Chapter 24
The next morning, Hermione woke up at her usual time and started her routine. It was just before five forty that she walked down to the common room and saw that familiar, messy black hair.
As she walked over to the sofa, she said, "Good morning, Harry."
He turned when she spoke to him. Though he smiled at her, it almost seemed forced, making a small bit of worry begin to grow within her.
She sat next to him on his right side. Now that she had a better look at his face, she could see some depression lurking in his eyes. And she couldn't help becoming slightly sad herself over why he might be feeling that way.
She took hold of his right hand with her left, giving him a squeeze. Then, with total sympathy, she whispered, "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"
His expression fell a bit as he nodded and said, "Yeah."
Hermione couldn't help reaching over with her other hand to grab and hold his second one, before she replied, "Was… was it one of the bad ones this time?"
This time, Harry's expression became completely dejected. "Yeah."
And with that, he proceeded to tell her about what happened.
-O-
Things started out so peacefully for Harry, having fallen asleep easily as well as with a smile on his face.
Eventually, though, his dreams began again at some point. And this time, it was like a series of flashing images. Each would linger for maybe a few seconds. And every one showed Hermione perishing in the many misadventures that had happened to or around him in earlier years.
Her lying dead and bleeding on the floor from the troll. Her being the one person to get killed by the basilisk. Her getting bitten and killed by a transformed Lupin. The letter attack in fourth year containing some kind of poison instead of bubotuber pus, then seeing her dead in the hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey could attempt to counteract whatever the poison was. And of course, the ever-consistent dreams of both the curse at the Department of Mysteries and the torture at Malfoy Manor reared their ugly heads.
While those memories and more continued to flash almost in sequence, instead of hearing sounds from the incidents themselves, the voices of everyone he'd ever known were speaking to Harry. As soon as one person would stop, another would immediately take their place, never giving Harry enough time to even just think of a response, much less actually give one. And they were all saying similar things, causing him to start taking shorter and shorter breaths with every sentence.
He was a danger to her. He would only get her killed. Even with no more Death Eaters, people would still come after her for being in a relationship with the famous Boy Who Lived and now Man Who Won. She would never know true peace because she would have to be on the lookout for those who may do her harm for being with Harry. He was selfish for being with her in the face of all that.
Eventually, the images blinked by faster and faster, while a huge cacophony of voices continued to berate Harry. When it got to the point that the dreams blurred together so much that he could no longer distinguish them, he forced his eyes shut and then covered his ears with his hands.
And at that moment, he yelled, "SHUT UP!"
Everything seemed to go silent. He waited a couple of seconds before opening his eyes. When he did, he found himself merely sitting in his Hogwarts bed, behind its closed curtains.
Dropping his hands, Harry let out a slightly frustrated sigh. Another nightmare, even when he'd gone to bed content with how the previous day had ended.
He shook his head for a moment before turning to look at his alarm clock. He found the time to be just before four thirty in the morning.
Well, he thought, at least he'd still gotten most of a full night's sleep before the nightmare hit.
As he turned the alarm off and quietly got up to begin his day, however, he still couldn't help giving out another quiet sigh. It was bad enough that the nightmares truly did seem like they weren't going to end, even though he'd been able to keep the one on the night before this fairly short. But what was worse with this latest one was that there was a point to all of the statements he was forced to hear. Hermione most likely would face hardships for being with him. Even if he knew that she would stick around no matter what happened, she still didn't deserve to endure trouble from anyone.
In his mind, he gave another sigh. Hermione needed to hear about this.
He went through his morning routine and finally made it down to the common room at five o'clock. Without a word, he simply went over to the sofa and sat in the same place as he had on the morning after the first night back at Hogwarts, simply waiting however long it may take for her.
-O-
As he came to the end of his recap, he said, "At least this time, I only woke up at four thirty, so I still got to sleep for most of the night."
He then sighed and shook his head for a moment. "And I know that you won't leave my side, you've more than proven that already. But the worst part of this nightmare is how there's a kernel of truth to it, you know? Now that basically all of Hogwarts knows about us, it's just a matter of time before people here start telling their families or others, and the news then spreads to the rest of wizarding Britain.
"Even if we don't have Death Eaters to worry about, what if there's someone unhinged enough to try and come after you over this? That image of you being attacked in fourth year with the letter, only with poison instead of just the bubotuber pus, seems like something that could legitimately happen now. I…"
Harry trailed off for a moment before looking away from her. "You deserve better than to have to deal with troubles because of me."
Hermione gave a tiny shake of her head before putting her right hand on his cheek. She gently pushed his head, with Harry giving no resistance, so that their gazes were locked again.
She quietly said, "Sure, perhaps someone could try it. But for one, we wouldn't even need to read any letters that aren't from my parents, if we can't explicitly tell who sent the letter. And if I would get nasty letters like I did in fourth year, we could have a safe method for opening them. I could put them on the floor and open them with a Severing Charm first to see if there's anything inside to try and harm me. Then, if I wanted to read it, I could levitate it to me so that I would never actually touch it. You could have a shield up between us and the letter, of which I could try to cast around it with my Severing Charm, so that you know for certain that nothing would fly towards us as soon as the letter was opened. And we even have my Potion-Detecting and Poison-Detecting Spells, as well as Specialis Revelio and Scarpin's Revelaspell even if we haven't tried to use those wandlessly yet, to scan letters beforehand to see if anything might be inside them."
Though Harry still remained somewhat dismal, she also saw his expression soften a bit before he replied, "Yeah, you're not wrong that there are easy precautions to take. And I know that you're fully capable of defending yourself."
His next words, however, were sad again. "Still though… you shouldn't have to deal with it at all in the first place."
Hermione remained silent for a few seconds, just gazing into his eyes. Then, with a small but heartfelt smile, she responded, "If it's the price I have to pay in order to be with you, then so be it."
Slowly but surely, her response caused affection to begin replacing his sadness. And he said, "I may never get used to it when you prove time and time again just how devoted you are and how much you really love me. Frankly, I sort of hope I don't get used to it, because I never want to have any moments in the future where I don't appreciate you and everything you do."
Her smile grew a bit. "Well, I certainly appreciate that sentiment."
Then, with a little sigh, she added, "Back to the topic at hand, though. Do you remember on the train ride back here, when I told you that I would deal with every rumor, question, and Daily Prophet article we may get, no matter how many, with my head held high?"
His lips twitched upward for a moment before he nodded and simply said, "Yeah, I do."
Hermione nodded in return, before leaning in and giving him a light, one-second kiss.
When she pulled her head back and dropped her hand from his cheek, unable to resist smiling again at the tenderness in his expression, she whispered, "Then, like I told you about your career decision, try not to worry so much about all that merely could happen. As has been said many times before, as long as we're together, we can deal with anything that tries to get in our way, right?"
Harry remained silent for a few seconds, but the left side of his mouth lifted in a small grin. Then, he replied just as quietly, "Right as always."
The grin dropped as he became more serious again. "And I'm sorry you have to keep helping me with what may as well be the same problem."
He turned and looked towards the burning fireplace. "Last night, I went to sleep with no problems. I don't know, I just… it's like there's still at least a small part of me that just can't be happy, because of everything that's happened throughout my life."
Sympathy filled Hermione again at the comment, before she gave Harry's right hand another squeeze. When he faced her, she replied, "Well, you've certainly been through so much."
Harry's next words were slightly skeptical. "You were also there for most of it – "
"Maybe most of it," she interrupted, "but not all of it. I wasn't there when you had to grow up in a house that didn't really want you. I wasn't there when you were forcibly transported to a graveyard and used in a ritual for Riddle's resurrection."
She couldn't hide the shake in her voice for her next words. "And I wasn't the one that had a piece of Riddle's soul within me all these years and had to walk out to die just so Riddle could be mortal again, only surviving thanks to a stroke of luck with the Elder Wand following you and the Horcrux being the only thing to be taken by the Killing Curse."
Harry put his left hand on her cheek. "Hermione – "
"I know," she quickly said. "I know. You wanted me to stay back, not only so that Ron and I could still go after Nagini but also because you wouldn't have wanted anyone else to die if you could help it. And you ultimately did survive. That doesn't mean I'll ever forget the horror of hearing you being announced as dead, the hopelessness I felt in the chaotic battle after Neville had killed Nagini, where I just wanted to take as many Death Eaters as I could with me before I died, and the sheer gratitude that none of it was true once you finally revealed that you were alive."
She lightly shook her head so as to not jostle his hand. "My point is, for all your life, you've endured trials that no one else could even imagine. It's not hard to think that it would leave a lasting impression and make you constantly wary of things even in an actual peacetime."
Then, Hermione reached up and put her right hand behind Harry's head, bringing him forward so that their foreheads were touching. As she dropped her hand, Harry also pulled his left hand away from her face.
And she softly added, "But that's exactly why I'm here. To do whatever I can to make you happy, no matter how much work it takes. Because I love you, Harry."
With that, a full and genuine smile finally graced his face. After a couple of seconds, he responded, "I love you too, Hermione. And thank you again for everything."
She just smiled and, without a word, leaned her mouth forward to kiss him again. It lasted for a few seconds this time before she pulled back, though not enough to remove her forehead from his. The two of them sat there in silence for some time afterwards, with gazes locked on each other.
Hermione eventually broke the stillness by asking, "So, since you said this was one of those more terrible nightmares, you won't mind if I stay with you tonight?"
Harry became a bit timid and remained quiet for a few seconds, before he finally said, "You really would? You don't have to feel obligated, even with what you said the last time."
She nodded against his forehead. "I really would, Harry. I meant all that I said regarding how I care more about helping you than I do about taking a punishment for being with you at night."
His expression turned tender before he quietly replied, "Then yes, I'd love it if you stayed tonight."
She smiled again and whispered, "Then I'll be there."
They remained in their position for a few more seconds before they pulled back at the same time. Upon doing so, Hermione pulled the left sleeve of her robes up to check her wristwatch.
"About five minutes until six," she said. Looking back to Harry, she added, "Why don't we go ahead and grab all our books for the day from upstairs and then go sit at the far table while we wait until it's actually time for breakfast? While I don't actually want to study right now – "
"That's a first," Harry immediately interjected, with a smirk. "Not studying in your free time on a day of classes, and especially when there are important exams that are only five months away? Perhaps I've corrupted you more than I should have."
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, but she was unable to hide the responding smirk on her own face. It was worth it, though, when Harry laughed for a few seconds.
Once he became quiet, she continued, "I don't want to actually study because there's something else which I want to tell you. And if we're at the table and each have a book open, people are less likely to try and talk to us since they'll think we're studying. And we can still cast Muffliato around us as well, so that no one can listen in on us. No harm in being cautious."
Harry gave an amused snort. "So, like what we did when we made that response for Fleur on the first night back. I'm curious as to whatever this may be, but sure, we can do that. I'll meet you over at the table once I've gotten my things."
She silently nodded, and the two stood from the sofa. It took a couple of minutes to return to their dormitories, get their books and school bags, and return downstairs.
Once they sat down at the table, Hermione pulled out her wand and cast the muffling spell. Afterwards, they each took out a book, laying it in front of them on the table and opening it to a random page.
At that point, they turned to each other, and Harry was the first to speak. "OK, so what is it that you need to say?"
"Alright, well first off," Hermione said, "when I come upstairs tonight under the Disillusionment Charm, be ready for me to essentially do what I did the first time, opening the curtain on your right side and then whispering in your ear the same phrase that I said before to you. Since no one else knows our nicknames, you'll be certain that it can only be me."
He gave a tiny smirk. "Yeah, that's how I figured it was actually you after you had covered my mouth with your hand."
She shrunk in on herself a bit as she sheepishly replied, "I'm sorry. I knew you would probably never go for the idea if I had actually brought it up with you, so I had to make it a surprise. Which is exactly why I said that phrase, because I also knew that you would immediately think that someone was attacking you once the curtain opened, and I needed to make you realize as quickly as possible that it was me."
"Hey, it's OK," Harry responded. "While it was definitely a surprise, I'm still thankful that you were there." He then added a bit teasingly, "And I have to admit, I'm impressed at your speed and how you were able to make me realize it was you right before I could pull my wand out from underneath my pillow."
Though she remained a bit timid, Hermione couldn't help smiling and giggling at the statements. Harry continued, though, before she could speak again.
"And actually, why don't we just make that the passphrase from here onward, whenever you may come to stay with me at night? If we're just going to keep using our nicknames for one another in private, then that's the simplest way to give verification."
She gave a nod. "Alright then, I'll remember that for the future."
Her expression then became more serious. "Now, if any of your roommates are still awake and haven't closed their bed curtains yet, I'm just going to wait somewhere by your bed until the moment that they do finally hide behind their curtains. A way to try and lessen the chances of getting caught. In any case, just be ready in bed with your own curtains closed."
"OK," he replied. "I'll be ready and waiting."
She nodded in return. Then, with another smirk, she continued, "Besides all that, some… interesting things, shall we say, happened last night from the time I made it to my dormitory until the time when I went to sleep."
Confusion immediately grew on his face. "What do you mean?"
At that point, after first asking for him not to interrupt until she finished, Hermione gave Harry a recap of all that happened to her after they separated for the night.
When she finally reached the end, Harry's eyes were wide, and his mouth open a little, at the events that had transpired.
He said, "Well, you certainly had an eventful night compared to me. All that really happened with me was an apology from Dean and Seamus for what happened in the common room and then a subsequent congratulations from them for us being together."
He seemed to compose himself after a quick but deep breath. "Speaking of Dean and Seamus, they said that they would also apologize to you at some point today for their part in cornering us in the common room last night. So be on the lookout for that."
He then gave a somewhat incredulous laugh. "But back to you. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, Hermione. Though at least it sounds like everything worked out in the end."
She replied, "It did, in a way. Though, while I trust you and know that you won't just gossip about things, I still want to say this. Please don't say to anyone else anything that I told you about Lavender when recapping last night. While I needed to tell you so that you were aware and had the full context of the bits about us which I told to my roommates, Lavender surely doesn't want other people knowing about her scars."
Harry shook his head. "Don't worry, Hermione. I won't say a thing."
He then smirked a bit. "Though I must admit, I hope that Lavender counts her blessings for a while over the fact that you refrained from actually attacking her. I can only imagine from your words what kind of anger you must have felt at that love potion comment."
She sheepishly shook her head. "I think the fact that I actually pulled my wand and then threatened Parvati and Fay to stay back and keep out of things, after they had stood from their beds, while I dealt with Lavender after she made that comment says it all. But like I mentioned, once I realized from Parvati's words that Lavender might have only made that comment because of her own troubles, I decided to give her that second chance and see what she would do with it. And thankfully, she used it well."
His grin widened. "Well, I'll say that your actions just mean that more people now know what you're capable of. Like I said before, Hermione, you've got a strength greater than a Horntail within you."
That caused her to faintly blush and give a timid smile. The smile dropped before she continued, though.
"I also wanted to tell you everything because… well, with how I talked about you making me feel beautiful with my own scar, as well as how it's been the happiest time of our lives for both of us since we got together two weeks ago, my roommates all seemed to find that… adorable, I guess I would say? So if Lavender, Parvati, or Fay end up smiling at you for seemingly no reason if they look at you, then they're probably thinking of what I told them about you and me. And I also hope that it's alright that I told them even what little I did regarding our relationship. I tried to be somewhat vague with the full details and just give something like a summary, for the sake of trying to help Lavender."
His expression became resigned but accepting. "Well, you also said that you got a promise from all three of them that they wouldn't talk about that to anyone else. There's not much more I could ask for besides that."
The left side of his mouth then curled upward slightly. "But even if they or others try to gossip about us, it's alright, I still don't mind that you gave your roommates some information. Like you've said, we'll just deal with whatever comes our way if anything happens."
That caused Hermione to give a full smile as she silently nodded at Harry. The silence held for a couple of seconds before Harry let out a sigh and grew serious again.
"Now, I have to ask… what about Ginny? Do you really trust her when she says she won't interfere with us?"
Hermione let out her own sigh and waited for a few more seconds before answering, "If it was just her word? No, I wouldn't, and I doubt I'll ever trust her again after what happened between us on the Hogwarts Express. Her reactions and facial expressions, though, were genuine enough that she finally seemed to be realizing that you were never getting back together with her. Combining that with the statement she made about knowing how it would be the death of her with both you and me if she tried to interfere in our relationship, I'm willing to believe her on this and am content to just quietly ignore her now."
She then let out a quiet snort. "Of course, that doesn't mean we can't also still be cautious at the same time and use all of the ideas I gave earlier about being certain we check everything we receive, along with continuing to check our food at mealtimes."
Harry nodded at her. "Definitely agreed on that. And if you're OK with just leaving her to her own devices for now unless something else happens, then I'll do the same."
Hermione gave her own affirming nod. But before either one of them could speak again, footsteps sounded from the stairs to the boys' dormitory. And after a couple of seconds, Neville walked into the common room.
Upon turning in their direction and seeing them, he said, "Good morning, you two." But then, he glanced past them and started a bit after seeing the books on the table. "Oh, you're both already studying. Don't worry, I'll leave you be and let you get back to that."
Knowing that they were currently under the muffling spell and that it would cause Neville to not hear her or Harry, Hermione simply smiled and held up her right hand in a small wave to Neville to give her acknowledgement. Harry seemed to pick up her cue and did the same. Neville then nodded at them before going to sit in one of the armchairs.
Harry and Hermione turned back and looked towards their books, though not really looking at the books themselves. Hermione took a moment to glance at her watch and check the time.
Once she was done with that, Harry said, "What time is it?"
She looked at him and replied, "Six twenty-five, so still thirty-five minutes before breakfast begins."
She then glanced in Neville's direction before whispering to Harry, "I'm going to go ahead and end the muffling spell in case Neville decides to talk to us about anything. We can just whisper to one another until we leave for the Great Hall."
He quietly responded, "Sure, that's fine."
After she had ended the spell and turned back to Harry again, he added, "So, was there anything else you needed to talk about regarding last night?"
She grew thoughtful for a couple of seconds before giving him a tiny smile. "Not unless you do."
He just shook his head in response.
"Well then," she continued, "whatever else may happen with the news of our relationship, we'll deal with it when it happens. But until then, we just focus on our studies and let life continue on."
That caused him to give the same smile before he silently nodded.
And indeed, life at Hogwarts did continue on.
That first day after the bombshell was dropped, Harry and Hermione still received a large number of stares from so many other students. At least, however, no one ever bothered them with a load of questions. Dean and Seamus, as Harry had mentioned, did give Hermione an apology in the evening for their part in cornering her and Harry the previous night, and Hermione had no problems accepting it and forgiving them since they were clearly remorseful.
The two Head students also had silent support from Neville and Luna, who both stayed with Harry and Hermione whenever they could that day. Some statements from Luna also provided insight as to why at least the Ravenclaw students might be afraid about pestering with any questions. Luna told Harry and Hermione that she gently brought up to the rest of her house, when many were gossiping in the common room the previous night, how Hermione was not only smarter than any Ravenclaw but also had the strength to take the life of Bellatrix Lestrange, and how Harry had already been quite prickly with everyone about personal questions. Thus, the others might do well to think about what might happen if they would anger two such people when it came to something dear to them. That made everyone in the Ravenclaw common room grow silent and fearful before agreeing that maybe they would be better off keeping quiet and not asking lots of questions.
Harry and Hermione had smirked at one another at the account but also thanked Luna for supporting them in her own way.
As the days continued, though the stares were slowly becoming less lingering, people continued to glance at them since Harry and Hermione always held hands now whenever they walked to a destination. And the other students also had to grow used to the fact that Harry and Hermione were now spending every waking moment together except for times when one may wait while the other was in the bathroom. Along with their five shared classes, Harry had started walking with Hermione to Arithmancy and Ancient Runes to see her off, and then he would always be waiting for her ten to fifteen minutes before the class would end.
All of that had caused Hermione's three dormmates to gush to her one night about how romantic it was that Harry was doing that for her. While Hermione had rolled her eyes a bit, it was in good fun because her roommates were also simply just happy for her and Harry.
Of course, it wasn't all just sunshine and rainbows. Harry and Hermione had occasionally noticed some glares, so it seemed that at least a few students were angry about the two of them being together, most likely because of the consequence that Harry was no longer single.
Harry's dreams also continued to occur every night that he slept alone, and he had another terrible nightmare on Thursday night of that first week. Hermione continued, however, to keep her promise to be there with Harry the night following one where he had one of those more awful nightmares. And while both of them hated that his nightmares kept happening, they were also still happy at being together on those certain nights.
And thus, the first week back at Hogwarts passed in relative peace. It wasn't until that Saturday, the ninth of January, that something finally happened and broke the routine.
Even without classes, Harry and Hermione still woke up at their typical times in the morning and were both in the common room by six o'clock. Almost as soon as they had sat down together in one of the larger armchairs, an owl surprisingly arrived with a letter for each of them from Hermione's parents. Upon reading their respective letter, the two learned about how Miranda and Jack were happy not only that Harry and Hermione wanted to try for a teaching career but also that they would definitely be coming home for the Easter holiday. The parents also said that they would be glad to go out with the two teenagers one day in that time to pick out some formal clothing for the ball in May.
Hermione had also been quite pleased to hear from Harry that her parents had given him a separate letter because they had been so appreciative and wanted to honor the fact that he had been willing to write to them by himself. It was one more thing to show that Harry may as well already be a member of the family, even if things wouldn't be official for a long while. And while Hermione had certainly been curious about the full contents of the letter to Harry, especially after Harry teasingly mentioned that her parents told him that this letter was all his and he didn't have to share it with anyone else if he didn't want to, she actually thought along the same lines and held back because it was strictly Harry's letter.
Of course, as with many instances where Harry was remotely involved, things soon took a turn for the worse.
At breakfast, Harry and Hermione were once again joined at their end of the table by Neville and Luna. The four of them ate slowly and mainly talked about all of their classes. Eventually, not long after the Great Hall had filled with students, the normal owl post for the morning arrived. Harry and Hermione were surprised when, as one owl dropped a copy of that morning's Daily Prophet at Neville, another owl dropped an envelope between them. And there was no need to be suspicious about this one because, on the outside of the envelope, they saw that this was another letter from Fleur.
The two of them looked at each other in surprise for a moment before Hermione opened the letter and held it up for them to read. In the letter, Fleur first heartily thanked them for being willing to respond to her, as well as saying that the two could write to Shell Cottage any time that they wished. But then, the writing grew more serious as Fleur stated that, while she did trust the two of them, she still wanted to ask them one final time whether everything they had said regarding Ron and Ginny was indeed true. She then, however, followed that up with a clear apology and hoped that her words didn't come across like she believed that they were completely lying. And the letter ended with Fleur congratulating them and stating how wonderful it was to hear that Harry and Hermione were together, before she then gave another hope that she could continue to keep in touch with the two of them.
Once they were finished, Hermione put the letter in her beaded handbag, before she and Harry looked to each other.
He whispered, "So, what do you want to do?"
She grew thoughtful for a moment and quietly replied, "Well, it seems like she's truly just asking like she wants a confirmation from us. And she was certainly happy about us being together as well as merely even getting a response from us. So, I won't mind if we keep in touch with her. And regarding her question about Ron and Ginny, all we say is that everything we've told her is the truth, and we don't dwell on it any more than that."
He nodded. "OK, that sounds good to me. You want to go work on that now?"
But they didn't have any chance to move, as at that moment, Neville said, "Harry? Hermione?"
The fear in his voice caused them to grow confused before they looked towards him and Luna. The other two were looking at the Prophet, Neville with trepidation and Luna with what seemed to be serene confusion.
Then, Neville looked at them and said, while holding the paper out to them, "I think the two of you need to read today's front-page article."
Hermione took the paper and placed it on the table in the middle between her and Harry. And as she read the article, her blood began to boil over from anger the further she went.
HAS HARRY POTTER FINALLY BEEN SNARED?
The Boy Who Lived. The Man Who Won. All in Great Britain know the name of Harry Potter for his victories over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on October 31, 1981 and May 2, 1998. Those feats have put his name at the top of the list of eligible bachelors throughout the entirety of Britain. But will his name now need to be crossed off that list?
Revealed to me by a source that wishes to remain anonymous for their safety, it appears that Hermione Granger has become the one to capture the heart of Harry Potter. Those of you that have also been long-time readers of Witch Weekly may find that name to be familiar, and with good reason. I previously wrote an article four years ago about the plain but ambitious Miss Granger having the affections of both Harry and Viktor Krum, the Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. And though it took four years, it seems that she has finally made her choice.
But is this choice merely for love, or for other reasons? My source also tells me that, in the 1996-1997 school year at Hogwarts, Miss Granger had dropped Harry and was actually pursuing the affections of someone else entirely. What could have changed between now and then? Why would Miss Granger have turned back to Harry, and why would he have so readily accepted her?
Well, perhaps there is an answer. Astute readers may also recall from my previous article that a Hogwarts student mentioned that Miss Granger did not have the looks to capture the attentions of such high-profile people as Harry Potter or Viktor Krum, but that she certainly had the intelligence to make her own love potions. Could that be the case here? Have love potions ensnared the mind of the biggest name in British wizarding society and caused him to see love where there isn't any?
That, dear readers, is up for you to decide. No doubt, though, that there is enough probable cause and circumstantial evidence that an investigation should be warranted for this situation. In the meantime, those of you who wish the best for Harry should not lose all hope, as these claims could quite easily turn out to be true.
-Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent
Coming to the end, Hermione was shaking slightly in rage. Remaining silent, she looked up and around the Great Hall to find that nearly every student appeared to be whispering to one another while looking at a copy of the Daily Prophet. Stares were once again thrown in her direction, but this time, many of them were looking at her in disgust. That just made Hermione shake even more at how these people were so ready and willing to believe such filth about her.
It also seemed, however, that Harry may have been even more enraged.
At that moment, a slam on the table startled her out of her angry haze, along with also startling everyone else in the hall, and caused her to turn towards Harry. She found him with his fist on the table, and he was shaking in anger. And on his face was an utterly murderous expression.
Then, he instantly stood from the table before firmly saying, "Luna." And the word seemed to echo throughout the hall since everyone else had gone completely silent.
The blonde sixth-year blinked for a moment before gently saying, "Yes, Harry?"
With no less wrath, he asked, "Would your father be willing to print another exclusive from me for The Quibbler?"
"Oh, Daddy would be thrilled," Luna replied. "He still holds some guilt over what happened last year, so I'm sure that he would be willing to do whatever you wanted if it would help you."
As Hermione stood up from the table, Harry added, "Could he have it published as quickly as possible?"
Luna tilted her head slightly and reiterated, "If that's what you wanted, I'm sure that he would do it."
Hermione then finally spoke. "Harry, what's this about?"
He turned to her and said, loudly enough that she knew others throughout the Great Hall could hear, "I'm not taking this lying down. That bitch doesn't get to spew this kind of rubbish and just get away with it again. And while I can't do what I really wish I could right now, what I will do is say whatever is necessary to get the truth out there and show the world how great of a person you really are, and how much I love you for who you are."
His statement caused her heart to instantly melt and her confusion to disappear. With a smile, she replied, "So, we give a statement to The Quibbler, in a similar manner as we had your interview in fifth year published?"
He nodded. "Yep, exactly."
He then took a deep breath, probably to try and calm down even a little bit, and asked, "Are you willing to do this right now? Come up with something so that we can get it out to the public as soon as possible?"
Hermione just silently nodded.
Harry's lips curled upward for a brief moment as he nodded again. Then, turning back to Luna, he added, "Luna, do you want to come with us for this, since it's something for your father's magazine?"
The Ravenclaw stood and walked over to their side of the table before replying, "Yes, of course I will."
"OK then," Harry said. He then looked at Neville. "What about you, Neville? Do you want to join us?"
Neville thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, go ahead. This sounds like something for the two of you to focus on. But if I hear anyone in here trying to talk down on either of you, I'll do my best to put a stop to it."
Harry just nodded to Neville before turning to Hermione and Luna. "Then let's go."
At that moment, however, someone else stood from the Gryffindor table. Hermione quickly saw that it was Ginny, who was now running up to them, and she couldn't resist the flash of anger that flared within her. Even with the statement Ginny gave about not interfering, she also fit as a prime suspect for Rita Skeeter's anonymous source, considering her other previous actions.
When Ginny stopped a few steps away from her and Harry, however, the anger within Hermione began to be replaced by confusion upon seeing the absolute look of terror on the other girl's face. And once Ginny spoke, the fear was also palpable in her voice.
She said with a tremble, "Harry, Hermione. It wasn't me. I promise that this wasn't me. I haven't forgotten what I said to Hermione about not interfering with you two, and I know that it would be the death of me if I even tried anything. If that's not enough, though, I'll – I'll even go to Professor Slughorn and make him use Veritaserum on me, and you both can ask me whatever questions you want. But please, I hope you can believe me when I say that I had no part in this."
In her mind, Hermione shook her head almost in some kind of exasperated pity. As little trust as she had for Ginny now, the fact that the girl was willing to undergo an interrogation with Veritaserum also spoke volumes for how she wanted Harry and Hermione to believe that she had nothing to do with the article.
A nudge from Harry made her look at him. He then leaned in and whispered just for her, "I don't know, she seems genuine to me. But if you think otherwise, just say so."
As he pulled away, Hermione let out a quiet sigh. She honestly couldn't believe what she was about to say, as she faced Ginny again, but she was going to say it.
"You seem genuine enough, Ginny, so I'm going to believe you on this. I don't think I have to tell you, though, what the consequences will be if we find even a hint that you are lying right now. And I'm not completely willing to take that offer of a Veritaserum usage off the table yet for the future, either."
Relief filled Ginny's expression as she replied, "Thank you for giving me a chance when I know that you don't really trust me. And I promise that I'm not lying. Like I said, I know at this point what would happen if I tried to get involved between you two."
Hermione just remained silent for a couple of seconds before turning to Harry and saying, "Come on, lead the way to wherever you want to go."
Harry gave her a nod before the two of them and Luna all walked past Ginny, while also hearing Neville say, "Ginny, why don't you join me over here for right now?"
Once they were all near the entrance to the Great Hall, however, Professor McGonagall called out, "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter."
Hermione, Harry, and Luna stopped for a second time and looked to the headmistress, who then added, "Before you leave, perhaps you may wish to hear what I have to say."
Professor McGonagall stood up and looked out at everyone in the Great Hall with as stern an expression as she seemingly could give. Then, she began to firmly speak.
"I assume that all of you, whether by means of receiving a paper or by hearing it from someone that has a paper, are aware of the leading article in this morning's Daily Prophet. And to that, I will say this."
She raised her voice and spoke even more harshly for her next words. "Hermione Granger is one of the most exemplary students, both in and out of classes, that Hogwarts has seen in many years. I can also personally attest that the relationship between her and Harry Potter is not only genuine but is also similar to that which I witnessed between Lily Evans and James Potter, when those two were here in their final year of Hogwarts before they married upon graduating."
The headmistress took what appeared to be a long and angry breath before continuing. "So if I hear of any harassment or attacks against Miss Granger because of this baseless filth that Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet have tried to put out just to sell papers, I assure you all that you will be tossed out of Hogwarts so quickly that the very robes you are wearing will be left behind."
She looked around the entire hall for about five seconds, as if letting the words sink in, before adding, "This is the only warning you will receive. I suggest that you all heed it."
The Scottish woman finally returned to her seat, before she then said more gently, "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, and Miss Lovegood. You may return to whatever it was you wished to do."
The three of them all nodded, but Hermione couldn't help replying loudly enough to be heard throughout the hall, "Thank you for trusting me so much, Professor."
Professor McGonagall lightly smiled before responding, "You've earned it, Miss Granger."
Hermione flashed her own smile before then turning to Harry and whispering, "Alright, let's go."
He nodded at her, and then the group of three were on their way again.
Once they had left the Great Hall, Hermione asked while they walked, "So, where are we going?"
"Room of Requirement," Harry instantly replied. "Since you and I already have our bags and supplies for the bit of studying we were planning to do, we don't need to stop anywhere else. And no one should be able to find us as long as we're there."
"There must be quite an infestation of Wrackspurts going around," Luna softly said. "That would be the only reason to explain why people would think such harsh things of you, Hermione."
With a smile, Hermione glanced for just an instant towards Luna before saying, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time that the general population has believed wrong thoughts of me like this. But thank you for believing in me, Luna."
"You and Harry are my friends," the blonde Ravenclaw immediately responded. "Of course I trust you."
That made Hermione widen her smile just a bit. No more words were spoken afterwards, however, until they had reached the tapestry across from the Room's location. Harry paced back and forth at the tapestry and made a replica of the Gryffindor common room for them, having just one sofa, one armchair, and a single study table with three chairs.
It only took an hour for Harry to write the statements that he wanted to publish. After Hermione gave her own blessing to his words, he handed the letter off to Luna, who promised the two of them that she would get her father to publish it as quickly as possible. Harry and Hermione both gave deep thanks to Luna for her assistance, before the petite sixth-year left to make her way to the Owlery.
Harry and Hermione stayed in the room until almost dinnertime, deciding to not even go to lunch in order to try and let people get the gossip out of their systems. The two of them first worked on a response letter to Fleur, giving a simple statement that everything they had written in the previous letter had been true, before then thanking the French woman for being happy about the news of their relationship. Once they had finished that, they decided to just study for the rest of the day before then going to the Owlery about fifteen minutes before dinnertime to send off their letter for Fleur. They would then leave for the Great Hall afterwards for dinner.
The two walked at such a pace that they arrived in the Great Hall right at the beginning of dinner. The hall was already filled with many students, nearly all of which turned to stare at the two of them as they walked.
Harry and Hermione just moved towards their normal spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the blatant attention. They were stopped halfway, though, when Lavender called out, "Hermione!"
When they looked towards the other girl, Lavender then said, with enough resolution that surely everyone in the hall could hear, "I know the claims from that article aren't true. I believe in you. And I'm sorry for not saying something earlier this morning to stand up for you."
Parvati, sitting on Lavender's right, firmly nodded in return.
Hermione couldn't help the warm smile that came to her face as she replied, "It's alright, Lavender. And thank you both."
With that, she and Harry continued on and took their seats at the end of the table. As they were still the first ones to sit in that area, food immediately appeared for them to take.
Before they began reaching for any food, Harry whispered, "You really got Lavender to turn a corner. If not for what you told me after that first night, as well as how your roommates have smiled at us and how you've said since then that they seem happy about what I do for you in our relationship, Lavender could easily be a prime suspect for the anonymous source."
Hermione smiled and replied, "Well, even if I had been suspicious, the fact that she just willingly gave her support to us, in a manner that everyone currently in the Great Hall surely could hear her, would have wiped that suspicion away. There's no way she would have done that if she didn't truly believe it, considering how badly I frightened her, Parvati, and Fay on that first night."
She then said more seriously, "Now come on. Let's just fix our plates and eat our meals so that we can get back to the common room fairly quickly."
Harry just gave a silent nod.
It wasn't long before every student had made their way to the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione had been joined once again by Neville and Luna, who wanted to give them support in case anyone may try to start something now since the two Head students had skipped lunch.
While they were fixing their plates, Hagrid had walked over to them after he entered the hall.
As he walked up, Harry and Hermione said, "Hi, Hagrid."
The half-giant warmly replied, "Harry, Hermione. Good ter see yeh. I just came by ter tell yeh I'm happy ter hear abou' the two o' yeh bein' together, since I haven' gotten to see yeh since the news spread aroun' Hogwarts."
The Head students smiled and responded, "Thank you."
Harry then added more remorsefully, "I'm sorry, Hagrid, that we haven't really come to see you at all this year – "
Hagrid waved him off and said, "Eh, don' give it any thought. It's the final year at Hogwarts fer the two o' yeh. I know yeh got importan' things ter worry abou', like yer Head studen' duties and preparin' fer yer exams."
Hermione replied, "Well still, we'll make time one day on some weekend to visit you."
Hagrid smiled and said to her, "Well, the two o' yeh can stop by me hut any Saturday yeh wan' if yeh think yeh have some time ter spare. It'll always be open fer yeh."
Harry and Hermione nodded at him.
But then, Hagrid looked around for a moment before leaning a bit closer to them and saying, "And I also wanted ter tell yeh… it's all codswallop what they printed abou' yeh in the paper this mornin', Hermione. Anyone who knows yeh even a little would know that you wouldn' do anythin' like what that Skeeter woman wrote."
Hermione couldn't help giving a little snort. "I suppose we'll get to see in the coming days who all really knows me."
Another smile graced her face, though, as she added, "But thank you for your support, Hagrid. I do appreciate it."
"No need fer that," he replied. "It's the least I can do fer yeh after how the two o' yeh have helped me over the years. And if there's any way I can help the two o' yeh with anythin', just lemme know."
Harry and Hermione both gratefully said, "Thanks, Hagrid."
He nodded before bidding farewell to them, Neville, and Luna and moving to take his seat at the staff table.
After Hagrid walked away, Harry turned to Hermione. He shrugged and said, "Well, things have gone well enough so far."
She couldn't help smirking a bit before replying, "And the unspoken 'but' in that sentence is that they will most likely start to heat up soon because of our luck, right?"
Harry gave an amused snort. "As always, you read me like a favorite book."
They turned to Neville when he spoke up. "Well, if something does happen later on, you can deal with it then once it comes. That's all you can really do at this point, right?"
Luna nodded in agreement with Neville's statement.
Harry and Hermione both gave their own nods before she said, "Indeed, Neville, all that can be done right now is to wait and see what may happen."
With that, the four of them returned to their meals.
They were only halfway through eating their food, however, when Hermione's prediction came true.
At that moment, a barn owl suddenly arrived, carrying something in its feet. Everyone in the Great Hall watched as it flew closer and closer to the Gryffindor table. Once it was over Harry and Hermione, the owl dropped its cargo directly onto Hermione's plate. And upon seeing what fell, the eyes of all those around Hermione widened.
The owl had dropped a red envelope. A Howler had been sent to Hermione.
"Oh no," Neville murmured with unease.
At the same time, Luna sadly said, "Oh dear."
Hermione closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself.
She opened them and turned to Harry when he said, "We can find an empty classroom where I can put up every one of my silencing spells, if you want."
Looking at the envelope with anger now, she shook her head and stood from the table.
"No," she replied. "If someone wants the entirety of Hogwarts to hear this, then the entirety of Hogwarts gets to hear it and see my reaction to it."
She pulled out her wand and began levitating the Howler. Then, holding her head high, she walked from the table to the middle aisle, where she knew everyone from all tables would be able to see her. And indeed, the eyes of every student were on her.
Standing in front of the staff table, she guided the envelope, which had already begun to smoke at the corners, to lay on the floor about one foot in front of her. By that point, Harry had quickly made his way to her.
He said, "Are you sure about this?"
She responded, "Positive. I'm going to show the world that nothing is going to deter me from being with you. Still, like I mentioned to you before, I'm going to open it with a Severing Charm from here, for the sake of caution."
He gave a slightly exasperated sigh before taking out his own wand and saying, "Alright. But as soon as you slit it open with that charm, I'll put up a shield for us just to be safe."
Hermione just nodded, keeping her eyes on the Howler. After one more second, with the smoke at the corners having become much more pronounced to the point of danger, she quickly cast the Severing Charm to open the top of the envelope. And as Harry immediately cast the Shield Charm to create a small shield between them and the envelope once she had finished, what seemed like a wall of sound burst forth and filled the Great Hall.
"HERMIONE GRANGER!"
It was the voice of Molly Weasley, and as Hermione put her wand away, the Howler didn't stop there. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON THAT HARRY HAS BEEN IGNORING OUR ENTIRE FAMILY SINCE THE END OF THE WAR, AREN'T YOU?!"
While the Howler shrieked out those words, Hermione leaned her head back, staring up slightly towards the ceiling as though the voice was coming from the heavens, and crossed her arms over her chest. She then tilted her head to the side just a bit and hardened her expression further as Mrs. Weasley's rant continued.
"AND NOW, YOU'VE ENSNARED HIM IN SOME SICK WEB OF YOURS AFTER YOU DELIBERATELY IGNORED MY SON AND HIS LETTERS OVER THE SUMMER?!"
"Oh my God," Hermione heard Harry murmur with frustration for a moment.
"I BELIEVED HARRY NEARLY FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN HE SAID THAT THE ARTICLES WRITTEN ABOUT YOU THEN WEREN'T TRUE! BUT IT NOW SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG! WELL, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, YOU SCARLET WOMAN YOU! I WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE MAKING A REPORT TO THE MINISTRY FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THOSE CLAIMS! AND DON'T EVER COME AROUND THE BURROW AGAIN! HARRY DESERVES MUCH BETTER THAN TO BE WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU THAT WILL STRING PEOPLE ALONG WHEN IT SUITS HER!"
And with that final statement, the Howler finally burst into flames and curled into ashes on the floor.
As Harry ended the shield, Hermione dropped her head to look down at the pile of ashes, keeping the same hard expression on her face. She knew that every single person in the Great Hall must have been continuing to watch her, but she didn't much care at the moment.
So, Mrs. Weasley believed that rubbish from Rita Skeeter and thus no longer wanted her around? Well, that suited her just fine. She would be quite happy at this point to never grace the Weasleys with her presence ever again, except maybe if Fleur wanted to see her and Harry. Besides, having Harry and her own parents was more than enough right now.
She was startled out of her thoughts when she found her bag being held in front of her. She turned to find Harry holding it and also noticed that his own bag was laying by his feet. He must have summoned them from over by the table while she was lost in her mind.
After she took the bag from him, he then grabbed his from the floor before whispering to her, "Come on, we should go to the hospital wing."
That immediately confused her, but she still kept her response quiet. "Why the hospital wing?"
He placed his lips right at her ear before replying, "So that I can get Madam Pomfrey, once she finishes eating dinner and returns there, to run as many detections for potions on me as she knows. That way, we'll have absolute proof to show for later that I have nothing in me, as much as I hate that we may need to resort to that."
As he pulled away, she couldn't stop the small flash of hurt that came over her. While Harry was right that it would shut anyone down if they seriously tried to claim that she was using love potions, it also hurt to know that people could think so badly of her that they may need to do this at all.
He must have seen it in her expression, because sympathy filled his eyes before he gently placed his forehead on hers, seemingly not caring what anyone else might say at the display of affection.
Then, he quietly said, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I never wanted you to have to deal with anything like this. And I hate that you're now being forced to."
His statement washed away all of her negative feelings and left only the warmth that always grew whenever she got to witness the depths of his feelings for her. She gave him a tiny smile, which caused a bit of relief to enter his expression, before she leaned her mouth forward to softly kiss him for a couple of seconds.
When she pulled her mouth away but kept her forehead to his, she whispered, "It's alright. Like I said, if this is the price that I must pay to be with you, then I'll pay it all. All I care about is being with you."
He lovingly smiled at her and replied, "Well, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what anyone else says."
They remained like that for a few seconds before Harry finally pulled away. He moved over to Hermione's left side and held out his right hand for her to take.
Still keeping quiet, he said, "So, do you want to go where I suggested?"
Hermione grabbed his hand with her left one and linked their fingers together like they normally did when walking together now. And she replied, "Yes, let's go."
After a couple of steps, they heard Neville say, "Harry! Hermione!"
When they stopped and turned to look at him, he added, "Luna and I are still with you, no matter what any article or Howler says."
Though not saying a word, Luna smiled and nodded her own affirmation of Neville's words.
From the middle of the table, Hermione then heard from Lavender, Parvati, and Fay, "So are we, Hermione!"
Harry and Hermione smiled at the public support they were receiving from their friends and classmates. And Hermione was the one to say, "Thank you all. We very much appreciate the support."
Before she and Harry could move, Professor McGonagall spoke up. "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter."
They and everyone else turned to look at the headmistress, who then added quite loudly, "Rest assured, I will be speaking with the rest of the staff about increasing security to have incoming mail inspected before it gets passed on to the receiver, at least for now until things may calm down in the future. Perhaps now it is just an angry Howler, but later it could be a full-on attack by means of a letter. After everything this school has gone through in the last few years, I refuse to have any student in danger from being attacked, especially when the danger comes from an outside person writing a controversial article all just to sell newspapers."
Harry was actually the one to respond. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall. Having something like that would actually put me more at ease with things, since the last thing I want is for Hermione to be harmed in any way all because someone is angry that I've chosen to be with her."
Hermione couldn't help smirking at him for a second, but she became serious again as she replied to the headmistress, "I apologize that such a thing may be necessary, Professor. Harry and I never wanted there to be any trouble in the school because of our relationship, though trouble does certainly have a way of finding us even when we don't want it."
Professor McGonagall actually snorted before she replied, "Yes, trouble does indeed find its way around you a great deal. But I also cannot accept any apology because there is nothing for which you need to apologize, Miss Granger. You and Mr. Potter had nothing to do with the article from this morning. You are the ones being placed in danger because of it, and as Headmistress of Hogwarts, I will see to it that my students are protected."
Hermione smiled before saying, "Well, thank you for that, Professor."
The headmistress nodded and then added, "I'll take no more of your time now. Feel free to go wherever it is that you were heading."
The two of them nodded before finally making their way out of the Great Hall. Harry led them as quickly as they could walk to the hospital wing, which was thankfully empty, and they simply waited until Madam Pomfrey returned from dinner.
The matron had initially been puzzled at their request, until she heard their reasoning regarding the article from this morning and the Howler that Hermione had just received. After that, she simply had Harry sit on what was considered his normal bed, the bed that he had always been placed in from the many previous times that he had been a patient of the hospital wing, and then ran all the diagnostics she could on him. And in the end, she provided Harry with a clean bill of health in writing which stated that he had not one potion within him, even signing and dating the parchment as further proof.
Once Harry and Hermione were standing outside the hospital wing, Harry placed the signed parchment in his mokeskin pouch for safekeeping. Then, he said, "Come on, let's go to the Room of Requirement. And let's actually use our Disillusionment Charms instead of the Cloak. Even if we have to walk a little slower, we'll get an idea of just how good our practice that one day was if people are in the halls."
Hermione was a bit confused but knew that Harry must want to talk about the day's events. Thus, she just nodded and replied, "Alright."
They used their wands to cast normal Disillusionment Charms on themselves, before taking each other's hand and then walking at just a bit slower than a normal pace. On the way to the seventh floor, they did indeed pass many people who were leaving dinner, and the two made sure to stay as much out of the way as possible in order to not bump into anyone. But though they remained silent, they also both felt a bit of relief at how not one person ever looked in their direction like something was out of the ordinary, as the two of them walked.
Upon arriving at the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, they ended their spells before Harry paced in front of the tapestry to call forth their smaller replica of the Gryffindor common room.
Once they were inside with the door locked and were sitting on the sofa, Harry gave a sigh before looking at Hermione. He said, "Well, we've at least got some proof now, if we would have to face an actual investigation."
Hermione gave a frustrated sigh of her own. "Well, more than likely, someone would say to us, or write in an article, that I'm smart enough to have come up with a potion that would wear off quickly enough to be untraceable but would also make you believe that your feelings from under the potion were true. Like they would be certain that the only way a girl like me could ever be with someone like you, even if we've been close friends for more than seven years, was if I was using nefarious means."
Harry's expression became sad before he wrapped her in a hug, to which she immediately hugged him back.
He whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry, Angel. You didn't deserve any of what happened today."
She quietly replied, "It's alright, Emerald. It's not like we weren't both expecting something like this from Rita Skeeter, though there is cause for concern about who exactly her so-called anonymous source may be. Mrs. Weasley, though… maybe I shouldn't be surprised, when I think back to fourth year. She sent me those tiny Easter eggs compared to you and Ron, and on the morning of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, she acted coldly towards me until you called Rita's articles rubbish and then said that I wasn't your girlfriend. So, even without considering everything Fleur told us about what happened at the Burrow over this past Christmas, I suppose there is precedent when it comes to Mrs. Weasley believing something terrible but false of me."
He responded, "Well, if she somehow may think that she's looking out for me by sending you a nasty letter after believing a Rita Skeeter article of all things, then she's completely and horribly mistaken."
She pulled back just enough to look at him before saying, "Well, she was already on thin enough ice in my mind with that whole situation where she never followed up about George telling her that the Dursleys had been starving you. So, if she wants nothing more to do with me, then I'm all too happy to give her exactly what she wants."
A little frown came to Harry's face as he was silent for a few seconds. But then, he said in a low voice, "Frankly, maybe we should give her more than she bargained for."
Hermione tilted her head slightly in confusion, but she remained quiet and let Harry keep speaking.
"This is twice now that she's believed something terrible of you because of that damned Rita Skeeter. Even if I wrote to her personally to refute the article and she would believe me, who's to say that some other rubbish article wouldn't come out in the future that would cause her to think again that you're a horrible person?"
A tiny smile then graced his face. "No, if you're not good enough for her, then neither am I. We know the truth, whether anyone else believes it or not once our words are published in The Quibbler. And like I said before, as long as I'm with you, that's all that matters to me. The rest of the world can go to hell."
His last two sentences made an actual smile finally appear on her face since they had left the Great Hall. His smile grew in response, as they gazed at one another for a couple of seconds.
Then, a light seemed to turn on in Harry's eyes. He softly said, "Hey, why don't we save any more discussion on all the events of this day until tomorrow? What do you say we go back to the common room, curl up in one of the armchairs, and just read a book together? We could even read your Arithmancy textbook if you wanted."
That made her smile become somewhat confused but no less happy, as she replied, "Harry, you don't know anything about Arithmancy. You'll be completely lost with my seventh-year textbook."
"Maybe I don't know anything about the actual material," he teasingly retorted. "But I do know that it's your favorite class. And I know how much you enjoy reading your Arithmancy books even outside of any actual studying."
He then said more lovingly, "And after everything you've been through today, I just want to do something that will make you happy."
Her heart fluttered around in joy at his affection. How could she ever say no to that?
With that, while continuing to smile, Hermione slowly pulled out of the hug. But as she stood up, she ran her left hand along Harry's right arm. Once she reached his hand, she took hold of it and pulled, causing him to stand from the sofa in response.
A bit of puzzlement filled his eyes, before she quietly said, "Yes, I'd love to take you up on that."
That washed the puzzlement away and replaced it with more affection. And without a word, they simply grabbed their bags again and walked out of the Room of Requirement, all the way to the Gryffindor common room, where they were able to sit together in the armchair closest to the burning fireplace.
On the entire journey back to Gryffindor Tower, and even in the common room before they sat in the chair, they noticed many students staring at them like when their relationship was first revealed, as well as hearing more than a few murmurs. But as they had typically done, the two of them just ignored any attention and kept their heads held high on the journey. And once they were in the armchair and began reading Hermione's Arithmancy book, everyone else thankfully left them alone to their devices.
Harry told Hermione from the start that she could control the pace of the reading since, like she'd said, he had little hope of fully understanding the advanced material when he hadn't even learned the basics. She had just smiled at him before cuddling up as much as she could into his side and laying her head on his shoulder. Then, with the book sitting in their laps and each of them holding one side of it, she started from the very beginning.
They sat there for the rest of their evening before they went to bed in their separate dormitories. And the entire time, Hermione wore a smile on her face. Yes, no matter what troubles and obstacles the world tried to throw at them, the times like this were what made it all worth fighting. Just her and the man she loved enjoying a peaceful moment, taking comfort and happiness in each other's presence. Nothing else mattered in the slightest.
A/N: So yep, the fame of Harry's name brings forth a new problem to resolve. After Riddle's death, there's no way that Rita Skeeter wouldn't take advantage of any information that she could possibly use to write an article about things which relate to Harry.
With Molly, keep in mind that there are reasons in her mind for why she may react as harshly as was portrayed. And frankly, with how Molly generally acts in the books when situations don't go the way she wants them to as well as her actions towards Hermione in fourth year because of those Rita articles, the portrayal I gave here seems in-character with the actual books in my mind.
To guest reviewer DaveC, on your question from Chapter 18: the whole "Head Boy/Girl have their own separate quarters" is a purely fanon concept. I've never found a single reference to something like that in the books. Along with that, in PoA when Ron woke up the entirety of Gryffindor because of Sirius standing over him with a knife, Percy was shown running into the common room with the rest of the population of Gryffindor, and he was Head Boy at that time. And finally, the fact that the Founders wouldn't even allow boys to merely walk up the steps to the girls' dormitory (as we learned in OotP) makes me believe that there's no way that the Head Boy and Girl would be allowed to have their own quarters on the basis of what teenagers with that kind of privacy could get up to. Thus, that concept of separate quarters was not one that I wanted to use. And hopefully, that all answers your question.
And finally, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Thank you so much for reading the story or reacting to it. And I hope you all stay tuned for more!
