Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter content in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to JK Rowling, and JK Rowling alone.

Chapter 20

The weeks following Hermione's sudden and unwanted transformation into a cat-humanoid hybrid were relatively tame for Harry Potter's standards. Granted, every student at Hogwarts – with the exception of Gryffindor – seemed fairly convinced that he was the Heir of Slytherin that was attacking Muggle-born students. True, he was taking extra-diligent notes in every single class in order to keep Hermione up to speed on everything while she recovered in the Hospital Wing. And yes, he did have to sneak out of Gryffindor Tower every night just to talk to Hermione – Madam Pomfrey had barred visitors from seeing her entirely. The lone exception was so Harry could drop notes off for her, but every time he barely had time to say hello before Pomfrey whisked him out into the corridor.

So, one could suppose, that the weeks entailing Hermione's hospital stay were unique, but Harry Potter had been through worse. He quite enjoyed visiting Hermione and telling her all about what Professor Binns had droned on about that day, or what they'd practiced in Charms, or how many points Snape had taken from Gryffindor. They'd stay up for hours; they'd read and write and talk and practice until Harry could barely keep his eyes open. He ended every session with a grin, telling her he'd see her later with the day's notes. And every time he walked towards the doors, she purred when she thought he was just out of earshot.

On a particularly dreary day in February, he ambled down the staircase from Gryffindor Tower. He'd slept through most of breakfast – as he'd done almost every morning since he began spending so many nighttime hours in the Hospital Wing. Several of his classmates had taken turns running food up for him from the Great Hall, a gesture he very much appreciated, and made him feel that much more included amongst his year.

"You'd do the same for us, Harry." Pavarti had grinned as she handed him a plate of bacon and toast once it had become clear he'd be oversleeping routinely. Harry could barely contain his gratitude that morning, grinning like an idiot over a few pieces of toast. Since that morning, a month and a half ago, his peers had formed an airtight schedule of who would bring him food.

'Let's see, yesterday was Seamus, before then was Dean, before him was Lavender, before her was Ron, before him was Pavarti, so today must be Neville!' He thought to himself absent-mindedly as he descended the marble staircase into the common room. He'd been too busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes to notice that Neville was not waiting for him. He reached the bottom of the stairs and felt his heart stop when he finally surveyed his surroundings.

"Hungry?" A perfectly human Hermione Granger asked, brandishing a plate full of toast and fresh fruit towards him. Two goblets of pumpkin juice lay on a table next to her. Harry could barely move in shock. Just a few hours ago, he'd left Hermione in her hospital bed. Sure, she was significantly less furry in the face than she'd been on Christmas, but Harry assumed she'd need at least another week.

"Wha…how?" He stammered, his jaw dropping. Hermione giggled at his expression.

"I had quite the rally this morning. I still have to go in later today just to get checked up. But, I'm me now. No longer do I bear an unsettling resemblance to the cat of one Millicent Bulstrode. Even the eyes are back, see?" She asked with a giddy smile, blinking repeatedly to accentuate her chocolate-colored eyes instead of the yellow ones she'd had for nearly two months. "I bumped into Neville on my way here. He told me all about the system you guys have set up. I thought it was so sweet of them to do." She mused distractedly.

"So you're, like – you're…good?" Harry asked dumbly, still processing the fact that Hermione was out of the Hospital Wing. His brain's speed wasn't helped by the fact that he'd been awake for about ninety seconds. She rolled her eyes.

"How eloquent. Yes, Harry. I'm good." She sighed dramatically, placing the plate of breakfast food on the table. "You still haven't answered my question, though."

"Huh?"

"Hungry?" She asked, plopping down on a couch and patting the space next to her. Harry finally felt his brain match up with his body and he felt his face light up. He bounded over to the couch, eagerly sitting down next to his bushy-haired friend. Before he could dig in, however, a wall of force slammed into his right side.

"Hermione!" He coughed out, weakly patting the arms that were wrapped around his torso. "I just saw you, it's not like I'm back from a war…" He groaned. Then he felt a soft peck on his cheek, and he grinned. Within an instant, the pleasant warmth from where he'd been kissed washed over his entire body as if he'd been submerged in liquid sunlight. He turned to Hermione, hoping his expression didn't look as dazed as he felt. "What was that for?" He asked, still grinning.

"That's for coming to visit me every night." She giggled as she finally relinquished him from the hug. "Seeing my best friend was the only thing that made the Hospital Wing bearable."

"I know how you feel." Harry winked before grabbing a piece of toast.

Their peaceful breakfast concluded after a few minutes, and the pair realized they needed to change into their school robes.

"Meet down here?" Hermione asked as she polished off the last of the fruit. Harry nodded and leapt to his feet. He had just begun ascending the staircase when he heard the last noise he was expecting to hear.

"Prrr…"

He whipped his head around to see Hermione sitting on the couch, her eyes locked onto her copy of Hogwarts: A History in fascination. Harry was certain he was simply too sleep-deprived to trust his judgement, until his best friend suddenly looked up from her book and winked. He felt his eyebrows shoot up instinctively, and Hermione gave him a mischievous smile that turned his stomach inside-out before going back to her book.

The pair happily walked to Charms, and Harry and Ron couldn't help but snicker when Flitwick jumped for joy at the sight of his best student. Hermione didn't stop blushing for the rest of the class.

"So no Herbology?" Hermione asked glumly as she peered out the window of the third-floor corridor. Gryffindor had just been dismissed after a rather intense practice session regarding the Severing Charm, and now Harry and Hermione stood bored in the hallway.

"Not with the snow. We've got a free period now." Harry sighed, moving next to his best friend to watch the white powder that coated the Hogwarts grounds thicken amongst the current snowfall.

"So what should we do?" Hermione asked. "Library?" She suggested, nudging Harry's arm. He snorted.

"You spent six weeks in a bed doing nothing but reading books, and the first thing you want to do with your freedom is read some more?"

"Well, what do you suggest? I don't suppose you've got a Quidditch practice coming up?" Harry shook his head, smiling to himself.

"Wood's actually eased up lately. Even without you screaming your head off in the stands I've managed to keep us in first place for the Quidditch Cup." He sighed. "We don't play another match until May, anyway."

"Aw, poor Harry." Hermione cooed, leaning into his side. "Let me know if you start getting separation anxiety."

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Quidditch bad, books good. Did I do it right?" He grinned, looking down to see Hermione gazing up at him serenely. She flashed him a playful smile before turning back to the window.

"It's beautiful…" She sighed. Harry nodded distractedly, suddenly realizing how much Hermione was leaning her shoulder into his side. He awkwardly lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, hoping it wouldn't make her move away. His heart swelled when he heard her sigh contentedly, and he was certain his pulse was hitting dangerous levels when she leaned even closer to him. He turned to the window and watched the snowflakes drift down from the sky. For a moment, he considered standing there for the rest of their free period, possibly the rest of the year, with his arm around Hermione, his eyes locked onto the magnificent vista in front of him.

"Do you want to go out there?" She suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Harry asked, jarred from his thoughts. "Sorry, what did you say?" He asked, trying to sound innocent. He turned back to see Hermione looking at him expectantly.

"I said," she rolled her eyes, "do you want to go outside?" Harry glanced out the window again and nodded, and she immediately beamed at him. "Let's go!" She stood up straight and stepped back suddenly. Harry watched his arm fall limply from her shoulders to his side, standing awkwardly for a moment before Hermione slipped her hand into his and began dragging him down the corridor. He felt a warm sensation travel up his arm and throughout his body as he let himself be guided towards the staircase.

The pair exited the castle and began to roam the Hogwarts grounds, still hand in hand. Harry was certain he hadn't stopped smiling like an idiot since the moment Hermione laced her fingers through his, but he didn't care. He was walking around the Hogwarts grounds with his best friend – something he hadn't had the luxury of doing for weeks. They meandered about, absorbing the gentle beauty that surrounded them. Harry was reminded of his summer walks with Hermione in Sapphire Park, and he felt his smile grow even wider. Until…

"Look who's finally out of the Hospital Wing!" A cold voice bellowed across the grounds. Harry felt every muscle in his body tense as he turned and saw the one person capable of ruining their otherwise pleasant morning striding towards him, accompanied by his two favorite gorilla-human hybrids – Crabbe and Goyle. "I was starting to think you'd been petrified too. Wishful thinking, I suppose."

"Good morning, Malfoy. I'm surprised you're out here – cockroaches can't survive in cold weather for very long." Hermione shot the Slytherin a glare icier than the frozen Great Lake behind them.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Malfoy recoiled, his pale face flushing. He fumbled in his winter cloak for his wand, but Harry shot his hand into his pocket for his own.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted, grinning triumphantly as the blonde's wand flew through the air into his outstretched hand. Hermione gasped, bringing both of her hands to her face in surprise.

Malfoy stood dumbfounded, his eyes flickering between his empty hand and Harry. "Give it back!" He sneered when he finally came to his senses. Harry dropped it into the snow next to him and turned on his heel, grabbing Hermione's hand and continuing on their walk is if they hadn't been rudely interrupted.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Hermione whispered once they had put a fair amount of distance between themselves and the still-flustered Slytherins. Harry just shrugged.

"I can learn some things without you doing everything for me." He winked. Hermione bristled, but smirked to herself.

"Well, in that case, maybe you can handle your studies on your own for the rest of the year."

"You're funny." Harry muttered, still grinning. Hermione chuckled to herself before they reached a snowbank adjacent to the lake.

"Should we sit?" Hermione squeezed his hand, and he nodded. She plopped down into the snow, her hand still clasped in his. Harry stood a moment longer, admiring the view he had of the castle. With the snow drifting down gently, the white-coated evergreen trees that dotted the grounds, and the frozen lake in front of them, Harry wished he could take a picture. He was about to turn back to his best friend when he felt a tug.

"Ow!" He groaned as he stumbled and face-planted next to Hermione. He heard her break into a fit of giggles, and he groaned again, much more incoherently considering his mouth was full of snow. Slowly, he rolled onto his side so he could glare at his bushy-haired friend. "You're evil." He grumbled, spitting out chunks of white powder, which only made Hermione laugh harder.

"You should have seen your face!" She wheezed. Even though his face was hot with embarrassment, Harry couldn't help but smile at Hermione's joy. He sighed and sat up next to her, and let her get the last of her giggles out.

"Are you done?" He asked in mock exasperation. Hermione nodded, still grinning at his sudden collision with the ground. "You're evil." He said again, shaking his head.

"Oh, hush." She swatted him playfully on the arm. They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione gingerly scooted closer to Harry so that their shoulders were touching. For a moment Harry thought about saying something, or even backing away. Through all of his layers of clothing he felt a jolt when his best friend's shoulder brushed his, but he shrugged it off, still marveling the castle.

"I really can't thank you enough for visiting me in the Hospital Wing, Harry." She finally said, turning to lock eyes with him. "It was probably the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"I literally fought a mountain troll for you, but okay."

"Oh, honestly!" She threw up her hands in feigned vexation. "As much as I appreciate you not letting me get murdered in the girls' bathroom, this actually means more to me. I don't really know how to describe it." She turned her head back to face the castle. "I was in that bed for six weeks, and you came every night. Maybe it was the prolonged kindness, or the fact that you never gave up or anything. I'm not sure what it is that makes it mean so much, but it does. Seeing you rip that cloak off and materialize next to me every night meant the world to me."

Harry gulped, unsure of how to respond. Truth be told, he hadn't given much thought to the concept of him visiting his best friend every night. It just felt like it was something he should do. Even when the Christmas holidays concluded and classes resumed, he hadn't hesitated in taking the most thorough notes he'd ever written for her. He didn't think twice about staying late into the night instead of getting the amount of sleep he was used to in his four-poster bed.

"You would do the same for me, right?" He asked suddenly. He blinked at his own words, not even sure where they'd come from. He turned to see Hermione nodding.

"Of course, Harry. Of course I would."

"Why?" He asked, and Hermione hitched her breath. She didn't take her eyes off the castle for a very long time, until she slowly turned to him.

"I can't really explain." She finally answered. "I just…feel like it's what I should do. Where I should be. With you." Harry saw her eyes were glistening with tears, and he gave her a small smile of encouragement.

"That's exactly why I did it."

"Still…" Her voice was now a whisper. "I don't know how to thank you."

'The kiss on the cheek was a good start…' The voice in Harry's head taunted. He wondered distractedly if jamming his wand into his ear and casting Incendio would teach his inner voice a lesson. Sighing, he turned back to Hermione.

"How about you try and not land yourself in the Hospital Wing?" He managed. "Not that I didn't enjoy reading notes with you and scratching you behind the ears from time to time." He grinned as Hermione blushed and tried to bury her face in her hands. "But seeing you in one of those beds, even if you weren't exactly injured or anything…" He sighed, feeling his stomach plummet at the thought of such horrific circumstances. "It was almost too much to bear. Too much to think about, that you were in the Hospital Wing. Especially when I couldn't be there with you."

Silence. Harry had turned his eyes back to the castle and couldn't bring himself to look at Hermione. She didn't respond for a very long time, and he began to wonder if he'd said something wrong, if he'd made her uncomfortable by spilling his heart out to her out of nowhere. He got his answer when he felt a familiar tickle of bushy brown hair on his cheek as Hermione laid her head on his shoulder.

"Harry…" It was barely a whisper, but her voice was packed with so much emotion he thought his own heart was going to burst.

"Do we have a deal?" He asked. She let out a tranquil sigh before nodding.

"But you have to at least try to do the same." She nudged him with her elbow. "I can't stand you being hurt any more than you can with me."

"Deal." He grinned. "No Quidditch until May anyway, remember?"

Hermione snickered, and they sat in content silence for a while. Every few minutes, she would inch closer to him, or burrow her face further against his shoulder. With each movement, Harry felt his heartbeat quicken and his breaths grow more and more shallow. In spite of his nerves, however, he didn't stop smiling. He carefully leaned his cheek against the top of Hermione's head, and he heard her sigh contentedly once again.

"We should probably get to lunch soon…" Hermione whispered after almost twenty minutes of comfortable silence.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, not really…"

"Yeah. Me neither."

Hermione let out a familiar sound, and Harry barely suppressed a laugh.

"I thought you said the purring was a temporary side effect." He smirked. Hermione giggled, practically nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. Harry was certain his heart was going to explode at any moment, but he didn't care. He couldn't imagine a better place to drop dead, with this view, this weather, and this girl next to him.

Without a second thought, he dragged his gloved hand across the snow until it bumped into another glove. Gingerly, he laced his fingers with Hermione's, never taking his eyes off the castle in front of him.

It was barely noon, and Harry was certain that the rest of the day would entail all kinds of trials and tribulations. Snape was likely to try and make his life miserable during Potions. Lockhart was sure to give him tips about how to be famous in front of everyone during Defense Against the Dark Arts. And every time he stepped into a corridor, stares and whispers about being the Heir of Slytherin would follow him like his own shadow.

But as Harry sat pensively in the snow, he knew he wouldn't care. As he felt Hermione squeeze his hand affectionately, he knew it was a good day.

A/N: Howdy, everyone. First things first, yes, the chapter title is another West Wing reference. It's probably my favorite post-Sorkin episode, up there with 2162 Votes. Anyway, I really dialed up the wholesome content for this one. I've been in a good mood for a while now, and this seemed like a good time to step back from the craziness of the Chamber of Secrets and what not. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it.

Once again, I am at a loss for words when it comes to verbalizing my gratitude for those of you who have followed this story or added it to your favorites. And to those kind souls who have left reviews, I am eternally grateful. Unfortunately, my FFN account is acting up and I cannot see any reviews I have received on this story, but I see them when I get email alerts, and it warms my heart every time. Thank you all so much, and stay safe!