Once they were in bed that night, Harry found himself unable to fall asleep. He'd apologized to Hermione pretty quickly after hearing her conversation with Ron, though he still didn't admit what he heard. He understood her concerns; he was scared of dying, too. He didn't want to leave her. And even though their love did make them stronger against Voldemort, he also couldn't deny the fact that they now had absolutely more to lose. What would happen if one of them died? Would their bond break? Would it feel like the stabbing pain Harry endured in Malfoy Manor? Would it be worse? He didn't even want to think about it - it wouldn't do him any good anyway.

Instead, he slid his arms slowly out from around Hermione, praying she'd stay asleep as he put his clothes back on and walked downstairs. His hand was almost on the doorknob when he realized he wasn't sure if Bill and Fleur ever set night wards around the cottage. Surely he'd be able to leave, right? Maybe not, for his own safety. But they wouldn't do anything to hurt him, so what was the harm in trying?

When he turned the knob, it didn't budge, and neither did the rest of the door when tried to violently wiggle it.

"You really think we would just let you leave in the middle of the night?" Fleur's voice made him jump and turn to find her leaning in the doorway, arms across her chest with a smirk on her face.

"Honestly, no, but I thought it might be worth a shot. Well, anyway, I guess I should be getting back to bed, then…"

"What is it you were planning on doing?"

"Erm... " Harry's shoulders dropped. "Research."

Fleur raised an eyebrow. "In the tent? Without Hermione?" A deep bush crept its way over Harry's neck, and he opened his mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say. "Don't think I don't know what you two are doing in there."

"Yeah, I'm going back to bed," Harry quickly breathed out, but Fleur reached out a hand to stop him.

"What were you researching? Maybe I can help," she continued. "And for what it's worth, I really don't care what purpose that tent has, okay? You don't need to be embarrassed."

"Well, I am, so I'd really appreciate if we didn't talk about it anymore?" Fleur just smiled, then nodded, her hand coming down to let Harry pass if he really wanted. He stayed put. "We're researching runes. I… overheard a conversation between Ron and Hermione and I want to find something to maybe give me another layer of power. Something she won't know about so that I'm as safe as I can be."

"Sit, Harry."

When he reluctantly took a seat in the living room, Fleur moved to the study, coming back a minute later with a couple books.

"Hermione should have asked me. I have a few books that probably aren't at Hogwarts. They're all in French, but I can translate anything for you that you need."

"Sorry, but… why do you have books about runes? I didn't think they were taught at Beauxbatons."

"They are not. But Papa did not go to Beauxbatons," she answered with a wink, sitting down next to him. "He used them to protect the house years ago, during the first war. There has always been a lot of prejudice against half-bloods, as I know you're well aware." Harry nodded solemnly. " Papa learned all he could to keep Maman safe, so if it is protection you are looking for, I'm positive we can find something."

Harry felt incredibly awkward just sitting next to Fleur while she flipped through the books. There were a couple runes he recognized from the dozen or so Hermione was able to remember, but some of them were new.

"So why were you up?" he finally asked.

Fleur smiled, eyes never leaving the words. "I felt the wards go off."

"So you have locked me in."

" Oui . But only for now."

"What's that mean?"

"Once the war is over, we will lift them."

Harry laughed. "Well that doesn't help me now, does it?"

"Were you going to practice writing runes on yourself?"

"Well, I… I hadn't thought that far."

"You tend to do that quite often." She flipped to another chapter, then back, and Harry frowned, shifting to face her.

"What do you mean, you do that quite often ?"

"I competed against you, remember?" Fleur chuckled. "It was quite obvious you had no idea what you were doing when you started any of those tasks. Not that it's your fault, of course. They were set for the skill level of older students. But it's funny to know that you haven't grown out of it."

Harry just rolled his eyes, but figured it would be best for his pride to let Fleur keep reading. After a minute she let out a hum. "This could be an option."

Harry perked up. "What?"

"Actually," she retracted. "There are a few, but you would have to look into using them together and what the effects may be."

"That's what Hermione's worried about as well. But there's a part of me that wants to do whatever I need to and deal with the consequences later."

Fleur raised her eyebrows. "Hermione would not be okay with that."

"I know."

"Does that matter?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "It should."

Fleur just shrugged. "Just something for you to figure out. If it doesn't, I believe Eihwaz would be the best option for your protection."

"Brilliant. What's the catch?"

Fleur grinned. "It can also… uh... bring a stop to life."

"Those are two completely different things."

"Welcome to runes."

Harry sighed, tilting his head back.

"This is where the other runes may come in handy, though. Do not give up on me just yet. Let me see if I can get in touch with Papa for some help on the best option to combine this with."

"Are there any others?"

"Not as strong. You mentioned the Elder Wand, correct?"

"Yes?"

"It is made out of yew wood?"

"I think so."

"Eihwaz has connections with the yew tree in much of Norse mythology."

Suddenly, Divination didn't seem like such a "wooly" subject after all. It still didn't make complete sense, necessarily, but between the connection between him and Hermione, the connection between their wand cores, their bond, protection runes with the most powerful wand in the world, the one Voldemort most definitely had at this point - it was making his head spin. Neither can live while the other survives , the Prophecy had said. And if he had a way of helping to make sure that it was him that survived, with the added bonus of keeping Hermione's emotions protected, it shouldn't be a difficult decision to make.

"I'll do it."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"All right. I'll send an owl tonight, but I can't promise we'll hear back quickly."

"That's fine. Thank you, Fleur. Honestly."

Fleur grinned softly. "You saved my sister's life, Harry. I'm just returning the favor by saving your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." But his smile said otherwise.

It took a lot more effort than he was used to giving to sit next to Hermione and look over runes while keeping his plan with Fleur a secret, but knowing she'd never permit it gave him a little more strength. He always worried, too, that something would slip as Hermione got her twice daily potions and diagnostic training. She was getting a lot better at it, and she'd even practiced casting in on Harry multiple times a day to keep up with his "baseline", as she called it.

He didn't mind at first, when he'd randomly catch a glimpse of symbols and colors out of the corner of his eye, but soon, it became a little irritating when she'd try to catch differences in everything from his mood to his heart rate. The line had been drawn quickly a couple nights later when she was naked underneath him and tried to reach for her wand.

"Don't you dare," he said with a grin, but he meant it, and quickly pinned her wrist down so she'd get the message.

Harry could see the look she gave him when they were laying next to each other after they were done, legs tangled together under the blanket, and he rolled his eyes, but smiled. It was always like this for a few hours following intimacy - they knew exactly what the other was thinking, and could read the smallest change in facial expression or body language. Eye contact became conversation, and Harry had quickly realized that he'd never have this with anyone else ever again. Hermione had ruined other girls for him, and he didn't have a problem with that, though they probably weren't ready for that conversation.

She frowned a little, trying to figure out what was wrong, and he consciously relaxed his face - there was guilt tied to that love, guilt that he was going behind her back, guilt that she may never know what he was planning, guilt that Fleur would have a secret to take to the grave as well. He had gotten good at distracting her, though, and she was starting to go along with more frequently than she used to.

He rolled over the slightest bit to move his hand to her neck and kiss her, and she whined, tightening her legs around his and arching back into him. He didn't have the stamina for another round, and she knew that, but it never stopped her from trying. When he pulled away to stop himself from getting too worked up, Hermione groaned.

"Harry, I promise when I can use my arm, I'm getting on top of you," she whispered, and that promise alone gave him just enough energy to satisfy her once more before they went to sleep.

The next morning, Fleur pulled Harry aside after breakfast, leaving Hermione to give him a weird look as he promised he'd be over in a minute.

"I got a letter back from Papa with instructions on what to do for you. He said if we follow them precisely, no one will know that we've done anything. You still have time to change your mind."

Harry took a deep breath, but nodded. "I want to do it, Fleur. I need to. I can't… she can't go through that."

"Tonight, then?"

"Tonight."

"Okay. We'll need to perform it at midnight."

Harry nodded again before heading back to meet Hermione and trying not to look nervous, especially when she immediately headed back towards the tent to gather her own runes notes. "I think I've figured it out," she started, opening the small book and comparing it with her drawings again. "So we were talking about Ehwaz, right? I remembered it being used at Hogwarts quite a bit." When she turned the book around at Harry, he nodded in shocking recognition. He'd seen it throughout the castle - in the library, mostly.

"Yeah, I remember, too. That's not… for soul partnership."

"It was used to encourage teamwork and success through working together to overcome obstacles. So, knowing that, honestly, if we really wanted to, we could involve Ron on this too since he's part of the force."

"I'd rather not," Harry smirked, and Hermione smiled up at him. "I like this being just between us."

"We've had a lot of those moments, haven't we?"

"Nothing wrong with that."

"Not at all." She looked back down and nodded. "Right, so if we combine it with Gebo, like I was saying before, it seems like we could exchange gifts in partnership and it would strengthen our ability to work together."

Exchanging gifts in partnership sounded a bit like a marriage, but he wasn't about to mention anything, though he was sure she was aware, too.

"So," Hermione continued. "I… think we should do both over the heart. To each other. If you're comfortable with that."

So she had realized. And she'd changed her mind? He didn't have time to think about what that meant. Harry reached over to take her hand and squeeze it. "Of course I'm comfortable with it. Only if you are."

"I'm trying to be," she admitted. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, I-"

"It's okay, Hermione, honestly. A lot of this is scary. I'm not expecting you to be okay with everything we plan. That's the nature of… war, I suppose."

Hermione nodded, looking down at their hands. "I… can I tell you something if you promise not to freak out? I just feel like you should know."

"Always," Harry smiled, bringing up their hands to kiss the back of hers. She blushed.

"Okay, well… I only took enough of my sleep potion to help me fall asleep last night to see… how my mind would be at night and… I had a dream last night about Bill and Fleur's wedding. Except… it was us getting married."

Harry couldn't help the nervous grin that came over his face. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it - every time they were remotely intimate, which had been happening a lot since they'd been here, thankfully, he thought about being perfectly okay with her being the rest of his life. If he was never with another girl ever again, he wouldn't feel like he was missing out on anything. And he knew deep down that part of it might be because of the bond, but that didn't make it any less appealing. The problem was that he didn't know how Hermione felt about it. They'd never talked about being together for the rest of their lives, and he had no idea how she felt about the prospect of marriage at all. Then again, he'd just told Fleur twelve hours ago that she wasn't his girlfriend. What were they?

This was her roundabout way of asking, and he needed to answer very carefully.

"That sounds like a pretty good dream."

Hermione blushed. "It… it was, yeah. I mean, I'm not… expecting something like that anytime soon, but…"

"I wouldn't mind being bonded for life with you."

She looked up at him with watery eyes, but he could tell it wasn't from sadness. Happy tears were much more beautiful on her, he quickly noted, and he kissed her again, earning a smile against his lips before she pulled away.

"I don't think I would mind it, either."

"So a very influential dream, huh?"

Hermione ran her hand through her hair and smiled. "Well, I… I wasn't sure, honestly. I mean, yes, I… I love you so, so much, Harry. And I do know that we're going to spend the rest of our lives connected in some way. I just know that's something I've been struggling with, and I'm not sure why, but… I suppose if I figure it out, I'll let you know."

"Is it the commitment?"

"I don't think so. I mean, I've seen my parents happily married for years and it's not that I've never thought about getting married, I just…"

"Didn't think it would be the first person you dated?"

"Second, technically," she smirked. "Is that what we are? Dating?"

"Well, we haven't gone on any dates."

"We went to Godric's Hollow!"

"My parents' grave - the perfect first date," he grinned, surprised at how much closure it had brought him to actually see it.

Hermione smiled back. "That's the first time I've seen you smile talking about them in a while."

"Yeah, well…" Harry shrugged. "Being there with you and the flowers and everything… it just… I don't feel as sad about it anymore. Like I was able to do my grieving and now I can move on. I feel like I'll always miss them, but it's not like it's hanging over me like it used to."

"That's great."

"It's… really nice, actually."

"You know, they weren't much older than we are now."

"I've thought about that, too. You still didn't answer my question."

She took a breath. "Okay, yes. I mean, we've talked about it before. I thought I'd have… more opportunities at least before I had to decide who I was going to marry."

" Have you made that decision?"

"No. I don't think so. Does that bother you?"

"At seventeen? Not at all," Harry laughed, letting go of his hand to wrap an arm around her waist. "Look, we don't have to talk about getting married , but… I think I'd at least… like you to be my girlfriend."

Hermione looked a little hesitant, but nodded. She wanted this even though she was nervous about the bond, which she didn't understand. She should be relieved that she found the person she wanted to be with forever - but had she? Or was that the bond? She'd never thought about him like that before. What had changed? Being on the run? Loneliness? Opportunity?

Then again, she had been the one to make the decision to kiss him. Why? They were dancing and having a good time. She'd wanted to kiss him before then and hadn't. She wanted to dance with him at Slughorn's party, and the locket hadn't even been a factor then. Hermione hadn't really given herself the time to think about it like she probably should have, but this was the moment she could make her decision.

She could say yes, and they'd be together. Officially. Would that change anything?

She could say no, that she didn't want to label them until this was over because things were going to be different. They'd be what she wanted. Maybe she would be able to go to Hogsmeade with Harry and drink Butterbeer and take walks by the lake like they used to and then she could really see how it was to be in a relationship with him.

But she thought about how happy she was when Harry said he loved her, how she had thought it for a while, the way she'd felt as his eyes roamed over her before Slughorn's party. How excited she was when he agreed to start Dumbledore's Army. The enjoyment she got out of their lake walks in fourth year. How she enjoyed staying up all night with him before the first tasks to practice spells. How the look he gave her when she walked down those stairs at the Yule Ball unleashed a swarm of butterflies in her stomach that made her wish he had asked her. How impressed she was by him when he conjured a full-bodied Patronus to save himself and Sirius. How proud she was of him when he used her clues to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. How afraid she was for him when she had to go back to Ron while he went on to defeat Voldemort.

Had he really been right in front of her for all these years?

Had she been right in front of him?

Would it have only been a matter of time before they ended up together either way, and getting to be alone for months was just an early catalyst? Or was their relationship destined to begin like this?

Of course, she'd never know. But she did know that her reservations about everything (bonds, feelings, runes, Divination, sex, Dark magic) were what kept holding her back. She was so used to learning all sides of the story, doing as much research as possible, before doing her homework, writing essays, or deciding which classes to take that she rarely made an impulse decision. Even everything she'd done with Harry had been in the back of her mind long before she expressed it.

So were a couple impulse decisions such a bad thing? This was her boyfriend she was talking about, not her life, not her career, not a big decision in the grand scheme of things. She'd never get the chance to be with him for the rest of her life if she didn't take the first step. And the fluttering of her heart when she thought about introducing Harry to people as her boyfriend was what pushed her.

"I think I'd like that, too."