A hazy fog had settled around the towering house and surrounding property. Arthur and Molly had crept downstairs two hours prior to enjoy quiet cups of coffee together. Molly was now on her second cup of coffee and Arthur finishing his third. Ginny would be the third awake, her steps above muffled by a charm until she got to the last set of stairs where the creaking of boards alerted her parents to another presence.

"Good morning, dear," Arthur lovingly greeted his only daughter. She smiled and gave a small wave back as she reached into the cabinet for her mug.

"I thought you were Hermione coming down the stairs. She's usually the first one out of you lot," Molly stated quietly and matter-of-factly as she sipped on the end of her second cup.

Ginny sat at the kitchen table with her parents. "I think she was up a bit later than usual is all."

A tired Harry Potter emerged from around the corner, with Ron Weasley following suit.

"Morning, boys," said Molly. "Coffee's on the stove but no breakfast this morning. Ron, your father and I will be going out onto the town for a few hours. You'll have to fend for yourselves," she told all of her children (including the bonus children).

"No breakfast?" huffed Ronald, seemingly wide awake now. "Mum, you're barking."

"No, Ron. You are the one that's barking. You're going to wake up the entire house - deal with it." Molly replied sternly while giving him that motherly look of seriousness.

Ginny groaned at her brother as she offered to start up some breakfast sandwiches. Harry thanked her as he looked around the quiet house.

"Hermione's still asleep?" he inquired.

"So's the bloke on the sofa," Ron added.

"They were still talking as Harry and I went to bed," Ginny proclaimed as she settled the frying pan onto a vacant burner. She pointed her wand and a small batch of flames flew out that lit the stove.

Quiet rustling from the living room caused the two young men - Harry and Ron - to turn slowly towards the direction of the noise. The couch was not visible from the kitchen table except from a single chair at the end of table which had not been taken. The sizzle of butter on a hot pan brought the friends' attention back to the table.

While those rooted in the kitchen were distracted with chitchat, Hermione had already awakened. Her hair had been tamed, her teeth brushed, and she had already changed into her clothes for the day. As she got to the bottom of the steps, she could see Benjamin in the fetal position on the couch. His dirty, leather boots that sat below him were surrounded by a few layers of clothing. Most of his face was covered by the fluffy, cream throw he held onto so tightly so she could only see one side of his face. She admired for only a moment before she ventured into the kitchen with her extended family.

"Morning, 'Mione," those at the table whispered dispersedly.

"Good morning," Ginny greeted quietly as Hermione ventured over to her by the stove. "Are you getting coffee?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I've already brushed - but thank you. Do you want some help?"

"Sure. You can make the toast."

As Hermione fiddled with all of the bread slices for the toast, Harry cleared his throat.

"Have a nice night, Hermione?" Harry asked, his mischievous grin spread across his lips.

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked cooly, avoiding the temptation to meet his gaze.

"My sister's a rat," interjected Ron as he thumbed through The Daily Prophet that had been sitting on the table.

"What's there to rat about? All I mentioned was that they were talking when I went to bed," Ginny countered as she flicked grease onto the yolk of the eggs.

"Same thing. Get some proper snogging in, 'Mione?" Ronald joked.

"I don't believe that's any of your business," Hermione replied without hesitation.

"This isn't Hogwarts. There's no Chamber of Secrets here, Hermione," Harry continued in a teasing tone.

She sat down the knife she was buttering the toast with, placed a hand on her hip and turned to her friends. "If you must know, I had a spectacular night. I had a better time last night talking with an intellectual than I am now having the mickey taken out of me by two boys who haven't even brushed their teeth."

They looked at each other as they rubbed their tongues against their teeth. She gave a look saying 'exactly' as she turned back around to finish their breakfast.

"That is exactly what the two of you get," Ginny started with a laugh. She turned her head to meet Hermione's glance and they both said "boys" in unison.

"Well," piped up Mr. Weasley, raising himself from the table, "Molly, we better be off." He offered his wife a hand. She took it as he helped her up from her chair. Molly pulled her wand from a pocket in her dress and waved it around the table. The empty coffee mugs began to levitate and hover towards the sink, where they descended slowly and carefully. She gave a smile as she twirled around and walked out the door that Arthur had been holding for her. A few moments later, a loud pop was heard outside and they had vanished from view.

"We really were just teasing you, Hermione." said Harry, looking a bit guilty behind his round glasses.

"I know you were. But, to the both of you, my romantic life is my own. That especially means you, Ron. We're all aware of how you cope with your loneliness."

"Hey! It's not loneliness - well, maybe it is a bit... I like the attention, honestly. Sue me." He threw his hands up in the air dramatically.

Harry and Ginny gave a quick, cute glance at each other; the type of look that said 'I only want your attention'. Both of them were smiling as their heads snapped back to what they were doing.

Ginny made a plate for her and Harry, placing his in front of him before she sat beside him.

"Am I meant to constantly suffer?" Ron groaned as he stood up from his chair and trudged the few feet over to the stove to make his own plate. Hermione sat down across from Harry - who was between Ron and Ginny - before Ron had sat with his plate. When he did, he immediately began shoveling food in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.

Only five minutes had passed before there was a soft rustling in the living room. Light clinks of metal could be heard, followed by a handful of heavy footsteps. An obviously, hastily dressed Benjamin rounded the corner; his thick, dark hair an unruly mess.

"Good morning," everyone greeted except Ron, who had just begun to see the bottom of his plate.

"Coffee?" Ginny asked, prepared to get up from her seat.

His eyes were barely open as he gave a small nod, adding a grunt for clarification. Ginny stood up to begin preparing his mug while he gave a look in Hermione's direction.

Benjamin's eyes were still nearly closed when she met his gaze. He offered her a small, innocent smile which caused her to turn her face to hide her own smirk. Her face was now in the paper. Hermione's heart had begun to beat hard against her chest; just being in his immediate presence had her feeling 'fuzzy', as Harry has described it.

"Breakfast?" Ginny asked as she sat his cup of brown liquid in front of him.

"Hm-mm," he grunted as he shook his head. He offered her a quick 'thank you' gesture with his hand.

"Not much of a morning person, are you?" Hermione inquired curiously.

He held up a finger as he took a couple, long sips off his mug. His eyes began to open after he rubbed them a bit with a closed hand.

"Just the talking. Mouth doesn't want to move." He replied to her.

He engaged in a few moments of the continuous conversations as he woke up with the help of time and caffeine. Ginny had asked him if he would be staying for cake (as soon as 'Mum' and 'Dad' arrived back at the Burrow) but he had declined, mentioning prior plans for the day. Hermione would be a bit upset at this news, but not enough that it would manifest physically. He was kind company, and after their physical connection the night before, she had a newly found desire to be physically closer to him.

After breakfast, Harry and Ron journeyed into the living room and started a game of wizard's chess. Ginny was waving her wand around the house, tidying up. Benjamin had already repacked his leather backpack and it sat beside the front door. He and Hermione remained seated in the kitchen.

"Do you want to talk about...," Hermione said in a whisper as she looked around her, "...last night?"

Benjamin shook his head. "No, we don't have to. I'm just wondering when I will see you again."

Hermione blushed and said, "Um, I have to provide you with paperwork to give to your parents - in regards to the Jarvey they are looking after. You can come into the office or I can bring them to you. Which would you prefer?"

"I'll be working the rest of the week, until late. I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Ministry to grab them, if I'm being honest."

"That's okay," she said with a smile. "I'll bring them to The Leaky Cauldron after work. Perhaps I'll order in while I'm there." A bit of a playful tone has begun to come out of Hermione. She was hoping he would want to talk about the kisses they shared the night before, but knowing that he was wanting to see her again was enough to settle any uneasiness she may have had about his intentions.

He bid his goodbyes and then Benjamin Hendrix left the Burrow by apparating. He popped back into his apartment, a light stagnant smell filling his nose upon arrival. He scrunched his nose up. After lighting a candle (Hazel would make them without the use of magic), he sloppily unpacked his rucksack before bouncing down the stairs.

The analog clock in the den read twenty minutes to noon. Benjamin had already dressed in a set of "brunch ready" attire, and picked up the keys to his truck before quickly heading out the door.

Benjamin took his usual route into the heart of London. He parked in one of the many car parks for the Barbican Estate - his destination. The housing complex was beautiful, with a green courtyard in the center that was decorated with trees and an artificial pond. He had always felt out of place here, but only until he reached Orlando King's apartment where he was always welcomed like family.

He took the elevator to the top floor, where those with a plethora of finances could afford to live in comfort and style. As Benjamin approached the door to the condo, he could hear Aaliyah King singing with a lovely vibrato over "Lover for Life" by Whitney Houston. He smiled to himself as he knocked on the door. Within a few seconds, a man with the widest grin greeted him while shimmying his shoulders to the music. Benjamin laughed and shook his head at his friend's comical welcoming.

"Hey, Ben, how you doin', baby?" Orlando asked, grabbing and shaking his hand before pulling him in for a quick, tight embrace. He was much larger than Benjamin - his shirts always hugged his chest and biceps. Orlando was one of the top boxers in the world out of the United States. He was currently taking time off in one of his secluded vacation homes after his last successful bout.

"I'm good, man. Thanks," Benjamin replied. As he entered, Aaliyah, Orlando's wife, greeted him with an enthusiastic smile as she swayed to the music in front of the cooking at the stove.

Benjamin looked around. "Where's Willow?"

"She's playing in her room," Orlando replied, his chestnut-colored fingers pointing towards one of the wide hallways in the large, luxury-decorated apartment. "You want something to drink?" Orlando was already heading for the bar to ready a glass.

"Damn, Lando. Bit early, ain't it?"

Orlando shrugged his shoulders, a bit of a smile hiding behind his thick, black mustache. "I'm on vacation."

Benjamin put up his hand in a declining manner and Orlando continued to make his own drink. "Aaliyah, baby, you want anything?" He asked his wife without looking up from the decanter he was pouring from.

Her brown skin and brightly-colored attire did more than force her to stand out against all of the white cabinets and counters of the kitchen. Her naturally black, bushy hair had been tamed back into one of the slickest buns Benjamin had seen. There was not a hair out of place and not a wrinkle in her clothes to be seen. She declined the drink from her husband, mentioning their later plans to take Willow to the museum.

"So, Benjamin..." Aaliyah trailed on while beginning to plate all of the food, "what's up with you these days?"

Orlando had gone to inform his daughter about the food being done, so Ben moved himself to the dining table as he replied.

"Not too much really. My dad offered me a break from the stall and I took it. Other than that... You guys know I work a lot. It keeps me out of trouble."

As soon as the words finished leaving his lips, a high-pitched squeal came from behind him. He turned in the tall-backed chair to see Willow bouncing towards him. She practically plowed into his side to hug him.

"Willow! Wow look at you!" Benjamin exclaimed as they let go from their embrace. "You've gotten so big! How old are you now?"

"I'm six, Uncle Benji!" She said back at him, a bit matter-of-factly.

"I can't believe it. I swear you've grown an entire foot since I last saw you!" He tickled her under her armpits and she giggled and writhed about.

Orlando and Willow took their seats at the mahogany dining table shortly before Aaliyah began serving the food - child first, then the guest, and then both her and Orlando's plate - and sat herself in the chair next to her husband.

The plate in front of Benjamin looked more like fine dining than lunch with friends.

"What are we eating?" Benjamin asked inquisitively.

"Those are roasted root vegetables with crushed pepitas," Aaliyah informed her lunch guest.

"Ah," he replied, seeming to be a bit lost for words. "I forget how fancy I get to eat when I visit."

Aaliyah King blushed at Benjamin's compliment. "Well, thank you, Benjamin. You're always welcome with us."

After lunch, Orlando cleaned the table and began the dishes as Aaliyah and Benjamin sat in the living room on the brown leather couch. They had started chatting about the mundane things: the weather outside, Willow's homeschooling, and Orlando's most recent boxing bout.

"Did you watch?" Orlando prodded as he side-eyed his friend.

Ben shook his head. "No, I didn't get to. I had to work that night. It really was a bummer, dude."

"What do you say to a little sparring practice, huh, Benny?" Orlando could be seen smirking with his head down in the dishes, obviously amused at his own teasing.

"Ha! What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying you don't seem like a fighter no more. You're complacent, and tame. What has this place done to you?"

Of course, Orlando sounded like he was joking, but Benjamin knew his friend well enough to know that in his teasing comments there was some opinionated truth. In the few seconds he was silent, it was as if his last two years had been spent doing nothing but working for money to survive in the overpriced concrete jungle called London.

"I'm not as fortunate as you. Honestly, I'm surprised you still keep in touch with me."

"Look, man," Orlando's tone changed to one of seriousness, "you could have been great. I would have worked with you, mentored you. But-.."

"But I was needed elsewhere. You already did more for me than I could have done for myself."

Orlando threw a towel down aggressively onto the counter. "No, you could have pulled yourself out of that rut yourself. You were a fighter then, you were just stuck in your ways."

Benjamin got quiet. His head dropped a bit as he shifted his gaze to looking out the window into the busy streets of London.

"I'm still a fighter," he said under his breath.

"What was that?" Orlando called out mockingly from the kitchen.

"I said I'm still a fighter! Maybe it's not on the outside anymore but it's on the inside! That doesn't go away, Orlando. Being a fighter can be the difference between life and death. When was the last time you had to fight just for a meal?"

Their eyes were now locked. Orlando looked at him with these serious, deep eyes. It was a look Benjamin had seen many times before.

"Every time I step in that ring, Ben, I'm fighting to feed my family and give them everything I never had."

Benjamin's stomach dropped a bit. "Yeah, I know that. I'm sorry. Just because it's not the same-..."

"...-doesn't mean it's all that different."