Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but if JK Rowling still wants to sue me I will welcome the challenge. I have a few things I would like to say to her face.

Chapter 64

It was the third Hogsmeade weekend, and for the first time since the year prior, Harry and Hermione did not feel compelled to skip or cut their visit to the magical village short in favor of training for the Triwizard Tournament. Both were hoping to relax as much as possible without the stress of said tournament weighing down on their shoulders for another two months. In hopes of maximizing their opportunity to unwind, Harry suggested stopping at Tomes and Scrolls first.

"I missed this place," Hermione closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent of the shop, her lips curving into a dreamy smile as the various aromas of parchment and old leather washed over her. "I like it here almost as much as I like the library."

"I like it more," Harry mused as he closed the door behind them. "Mostly because you've never kissed me in the library, but in here is a completely different story."

"Harry!" She gasped, her cheeks flushing as she swatted him across the shoulder. "Keep your voice down," She chided, but the corner of her mouth twitched upwards into a coquettish smile and betrayed her.

"I feel like it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if we let it slip how much you instigate in our relationship," Harry admitted nonchalantly as they entered the labyrinth of shelves that comprised Hogsmeade's lone bookstore. "I mean, pretty much everyone thinks I'm the initiator because I snogged you on the Quidditch Pitch last year. They don't even know that in reality you're basically an insatiable kiss monster once we're alone –"

"I am not an insatiable kiss monster!" Hermione's blush deepened as she whipped her head around to look for eavesdroppers.

"Yeah, alright, and Maverick from Top Gun is not the greatest flier of all time," Harry smirked as he ran his finger along the spines of a cluster of Herbology books.

"You're incorrigible."

"Love you too."

"Oh, hush," Hermione pulled off her scarlet gloves and whipped them across Harry's chest. "Be quiet and let me look for some books."

"As you wish," Harry winked, extracting a book titled Winograd's Wondrous Water Plants and scanning the first few pages to see if the tome would be an adequate thank-you gift for Neville. Hermione huffed before striding off purposefully. Harry continued to browse, placing the Herbology book in the featherweight-charmed bag he had been gifted by the owner of the shop a year prior.

He strolled around, eventually wandering into the Magical Creatures section. After speeding past the Dragons section with a shudder, he ended up in front of a shelf dedicated to house-elves. After checking to see if he had spotted Hermione reading any of the titles before, he placed one copy of each unique book in the bag, pleased to see the weight remained unchanged. Deciding he was not in desperate need of any books of his own, he strolled up to the counter to check out.

"Welcome back," The familiar owner greeted him as he placed his contraband on the counter. "I missed the two of you."

"It's been too long," Harry grinned. "How have you been?"

"Not bad," The man shrugged as he began pulling out the books and checking their prices. "The funniest thing happened at the end of last year." He paused his work to chuckle before continuing. "Barrie, the dog, actually ran away."

"Oh no," Harry frowned, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah, it was quite a scare, and sad too," The owner frowned for a second before shrugging. "Anyway, earlier this year, a girl comes in with the furry goofball and said she was his original owner, and that she had managed to find out that I had housed him for a bit and thanked me profusely."

"Wait, really?" Harry tilted his head, this time genuinely surprised. "A girl, you said?"

"Yeah, a bit short, pink hair, and a total klutz if I may say so," The man smirked. "Knocked over my whole stack of Advanced Potion-Making copies the second she walked in, but she was plenty nice. And Barrie clearly liked her, so there was no doubt he was hers."

"Ah," Harry nodded, smiling to himself. "Pink hair, you said?"

"Pink hair, yes."

"Isn't that something…" Harry grinned. "How much do I owe you?" Harry quickly paid for the books and picked up the bag once again, turning to track down Hermione. After finding her sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Ancient Runes section, engrossed in a revised edition of Intermediate Numerology, he paid for her books – despite her protests – and showed her the house-elf books he had purchased for her. After she maintained the tradition of kissing her boyfriend senseless every time they entered Tomes and Scrolls, Hermione led him out of the store.

"Where would you like to go?" She asked as she adjusted her Ireland beanie. "I'll go anywhere to get out of this cold. Although," she stopped to check her watch, "I think we should go to the Three Broomsticks at three."

"Are you meeting someone?" Harry smirked. "Has Viktor Krum finally wooed you?"

"I could ask you the same about Fleur Delacour," Hermione fired back, scrunching her nose in displeasure. "Now that's an insatiable kiss monster if that's how she…never mind, no, I'm not meeting Viktor Krum. I just wouldn't mind getting a butterbeer or two this afternoon."

"Sounds good," Harry shrugged, walking them down the High Street in the meantime. After meandering through Honeydukes and playing edible catch on a bench with Peppermint Toads, they walked across the street to the Three Broomsticks. "Do you want a booth or a table?" He turned to ask Hermione, but she was already tugging him deeper into the pub. After maneuvering around several tables and waving hello to Seamus and Lavender – who had been on the receiving end of some merciless teasing ahead of their first date – Hermione pulled him up to a booth. Surprisingly, the booth was not empty, and even more surprising was the fact that its inhabitants featured two Marauders and an Auror.

"No way…" Harry whispered in amazement before Sirius Black leapt to his feet and enveloped his godson in a fierce hug. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked as he returned the hug, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, I couldn't make the Second Task, much to my dismay," Sirius answered as he pulled back, ruffling Harry's hair. "But a certain intelligent witch wrote to me and suggested I meet you guys in the village during your next visit." He turned to Lupin and Tonks, who were still sitting in the booth and sporting gigantic smiles. "Two insufferable people I know insisted on tagging along."

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks winked, using her Metamorphmagus powers to make her hair match Harry's untidy black locks before returning it to its original pink bob cut. "And Hermione, thank you for the unofficial invite," She repeated the hair-mimicking procedure.

"Ditto, Hermione," Lupin smiled warmly. "Harry, a pleasure as always."

"Professor," Harry greeted with a grin. "Old lady," He turned to Tonks, who stuck out her tongue in response.

"Well sit down, sit down!" Sirius ushered the two of them into the empty bench before sliding in next to Tonks and smushing her between himself and Lupin. "Now, your letter was quite descriptive, but I want to hear the full story in verbal form."

"And the new reporter covering the tournament in the Daily Prophet is a total bore," Tonks rolled her eyes. "I mean, Rita Skeeter is horrible and I'm glad she's not reporting on you anymore, but the new guy just reports the scores and nothing else. If his writing were a spice, it would be flour."

"New reporter?" Harry blinked. "Skeeter's not covering the tournament anymore?"

"Nope," Sirius winked. "She transferred to cover the British and Irish Quidditch League a while ago. I think she made the decision around the end of November, if memory serves me correctly."

"So, right after the First Task?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Funny how things work out like that," Sirius chuckled before taking a swig of his butterbeer. "Now, tell us about the Second Task and how you rescued your girl from the clutches of the evil merpeople like the brave knight you are."

Harry shook his head at his godfather's antics before launching into a recapitulation of the Second Task. Hermione chimed in often, offering details from her perspective and occasionally elbowing Harry in the ribs whenever he tried to downplay his accomplishments.

"So, yeah," Harry concluded, rubbing his side after a particularly harsh elbow from his girlfriend. "Now I'm in first place heading into the Third Task."

"Unbelievable," Tonks shook her head in amazement. "You really rescued two hostages in an hour? When none of the others could get one back in the same amount of time?"

"Well…yeah, but I had a lot of help," Harry blushed. "Seriously, the amount of planning I did with Hermione and Neville…I wouldn't have been able to do the task without them."

"Still, you should be proud of yourself," Lupin said earnestly. "And the Seize and Pull Charm was simply brilliant, and from what you said that was not planned."

"I doubt most of the Aurors I work with are capable of quick thinking like that," Tonks chirped. "Seriously, well done. You earned all fifty of those points."

"I concur," Sirius nodded, raising his beverage. The other four raised their own butterbeers and all clinked their glasses against one another's. "To Harry Potter, soon-to-be youngest Triwizard champion ever."

"I don't know about that…" Harry mumbled sheepishly. "The Third Task is sure to be brutal."

He glanced up and saw the three adults all exchanging glances. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sirius cleared his throat. "We actually wanted to talk about that," He said uneasily. He drummed his fingers against the side of his tumbler but never took his eyes off of Harry's. "Look, Harry, somebody put your name in the Goblet of Fire. Your name didn't come out by accident; someone entered you into this tournament with sinister intentions."

"Whoever put your name in there, the Third Task is their last chance to attack you," Tonks piped up. "You need to be prepared for anything."

"Please don't tell me I have to take up boxing again."

"No, not like that," The Auror chuckled. "Although, if you're ever looking to get beaten to a pulp, just let me know."

"In all seriousness," Lupin cut in, "it is in your best interests, Harry, to train. Do you remember those books on Defense Against the Dark Arts I gave you for your birthday?" Harry nodded. "Read through them again. There are some very useful defensive spells in there, and many of them have the potential to help you out should you be in any danger during the Third Task."

"Danger? In the Triwizard Tournament?" Harry raised his eyebrows mockingly.

"Yeah, it's more likely than you think," Sirius rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his godson's sarcasm. "You'll read those books?" Harry nodded. "That's good," Sirius nodded. "But, because it never hurts to be extra prepared," he reached into his pocket and fished out a money-pouch identical to the one he had given Harry over the summer, "buy some more Defense books from Tomes and Scrolls. I don't care if you buy a hundred Galleon's worth, just do whatever you can to stay safe."

"I will," Harry nodded. "Thank you. Thank you, guys," He gave a grateful half-smile as he pocketed Sirius's money-pouch. "So, practice Defensive Spells?" The adults all nodded.

"Based on your aptitude in my class last year, I have no doubt you will be able to master quite a few by the time June rolls around," Lupin said with a wink.

"Maybe you'll be decent enough to try and duel me this summer," Tonks smirked, nudging Harry's foot under the table with her own. "I'll go easy on you."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," Harry fired back smugly, earning himself an eye-roll from his 'sister'. "Oh, I just remembered, congratulations on finding your lost dog. The owner at Tomes and Scrolls was really relieved that he was back under a roof again." He turned and chuckled at Sirius, who was shaking his head silently.

"Still can't believe I let that bloke give me a bath…" The Marauder shuddered, eliciting laughter from the rest of the table. "Although, I think it was pretty much worth it to be there during that Valentine's Day weekend last year. In the Dragons section…"

"Oh, Merlin…" Hermione groaned, burying her face in her hands as she leaned into Harry's side.

"This is what I get for dating an insatiable kiss monster," He whispered under his breath as he blushed furiously. Hermione, the only one who heard his remark, squeaked in response and refused to lift her head.

"Well," Tonks smiled wickedly, and Harry's stomach plummeted as he tried to anticipate just how the pink-haired woman was going to tease him, "this seems like a good time as any," She waggled her eyebrows. "A little doggy told me that you two are using the L word now."

As she, Lupin, and Sirius snickered at the embarrassment of the two teenagers in front of them, Harry let out a dejected sigh. The concept of smashing his head into the table until he passed out growing more appealing by the second.

Following the Hogsmeade visit, the youngest champion in the tournament and his girlfriend spent much of their free time in one of two places. If they weren't practicing spells in the same empty classroom they had used for Hermione's Patronus lessons, they were reading all sorts of Defense books courtesy of Professor Lupin or Tomes and Scrolls in the common room. They were often found on their usual couch; Harry always sat with his feet atop the coffee table in front of him while Hermione would lie on her back, her calves dangling over the armrest and her head resting comfortably on Harry's thigh. Whenever they were not doing homework and studying for upcoming exams, they were preparing for whatever the Third Task might throw at Harry.

"I think it's safe to say I'm going to be the top of our class this year on our Defense exams," Hermione smiled triumphantly a few weeks after the Hogsmeade trip as she successfully cast a Reductor Curse at a desk on the opposite side of the empty classroom, shattering it into several pieces.

"That's only because I'm not taking them," Harry fired back smugly as he absent-mindedly practiced the Summoning Charm on different Defense books they had stacked atop the teacher's desk at the front of the room.

"Oh, is that so?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"It is," Harry smirked as he caught Survival Spells Volume VII. "Of course, if you don't believe me, I can show you."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were challenging me to a duel right now."

"I wonder where you got that idea," Harry continued to smirk, twirling his wand in his fingers. "Hermione Granger, will you do the honor of dueling me?"

"Harry Potter," She smiled coyly, removing her Gryffindor tie as he did the same, "it would be my genuine pleasure."

They had been practicing the spells either on desks – in the case of the more destructive spells, like the Reductor Curse and the Blasting Curse – or on each other without really trying to dodge or defend themselves. As much as Harry enjoyed practicing and learning new spells, he was itching to use them in a non-classroom manner. Hermione, unsurprisingly, blamed his adrenaline addiction on Top Gun.

They levitated a few desks to the side of the classroom to give themselves enough space and took their positions on opposite sides of the room. After exaggerated bows, Harry struck first.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

Harry easily sidestepped the jet of scarlet light as it bounced back towards him and tensed, waiting for Hermione to cast an offensive spell of her own.

"Petrifi –"

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, his elite Quidditch reflexes allowing him to flick his wand quickly enough to cast the spell before Hermione could even finish her incantation. She was so taken off guard that she froze, allowing the red beam of light to hit her square in the chest. She flew backwards a few paces before landing in a heap, unconscious.

Unable to contain his smirk, he walked over to her prone form and woke her up with an Ennervate. She blinked her eyes open, momentarily confused before she spotted his smug smile and frowned.

"That was foul of you."

"I've always wondered if the Body-Bind Curse puts the caster at a disadvantage. You know, since it takes seven syllables to cast," He chuckled as he received one of his girlfriend's famous death glares. "I thought about asking you if you agreed, but right now I'm glad I didn't."

"I want to go again," She said curtly, smacking Harry's helping hand away and pushing herself to her feet. "I'm going to beat you."

"Mm-hmm," Harry nodded vigorously. "Totally."

"Shut up."

"Love you too."

"Stop doing that!" Hermione grumbled, dusting herself off as Harry moved back to the other side of the room. Once again, they bowed and began their duel. "Reducto!" Hermione pointed to the desk nearest Harry, causing it to splinter into two dozen pieces. "Oppungo!" She yelled, slashing her wand towards her opponent. Harry had to leap backwards in order to give himself enough time to cast a Shield Charm. The wooden fragments bounced harmlessly off the invisible barrier and landed on the ground.

Harry paused for a moment to catch his breath before turning to Hermione. "I'm impressed," He winked.

"You get very arrogant when you're dueling," Hermione growled. "Sirius has had too big of an influence on you."

"It's why I keep the Brightest Witch of Our Age around. It's humbling," Harry winked. Hermione's resolute expression didn't falter but her cheeks flushed at the praise.

"Depulso!" Her Banishing Charm sent a desk flying towards him, but Harry obliterated it with a Confringo, blasting the wood into powder. He immediately conjured a shield to prevent himself from being coated in the dust and acted on instinct.

"Ventus!" He pointed his wand at the sand-like substance, sending it flying towards Hermione with a gust of wind. She instinctively threw an arm over her eyes to avoid being blinded, which was all Harry needed. "Expelliarmus!" He said nonchalantly, snatching her wand out of the air with the grace of a Seeker.

"I can't decide if I should be proud of you for thinking outside of the box or furious at you for beating me at something," Hermione sighed as she dusted herself off again. "I want another shot."

Thus, they dueled again. And again. And again. The sun dipped lower and lower towards the horizon as Harry continued to best Hermione, but each duel was taking longer than the previous one. After a particularly grueling one in which Harry had to cast a Stunning Spell from behind his back to catch Hermione off guard, he leaned against the wall and panted.

"I'm knackered," He gasped out, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"One more?" She asked after catching her breath. "I'm feeling good about this one."

Harry rolled the sleeves of his button-down shirt up to his elbow and shrugged, tossing Hermione her wand and magically repairing the desks they had destroyed during the past few duels. While he cast the Mending Charm, she proceeded to pull her hair up into a messy ponytail and begin fanning herself with her hand. Her new hairstyle revealed much more skin on her neck than was visible when her tresses were down, and Harry suddenly found it very difficult to focus on restoring desks.

"Oh, Merlin…" He gulped, quickly looking away and trying to not think about how attracted he was to Hermione at that very moment.

Hermione struck first once the next duel began, casting a string of hexes at him that bounced off of his shield. He retaliated with a Knockback Jinx, but she sidestepped it and fired a Stinging Hex at his head. He was forced to jump to his right, rolling as he hit the ground to avoid a Disarming Spell and a Body-Bind Curse. He managed to clamber to his feet in time to dodge another Stinging Hex and cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx at her.

"The Jelly-Legs Jinx?" Hermione asked incredulously as she easily deflected it. "You could be going up against a Death Eater, and you're casting the Jelly-Legs Jinx at your opponents."

"You want to play rough?" Harry taunted. "Incarcerous!"

Hermione narrowly dodged the ropes that flew towards her, turning them to ash with a well-placed Incendio. Harry simply smirked and cast a barrage of other spells, unconsciously moving around in a circle until he and Hermione had switched spots in the room – now he was near the teacher's desk and Hermione on the opposite side.

"Flipendo!"

"Protego!" Hermione easily deflected the spell.

"Stupefy! Impedimentia! Depulso! Reducto!"

Hermione's shield held steady despite the siege of spells, but Harry could see her arm shaking with the effort. Just as he prepared to cast another Reductor Curse to shatter the barrier, she surprised him with an unexpected spell.

"Accio Defense Books!"

Before Harry could react, half a dozen books slammed into his back and he stumbled, sinking to his knees and letting the books zip over his head. He barely managed to roll to the side as Hermione rained down a series of Disarming and Stunning Spells on him. Realizing he was unlikely to make it back to his feet this time around, he cast a Shield Charm before using one of his last-resort spells.

"Fumos!" He pointed his wand towards Hermione as her next few spells ricocheted off of his shield. Instantly, a thick grey smoke began billowing out of the tip of his wand and quickly filled the classroom. Within seconds, his vision was obscured. Based on the fact that Hermione was no longer casting spells, he assumed she was not faring much better.

"The Smokescreen Spell?" Hermione asked incredulously from somewhere in the haze. "I must have almost had you if you had to use this spell."

"I admit nothing," Harry managed to get to his feet, rubbing a sore spot on his back where a corner of a particularly heavy book had collided. As the smoke continued to thicken, he inched forward towards where he had last seen Hermione standing.

"Do you think you're going to sneak up on me?" Hermione teased from somewhere to his left. He spun around, but he still could not see a thing through the smog. "I think I've got you now, Harry Potter."

"Yeah right," Harry smirked.

"Stupefy!"

He didn't even have time to cry out in surprise before the spell hit him square in the stomach and he crumpled. A few moments later, he blinked his eyes open and discovered that he was lying on his back on the wooden floor. Hermione was kneeling over him and had managed to dispel the smoke while he was unconscious. Once she saw that his eyes were open she smirked, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow at him.

"I win," She said simply, her voice dripping with pride.

Harry simply groaned in response, partially out of realizing he had indeed lost the duel, and partially because his body still ached from both the flying books and from hitting the ground following the Stunner. He closed his eyes and winced as he tensed his back.

"Oh god, Harry, did I hurt you?" Hermione's smug tone dissipated, giving way to one of concern. He felt one of her hands cup his cheek, the other probably fumbling for her wand. "Is something wrong? Harry? Do I need to do something?"

"I'm…" Harry was about to wave her off when he opened his eyes and noticed how close Hermione's face was to his. He was immediately reminded of how much of her neck was exposed when she had her hair up in a ponytail and felt his face grow hot as his eyes raked over her smooth skin. Realizing she had asked him a question, he searched for an answer before giving a sly smile as an idea came to him. He closed his eyes and slumped back to the ground.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "If you're faking, this isn't funny!"

"Need…oxygen…" He said feebly, barely fending off a smile. "Need…mouth to mouth."

Harry and Hermione had spent much of their free time over the previous few weeks in an empty classroom, and as a result most of Hogwarts assumed that they were spending their afternoons snogging each other's brains out. The day Hermione Granger beat Harry Potter in a duel was the first time they were right.

A/N: So, this chapter took ages. I'm sure you were all expecting some 20k word masterpiece or something, but sorry, that's not the case. Classes are in full swing at my university and I spent the last ten days pouring in roughly seventy hours into a project for architecture. As a result, I have had very little time to write. But I'm done with that project! And I got an A! Woo-hoo! So, here's this chapter. I had some major writer's block, but I got through it and came up with this. Hopefully you like it.

Three references in this chapter: "if _ were a spice it would be flour" is borrowed from the TV show Bob's Burgers. Secondly, "…it would be my genuine pleasure," is borrowed from Hawkeye in the 2012 movie known as The Avengers. You might have heard of it. The third one is actually a meme lol. References? In my story? It's more likely than you think.

Major thanks to my loyal and lovely readers, reviewers, etc. Especially after this stretch, which is the longest I've ever gone without posting a chapter. The good news is that my next project doesn't start for a couple of days and I already know what the next chapter is going to be, which was not the case with this chapter lmao, so it will not take as long to publish. So, yeah. Thank you guys, and stay safe!