Hermione let out a sigh of relief when the professor announced the end of her lecture. She quickly packed her bag and walked out of the classroom. She made a motion of the wrist and rubbed her neck to alleviate the pain she felt.

The day left her neck and wrist hurting from constant note-taking and looking up and down from the teacher. The entire week had been trying, in fact. It wasn't only because of the hard work schedule all of her teachers followed. It wasn't only because she had to research certain obscure laws for her exams. It wasn't only because she spent more time this week studying in the library for her exams than she did sleeping.

No, it wasn't just for these reasons.

The first reason was because of a strange e-mail she received at the beginning of the week from her boyfriend Harry. Ever since he left for Spain to continue his season, the two had been in constant contact with one another. Except for the few rare times where they spoke on the phone – something Hermione absolutely loved as it allowed her to hear the voice of her beloved – the young couple conversed primarily by e-mails.

Their conversation ranged from various topics and various length. One day, they could be talking about the difference in whether between Britain and whichever country Harry was at the time. Another, they were writing love letters to each other in an attempt to see who would blush the most. And, sometimes, they spoke of serious things, like the state of the world, laws about to be passed home, and their families.

But, the last time they conversed, Harry asked her an odd question.

TO: hermionegranger78 hotmail. com

FROM: harrypotter.01 barf1. com

Say Hermione, you and your family will be in Germany on the 30th of July, right?

There was a reason why Hermione found the question odd. She told him a few weeks prior that her parents organized a trip to Germany between the summer 'Trinity' and autumn 'Michaelmas' school terms. Harry should know that, especially since she had told him by e-mails, allowing him to read them again if he forgot. So, confusingly, she had answered.

TO: harrypotter.01 barf1. com

FROM: hermionegranger78 hotmail. com

Yes. We are leaving on the 25th and returning in early August. Why?

Hermione never received an answer to her question. A week had come and gone and Hermione had yet to hear from her boyfriend. She couldn't deny she was getting rather concerned. It wasn't the first time Harry and her did not speak for an extended period of time, their busy schedules being a cause for this. But, Hermione felt like she was missing something, and she couldn't put a finger on it.

As she neared the entrance of the building on her way to her dorm, the second reason for the headache that was her week reared his ugly head. Yes, his.

"Hey, Granger! Wait up!" came the annoying voice of a fellow student. Hermione mentally groaned.

"What do you want, Cormac?"

Hermione could not understand how someone like Cormac McLaggen managed to enter Oxford University. Her only guess was that he or his parents bribed the school to let him in. The man did not belong in a university. He was a classic school jock, the same kind of school jock seen in old American movies. He was a man who believed he was the best thing to walk on Earth since sliced bread. His arrogance irritated her to no end.

And worse, the man somehow got it in his mind that she, Hermione Granger, was interested in going out with him – despite Hermione never once showing a hint of such a thing. In fact, she found it quite insulting. As if she would be interested in such a piece of human garbage.

If only he didn't return her 'interest'. Then the worse she would have experienced would have been rejection, which would just have been annoying considering she wasn't interested in him in the first place. But, for one reason or another, Cormac McLaggen wanted her. And, in his arrogance, he was convinced she was simply in denial of her (nonexistent) feelings, and that a few charming smiles would get her to admit her 'love' for him.

That thought alone made her want to barf.

"Well," McLaggen grinned. "Term is almost over. I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me."

Hermione groaned. "I'm not interested, Cormac." she said simply.

"I know!" McLaggen said, snapping his finger in a 'eureka' moment. "A mere date is way too boring. My family is going to America at the end of July. Do you want to come with us. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind me bringing my girlfriend along."

"I'm not your girlfriend, Cormac!" Hermione exclaimed with a scowl.

"I'm sure we could fix that right now." he said with a grin before closing her eyes and leaning toward her to kiss her. She immediately pushed him away before he had a chance to try.

"When will you get the hint?" she shouted angrily. "I'm not your girlfriend. I don't want to be your girlfriend! I already have a boyfriend! Now, leave me alone!"

She tried to walk away to the exit but McLaggen grabbed her arm and spun her around until their faces were only inches from each other. "Boyfriend? Let me guess. 'He goes to another school.'?" he said mockingly. "Don't make me laugh."

"Let me go, Cormac!" she said, trying to push him away.

"No. Not until you give me a chance. Just one date. I promise you will have the time of your life." he whispered, gripping her hard by the arm.

"No!" Hermione protested. "I will not!"

McLaggen was about to say something else when a third voice interrupted him. "I believe you heard the lady, man." Hermione recognized the voice immediately. "She's not interested in you. Now let go of my girlfriend."

McLaggen let her go, either in shock or because he suddenly felt outnumbered. Hermione, also shocked, turned around to see her boyfriend Harry Potter standing in the entrance of the building. He was glaring at McLaggen.

"Harry?!" she exclaimed in shock.

Harry's eyes moved to her, and immediately softened. "Hey, Hermione." he told her with a smile. Then, he looked back to Cormac, the glare back in his green eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" McLaggen shouted angrily.

"Her boyfriend." Harry simply said. "Now, I think Hermione made herself perfectly clear. Get out." he said, finishing with a sharp whistle while nodding his head toward the doors.

McLaggen gave both Harry and Hermione an angry look before walking out of the building with a huff, all the while being glared at by Harry. Now alone, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Hey." he said with a tired smile. "Not the way I expected our reunion to go. You okay?"

"I'm fine." she said, rubbing her wrist. "How long were you watching?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

"I was ready to call out to you when he showed up." he answered, slipping an arm around her and hugging her.

Hermione was surprised Harry didn't say anything earlier and simply watched. But, she felt happy that he didn't say anything and trusted her to handle it until it became quite clear McLaggen wouldn't take no for an answer and only someone else could get him to leave her alone.

"I'm happy you're home." she told him, burying her head in his chest. His arms held her even tighter.

"I'm glad to be home." he said, giving her a kiss on top of her head.

Someone once said that home was where the heart is. At that moment, that saying couldn't be more right for the young couple.

The two continued to hold each other in peaceful silence until someone else made their way to exit. As she passed by, she noticed the couple and muttered 'Awkward.' before leaving the building. The young couple heard her and, feeling a bit embarrassed, finally let go of each other.

"Let's get out of there, shall we?" Harry chuckled. Hermione nodded and, together, the young couple exited the university building.

As they walked outside hand in hand, Hermione said "Harry?" Harry hummed questioningly. "Why did you ask me whether I'd be in Germany at the end of the month? You never answered my last e-mail."

Hermione looked a bit sheepish. "Right. Sorry about that. I didn't answer in part because I was busy, and in part because I was making plans and didn't want to reveal them in case I was sure they would take place."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

Harry smiled and stepped in front of her to grab her two hands. "Well, you see, the German Grand Prix takes place on the 30th of July, which means I was also in Germany."

"Oh!" Hermione said in understanding. "You want to invite us to the race?"

"No." he said. Then, he immediately corrected himself. "Well yes, but that's not the reason why I'm asking. I'll be able to stay in the country for a few days after the 30th before I have to leave for the next race, and I was wondering if I could join you on your vacation."

"What?" she asked, surprised. "Of course you can!" she said like it was obvious. Which, to her, it was. "Dad will be happy to have you here, and I know Mum want to meet you again. She knows you're a Formula One driver now."

"Really?" he asked with a grin. "How did she find out? Did you tell her?"

Hermione shook her head, chuckling a bit. "From what Dad later told me, she found out when she found a gossip magazine with a picture of us from when I gave you a kiss on the cheek before the race at Silverstone."

"Oh, wow." Harry said with laughter.

Grinning too, Hermione continued. "She interrogated Dad when she returned home and he told her how our weekend was. He told her about our weekend and the fact we – and I quote him here – 'couldn't keep our eyes off each other the whole time.'." she said with a small blush.

"Well... he wasn't wrong." Harry said with his own embarrassed chuckle. "Speaking of which – we haven't kissed yet, have we?"

"Oh no!" Hermione said, still grinning. "How could we let such a terrible thing happen? You must be hurting so much!"

"Well, you could always kiss it better." he whispered.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She shivered when she felt his tongue rub on her lips. She opened her lips, leaving them to battle with their tongues for supremacy.

Eventually, and with no clear winner, they let go of each other to breathe some much needed oxygen. "Wow." Harry whispered in awe, making her grin.

They began walking again as they recomposed themselves, least they be stumbled upon once more. Eventually, Harry said "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For letting me stay with you in Germany. I really didn't want to spend my birthday alone."

Hermione's mind blanked. "Your birthday?" she whispered. Then her eyes widened. Harry's birthday is on the 31st of July! It's the day after the German Grand Prix! "Of course!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping a hand on her forehead. "How could I forget? Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry! I forgot!"

Harry chuckled. "Calm down, Hermione." he said, calming her nerves. "My birthday's not coming for another few weeks. You didn't miss anything."

"Right." she said with a sigh, feeling a bit embarrassed at herself.

Hermione and Harry eventually arrived to her dorm. She was lucky to not share her room with anyone else, ensuring she had the peace she needed to study.

"So, this is where you stay when you're here at Oxford?" Harry asked once he let him in her room.

She felt a bit nervous about it, if she was honest with herself. She never let anyone inside other than her parents on the days they visited. The decors was relatively simple, but her personal touches could be seen everywhere. Books lying on shelves, an old childhood plushie sitting on a chair, pictures of her and her parents at different places around the room.

"I like it." Harry spoke again. "It's quite cozy and – and it is very you."

"Thank you." she said with a smile.

Then, feeling a bit mischievous, she put the palms of her hands on his chest and pushed him hard. Harry yelped and fell back first on her bed. "Hermione?" he asked, confused.

Smirking, she climbed on top of him. "I haven't seen my boyfriend in weeks. I want to make up for the lost time."

Harry grinned in understanding. He was even happier when Hermione leaned down and kissed him full on the lips.

A few weeks later, the young couple found themselves getting ready for the beach. Harry still couldn't believe how amazing being with Hermione was. How amazing Hermione was. He'd been on cloud nine ever since the end of their first date when she agreed to be his girlfriend. His attitude was definitely noticed by his team, with a few engineers teasingly commenting that ever since they begun dating, his racecraft had improved tremendously, and that he might as well marry her now so they can win the championship this season. Harry never said anything in response. Hermione being there in Germany did get some laughs from the engineers, however.

Then, while the team left the country to prepare for the next race, Harry stayed behind and went with the Grangers to their vacation. They celebrated his birthday that morning, with the Grangers bringing him to a local restaurant for lunch where they were able to eat in relatively anonymity. He received phone calls from his family early in the afternoon, with James and Lily calling first and Athena calling later on. They all wished him happy birthday and promised a big birthday party the next time he returned to Britain. They also spoke briefly with Hermione, Athena using the opportunity to tease the both of them, saying they went on their 'honeymoon' a few years too early.

The afternoon weather was clear and the sun shone brightly. Emma decided it was the perfect opportunity to go to the beach. It was not an easy task to find one in the south of Germany but, eventually, they did. It was a small beach located on one side of a relatively large lake. Empty with barely any people visiting, it was the perfect place for the two couples.

Harry was standing on the sand looking at the lake when he heard Hermione clear her throat. He turned and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Hermione stood in front of him wearing nothing but a bikini! "Harry Birthday, Harry." she said a bit shyly, walking toward him until they were face to face.

Harry try to say something in answer. But all that left his mouth were incoherent sounds.

"Her eyes are higher, Harry." Daniel commented absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving the book he was reading.

Harry's eyes immediately snapped up to hers. "Dad!" Hermione exclaimed, both her and Harry blushing furiously. Emma laughed.

"What?" he asked, looking up at the young couple with a smirk. "I was his age once. And, I remember how I reacted the first time I saw your Mum wearing something like that. Just wanted to give my future son-in-law a warning before he embarrassed himself the same way I did all those years ago."

"He did stare for quite while." Emma commented with a nod.

"Dad! Mum!" Hermione groaned again, her face somehow even more red. Harry was rubbing the back of his head, trying not to die of embarrassment. 'Future son-in-law', he quoted mentally. He wasn't going to admit it, but it didn't sound bad in his ears.

"Let's stop teasing them, Dan." Hermione's mother eventually said, still chuckling.

"Alright. Alright." the man said, raising his hands in surrender. He returned to his book, now with a subtle smirk on his face.

It took a moment for their embarrassment to die down. Once it did, the young couple went in the water together and had a lot of fun swimming with each other.

From the beach, Emma smiled when she heard her daughter laugh at something Harry did. She remembered her conversation with her daughter the evening of her first date with Harry. 'Soulmates indeed' she thought with a chuckle.