Hi guys!

After writing this chapter, I really want to murder some prophet journalist. So, you know, when I feel sadistically inclined, I might ;)! Joke, Harry wouldn't kill a fly, but I am certain Harry and Hermione won't rest until Jacky has answered for her incredibly rude article, that you'll be able to read in this chapter.

I'm afraid the updates can't be more regular for now - my schedule is killing me and it will probably only get worse, but that doesn't mean I'm not updating still! So, here is the Prophet's article. No smut this chapter again, I kinda miss writing it, so I'll try to do some in next chapter. (What did I say about making promises I can't keep? Oh well!)

Thank you for supporting me! Even though my updates have slowed down, I am welcomed to the sight of a new follower or subscriber or like/kudo/favorite every day, and that means the absolute world to me. So thank you for everyone, I appreciate each and every review and I am also very grateful for the people who have been correcting my grammar and spelling :) Right now, I'm not able to edit them because of how busy I am, but I take note of them and I will hopefully be able to edit them eventually.

I hope you are safe and doing okay! Stay awesome!

Love,

Flora

Chapter 32: How Harry wanted to kill a certain Prophet journalist - part 1

As Harry and Hermione redirected all their post to their desks at the Ministry, they had a very uneventful Sunday. They slept in late, so late that they missed the barn owl that delivered the Daily Prophet, and Apparated just after midday to the forest of Dean (Hermione's pick!), where they took a very long hike and Harry showed her the place he and Ron had found the sword. They sat down at a café to drink some cappuccino, hiked some more and ended at a Muggle supermarket, where they bought that night's groceries. When they went to sleep that night, both tired from the long walk, and they lay nestled in their bed together – Hermione huddled against Harry's side, curled up like a content little kitten, Harry with one hand possessively on his girlfriend's hips, the other at his chest, clasping the palm of her hand – they had no idea the Wizarding World was in uproar.

They also didn't know that a group of at least twenty journalists where now very openly camping in front of their door, fixating almost manically at any movement behind the steel knocker. The people who shared a front door with Hermione, mostly Muggles, were drilled and then Obliviated. Yes, they had seen the friendly boy with the green eyes and the round glasses. He and his girlfriend lived at number 7. They had been living together since the end of last year. They had been nothing but kind and knew no racy or outrageous stories – aside from Hermione's direct neighbour, who managed to tell them that Harry and Hermione could be quite noisy sometimes. The reporters lapped it up, wrote down every letter and didn't care about improper usage of the Quick-Quotes Quill.

Harry woke up first, that morning. Hermione noticed how he got out of bed and gently placed her head on a pillow to replace his chest. She smiled in her slumber as she turned around and heard the sound of running water. She must have dozed off, because when she woke up again, Harry sat at the edge of her bed, with a tray on his lap.

'There you go! Breakfast in bed. If I don't get a good review on my next job evaluation, I don't know what I'll do.'

Hermione laughed and rubbed in her eyes, while Harry placed the tray on the nightstand.

'Kidding, of course,' he added. 'But it's nice you laughed anyway. I made some scrambled eggs, got you some cereal with yoghurt and of course a cup of tea and some fresh orange juice. I'll be going now: I have my first inquiry today and I want to make sure that I have everything planned when I go to the Goblin town.'

'That's today?' Hermione yawned. 'Good luck! Do you need me to revisit the data with you?'

'I'll definitely pop in your office before I go,' Harry nodded, and he placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. 'You know I can't do without your advice.'

Hermione looked at him sheepishly and took the bowl of cereal from the tray.

'Thanks, Harry. This is all so nice. I love you.'

'I love you too. You know I'm just preparing you for a disastrous interrogation with the Goblins – I hope a good breakfast will put you at ease. See you in… An hour?'

'Let's make that half an hour, hopefully.'

She scooted forward on the bed and pressed her lips forward. Harry smirked.

'Oh, does Miss "I definitely don't smell like a warthog in labour" want a proper morning kiss?'

Hermione tried to scowl, but couldn't help but laugh.

'Watch it, you!'

Harry placed his lips on hers nonetheless and gave her a nice, long peck on the lips.

'Hmm, warthog with yoghurt. Definitely better than I imagined it would be.'

'Harry!'

'Riiight, riiight, I'm off! See you in a bit.'

He winked as he left the room, and Hermione told herself once again how bloody lucky she was.

She ate her breakfast in bed, took a quick shower, braided her hair into a style that made it somewhat professional looking and put on her working clothes. Some slight mascara, put on more out of habit than anything else, a quick spruce of some perfume, and she was ready to go. It was 7AM - that was quite early, but she also wanted to get a lot of work done. As she walked towards the hearth, she fondled the charms around her bracelet. This would be a great day. She loved her job, she loved her boyfriend. Things were looking up, right?

As she put her foot into the fireplace, a hard ticking noise startled her. It was persistent, it seemed urgent, and when she came out of the hearth to check the source of the sound, she found a very alarming looking Pigwidgeon tittering at the large left window that wasn't facing the street.

'Pig? What are you doing here?' she asked, as she opened the window. Pig was mid-peck, so he toppled over and Hermione just managed to catch him before he would fall onto the wooden floors in a ball of fur and feathers.

'An urgent message from Ron?'

Pig squeaked and nearly toppled over again when he stretched out his claw, where a large parchment was attached.

'Nicky is alright, isn't she?' Hermione asked worriedly, thinking about the twin pregnancy immediately, but Pig was in no way communicative enough to tell her upfront. She hurriedly undid the roll, tossed aside the string and unfolded the parchment.

"Dear Harry and Hermione,

Yesterday must have been a very difficult day. We wanted to give you a moment to adjust before we reached out to you. These things are very delicate and we know that you and Harry are able to confide in each other.

Ron and I want to let you know that we are there with you in these difficult times. The Prophet has no right to intrude in your private lives like that. If you want to stay somewhere else for a while, we would be more than happy to have you stay at our apartment for some time. Just let us know: you are always welcome in our home.

On another note: you might remember that one of my sisters, Lucy, works at the Department of Law as well. She has been looking into privacy regulation and it appears there is none. They say Muggles aren't as advanced as us, well, that's not always the case! In short, there is no law that forbids Jacky from spewing her nonsense - however, if she committed any other crimes (like the unlawful use of certain spells or potions to gain her intel), she will be held accountable. Seems like a case that deserves some proper investigation.

It was quite a trial to talk Ron out of raiding the Prophet's Office after he read the article - he has some quite colorful suggestions for getting back at this Jacky Simone. I told him it wouldn't be appropriate. At least, not right now. Should Harry be up for some stiff interrogation at the Prophet's Office: Ron has kept his agenda relatively open today to support you both. Be sure to make use of this, I don't think I've seen him as determined to get revenge since that Beater injured Ginny two years ago.

As you both have to go to work today, I'm sure today will be as a trying day as it was yesterday. We think of you, we love you. Stay strong and take care.

Love,

Ron and Nicky.

P.S. To calm down the rumors, a good solution would be to do an article that tells the truth and nothing but the truth, with pictures that you both consented to being taken. Have you messaged Luna yet? I'm sure The Quibbler wants to help you out, when you both feel ready."

Hermione halted and felt the letter shake in her hands. Oh Merlin. Oh, Merlin.

How could they have been so stupid?! Hermione felt like she had been stabbed. This had not been like her. She was Hermione Jane Granger, Miss Thorough, the one that never took anything for granted, the girl that was always prepared and was one step ahead, every single time. Why had she allowed herself to become so sloppy? Why had Harry not been more careful - he knew the Prophet, he knew how vile they could be... Oh gosh - Harry! She needed to contact him!

She panicked. A letter? No, that would take too long. A message via Patronus? Too obvious - she was the only one at the Department with an otter for a Patronus. A Floo-call? Harry might not even be at his desk: he was probably swarmed by reporters as soon as he left the fireplace...

Apparating at the Ministry was possible, but Apparating inside your own office was considered extremely impolite. Today, she had to stop caring about proper etiquette.

As she braced herself for the impact, she thought about the article. What could be in it? It was damning - as much was certain. How damning? Had someone been ratting them out?

A plopping sound and the nauseating feeling told her the Apparition was successful. She opened her eyes to see her desk, her chair: unmoved, unchanged. She carefully walked towards the door and pushed it open. Journalists weren't allowed inside the Departments, only be invitation, she would be safe. Hopefully.

'Miss Granger!'

Hermione almost jumped when she heard her name, but quickly realized it was her secretary, Mimsy. The older woman was standing in front of her own desk that was literal littered and stacked with heaps and heaps of letters.

'The Post Office couldn't handle the amount of letters they received, Miss! I'm so sorry, I open about ten of them and thirty new ones appear. It's like degnoming a garden!'

Hermione visibly flinched. This was an absolute nightmare. She had received hatemail before, during her fourth year, and she wasn't sure how vicious the letters would be now she and Harry were actually a thing.

'Don't be sorry, Mimsy, this all our fault... Where is Harry?'

'Havent seen him, mam. He might still be on his coffee route-...'

As if by clockwork, another crackling sound announced another Apparation.

'Sorry!' Harry shouted as he emerged from an office door. 'Starbucks was absolutely packed, so I had to find another store, but I think I managed to get it all... Apparated once I had my order - I know that's frowned upon, I'm sorry, it wont happen again, but I didn't want to be too late... What did I miss? Wow, Mimsy, that is quite some post on your desk!'

'Have you seen your own, Mister Potter?' Mimsy asked, wryly.

'No, I-...'

Harry and Hermione both stared at the place that used to be Harry's desk. There was not an inch of it in sight. It was so utterly cluttered with mail, that Hermione had dismissed it all together.

'That... that's my desk?!'

'I take you haven't read the Daily Prophet, Mister Potter?'

'Neither of us have,' Hermione admitted, voice small. 'You don't happen to have a copy, do you?'

'I do,' Mimsy said, with a flushed face, and she began to roam her bag.

'They know.'

Hermione only needed to say those two words to Harry as they waited for her secretary. His face turned from merry to absolute shock.

'What? About us?'

Hermione nodded.

'Who told on us? Oh, I bet it was Head Auror Holywell-...'

Hermione made a hushing noise as Mimsy found what she was looking for and handed the paper to them.

'Lets take this to my office,' Hermione suggested, leaving a disappointed Mimsy at her messy desk. Harry nodded. With a flick of his wand, he sent the coffees to the right offices and followed his girlfriend.

No one told on them - they were sure about that as soon as Hermione unfolded the paper and they saw the headline and a very large, moving photograph.

"THE CHOSEN ONE CHOSE HIS ONE: HOW THE BRIGHTEST WITCH OF HER AGE MANAGED TO ENCHANT THE WIZARDING WORLD'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR."

Underneath the headline, a photo that didn't need any explanation. It showed Harry and Hermione in a very clear position: on the porch of her apartment, Harry's hands gently around her shoulders, key dangling from his fingers, mouth attached to hers in a searing kiss. She was standing on her toes, one foot popped up behind her, fingers combing through his hair. It wasn't vulgar, luckily: it was quite a good looking kiss, one that made clear immediately that there was a lot of love as well as a lot of passion, without or being overly tacky. Picture Hermione and picture Harry would pause every now and then, and he would pick her up and hoist her into the air. Then he placed her on the ground, would give her a look of pure adoration, and kiss her yet again.

'Read it,' Harry said, grimly. 'Out loud.'

"THE CHOSEN ONE CHOSE HIS ONE: HOW THE BRIGHTEST WITCH OF HER AGE MANAGED TO ENCHANT THE WIZARDING WORLD'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR.

By: Jacky Simone.

Yes, for many young, hopeful women it's a hard pill to swallow, but it's true: Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding World and acclaimed womanizer, is off the market! And he didn't pick just anyone: The Boy Who Lived is currently dating no other than Hermione Granger, one of his best friends. Hermione Granger, well-known for her valiant behavior during the Wizarding War, set her sight on Mister Potter ages ago, when they were both studying at Hogwarts.

"She has been in love with him since he won the Triwizard Tournament," old classmate and former bosom friend Romilda Vane told The Prophet. "She has been smitten ever since - I distinctly remember her smooching up to him and doing his homework just to be in his presence. Harry always tolerated her, out of convenience. I never thought he would ever be interested - he dated a lot of other girls in school! His best friend, Ronald Weasley, was in love with me, but I turned him down. Harry was the most desired boy in the entire school and he managed to keep that image well into adulthood. I wouldn't mind being in Hermione's shoes!"

Hermione Granger, not particularly blessed with beauty nor charm, managed to stay in Harry Potter's social circle either way and proved her value at age 18, when she, Harry and Ronald managed to defeat You-Know-Who, the darkest Wizard of the last century. After their heroic triumph, Hermione was frequently seen in our hero's presence, at dinner parties and social events.

"She would always be following him," an anonymous Ministry-source revealed. "Wherever Harry was, she was lurking in a nearby corner. Frankly, it made us all a little uncomfortable. I know she was a valuable participant in the war, but I always sensed she had an ulterior motive for hanging around with Potter. She knew he had quite the reputation, of course, maybe she expected he would sleep with her too if she stuck around long enough?"

That is a fair question. Our Chosen One's preference for gorgeous women is not a secret to The Prophet - even during his relationship with the alluring Ginevra Weasley, currently in a very salacious relationship with a Canadian Quidditch Player and sister to before-mentioned Ronald, he couldn't keep his hands of the temptations young fans offered him. Although not confirmed by The Boy Who Lived himself, sources close to him have admitted that he slept with hundreds of stunning women at least. So why would Harry Potter settle for such a mousy, dull and unappealing girl like young Granger?

"Potter was fired from the Auror Department because of his hot temper," the anonymous source continues. "He needed a job. Who better to butter up to than a former friend and ambitious climber in the Ministry ranks? As soon as Harry showed romantic interest, he was hired as an intern. I don't think that's coincidental."

Who knows? From our observations, Harry Potter doesn't act coldly or calculated around his girlfriend. We have solid proof that The Conqueror of the Dark Lord hasn't spent one night at home since Christmas and has been nothing but sweet and doting, doing groceries and even frequenting family dinner parties. The projected picture shows a clearly enamored couple, that experience genuine love and care for each other. Yes, it is clear - Harry Potter is definitely taken with Hermione Granger. And, though some speculate she would be clever enough to slip him a love potion, it could also be the case that our dear savior is just no longer sowing his wild oats."

Hermione had stopped halfway through the article with reading out loud, as she felt anger flaming in her chest. They both finished the story in silence. By the end, Harry was breathing heavily and he was clenching his jaw.

'Harry,' she began, but he lifted his hand and closed his eyes, a deep, dark frown between his eyebrows. He removed his glasses, leaned against her desk and pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds.

'I... I hope you know that nothing that is stated in that article, and I mean absolutely nothing-...'

'I know,' Hermione quickly said. 'Same goes for you. "Hundreds of women"... It's the Prophet, Harry. We knew they wouldn't write anything positive about us.'

Harry shook his hand and was biting his tongue. He was too angry to speak - when he blinked, he squinted his eyes.

'It's okay,' Hermione soothed. 'We know what's real and what's not. They still speak adoringly about you in the entire thing, it's not like in our fifth year when they called you crazy-...'

'I'm not... God, Hermione, sometimes I feel like you don't know me,' Harry spat, as he pulled back his hand sharply. This hurt her more than the entire article. She knew the Prophet would slander them, that's who they were, and Harry knew that even better than her. Why was he mad at her? Hermione felt a chill settle in her stomach and took a physical step back.

'You want to be alone,' she said. 'I get it. You can take the day off if you want to, Harry.'

This took him out of his rage.

'No... No, Hermione, I'm sorry,' Harry recanted immediately. He put his glasses back on, as if he was broken from a trance, and drew in a sharp breath. 'I didn't want to-... I didn't mean to-...'

He stumbled over his words. Hermione looked at him, just looked at him, as he undid his tie and ruffled through his hair, unable to return her gaze. He bit his lip, scowled, and then growled out loud.

'I'm not angry at The Prophet for attacking me. Merlin knows how long they've been doing that - more than a decade, at least. It's just... When they write about you... When they... I just can't... I can't handle it when they say these utterly repulsive things about you, Hermione. Like you are some... Some kind of stalker, or some love-sick manipulator...'

He clenched his fists again and groaned again in frustration. Hermione still felt a bit hurt over his comment about her not knowing him, but she understood a bit better where he was coming from.

'Oh well. I am a bit mousy, you know. And I'm studious and ambitious, they got that right. At least they positively credited me for my part in the defeat of Voldemort-...'

'You are not mousy,' Harry said through clenched teeth. 'You are the most beautiful, most charming, most amazing person I know, and I love you. I have loved you for years and years and for them to come out suddenly and accuse you of potioning me, it's just... It makes me sick.'

He walked towards her, pulled her in a tight hug and burrowed his nose in the hair on top of her head for a few seconds, until he kissed her forehead.

'You know I love you, right?'

'Harry, of course-...'

'And you can't forget it. You are beautiful-' he placed a kiss on her cheek '-and sweet-' another kiss, 'and charming, and incredibly sexy...' He kept naming things he loved about her, until he peppered her face with kisses, and Hermione's hurt was replaced with bubbly laughter. She laughed, felt the warmth in her belly, and when he was done complimenting her, he pulled her even closer and kissed her sweetly on her lips. She felt his tongue entering her mouth, she felt his hands pressing her body firmly against his, she felt his lips expertly pressuring onto hers to shoot sparks through her body. He succeeded.

'And, most of all, you do know me. You know me better than I know myself most of the time. I'm sorry. I just say things when I'm angry. I should have directed my comments on them, not on you.'

'I might forgive you.' Hermione said calculatedly. Harry frowned at her and she laughed. 'If you kiss me like that again tonight. I am very willing to continue whatever feelings are stirring inside us right now, but not at my office.'

Harry laughed in return, promised he would, and pulled her in for another hug.

.::. To be continued - Part 2 is in the works :) .::.