I'm sorry it's been a while! I had a surprise break over the Christmas period but I'm back now and raring to go, bringing a big chapter to you all both in word count and in character!

I feel it pretty important to remind everyone for this chapter that Hogwarts is set in Britain and that Leo is Scottish (and I am English) so when it comes to a certain food item down below, remember that over here what we call chips, the Americans and others influenced by American culture reading, will know as fries.

Ventulus Calidus is another spell I've generated myself. It's basically intended to just blow gentle warm air out of your wand.

I'm using portions of the map set out by Hogwarts Legacy, namely the hamlets in the game and where they lie with regards to the castle.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

"This is foul…" Ron said with a greenish tint appearing on his face as he read over the parchment. It had taken until Sunday to be able to share it with the Weasley given his tendency to sneak off around the castle with Lavender Brown, but finally they had caught him and his reaction was similar to the rest of the others. "Truly… this is evil. To go to this length…"

"It's barbaric." Harry agreed, though his tone seemed calmer his eyes were angry.

Ginny meanwhile snatched the parchment from her brother's hands to read through it thoroughly again. "I still don't get it…"

Hermione, who had now managed to digest the information she had copied down, spoke quietly from her seat beside Leo. "In order to create a Horcrux, you must sacrifice a part of yourself in a ritual and imbue the object you choose with your essence through a series of spells." She began. "Then, once you have murdered, you cast a soul binding curse seven times, merging both your soul fragment and the soul of the deceased and binding them both to the Horcrux, tethering the wielder to life."

Leo was grateful for the Muffliato spell once again as he looked around at the rest of the Gryffindor's in the Common Room seemingly just enjoying their evenings whilst the small group were discussing some of the foulest magic Leo had ever heard of. "What kind of sacrifice?" He asked.

"Physical." Harry muttered bitterly. "You've not seen Voldemort, but I have. He is unnatural, his skin, his eyes… his nose. If you were to tell me that he cut bits off in order to create Horcruxes, I'd believe you."

"He was charming in the diary." Ginny whispered, her face a pale white. "Attractive, now I think back to it."

Harry grabbed her hand tightly, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Not anymore, whatever he has done in his quest for immortality, he's changed."

A silence fell over the group at that revelation, as Leo gingerly retrieved Hermione's parchment and read through it for what must have been the tenth time. This time however he focused on the destruction. "To destroy a Horcrux, the object containing the soul fragment must be destroyed beyond all methods of repair." He read aloud. "Both physical, and magical."

"It's a start." Harry noted. "Dumbledore has been insisting I need to focus on this… so thanks guys." He looked over at Hermione and Leo, and the latter saw that he was genuine from his green eyes. "This is really great stuff."

The two boys looked at one another for a long moment, the tense last few months or so definitely on both of their minds. Leo hoped that it was the start of Harry actually learning to trust him properly, and nodded towards the Boy-Who-Lived, who nodded back at him, that action saying it all to one another. "Boys." Hermione rolled her eyes from beside Leo, causing everyone to crack a smile as they settled into their armchairs and focused on some homework for the rest of the night. Hermione helping Ginny with her OWL Herbology work, Harry and Ron focusing on their Dementor essays for Defence Against the Dark Arts the next morning, and Leo delving into an assignment on Pierre Bonaccord for Magical Law.

The room emptying completely seemed to pass them by, and it was only when Harry rose out of his chair staring inquisitively at the other side of the room when Leo realised that the only occupants were the five of them. Ginny peered up from her own seat, parchment scrambled everywhere, and asked. "Harry? What is it?"

"I thought I saw…" Harry mumbled, taking a few steps. "Dobby! What are you doing!"

All four heads perked up as they looked over towards Harry, and from underneath a table Leo spotted a pair of large, green eyes illuminated in the fireplace light. "Harry Potter sir!" A loud squeak followed. "Dobby did not want to interrupt…"

"Nonsense, come on." Harry waved the House Elf over. "Whatever you want to say to me you can say it to these guys as well." Dobby was years younger than Kreacher, Leo noted immediately. His ears were less drooping and his movement far quicker, but the main thing that surprised the Gryffindor boy was the amount of jumpers and clothes that the House Elf was wearing. He wore a floppy crimson hat and a bright green and pink jumper, with socks of a vile shade of yellow and blue. It was tough not to let out a chuckle at the sight, but Leo managed to hold it in as Dobby was told to sit in the seat Harry had just vacated, the House Elf wringing his hands nervously. "Well? Do you have something?"

Dobby's eyes dropped nervously and his hand wringing grew faster. "Dobby saw nothing out of the ordinary, Harry Potter sir. The Malfoy Boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover. He eats in the Great Hall; he sleeps in the Slytherin Common Room. He visits the Seventh Floor with a variety of students who keep watch as he enters…"

That sparked a light into all five of the humans around the table, but Harry was the first to exclaim it. "The Room of Requirement!" He cried out, slapping himself on the forehead. "Of course! That's where he's sneaking off to. That's where he's going…" He reached into his robes and pulled out a scrappy bit of parchment that Leo now recognised as the map his Father had a hand in making. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He muttered, before folding it around for a moment, tapping it with a finger. "Here."

Ron peered over. "I don't see anything." He muttered.

"I don't think I've ever seen it appear there." Harry explained.

"It will be part of the magic of the room." Hermione had an answer for that. "If you need it to be unplottable, it will. It's rare, but you see unplottable locations in the wider world. Azkaban, Beauxbatons…"

"Grimmauld Place." Leo interrupted. "Professor Dumbledore made it unplottable when he made it Headquarters, my Dad told me that."

"Exactly." Hermione nodded.

Harry turned back to Dobby. "Have you seen what he's been up to, Dobby?" He asked.

The House Elf shook his head sadly. "No, Harry Potter, that is impossible."

Leo frowned. "Then how did Malfoy get in last year?" He asked.

It was Ron with the answer. "He knew what he was looking for I guess, and we'll have no chance if he's hiring look outs."

"Is there no way for House Elves to get in?" Harry asked.

Leo shook his head at that. "If the room is unplottable, it will likely have other defences too, including keeping House Elves out unless they are wanted."

"Harry Potter's friend is right." Dobby nodded, before unwillingly letting out a large yawn, slapping his hands to his mouth. "Dobby is sorry…"

"Dobby, have you been sleeping?" Ginny asked, and Leo already knew the answer before it was spoken.

"No, Harry Potter's Miss Wheezy." Dobby shook his head vigorously as he responded in an exuberant and excited manner. "Dobby has been extra vigilant in following Harry Potter's request!"

Harry at least had the decency to look bashful. "I didn't mean…" He sighed. "Dobby, please get some sleep, you've been brilliant but I'd hate for you to be tired."

Nodding, the House Elf stretched his little arms out. "Thank you, Harry Potter sir." Dobby mumbled, before his eyes began to close and soon enough soft snores were heard.

The 5 Gryffindors looked around at one another, bemused. "So… what now?" Ron asked, trying not to laugh at the sight of the House Elf sleeping while still stood upright.

"Let's get to bed." Hermione was the one to say, looking at Dobby. "Let Dobby get his rest and we'll sleep on it, but Harry, you really should leave Malfoy alone. The memory is what's important, not him."

Harry wanted to complain but Ginny reached out and squeezed his hand as the pair shared a look. "Right, yeah. Goodnight then." Harry nodded, giving Ginny a kiss, gently picking Dobby up and placing him on an armchair before heading up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Ron followed after pulling a face towards his sister, while Ginny was next.

"He won't give this up." Leo stated the obvious as Hermione gathered her books.

She sighed. "No, he won't, but we need that memory."

"There are 5 of us." Leo shrugged, starting to feel too tired to think properly and wanting nothing more than to crawl into his bed and close his eyes. "Between us we'll think of something, I'm sure."

Hermione didn't look too convinced, but she smiled warmly at him as she made for the Girls dormitory stairs, pausing as she rose up the first step before turning back and smiling at him again. "Night, Leo." She said softly

"Night." Leo replied with a reciprocated smile, before making his own way to bed, barely managing to remove the days clothes before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Despite the good night's sleep, Leo was none the wiser in coming up with a plan to try and encourage the memory out of Professor Slughorn as the new day dawned, and it seemed like the same was the case with the others when they met for breakfast, though Ron had concluded that Polyjuice Potion was being used from Dobby's various students comment, and a quick look over at the Slytherin table to see a grouchy Crabbe and Goyle gave more evidence to the thought. They quickly had to split up for lessons, with Hermione going to Ancient Runes while the boys all had free periods, Leo taking the free to help Fay with her Charms homework before a lesson with Professor Snape in Defence Against the Dark Arts, later finding out that Harry hadn't spent his free period doing anything productive, but instead pacing outside the Room of Requirement with no luck in catching the Slytherin's.

The majority of that week however was once again dominated by Apparition. Those old enough to take the test in April, the group of which Leo just snuck into given that the test was on his 17th birthday, were able to spend their Sunday practicing out in Hogsmeade. Hermione of course was perfect, while Fay Dunbar managed to travel to the intended spot, just facing the opposite way than intended. Leo meanwhile had finally gotten the hang of it and moved without any major issues other than falling flat onto his face at the landing.

As a result of being in Hogsmeade however they did get to enjoy a short trip out into the village, and so Leo, finding his courage, managed to ask Hermione to accompany him around some of the shops, namely Scrivenshafts, Honeydukes and Tomes and Scrolls, before settling back into the Three Broomsticks with the rest of the Gryffindors for a quick drink before they returned to the castle, with Leo keeping a big grin on his face for the rest of the day.

As March turned to April and the added pressure of the Apparition exam grew larger as each day passed mixed with the looming end of the school year and compounded by Harry's constant obsession with Malfoy that exceeded the Horcrux problem, that good feeling from the Hogsmeade trip barely returned. By the time of the 21st April it was another early rise, though the parcel wrapped in the red and silver of Wigtown Wanderers perked him up despite the 6 o'clock start. Opening the letter first, he was glad to see the scribbles of his mother.

My darling Leo,

I can hardly believe you're 17 today, my son. It feels like only yesterday I was holding you in my arms, watching you grow, wondering what kind of person you'd become. And now, here you are – so strong, so brave.

I know the world is heavy right now, and everything feels uncertain, but please never forget how deeply you are loved. You are my heart, and nothing can ever change that. I'm so eternally proud of you.

Stay safe, my darling. Always remember, you have the strength to face anything that comes your way. I promise we will celebrate properly, in the MacDonald way, when I see you next. For now, please enjoy this gift from your Father and I. You're smart enough to know what it is, but take some comfort in the fact that it was your Father that picked it out.

All my love,
Mum

With a big smile as he wiped away a rogue tear from his eye at her words Leo set the parchment to one side and carefully began to open up the present, his eyes widening at the shine coming from the opened box. It was a watch unlike anything Leo had ever seen, the black leather strap led to a silver outer rim, with the face of the watch also being black, and the silver numbers shown in roman numerals instead of numbers. Just looking at it Leo knew it was the most expensive item he had ever owned, and he eagerly but carefully unboxed it and strapped it to his left arm before getting dressed.

Given it was a Monday Leo technically had a free period before and after Defence Against the Dark Arts, and it was during the latter free after a standard, dismal lesson with Professor Snape, when Leo was cornered by his friends and dragged back to the Common Room and forced down into a comfy armchair by the pair of them. He waited for them to begin, but they held their silence with their arms folded. "What is…"

"You're 17 now." Fay began, interrupting him quickly. "And as such… it didn't feel right that we just get you chocolate or sweets."

Shaking his head, Leo began to argue back. "But I like…"

"But I like sweets." Anna finished for him; her tone high pitched in light mockery. "We know that dummy! But just listen."

They were standing over him looking eerily similar to two parents lecturing their young child, a thought that brought a light chuckle out. "Alright." He surrendered, leaning back into the armchair to allow whatever pageantry the girls had planned. "Go on." Anna looked over at Fay and giggled, worrying Leo slightly more as she then ran off up to the girls dormitory's. "What are you up to?" He smirked at his best friend. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this…"

Fay gasped exaggeratedly. "How dare you!" She exclaimed, her eyes shining with mirth before she collapsed beside him in giggles. "It's over the top sure, but trust me you'll love this."

He believed her completely, relaxing even more into his chair as he waited for Anna to return. He glanced at his new watch, noticing that the time was now just after noon. Fay noticed his glance and grabbed his wrist roughly. "Woah!" She exclaimed.

"A present from my parents." He admitted with a grin. "That still feels weird to say, but yeah, my dad picked it out apparently."

"That must have cost a fortune." Fay whistled. "I knew you had money now, but…"

Leo shrugged as he shook his sleeve back over his watch. "I'd give it all up for a normal family life growing up." He muttered, appreciating the watch but being reminded of what he had missed out on all those years.

She winced at that. "Leo… sorry."

"It's fine." He said quickly as he smiled over at her honestly. "It is expensive sure, but that's not the important thing about it to me. It's an actual present from my dad, that means more to me than the entirety of Gringotts."

Her hand moved to his shoulder as she gave him a quick squeeze as footsteps came thundering down the dormitory steps and Anna reappeared in front of him. "Close your eyes." The auburn haired girl said sternly.

"Really?"

"Yes!" Both girls laughed, and Leo did as he was told. "Now hold out your hands…" Once again he did as he was asked, and a heavy cylindrical glass object was placed in. Opening his eyes, he saw a bright crimson bow wrapped around a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky, with a bold 1980 printed on the label. "Happy birthday!" The girls exclaimed.

Leo held the bottle up, admiring it in the light of the fireplace. He'd drank butterbeer before of course, but Firewhisky had been kept far away from him during the summers back home with his Mother having hexed him at least three times for accidentally reaching his hands towards a bottle, much to his Grandfather's amusement. "Wow… you guys really shouldn't have!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"With Apparition coming up and all, we thought… if we all passed." Fay shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course we'll share it." He laughed, moving over to hug each of them tightly. "Thank you, both of you." He looked down at the bottle in his hands, a plan forming in his head. "If we all pass today, we'll open this up."

Fay snorted in amusement as Anna looked aghast, making an extremely good point as the bell rang for the start of lunch. "Do you really want to go to Transfiguration tomorrow with a hangover?" All three began to laugh at the thought as they grabbed their things and began to walk out of the Common Room ready to eat. Anna, however, paused for a second, turning to the other two and saying. "Do you remember our first day at Hogwarts?"

"Why are you bringing that up?" Fay scoffed.

Anna shrugged. "Just… we're all 17 now. We're old, and you're uglier." She nodded at Leo who kicked out at her, though she dodged it with another giggle. "Seriously though, that Herbology lesson on the 1st day… when we first met properly because you two were friends on the train and we had the beds next to one another." She nodded at Fay this time. "Between then and now, so much has happened."

"Time does that." Leo shrugged. "Looking back can be fun, but we can't get bogged down in the past."

"You just don't want to be reminded at how shy you were." Fay grinned.

Leo rolled his eyes at the teasing, but she made a good point. "I was shy." He nodded. "I was in a dorm with the Boy Who Lived, Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan… it's easy to get pushed to the corner with them." He sighed. "Thankfully I had you guys, or I don't know what I'd have done." The conversation was getting slightly more real than any of them had intended, but Leo pressed on. "I know we've not always seen eye to eye Anna, but I mean that. I found my place in Hogwarts with you two, and I know I've been more distant recently but I don't want you to think that anything has changed in that regard."

Both girls smiled at him, with Fay putting her arm awkwardly around his shoulders, the height difference glaring. "You're still our little brother really, Leo."

Anna grinned, doing the same and forcing Leo's neck down to their level. "Exactly. You can canoodle with Granger all you like, just remember that at your wedding, we're going to talk about that time in the library in 4th year…"

He forced his way away from them and shoved them. "You promised." He reminded them warningly.

Laughing loudly as they reached the staircase, Fay and Anna linked arms and ran down the steps, with Leo pausing slightly to just listen to the increasingly rare noise of laughter filling the castle.

He managed to eat a couple of ham sandwiches and a handful of still steaming chips from the central trays before his robe sleeve was getting pulled, as Hermione stood behind him. Finishing his mouthful unceremoniously, he turned, wiping the crumbs from his lips. "Is everything alright?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm going to go for a walk by the lake, do you want to join me?"

His initial thought was that he didn't, he was already for one of the first times in his life unsure about attending History of Magic because of the nerves he felt for the Apparition Exam later that afternoon, but one look into Hermione's brown eyes stopped his refusal before it had even begun to form, and Leo found himself saying goodbye to Fay and Anna, grabbing one last gulp of his drink before joining the brunette for a walk around the grounds.

They quickly found themselves down at water level with the cliffside that held Hogwarts up as the crowning jewel of the valley at their backs. Leo was the first to take his shoes and socks off, rolling his trouser legs up to his knees and slowly made his way in to the water to make the most of the warm day until he was ankle deep. He looked back at Hermione who was staring at him incredulously. "What?" He asked with a grin.

"We have no towels, or spare clothes…" She trailed off as Leo reached into his pocket, pulling out his Ebony wand and twirling it teasingly in his right hand. "Ah." She vocalised, before snorting in laughter and unbuckling her own shoes before she froze for a moment. "Turn around." She said earnestly.

Without a thought, Leo did as he was asked, turning to face the lake. Across the water he could see the bridge holding the train tracks, while the horizon was filled with large peaks from the Scottish Highlands and Leo could spot the smoke plumes that indicated the village of Aranshire. Even the Giant Squid was taking advantage of the warm blue skies, its tentacles floundering in the air as it splashed around enjoying the weather.

Further, delicate splashes were heard from beside him as Hermione had finally entered the lake, with Leo noting immediately that he had needed to turn around for her to take her tights off. Her hands were pressed to the side of her skirt tightly, and so Leo decided to take a deep breath as he smelled the fresh air, before talking over the sounds of nature. "This reminds me a lot of home." He told her. "We have a cottage, by Loch Ryan. Isolated enough so that muggles don't come anywhere near, their roads stretch away from the cottage and it's off the local rambling paths, but it gives us a private route to the water, almost like a beachside property if the shore wasn't so… Scottish." He smiled fondly, picturing it vividly in his mind, the thatched roof and the white walls, the broomsticks leaning on the house and his Grandad's old cauldrons for the game he enjoyed so much, and the little path his ancestor had created that led down to the Loch. "Granda' would take me down to the water's edge and teach me to fish." He scrunched up his face and deepened his voice to mimic his Grandfather's gruff Scottish accent. "It'll learn you patience, laddie. A trait so far gone from our kind that we've lost the beauty in the world." He returned to his normal accent. "For someone that enjoyed having rocks charmed to hit him on the head, he was a wise man occasionally."

"I wish I could have known him." Hermione said softly, her hand now moving to brush his own, their fingers dancing around the others before the pair of them shifted their arms ever so slightly, and their fingers interlocked. "You must miss him a lot, especially today."

Leo nodded, realising that today was going to be a day full of reminiscing with this conversation coming so soon after his talk with Fay and Anna. "I do. He would be shocked to see me now though, I think."

"Really?" Hermione shifted in the water, completely facing him now.

"You remember me in our 3rd year, right?" Leo chuckled. "I kept myself to myself, did my homework on time and barely socialised with you all. I only really spoke to Anna and Fay outside of our teachers." He sighed, thinking back to his younger days at Hogwarts. "I often wondered why I was put into Gryffindor, and not Ravenclaw."

Hermione grinned at that comment. "The hat almost put me in Ravenclaw too!" She exclaimed, and Leo remembered being stood there waiting as the hat took around 4 minutes to sort Hermione. "I chose Gryffindor of course, I think I was influenced by Professor Dumbledore being in Gryffindor at the time, but I wouldn't change that at all." She knocked her hand against his again gently. "But you belong in Gryffindor, Leo, and though I didn't know him, I'm sure your Grandfather wouldn't be shocked at all to look at the man you've become."

Leo chuckled, thinking back on the letter that he had received on his first morning at Hogwarts from his Grandfather, full of bluster and cheer about Gryffindor, and asking Leo to find a surprising number of secrets passed down to him through generations of MacDonald's. "He'd be proud I'm sure, but still surprised." He sighed. "Knowing what I know now… it makes me wonder about what he thought during our 3rd year, he wasn't well at all at the time, but with Sirius roaming around being thought of as he was…"

Hermione's hand squeezed. "From the things your parents say and how you describe him, I think once the truth was known your Grandfather would have been happy that your family has found its way back together."

Leo nodded; it was exactly the sort of thing he would have said. "Aye, I think you're right."

They allowed silence to fall over them then, with the waterfall behind them and the birds in the sky being the only noises until Hermione shifted again, taking Leo's attention away from the views. "I didn't know what to get you for your birthday this year." She began.

"You don't need to get me anything." Leo shook his head quickly, simply enjoying their time together as their fingers remained interlocked.

"I do though." Hermione said with a smirk. "And a book just didn't seem right this year, especially after you completely outdid me at Christmas." Her free hand went to her neck where Leo had become accustomed to seeing the silver chain with a quill pendant.

"It's not a competition." Leo muttered quietly. "I just saw it and I immediately thought of you, and when I did I knew I needed to get it for you."

"Well, be that as it may." Hermione began. "This year, I wanted to find something more… more meaningful. Though everywhere I looked, nothing quite seemed right."

"Hermione." Leo sighed, turning to face her completely, his other hand reaching for her free one so they held one another with both hands. "I promise you; you don't need to get me anything, and definitely not spend so much time worrying over it."

Hermione smiled brightly. "I know." She all but whispered. "But still, with how much I've enjoyed spending time with you this year, and getting to know the real you. I wanted your 17th to be special."

And with that, Hermione gently tugged him closer, pulling him so that their bodies were mere inches away from one another, before Hermione's hands left Leo's and began to run up his arms, over his shoulders and snake around his neck, pulling his head gently down towards his own…

It felt like Leo was 11 again stood in Ollivander's Wand Shop as the warm feeling of his wand shot up his arm, but instead that feeling went all throughout his body as he allowed himself to just live in the moment, kissing Hermione. It was so much better than any of the many, many dreams he had had about this moment, and his own arms moved to wrap around her too, pulling her closer towards him as the kiss deepened. He had no idea whether they were locked together for seconds or hours by the time they split apart, but his face must have shown his surprise as Hermione couldn't contain her giggles.

"I… you…" Leo struggled to form words as he registered what had just happened. "Wow." He settled on.

"Happy birthday, Leo." She said warmly, and Leo could have stayed in that moment forever, staring down at her beautiful brown eyes.

Unfortunately, as ever, the moment would be interrupted as his watch began to vibrate, and Leo noticed that the bell to signify the end of lunch was close. "I don't want to move." He managed a full sentence this time. "Does this mean… are we…?"

"We'll talk about that properly later." Hermione insisted happily as she grabbed Leo's hand once again and dragged him out of the water. "I probably should have waited until this evening… I'll be thinking about this instead of the 3 D's now… but it felt right."

Leo could only agree as they reached the spot where they had left their shoes and bags. He pulled out his wand as she sat down and aimed at her feet. "Ventulus Calidus." He muttered, and a soft breeze of warm air shot out, drying her quickly so that she could put her tights on. He then dried his own feet with the same spell, eager to hold Hermione's hand once again for the journey back up to the castle, his thoughts locked on the moment that she had pressed her lips to his own.

Hermione had been right, and Leo had failed to pay any attention towards History of Magic in his sole lesson between lunch and the Apparition Exam. His mind had been replaying the moment over and over again, completely ignoring the lecture from Professor Binns about the 14th Century Wizarding Economic Bubble. Though by the time the bell had rung to signal the end of the lesson, Leo's thoughts had changed as he replayed a conversation he had had with Harry on Christmas Day.

"Just… don't mess her around. We all know how close you are with Fay; I don't want Hermione getting hurt."

His thoughts must have been projecting clearly as the students began to gather in the Bell Tower Courtyard before their journey towards Hogsmeade where the Apparition exam was taking place, though it took another half an hour, by which time the students higher up in the alphabetical list had begun to take their tests in threes, for Fay to nudge him and take him out of his mind. "Everything ok?"

"Huh?" Leo was startled, which only caused Fay to snort in laughter as he registered her question. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Except you're not." Fay noted as she leant against Gladrags waiting for their turns. "Go on, spill. You'll take my mind off of being nervous here." She gestured around as Susan Bones returned with a relieved grin on her face, just for Michael Corner to be called next.

Leo sighed, looking over at where Hermione was standing with Ron, the pair whispering between one another. "We kissed." He said quietly.

Fay's eyes widened in delight. "On your birthday?" She quietly squealed. "Oh that's romantic!"

"We went down to the lake and yeah." Leo nodded. "But now…" He then sighed. "I keep thinking of something Harry said at Christmas. About how he doesn't want her getting hurt and how close we are." He gestured between the pair of them.

The delight in Fay's eyes dimmed quickly as she saw the meaning behind that. "What did you tell him?" She asked him, her voice low and full of worry.

"That we are friends and nothing more." Leo stated quickly. "I'd never… it's not my place to talk about you like that, Fay."

They fell into a brief moment of silence then, until Fay spoke out loud what Leo had been fretting about. "But you're worried that it's something that will affect whatever is going on between you and Hermione."

"No? Not really?" Leo sighed. "Not with her, but others. It's daft, I know. Just saying it out loud makes me sound ridiculous."

"It's not." Fay stated quickly. "We are close, I love Anna but it's a different type of friendship. I trusted you with this before anybody else and if I was asked, I'd have to say I loved you, Leo, because I really do, but not in that way, the way that people would run off and gossip about. You are my best friend without a shadow of a doubt and you've always been there for me throughout all of this. Taking me to the Yule Ball meant more to me than you'll know." She sighed dramatically as she paused for a moment, relaxing her face as she did. "Look… tell her the truth."

"Huh?" Leo said again, surprised. "But… no, it's not my business."

"I know girls, Leo. Even if she trusts you as much as I do, there's always going to be something lingering in the back of her head unless we grow apart, and I don't want that." Fay explained. "I know how much you care for Hermione and I know that you would never fall this hard for a girl unless she was special and you could trust her and if you can trust her, so can I. Tell her, nip this in the bud quickly before it can fester into something it isn't."

Leo digested that for a moment. "Only if you're sure." He insisted again. "It's probably just me being…"

"No, and you've not asked this of me, I'm suggesting it." Fay stated, placing her hand gently on his shoulder and giving it a kind squeeze. "I don't know what things will be like by the summer, but I've been spending more time with Vicky over the last few weeks and who knows, maybe that will turn into something more public and all of this will be for nothing, or maybe not. All I do know is that I'm getting there, and I don't want to be the reason that your own happiness gets affected." Leo was about to complain at her last point but she shook her head firmly, stopping him before he could begin. "Just, name one of your kids after me, yeah? That's the least you could do."

Now it was Leo's turn to snort in laughter, shoving her gently away. "Behave." He muttered as he watched Milicent Bulstrode return from her exam with a large grin on her face.

"Fay Dunbar!" One of the instructors called, and Leo noticed the girls shoulders slump.

"You've got this." He whispered to her. Fay didn't respond, instead she walked off whispering to herself about the 3 D's repeatedly, leaving Leo to stand on his own thinking about her words, as his eyes kept creeping over towards a certain bushy haired brunette…

Thankfully when it counted, Leo managed to push the kiss with Hermione to the back of his mind so that he could concentrate fully, and managed to get through the exam without Splinching himself, earning himself the Apparition License in the process. With Anna, Fay and Hermione all also passing the temptation was there for Leo to go and open the bottle of Firewhisky that was now sat comfortably in his trunk, though the reminder of double Transfiguration the following morning was more than enough to throw that thought away, as instead the Gryffindors sat with bottles of Butterbeer as they rehashed their experiences of the exam to each other. Ron's tale of just leaving half of his eyebrow behind made all of the group wince in frustration at how meticulous the examiners had been.

Harry joined them on their third drink, appearing from the dormitory to the surprise of Leo who hadn't seen him go past. That perked Ron up at least, who immediately turned to him and asked. "So? Are you going?"

Harry nodded, though his eyes wandered over to where Leo, Anna and Fay were sat near one another and simply said. "Yeah, I just fancy a drink before I do."

"Where are you going?" Anna was the one to ask.

In unison, both Harry and Ron responded almost immediately. "Quidditch Pitch." Which caused the pair of them to laugh.

"Ravenclaw are training tonight." Harry then explained to those that didn't know otherwise. "I wanted to see if I could sneak down and watch, to prepare for next month, try and get the jump on them."

That seemed to appease the girls at least, but Leo kept half an eye on Harry as he sat down and grabbed a Butterbeer, slyly pouring a few drops of something else into the bottle before he took a large swig of the drink before the strangest thing happened, and Harry Potter began smiling. He then quickly downed the drink before letting off a quiet belch before stating jovially. "Right, I'm off to Hagrid's."

Everybody was confused. "Hagrid's, Harry? Not the Quidditch Pitch?" Hermione was the one to voice.

"I'll end up there I'm sure, but I really feel like I need to go to Hagrid's. He's a dear friend, he shouldn't be alone tonight of all nights."

Ron's face went pale. "It's an Acromantula, Harry, not a family member."

Harry simply shrugged. "Same thing to Hagrid." He exclaimed cheerfully, before waving to everybody and turning away, whistling the school's theme tune loudly. The 6th year's sat there, all their mouths wide in surprise as Harry moved towards the Portrait Hole, passing Ginny on her way back from the Library and kissing her deeply before he crouched through the Portrait Hole and was out of sight.

"What… was that?" Fay asked with a grin. "He's cracked, he's finally cracked."

"He's taken it?" Hermione whispered to Ron, who nodded. Sighing, Hermione leant back in her chair, turning to Anna, Fay, Leo, and the now arrived Ginny who's blush hadn't rescinded yet. "Harry won the Felix Felicis in Potions back in September, and he's evidentially taken some tonight to not be spotted while spying on Ravenclaw." She lied; the darting of her pupils to and from Leo's own made for a certainty that he realised instantly. "Smart really, how better to ensure you don't get caught than by being lucky."

It seemed to appease the girls however, who immediately started a debate as to what they would have done with Liquid Luck, although that was quickly interrupted by the Portrait opening once again as Lavender Brown stormed in, her face looking furious. "Ron, a word." She said as she approached them all.

"Everything ok?" The red-head asked.

Lavender huffed and crossed her arms. "Outside." She stated, causing Leo to catch his laughter at the scene. Lavender then turned and skulked back outside the portrait hole, leaving Ron bemused and dazzled as he got to his feet.

"Mental, that one." Ron muttered under his breath, but he followed his girlfriend outside. Then it was Fay and Anna's turn, deciding that it was time for Gobstones Club. When Ginny left to put her books away, it left Hermione and Leo alone.

Sensing that they were about to have a big conversation and noting that their seating area would be filled up quickly by students settling down for the night, without a word both of them rose and moved to a more secluded sofa by the fireplace and sat down. Minutes passed before either of them spoke, and it was Hermione who broke the silence. "We should talk about earlier."

Leo nodded. "That was… incredible." He said with a grin. He looked over at Hermione, who had an expression that he thought was relief spread across her face. He grabbed her hands and held them tightly. "It really was the best gift, you were right… as usual."

"I saw you when we were waiting for our tests this afternoon." Hermione told him. "There was something… I couldn't tell what you were thinking but it was more like worry than anything good, and I guess I got in my own head a little bit." She chuckled nervously.

He then knew it was time to speak about his conversation at Christmas with Harry, but as that realisation settled in he found his palms beginning to heat up and sweat. Pulling them away to wipe them, he sighed. "I really care about you, you know that, right?" He asked. Hermione nodded. "I've known I liked you since the summer, but there's always been something about you Hermione that's drawn me to you… I hope that doesn't sound creepy."

Hermione chuckled lightly. "No, it doesn't."

"So I don't want to mess this up." He continued. "I want this, I want us. I want to be with you, and I don't want us to have to hide things from one another either." He took a breath before launching into his explanation. "Harry spoke with me at Christmas, I guess after Slughorn's party he realised what was happening between us and was playing the part of the friend, you know, warning me not to hurt you and everything."

She tutted, annoyed. "I'm an adult, I don't need Harry protecting me from my own decisions." She muttered.

"It wasn't out of spite or anything, it was honest concern." Leo said, bewildering himself for defending Harry. "But he said something at the time… about how close I am with Fay. That popped into my head after the Lake, that's all."

Hermione nodded, turning to face the fire. "I'll admit that I believed you and Fay were an item for a while. It's something Harry and I spoke about in the summer before 5th year, before you found out… well everything. When we knew your mother was in the Order and that one day, you'd likely be a part of the Order too. Harry was one of those wanting to keep you in the dark in case you shared certain things with Fay." She held up her hand as he was about to interrupt, predicting him entirely. "I know you would never now, but we didn't really know the real you back then." She said softly, resting that hand on his leg. "But you say you've only ever been friends, and as a girl with two guy friends… I understand that."

"It's not just that." Leo said, his voice barely a whisper now as he nestled into the sofa, leaning towards Hermione so that he wouldn't be overheard. "Fay… she spotted this coming too, so what you saw earlier, was her telling me to tell you the truth. Fay likes girls, Hermione. We went to the Yule Ball together because I couldn't pluck up the courage to ask anybody else, namely you if I think about what I was too dumb to realise at the time, and she didn't want to pretend to be on a date with some guy with expectations that she couldn't match."

He knew her well enough by now to know that she was digesting that information, likely going through their 5 years of sharing a dormitory at Hogwarts for the signs, and Leo could only grin as her mouth widened to a perfect O. "That… makes so much sense." She whispered eventually, before a smile appeared on her face. "I need to thank her the next time I see her, for trusting me."

"She sees how you make me feel." Leo shrugged. "Her exact words were 'if you can trust her, so can I.'"

Hermione was the one to reach for his hands this time, and Leo once again felt sparks fly through his nerves as they touched. "I feel the same about you." She admitted. "I first thought about the idea of you last Christmas if it's my turn to be honest." She was blushing, and Leo was enamoured with the rosy tint on her cheeks. "Seeing how you dealt with all that information with that much maturity was genuinely inspiring, and then after that, I actually got to know you more."

He wanted to kiss her there and then, but held his temptation for a moment longer. "So… if this is what we both want, and we both care a lot for one another." He began, the Gryffindor in him suddenly leaping out from nowhere. "Do you want to be together?"

Hermione snorted quietly, amused at the question. "I thought that was clear from earlier." She teased him, before becoming serious. "Yes, Leo, I do." They pushed together and kissed once again, and the same feelings that hit him earlier rushed through his body as their lips were pressed together, only for them to jump apart as footsteps pounded through the room. Leo turned and saw a teary faced Lavender storming through a group of 3rd years on her way to the girls dormitory, while Ron was sheepishly making his way in after her, spotting them in the corner and moving towards them. "Perhaps we don't broadcast it just yet though." Hermione whispered.

It was something that Leo could only agree with once Ron found them and joined them. "That girl is mental, I swear." He repeated, oblivious to the fact that Leo was still holding Hermione's hand. "She seems to think I've got… some form of harem going on with the girls dormitory." Ron exclaimed. "Where in the name of Merlin's left nipple has that come from?"

Looking over at his new girlfriend, Leo knew that she was thinking the exact same thing as she was. "Liquid Luck." They said at the same time, as they quickly distracted Ron with theories about what Harry was getting up to down at Hagrid's, with only the odd subtle glance between them to show any indication of the conversation they had just shared.

Reviews:

SkepticPrinceArthur: It probably should be but it was 100% implemented to show Harry's importance in the game. With that last point I believed Leo, who's already history based in his thinking, would have more luck researching than coming up with a cunning plan to effectively dupe a teacher which is why I went with that angle!

Lightningscar: I take Fay as that typical person that really likes a sport but isn't quite of the ability to play, so throwing her in the deep end like that was a really fun section! But with Harry having more people to lean on and being in a relationship earlier with Ginny it made sense to avoid that whole Cormac thing… which then in turn gave me the inspiration for the later scene!