"I'm not sure how I feel about this Hermione," Harry muttered, draining his coffee.

"For the love of Merlin," Hermione snapped, exasperated. "Have I not sat here for the last two hours explaining in detail how perfectly safe I will be?"

"Thanks for that by the way," Harry sighed, rolling his eyes. "I love being woken up at two in the morning by a married woman sneaking into my bedroom. Not like I need the sleep or anything."

"Did it help that I brought coffee?" Hermione defended feebly, blushing.

Harry gave her a sullen look. "What do you think?"

"I had no other choice," Hermione responded hotly. "Do you know how hard it is to get away from Malfoy when he's awake? He almost broke down the bathroom door the other day when I took too long in the bath, convinced that I was writing to you or Ron."

"And were you?" Harry asked shrewdly.

"No!" Hermione cried, looking affronted. "Really, Harry."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I wasn't writing to you or Ron," she muttered, looking abashed. "I was writing to Blaise."

"I rest my case," said Harry, grinning. "For what it's worth, I do think that Malfoy is being absurdly over protective of you."

"Tell me about it," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think that my plan could go wrong?"

Harry paused, mulling over his words carefully. "Yes and no," he said finally. "I do think that using the idea of you impersonating Narcissa to lure the Arisen One has some merit. However, I'm reluctant to let you get yourself captured without your wand."

"That's only to lower her guard," Hermione protested. "Once I have her confession, I can take her down using a makeshift wand—"

"—Assuming it is Vanessa," Harry interjected.

"It is," Hermione replied firmly.

"I don't know," Harry said finally. "Why can't we just tell Malfoy our plan instead of sneaking around behind his back?"

"Have you not been listening to anything he's said over the past ten days?" Hermione replied, exasperated. "He doesn't want me anywhere near Tuscany. He wants to be there himself, lying in wait for Vanessa once she takes the bait."

"Which could be equally effective," Harry said fairly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What makes you think Vanessa would come there herself directly? Do we even know how many people are working for her? Likely, she will have her lackeys survey the villa. What if they barge in, find Malfoy and capture him?"

"Assuming he would let himself get captured," Harry pointed out. "He's a skilled dueller, Hermione."

"Well, if he does get captured and has his wand taken away, he won't be able to do anything," she cried, agitated. "When I'm captured, I can actually channel magic from something else."

"When you put it like that, it almost sounds reasonable," Harry capitulated eventually. "Let me think about it, and we can discuss it properly later."

"Are you kidding me, Harry?!" Hermione snapped. "There's only three days left for the anniversary of the war. We are supposed to be leaving to Tuscany the day after."

"So what do you want me to do? You already know that we can't assign any Aurors to help Malfoy unless it's Blaise, Ron and I."

"Precisely," Hermione enunciated, her patience rapidly fraying. "If all of us disappear, they will know it's a trap. You three work with Vanessa. You really think she wouldn't notice if you're gone on Friday?"

Harry leaned back against his pillows, looking out into the inky black sky. "I guess you're right."

Hermione felt the tension dissipate out of her body. "Now, this is what I need you to do. Malfoy thinks he's leaving to Tuscany right after work on Thursday. After all, my vacation days only start from Friday. Thursday morning you and I will supposedly leave for the Ministry, as usual, but only you will arrive."

"I don't know about this," Harry shook his head.

Hermione held up her hand. "When I don't arrive at the Ministry, I want you to seek out Vanessa, discreetly tell her that I left for Tuscany a day early, and to only update my vacation days when I return."

Harry rubbed his eyes. "Meanwhile, Malfoy will think that you're at work, and won't notice anything amiss until you fail to show up home after dinner. At which point, he will murder me for having anything to do with this."

"Come on Harry," Hermione chided. "Live a little."

"Come on Hermione," Harry muttered. "Sleep a little."

"Fine," Hermione said, rising from his bed. "Only because it's nearly half past four in the morning and Malfoy will be awake in another hour."

"He wakes up at half five?!" Harry asked, gaping in disbelief.

"Only recently," Hermione grumbled. "He wants to make sure that I don't wake up before him and start plotting behind his back. No trust."

"Yeah you're really trustworthy," Harry grinned, as he shooed Hermione out of his room.

"It's half past four," Pansy protested, trying to untangle herself from the bed clothes.

"Plenty of time left," Blaise murmured softly against her rib cage, as he kissed his way lower.

His light kisses grazed her fevered skin like icicles, teasing her. Pansy shivered in anticipation as the slight stubble of his chin grazed against her inner thighs. She leaned her head back against the soft pillows, biting back moans of pleasure as his tongue finally found her wetness. A slow fire ignited within her apex as he teased her sensitive clit lightly.

Blaise slipped a finger inside her wetness, feeling a rush as he realized that he was responsible for her arousal. Her insides were silky smooth, slick with her own sweet juices. As he flicked his tongue faster, he glanced up to see Pansy arching her back with pleasure. Her shapely breasts were nearly upright, with pebbled nipples that stood to attention. Blaise couldn't recollect the last time he had been this turned on.

"Still want me to leave?" Blaise smirked, pausing.

"Shut up," Pansy groaned, as she pushed his head back down.

Pansy felt her orgasm come crashing around her as Blaise moved his fingers in and out of her faster, his tongue scorching her. She moaned loudly, balling her fists against the sheets.

"How was that?" Blaise grinned, resting his head on her stomach.

"Average," Pansy panted, still trying to catch her breath.

Blaise arched an eyebrow, but declined to respond as he reached for her breasts.

Before he knew what was happening, Pansy had pushed him on his back. He felt her silky hair slide across his thighs and his eyes bugled. Is she really…

Pansy gripped his hard cock in her small hands and brought it up to her pink lips. "Let me show you how it's done," she said authoritatively, looking into his eyes.

Blaise couldn't recollect the last time he had been this happy.

The sky was steadily growing lighter by the time they were finished. Blaise reluctantly checked his watch and unhooked Pansy's arms from his waist. Due to the stricter security around her house following Parker's attack, a log of everyone Apparating or Disapparating from the grounds was automatically sent to the Ministry. To overcome this, Blaise had to resort to decidedly muggle methods, such as Disillusioning himself and scaling down her window until he could sneak off the property and Disapparate.

Pansy stirred. "What time is it?"

"Nearly half past seven," Blaise murmured against her earlobe with some regret. "Time for me to go."

"I'll walk you out," Pansy said at once, rising.

"To the window?" Blaise chuckled, pulling on his robes.

Without deigning to answer him, Pansy wrapped her blanket around her curves and picked up her wand. She tapped the combination to unlock the window into the newly installed tiles by the frame.

Blaise hoisted himself out, still clutching his shoes. "Same time tonight?"

Pansy narrowed her eyes. "Never," she spat. "This was the last time."

"Sure," Blaise grinned, half out the window. "I'll see you at midnight."

"Make it half past eleven," Pansy muttered, barely audible. She tapped her wand sharply on his head, casting the Disillusionment charm. Blaise's smirking face disappeared before her eyes as she pushed in the general direction of his body. The barely discernible thud as he hit the bushes beneath her bedroom made her smile with satisfaction as she slammed her window shut.

"You look tired," Draco commented suspiciously, as Hermione entered the dining room shortly after half past seven.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "If I seem tired, it's probably because a certain someone woke me up at the crack of dawn."

Harry determinedly focused on his croissant, his own eyes drooping.

"Sorry," Draco mumbled. "I had to turn on the lights after I stubbed my toe on the dresser."

"Whatever," Hermione waved her hand tiredly. "Please pass me the coffee."

Draco poured himself a generous helping before he passed the pot to Hermione. She topped Harry's cup before emptying the pot into her own.

"Why are you so tired Potter?" Draco questioned, frowning.

"Ongoing sleep debt," Hermione interjected smoothly, jabbing Harry rather painfully in the ribs as he visibly nodded off again.

"Wha— oh yes," Harry jerked himself awake. "Too much to do before the anniversary."

Narcissa and Lucius swept, both of them looking rough around the edges. Narcissa's usually impeccable hair was slightly dishevelled, and Lucius had dark smudges under his eyes.

"Morning," Narcissa nodded, seating herself in front of the empty coffee pot. "No more coffee?"

"Why is everyone so tired today?" Draco pressed, pushing aside his breakfast. "This is highly suspicious."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Your father and I were up half the night plotting against you, naturally."

"The same goes for Harry and I," Hermione added, smirking. "Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry stood up abruptly. "Time to get to work," he threw over his shoulder before he departed speedily.

"Swear to Merlin he gets odder with every passing day," Draco muttered. "So if you weren't plotting behind my back, why are you both so tired?"

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged the briefest of glances.

"Well," Narcissa started, hesitantly. "We were up late because we were discussing what comes next. We want to know what exactly you children have planned for Tuscany."

"The truth," Lucius added.

"We will lure the Arisen One to the villa claiming that mother and Granger will be taking a vacation there," Draco explained, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. "However neither of you will actually be lying in wait for them in Tuscany."

"Nor will either of you," Narcissa stated firmly.

"We haven't decided exactly who will be waiting for the killer," Hermione interjected truthfully, avoiding Draco's intense silver gaze.

Lucius nodded, acquiescing. "Fine, but no one is leaving on Friday unless Narcissa and myself approve of it."

"Sure," Hermione agreed easily. After all, I'll be gone by Thursday.

Narcissa gave her a brief smile. "You should leave for the Ministry dear, or you'll be late."

Hermione made a show of checking her watch to prevent the guilt from flashing across her face. Although she was extremely experienced when it came to lying to parents, it got harder now that she had come to love Narcissa as a mother.

"I'll walk you to the fireplace," Draco stated, rising.

"That's not necessary," protested Hermione feebly.

Draco gave her a taut smile. "I insist."

To buy time to school her face into a mask of innocence, Hermione ducked under the table to pick up her briefcase. She prayed fervently that Narcissa and Lucius' presence at the table would prevent Draco from asking her too many probing questions.

"Ready?" Draco queried, already holding up her cloak.

Hermione straightened and reached for it. "Almost."

Draco smirked and held it just out of her reach. "Allow me, darling."

"If you insist," Hermione replied evenly, stepping closer to Narcissa's chair. She raised a challenging eyebrow.

In one swift move, Draco was behind her, just out of earshot. She felt the strands of his hair tickle the sensitive spot on her nape, exposed by her up-do, as he leaned over her. His velvety fingers brushed her throat as he brought the fastenings of the cloak around her neck.

"I know you're up to something," he whispered silkily, against her earlobe. "You can flutter your lashes at me as innocently as you want, but you haven't fooled me for a second."

Hermione shivered nearly imperceptibly. "You're wrong," she whispered back, trying to inject earnestness into her voice.

Draco finished the knot and turned her around. "I'll be watching you."

Hermione looked nervously in Narcissa's direction, before pulling Draco into her arms. "There will be nothing to see."

"I'll be the judge of that," Draco muttered against her lips, before raising his voice. "Have a nice day darling,"

"You too," Hermione replied, mostly for Narcissa and Lucius' benefit.

Her head was spinning long after she sat down at her desk, and she knew it had little to do with the Floo. Trying to ignore the flips in her stomach, Hermione buried herself in paperwork. The next time she looked up, it was already half past one and time for lunch with the boys.

"Sorry I'm late," Ginny panted, as she raced to Harry's table at the Leaky Cauldron. It was already half past one, and they had agreed to meet at quarter past.

"No worries," Harry grinned, pulling out a chair for her. "I was just worried you decided to stand me up."

"I wouldn't do that," Ginny replied softly, remembering what had led to their breakup. "Not intentionally."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Well," Harry cleared his throat nervously. "You're probably wondering why I asked you to see me over lunch on your day off."

Ginny placed her small palm over his. "You don't need a reason to see me, Harry."

Harry felt an overwhelming emotion squeezing his insides. The stress, upheaval and uncertainty of the past few months appeared to catch up with him all at once. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Harry firmly quashed the torrent of anxiety residing in his stomach.

"Hermione wants me to help her deceive Malfoy," Harry blurted, running his hands through his hair. "She wants me to cover for her, and set up a trap for the Arisen One's henchmen a day earlier than Malfoy thinks so that she can pretend to let herself get captured without her wand."

Ginny sipped her water quietly. "Do you think it would work?"

Harry shrugged. "I do think that Hermione would fare better than Malfoy without her wand. She's getting shockingly good at channelling her magic through non-wand objects."

"Then you have to help her," Ginny said resolutely. "Think of the bigger picture."

"What bigger picture?" Harry questioned, confused.

Ginny leaned forward, her eyes flashing. "The attackers were previously unsuccessful at separating them because of their promise rings. Now that Malfoy lost his ring, they can get separated at any time."

Harry nodded, understanding dawning on him. "And I owe Narcissa a life debt. I can't knowingly let her suffer the effects of their separation."

"Not just her!" Ginny spat, slamming her hands on the table. "You, Ron, Juls… The curse doesn't isolate a single loved one just because they're the Arisen One's target. What if something happens to you?"

"I never thought of that," Harry groaned. "Juls is just a child."

"I couldn't handle it if something happened to you Harry," Ginny cried, wringing her hands. "For once in your life can you put your own safety first?"

Harry gently took her mistreated hands in his. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

Ginny raised her tear soaked eyes to his, over ten years of memories hitting her in an onslaught of love and emotion. This was the Harry she knew and had loved for almost as long as she could remember. Harry's hands suddenly felt taut against her palms, and she knew he was holding back from taking her in his arms. Without a second of hesitation, Ginny leaned in and Harry wasted no time in capturing her lips in his. They kissed with a desperate passion they had lost over the years, reminiscent of their stolen moments in secret Hogwarts passageways.

Harry vaguely remembered breaking the kiss to leave a few galleons on the table for Tom. They left quickly, all the while holding each other close. Seconds later, they had Apparated to Grimmauld Place. Harry pushed Ginny against the wall of the corridor, jostling the occupants of the paintings in the process. They kissed fiercely, lost in the haze of forgotten passion. They were barely aware of undressing each other, so eager were they to feel skin on skin. Harry finally broke away, drinking in the sight of Ginny panting against the wall, her scarlet hair splayed over her pale collarbones and black bra.

Unable to wait any longer, he scooped her up into his arms and Disapparated to their bedroom. They fell back into soft pillows a split second later, never breaking their kiss. Ginny wandlessly removed the last vestiges of their clothing and wrapped her silky legs around Harry's back. In one swift movement, Harry entered her, feeling her muscles spasm with pleasure around him.

An hour later, Harry quietly snuck out of the room as Ginny slept, reluctant to wake her on her day off. He silently padded downstairs barefoot and located their robes and wands from where they had fallen in the corridor. He dressed himself and sent Ginny's clothes upstairs with a flick of his wand. He hesitated before letting himself out, unsure of what to do. Finally, he settled on Summoning a quill and parchment, explaining to Ginny where he'd gone.

By the time he walked back into his office, dishevelled but grinning, Ron and Blaise had long returned from eating with Hermione.

"That was a long lunch," Blaise commented, smirking at his appearance. "How is the lovely Miss Weasley doing today?"

Harry belatedly attempted to smooth his hair down. "Got caught up."

Ron paled, the knut dropping. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did."

"I have no idea what you think I did," Harry stalled, sitting down.

"Messy hair, stupid smile, doesn't take an Auror to work it out," Blaise grinned infuriatingly, tipping his chair on its back legs.

"Not unlike the state in which you showed up to work this morning," Harry shot back.

"That's disgusting," Ron muttered. "For the love of Merlin please change the topic before all my lunch comes up the wrong way."

"How was lunch with Hermione?" Harry questioned.

"She asked us to tell you that she'll be waiting for you when you get home," Blaise responded cheerfully. "I for one can't wait to find out what's going on. This shit gets better every day."

"Yeah I'm sure that watching me screw up my life one bad decision at a time is really entertaining for you," muttered Harry sarcastically. "Now can we please get some actual work done?"

Recollecting just how much work they had pending, the Aurors settled down and didn't speak again until it was nearly half past six. Eager to avoid returning to the Leaky Cauldron after the way he had left it earlier that day, Harry suggested they grab a quick dinner at the Ministry cafeteria instead.

Percy Weasley checked his watch as he left the Apothecary at Diagon Alley. It was almost half past six and he was starving. He'd been interviewing the management regarding their feedback on cauldron-bottoms and other potion making supplies and he hadn't realized where the hours had vanished to.

The Leaky Cauldron would be as good a place for dinner as anywhere else, he reasoned as he walked towards the pub. Truth be told, he sorely missed his mother's cooking and the comforts of home. However, given the circumstances under which he had moved out, even after their reconciliation he tried not to take advantage of his parents.

Life was lonely for Percy Weasley. He had few friends, having always prioritized his education and career. He was already quite a wealthy man, having gained several promotions in quick succession and worked long hours that left him with little time to spend the substantial fortune he had quickly amassed. Apart from family gatherings, Percy rarely met anyone else, spending his family-free weekends in solitary pursuits such as reading or exercising. As he entered the Leaky Cauldron, Percy reflected on his life and the fact that of late, he had increasingly been feeling as though something was missing. Like he was incomplete somehow.

Placing his order at the counter, Percy selected an empty table near the back of the pub to wait for his meal. His dinner arrived and he ate leisurely, reading through a new study on transfer of magic in potion making. When he was finished, Tom brought over his usual Firewhiskey, which Percy enjoyed slowly as he read. It was after eight by the time Percy was done with his reading, and began gathering his things.

A flash of lime green robes two tables across from him caught his eye.

Percy blinked twice before he processed what he was seeing. Blaise's girlfriend, Healer Perks, was sitting alone at a table. She was sipping from a glass that Percy hoped was not filled from the half-empty bottle of Firewhiskey in front of her. Her eyes were bloodshot and her shoulders shook delicately. She was crying.

Unable to hold himself back at the sight of her distress, Percy rose and walked over to her table.

"May I offer you this Healer Perks?" he asked quietly, holding out a handkerchief.

Audrey glanced up, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Thank you."

Percy watched her delicately dab her eyes with the soft linen cloth and felt his heart wrench at her state.

"May I join you?" he blurted.

"Please," Audrey replied, indicating to the chair next to her.

Tom appeared out of nowhere and placed a second glass at the table. He was gone before Percy could decline.

"What brings you here tonight Healer Perks?" Percy asked, accepting the glass of Firewhiskey she poured him.

"You'll think I'm insane if I tell you," Audrey replied, her eyes downcast. "Well, more insane than you already think I am."

"I don't think you're insane," replied Percy truthfully, sipping his drink.

"Then what do you think?" questioned Audrey, glancing at him sideways.

Percy paused for a second before replying. "I think you've suffered heartbreak."

Audrey mulled over his response, feeling for the first time that someone truly understood what she was going through. Her friends, her family and even Blaise all blamed her for the demise of the relationship because she was the one to incite its ending. Little did they know, it was hard to kill something that was never alive to begin with. But Percy, he was different. He understood.

"I left Blaise," Audrey said finally. "Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. He was in love with someone else and refused to accept it. I came here today because I know he often comes here after work. When he never showed up, I started to drink. Insane, I know."

"Just because you let something go doesn't mean that you aren't entitled to mourn its loss," said Percy softly.

The hours slipped away as they sat there companionably, drinking and talking like old friends, until the Leaky Cauldron approached closing time. It was half past eleven and Percy couldn't remember the last time he had stayed out that late.

Or the last time he'd felt this complete.

At half past eleven Harry sat in his bedroom at the manor with his special galleon in his hand. Hermione and Harry had recently taken to using it to communicate away from Draco's watchful eyes.

Harry closed his eyes and ruminated over his day. It had been an intense twenty-four hours, full of unexpected opportunities. He formed the message in his mind, clutching the galleon in his palm tightly.

He opened his palm and read over the message he knew Hermione would have just received.

I'll help you.

A/N: I'm back! I'm positive I've lost all my original base of readers, but if any of you are out there, please accept my apologies for not updating this story in a disgracefully long time. Better late than never right?

This is more of a 'catch-up' chapter to see where all our characters are at. Although in real life it's been forever, in the KU universe it's only been ten days since we saw our characters last.

As always, reviews make me smile!