The sun was setting on another day, and Harry and Daphne were taking a few moments for themselves, walking hand in hand on the beach. It had been the most unique summer of Daphne's young life. For her own part, Daphne was of mixed emotions about the summer holiday finally coming to an end.

So much had happened over the past two months. She had gotten back together with Harry after a very short break up, which she still used against him on occasion, when he acted up. She had then been whisked away to a small island, where she had spent the entire rest of her holiday with the young man she loved, though it was not in the fashion she had truly desired.

Daphne was quite proud of the fact that she was now the fastest of the five teens. In a dead sprint, she could easily outrun her friends. She could now also perform every spell she knew without uttering a sound. She was very proud of her and her friends accomplishments over the summer.

However, all their training had not allowed for them to have any fun, or to really be what they were. Kids.

Tonks had tried to break up the monotony of training by throwing them a few fun exercises, or making games out of their lessons. But, she was the only one. Moody was an extreme sadistic taskmaster. Every day his physical training regiment became more and more grueling. And while she was pleased with what it had done for her figure, she still wanted to punish the man just as he'd done to them all summer.

Moody wasn't the only one who'd made it on Daphne's list. Kingsley Shacklebolt had pulled no punches on his dueling lessons, nor had Remus and Sirius showed them any mercy with their fight instruction.

Snape had been the worst. Daphne got to experience first hand Snape's contemptuousness and disdain. Even more disturbing were the spells he'd taught to them. Spells like the flesh peeling curse, which tore the flesh off your opponent almost as if you were peeling the skin off a banana, the asphyxiation hex, which filled your enemies lungs with smoke, and the bone splinter curse, which smashed your enemy's bone into tiny slivers which, if applied correctly, could do serious damage inside their body.

The worst had been one that Snape claimed to have invented, which he called Sectumsempra. This spell opened a long gash on your enemy that would ultimately cause death from blood loss if the counter spell was not used quickly. That one still sickened Daphne to think about.

And though Daphne knew it was all to prepare her for the war, which was now starting to escalate according to the Order members who were training them kept saying, Daphne was positive that all the hard work was to keep her and Harry from escalating their physical relationship. They were always too exhausted for anything more than a few soft kisses before bed.

Daphne wasn't the only one who was feeling resentful and frustrated. Both Hermione and Tracey were becoming very irritable over their lack of physical intimacy. Tracey at least had an excuse. She had no boyfriend on the island. Almost nightly, Daphne and Hermione, who shared a room with the spunky blonde, would have to listen to monologues on the wonderful merits of Blaise Zabini, whom Tracey was apparently smitten with.

Hermione, on the other hand, was in the same boat as Daphne herself. Both of them had boyfriends very close at hand, in fact they were in the same house. There should have been nothing to stop them.

It was Hermione's theory that they had been pushed so hard to make them far too tired to do anything but sleep and eat.

"What better way to keep us all so behaved?" Hermione had asked the other two girls a week ago when the subject had once again reared up before they all went to sleep.

Now, with only one day left of the summer, Daphne was starting to feel cheated. In just two days they would be back at Hogwarts, and there weren't a lot of places that Daphne thought she'd feel comfortable getting intimate with Harry. The only place she thought might be secure was the Room of Requirement, which had the added bonus of becoming whatever she wanted it to be. However, thanks to Umbridge, nearly the entire school knew of its existence. So, that really only left the odd broom cupboard.

She looked to Harry as they walked together, both of them still a bit exhausted from their training that day.

"Harry, do you remember that day on the beach, when we talked about taking things between us further?" She asked.

Daphne loved it when Harry blushed. He gave a short nod, and looked into her eyes, taking her other hand in his.

"Never really got the chance here, did we?" He looked a bit disappointed, and she knew at once he felt the same as she did.

"Hermione thinks it was done to us on purpose." Daphne sighed, closing the gap between them, and wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her tightly in her arms, and gave a soft sigh.

"I think it was likely a happy side effect." Harry smiled to himself. "I know that Sirius tries to act the adult, but I know he's clueless as to what he's supposed to be doing. Probably figured the only way to make sure we didn't…you know… was to make sure we had no energy to even think."

"And we're going back to school the day after tomorrow. With classes, and private lessons…and your Quidditch stuff. Well, I just wonder what's going to happen to us?"

"You think because we haven't gotten more physical that we might …What?" Harry pulled away from her a bit so he could look in her eyes. Confusion was evident on his face, and Daphne could only shrug.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid or something. I just think sometimes that Dumbledore did all this so he could keep us apart. Like maybe he's trying to keep you pure, or something."

Harry began to chuckle. He shook his head at her look of outrage at her thought.

"Do you know that he kept trying to get me to talk to you guys at the end of last year? You know, when I was avoiding all of you? Nearly everyday we talked for a bit, and everyday he tried to get me to go back to you all. Then, after Ron's funeral…"

"When you dumped me?" Daphne narrowed her eyes. Harry blanched, and nodded his head.

"Yeah…that." He said sadly. "He tried to get me to change my mind. So, I don't think he's trying to keep me from you."

"But I didn't say that he was trying to separate us. I said he was trying to keep you pure. Like, if you're stronger if you're unspoiled?"

"Unspoiled?" Harry cocked his head, looking truly confused.

Daphne gave a great sigh, and peered around the deserted stretch of sand, before leaning in to whisper, "Still a virgin?"

Both teens blushed as she plowed forward. "What if you have to be pure in order to face Voldemort?"

Harry thought about it for a moment before he started to laugh. He collapsed to the ground rolling around, holding onto his stomach. Daphne started slapping his arm, trying to get him to stop.

"It isn't funny!" She repeated over and over.

Harry finally managed to gain a bit of control over himself, and pulled Daphne down on top of him.

"Do you know what I would want to do if I knew that I was about to face him?" He asked, a broad smile on his face. Daphne shook her head, and Harry reached up to brush some of her dark brown hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek as he spoke.

"I would want to be with you. In every way imaginable. I would want nothing more to go to meet him after being yours."

Daphne stared into his eyes for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She bent forward and captured his lips in a soft kiss.

"I know that we're not ready right now, but I love you, Daphne." Harry smiled. "I can't imagine myself with anyone but you, and I don't want to find out what it would be like. As far as I'm concerned, you're all I could ever want."

"You're all I want, as well." She whispered, and melted into his embrace. "I just… I feel like you might get tired of me because we never do anything more than snog. And once we're back in school, I don't know if we'll ever have time, or a place, where we can be…you know, close."

"I think we can find a place, and make time for that sort of thing. In fact, we might find it a bit easier once we're back in school." Harry smiled optimistically.

"Do you really think so?" Daphne asked hopefully. Harry smiled and pulled her closer. They kissed again, more deeply this time. He ran his hands up her back, pulling her shirt up as he did so. His hands found the bare skin of her back, which sent electric shocks up her spine, and she ran her hands through his tousled black hair.

When they broke their kiss, they were panting a bit.

"I'm sure of it."

Daphne gave a wicked grin, and looked all around them once again.

"This is the first moment we've had to ourselves since before your birthday." She smiled.

"Then, maybe it would be a good idea to take advantage of it." Harry grinned, and Daphne chuckled.

"And of each other." She bent down and began kissing him more passionately than before.

Neville Longbottom was sure that he was having the best moment of his life. He was sitting against a tree watching the sunset over the ocean, with who he consider to be the most stunning woman he knew resting against him. His arms were wrapped around her thin waist, and she was holding tightly to his embrace, breathing contentedly, her head resting just under his own.

"Hermione?" He whispered. The girl gave a soft sigh.

"Hmm?"

"I just want to tell you how nice this summer has been for me."

Hermione sat upright, and turned to look at him. "Nice? Neville, we've been training all summer. We didn't even get to celebrate your birthday, or Harry's for that matter. We've barely had anytime to do anything at all."

"I know." Neville nodded.

"So how can this have been a nice summer?"

"Because I've spent nearly every moment with you. It didn't matter that we were being pushed so hard, or that we didn't get much chance to do what we wanted. I was with you all summer."

Hermione's heart melted at his sincerity. She fell back into his arms and kissed him softly.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Neville." Hermione whispered. Neville eyes widened in surprise. Hermione looked a bit embarrassed by her admission, but she didn't move.

Neville sat up, drawing her to him once again, holding her tightly to his chest. Hermione didn't resist him.

"I've been in love with you for a long time now." Neville admitted. "I never said anything because I didn't want to scare you, or anything like that."

"Yet another reason I'm falling for you." Hermione smiled against his chest. "You're always thinking of me."

They sat in silence for a bit, just holding each other. Hermione couldn't remember ever feeling so at peace, or happy.

"Do you think it'll be as bad as they've been telling us?" Neville asked.

"I don't know." Hermione said, her tone becoming worried. "I hope not. I mean, we've fought them before, and we all came through it ok."

"No, we didn't." Neville reminded her sadly. "Not all of us."

Hermione felt her stomach drop as she remembered that they weren't all still around. She also felt an overwhelming guilt as she had not written to the Weasleys, or even really thought of them since the funeral in June.

Neville felt her change in demeanor, and gave her a soft reassuring squeeze.

"It's alright." He said, kissing the top of her bushy head. "I know he's been looking after us, and I'm sure he'd be pleased with all we've done."

"I haven't even thought about him since we started all this. We were never going to be anything more than friends, and its very possible that after school finished, we would have likely drifted apart. All we ever did was argue. But sometimes, he could be so sweet. He had some much potential to be something truly great." Hermione wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I think in the end he fulfilled his potential." Neville said. "It took a lot of selflessness and bravery to do what he did. I don't know that I could have done it."

"I hope none of us have to make that choice." Hermione said, looking up at him. Neville nodded his agreement.

They fell silent for a while, each lost to their own thoughts.

"Hermione, supposing we make it through all of this, what do you think you'll do?"

Hermione settled back into her original position, wrapping the blanket they had brought around her legs as the air began to chill.

"I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought about that, either. I think I'd like to do something in law. There are so many things that should be changed. Wizards are some truly bigoted people."

"You'll have a difficult task."

"That's never stopped me before."

"Yeah, I know." Neville grinned, kissing the top of her head again. "What about a family?"

Hermione looked up at him, a small smile playing at her lips. "Family?"

"Yeah. Have you ever thought about kids and the like?" Neville said, his voice shaking a bit under her inquisitive gaze.

"Of course I have. Yeah, I think I'd like to have a family one day. Why are you asking?" Hermione pushed.

"Well," Neville started. Hermione sat up again, and turned to look at him. She couldn't stop the smile on her face, as Neville once again became the timid boy she remembered from just a year ago. It amazed her how confident and strong he had become since they had begun seeing each other.

"I just thought… That is. Well, I had this dream the other night, and it's stayed with me." He stammered.

"Go on."

"I, that is… well, we… in my dream… you and I " Neville tried to speak, but with Hermione watching him so closely, with that strange smile on her face… she was making it very difficult to speak.

"Neville, you can talk to me. You can tell me anything. I won't laugh at you."

"Will you marry me?"

Hermione felt like she'd just been slapped. The smile fell away and she could only stare at her boyfriend.

"W-what?"

"Not right now, or anything. After. You know, if we make it through, would you consider marrying me?" Neville stammered, his face reddening. He hadn't meant to just blurt it all out. Hell, he had only just told her that he loved her.

"I don't know what to say." Hermione whispered, staring into his eyes.

"You don't have to answer me. I just, well like I said, I had this dream, and it's just kind of stuck with me these past few weeks."

Hermione fell back against her boyfriend, and thought about what Neville had just asked. She wasn't even seventeen yet, she hadn't come close to accomplishing anything she'd ever really thought about doing. Yet, she knew better than most how life could make you change your priorities, or forget your dreams in favor of something better.

Before she'd learned she was a witch, she had dreamt of becoming a teacher. She loved learning, and had thought it would be good to pass on her growing knowledge to children one day.

Then her acceptance letter had come, and a whole new world of opportunity opened up to her. After her first year at Hogwarts, her dream of teaching had faded all together.

Around her fourth year, she had started dreaming of working in government. She just wanted to help those who'd been oppressed for so long. Professor Lupin's plight had truly opened her eyes, and learning about the House Elf enslavement, and her own sense of right and wrong, had done much to fuel the fire.

But now, she could feel that dream slipping away, as the dark cloud of the war hung over her, and her own self doubt nipped at her. Even with all they had done this summer, Hermione still woke up in the night drenched in sweat, having seen her own death.

Now, however, she felt as if she could have a goal. Something she could be fighting towards, besides stopping a madman. Something for herself. She was falling in love with him, she knew it in her heart, but the practical side of her brain knew that it was possible that it was simply a teenage romance, and that one day they could split up. One day, she would look back on her relationship with Neville with a mixture of fondness and revulsion.

But if that was the case, why then would she lie awake at night thinking about giving herself to him? Why did her body want him so desperately that she would find herself thinking the most randy thoughts at some of the worst possible moments.

"Hormones, of course." She thought to herself. "I'm a teenager, and this is what happens to all of us."

But her heart knew it was something more. She was far too practical to allow herself to get involved in something so silly as a physical relationship just to satisfy her most primitive of urges. She had never wanted to be like other girls she knew, who would do things with boys for no other reason than to satisfy some urge. She needed the emotional and mental connection, and she always known that. Neville gave her that.

"Would you tell me about your dream?" Hermione asked softly, snuggling against her boyfriend, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He began to run his fingers softly through her mess of brown hair, soothing her. He began to tell her of his dream, in which they were together. Two young children playing in a yard, while they busied themselves preparing a meal, and discussing their day. Such a simple vision, and yet it promised so much. Who wouldn't want that? Who would really want to deny themselves such happiness?

"Neville?" She asked when he'd fallen silent again. The sun had now disappeared beyond the horizon, and the sky was a brilliant orange purple.

"Yeah?" he murmured.

She looked up at him now, another small shy smile playing at her mouth. "I think that if we make it through all we have to do, that I would love to be with you."

Neville's eyes lit up, and he smiled broadly. "Really?"

Hermione nodded her head, her own smile widening. "However, when the time comes, I expect a proper proposal."

Neville pulled her into a long deep kiss. All the happiness he felt being expressed through the act.

"Anything you want." He whispered.

"Alright, you lot." Moody barked as he paced before the five teens. "Today is your final test. We've set more than a few surprises out there for you, and we're going to see how well you work together, and how well you take down your opponents. You'll be able to use anything you can think of, but let's try not to permanently damage anyone, yeah?"

The teens all smirked.

"You'll have half an hour to get through it and back to this point. Now, I know that you can run the whole thing in ten minutes, but this is not about speed. It's about you're ability to adapt. To know when to run, and when to fight. Now, let's see what you can do."

Moody blew his whistle, and the five youngsters were off.

Daphne, who was the fastest of them all led the way. All of them had their wands out, and were watching for any signs of movement. Unfortunately, there were no signs that they were running straight into their first challenge. At least not until the ground exploded in front of Daphne.

The brunette Slytherin screamed as she fell down in an effort to avoid the blast. Harry was at her side in an instant, with Neville and Tracey coming right behind.

"Disillusionments." Harry shouted as another spell through up sand all around them.

"Homenum Revelio." Hermione shouted as she came up to the group. Both Neville and Tracey had cast shield charms to protect them. Hermione's spell swept over the ground and two figures appeared highlighted in a blue light.

Harry took aim at the first, while Daphne took the second. Both figures went down under stunners.

"Let's go." Harry said, helping Daphne to her feet. Having learned her lesson, Daphne kept pace with the others now. They got another two hundred yards before four hooded and robed figures apparated before them.

Neville and Harry took the lead, casting spells in tandem, trying to throw their oppressors off balance. Hermione and the other two girls conjured large rocks in front of the oncoming spells to protect the boys.

"This isn't working." Harry shouted, as their opponents were beginning to gain ground. "Hermione. Banish one of those boulders!"

Hermione did as Harry ordered, and banished one of the large stones towards their enemies. Harry raced after it, still using it as cover as he sprinted along the shoreline towards the robed villains.

At the last moment, Harry put on a burst of speed and launched himself up onto the flying stone. Once he'd gotten to the top, he fired a volley of blasting curses down on the robed people, like rain. Two of the four were hit hard, but the hurling boulder had divided the four figures, and two of them were now behind him. Harry spun, and was quite pleased to find that his distraction had worked, and given his friends an opening to get the upper hand.

"Ergh, who used the pus hex?" Harry asked, looking down at Bill Weasley, who was one of their attackers.

"I did, and we don't have time to admire our handy work." Hermione urged.

"Right." Neville said, breathing heavily. "Let's get moving."

They encountered nothing until they were quite near the end. Harry stopped short as they could see the natural path that led into the forest and to the Flamel House. The others stopped right beside him.

"What is it?" Daphne huffed.

"An ambush." Harry smirked. He turned and started retracing his steps back along the beach.

"But, Harry…" Hermione said catching up with him.

"We should have seen this coming. Only two obstacles? Only six 'Death Eaters'? Don't you think that was a bit easy?" Harry questioned as he turned suddenly and plunged into the forest.

"Moody's saving it for an all out battle."

"So what do we do?" Neville asked.

"We play their game, but we do it by our rules." Harry said. He tapped his head as he entered the forest to disillusion himself. The others followed suit and very quietly entered the forest behind their leader.

Harry reached into his pocket, and pulled out the fake galleon that Hermione had created for the DA the previous year, and tapped the edge, changing the serial number into a message. Keeping it clutched in his hand, he began to move further into the forest.

Neville felt something warm in his pocket, and pulled his DA coin.

N. GET TO THE ROOF

He smiled to himself, and started to head towards the house. Harry wanted him to take the high ground, which meant Harry and the others were going to cause some kind of diversion in order to make their enemies reveal themselves. Harry trusted him to cover their backs, and Neville wasn't about to let them done. As he got closer to the house, he began mentally running through his most powerful spells.

Harry crept closer to the house, crouching down behind a large tree. He peaked around to see if he could spot anything. It looked clear, but Harry could feel the trap. It had just been too easy, and that wasn't Moody's style. Again, he tapped the galleon and altered the message.

H. GET TO PATH UNDER COVER. THEN WAIT TO REVEAL.

Hermione took a deep breath and started to look around the large rock she had found shelter behind. Her wand clutched tightly in her right hand, and the fake Galleon in her left.

It had been her idea to use them in battle like this. They could communicate without using their voices or Patronuses. They didn't even need to stay close enough to use silly hand signals that they could misunderstand. The best part was no one other than the five of them knew about it.

Alright, maybe the other members of the DA would be quite confused by the messages they were seeing on their coins, but none of them could alter theirs to send messages. Only Harry could do that. Hermione was convinced that they would get a load of questions when they got on the train.

D. GO TO RIGHT SIDE OF HOUSE BY PORCH.

Daphne crouched low, sweeping her eyes back and forth. The path was empty, quiet and serene. But Harry felt that it was a set up, and now that she had time to catch her breath and think it over, it was clear he was right. They were being set up. She couldn't help but smile when she imagined the looks of surprise on all the Order member's faces.

T. GET TO GULLY NEAR STREAM.

Tracey felt herself tense up with anticipation. She trusted her friends with her life, and she wasn't about to let them down. She knew that it was simply a test, just as she knew the next time it would be real. Laying flat on the ground, her feet were getting cold resting in the tiny stream.

"Next time, he can use the gully for cover." Tracey groaned inwardly.

H. NOW.

Hermione silently cast the revealing spell, and just as before, a wave of magic swept through the forest and highlighted all humans in a soft blue light. As she and her friends were all disillusioned as well, they were lit up as well. Fortunately for them, they were expecting it. What they weren't expecting were the number of opponents.

Harry stunned the person who'd been right in front of him. He'd been shocked that he'd been almost right on top of someone. Shouts came from all around as their attackers saw that they had been discovered. The forest was suddenly lit up from spells being exchanged.

Neville was truly happy he'd bee placed on the roof. He'd been the only one not discovered by the revealing spell. This made it easy to takeout three of their attackers before anyone even guessed he was up there. After taking out the third faux Death Eater, he quickly changed his position so no one could zero in on his location. He was able to body-bind two more people before he had to move again.

Daphne banished one "Death Eater" into another, and then used a ticking charm on them both, before securing them with magical ropes. A hex blasted just above her head, and she screamed in surprise and a bit of fear. She stood to start running for better cover when she was hit with a tripping jinx.

"Protego" She cried, casting her shield charm just in time to stop a rather nasty looking yellow hex.

"Shield won't hold forever." She heard a familiar voice say. She looked up to see one of the robed attackers closing in on her, and was shocked when they suddenly were thrown into the air.

"We can rest in a bit, babe. I promise." Harry said, grabbing her wrist and helping her to her feet.

Tracey waited for a few moments after the battle started. She was the reserves, and she knew it. She saw Neville stun his first three, and saw Hermione dart forward and use a spell Snape had taught them to levitate one of their attackers into a tree, and bind him there. She had to chuckle at the brainy witch's ingenuity.

Tracey's moment came when she spotted two enemies slowly circling around Hermione. Apparently they weren't counting, or they thought Hermione was their biggest threat, or maybe they just wanted to get one over on the bushy haired witch. Whatever the reason, Tracey wasn't about to let them do it.

"Incendio." She said softly, and grinned as one of the two would-be attacker's robes caught fire. The other turned and douse his partner with water to put out the flames. Both of them turned to face Tracey only to be knocked out for their trouble.

"Thanks." Hermione gasped as Tracey ran forward. Hermione had heard the shouts of surprise from behind and seen the two attackers. She had stunned one, and thankfully, Tracey had been aiming at the other.

It was over. Harry and Daphne met Tracey and Hermione on the path that led to the house, keeping their eyes and ear open for anyone they might have missed.

"Did Neville get hit?" Hermione asked when she saw that her boyfriend was not with them.

"I'm ok." Neville said, waving from the overhang above the porch. He was in the middle of cancelling the Disillusionment charm on himself. "I think that's all of them."

"Anyone hurt?" Harry asked. They all looked each other over, while simultaneously taking stock of themselves.

"You took your time." Moody shouted, lumbering out of the house. "I thought I was quite clear that you had an half an hour."

Harry looked at his watch and saw they had taken nearly an hour. He looked up at Moody and shrugged.

"I think I'd rather have taken extra time and been safe than fall into a trap and not finished at all."

"Figured it out then, did ya?" Moody glared.

"Almost didn't. Thankfully, I realized that you didn't wear us down on the beach."

Moody grinned, making his already gnarled face look even more sinister. "There's hope for you lot, then."

"So, do we pass?" Tracey asked, leaning on Hermione, who looked rather pleased.

"You did well, I'll give you that, but you should have been able to do it within the time limit."

"We just took out twenty people." Neville looked appalled.

"Twenty people who were taking it easy on you."

"I resent that!"

The teens turned to see some of the assailants coming down the path. Sirius was leading them, limping a bit.

"Nice bit with that boulder." He smiled clasping Harry on the shoulder. "We gave them both barrels, as the Americans say, and they handed us our butts. I think they did more than pass this test."

"I second that." Bill Weasley said, helping Fleur Delacour to her feet.

"Oui. Zay 'ave performed most admirably."

The teens were surprised to see the silvery haired blonde veela, and even more shocked when Bill kissed her.

"Oi, Mad-Eye. Who cares about a time limit." Fred Weasley said. He had just been revived by Remus Lupin, who must have filled in he and his twin, George, who was sitting beside him rubbing his head.

"I think I hit my head on a rock" George groaned. Tracey smirked.

"Give it to them, Moody." Bill Weasley said. "Admit that they saw through your charade, and let it go."

"Fine." Moody barked, silencing the troops. "Fine, you all passed.'

"Thank you." Daphne smiled, the others breaking into smiles as well. "And now we have something for you, for all you've done this summer."

"Yeah, and what might that be, lassie?" Moody quirked an eyebrow.

Five teens raised their wands and shouted stupefy at the same time. Moody had no time to react, and was knocked out cold.

"Serves him right." Hermione commented.

"He's going to be really angry when he wakes up." Neville smiled.

"He should have been more vigilant." Tracey remarked dryly.

The forest erupted in laughter.