- CHAPTER FOUR -
Midnight Confessions
Harry and Hermione were among the first students to leave the castle and make their way to Hogsmeade the next morning.
As they walked towards the village at a leisurely pace, they discussed where they would go first.
"Should we buy the bags first?" Harry suggested.
"Yes," Hermione agreed. "And then we can try to gather all the books, potions and potion supplies on our list..."
"All right," Harry replied, but then he furrowed his brows. "The only thing is... Don't you think it will look suspicious when we buy all this stuff? People might suspect something..."
"Huh..." Hermione muttered, pondering the question. Harry might have a point there. But she hoped that the other students wouldn't pay close attention to what Harry and she would be doing.
"Well, it probably won't be noticed," she replied and chuckled. "Besides, people won't think that there's anything strange about me buying lots of books... If anyone asks, we'll tell them it's for your tournament preparations."
"Right," Harry agreed with a nod. "I guess that makes sense..."
It was barely past nine when they entered the High Street of Hogsmeade, where most of the shops were located. There were almost no other students in the street yet, but the shops were open already.
Conveniently, their first stop, Dervish & Banges, was one of the first shops on the street. It sold all kinds of magical instruments, antiques, and other knickknacks, and as such was probably the best place for them to find enchanted bags for their travels.
A gong sounded as Harry and Hermione stepped inside the shop and approached the deserted counter at the far-side of the room. Hermione had been in the shop before, but she found herself once more fascinated by all the swirling gadgets and obscure devices that were piling on high shelves all around her.
"I'm here, I'm here!" a female voice sounded from a backroom behind the counter, and a young woman appeared from it a moment later.
"Good morning," the blonde woman greeted them, "what can I- Oh, Mister Potter! What an honour! How can I help you?"
Hermione noted how Harry frowned slightly in response to the overly enthusiastic greeting, his cheeks taking on a pink tinge. Even though she could sympathise with him to some extent, Hermione still couldn't hide a small smirk at Harry's apparent discomfort. It really was a bit adorable how much he hated being recognised, but at the same time, she loved him for it. He wouldn't be the boy she loved otherwise.
She also realised that it might have been better for Harry to stay under his Invisibility Cloak for their shopping. The last thing they needed was that rumours started circulating about him buying travel supplies.
"It's actually me who's looking for something," she spoke up quickly. "I'm looking for some presents for some friends, you see. Do you have space-expanded bags that can hold a lot of objects without getting heavier?"
"Ah, you have to be the girlfriend, then!" the witch answered brightly. "You've come to the right place, we have a good assortment of enchanted bags that I can show you."
Harry gave off a small groan. "She's- Hermione's not-"
"Don't worry, Mr Potter, I can keep a secret," the woman behind the counter interrupted him and smirked. "Though... It's really not much of a secret after your interview with the Prophet now, is it?"
Not giving Harry any chance for a retort, the storekeeper then turned around to gather several bags from different shelves and drawers.
Hermione shared a look with the highly embarrassed boy, feeling a bit bad about her own amusement over the situation.
"Just ignore it," she whispered to him, even though it was the last thing she wanted him to do. She hoped he would actually take heed of all the comments about their supposed relationship and start to think about it more seriously. With the look he was giving her now, a look she couldn't quite place, she wondered if she could dare to hope that they were making progress there.
Any reply Harry might have given her was forestalled when the storekeeper returned to them a few moments later.
Harry and Hermione then spent some time looking at different enchanted backpacks, handbags, and pouches. In the end, they decided on buying one backpack, one purse, and two moneybags, all with Undetectable Extension Charms and basic anti-theft enchantments.
The four pieces cost twenty-eight Galleons in total. Hermione noted that Harry frowned a bit when he heard the price, but he still counted out the right amount of Galleons and handed them over.
They were just about to leave the shop when the storekeeper leaned over the counter towards them.
"Just one last bit of advice, Mr Potter," she called out, giving him a conspiratorial wink. "If you don't want people to know that this young lady is your girlfriend, you really shouldn't pay for her shopping!"
With that, the woman waved them goodbye, chuckling as Harry blushed crimson.
Hermione only rolled her eyes in response. She was a bit annoyed by the storekeeper's attitude, but if it would help Harry to realise that she was a girl and start thinking about her in a less platonic way, it would be all good in her book. The ends really justified the means there.
Harry was still rather flustered when they stepped out into the still empty street.
"That- She... We... I mean- How can she-" he sputtered indignantly as soon as they closed the door of the shop behind them.
"Harry!" Hermione interrupted him. "Haven't we decided that we would ignore all these comments?"
"Right," Harry grumbled, calming down slowly. "But it's still annoying. I just wish people would stay out of our private lives. Why can't they leave us alone?"
"Hey," she said consolingly and reached for his hand. "It's only two more days, remember?"
That seemed to be the right thing to say, as Harry's mood perked up immediately.
"Right," he agreed and smiled at her. "Two more days. I can manage that."
"Good. So, should we get the books next?"
"Ah..." Harry hesitated, a frown taking form on his face. "About that... I think we have a small problem..."
"What is it?" she asked with concern.
"Uhm, well... The bags were a bit more expensive than I thought," Harry said sheepishly. "I don't think I have enough money for the rest. I-"
"What?" Hermione exclaimed, feeling her panic rise. "But- but didn't you say that you have more than enough money? If it- when it's not even enough for this..."
"Oh, I have enough money at Gringotts," Harry clarified. "It's just... I just don't have enough with me right now. You know... Between the Omnioculars I bought at the Quidditch World Cup, and the bags now, I only have a few Galleons left..."
"Oh..." Hermione muttered. Internally, she chided herself for forgetting such an important detail. She really should have thought of that before.
"How much do you have?" she asked timidly.
"Uhm..." Harry mumbled and rummaged in his pockets, fishing out some coins.
"Four Galleons and... eleven Sickles," he then counted out the money in his palm.
Hermione sighed and pulled her own purse out of her pocket and counted the coins in it, even though she knew that she wouldn't be able to contribute much.
"Right..." she said. "And I can only add two more Galleons... and seven Sickles and four Knuts to the pot... I guess we'll have to prioritise..."
Harry nodded reluctantly. "What supplies are the most important?"
"I hoped to get some Ageing Potion to disguise myself when we leave," Hermione answered. "I could try to use charms instead, but the potion would probably be best. Polyjuice would be even better, of course, but it's more restricted, plus we can't brew it in time. So, we'd need the Ageing Potion before we leave on Monday evening... The rest... I guess everything else we could also buy at Diagon Alley after we've been to Gringotts..."
"They might be looking for us then," Harry pointed out, frowning slightly. "We really should try to be as quick as possible in Diagon Alley..."
"I know," Hermione said with exasperation. "I know. It's too obvious a place for us to go. But what else can we do? We won't find a lot of English books in France. Though we might be able to buy the potions and potion ingredients there..."
Harry nodded, and they both stayed quiet for a while as they pondered the problem.
"Well..." Harry hesitantly spoke up after a while, giving her an apprehensive look. "Maybe... Maybe there is another way to get everything before we leave... But you won't like it..."
"Yes?" Hermione asked with curiosity. "What do you have in mind?"
"Well... We... we could just take the books from the Hogwarts library right before we leave..."
Hermione swirled around to face him.
"Did you- are you suggesting that we rob the library?" she asked with indignation.
"Well, uhm... Yeah?" Harry admitted a bit reluctantly. "I mean, think about it! It would make sense! If we take the books at night right before we leave, nothing would be noticed before they know that we're gone anyway. And everything we need will be right there..."
Hermione stared at Harry in disbelief as he gave his explanation. Robbing a library? She was outraged by his sacrilegious suggestion!
She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to come up with a sufficiently scathing retort, but as she repeated Harry's words in her mind, she couldn't stop herself from actually considering his idea. Would it really be that crazy, compared to what they were planning to do already? It really was a convenient solution to their problem. The Hogwarts library certainly would be the best place to get all the books they needed.
Besides, Harry had saved the entire school twice over. Were a few books really too much to ask for in return? Also, they could return the books eventually. They'd just lend them out a bit longer than usual.
"Huh...You know what?" she said after a while, surprised with herself at the conclusion she had reached. "Fine. We can do that. It's probably the safest option..."
Harry grinned at her and nodded excitedly.
"But we'll return the books once we're back in Britain!" Hermione added quickly, giving the boy a stern look.
"Of course, Hermione," he agreed easily. "And can we do the same about the potions? Just take some from Snape's supply?"
Hermione sighed. "Well, I guess... It's not as if we hadn't done that before in our second year..."
"Right," Harry said with a smirk.
"We still need to come up with a plan on how we can get into the potions classroom without alerting Snape," Hermione pointed out.
"Of course," Harry replied. "Should we go to the next shop, then?"
Hermione nodded, and they made their way down the High Street to the Bobbins & Sons Apothecary, a shop that sold a vast assortment of potions and ingredients. Harry decided not to go inside this time, trying to avoid a repeat of the spectacle at Dervish & Banges, so Hermione entered the shop by herself.
She spent four of their remaining six Galleons on one vial each of Ageing Potion and its antidote. Under other circumstances, she might have wondered why the apothecary sold such potions in the first place or how they could be sold to minors with no restrictions, but by now, these things no longer surprised her about the wizarding world. She was just glad that she had got what they needed.
With their planned shopping trip cut short due to their low budget, Harry and Hermione then decided to just take a stroll through Hogsmeade for the rest of the morning to enjoy the scenery one last time.
Hermione had to admit that Hogsmeade truly was a picturesque village, even on a grey November morning like this one. It was just too bad that it was part of a world as backwards and outright stupid as Magical Britain. And the Hogwarts students that were now crowding the streets weren't helping matters either, with their incessantly belligerent remarks directed at Harry and her.
Still, she and Harry had an enjoyable time in the town. Unfortunately, even a liberal application of warming charms couldn't quite ward off the chill of the cold air and brisk winds of the Scottish Highlands in November.
"Should we have lunch and one last Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?" Harry suggested as noon approached, and frozen as she was, Hermione readily agreed.
They made their way towards the bar. Inside, they found themselves a table in a quiet corner where they would hopefully be left alone for their meal.
They had just ordered their lunch with Madam Rosmerta and received their Butterbeers when a booming voice sounded from behind them.
"Harry, Hermione!" someone called out, and as Hermione turned around, she saw Hagrid approaching them, with Professor Moody trailing a few steps behind him.
"Hagrid, Professor Moody," Hermione greeted the two men cordially.
"Good ter see yeh!" Hagrid said cheerfully.
"Hey, Hagrid," Harry replied. "How are you doing?"
"Ah, I'm fine, Harry. Just been having a drink with Alastor here. How are yeh? I hope yer not worrying too much 'bout the tournament?"
"I... I'm all right..." Harry replied with a shrug.
Hagrid then bent down towards the teens. "Listen, Harry," he whispered, "meet me at me cabin at midnight tonight. And bring yer cloak!"
He winked at Harry and straightened back up.
"Well, we've got ter go," he announced loudly, "It's been nice ter see yeh, Harry, Hermione. See yer 'round!"
"Bye," Hermione and Harry replied in unison, sharing a confused look as Hagrid and Moody departed.
"What was that all about?" Hermione wondered with a low voice.
"Do you reckon it's about the First Task?" Harry speculated.
"Probably," Hermione agreed. "Do you realise what that means?"
"Yeah," Harry confirmed with a grim nod. "It means Hagrid is involved in the preparations for the task... So it probably involves some of his creatures..."
"Yes, that's likely what he wants to show you tonight," Hermione whispered back. "Apparently he believes he has to warn you, so that means even Hagrid thinks it's dangerous!"
"Oh... wow..." Harry gulped. "I think I've made the right decision, then... Even if I hadn't been convinced before, I would be now. I'll leave."
"Good," she said emphatically. "And it's 'we', Harry. We'll leave."
"Yes... yes, I know..." he replied with a smile. "Thank you..."
There was a small pause between them before Harry spoke up again. "I... I won't go to that meeting with Hagrid, right?"
"Do you want to have another adventure in the Forbidden Forest at night?" Hermione asked him sardonically.
Harry snorted. "No. No, I don't. I think I had enough of those already..."
"Then don't go," Hermione said, much relieved that Harry was reasonable about this. "It's not as if you'll learn anything of relevance. We'll leave no matter what horrible creature they want you to fight."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "And I don't want to risk missing the talk with Sirius."
"That, too," Hermione agreed and took a sip from her Butterbeer.
Any further discussion was cut short by Madam Rosmerta bringing them their orders to the table. After the delicious lunch, Harry and Hermione decided to simply return to the castle early. There wasn't anything left for them to do in the village.
They left the Three Broomsticks and walked back to the school, where they returned to the Gryffindor common room. As most of the older students were spending their entire day at Hogsmeade, the common room was rather empty and Harry and Hermione were left in peace. Though, in fairness, things had been bearable for them within Gryffindor, anyway. It was mostly the students of the other Houses that were bothering them.
Since there was nothing left for them to prepare for their escape, they spent the afternoon reading and playing Exploding Snap. Hermione usually would have been quite content spending the entire rest of the day with a book in an armchair in front of the fireplace, but she knew that reading for hours on end wasn't Harry's favourite pastime activity. If they were to run away together, she would bore him to death if she did nothing in her free time but read books. And the card game was fun enough, anyway.
Harry and Hermione passed the evening in the same way, with them playing games, reading, and talking quietly among themselves while the common room first filled, then slowly emptied of students as the evening progressed. It was getting late and they were getting tired, but they had to stay up until the meeting with Sirius would take place at one in the morning. How exactly Sirius would make an appearance, they didn't know.
By midnight, Harry and Hermione were the only students left in the common room. Shortly after the last student had left the room, Hermione laid aside the book that she had been reading, getting too sleepy to concentrate on the text.
She sighed and leaned back into the cushions, turning sideways to look at Harry next to her. He was idly staring into the flames of the fireplace in front of them, a pensive expression on his face.
"What are you thinking, Harry?" she wondered.
It took Harry several long moments to reply.
"Just wondering..." he said slowly. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I'd be meeting with Hagrid now..."
Hermione frowned. "I thought you agreed-"
"I do," he interrupted her. "I don't want to be there... I just... I can't help but wonder what it would be, you know? What monster I'd have to fight..."
"Now you won't have to fight it," she said evenly, unsure where Harry was going with this.
"No, I won't," he confirmed with a small smile. "And... And it's because of you... What you've done... I figure you've probably saved my life..."
Hermione smiled back at him. "Maybe. But you've saved my life before, Harry. And at much greater risk to yourself, I might add."
He shrugged and frowned again. "Well, maybe... but still..."
"What is it, Harry?" she asked quietly.
"I- I'm sorry," he said, giving her a questioning look. "It's just... I just don't understand..."
"Don't understand what?"
"You... You're doing so much, and I really appreciate it, but I don't understand... I don't understand you." He exhaled deeply and shook his head. "Are you really sure you'll come with me? Leave everything behind? Your education? Even your parents?"
"Yes, Harry," she assured him with some exasperation. "How many times do I have to say this?"
There was a pause, during which Harry gave her a long, searching look.
"Why?" he then asked emphatically.
Looking back at him, Hermione sighed internally. Harry just didn't get it.
But then, she decided that maybe, maybe it was time for her to make him understand. Maybe, it was time for her to be honest with him, time for her to be brave, to be a Gryffindor.
"Because..." she said softly and scooted closer to him on the sofa, turning so that she was facing him. "I said it before, Harry. I won't leave you alone. I'll be with you as long as you'll have me. I..."
Hermione took a deep breath. Slowly, she leaned towards him, resting one hand on his shoulder, and after a short hesitation, she briefly brushed her lips against his.
She drew back before Harry could react, though even several moments later he still hadn't moved at all and only stared back at her with wide eyes.
Hermione gulped nervously, unsure what to make of his reaction, but she was past the point of no return, anyway, so she might as well get it all out in the open.
"I... I love you," she whispered. "I'd be helping you either way, and I'll help you no matter what... but if you want to know the main reason why I'll happily leave with you, this is it... it's because- well, because I've fallen very much in love with you over the last years..."
Feeling both relieved for finally having said it and apprehensive of how he would respond, she timidly looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. He seemed to be lost for words, but he didn't move away from her, either.
"You... you really...?" he finally stammered in a tone she couldn't quite place.
"I love you," she repeated softly, finding it difficult to keep looking at him. "I'm in love with you. Probably have been since the end of the last school year. Maybe longer. I've had a crush on you for much longer. For the entire second year, I suppose. You don't have to say anything, it's all right. I don't expe- hmphh!"
She was interrupted in her ramblings when Harry suddenly leaned towards her, closed the distance between them, and brought his lips crashing down onto hers.
He was kissing her! Yes yes yes yes yes! Harry was really kissing her! He- Start kissing him back, stupid! another part of her mind interrupted her jubilant thoughts, and she immediately proceeded to follow through on that brilliant advice, deepening the kiss and pressing her lips firmly against his.
They were a bit clumsy, of course, this being their very first real kiss after all – she was pretty certain that it was also Harry's first – but that didn't make it any less wonderful.
What did it matter that their noses were bumping repeatedly as they adjusted their postures, or that they were each still trying to find the perfect position and pressure for their lips' interplay as they exchanged some more probing kisses? The soft sensations as their lips danced with each other were already incredibly mind-blowing and so much better than she ever could have imagined.
Soon, Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer towards him, just like she pulled him towards her, with her right hand cupping his cheek and her left on the nape of his neck, her fingers interlacing with his hair. She ended up half leaning against him and half lying on top of him on the cushions, and the contact of their bodies only made things even more enjoyable.
She didn't know how long it took until they finally separated – to her, it somehow felt like a nanosecond and a million years both – but eventually they moved apart again, each breathing heavily.
"Wow!" Harry muttered, giving her a dazed smile.
"Yeah... wow..." Hermione repeated, finding it difficult to start thinking straight again. Though, right now, she felt that the ability to think straight was overrated anyway and wouldn't have minded to just continue their snogging session.
Harry, however, apparently had other plans.
"I..." he began slowly, his expression growing more serious, "What you said... I guess you really deserve an answer..."
"You've given me a pretty good answer already," she said dreamily and giggled. She giggled? Hermione Granger didn't giggle! She was shocked with herself.
"Yes... no..." Harry chuckled. " I... I mean an actual answer."
"You don't have to-" Hermione began.
"No, I do," he disagreed. "I- I'm not good at this. But... Hermione, you..."
He took a deep breath. "Did you... Did you know that you're the first person I can remember to ever give me a hug? Since our first year, you've always been there for me, and I've really not appreciated it enough... I... You know, I feel terrible about it now, especially for how I treated you last year over a silly broom-"
She wanted to interrupt and tell him that it was all right and that she had been as much at fault as him, but Harry continued on.
"But... even with me being a git, you've always been there for me, and you've done so much, you're still helping me, even now when everyone else has- well, when no one else does, and... with all of this... I know – have known for a while – that you're the most important person in my life..."
Hermione smiled back at him as she knew that he held the same position for her.
"You're the most important person in my life," Harry repeated, "and- and you're smart, and you're pretty, and... I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it, but... I love you, too, Hermione... I love you, too..."
With her eyes shining from happiness, Hermione leaned against him again.
"That was perfect, Harry," she whispered and gave him a soft peck on the lips. "Thank you..."
She gave him another peck. "I love you so much..."
And with that, she pressed her lips against his more forcefully, and this time, Harry happily reciprocated the kiss.
He pulled back only a few seconds later, however, far too soon to her liking, but he apparently had another question to ask.
Gathering his breath, Harry grinned at her. "Does... does that mean that you're my girlfriend now?"
"Do you really think I'd kiss anyone but my boyfriend like that?" Hermione asked coyly and gave him another deep but brief kiss. "Oh, and just to be clear, that was a 'Yes'. That's most definitely what this means."
"Brilliant," Harry muttered, his smile widening before he closed the distance between them again.
She was soon draped over him once more, but before their kissing could grow more heated again, they were interrupted by a loud noise.
"Ahem!" someone cleared his throat, and they jolted apart, looking around in the empty common room with confusion.
There was another cough, and Hermione thought it almost sounded as if the noise had originated from the fireplace this time. She looked into the flames, only to be shocked at what she saw. The head of Sirius Black seemed to emerge from the embers of the fireplace. The old Marauder was looking straight at her, a roguish grin on his face.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed when he spotted his godfather.
"Hey, Harry! Terribly sorry to interrupt..." Sirius said with a wide smirk, not sounding at all as if he meant it.
"You weren't interrupting anything!" Harry sputtered, his face flushing crimson. Hermione also felt her cheeks heating up slightly.
"Of course not," Sirius laughed, clearly having a hard time holding back some further comments.
"Well, it's good to see you, Harry," he then said brightly. "And also, Hermione... Granger, was it? Or is it Potter already?"
"Sirius..." Harry growled, and Hermione felt the temperature of her cheeks rise further.
"Sorry, sorry," Sirius replied, chuckling. "I'll stop it, I promise. Well, tell me, how are you doing?"
Over the next minutes, they exchanged some pleasantries and Sirius told them that he had managed to get access to a fireplace with a connection to the Floo network that he was using now. Harry and Hermione then informed Harry's godfather of the recent happenings at school, but they soon decided to cut to the chase.
"Well... you know, Sirius..." Harry began. "We were hoping that you could maybe help us with something about the tournament..."
"Oh?" Sirius asked, visibly intrigued. "I'd be happy to. Does that mean you know what the task will be?"
"We..." Harry hesitated, a small frown forming on his face.
"Let's just say that we have some suspicions," Hermione took over, knowing how difficult it would be for Harry to lie to his godfather. "We're not supposed to know, so let's leave it at that."
Sirius chuckled. "Right... You would've made very good Marauders, you two! But that doesn't matter right now, what is it you need my help with?"
"Well..." Hermione began, "We have a rough idea on what the task will be, and we know how to keep Harry safe. But there are some charms we'll need for that. We were hoping that maybe you could help us and cut short some of our research..."
She felt a bit bad about what she said, though she hadn't told any lies, strictly speaking. But she certainly did invite Sirius to draw the wrong conclusions from her statements. Putting the matter out of her mind, Hermione went on. "We were looking into methods for obscuring a person's location. Harry will need something like that, and seeing as you're probably using such charms on the run, we hoped you might help..."
"Obscure a location?" Sirius repeated, sounding a bit confused. "You mean like a Disillusionment Charm?"
"No, no, we mean... uhm... could you maybe tell us what charms or other spells you use to not be tracked by owls, detection spells, house-elves, and so on?" Hermione asked.
"Huh..." Sirius frowned. "That's... Sure, that's not too difficult... But why would you need that for the task?"
"Uhm... well, as I said, we'd rather not talk about it right now," Hermione answered. "Harry isn't supposed to know about the task."
"Well, all right," Sirius dropped the matter, much to Hermione's relief. "There's a basic anti-tracking charm, the Abscondam Charm, that would stop owls or other creatures from locating Harry magically. You should find it in the seventh-year Charms textbook. But it won't stop creatures from seeing you or so! You're not truly hidden or invisible with that charm, you just can't be located from afar."
"That's still perfect," Harry said happily. "Thank you, Sirius!"
"It's exactly what we need," Hermione concurred. "Is that what you're using now?"
"Well, no, not quite," Sirius answered. "I used it at first, but now I had to use a more advanced version of it to allow the owls from certain individuals to reach me." He winked at Harry.
"But that makes the magic involved quite complicated," Sirius continued. "I doubt you could work it out before the task. And I doubt you'd need it."
"No, we won't," Hermione confirmed. "Does the Abscondam Charm work against everything though?"
"Well... not quite..." Sirius began slowly. "But I don't think the exceptions will matter for you. If someone has a drop of your blood, there are dark rituals that can be used to track you. A true seer could also scry your location. But the more common things won't work. Creatures like owls or house-elves won't find you, nor will a Message Patronus or a Point-me spell work, and so on..."
"Would it conceal the trace?" Harry wondered.
"Huh, now that's an interesting idea..." Sirius chuckled. "I don't know. The Ministry only detects the location where underage magic is used. And if the location of the person is concealed, is the location of their spell-casting, too...? Huh, I have to say I don't know... I would advise against testing it, though, if you don't want to have it on your permanent record..."
"Right," Hermione agreed. "Well, thank you, Sirius, that was a great help!"
Harry nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"You're welcome," Sirius replied happily. "Now, what else is new with you, aside from the obvious?"
They continued to talk for almost half an hour before Sirius informed them that he had to go and they hastily said their goodbyes.
When Sirius ended the Floo call, Harry slumped back into the cushions, and Hermione could see his guilt about their deception.
"I'm sorry that we had to lie to Sirius," she said consolingly and wrapped him in a tight hug.
Harry sighed. "I didn't like it... but it was necessary, I get it... Just... Let's please try to find a way to keep in touch with him?"
"Of course," she assured him. "We'll think of something, I promise..."
Harry nodded and yawned. "Good... At least we got the information we need."
"Yes, we did," Hermione agreed softly and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open.
"We still have to learn the spell, though," she mumbled. "It's a seventh-year charm. I don't know if a fourth-year student can learn it within two days..."
She felt that she should be more worried about this, but she was just too tired to care right now.
Harry, however, only gave off a small chuckle. "Any random fourth-year? No. But you? Come on, Hermione! You'll have it done in an hour, if you'll even need that long!"
"Well... maybe... I hope you're right..." Hermione replied and snuggled closer into him.
"I know it. You're amazing, Hermione," Harry said softly and lightly kissed her temple.
"You're pretty amazing too, Harry," Hermione whispered back, a small, content smile taking form on her lips as her eyes fluttered shut. Listening to Harry's even breathing and his heartbeat, she felt herself gliding into sleep.
"We... we should get up... to our dorms..." she heard Harry speak up once more.
"Mhm... yes... yes, we... should..." Hermione mumbled in response. Two deep breaths later, sleep finally claimed her.
