Gryffindor was basically on lockdown for the rest of the evening, though that didn't apply to them. As the rest of the students were forced to stay inside the common room under lock and key, Matthew was sent to the hospital wing. McGonagall, who had been summoned by one of the many portraits lining the wall, had attempted to dissuade Harry and Hermione from joining him but their unrelenting pressure had played on her tired state. They were allowed to go, although under strict supervision. McGonagall herself escorted them, with Flitwick and Professor Vector standing guard outside the doors. Dumbledore was soon with them, travelling quickly through the internal Floo network. Even so, Matthew was basically patched up by the time he got there; the wound that had been inflicted in the short fight had been surprisingly shallow. All that remained was a soft sting whenever he moved his left arm.

"He's no longer in the school," the headmaster informed them gravely. "It seems that he managed to find a route out once again." He looked over at Matthew, who was sitting up in his bed. Hermione was occupying the chair by his side whilst Harry prowled anxiously. He'd come dangerously close to losing one of his closest friends in such a preventable manner. It made his blood boil. First, Black had taken his family from him and now he was trying to do the same to his friends. Is this what happened when people grew close to him? Was he truly this poisonous?

"Are you entirely sure that it was Sirius Black?" Dumbledore continued. "I have to ask, before you take insult at me questioning your word."

"Oh, it was," Matthew replied. "I've seen his face on enough posters to know what he looks like, even in the dark. Same shallow face, same greasy hair. He just walked right in. At first, I couldn't understand why another student would be up so late. That hesitation almost cost me."

"How though?" Harry found himself asking. "How could he get in and out so easily?"

"I think I have already figured out part of that mystery," McGonagall spoke up. She sounded tired, yet still her voice was spurred by a burning fury. The thought that one of her lions had almost been killed under her supervision was one that would render sleep impossible for the near future. "At least for how he gained entry into Gryffindor Tower. The first thing I did was ask Sir Cadogan whether he had allowed someone in. He was happy to reply in the positive, claiming that Black had the correct password. He said something about a scrap of paper he was reading from. I can't believe someone would be so foolish to write them down, and then lose them!" She was practically seething, a far cry from her usually poised demeanour. "Would you happen to know anything about how that happened?"

Harry knew exactly how that had transpired. He could remember Neville Longbottom tearfully standing outside the portrait hole, confessing he'd lost them all. It sunk in how costly that mistake could have been but Harry chose to keep his mouth shut. The damage had already been done and any punishments wouldn't help the matter. The only one who needed punishing was Black himself. McGonagall was looking directly at him but he kept his expression neutral. He'd have a word with the other Gryffindor himself if he had to.

It was as if the professor could tell he was keeping something to himself but, for some reason, she chose not to press him on it. "Regardless, it shouldn't happen again. I've already started the process of removing Sir Cadogan from his duties. Even if Black had the passwords, he should have been able to use his own judgement. For all I care, he can stay in his previous lonely spot deep in the castle for what he almost caused."

"I will do my best to convince the former tenant to move back in," Dumbledore told them, some of the usual twinkle returning to his eye. "But I would like to know more about what happened once Black was inside…if you're up to it, Mister Mormont."

"I'm fine," the boy quickly said. The way Hermione was looking at him would make you think otherwise. "It was just a graze more than anything, which is the curious thing. Black walked in and he obviously wasn't expecting anyone to be awake. I could see the surprise in his eyes. He was definitely wanting to get to the dorms." Matthew looked at Harry when he said that. "I think we can assume why that was. As much as the surprise hindered me, it almost prevented him from acting as fast as he normally would. He was able to get one spell off, the one that caught me, as he was running away. I was able to make contact with one hex, I'm sure of it. He definitely took a slight stumble on his way out."

"But why would he run away?" Hermione asked, still staring at where the wound had been on Matthew's shoulder. "I mean…not that Matthew isn't an excellent student…but he is a student." Something about the way she was speaking, choosing her words and occasionally flicking her gaze to Harry, told him that there was something else behind her query. It felt like she was asking Matthew just as much as the rest of them. "Sirius Black is renowned for his talents. Surely he could have taken on one student."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, Hermione." Matthew smiled at her playfully.

"Matthew would have been able to stall him," Harry said. "He couldn't afford a delay. Once the commotion started, the entirety of Gryffindor was barreling down the stairs. He would have been spotted straight away and caught soon after. He must have chosen a speedy getaway rather than finishing the job. At least for him that means he can have a second go."

"Don't talk like that," Hermione said worriedly, now turning her attention to Harry.

"Miss Granger is right," Dumbledore agreed. "Because he will not be allowed a second go, as you put it. We will ensure that he can not step foot anywhere near Gryffindor Tower again."

There were signs throughout the following day that Dumbledore was going to do his best to keep his word. Lessons were cancelled to limit the flow of students and to keep the corridors free, meaning Black had nowhere to hide out in the open. Most of the students remained in their dorms, perfectly happy to keep out of the way. The professors were using their new free time to implement their own measures. Flitwick was teaching the front doors to recognise Black's face, showing them the same posters that were abundant in Hogsmeade. Filch was busy boarding up every crack and hole he could find, as if the escaped criminal would be able to fit through the tiniest of fissures. McGonagall had been true to her word too: Sir Cadogan was gone by the time they arrived back at the tower.

The Fat Lady, surprisingly, had been persuaded by Dumbledore because she was occupying her newly restored portrait. They might have expected her to greet them with a song and dance because she'd been gone for so long, but it couldn't have been further from the truth. She was a shadow of her former self, more reserved and much quieter. It turned out that she'd only agreed to come back if there was extra security added to the vicinity, which meant that two trolls, surly and brutish, could be found meandering around the nearby corridors. They would grunt viciously at anyone brave enough to go near them. The only issue was that you had to go right by them to get into Gryffindor common room, meaning that a lot of the students were staying inside just to keep out of their way. Harry doubted that Neville would leave the dorm room again, though that might have had something to do with secretly knowing it was his fault that the attack had happened.

Matthew, however, was surprisingly chipper to say that he had survived an altercation with a notorious murderer. In fact, the only thing that was ruining his mood was the new phenomenon that people now wanted to spend time with him and talk to him, when they'd usually allow him to keep to himself. He was constantly being asked about the attack…what Black had looked like, how gruesome his injury had been, what spell he'd used in defence. They almost looked at him in reverence and Harry found it interesting to see what it looked like when the shoe was on the other foot. He wasn't jealous of having the attention taken away from him. Far from it. He just felt sorry that Matthew was now having to deal with it.

He was being hounded in the corner of the common room as he tried to read. Harry and Hermione walked down the steps to see it happening and something seemed to snap inside Hermione. She marched over to the crowd, shoving her way through the other students and sitting next to him protectively. She practically shoved another girl off the table who was giving Matthew the eyes . She was glaring at them, challenging them to say something. Harry was the only one who was allowed entry, immune to her fury though he was still most definitely scared of the girl.

"Leave him alone!" Hermione growled. "He's been through a lot and doesn't need you all asking him about it. Frankly, it's rather insulting that you've barely given him the time of day until he becomes interesting to you. All because he nearly died."

That made them walk away, muttering under their breath. None of them were brave enough to say their thoughts loud enough for her to hear, which was a sign of how truly intimidating she was. Her boys were smirking at each other whilst her chest heaved, getting front row seats for what they privately termed 'hothead Hermione'. They, of course, would never dream to tell her about that term because she would likely hex them into oblivion. It was just fun to watch when she grew defensive of her friends because no one ever expected it. No one could anticipate how frightening such an innocent-looking girl could be. They knew better.

"I really didn't come close to dying," Matthew reminded her. "He was a bad shot in the end. Having to go to Pomfrey was a real overreaction, in truth."

"We had to make sure you were okay!" She was looking at him with wide eyes. Harry had noticed that the space between them had become extremely minimal over recent days, but he put that down to Hermione being scared of almost losing him. "I just dread what might have happened if you hadn't been downstairs. Black would have easily made it into the dorms…"

"And then he would have killed me whilst I slept," Harry finished for him. His tone was emotionless, as if he had already given a lot of thought to this. He had. It had been playing on his mind since the revelation. "He wouldn't have given it a second thought. You saved my life."

"Oh, please." Matthew was obviously not having any of that. "For all you know, he could have been there to kill me. Or Hermione." That didn't improve their moods. It was easy to tell he didn't believe it. "You don't know what he was doing. Things are never as simple as they seem." Hermione was giving him an inscrutable look as he finished.

"One thing is for sure, I'm somewhat glad it was you down there," Harry admitted. Matthew raised his eyebrows. "Only because if another student had been awake, I don't think they would have been able to defend themselves as well. And, if it had been me, I don't think I would have been as merciful as letting him leave."

"You don't mean that," Hermione instantly argued. Harry didn't respond, just staring at the table sullenly.

"What we've learnt is that it's a good job that I have an awful sleep schedule," Matthew offered, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on…let's talk about something else. Black is gone, that ordeal is over for the time being. We've got a Hogsmeade weekend to look forward to this week! That's always fun."

Hermione was already biting her lip. "Do you really think that that's a good idea? After what's just happened? Didn't we agree that, if the situation got more serious, then we'd reconsider making the trip…"

"No!" Matthew blurted out, surprisingly strongly against the idea of not going. The outburst took the other two aback, especially at how panicked his expression seemed to be. "I mean…we have to go…"

Hermione gave him a scrutinising look. "Why is it so important?" Her eyes were narrowed and she discovered that he was actively avoiding her gaze.

"We just…shouldn't miss out on the fun, should we? Why should we let fear dictate us?"

"Because fear is usually the thing that keeps us alive. It's a basic instinct honed over generations of evolution. Someone tried to kill you and probably intended on doing the same to Harry. We shouldn't be going out in the open."

"If it was really that dangerous, then Dumbledore would have cancelled it by now," Harry pointed out. Out of all of them, he had the right to be the most concerned about this, and yet it appeared that he was the most relaxed. "Security will be extreme. Black wouldn't risk appearing again so soon after last night, not when he almost slipped up."

"You can't know that for sure," she countered. "That would be the logical reaction to what happened, but we know that Black is far from having a rational mind. He could use that mindset against us and pounce!"

"He'll be scared of me now!" Matthew said with a cocky grin, pushing his chest out and posing dramatically. "He'll be too much of a chicken to come near us." He saw that his attempts at levity were doing little to ease her concerns. He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. "I wouldn't make you do this unless I thought it was both safe enough and strictly necessary."

That only served to pique her interest further. "What are you talking about? Why is it necessary?"

"Ah, that's for me to know and you to find out." He laughed as she let out a frustrated huff. "Come on…you can't resist these eyes…" He fluttered his eyelashes uncharacteristically and she couldn't help but giggle. And Hermione never giggled. She prided herself on that fact. What was this boy doing to her?

"Can you teach me how you can so easily persuade Hermione to your way of thinking?" Harry asked, joining in on the fun. "Because it's a real skill."

Matthew couldn't very well tell Harry the actual truth into how he'd gotten Hermione on his side, because that would involve revealing the brief kiss they'd shared. As well as everything about the Tardis, which was a whole minefield. So he left it at an unreadable smirk, along with a waggle of his eyebrows. It was enough to keep Harry laughing and enough to keep Hermione from hyperventilating about being found out.

So, when the following weekend rolled by, they were making the now familiar trip down to Hogsmeade. They didn't walk this time, going by carriages because it was securer. It appeared that the professors weren't allowing students to go off on their own at any time, which was probably a sensible decision. There was still the usual laughter though, the carefree attitude of children who could never conceive that anything bad would happen to them. Harry was slightly on edge, mainly when he saw a group of three dementors hovering above the road as they trundled down it. He silently recited what Lupin had taught him, wondering if he was up to the challenge if called upon. The fact that he was still unsure didn't fill him with a lot of confidence.

Matthew was practically dragging them into the centre of the village once they departed the carriage, giddy with excitement. He still hadn't elaborated on his cryptic answers and there was no chance that he was going to spoil it now. That wasn't stopping Hermione, however, who was tugging on his sleeve constantly. It was the sort of playful behaviour that they didn't get to see a lot in their bookish friend and Harry found himself watching the interaction with a content smile. His life felt normal for the time being. There was no concern about dark wizards or dementors. He was just able to enjoy being with friends.

"Matthew," Hermione complained, elongating the way she said his name. "Are you going to tell me what the secret is? I can't bear the nervous energy coursing through me right now."

He turned to face her. "What if there isn't actually a secret? What if I just said that to entice you down here?"

She pulled up short. "You wouldn't have done that." Her tone made it clear she wasn't so sure. "Right? You really wouldn't have done that." Was her hand itching towards her wand? She was already planning on what spell would hurt the most. A stinging hex? Tarantallegra? It would be funny to watch him dance uncontrollably as a punishment.

"Matthew, I'd start running if I were you," Harry warned him. He was thinking of doing the same. He didn't want to be a witness to whatever carnage was about to unfold.

His friend, meanwhile, seemed to be perfectly as he strolled over to the Three Broomsticks. "Do you really think I'd be that foolish to anger the great Hermione Granger?" He held the door open for them, not even asking if this was where they wanted to go. They were still confused, not fully knowing if Matthew was just playing a game. There didn't seem to be anything exciting inside the pub. It looked the same. Overcrowded and pints of butterbeer being precariously carried by various patrons. But then an excited voice shouted out.

"Hermione!"

The girl in question spun around at the exclamation, her hands covering her mouth when she saw her mum running towards her. Peter hung back slightly to allow Katherine the first hug, spinning Hermione with the strength only a mother possessed when they were seeing their daughter after a long time away. Matthew and Harry watched the scene play out as the three of them joined in one big hug. Harry couldn't escape the melancholic feeling surging through him, especially after the memories he had recently unearthed. Would his parents have spun him around like that? Would they have been as happy to see him? He put on a brave face, not wanting to ruin the moment for Hermione, knowing that this was about her, not him. But, even so, Matthew seemed to sense his emotions because he was soon patting Harry on the back softly, a silent show of understanding.

"What…but…how?" Hermione blabbered. It was unusual to hear so lost for words, so incoherent. "How are you here? How is this possible?" She was tearing up and well aware that other students were looking at her, but she just didn't care.

"You have your friend to thank for that," Katherine replied with a smile, nodding her head towards Matthew, who was now looking rather sheepish.

"Surprise…" he said, now fidgeting with his hands. "There's no rule against parents turning up at Hogsmeade conveniently on the same weekend as a school trip. Not even for Muggle parents, as long as they're given permission to enter the magical village. It really wasn't that much of a fuss." He was already trying to play it down, being more bashful than he was typically renowned for.

"You organised this…" Hermione whispered. "How long have you known about this?"

Matthew shrugged. "I reached out just before Christmas."

"That's why you weren't too upset about me staying at Hogwarts this year!" She didn't know who to look at between her parents and Matthew, too stunned to think properly. "How did you even get here?"

"Oh, it's the most wonderful thing!" Katherine told them. "When it first appeared out of the blue, I just couldn't believe it! To have access to something like that…"

"Let's just say that I also organised their travel," Matthew quickly intervened, subtly winking at Hermione. She understood straight away and wondered how her parents were coping after travelling in the Tardis. It had been a bumpy enough ride just floating over the Great Lake. Harry was slightly bemused, curious as to why Matthew was so hesitant about using what sounded like the Knight Bus.

"We haven't come here to just stand around all day," Peter said. "We want to experience more of this world! Matthew told us that we shouldn't go exploring until you arrived."

"Quite…let's just say that, without experience, magic can be quite chaotic. I mean, imagine if they went into Zonko's without proper supervision. It would be carnage."

Hermione's laugh was infectious as she took both her parents by the hand, leading them back onto the cobbled street of Hogsmeade. It was safe to say that, after Matthew's comment, the first place they visited was Zonko's. Katherine delighted in all of the gizmos on display, though turned her nose up at a book that emitted an awful odour upon being opened, designed to stink out any library so you could have it to yourself. They were surprised that Hermione wasn't tempted to make use of it. Peter almost made the mistake of setting a fanged frisbee loose inside the shop before Harry was thankfully on hand to explain to him what it did. In the neutral setting, Harry was finding it much easier to talk to Hermione's father. He could remember well enough how nervous he had been around the Granger patriarch during those Summer weeks together. But it appeared that Peter was more fascinated about learning the intricacies behind how magical objects worked rather than being protective over his daughter.

An owl landed on top of Katherine's head when they visited the post office. Hermione had immediately wanted to get the animal off her but it was her mum who was more relaxed, finding the creature absolutely gorgeous. She remarked on how beautiful she remembered Hedwig being the first time they saw her and Harry was slightly amazed that his visit had had such a positive impact to be remembered so fondly. He'd been brought up learning that his presence usually made things worse, so this was definitely a nice change. The Grangers also asked Hermione to use the post office to send a letter from them to their own parents in France. There wouldn't be a lot that was different compared to a usual letter but they would know that it was secretly magic. They seemed to find that funny for some reason. Hermione was visibly embarrassed with how childish her parents were being but Matthew and Harry were only too willing to join in on the fun.

Honeydukes was always going to be the favourite leg of the trip despite the parents' profession. They even bought the three of them a bar of chocolate each, on the strict condition that they eat no more than a strip a day and they make sure to brush their teeth. Getting free chocolate was worth any concession. Hermione was enjoying being their tour guide, getting to go into lecture mode with an audience that actually wanted to listen to what she had to say. She showed them a collection of chocolate frogs that were being allowed to go about their business in an oversized tank. Her parents sat and watched them for nearly five minutes before Hermione was eventually able to drag them away. But the brief pause, mixed with Harry wandering off down a separate aisle, did give her the opportunity to hug Matthew unabashedly for what he'd managed to do for her. Again, he tried to pass it off but there was no sign of him wanting to end the hug whilst it happened.

It seemed to go too quickly for Hermione. The day was coming to its end as they returned to the Three Broomsticks, sharing butterbeers and idle chat. Peter was rather disappointed that the butterbeer didn't actually have any proper alcohol in it (though it would probably help with coping with the journey back in the Tardis). Hermione was well aware that the questions her parents were asking were becoming more pointed and personal, attempting to learn more about her friends and their time at Hogwarts. Thankfully, they had been able to avoid mentioning the presence of Sirius Black (Harry had hastily ripped a wanted poster off a wall when they'd gone dangerously close to seeing it) but it was only inevitable that it would crop up if the conversation carried on along the same path.

So she was ever so slightly relieved when it became clear that the professors who had come down with them as chaperones were wanting everyone to return to the castle before it became too dark. It was clear that her parents were hesitant to put an end to the rare time they got with Hermione, but Peter obligingly stood up with a sad smile. Matthew and Harry began to follow him out of the pub, pulling their cloaks close to their bodies in preparation for the cold awaiting them. But Katherine remained sitting, confusing them all.

"Could I just have a quick word with Hermione?" she asked, even though it definitely wasn't a question. This was happening. She was just being polite in making them believe they had a say in it. Peter nodded his head and made his way out, starting a conversation with the boys about why quidditch was so popular. That left the mother and daughter on their own in the slowly emptying Broomsticks. Hermione could already tell what this was going to be about, not that it made it any easier. She saw Katherine pat the seat next to her and she slowly followed the silent instruction.

Her mum didn't push her straight away, instead choosing to look at Hermione carefully. "So…Matthew was very kind to put this all together." It was a calculating statement, testing the waters, trying to gauge how she reacted. It was obvious where Hermione got her brains from.

"He was," Hermione replied, allowing herself to smile slightly.

"A boy going to all that effort to do something nice for no reason whatsoever…it's well past your birthday and Christmas has come and gone. Don't you think that's interesting?"

"That's just the sort of person Matthew is."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me? I got your last letter, just after Matthew contacted us to plan today. You wanted to talk about something private. Is it about him?"

Hermione looked at the table as if it was the most interesting thing ever created. This was awful, even though she knew she needed to speak about it with someone who understood. It wasn't as if any of the girls in her doom had the maturity to have such a conversation. "We may have…kissed," she admitted, her cheeks on fire. She expected some sort of response but all her mum did was raise an eyebrow. "But that's it! And it was only once! We haven't even spoken about it since, which i don't know what to think about. Maybe he didn't like it! I could have done something wrong. Is there a way of kissing incorrectly?"

Katherine put a hand on her arm to calm her down. "It's perfectly natural to have all of these doubts. But I'm sure that Matthew will be just as confused as you."

Hermione laughed. "I don't know about that. I think he's above such silly things."

"Well, he does seem to be very impressive. That Tardis of his…even we could tell that he was different, even in this place. But we could also tell that he's still just a young boy and that means the most complicated thing for him is the gorgeous brown-haired girl who he dotes upon."

"He doesn't dote upon me!" That was preposterous. "He's just as nice to Harry."

"In the years I've watched you grow up, I've never seen you lie to yourself so much."

"I don't know what to do. Do I like him? Or, because he's so different, am I just interested in him? Like some sort of fascination? And what would happen if Harry finds out? Harry…he's wonderful too! He's been through so much and, despite that, he tries everyday to spread kindness. They both do. That's the only reason why we became friends, because they wanted to look out for me." She wanted to pull at her hair, a trait she thought she'd gotten past from her younger years. "It's confusing."

"It must be really difficult to have too handsome young men at your beck and call all the time." Katherine grinned. "Your father won't like this but I've taught you well."

"Mum!" Hermione hissed, covering her face with her hands. "You're not helping!"

"Oh, come on. Do you know how long I've waited to be able to tease you about boys? And, when it happens, it's when you're in a different country to me." Her smile dropped slightly, holding Hermione's hand. "Which is why I'm so grateful that I've been given this opportunity to see you. Make sure to thank Matthew from me and your father. Just not too much, if you know what I mean."

Hermione wanted to be eaten up by the ground. She'd rather have to face Fluffy again than go through this chat. "You're incorrigible."

"It's where you get it from."

"What…what do I do then?"

"I'm sorry, dear, but that's where I have to tell you that it's down to you. I can give advice from my experiences but, ultimately, this is a unique situation based solely around you. The one thing I'll recommend is just talking to them, although that might seem the scariest thing ever. But you're young. If things go wrong, you've got plenty of time left to rectify them."

"I don't want to mess up what I have."

Hearing her talk so earnestly struck home how important this part of her life had become to hermione. The part of her life that was separate from them. The part of her life that was now trying to bring them back into it because he understood how important it was to have your family.

"That gives you an incentive to discover just exactly what you have then. And that can be so exciting. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself. And remember that Matthew has feelings too that are just as confusing. Unless you want me to talk to him when he comes to pick us up in that fantastic box again?"

"No!" Hermione immediately replied and Katherine laughed warmly. She reached an arm around Hermione's shoulders and hugged her close. "Thank you for surprising me."

"You surprise me every day with how strong you manage to be. It was only right that I got to do the same for once."

"I might need to keep writing to you…if things develop."

"I'd expect nothing less." Katherine let out a small sigh, prompting Hermione to look up at her. "Oh, it's just that I've realised that we've managed to come here and yet we still don't get to see that school of yours. You made it sound so majestic."

"You said that Matthew's taking you home? Ask him to show you. He knows the perfect spot…"