A/N: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her associates. Please support the official release.

Dinner with Hermione's parents turned out to be a lot more awkward than he had initially expected. Hermione's father kept making rather suggestive jokes on his expense, constantly shooting him playful yet somewhat suspicious glares, whilst her mother desperately tried to steer the conversation away from anything romance related out of a burning wish to save whatever dignity Harry and her daughter had left. It was quite obvious at this point that Dan was perfectly happy making fun of both him and his daughter for their friendship, even if said daughter clearly didn't appreciate it.

"So, Harry…" Jane started in yet another attempt at rescuing the conversation from going down an uncomfortable road. "Hermione tells us you're quite the celebrity in the wizarding world."

Well, it was bound to come up at some point, I guess, he thought to himself as he opened his mouth to answer.

"Well, I guess you could say so, yes. It's mostly due to something I did as a newborn child though, and not really because of anything that's happened since."

"She told us you… survived… an attempt on your life by an extraordinarily strong Dark Wizard," she continued, her voice noticeably more strained under the effort to not insult him by asking too many personal questions.

"Yes, I did. Voldemort tried to kill me as a child, and for some reason, his curse rebounded on him and cost him his life," Harry nodded, signaling that he was more than willing to talk about it. He didn't mention, however, that the Dark Lord was most definitely still alive, choosing to go with the Ministry's version of events instead of what he knew to be true.

"I bet Hermione's especially happy you survived," Dan joked yet again, raising his fork to shove yet another mouthful of chicken and rice into his mouth.

"Dad…" Hermione muttered weakly, having all but given up on reprimanding him at this point. It was obvious to her now that no matter what she said or did, he would not be dissuaded to stop.

"Sorry, not sorry," he laughed.

"I apologize for my husband, he's never had an opportunity to play the role of the overprotective father before, so I fear the excuse to finally do so have gone to his head," Jane sighed, taking a sip from the glass of water next to her plate.

"It's fine, really," Harry shrugged, attempting to feign nonchalance and failing dramatically, as his face was currently a nice shade of crimson.

"So, you're saying you're famous because of something you did as a child, yet Hermione here tells me you haven't exactly lived a quite life since then," Dan added, his voice serious for the first time since they began eating. "According to her, you've performed quite a few feats of heroism since."

"Well, it's not like I try to play the hero. Trouble has a way of finding its way to me," Harry grimaced in reply, finishing off the last of the food on his plate as he spoke. It was actually a rather massive understatement to say that "trouble found its way to him". It was more like he was a magnet for all things evil, his life an unending charade of Dark Wizards, dangerous creatures and deadly circumstances. No matter what he did, he just couldn't quite seem to catch a break.

The Professor from hell in my first year, Tom Riddle's diary and the basilisk in my second and the Obscurus and a wanted godfather on the run in my third.

The thought of the Obscurus caused his body to shudder ever so slightly, and he quickly erased the thought from his mind as he turned his attention back to the conversation. He didn't need to be reminded of how he had razed half the school and taken the life of an innocent student in his rage over seeing Hermione hurt.

"Still though, if Hermione is to be believed, facing just one of the things you've had to face in the past couple of years is quite a feat. I take it you must be an unusually strong wizard," Dan continued, swirling his knife around in circles as if to accentuate his point.

Not nearly strong enough.

"I'm… strong for my age, I suppose. But my strength is mostly the result of hard work and dedication, and not due to some natural gift like some seem to think. Everyone can get to where I am if they bother to put in the work," Harry answered honestly, locking eyes with Hermione's father. "There are still plenty of wizards and witches out there that are stronger than me, your daughter is a living example of that. I wouldn't be half as strong as I am today if it wasn't for Hermione and her help."

Hermione blushed quite heavily at that, burying her face in the neck of her sweater.

"I'm not that strong…" she murmured quietly. Harry only smiled in response.

"Well, it's good to see that you haven't let any of your fame get to your head, at least. You're rather humble for a celebrity," Mr. Granger chuckled, nodding his head approvingly. "I feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of you two dating now than I did before."

And just like that, he was back to joking around again. The blush returned to both Harry and Hermione's cheeks, and dinner continued like before, with Dan making fun of the both of them and Jane sighing in disappointment.

"..."

Harry couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried, the sweet relief of darkness refused to take him, and he was left twisting and turning in his bed. His mind refused to stop working, bombarding him with memories from his past and with speculation of the future. Voldemort hadn't showed up in any meaningful way this year, but that didn't mean trouble had left him alone.

So far, Harry had managed to get by with mostly some good luck. He had learned and experienced a lot, yes, but he still wasn't anywhere near the level he should be at, and at some point, his luck had to run out. At some point, it would all come down to skill and understanding. It was quite obvious that Voldemort wasn't planning on leaving him alone by now, and if he wasn't adequately prepared, he would not stand a chance against him. The Dark Lord would return, kill him and everyone he cared about, and then proceed to take his place as ruler of Wizarding Britain. And no matter how much Harry might dislike the British wizarding society, he didn't want them to suffer the fate of being ruled by Lord Voldemort. The death toll would be unimaginable if such a thing came to pass.

Right now, he's biding his time, gathering his strength. But he wouldn't be doing that forever. Soon enough, he'll come for me. And I'll have to be ready.

He was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of a knock on the door. Confused, he slowly got up from his bed and approached the entrance to the room, opening it up to reveal Hermione standing on the other side, dressed in nothing but her nightgown.

"Can't sleep either?" she asked drily, her hands fidgeting nervously behind her back.

"Not really, no," Harry sighed in reply, taking a step back and gesturing towards the room. "Want to come in?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," she responded with a small smile, walking into the room and taking a quick look around. Harry suspected she wouldn't find it too different from what she was used to, he had hardly brought with him a ton of stuff after all.

Getting seated on his bed, he waited for her to say something. She must've had a reason for coming to him in what was essentially the middle of the night.

"I mostly just came by because I couldn't sleep," she started, an awkward smirk covering her face. "And to apologize for my dad's behavior today. Sometimes, it can feel like he's the real child in this family, and not me."

"Apology accepted," Harry nodded, tapping the bed next to him. "Feel free to sit down, by the way. You're making me kinda nervous, standing there like that."

"O-okay…" she muttered, gracefully taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"As I already told you, I couldn't really sleep myself. Too many thoughts keeping me awake," he sighed once he saw that she had made herself comfortable, shaking his head in exasperation.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked, fixing him with a curious yet slightly flustered gaze.

"Just… everything, I guess. My past. My future. I… I guess I'm just concerned."

"What are you concerned about?" she inquired, leaning ever so slightly closer to him.

"Voldemort, mostly," Harry chuckled drily in response, shifting his gaze to the ground. "I feel like no matter what I do, it's all pointless in the end. Voldemort seems hellbent on killing me, for some reason, and I suspect he's not going to stop until he's gotten what he wants. Kinda makes it hard to be excited for yet another year at Hogwarts when I know I'll just… die… eventually."

"You don't know that. You can still beat him," Hermione declared, a surprising hardness entering her voice. "I'll help you."

"… As reassuring as that is, I'm only a child, Hermione. How am I supposed to beat the strongest wizard alive? The only reason I've gotten as far as I have is because of luck. And that's bound to run out eventually."

"It's not only because of luck," she hissed, suddenly a lot more fired up than earlier. "You need to stop downplaying your own strength. You are one of the bravest people I know, and the only one who can challenge me when it comes to academics. You're stronger than you realize, Harry."

"But not strong enough," he smiled sadly, shaking his head at her words. "It doesn't matter if I do well in school if Voldemort is ten times as powerful as I am. I simply don't have enough time to catch up."

Suddenly, two pale hands placed themselves on either side of his head, jerking it to the side. He immediately locked eyes with Hermione, her face drawn into a strict, yet still surprisingly loving expression.

"Listen to me, you idiot. You're not going to die. We're going to get out of this, together. I don't care what anyone else says, I know how strong you can be when you need to. And if you feel like you can't catch up with Voldemort, then cheat. Use every dirty trick in the book to get the advantage. Do everything you can to stay alive and emerge victorious. Don't let him win before the battle has even started."

Staring into her chocolate-colored eyes, he couldn't help but shiver as his heart did cartwheels in his chest. She looked unbelievably beautiful in that moment, the moonlight streaming in through the window illuminating her features and making her look like some kind of goddess. He couldn't believe he had been lucky enough to find a friend like her, a friend that would stand by him and support him no matter what.

"And it's not like you have to face this alone. I'm going to be there by your side the entire time, helping you in any way I can. No matter what happens, as long as it's the two of us, we can face anything. You're not alone, Harry."

He swallowed hard in an attempt to get rid of the lump forming in his throat, a single tear threatening to roll down his cheek as his heart soared. Hearing her say such things so earnestly did strange things to his feelings, making his head go fuzzy. They had been through so much already, and knowing that she wouldn't leave him, wouldn't abandon him, made him feel all kinds of ways.

"So next year, let's give it our all. Let's grow stronger, learn as much as we possibly can. We are already at the top of our year amongst the students, but we can go even further. We'll gather allies, people like Luna, and prepare for the future. If it can help us in the fight against Voldemort, nothing is off-limits."

Harry could do nothing but nod in response, the tear in his eye finally leaking out and streaking down the side of his face. He absentmindedly noticed that Hermione also seemed to be struggling now, her lips quivering ever so slightly under the weight of her own words.

"So please… please, don't doubt yourself. We'll make it, one way or another. No matter what it takes."

"… No matter what it takes," he whispered back, placing his hand atop hers, and clenching it tightly.

Then, before he even realized what he was doing, there was suddenly nothing separating them anymore. The space between them was reduced to zero in an instant as he crashed his lips onto hers, kissing her with an almost primal yearning.

A tiny voice in his head told him that he was moving too fast, that this could potentially ruin their entire relationship... but at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. All he wanted to do was kiss her, consequences be damned.

Hermione didn't even flinch. She responded to his kiss with equal fervor, matching his strength with her own. This had been brewing for a long time, and the tension had finally reached a tipping point with her heartfelt speech. Three years of history swiftly came to its conclusion with Harry's kiss, and she had no hope of holding herself back any longer, practically throwing herself at him in her desperation.

The morning after was about as awkward as expected. Harry woke up rather late, no doubt the result of staying up the night before to think, and came down to find the others sitting around the table eating breakfast. Hermione adamantly refused to meet his gaze, and shifted uncomfortably around in her chair. Her parents, on the other hand, were much more welcoming, smiling at him as he entered the room.

"Good morning, Harry. Had a good night?" Mrs. Granger asked him.

Oh yes, very.

Ignoring the urge to make a really inappropriate comment, he nodded in response before getting seated at the table, sitting directly opposite of Hermione. She still refused to look at him, keeping her stare firmly down at the table. Her father must've noticed the tension between them, as a small smile started creeping its way onto his face.

"So… Did something happen last night? The two of you seem awfully quiet," he remarked teasingly, his voice dripping with amusement.

"No, absolutely nothing at all happened last night," Hermione suddenly piped up, the traces of a blush coloring her cheeks. "We just talked for a bit in Harry's room, that's it."

"Talked, huh… Well, it must've been a really interesting talk then, seeing as you can't even seem to bring yourself to look at Harry," he pressed, refusing to back down.

"DAD, PLEASE…" Hermione begged, squirming under the weight of his accusations.

"Ahahaha, alright, alright, I'll stop," he laughed, bringing his steaming cup of coffee up to his lips. "It's okay, don't worry. I was young once too."

His comment didn't make things any better, and Harry had to really fight to suppress the blush threatening to spill out across his face. Memories of the night before resurfaced from the depths of his mind, making his groin twitch ever so slightly.

"Well, no matter what happened last night, the two of you need to eat something. Here, I'll fix you up with some toast," Jane nodded, extending her arm across the table to grab Harry's plate. He gratefully accepted her offer, handing her the plate before she could bend all the way over to it.

"We were planning on going to the mall today," Dan said as Jane got up from the table and started toasting some bread. "And we were wondering if the two of you would like to come with us."

Harry, not quite sure what to say, looked to Hermione for assistance, only to be met with curt rejection. She seemed to be wholly absorbed in admiring the wooden table, and would probably not be of any help.

"Uhh… Sure, w-we'd love," Harry smiled, deciding to answer for the both of them. Despite her hesitance to look at him, Harry doubted she would allow him to go to the mall with her parents without her. She had to keep an eye on her father after all, to make sure he didn't take his teasing too far.

"Great! We leave in approximately two hours, so be sure to get anything you need to do done before then."

"Yeah, I'll be ready."

Harry didn't say much after that, choosing to remain mostly silent like Hermione for the remainder of breakfast. He did, however, listen to Jane ramble on about buying new furniture for the living room, and occasionally chuckling when Dan made a joke. Despite the awkwardness, Harry felt rather comfortable in their presence now, and found himself looking forward to going to the mall with them. The only thing he hoped was that he would be able to bring Hermione to talk to him before then.

A couple of hours later, about 15 minutes before they were scheduled to leave, Harry heard a faint knock on his door. Hermione had retreated back to her room after breakfast, and so he had figured he'd do the same until they were ready to leave. Walking over to the door, he swung it open to reveal Hermione standing there with a conflicted expression on her face. The scene was oddly reminiscent of last night, and Harry couldn't quite contain his blush at the thought of what had happened then.

"L-Listen here…" Hermione started, finally meeting his eyes for the first time since last night. "Whatever happened last night, I… I wanted you to know that I meant what I said… about standing together against Voldemort."

"O-Oh. That's… good to hear," Harry replied, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I meant what I said as well… about you being amazing."

Hermione blushed violently at the mention of his comment to her during their union last night, but it didn't seem to upset her. "That's… also good to hear," she muttered quietly, the faintest traces of a smile ghosting across her lips.

"When we get back from the mall… I think we should get started on our studying. I haven't forgotten what you said last night, about going as far as we can this year. We need to get stronger, and the only way that's going to happen is through hard work. And, knowing you, I bet you brought with you at least one copy of every book in our curriculum for next year home," he finished with a smile, laughing ever so slightly at Hermione's reaction. His assumption had been spot on.

"I figured it would be nice to get a head start! And I really like studying…" she defended, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. As far as I am concerned, your decision to do so will benefit the both of us greatly. I'm counting on you to help me through it."

"… I'll try my best," she responded with a smile.

"Good. Now let's get going. Don't want to keep your parents waiting."

"Alright."

And so the two of them left his room, heading down the stairs to join Hermione's parents by the front door.

A/N: Alright, so this chapter turned out to be a lot more fluffy and lovey-dovey than I originally planned it. It just sort of happened as I started to write about Hermione's midnight visit to Harry's room, and, seeing as they were both in a really vulnerable place and clearly have feelings for one another, I simply thought "ehh, fuck it". I hope you enjoyed it, even if I "killed the action" a little prematurely.

I've been on a pretty good writing spree recently, and I'm hoping to keep it up for as long as possible. I hope you all are enjoying these chapters, as only a few of you actually leave reviews despite every chapter being read by several thousand people. The fact that you all keep coming back for more is a good sign though, even if you don't actually say or write anything.

So as always, if you enjoyed the read, please do leave a review, and I will see you guys in the next chapter!

-Twisted