Well, I picked up a review. I can't reply in full to that person because they weren't logged in so I'll just say that it's difficult to cut someone out of your life when you've got children together and I hope I've never tried to portray Harry and Hermione as faultless (or indeed that that's how they're portrayed in canon). If you haven't liked this story so far, you probably won't like the rest of it but I stress that all readers and all reviews are welcome. Very welcome.

Thank you also to everyone who's added this to their favourite or follows.

CHAPTER TWELVE: Game On

It was a sunny day at Hogwarts for the first Quidditch match of the season, the traditional bout between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Harry and Hermione were with Neville in the Gryffindor section of the crowd. Rose and Hugo sat a few rows in front of them with some of their friends.

Lily had made it onto the team as the only change from the previous year's lineup. She gave a wave to Harry and Hermione as she lined up with Angela Barnes and Natalie Ellis, the other Chasers. They both waved back, Harry making a point of also making eye contact with James, back as Beater alongside Martin, and Albus, in Harry's old position as Seeker.

The Slytherin team was unchanged from the previous year. Their captain, Matthew Stone, shared the customary handshake with Damon Willis, his opposite number, before Damon flew back into goal and Matthew took up position with the other two Chasers, Apollo Zabini and Jessica Pucey.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the game started.

Harry had made an attempt to explain the rules to Hermione before the game but at present she was looking back and forth in bewilderment, attempting to make sense of all the balls and players flying around on the pitch. She gestured to one of the balls. "Bludger?"she asked hopefully.

"Quaffle,"Harry explained. Lily caught the relevant ball at that moment and managed to hurl it past Peter Lenoir in the Slytherin goal, eliciting cheers and applause from the Gryffindor supporters.

"So those other ones must be the Bludgers,"Hermione concluded. "So where's the snitch?"

"That's the question,"Harry replied. Hermione looked at him quizzically. "It's small and fast so you don't see it that well. The Seekers are looking for it." He gestured to Albus and Scorpius.

"Don't worry,"Neville offered reassuringly. "I still don't understand some of it."

Harry glanced at the scoreboard. Lily and her fellow Chasers were having a field day, which was matched by Damon in the Gryffindor goal, meaning Gryffindor were now a hundred points ahead. James and Martin were in a private duel with the two Slytherin Beaters, Steven Walker and Matthias Jackson, with the result that their skills with the Bludgers was cancelling each other out. Only the snitch was an unknown factor.

Albus and Scorpius both spotted the snitch and dived. The pair were elbow to elbow, jostling with each other. Then the snitch shot upwards. Neither of them managed to match its arc, instead having to pull up sharply to avoid hitting the ground, spinning off in opposite directions.

"Good try, Scorpius!"Rose shouted.

Hermione looked confused. "Is she cheering for the Slytherin Seeker?"

"He's her boyfriend,"Harry explained.

"Oh." Hermione looked at the blonde boy warily. "Do I like him?"

"Usually."

Lily was about to take a shot when one of the few Bludgers that James and Martin had missed hit her on the shoulder. She gave a slight yelp as she lost control of the Quaffle but Natalie had the presence of mind to knock it past Peter, putting Gryffindor a hundred and twenty points ahead, before flying back to check on her teammate. Harry looked concerned but Lily managed a triumphant smile through the pain.

The snitch had been sighted again, hovering near the ground. Albus and Scorpius both spotted it at the same time, from opposite sides of the pitch, and dived for it. Once again, the snitch shot upwards once they got too close. This time, however, while Albus' course took him away from it, Scorpius was in a position to copy the snitch's course and rise up after it. Albus spun his broom round and gave chase but Scorpius had the head start. His hand wrapped round the snitch, bringing it under control.

Harry glanced at the board as the hundred and fifty points were added to Slytherin's total. Gryffindor had ended the game twenty points in front, the narrowest of margins and one that was likely to leave them second in the table after the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff game.

The Slytherin team congratulated Scorpius on his catch while the Gryffindors made a slightly muted celebration at a vaguely unsatisfying victory.

Harry turned to Hermione. "Will you have dinner with me?"

Harry had taken Hermione to one of the wizarding world's most exclusive restaurants. Their entrance had created a slight stir but most patrons had been too polite to sit staring at the couple, allowing them their privacy in one of their first public appearances since their wedding and the subsequent events.

Hermione had looked over the menu with some bemusement, only recognising half the dishes, before playing safe and ordering a salad. She and Harry sat eating their meals, the conversation flowing between them as if the past two months had never happened.

"So I used to watch you playing Quidditch?"Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Ron got on the team as well in the fifth year. But yeah, I played every season."

Hermione watched him curiously. "You're embarrassed by that, aren't you?"

"No, no,"Harry insisted quickly. He thought for a moment. "I'm proud of it in a way. It was the first thing I was actually good at when I started Hogwarts. People expected great things of me, because of my parents or because I managed not to get killed when I was a baby, and I felt like I was letting them down. I just…don't like to boast, that's all."

Hermione smiled at him. "Well, maybe you should start practising."

Before Harry could answer, a shrill female voice cut through the restaurant. "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Harry turned at the voice and saw a tall and thin woman with blonde hair which he suspected was even less natural than it used to be forcing her way towards them. She stopped at their table and looked at them, clutching a hand to her chest in an exaggerated expression of delight. "Well. Look at you two. Together as ever. The golden couple of the wizarding world. The people have truly taken you to their hearts. They've even managed to overlook that unfortunate adultery thing." She turned to Hermione. "Mrs Potter. You don't remember me, do you?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously. "Do you?"

Harry sighed. "Hermione, this is Rita Skeeter. She's a gossip columnist."

"I am a serious professional,"Rita insisted in the same soft, condescending voice. "Now, Hermione… may I call you Hermione? The story of your tragic start to married life…second time round…is one that surely must be told. How you and Harry have found each other again through the fog of your lost past. Would you do me the honour of allowing me to tell your story?"

Hermione looked at Harry who shook his head. She looked back at Rita, smiling sweetly. "I have a feeling, Mrs Skeeter – or is it Miss Skeeter? – that you are the last person I would tell something that personal to. But I will tell you that my husband has been giving me magic lessons. We've just got on to hexes. Would you like me to try some on you?"

Rita's smile as she backed away from the table was paperthin. "Nice to know amnesia hasn't changed you."

"You were amazing,"Harry told Hermione as they arrived home.

Hermione shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't know what came over me."

"It felt like having the old Hermione back." Harry paused, realising how crass the comment might seem. "Sorry, I just meant…"

"It's all right." Hermione stopped just in front of him and looked him in the eye, suddenly nervous. "I think I liked being the old Hermione."

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He allowed his arms to encircle her waist as he returned the kiss, careful not to push too far and unnerve her. He felt excited and nervous, as if this were their first kiss. Finally, she pulled back. "Would you stay with me tonight?"she asked. "I mean…I don't want…I'm not ready…but…could we just cuddle?"

Harry put his arms round her and smiled. "I'd love to."