Harry knew better than to trust and to hope in the promise that his sentence suggested. If his spell in jail taught him anything, it was cynicism and lots of it. His second experience standing before the Wizengamot set his nerves off just as much as it had done the first, only for different reasons. The eerie silence and ominous courtroom was nothing like the Assembly Hall. It was loud and chaotic, filled with angry voices shouting across the room as if all sense of decorum had been left at the door. When the arguments dried up, tempers fizzled out, cooler heads took over the proceedings. Two hours later, all forty five Wizengamot members voted and just like that, Harry was going back to Hogwarts.

Temporarily.

His stint in the 'witness' box in the Hall ended with him being released from the inhibitors around his wrists that secured him in place. To his embarrassment, he struggled to stand and Kingsley had to help him. His condition didn't go unnoticed as he felt increasingly like he didn't have full control over his body. His arms were lifted gently, sleeves pulled back. He looked down, seeing bruises on his pale skin. He recognised the feeling then, the disconnect. He hadn't even noticed it happening until he was blinking quickly. He managed to pull himself together a little, relying on Kingsley's support under his arms.

"Easy now." Kingsley said to him, helping him to step down from the box.

The Wizengamot members were being ushered out of the Hall, the session adjourned. Harry caught sympathetic and even guilty looks flashing his way. He was walking himself without assistance by the time he reached the doors. Only Amelia Bones and Cornelius Fudge remained. Harry faltered a little when he noticed that they were both waiting for him. The show for the public was about to begin.

The look on Fudge's face confirmed that things hadn't gone his way at all. His scowl and flushed cheeks communicated his indignation yet when Harry joined them at the door, Harry caught the faintest glimmer of regret. His eyes betrayed him, gaze flickering down to the stark marks around Harry's wrists where he'd been forcibly restrained like a dangerous criminal. Harry understood that he'd been treated roughly to prove a point that every part of his incarceration was unfair and unjust. Yet he kept having misgivings about whether the political plays he was in the middle of were really for his benefit. He kept getting told that it was necessary. Just like how being placed under 'house arrest' was necessary. Each compromise felt like a setback and he started to wonder if his life would ever become his own.

Learning about the prophecy told him that it never had been.

He didn't feel himself as he stepped out into the hallway, ears assaulted once again by a cacophony of human voices. Cheers and claps hounded him, all supportive, all positive, but he couldn't bring himself to celebrate. He should be rejoicing. They were letting him go.

Temporarily.

Kingsley let him walk without help. The first thing he did was pull his sleeves down as far as they could go to conceal his wrists and hands from sight. If they were going to parade him like a victim, he wouldn't stand the humiliation of being seen as one. He walked a step behind Amelia and Fudge, focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other.

His senses were completely overloaded the moment they stepped out into the foyer. He heard his name shouted excitedly, so many people calling for him to look over. He didn't. He kept focused on Amelia, using her as a central focus. Fudge continued, marching off without a word. Amelia's hand went to Harry's shoulder,

Harry shifted so he could speak directly in her ear while hiding his face from the cameras.

"I don't know if I can do this." He admitted, his hands shaking under his sleeves.

"While I give my statement, you don't have to smile or put on any performance. Just breathe and stand tall." Her hand squeezed his shoulder. "It's time to show that you have more spine and more integrity than Cornelius Fudge… and certainly more than any of these vultures."

Breathing and standing still felt beyond Harry's capabilities. By some miraculous summoning of will he didn't know he had left, he made it through the publicity stunt. He had never felt more on display as he did in that moment. The way all lenses focused on him made him feel like a specimen trapped on one of the thin sheets of glass that were pinned in place under a microscope. Camera lenses and eyes alike zoned in on him when Amelia mentioned him by name, her hand lifting to gesture at him as if he needed any further signalling out. He stared at her hands as she continued through her statement, her firm, stern voice pulling him through the ordeal. All the while, his hands never stopped shaking where they were hidden.

He barely registered that it was over until a hand gently rested on his back and guided him away from the calling of his name. It wasn't until he was steered through into the reception of the detention block and the doors were pulled shut behind him and his entourage that he came fully back into himself. The closed doors cut out most of the din in the foyer but he could still hear his name shouted out.

Very suddenly, he dropped onto one knee. Harry's eyes were screwed shut, tears burning behind his eyelids. He was glad the doors had shut before he collapsed. He let his escort move in, bringing their hands under his arms to lift him back up to his feet. Harry opened his eyes, finding Remus and Kingsley on either side of him. Harry glanced around, finding his wall of Aurors moving to form ranks around him.

"Nearly there, Harry. We'll get you somewhere private." Kingsley reassured him, his deep voice ever supportive. Harry just nodded along. He just wanted to sit down… he just wanted peace and quiet away from the noise and the stares.

He faintly wondered if he'd blacked out as he couldn't remember walking further. Kingsley and Remus were soon helping him down to sit in the stark white interview room where he'd spent far too many hours. He lifted his head to look up at the mirror opposite.

His face was extremely pale. Too pale. His eyes were red-rimmed, scar stark under his fringe. He looked sharply away from his appearance, not wanting to think about how he looked in front of all those people. He felt pathetic.

Then his scar gave a throb as if he needed something else to overwhelm him. He brought a hand up to it, the movement noticed at once.

"What is it?" Remus asked at once. Harry just shook his head, lowering his hand. As soon as the pain arrived, it was gone. It had come with a sudden rage that had his stomach clenching, the lingering anger smouldering inside him, alien and not his own.

"He's angry and I think we can guess why." Harry said quietly, his voice sounding wispy and airy. He didn't want to talk, not since he had to talk more than he was comfortable doing so on the stand in front of the Wizengamot. He didn't want to talk any more in the room he was in.

He just wanted to go home.

"Can you arrange for something for Harry to eat and drink?" Remus asked Kingsley.

"Of course."

Kingsley left, pulling the door shut. It didn't lock. The quiet privacy helped as Harry calmed down enough to appreciate how he was alone with Remus.

"I… I take it I'm not leaving through the Atrium." Harry said once he'd pulled together some semblance of cognizance.

"You'll be taking a portkey straight to Minerva's office." Remus informed him. Harry lifted his gaze upwards as Remus went to sit himself on the table to Harry's left, facing him. He laid his wand on his lap.

"Oh… right."

Harry swallowed, looking away as his eyes started to sting again. He wasn't going back to the Gryffindor Common Room but was being sent to Professor McGonagall like a miscreant, isolated from the student populace. The terms of his house arrest made returning to things as they were impossible. Though thankfully, Amelia Bones had found a loophole to assure he could at least return to the school. He was no longer a ward of the Ministry. Now instead, he was Minerva McGonagall's ward. A vast improvement but still, he wasn't free. He'd been confined to his professor's personal quarters until he was granted an acquittal. There would be no more being bound to a table, no more prison cells and no more humiliation. He'd get justice in the end but his safety came first.

"Why couldn't I stay… with you?" Harry asked quietly, being careful to not outrightly mention Grimmauld Place while potentially within earshot of eavesdroppers.

Remus smiled sadly at him. "I would have to be your guardian for that to be allowed." Harry frowned, searching his face. "Minerva is the best candidate right now and the most logical. When a certain person can get vindicated as you'll soon be, your official guardian will have their status made legal."

Harry's brow smoothed, his eyes going wide.

"I take it you don't mean Dumbledore."

Remus laughed softly. "Someone at least a hundred or so years younger."

A laugh escaped Harry. Hope started to return. That was a future he could fight towards. A future where he could stay with Sirius and live with him as he'd promised years ago before fate tore their hope of rebuilding their lives apart.

"You'll get to see him soon… as well as Hermione and Ron. All your friends. I know this all seems like you're taking two steps forward and one step back, but this is a good thing. I promise you, Harry."

Having it said to him like that, assuring him that he wasn't alone anymore, did help him feel better. Harry smiled to himself, his face starting to feel warm at the thought of seeing Hermione very soon. He strongly suspected that he was due a very forceful hug.

And maybe a kiss.

His stomach lurched as he very suddenly realised that he'd started a relationship with his best friend. Did that mean they were together? What did it even mean? He'd been so swept up with everything, he hadn't taken any time to think that things may change because of his actions in the spur of the moment.

One thing at a time. He told himself. His relationship problems would have to wait.

Kingsley returned with a flask of pumpkin juice and a ham sandwich. He apologised at the humbleness of the fare but Harry was happy to have something to settle his stomach. He ate with gusto, listening to Kingsley and Remus as he did.

"It's a stroke of genius to have the WWN broadcast live as now any press release that comes from today is old news. Barnabus Cuffe can't have his sensationalist front page headline on The Daily Prophet when the facts are already out there." Kingsley was saying while Harry put in effort towards giving himself indigestion. "He's going to have to make do with printing the truth for a change without any embellishments."

"There were a lot more people than just reporters from that one paper though." Harry said when he cleared his mouth. "Who were they all?"

"The magical press doesn't just exist in Great Britain." Remus said pointedly. Harry suddenly wished he hadn't eaten so quickly, feeling rapidly queasy.

"Oh, great."

"It's a risky gamble to expose the Ministry's failures in such a way though. It could backfire if the rest of the magical world sees that our leaders are corrupt and incompetent." Remus then said, looking over to Kingsley. The Auror appeared at ease, leaning against the wall, but it was very clear that his presence in the room was for him to protect Harry with his life if threatened. It was why both men were there.

"I am fairly sure we already give that impression which is why Voldemort is having as much success as he is with gathering support from abroad."

Harry listened with renewed interest. He knew that Voldemort was recruiting overseas from Hagrid's exploits with the giants.

"Don't they have to believe he's alive to join his cause though?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. Even when he was at his most powerful, very few of Voldemort's supporters had even seen him or spoken to him. They followed the idea of him more so than the man himself." Kingsley told Harry. "Why do you think his very name inspires so much fear?"

Harry considered the question as he drank some more of his juice.

"There were many who didn't even think he was real when he first started to come to power." Remus went to explain further from where Kingsley left off. "A spectre who descended on families, leaving corpses and his Dark Mark over the homes he tore apart. When he gathered his first followers and they then descended on his behalf, the real fear began. It's happening all over again and, in truth, it doesn't matter if people believe he is alive, his name never truly died when he vanished after he tried to kill you."

Harry shivered as he processed what Remus and Kingsley were saying. It wasn't a perspective he thought of before - that Voldemort was more of an idea than he was a person. It made sense in a way he'd not put together. It made it sound like he was some sort of religious icon - which, Harry only then realised - he was. His Death Eaters weren't his allies but his 'followers'. The Dark Mark was their unholy symbol. He'd even witnessed with his own eyes how they knelt before him like he was a God.

"I suppose I never thought of him like that before. I didn't… want to, I guess. It makes this so real." Harry said thoughtfully, his fingers crawling up to his forehead to touch where he had a very real connection to the Dark Lord. "If people see him like a God, then how do they see me?"

He lowered his hand, finding both Remus and Kingsley looking at him.

"Do you want the honest answer?" Remus asked him quietly after a second passed them in silence. Harry swallowed, thinking about all the people that had clapped and applauded him. How his name sounded when called out so many times… called out to him in different voices in a way that started to make it belong to them and not him. He thought of how those he met for the first time looked at his scar before they looked him in the eye.

He started to shake as he suddenly felt the immense weight of the world pressing down on him.

"Say it." Harry whispered.

"To them… you're a name as well."

Harry shakily lifted the flask of juice to his mouth and drained what was left. He needed to hear it. He nodded, letting the truth settle on him.

"What am I to you?" He then asked, looking at both men in turn.

"You're an extraordinary young man who deserves better." Kingsley answered at once, surprising Harry immensely. Remus nodded in agreement before he then looked back to Harry.

"You're the son of my best friend and I want you to live the life your parents wanted for you."

A lump rose in Harry's throat and he looked down at his hands. He sighed, pulling his sleeves back to reveal the bruises that the inhibitors left on him. He looked over the scars on the back of his left hand, taking in the abuses done to him because his 'name' was a threat to the people in power.

"I don't think they wanted this life for me." Harry said quietly. "If this life can even be called mine. It took for me to be locked in a prison to understand that I was already living in one."

Remus edged along the table, taking Harry's hands in his own. Harry looked up, his eyes wet from tears that he refused to let fall.

"I know and we're going to fight to free you from it. Whatever it takes, Harry. If we have to rally up the rest of the world to pay attention to the injustices done against you, we'll do it. No more lies, remember." His finger brushed over the scarring on the back of Harry's hand. "I don't want to see another mark on you but the reality is we're at war. You're old enough to choose to fight and you've proved time and time again that you're good at it. We are on your side. Always."

Harry sucked in a sharp breath, controlling himself. Kingsley moved over, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder to confirm Remus's stance.

A soft knock at the door interrupted the private moment. They all looked up at the same time, Kingsley drawing back as the clerk from the reception desk, Amanda, entered. Harry's heart jumped at the sight of the box she was carrying, one he recognised with his name stamped on it.

"Forgive the intrusion, gentlemen. I have some paperwork to get sorted before you can take Harry on his way back to Hogwarts." She said kindly, smiling at the scene she witnessed. Remus drew back from Harry but moved to stand protectively at his side. Harry caught sight of his school robes and uniform neatly folded in the box. He definitely hadn't folded them so tidily when he had to take them off. Set upon them was a long thin box that he knew to be a wand box, similar to the one his wand had been packed in when he first bought it from Ollivander.

"You will need to sign for your belongings to be released to you. I have the form right here."

She set a green file on the table that she had carried under her arm. Harry glanced up at Kingsley, needing a small confirmation that everything was happening as it should.

"Just sign and print your name here." Amanda said while she brought the forms in front of him. Harry scanned over, reading official lingo that brought the reality screaming back. Words like 'custody' and 'provisional release'. She handed him a pre-inked quill which he took. He scribbled down his signature.

"Wonderful." Amanda took the form away. "Now we have your contract here but it needs the signature of your guardian so, Kingsley, you will need to fill all this out when you go with Harry to Hogwarts."

"I am aware, Amanda. I'll make sure your paperwork is done." Kingsley sounded amused as he answered. She gave a curt nod and put the green file in the box along with everything else.

The door then opened again. The room was quickly feeling crowded. Scrimgeour was next to enter, giving them all a nod in greeting. He carried a small leather case secured with clasps.

"I have the portkey here." He said as he sidled in and handed his delivery to Kingsley. Scrimgeour then turned his intense yellowy brown eyes to Harry. He gave a gruff sigh and approached him.

To Harry's surprise, he extended out his hand.

"Amelia extends her apologies for not giving you a proper farewell but she will be in touch with you very soon." He explained to Harry, then looked down at his hand. He cleared his throat. "And I would like to give my own apology for how I treated you when we met. I am glad I was wrong in my initial assumption about you."

Stunned, Harry took his offered hand, shaking it.

"Giving me the benefit of the doubt later made up for it." Harry said to him once he let go. He then noticed that they were leaving. Harry got to his feet. "So… just like that? I… I'm leaving?"

"As soon as possible." Scrimgeour said, his curt attitude back. "I need this room to interrogate Umbridge while Amelia presents the prosecution down in Courtroom ten."

Remus picked up Harry's box of belongings for him, confirming that he was leaving with Harry and Kingsley. Tension in Harry's shoulders eased. He cautiously stepped up to Kingsley as he opened the case. Sat inside was a clothes peg. Harry let out a snort at the Ministry's strange choice of object for the portkey.

"Are you ready?" Kingsley asked Harry, holding the case out for him and Remus. "Just one finger on it will work."

Harry steadied himself, bringing his hand over the portkey. Remus's hand brushed his in a reassuring way as he went to touch the peg. Harry tried to not think about how bizarre they looked in the reflection. Kingsley then applied his finger to the portkey as well. At his touch, the spell activated.

With a familiar jerk behind his navel, Harry Potter disappeared from the Ministry of Magic, going home at last.

Temporarily.

Professor McGonagall's office was frustratingly far from the Common Room. While it was adjoined to the Transfiguration Classroom, which made perfect sense, being on the first floor while the Gryffindor tower was on the other side of the castle didn't. But then, Hermione supposed that the position of Head of House didn't default to the current transfiguration professor. She took off at a brisk walk at first but was soon running when she left the stairs, a grunting Ron close behind her, clearly disgruntled at being made to run.

Reaching her office at last, Hermione pulled herself to a halt before crashing into one of the suits of armour. Ron staggered to a stop, his footfalls heavy.

They made enough noise tearing down the corridor for McGonagall to be ready for them, opening the door so they could enter. McGonagall regarded them both with her arms crossed.

"Good evening. I see that you took my request to make your way here 'post haste' quite literally." She said curtly. "Come on in and take a seat."

Worry for Harry continued to rise when Hermione was faced with a disappointingly Harry-free office. What she did find was evidence that Professor McGonagall was very busy indeed and taking time out of her duties as Acting Headmistress to entreat with them. Stacks of parchment towered on her desk with three quills marking up notes upon three separate documents. The scratching of the quills along with the soft ticking of the clock in the office were the only sounds so it was no wonder Professor McGonagall had heard their less than subtle run to her office.

Hermione shared a worried look with Ron as she went to do as instructed. It was obvious where she and Ron were supposed to sit at the other side of her desk.

"Potter is here but before I let you see him, I want to brief you both on his situation so you don't feel the need to question him when you see him." McGonagall explained as she went to take her seat. With a wave of her wand, she dismissed the busy quills, clearing the space in front of her so she could rest her hands upon the desktop. She surveyed them sternly over her spectacles. As much as Hermione wished she could deny any plans to pester Harry with questions, she couldn't. A burn of shame seared across her cheeks. It reminded her too strongly of when they'd been allowed to stay with Harry when he was in the Hospital Wing after his ordeal at Voldemort's hands months ago. It had been from Dumbledore then, the request to give Harry some space.

It made it seem as though confronting the Wizengamot was on par with going toe-to-toe with murderous dark wizards. Hermione supposed it was. In one battle, Harry had been fighting for his freedom and in the other, his life.

"I do not know if you are both aware that part of the responsibility that the headmaster has at Hogwarts is to act as the magical guardian for muggleborn students and, as is the case for Harry, orphaned students. This responsibility became mine officially today… yet I am not moving my office quite yet."

Hermione glanced over to Ron and then shifted forwards in her seat.

"Um… congratulations, professor?" She posed it as a question, not sure what else to say. McGonagall's stern demeanour cracked a little, her eyes softening.

"It is a rather hollow victory considering the manner I have taken this post - usurped it, perhaps, you could argue. Regardless, Albus is not here and in his absence, he has allowed the enemies he believed to be harmless to cause a great deal of harm. In his neglect , he has also caused harm to the young man currently in my care as a result."

A strong undercurrent of suppressed anger and deep sorrow lay under McGonagall's measured words as she surveyed the two of them.

"Umbridge may have been the abuser but Albus had a duty of care which he failed in doing. Now that duty of care is mine and I wish to see it done." McGonagall interlaced her fingers together, her gaze moving over to Hermione. "While Harry has been released from Ministry custody, he still has strict rules to comply with under 'House Arrest'. His movements are restricted as is his magic, though he has been allowed his wand. As he's been charged with a capital offence, he is currently suspended from Hogwarts but he is still my ward so he will be staying in my private quarters. You understand what I am telling you both? Harry cannot leave my rooms under any circumstances unless for an emergency. Only his arresting officer can remove him from his boundaries."

Hermione brought a hand up to her mouth, suddenly feeling dizzy. All euphoria from the verdict they heard on the wireless had drained out of her with every serious word that came out of McGonagall's mouth. Harry hadn't been 'released' at all. He'd just been moved from one prison into another. They just had him relocated for his safety. The threat of a criminal conviction still loomed over him.

"But… on the wireless, they said he was being released?" Ron spoke, his hoarse voice making it clear that he was just as taken back as Hermione was.

"Released into protective custody." Hermione said quietly. "For him to be cleared, he still has to go to trial. He's been legally charged, Ron. He has no choice but to follow the law."

"Precisely, Miss Granger." McGonagall said with an appraising nod. "The good news that we must take away from this is that when Harry does have his trial, he will be acquitted without any resistance. With that… woman behind bars and Fudge deposed, it will be a very short court session, I daresay."

She then looked wary as she turned her attention over to her wall of many bookshelves, the bookcases crammed with tomes and other assorted curios.

"I will allow you both to have access to where Harry is staying but only to the rooms he has access to. He knows which of my rooms are off limits. During your free time and as long as you aren't disturbing the peace, you may visit him freely. However only you two have this freedom. Anyone else will have to Harry in my office and only with my permission. I will set up somewhere for Harry to study here and meet with his legal counsel. Until then, he will be spending his time in his room." McGonagall then stood up, brushing down her emerald green robes. She gave them firm looks. "Follow me."

Acutely aware that McGonagall was about to take them into rooms that was strictly prohibited, Hermione did her best to be as respectful as possible. Ron looked puzzled as he looked around the room for a door that led into the private sleeping quarters of their Head of House. McGonagall led them instead to her bookcase. To Hermione's surprise as she came closer to the books McGonagall had in her office, hardly any of them were books on complex transfiguration or magic. In fact, as she caught sight of familiar titles, she realised that all of them were novels. Muggle novels. All beautiful editions, leather bound with golden embossments.

Hermione smiled to herself. Professor McGonagall stopped in front of the bookcase and rested her finger on the spine of one book in particular.

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

She pushed the book inwards, activating the concealed entrance. A partition of the bookcase swung inwards. Ron gaped openly as McGonagall led them into a rather tight hallway.

"This floor is for my rooms. Harry has the rooms down the spiral staircase, just down there and on the left." McGonagall told them. "I will leave you to it but Harry must take his sleeping potion in an hour for a good amount of rest. You will have to leave before then."

Sleeping potion. At the mention, Hermione's heart gave a leap. The last time Harry had to take one of those, it had been the night when Voldemort returned.

"We understand. Thank you, professor." Hermione said quietly, glancing at Ron to stop him from blurting out something. He closed his mouth and nodded in agreement. McGonagall stepped back into her office, the secret door closing behind her.

Ron blew out a breath, giving Hermione a pointed look.

"This is a lot to take in, huh." He remarked quietly. Hermione agreed.

"Let's go and see Harry." She whispered back, moving in the direction McGonagall indicated. The hallway was very tight and narrow, making them walk in single file. It was well lit at least with candle holders set in the wooden panels. They took a sharp turn left and followed the spiral staircase. It was awkward and a little precarious.

As they made it out onto the small landing, they came upon two doors. Hermione studied the doors. She felt very away that she was trespassing on very private ground, even more so when she glimpsed something etched on the door that looked like 'Robbie's Room'. She approached the door and she knocked lightly.

"It's open."

That was unmistakably Harry's voice. Hermione immediately pushed the door open, stepping through the narrow doorway to enter a rather breezy bedroom on the other side. She entered, moving so Ron could get inside as well. Her hair ruffled in a chilly draught as she looked about the space, finding the source over by a large window at the far wall.

Harry was there, sitting on the ledge of the window sill, watching them enter. On his arm was a very familiar snowy owl who he'd been feeding treats to when they came inside.

"That didn't take you long." Harry gave them a tired smile. "Just a moment. She's being especially clingy." He said of Hedwig as he scratched her under the beak and guided her onto the ledge next to him. "It's time to take flight, girl, for the both of us."

Hedwig let out a trilling hoot, nipping Harry's sleeve. She then took to the air, magnificent white wings spreading. Hermione witnessed the painful longing on Harry's face. He had to look away from Hedwig as he shut the window to face them instead. Hermione then took in Harry's appearance properly. He sported a pair of boys' issue pyjamas from the hospital wing, his feet bare. Harry then dropped from the sill to his feet. The floor was wooden, unusual in the castle where most rooms had cold stone floors.

"It's... it's really good to see you." Harry said thickly as he looked at them both. He then lifted his arms up and spread them wide, looking between Hermione and Ron, his eyes then glimmering in the candlelight. Hermione's breath hitched and she didn't hesitate. Ron followed her, a little hesitant at first. When they both reached Harry, he stepped forward, bringing both of them in his hug. He gave a sharp gasp as he burrowed his head downwards into the safety of their joint embrace. Hermione inhaled a dusky fragrance coming off his hair that definitely wasn't his usual choice of muggle shampoo. His pyjamas had the usual unmistakable scent of witch hazel that clung to the hospital wing and all the patients after a stint in Madame Pomfrey's care.

"Pomfrey's seen to you then?" Ron commented on his attire. Harry let out a sniffly laugh, straightening.

"Just a look over." Harry said with a shrug as he put on a show of nonchalance. It didn't disguise how red-rimmed his eyes were. "She also checked in case I'd been spiked with any potions while in custody but I'm clean. I'm just really tired and achey." He rolled his shoulders, giving a wince. "Some bruising around my wrists but she fixed them up."

"Bruising?" Ron repeated, sounding alarmed.

"Yeah. Auror inhibitors aren't exactly designed with comfort in mind." Harry said pointedly. He then gave a small shake of the head. "Thankfully I don't have to wear them again. The Wizengamot passed a law right away to ease the rules around how suspects are handled in Ministry custody. Funnily enough they didn't like seeing me coming away from their 'care' with more visible marks."

Hermione inwardly winced that Harry had to go through the humiliation in the first place for them to grasp that having a fifteen-year-old restrained in public was bad press.

"So, uh, any news about when you have to… go to trial?" Ron haltingly asked. Hermione stared at him, aghast. "What?" He asked, baffled at her reaction but then his ears went red as he remembered why McGonagall had talked to them before they saw Harry. They were supposed to avoid bombarding Harry with questions. Harry frowned at them both, their behaviour confusing him, but he shook it off and went to head over to his bed.

"No but they don't want to drag it out." Harry said heavily, dropping down on the bed as if his legs just gave out. He pulled off his glasses, rubbing at his tired eyes. Harry lowered his hands to either side of him. "I have loads to tell you both but… if I get into it, I might pass out or something half-way through." He gave a short, self-deprecating laugh then looked down at his knees despondently.

An instinct Hermione never knew she had pulled her towards Harry, just knowing that in that moment, he needed a language that wasn't words. She settled next to him on the bed, causing him to wearily lift his head to look at her. She carefully took his glasses from his hand, watching his face for signs of discomfort. He didn't resist, just watching tiredly. Her focus was so narrowed onto him, everything else shrank back. Placing his glasses on the pillow of his bed, she moved back to turn towards him, moving his hand onto her lap.

"You don't have to say anything at all." She found herself saying. Her fingers brushed over his, his digits still cool. She looked down at his hand, seeing how his fingers were still, his nails bitten down as they always were. He had rough callouses along the pads of his palm, his hands unusually rough for a wizard his age. She always liked his hands and how dextrous they were, quick and moving as if they had a mind of their own.

A dark shape moving in her periphery distracted her and she looked up. Ron edged towards them. When she looked up at his face, she saw… confusion. His eyes were fixed on her hand cradling Harry's. His blue eyes lifted to meet hers. The confusion faded back but its place was a cut. Something happened between them at that moment, something severed.

Then that moment was gone as Ron turned from her, his attention back on Harry where he went to sit next to him. Harry gave Ron a smile but his fingers moved against Hermione's, interlacing so they were holding hands.

His hand then squeezed hers.

Hermione did her best to hold back the tears, because sometimes, words weren't needed at all. Yet as they sat together quietly, Ron soon resting a hand on Harry's back, the three of them knew without talking that something changed in their dynamic. They were too overwhelmed, too tired and too generally awkward to vocalise it. So they just took comfort in the closeness. Ron soon shuffled a bit closer, throwing an arm around both Harry and Hermione. They scooted together, Harry in the middle, enveloped within the comfort he needed.

Harry's head startled to loll as he struggled to stay away. He then managed to rest his head on her shoulder and… remained there. Hermione felt his breathing change as he fell asleep.

"He's sleeping." Hermione whispered to Ron. "I… what do I do?"

Ron met her gaze, a meaningful look entering his eyes.

"Let him sleep?"

"If I move, he might wake up…"

Ron sighed, moving to help. Between them, they pulled Harry up the bed so he was lying on top of the quilt. It was a testament to how tired he was as he didn't stir. Between her and Ron, they pulled the quilt down and then brought it over Harry so he was comfortable. He remained sleeping, eyes shut, breathing softly. Ron shook his head, baffled.

"I've shared a room with Harry for five years and… I've never seen him fall asleep that quickly. " Ron said then he sighed, looking directly at her. He then pinched at the bridge of his nose.

Hermione gazed down at Harry, sighing as well.

"We made him feel safe enough to sleep." She said quietly. Ron gave a snort, making her look up at him.

"You made him feel safe enough."

She stared at him, not sure what to say and too tired to piece together any sensible thoughts. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we leave this conversation for the moment but… tomorrow…" Ron flicked his hand back at Harry. "We're talking."

Hermione met Ron's eyes and agreed.

"Until tomorrow."

AN: I know this chapter is abrupt but I needed the reunion to be realistic. Harry needs rest. Soz.

Next chapter will, I hope, make up for this one.