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Harry looked across the table at Hermione, smiling softly as he caught her eyes. Their time in the Room of Requirement still something special to the both of them, and something they had refused to talk about with anyone else. The green-eyed teen could still remember the backlash they had walked into once they had left the warm safety of their haven.

The two Gryffindors walked into their common room holding hands and talking silently, unaware of the effect their appearance had on the room. For once complete and utter silence reigned, it was as if the castle herself had taken a deep breath for the impending impact.

The first indication that either of them had to the frozen state of their peers was the sound of a chair falling over. The crash of the wooden back hitting the floor rang throughout the quiet common room.

With a jolt at the loud sound, the two looked up in surprise, finally taking note of the expressions on the faces of those closest to them; ranging from shock, relief, and even anger on a few. The anger and relief were the most confusing.

Looking around the room Harry met Neville's eyes and saw something there he didn't expect. A look of relief so profound his friend's eyes were slightly misted over. 'Something is wrong...' Harry thought to himself as he held the mild-mannered Gryffindor's gaze.

Nevil had been one of the very few people who had stood beside him through everything. Neville, who with such a gentle soul couldn't even barely defend himself against Slytherins, had followed him into the Department of Mysteries and fought bravely beside him. Neville, sweet, kind, loyal Nevil, looked as though he was looking at a dead man.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, breaking the strained silence that occupied the Lion's Den.

"You're... you're alright..." Neville had said, his voice so soft it was as though he feared if he spoke any louder Harry and Hermione would disappear.

"Yes, Neville, we're just fine." Harry said, his bright green eyes dimming slightly in confusion. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"You've been gone mate." The round-faced boy said as though it was obvious. "You've both been missing for days. The whole castle has been in an uproar. Everyone has been looking for you, Harry. Not even Dumbledore could find you, he said that something had happened to the castle; it went silent is what the Headmaster said." Looking to the side nervously before continuing, Neville said, "Everyone thought you had been taken to... to Him." He paled as he spoke, swallowing nervously. "We... we thought both of you had been taken."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in confusion. The knew they had been in the Room of Requirement for a while, a day, two nights at the most... but days? Had they really been so lost in each other that time had ceased to exist? Hermione, as if reading Harry's thoughts, shrugged, a baffled look on her face swiftly replaced by the look of determination she had when she went into research mode. That determined face made Harry smile, a soft twitch of the lips only she would understand.

Harry turned his attention back to Neville, looking at the truth of what he said in those round eyes. Looking around the room, taking in each face in turn, he saw only confirmed what was told to them.

"Where have you been, Harry... Hermione...?" The shy boy in front of them asked.

"We were in the Room of Requirement..." Harry said, unwilling to reveal too much of their time there. It was personal and intimate and he wanted no one to encroach on the wonderful time the two had had together. "We left during the party after the Quidditch match. We just wanted to get away from the noise and relax a little." Harry said, avoiding the topic of just WHY they felt the need for escape. "We ended up there and fell asleep. We... we didn't realize so much time had passed." The raven-haired teen finished lamely.

"It was my fault." Hermione finally spoke up, seeing the look of disbelief and a little anger on a couple of faces, stepping forward and slightly in front of Harry, almost as if to shield him fro the backlash. "I got a letter from my parents." She said, squeezing Harry's hand discretely, as if to tell him to follow her lead. "With... with everything going on in the war and the return of You-Know-Who, they want to pull me out of school." She said, her voice perfectly portraying hurt. "I.. I can't leave school. You know me Neville, learning is my life. I was scared of losing this place and all of this knowledge. Harry took me away to calm me down and helped me write a letter reassuring my parents." She lied, so well that the teen in question almost believed her himself.

"Time in the Room of Requirement must work differently." Harry said, picking up the tale where she left off. "I asked it for a place where we could escape everything for a while and the war could just stop so we could think." He said, forcing a look of contrition on his face. "The castle must have taken me literally..." He finished, looking at Hermione.

When he looked back around the common room he saw that the anger and disbelief had faded to understanding and relief. They all knew how much Hermione valued knowledge and books. They knew the worst fate in life for the bushy haired witch would be to have all of her learning opportunities stripped from her. Pavarti actually sent a pitying look Hermione's way; the dark skinned girl had never understood Hermione's love of learning but even she knew how the other girl was.

"I'm just glad you're back..." Neville said, pulling the attention of the two at the door back to him. "We were so worried something terrible had happened."

"We're sorry we worried you all. It really was unintentional." Harry said. "Where is Ron?" he asked, realizing he hadn't seen the red-head in the room.

A look of pure disgust twisted Neville's usually happy face. "Won-Won and Lav-Lav are probably still attached at the mouth somewhere." he said, his voice holding nothing but contempt. Hermione was pleased to note that even Pavarti, Lavender's best friend looked a little green at the idea. Apparently no one in Gryffindor House was pleased with the new couple.

Neville looked behind Harry and Hermione at something and his eyes widened slightly, shooting Harry a fearful glance before a voice rang out directly behind him.

"Mr. Potter! Miss Granger!" came the sharp yell of Professor McGonegoll. Turning slowly to face her, both teens wanted to step back at the fury they could see burning in her gaze. "Come with me." She said in a short, clipped tone, whirling around and exiting through the portrait hole.

"Oh mate..." Neville said in a shaky voice. "I would not want to be you right now... she has been prowling the castle like a wounded lioness. Six Slytherins, three Ravenclaws, and a few Hufflepuffs have already been sentenced to several nights with Filch and Snape because of her mood."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, gulping slightly before moving to follow their seemingly irate Head of House.