Disclaimer: By now, I think you all know that I don't own HP.

A/N: Hello guys! I am sorry that this chapter came out rather late than I expected. I've been trying to revise the few chapters that I wrote but well, I wasn't very satisfied with the sequence of events so I made a new one. Please review this one, I am a little bit scared that this chapter wasn't good enough.

I've noticed that the last chapters didn't get so much reviews that they get from the usual people and well, are you guys still enjoying the story? Just curious. Lol.

Lastly, THANK YOU, all of you! I finally reached the 200 review mark and I wouldn't have made it without you, my dear readers! I hope that you'll still enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Enjoy. :)

Chapter 23: With You

The room was bare. . .empty even. There was no stream of light that could illuminate it; no sound, save the occasional murmurs of the people outside; and most of all, there was no sign of life, except for the occasional breathing of someone you would never thought was there.

I strode across the room with a vial in one hand and my wand on the other. The day has been unproductive, the mission too, so I wouldn't want the effort of the team to go to waste. The only sound I heard was my footsteps and when a fire erupted from the torch, there stood a man tied up on a lone chair.

He had dark circles under his menacing black eyes with a matching frown on his face. His raven hair hung just above his shoulder and a matching emerald earring dangled on his left ear. A scar passed from his right cheek up to his neck, it made him look dangerous. And as I stood in front of him, his gaze lifted up and looked directly at my eyes with such loathing.

I held my gaze as his maniacal laugh echoed throughout the room.

"Do you really think they'd tell me the important message you've all been waiting for? Bloody ridiculous!"

He continued to guffaw as I clenched my fist, I had to control myself and get the information I needed from this man. I cleared my throat and looked at him. "If you'd be willing to help us out, we could just let you serve the Ministry for five years and set you free."

"Ha! You've got the wrong man, Harry Potter. I've no information to give and even if I do, I would kill myself rather than surrender it to your lot! You could give me all the Veritaserum that you have, but you'd still get the same answers."

I gritted my teeth and tasted the metallic flavor of blood. But still, with a wave of my hand, the rope that bounded his left hand fell. "Drink this, then, and let us see if what you were saying is indeed. . .the truth."

With a look of disgust etched on the man's face, he snatched the vial from my hand and took a swig. In less than a minute, the vial was empty and I had to fasten the rope on his hand again.

Then I heard it, another one of those insane laughs that haunted me, even in my dreams. It was dark, twisted and mad, as if it came from the Underworld itself. With the same look of disdain, he nodded at me with such calmness that sent shivers down on my spine. "Ask away."

"What is your real name? Tell me about yourself."

"Anthony Withlocke, 24 years old, a pure-blooded Slytherin," he answered calmly.

"When did you join Voldemort and why?"

"I've joined my master last year, after he told us of his plans to eradicate the world of mudbloods who didn't deserve to use magic."

Pureblood supremacy. "What did you do after the Battle of Hogwarts?"

"I escaped with my fellow Death Eaters and hid on a nearly abandoned village."

A sigh escaped my lips. So he is one of the Death Eaters we encountered when we set off to save Hermione. "Do you know where Yaxley and Dolohov went after you fled from that village?"

"No."

"Do you, or do you not know about their plans?" I gritted my teeth, this wasn't helping, not at all, and my temper was already rising.

"They plan on getting their revenge."

"In what way?"

"They never told us."

I closed my eyes and ran a hand on my hair. If he was really telling the truth, I don't know what else I could do. Of all the twenty five Death Eaters that were captured, none of them could pinpoint the location of both Yaxley and Dolohov and all of them didn't have the slightest idea of their plans, except that it would help them regain their freedom.

After a few more questions and one last look on the prisoner, I exited the room with much more disappointed than I've had had for the last couple of weeks.

The past few weeks have been busy for us, but we still haven't any clue on the major Death Eaters' whereabouts. I spent much time on the fields, gathering information and working on the missions just to know what was going on. Still, it wasn't enough.

I carefully scribbled on the spare parchment on my desk and wrote the information that was presented by the Death Eater. It was a short report and there was nothing we could use based on what he said. When I finished the report, I put the quill back inside my drawer, gathered my things and gave the parchment to the Head Auror before I exited the room.

When I looked at my watch, I quickly went to the lift that would get me up to the fourth level and walked down the familiar hallway into the main office of the Department of the said floor. Crowds of people loitered around the corridor and almost all of them were ready to go home. As I took a peek through the windows, I was able to see her neatly placing her things inside her bag as her co-workers gave their goodbyes. She was wearing a thick scarf along with her usual coat and she seemed to argue with some of them and brushed off the things they said. It was after a while when her close friend, Andrea Livingstone, whispered in her ear and made her look at the window.

I gave her a short wave as a small smile crept on her lips. She kissed Angela on the cheek and gave her goodbye to the remaining people inside the office. I watched silently as she made her way towards me, she looked a bit pale and her cheeks were slightly flushed. I knew at the back of my mind that something was off, but with a slight smirk, I kept it to myself and gathered her things from her.

I slipped my hand around her waist and kissed her forehead, she was burning.

Worry gnawed my insides; it was not every day that I saw her in this state. With a frown, I looked at her and whispered, "You're sick."

She put her head in my chest and gave a small laugh. "I'm just tired."

With a sigh, I ran my hand on my hair and held her closer. "You need to take care of yourself better, Hermione."

"I'm fine." She looked at me in the eye, as if she wanted me to believe in her. I nodded at her, even if it was against my will, I let it go. We started walking towards the lift. It was a while before she finally spoke again, "How was work?"

I pursed my lips as I remembered the interrogation I've been tasked to. "Well, nothing's new. We've captured another one, but like all the others, he didn't know anything."

Hermione frowned. She already knew the situation we were in; after a bunch of raids and a few cases of burning houses and dead Aurors, we still didn't have a lead on where the true Death Eaters were. We knew we were at the losing end, especially now when there were only a few people in the DMLE and we knew that we couldn't lose any more of them. My lips pursed into a thin line as I remembered it but as I looked at her, her grim appearance made me realize that I shouldn't be stressing her out now and I mentally berated myself for being such a prat. "Errm, how about your work? Any luck with the campaign you were working on?"

For a moment, she looked thoughtful as I tried to wash away the previous conversation. "I guess I've made it, they finally wanted me to look upon the situation and establish a rule that would help give justice to the elves."

A smile appeared on my lips on the news. At least, I knew that her efforts didn't get wasted and that amidst my dark, gloomy work, there was still some good news. I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Great! That's brilliant!"

Hermione bit her lip, silently asking for permission. "I may have to ask you to help me though, because it was because of you that I was able to give some instances."

My heart was flooded with warmth and pride at her. "Right, errrr. . .sure, I don't mind. I should tell you though, I had to backstab Winky and Kreacher to make them agree."

She looked at me quizzically and smiled. "I know, that's why I'm still trying to figure out what I could do."

I pulled her closer and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, one that she was fairly accustomed to. She sighed contentedly as I softly whispered, "Dobby would've been very proud of you."

She chuckled and I noticed how tired she truly looked despite the sudden glow in her eyes. During the first few weeks of winter, she has been tasked to deliver a small report on the conditions of different magical creatures and why the higher officials should consider her request to establish a few rules regarding the situation. Ron told me in the few days that I was away that she has been working non-stop afterwards and I haven't been able to give her a few nagging after I got back. As we neared the apparition point, it wasn't lost to my sight that she has been relying on me to keep herself up and how her breathing became very ragged; it was like she struggled with every step she took, she stumbled a few times.

When we got home, I quickly helped her to get to her room and struggled on removing her coat and boots before finally tucking her to bed. She didn't say anything throughout it all and just nodded at me when I ordered her to get some rest, even though I knew that she was annoyed.

After making sure that she was comfortable enough, I gave her a kiss in her forehead and went down to the kitchen to cook some soup. I needed to do something, anything that could at least help make her feel better.

I started cutting out some mushroom and stashed some other ingredients into the pot, mentally adding some seasoning that would make it taste better. While waiting, I roved around the house, looking for a Pepper-Up Potion and some sweater so that she wouldn't feel cold. Then, I quickly used magic to warm up some water on a little container and dipped a piece of cloth inside, something I remembered Aunt Petunia doing when Dudley had a fever.

When everything was prepared, albeit, a little messy, I carefully lifted the tray up to her room and set it on the nearby table as I checked on her condition. Her temperature was still a bit high as she stirred in her sleep. I tucked a stray lock of hair out of her face and sat on a nearby chair.

I suddenly remembered a time when it was me that was in her position, after Nagini's attack when we were inside Bathilda Bagshot's house. I remembered how she cared for me. . .how she never left my side.

Funny, it made me recall the times that I used to envy people for what they have. . .a family, loved ones. . . a normal life. But then again, as I've spent more and more time with her, as I loved her more, I realized that, everything I ever needed was there all along. Sure, there were things that I wanted to have but then, now that I think about it, being with her. . .was enough.

I wasn't aware what time it was because I just sat there, a piece of cloth in hand, as I wiped the sweat on her forehead. I didn't dare wake her up and warmed the food repeatedly with a charm, hoping that she'll open her eyes at some point so that I could give her the potion and make her eat. Her temperature went up and down throughout the night so I stood there and watched her as she slept.

Her breathing came in ragged breaths through her slightly parted lips and there were times that a frown marred her features. She wasn't too comfortable, often she would twist and turn and there were times that she murmured incoherent words through her sleep.

It was after a while more before she finally became comfortable and by that time, I was almost out from exhaustion with my head bobbing up and down as I forced myself to stay awake. Then, when I heard her sigh, I hastily knelt beside her bed and her eyes drifted onto mine as I carefully stroked her hair. She gave me a soft smile as she recognized my face.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

Hermione closed her eyes when I touched her forehead, her smile never leaving her face. When she opened them again, she stroked my hair. "Better."

A smile crept on my lips and I carefully stood up and reheated the soup with a spell. "You better eat this then, you've been asleep for quite a long time."

She nodded at me and I helped her sit down comfortably after placing some stack of pillows on her back. "You haven't slept at all, have you?"

Hermione frowned at me, holding my hand so that I wouldn't move and avoid the question. The look on her face told me she was none too pleased at what I've done. "No, I haven't."

There was worry and guilt written all over her eyes. "I – I could, I – I could've taken care of myself. You should've just rested; you haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

With a sigh, I carefully put my thumb on her cheek as I gave her a smile. "I know I should've just left everything you needed here, but I know wouldn't, because I wanted to take care of you."

She bit her lip but complied to my wish when I handed her the soup. Silence loomed around us as she ate and when she finished, I gave her the Pepper-Up Potion and went beside her, wrapping my arms around her frame as I put my head on the top of hers. She visibly relaxed as she rested her head on the crook of my neck. "Feeling better?"

"A bit. Sorry if I had to trouble you."

I chuckled at her and kissed the top of her head. "Hermione, you've done nothing of sorts, I'm just glad that you're all right. You can sleep again now, I'll watch over you."

A smile crept on her lips but she shook her head. It was such a small smile, uncertain, but it was a real one, nonetheless. It made me glad as I've pulled her closer in my hug. Funny, we're both contented with what we have, especially now. Loads of times, Ron always asked why the both of us often didn't act that we were together, that we were. . .the same, normal Harry and Hermione as before. I often shrugged and ignored him, but in my mind, I was happy because I finally knew what it meant to be in love.

Hermione noticed the wide grin that spread across her face and frowned. "What are you thinking?"

When I looked at her, my grin just grew a little more. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about the past conversations I had with Ron."

"Is it about me, then?"

I tried to tell her what Ron and I discussed, voice it out, but it didn't end as well as I've expected. "It's more about. . .us."

Her eyes suddenly danced with amusement as she gave me a small laugh. "What, does he also think that we're some sort of a boring couple that looks and feels as normal as we did before it all?"

I entwined my hand in hers as I too, laughed. "Why do you know everything?"

"I didn't, not until Ginny asked me if we're still together. Honestly, that woman."

As I chuckled, I looked at the bracelet that she was still wearing and carefully examined it. It seemed like yesterday when I first tried to transfigure it. Still, even now, the feelings I had for her when I first made it were still here, a lot stronger than ever. "I think they got the wrong impression, then. I think that people have different interpretation about us and. . .about being in love."

She turned from her position and looked towards me, eyes glistening with curiosity but turned away and snuggled comfortably in my chest. Silence enveloped us both and we stayed there. My eyes fluttered as I tried to keep myself awake. "Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

She seemed hesitant. She bit her lip a few times, trying to find words that would help her express what she wanted to tell me. "Can you tell me more about your life before Hogwarts? You know, some adventures and stuff, anything, really."

I pondered upon her request for a while, thinking about some experience that I would love to share with her. Things with the Dursleys were always the same every day but I knew some of the experiences I had that stood up more than the others. I looked at the ceiling and closed my eyes. "Well, I supposed that some memories I remembered. . .were the times when I did my first bits of accidental magic."

"What happened?" she asked, curious.

"Errm. . .I guess I have told you about the glass that vanished when we were at the zoo but well. . .let's see. . .There was this time that I was running away from Dudley and in my desperation, I ended up on the roof. I got scolded afterwards, because I couldn't really get down without being caught but I was so happy that I got away from him."

I chuckled a little, remembering the look on old Dudley's face when I reappeared. "Then, there was another time that Aunt Petunia gave me a bad haircut, only to find that my hair had re-grown." I looked at her as sudden curiosity welled on the pit of my stomach. "When was the first time you did your first bit of magic?"

She looked thoughtful at first but then, she smiled. "I guess it was when I was six. I was with Mum when I told her about the magician that performed inside the school and because I was very happy to see some magic, the flowers inside the vase suddenly turned into butterflies. Mum and Dad were both very shocked and they couldn't believe it."

"They didn't have trouble, then? When you first received your letter?"

She looked at me, but her gaze was far away, back in the past. "They did. At first, Dad thought the letter was just sort of a bad joke and Mum couldn't believe that something like Hogwarts really did exist. But I convinced them that I wanted to try it, and they respected my decision."

"Were they okay with your decision?" I asked curiously.

"I think they sort of loathed it. After all, I was their only child. Dad's a bit. . .overprotective of me. You know how he is. But well, I sort of tried to make up to them and wrote almost about everything I was doing inside Hogwarts that wouldn't bore them, except for that bit about Voldemort."

I looked at her solemnly and wondered what she felt every time she lied. Then again, if she didn't, I imagined that she would never have graduated from Hogwarts. "I must have been really hard for you."

"It was, on some parts. But well, I stand by on my decision but well, I guess I. . .screwed up after I altered their memories."

"On which part?"

She sighed at me and closed her eyes in silent reminisce. "You already know that I had to convince Dad for weeks that I erased their memories for their sakes. It was very hard to gain some of their trust again after and Dad even thought about me not coming back here in this world. Of course I didn't tell them about anything else, but the war."

I held her close. Somehow, the prospect that I almost lost her wasn't very appealing. "But at the very least, it all worked out in the end."

"Yeah. I guess it also helped that I always visited them after I graduated."

True. Hermione was always with her parents during Sundays and there were times that I was with her. I wanted to ask her something, although, hesitantly. I didn't know if it was all right for me to ask such a thing but well, curiosity won. "Hermione? Do you think that – do you, well, erm, think that your parents we're okay with me being with you?"

She chuckled at my embarrassing question and looked at the ceiling as she contented herself in my arms. "Well, Dad is kinder to you than to Ron, Ron's still deathly afraid of him. I am sure he's fairly all right with the concept of us together now, because he doesn't grumble to Mum whenever he sees us holding hands or something of some sort."

Her cheeks flashed a bit of pink after her words and her eyes closed as she snuggled closer to me. "I reckon that we have to get some sleep now."

"Yeah," I breathed.

I felt sleep come to me as I closed my eyes again, this time, I was at peace. "Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

She gave me a light peck on the lips, gentle and subtle, like her. "I think I wouldn't want to be in love with anyone else. . .but you."

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! I'll do my best to post the next one before next week, no promises though. Please R&R! Thank you for reading. :)