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A/N Sorry for the late update, computer problems! Anyhow here is the next chapter. Godric's hollow will be soon, but we still have a ways to go as you will see. Happy reading and don't forget to review.

Harry's obsession

The following week passed much slower than any of them could have imagined. Harry was getting so anxious to leave for Godric's hollow that he barely ate or slept. Hermione and Tonks urged him to try to rest so he would have strength but to no avail. He paced incessantly and practiced jinxes and curses like a man possessed. Five days before they were set to leave Remus had to give Harry a sleeping draft in his pumpkin juice so he could finally rest. The next day he was back at it.

"He is not going to last long acting like this." Tonks said as the rest of them watched Harry practicing in the sitting room. Even Ron tried to reason with him but he was more determined than ever to end this quickly. Hermione sat on the sofa reading quietly about the small village of Godric's hollow.

"It's quite a ways north of London." she remarked to Ginny who nodded in reply. "Remus, how exactly are we going to get there? It says in this book that you cannot apparate directly to the town, kind of like how you can't apparate to Hogwarts."

"There is a safe apparition point a few miles south. We will have to walk the rest of the way. Godric's hollow is mainly a muggle village. We can't just pop in there." he said in reply not looking up from his edition of 'The evening prophet'.

"Walk?" Ron said finally catching up to the conversation. "With Death eaters on the loose? Are you bloody mad?"

"Ronald!" Hermione said quite frustrated. "We will do what we have to do. There will be enough of us to be safe. Well, as close to safe as we can get in this situation." she added. Hermione looked at her watch and it was nearly nine p.m.

"Well I guess I will start dinner." she said. There were times when she felt that's all she did was cook.

"No, let Remus and I get dinner tonight. Go upstairs and relax." Tonks said patting Hermione on the shoulder and pushing her up the steps, winking at her as she did. Hermione scowled and went to her room where Draco was sitting on the bed reading up on things he missed in his seventh year at Hogwarts.

"Thanks for lending me your books." he said looking up from the 'Standard book of spells grade 7'.

"No problem." she said flopping next to him on the bed. She had spent very little time alone with Draco over the past days. Not that she didn't want to, but she could barely control herself around him sometimes. In her daydreams she saw herself just lying around in the cool green grass kissing him for hours on end.

"How's it going?" she asked him when she noticed him rubbing his eyes.

"Alright. I am having trouble with this though. I don't understand it and the book doesn't say how to perform the charm." he said pointing to a page in the book. Hermione looked at it and noticed it was showing the patronus charm.

"Well it is very advanced magic." she told him. "But Harry taught me in our fifth year so he should be able to teach you."

"Potter could do this in our fifth year?" he asked amazed.

"Yes, remember that little meeting you and your, uh, friends broke up?" she asked remembering Draco's little inquisitorial squad.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Well Harry was teaching us defense against the dark arts so we could pass our O.W.L.S. and to piss off Umbridge." she grinned.

"Potter never could follow the rules, but I'm surprised you went along with it. You were always the straight and narrow one." Draco remarked.

"It was my idea." she said proudly.

"I'm impressed. So what does this patronus charm do?" he asked.

"It's kind of like a shield of happiness. It drives Dementors away because they feed on happy thoughts. That's why most of us feel so hopeless when they are around. This gives them something else to feed off of instead of you."

"Oh. Does it do anything else?" he asked.

"I know it drives off Lethifolds (see bottom). Not sure what else, Harry's the one to ask. You should learn how to do it though."

"Potter doesn't look up to me asking him anything these days." Draco said.

"But maybe if he had something to teach, to keep his mind off of the trip to Godric's hollow it would help him as well." she told him.

"Will you ask him for me?" Draco asked.

"No, you are a big boy, you can ask him. He's in the sitting room."

"Big surprise. Practicing?" he wondered.

"Yes, now go. You will need all the time we have to learn it." she said pushing him out the door.

Draco walked down the creaky stairs, through the dining room and into the sitting room. Ginny was asleep in front of the fire and Harry was pouring through piles of heavy tomes.

"Oi, Potter." Draco said attempting to get Harry's attention.

"What is it? I'm very busy." he said not even looking up from his pages.

"Well, Hermion…Granger told me to come and ask you to teach me the patronus charm. She said you knew how and since I never learned it…Potter? Are you listening to me?' he asked in an annoyed fashion.

"Yeah, Hermione…something about a charm. Is there something you need Malfoy?" he asked finally looking up.

"Granger wants you to teach me the patronus charm. I don't know how and she thinks it would be a good idea. Is it true you have been doing it since our fifth year?"

"Third." Harry replied.

"But Granger said you taught her in our fifth year when Umbridge was there."

"Yeah, I did. But I learned in our third." he said slamming the large book shut. "So you want to learn?"

"Yes."

"Fine. We can start tomorrow though. I am exhausted. Ginny…Ginny, are you coming upstairs?"

The red head stirred and looked around at Harry, then at Draco.

"Yep, night Malfoy." she said grabbing Harry's hand and heading up the stairs. Draco waited a moment and then followed.

"What about dinner?" Tonks yelled from the dining room, but no one paid any attention.

"Guess it's just you and me tonight." she said smiling at Remus who was not complaining.

Draco re-entered the room and found Hermione writing a letter.

"Who are you writing to?" he asked.

"My parents. Just letting them know I am alive." she smiled slightly. Draco thought it must be nice to have someone worry about you. He knew his lowlife father was not the least bit concerned about his well being, and was probably pissed off that he was not dead yet. He noticed yet another letter on her nightstand, already sealed. It was addressed to Viktor Krum.

"You still write to Krum?" he asked.

"Yes, we have been friends for a long time." she replied.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Yes friends. Why?" she said as her writing stopped.

"Just wondered. You two looked awfully cozy at the Yule ball all those years ago."

And to Draco's surprise he felt a twinge of jealousy at Hermione's reminiscent smile.

"Yes, well really it was very flattering. But long distance relationships rarely work out, and besides I needed to concentrate on my studies and this whole thing with Harry. That's why we are just friends." she sealed up the letter to her parents and collected Hedwig who was perched in the window.

"Have a safe flight." she said after tying the letters to her leg and watching her fly out of the window.

"Potter is going to teach me the patronus. Tomorrow. He was going to bed now, but I'm not sure how much sleep he's going to get with the mini-redhead sleeping in the same bed." he laughed. Hermione smiled.

"Might help him take his mind off of things as well." Hermione said before patting the bed. Draco took the cue and sat next to her.

"So…" he said the edges of his mouth just slightly turning upwards.

"So…" she replied blushing furiously.

"We could take our minds off things too." he grinned.

"I thought we agreed…" she started but he cut her off in mid-sentence.

"I just meant a little something, that's all." he said staring into her dark eyes with his light ones.

"Well…" she started and he interrupted again by kissing her softly on her lips. His hand went behind her neck and hers to his hair. Kissing him was fast becoming Hermione's favorite thing to do besides read. Although she had to admit this was loads more fun. She inhaled his scent and it flitted through her nose and into her mind setting off a euphoric feeling. Even the soft feeling of his cheek against hers and the tiny bristly stubs that he got at this late hour gave her a heavy feeling in her stomach. Everything about him drove her crazy, although she would never admit that to him. His hand reached over and grabbed hers and held it for a brief moment before he rested it on his leg. She swallowed hard. Lifting her hand just slightly, Hermione grazed his thigh with her fingertips. Draco skin erupted in goosebumps. She felt braver than she could ever remember being. Brazenly she thrust her tongue into his mouth. He moaned her name softly as her hand began massaging his leg. Hermione knew she could not let this get too far tonight, but somehow she couldn't help herself from touching and tasting him. Draco's hand began to creep up the back of her blouse and in a second her bra strap was undone. She gasped into his mouth and went to pull back but his other hand on the back of her neck kept her firmly in that position. He reached up the front of her blouse and massaged her breasts softly.

"Mmmm…" she said quietly as her hand traveled upwards on his thigh until it reached an immense hardness. Her eyes widened as she felt it through the thin fabric of his shorts. It was much larger than she imagined it had been. His breathing became rapid and irregular as she touched and teased his leg. Hermione had to admit in her own mind that she loved the feeling of power she was getting from teasing him. It was a rush of adrenaline. In Draco's mind he was soaring into heights he had never reached before. He knew she was purposely grazing him with her fingers and allowing her hand to rest on areas just a second or two longer than she had minutes ago. If she kept this up he did not know if he would be able to stop.

"Hermione…" he gasped through shallow breaths. "We have to stop…"

"Hmmm?" she said not hearing him.

"I said we have to stop…if we don't…well we just have to." he said in a husky voice.

"Oh, well yes. I suppose so then." she told him although she could barely hear over her thumping heartbeat.

"Unless you don't want to." he smiled with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I don't want to. But you are right, we have to." she said taking her hand off of his leg quickly.

"Yeah." he sighed heavily.

"Will you lay here with me tonight?" she asked.

"Of course. I have to use the bathroom right quick. Be back soon." he said standing up with extreme difficulty and limping down the hall to the bathroom. He retuned ten minutes later walking normally in an upright position and laid down on the bed behind Hermione.

"Night." she whispered.

"Night." he replied before drifting off to sleep.

A Lethifold is a tropical creature which hunts for prey at night. It looks like a black shroud which glides along the ground. When it finds a victim (usually a sleeping human) it attempts to smother them by blocking their breathing. Once dead, the prey is eaten and digested on the spot. The Lethifold leaves no trace of its attack and the victim seems to have simply disappeared. The only known defense is the Patronus charm.