She was gone when he woke up, and he wasn't sure how she managed to crawl over him without waking him, but he could hear rummaging in the kitchen - she was packing up.

"Hermione," he groaned, rolling over and getting out of bed, "what are you doing? Why are you packing?"

"If Ron gets captured, they'll be able to see where we were," she whispered simply. "They'll read his mind. They'll come after us. We can't stay here."

"But what if he comes back?"

"Then he shouldn't have left." She looked up at Harry and couldn't help but smile through tired eyes. "Your hair…"

"What about it?" he asked, quickly moving his hands up to fix it.

"It's a mess." Hermione almost giggled, but it was like she still wasn't in the mood. "I'll take the locket, too."

"Hermione-"

"Please. I'll be okay. One of us needs to be in good spirits."

Harry nodded, sliding the chain over his head and onto hers. "I'll help you pack."

They finished in silence, and once everything was packed, they spent a couple minutes just standing in the forest, reluctant to leave in case, by some miracle, Ron did return. When he didn't, Hermione removed her scarf, tying it around a nearby tree to let him know they left if he managed to get back to the same spot, before coming back to stand by Harry's side. He reached down and took her hand, and they were gone.

A rocky cliffside was their next destination. Normally, it would be gorgeous, with lookouts over the sea and a vast expanse of land. But right now, it was just dreary. Cold. The clouds covering the sky looked like they were trying to squeeze out any amount of sunlight in favor of grey. Maybe it would at least snow. Then it would be pretty.

Hermione took a shaky breath next to him as she dropped his hand, wiping her eyes from the tears that had leaked out. Now Ron had no clue where they were, and unless he made it back home, they had no way of knowing if he was alive or not.

Harry started on the enchantments and wards, giving Hermione some alone time to process. He didn't want to crowd her. And after a few minutes, she started setting up the tent. It took up a huge chunk of the day with the two of them seemingly working in slow motion, but when they were done and everything was in place (including Ron's bed), Hermione looked up at Harry nervously, though there was a tinge of hope in her voice. "One of the wards just went off. 100 meters." She'd figured out how to get them silent, only going off in her head so as not to alert the intruder.

Harry immediately pulled out his wand. "I'll go check it out."

"Be careful."

He nodded and slowly stepped out of the tent. There wasn't anything out there at all, and he was pretty sure he could see 100 meters out, but he started walking anyway. It couldn't be Ron, could it? Walking slowly, it took him a while to get that far away from the tent and out of their protective enchantments, but they were rural enough he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him. Still nothing.

Harry backtracked to walk the perimeter of the ward, not seeing any footprints or moving of material as if an animal came through and was detected somehow. He was about to give up and go back to the tent when he noticed a silvery crack against a stone wall further away. The crack was in the ward - that must have been what set it off. He quickly cast the spell again in that spot, and it went away. He must not have done a good enough job.

It took Harry almost an hour to redo all the wards and enchantments, just for good measure, and the sun was going down by the time he reached the tent again. He could hear music coming softly through the fabric, and entered to find Hermione sitting on the steps by the beds, next to Ron's, curled up on herself to stay warm despite the multiple jarred fires in the living room. Still, though, the atmosphere was off. Dark, like the outside.

He took a seat in one of the chairs, noticing that there were only two put out. Maybe that was the first step in her acceptance. She didn't speak to him as he entered or sat, focusing only on the space in the bed where Ron should be. Harry knew the horcrux was making it worse, considering they were cuddling, he assumed, all night last night, and she didn't seem to be as upset then. He hated seeing her so sad, and he hated Ron for causing it, and himself a little bit, for contributing in a way.

Harry rose from the chair to stand over Hermione, reaching out his hand. She glanced at it briefly before looking back up at him with a soft sigh, letting him help her to her feet. He could tell she was confused about what exactly it was he was doing, but the trust in her eyes was unwavering. Shaky hands reached around her neck to unclasp the locket and remove it, tossing it onto the bed. He'd never taken it off her, and with her eyes gazing into his, it felt incredibly intimate, as if he himself was lifting that weight from her shoulders, looking into her very soul to untangle the turmoil of emotions he couldn't put names to, and allowing her to do the same for him.

He took both her hands in his, pulling her away from the bed and into the living room, where he could see the flames reflecting in tears that threatened to fall. Not on his watch. For a moment, he thought of a million other ways he could make her feel better now that they were truly alone, but he swallowed them down to keep the look that might come to his eyes from making her uncomfortable. She didn't need that.

Instead, he began swinging his arms with hers, moving his shoulders, dancing until she got the hint, and the smallest smile appeared on her face. "I never got to dance with you at Slughorn's Christmas party… or the wedding."

It took a little bit, but Hermione started to smile as he twirled her around under his arm and she spun him around under hers and into her chest, her reluctance fading. And for a few minutes as they danced, nothing mattered except the song playing in the background, enjoying each other's company, and a quiet moment to themselves. It was childish, dancing when everything around them seemed like it was falling apart, but he thought back to the wedding. They needed this because everything was falling apart. And they'd had fun before with Ron like this, but alone, the longer they danced, the quicker the tension built and released, ebbed and flowed, love bubbling back between them in every way possible, platonic with flecks of romance that had been swept under the surface. They were teenagers, best friends. They needed each other. And now, they had no other choice.

They lost track of time, how many songs they'd danced to, how long they'd been pressed against each other, resting their heads on the other's shoulders, swaying back and forth in the living room. Hermione's eyes closed briefly as she chided herself for forgetting about this feeling, pushing it to the back of her mind as she tried to focus on their mission, telling herself she wasn't allowed to feel. She accepted the reality that Ron, no matter how he truly felt, wasn't an option anymore. Even if he came back, the fact that he left said more than enough for her to realize that if he couldn't be strong for them now, at their worst, he didn't deserve her time. She didn't blame him, and her anger at him was slowly fading, but he showed his true colors last night, and that wasn't the kind of man she wanted to love romantically. And deep down, as nice as it had been, she knew it wouldn't last. She and Ron were too different, and that was obvious now more than ever. It was stupid, thinking he liked her, thinking she could convince him of feelings he didn't have, thinking that Ron had been the best option in the first place. Thinking that she'd had a chance.

But Harry was… everything she had right now. And dancing with him like this, she was swept over by a strange feeling like she was home again. That truly, nothing else did matter. She'd be okay with staying here in this tent with him for the rest of her life, and that terrified her. But that's exactly what she was doing now, right? Things that terrified her. This wasn't comfortable. They were constantly stressed and worried that someone could come after them at any given moment, ready to run, to flee, to abandon all their belongings in a blink of an eye should they be captured, to sacrifice everything they knew for a cause that was much bigger than themselves. Harry had taken that on willingly, and she, without even a second thought, knew she had to as well. She sacrificed her parents, her childhood; she replaced her family with no one else but Harry and Ron, and now, it was just Harry.

Harry, whose resolve strengthened hers. Harry, who taught her how to defend herself, who helped her with difficult potions, but who also taught her that friendship and bravery are more important than books. Harry, who threw himself over her to protect her from a werewolf. Who tried to rescue her from the Black Lake even though she wasn't his first choice. Who brought her out of her comfort zone, riding on brooms and a hippogriff and whatever a thestral was even though he knew she hated flying. Who always stuck up for her, even against Ron. Who trusted her judgement and her lead in any situation. Who was thrown involuntarily into a lifetime of hardship and violence for reasons out of his control. Who had seen multiple people die in front of his eyes. Who had lost so much. Who desperately tried to just be normal year after year. Harry, who she'd loved for years. Harry, who deserved someone in his life that he wouldn't lose. Harry, who, she was pretty sure, had never even been hugged properly until he was eleven, when she wrapped her arms around him in the room with Snape's puzzle before he went to defeat Voldemort. Hermione couldn't help but think back to Parvati's words, about staying with Harry until the very end, no matter what it took, and now, she couldn't think of a truer statement. Love wasn't the enemy in this war - Harry had said it himself. Love is what made them stronger.

So she took a deep breath and peeled herself away just enough to look at him. She saw hope in his eyes, telling her they'd be okay without him even having to say it. And she knew that; she knew they'd be okay. She wanted them to be okay. And she wanted him to know that no matter what happened, however this affected their friendship, it wouldn't put a scratch on the strength of the bond they'd spent the last seven years building between them.

And she kissed him.

He hesitated, and for a split second, Hermione feared she'd embarrassed herself again and it wasn't what he wanted, but then his arms wrapped tighter around her as he kissed her back, pulling them together again.

This was what she wanted her first kiss to be, not the joke it was with Viktor. Warmth flooded her veins, right down to the tips of her toes. Harry's lips were softer than she expected, but he kissed her with a passion that started a fire in her. He gripped her shirt a little, and a wave of desperation washed over her that she knew she wouldn't be able to stop if she indulged. She knew that was just her hormones talking, the emotional piece of it. The relief. The memory of waking up with his arms around her as she laid on his chest. The very inappropriate dreams she'd had about him. None of that was real right now, so no. She absolutely wouldn't indulge because that would surely change things between them.

So she pulled away slowly, reluctantly, unable to contain her smile as his lips chased hers for a fraction of an inch. Neither of them were sure what to say, and Hermione giggled nervously, resting her forehead against Harry's.

Harry smiled, too, moving his hand from her back to her cheek and pulling her in for another like he didn't want the moment to end. Because when it did, they'd be in a war again, and kissing Hermione was like a breath of fresh air.

"Harry," Hermione laughed against his lips, but relished in the feeling, too. She couldn't imagine how she would react if she had the horcrux on, but she tried not to think about it. They kissed lazily for a few more seconds before Hermione pulled away again, panting from sheer adrenaline. "Harry, you can't kiss me forever."

"Try me," he teased, but didn't go for a third. After a pause, his smile faded a little. "Not that I didn't enjoy that, obviously, but… what was it for?"

"A lot of things." She leaned into the hand still on her cheek. "I just… realized who belongs in my life in a romantic way and who doesn't. And… I wanted to make sure you knew that I'm not going to leave, too. I'm not going anywhere, horcruxes or not."

"You know, you've been trying to tell me that for years and I never understood why. Why you would risk your life for me."

"Because that's what happens when you love someone, Harry. In all the ways that I do. I can't imagine not having you in my life, as friends if nothing else." She thought he was going to kiss her again, but instead, he just pulled her to his chest in a hug.

The music faded back into the talking of the announcer, into commercials, and their moment was over. The fun was gone and the darkness slipped back between them. Harry could hear the horcrux making that awful noise again he'd been tuning out. One of them had to put it back on. Harry squeezed her hand again before pulling away, and Hermione shivered at the loss of his body heat. "Give it to me," she gestured at the locket. Harry just smirked as he took it from the bed. "What?"

"Nothing," Harry answered, though the look on his face told her otherwise.

"What?" she repeated, crossing the space to take the locket from him, clasping it, and sliding it over her head.

"Context clues are very important, Hermione."

It took a second, but she gasped and grabbed a pillow, smacking Harry in the arm. "Harry, you pervert!" she laughed, which only made him get a pillow from the top bunk to hit her back. Still reeling from the kiss, she found that the locket barely had any effect on her at all. They each got a few swings at each other before Harry was quicker and grabbed Hermione's pillow, pulling it from her hands and tossing it back onto the bed.

"Just like the leg locker." He pulled Hermione to him by the hip with a grin.

"I… I let you win that," she insisted, though Harry could tell she was flustered from his actions. He leaned in quickly, but Hermione put a hand up between them. "Don't you kiss me again. Not after what you just thought about!"

"I can't help it," Harry laughed, but didn't push any further. Instead, he moved away to the kitchen. "It's getting late. We should probably eat."

Hermione nodded. "Oh! I guess you didn't find anything outside."

"No, I redid them." It seemed like forever ago. "There was a crack. That's I guess just being… kind of emotionally drained can affect stability, so keep that in mind."

"Well, that's good to know. Thank you for checking it."

Something had shifted in their dynamic, which Hermione had expected, but it wasn't bad at all. It was like they were pretending again, except now, they weren't. As they cooked dinner together, Harry had no reservations about putting a hand on her back or hip as he passed behind her, or reaching around her for something. Usually, Harry's touches hadn't affected her like this, but after kissing him, it was like his fingers shot sparks of electricity through her. It was almost addicting.

During dinner, they were back to business, swapping theories about the sword. They knew it was the most important step. If they could get the sword, they could destroy the locket and all the other horcruxes once they found them.

"Who do you think could have taken it? One of the Death Eaters?" Hermione asked as she took a bite of her vegetables.

"Had to be. No one else would really care about it, would they? I mean, I'm sure You Know Who knows it can kill them. He's not going to want to lose it. He probably knows exactly where it is."

"Well… if he can get into your mind, maybe you can get into his? What about the Occlumency Snape taught you? You were able to get into his mind, right?"

"When I tried to shield it. The problem is that I don't know when it's coming. With Snape, I was in lessons. I knew he was about to do it."

"I don't want you to let him in, Harry," Hermione said seriously, "but I think it might be the only way to find the sword. Otherwise, we have no leads."

Harry sighed, but nodded, staying quiet for a moment. "I… I want to teach you a spell, Hermione, but I know you're not going to like it."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, setting her fork down. "What is it?"

"Sectumsempra."

"Harry, that's Dark magic," she argued. "I don't… I'm not comfortable with-"

"Hermione, it could save your life. I'm not saying you have to use it, but it's good to know just in case."

"I'm not practicing it on you, Harry. No way."

"We don't have to! I mean, it should be able to work on anything. Branches, rocks, flowers…"

Hermione stared at him for a long time. "I don't know, Harry… can I think about it?"

"Sure," Harry sighed. He understood her reservations, but they were running out of time. Especially if they started destroying horcruxes, Voldemort would probably be able to tell. "We need to practice other spells anyway. Get better at the nonverbals. We haven't been practicing lately."

"I know. We should find a way to practice inside, if the weather's going to keep being as cold as it is." She looked around. "Maybe we can just put a shield charm on everything and hope for the best," Hermione laughed.

"Not a bad idea. We can test it tomorrow. We should probably start going on watch again, too. At least for a little bit." Hermione groaned in protest, but nodded, surprised at her own reluctance to let Harry out of her sight.

They had agreed to let Harry take it first so Hermione could sleep, but right before Hermione went to sleep, Harry came into the tent with a grin, his cheeks and nose red from the cold. "Hermione, you've got to come outside," he said, shaking her to make sure she was awake.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Just get some shoes on and come outside."

She didn't even have time to answer before Harry was back outside again, but she trusted him, sliding on a pair of slippers and heading out too. "Harry, it's freezing! What are you doing?" She definitely wasn't dressed to be out there long, but Harry took off his coat and slid it over her shoulders. Hermione sighed at the warmth of not only the jacket, but Harry's body heat trapped within.

"Look!" He pointed to the sky, where light was shooting across the sky every few seconds.

"A meteor shower," Hermione whispered. "It's beautiful." Harry took her hand and led her to the fallen log they'd used as a makeshift seat by the fire, wrapping his arms around her and keeping her close. She leaned her head on his shoulder, watching, and she couldn't help but be glad that she'd already kissed him, because if she hadn't, she'd be nervous to in this perfect moment. Maybe getting time alone had been good for them after all. Maybe it was exactly what they needed to realize how to win this. They would most likely see Ron again, though she'd never be able to feel the same way about him.

The second time Hermione kissed him, Harry didn't hesitate at all. He had probably been expecting it, setting the mood for them. His body shifted to face her, his hand moving up into her hair. She rested one hand on the log and the other on his arm. It started out gentle, like the first, but Hermione felt a pulse come from the locket, and she gripped Harry's arm tighter, deepening it. Electricity sped through her whole body as their tongues made contact, but she didn't stop. She could feel Harry grin, his fingers tangling in her curls. Hermione could feel herself being dragged under the horcrux's control, but she refused to give in. She knew better, that she wasn't ready for anything further than this, but her resolve began to crumble after a little while, and she pulled away, her heart pounding.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, "you can't kiss me like that and expect me not to want to do that all the time." His voice was deeper than usual, and she shivered, from the cold and something else.

"We can't… get distracted," Hermione insisted. "We still have a sword to find. And just… just so you know when you get it back, the… the locket…"

"We've had this conversation before, Hermione," Harry reminded her. "Not when it was this… when we weren't doing this. We just can't get carried away."

"Carried away. Right." She closed her eyes in relief when he pulled his hand from her hair. She took a moment to calm herself before moving back to rest her head on Harry's shoulder.

Eventually, once the meteors were coming less frequently and her legs were almost numb, Harry helped her up and back inside. She reluctantly handed his jacket back and he kissed her forehead gently after she crawled into bed. It felt a little strange, but so right at the same time.

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well."