Author's Note: Thank you, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad people are loving my take on the Harry/Hermione relationship. I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe. And on we go…
The three friends sat around the table staring at the single flame floating in a jar, seemingly to avoid eye contact. Ron relayed his story about how he was sitting in a pub trying to avoid a bunch of snatchers, when he clicked the deluminator open.
A small blue ball of light came out, and Ron could hear Hermione's voice faintly. The blue ball of light moved into Ron's chest, and while thinking of Hermione, he appeared in the woods a little ways from their tent.
"And you know the rest. Another horcrux is destroyed. What is our next move?" Ron was anxious to get back into the flow of things. He needed something to distract him from how closely Harry and Hermione were sitting, and the looks they kept sharing.
"I've been trying to figure out what this symbol is." Hermione opened up the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard that Dumbledore left her.
"It's written in here in the book. I've also seen it on the Peverell tombstone, and again at the bottom of the letter written to Grindelwald by Dumbledore. It has to mean something."
Harry thought hard as he realized that symbol looked familiar to him. Where had he seen it before?
"We need to see Xenophilius Lovegood!" Harry suddenly announced.
"Whatever for?" asked Hermione, perplexed.
"I saw him wearing that symbol at Bill and Fleur's wedding. He has to know what it means."
The three friends made plans to head to the home of their school mate Luna Lovegood first thing in the morning.
As Ron made ready for bed, he noticed one less bed in the tent. He surveyed the layout of the tent out of the corner of his eye as he brushed his teeth over the sink. There was one twin bed on the right side of the tent, and a larger sized bed on the left side that he could see Hermione transfiguring a screen to block it from view.
It was like a punch to the gut to realize their relationship must have progressed rather fast. It took three and half years just to get the courage to begin showing his interest in Hermione, and already she and Harry were sharing a bed.
He said a gruff good night, and climbed into bed facing the tent wall. He used his wand to turn on the radio to prevent him from hearing anything he wasn't willing to hear.
Hermione was already in bed when Harry made his way over from the loo. He pulled off his jumper, and climbed in leaving his boxers on to sleep in. He put his arm out making room for her to snuggle into his chest.
"Well, things just got a little awkward huh?"
Hermione lightly slapped his chest. "Don't joke about this Harry."
"I know it's not funny, but you have to admit the timing is just hilarious." He ran his hand softly through her hair.
"I know he's our friend, and it's wonderful to have him back. Yes, it will be awkward for us. We don't want to flaunt our relationship in his face, but he will also need to come to terms with it. He left, and has not right to begrudge us our happiness. Well, any happiness we can grasp onto in this war." Her words sobered Harry, and he kissed her forehead.
"I know. We need to focus on the mission, and win this war. Hopefully, he's gained a sense of responsibility is his break from all this. I know I love you, and we'll be together when this is all over. Nothing will prevent that from happening."
"Oh Harry, I feel the same. Whatever happens, we will win this war, and then begin our lives together." Hermione leaned her head up and lightly kissed Harry on the lips.
"Good night love. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Let's get some rest." Harry placed a sweet kiss on her cheek and closed his eyes to sleep.
The meeting with Xenophilius Lovegood was a disaster! They learned that Luna had been taken along with a silly tale of three brothers. Then Luna's father gave them up to Snatchers thinking Luna would be returned to him.
Hermione was smart enough to let the Snatchers catch sight of them so Xenophilius wouldn't be harmed for falsely reporting that he had Harry Potter in his home.
The trio made it back to the tent and quickly packed up and apparated to a new location. Hermione began setting up the wards while Harry and Ron got the tent set up again. Once that was complete, they sat around the table waiting for someone to decide to start the conversation.
"Come on you two. You expect me to believe three brothers from a wizard's tale actually met Death, and these magical objects really exist?" Ron of course was the most skeptical since he grew up with these stories his whole life.
"Let's think about it logically. The sign of the Deathly Hallows was there on Ignotus Peverell's tombstone. Harry has a cloak of invisibility that has been passed on from father to son. How long does a cloak of invisibility typically last?" Hermione was quick to point out the facts.
"And, we know You-Know-Who is searching for a powerful wand. Doesn't it make sense that it was the Elder Wand?" Harry had seen visions of Voldemort searching for a wand. He had questioned Olivander, and was not happy with the answers he got.
Ron was only getting redder as the discussion went on. "Great! Not only do we have more horcruxes to find and destroy, but we have to prevent You-Know-Who from obtaining three magical objects that could give him control over Death itself?!"
"I know it sounds impossible right now Ron, but we'll continue to do like we always do. We'll research and form plans, and we'll get things done. There's nothing we can't do."
Ron appreciated Hermione's optimism, but it also grated a little on his nerves. This was just another bloody mission that would take forever. He was beginning to regret coming back.
Harry noticed the strained look on his red-headed friends face, and decided to diffuse the situation before an argument started.
"Let's get some rest, and decide our next move in the morning. We're not going to accomplish anything tonight after the day we've just had."
The next several weeks were slow going. Even without the locket to bring out the worst in Ron, he was always in a bad mood. If he wasn't frustrated at the lack of finding anything useful in their hunt, it was having to watch the closeness that Harry and Hermione shared.
He knew they tried their hardest not to flaunt their relationship in front of him, but you could see it in every glance, or accidental touch.
He tried to get over her, to not let it bother, but it just wasn't working. The final straw came when for once he actually awoke before they did. Of course it was due to his stomach grumbling that it was hungry. He walked over to the table to see if there was anything left of the food they ate last night, when he glanced over to the screen that shielded their bed from view.
Normally he couldn't see around the screen, but this particular morning, and that particular angle from the table, he could see Hermione's hand resting upon Harry's heart as her head lay snuggled into his chest. He could see one of Harry's legs sticking out of the blanket with one of Hermione's bare legs entangled in his.
It felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. He walked quickly over to his bed and stuffed his few meager belongings into his pack and stormed from the tent. Once he was past the wards so they wouldn't hear, he apparated away.
Being as worried as she always was, Hermione slept lightly, and did hear a kind of cracking noise. "Harry, wake up. I heard something outside the tent."
Harry jumped up immediately and pulled on his pants, jumper, and shoes. He briefly spared a glance around the tent, before rushing outside with Hermione's wand. He looked around for a few minutes before heading back. Hermione met him a few feet from the tent.
"Harry, I think…."
"Ron isn't here. Do you think the Snatchers got him?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip and looked down. "Harry, I think he's left us again. His pack is gone."
"No, he came back. He wouldn't do that to us again. He knows how important it is to stop Voldemort!" Harry began to run his hands through his hair when they heard the distinct sound of apparition nearby. He looked around them and saw three, maybe four Snatchers.
"Run!" He yelled as he pushed Hermione ahead of him. They began dodging spells being thrown at them, trying to throw some hexes behind them as they ran.
Hermione threw curse after curse behind her, finally turning to see if she had hit anyone. She's gotten one, but the others were gaining on them. She knew they couldn't outrun them. Thinking quickly she turned and aimed her wand at Harry's face casting a stinging hex at him, and pulling his glasses from his face.
She watched as his face began to swell, one eye closed completely, and his scar almost unnoticeable. The Snatchers caught up to them and grabbed them both by the arms.
"Now who do we have here?" asked one with foul breath that was holding Hermione.
"I'm Penelope Clearwater. Half-blood." Hermione tried to sound as confident as she could.
"And who is this ugly bugger? Oi! What happened to your face Ugly?" The man holding Harry began to peer more closely at his forehead.
"Vernon Dudley" garbled Harry out of his misshapen mouth.
"I don't see no Vernon Dudley on the list. I think someone's a liar." Suddenly the one looking closer at Harry's forehead smiled.
"I think this is Harry bleeding Potter boys! And this must be his little Mudblood bitch. Let's take them in. We'll be rewarded for this for sure. I might be able to keep the girl for fun. I like bending and breaking little bitches."
Hermione shivered as she realized they were captured by none other than Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf. Her stomach did somersaults as she felt the familiar pull of apparition as her capture shouted out "Malfoy Manor".
