I got a lot more hits on this story than I thought I would. Those of you who reviewed, thank you so much! I had hoped that people were craving this just as much as me, and I'm glad to see that I have hoped right! I will definitely try to keep up with this story, and not let my writers block that always seems inevitable, get to me. I owe it to H/HR fans!!!

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Harry woke with the smell of strawberry overtaking his senses. He breathed in slowly, not wanting the sweet smell to disappear. Something tickled his nose and he cracked open an eye to peer into the darkness. All he could see were the light brown curls that were surrounding his face.

Hermione.

As the rest of his senses connected with his mind, he remembered how they had fallen asleep after their emotionally charged conversation. Hermione was still wrapped up in his arms, except they had shifted so that she was partially on top of him, their legs entwined, her torso on top of his.

Harry hated to admit it, but he was the most comfortable he had been in a long time. When Ron had been around, he always kept his touching of Hermione to a minimum. He could always tell when Ron would start to get jealous, and out of mutual friendliness, Harry would always back away. Even the slightest hug would make Ron narrow his eyes, or go sulk in the corner of the tent.

Harry was beginning to realize he and Hermione had been living with a tyrant.

Well, as much as he hated it that Ron had abandoned them, he couldn't help but have a part of him cheer in excitement. He and Hermione had always been a touchy twosome. It wasn't like they planned the casual caresses or light touches that always seemed to happen when they were around each other. In fact, before Ron had become obsessive towards her, Hermione seemed to gravitate to Harry whenever they were around each other. If anything, with Ron being gone, they could bring back that connection that had always been between them.

The way she was breathing on his neck made him slightly uncomfortable as he imagined what they would look like to a passerby. He smiled as he realized there would be no passerby's too see them, considering they were in the middle of a forest. As thoughts about the forest they were in passed through Harry's mind, one important thing stuck out to him.

"Oh hell," Harry muttered as he tried to disentangle himself from Hermione. As much as he had enjoyed the mid-night cuddle, he had forgotten one major thing.

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, and stretched, completely oblivious to Harry being under her. Harry closed his eyes as he witnessed a view of Hermione's abdomen, the sight making his heart rate increase slightly. This reaction worried him slightly, but not as much as the other thing nagging at him. Hermione finally realized that she wasn't alone, and she looked back at Harry who was rushing to get out from under the blankets.

"Good morning?"

Harry nodded brusquely. "Hermione, we slept in here together."

"Yes…"

"Which means that nobody was outside taking turns on the lookout."

Hermione's eyes widened. "I didn't even think about that."

Harry jumped up and threw on a sweater as he walked outside. "We're probably surrounded by Death Eaters by now…" he muttered under his breath as he stalked outside.

Hermione stared after him, somewhat glum at the prospect of everything going back to normal. She had really thought that last night something had clicked between them. She had thought that things could go back to normal…before Ron. With a shrug to nobody, she got up and began to hurry around getting ready. Figuring they were going to be on the move soon, she packed up as much as she could and placed it in the beaded bag she had taken to carrying.

She walked out of the tent, wand in hand, ready to disassemble the tent. Before she could get to it, she spotted Harry pacing back and forth around the tent, every so often strengthening the protective charms. She shook her head and made her way toward him.

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Harry was cursing himself under his breath, when suddenly he realized he wasn't alone. Hermione stood a few feet away from him, arms crossed, foot tapping, and a very Hermione-esque face gracing her features.

"Harry James Potter what are you doing?"

He wanted to shrink back at the voice she used, but mustered up all the courage he could before answering coolly, "I'm protecting you. Us."

Hermione shook her head. "You are utterly ridiculous. I already put charms in place last night. We're fine. You're too paranoid."

Harry glared back at her. "I'm not too paranoid. Can you imagine if I had walked outside today and Death Eaters had been surrounding the tent? No, Hermione. I'm not paranoid. I'm just realistic. We are supposed to have constant vigilance."

Hermione snorted. "Okay Mad-Eye."

Harry rolled his eyes. "As paranoid as he was, he was right. Last night we slipped up, and I can't let it happen again."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Okay. Fine. But let the charms go for right now. We're safe."

Harry hesitated before finally nodding, and following her back to the tent. He suddenly felt bad for his outburst. He WAS paranoid. But he couldn't help it. He jogged up to Hermione and fell into step with her. He quickly slipped his hand into hers, squeezing it lightly. Hermione glanced at him sideways, a small smile the acceptance of his silent apology. "You know," she started, "We really have to stop jumping down each other's throats all the time."

Harry nodded. "I know."

Hermione gave him a long look, before quickly turning her attention to the tent. "Well…where are we off too next?"

Harry sighed. He really had no idea. He voiced these opinions to Hermione and she nodded in agreement. They both stared at the dilapidated tent, suddenly at a loss as to what to do. Suddenly, Harry looked over to Hermione.

"Godric's Hollow."

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With two distinct pops, Harry and Hermione landed in a clearing, close to a heavily wooded area. Harry set off toward the forest, Hermione close behind. They quickly pitched the tent and set the protective charms around the radius of their camp.

"Mione, I'm going to go look for some sort of pond. Maybe we can catch a fish or two." Harry shouted to Hermione across the camp a few hours later.

Hermione, who had been attempting to find a book in her beaded handbag, looked up and dropped the bag in an instant. "Uh Harry…can I go with you?"

Harry who had begun to walk away, turned around quickly. "Really?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah?"

Harry imitated her shoulder shrug, "Sure…yeah…come on."

Hermione skipped across the camp they had set up, setting one last charm, to strengthen the invisibility of their site. She quickly caught up with Harry and linked arms with him. "I've wanted to go fishing since the first time you came back with that huge catfish."

Harry smirked at how excited she seemed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? You could have come all those other times!"

Hermione's lips turned into a thin line. "Well…you know with Ron and everything…"

Harry nodded, not needing the explanation. "I get it."

Hermione looked down at her feet, but was brought back to their situation at hand when Harry broke away from her and ran ahead a little ways. "Brilliant!" She heard him yell.

Hermione hurried forward, eager to see what had excited her best friend. "What is it Harry? What did you find?"

She gasped when she came up behind Harry. They were standing in front of a large pond, water sparkling, and every so often a fish would leap out of the water, landing back into the pond with a splash. "How did we get so lucky?" Hermione whispered.

Harry shook his head, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I don't know. But I'm not going to complain."

They hurried side by side toward the edge of the pond. Harry showed Hermione some spells for catching the fish, and then they both set to work catching as many fish as they could manage. It was like the fish were multiplying. Every one they caught, more would pop out of the pond, almost like they were asking to be caught. Once the duo had caught as many fish as they could carry, they headed back toward their tent, happy with what they had accomplished.

Harry had an extra bounce in his step as he created a smoke-less fire with his wand as he set to start cooking the fish. Hermione giggled at the foolish expression that was planted on his face. Harry looked up at her amused. "What's so funny Granger?"

Hermione grinned widely. "You just look so happy."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "Well…I guess I am."

Hermione walked toward him slowly and sat down next to him on the grassy ground. "Even though we're in the middle of a forest in Godric's Hollow, with no idea where we're going, no idea what we're doing, and down one person?"

Harry mock-glared at her. "Way to bring down my mood Mione!"

Hermione laughed again. "I'm just being realistic."

Harry groaned. "You're just being patronizing!"

"That's a big word Potter."

"Tell me about it. I've got more. Wanna test me?"

Hermione just stared at his amused face for a second before she burst out in laughter. "You are such a prat!"

Harry laughed as his focus went back to the task at hand. He finished cooking the fish and handed some to Hermione on a conjured plate. "Stop yapping and eat fish!"

Hermione opened her mouth wide to protest, but was cut off by Harry forcing the food into her mouth. She immediately spat it back out. "That was incredibly rude Harry!"

Harry looked back and forth between the fish she had spit out and her face. "And that was an incredible waste!"

Hermione shook her head, her eyes dancing with laughter, "You're utterly ridiculous."

Harry smiled cockily. "Thank you."

Hermione grinned back as she shifted closer to Harry on the grass. "You're welcome."

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Once the sun set, Harry suggested they move into the tent just as a safety precaution. Hermione, who had loved the freedom she had felt that day, whined loudly. "Harry, I HATE the tent. It's too SMALL."

Harry gave her a warning look as he cleaned up the area they had eaten in. Everything vanished, and with a look of satisfaction, Harry climbed through the flaps in the tent. "Mione, you just have to trust me. We're safer inside."

Hermione heaved a great sigh. "I know. But I hate it."

Harry flopped down on his cot. "Do you think I enjoy being cooped up in here all day?"

Hermione flopped down next to him on his bed, earning a surprised look from the young man. "What? You think I'm going to talk to you all the way over there?" Hermione asked as she gestured across the tent towards her own cot.

Harry shrugged. "Just don't fall asleep. I don't want a repeat of last night."

Hermione groaned. "Don't start Harry. I won't fall asleep."

Harry nodded happily. "If you do, I'll just pinch you."

Hermione gasped. "You will do no such thing Harry!"

"Want to test me?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, Master of the Horcrux Hunt…"

Harry snorted. "How clever…"

Hermione continued shooting Harry a glare. "What in the world are we doing in Godric's Hollow?"

Harry knew she would ask this sometime. "I'm not sure. But something about it just won't leave my mind."

Hermione stared at Harry intently. "You mean your parent's graves."

Harry's eyes darted toward her in an instant. He started lamely, "Well…I don't suppose that's the WHOLE reason…"

Hermione placed a hand on his cheek, leaning in closer. "It's okay Harry. You don't have to be embarrassed about it."

Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not embarrassed Mione…I'm just…"

Hermione turned his head to look her straight in the eye. They were just as close as they had been the night before. Harry could feel his heart beat increase just as quickly as it had before. Hermione felt her stomach drop at the look Harry was giving her. It was so full of…fear. The mood had suddenly changed from silly, to downright serious. Hermione gave him an encouraging nod, and he started to whisper.

"I'm scared to see the graves. But there's a part of me that just…that just NEEDS to see them. It's like, if I don't do that, I'm not going to be able to do anything else. It feels almost…necessary." Harry finished, his voice barely a whisper.

Hermione felt her heart break at his sincerity. She suddenly felt the emotional weight that she knew Harry had felt his entire life. "Harry," She began, her voice also just barely a whisper, "You need to go see them. You have to."

Harry nodded, his eyes filled with tears, "Thanks Mione. I'm not sure why I just told you all that…"

Hermione let out a strangled laugh as she reached out to hug him. "You don't have to be ashamed to tell me anything Harry. I'm not…I'm not Ron."

Harry lifted his head and his eyes connected once again with Hermione, a look of understanding passing between them once again. Hermione's heart beat seemed to quicken as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. As she pulled back, she let out a gasp of surprise as Harry pulled her back to him again. She felt his warm lips land lightly on the corner of her mouth, lingering a little longer than her short peck. As he pulled away, she noticed his eyes seemed to be glazed over, and she felt her cheeks blush pink. The air around them seemed to crackle with intensity. They gazed at each other, each of them not wanting to break the spell that seemed to be holding them together.

Wordlessly, Hermione stood up, her fingers still linked with Harry's. "Um…I'll take…uh I'll take first watch," she stuttered as their fingers slowly untangled and she left Harry lying on the cot, wondering what the HELL had just happened.

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I couldn't help myself! I had to write another chapter! All of Deathly Hallows is so fresh in my mind, that I just keep getting hit with inspiration! A lot of this never happened in the book, so keep that in mind. I'm not going to add in a lot of action. Maybe a few scenes here or there, but I'm not too good at writing a large scene with a lot happening! That's why this story won't follow the timeline of Deathly Hallows. But it may include some similarities.

Just keep that in mind!

Read and review as you like!