"Evanesco!"

"Very good! Try not to move the wand so much, watch. Evanesco!"

Hermione quickly waved her wand and the little bonsai she had conjured earlier disappeared back into the void. She then conjured it again for Luna's next attempt. Like every Thursday, they had made themselves comfortable in one of the unoccupied classrooms on the sixth floor and Hermione was working on her spells with her, teaching the knowledge-hungry Ravenclaw everything Hermione considered her capable of.

"One more try and then I have Quidditch training," Hermione said after glancing at her wristwatch. Luna nodded and concentrated. She immediately managed to implement Hermione's tip and didn't leave even a crumb of soil behind. "Very good!"

"Thank you, that was a great tip," Luna said and the two of them cleaned up the classroom with levitation spells. Luna thanked Hermione for the practice lesson as she always did and accompanied Hermione to the common room where she changed for Quidditch practice. Although the next match against Slytherin was not until a month after the Christmas holidays, McFinley challenged his team like never before.

He had also been so impressed by Susan and Ginny's performance in their first match that he immediately declared the Hufflepuffs the team to beat at all costs to have any chance of winning the Quidditch Cup. Exhausted but happy, Hermione fell into her bed that evening after the demanding training session in the blowing snow. A smile flew across her lips as she thought about how good life was at Hogwarts this year.

She didn't have to worry about being pursued by an Heir of Slytherin, had greatly increased her magical abilities with the diadem of Ravenclaw, and was able to enjoy her life at the castle to the fullest. The Dementors also stayed away from the castle grounds during the day and so you didn't really notice them unless you went on nightly excursions like Hermione. Sirius Black had also stopped appearing and more and more students believed the Fat Lady had persuaded a student to stage the attack to cause drama amongst the portraits.

"Only three more days," she whispered, thinking of the snowy chalet in the French Alps with a tingle in her belly. Every day as the holidays drew nearer, her lust increased and Hermione was glad to have Susan's agreement to curb it at least a little. She had noticed that the diadem had triggered something in her in that respect too.

When she awoke the next day, she looked out of the window with delight at the dawn just breaking in the still dark sky. The snow must have taken a break overnight, for she had a clear view across the forbidden forest to the horizon, its snow-covered tops glowing reddish in the light of the rising sun. She decided to visit Lancelot before breakfast and a moment later glided to the great oak tree by the Black Lake where she deftly landed on the branch leading to the home of Lancelot and his partner.

The two were already awake and Hermione greeted them with a wave of her wing. She could communicate at least rudimentarily with the elegant raven lady by now, but it was no match for Lancelot. He had taught her some raven sounds, but the two of them had not yet had enough time to practise intensively.

"Good morning, are you two up for a trip?" she asked and they both nodded their beaks eagerly. They flew a little south over the snowy forests of Scotland and Hermione enjoyed the crisp, cool December air that was well kept out by her feathers.

"How are things at Hogwarts?" asked Lancelot after a while, during which all three ravens had been quietly enjoying the rising sun on the horizon.

"Good actually, I can't complain."

"I'm glad to hear that. How are things going with Harry?"

"Quite well, though I haven't spoken to him as much as I had intended to."

"Why?"

"We never see each other long enough to have a lengthy conversation and he's mostly out with his friends. I don't want to talk about serious subjects with him unless we are alone."

"Then you'll have to make sure you're alone. Ask him to go for a walk with you or meet you in a free period in the courtyard."

"I know, I've just had a lot on my plate myself lately."

"That sounds like an excuse."

Hermione looked over at her animal companion who, as usual, was judging her correctly.

"Yes. I just find it difficult to approach him. If he really is a Horcrux, he has to die for Voldemort to be stopped. I don't know if I can handle that if I get to know him better."

"To find out if your assumption is correct, you'll have to get to know him better. And I'm sure you'll do everything in your power to find a solution. Talk to him."

"Thank you," Hermione said, so deep in thought for the flight back that she didn't recognise the magical boundary of Hogwarts until she was flying through the viscous air that made the barrier around the castle, riddled with numerous protective spells, discernible. "Thank you for the trip. And for your words, Lancelot. I'll join you later with some scrambled eggs, see you then!" she said goodbye to the two ravens and flew back to her window.

At breakfast, she was alone in the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall, as she often was, thinking about how to address Harry. As promised, she then fed the two ravens scrambled eggs at the oak tree by the Black Lake. As she stepped back through the great doorway into the Entrance Hall, drying her robe from the waist-high snow with her wand, she saw her opportunity just coming out of the Great Hall.

"Harry!" she called, catching up with the three Gryffindors who were just walking up the Grand Staircase to their common room to get their school supplies for class. The three turned and greeted Hermione. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Harry replied and followed Hermione to the top step of the stairs where they settled down. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking. You know, I wanted to talk to you again about last year. About the Heir of Slytherin and all that. I was thinking maybe we could have a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday before we head home."

"That sounds good, but I'm not allowed to go to Hogsmeade and I'm staying at Hogwarts over the holidays," Harry said with an apologetic look.

"Oh," Hermione said, remembering that Harry lived with Muggles, to whom he was only forced to return during the summer holidays. "Sorry."

"No problem, we'll find another day when neither of us has Quidditch practice."

"No, I'll just stay here on Saturday and we'll find somewhere comfortable. Knowing McFinley and Wood, we both have practice every day after the holidays," Hermione said and Harry grinned.

"That's really nice, but you don't have to miss out on Hogsmeade because of me."

"No problem, unless you already have plans for Saturday?"

"I, um, no, I don't have anything planned."

"Okay, I'll see you Saturday then," Hermione said with a smile and Harry smiled back. He seemed pleased to have company when almost the whole school was in Hogsmeade, but Hermione could tell that he also looked slightly disappointed. She hoped it had nothing to do with her and headed up to the third floor for her first lesson of the day.

"Hi."

"Hi. Really quiet here with everyone gone, isn't it?" said Hermione as she met Harry after the other students had gathered in the courtyard to show their permits to Professor McGonagall and walk down the meandering path to Hogsmeade.

"Yes, but I like the quiet. I didn't notice it so much the last few years because, after all, only the older ones were allowed into Hogsmeade."

"True. I'm sure it gets pretty quiet during the holidays too. Is anyone else staying here apart from you?"

"Neville and Ron are staying too."

"Okay then, I hope the school is still standing when I get back," Hermione said, laughing as Harry scratched the back of his head.

"No guarantee," he said with a grin and they both laughed.

"Okay, let's see. Madam Pince will send us flying out of the library if we're loud in there. We can go to a classroom on the sixth floor, Professor Binns' has a fireplace."

"That sounds good," Harry said, grinning when he saw Hermione's astonished look after pushing aside a tapestry that hid a staircase. "You don't know that one?"

"No," Hermione said with a smile, avoiding asking Harry how he knew about the secret passage. They skipped four floors through the secret passage, arriving at the classroom very quickly.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Hermione said, levitating all the desks and chairs to one side of the room at once. "Incendio."

"You're really good at magic," Harry said after Hermione had conjured comfortable cushions for them in front of the fireplace. She smiled and took some snacks from Honeydukes in her bag after they had settled down in front of the warm fire. "So you want to talk about the Chamber of Secrets?"

"No, not just. I, um, don't take this the wrong way, but I thought it would be nice to get to know you a little better."

"Wow, I thought you considered me an idiot," Harry said with raised eyebrows, opening a chocolate frog.

"I'm sorry I called you that back then. Even though it was hard not to think you were until last year."

"Don't worry. I was really pleased you suggested it, even if you just want to talk about the chamber."

"I don't, we can talk about whatever you want to talk about."

"Okay, but let's start with the chamber."

"Alright, you only talked briefly about the spirit in Tom Riddle's diary in the hospital wing in March. Can you tell me how exactly it went down in the chamber?"

Harry told her in great detail about what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets. When he got to the fight against the basilisk, Hermione stumbled over a statement.

"What?" asked Hermione aloud when Harry told her that the basilisk fang he had used to destroy the book had broken from the basilisk's jaws when it had pierced his arm after Harry had thrust the sword into its throat. "How did you survive that?"

"Fawkes healed the wound with his tears. I was nearly unconscious from the poison when he saved me."

"Did it hurt?"

"The poison? Not really, it felt like my whole body went to sleep, everything went numb and I didn't feel anything. My eyelids got heavy, but then Fawkes saved me."

"And your scar?"

"I wasn't paying attention to that at the time, why?"

"I don't know, you told me last year that it always hurt when you were around Voldemort. Didn't it hurt with the spirit from the diary?"

"No. My scar was the least I felt that night."

"And has it hurt again since then?"

"Yes, a couple of times in the summer."

"Hmm," Hermione hummed in thought, trying not to show her euphoria at what she had learned. If Harry had indeed almost died from the basilisk poison and the connection still existed, the likelihood that Harry was a real Horcrux was significantly reduced. "Thank you for telling me all this. I'm sure it's not easy to talk about."

"It's okay, was that all you wanted to know?"

"No, I thought we could stay here for a bit. If you want, of course."

"Sure," Harry replied, lolling a little more into the pillows. "Your parents are dentists, right?"

"Yeah," Hermione said with a grin. "Are you afraid of dentists?"

"No, I've never been to one. The Dursleys have never bothered with how my teeth look."

"What, you have good genes then, your teeth look impeccable."

"Probably," Harry said, and Hermione immediately realised that his mind was wandering to his deceased parents.

"You didn't miss anything though, most treatments aren't really pleasant. The muggles you're staying with aren't treating you well, are they?"

"No, but luckily I only have to go to them for the summer holidays."

"You must have been overjoyed when the letter arrived, weren't you?"

"My uncle burned all the first letters. He already knew Hogwarts would write to me eventually. They always hid the fact that I was a wizard and how my parents died. There was a real chase because more and more letters kept coming, it was really funny in retrospect. In the end, we were on a desert island with only one house and Hagrid kicked the door in," Harry recounted and Hermione listened to him with wide eyes. "Then he took me with him to Diagon Alley."

"I saw you in the Leaky Cauldron that day, but of course, I didn't know who you were. Why did the Dursleys want to keep you away from Hogwarts, they are related to you, aren't they?"

"Yeah, my aunt is my mum's sister, but she hates magic. I don't know why. She called my parents freaks."

"Oh, wow ... But there are also advantages to you growing up with Muggles," Hermione said, trying to lighten the sombre mood of the conversation a little.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever seen how helpless wizards are in the Muggle world? Apart from Muggle-borns, I haven't met a wizard who wouldn't immediately be labelled a freak if he ever left the Leaky Cauldron for London."

"Haha, that's right. I met a wizard once when I was still at Muggle school. He was wearing a red robe and shook my hand in the open street like I was a film star. I had no idea what was going on and how a complete stranger knew who I was. And Mr Weasley asks me about electrics every time like that was the real magic."

Hermione laughed and told Harry about her childhood in the Muggle world. Harry was surprised to learn that Hermione had fared similarly among her classmates as he had, except that she had experienced a sense of security at home. They talked for longer and longer and Hermione was later surprised to realise that it was time for dinner when she looked at her wristwatch after glancing at the dark sky beyond the window.

"That was really cool, thanks Harry," Hermione said after she had conjured the classroom back to its original state. She hugged Harry before they opened the door and was surprised to see Harry hugging her tightly. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Thank you for everything, Hermione. That really did feel good," he said and Hermione smiled happily at him as she realised he seemed genuinely relieved and relaxed. "I can't have conversations like that with Ron."

"You can always come to me if you want to talk," Hermione said and Harry nodded. They were still chatting all the way down to the Great Hall.

"Have a nice holiday, do you have anything in particular planned?"

"First Christmas at home and then skiing in France."

"Cool, have fun!"

"Thanks, and you leave the castle whole!"

"I'll try," Harry said with a grin and the two joined their housemates at the long tables in the Great Hall.

Christmas in London was lovely as always and Hermione was particularly pleased because the previous Christmas she had been petrified and trapped in her mind. The time in her mind had helped her a lot, but she had longed for the cosy atmosphere of Christmas all year. Still, the holidays passed far too slowly for Hermione's liking. Since she wanted to spend a lot of time with her parents, she mostly sat with them in the living room, where they spent time together reading or watching films on TV. Her parents, who often went to the cinema, brought Hermione up to date with the latest films and Hermione talked a lot about her time at Hogwarts.

The day before Hermione left for France when she joined her father on the couch after packing, she comfortably stretched out her legs and laid them across his lap before opening her Blotts Book. Her father gave her a smile and stroked her feet, which were packed in thick woollen socks before he too returned to his book.

"Hermione! Did you pack enough towels?" echoed from upstairs and Hermione answered loudly. She and her father turned their heads simultaneously in alarm as they heard a scream from her mother, followed by a loud thump on the stairs. Hermione immediately jumped up and ran to the stairs, where she heard her mother's pained groan. She exhaled tensely as if all air was being forcibly squeezed out of her lungs.

"Mum!" cried Hermione anxiously, kneeling down in front of the stairs. She pulled her mother, who was still half lying on the steps, towards her as gently as she could and rested her head on her thighs. After a few quick breaths, her mother was breathing normally again, albeit moaning in pain.

"Martha! I'll call an ambulance," her father called as he joined Hermione and caught sight of his wife.

"No, it's okay," she said in a voice filled with pain, taking a few more breaths. "Fuck," she said, holding her forearm. Hermione looked up at her father, who returned her alarmed look with wide eyes. Hermione had never heard her mother swear before.

"I'm going to call an ambulance now," her father said, but her mother shook her head again and sat up, gasping.

"It's not that bad, it's fine if you drive me to the hospital, Elliot."

"We'll go to St. Mungo's, the healers will have you on your feet in no time!" said Hermione, gently placing a hand on her mother's cheek.

"No, don't be mad at me Hermione, but we're going to St Thomas'," her father said, getting up to get the car keys and a jacket and shoes for her mother. Hermione looked down at her mother, who gave her an apologetic look.

"I'd prefer to go to St Thomas's too."

"Um, okay, of course. As you like," Hermione said in some surprise and helped her mother to stand up. In fact, apart from her arm, she seemed to have sustained a few injuries from the fall. She helped her into the car and looked anxiously out of the window the whole trip. She could understand her parents to a certain extent. Both had studied medicine and had no contact with the wizarding world except with Hermione.

"What would I do if my parents wanted to put me in a Muggle hospital?" wondered Hermione, coming to the conclusion that she trusted the healers more because she knew how they worked through Madam Pomfrey. She placed a hand on the healthy shoulder of her mother, who was sitting in front of her in the passenger seat and at Hermione's touch, laid her head to one side on her hand.

Hermione let her father go ahead into the surgery and sadly settled down in the waiting area of the emergency room. Her skiing holiday would most likely fall through with this.

"Broken wrist, multiple bruises and a cracked rib," her father said an hour later as he picked Hermione up in the waiting area. "She'll be in surgery in the next hour. Was a near miss."

"Yeah," Hermione said, taking a breath. She had hoped that the wrist was the worst injury and was glad that nothing worse had happened.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, but what about Mum?"

"Is in the land of dreams. The operation is being performed under general anaesthetic," her father said, putting an arm around her. He stroked her upper arm and Hermione felt her eyes moisten. "Hey, Cupcake, everything's going to be fine. Okay?"

"Okay," Hermione said, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's just ... nothing's ever happened with Mum before and ..."

"I know, I'm really glad she's okay too. But don't worry about it. Fish and chips?"

"Yes," Hermione replied and so the two of them strolled to a well-known fish and chips restaurant.

"I know you can't understand why we didn't go to St Mungo's," her father said as they both sat at a small table in the restaurant with a generous portion. Hermione shook her head.

"I've thought about it and I can actually understand you quite well. You just don't know my world as much as I do. I know St. Mungo's and I know how most of the spells work that are used there. I wouldn't be thrilled if you drove me here either," Hermione said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of St Thomas' Hospital. Her father pressed his lips together and nodded. "I was thinking on the car ride about how weird this all is for us. We were just confronted with it two years ago, without any warning. I know why I'm different now, but it would have really helped us if we'd known sooner."

"True," her father said with a resigned look. "The summer holiday was really good for us, you know. It was really nice to spend a few weeks of 'normal' time with you. Without any worries."

"Yeah, I really enjoyed it too. Too bad we can't go to France now," Hermione said sadly, resignedly stirring the straw in her Coke.

"Hey, take it easy. We'll see what happens, okay? I know you're really looking forward to it and we'll figure it out."

"Thanks, Dad," Hermione said, wiping a tear from her cheek. While she didn't believe her mother would be able to get on a plane immediately after the operation, her father's smile at least brightened her mood a little. After dinner, the two of them took a walk along the snow-covered Thames promenade while they waited for Hermione's mother to be operated on. Hermione liked her home town very much in the snow, but thoughts of the operation put a gloomy veil over the Christmas mood.

"Hey, are you all right?" asked Hermione as she peeked through the door in the hospital room where her mother had been moved after the recovery room. She took a breath as her mother nodded wearily and sat down on a chair beside the bed. Her mother reached out her healthy hand and stroked Hermione's cheek.

"All went well," she said with a smile and Hermione took her hand in her own. She still looked a little sleepy.

"Good. Are you staying here tonight?" she asked and her mother nodded.

"For the next three days."

"Okay. I'll bring you sweets tomorrow," Hermione said with a smile. Like Hermione, her mother had a sweet tooth, although they both always watched their teeth. Hermione was already going over in her head what she wanted to get for her mother to sweeten her stay in hospital over the next few days.

"Thank you, dear, but you have a flight to catch tomorrow," her mother said, stroking the back of Hermione's hand with her thumb. Hermione looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I'm not going to let you get stuck here in London. You already couldn't go skiing last year. Dad and you go to France, I'll be fine."

"Out of the question! I'll stay here and sort everything out," her father said and Hermione looked back and forth between them. "We'll call Amelie later to see if she can pick you up from the airport," he added.

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione timidly. She was simultaneously sad not to be going to the chalet with her parents again, but the joy of the proposal and the idea of being alone with Amelie and Philippe for ten days made it hard to say no. Her parents exchanged a glance and finally both nodded. Hermione could not hide her joy and thanked her parents. Carefully, she hugged her mother and a moment later hugged her father tightly. "Thank you."

"And take care of yourself, will you? I'll have enough of an injured woman at home," her father quipped as Hermione hugged him, having to say goodbye to him before the security check at her gate.

"Of course. Thank you again."

"No worries. Give my regards to Amelie and Philippe!"

"I will, see you soon! Love you, Dad!" she said, beaming at her father after he kissed her forehead goodbye.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he replied, waving goodbye to her. With springy steps, she walked down the long aisle to her gate and joined the queue for the security check. She was already in France in her mind, even before the plane touched down in Nice.

"Hermione!" cried Amelie, spreading her arms as Hermione rushed towards her after taking her suitcase off the conveyor belt. "How can it be that you've gotten even prettier?"

"Oh, stop it!" said Hermione and they both giggled. "It's so good to see you!"

"Yes! How is your mother?"

"Fine, thank you. Shame really that my parents couldn't come, but I'm really glad it worked out."

"Oh, Hermione. I was really ashamed yesterday, but I was immensely pleased that we got the cabin to ourselves."

"Yeah, me too," Hermione said with a grin, grabbing Amelie's hand as they strolled through the car park to Amelie's Renault. "Is Philippe at the cabin already?"

"No, he's not off until tomorrow. He's at the Ski World Cup in Val-d'Isère today, interpreting for TV. But that's not far."

"Sounds cool too."

"Definitely, I'm just the tiniest bit jealous too," Amelie said, winking at Hermione.

"You'll have the honour of going snowshoe shopping with me in return."

"Very well, I know a good shop. All buckle up!"

It turned out to be a fun ride with lots of French singing and after a little over an hour, the two arrived at the shop Amelie had chosen for them. With the help of Amelie, Hermione quickly found perfectly fitting winter hiking boots and matching snowshoes. The nice saleswoman gave her some more tips on how to prepare and break in the boots well so that she wouldn't get blisters on her feet on her first hike.

"I really missed this," Hermione said as the two of them climbed into the gondola from which they had a wonderful view of the snow-covered Alps. The gondola took them up to the middle station, from where it was only a short walk to the somewhat secluded hut. The Alps had been hit by a veritable blizzard before Hermione had arrived and so they struggled through knee-high snow up the path to the cabin. Hermione exhaled with a sigh as she stepped through the door of the cosy chalet. Amelie had already arrived in the morning and had done plenty of grocery shopping for them. That meant they could relax without any worries.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Amelie who was already on her way to the kitchen when she was held by Hermione's hand. She shuddered slightly as Hermione pressed her body against her and their lips melted into a long kiss.

"Gladly," Hermione said as she pulled away from the pretty French girl and looked into her eyes with a smile. "I've been waiting for this all the way."

"Me too," Amelie replied, winking at Hermione before turning and disappearing into the kitchen. Hermione walked over to the fireplace and glanced over her shoulder to check if Amelie could see her. When she was sure the coast was clear, she levitated a few logs into the fireplace with a flick of her fingers, igniting the wood with a snap. Happily, she gazed into the crackling fire for a few seconds before standing up and joining Amelie in the kitchen.

" Would you like me to unpack in my room or move in with you straight away?" asked Hermione with a mischievous grin and Amelie pretended to consider. They both laughed and Hermione quickly unpacked her clothes while they waited for the tea. Happily, they both settled down on the sofa in front of the fireplace and Hermione immediately slid close to Amelie, who put her free arm around her shoulder.

"Mhh," Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "I was so looking forward to this."

"Me too. It's so nice to spend time with you. When you flew home in the summer, I was really sad for two days. It was almost a bit, like heartbreak."

"That's cute. I missed you guys as soon as I got on the plane, too."

"How has your school year been so far?"

"Really enjoyable, thank you. And I've stayed healthy!"

"Yay," Amelie said, hugging Hermione tightly. The two enjoyed their physical closeness to each other and Hermione soon sank into a comfortable nap after resting her head on Amelie's lap and the young Frenchwoman gently stroked her cheek.

"Hello sleepyhead," Amelie whispered as Hermione awoke and stretched. She sighed and smiled broadly at Amelie. "Sleep well?"

"Oh, that was lovely," Hermione said, looking up at Amelie, who grinned and tickled her belly lightly.

"Are you hungry? We could cook a little something."

"I'd love to!" replied Hermione, noticing that she was starving and immediately jumping up. She helped Amelie cook a simple but very tasty pasta and as they sat together at the dining table, they kept looking long into each other's eyes, causing a tingle in Hermione's stomach.

"I haven't even shown you what's new here yet!" said Amelie after they had both loaded the dishwasher, pulling Hermione towards the front door. Hermione slipped on her boots and followed her curiously around the cabin.

"Wow!" she said when she caught sight of the small annex, next to which was a covered hot tub. "Is that a sauna?"

"Right! Do you fancy going?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, I'll get everything ready, but not for another hour, we've just eaten."

"Good, then I'm going to take a quick shower," Hermione said, winking at Amelie, who smiled mischievously at her and nodded. The two of them met a little later in front of the round wooden cottage that stood next to the hot tub and Hermione could already feel her body start to tingle when she saw Amelie waiting for her at the front door, dressed only in a towel.

"This is fantastic," Hermione said as they sat down across from each other on the benches of the small sauna. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off the curves of the beautiful Frenchwoman after she had put the towel down and felt the excitement rising inside her as little beads of sweat spread over Amelie's tanned skin.

"Your breasts have gotten bigger," Amelie said, eyeing Hermione in the same way and giggling as Hermione looked down her body in surprise.

"You think so?"

"I'm sure I do. You look beautiful."

"So do you. God, this is really difficult," she said, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You don't have to hold back, Hermione. I've been craving you all day. Come to me," Amelie said, biting her bottom lip with a smile as she drew Hermione to her with her index finger. Hermione stood up and shuddered as Amelie gently stroked her stomach after coming towards her. She put her hands on Hermione's hips and pulled her onto the bench where she was now kneeling over her.

Hermione placed both her hands on Amelie's cheeks and kissed her passionately, making them both sigh. She shuddered as Amelie's hands slid down her back and gently massaged her bottom. Hermione also let her hands move down Amelie's body and gently massaged her breasts. Amelie bit down lightly on Hermione's bottom lip and grinned at her as Hermione looked deep into her eyes.

Hermione kissed her cheek and made her way down to her neck, making Amelie tremble beneath her. She exhaled sharply as Amelie's hand found its target and the pent-up lust of the last few days made Hermione tremble violently at the first touch between her legs. She moved her pelvis and threw her head back as Amelie cupped one of her breasts with her other hand and kissed it gently.

"Don't hold back," Amelie whispered and Hermione was brought even closer to the threshold by her affectionate voice. She moaned loudly and looked deep into Amelie's eyes until she was carried over the edge by her. Her eyelids narrowed convulsively and she breathed heavily as pleasant waves of tingling sensation surged through her body.

She pulled Amelie into a long kiss and then again made her way down Amelie's stomach with soft kisses, making the beautiful Frenchwoman tremble with arousal. Hermione established a mental link with her, sharing her feelings as she drew ever closer to her target. The sweet words in French that Amelie whispered to her spurred her on more and more and so a little later she greedily buried her face between her legs while looking deep into her eyes.

"You are so sexy," Amelie moaned, unable to take her eyes off Hermione's hazel ones and trembling violently under her tongue. Her breathing quickened and Hermione smiled as Amelie's breathing stopped for a few seconds before her pelvis jerked violently beneath her. She watched her orgasm and then sat back on her lap where she was immediately pulled into a kiss. It took a while for Amelie to regain her speech and Hermione giggled as she closed her eyes and exhaled sharply.

"That was intense," Hermione whispered, smiling as Amelie opened her eyes and nodded.

"We should cool down," she said after a few moments of them gently caressing each other and Hermione stood up smiling. "It's best to lie down in the snow. Ice-cold water would be even better, but it'll do." Hermione gasped as the two stepped out of the small sauna into the cold night air. "Best we jump in now. Come on, on three. One, two, three!" shouted Amelie and the two shrieked as they threw themselves forward hand in hand and landed in the freezing snow.

The two whooped and rolled around laughing in the snow, which after a few seconds felt really nice on their skin, which was warm from the sauna. They laughed and got into a short snowball fight after Hermione threw a load of snow in Amelie's face. They laughed and shrieked and only got up when they were really too cold. Giggling, they scampered to the cabin where they dried off and got ready for bed.

"That was really nice," Hermione said as she lay in her pyjamas snuggled close to Amelie in the warm bed a quarter of an hour later. Amelie hummed in agreement and pulled Hermione a little closer to her before they both fell asleep a few moments later.

"Got everything?" asked Philippe as Hermione descended the stairs to the front door of the cottage with her packed rucksack. He had arrived a day after Amelie and Hermione and the three of them had immediately picked up where they had left off in the summer. They had had to wait out four days snowbound in the hut, as even more snow had fallen than forecast and the gondola to the valley had been out of action. However, they had been well provided for by Amelie's shopping and they had used the free time for a lot of physical contact.

On the snow-covered slopes, Hermione had also been able to use her snowshoes every day to hike with Amelie and Philippe in the beautiful, untouched landscape.

"Yes, I made cocoa for us," Hermione said, smiling happily at Philippe. He returned her smile and made room for Hermione to put on her boots. It was still early in the morning and the Alps were just bathed in the orange glow of the first rays of the sun. They had set themselves a day's hike for today, which included two summits. If all went well, they would be back at the cabin by sunset, where they could relax in the hot tub they had inaugurated on the day of Philippe's arrival.

All three checked on their counterparts to make sure their equipment and clothing was secure and well-fastened before hiking off with their headlamps on. Hermione checked the fit of her diadem beneath her hairdo as the two of them had already started walking, breathing in the fresh mountain air with relish and smiling as the sun slowly rose between two mountains, beaming pleasantly in her face.

"Everything all right?" asked Philippe as they arrived at the first checkpoint in the morning, the summit of one of the surrounding mountains, from which there was a wonderful view of the side of the valley that lay opposite their cabin. Hermione nodded and grinned as Amelie took a photo of her and Philippe toasting with cocoa from the thermos. They took a few snaps of the wonderful view and a self-timer photo of the three of them standing in front of the summit cross.

"We should move on soon, otherwise we won't get home until nightfall. Everyone still fit for the second part?" asked Philippe and Amelie and Hermione nodded eagerly. The second leg was more strenuous than the first, but the three were rewarded with a spectacular view over a mountain lake whose turquoise waters glistened beautifully in the sun.

Due to slower progress on the way back than before, the sun had already disappeared behind a mountain peak when they arrived back at the summit cross that had been their checkpoint in the morning. The scenery of the mountains in the evening glow of the cloudless sky was beautiful and they were still about an hour away from the hut when Hermione heard a dull roar echoing through the mountain landscape that had not been there before. All three instinctively turned towards the slope and Philippe immediately yelled instructions, but Hermione's instincts had kicked in a second before.

Without hesitation, she had changed into her raven form at the sight of the dark snow cloud and, beating her wings rapidly, gained as much height as she could before being hit by the avalanche. She gasped as the cloud of fine dust blew her along for a few metres despite the height, but she eventually managed to steady herself and flapped her wings to get even higher.

She breathed heavily and looked around frantically to get an overview of the situation. In the dusk, it was hard to get her bearings and she had to fly in place for a few seconds to realise where she was relative to her last position on the slope.

She looked around and with wide eyes saw the huge mass of snow rolling down the valley in the dim light. The spooky silence that followed made her realise for the first time what had happened. Still on adrenaline, she continued to be guided by her instincts and she immediately plummeted down to the part of the freshly laid snowpack from the avalanche where Amelie, Philippe and she had been when they had turned around. Thousands of thoughts rushed through her head and she had to calm herself to think clearly.

"Homenum Revelio," she thought, extending the spell as far as she could to find her companions as quickly as possible. She knew that every second counted. Her spell covered a circular area of about fifty metres on the slope and after two hundred metres she made out a highlighted figure, lit red by the spell under the blanket of snow.

Hermione swooped down and, still as a raven, conjured a large heat sphere as soon as the figure was within range. Once on the blanket of snow, she transformed back and used the heat sphere to make her way through the snow cover, which was about three metres thick. The snow melted around her and Hermione had to be careful not to slip on the meltwater, which immediately froze on the surrounding snow as it flowed a few feet down the slope. She recognised Amelie by her pink snow pants, which were the first thing to become visible as the snow melted around her.

"Amelie! Amelie!" cried Hermione, relieved to find that she was conscious, albeit dazed and confused.

"Hermione?" she moaned, weakly raising a hand in front of her eyes as Hermione's headlamp blinded her.

"Yes, it's me. Everything will be fine, trust me. I have to find Philippe."

"Philippe!" cried Amelie, straightening up as if struck by lightning. She groaned in pain and held her side, but she straightened up anyway. She seemed to have only now realised that they had been swept away by an avalanche.

"Stay calm, I'll look for him. You stay here. Everything will be all right, I promise. I'll keep you warm," Hermione said and with a movement of her fingers she levitated Amelie out of the deep hole. Amelie gasped and looked around, but Hermione wanted to look for Philippe as quickly as possible and spared any explanation. She would have to cast a memory spell on them both later anyway. She conjured a heat sphere around Amelie that would keep her warm but not melt the snow, having deposited her beside the hole in the snow. She conjured a strong breeze that carried the surrounding snow into the hole and covered it.

"I'll explain later, I'm sorry," Hermione said and Amelie stared at her in bewilderment as she transformed back into a raven and quickly took off flapping her wings. Again she performed the spell that highlighted people in the area and spotted another figure a hundred yards down the slope under the blanket of snow.

Philippe had also been swept away and when Hermione melted through to him, she immediately noticed that he was not moving. She immediately checked his pulse and took a breath when she felt the faint throbbing against her fingers.

"Enervate," she thought, and Philippe took a rattling breath after she placed her hand on his chest. He coughed heavily and Hermione levitated him out of the deep hole onto the snowy ground as well. In the distance, she heard the loud rattle of a helicopter echoing through the mountains and hurried to cover up the hole from which she had pulled Philippe. "Help is on the way, I'll be right back," she said to Philippe, who was still coughing, and after conjuring a heat sphere on him as well, she shifted into her raven form again to scan the rest of the slope for possible buried victims. They hadn't encountered anyone all day, but Hermione wanted to use her abilities to help anyone who might be buried.

She felt her wings already burning as she flew up the steep slope in the darkness for the second time, ceaselessly scanning the snow cover with her magic. Once she was sure they were the only ones caught in the avalanche, Hermione returned to Amelie. On the way to her, she could clearly hear the helicopter's rotor approaching and she turned sharply as a spotlight was aimed at the snowpack, scanning the slope. She hurried to land and change back beside Amelie before she was caught by the spotlight.

"Hermione!" cried Amelie, startled, catching Hermione, who was about to topple forward into the snow after her transformation. "Hermione!" she heard the young Frenchwoman's voice from a distance, but everything was blurred by the veil of exhaustion. She only caught a glimpse of the glaring headlight catching them both and Amelie waving to get the attention of the mountain rescue team.

She only woke up when the helicopter landed on the roof of the hospital and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Amelie and Philippe sitting opposite her in the small cabin. They both stared at her wordlessly and Hermione briefly considered using the memory charm on them immediately, but she was distracted by the mountain rescuer, who eyed her and asked if she was in pain or discomfort.

She shook her head and answered a few short questions to make sure she was fully conscious. The three were taken to separate treatment rooms and a young doctor discharged Hermione half an hour later, completely incredulous that anyone could survive an avalanche without the slightest scratch.

She had used a spell to help her to be discharged immediately and had also prevented her parents from being informed. Her father already had enough on his plate and did not need to be plunged into unfounded worry about his daughter. She went to the cafeteria for a panini and asked at the reception desk if they could inform her when Amelie or Philippe arrived at the ward. She pretended to be Annabelle, Amelie's sister.

When she had regained some of her strength, she began to pace restlessly up and down the empty waiting area. She thought feverishly about how she could make them forget enough not to violate the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. It wouldn't even be far-fetched for the two of them to repress what had happened, but still, a sinking feeling spread through her stomach.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when the lady at the information desk called her over and told her that Amelie and Philippe had arrived at her hospital room. Both had been with the attending doctors for considerably longer and Hermione was glad to learn that the two would only be staying in the hospital overnight for observation.

She hoped that they would not react negatively to her, for she did not want them to forget any more than was absolutely necessary. She thought of nothing else on the way to her hospital room and hoped that nothing would change between them. For the second time in a week, she walked towards a patient's room with a person close to her heart.

Her heart beat faster and faster the closer she got to the door and she took one breath before knocking gently and tiptoeing into the dark room. She quietly closed the door behind her and listened briefly to the silence of the hospital room. She heard soft, rhythmic breathing from the bed beside the door, but from the other bed, slightly lit by the moonlight, Amelie beckoned to her.

"Hi," Hermione whispered as she arrived at Amelie's bedside. "Everything still attached?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Two ribs are cracked, but everything else is fine. Thanks, Hermione. I can't explain what happened, but I think you saved us," Amelie said and Hermione nodded. "I think my eyes were playing tricks on me in the twilight," she said and Hermione shook her head, smiling bitterly. Amelie eyed her wide and pulled her hand towards her.

"I managed to escape the avalanche and set you free."

"Hermione, I ... are you an angel?" asked Amelie hesitantly, and Hermione melted at the look with which the young Frenchwoman eyed her. She swallowed and shook her head. "But, you melted the snow and I got all warm."

"I am not an angel. I'm a witch. I had to use magic to save you," Hermione said, unable to stop a giggle when Amelie looked at her as if a child had been proven that Santa Claus really existed.

"Thank you," Amelie said, spreading her arms.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you," Hermione asked, giggling as Amelie pulled her half onto the bed by her arms. She wrapped her tightly in her arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Hermione took a breath. "I was worried you were afraid of me."

"You saved our lives. Why should we be afraid of you?" whispered Amelie. "Come here," she said, sliding to the side in the bed to make room for Hermione. She snuggled up to Amelie and for the first time since the avalanche, the tension really fell away from her. "So I really was floating and you were keeping me warm? I didn't just imagine it?" whispered Amelie in her ear and Hermione smiled. She could still remember how hard it had been for herself to believe that magic really existed.

"No, you didn't. I'm afraid I'm going to have to erase your memory of it, though."

"What, no! Why?"

"I'm not the only witch in the world. There are people all over the world who can do magic. We live hidden from the people who can't and have laws that we can't do magic in front of non-magical people."

"Please don't, Hermione! Please. You are the guardian angel who saved our lives. Please don't let me forget that," Amelie said, looking pleadingly into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Amelie," Hermione said, feeling the fierce stinging in her nose that heralded her tears. She sobbed when she saw Amelie's tears and buried her face in her hands. It was harder than she had thought.

"Is it really that important? We will never tell anyone about this, I promise you. Please don't take this miracle away from me," Amelie said tearfully, looking at her with her big eyes.

"I ...," Hermione began, but her voice broke. She wanted to comply with Amelie's request. No one but the two of them had noticed any of her magic. She agonised over it for a few more seconds, but her decision was taken from her when she looked once more into Amelie's eyes, shimmering with tears. "Okay," she said, wiping her own tears from her cheeks. Amelie's positive reaction had taken the decision away from her.

"Thank you, Hermione."

"Promise me you won't talk to anyone about this except Philippe? I'm not actually even allowed to do magic outside of school. There are exceptions for emergencies, but still, no one can know."

"Of course. Thank you for risking so much to save us," Amelie said, stroking Hermione's cheek. "That's really incredible."

"I know. I've only known I could do magic for two and a half years, too," Hermione whispered.

"Really?"

"When wizards and witches have children, there's almost a 100 percent chance that the child will be able to do magic, but sometimes it happens that children of non-magical people can do magic. That's how it was with me."

"Wow. So it could also be that I can do magic?" asked Amelie and Hermione smiled.

"Unfortunately, no. Wizarding societies detect that at birth and you get to go to a school for wizards and witches."

"Wow. And you're not actually allowed to do magic if you're not in school?"

"Right, but I can still do magic. In fact, I'm the only one in that regard. My magic can't be tracked down by the Ministry."

"Then, does that mean ... can you show me again? Just once?" asked Amelie and Hermione could see the gleam in her eyes in the moonlight. She nodded with a smile and magically locked the door to the room. Then she quietly flicked her finger to conjure a small flame above her index finger. Amelie gasped and raised a finger towards the flame. She flinched as she felt the heat and Hermione let the flame go out, giggling.

"That's amazing. But it explains so much."

"What do you mean?"

"You're just so extraordinary, Hermione. You're so beautiful, charming, intelligent, you've just always been ... magical."

Hermione felt her face grow warm and smiled at Amelie. She rested her head on her shoulder and sighed. The exertion of the day was making itself felt after her tension fell away. She still struggled with the idea of not obliviating them, but the risk of anyone ever drawing the connection to two French muggles was extremely low.

"I don't know what to say to that," she said shyly. Amelie giggled and pulled her closer. She snuggled onto Amelie's shoulder and went over the events of the rescue operation once more. She was glad that her instincts had immediately guided her to transform into her raven form, because she wasn't sure she would have remained conscious if she had been swept along several hundred metres like Philippe and was glad that he had been wearing a helmet. She raised her head. There was one thing she had to make them forget.

"Are you okay?" asked Amelie and Hermione nodded. She pointed her finger at the door and unlocked the previously locked lock.

"I signed in at the front desk as your sister, just in case anyone asked tomorrow."

"Okay," Amelie said, looking absent for a moment as Hermione performed the memory charm. She was careful to only erase the parts of her memory where she had transformed into a raven and back. It was only a small part of the memory and she managed to leave the rest intact without any problems.

"Can I sleep with you? I don't want to sleep on the chair."

"Of course. I won't let you go anywhere. Ouch," Amelie said, giggling and grabbing the side of her chest. "You can't magically heal my ribs, by any chance?"

"Um, theoretically I can, yes. I haven't healed any ribs yet, but I've healed a few broken fingers and noses in sports."

"Would you do that? It's really not pleasant."

"I think we should wait until tomorrow to do it. It would be weird if two broken ribs grew back together overnight. We've already attracted enough attention by surviving such a big avalanche with a few scratches. Sorry."

"You're right. Wow, this is really crazy. Do you always have to pay so much attention that we don't notice?"

"Most of the time I do fine without spells, but you have to think carefully about what you do. I'll heal your ribs once you're released and we're alone, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Hermione. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask. I don't know if I can ever repay you for saving us, but I'll do my best."

"Don't say that, you don't owe me anything. We should get some sleep now. Good night, Amelie."

"I knew you were going to say that. You're just too good to be true. Sleep well, Hermione," Amelie replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Hermione sighed and carefully placed her hand on Amelie's stomach so as not to cause her any pain. It only took a few seconds for her to fall asleep.

Hermione awoke just as it was getting light outside. It took a moment for the events of last night to come back to her and for her to realise where she was. She could now clearly feel the exertions of yesterday, as sore muscles were almost running through her whole body. She noticed movement in the corner of the room and recognised a nurse who eyed her with a smile. She raised her head, careful not to wake Amelie.

"Good morning. Could you take a seat here in the chair for a moment, please, the doctors are about to come in for morning rounds," the nurse whispered and Hermione nodded. As carefully as she could, she got out of bed and put on her socks, which she had taken off before crawling into bed with Amelie.

"Thanks for the warning, I'll wait outside," Hermione whispered and the nurse nodded with a smile. She put her boots back on and made her way to the cafeteria as her stomach growled loudly. A croissant and cocoa later, she waited outside the door of the patient's room until rounds were over. She carefully stretched her heavy muscles and resolved to take a hot bath in the whirlpool in the cabin.

She greeted the doctors and asked the nurse if she could rejoin them. She nodded and Hermione re-entered the room.

"Good morning!" exclaimed Hermione cheerfully, giggling as Philippe grumbled sleepily. "What's the situation?"

"We can go after breakfast," Amelie said, getting up. "God, I smell like a wild animal. I need to shower before we leave."

"No problem, do you need help?" asked Hermione and Amelie grinned briefly but then shook her head and headed for the toilet, which also had a patient shower. Hermione glanced at Philippe, who eyed her silently and decided to immediately erase his memory of her turning into a raven before revealing to him that she was a witch.

Philippe's reaction was similar to Amelie's and Hermione was glad to see that he too was very positive and grateful. He was physically unharmed, to Hermione's relief, but had a slight concussion. He showered as well and Hermione watched the two of them chuckling as they had the rather average hospital breakfast.

She carried the pair's rucksacks to the car park and lightened the load a little by casting a levitation charm. After a long taxi ride back to the mountains, they dropped onto the gondola's bench seat and Hermione immediately attended to Amelie as the doors closed and they gained altitude.

"Take your jacket off. It always hurts a bit, but the pain goes away quickly," she said, sliding her hand under Amelie's shirt after removing her jacket. She felt for the cracked ribs and Amelie groaned when she found them. "Okay, I'm going to count to three. One ..." she said, immediately thinking 'Episkey'. It was an old trick her parents had always used on her too. Amelie gasped and coughed, but a moment later she looked at Hermione with wide eyes and felt for her ribs herself. "How does that feel?"

"Great! Thank you so much, Hermione!" exclaimed Amelie, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Incredible," Philippe said, looking at Hermione admiringly.

"I'm really glad this all turned out well," she said, sinking exhausted onto the bench. "I think I've had enough hiking for now," she said and the three of them laughed.

"We need to recover first anyway. I can think of a few things we can do to pass the rest of the time," Amelie said, grinning. Hermione giggled and looked forward more than anything to the warm whirlpool that was waiting for them at the cabin.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well! If you liked this chapter, I would be happy to read a few lines from you. Also thank you to all the people that already left reviews, follows and favorites, it really means a lot! I hope to be ready with the next chapter to release on Christmas, so keep an Eye out if you are interested :)

See you next time!

Kasing