deepened the kiss. She sighed into his mouth as she permitted him to go further, not stopping him when his hands began to move again. She did stop him, however, when his right hand had traveled under her skirt.

"Harry, maybe you should at least put the ring on my finger."

Figures she would be sensible at a time like this. He smiled and once more removed the ring from his robes and placed it on her finger, kissing the ring when in place. "I love you so much Hermione. I can hardly wait until we graduate... I'll take care of you. I'll be there for you all the time. I'll-"

Hermione silenced him by placing a slender finger on his lips. "Why don't you start with making sure that I get to my rounds on time. Ron should be waiting in the common room." She smiled oh so sweetly and started to make her way out of the library...

Harry awoke in his dormitory. A quick glance at the clock had confirmed the feeling of early morning. He thought back to the night he proposed. How could I not notice Draco? He was close enough to hear and see a good deal. He sat up and stretched. It had been days since he had seen Hermione. Since I was stupid enough to try and fix everything by myself. Tonks had reported back the possible hideout that Pettigrew had mentioned during the previous day and just before he and Ron went to sleep, Bill had reported several strong curses and wards surrounding the area. The rat was right. Some of the stronger Aurors as well as Lupin and Snape were led by Bill in tearing down the primary defenses. Harry and Ron's job was simple: rest up for a significant battle. So far, Harry was falling short on his assignment.

He groaned from lack of sleep but knew it was pointless to try and get more rest. Admitting defeat, Harry pulled a house robe over his pajamas and stepped into his slippers. Normally after a significant dream, he would send Hedwig to wake up Hermione with a note to meet him somewhere but...

"I didn't do it, Mum!" Ron sat up and blinked heavily at his best friend. "Oh, never mind. What's up Harry? Can't sleep?" Harry nodded. "Can't say I blame you. Too bad 'Mione's not here I could use the sleep." His smile was lopsided and good-natured. His friend chuckled. "Oh, come on! Let's go get some coffee, eh?"

Ron was up to par after his fourth mug of whipped coffee. "Ooooh! Nectar of the gods." The red-haired wizard smiled as the house-elves teared up and bowed. "Mum doesn't think I should go tomorrow. Hell, Mum doesn't think you should go tomorrow. So are you supposed to go up against Vold- Fuck it, you know!"

Harry shrugged and bit into a cream filled pastry. "My job is to get Hermione out to there. If I happen to come across Voldemort, I should fight him but if I start to feel overwhelmed I'm supposed to get my arse out of there. Dumbledore feels that the big bad standoff can wait until later. I concur."

Ron wiped the whipped cream off of his lip with the back of his sleeve. "I love you guys. You and 'Mione. If I was gonna surrender to anyone, I wouldn't settle for anyone less than you. Not that it was a competition. You're my brother and she'll be my sister. Simple enough."

"Yeah, now I just need to rescue her."

"But you'll do it. The two of you are like destined to be together or some shite like that. Seriously, scared?"

Harry met Ron's eyes and answered in perfect honesty. "No...I may as well have an exam due tomorrow or something. I really thought that I couldn't do this. Especially when I found out the evil that Draco was capable of. But I had this dream of the night I proposed to Hermione. I will stop at nothing to get her back. This time though I'm gonna do this right. No burst of anger or rushing blindly. You and I will follow whatever plan they lay ahead to the tee. Dumbledore will help me and for once I will heed. his. every. word."

"Too right. Too bad it took us seven years to figure it out."

"Yeah, well one of the reasons we were so successful was because we had Hermione by our side to think fast. In less than twenty four hours I will have my fiancee and child back with me and I will not fuck this up again."

An older but powerful voice spoke from the door to the kitchen. "Well said Harry." Dumbledore smiled a reassuring smile towards the two Gryffindors. "I hope you've had enough caffeine...It's time."

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"Ugh! spiders!"

"Hush Weasley."

"Sorry Professor Snape." Ron had to duck lower than his best friend and worst professor to avoid the sharp branches that were overhead. They had been walking for over an hour and the tall red haired wizard was trying not to complain; this was for 'Mione. "Professor, why do we have to walk again?" That one slipped out.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Weasley, if you had paid attention, you would have known that some of the simpler wards were left in place so as to not raise suspicion. This was the closest we could apparate without setting off those wards. Now, shut you screamer."

Ron looked over his shoulder to Harry who smiled. "I dunno why he's so surprised. It's not like you ever listen to anything he says."

"That's what I'm saying...Oof!" Ron walked into Snape's back, who had stopped just short of a clearing. "Sorry."

Severus crouched behind a high bush and motioned for his students to do the same. "Now, you both know the plan." He started as he slipped out of his robe. "Once we're all here we move, together, towards the cave. Bill must break the final ward so the alarm will not be set off. We stay together as much as we can until we take control of the hideout." Snape transfigured a rock into a small sparrow and released the bird towards the clearing. All three watched as three more sparrows flew out from various parts of the woods surrounding the clearing. "Alright, we just need to wait for Bill's signal."

"Professor," Harry whispered. "How many do you suppose there are again?"

"Well, several are out supporting the pretense of innocence. Just his most loyal and already condemned followers remain."

"Great!. They also happen to be his most dangerous." Ron scoffed. He stopped in the middle of rolling his eyes and gaped towards the clearing. "Fred!"

Harry and Snape whirled their heads to follow Ron's line of sight. He was paler and much thinner than usual but there was no denying that the missing twin had returned. Unfortunately, he was walking in broad daylight towards the opening before Bill had removed the ward.

Snape snarled and ran towards Fred, causing Harry and Ron to run after him in confusion. The Potions Master lunged at Fred, who fell forward yet continued to roll towards the opening, pulling Snape with him.

"Bloody hell! Now he decides to come alive!" Ron fell on top of both of them, halting Fred in his path.

A loud piercing screech flooded the woods. Bill ran into the clearing with several Aurors behind him. "Dammit! Fred's broken the ward!" He pulled Snape to his feet and drew his wand. Ron and Harry struggled to hold Fred, who, despite his efforts to free himself, still maintained a hollow look in his eyes. "Everyone move!" Bill shouted as the back of the wall dissolved to reveal several Deatheaters rushing towards Harry and the others with murder in their eyes.

Harry reached into his robe to touch Hermione's engagement ring that he wore on a chain about his neck. He then smiled and pulled out his wand. "Mione. I'm coming."