You might want to go through the last scene of the last chapter again, so you won't be confused when you read the beginning scene here. I know, cliff hangers are mean. Hopefully this chapter will appease you ;-)


"What?" Was the only response I could get out of my mouth as I slowly stepped out of our embrace to have a better look at the white-blonde Slytherin in front of me.

Suddenly I understood why Daphne didn't want to talk with me about how her parents married when I first had conversed with her shortly after the founding of our defence organization. I came to realize that I wouldn't have acted in any other way if I had been in her situation.

"Yes, Hermione. My parents didn't marry because of love – something quite usual in pureblood families.", She stated and I saw her eyes shimmering in the light of the room, "Which doesn't make it a tad easier to bear."

"I can imagine.. Oh I'm so, so sorry for what you probably had to experience in your young life." I sadly sighed and took the girl's hand in mine to express my sympathies.

"I'd like to open up to you about it, if that's okay to you." Daphne cast me a shy glance and I returned it with an assuring smile.

"Of course. Remember, you just helped me dealing with myself. Now I want to return the favour." I told her and the Slytherin took a deep breath.

"Well, I think it's best if I start this by telling you why forced marriages are quite common amongst pureblood families.", She said and looked at me hesitantly, "Because I assume you're not familiar with the "traditions" and the entire noble life thing, am I right?"

"No, I am not. To be honest, it never was of interest to me until right now." I admitted.

"And I don't blame you for it. After all, it is nobility.", Daphne said, "Who wants to study the fucked-up ways of rich, racist people?"

"Anyway, I think I should start getting to the bottom of this. So here's the deal:", She announced and shortly paused for me to follow her structure, "The most common purpose of a forced marriage between pureblood families is to forge an alliance between the two parties, with all the benefits that come along with such a union. It's basically like in medieval times where two houses united via a wedding so they won't wage wars against each other."

"Yup. This sounds like medieval times.", I agreed, "Though I think every house kind of forges an alliance when a family member is married to another house. It's just that these houses have less money and prestige."

"You're right about that, of course. However, the union of two noble houses always brings along a change of the political climate, which can't be said about the union of two "nameless" households." Daphne told me and I raised a brow.

"What do you mean with "A change of political climate", Daphne?" I asked and the white-blond girl smiled sadly.

"The noble houses have a lot of seats in the Wizengamot and strongly influence important political figures with their support. That's probably why Fudge is still the minister, since he has the back of aristocrats.", She explained and I felt my eyes widening, "Judging by the way you look at me, you figured your answer out by yourself now."

"So, you mean when two noble houses unite through a marriage, then they merge their political agendas?" I asked to clarify my assumption and the Slytherin nodded.

"Yes, as clever as always, Hermione."

"So, was your parent's marriage such a political or financial union?" I asked, not being able to withhold my curiosity, but Daphne shook her head resolutely.

"No, my story is a bit more special.. And probably dramatic as well, but that's my subjective perspective of this." She confessed and I could see it in her eyes how she fought against the emotions inside of her.

"Hey, let your emotions out, if you feel like it. Everybody cries, you don't have to act tough. You probably had to do that long enough.." I gently told her and took her hand before guiding us towards the pile of cushions still on the ground.

"I've cried enough because of this.. I want to be able to face my past without losing myself in a storm of tears.", Daphne silently and shyly responded as she sat down next to me and looked at me with shimmering eyes, "Though if you don't mind answering the question: Do you cry, Hermione?"

"Of course I do, Daphne." I admitted and the girl looked relieved by my admittance.

"When?"

"Oh, there are several occasions. Though often it is because of Harry.. Not in the way you'd assume, of course. When he told me of his horrible childhood at the end of our third year was one of the times I cried because of him. He has and probably will continue to live through some very harsh times, and sometimes it's just too heart-breaking for me, so I cry. But luckily I have my Harry at my side. He always pulls me out of the holes I sometimes fall into." I told her with a bright smile and the Slytherin looked a lot more composed than she had mere seconds before.

"You're right. A person to confide in could help me with my feelings..", Daphne mumbled, "Well, that's why I'm talking to you anyway."

She laughed weakly before a deep sigh escaped her mouth.

"Dammit, I always managed to get off-topic. It's almost like a part of me doesn't want to talk about this."

"That might be because it is a subconscious urge of your body. Like a defence mechanism." I guessed and Daphne clenched her fists and I saw her gritting her teeth.

"Alright, then I'll make this short and painless:", She announced and for a second I had to check if the girl next to me truly was Daphne Greengrass, the ferocity of her voice something totally unknown to me, "My mother wasn't supposed to marry my father but another man from a smaller house. However, since my mother was a very beautiful woman and spawn of nobility she was highly sought-after on the marrying market. And that's where my father comes in.."

"You see, my father, a member of the Noble and Ancient House Greengrass, was looking for a wife at that time. And since he's from a rich pureblood family, he thought that only the best of the best would be worthy enough to marry the heir of House Greengrass. So it didn't take long for him until he became aware of my mother's existence and her qualities."

I then gasped, realizing where this conversation was going, and Daphne nodded as a few tears began rolling down her beautiful face.

"Yes, he forced my mother to marry him. My father challenged my mother's original fiancee to a Duel of the Fates, claiming my mother's hand for marriage as his prize if he won. And since Albert, my mother's chosen husband by heart, was a member of nobility as well, they could well end this matter with a legal duel. Something that should change my mother's life forever, as you no doubt can see yourself."

I didn't know what to say. I honestly had no clue how to respond to such a cruel, disgusting story.

My mouth opened and closed several times like a fish, but no sounds exited my lips.

"This. Must. Be. A. Joke." I thought as I took deep breaths to remain focused. My body wanted to convince me that I was dreaming, living through a true nightmare. But it wasn't. It sadly wasn't..

"I can see how this makes you feel.. Don't speak it out loud if you can't." Daphne sobbed and seeing her tear-stained face was heart-breaking.

"You know, my father isn't a bad dad. Not a very good one either, but it's okay. However, he's a terrible husband and THAT is what left its mark on me: Seeing him treating my mother with so little respect and love." She explained and I furrowed my brows slightly.

"Why did your father marry your mother if he doesn't want a person who he can cherish and love?" I asked and Daphne snorted as the tears continued to roll.

"I think "want" is the right term to use. He doesn't love my mother, just married her for her looks, if I had to guess. But I don't know for sure, I am too afraid to ask my father about that."

"So your father forcefully married your mother just out of desire?!" I gasped and Daphne nodded sadly.

"In his opinion, women have two major functions: Spreading their legs for a man and raising children." She admitted and I sighed.

"So he is a sexist as well.."

"Yes, but his biased view is a result of his upbringing. It is part of the pureblood society that the husbands or lords bring in the money and manage the family businesses whilst the wives and ladies merely function as the person who will produce the next heir of the house – don't ask me how this stupid ideal still exists today.",Daphne shortly paused and I massaged my temples, "And of course this ain't a justification for my father's behaviour. Just a motive.."

I nodded before gathering my thoughts again.

"Pureblood society still lives in a monarchy, mh?" I then more stated than asked before another question passed my mind.

"But wait a second.. You once told me your mother's family hates pureblood bigotry, and she's from a noble house as well, right?" I asked and the Slytherin nodded with a sob.

"There always are beacons of light even in the darkest places. My mother especially is such a beacon of light."

"But wouldn't your father try everything to indoctrinate you with his ideology and pull you away from your mother's opinions?" I responded with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"Of course he does, but because of his ideology he left the vast majority of my upbringing to my mother. So I grew up with her point of view."

"Doesn't your father hate that?"

"He doesn't only despise it, but also punishes me should I dare to utter anything referred to my mother's opinions.", Her lips quivered and I wrapped and arm around her shoulder, "So you could say he's oppressing everybody in our family who doesn't think like him."

"What do your mother's parents think about your father's iron fist?" I asked with a calm voice.

"They died of Dragon Pox when my mother graduated from Hogwarts. And since she was an only child, she automatically became the last living heir of House Rosewood, a house which died when my mother married my father.", She explained, "But yeah, my grandparents don't think anything about my father. They never got to know him."

I released a deep sigh and remained silent, needing to digest this enormous amount of information, and rather concentrated on soothing my friend by gently stroking her back.

"Does your mother remember how her parents raised her?" Was my first question after quite a few moments of silence.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, your father "inherited" his parents' ideology, I'm wondering if it was the same with your mother." I said and Daphne hummed. Slowly, the tears seemed to dry on her face.

"Ah, now I understand what you mean. Hm, mother always told me her parents were a happy couple. They respected and loved and treated each other like equals, so.. you're probably right. Well, basically they were the entire opposite of my parents." She said and I squeezed her shoulder compassionately.

"You're still hoping your parents become a loving couple just like your grandparents, huh?" I said and Daphne hummed lightly.

"We never stop hoping, Hermione. I'm sure you know that."

"Yes, I know.", I soothingly whispered, "We can't help what we feel, right?"

"Exactly, Hermione. Exactly." The Slytherin managed a small smile and I yet again noticed what a beautiful young woman Daphne Greengrass was.

"If you don't mind the question, do you love your father?" I asked and for a few seconds Daphne's gaze was lost on a random point on the room's wall.

"Yes, I do.", She then answered without a single tear escaping her eyes, "As I told you at the beginning of this.. conversation, he is an okay dad. Despite his bizarre ideas of what a son and a daughter must be prepared for."

"You know, when I was little, he always walked with me through our gardens. Sometimes he even picked a few flowers and made a flower crown out of them. "To the future lady and heir of House Greengrass" he always said before handing me his gift." Daphne told me and she seemed to genuinely treasure this memory.

"I'm glad you at least have a few good memories connected to your father.", I lightly sighed in relief, "No daughter should hate her father.. Although he gives you quite a few reasons by the way he treats your mother."

"Yes, that's true.. And I'll never forgive him for his cruelty. Marrying a woman he didn't love most likely just because she was attractive and rich, that's disgusting.", Daphne snorted, "If you're wondering, I always differentiate between him as my father and him as my mother's husband."

"Mh.. I can totally see why you do that." I said and raked a hand through my hair as I thought about asking a discomforting question.

"Spit it out, Hermione." Daphne immediately said with a small smile when she noticed my gesture.

"Okay, but it's not a nice question.." I warned and waited for the Slytherin to tell me I shouldn't ask the question. Something that never happened.

"How often does your father remind you of what he wants you to become in the future?" I then asked and my friend sighed sadly.

"The older I get, the more frequent it becomes. Though it's not like you probably imagine it in your head.. He doesn't have serious conversations with me about my future, well sometimes, yes, but most of the times he drops a comment about it in a praising context.. It's difficult to perfectly explain it." She explained and I hummed. This truly was interesting.

"Could you give me an example?" I asked.

"Well, at the end of last year, just as I had reunited with my parents he told me that I'm slowly transforming into "The next lady of our benevolent house.". And later during the holidays, when we were visiting Spain for a few weeks, he asked me if I ever considered marrying a foreign lord. I told him that I would rather marry a British man and he surprisingly agreed. "You're right Daphne. Only a British lord is good enough for you." He responded."

"That's kind of.. messed up. On one hand, it's sweet to hear that he values you to a certain extent, but it's also repulsive because he constantly has to allude to your "future" when he praises you." I said with a sincere voice and Daphne shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess that's my father.", She mumbled before taking a deep breath, "I just wish he hadn't been born into a noble house. He could have been such a loving person.."

"You know, he does love me and my sister. We're his off-spring, the legacy he so desperately clings to. But why can't he love the woman he is married to, the woman that gave birth to the future of his house? Nobility doesn't mean you aren't allowed to love your wife!" She continued and I firmly squeezed her shoulder.

"We will never know why he acts the way he does, unless we ask him – which probably is a VERY bad idea. So please don't lose your mind too much about something you cannot explain. I know, it hurts, and that's okay.", I told the Slytherin, "Just.. keep in mind what you actually CAN change and what you can't."

"Thank you, Hermione.", Daphne was crying a bit again, but this time they were tears of joy, "I honestly don't know how to thank you for your empathy and compassion."

"You don't have to. That's what friends are for, right?" I said with an affectionate smile and got up from the ground. I extended my hand for the Slytherin to take.

"You're right. That's what friends are for." She confirmed with a resolute expression as I lead her to the exit of the room…


The next day the Gryffindors and the Slytherins had Defence Against the Dark Arts – unfortunately.

Tuesday really was a nasty day for Harry and me: It started with double Ancient Runes in the morning, which meant I had to give my best decreasing the knowledge gap my boyfriend had due to his late choice for the subject (although it turned out that he was improving quickly), then we had two hours of Care of Magical Creatures outside, in blizzard-like winter conditions, followed by an hour of Transfiguration, which was the only subject where I could recharge my batteries a bit on that blasted day, before the big, final boss awaited us: Umbridge.

Her lessons were boring, minus the occasional tension and collision between her and our ideology, and since the things we "learned" were either lies, wrong or a mixture of both, I soon found myself nudging my boyfriend's side, who of course sat next to me as he always did.

"What is it, 'Mione?" Harry silently asked me, trying not to attract the toad's attention.

"Let's do something productive.", I told him and moved a sheet of parchment in between our tables, "How about.. we have a written conversation. We could also use runes, this way we really improve our competences."

"You know I'm not that good when it comes to runes.", He silently responded, "Though I guess it's more educating and exciting than this lesson."

Our dear professor was in the middle of a lecture, telling the class why practical defence was something of the past since the "fall" of Voldemort, something that clearly distracted Umbridge enough for us to not get caught by her.

"I love you." Harry wrote down on the parchment and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course you can write THAT.", I replied and saw him smirking slightly, "But I love you too."

"That's great to hear.", My boyfriend was pleased with himself and briefly paused before continuing, "What do we want to do during the holidays?"

"Having fun? Relaxing and enjoying the free time?" I suggested but Harry sighed silently.

"More specific, please?"

"Um, kissing? A lot.. of kissing?" I honestly wrote and my boyfriend drew a heart behind my message.

"Good plan.", He praised, "But I also have one: How about we go outside and enjoy winter a bit? I love to see you when everything is white and when it snows.. You are so beautiful in the snow."

The "You are so beautiful" part somehow reminded me of the recent conversation with Daphne, and I slightly cringed at the mentioning.

"I still have to tell him about that." I mentally noted.

Yesterday, just after I had returned to Gryffindor tower, I only had enough energy left to talk with my boyfriend about my unpleasant exchange with Cho and how it had made me feel before we both went to bed. Daphne's part I chose to leave untouched for the moment.

"What's the matter, Hermione?", Harry wrote down and looked at me with concern in his emerald eyes, "Am I saying something wrong?"

I shook my head and weakly smiled at him.

"No, what you say is very sweet. You just remind me of something I want to tell you later, okay?" I told him and my boyfriend sighed in relief.

"Okay. I hope it's nothing too serious."

"Ha ha, absolutely.." I thought and tried to conceal my emotions for now.

"By the way, I like your plan for the holidays. You're right, of course, I do look gorgeous in the snow ;-)" I teased and Harry looked at me enamoured for a second.

"I love it when you're this.. um, what's the word?"

"Self-assured?" I suggested and he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, self-assured. I don't know why, but it's so fucking attractive when you act like this." His gaze somewhat darkened and I could almost feel the desire that must burn inside his stomach right now. Something I found to be highly contagious.

"You know swear words?!" I asked, surprised he knew these kind of words.

"I didn't teach him THAT." I thought and waited for Harry's reply.

"Yes, I might teach them myself." He wrote and I grinned lightly: He yet had to learn the past tenses.

"Of course, swear words.. That's a must for you, right?" I wrote and my boyfriend shrugged his shoulders.

"It doesn't hurt knowing them."

"I don't want you to swear when you use runes to communicate." I instructed and Harry raised a brow.

"Why not?"

"It's so much more.. intense this way." I replied and noticed him giving his best to not grin like the idiot he sometimes was.

"Don't you like that?" He teased and I almost gasped.

"Are you making dirty talk with me using runes, Harry James Potter?!"

"Looks like it." He wrote and I gently elbowed his side.

"You're a dirty dog.. But I don't mind.", I then admitted, "Just make sure to behave when you have to, yes?"

"Okay, my queen."

"Alright, you can be cute as well. At least you aren't a fuck-boy." I teased and Harry's eyes shimmered for a second. He looked intrigued.

"You know swear words as well?"

"Of course! It doesn't hurt knowing them, right?" I teased and Harry hid his apparent smile behind a hand.

"You're THE queen, Hermione. You perfect, perfect, beautiful woman." He rhapsodized and I looked at him with pure affection.

"I don't share your opinion about me, but.. thank you so much for loving me."

Only when a certain person cleared her throat did I realize that I had spoken these words aloud. At least not in English.

"Would you mind explaining what this cryptic interruption of my lesson was for, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked me with her overly sweet voice and I felt my hands becoming all sweaty.

"Fuck." I thought, knowing that I was in a very bad position right now.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." I tried to surprise the toad by apologizing and watched as her brows furrowed in what I assumed was confusion.

"What was this nonsense you said anyway? Five points from Gryffindor for such gibberish in my lesson. Oh no, make it ten, maybe you'll finally learn to control your mouth, then." She responded and I hardly resisted rolling my eyes.

As Umbridge then continued with her lecture, my eyes darted over to Harry's and saw the hatred brightly burning inside of his emerald eyes. It was a sight that made me shiver.

His intensity was something unmatched in this world, making me believe he was the source of energy in person. Joy, happiness, amusement, dislike, anger, hate, lust.. His eyes always told me how he felt. And the latter left me wondering if he would be just as intense when the day came where we would give ourselves to each other fully.

"I hate her." Harry inconspicuously mouthed and I took his hand in mine, stroking his palm with my thumb.

"I know." I told him just with my eyes and knew he perfectly understood my message.

I then quickly stowed the piece of parchment containing our written conversation in my bag, fearing Umbridge might notice all the runes gracing the sheet.

"But wait a second.. If she called my "interruption" of her lesson cryptic, does this mean she can't read nor understand runic language?" I thought and bit my lower lip.

"Mh, maybe this woman isn't as educated as she always wants us to believe.." I concluded with a small smirk…

Just as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had told us yesterday, Umbridge indeed announced at the end of her lesson that she wanted to converse with each and every one of us privately in her office over the remainder of the week.

"Sounds like she thinks we're a bunch of criminals." Seamus joked with Ron a few benches behind me, but the professor wasn't as amused as the Irish.

"I do indeed have reasons to believe SOME of you are involved in illegal activities or.. organizations." She stated and eyed me and my boyfriend with a piercing look.

I just tried to remain relaxed and nonchalant, but Harry seemed to choose a different approach: Playing the clueless one.

"What kinds of activities do you refer to, professor?" He asked and Umbridge giggled with her childish voice.

"Activities that violate school rules and the law, of course." She replied and the raven-haired wizard hummed.

"And why did you look at me and my girlfriend so accusingly, then?" He asked and a wide smile formed on the toad's face.

"Because I know for a fact that you and Miss Granger violate said rules."

"You know? You just know?", Harry laughed for a second, "Wow, what can I say, you got me."

"And here's sassy Harry again." I thought and resisted rolling my eyes, fearing he might talk himself into detention again.

"Are you trying to provoke me, Mr. Potter? Ten points from Gryffindor for that." She announced but Harry suddenly grinned and I gently kicked his leg as a warning.

"I've got this, Hermione.", He seemed to tell me just with a short glance at me, "Don't worry."

"Excuse me, would you mind sharing your evidence with this class?" Harry asked and Umbridge cleared her throat.

"Evidence? Ha, I don't need evidence to justify my decisions. I am the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, whatever I say and do is just and appropriate to change this school for the better." She responded with an overly-confident expression etched into her face.

"No, you don't care about this school! You do as you please and try to brainwash us students, that's what you do!" Ron Weasley suddenly was on his feet, head as red as his hair, and that was all it needed for the class to start protesting.

Various exclamations were made, all criticising the short woman in a more or less constructive way, the voice of the many stronger than it ever had been.

Umbridge tried to regain control of the situation, but epically failed to do so. The detention, which Ronald Weasley probably would have gotten for this "daring" statement was completely forgotten. All that mattered for the toad was to survive this verbal explosion of locked-up rage and frustration.

"Come on, let's get outta here!", Harry then grinned at me and gestured towards the door, "She won't notice a damn thing. And besides, it's the end of the lesson anyway."

"Harry, we shouldn't.." I told him and his grin only widened.

"That's why we SHOULD do it." He said and grabbed my hand. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Sometimes I wonder why I've fallen for you.." I declared as I packed my stuff, a lot of the other students still arguing with Umbridge.

"Oh, you know exactly why." My insufferable boyfriend wore a smug smirk on his face that looked awfully good and I just sighed before inconspicuously sneaking out of the room with him.

"What now?" I asked him and his eyes were glimmering with anticipation and excitement.

"Room?" Was all he asked and I chuckled lightly.

"I should have expected this." I thought.

"You. Are. An addict." I told him as I lead him to "our" room on the sixth floor. Despite the way I acted, I of course didn't oppose the idea of a nice kissing session.

"I can live with that." Harry shrugged his shoulders and I sighed.

"But can you live without food until dinner? You know how.. tenacious we are." I asked and my boyfriend chuckled.

"You satisfy my hunger and thirst, my lady." He dirtily stated and I elbowed his side not-so-gently.

"Behave!", I exclaimed amidst a few giggled, "I don't mind what you say behind closed doors, but if you MUST say such things in public, please keep your voice low, at least."

"Okay, I will. I hope I haven't ruined my chance to snog you.." He responded like a small boy and I softly stroked the back of his hand with my thumb.

"No, you haven't. Although I must say you randomly reminded me of something I want to talk about with you."

"Oh, have I done something wrong?"

"No, it's about someone else.", I said and perfectly decrypted the look he was giving me, "That's all I'm going to say or else you won't be able to fully focus on me when we kiss."

We had reached the hidden entrance to "our" room and I smoothly pulled the tapestry aside before pulling him inside the classroom with me.

"You are so power-hungry, Hermione.", Harry sighed when I shut the door and pushed him against the now closed door, "You always want to be in control, you want attention.. dammit, that's so hot."

His eyes were burning a dark shade of jade green down at me and it set my blood ablaze in the good way. I suddenly felt daring, bold. Aware of the power I wielded over the young man in front of me.

"You like the control freaks?", I asked as I ran my fingers over his chest and felt him shivering, "That's good. A goddess rewards her loyal servants."

I pressed my body flush against his, absolutely aware of how it made him feel, and saw him closing his eyes.

"You need a name." He hotly breathed and in the heat of the moment I didn't know what he meant.

"What?" I simply asked and his eyes fluttered open again.

"You're a goddess. What's your name, love?"

For a moment I pondered about his question and played with his torso, but when I noticed his gaze I came up with a response.

"You look like you have an idea. I let you choose.", I smirked at him, "That is if I get to choose your name."

"Of course, Aphrodite." He affectionately whispered and I found myself blushing because of the underlying meaning of his new pet name for me.

"Well, then you leave me little choice.. Ares." I responded but Harry looked at me bemusedly.

"Who is Ares?" He asked and I lightly giggled.

"Seems like you still have a lot to learn, young man.", I teased and cheekily tipped the tip of his nose, "Ares is the god of war in the Greek mythology. And also happens to be the lover of Aphrodite."

"Lover? Didn't she have a husband or something like that?" Harry asked and I smirked evilly.

"Yes, she had. But he bored her so she cheated on him.." I whispered into his ear with an enticing tone and felt him shiver.

"Oh, you're not a person that cheats on somebody. I think I need a new name for you." He responded but I quickly silenced him by connecting my lips with his.

"Oh, 'Mione.." He moaned into my mouth as I poured my desire into the kiss and felt his hands pulling me closer to him. His arousal was clearly palpable through the layers of his clothes and I smiled smugly.

"I'd cheat on anybody if it meant that we could have THIS." I clearly told him after I had pulled away from his lips. His eyes darkened further and the grip on my waist tightened.

"He loves to grab me there.." I thought.

"I certainly wouldn't complain if you did.", He grinned at me with a lusty gaze, "My Aphrodite."

"Come on, then.", I provoked and lightly rolled my hips against his, "Worship this goddess of love and beauty."

"And what about the other part?", Harry whispered into my ear as his hands slid down to my hips, "What about the goddess of sexuality? She must be worshipped as well."

"You aren't ready to meet this part of me right now..", I cooly countered and giggled when it became apparent that I had hurt his manly pride, "But neither am I. This dance is a slow one. Enjoy it."

"Maybe I should have called you Athena.", My boyfriend chuckled at his own joke, "But you're right. I should enjoy the present. Which I will do now."

Without another word he claimed my mouth with his and it didn't take long before we had lost ourselves in our own little world again…

After our snogging session I pulled my boyfriend back onto the ground of reality by reminding him that I still wanted to talk to him about something serious, so we left "our" room and headed down to the ground floor.

I chose a deserted corridor close to the dungeons, an area most students avoided whenever they could, knowing I could talk there without someone overhearing my conversation.

Not wasting any time, I straight got to the point and told him Daphne's story, watching how Harry's expression became more appalled with every sentence coming out of my mouth.

Him being him, he allowed me to finish my recap before responding, something I was very grateful for. It wasn't always easy to not interrupt somebody when an intriguing thought sprang to one's mind.

I was somewhat amused by his reactions, seeing how he seemed to think and say the same things that I had said just one day prior. But of course this didn't make the actual topic one bit less horrible.

We talked and talked, and probably would have done so even longer, but at one point a pair of distant voices caught our attention and made us stop our conversation.

"What are you gonna do with it, Draco?" A male voice apparently addressed the douchebag that was Draco Malfoy and I narrowed my eyes.

Neither Harry nor I could see them, but I was absolutely sure that Malfoy and his two minions were just around the corner of this corridor.

"Let's just stay here. They won't be stupid enough to pick a fight with us." Harry silently told me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"If you say so." I replied, trusting my boyfriend on this matter.

"I'll probably just hide it somewhere in this corridor. The Weasel will never find his hidden treasure here, ha!" Malfoy responded and I noticed Harry furrowing his brows.

"What is he talking about.." He said but I put a finger in front of my lips to silence him.

"Hey, I could definitely use a galleon! Why don't you give it to.."

"No, Goyle. You don't want something touched by a blood-traitor." Malfoy derogatorily snorted and seconds later the trio walked around the corner of the corridor, stopping in their tracks when they saw Harry and me leaning against a wall a few metres down the hallway.

"And speaking of things that we don't want to touch..", The blonde twat announced as he tried to inconspicuously hide the golden coin in his palm, "We of course don't want to touch the possessions of her."

I didn't know why he didn't greet me with the usual "mudblood", but I hoped it was because of my menacing boyfriend threateningly glaring at the three Slytherins.

"What are you up to, Malfoy?" Harry asked with a deep gnarling voice and moved closer to me in his overprotective fashion.

"I could ask you the same, Potter. This is quite a.. peculiar spot to talk, wouldn't you agree?" Malfoy countered with a provoking glimmer in his eyes.

"Maybe I want to converse with my boyfriend in a more secluded spot, hm?" I joined the conversation and three snakes snickered at my statement.

"I don't even want to know what stupid things you talk about in private. I bet she's a pain in the arse." Malfoy addressed my boyfriend who only clenched his fists.

"Oh, you're so cool and witty, I don't know what to say.", I dryly remarked before giving the blonde boy my most intimidating glare, "Now, why do you want to hide Ronald's galleon?"

The human-made ferret's jaw dropped for a second and I just laughed at him for his blinding arrogance.

"Hey, the Weasel dropped his coin. We just picked it up." Crabbe said what he probably had intensely studied for the case somebody like me asked about the gold coin.

"Yeah, and if you don't hand this accidentally-dropped coin over to me, I might coincidentally hex you into oblivion." I growled and saw Crabbe and Goyle flinching. Malfoy however grinned for some reason.

"You're feisty." He chuckled and extended his arm, with Ron's galleon in hand, for me to take.

As I took the galleon out of his hands I looked into his eyes and felt immediate disgust: His gaze was that one of a perverted swine.

"You're repulsive, Malfoy.", I declared and hit his fingers while I still could before taking Harry's arm, "C'mon, they're a waist of our time."

The trio's laughter accompanied us for a few moments, but eventually we had left it behind.

"I think you have every reason to do so.. but why did you call Malfoy "repulsive"?" Harry asked when we climbed the grand staircase up to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Didn't you see the way he looked at me?"

"No, how did he look at you?"

"When he said that I am feisty, he looked at me in a perverted fashion." I soberly stated and my boyfriend immediately wanted to turn around and do god-knows-what, so I quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Harry, no! What has gotten into you?!" I gasped when I noticed the blind wrath his pupils radiated.

"That twat is gonna pay for what he did, that's what has gotten into me!" He responded but I pulled him back to me and I knew he let me do that. I wouldn't be able to stop him in a million years if he wanted to storm away from me.

"No, he won't! Even if I'd like you to do so.", I admitted and gave him a pleading look, "Please, be sensible. You're just getting yourself in trouble again."

His eyes were firmly locked on mine for a few seconds and I saw the negative emotions slowly fading away as he held eye contact with me, so I didn't avert my gaze from him. Not until he was sane again.

"Alright, fine. I won't punch him today." Harry eventually sighed before embracing me on the staircase.

"Thanks for keeping me out of trouble." He sincerely said and I smiled into him.

"And thanks for keeping me safe, just as you promised my dad a while ago.", I returned with a small sigh of my own, "I know nobody tried to harm me, but your rage just proved again that you wouldn't hold back if somebody indeed laid a finger upon my skin."

"Let's pray this day never comes.." Harry growled lightly before releasing me from our hug.

"C'mon, let's give Ronald his galleon back." He then announced before taking my hand.

"Mh..", I mumbled as I inspected the galleon in my hand, "This is his Phoenix Pinions coin. Well, I guess this makes it even more important to return this item to him."

"Oh, that's actually kinda obvious.. You know, since he doesn't have a lot of galleons to spare." Harry said with a pitying tone and I agreed with a hum.

"Even if he is an idiot, he doesn't deserve to be this poor." I declared as we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry gave her the password and we entered the common room.

"Do you think we should wait for a good moment until we give him this back?" My boyfriend then asked me as he stopped dead in his tracks and I shook my head.

"We don't need a good moment for something like this. We've done nothing wrong, he can't get angry at us. I at least hope so." I gave him my honest opinion and he exhaled lightly.

"Where do you think he is?" Harry asked as he looked around in the room and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Dunno, he could be anywhere." I said.

"Well, then we'll have to wait until we see that git. I won't search for him." Harry proclaimed.

"You won't have to.", The person in question answered and I spun around to face the redhead, "I am right here."

"Where are you coming from?" Harry asked but Ron, who apparently just had entered the common room as well, snorted.

"Does it matter?"

For a second my boyfriend remained silent and I used his silence to move this conversation on.

"We wanted to speak to you so we could give this back to you." I told him and handed him the tiny golden item.

"Where did you find that? I was looking for it since that horrible lesson with Umbridge ended!" He exclaimed but Harry snorted.

"Does it matter?" He sassily responded and I gave him a scolding glance.

"Malfoy apparently stole it from you. We just retrieved it from him a few minutes ago." I said and the Weasley's eyes went wide.

"That fucker! How I hate this guy.. Probably thought he could steal my only gold coin and humiliate my entire family with it." He swore and I resisted the urge to scold him for it.

"Please take better care of the galleon in the future, Ronald." I advised him with the kindest tone I could muster and the lanky boy cleared his throat.

"Um.. thanks for bringing it back, I guess." He said and it took me a second to process what kind words he just had directed at us.

"Though don't think this means something!" Ronald quickly added as he realized what he had said and Harry groaned.

"Like I want to be friends with you again.." He mumbled and I rolled my eyes.

"Why must he always drop unnecessary insults?" I thought to myself with a sigh.

"You're right. Why should you waste your time with me when you have a queen-like girlfriend to enjoy every fucking day!" He growled with gritted teeth before storming off towards his dorm.

"Did Ronald just call me a queen?" I asked when the meaning of his words sank in and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess he did.", He said before glancing at me with an amused grin, "Though he's right, you know? You are a queen. And a goddess. Ugh, I guess it depends on the context."

"At least you seem to agree that I'm a superior being." I cheekily responded and he heartily laughed at my response.

"How much I love it when he laughs.." I thought as I leant in for a quick kiss…


The next days passed swiftly and soon enough it was time for the last "Phoenix Pinions" meeting of the year 1995.

Harry and I specially decorated the Room of Requirements shortly before the meeting to match the palpable Christmas spirit, but not without the help of a certain, overly-excited house-elf.

The lesson itself went off without a hitch, which wasn't a surprise since it solely consisted of games and competitions, with the winners earning themselves a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and since games always are well-received, so was the lesson.

It was a lot of fun to see the students applying their defensive skills in our challenges and it also gave me a sense of pride, knowing I was partially responsible for this success.

Of course, time flew by again and soon enough it was time to pack up. Again.

When Harry had said his goodbyes to his students, he and I worked on undecorating the room as the rest of the people gradually left – though many passed by to wish us a merry Christmas, something we of course returned.

At some point I got bored by the monotone work and abused my feminine powers, sweetly asking my boyfriend to do the rest of the work. Harry being Harry of course caved in and with a broad grin I lay down on the piles of pillows on the ground, enjoying my privileged view of the Chosen One working for me.

"Ah, I could get used to this." I thought and closed my eyes, giggling because of the cruelty I showed to my beloved.

"You're mean, Hermione." I heard him groan, but his exclamation only made me feel smugger.

"You love the bad girls, don't you?" I teased him, knowing he would interpret my words in a dirty way.

"Oh, I'm so gonna show you how much I love 'em bad." His voice was dominated by hunger, and my body tingled and thrummed in anticipation.

"If you say so." I faked disinterest and knew I was turning my boyfriend into a mental wreck with the way I played with him.

"Hermione." He growled and I opened my eyes, realizing he stood directly in front of me.

"Yes, Harry?" I asked and pretended to be the innocent little girl I most certainly wasn't, toying with my curls of hair teasingly.

"I'm finished. Can we go to our room?" He asked me with apparent desire in his voice, something that made me smirk. I got up from the pillows and stepped closer to him, so close that he could feel my front pressed against his.

"Why go down all these stairs when we could snog here?" I used my most seductive voice and saw his jaw tightening.

"Somebody could walk in on us.", He said, his restraint slipping when he entangled a hand in my hair and suddenly pulled at them, making me raise my head with a gasp, "But I want to kiss you so badly, babe."

His other hand then came around my waist and pressed me against him as he caught my lower lip in between his teeth and began nibbling on it, making me moan in arousal. Fuck, I loved it when he didn't hold back.

My brain felt fogged and my knees felt giddy because of the intense aggressiveness he demonstrated, making me dig my nails into his back and shoulders for support. I felt him grinning because of my helplessness.

He then gently made us lie down on top of the pillows spread across the floor, his mouth never ceasing to elicit moans out of my throat.

His body firmly trapped mine between himself and the floor, his sense of sudden domination and assertiveness drugging, and I squirmed underneath his masculine assault.

When he let go of my lip to catch some air I felt that it bled, but did I care? No. I wanted more of his want, want he focused on me and I wanted him to continue with the magic he just had shown to me.

"You're so fucking pretty.", Harry growled as he eyed me like I was his prey and his voice sent shivers down my spine, "And this feels better than it did in my wildest dreams. No, you ARE my wildest dreams."

My chest was heaving and I knew he felt my breast firmly pressed against his torso, knew that it aroused him tremendously, but his arousal didn't just come from physical contact: I could see how much he enjoyed being on top of me. And I felt how much I enjoyed getting dominated by him, despite my own love of control.

"Tell me that I'm pretty." I asked, my breathing rigid and actions illogical, despite the fact that he had just told me so.

"You're a blonde, awfully sexy queen. Every man secretly wants you and would do anything to please you." He growled before kissing me again, and this time I was able to return his fire.

The series of kisses quickly turned into a burning snog and soon enough I realized that this was the most pleasurable, most satisfying and passionate experience I had made to this day. The ferocity was completely new, and THAT meant something when it referred to Harry and my kisses.

And we both knew it would only become better with each day that passed…


The next day was the day where Harry and I would leave Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays.

After a quick breakfast and a few final farewells to our friends we gathered our belongings and headed down the hills towards the train station, a big smile plastered on my face despite the icy weather.

"I can't believe this is really happening! The two of us are going to stay with my parents for the holidays, which means no homework and no Umbridge for fourteen entire days, but even better than that, we're doing this as boyfriend and girlfriend!" I happily exclaimed and the raven-haired wizard next to me chuckled merrily.

"You're in a good mood." He stated the obvious and I rolled my eyes with a grin.

"Yes, have been so since quite a while now, haven't you noticed?", I teased and poked his side lightly, "Well, at least when I didn't find myself in a serious situation."

"Hm..", He mumbled and looked around if people were following our conversation before continuing, "What you told me about Daphne still cuts deep, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, you're right..", I admitted with a sigh, "But I think we worried and thought enough about it for the time being, wouldn't you agree?"

"A wise man knows when it is time to relax.", Harry agreed before clearing his throat, "And a wise woman as well, I don't want to offend you, my lady."

"I didn't feel offended.", I smirked at him, "But I think a certain someone is afraid of me."

"Hell, I am!", My boyfriend exclaimed with a laugh, "You have countless possibilities AND opportunities to scold and punish me for my mistakes, so I better don't make them in the first place."

"Good attitude. Keeping me happy means keeping yourself happy." I praised with a humorous smirk.

"Yeah, happy wife, happy life.", Harry chuckled before we both became awkwardly silent at the mentioning of what we no-doubt would become in the future, "Well, y'know.."

I knew my cheeks must have been a nice hue of rosy red as I glimpsed a few times and let my gaze wander around in hope it would erase the awkwardness. Which of course didn't happen.

"It's okay. I'll be your.. well, hem hem.", I abruptly stopped, not wanting to make my agreement to our future marriage this random and weird, "Let's not use the terms "husband" and "wife" until we can actually and rightfully use them."

"Splendid idea. Though please know that one day, I'll ask you to marry me." Harry looked at me lovingly and I couldn't resist returning his gaze.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Hermione."

With that I took his free hand in mine and remained silent, enjoying the sweet little moment.

A short while later we reached the train station and entered the Hogwarts Express, my boyfriend suddenly grinning at me mischievously.

"What?" I asked him as we walked through the train's many wagons in search for a cosy and unoccupied compartment, but Harry just shook his head lightly.

"Not now." He simply said and I voiced my dislike with a humph.

It didn't take long for us to find what we wanted, a good part of the student body remaining at Hogwarts this year, and when I entered our compartment Harry locked the door and shut the blinds, making me raise my brows with an amused smile.

"I should have expected this." I giggled as Harry hoisted our trunks and Hedwig's plus Crookshanks' cage and basket onto the luggage rack.

"Should have expected what, Hermione?" He asked with a smirk of his own.

"Well, isn't it obvious now why you just grinned at me this mischievously?"

"I bet you've come to a wrong conclusion this time, my love." Harry declared as he sat down on one of the seats, eyeing me with sparkling amusement in his eyes.

"Well, let's see then: I think you grinned at me like that because you realized you can snog me non-stop for the next six hours or so." I told him and a demonic grin formed on his face.

"Would you like that?" He innocently asked and I blushed, knowing my answer would make him feel victorious.

"Yes..", I mumbled and couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes, "But that's not the point! I was right, you see."

"No, you weren't." Harry adamantly persisted and I raised my brows.

"I grinned because I realized that I COULD snog you non-stop for the foreseeable future. Something I do not intend to do.", He explained and I didn't expect to feel disappointed at such a declaration, "We don't need to have our lips glued together all the time, 'Mione. We're more than that."

"That might be true..", I agreed and mentally smirked when an idea popped into my mind, "But I'd still like to snog you during this trip back to London."

I then smoothly climbed into his lap so I could face him, taking him by surprise. I grinned smugly when I heard his breath hitching.

"Starting now." I added with a ravenous tone and claimed his lips with mine.

We kissed and snogged for quite a while, but eventually we decided to calm down and give our bodies a rest. Kissing was, after all, a very intense activity.

It was time to cuddle, I then decided and turned around in Harry's lap so I could lazily lean against him as he rested his chin on the top of my scalp.

"Have you realized that we can do this quite a lot in the next two weeks?" My boyfriend asked and I chuckled a bit.

"Well yeah.. But until now this always has been the future. Now it's the present, you know." I said and Harry hummed in agreement.

"Things always hit different when they happen in the present and not just in your head.", He told me and gulped, "Like.. telling your father that I'm your boyfriend now."

Harry then became painfully silent and all colour left his face. I could already guess what was going on inside of his head.

"Your dad! He's gonna kill me! Oh, what have I done?" Harry exclaimed and I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.

"I have told you quite some times that you DON'T have to worry about my father." I reminded him with an adamant voice but my boyfriend just groaned.

"Let's see about that."

With that he concluded our conversation and put his hands on my abdomen.

I then heard him sighing loudly and took it as a sign that he wanted to nap for a bit. The day certainly promised to be a long one, so I didn't mind the slightest.

"Good idea, love." I thought and snuggled myself closer into his warm embrace before closing my eyes. Not before too long I drifted off into the land of dreams…

A few hours later I woke up exactly where I had fallen asleep. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, hearing Harry chuckling lightly as I did so.

"I see you're awake again." He stated the obvious.

"Just as you.", I said before asking the logical follow-up question, "Since when are you awake?"

"Quite a while, actually. I've been thinking again." He told me and I crooked my head to look him in the eye.

"Thinking about what, Harry?"

"Initially I just thought about trivial things but then my thought of train moved on and somehow I found myself thinking about the day where we returned the galleon to Ron.", He explained and took a short pause, "Do you remember Umbridge's lesson prior? Ron was the one who spoke up first, so he started the fantastic chaos that followed. But why? He isn't the type to do such things normally.."

"So you've been pondering about why your ex-friend suddenly became courageous enough to face a foe like Umbridge?" I repeated for clarification and Harry hummed in agreement.

"Don't you find that a bit peculiar as well?"

"Of course, I do. It's just that I never gave it much thought – yeah, laugh if you want." I groaned when my boyfriend indeed snickered at my statement.

"Anyway, let's be serious again..", He then said, "What to yo think? Why did Ron speak up?"

"Well, every dog has its day, I guess." I stated and shrugged my shoulders.

"Hm.. might be. But I recall him being VERY mad at her for what she said, it looked more like he felt provoked, if you ask me." Harry said but I furrowed my brows.

"But what did Umbridge say to make him erupt with rage?"

"I think it was shortly after she announced that she doesn't need evidence to claim anything." Harry supplied and I made an "ah" sound.

"Well, who wouldn't get mad at such an exclamation?" I said but my boyfriend scratched the back of his head and groaned lightly.

"But why didn't Seamus get mad, then? Why didn't Dean or Pavarti or everybody else?" He asked and I exhaled deeply.

"If you so desperately want an unequivocal answer, just go ask him. He should be somewhere here in the train, as you well know." I told him and literally felt the inner conflict within him at my statement.

"That's not such a good idea, I think.", Harry hesitantly said, "You know, in the end things escalate and I do something stupid."

"Not if I am with you.", I encouraged him and climbed out of his lap, "Come on, I've got the feeling we'll discuss this for the rest of the day if you don't do this. And I have other uses for the time on this earth."

"Okay, fine.." He mumbled as he got up from his seat and unlocked the door.

"Seriously, now you're making it sound like I've been dragging you into this!" I told him as we walked along the corridor and looked into the compartments in search for the redhead.

"Well, you kind of did."

"No, I didn't! You were the one obsessed by this question." I countered and nudged his side playfully.

Our search fortunately didn't take too long and so we were seeing four red-headed Weasleys through the slide doors not long after.

"What's up, guys?" Ginny greeted us with a warm smile and from the corner of my eye I saw that Ronald was well aware of our presence, despite the way he currently eyed a Chocolate Frog card.

"I have something to ask Ron." Harry announced and closed the door. The two of us remained standing in the now crowded compartment.

Everybody in the room became awkwardly silent at his declaration and the addressed person pretended to be oblivious to the current conversation. Something I almost had expected of the Gryffindor.

"Hey, Harry's got something to ask you." Fred snapped his finger in front of his brother's finger, who rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Ugh, make it short." Ron said like it was the most unpleasant thing in the world but Harry thankfully didn't comment on his behaviour.

"Why did you snap in Umbridge's lesson when she talked about how she doesn't need evidence to claim stuff?" He asked and the redhead's eyes dangerously narrowed on the raven-haired wizard.

"If there's one thing I can't stand then it's when people try to make themselves look like some superior being." He growled and I got the feeling he also attacked Harry with this statement.

"Dude, don't look at Harry like this.", George patted his brother's shoulder, "He hasn't done a thing to you, no matter how often you deny.."

"Is that all?", Harry quickly interrupted and Ron did the briefest of nods, "'Kay, then.. Bye?"

"Bye Harry, Bye Hermione." The Weasleys minus Ron bade us farewell and we disappeared as quickly as we had appeared.

"Well, his answer was as simple-minded as Ron himself." Harry remarked as soon as he had shut the door and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You always have to be sassy, hm?" I asked as we returned to our compartment and my boyfriend nodded with a small grin.

"I feel like it's part of my genes. Thanks dad, thanks mum." He said as he looked upwards and I giggled.

"He surely is funny. Well, sometimes that is." I thought and grabbed my boyfriend's hand…

In the early hours of evening, the Hogwarts Express rolled into the train station of King's Cross.

It was already dark outside, winter be damned, but I found comfort in the fact that it would be several degrees warmer here in the south than it would be in Scotland right now.

"Um, would you mind doing all the talking with your parents?" Harry shyly asked me as we put on our winter coats and I chuckled in amusement.

"I actually wanted to do that anyway.", I said before winking at him, "Increasing your chances of survival, you know."

"On this, I whole-heartedly agree."

Harry then took his trunk and Hedwig's cage from the luggage storage above the seats before grinning.

"Oh my, are we too small to get our own stuff?" He then teased and I groaned: How quickly could one's mood change?

"Shut up.", I simply said as I climbed onto one of the seats to reach my trunk, "And by the way, I guess you should stop whinging if you still can laugh."

"Well, I need something to distract myself from the inevitable.", He innocently declared before whistling lowly, "And damn, you sure are distracting."

"Stop staring, you prat!" I giggled and almost dropped Crookshanks' basket because of his stupidity. Luckily that didn't happen and so I quickly handed the basket to my annoying boyfriend.

"Honestly, I'm not even wearing anything permissive." I told him as I got my own trunk and heard Harry humming.

"Doesn't matter.", He stated as I climbed down from the chair and faced his grinning and so very handsome face, "True beauty is not bound to conditions."

"You. Were worrying about meeting my parents." I pretended to scold him, despite the probable pinkness of my face, and reached out my hand for him to hand me my cat's basket.

"You're right. I need to prepare myself." My boyfriend deeply exhaled as he gave me what I requested of him before I lead him out of the compartment.

As usual, the corridor was buzzing with life as everybody wanted to get off the train simultaneously, so it took a few minutes to finally exit the wagon.

"A lot has happened since we last stood here, hasn't it?" Harry asked with a chuckle as we made our way to the barrier and I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah..", I sighed, "A lot of good things have happened."

With that we exited the magical world and began searching for my parents.

The muggle part of King's Cross was very crowded due to the approaching holidays and so it came close to a small miracle that Harry and I didn't collide with some trunk or trolley of a stranger, the movements on the platforms more emulating a dodging simulator than anything else. Though eventually our search came to an end.

"Mum, dad!", I exclaimed when I saw my parents standing next to a pillar, probably in search for me, "We're here!"

Momentarily I had their attention and literally sprinted the last few metres to finally embrace my father and mother again.

"It's so good to see you again, honey." My mother sighed as she gave me a bone-breaking hug that I fully returned.

"I've missed you." I whispered and looked into the smiling face of the person who had given birth to me sixteen years ago.

"We've missed you just as much, princess.", My father then declared as I wrapped my arms around him, the sense of security this made me feel simply soothing, "And you've grown, my god! Have you reached the one metre mark yet?"

"Ha ha, I see you're still my old dad." I countered and rolled my eyes like so often before.

I let go of Mr. Unfunny just in time for Harry to arrive beside me, whom I had left alone without much thought and intention due to my impulse.

"Well, he surely has grown!", My dad exclaimed with a small chuckle as he shook hands with Harry, "And thanks again for looking out for my daughter. I knew I could count on you."

"It wasn't too hard, she didn't cause a lot of trouble. Ha, you should rather thank her for keeping me alive so far, again!" The raven-haired wizard said and shot me a grateful glance.

"Welcome back, dear.", My mother then greeted him with a hug, "So tell us, how was the school year so far?"

"Um, packed with events?" Harry answered and looked at me like he wanted me to reveal the big news.

"No, not now." I tried to tell him just by the way I glanced at him.

"Well, I'd be surprised if you had said the opposite.", My dad chuckled before inspecting our luggage, "So, I guess you want to get rid of these trunks, right? In that case we should get moving to the car."

With that our quartet left for the car park of the train station and Harry next to me became visibly nervous, so I shot him a reassuring glance.

"Is it true that you and Hermione really started a rebellious organization to offend this ministry of yours or was this just my daughter's attempt to make her sound less nerdy?" My father suddenly asked with a grin and I groaned.

"Why must he always try to embarrass me?" I thought to myself.

"Yes, that's true. Hermione and I try to teach our fellow students how to survive, should they ever find themselves in a battle." Harry responded with a sheepish grin.

"Harry, Harry. You've ruined our Hermione." My mum joked.

"Actually, it didn't take any convincing skills to make her like the idea." The raven-haired wizard chuckled and my parents both turned so they could give me a mocking glance.

"Using your brains for the bad now, are you?" My dad teased and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Depends on how you define the term "bad." I cooly responded.

"Bad are those creatures that attacked the two of you during the summer.", He obviously still hadn't forgotten what had happened a few months ago, "By the way, do we know now who made them attack?"

"No, that's still a mystery. Though we had quite a few other things to work out, so we rarely had time to think about that." Harry said and both my parents raised their eyebrows at me.

"Oh shit, they're suspicious." I thought but just shook my head violently in hope they would leave me be for the moment.

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh well, there's a bunch of stuff. Like how to defeat my nemesis and how to organize our defence course without a certain teacher getting wind of it.." Harry explained with slightly red cheeks and I knew he specifically avoided a certain topic.

"You mean this Umbridge?" My mother asked and we hummed in agreement.

"She's a horrible woman. She once made Harry write with his own blood when he was in detention with her." I elaborated and my father snorted.

"I can't believe how somebody like her is even allowed near children." He declared with a gruff expression on his face.

"I think Hermione explained this in one of her letters.", Mum supplied before she looked at me affectionately, "And thank you for writing to us from time to time. It always means a lot to me and your father."

"Yeah, Jane is right. If these times are as dark as you say, then every letter is a sign of you being alive. Something quite relieving, as you no-doubt can imagine." Dad added and smiled at me weakly before clearing his throat.

"Now, enough of this gloomy talk! Christmas is approaching. You looking forward to your holidays?" He quickly changed the mood and I smiled brightly.

"Of course! Even besides all the crazy things happening at Hogwarts, the "normal" school life still is more demanding than ever. Not having to worry about essays and assignments for once will be a great change." I stated and Harry agreed with a chuckle.

"Yeah, and sleeping in also is a thing I'm looking forward to.", He said before laughing, "Your daughter made me get up before six in the morning for some sport. Regularly!"

"Oh yes, we've been reading about this. I guess it can't hurt staying in shape when a dark wizard is trying to hunt you down, right?", My father stated, "And speaking of this nemesis of yours, your headmaster will pay us a brief visit later this evening to install some protective spells."

"Well, that's something I for once can't disagree with in any way." Harry declared and I gave him a sympathetic look.

We then entered the car park and searched a few minutes for our vehicle before my father kindly volunteered to store our trunks in the boot of the car as Harry and I sat down in the back seats.

"Daniel is going to drive us home today, I thought this might stop him from making dad-jokes and dropping unfunny comments." My mother explained with a proud tone and I giggled quietly.

"Good move, mum." I told her and noticed Harry smiling as well. He apparently knew what my father was capable of.

"So, let's get going!" The comedy master in question announced as he took his place on the driver's seat and turned on the engines.

"Any song requests?" He then asked and opened a small drawer where we usually store a few cassettes and my mother turned towards Harry.

"You're our guest, you choose." She said and the raven-haired wizard chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh, that's only a small taste of what you'll experience here with us in the next fourteen days! Wait 'til you taste Jane's Christmas roast, that's an act of true generosity to share even a piece of that with an outsider!" My dad announced and made my mother roll her eyes in a way I only knew too well.

"He's exaggerating." She told Harry but I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nevertheless, your Christmas roast remains a top-tier dish, mum." I praised.

"If you want to, I can help you cook." Harry offered but both my parents resolutely shook their heads.

"That's awfully sweet of you, but we aren't your guests. You are our guest.", My mum then grinned, "And that won't change, no matter how often you ask to help."

"Okay.", Harry mumbled in agreement, "So, do you have a Depeche Mode cassette we could listen to? I listen to them quite a lot right now."

"Ha ha Jane, he's on my side." My dad proudly announced as he didn't waste a moment and inserted a cassette into our car's sound system.

"I bet he's not. Are you, Harry?" Mum then provokingly asked the raven-haired wizard who remained silent with a red face.

"He currently doesn't have a favourite band." I answered for him and my mother chuckled as my father finally parked out.

"Don't be afraid Harry, we won't like you more or less if you have a certain taste in music." She stated and I giggled, amused by his shyness. And if that wasn't enough, "Enjoy the Silence" started playing.

The ride home was spent with a lot of catching up and I also convinced my parents to go to a mall on the next day so Harry and I could buy some presents.

"Sweet Home Alabama." My dad jested when he parked in front of our house and in contrast to everyone else, Harry chuckled because of the joke.

"At least one person likes my jokes now." He mumbled as he turned off the engine and exited the car.

"Sounds like you want to adopt the boy." My mum mused with a small smile.

"He's going to be family soon anyway." Dad snickered and both Harry and I blushed. We quickly retrieved our trunks and pets from the boot so we wouldn't have to face my parents.

"This is not the way I wanted to tell them." I thought, my fingers all sweaty out of the sudden.

"Aha, is there something we should know?" My mother teased when we rounded the car in order to walk towards the house, an unbelievably large smile on her face. It was that face a knowing mother only directed at her children when she knew something the kid desperately tried to hide from it. I was beaten. Best way to surprise my parents, I guess.

"Yeah, we're together."


Precisely at midnight, a person knocked on the minister's office door in the Ministry of Magic.

"Enter." Cornelius Fudge calmly said, already knowing who his late visitor was.

"Minister.", Dolores Umbridge greeted her head of state with an overly sweet smile, "I'm glad you could make some time for me. We have a lot to discuss."

"That is undoubtedly true, my dear." Fudge briefly smiled at his employee before offering his guest the chair in front of his desk.

"So, where do we start?" The minister asked and Umbridge cleared her throat.

"As you might have read in the letter I sent to you today, I think it would be wise to use the festive season to work on a strategy how to undermine Dumbledore's authority and by extension Potter's influence at Hogwarts. Despite my hardest efforts, more and more students seem to believe the rubbish about the dark lord's return, especially as of lately – and I think we both know this is unacceptable." She explained and Fudge sighed.

"I whole-heartedly agree with you, Dolores, I really do, but it will be hard reducing Albus Dumbledore's powers without upsetting the wrong people. I already thought about forcefully making him resign from his position as headmaster, but in order to do so.. we need to stage everything expertly." He said and Umbridge thought about his words for a moment.

"Since the start of term, the headmaster has been ill quite frequently. We should strike when he isn't able to avert the blow." She stated and Fudge chuckled.

"Ah yes, everybody's time is coming to an end at some time..", He mumbled and his employee giggled in her girlish manner, "But I think we should definitely make the newspapers focus on Dumbledore's deteriorating health.. It would make his claims less credible if the public thinks of him as an old, fragile and senile man."

"Good point, minister. We could also make the press question his ability to further govern over Hogwarts, thus making it more appealing when we replace him as headmaster." Umbridge added and Fudge clapped his hands excitedly.

"Splendid!", He announced before his face fell, "But we still need a justification to force the resignment."

"I could expel the Potter boy. Doing this would certainly make Dumbledore try to undermine MY authority to save his golden boy. And this we could interpret as an act of offence against the ministry." Umbridge suggested but the minister wasn't as pleased.

"No, in order to expel Harry Potter we need a darn good reason, with flawless evidence."

"Since months now do I suspect that he is leading an illegal organization to teach his fellow students the arts of defensive magic. If I could verify my suspicions, we could easily expel him." The Hogwarts High Inquisitor said and a demonic grin formed on Cornelius Fudge's face.

"Yes. That would certainly be reason enough." He said and contently placed his hands on the exquisite wood of his desk…


Author's note:

I rewrote a good part of this chapter, because I (obviously) wasn't happy with the way certain passages turned out during the first try. That's what kept me so long away from uploading.

This update also was quite a challenging one for me because I needed a lot of time for some lines or descriptions, which basically is the typical "Writer's block", right? I hope you can understand.

Nonetheless, now, after a lot of time and efforts, I'm done here and this time I'm glad it's a 13k words chapter - because the plot finally moved on, hurray!

Also I wanted to use this AN to proudly tell you that we've reached 67k views (2/3 of 100k!) and managed to gather 300 favs and over 430 followers. I owe each and every visitor of this story A LOT. Thank you for supporting this work and now I can confidently dream of reaching 100k views someday! If somebody had told me this seven months ago I wouldn't have believed it.

PM me or write a review if you have any questions regarding the story.

'Til the next time!

NewOrderFan05