(A/N): Hey! Sorry I took so long updating, school and shit got me down, but fear not! I am up again and here with a post! Yey me! Ohmigosh you guys, thank you so much for all of the reviews, I feel loved. lol.

Special thanks go out to: PersephoneMediocris, e-chan16, absolutelyfabulous, Chicken Pot Pie the third, pettybureaucrat, mysockisonfire, MRSTJ1, Jayne1955, Eddie 1990, luna, LiquidThoughts, skarm, Stacey, and last but not least; Kourtney.

Thank you all so much for reviewing, there was actually enough of you that the idea of writing personal responces is too scary for me to go through. Fourteen people reviewed. You rock. I'll shut up now and get on with the chapter...

"Harry, Harry are you sure? Wouldn't you rather just move in with the Weasley's? You shouldn't be living alone, you're only seventeen." Hermione paced the yard, trying to get Harry to see reason. He hadn't been acting the same since the wedding, all he would think about is Voldemort, he obsessed, wouldn't take a break for a moment. Everyone told him to calm down, to relax, but he wouldn't. Fred and George had tried slipping him some elixir to induce euphoria, but Harry became very angry once the effects wore off, and the twins didn't try anything to help him out after that. No one knew what was bothering him, he wouldn't talk to anyone, and now he was planning to move out.

"Hermione, it's my house, and my life. I can do what I want, and I want to move to Grimmauld Place." His birthday was yesterday, he didn't have to live with the Dursleys anymore; he had fulfilled Dumbledore's wishes and was now free to leave. And he would; his things were packed and the Order had been notified, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley. A small team of Aurors would be assisting him, making sure that he apparated to the right place. Because naturally he was so incompetent that he couldn't do it alone.

Voldemort was on his tail and the Ministry had so forth accomplished nothing, though Harry himself couldn't talk, as the Order had yet to find any information of the location or form of any of the remaining Horcruxes. They had compiled a list of all known wizards from the past two centuries living in Britain and Ireland, with the initials R.A.B, (magical folk live longer than muggles) but as there were currently two hundred and five names on the list, this wasn't helping further their research much.

One name Harry was most interested in researching was Sirius's little brother, Regulas. It was a well known fact that Regulas had been a Death Eater, and Sirius had said he had been killed by fellow Death Eaters after leaving their circle. He seemed a likely candidate, but all possibilities must be researched. Until they knew who it was, it was impossible to be truly sure whether Slytherins locket had been destroyed, or had simply been stolen.

"Fine, do what you want. But honestly, how are you going to eat? Can you even cook? The place hasn't been lived in for a year, g-d knows what has been breeding in it, the dust must be sky high, how are you going to take care of yourself?" It was a losing battle, the one she was on, but she had to let her opinion be known, and she most definitely did not think Harry should be moving into that manor by himself.

Mrs. Weasley had had enough difficulty letting Ron live with the Dursleys, she absolutely refused to let her youngest son go somewhere so unprotected; at least at Harry's Aunt and Uncles, Voldemort couldn't get to them. So until Hermione returned from visiting her parents, Harry was alone, with only the protection of the house, and the Fidelius charm, though Harry technically wasn't under it, the house was. Harry was the secret keeper. There had been much protesting, mostly from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin, but in the end, it was Harry's house, and it was his decision.

Grimmauld place hadn't been used for any means since Sirius's death. Instead the Order had temporarily taken to meeting at Moody's place, for only his had the number of wards preset that would be necessary for them. Useful as it was, it just hadn't felt right to anyone to use Grimmauld place with Sirius dead, and Harry being away at school.

"Hermione! I'm fully capable of taking care of myself! What do you think I've been doing for the past seventeen years? Or the last six for that matter? I think I can handle a couple pots and pans. Besides, I won't be alone all the time, the Order is going to use it for Headquarters again. And it's not like I'm trapped there like Sirius was, I can leave you know." What was it with women, thinking men were completely incompetent? Mrs. Weasley had already forced him into agreeing to stop at the Burrow once a week for a meal, professor McGonagall gave him an enormously thick book covering everything from cooking and cleaning, to basic first aid, and Fleur who had joined the Order after the honeymoon, insisted on teaching him exactly how to perform basic cleaning spells on his clothing. Apparently his robes smelled poorly.

"Oh, alright." Hermione sighed in defeat. "I'm coming back though, after I see my parents for a bit."

"Have you told them yet?" Harry asked, knowing she hadn't. She said she didn't want to worry them; that they wouldn't understand why she was doing what she was. He wouldn't tell her so, but Harry had an underlying suspicion that she still hadn't come to terms with the fact that she was a school dropout, that she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts, to school, to the academic world in which she so succeeded. The thought depressed even him, but it was unavoidable. He had to defeat Voldemort.

Voldemort was becoming stronger by the minute, and the death toll was mounting. When he told professor McGonagall he would not be returning to Hogwarts, she wasn't in the least surprised. In fact, she had put a hand on his shoulder, gave him a sharp look, and bid him good luck. It was very surreal.

"You know I haven't. My parents, they just… they wouldn't understand. I have to do this."

"No, Hermione. You don't. I told you and Ron you can go back, you don't have to come with me, you can go back at anytime, no hard feelings. You understand that don't you?"

"Yes, and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do this. You do get that, right?"

"Yes, I do" Harry said, pulling Hermione into a warm embrace. He knew she still wondered what had happened that night, over three weeks ago, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about it, and she had enough sense not to ask. Luna hadn't returned to the wedding, and Harry hadn't seen nor heard from her since. He often wondered where she was, how she was, but he never voiced his concern. He was still too disgusted with himself over the whole matter.

They heard a crash from inside, a series of rather angry words quickly following, made by a most definitely female voice.

"Tonks!" Hermione shrieked happily, running into the house.

"I told them specifically NOT to apparate inside the house! My aunt is going to be furious…" Harry said, rushing into the house behind Hermione, to access the damage and greet the aurors who had most noticeably arrived.

The damage inside was minimal; a few broken plates, and an overturned trash bin. It was all quickly repaired and the trash spelled back where it belongs.

"You kids alright?" A petite blond witch asked, glancing back and forth between Harry and Hermione, as to make sure no one was hurt.

"Yeah, we're fine. We were outside anyway." Harry responded

"Wotcher Harry, Hermione. You ready to go? We need to get you all to Grimmauld place before Molly has an aneurysm. Where's Ron?" Tonks asked, looking around.

"Upstairs, finishing packing. Left it to the last minute, despite how many times I prodded him to hurry up."

"Actually Hermione, he left it until the last minute to get you back for prodding him every five minutes to pack."

"Well that's just cutting the nose off to spite the face, now isn't it? I'll go get him, so that we can leave." Hermione said, as she walked out of the room to find Ron.

"So… Harry. How you doing? Nervous about living alone?"

"Not really, no. Hermione will be back to visit in a few weeks, and Ron will probably spend most of the day's at Grimmauld place, he's only sleeping at the Burrow because Mrs. Weasley wants him too. So, where's Lupin?"

"With the werewolves again. He's still trying to convince a few to join the Order, or at least resist He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but it isn't going so well. And without the Wolfsbane potion, his health is failing."

"He's okay though, isn't he? Because I don't want him to do this if it's going to kill him or anything."

"Oh, no Harry he'll be fine. He's just a bit tired is all. I keep trying to get him to take a rest from it all, but this is what Dumbledore wanted him to do, and he'll probably do it until, well he'll do it as long as he can." Tonks looked a bit peaky, and quickly changed the subject as Hermione and Ron came back into the room, Ron's luggage in tow. "Oh Hermione, Ron, good you're here. Everyone ready to go?"

Harry nodded, and took one last glance around him. His aunt and uncle were with Dudley visiting Aunt Marge. This morning was the last he ever had to see them, and this would be the last he'd ever have to be here. He was leaving the home in which he grew up. True, it hadn't been much of a home, but still, the majority of his life was here. Leaving this place was like leaving his childhood behind. He was a man now, and he had a name to live up to.

----

"Hey Harry" Hermione said, walking into Grimmauld place to find Harry in the dining room, poring over a book. She threw a magazine onto the table, and put her luggage down.

"Hermione! How have you been?" Harry said, his happiness shining though his obvious exhaustion as he stood up to bestow his best friend with a hug.

"I've been fine, nothing really new has happened since my last owl to you, what, five hours ago? Six?" Harry grinned at her. She had been true to her word, and sent him a letter daily, informing him of how her parents had reacted when she had finally told them she wasn't returning to Hogwarts, that she had chosen instead, to help conquer a madman, and that she really wanted them to go into hiding. In return, Harry had finally informed her what had happened at the Weasley wedding, and what he had been feeling ever since.

Much as she claimed to understand his feelings, and insisted that he was not like the death eaters, Harry still felt awful about everything. Hermione had a suspicion as to what was exactly creating such deep feelings of guilt within him, but chose not to voice it. All would come out in due time.

After spending an hour together, catching up, Hermione left to put her things up in the room Harry gave her, and then flooed to the Burrow to say hello to Ron. They'd only been dating a little over two months, and were already acting like a married couple, checking in on each other, giving each other little gifts, fighting ever other minute… it was very sweet, not to mention sickening.

As soon as Hermione had left the room, Harry picked up the magazine she'd left on the table. The Quibbler. It was a special edition; Hunting forCrumple-Horned Snorkacks. Luna was on the cover. She looked good; her cheeks had filled out a bit, and were slightly flushed, as though she'd just been active. She was standing beside her father, both in khaki colored robes and hunting boots. Mr. Lovegood had a net in one hand and was waving to the camera with the other. Luna was just smiling, one hand resting just under her stomach, the other adjusting the strap on the cumbersome device she was carrying. They looked happy.

So she'd really done it then; gone to Sweden with her father. She had said sometime during the school year that she was going to, but that all seemed like ages ago, and not just a couple months. He wondered how she was, if she thought of him, or if he was just another painful memory she was trying to repress.

She was a strange girl, and he rather missed her company, though he couldn't admit that, even to himself. He was too busy trying to regain Ginny's trust in him. He loved her, and couldn't imagine his life without her.

They were currently rebuilding their friendship; Ginny wanted to be friends before they could even think about dating again. This was okay with Harry though, he hadn't changed his mind about dumping her; it was better for her own safety. Voldemort had gotten to Sirius, and he was a full grown wizard. How hard would it be to kill an underage witch?

It was nice talking to her again though. It had started out awkwardly enough, Harry showing up for dinner at the Burrow at Mrs. Weasley's request, Ginny glaring at him, Ron acting completely unaware… but after some forced conversation it had almost seemed like everything was back to normal. It was nice; he hadn't realized how much he'd missed feeling like a family. Maybe one day, after he'd conquered Voldemort, he and Ginny could start one of these. If she was talking to him then, of course.

Hee Hee.

Review please!