[A/N: Thank you to Calamity Owl for beta-reading this chapter.]


Cleaning up breakfast was, in retrospect, the best part of the morning for Hermione, because all that was left in the house after the last dish clanked into its neighbour on the drying rack was silence. She made it through lunchtime before she couldn't take any more and floo'd Neville.

"Hello?" she asked. "Is anyone home?"

A house elf popped up. "Hello, Lord Potter's friend. What can Spriggy do for you?"

"Hello, Spriggy," Hermione said. "Is Neville available?"

"Spriggy will check,"Spriggy said, and disappeared with an understated pop. Dobby's was noticeably louder, and Hermione sometimes wondered if Harry's elf friend either enjoyed the dramatic flair of the additional volume or if the noise was just his enthusiasm given audible form.

Just as she realised the two options weren't entirely exclusive, Neville strode into the room. He wore his usual slacks and waistcoat with an expression of deep concern in his eyes. "Good afternoon, Hermione," he said. "Would you like to come through?"

She nodded and, after he waved his wand at the fireplace, stepped through the floo. She was getting better at the disconcerting mode of transport, but still gratefully accepted Neville's assistance stabilising herself as she exited.

"It's nice to see you," he said. "Especially after the owl I just received." He passed her a piece of parchment.

"Dear Nev," it began, "Harry and I have to look for survivors and protect the Statute. Not sure when I'll return. I apologise for missing our dinner. Yours Sincerely, Sue. P.S. They finally did it!"

"What's going on?" Nev asked. "Look where for survivors?"

"You didn't hear?" Hermione asked, fighting down a blush at Sue's postscript.

He shook his head. "Wizarding Wireless is vapid to the point of useless when it comes to news about the Wizarding World. If something happened elsewhere, they usually don't bother."

Hermione gave him a quick rundown of what Sue had told them and what she'd seen in the Times.

"That's horrifying," Nev said when she finished. "Thank you for letting me know, though. Do you need any help while Harry's gone?"

"No, thank you, I think I can keep the house running while he's out," Hermione said. "It's just…I'm used to him being gone for long shifts, but it's only been a few hours now and I'm already losing my mind. I can't take not knowing when he's going to come home. He's the one thing that's been constant in my life as everything else has shattered into a million pieces and reformed itself over the last few months, and now I know I'm going to wake up for who knows how long and he won't be there."

Nev put his hands on her shoulders. "It's OK. You can come over here whenever you want, and Remus will be well enough for company again in a couple of days and I'm sure they'd love to have you." He paused. "Wait, if he's there when you wake up…that's what Sue meant! Congratulations!"

Hermione blushed and pushed his hands away. "Why is everyone congratulating me? This is so embarrassing!"

"We thought it would be good for both of you," Nev said with equanimity. "Well, that and Sirius still wants grand-godchildren, but we keep telling him not to get ahead of himself."

"You're all talking with one another about our sex life, or lack thereof of until recently?" Hermione asked, disbelief edging out embarrassment in her tone.

"Of course we are," Nev said. "It's not like anything else more interesting was going on…well, until today. Besides, if you think we're bad, wait until the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly discover you."

Hermione blanched. "I'd forgotten what Harry said about the tabloids after I moved in. Why are people so obsessed with Harry's life?"

"He's a celebrity and for all our magic, we're still British," Nev said.

"Fair enough." Hermione sighed. "I should probably get home and stop taking up more of your day."

Nev shrugged. "I didn't have anything particularly interesting planned for today, especially now that Sue can't make it over for dinner. Let's do another lesson in the greenhouses."

"That sounds tremendously better than silence," Hermione said, "but I don't want to put you out."

"It's no trouble at all," Nev said. "It'll ease us both into our friends' absences."


Hermione had a much easier time concentrating while working with Neville than she had while studying Charms theory that morning, and by evening she felt ready to face the silence again.

"Thank you again," she told Nev while they were washing up after their work in the dirt. "I think I can deal with dinner alone now."

"Nonsense," Nev said. "I couldn't possibly have you over now and not have you for dinner."

"I don't want to intrude," Hermione said.

"You're not. I'm absolutely insisting and I would be a lousy host if I didn't. Gran will understand."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. Madam Longbottom had not yet struck her as the understanding type.

Nev nodded. "Of course. She knows you're a friend of mine."


Nev rested his head against the wall next to the fireplace and sighed. "I am so sorry about that, Hermione," he said. "I had no idea she thought you were 'trying to get your hooks' into Harry or me."

"It's not her good graces I'm worried about," Hermione said as Nev stood up straight again. "You don't think she'll start blabbing about me, do you?"

"Definitely not," Nev said. "Her word is her bond. She's just going to try to make you miserable enough that you stay away from me."

"But I'm with Harry!"

Nev shrugged. "Gran thinks I'm the best grandson ever. Ergo, any woman will eventually realise I am a superior partner to their current one and want to seduce me."

"Huh." Hermione paused. "The logic tracks. I mean, I think there are some false assumptions in there, but it's logically valid."

"You have the strangest reactions sometimes," Nev said, chuckling. "Harry's right that you would have been amazing fun to have in class."

"Only till I drove you all spare by asking questions constantly," Hermione said.

"Would you have looked over my revisions?" Nev asked.

"Of course!" Hermione said. "I'd help anyone with their revisions unless they were actively hostile to me."

"Then I think we'd have put up with the questions," Nev said. "Harry's grades were terrible, and mine weren't much better except in Herbology." His tone turned more serious. "Are you going to be OK tonight?"

"I think so," Hermione said. "With the exception of dealing with your grandmother's insinuations, this afternoon and evening have been fun and I feel more capable of being alone now. I hate thinking about all of the times Harry and Sue have been in danger, but it helps put this trip in perspective."

"I'm glad I could help," Nev said. "Are you sure it's OK if I crash your DADA lesson in a few days?"

"Definitely," Hermione said. "Remus said he'd be happy to give you a refresher, and I've been studying hard enough that I hope to be a useful training partner for you." That book she'd borrowed from Sirius's library wasn't exactly on her required reading list, but she had a feeling it was going to be a great complement to it. The first chapter, at least. The later chapters were downright disturbing.

"Great, I'll see you then."

Hermione nodded and gave him a quick hug. "Goodnight, Nev."

"Goodnight." He handed her the floo powder jar, she took a pinch, and a few terrifying moments later found herself safely home.


Through a supreme effort of will, Hermione forced herself into something resembling her normal study schedule, with just one difference: she cleaned compulsively. That worked for about two days, but during her Tuesday afternoon cleaning a complication popped up.

"Don't worries, Mistress!"

"Ack!" Hermione lurched backward from where she'd been sweeping up the detritus of her Charms lesson with Professor Flitwick, fell over the arm of the sofa, and found herself frozen in mid-air before she hit the ground.

"Dobby is sorry," the house elf said as he gently floated her body over to the sofa. "Dobby is just coming to clean and didn't want Mistress to bother herself with it."

"It's OK," Hermione said as she landed on the sofa. "You just startled me. I can take care of the cleaning, though."

"Is no trouble," Dobby said. "Dobby can do it."

"I know," Hermione said, "but I'd like to do it myself."

Dobby stopped dusting and turned to her. "Dobby would like to do it himself, too," he said apologetically.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "It's just…I feel weird asking someone else to clean up my mess to start with, and now it's all I can do to wait for Harry. I feel like if I keep the house clean, maybe he'll come home sooner, but if I let it stay dirty, it's like I'm assuming he won't be home for awhile." She sighed. "That's silly, isn't it?"

"Yous is not silly," Dobby said. "Dobby misses Great and Powerful Harry Potter, too. Dobby can still feel connection to him, but is weak over such distance. Dobby wants to make sure everything is perfect when Wise and Excessively Giving Master returns."

Hermione chuckled. "He is that, isn't he? I guess I can't complain because of how much I've benefited from it, but that doesn't stop me worrying about him."

"Dobby didn't mean to hurt yous feelings," Dobby said. "You is one of the only ones ever giving him anything back."

"I should hope the rest of the country isn't giving him what I'm giving him." Hermione shot the elf a glare as she spoke.

"Bad old master's father purchased that all the time," Dobby said derisively, "but not even his moneys could purchase what you gives Good Master Harry Potter."

"Thank you." Hermione pulled the little creature into a hug. His skin was warm and leathery, and he smelled musky and a bit like ammonia.

"Dobby…has never been hugged before," Dobby said. "You is truly a great witch!"

"Never?" Hermione asked in shock.

"Witches and Wizards not much for hugging," Dobby said. "They's super-extra-English about that."

"Well, I am," Hermione said. "I hope you don't mind."

"Dobby loves it," Dobby said. "Can…um…Dobby help you clean, then?"

"Absolutely," Hermione said. "While we clean, can you tell me some of the things Harry should have bragged about to me but hasn't?"

"Dobby would be happy to!" he said. "House elveses at Hoggy-warts see all kinds of things that nobody else realises they sees."

"Excellent," Hermione said. "By the time Harry gets home, I'll have way more data points with which to convince him that he's amazing."

"Wills yous make a chart?" Dobby asked. His eyes somehow seemed to get even larger with excited anticipation.

"Um…yes. Yes, I will." Hermione just didn't have it in her to refuse Dobby when he was making adorable faces like that.

"Yay!" Dobby said. "Even Great and Powerful Harry Potter cannot argue with a chart."

Hermione did her best to keep a straight face. "No, I don't think even he could."


A steady rain was turning all of the snow outside to grey slush the next morning, but Hermione still thought a fifteen-minute walk in forty-degree rainy weather preferable to using the floo. By the time she arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place, she had to admit that the bigoted Purebloods who'd created her crushed velvet capelet were exceptionally skilled with their enchantments, at least. She was toasty warm inside and the outside shed water like a duck's back.

Remus answered the door a few moments after she knocked. "Hermione! I was expecting you at the floo." He looked haggard and beaten-up, but the worst of the full moon's effects seemed to have dissipated.

She arched her eyebrows at him.

He sighed and stood aside so she could enter the house. "You really do hate the floo, don't you?"

"With a passion," she said as she walked in. "Harry and I suspect the only quantifiable area of Pureblood superiority is a cast-iron inner ear."

"You should research that after you complete your schooling," Neville said. He wore his usual slacks and waistcoat and was leaning on the railing at the foot of the stairs. "Your article title could be: Weak Pureblood Magic Offset by Inner Ear Strength."

"Weak magic?" she asked.

"Can I take your capelet?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded and allowed him to remove it while she folded her umbrella and put it in the umbrella stand…which she just now noticed seemed to be the foot of an enormous creature. She nearly asked about it, but given the other things she'd seen in the Black household, she decided she was better off not knowing. She just hoped she never encountered one of those things.

"Anyway," Remus said as he hung up her capelet, "Neville, Harry, Susan, Sirius, and I have often wondered if the magic of Pureblooded lines is getting weaker. Albus Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and Harry are the most powerful wizards of the last century and are all half-bloods. That can't be a coincidence."

She blinked. "Harry is that powerful?"

"That he is." Nev said. "He's not at the level of skill the other two had yet, but his raw power is astounding. My Gran once told me that Sue's Aunt, the Minister for Magic, told her that she thought Harry's mere existence was enough to discourage the rise of another Dark Lord."

"That's astounding," Hermione said. "I had no idea."

"Harry doesn't like to talk about that," Remus said. "I think he'd rather people didn't look to him to solve their problems. Some of it may be hereditary, too. His father was a powerful wizard and his mother had a deeper, more complex grasp of magic than all but the greatest scholars, along with more than her share of power." He nodded to Neville. "You'll find this lesson interesting, Neville. Hermione's power was almost tangible even when she was bound, and now that she's learning to wield it she's turning into an extraordinary witch."

"I'm definitely intrigued," Neville said as Hermione blushed. "I'm also glad I have enough schooling under my belt to stay mostly ahead of her. She'd probably have kicked my arse even as a Firstie."

"Language!" Hermione said. "And I'd never hex you."

He snorted. "If Harry had needed you to hex me, you'd have done so in a heartbeat and you know it."

She blushed again. "I would have felt bad, at least."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, dear," Remus said. "Oh, and speaking of sleep, have you had any dreams or other recollections that might be your memory returning?"

"Just vague sensations of someone much larger than me who bore me an unfathomable amount of hatred," Hermione said. "Of course, I would have been four years old, so most people were much larger than me, but still…"

"Just keep up with your Occlumency exercises and I'm sure it will come to you eventually," Remus said, "and probably when you least expect it. Now, if you're ready, let's head down to the practice room. I think this will be a great opportunity for both of you."

"I still hate the basement." Hermione shivered.

"That's where you and Harry nearly died, right?" Neville asked.

"That and Sirius said he thinks that's where his mother sacrificed his father," Hermione said. "I can't get that image out of my head now."

"Oh, don't pay any attention to that old mutt," Remus said. "He was just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Was he, though?" Hermione asked.

Remus sighed. "I…honestly wish I could say he was. I can't rule out that being the truth, though."

Neville shivered. "I think I see where Hermione is coming from."

"I understand, but the basement room is the only one sufficiently warded for combat practice," Remus said.

"Needs must, then," Nev said, and allowed Remus to lead him downstairs. Hermione followed closely behind, keeping a close eye on the ceiling for spiders.

The practice room was a rectangle maybe thirty yards on the long side and half that on the short. The walls were ancient red brick, worn and chipped and stained with a thousand impossible things. Remus took up a position by the door and motioned to his students to take up positions on opposite sides of the room.

"You'll each be training different things today," he told them. "First, though, we need to make sure Hermione's intent is present." He waved his wand and a plain wooden armchair appeared behind Neville. "Neville, have a seat. Hermione, I want you to hit him with the Jelly-Legs Jinx, the Tickling Charm, the Leg-Locker Curse, and the Impediment Jinx."

She froze. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt him."

"You won't," Nev said as he took a seat in the chair. "That's why Remus gave me a chair."

"Exactly," Remus said. "You need to know what these spells do, but you also need to see that they're not evil. This is the kind of practice you'll need to be able to use these spells to defend yourself."

"If you're both sure…"

They nodded.

"OK." Hermione levelled her wand at Nev, wove a careful pattern with it, and said, "Rictusempra."

A jet of sickly silver light burst forth and whizzed past Nev's right shoulder. "Good wand movement," Remus said, "but don't forget to aim."

"Oh, right." Hermione blushed and tried again. This time, the light flew right into Nev's chest, but all he did was chuckle.

"Not bad," he said, "but I don't think you put enough intent into it. You want me laughing uncontrollably."

"That's the problem," Hermione said. "I don't. It's hard to aim this at you and actually cast the spell."

"I understand," Remus said. "Neville never had the pleasure of going to school with muggleborns, but I did, and I remember some of them had the same concern in their early Defence lessons. What you need to learn is what Neville and I were taught as children: magic spells are common and safe. You don't have to worry about hurting anyone with this spell because it can't hurt anyone, except in unusual edge case scenarios that aren't worth discussing right now. Trust us: this is safe. You're going to cast it on Neville and he's going to be just fine."

Nev nodded encouragingly. "He's right, Hermione. Now make me laugh!" He paused. "You know, that sounded a lot better in my head."

"I'll do my best," she said. "Rictusempra."

This time, the silver light of the spell glowed a little brighter and Nev laughed for a few seconds after it hit him. "Better!" he said.

"It was, but your intent wasn't quite right," Remus said. "As you cast the spell, remember that you're walking right up to reality itself and telling it that you demand that man laugh his arse off right now. So cast it again and show reality it has a new mistress."

Hermione set her jaw and faced Nev again. "Rictusempra!" This time, a jet of bright silver light hit the young man right in the stomach and he promptly doubled over with laughter for a solid twenty seconds.

"Nice work!" he said when he could breathe again. "That hit harder than I remember anyone's Tickling Charms hitting in school."

"I agree," Remus said. "You picked that up well."

He ran her through the rest of the basic jinxes he wanted her to practise that day before asking Neville to rise from the chair again. Once he did so, Remus Vanished the chair and Neville took up a position near the wall.

"Each of you will be training something different today," he said. "Hermione, we're going to work on your spellcasting speed. Take up a duelling stance and cast as many jinxes as you can until I call a break. If you see a jinx coming from Neville, duck or step out of the way."

He turned to Neville. "You're going to be working your Shield Charm and dodging. I want your feet to stay in the same place, but you can lean out of the way. Whenever you can, cast a Stinging Hex at Hermione, but I want you to focus more on not getting hit than on hitting her. Try not to fire more than one Stinging Hex for every three she fires at you."

Neville and Hermione nodded to each other and faced each other across the room. She took a deep breath, raised her wand, and fired off a Leg Locker Curse. Nev dodged it easily.

Hermione took a moment to steady herself and cast an Impediment Jinx. She aimed more toward his stomach that time and was gratified to see him forced to shield it. She followed up with a Full Body-Body Curse that Neville also shielded, then stepped quickly to the right to dodge his Stinging Hex.

"Nice work," Remus said. "I don't remember teaching you the Full Body-Bind Curse yet, though."

"I found it in one of Sirius's books," Hermione said, blushing. "I double-checked to make sure it was in our curriculum before using it, I promise."

"You were right," Remus said, "but please check with me before using new spells in the future. I don't want to see anyone hurt."

"I will," Hermione said.

"Excellent," Remus said. "Now, try to pick up your pace and put a little more intent into your spells. We want to give Neville a good workout. Neville, start varying your use of Stinging Hexes a bit to somewhere between every two and four spells she casts."

They both nodded and tried again. The next few iterations of their practice went similarly, with just a few mishaps. Nev managed to catch an Impediment Jinx in the chest when he didn't lean far enough out of the way once, and a couple of times he caught Hermione with a Stinging Jinx when she telegraphed which way she was going to dodge. Eventually, though, Remus called a halt again.

"You're both doing well," the older man said, "but you're in a bit of a rut, Hermione. Could you mix up your spells or work some new ones in?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to practise them in that order because of what I found in the book. May I show you why?"

Remus nodded and Neville took up his ready stance again. Hermione took a deep breath and cast a Leg Locker Curse, speaking the words as fast as she could. As she finished the wand movement, she transitioned into the Impediment Jinx and from there into a Full Body-Bind, timing her words with her hand motions just as she'd practised alone for the last two evenings in the silence of Harry's absence.

Nev was only one syllable into the Stinging Hex when the last curse caught him and he crashed to the ground with a look of shock on his face. Remus raised his eyebrows, Finite'd the young man, and turned to Hermione. "That book you found the Full Body-Bind Curse in," he said, "was that a book on spell chains?"

"It was," Hermione said. "The subtitle was something about how they were essential to anyone who wanted to be a professional dueller, so I thought they'd be useful in fighting."

"Merlin, Hermione!" Nev said as he clambered to his feet. "That's N.E.W.T.-level work!"

Remus chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me, my dear. By all means, please keep practising that chain, though you may wish to limit yourself to that one for the moment. Spell-chaining will be worth some extra credit on your O.W.L.s, but at this point you're probably better off ensuring you've mastered the core curriculum of spells."

"I understand," Hermione said. "I want to become an effective fighter, too, though, and this seemed like a good way to combine those goals."

"For what it's worth," Nev said, "I think you're pretty effective right now. Sure, those are basic spells, but your casting speed when you chain them is amazing."

"I agree," Remus said. "That's an exceptional talent. Why don't you practise a few more of those on Neville, and then we'll work on your other hexes?"

Hermione nodded and faced Nev again. The other man raised his wand and cast a shield.

"Neville?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows.

"Do I have to?" Nev asked. "I can't dodge, cast, and dodge again fast enough."

"You mean you can't do that now," Remus said, a touch of reproach in his voice.

"Fine." Nev dropped his shield. "But only because the floor has Cushioning Charms on it."

Hermione did her best to hide a smirk and began casting again. Nev definitely needed those Cushioning Charms.