The beginning of December marked the next date of a Hogsmeade weekend.

Since a week now snow had begun to grace the landscapes of Hogwarts, lifting everybody's spirits and making the school feel like the Disney castle more than ever.

Life had become a lot more enjoyable since Harry and I confessed our love for one another, and the approaching Christmas spirit made everything even better. Voldemort was still bothering us occasionally, of course, but it wasn't as suffocating as it was mere weeks before. It seemed like something that could be considered as "normality" set in for the final month of the year.

"Here you go, Hermione.", Harry said when we were sitting in the Great Hall to have some breakfast before our trip to Hogsmeade, "My Gringotts vault is officially ours."

My boyfriend grinned lightly when he revealed a small and shiny key from the letter he currently held in one hand. I rolled my eyes, despite the way his gesture warmed my heart.

"Don't overdramatize this. I never demanded a key, so there's nothing to feel smug about, Mr. Potter.", I first scolded him before I let my facial features soften again, "But thank you nonetheless. That's really sweet of you."

Harry handed me the key and I kissed him briefly, aware of the publicity of our actions, the raven-haired wizard smiling brightly when I pulled away again.

"I wouldn't break a promise, would I?" He said and I chuckled.

"Yeah.. let's ignore the one time you did break a promise." I responded, feeling not so troubled any more to speak about his most recent quidditch injury. Harry nodded lightly.

"Am I happy to have such a merciful girlfriend who is willing to forgive me for such a deadly sin.." He sighed and I crooked my head slightly with a small grin.

"Well.. my mercy is generous, you're generous enough to share all your money with me.. We're a balanced team, Harry." I declared and my boyfriend smiled.

"Yeah.. seems to be the case." He replied before opening his bag to stow away the now useless letter.

"Where do you keep the vault key anyway? It's kind of small, so I can easily lose it, can't I?" I asked and Harry shrugged his shoulders as he poured himself another cup of pumpkin juice.

"I always keep mine in a small compartment of my trunk, alongside with other valuable items such as Snuffles' knife or my mother's diary." He explained and I agreed with a hum.

After breakfast the two of us exited the castle and stepped outside into the weak December sun, each of our steps accompanied by crunching sounds of the snow beneath our feet.

"As much as I like the winter landscapes, I must confess that it's currently a bit too cold for my liking.", I said not even five minutes later, "I don't know about you, but I definitely should have dressed more for this day."

"Never underestimate the Scottish weather, ey?" Harry chuckled beside me and squeezed my clothed hand affectionately.

"I guess so. But that's exactly why I like summer more than winter: Freezing is worse than sweating." I stated and my boyfriend laughed.

"I'd like to hear what the Hermione from the summer break would say right now.." He mused with a grin and I groaned.

"At least I can feel all my limbs when it's warm. Unlike RIGHT NOW." I declared and moved my digits to make the numbness leave my body.

"Dammit, why can I only hold one of your hands at a time?", I then asked, "You seem to be perfectly warm."

"Women always feel colder than men, love.", Harry said with a suggestive smirk, "And it's only logical that you feel even colder than quite some other girls."

"What is this supposed to mean?!" I exclaimed and his smirk only widened as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just saying, women feel colder than men because of their curves, and you, well.. curve quite nicely." He rakishly explained, which made me giggle.

"Thanks, Harry. I think I take that as a compliment."

"It was intended as such."

"Of course. Didn't you just want to be logical?"

"Does that mean you'd call yourself a curvy girl?"

"Perhaps. I've been working on it at least, as you no doubt know since we're exercising together."

"I'm glad you do."

"I know." I loudly laughed and Harry raised his free hand in defeat.

"I'm a male, you're a stunningly attractive girl.. I can't help it." He said with a small smile and I smiled back at him. He wasn't feeling bad for his hormonal urges any more.

"I see you've taken my advice to heart." I commented and Harry grinned.

"You mean the wisdom you've shared with me a few weeks ago when I had you trapped between the wall and my body? Oh yeah, I love to have you there..", I slapped his arm gently to stop him from reliving the moment in his head, "But yeah. As long as you don't feel uncomfortable, I want to be more relaxed about my, um, virility."

"Uh, that was a poor choice of words." I remarked with a giggle and Harry just gave me a "Really Hermione?" look I knew ever since the start of our friendship.

"Relax, boy!", I tightened the grip on his hand, "I'm just teasing."

"I'm still not entirely sure whether your teasing attitude is a good thing or a bad thing.." My boyfriend mumbled and I grinned.

"If you're not sure, then I'd say it's a good thing. Because it's me, y'know?", I gave him a radiant smile, "Your pretty girlfriend."

I went through my hair with my free hand and let it swirl in the air for a second. And despite my playfulness the young man next to me looked intrigued by the way my hair flowed.

"You really have beautiful hair.. What happened to my bushy-haired best friend from the first year?" Harry asked with a hitched breath and I felt myself blushing.

"Um.. If you want I can tell you the story once we've reached a more private place. I don't really want to talk about this when a stranger can pass by every next second." I answered and knew my boyfriend would be more than irritated until we were in a secluded spot again…

It had never dawned on me that I eventually had to enlighten my boyfriend about the secret of my silky-smooth hair, and it took me all the way down to the village until I had accepted this truth.

We headed towards the viewing platform of the Shrieking Shack, a place rarely inhabited by many people at once - especially not in the cold season.

We sat down on a nearby bench and Harry eyed me with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.

"So.. what's so.. dramatic about your hair?" He asked, his voice calm and reassuring, a stark contrast to what his eyes were silently saying. Right now he was strong for me, that I understood.

"The truth is that my hair isn't natural.. not any more, at least." I admitted and averted my gaze from my boyfriend.

"When you say it like that, then you really sound like a stupid model." I thought to myself until I felt Harry's finger gently caressing my cold and red cheek.

"I don't quite understand what you mean." He silently told me and I raised my gaze again.

"I've modified the way my hair grows with magic. With a potion, to be precise. That's why my hair looks so much more normal than it did in our first year, Harry." I explained and Harry then cupped my face firmly as he deeply looked into my eyes.

"And this decision was yours to make. I respect it. You weren't happy with the way you looked like, I assume, and you reacted accordingly." He said and I flashed him a small smile.

"Would you do such a thing if you could?" I asked and Harry shook his head.

"No. I like my appearance the most when it's the most natural.", He shortly paused as he gathered his thoughts, "Although I can understand why you did what you did. Women are so much more judged by their appearance than men, after all.. Much to my disappointment, of course."

"Harry.. I didn't drink that potion to please anybody except myself." I said and saw him crooking his head slightly.

"But why did you feel so uncomfortable telling me about it, then?" Harry silently asked in return.

"I was a bit afraid that you might see me in another way. As a girl that artificially changes her appearance to hide her true, not-so-beautiful self." I explained and my beloved chuckled warmly.

"Hermione..", He sighed softly, "I remember how you looked like with bushy hair. It suited you. It was a perfect, outer projection of your character."

"That's flattering to hear, but it wasn't very pretty, was it?" I countered and Harry nodded.

"That might be the case for people who don't think much of you. But as I've recently learnt myself, love does incredible things.", He gave me a mysterious smile before continuing, "Love makes everything about our beloveds shine in a beautiful light. For me, your bushy hair would have been beautiful as well, just the term "beautiful" would have meant something different. You know what I mean?"

"I think I do..", I responded before a thought crossed my mind, "But do you think it was a mistake of mine to change my hair? I know you respect my choice, but wouldn't you find it strange to touch my hair again, now knowing it's not natural?"

As a means to answer this crucial question, my boyfriend quietly entangled a hand in my tawny tresses of hair.

"Is this answer enough, my love?" Harry asked with an enamoured look that had me smiling at him instantaneously.

"Alright, I'd still like to have a verbal response from you."

"Your hair feels perfectly natural to me. If you hadn't told me and I hadn't known you in our earlier years, well, then I would have thought that you simply have good genes.", He lightly laughed at his own statement and I couldn't help but follow his lead, "In other words: I don't mind the slightest."

"Besides, I bet a lot of girls use this kind of magic to alter their appearances." Harry added, but when I shook my head with a serious look he quickly fell silent.

"The truth is that there is no commercially-available potion to change one's appearance in perpetuity. At least I'm not aware of such items." I said and my boyfriend's eyes widened significantly.

"Wait a second.. you invented a new type of potion? When.. how? Do you still have the recipe? You could earn millions of galleons if you choose to mass-produce such a product!" Harry gasped but I again shook my head.

"I burnt the ingredients list and recipe when I was done with my experiment, although I still remember the majority of necessary steps.", I told him, "But think about the consequences of such a potion being available to the average witch, think about how our society would look like if everybody appears as a flawless, strikingly-beautiful person. I know, my potion only changed the hair, but I'm willing to bet with you that some crazy businessman would try everything to make this magical formula work for every part and limb of the human body!"

"So you essentially want humans to remain humans, no matter how rich you could become?" Harry summed up and I giggled.

"Isn't that what I just told you?"

"No, you tend to turn one sentence into ten." My boyfriend teased and clapped my shoulder affectionately.

"I'm totally on your side here, Hermione. Men and women alike would lose their beauty by trying to become more beautiful, if this makes any sense. Although I'll try to see the perks from having a Veela-like girl as my girlfriend." He idiotically grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Say that one more time and I'll slap you. My hair might be fixed now, but the rest of my body is still a hundred percent natural, thus not Veela-like."

"Even better! You're looking like a Veela without.. OUCH!" He playfully winced in pain when I slapped his arm.

"Didn't you want to know when and how I made my potion?" I innocently asked and smiled at him with a devilish expression at the same time.

"Yeah.. How and when did you do that?" He played along and I mentally giggled.

"I love it when we're having these small games.." I thought.

"Well, to answer the "How": I just used my brain and magical ingredients.", I shot him an amused grin, "And I brew the potion after me and my family had returned from France in the summer break in between second and third year. The French wizards and witches even were able to help me a bit with my experiment."

"You asked foreigners to help you with something that didn't even exist until then?" Harry looked gobsmacked and I just chuckled.

"Yeah, that's how science works, silly."

"But you're right: Ever since our third year your hair has become a lot more silky and elegant than before.. Though it had been really gradual. Dammit, you must be a potions genius if you created something this complex at the age of thirteen!" Harry praised and I shot him a loving glance.

"Thanks, love. Though I think you're exaggerating a bit." I smiled at him kindly and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe I am. Maybe not. But I know for sure that I'm glad you told me about your beautification experiment. As I've stressed a couple of times now, I don't see you any different than before, but it helps me to understand you as a person. And I want to understand and learn everything there is to understand and learn about you, so I can love you better." He looked at me sweetly and I quickly kissed him for his words.

"You're so sweet. Thank you for supporting me the way you've always done." I sighed and pinched his cheek before getting up from the bench.

"I think this is where the story ends, Mr. Potter." I said with a grin and Harry chuckled as he followed my lead.

"No, Miss Granger. This is where our story begins.." He whispered only for me to hear, his words making me feel warm.

"Maybe I should just tell him to constantly tell me such sweet words when we're out in the cold. My body would like that.." I thought and grabbed my boyfriend's arm before pulling him into the direction of the village…

The day continued pleasantly as Harry and I met with Neville, Luna, Ginny, the twins and Daphne in "The Three Broomsticks" for lunch.

We shared a leisure chat and just enjoyed sitting together, a group of people united by friendship, and at one point the topic of the upcoming Christmas holidays arose.

"So, has anybody special plans for the holidays? Me and dad are going to Wales, looking for the Snowborn." Luna announced and I fought the urge telling her that such a creature didn't exist – And Harry of course was highly entertained by my mental brawl.

"What's a Snowborn, Luna?" Ginny asked the blonde Ravenclaw who smiled brightly at the question.

"They kind of are the British equivalent to the Yeti in the Himalayan. Much smaller of course, and not as hairy. They're said to have a fur made out of snowflakes and eyes of ice. I bet they're really cute.." She answered and Ginny patted her back lightly.

"Well, good luck with that, Luna. In any case, your trip sounds much more interesting than our Christmas, doesn't it brothers?" The redhead asked and the twins raised their beer bottle in unison.

"Aye, that you can bet on. There's nothing wrong with a good Weasley Christmas, but with Percy and Ron being twats and Harry or Hermione not with us.. Well, only Bill and Charlie can keep us some company. And they rarely stay longer than two or three days." Fred said and his siblings hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, why can't you come to the Burrow with us, you two?" George jokingly asked and pointed his bottle at me and my boyfriend.

"Harry is coming to my place for the holidays." I stated and saw at least half of our friends smirking.

"My my, you really take things seriously now, don't you?", Daphne teased and then eyed Harry, "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"I hope so as well." He replied and smirked at me, the others heartily laughing at his response.

"Don't worry, I've always treated you well since we became friends.. That's not going to change." I promised and squeezed his hand on the table.

"That I know." He flashed me a quick smile and put his other hand atop of mine.

"Slowly I'm starting to think you two are a Sphere Man.." Luna sighed and I raised my brow. This was one mystical thing too much for today.

"You mean as in Plato's Sphere People?" I asked and the Ravenclaw nodded eagerly.

"How do you know a muggle philosopher?"

"Plato? He was a wizard, one of the greatest the Greeks ever spawned." Daphne said and I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me? Plato? A wizard?" I asked and everybody except me and Harry hummed in agreement.

"He was known to be as integrated in the muggle society as he was in the wizarding community of his time. A lot of his works can be read by muggles because of this, especially his philosophical essays." Luna explained with a smile and I raised my hands in defeat.

"Okay.. If you all say so. Seems like I still have a few things left to catch up to when it comes to the magical world.", I announced before a certain thought crossed my mind, "But wait, don't tell me Hitler was a wizard as well!"

"Who is Hitler?" Everybody except me and my boyfriend asked, making me sigh in relief.

"That's not important. Just.."

"No, come on Hermione. Tell us who this dude was. I bet the muggle world has as interesting stories to tell as the magical world has." Ginny asked and I smiled weakly in return.

"Okay, fine. But let me warn you: This isn't a very nice tale.." I announced and took a deep breath before looking at my boyfriend.

"How did we come from Sphere People to Hitler?" I asked him as I lightly shook my head and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"I only know Mr. H - Though I'd be interested to know about the Sphere People, maybe you can enlighten me later." He said, and with that I began my lecture about one of the worst dictators of our century…

After disturbing our friends by telling them all about the National Socialism leader, Harry and I bade farewell to our classmates before heading towards "Honeydukes" to buy a few sweets that would make life a bit easier until the holidays arrived.

As we strolled through the shop, I quickly lost myself in my thoughts and couldn't help but think about the Sphere People and even dared to hope that the concept was real.

"How I'd love to be Harry's other half" I thought with a smile as my boyfriend stopped somewhere in the sweets shop.

"What do you think about, Hermione?" Harry asked me and I glimpsed to actively take in my surroundings again: The raven-haired wizard stood next to me, holding a package of Chocolate Frogs in his hand.

"No thanks, I'm not a big fan of these, sorry." I told him but Harry chuckled.

"I didn't ask you about the frogs, I asked you about your opinion."

"Huh?"

"Somebody has been lost in thought again, hm?" He affectionately poked my nose and I groaned lightly.

"Why must you tease me like that all the time? You make me look like a five-year-old!"

"Well, that's brave to say when you're the master of teasing yourself. And besides, if you really didn't like my antics then you'd tell me loud clear – which you don't do." Harry countered and I shot him a warning glare.

"Be careful with how you treat your lady." I threatened but my insufferable boyfriend just laughed.

"You can tell me when I'm right, y'know?" His eyes sparkled with rakishness and wrapped an around my waist.

"Why should I tell lies?" I countered and he temporarily leant his head against mine.

"I'm still working on how to make you admit that I'm right sometimes.. But one day you will and I'll be the happiest man on earth." He whispered and then snickered like a little child, the corners of my mouth quirking up instantaneously. His laugh was contagious.

"And I still want to know what you were thinking about, my dearest." Harry added and gently patted my shoulders before looking at me expectantly.

"Okay, I've been thinking about the Sphere People Luna mentioned. And also about the possibility of us being such mysterious creatures." I silently told him, not wanting to let anybody else get wind of what we were talking. We were in a sweets shop, after all. Nobody had to know we were talking about a myth like it was reality.

"Right, you wanted to tell me about them!", Harry admitted and brightly beamed at me, "Though if you want to be one, then I want so as well."

"It might be better to know what the Sphere People are before wanting to be one." I lightly chuckled and tapped him on the chest.

"So, the Sphere People are a concept invented by the Greek philosopher Plato – the one we briefly talked about with the others. In Plato's opinion, every man has a female counterpart and every woman has a male one. He thought that these two counterparts once belonged to one single being: A Sphere Man. At some point in time, the Sphere Man is separated into a man and a woman. When they leave the divine world and are born into the lands of mortality, their biggest and yet most subconscious drive is to find his or her other half to become complete again." I explained and Harry smiled widely at me.

"I'd really like this concept to be real. It would give me yet another reason why I want to be with you." He whispered and I grinned from ear to ear.

"Yeah, me too.", I admitted and squeezed his hand, "Now, didn't we want to buy a few things here?"

I then nudged him to start moving again and soon we were looking for sweets again and not for answers.

After paying at the front of the shop, we left with a healthy amount of chocolate, wine gums and wizarding snacks in our bags and steered back to the centre of the village.

"Oh look, seems like they're starting with the Christmas decorations early this year!" I declared when we had reached the central square, pointing towards three large firs currently being exposed to the careful observation of a small crowd watching how three men magically decorated the marvellous trees.

"Speaking of Christmas.. I think we should tell your parents that we're going to stay with them for the holidays.", Harry said with a small smile, "But yes, I like the firs as well."

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, but you meant it."

"Okay, I'll make sure to write my parents about our stay." I played along and giggled when Harry wrapped an arm around my shoulder and dragged me into the direction of the bookshop of Hogsmeade.

"C'mon, let's calm the young lady with a book in her hand, shall we?" He joked and I laughed because of his antics.

"By the way, if you're going to give me a book for Christmas I won't give you my present." I told him and my boyfriend chuckled.

"Then it's a good thing I still don't have a present for you.", He said and smirked at me, "And I know you haven't as well."

"What does it matter? I'm fine with saving money where I can." I teased.

"How bad that your money is my money." Harry responded but I just slapped his arm.

"And vice versa."

"Only because of my generosity."

"The generosity I never wanted."

"Never wanted but always needed."

"You're funny."

"No, I'm Harry."

"No wonder you and my dad get along so well.." I mumbled as I rolled my eyes.

"Well, that was when I just was your best friend." Harry nervously laughed but I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"My father always said that he would never get in our way if we become a thing – which we fortunately did.", I explained and gave my boyfriend an honest look, "I might not have told them about our union yet, but he will be happy for us, trust me."

"You haven't told your parents about us yet?" Harry asked with big eyes.

"Unlike your wizard of a godfather, my muggle parents don't read the wizarding newspapers, thus they don't know. At least I can decide when I tell my legal guardians that I'm romantically involved with a boy."

"Why didn't you tell them already? You write about virtually everything with them." My boyfriend asked and I just smiled brightly.

"I want to surprise them." I simply replied and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Fair enough.", He said before sighing, "Though we still have to face Snuffles. He surely wants to know if we're staying with him or not."

"I hope he doesn't hate us when we reject his offer." I shyly smiled but Harry shook his head.

"Hermione, we'll stay with him for Easter, just as you proposed. I think it's a fair deal to spend two weeks at his place and two at your parents'. He'll share my opinion, I'm sure of it." The raven-haired wizard assured me.

"You're probably right.." I concluded as we reached the bookshop and being the gentleman he was, Harry opened the door for me…

When the evening arrived, my boyfriend and I headed back to the castle and studied Dumbledore's stolen ministry book a bit, finding out that the Unspeakables had found the Tomb of the Seven exactly on the day of Voldemort's resurrection. The book also mentioned magical devices which could locate sources of strong, dark magic, but the information were to superficial to derive any enlightening realization from them. Still, the things we did learn remained thrilling and abhorrent at the same time.

I couldn't believe how a ministry department was allowed to act as independent from it's employer as to hide facts and information as crucial as the knowledge of an existing necromantic artefact. Who knows what else they are hiding in there!

As the day continued to pass by, my thoughts repeatedly returned to the topic of the tomb and that Voldemort wanted to create a horcrux out of the Seven's statues. Even during dinner I couldn't focus on the delicious dishes in front of me.

Harry of course noticed and suggested to kiss a bit after dinner, to make the bad feelings go away, but for once I rejected his proposal: I simply wasn't in the mood.

"You know, I can understand that. We learned a lot about our quest today, and even discussed the tempting prospect of being a Sphere Man.. But what I actually wanted to say is that I'm sure your mastermind must process all the information gathered a lot more intensely than mine, so I totally get it when you're not feeling in the mood for kissing. You rather don't kiss than kiss badly, hm?" My compassionate boyfriend told me and I simply nodded before taking a bite out of my kidney pie.

"What about telling Snuffles about our holiday plans after dinner?" Harry then asked and I sighed.

"I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to withstand your godfather's comments after a long Hogsmeade trip in the cold and several, new and mind-blowing realizations. Mind-blowing actually is a fitting term, my brain feels like it suffered a core meltdown." I groaned and Harry soothingly rubbed my back with his hand.

"That's fine with me. I'm sure you'll feel better after a good night of sleep. How about we go to bed early tonight?" The raven-haired wizard suggested and I eagerly nodded.

"Yeah, now we're talking." I agreed with a weak laugh and already knew that I would sleep in on the next day…


"Ah, looks like my coward of a godson finally got the guts to tell me what the entire wizarding world already knows." Sirius greeted Harry with a chuckle a day later when we both sat on the teacher's desk in "our" room, my boyfriend holding his two-way-mirror in front of us.

"I'll take that as a congratulation." Harry dryly replied and the animagus nodded.

"It's an expression of gratitude as well. You helped me winning a certain bet." He winked and I gasped aloud.

"The bet from the summer?!" I asked and Sirius hummed with a smirk.

"I betted that you would get together before the end of the year and Remus said you won't. 'Said you were too much like your dad, Harry. Which means.."

"That I would need another few years to figure it out, I know – thanks to mum's diary." Harry completed his godfather's explanation who quietly laughed.

"Exactly. Now, as happy I am after winning such an adventurous gamble, I'd like to know how you got together. Remembering how dense you two were when you last slept under my roof, I like to imagine that I missed a lot." Sirius said and my boyfriend grinned with rakishness.

"Well, we kissed."

"Ha ha, you could be my godson with a humour like that.", The marauder rolled his eyes before looking at me instead, "Do you have a better explanation than his?"

"We just found each other, I guess that's all there is to say. And perhaps each moment and day of shared experiences and activities was necessary to bring us together – even if it took a bit more than four years for us to realize. I personally understood my feelings for Harry on my birthday back in September." I told the animagus who then refocused on his godson.

"And when did you understand your feelings for Hermione?"

"Um, there was a day where we had a very, and I mean VERY, intense argument. After it, we kind of weren't friends for a few days and I began to realize how horrible my life felt without Hermione's constant support and help. And when we finally talked it out one day, it just clicked inside of me, I'm afraid I don't have a better explanation than this." Harry summed up and Sirius raised a brow.

"You two had a REAL argument? Wow, I guess even the best of friends aren't safe when it comes to nasty words." He expressed.

"Yup, I'm afraid you're right. But it's all good now. In fact, it hasn't been better on this front since our quarrel.", I smiled at my boyfriend, "Especially since the day we finally kissed."

"Please spare me the details. I think the "Daily Prophet" covered all I need to know about that.", Sirius then grinned evilly, "But you know it was me who always knew that you two would end up shagging each other."

"We don't shag! Well, not yet.." Harry exclaimed with a tomato-red blush and I felt my face heating up as well.

"This man and his teasing.." I thought as Sirius roared with laughter.

"The way you look like makes me think you definitely want to." He claimed and made me want to dematerialize this very instant.

"No no, you don't have any pictures in your head right now. You're a good, innocent girl, Hermione." I told myself only to hear another voice in my head.

"You're HIS good girl."

"Gosh, stop it."

"Could you please stop talking about this very intimate topic and instead act like a proper man?!" I more demanded than asked and Harry eagerly nodded.

"Yeah, Padfoot. Just because you can transform into a dog doesn't mean you have to behave like one."

"Okay, at least let me tell you this: I don't want to be a great-godfather too soon." He raised his hands in surrender and I groaned.

"Alright, request accepted. Are you happy now?", I asked with annoyance in my voice, "Good. Let's move on to the actual reason why we called you."

"Besides informing you about the happenings here at Hogwarts we wanted to share our holiday plans with you." I announced and Sirius nodded briefly.

"Go on, I'm all ears."

"Well, Harry and I decided to spend the Christmas holidays at my place and the Easter holidays at yours. I hope you're not too disappointed." I told him and the animagus sighed.

"To be honest, I think it's better for you to not be at Grimmauld Place for Christmas. You know, there is nothing merry and festive about it, at least not without any renovations.", Sirius admitted, "And if it is your plan to not stay at Grimmauld Place anyway, well, who am I to force you to stay with me?"

"Thank you for your understanding.", Harry smiled compassionately at his godfather, "But this doesn't mean that we won't see each other for Christmas, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right, Harry. Hermione's parents already know me, so I hope they won't have something against me joining them from time to time. Right, Hermione?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I don't think so. If you want to, I could write them a letter to expect a certain black dog for Christmas." I said and Sirius chuckled.

"You lucky bastard, Harry. I think you've got yourself the best girl of your generation." He half-joked and Harry looked at me lovingly.

"Without a doubt."

"As flattering as this is, I'm still just offering to write a letter here." I tried to pull them back down to reality, my head probably a nice shade of Gryffindor-red, but of course those two men couldn't stop once they were fully immersed in their antics.

"You know, as an old person I think it is more valuable to have a girl that constantly shows her kindness with small but many gestures rather than to have a girl that rarely shows her kindness with one, two big things." Sirius shared his wisdom and Harry chuckled heartily.

"Well, the elder man has spoken. Do you want to deny the truth of his words?" My boyfriend joked and affectionately poked my side, making me roll my eyes in return.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Nevermind.." I groaned and saw Sirius snickering in the reflection of the two-way-mirror.

"It's funny to see you two bickering this way nowadays when I once saw Lily and James doing the same in the past. Family tradition, I guess." He laughed and I couldn't help a small smile as well.

"Speaking of family traditions.. Are you going to abandon yours and renovate Grimmauld Place, knowing you'll have guests for the Easter holidays?" Harry asked and the animagus hummed for a second.

"That would be a good new year's resolution..", He said and nodded in approval, "Though don't worry, I'm sure I'll also have a few guests for Christmas. Just because you won't be there doesn't mean the world stops turning."

"You know what I mean.." Harry rolled his eyes and his godfather grinned at him.

"Of course I do. But where is the fun in living when your path is meant to be lived? Isn't it more interesting to see what lies in the unmeant, the forest next to the road that is your life?" He winked at my boyfriend and I knew this chat was still a hundred miles away from a conclusion.

"Sirius Black and his eternal wisdom.. I wonder if he even knows what he sometimes advises." I thought and mentally giggled as I observed the continuing exchange of godson and godfather…


Two days later "The Phoenix Pinions" met in the Room of Requirements again.

It was the start of the week and usually a lot of people were visibly happy when they entered the room, the training session a thing to look forward to on a Monday, but today a lot of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws wore a crestfallen look on their faces.

Harry of course noticed so as well, and when he had held his typical welcoming speech, he directly addressed the problem.

"Um, everything okay with you guys? You look a little.. downcast, if you ask me." He asked them and Michael Corner sighed loudly.

"Today, in Umbridge's classes, the toad announced that she wants to.. converse with each and every one of us privately within this week. In her office." He explained and my eyes widened in concern.

"Did she tell you why?" I asked and the boy who fancied me returned my gaze a bit to intensely for my liking.

"No, of course she didn't. Although I think it's not a secret that she's trying to gain information about us." The way he stressed the word "us" made me mentally cringe and I resisted clearing my throat.

"My lord, why must they be so persistent? I'm with Harry, they have no chance at all!" I thought and briefly glanced at my boyfriend to see if he had noticed the latent side of Michael's words.

"And what has Umbridge's futile attempt to catch us to do with your apparent lack of morale?" Harry asked and Zacharias groaned.

"Every time we train here, we take it for granted that Umbridge has no way to catch us and to punish us for the rule-breaking we do here each time.", He answered and pointed his finger at my boyfriend when he shrugged his shoulders, "Now we've got serious hints that she's on our tail and you look like you won't do anything against it. You can't expect us to train with motivation when this stupid toad could catch us any moment!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I want you to do. How do you imagine Umbridge entering this room when we've explicitly asked it to hide us from her? You're safe here, there's no need to worry." He countered but didn't seem to convince the scared students.

"But what if she manages to catch us on the corridors?" Padma Patil asked.

"You've got nothing to fear when she doesn't catch us in the act. She can't punish you unless she has evidence that supports her decision." Harry cooly replied but Zacharias snorted.

"I don't think she plays by the rules. If she wants to punish us, she will do it. You should know it, I heard you managed to get into detention twice with her."

Harry, being the mature young man he was, didn't let Zacharias' provocation get to his head and instead gave the Ravenclaw boy a most stern look.

"I got into detention twice because I stood up for the truth and for the just cause. It's a price I gladly paid.", My boyfriend told the students, "And you are here because of the very same thing: You prepare yourselves to fight for the day when injustice and lies will try to destroy our society. However, the question is: Will you be able to deal with the consequences of your choices? Should this organization be damned to have it's members punished, can you live with that?"

Silence fell as each and every member looked to be in thought, thinking about what their leader just had told them. And I couldn't help but love the raven-haired wizard even more than I already did.

It seemed like my boyfriend noticed the stare of admiration I directed at him, and for a small moment did his eyes flash at me before he then refocused on the group before him.

"So you're basically saying we shouldn't give a damn about Umbridge's plans to catch us and continue like nothing ever happened today?!" Michael asked after a few moments and Harry nodded.

"Yeah, fuck her, I'd say. We're here to prepare ourselves for Voldemort, and one ugly toad won't stop us." He exclaimed and THAT had people cheering. Nobody liked Umbridge in this room. At best.

"Of course that doesn't mean you should act carelessly. Should she interrogate all of us, we must act with caution. I'm sure she will use foul tricks to achieve her goal.." Harry added and the other members mumbled in agreement.

"If everything is settled now, then we'd like to get to the topic of today's lesson: The reductor curse." I announced when nobody seemed to have some questions left and the students quickly fell silent again.

"Until now, we've been working with fairly easy and harmless spells, as you no doubt have noticed. Harmless being harmless for the caster, of course. Today we want to take you guys to the next level, but before we do so, I've got a question for you: Why did we insist on learning the basics for so long again?" I asked the group.

"So that we learn the most fundamental aspects of duelling: Precision and control." Daphne answered and I shot her a small smile.

"Correct. No matter what you do, if you want to be good at it, you've got to master the basics first.", I replied, "And in the case of the reductor curse we desperately need the basics. Unlike the disarming or stunning spell, a badly-cast Reducto might cause a lot of problems for those around you and yourself. Precision and control over the curse are of the utmost importance."

"What does it do?" Neville hesitantly asked, probably fearing he might screw it up and cause a lot of damage.

"It's a curse that pulverizes every object you hit it with. That's why it can be dangerous." I explained and many gasps echoed through the room.

"Can you show it to us?" Ginny asked with sparkling eyes and I felt a small smile forming on my face when I saw the redhead's enthusiasm.

"Sure, why not?" I said as I drew my wand and turned away from the crowd of students.

"I need some kind of dummy to destroy." I thought and momentarily such an object magically appeared in the room.

"Reducto!" I exclaimed with determination and lashed my wand out like swinging a whip. The second my orange bolt of light collided with the dummy, it was nothing more than a small pile of ash.

"Wow, now you really got me hyped. I think this will give the death eater's quite a bit trouble, won't it?" Ginny clapped her hands and drew her wand as well.

"In theory. That is if you don't block the spell, but we're going to discuss this later. For now, let's just focus on the conjuration of the spell itself.", I instructed, "If you wonder how I just made this dummy appear, all you got to do is imagine it in your head and ask the room for it. It's that easy."

Seconds later excited mumbling could be heard across the room as students dispersed and practice dummies started appearing.

In no time everybody was busy figuring out how to use the reductor curse without hurting anybody, and I swiftly went to Harry, who locked his eyes on mine when he noticed my gaze.

"Shouldn't you go around and correct people?" I teased him and gently brushed my hand against his chest.

"I was about to do so, until I noticed you want something from me." He countered with a small chuckle.

"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy to lead this organization with you as my boyfriend.", I whispered into his ear and smiled teasingly, "A weird, crazy fantasy coming true: Me and my beloved, dictating people what to do.. Who doesn't want others to obey to one's commands?"

"Don't let this get to your head, love.", He gently put a strand of my hair back behind my ear, "I know you love being in command, but I'd like it if you reduce this assertiveness to my persona, okay? Otherwise I'm afraid the dictator of our generation is standing in front of me."

He was exaggerating and I felt myself amused by his jests.

"You know I love democracy." I retorted and Harry laughed.

"Not as much as you love me." He winked at me with a playful shimmer in his eyes.

"Now, come on. We both have got a job to do." He added before turning around and heading off to the masses of students.

"I like it that he has a bit of resistance when it comes to me.", I thought, "It's enough to keep him focused when there are more important things to do, but too little to resist me should I really want him to focus his attention on me and solely me."

Soon enough I found myself helping the others where I could, but when a certain Ravenclaw girl seemed to struggle with the reductor curse, I saw an opportunity to correct a mistake I hadn't corrected earlier.

"How is it going, Cho?", I asked, "Any issues with the curse?"

"Nah, I'm fine." She responded, and despite the apparent urge to suppress her dislike for me, it was just as apparent for me to see that she couldn't stand me because I was with Harry and she wasn't.

"Look, you have to move your wand more forcefully if you want to do it properly." I told her and showed her the wand movement.

"I said I'm fine, Hermione." She repeated with a harsher tone and I sighed lightly.

"Don't tell me I didn't try this more subtly.." I thought to myself as I gathered my thoughts.

"No, I know you're not. I know you don't particularly like me after getting together with Harry, and I'm sorry for the way this makes you feel." I tried to comfort the older girl with an honest tone but Cho just snorted.

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't have stolen him away from me in the first place." She countered and I made sure I kept my voice low enough to not make our exchange look.. extraordinary.

"I didn't steal him away from you! Harry is free to love whoever he wants to love, and I would have accepted this if he had chosen you over me. Because that's what love is all about: Valuing somebody else's feelings more than your own."

"That's easy to say when you've got him all alone for you." The Ravenclaw shot me a nasty look.

"I happen to be his most loyal friend and supporter since the very start. That we fell in love with each other was only a matter of time, if you ask me.", I hissed and narrowed my eyes on Cho, "The question is, however: Where were you, when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire and everybody was against him, where were you, when he was falsely accused of performing illegal underage magic during the summer?"

"I didn't even know where he was to help him with that!"

"Love always finds a way, this is no excuse. So let me ask you again: Where were you when he needed people he could trust?!" I noticed how my attempt to correct a mistake slowly turned into a widening rift between her and me, but my emotions ruled over my body, I couldn't stop. I even relished in provoking her, no matter how true my words were.

"You're a bitch, Hermione. You knew I fancied him for longer than you fancied him, and yet you just went ahead and claimed him for yourself. Why should I respect your apology now when you didn't respect my feelings for him back then?" She exclaimed with an ice-cold voice and I stepped closer to her, so that I could whisper into her ear.

"Listen closely, you silly girl: How is it my fault Harry fell in love with me when he could have fallen for ANY girl here at Hogwarts, hm? I knew of your feelings, of course I did, but why should I leave the man of MY dreams to YOU only because you liked him for longer? Love ain't no reservation list! And last but not least, let me tell you this: If I ever hear you calling me a bitch again, you'll regret that day until your last one.", I threatened and before I could hold myself back, I came up with a very brazen insult, an insult which appealed to my current and emotional state of mind, "And by the way, why the fuck should Harry fall for boring, dull, black hair? Even the Romans knew how much better women with blonde hair were."

I stepped away from the Ravenclaw and turned around, not looking back once, a sudden rush of fresh serotonin flowing through my veins.

"I know I shouldn't feel this way, but doing things like THIS.. thrill me." I thought with a neutral, sober tone, a tone that distanced itself from any part of my conscience, afraid of siding with either of the two sides of my persona.

"Sometimes, I just love being everything I hate: Brutal, mean, egoistic, arrogant, power hungry.. The forbidden always is tempting." I concluded and continued helping the other students in the room. But the conversation with Cho still echoed through my head as I did so, and the two parties inside of me soon were engaged in a mental conflict:

The one side, my reasonable and sensible one, was shocked and entirely disliked how I had spoken to the Ravenclaw girl. It accused me of being impulsive and hot-headed, allowing my emotions to dominate the exchange.

But there also was the other side, my selfish and cunning one, the one that gave me joy from cleverly insulting and playing with people's emotions. It fuelled my hunger for control and dominance, clearly endorsing the feeling of lashing out and telling people who's boss.

I was unsure how to think about my own behaviour, unsure whether I had a justification to retaliate when somebody else tried to insult me. Was it right or wrong? Good or bad?

"Am I a bad person?", I asked myself, "For pointing out the truth?"

"Am I a good person?", Was my next thought, "For making unnecessary insults?"

I only heard the uttering of incantations and the sound of reductor curses colliding with test dummies around me when I stopped dead in my tracks to order my thoughts.

"We all have a good and a bad side: What matters is the side we choose to act on." One of Sirius' truly wise sayings echoed through my mind, an epiphany he had shared with me during the summer break.

But where did this leave me?

"You're young, you're a teen. It's normal to not know where left and right is.", I silently told myself, "And just because you've insulted somebody doesn't mean you're an evil woman."

"But why is it that I relish in acting like this, then?" Another voice inside my head asked.

"A human being is an animal. It might fight to keep the monster locked, but no matter how hard it tries, there always will be moments where it embraces its true nature. The bad is coded in your genes, girl."

"That's what philosophy says."

"And what do you say?"

"Maybe that I shouldn't enjoy hurting people I don't like?" I whispered and gulped when I realized that I had reached the very essence of my inner conflict…

The rest of the lesson felt a lot duller than usually.

Harry took over for the second half of the training time, teaching the students how to block the reductor curse, and when his gazes occasionally met mine, I could see that he sensed my inner turmoil.

I avoided going near Cho again, not because I felt like I owed her an apology but rather because her presence reminded me of my own flaws, but fortunately there were over thirty other people in the room, many of them in need of assistance to boot.

Eventually the lesson ended and everybody gathered in the centre of the room to listen to Harry's final words of the day.

"I think you guys really did well for your first tries on the reductor curse and how to block it. Of course, there's still room for improvement, no doubt, but nobody can master something with the very first try – not even Voldemort or Dumbledore were born all-mighty!", He half-joked and I managed a small chuckle, "So, as you probably all know, the holidays are approaching quickly and I'd say we don't have that many training times left until then. That's why I suggest we concentrate on the reductor curse until the new year, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind, but do you already have plans for the next year?" Daphne asked and my boyfriend shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah, it's a bit early for that – though I definitely want to practice the patronus charm with you at one time." Harry smiled brightly and the room was filled with gasps.

"That's too difficult for us, mate." Neville sighed but the raven-haired wizard wouldn't hear any of it.

"I bet that's exactly what you thought the first time you tried a disarming charm, right?", Harry asked and left a small pause, "And now, a few months later it's an easy task for you."

"What I want to say, Neville, is that a patronus might look like an impossible task for Present-Neville, but who knows what the Neville from 1996 will say?" He motivated the shy Gryffindor who gave his dorm mate a small yet thankful smile in return.

"Anyway, that's still a distant future we're discussing here, we should probably focus on not getting caught by Umbridge now, am I right dear Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws?", He jested and his students laughed with him, "And besides, it's near curfew again. I'm sorry, Hermione and I always manage to overrun. It's too much fun teaching you guys."

"We're having just as much fun." The Weasley twins replied and many voiced their agreement with a hum.

Farewells then were exchanged as the students gradually exited the Room of Requirement, but one stayed behind, giving me an expecting look.

"You look like something is on your mind, Hermione." Daphne said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"It's nothing serious.. I'm just having a problem with myself, that's all." I told the white-blond girl who shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't care if you say it's nothing serious. I'm your friend, I want to hear what "silliness" troubles your mind. Isn't that what defines a good friend? Somebody who listens to all your problems, no matter how silly?", Daphne softly said and squeezed my hand for a second, "Harry, you won't have a problem if I speak with your girlfriend for a second?"

Harry, who had been busy studying the Marauder's Map to ensure the members of "The Phoenix Pinions" could leave the Room of Requirement without walking into an ambush of Umbridge and her minions, looked up from the holy piece of parchment and met the Slytherin's gaze.

"No, not the slightest, Daphne." He said but the white-blond girl giggled in amusement.

"I meant in private."

"Oh, well.. Should I wait outside?" Harry asked but I shook my head.

"Wait for me in the common room. I don't want you to get caught by the toad, love." I said and when my boyfriend nodded, I blew him a kiss.

"Love you." I couldn't help but add and his face lit up like a flash light.

"Love you even more." He countered with an enamoured tone before leaving the Room of Requirements.

"You two are so cute.." Daphne sighed when the doors were closed and her sky-blue eyes became all dreamy.

"Thanks.. Though I think every loving couple is." I stated but the Slytherin shook her head.

"Might be true, but you're still better.", Daphne literally beamed at me, "With every interaction I can almost feel the feelings you have for one another. The trust, the respect, the admiration.. You're each other's sanctuary and that's just mind-blowing."

"That's really nice to hear, but I'd still like to remain on planet earth for the rest of my life, so.."

"Alright, I'll shut it. For now." Daphne gave me a teasing look and I rolled my eyes.

"Didn't you want to know what's on my mind?" I asked with a groan and the white-blond girl momentarily clapped her hands.

"Right. I wanted to talk to you because of your apparent sorrow." She declared and I knew this was my sign to start talking.

"Well, just now during the lesson I went to Cho and tried to tell her that I'm sorry for the way she feels, now that I'm with Harry and she is not, but things got ugly and I let my emotions lead the way..", I explained and sighed heavily, "But what really worried me was the thrill I felt when I argued with her."

"You mean you insulted her during the argument, am I right?" Daphne raised a knowing brow and I nodded hesitantly.

"What did you say, if I might ask?" She added and I closed my eyes temporarily to muster the strength for my next response.

"I basically told her that I'm not surprised Harry didn't fall for her when she has "dull, boring, black hair".", I admitted and noticed Daphne didn't seem to judge me in the slightest, "And I also told her even the Romans knew that women with blonde hair are better than others."

"I can imagine it's a catastrophe for you to be unobjective during an argument, but c'mon.. I expected worse things than calling a girl's hair "dull" and "boring". Okay, okay, please let me finish!", The Slytherin said when she noticed my apparent need to retort and I granted her request with a short nod, "I also understand that it's against your principles to verbally attack a person, no matter if you like them or not, and I find your sense of honour inspiring. Truly, your self-control and will to face every obstacle and confrontation in the most objective and sober way is admirable, but I think you have to remind yourself of one fundamental truth: We can't control everything in our lives, no matter how hard we try to avoid this fact. Mistakes happen, and that's okay."

"That might be true, but I could have prevented insulting Cho in the first place if I had been strong enough to not make an unnecessary comment!", I countered and didn't want to use my friend's words as a justification for my immature behaviour, "Also, I ENJOYED what I did. Isn't this an unequivocal sign to be alarmed?!"

"Can you fight the way you feel, Hermione?", Daphne asked me and put a hand on my shoulder as she looked at me intensely, "Can you fight the way you feel for Harry, can you feel the way you feel about Umbridge, can you fight the way you feel about me?"

"I could, but without much success. I denied my feelings for Harry long enough to know this." I replied and the white-blonde girl nodded.

"So, can you fight the way you feel about "insulting" Cho?" She asked and I was about to say "Yes.", but my lips couldn't bring out the words. Daphne was right.

"No.", I answered with determination, "I can't. But I can do everything so I won't find myself in the heat of an emotional conversation like this again."

"Good point, I didn't think of this before. But that's why they call you "The Brightest Witch of Her Age", am I right?" The pretty girl smiled at me warmly and I suddenly felt warm around the face.

"The nickname makes me look far better than I actually am." I mumbled and averted my gaze, which only earned me a giggle from my friend.

"So, coming back to the topic..", Daphne said when she got a hold of herself again, "You sometimes might feel good for something you'd normally call "bad" or "immoral", but how often does something like this occur to you? Rarely, if I had to guess."

My female friend shortly paused, giving me time to retort if I wanted to, which I didn't, before concluding her argument.

"You're a good person, Hermione. You fight for the just cause, you defend the truth, you're not mean but also don't flinch at the prospect of pointing out somebody else's mistakes and flaws.. You know what I mean. Now, why should this good person be so worried about ONE moment of irregularity and question its ENTIRE personality? Those feelings you felt during this particular moment in time are temporary, they don't define how you feel and act in the vast majority of situations. I can understand if you still insist that it was a mistake arguing with Cho like that, but remember: Once is an accident or mistake, twice is a pattern." She winked at me and before I knew it, I had my arms tightly wrapped around the Slytherin. From one second to the next, I felt like my opinion had changed completely. And suddenly I felt stupid for the way I had thought about myself until right now.

Why should I let one moment of irresponsibility and immorality make my belief in myself waver? Why should I be afraid of ONE slip-up when it's just.. a slip-up.

Maybe I had been afraid that other people might see me in the way I just saw myself, but then again.. Daphne would have told me if I truly was the evil woman I feared to be - although I truly hadn't been the kindest when I talked to Cho. That's for sure.

"Thank you.", I whispered into the girl's ear, "For making me see reason."

I held her close to me and felt Daphne doing the same as she gently stroked my back in a soothing manner.

"I didn't make you see reason. You did. I only opened the door for you, but you had to pass it yourself." She responded with a small chuckle and I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Where does all of this wisdom come from, anyway?" I asked and the girl I hugged suddenly tensed.

"Growing up as a child of a forced marriage makes you mature faster than others, in some bizarre way."


Author's note:

So, no, I'm not dead. I just had a hell lot to do in my life in the last month and a bit. And because of that I rarely found any strength inside of me to write more than a few hundred words a day. I just felt drained whenever I sat down at my desk to continue writing. And I hate it.

Luckily, the summer holidays are approaching quickly now and I'm looking forward to them so much. Finally I'll have some time to make serious progress again. It pained me, not being able to update earlier.

As you no doubt have read yourself, this chapter is heavily focusing on dialogue and conversations - sorry to everyone who hoped to see major plot development with this update. But hey, I think the central topic is interesting and I hope this "good and bad" debate made you embrace your inner philosopher a bit, haha. By the way, that's where I got the idea for this chapter's name.

Yeah, inner turmoils, insecurity and disorientation are probably my three main aspects to ensure nobody calls my version of Harry and Hermione a "Gary/Mary Sue". They are teenagers, not a pair of gods. And I want to portray them as such.

Also, I am aware of the loose ends I've created in this chapter. They'll be concluded the next time I upload, which hopefully doesn't take a month again ;-)

'Til the next time!

NewOrderFan05