Chapter 23

The last vestiges of the holiday break passed, and it was time for school life to begin anew for the students of Hogwarts.

True to Hermione's prediction, she and Harry had indeed spent the remainder of the last day working on their separate letters to Hermione's parents. As they had sat at the table farthest away from the main part of the common room, nobody bothered them during their work, likely assuming that the two of them were already studying again given their habits from the first part of the year.

In that evening, though, a loud conversation started among a mass of people sitting in, or standing around, the sofa and armchairs. The group was talking about how they had heard about someone flying in the sky all over Hogwarts earlier that morning, and a couple of people even mentioned hearing someone yelling outside so loudly for a few seconds that they had heard it even from inside the castle. But all of them said that nobody had any clue who could have been the person flying.

While that conversation went on, the two Head students took a moment at one point and glanced at each other. Neither said a word, but the smirks they gave to one another, before returning to the task of writing their letters, said everything. And neither did they let anyone know that it had actually been them flying, with both deciding it was more fun to keep it their little secret and simply let the tale continue to spread.

It had been nine thirty when Harry and Hermione called their letters complete and agreed to send them off in the Owlery after finishing breakfast the next morning. After deciding to go to bed, and seeing that no one still in the common room at that time was looking in their direction, they looked to each other with smiles before leaning in and stealing a one-second kiss. After pulling away, they just smiled again before gathering their things and bidding each other good night.

The following day went much like any other school day from before the Christmas break, albeit with some people looking a bit tired from needing to wake up early again. Students bustled throughout the halls, travelling to and from classes. Harry and Hermione were able to stick to their routine of studying whenever they weren't in a class.

Harry also mentioned at the start of the day that, though he had started having a nightmare the previous night with being blamed for people that died in the war, he was able to fight and end it after just a minute thanks to thinking about Hermione, and he managed to go back to sleep another minute after initially waking up. Hermione had been pleased both at the fact that he was continuing to tell her about having any nightmares, even if they weren't necessarily the most terrible ones, as well as that Harry had been able to get a better night's sleep on his own.

Once the day began to draw to its close, however, things took a sharp turn towards the unexpected.

On Mondays, Hermione had Arithmancy as the final class on her daily schedule, with the class ending at around five fifteen in the evening, fifteen minutes before the start of dinner. Since Harry had no classes during that time, he had typically stayed in the library and studied, since few people would dare to make a scene and risk drawing the ire of Madam Pince, until Hermione was done with class. Then, she would come find him afterwards, and the two of them would walk to the Great Hall for dinner.

For this day, though, Harry got the urge to change things up. About fifteen minutes before the end of Hermione's class, he decided to leave the library early and actually go to where he knew from her that the class took place. He smiled in his mind once he arrived at the classroom and leaned against the wall across from the closed door. Hopefully, this would be a happy little surprise for Hermione to find him already waiting there for her.

Unfortunately, his typical luck decided to throw a wrench into things.

Right when time reached the point that seventh-year Arithmancy should end, Harry glanced to his right down the hall when the sound of other doors opening reached him. He frowned slightly upon hearing chattering students as they entered the hall, before he shifted his gaze down more towards the floor, though with the door to the Arithmancy class still in the top half of his vision. He didn't want to deal with anyone else while waiting here and hoped that not making any sort of eye contact would preclude others from trying to speak with him.

But of course, that may as well have been a fool's errand.

Only a few people passed by him before he heard a girl's voice ask, "Harry Potter?"

He gave a tiny, imperceptible shake of his head before looking up and to his right, putting a harder expression on his face. A tall girl with honey blonde hair, one that he only just recognized as being a fifth-year Gryffindor he and Hermione had helped out at one point earlier in the year when various fifth-year students had questions on O.W.L. material, was staring at him. And there was a group of other girls, all from a mix of the houses, standing behind her, as though waiting to see what may happen.

"Yes?" he replied back, in a tone that should have clearly conveyed that he didn't actually want to talk.

That didn't seem to be a deterrent, though. The girl had an almost anticipating look on her face as she took a deep breath. Then, she said, "So, the ball later this year – "

"No."

His immediate interjection caused her to stop, eyes widening in some shock at how firm and hostile his tone was. In fact, almost everyone that had been walking by then stopped, mostly in confusion but also certainly, in Harry's mind, with some fascination at what would transpire next.

He glanced over the girl's shoulder when the rest behind her all seemed to perk up. Well, he would shut that down right now.

As one of the other girls stepped forward, and he also registered the Arithmancy classroom door finally opening and people leaving from there, he added even more harshly, "That 'no' applies to the rest of you as well, if you're only looking to try and ask me to that ball."

The rest of the group all became just as shocked, before someone called out after a second, "You won't give any of us even a passing chance?"

Not caring that a large crowd had formed all around him and was continuing to grow as people leaving their classes stopped to witness the happenings, he retorted, "What makes any of you think that you even stood a chance to begin with, even when discounting the fact that all you know of me is my bloody scar?"

"Harry?"

Before anyone else could respond to him, he turned his head to face forward again upon hearing the voice of the one person he wanted to see right now. And after another moment, he saw Hermione push past the people standing in front of the Arithmancy classroom doorway.

He stopped leaning against the wall as she stepped up to him. And while the entire crowd surrounding them on all sides watched in tense silence, she asked him, "What are you doing here? I always come get you in the library on Mondays before dinner."

He couldn't help giving her a small but tender smile which, unbeknownst to him, made more than a few people's mouths drop open at not only the quick change in expression but also the fact that none of them had seen Harry smile all year.

Then, he shrugged a shoulder and replied, "Thought I might give you a little surprise this time by coming to you instead."

Her responding smile was large. "Well, you certainly accomplished that."

He simply chuckled at first. And with her happy face looking up at him, he was unable to resist the fight against doing something that he knew would send waves through the entirety of Hogwarts.

Thus, without another word, he leaned in and took her lips in a gentle kiss.

He felt her gasp in surprise, but only for a moment before she quickly opened her mouth. He smiled against her as she deepened the kiss into a full-fledged snog, with their tongues dancing around one another. And this time, the mouths of everyone in the surrounding crowd dropped as wide as humanly possible, while the two of them were briefly lost in their own world.

Harry pulled away after a few seconds. Seeing Hermione have a mixture of shock and bliss in her expression caused him to give a more sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Seeing your smile, I couldn't resist, even if it meant giving people a show."

That caused her to give him a little smirk. But after letting out a happy sigh, she quietly said, "Well, what do you say we walk down for dinner now?"

He silently nodded before holding his right hand up a bit for her. Without moving her gaze away from his eyes, she took it with her left hand and laced their fingers together. They then turned to face the part of the crowd on Harry's left, which was blocking the way that would lead towards the Great Hall.

Harry's expression became stony again as he made a parting motion with his left hand. Though the people were still stunned, they had enough sense to get out of the way. And without another word, the two Head students began walking away, with neither paying any mind to the silent stares they were receiving as they passed the other students.

Once they had left the large group of people far behind, Hermione said, "You know we'll be the talk of Hogwarts now for the foreseeable future, right?"

He glanced at her for a moment before replying, "Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. But I also knew what I was in for when I decided to kiss you back there."

She stopped, causing him to halt with her. Then, with a loving smile, she responded, "I'm really proud of you, Harry. That you really are willing to face questions from possibly the entire school over us, even when we both know that you would rather have everyone else leave you alone."

He looked at her with nothing but affection. "Like I've said before, Hermione. You're worth doing anything for."

A faint blush rose in her cheeks as her smile became more sheepish for a couple of seconds. Then, she glanced down the hall before looking at him and nudging her head in that direction. He simply nodded, and the two continued their trek to the Great Hall.

On this walk, they passed more students that were standing around and chatting with one another before dinner, most of which glanced at Harry and Hermione's joined hands and became shocked. Just like yesterday morning, the two of them simply acted as though nothing was any different.

There were also more people already waiting in the Great Hall compared to yesterday morning, and the joined hands didn't pass over their eyes as well. When Harry and Hermione took their seats at the end of the Gryffindor table, many of the other students were staring at them in confusion.

Looking at his wristwatch, Harry saw that they still had a few minutes before the actual start of dinner would begin. While the house-elves would make food appear instantly during mealtime when students sat at an empty area, the food would only start appearing at all once the designated starting time for meals actually passed. That was one reason why a large portion of the student population wouldn't come to the Great Hall too early for meals.

When he dropped his hand, he looked at Hermione when she asked, "So, are we actually here early this time, or has the start of dinner already passed and we need to be suspicious about more announcements due to the lack of food on the table?"

He replied, "We're early by a few minutes."

She gave a hum of acknowledgement. Then, a tiny smirk grew on her lips again. "How many people are still staring at us?"

He took a moment to look past her and glance around the rest of the hall, though without turning his head so that no one would know he was looking around. From that momentary look, some people were silently staring, while others were murmuring to another person while taking quick glances in Harry and Hermione's direction. There seemed to be an equal amount of people in each category.

Locking his eyes back onto Hermione, Harry answered, "Essentially still everyone."

Another hum sounded from her for a few moments before she smiled and whispered, "Well, whatever happens, we've got each other, right?"

He gave a low chuckle and replied, "Right as always."

With that, they sat in silence until dinnertime was signaled by the appearance of food dishes on the table. By that point, the typical rush of students entering had already begun. By taking quick glances occasionally, Harry and Hermione could see many of them staring in their direction while moving to take seats. The staring only continued to get worse once the Great Hall was full, signaling that the tale of what happened must have been spreading like wildfire. The two of them simply concentrated on eating their meals and acted as though nothing was different.

Harry believed that people may have simply been afraid to approach them right now because of his hostile display to those other girls before dinner. That was certainly fine with him, if it would keep them off his and Hermione's backs for a bit. Still, the common room was likely going to require using some more pressure on people. Otherwise, he and Hermione would definitely get hounded with questions. And he was sure that questions would still come up in the seventh-year dorm room anyway. He took a moment to be thankful that Neville would at least be on his and Hermione's side of things.

Once they had finished at the same time, he and Hermione turned to each other. She was then the first to speak.

"What do you say we go to the library this time for studying?"

He couldn't help giving a smile. After dinner, the two of them had always taken more time for studying this year, alternating between doing so in the library or in the Gryffindor common room. She must have known what was on his mind right now and wanted to give him at least a couple more hours of peace before everything truly went crazy.

He just silently nodded at her. With that, the two of them gathered their bags and rose from the table. When they did, they could see that nearly every student was looking at them.

As before, the two of them paid no attention. They simply took each other's hand again and walked out of the Great Hall, hearing murmurs breaking out behind them after every person they passed.

Harry and Hermione stayed at the library until it closed at eight o'clock. They had indeed gotten some quiet time for studying since, to their knowledge, no one else came to the library at all during that time. In fact, they had both looked reluctantly at each other for a moment when Madam Pince came around and said that it was closing time, before they gathered their things and left.

When they were standing outside of the library, Hermione looked at Harry sympathetically and asked, "Are you ready?"

He took a slow breath for a few seconds and then quietly replied, "Yeah, let's do this."

She nodded at his answer before moving to his right side and grabbing his hand again. With that, the two of them began the journey to Gryffindor Tower. They walked a bit slowly, as though they wanted to prolong the inevitable storm that would soon erupt.

It was about eight twenty when they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Upon giving the password, Hermione let go of his hand and walked in first when the portrait opened. Harry followed right behind and then shut the portrait once he was inside. And as he turned to face forward, his worst expectations were indeed confirmed.

What looked to be the entirety of Gryffindor House was in the common room, and every single person was now staring in silence at him and Hermione. From one of the armchairs near the fireplace, he could see Ginny looking at them with a fallen, despondent expression.

Then, movement from inside the crowd caught his attention, and Neville emerged a second later. After he walked up to the two of them, the other boy began whispering.

"Everybody's heard about you two kissing after the Arithmancy class ended. I tried to tell the house to just let it go and not pester you with questions until you were both ready to say something yourselves, but as you can probably see, I don't think many people are going to follow that advice. I'm sorry, guys."

Hermione responded first. "No, it's alright, Neville. You did nothing wrong. And we were both expecting something along the lines of this, anyway."

Harry added, "You tried, mate. That's what counts."

Hermione then took Harry's hand again before saying to Neville, "Just stand aside and watch. I'll put an end, right here and now, to the avalanche of questions that are about to spill."

Harry couldn't help glancing at her with a small grin. She looked to him with the same grin a moment later in response.

They turned back to Neville when he quietly chuckled and said, "After what I witnessed on the train, you can definitely be scary enough to keep people quiet."

He then became serious again. "But I'll back you guys up, if anyone tries to be too stubborn."

"Thank you, Neville," Hermione replied.

"Thanks, Neville," Harry added at the same time.

The other boy just silently nodded before finally stepping away, moving over to stand by the chair where Ginny was sitting. With that, the staring contest between the two Head students and everyone else began again. Harry was glad, however, when Hermione immediately spoke up, seemingly to not allow anyone to get ahead of her.

"So," she loudly and firmly began. "It seems the tale of what Harry and I did, after seventh-year Arithmancy ended, has spread to all of you, correct?"

Harry turned to look at her and found her expression to be just as hard as his whenever he wanted people to not ask questions and just go away. The crowd was also taken aback by her tone, causing them to remain speechless. A large majority of them, however, still had enough mind to nod as a confirmation.

"Then I'll keep this short but definitely not sweet," she continued. "Yes, Harry and I are together. No, it is no business of any of you to be entitled to information about our relationship. It will be our complete discretion as to what we say regarding our relationship and to whom we say it. I suggest you keep that in the backs of your minds before trying to dig up every detail you can for your little gossip purposes."

As though any response they could give was beneath her, she twisted her gaze to Harry, causing him to smirk a little bit.

She said more gently to him, "I know it's early, but what do you say we just call it a night and go to our dorms? The crowd here can talk among themselves however they please."

He let out a quick snort before replying, "Yeah, probably not a bad idea."

She nodded and dropped his hand. But before he could move, she leaned up and softly kissed him for a couple of seconds.

After pulling back, she whispered just for him, "Sleep well, Harry. I love you."

Giving her an affectionate smile, he quietly responded, "Sleep well, Hermione. And I love you, too."

They gazed at each other for another second before walking over and climbing the stairs to their respective dormitories.

Halfway up the stairs, Harry heard Neville say, "Didn't I tell you all to just let it go until the two of them would say anything for themselves?"

He smiled as he reached the top step and made his way to the seventh-year dorm room. Though he had not doubted the other boy's words, it was good getting to see that Neville really did have their backs. Harry was also certain that Luna would be the same if she was in this situation, albeit in her own odd, dreamy sort of way.

After entering the dorm, he walked over to his bed and began placing his books in his trunk. Once he had finished that and pulled out his pajamas to change into, however, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He turned around to find two of his three roommates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, walking into the room. Neville then followed a couple of seconds afterwards, wearing a slightly resigned look as he walked over to his own bed and sat down.

Harry grew suspicious, but before he could say anything, Dean held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and then began speaking.

"Harry. After what Hermione said and how Neville had even tried to warn all of us beforehand, Seamus and I want to apologize to you. It really wasn't right for the entire house to sort of corner the two of you like that."

As Dean dropped his hands, Seamus then took over. "Yeah, mate. Hermione was right that it really isn't any of our business for you to tell us about you two."

Harry just stared at them for a few seconds, causing them to squirm a bit under his firm gaze. Then, he asked, "Will the two of you give the same apology to Hermione tomorrow, since she deserves to hear it too?"

Dean nodded and replied, "Yeah, for certain we will."

Seamus said at the same time, "Definitely."

Though he didn't smile, Harry softened his expression to a more neutral one and responded, "Then apology accepted, guys."

With small but relieved grins, Dean and Seamus both said, "Thanks, Harry."

Harry simply nodded in return.

Dean and Seamus then turned to walk out of the dormitory, probably to the common room since it wasn't even eight thirty yet. But once they were right at the doorway, they actually stopped and turned back around.

Dean then said, "And for what it's worth, congratulations on you and Hermione being together. While a lot of us were surprised to have found out at the start of this year that she and Ron weren't together after how they kind of danced around each other in sixth year, I also think that you and Hermione can make for a great couple."

Seamus added, "Agreed here on that, mate."

That did cause Harry to give a tiny smile. "Well thanks, you two. I appreciate the sentiment."

The other two nodded. And with that, they finally walked away back towards the common room.

Harry looked over at Neville once they were alone. Before he could say anything, though, Neville spoke first. "I wasn't expecting that, when the two of them decided to come up and talk to you."

Harry snorted and shook his head. "Can't say I was expecting it either, Neville. But I'll take what I can get where I can get it, even if I've been nowhere near as close to Dean and Seamus compared to how I am with Hermione, how I once was with Ron, or even how I became with you and Luna after all that happened in fifth year. The two of them did at least seem truly remorseful over what happened downstairs, and I'm glad that they're happy for Hermione and me."

"Yeah, agreed here," Neville replied.

But then, the round-faced, brown-haired boy turned more serious. "I have to say, you mentioning that you were once close with Ron, combined with what I've already heard from Ginny, even before what happened on the Hogwarts Express, about how you haven't spoken to the Weasley family almost since the day that Voldemort died has me curious. I know Ron isn't here because he went for Auror training instead, but you, Ron, and Hermione were generally a steady trio in our earlier years. Did something happen?"

Harry took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "Let's just say that, during last year when the three of us were away in the task we needed to accomplish so that we could kill Riddle – Voldemort's actual name from birth was Tom Marvolo Riddle, by the way, since you may not know that."

The other boy's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the information, but Harry just continued on with his speech. "Let's just say that Ron did something during that time that Hermione and I simply cannot forgive. Though I also have to admit that Hermione was the one to remind me, once the Battle of Hogwarts had been over for a couple of days, that Ron's actions were unforgivable and destroyed any trust we could ever have in him going forward."

He then shook his head again. "And sorry, Neville. That's all I'm willing to say unless Hermione also gives her own permission that it's OK for you to hear the rest. In my mind, it's more her story to tell anyway."

Neville held up his hands for a moment before replying, "Hey, no worries, Harry. Like Luna and I said before, we'll respect whatever boundaries you want to have."

With a smile, Harry replied, "Thanks, mate. I really do appreciate that, as well as you sticking up for me and Hermione."

The other boy grinned and shrugged a shoulder. "What are friends for?"

Harry chuckled at that for a couple of seconds. Then, he said, "Alright, I'm going into the bathroom to get changed out of my robes for bed. Are you going back downstairs for a bit?"

Neville thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I think I'll call it a night myself. I'll gather my night clothes and then wait on you to finish with whatever you need to do in the bathroom."

Harry replied, "Alright then, see you in a bit."

After walking into the bathroom and shutting the door, Harry couldn't help grinning a bit at how things had gone. Hermione had definitely shut down the entire crowd that seemed to want to question the two of them. The subsequent apology and well-wishes from Dean and Seamus were also a pleasant surprise.

He gave a sigh as he finished getting dressed in his pajamas. He hoped things may be going as well for Hermione over on the girls' side of Gryffindor Tower as things had gone for him here.

Meanwhile…

Hermione walked to the girls' dormitory with her head held high, not caring at all about any of the stares and even a few glares she was receiving, in order to try and show the crowd in the common room that she was proud to be the person with which Harry had chosen to be. Hopefully, if they didn't read that from her, they at least all read that she was not to be trifled with when it came to her relationship with Harry.

Upon entering the room for the seventh-year girls, she quickly moved over to her bed and began slowly packing away her books back in her trunk. She was always a bit meticulous about her placement since she liked having things in an easily-navigable order. Crookshanks was sitting in a loaf position on the middle of the bed and watched her while she went about her task.

But once she finished that and went to pull out her pajamas for the night, the sound of footsteps entering interrupted her task. Looking towards the doorway, her expression immediately hardened upon seeing Ginny Weasley standing in the middle of the room.

Hermione immediately put her hand on her wand in the right pocket of her robes. She wasn't taking any chances, even though the Weasley girl had a despairing expression on her face and didn't quite appear like she was going to attack just yet. Since Ginny's hands were also both visible, Hermione would let things play out for a bit first.

Ginny slowly stepped even closer until she was just a couple of steps away from Hermione. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hermione immediately interjected, having something of her own to say first.

"Whatever you're here for, make sure those hands of yours stay visible while you're here."

Ginny blinked in surprise for a second, before her gaze moved to Hermione's right hand. Or rather, where that right hand was currently positioned.

Looking back up, and without changing her fallen expression, she quietly said, "You're holding onto your wand right now, aren't you?"

Hermione retorted, "After the stunt you tried to pull on the Hogwarts Express, can you blame me? I know you didn't miss the implication, in my replies to the accusations you laid about me not knowing what love is, that I was in love with Harry. And I'm quite certain that implication, along with me saying that you were the one who didn't know about love, was exactly why you attacked me in the first place. So tell me, Ginevra. Why exactly should I believe that you won't attack me, with possibly even a more lethal spell, now that you know that Harry and I are actually together?"

Ginny gave a sad frown as she folded her arms over her chest, with her hands placed on each elbow. "You don't trust me even a little bit, even after the way you humiliated me with that display of magic on the train and then told me in no uncertain terms to never try anything against you?"

Hermione replied with bitter sarcasm, "You'll have to forgive me if I can't take you at your word alone. You lost all trust when you went into your little temper tantrum."

A bit of exasperation seemed to enter Ginny's eyes, but then it was replaced by sadness again as she looked down and shook her head. Then, while still looking down, she quietly said, "How long?"

"How long what? Be specific."

Ginny looked up at that and despondently added, "How long have the two of you been together?"

Keeping her own expression unchanged, Hermione heaved a long sigh. Then, she replied, "Since December twenty-second, so we'll have only hit the mark of two full weeks once the rest of this day passes."

She then shook her head and added more angrily, "So no, we haven't been together at any point before then this year. And no, Harry and I were never together at any point when we weren't at Hogwarts last year, and we've never been together at any point in earlier years as well. In fact, I never even realized my true feelings for Harry until a few days before the holiday break, thanks to something my parents mentioned in a letter response to me. So you can just drop it if you have some kind of thought in your mind that I had anything to do with why Harry hasn't gotten back together with you, or if you think Harry may have cheated on you with me."

Somehow, the redhead's expression fell even more as she whispered, "That recently? So, when Harry told me off at the beginning of this school year – "

"That was all Harry himself," Hermione interjected. "And I was actually shocked by everything he said, too. In more ways than one, considering that's how I first learned about your little 'happy hunting' comment you gave to Harry, but I digress. Frankly, before that day, I had always thought that the two of you were going to get back together at some point. But I guess he did some thinking of his own during the summer, though the way you confronted him once we were here at school also certainly didn't help."

She tilted her head a bit. "And no, he also didn't come to that conclusion because of me. After your family left Hogwarts in the aftermath of the final battle, Harry and I were concentrated on getting everything prepared so that we could go to Australia and find my parents, or helping out around the castle however we could with repairs if we had a spare moment from that planning. So, we didn't talk about much else. And once we found my parents in early June, Harry immediately left and came back to Britain. I stayed with my parents, and we didn't return to Britain for another two months. And the first time that I had any contact with Harry at all after he left was at King's Cross on the first day of school."

That made Ginny appear as though her entire world had just fallen apart, before she said, "So, he just really no longer wanted to be with me, because of what I said to him at Dumbledore's funeral as well as at the beginning of this school year?"

Had it been someone else, Hermione probably would have felt pity and sympathy. But instead, her reply was cold. "That's what a person does when they believe that a relationship with you won't work out."

Ginny dropped her arms as her gaze shifted towards the floor. Hermione could see tears building up in the sixth-year girl's eyes. It seemed like she was finally realizing that her long-held dream of being together with Harry was just simply that, a dream.

With that, Ginny shook her head and began twisting around, like she was going to leave.

"Ginny."

When Hermione said the girl's name, Ginny stopped and faced her again.

She continued, "Two things for you. One, I didn't tell you on the train about needing to learn what love is just to be mean. You need to rethink your ideas of love and then apply them to what happened regarding your relationship with Harry. Maybe then, it will make more sense as to why he didn't want to get back together with you, as well as how me staying by Harry's side, even with the hardships of him trying to push everyone away, is why he was willing to get together with me."

Her expression then became as stony as it possibly could before her next statement. "And two, don't you dare try and come between Harry and me. You have to already know that Harry would never forgive you if you tried. Come to grips with the reality of things. Because if you don't, I promise you that what I would do to you will make my words from the train, of what would happen if you attack me, look like a mere Tickling Charm in comparison."

Ginny looked down for a moment before then tearfully saying, "So many people talked about and were shocked at how Harry actually smiled at you even before the two of you kissed. He never smiled at anyone or anything in the first term, but he smiled at you today. If he hasn't wanted to be with me for all these months, how can I compete against that, especially when you've been friends for so long?"

The redheaded girl tried to wipe her eyes, but to no avail since more tears just replaced those. Then, she sadly whispered, "I won't interfere. I'm not so stupid that I can't tell at this point that I would be signing my own death warrant with the both of you if I tried."

She then looked to her left before adding, "I… I have to go and think on things."

With that, Ginny finally turned around and sped out of the room, sounding like she was desperately trying to hold back sobs the entire time.

Hermione shook her head. While she was most likely never going to trust the Weasley girl again after the train incident, she did at least hope that Ginny would take to heart why her relationship with Harry had not worked and then learn from it for the future.

She finally turned back to her belongings to try and gather her pajamas. But once again, footsteps sounded that caused her to turn around, though with a bit of frustration.

This time, it was her three roommates, who shut the door behind them after they were inside before then sitting down on their respective beds. Two of them were looking somewhat fearful, while the third had a knowing, almost disdainful expression on her face as she looked at Hermione. Considering that the third girl had also been saved by Hermione from getting killed by Fenrir Greyback during the Battle of Hogwarts but had then proceeded to not talk to her at all this year, Hermione didn't think that there was much of a justification to be mad about anything right now. Still, she remained silent to see how things were going to play out.

And at that moment, Lavender Brown finally spoke. "Well, Hermione. It seems that you've gotten good at making other girls leave a room in tears."

Hermione frowned and retorted, "Lavender, you haven't spoken to me all year up to this point. And frankly, combining that with the fact of how I was the one that blasted Greyback off you during the Battle of Hogwarts, which kept you from being killed by that vile man, I don't see any reason why you should be angry at me for anything right now."

Parvati Patil and Fay Dunbar, the other two occupants of the room, just remained silent with their gazes flicking back and forth between Hermione and Lavender.

At the same time, Lavender gave a loud scoff. "Oh? So Ginny Weasley didn't just come running out of this room in tears because of Harry wanting to be with you instead of her? Just like I wasn't left in tears almost two years ago when Ron wanted to be with you instead of me?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Is that what this is really about? You're still mad about what happened with Ron?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" the taller, light-brown-haired girl replied. "Isn't it convenient how both Ron and Harry seemed to want to be with other people first before turning to you later? And isn't it even more convenient that, in the one year that Ron isn't here, you turn to Harry and get his attentions latched onto you somehow? Everyone knows about how Harry has pushed people away from him unless it was a subject strictly related to classes and schoolwork. But with you, he just happens to kiss you right in the middle of the hall for so many people to see that it immediately gets around the entire school, on the first day of classes after the holiday break?"

She scoffed again. "You know, maybe there could be some truth to that claim Rita Skeeter wrote in our fourth year about you and love potions."

That caused something to snap within Hermione.

With rage on her face, she began walking towards Lavender's bed. Upon seeing Parvati and Fay quickly stand up, she immediately grabbed her wand from her pocket and pointed it in their direction while stopping her forward movement. Though she could only see a bit of it from her peripheral vision, the instant action shocked the two into a standstill, and it even caused Lavender to blink in surprise for a second even if her facial expression didn't change.

Without moving her gaze from Lavender, Hermione said in a low voice to the others, "Both of you sit right back down and stay there. Do that, and we'll have no problems. Otherwise, I'll make it so that you can't stand up at all."

After a couple of seconds, Parvati and Fay slowly did as she ordered, even putting their hands in their laps as though they knew she wanted to see them.

Satisfied with the others for a moment, she put her wand back in her pocket before saying to Lavender, "First of all, don't you dare accuse me of using a love potion on anyone. Especially not when I know that Romilda Vane tried to give Harry spiked chocolates in sixth year, and he didn't eat them thanks at least in part to me warning him about having overheard girls talking about possibly slipping him a potion."

She saw Lavender's face become both confused and skeptical somehow, but she continued before the other girl could interrupt.

"Second of all, when I realized I was in love with Harry a few days before the Christmas break thanks to a teasing comment my parents put in a letter, and had probably been in love with him for a long while, I also realized that I only started trying for Ron in sixth year because Harry never gave any indication about having any feelings for me back then, and Ron seemed like a guarantee due to being the only other close friend that I really had. You want to say it's merely convenient that I only went after someone that I was already familiar with, then that's your prerogative. You'd still be wrong to do so, but go right ahead anyway."

At that point, Hermione finally moved right over to Lavender, standing barely an inch away, and gave her the same harsh glare that she'd given Ginny when telling the Weasley not to interfere. That seemed to do the trick, since Lavender's own anger started to disappear and was replaced by fear as the girl's face quickly began paling.

Scowling at Lavender, she then said with even more anger, "And third, maybe Harry wouldn't have pushed everyone away if they had actually cared enough about anything other than what that damned bloody scar on his forehead represents."

Shock instantly ran through Lavender's expression, as well as those of the other two girls even though Hermione couldn't see them. She wasn't surprised, considering her roommates would have never heard her use much in the way of foul language before. Her wrath was boiling over enough, however, that she never gave any of them a chance to speak as she continued.

"No one else tried to ask him about his troubles in a way that implied they actually cared about him as a person rather than just wanting to find out information about the war or some other past event at Hogwarts, even though surely people could see that something wasn't right with him from the way that he acted towards everyone. But I did. No matter how angry he got with the rest of the student population when they tried to ask him personal questions, I was always there. No matter how many times he blew off my questions and concerns, I was always there. And to my happiness, he finally opened up one night, and that was the first step that led to us deciding to start a romantic relationship."

She then leaned in to get right in Lavender's face and spoke with as much vitriol as she could give. "So before you turn me into your worst nightmare by trying to make any more implications that Harry should never have gotten together with me, take off the blinders you have regarding Ron first, so you can see that maybe Harry and I fit each other in a way that no one else in the world ever could."

She remained in place and glared at Lavender for a few more seconds before standing straight up again. She walked back to her bed, but something else came to mind about this situation that deserved to be said. Thus, she twisted around to face Lavender again, who was still looking at her with terror even as the other girl was breathing deeply to try and calm down, and continued speaking.

"And frankly, Lavender, I think you're better off without Ron anyway. Unless he's magically done a huge amount of maturing over the past eight months, which I highly doubt has happened, he'll just leave you if things start to not go exactly the way he wants. He did that to me and Harry last year, and while it took me until the end of the war to actually have this realization, I can neither forgive him for it nor trust him ever again because of it."

Hermione then shook her head a few times. "But if you really want him, go right ahead for all I care. Send him a letter and see what happens."

Surprisingly, Parvati was the one to respond. "She did at the beginning of this school year once we knew that he wasn't coming back to Hogwarts, but he never responded to her."

Lavender shrieked, "Parvati! No one else was supposed to know!"

The raven-haired girl exclaimed in response, "Well I'm sorry, Lavender! But you're my best friend, and you've been depressed ever since you sent that letter! If telling someone else, someone who was friends with Ron and would know him better, can help you to get past it and be happy again, then that's what I'm going to do!"

Fay interjected, while running a hand through her long blonde hair, "So that's why you've seemed sad all the time this year."

Lavender looked down to the floor with tears beginning to build in her eyes.

Though Hermione still had a large portion of anger within her from Lavender's earlier words, she couldn't help wondering if maybe those words had all simply been from the pain the other girl felt about her own troubles and she hadn't really meant them. In any case, when comparing this to the interactions with Ginny this year, Ginny had not only been on her second chance already thanks to the selfish way she had tried to push Harry at the beginning of the year to answer questions, but she then used up that second chance with what happened on the Hogwarts Express.

Maybe this might be too generous considering Lavender had tried to verbally cut her down by making that implication about love potions, but Hermione decided to give the girl her second chance. If Lavender wanted to be even the slightest bit spiteful again, though, then she could just go to hell with all of her problems.

Thus, Hermione walked back over to Lavender's bed. The other girls all looked in fear at her as she moved. That changed to confusion, however, when she simply sat down on the bed next to Lavender, on the girl's right side. She took a deep breath to try and get as calm as possible before saying anything.

Then, she turned and looked up directly at Lavender's eyes, since the other girl was four inches taller than her. And Hermione asked, "So, just so I can be certain, you really do still have at least some feelings for Ron? And is that why you're sad that you never got a response from him?"

Lavender tilted her head in more confusion before looking back to the floor and running a hand through her hair. Then, after a few seconds, she quietly said, "It's not necessarily the same feelings like in sixth year, but I did think that I could maybe get back together with him."

Hermione gave a couple of small nods before saying, "OK, so you wanted to try and be with Ron again, but maybe he's an option that isn't going to work out. Well, Ron's not the only bloke in the world, and I'll reiterate that you could do better than him anyway. Is there no one else you may have had your eye on?"

She then couldn't help saying a bit more firmly, "Besides Harry, of course."

Fear entered the other girl's eyes for a moment as Lavender glanced at Hermione, but the sadness returned as she then looked away once again. She also remained silent, which actually did give Hermione a little bit of worry.

"Lavender," she said, getting the girl's attention. "Is there something else wrong? Some reason that you remain fixated on Ron and don't seem to have anyone else you may like or have at least thought about?"

Lavender became completely crestfallen and just stared in silence for a few more seconds. Then, after glancing to everyone in the dorm for a moment, she rapidly blinked before almost jumping up from the bed to a standing position. She quickly pulled her robes over her head, leaving her standing in just her bra and knickers.

Hermione couldn't help grimacing slightly for an instant. Because of the way their robes fully covered their whole bodies, she'd heard more than a few conversations about how people wouldn't bother wearing anything besides undergarments beneath the robes. That was something that Hermione could never do for two reasons.

First, robes had always seemed to her more like a piece of outerwear that you put on over another outfit, even if the school robes covered everything entirely anyway. Second, she had never wanted to be embarrassed by risking a situation where something would make her robes fly up and show her uncovered body, even before she had actually gotten the scar on her chest. And frankly, she now felt a bit justified in always keeping that kind of caution, after having seen that memory from Harry with how Snape had shown his underwear to everyone when his robes fell over his head after he was lifted into the air with the Levicorpus spell.

Thus, underneath her own robes, she had always worn an equivalent to a regular school uniform. She would have a button-up blouse tucked into a skirt that reached just above her knees, tights, and a pair of flat Mary Jane shoes, though the shoes would obviously be replaced with more appropriate footwear whenever snowfall hit Hogwarts. That outfit, even if it was always hidden underneath the required robes, always felt more appropriate to her for a school setting compared to just the robes.

She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when Lavender turned around and said, while pointing to her left shoulder, "Because of this!"

Hermione looked at the shoulder and realized what Lavender meant. Parvati and Fay also walked over to the bed to take a look for themselves and gasped when they saw it.

There were large bite marks all along Lavender's shoulder. Along with that, four slashes ran from the top of her shoulder to the top of her left breast, which Hermione knew must have been from Greyback's long nails.

At that moment, Lavender despondently spoke again. "Madam Pomfrey said that these scars are never going to fade! And even though I don't actually transform into a werewolf since it wasn't a full moon when I got bitten, any meat that I eat nowadays has to be so bloody that it may as well still be alive! If I can't even get Ron to talk to me when I've already gone out with him before, how am I supposed to expect someone else to give me a chance with not only these stupid wolfish tendencies but also these hideous scars?!"

With that, Hermione saw Parvati and Fay pull Lavender into a hug, while Parvati began whispering what Hermione assumed would be words of comfort. She remained sitting, just pondering for the moment.

So, she thought, Lavender had the exact same worries about a scarred appearance as she did. Or at least, as she did before she finally showed her scar to Harry. She thought for another few seconds before coming to a decision.

To hell with it. Harry thought she was beautiful. The rest of the world could think whatever they wanted.

Thus, Hermione stood up and walked around the group back to her bed. Feeling their gazes on her, she waited for another moment before looking over her shoulder and speaking.

"You think you're the only one that has visible scars from all that happened?"

Turning her head back around, she didn't see the bafflement in the other girls' expressions as they broke away from the hug to look at her. She just simply took a deep breath to prepare herself before then peeling her robes over her head.

As she placed the robes on the end of her bed, she heard Parvati say, "What are you doing, Hermione?"

She simply replied, "Preparing to make a point."

After that, she unzipped her skirt and pushed it down so that it fell onto the floor. Stepping over it, she unbuttoned her blouse and then threw that onto her robes, now leaving her in only her bra and knickers. She looked at her left shoulder and then placed two fingers on her scar, tracing it for a few moments exactly like Harry had done on Christmas morning. Then, after dropping her hand and taking one more deep breath, she finally turned around to reveal her secret.

As soon as she turned around, the other three girls let out huge gasps upon seeing her chest. Hermione gave a quiet little snort as she walked forward again, stopping just a step away from the others as well as standing directly in front of Lavender.

Then, she quietly said, "So, I take it you didn't miss the obvious."

Fay was the first to respond. "Merlin's pants, Hermione! How did you get that scar? How long have you had it?"

Hermione snorted again at Fay's phrase but simply answered the questions. "Since June of 1996. A Death Eater named Antonin Dolohov hit me with a dark curse that left this scar, and very well could have killed me had I not silenced him beforehand."

Parvati then exclaimed, "1996! You've had this for nearly three years and no one knew about it?!"

Lavender added, "And how could you have gotten it from a Death Eater back then?!"

Hermione sighed and said, "First, no one knew about it because I made certain to keep it hidden, never wearing anything that could show it off. And second, I'll keep this short since the full story isn't really mine to tell. I, along with a few others, went with Harry to the Ministry one day that month because Harry had been led to believe that someone outside of Hogwarts that he cared for had been captured and taken there. But it turned out to be a Death Eater trap, and I took the curse in the fighting that happened, leaving this scar afterwards."

Parvati said, almost wistfully, "You got that scar because you wanted to help Harry, and you stayed friends with him even afterwards? Wow, Hermione. You really must have been in love with him, even if you say you didn't really know it at the time."

Hermione said with a bit of exasperation, "Look, we're getting off track here. I have an actual point that I want to make."

Looking directly to Lavender again, she continued, "And to start that point… you're not the only person that was afraid of what everyone else may think upon seeing what you believe is a hideous scar."

Then, she added a bit more softly, "That's why I've hidden mine for years. But when I finally revealed it for the first time, all of my worst fears were turned right on their heads."

Lavender's eyes widened a bit as she whispered, "You mean Harry, don't you? The first person you showed this to?"

Hermione nodded. "That's right. It was over this past break, on Christmas morning. My entire mind was filled with worry about how disgusting my appearance might seem, but Harry flipped it all around, not only calling me beautiful but also making me feel like I was the most beautiful person in the world, by going into the wonderful things he saw in me that were represented by this scar."

Parvati and Fay both let out a tiny but heartfelt, "Aww."

Hermione ignored them to concentrate on Lavender. "My point to this is… there's surely someone out there for you that would do the same once they got to know you, even if it ends up being someone that you don't know from here at Hogwarts. But if you clam up and never take a chance on anyone, all you'll have for the rest of your life are those questions in your mind of what could have been or may have happened.

"So, take that step forward, Lavender. Show the rest of the world that you're not only a pretty girl but are also somebody that another person would be lucky to have. If you show that you're someone great and enjoyable to be around, those scars will no longer matter because your partner won't have any problem looking past them to see everything else about you. But finding that partner can only happen if you make that first step."

She finally went silent, staring at Lavender for a few more seconds before turning back to her bed. She made her point, so now it was up to the other girl to do with it what she wanted.

With that, Hermione quickly found her dressing gown in order to cover herself, while the others continued to remain quiet. She then was finally able to gather her pajamas and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She came out five minutes later, having brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. A quick glance showed her that the other girls were all sitting on Lavender's bed at the moment, with Lavender sitting in the middle of the three and also having put on her robes again. She initially paid them no more attention as she continued walking to her own bed.

But once she was there and had placed her day clothes away, Lavender tentatively called out, "Hermione?"

She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath before turning to face the others. Then, without a word, she simply tilted her head slightly and then raised an eyebrow.

A small amount of fear entered Lavender's blue eyes, but she continued holding her gaze to Hermione as she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all of those terrible things to you after coming in here."

Hermione couldn't help the slight hardening of her expression at the reminder of that initial exchange, but Lavender quickly continued before she could say anything.

"And I know that I didn't deserve any kindness from you after what I said, nor did I deserve any of that information you gave about you and Harry, but you still talked to me and did something to try and help me with this situation over my scars from the battle. So, for what it may be worth, thank you for that."

The clear remorse in the words caused Hermione to make her expression more neutral.

Still, she did need to say something else. "Can I assume that you won't make any more unfounded accusations against me regarding Harry? And as I also said to Ginny when she came here, nor will you interfere in my relationship with Harry and try to sour things between him and me?"

All three girls actually shook their heads frantically before Lavender swiftly replied, "No, I promise I won't do either."

The other two added at the same time afterwards, "So do we."

Parvati then spoke with slightly wide and fearful eyes. "You scared the daylights out of me earlier, Hermione, with the speed you used when pulling out your wand as well as the gravity in your tone when you spoke to me and Fay. I'm not sure if I ever felt that frightened even during the actual Battle of Hogwarts."

Hermione gave a little hum before saying, "Then that, Parvati, should show you how seriously I take things that relate to Harry."

She then locked her gaze onto Lavender again. "Do know, however, that you're now on your second and final chance. If you do go against the promise that you just made, you won't get any more chances."

Lavender nodded again, with a bit of fright, but remained silent.

Glancing to Parvati and Fay afterwards, Hermione added, "To you two, you're both technically still on your first, because I'm sure that you both rose from your beds because you were afraid for Lavender. So, I do apologize for threatening you in the way that I did. Just please keep in mind everything that I've said, along with the agreement you made to follow the same promise that Lavender made."

The two looked past Lavender at each other for a moment.

Then, Parvati turned and was the first to speak. "Apology accepted, Hermione. With what you've said about your scar and being there for Harry when no one else was, I can understand why you became so angry."

Fay said in turn, "Yes, I accept your apology and understand the reasoning behind your actions, too."

Hermione gave the two a tiny smile. Looking back to Lavender afterwards, she took a deep breath before speaking in a slightly gentler tone. "And as long as you remember your promise, Lavender, we'll be fine after tonight."

The fear left Lavender's eyes, being replaced with relief and gratitude as she quietly responded, "I will. And thank you again for trying to help me even when you had no reason to in that instance."

Hermione gave a light snort but nodded and replied, "You're welcome. And remember what I said. If you don't find the courage to take a chance, all you'll be left with are your scars, your fears, and the scenarios in your mind of what could have been."

The eyes of all three of the girls grew a bit wider, almost with sympathy. Hermione just turned back to her bed and pulled the covers back with her left hand while placing her wand underneath her pillow with the right one. Crookshanks got up and moved to the end of the bed so that he wouldn't get hit by the bed covers in the process.

As she checked her alarm clock and climbed into the bed, however, Lavender spoke again before she could close the curtains. "Hermione?"

She sat up a bit straighter and then turned her head to the left, where the other girls were still sitting on Lavender's bed, before simply saying, "Yes?"

Lavender continued, a bit wistfully, "Is that how you and Harry actually got together? You took a chance and were the first to reveal your feelings?"

Hermione couldn't help glancing at the floor for a second, smiling as the memory of that morning two weeks ago in the Forest of Dean filled her mind again. When she looked back up, never dropping her smile, she found that curiosity and maybe a bit of longing had entered the expressions of the other girls.

Taking a long breath and letting it out as a happy sigh, she decided that they could have a peek into what happened. "Not quite how you might be thinking, actually. Let's just say that, while Harry and I were having a talk, he mentioned something that got me to wonder if maybe he was starting to see me as more than just a friend. And even with how terrified he was about ruining his friendship with me because he hadn't wanted to burden me with anything after how I stayed by his side all this year, he still had the honesty to confirm my thought when I asked him about what he mentioned. He even gave me a promise right afterwards that we would still be best friends, when I asked him about what would happen if I would 'do something stupid in the next minute or two,' to quote my own words."

Even with as vague as she was being regarding the full details of that morning, the other girls still appeared to be enraptured with the tale.

Parvati then spoke. "What did you do that could have been stupid?"

Hermione snorted and then bluntly came out with it. "I kissed him as hard as I could."

The others all gasped in astonishment, but before they could interrupt with anything, Hermione just decided to give a summary of what else happened from that point.

"Harry had to have been shocked considering he stayed still for at least a few seconds, but then he responded, and we stood there kissing for what must have been a full minute. When we pulled away, there was nothing but shock and disbelief on his face. And that's… that's when I revealed my own feelings. Told him that I loved him. Told him that, if he didn't feel ready for any kind of relationship like that or even if he simply didn't want that kind of relationship with me, I would still be his best friend and would remain at his side to help him however I could."

At that point, Lavender sadly interjected, "Even if he had rejected you after that kind of reveal, you still would have remained close friends with him? Why?"

Hermione locked her gaze onto Lavender, giving a silent and piercing stare for a few seconds before speaking again. "Because, Lavender, after all the perils he had to face, all the weights he had to carry, all the tragedies he had to endure… after everything that life threw at him, all I ever wanted for Harry – all I still want for him – is for him to be happy. And if I couldn't be the one to give him that happiness in a romantic relationship…"

She trailed off for a second and had to take a deep breath. When she continued, she couldn't hide the slight shake in her voice. "As much as it would have hurt if he had rejected me that day, I would have lived with it and just continued to give him whatever happiness I could as a best friend. Because I love him enough that I could never put my happiness ahead of his own."

She closed her eyes and slightly hung her head, taking another long breath. After a couple of seconds, she was able to compose herself and push out of her mind that needless scenario of being rejected. And as she looked back up, she was easily able to smile and continue speaking as the true memory once again played in her head.

"But, as you can probably glean from what happened in the halls today, he didn't reject me. I'll never forget that look of tearful happiness on his face, nor the euphoria that filled me, as he said that he would love to take that plunge to see where our relationship can go. That was on the twenty-second of December. And not only has it been the happiest time of my life so far, but more importantly for me, I also know from Harry's words and actions that it's been the happiest time for him thus far as well."

This time, all three of the other girls gave a warm and genuine, "Aww."

Hermione couldn't help chuckling for a second. Then, she became serious again and continued, "So, as far as Harry and me, I wasn't quite acting on a complete unknown. But I suppose you're still right about me being the one to take the chance first, because I could have remained silent and not asked Harry about his words and whether they truly meant that he could see me as more than a friend. I know that Harry would never have said more about it had I not brought it up myself. But what matters is that we're together now, and we're both finding happiness. And no matter how many times I give thanks for the way that our relationship has gone, I know that it will never be enough to properly convey my joy and gratitude."

As she finally came to the end of her speech, small and tearful smiles grew on the faces of the other three girls. Everyone remained quiet for a few more seconds before Hermione decided to bring the night to a close with one last thing.

"Now," she said more firmly, "while this shouldn't need saying, I want things to be clear. Everything that I've told you all tonight about Harry and me doesn't go beyond you three. No one else hears about it unless both Harry and I give explicit permission. And I will of course be telling Harry all about what I've said to the three of you, since it's only fair that he knows what has been said. Is that understood?"

Lavender held up her hands and quickly answered, "I won't say a word, I promise."

Parvati and Fay gave the same promise immediately afterwards.

But then, Lavender became slightly dejected and whispered, "I hope I can find someone that makes me feel the same way that Harry does for you, Hermione."

Parvati and Fay each put an arm around her to try and give a comforting hug.

Hermione, meanwhile, looked at Lavender with actual sympathy for the first time that night. And she got everyone's attention again when she softly replied, "Well, like I said before, Lavender. You'll never know if you don't try."

Lavender grew thoughtful at the statement, her eyes glancing down.

They flew back up after a second, though, when Hermione added, "Alright, with that, I'm going to try and go to sleep. Good night, all."

"Good night, Hermione," the others quietly responded.

She nodded before closing her bed curtains on each side and making certain again that her alarm clock was set. Afterwards, she pulled the covers up to her shoulders before shifting to lie on her right side. She silently chuckled when she felt the bed shift slightly as Crookshanks walked towards her, before the cat then curled up next to her by her stomach. Unable to resist, Hermione reached down and scratched his ears for a couple of seconds, listening to his happy purrs, before pulling her hand away.

When she closed her eyes, her thoughts immediately drifted back to Harry, causing another smile to grow on her face. In a way, she was glad at the turn of events that had taken place tonight. It allowed her to show at least a few people how deeply she and Harry felt for one another, and that there was more to their relationship than just that one snog in the hallway.

Hermione would never tire of the happiness that always came to her when thinking of her relationship with Harry. And as she finally began drifting off to sleep, she gave one more silent well-wish in her mind to Harry. She hoped not only that everything in his own dormitory went smoothly, though she wasn't too worried on that front since he would have Neville with him to help against unwanted questions, but also that he would fall asleep with the same happiness that she was feeling at the moment.


A/N: And so, the relationship becomes known to the school! I must admit that I hadn't originally envisioned making the reveal quite so early at the start of the new term at Hogwarts, but it seems the characters themselves had different plans once I actually began writing this chapter haha. And now, for a few more notes...

Yes, Lavender is still alive here, even though I think there's material related to the movies which said that she died in the last film. The last mention of her name in the Deathly Hallows book was about how "Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly struggling body of Lavender Brown," and Hermione had been the one to blast Greyback away. While the phrase "feebly struggling" certainly does imply that Lavender has little strength left, it's also still not a full indication of actual death. And again, since there were no more mentions of Lavender after that sentence in DH, I wanted to have her remain alive for this story. Given how she got done pretty dirty in my eyes with the way she was written in Half-Blood Prince, I thought she deserved better than to simply die at the hands of Greyback. Plus, while there was that initial confrontation between the girls, the method I've used here allowed for Lavender and Hermione to find common ground to bond over, when it comes to their scars from battle.

With the school robes, going to the webpage "thereisareaper dot tumblr dot com/post/132276464879/hogwarts-school-uniform" will have the images that I had in mind when it comes to the robe descriptions. While the movie uniforms are unfortunately what most people may think of as the Hogwarts uniform, those actually go against how the first book said that students simply needed three plain black work robes plus a pointed black hat for day wear. Considering the movie uniforms also look just like a normal school uniform that you may find at certain schools in real life except for the addition of the cloak, they're also contradictory to the mentions in the books of how a huge portion of wizenkind (if that's not actually a word, I'm making it one now haha) has zero clue about non-magical fashions, as well as going against the description of the events from that memory of Snape's where the OotP book says that "Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants" when he got lifted into the air. Obviously, if everyone was wearing the movie uniforms, Snape's underpants could have never been shown in the first place.

Of course, I also couldn't resist keeping a nod to those movie uniforms by including the outfit that Hermione wears underneath her robes, almost as a way for her to still always keep a connection to the non-magical side of her life even when at Hogwarts for ten months.

Finally... holy crap, it's almost been a full year since I first started publishing this story! I never imagined that my little off-the-cuff Christmas idea from last year would grow to be, according to my big Word doc where I write everything, a story with roughly 235k words as of this chapter and still more to come. And thank you so much to all of you that have deemed it worthy of any of your time, whether that time was just a single chapter or if you've stuck around since the story was first published last year, and to those of you who have left reactions at any point.

And as always, if you've made it this far, I hope you stay tuned for more!