A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back to another fic :) I wrote this too early in the morning, and then too late at night XD Head empty, no Author's Note thoughts.

This one is for Round 5 of The Houses Competition, where I'm in Ravenclaw House and writing for Potions. This competition, we have to write a drabble (500-1000 words) as well as a standard (1000-3000 words). This fic is the Standard of the two. Prompts are listed below.

*these lines come straight from Book one. Obviously a nice nod to the greatest test of their friendship in their first year.

Thank you kindly to VanillaAshes, Astral Pendragon and HadrianPeverellBlack for the beta!

Word Count: 1233

Disclaimers/Warnings: Mentions of canon death

Summary: Revelations come out in the wake of Dobby's death, and Harry vows to start a new beginning with Hermione.

Prompts:

The Houses Competition Y10 R5

[Sound] The sound of ocean waves

[Time] Midnight

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Assignment 2

Horology With Professor Sophie

Obelisks: Write a story where noon or midnight is of importance.

"Midnight Marks New Beginnings"

It was loud as she walked down to the beach along the pebbled path. The wind blew gently, but the waves beside Shell Cottage broke loudly against the sand. It was dark, and Hermione stumbled a bit. The waning crescent moon didn't offer too much light to go by, and Hermione was just too tired to produce light from her wand to get to her destination.

She could see him there, outlined by the faint light reflected off the waves, and she adjusted her trajectory to intercept him. She needn't worry about him moving, however. He currently knelt next to a freshly overturned patch of sand, far from the waves that could desecrate that particular patch of land.

He knelt next to Dobby's grave.

The sound of the waves grew louder the closer she drew to Harry, until they fell cacophonously on the beach. There was no way for them to understand either of each other, but Hermione had no words for him anyway. How do you console someone who watched his friend die while saving them?

They all owed their lives to Dobby the House Elf.

Hermione's gauzed-covered arm throbbed slightly, and she placed a hand over it to squeeze it, trying to distract from the discomfort. She knelt beside Harry, bowed her head, and leaned against him. Harry sagged against her in response.

A quick flick of the wrist and a bubble of not silence, but just lessened sound, surrounded them. Hermione had learned very quickly that complete silence was dangerous while they were on the run and sleeping in the tent. It caused paranoia and disallowed them to listen for anyone who might be coming. As such, despite being in somewhat safe territory, this spell only muted the sound of the crashing waves instead of completely removing it.

Her ears rang in the sudden drop of sound.

"It's almost midnight, you know?" Her voice was soft as she tucked her head under Harry's chin. His arm wrapped around her shoulders in response but said nothing in return. "We should go get some sleep. Morning will come soon enough, and we need to plan our next move."

"You were always the one to come up with a plan, you know?" Harry replied quietly.

"I know. It's how we stayed alive. But none of my plans survived contact with the enemy. That was Ron's job. To strategize and fine-tune the plans until we could expect the unexpected," said Hermione.

"And then there's me."

"Yes, you, Harry Potter, the greatest of us all. The leader whom we can look up to, and the one who inspires us to fight."

"It doesn't feel like much. Just feels like I inspire people to die," came his curt reply.

"Harry–"

"No, Hermione–" His tone came out forced, as if he wanted to yell but couldn't. "First Sirius, then Professor Dumbledore, Moody, and now Dobby? Who else, Hermione? Who else will walk to their deaths willingly just because I asked them to? What if it's one of you, next? No, It got too close to that in Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix. I can't…I can't lose you, Hermione."

Hermione shifted and wrapped her arms around Harry, resting her head on his chest. "Harry, I'm not going anywhere. No one is going anywhere. You're stuck with us, me and Ron, you know? And all it took was for you to extend the hand of friendship to us. Me, the insufferable bookworm. Him, the often overlooked son of overachievers. You, the scrawny little waif who just wanted to find his home. The three of us? We're never going to leave again." Harry shook as he cried into her hair, and she merely held him tighter.

She took a moment to offer her best friend comfort and derived comfort in his grasp in return. He shifted his arms around her to encircle her waist, and they knelt in the sand, not uncomfortably, leaning on each other.

"*Harry, you're a great wizard, you know," Hermione said. Harry shook his head against her.

"I'm still not as good as you, Hermione," he replied. She did not let go of him but only held him tighter.

"Me?" she replied. "Books and cleverness…there are more important things in life, Harry. Friendship, bravery…" Hermione pulled back slightly to look him in the eye as she confessed the one thing she couldn't at the end of their first year. "...and love. Harry, you possess so much more than me. Smarts don't make you great. Your heart is what makes you great. Sirius loved you. Professor Dumbledore loved you. I don't know if Moody loved you, but Dobby adored you! You cannot refute that!"

Harry gave out a wet chuckle as he pulled back and swiped at the tears on his face. "He certainly had a weird way of showing that love," Harry commented. Hermione chuckled weakly as she prepared herself for the next thing she needed to say.

"Ron and I, we love you too. You're our best friend! And we'll do whatever it takes to make sure you make it out of this war alive!" Hermione then declared. Harry nodded before standing, pulling her with him.

"Hermione, I love you too. I want to make it to the end of the war. With no more deaths–"

"Except Riddle's," Hermione interjected.

"Except Riddle's," he agreed, barking out a laugh. "But I want to live life with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to teach the next generation with you." Hermione stilled in his grasp.

"Harry, what are you–"

"I'm in love with you, Hermione. I realized it when Ron and I destroyed the locket. I want to be there for you when you have your low days, celebrate your high days, and keep you close so I know you're happy and healthy."

There was a pregnant pause between them for a moment, only the highly muted sounds of the ocean waves filled the air.

"Harry, what about Ginny? She's waiting for you," Hermione said.

"I love her, but I'm not in love with her. I wanted to put her on a shelf and hide her. But with you, I want to fight by your side. I want to see you grow as a person, and I want to grow with you," Harry replied. A soft smile tinged Hermione's lips.

"I want that with you too," she admitted softly. The smile that lit up Harry's face was beatific as he grasped her hands in his.

Hermione's wristwatch gently chimed, and she looked at it, distractedly. "It's midnight," she replied to Harry's curious gaze. "Midnight is meant to represent new beginnings…is this a new beginning?"

"It's the beginning of the best thing ever," Harry replied. "It's the beginning of us."

A smile lit up Hermione's face. "I can't wait."

"Let's head inside. It's getting late," Harry said.

"And chilly," Hermione pointed out.

"And chilly," he agreed with a laugh before Hermione took out a wand to cancel the noise-muffling spell. The cacophony of the rising tide blasted into their ears, and Hermione winced a little as all of the sound came rushing back.

"You need to teach me that spell!" Harry yelled over the surf. She could barely hear him. "That'll come in handy sometime!"

"I'll teach you anything you want!" Hermione shouted back with a grin. "We have all the time in the world!"