Hermione and Lavender had spent a very pleasant day. What would be considered by anyone else as a chore, they'd enjoyed together. They'd worked on a day off. Only interrupting themselves to chat again about their pillow talk from the precedent night.
Lavender had finished her late reports with Hermione's help and they'd reviewed Hermione's notes about ward guardians before lunch. Then, they'd warded one of the guest rooms together, and had, unsuccessfully for now, tried to swap guardians all afternoon.

It would seem as if they'd just failed miserably but Hermione had made a great amount of progress in understanding how the magic worked to recognise the guardian and she'd ended up only more certain that it was possible to swap.

So, it was in a great mood for both women, Lavender happily smiling and Hermione unsteadily walking without her cane, that they went to wait for the others in the kitchen a quarter before eight.

Harry was already there, though he'd just arrived, as he was still unbuttoning his robes when they opened the door.

"Feel better?" Were his first words, and even if he was looking at her she doubted it only addressed her somehow. She frowned.

"Yes." She'd been right, for he didn't answer and waited for Lavender to sigh.

"Yes Harry." Relief took his face and he smiled.

"Good." As he sat down at the end of the table, Hermione noticed the gigantic pile of files neatly stacked on the chair beside him.

"What are these for?" She asked as they joined him.

"Closure."

Harry waited patiently as the room filled with the team. Ron was the first to come in, and after he'd taken the time to speak quietly with Hermione he sat down, leaving an empty spot for Kingsley between them. Lavender took the hint and left Hermione's side to sit next to Ron.

Malfoy came in next, Zabini and Neville in tow. The last sat next to Hermione and Malfoy next to him. Harry's eyes pleated as he clearly noticed him adverting his eyes away from her.

Dean joined them shortly after, Kingsley with him. They took their meeting seat and all waited for Lee.

He was one minute late. He entered scowling and sat down next to Zabini, who had taken his now usual seat next to Dean. Front team at Kingsley's left, back at Harry's right.

The ambiance was deadly cold. Harry had expected it though, and as he tried to ignore the little voice that told him that his wife was right, that it was only painful for him to care too much about everyone else's issues, Kingsley moved the files to the table and started, opening the first at the top of the pile.

"So, I don't need to point out why we are all respecting Harry's request for a team meeting. Keep in mind that what will be said here, will stay here. Also, if you have anything to say, it will be tonight. We won't plan another meeting like this. I advise you to empty your bags for good. Here's how we're going to proceed." Always right to the point thought Draco as Shakelbolt retrieved a pile of paper from the file he had opened, and passed it to the weasel. They all took a sheet from it around the table until it reached him again.

"This is a charmed copy of the intervention report. It writes itself as you read and will destroy itself once you're done. It's the non-official report." He specified. "You are to read it attentively. Then I'll hand the official report. Finally, you can read everyone's file once again. I want no talking until this is done. Once it is, we raise our hands and speak one by one. No interrupting, no judging of one's speech. We need this moment, we take it, and I will not tolerate disrespect."

No one spoke and they all started to read. The white sheet of paper started blackening under Draco's gaze. It detailed the entirety of the investigation, starting with Maria's death.

It explained Hermione and Brown's findings, his, Longbottom's, how they'd planned the intervention, how they'd changed plans, everything. It took a good half hour for Draco to read through that part. The others seemed to have already started on the hard part when he himself reached it, as he'd been interrupted with memories through his reading.

The jumping on the table incident and that night at the manor being the most distracting ones.

He reached the part where they'd parted ways when his neck started to hurt. He didn't dare look at Hermione, nor anyone else.

The days her team had searched through hidings were detailed scrupulously, and Draco minutely read that part, as advised by Shakelbolt. Remembering being called a frenetic baboon didn't even make him laugh as he knew what was to come, and had no wish to relive it whatsoever. He couldn't skip it either though. He wanted to know what the others would read as he knew this report would tell all the truth. Plus, he'd missed a lot of the end of the intervention.

First, came the part where they'd reached the hiding, and sent orders. The decision to let Weasley, Longbottom and Jordan go to the manor was logically explained. The conversation the remaining three had witnessed between the Parkinsons, only bared proof that Pansy was a self-righteous bitch. Then he read through the part where he'd waited for the death eaters to enter the manor, the rest of her team waiting in the shadows outside.

He kept reading through the moment Shakelbolt, after searching the lower floor of the hiding, had went upstairs alone, and fought Lestrange and Parkinson on his own. The manor's fight was following. In details.

And then, there it was, Thomas' decision to leave her alone. Justified, if you stayed objective. But with a too great deal of consequences to be left ignored. Draco now understood Thomas' state of mind since then. Shakelbolt's find of the stone was next, and surprisingly it'd been carelessly kept in Lestrange's pocket.

Draco quickly reached where was detailed his assault of Jordan. He couldn't feel more guilty. Reading it, black on white, only made him look mad. He didn't regret it of course, and would do it again a million times, for her smile was still of this world, but he really had to apologise. He hadn't realised the man had been bruised for days afterwards.

Thankfully, there wasn't any detail as how he'd saved her, since he'd been the one reporting it. It only stated he'd followed the parchment, found her five minutes later, and apparated her to Mungo's.
The end of the report described how the battle had ended, and to conclude it, how Shakelbolt had destroyed the stone with fiendfyre, alone on one of the Ministry's field.

Draco inhaled deeply before lifting his face to the others. The paper crumbled and turned to dust in his hands as he did so. The only one that wasn't finished was Longbottom at Draco's side. Hermione had wiped tears from her face only a moment prior, judging by the redness of her eyes, and the twist of her mouth. Draco's heart broke all over again so he drifted his gaze across the table. Thomas was crying too. Draco had been right and, as he understood guilt like no one else, gave him a compassionate nod. The lad didn't deserve the eating guilt. It wasn't his fault. He'd done what he'd been supposed to.

Thomas didn't respond though and instead lowered his face to his hands, the salty drops landing on his knuckles.

"Here's the official report." Quietly said Shakelbolt, his eyes on Thomas.

They were very few but significant differences between the two. First, it stated Lestrange had attacked Shakelbolt first, then that his cronies had also attacked first at the manor. Second, it stated that Flint had set the hiding on fire, not Hermione. The third difference was that it said Potter had given order for Draco to retrieve Hermione, at the end of the battle at the manor. And to finish it off, it stated the stone had been destroyed in Flint's fire.

Draco had already read the official report, but only realised the extend of the changes from reality then. They'd covered his back, as well as the other's. This was more or less what would be read by the entire magical community in less than a week.

Shakelbolt waited for everyone to lift their sombre faces from the pages to speak again, his voice low and quiet:

"Our files." He just said, and passed them on. No one was really interested by the yellow files. They glanced quickly at each of them, just the last page, and passed it on in slow motion, their minds elsewhere. The moment was draining, emotional for most of them, and clearly not a good one. Draco kept his gaze to his hands when he handed the last file to Longbottom.

Only a moment after Shakelbolt started again.

"We raise our hands." He said, and waited. Time stretched as no one moved for a while. Hermione had joined the others in inspecting her knuckles, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down. It had been difficult to read through all this again, and especially to learn that they'd covered everyone's back, just in case.

Seeing Dean cry hadn't helped her own tears, as she had then finally understood what had made him snap. He felt guilty for leaving her. She wanted to reassure him, but couldn't say anything before he spoke for himself. So she waited, patiently at first, growing irritated later.

No one spoke for a good fifteen minutes, then, she raised her hand.

The shuffle made the others startle and Kingsley nodded for her to speak. She had to remind herself that she'd been sorted in Gryffindor a long time ago. Taking a deep breath, and giving up on fighting the tears, she tried to say it whole.

"Thank you for having my back on the fire but … damn that bastard deserved to die for Clarissa's son. I guess the nightmares are punishment for thinking like that." A flash of Marcus Flint's smirk made a wave of anger grip her throat,but she wasn't finished just yet. She shook her head at Kingsley, signifying him to wait for her to calm down. After a minute she adverted her gaze to the man she was the most grateful for on the outcome of all this, and said to his blank face: "I … I already thanked you Draco but I want everyone to hear it. Thank you for saving my life." His mask fell and he swallowed, but nodded nonetheless. His grey eyes were storming and reddening, his face pleading for the attention to go away. She couldn't smile at him though, she couldn't smile at all because from the corner of her eyes she could see that Dean had taken his face in his hands. "Please Dean stop crying." Her voice broke at the last word, and it was Lavender who moved, taking Dean in her arms and stroking his back softly. The last extracted himself from the embrace after only a few seconds and spoke without waiting for Kingsley to approve.

"I'm so sorry." Then, Kingsley lifted a hand to Hermione to keep her from answering. "I know I did what I was supposed to. But I also knew when I did it that I shouldn't. My gut feeling was bad and I didn't listen to it." Hermione opened her mouth again but Dean's hand joined Kingsley's this time.

"I know it's not my fault. But I need to say it. Hermione I'm so sorry for leaving you on your own." Only when Dean had nodded to Kingsley, was she allowed to open her mouth again.

"I didn't report. There's a piece missing there that you need to hear. It was my own fault. I incapacitated Flint but didn't body-bind him. I could feel the wards on the hidden cell and it took all my attention. I dismissed the fact that I didn't follow protocol, I didn't take all precautions. Then I … I broke the wards and before I entered the cell he was still on the floor. I didn't check if he was pretending. I entered and … When I came out with Clarissa all I cared about was taking her away. I used my portkey for her, when I should have followed. Then he attacked."

Kingsley asked then: "Did you see him on the floor when you came out?"

"No, I didn't even check. As I said, my attention was somewhere else. I had easily stupefixed him. He was an easy catch, I just wasn't paying attention."

"What was in the cell Hermione?" Kingsley had used her first name, and a fatherly tone. He already knew what had been in there though. They all did. Why make her say it? Oh, to get it out of her system, to empty her bag as he put it.

"Seven bodies at first view. A pool of blood. Then at the very back a dead child. And Clarissa."

"You said the wards distracted you, why not tap?"

"Because I was the ward breaker, and you'd just stop fighting from what I heard. You could either be dead or searching for the stone. Wards could mean the stone was there."

"Fair enough. Is that all?"

"Yes."

Kingsley waited again as everyone absorbed the informations. Then, it was Ron's turn.

"I'm very glad we got rid of those scumbags. I'm also very very relieved you quit Mione." Hermione huffed playfully, making him grin before he continued: "Zabini I owe you. You saved my arse a couple of times." Everyone gave a small smile and Blaise winked at Ron before raising his hand.

"It's the shittiest job I've ever had. But I'm glad I'm doing it. If it weren't for the circumstances of my joining I would be perfectly happy with it." Then he swallowed heavily and took a deep breath before adding: "I wanted to thank you all, for welcoming me in the team despite the circumstances, and also for coming at the funeral." His voice broke at the last word, but he smiled nonetheless. Hermione gave him a fond smile of her own before Neville took his turn to speak.

"I am so tired of it all but like Zabini, I'm glad to be an auror. I'm even more glad this is all over because I think I would have died of exhaustion by now." There were smiles and a few chuckles and then he frowned: "I also have to say that I disagreed with being sent to the Manor. I usually scan the environment before we enter a place. I would have been useful at the hiding, especially when we see what happened there. I don't blame anyone of course I just needed to say it." He exchanged a look with Kingsley then, and Hermione felt the tension between both men. Then still nodded though, as if they'd dealt with the issue already. Then, Draco lifted his hand. He remained silent even if everyone seemed ready to listen to him. Hermione could see his ordeal from her seat. Confessing whatever he was about to, seemed painful, but apparently it was important to him. They all waited patiently for him to gather enough courage to speak.

"Thanks for covering my back. I didn't deserve it after the way I treated Jordan though." He turned to Lee then, his blankness mask gone, his eyes almost pleading: "I'm sorry I hurt you, I lost it. I wasn't myself, I couldn't think straight. And I know it's no excuse for the way I treated you."

Lee took a deep breath but his hard stare only intensified. Draco wasn't done though:

"I'm very much of a coward too. I should have come to you to apologize right away. I'm sorry for that too." Finally Lee seemed to reflect on that and, like Hermione and the others, he seemed to realise what a step it had been for Draco to admit he'd been wrong. The dark skinned man nodded and Draco watched him warily a few seconds, before he turned to his left, to Neville.

"Longbottom. I … thanks. I'm glad we're a team. You made me question myself more than once and it's what I needed." Neville smiled and extended his hand to Draco. They shook it and Draco unexpectedly turned to Harry next.

"Thanks for your trust."

Harry smiled and Draco joined his hands on the table, watching intently his finger tips, the Hufflepuff in him well returned. Hermione knew it had been a big deal for him to say such things, especially when it was to a bunch of former Gryffindors.

Lee was next to raise his hand and Hermione saw Draco's discomfort radiate from him.

"Malfoy, you're a wanker. And a crazy bastard, but you saved Hermione it earns respect. Zabini I can't stand you but you've been the most put together during the fight and saved my arse too so I guess I should at least keep civil. Kingsley, I want back in as consultant."

"Consider it done. I never removed the position anyway." Lee snorted but smiled nonetheless. Lavender was the only one who had kept silent, except for Harry. Hermione tried to catch her eyes, to no avail though. She could see that she was inwardly debating with something and with a quick glance at Kingsley, made the last wait for Lavender to speak.

"My nightmares aren't from this intervention. I feel like it globally was a success. I know our issues won't last. What I have to say is for the old team." Kingsley nodded approvingly.

"I want to thank Ron and Neville for letting me do what I had to do two years ago. I also need to say, that I feel bad about it. It's not who I am." Hermione had known, since they'd brought back Greyback to the ministry. She'd seen it in Lavender's eyes but hadn't dared voice it back then. She'd had no idea that it was the reason why Lavender had seemed upset the night before though. She could only try for a smile at her sister. The golden blond returned it, and sighed, tears pricking their way down her lashes. Hermione reached for her hand across the table then, mimicking Lavender's usual gesture of comfort and was granted a tight squeeze in thanks. No one spoke for a moment as Ron and Neville smiled compassionately at Lavender. Then, Harry lifted his hand.

"It's out of the subject too." He warned. Nobody seemed to really care, as they were all upset anyway. "I feel lucky." He said, confusing the assembly. "I have been surrounded with friends from the day I learned I was a wizard. I'm even surrounded with old enemies who have overcome their prejudice. I am lucky, and proud of what we did. It's … It's over. And … even if I can't forget the terrible loss we suffered from the war, I still consider myself lucky." A moment passed then, where all seemed to reflect on his words. Wise words, thought Hermione, they were indeed lucky. She gave her best friend a fond smile he returned and then Kingsley spoke:

"You said proud Harry I can only join you. No one is shouting, no one is fighting or insulting. You all come from far. I am very proud of the team I built. Even if I would have preferred you all to take your NEWTS." It extracted bitter chuckles from almost everyone. With a smile he added: "I will wait a few minutes to make sure everyone has spoken. Then I have something to announce."

But no one spoke. After a moment, Kingsley smiled, lifting his wand to the cabinet.

"Now that we got rid of the emotional part we have a few things to celebrate." A brand new bottle of firewhiskey landed on the table, quickly followed with glasses. Then a pack of butter beer joined the lot, levitated by Ron's wand this time, and Kingsley waited for everyone to take a drink. Hermione went for firewhiskey under Blaise's smirk and Ron's frown.

"I am retiring from the auror department. I've just been appointed minister of magic again." The cheers were only expected, but tinted with a bit of disappointment from a few of them.

"I'm not finished. I picked Harry to take the lead."

"Like that comes at a surprise!" Mocked Blaise and the laughs that followed only confirmed it. They all lifted their drink then and started drinking.

The conversation resumed once they'd all taken a good taste of their beverage, shifting seats and engaging in started conversations. Draco was speaking quietly with Neville, as Blaise was with Ron and Harry. Dean and Lee had started talking Quidditch, and Lavender was listening with a smile at Kingsley's words with Hermione. He seemed very interested about her future career and asked her:

"I wanted to ask you if you'd accept coming as consultant when needed? Malfoy's almost ready but you're the expert and we might need you, pretty much as we needed Minerva from time to time."

"Oh, why not? But I have plans I'll need to see if it's possible." He asked what she'd been planning to do exactly, so she explained Blaise's idea. His next suggestion deserved some deep thinking.

"I could create the position within the ministry. You'd take care of important premises such as hospitals, schools or libraries, and update the ministry's records. It would actually help us a lot shall an incident occur. As far as private estate is concerned, you could do that on your own account."

"I need to think about it."

"Do it quickly, soon I won't have time to even remember it."

"True." She chuckled. "Congratulations by the way." Kingsley winked and stood, putting his empty glass on the table.

"I'm off, but think about it. Good night everyone."

"Wait Kingsley I'm off too." As Lee joined Kingsley to get out of the room, Hermione thought. His idea was a real good one and it would provide her with the security of being paid every month. She could always offer her service on private residences as an extra. Plus, she'd still come as consultant for the auror department, and would be kept updated. For that she needed to find the way to pass on the wards to someone else. She'd read very interesting theories on the intricacies of the link between the protection provided by charms, and the guardian, or caster of those charms. The magic linked the wand to the ward, but also the person behind it.

Draco watched Jordan eagerly follow Shakelbolt out of the room after a few words. He'd listened with an ear at Hermione's conversation with their new minister of magic. She might start working for the ministry again. Probably at Regulation and Control.

Now she was staring blankly at her drink, her brows furrowed in deep thinking. Draco adverted his gaze somewhere else only to meet Blaise's infuriating smirk.

"I'm a genius." He stated matter of factly. "It was all my idea."

"Only because you selfishly wanted her to ward you place." Retorted Draco.

"And? I'm still a bloody genius, right Granger?" She didn't answer and the other's attention got caught too as she seemed in trance. "Granger?"

Thomas and Brown started sniggering behind their hands as Draco felt his mouth lift into a smirk on its own accord. Potter waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hermione?"

"Eh?" She startled. "What?"

Draco couldn't hold his chuckle and Blaise repeated, smirking:

"I was saying that I am a genius."

"You drink too much." She discarded, provoking another bout of snigger, directed at him this time. Then she stood, her eyes somewhere else again and started to the door mumbling : "Need my bloody notes."

"Oh come on!" The weasel seemed angry but she didn't seem to hear and went out the room. Brown stood then and sighed.

"I'll fetch her. Harry do you mind if I stay over again?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Dean, Neville there's room for you too." Thomas shrugged and finished his drink before thanking Potter, Longbottom smiled:

"Are we finally invited to Butterbeer night?" Draco vaguely remembered having heard of this but Blaise screwed his face in incomprehension when the weasel answered:

"It won't be if Mione's working." The weasel childlike pout was sickening, and apparently Blaise agreed.

"Let's go to the lounge anyway." Said Potter standing. Still not really understanding what was happening, Draco followed the others. It was only once they'd entered the lounge that Blaise's curiosity finally left his mouth:

"What's butterbeer night?" Potter settled down in the sofa facing the chimney, and summoned three packs of butterbeer before answering:

"Something we usually do before a big intervention, the three of us." He signed for Weasley and above his head for Hermione. "Ron's called it that but it's basically just drinking butterbeer, eating cinnamon rolls and play a few games around a fire. No work talks allowed you know, to be fresh minded the next day."

Blaise sat down on the other sofa, leaving room for Draco to join him, and asked:

"Golden trio thing you mean. How is tonight butterbeer crap then?"

"It's not. You're here." It wasn't said nastily, Potter was just stating facts so Blaise only nodded in response. The weasel added, his tone clearly defeated:

"Sure it's not. And it won't happen again now, she quit."

"It's for the best. And actually I think we could all do it together from now on." Proposed Potter. Longbottom nodded approvingly and Thomas followed:

"Could be nice. What do you think?" He asked, turning to Blaise and Draco. Spending time with his team before a long intervention wasn't what Draco imagined to be a resting evening before hard work. He already saw them everyday and lived with Potter. It frankly sounded as a chore.

"Err …" Was all Blaise could manage and Draco was glad to see he agreed with him. The weasel huffed but remained silent and Potter tried:

"Let's try tonight. If anyone wishes to keep it going afterwards it's in this room before any intervention. You'll do as you please then."

Everyone nodded in approval and Potter stood then to rummage the shelves next to the desk. He retrieved a game of exploding snaps and made it fly to the coffee table.

"Anyone seen the chess board?"

"I have one in my room." Remembered Draco. It was probably Potter's anyway, Blaise and he had played the night before.

"Do you mind ? I can't find mine." Draco stood and found himself relieved to be alone once the door closed after him. He took the stairs and went to the guest floor, retrieved Potter's chess board from his own dresser, and slowly made his way back to the lounge. He only made it to the landing though since he heard a shout. Probably swearing and it came from upstairs.

Hermione and the half-wolf were still up there apparently and without thinking, Draco turned around and climbed the stairs to Potter's floor. What he saw at the last step made him stop in his tracks and remain in the shadows.

Hermione and Brown were both their left side to him, facing a door, their wands up, their faces concentrated.

"Try again. At my word you flick and recede."

"If I get stung again I swear Hermione …"

"You won't if you do it exactly when I say. Ready?"

"Always."

The wild and fierce look Draco had seen in Brown's eyes at the Manor was back and it was strangely refreshing. They were trying to pass on wards. Draco was certain of it. He watched quietly as Hermione's upper lip curled in concentration, as she roughly pushed away a rebel strand of hair from her freckled face and pleated her eyes, adjusting her wand a bit higher. As she muttered something under her breath, certainly a series of incantations, the fond smile Draco had sported just earlier when she'd left the kitchen returned. Three red sparks sprouted from the tip of her wand and she kept muttering without a stop to inhale. Brown took a step closer unexpectedly, Draco had missed the sign. Those two didn't seem to need to communicate out loud to understand the other.

Brown muttered something too and receded quickly, Hermione taking her spot, her murmur like a lullaby as yellow and blue strands of light shot from her wand. Then, she abruptly turned around and clearly articulated:

"Commendent praesidium." Waving her wand at Brown's, who had lifted it the instant to Hermione's. They both took a step closer as a thin thread of gold expanded from Hermione's wand and made the tip of both wands touch. The gold thread embraced Brown's wand and hand only to vanish once it'd reached her wrist.

"Try for the door." Hermione decidedly said, but Draco caught the hint of anticipation and worry in her whiskey eyes. Brown obliged, and when she firmly grabbed the door handle, her eyes widened so much her scars extended. Then, she opened it and seemed to be on the verge of jumping around but instead closed it again, and started tapping her foot on the floor impatiently. Hermione approached the door too and seemed a bit lost a second. She then grabbed the handle and, after two unsuccessful tries, turned around to Brown with the brightest grin Draco had ever seen on her face.

"I fucking did it!" Brown jumped, forcefully grabbed Hermione in her arms as if she as a puppet and lifted her in the air, yelling:

"YOU'RE A FUCKING GENIUS!"

As they spun around, Hermione saw Draco. He only had a second of doubt as for what her reaction would be seeing him lurching in the shadows.

"Draco! I did it! I passed on wards!" She extolled and Brown let her down. Both ran to him, jumping like little girls on Christmas morning.

Completely bewildered he didn't move as Hermione threw herself in his arms and hugged him tightly for only two seconds, he didn't have time to realise that Brown had done the same.

"She's a fucking genius! Have you seen that?"

"I have." He said. Hermione was grinning her face out as she grabbed him by the sleeve and said, in one streak:

"Now, it's only a muggle repellent ward, a permanent lock, and a block entry for dark magic. You try and break the muggle repellent first it's the easiest one and then maybe start with the dark magic one. It's complex but we'll guide you through it."

She was so excited that Draco only realised she was walking normally once she stepped back, and hurried him with a hand to take his wand out.

"You're walking." He said.

"Yes, your wand."

"Come on Malfoy." Both women were completely nuts. A good kind of nuts. Draco couldn't deny he felt rather excited at seeing them both perform such magic, very much as he'd been the first time he'd seen them. Wanting to do his part he lifted his wand and, having practised on the muggle repellent charm already, broke the ward in less than three minutes.

Ron was visibly growing impatient as they'd decided to play exploding snap while Malfoy was apparently building a brand new chess board. Zabini had made a few mocking comments at their ability to play but was now quietly chatting with Neville and Dean. Harry had won twice, Ron's attention was somewhere else as he kept looking up at the ceiling every minute or so. It wasn't even fun to win the games.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ron asked impatiently. As he started to scowl there was a shout upstairs, and all still very much under their auror's reflexes, they stood and went for the door. The shouts seemed to be happy ones though. They all still ran upstairs only to find that the voices speaking came from Harry's floor. Frowning her lead the way there.

Hermione, Lavender and Malfoy, were all gathered in front of Regulus' old room, wands lifted, expressions concentrated. Harry only panicked half a second before Hermione started speaking in a serious voice.

"It's just to make sure it works. Could have been chance earlier. I'll ward the room again, give me a sec."

Harry had taken a step in and had Ron to his side, the three others were at the last step of the stairs, quietly watching the exchange with interest too.

"I'll help, same wards?" Malfoy looked as absorbed and determined as Hermione, it was uncanny.

"Right, I'll do dark magic, do the others." Malfoy didn't argue and started waving his wand. Hermione waved, flicked, and switched her wand at the door for a few seconds too. Then Malfoy stepped back and Lavender stepped in.

Hermione did her trick a second time, now knowing exactly how to do it. Lavender, who hadn't needed instructions earlier, still didn't, and reacted at the exact millisecond she had to. Hermione suspected her wolf instinct to play a part in her adequate and quick reaction. For the second time, it worked.

"Fuck it's really working!" She heard herself say, as Lavender grinned her face out at her and Malfoy.

"Well done Hermione." Draco congratulated, clearly amazed and maybe a bit proud too. Hermione's grin morphed into a brand new one as Blaise's surprised voice exclaimed:

"Did you just pass on wards just like that?"

They were all at the top of the stairs, watching them with strange interest.

"You're right I did!"

"She's a bloody genius!" Happily jolted Lavender before muttering: "Said that too much already."

"Well, some of the credit goes to me then. It was MY idea." Blaise lifted his chin up, probably waiting for a praise. Hermione felt so proud and excited, the entire evening forgotten for a moment, that she didn't have the heart to refuse him, not caring about the consequences rubbing his ego would have.

"It was your genius idea indeed." She received one of his famous grins in return.

"Come on then, let's celebrate, we're having a collective butterbeer night." Said Harry.