A/N Welcome back my dear readers. You'll get this notification twice because I was lost in thought and forgot to add in the A/N, which isn't entirely necessary but I wanted to thank you all for your patience and support while I compose this story. I have things pretty much under control for this semester so I'm back to writing somewhat regularly. I try to make time for it at least three times a week, so hopefully, updates will be more frequent.

Enjoy!

Harry paced the living room of the Burrow. It was early, so early not even Mrs. Weasley was awake preparing breakfast. He hadn't been able to sleep well since his conversation with Ron. He was frustrated with his best friend, not sure why Ron was being so stubborn. But then again, Ron just was. It vexed him to no end, and he couldn't even reason with him because Ron didn't want to see. Hermione had clearly shown she was trying to make things better, and Harry had been convinced she was good even when she left to join the side he had been conditioned to believe was evil. Why couldn't Ron see what he saw? Hermione cared too much about people to ever harm them, always had.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, rubbing her bleary eyes, "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Harry stopped his pacing, staring at Ginny with his mouth open, "I just-I...erm...I couldn't sleep."

Ginny nodded, skeptical but continuing her journey to the kitchen. She was absolutely parched, and she wouldn't mind a light snack while she was awake.

"Ginny?" Harry asked suddenly, causing the redhead to halt her journey to the kitchen, "Would you mind terribly if we talked?"

"Erm...Yeah, sure. As long as we can do it in the kitchen," She replied after some thought. She continued her pursuit of water and snacks while Harry stood awkwardly next to the table.

"Well, sit down, for Merlin's sake!" She said, exasperated with how out of place he looked.

"Right," Harry said, snapping to his senses and taking a seat. Ginny sat across from him, a glass of water and a plate of toast in front of her.

"What's on your mind, Harry?" She asked after a few moments of him not saying anything. She was beginning to regret that she said yes.

"Sorry! I had a conversation with Ron, well, an argument really. He doesn't think Lupin should be Minister, and I, well, I don't think it would be that horrible," Harry stammered sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting across Ginny's face.

"So you can't sleep because my brother has his head so far up his arse the only thing that comes out of his mouth is utter shite?" Ginny asked, raising a brow and halting her toast's journey into her mouth, "Blimey, Harry, one would think you'd have come to that realization sooner."

"Well, that's not the whole story," Harry admitted.

"Spit it out, then, I haven't got all night! I've got plans with Hermione and Draco tomorrow!" Ginny exclaimed, quickly clamping her mouth shut, afraid her outburst might have woken someone. She breathed a sigh of relief when the house remained still.

"Well, if Sirius is elected Minister, he and Moody are going to overturn some of the new laws and imprison everyone who fought for Voldemort." Harry looked at Ginny curiously as Ginny snorted, almost inhaling her bite of toast whole.

"You really think Hermione hadn't figured something along those lines might happen?" Ginny asked, watching Harry's look of stupidity change to one of realization.

"So, she knows then? What's she gonna do about it?" Harry demanded.

"Right now there's nothing she can do but hope they lose."

"That's it then? She's not gonna-"

"Going to what, Harry? What else can she do without causing more problems for herself?" Ginny interrupted rudely.

Harry pursed his lips, thinking about his previous statement. Of course, there wasn't anything Hermione could do but wait. Upon reflection, he often realized how stupid his statements were. This was how he had ended up pushing Hermione away, by not thinking his actions through.

From the darkened living room, Ron listened in, his rage growing, causing him to clench his jaw and fists. Hermione knew. He had been silent so far, but could feel his rage starting to bubble, threatening to give him away. As quietly as he could, he turned and left, fighting the urge to stomp up the stairs. He had to tell Sirius and Moody that Hermione knew their plan so they could do something to keep her from winning. Ron faltered, his thoughts turning to Harry. Why had Harry turned his back on them? His anger momentarily dissipated as he wondered when they had started to drift so far apart. There had been a time where they all thought their friendship would last forever, that they would be the team that won the war. Now, though, it all felt strangely twisted. Hermione had won the war, and Harry was accepting the loss instead of fighting for what was right. Ron was the last one of them still following the path Dumbledore had made for them, certain that he couldn't have been wrong about everything. With his anger reinvigorated, Ron searched for a quill and some parchment so he could send a letter to Sirius and Moody. If Harry didn't want to see what was right, Ron would just have to be the hero. For the greater good.

"Come on, Hermione! We haven't got all day!" Draco called from his place in the sky. He hovered lazily above the ground, calling down to the brunette in an attempt to get their game started.

"I really don't know why I agreed to this," Hermione muttered darkly as she mounted her- Bellatrix's- broom and pushed off. Again, she was mildly surprised it responded so easily to her commands.

"Because you could never say no to us," Ginny said, grabbing the Quaffle from the Quidditch trunk and hefting it into the air.

"And we all know you secretly enjoy this," Draco teased, dodging the Quaffle Hermione threw at him in response, "Hey!"

"Well, I definitely enjoyed that," Hermione said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Hey, 'Mione. Last night I talked with Harry and I think he's really trying to understand everything. Even before the battle at Hogwarts, he was conflicted about what side was good or bad, and I don't think he has any involvement with what Sirius and Moody are trying to do," Ginny confided as they waited for Draco to come back with the Quaffle.

"I trust your instincts, Ginny. And I trust you," Hermione answered, turning slightly to face the redhead.

"Ron, though. He does seem to be involved. From what I gathered, Harry pretty much told him off, but my brother is as daft as he is angry. I'm not sure what he'll do," Ginny continued, adjusting the height of her hovering to be more level with Hermione.

The older witch sighed, and Ginny felt a pang of empathy in her chest. "I don't know if there's any hope of getting through to Ron. You can't force someone to see the truth if they don't want it. I'll use caution going out, I promise."

Ginny nodded, their conversation over for the moment. Draco had returned with the Quaffle and tossed it to Hermione who fumbled as she caught it. Hermione gripped her broom tightly with one hand, sitting absolutely still as she regained control of her broom. She had a general idea of what to do with it, but it felt strange to fly with the ball tucked under her arm.

"I don't think this is for me. It's so awkward to fly with it," Hermione said finally.

"Pass it here. Let's see if you can take it from me, then," Ginny said, deftly taking off once the ball was in her possession.

Hermione suppressed a groan as she flew after her friend, Draco right beside her for the pursuit. Hermione tried her best to coax the ball out of Ginny's grip, trying not to worry about the stress of everything she had to do. Her friends were just trying to help, to distract her from everything she had been mulling over endlessly. They both had enough experience with Hermione's moods that they knew she would obsess over the problem until it was solved, but they also knew she would thrive if she had a few moments of not thinking about it.

Hermione shouted in victory as she managed to surprise Ginny by coming up from below and behind, sliding the ball out of the crook of the witch's elbow. She nearly dropped the ball in her celebration, as well as started to lose altitude, but she caught herself before she fell too far and even managed to get a hold on the ball. Her friends joined in the celebration, rejoicing in the small victory.

"Maybe you have a future as a Chaser, 'Mione," Draco said, collecting the ball from Hermione as they descended.

"You bloody hell surprised me coming up like that," Ginny agreed.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate you temporarily holding me hostage and making one of the conditions of my release to have some fun," Hermione teased, "And now, I think we deserve some lunch."

As if on cue, Draco's stomach grumbled, followed by Ginny's, though the redhead's was much louder. She sent a smirk in Draco's direction, quickly causing them to erupt in a fit of laughter as they headed inside. Hermione cast a thoughtful cleaning charm over them as they approached the doors to Malfoy Manor, not wanting to earn Narcissa's ire.

"Ginny, how are you, dear?" Narcissa greeted as they entered the Dining Room.

"I'm well, thank you. How are you?" Ginny responded, blushing slightly at the affection from the blonde witch. She was still surprised whenever it was directed towards her.

"I'm wonderful, and I'm so glad you could join us for lunch. We can discuss what color you and Draco will wear at the wedding," she exclaimed excitedly.

"Cissy, you promised," Hermione interjected, distracting the witch with a hug.

"Oh, very well. Another time, then, Ginny. The rest of our family should arrive soon, they know better than to be late," Narcissa obliged, hugging the young witch.

"We absolutely do, Cissa," Bellatrix grinned as she entered, accompanied by Andromeda and Nymphadora. Hermione was quickly enveloped by her fiancee's arms, a small kiss placed on her cheek. Ginny received similar treatment from Tonks, albeit a bit more clumsily.

They took their places at the table, joined shortly by Lucius, who managed to take a break from his work at the Ministry just in time. Hermione felt significantly lighter than she did when she woke up this morning. Even though Draco and Ginny would soon be leaving for Hogwarts, she didn't feel the impending dread she had felt this time last year. This time, she didn't have to worry about an impending battle or her friends being exposed. It would be the first 'normal' school year since they had begun attending Hogwarts.

Hermione,

I would appreciate the chance to chat over a Butterbeer at The Leaky Cauldron. Whenever you have the time before school starts again. I'm sure you won't be attending, you always were leagues ahead of everyone. It would be a nice opportunity to catch up and chat, if you wouldn't mind.

Sincerely,

Harry

Ron clandestinely watched as Harry signed the letter, sealing it and sending it with Hedwig. He hid his scowl as best he could, focusing instead on the newspaper in his hands. He had already heard back from Sirius telling him to wait, but he couldn't pass on this opportunity. Hermione would never meet him alone, but she would meet Harry. All Ron had to do was make sure he was there with Sirius and Moody so they could ambush her. Despite the power he had already witnessed firsthand, he believed the three of them stood a chance, and Harry might even help once he realized it was for the greater good.