A nervous restlessness plagued Harry the moment he entered his room, confronted with the unusually homely space that served as his personal space for the foreseeable future. He remained still, frozen in indecision as he stared out the window where he could see the tops of the Quidditch pitch stands. Sickening longing panged through him. His life-long ban from Quidditch might no longer apply, but he had no way of knowing when he'd be able to fly again.

Or when he'd be free again.

"Stop it!" He suddenly snapped at himself the moment his thoughts started to cycle.

Forcing himself into action, he headed over to his trunk to find some way to pass the time before Ron and Hermione showed up. His thoughts went onto the package that Sirius slipped to him after Christmas, filled with purpose. He dropped down onto his knees, unclasping his trunk lid and plunged his head into the mess of his belongings. He managed to unearth the poorly wrapped gift when he heard movement outside his room. Straightening, he listened to the sound of footsteps coming down the creaky spiral staircase. He dropped the package back on top of his things in his trunk. The mirror would have to wait.

"Come in." He called out before they had an opportunity to knock. He turned, face feeling warm as he considered his unmade bed. He went to neaten the quilt and prop the pillows up as the door opened.

"It's just me." Hermione greeted as she entered. Harry's hands stilled at her voice, not turning as she shut the door and walked inside. Her shoes padded loudly on the wooden floorboards until she paused and went to remove them at the door. Harry straightened, watching her strange behaviour as she treated his bedroom like it was actually someone's home. Which, he reasoned, it was - for the moment. He looked down at his own feet, wearing the socks Dobby made for him. He hadn't put on shoes. There was no need to when he couldn't go anywhere.

"Where's Ron at?" Harry asked when he stopped staring at his own feet. Hermione didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to come straight towards him. He lifted his chin, taking in her appearance properly. Of course, as it was a Saturday, she wasn't wearing her uniform. Her casual attire was neat as usual, much more so than his own hastily repaired and resized hand-me-downs.

"He's…" Hermione started, hesitating. Harry frowned at her before seeing her awkward flush on her cheeks. Her gaze flittered over to his window briefly. "He's gone flying."

Harry looked over to the window, frown still in place.

"Quidditch practice isn't until two on Saturdays." He said hollowly before looking back at Hermione, catching her chewing on her lip. Suddenly, he understood. "Oh, you talked then?"

Hermione huffed out a sigh through her nose, stepping up to him. Her hand rested on his arm.

"I had to. Last night… well, it was rather obvious."

He met her gaze, face heating.

"Oh, right. Um… sorry for conking out on you like that."

"Don't apologise." Her smile was warm, eyes soft and kind. Her gentle touch on his arm was enough, communicating through the smallest contact. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes for a moment. The warmth of her presence felt like a blanket tucked around him. "I'm just glad you got some rest."

He hummed in response, staring into her comforting gaze. He looked down at her hand, smiling.

"I'm not sure what we are right now but… I just know that it feels… nice. Right, even." He peered across at her thoughtfully. "Seeing that you're not acting like I scared you off, you… feel the same way?"

Her smile changed, a glint sharpening in her expressive brown eyes. All traces of nervousness dwindled from her as she reached for his other arm, turning him so they were facing. Without further ado, she inched herself onto tiptoes and placed her lips over his own.

He couldn't argue with that answer.

Her lips trembled a little. Harry's hands found her waist, moving her closer to him so he could deepen the kiss. It felt just as incredible as the first time, though without stress and fear warring inside him. Bliss consumed him, uninterrupted, as he chased each sensation with renewed passion. His hands tightened around Hermione's waist, revelling how her body responded to his.

Their lips parted. Harry stared at Hermione, his heart soaring in with joy that was so utterly different to the empty hopelessness that left him feeling like a shadow of himself. He had no right to be so happy, not while his life was still being held hostage. Hermione's hands then lifted from his shoulders, her eyes taking on a soft quality that felt so familiar and so yet so new. Her fingers touched his face and he jolted a little. Her eyes widened but Harry didn't pull away.

"Um… can we sit on the bed? I promise I won't sleep on you this time."

Harry's words came out haltingly. He dropped his hands from Hermione's waist, drawing back from her to climb onto the bed. He gave her an expectant look, shifting so he sat in the middle of the mattress, bringing his legs up as well.

"I'm a bit surprised they didn't shrink the bed down." She remarked. It was twice as big as the four poster beds in the dormitories. "I take it this room was intended for family guests."

"The last occupant was Min- um Professor McGonagall's brother," Harry confirmed. Hermione's eyes went round when he corrected himself. "He didn't make it through the last war though. It sounds like he used to stay here when he had business in the village."

"That's who Robbie is then." Hermione then said quietly, referencing the sign on the door. He nodded. "I've always wondered if Professor McGonagall had any family but it's not really something you ask your teacher - especially when there's a strong likelihood of happening accidentally on family tragedy."

She then decided to join him, sitting a little cautiously on the edge of the bed. Harry understood her reluctance then and why she brought up Professor McGonagall in the first place.

"She isn't going to keep checking on me all the time." Harry assured her. "She said that she's not my prison warden and will respect my privacy when I'm in here. Though there are a load of rules for me to follow, she's not treating me like a naughty child. She's even calling me 'Harry' as long as I call her 'Minerva'. It's… really weird."

Hermione then scooted back on the bed, bringing her feet up so her knees were up to her chest. She considered Harry thoughtfully, resting her chin on her knees.

"It's not weird. She's always had a soft spot for you - or do you not remember how you got on a broom and performed a really dangerous stunt without supervision yet she rewarded you by making you the Gryffindor seeker and bought you a new broom?"

Hermione had a point there. He chuckled.

"Huh, fair enough."

He then lay back on the bed, folding his arms behind his back and stared up at the panelled ceiling. He brought his knees up, turning his head so he was looking at Hermione. She smiled down at him. He then recalled why it was just them both and why Ron had chosen to go flying instead of seeing him. Guilt squirmed back to life.

"So um… how did Ron take it?" He asked. Hermione sighed, glancing over her shoulder to the window where the pitch was just visible.

"Better than I expected actually."

Surprised, Harry sat up. "Really?"

Nodding, Hermione shifted to face him. "I was surprised too. I think he's a lot more hurt than he was letting on but I don't think he's angry at us. He knows that in the grand scheme of things, us having feelings for each other isn't the end of the world. He just, I don't know, maybe had some expectation that there would be something between him and me."

Harry met her gaze, lifting his chin, frowning. "Hmm… maybe. He is weirdly fixed on the thing you have with Krum - even though he's just like your pen-pal." He frowned, giving a small shrug. It was more of a twitch. "I always thought he was more upset about being left out than he was with you picking another guy over him."

Hermione gaped at him.

"What?" He asked, worried.

"That's really perceptive."

He snorted softly, smiling. "It's known to happen."

The mattress creaked as Hermione then shifted back to join him, her legs knocking against his as she did. She then lay back, using her arm to cushion her head as she went to curl on her side. Harry smiled, mirroring her to face her. Their knees touched as they stared at each other for a moment. Her attention made him feel strange but it wasn't unpleasant.

"What else do you think?"

"Hmm?" Harry searched her face, very aware of how close they were to each other. Her eyes roved around, taking in every detail before settling on his eyes.

"About Ron."

His brow furrowed.

"Um… why?"

"Because isn't this what we're meant to do? Gossip?"

He then smiled. "I never took you for a gossip, Hermione Granger."

She rolled her eyes. "You forget who I share a dormitory with. Gossip isn't something I'm often involved with voluntarily."

He laughed softly, trying to picture what it was like in her dormitory with Lavender and Parvati fiercely gossiping about every living creature within their vicinity. Then he sobered when he remembered how he snapped at her early in the year when she told him how they had been talking about him. Hermione had defended him in that instance. He felt a little savage satisfaction. Everyone else had no problem talking about him behind his back.

"Honestly?" He went to double check that Hermione was serious about hearing his thoughts. She kept her intense stare and nodded. "I think Ron needs to think for himself a bit more. I get that it must be frustrating to contend with his brothers all the time, but he keeps confusing that competition with me and… well…it's annoying. He's grown out of it a bit now that he's starting to see that the attention I get is mostly negative. But he doesn't… I don't know… find ways to break the mould."

Hermione hummed in agreement, watching him closely.

"I get that he feels overshadowed at times. By his brothers, by me and by you too. But sometimes I can't tell if he's happy where he is or wants to do something about his lot in life. I mean… look at Fred and George for example. They're fed up with not having a lot of money so they're doing something about it. Sure, maybe you don't completely approve and I know Mrs Weasley doesn't… but I really admire them for at least doing something. That's kinda why I gave them that money. They're trying to change things… give people a laugh and some light while things are so… dark."

Harry felt uneasy talking about the Weasleys in such a way but he had suspicions that during the summers while he was at the Dursleys, they discussed him at length too.

"Not everyone has that kind of courage to fork out their own path." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Look at Sirius, for example. He's rather unique in how completely broke away from his family and thought for himself."

"I think that's a pretty extreme example. You've seen what Sirius's mum was like." Harry pointed out.

"Yet his brother didn't rebel like Sirius did. He joined the Death Eaters, didn't he?"

Harry frowned. He didn't know a lot about Sirius's brother. "I expect it was different for them both. Sirius was pretty unique right? Being in Gryffindor with my dad and Remus…" He winced, as he glossed over the fourth Marauder. "He would have been around people who had a different perspective to what he was used to. He rebelled against them, against everything his family stood for." He let out a breath. "Yeah… I see what you mean. That courage is pretty rare."

Hermione nodded. "For what it's worth, I do agree with you. Ron can complain about being second-best but if he wants that to change, he needs to work on finding his calling in life and fighting for it. He can't keep expecting success to fall in his lap. Sometimes you have to apply yourself to succeed."

Harry gave her a wry smile. "I know full well that I don't exactly 'apply' myself."

"You do where it matters." Hermione said firmly but then smiled back. "Though you could benefit from trying harder when it comes to school work."

"Hmm… I'll make it my priority though being suspended from class makes it a bit difficult."

Hermione sighed. "Well, we did well to keep that topic coming up for as long as we did." She said sadly. Harry grimaced.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I…" Hermione peered across at him. "It's nice to talk to you. It feels like… for a moment we could have just been any two teenagers talking about their friends and their opinions. Gossiping - like you said. It felt normal."

Her hand came up to Harry's face, moving slowly and considerately. As light and gentle as the touch of a feather, her fingers traced down his cheek. He stilled as she touched him, communicating with him now skin-to-skin. Harry stared at her, speechless and enrapt as her fingers sketched over to his chin. His lips parted, gasping in a breath. He went still, unable to do anything other than breathe as she then moved her fingers down from his jaw to his neck, brushing over his throat. Harry shivered as she touched him somewhere new. He licked at his lip, eyes moving to her mouth.

"Hermione…"

Her finger then came up to rest on his lips to silence him. Harry could feel his body responding where his mind was still catching up. Her eyes were on his lips, intense with a hard, hot look that he'd never seen her wear before. Her forefinger ran over his bottom lip.

"This feels normal too." She whispered a little breathlessly. "How I feel about you. How I just want to savour everything about you, how you think, how you feel… how your lips feel."

His hands moved as if they had minds of their own. Arm moving from where it cushioned his head, he went to touch Hermione, pulled in on her spell. He pushed his fingers into the pillow of curls under her head, her lips then parting as he cupped her cheek. Her skin was so soft.

"If you want, we can… make out. Properly, I mean." Harry found himself suggesting, his heart thrumming with excitement when he said the words. Hermione stared at him and nodded, excitement entering her own eyes.

Harry took off his glasses, shuffling over the bed to reach the bedside table where he placed them. He didn't want them in the way. He then sat on the edge of the bed and he then removed his jumper, casting it onto his trunk with a flump. He then drew his wand out from the waistband of his jeans, placing that on his bedside table too. His breathing was fast, his heart thudding in his chest while blood surged downwards to the part of him that had never felt so stimulated. Harry wasn't ignorant. He knew what he was in the throes of experiencing properly for the first time. Every part of him was desperate for more - his stiffening manhood in particular.

Almost shyly, he looked side-along at Hermione. She then reached up and removed her cardigan. They were silent as she dropped her garment on top of his jumper. Her arms were bare, wearing a purple camisole. Harry's gaze travelled over her shoulders to where he could see the straps of her bra as well as her vest top. Then he looked down, face burning as he made himself look at her properly, taking in her breasts and the slope of her waist.

"Harry?"

She said his name like an invitation. Her hand extended towards him. Not thinking twice, he took it and then both moved in tandem. Harry shuffled back towards the headboard of the bed while he led Hermione back with him. She climbed onto the bed, moving onto her knees. The mattress dipped under them both. His head and shoulders pressed against the pillows, pushing them back against the headboard. Hermione followed him and then she went to sit astride him. When her buttocks rested on his lap, they turned their backs on their childhood innocence completely.

He leaned forwards suddenly, his hands grasping Hermione's shoulders and he pressed his mouth against hers. A new energy pulsed through him as he kissed her. His body sparking with new signals, hormones dancing in his blood stream along with the magic that swirled in his veins. Hermione shifted on his lap, her arms wrapping around his waist as she pulled them both together. Harry's hands roamed down her arms, brushing down the soft skin. They were nearly panting between kisses, losing themselves in the intoxicating throbs of their awakened sexual desire.

Hermione's lips left his. Harry opened his eyes, worried that he'd gone too far, but then her head bowed down, her hair brushing over his face as she went to kiss his neck. Harry rocked his head back, eyes going wide as pleasure set his toes curling. He shuddered, the touch of her lips making his hands twitch on her arms as his mind seemingly short-circuited. An actual moan escaped him. He felt Hermione smiling against his skin, pleased at the sound she just extracted from him.

"I want to touch you," Hermione whispered against his neck, "but only if you're okay with it."

"Mmmhmm…"

Harry couldn't say anything close to coherent but Hermione understood his assent. Her hands then travelled down his back. Harry's head came to rest on her shoulder as he heaved in gasps, looking up at her flushed face. She caressed his body in a way he never experienced in his life. She was feeling him through the fabric of his shirt, her hands putting pressure as she felt the lean muscles in his back and the flat plain of his abdomen. Her breaths came out in half-pants as she touched his stomach.

It took Harry too long for him to understand what she was doing. She was admiring his body. He never thought before that she might find his physique attractive, even though he knew girls liked boys with muscles - especially abdominal ones like he had thanks to the upper body strength he needed for flying. Then Hermione's hands were on his own, dragging them over to her body where she placed them on her waist. Harry gasped as she guided his hands upwards. He closed his eyes, taking in every contour of her body. Her figure was soft where he was lean. She was all curves while he was angles, slender where he was slim.

Her lips pressed against his once again. Harry didn't protest, wanting as much as she would give him. After spending so much of his life starved of any affectionate touches, experiencing intimate ones was flooding him with joy.

His hands left her body, moving to cup her face instead as he kissed her. He tried to communicate how he felt, how touched he was that she saw him for more than just a name and a legend. She saw him. Every part of him, his physical body, his heart and mind. The new signals in his mind guided him towards wanting to give pleasure to the one who mattered so much. He brushed his fingers as gently as he could around her face, stroked her hair and then her shoulders. Whatever he was doing, it sent Hermione squirming on his lap. She then shifted closer to him, sitting on his stiffening penis and pulsing balls.

"Sh-shit…" Harry gasped out as her weight pressed where he was currently extremely sensitive. Hermione pulled away from him at once, alarmed.

"Are you okay?" She asked at once. He nodded, blood rushing to his face.

"I'm… I'm fantastic… too good, in fact." He then rested his hands on her bare shoulders. "But… but I think we should slow down for a moment." Hermione's pupils were completely blown and she nodded in agreement. Harry looked down at her mouth, seeing their joint saliva slick around her lips. She brought her arm up to wipe at her face.

"I've never felt anything like that before. It was amazing. I think… we grew up a lot in those few minutes."

Harry swallowed, deciding to confront himself with the state he was in, particularly the discomfort in his nether regions. Sure enough, he was bulging against his jeans, sporting a very noticeable erection. Hermione's gaze went down, her eyes widening even further.

"Something's grown all right." Harry remarked in a weird voice that didn't sound like his own. Hermione stared at him for a moment.

Then she burst out laughing. Not the dry giggle that she gave on occasion to something Ron would quip about. Full, blown laughter - including snorts. The bed rocked with the force of her mirth, her hands slamming onto the mattress as she laughed and climbed off Harry. It was infectious as Harry soon found himself laughing too.

"I think… when I was given permission to have visitors, this isn't what McGonagall had in mind." Harry managed to say between laughs.

"Don't you mean 'Minerva'?"

Harry laughed again, watching Hermione as she went to sit next to him. She reached up, pulling a strap from her camisole up where one of Harry's eager hands had accidentally dislodged it. Harry took in her dishevelled appearance, feeling a weird sense of satisfaction that he'd been the cause. As Hermione took in the state he was in, he caught a similar glint of satisfaction in her eyes. He smiled at her look.

Heart rate starting to return back to normal, Harry settled back against the pillows. Hermione joined him, hesitating for a brief moment before edging closer, her leg resting against his. She then lowered her head onto his chest, laying against him in a similar way as he did the night before. Her hair provided a natural pillow against him, soft and lightly fragrant from her shampoo. Harry stared down at her, half in awe that she would choose to cuddle up to him. He brought his arm around her, hand resting on her bare skin, feeling the steady rise-and-fall of her calm, serene breathing. It was captivating, helping him, in turn, to relax himself. After so much stress, the moment of peace felt truly glorious.

"I think this may be what people tend to call the calm before the storm." Hermione whispered softly against him. Harry closed his eyes, dipping his own head down to press his forehead against her hair.

"All the more reason to enjoy this while it lasts."

That they were given as much space and time alone as they had surprised both Harry and Hermione. In fact, it was suspicious how much privacy they'd been given, leading Hermione to believe that Professor McGonagall had a hand in it. She knew full well that the school was in a spin about Harry's return and where he was being held ended up as a poorly held secret. She half-expected Harry to be pelted with letters like he'd been after the Quibbler interview went public.

Instead, the only interruption came in the form of food arriving spontaneously at the rickety desk. Harry sheepishly explained to her that he was getting meals delivered straight to his room while he couldn't physically leave to eat with the rest of the school. Hermione begrudgingly accepted the news, her opinions about the catering system at Hogwarts a sticky subject. Though she knew full well that one particular house-elf was likely behind the helpings of treacle tart that showed up with lunch.

They did hear from Ron eventually when Pigwidgeon showed up outside the window, twittering away. Harry let the small bird in so it could deliver a tiny folded note that he'd carried in his talons. Hermione came to read the message with him at the window.

Is it clear if I come over at 7? Don't want to walk in on anything happening.

Ron

Hermione winced and felt her face heat. She sat on the ledge of the window while Harry went to grab a quill to write a response. Soon enough, he'd written an equally short and to-the-point reply on the back of the note before sending the small owl out to deliver it.

They had some time alone still left so spent it on Harry's double bed, laying over the quilt while they played with each other's fingers idly. Harry shared a few things with her while relaxed enough to speak. Hermione listened on, keeping hold of his hand to assure them both that he was definitely there and hadn't been taken away. His experience of being in the Wizengamot Assembly Hall sounded galling and much worse than what he went through for his Hearing for underage magic. Hermione mused over the similarities between how the Wizarding government managed itself and the muggle House of Commons. It seemed like throwing the head of the government off their elected seat at the first opportunity was a shared theme in politics no matter if in robes or a suit.

"The stupid thing is after all that, I still don't know what they believe about Voldemort." Harry bleakly said in a weary tone, staring distantly upwards at the wooden panels above the bed. "I mean, I'm really relieved that Umbridge is exposed and everything. Fudge making everyone live in a false sense of security is dangerous but getting rid of him doesn't get us any closer to getting rid of Voldemort."

Hermione hummed in agreement, understanding his frustrations.

"It's easy for us to be critical about their lack of action but what exactly can they do against a threat like Voldemort? From how things sound like they were the last time, the Ministry were equally as clueless and it was only Dumbledore who really took a stand."

Harry considered her words thoughtfully, then sighed.

"I guess unmasking the spies puts them in a better position than last time. With the Order working with the Aurors too, you've got the veterans who won't be a pushover in a real fight working with the Ministry."

"And there's you." Hermione said softly, turning to look at him. His jaw tensed in response. "Don't look like that. You've done a lot to make people realise that the wizard they all fear so much they can't speak his name is also just a man who failed to kill an inexperienced, underaged wizard."

"If they even believe that much." Harry pointed out. "The Wizengamot were more upset about me getting hurt by Umbridge than anything I've done against Voldemort. Apparently it's a huge taboo to abuse young magical children… which is news to me." He added under his breath. "It's why everyone's flipped out about Fudge and Umbridge messing about in Hogwarts more than the bloody murderers out there."

"That's because it's much more alarming when the people trusted to protect and safeguard children are actually a threat against them."

Harry then surprised her by looking away, not before a flash of pain diminished the righteous fire from his eyes.

"I guess." He said quietly. "I suppose I just didn't like them seeing me as a victim."

There really wasn't much she could say in answer to that. She continued to thread her fingers through his, grounding him with her touch. Her thoughts dwelled on their hands, her right hand woven with his left. His right hand rested on his stomach, the scars littered across the skin visible. Once again, she was confronted with just how strong Harry was. He went through hours and hours of torture without ever dropping his guard. She only had to endure one detention and one session of Umbridge's sadistic form of corporal punishment.

Hermione let go of his hand, rolling over to then lean over him. The mattress creaked under them as she moved, her hair swinging down almost as if to give them a privacy screen. She gathered Harry's face in both her hands and, without any words to say, she decided to let her kiss do the talking.

His mouth opened, exhaling a soft sigh, his lips moving to press against hers. The special, intimate sounds that only kisses appeared to make covered the silence between them. She kept up the kiss until sure Harry had fully relaxed. He sighed out his nose before pulling away. Hermione looked directly into his eyes. His gaze dragged around her face, thoughtfulness sparking in the green depths of his stunning eyes. For they were stunning, always had been. Hermione just never allowed herself to think of her best friend in such a way before. Whatever he was thinking, it pleased him, his lips curled in a gentle, content smile.

"I think I like your way of telling me to change the subject."

He leaned in, taking the initiative as he went to plant a kiss on her lips. He then moved, sitting up, his hands going to her shoulders. He pulled back, taking in a deep breath.

"How long do we have?" He asked. Hermione checked her watch, sighing.

"Half an hour."

"We best get this out of our system then." Harry said with a mournful edge to his tone. He then glanced down to his crotch. "Well, I need to get it out of my system. I don't think Ron's going to find it amusing if it's obvious what we've been up to."

Hermione followed Harry's gaze, seeing that he was bulging in his jeans again. He pulled at his lip, appearing sheepish.

"Are you… okay?" Hermione couldn't finish whatever she was about to say about his predicament so ended her question lamely.

"Er… at the moment, yeah." Harry flushed. "We won't get in trouble if I… sort it out in the bathroom."

"In trouble?" Hermione repeated, worried then. Harry laughed faintly.

"Don't tell me you've managed to forget a pretty big rule. You know, about conduct between witches and wizards?" He tilted his head to one side. Understanding shot through her, followed by a wave of mortification. How she managed to forget such a rule when she was a prefect, she didn't know. 'Fooling around' warranted a strict punishment when caught in the act.

"But… you never said if kissing was against your arrest rules!"

"It's not but this?" He gestured at his crotch. "This is pushing it. Stupid bloody thing needs to behave itself."

Hermione bit on her lip as she realised exactly what Harry was saying.

"You've really got my head in a spin. It never crossed my mind that we would be breaking rules."

Harry then laughed, dropping down onto the bed, gazing up at her.

"Hmm… I've always been a bad influence, haven't I?" He said with a light snort.

Hermione smiled, enjoying the gleam in Harry's eyes.

"Perhaps I have a thing for rebellion after all."

The gleam in Harry's eyes intensified, the look he levelled her way reigniting the tight heat in her midriff. He then performed a strange shuffle on his back as he scrambled to get off the bed. Hermione sat, mystified by his behaviour until he rocked himself onto his feet, hands covering his crotch.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. Did you have to say that…?" Harry moaned.

"What?"

"It was very hot, okay!" Harry flew over his shoulder, his tone exasperated. Hermione then realised what had happened and she laughed, astonished. "I need to deal with this before you say something… else." Harry explained before he had to look away from her. Once he left the room, Hermione was reeling.

She knew what he was doing. Her parents had made sure she was fully clued up, not trusting the school to fully educate her on human biology and the changes puberty brought about. They had been right to step in. She never once wondered if Harry received such a talk. It made her feel suddenly very bad for lecturing him the way she did after his disaster date with Cho. It wasn't exactly his fault that he was so clueless. Who was there in his life to talk to him about girls and relationships? Though, she did then wonder how he'd been so inept around Cho yet confident with her. She got up from the bed causing the springs to creak. She ended up at the window, looking out at the darkening sky. Her fingers traced over her lips, the skin sensitive.

She heard the running water of the shower as Harry went to 'deal' with his problem. It caused Hermione's thoughts to end up imagining being in a shower with him. She had to work very hard to get her head straight, checking her watch to remind herself that Ron would be showing up. She glanced over to the bed and to where, at Harry's trunk at the foot, she'd given Harry back his Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map. She could follow Ron with the Map but she dismissed the idea, settling instead for sitting on the window ledge and watching the sun set behind the mountains.

Harry returned without much time to spare, towelling his hair dry as he did. He flashed Hermione a sheepish smile.

"How are we looking for time?" Harry asked her.

"Five to."

"Oh. Let's go up to the office then. No one will be around to let him in otherwise."

He made sure to grab his jumper and his wand. Hermione risked a glance to just confirm that he had dealt with the 'problem'. Harry softly chuckled, spotting her look. He nudged her arm.

"Eyes up, Miss Granger."

She gave him a push in return. Harry laughed properly, the sound music to her ears. He passed her cardigan over. She pulled it on, even going to put her shoes back on. The less they showed how intimate they'd been together without Ron, the better.

Up in Professor McGonagall's office, the atmosphere turned tense. They waited, pacing around at first but Hermione soon perched on one of the chairs at the desk.

Ron was five minutes late.

Awkwardness punctuated his arrival. Hermione had to open the door to let him in. The complex spells keeping Harry a prisoner in the chambers prevented him from touching the door. When she looked at Ron, her guilt renewed. He just gave her a smile, one that wasn't all the way there but enough of the way to assure her that they were all still friends.

"Hey." Harry greeted. "You wouldn't have been allowed in unless someone let you in so… er… let's go right down to my room, huh? Weird talking in here..."

Both boys were tense. Hermione didn't speak, just watching them both and keeping an eye on them. Harry opened the secret door, leading them down, not looking back once. They'd tidied his room to conceal what they'd been doing on his bed. Hermione caught Harry's eye briefly before he moved around them to shut the door behind Ron.

They all then noticed that Harry's desk was laden with food.

"Oh." Harry rubbed at the back of his neck. "I guess Dobby knows I have more than one guest. He's even sent butterbeers."

Harry busied himself with getting them the drinks sent along with the assortment of food.

"You're getting food sent to your room?" Ron asked, surprised.

"How else am I going to get food?" Ron raised a brow at him, making Harry huff a breath out his nostrils. He stepped up to Ron, pulling his right trouser leg up. They all looked down. Hermione gasped aloud, seeing the band around Harry's ankle. It was a thin, soft white, translucent line of light.

"Th-that's the real thing? A grounding spell?"

"Yeah. I try to leave the boundary, I get paralysed and then sent back to jail so… just so you know." Harry let go of his trouser leg. "I really can't leave these rooms."

Harry went off to the desk, snatching himself a butterbeer. His expression was guarded. He'd put his walls back up now that Ron was with them. Harry took up the other two beers, briefly looking at Hermione before he approached Ron, giving him one. Hermione drew towards them, accepting the third. They stood together, positioned like the points of a triangle.

"Sorry about last night." Harry said, his gaze flickering upwards to Ron. "I just… well…" His face reddened. "I was very tired."

Ron flushed as well, sipping out of his bottle.

"Don't be sorry." Ron said after he wiped at his mouth. "You've had a hard time."

Hermione's gaze remained on Harry, watching as his jaw tensed and untensed, his gaze flickering around.

"Yeah, I have." Harry suddenly said, his eyes fixed on Ron. "But that's not really the issue at the moment." He drew in a deep breath. "I… guessed you wanted to talk about this, about us?" Harry flicked his hand to gesture at himself and Hermione. "Because I suppose I should tell you straight up that… I kind of kissed Hermione when we were in the Ministry together."

Ron glanced between them both, his brows coming together.

"Fine. I sort of guessed that must have happened." Ron said in a low voice. "I just don't… get why you kept it from me."

"I… what?" Harry was genuinely confused. "Kept it from you? Ron, I've been locked up. How could I have told you?"

"I know that." Ron snapped, bristling. "But before. Before all this."

"Before?"

"Ron, there wasn't a 'before'." Hermione jumped to Harry's aid. Harry looked at her as he caught up, turning to face Ron again.

"It's true." Harry told his best friend. He put his bottle down on the edge of the desk, bringing his hands over his face. "I don't know how else to explain but we just talked and it happened."

Ron's arms dropped down to his sides, his face flushed, ears bright red.

"Oh."

"This wasn't exactly expected." Harry said as he lowered his hands, his face just as red as Ron's. "But it doesn't make it less welcome." He cleared his throat softly, looking over to Hermione. He edged over and Hermione felt his fingers brushing over her free hand. She met his look, seeing a question waiting for her in his stunning green eyes. She threaded her fingers through his while Ron watched them both.

Ron brought the bottle of butterbeer to his lips and gulped a few mouthfuls. He then sighed.

"I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later. No girl was ever really going to get close to you when you're both friends." He backed up from them a little, moving to lean on the chair set at the desk. "Didn't your date with Cho blow up because you were meeting up afterwards?"

Hermione quelled the instant instinct to jump to Harry's defence.

"I guess when you put it like that…" Harry said with a smile though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Did you even end things with Cho?" Ron then threw at Harry, his eyes flashing. Harry's smile turned dangerous and he let go of Hermione's hand. In a blink, the dynamic between the two boys changed. Hermione moved to interfere but Harry flicked his hand up at her direction, giving her a look. He could defend himself. The two of them needed to air things out.

"I think things ended themselves." Harry said in a measured way, his hand tensing around the neck of his beer bottle. "I don't exactly see Cho coming to my defence. I know who testified for me and who didn't. I had to hear it all when the evidence against Umbridge was said in front of the Wizengamot. I know I got more support from Ernie Bloody McMillian than Cho. Probably because it was her friend that she dragged along who grassed me to Umbridge in the first place."

Ron's mouth pressed together in an obstinate line for a moment. He glanced over to Hermione before looking back at Harry.

"I know how it looks and I can't say it looks good. Yeah, maybe I was pining after one girl and now I'm kissing another. I've got nothing to say other than… well… I guess I didn't really feel anything for Cho after all. All I do know is that… this is real. I'm not messing around. I'd never do that." Harry's voice turned curt and cold. "I know I can say and do things carelessly sometimes, but I'd never purposefully hurt someone. Not someone I care about at least."

Harry punctuated his point by having a drink, his eyes fixed on Ron, the challenge set between them. Hermione couldn't help but be impressed. Harry's brief term in Ministry custody had changed him, made him much better with his words. When he'd been left with just his voice to defend himself, he'd learned to not hesitate and not hold back. He'd found Ron's arguments, laid them out and addressed them so there was nothing that could be said against him. Hermione couldn't have done any better herself.

It worked. Ron's stance ended and his shoulders slumped, tension leaving him. Harry won the brief exchange. Hermione took Harry's hand again, giving it a squeeze to show that she knew and was proud of him for standing up for himself.

Boys never ceased to amaze Hermione with how they could resolve things so quickly - especially her boys. They could be a blink away from a fight, then in an instant, back to being the best of friends. She felt Harry relax, settling down. Before long, they ended up sitting on the floor, plates of food set about as they had a strange picnic in the middle of the room. Using a blanket Harry rustled up from the old dresser in the room, they sat together, sinking back into their familiar pattern of friendship.

Between the three of them, they all knew that the moment would become rare. Unspoken, it drifted in the odd silences when conversation ended. The reality was they had a battle waiting for them on the horizon. The storm wasn't over, still there to tear at their lives and threaten everything they had. But for the moment, they were together.

Hermione's hand found Harry's, threading her fingers through his.

There were still fights to wage, still enemies to confront, but right then and there, they had peace. Much needed peace for it reminded them, each of them, what they were fighting for.