Hermione walked into the pub and gently shook the rain drops from her jacket. Her hair was even more enthusiastic in its volume than normal due to the moisture in the air. She quickly looked around and found the person she was looking for. Harry's hair also seemed to have endured the weather as it was slightly damp looking and had a tousled look about it. When Harry looked up and met her gaze Hermione burst into a grin and walked toward the table he was sitting at. In typical Harry fashion, he rose to greet her when she approached. Hermione had no idea where Harry had acquired his manners from considering his upbringing with his relatives was anything but pleasant. The thought that Harry would someday make some special girl very happy sped across her mind before she embraced him in one of her classic rib splitting hugs.

"It's so good to see you Harry. Thanks for meeting me."

"Of course. I needed a break from the Ministry. This was a perfect excuse to sneak away."

Hermione settled into the seat across from him and fixed him with a curious gaze. "You're not enjoying Auror training?"

Harry smirked at her, "No, I do. I just… they just keep bringing up the past and asking questions I'd rather not answer. The reporters are still trying to follow me around and dig up dirt or get a new angle to write about. I thought after 6 months things would have died down a bit." He shook his head with an annoyed air about him.

Hermione took the time to study him for a moment. She could see the tired circles under his eyes and the way his shoulders drooped slightly. Wasn't he sleeping? She wondered if he had nightmares. She knew he was prone to them. Harry was not the scrawny boy she remembered. They had all been a bit scrawny after their year on the run. They had hardly eaten anything that could be called filling. But looking at Harry now, she could tell that Auror training had filled him out. His height had not changed but his presence had. He filled space somehow. His arms had certainly filled out. His shoulders looked broader and his biceps flexed without effort as he picked up his drink and brought it to his lips. His eyes held pain, and sadness. But she also thought she could see a certain…maturity and power in them. She must have been staring too long because she was shaken from her thoughts when Harry asked nervously, "Do I have something on my face? Or am I just really that ugly?"

Hermione let out a light laugh, "Ugly is not a word I think anyone would associate with you Harry. Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Yeah, you do that a lot if I recall," Harry smiled.

She shrugged, " Some things don't change." Then she grew serious as she continued, "I am sorry you're still getting grilled about what happened at the end of the war. That can't be easy for you." Hermione suddenly felt guilty for not being around much. It sounded like Harry could have used a friend. But he had Ginny right? She wondered if he was sharing any of his problems with her.

Harry looked down at his drink for a moment. "It can't last forever. They'll get bored with it eventually. I don't mean to complain or sound like things aren't going well. It's just been a busy week I suppose. I was so grateful to get away." Harry sudden looked directly at her and said softly, "I've missed you Hermione." Harry watched as Hermione bit her lip, looking slightly guilty. Her cheeks flushed just a bit. He was glad to see her. He was nervous about seeing her after so many months. They had each been busy with various tasks. Things had changed a lot for him in a short amount of time. But he never could get Hermione out of his thoughts. Maybe it was that year on the run with her. He had just gotten used to her being there. He had gotten used to their easy conversation. He had gotten used to being himself. Lately it felt as if he was in a constant state of doing what everyone thought he should do, what they expected him to do. He loved Auror training. The department had even let him take some of the tests ahead of schedule because he had already mastered the spells from his various war experiences. He was only about a year away from being officially instated. Maybe it was that the war didn't really seem over. There were plenty of Death Eaters to round up still and various threats to be cautious of. He didn't feel too much more relaxed than the previous year, before the war had ended. There was a sense of satisfaction that Voldemort was gone and having his soul free from that monsters taint. Yes, that had helped a great deal. Yet, as he sat across from his long standing friend he couldn't help but feel more at ease than he had in 6 long months.

Hermione was somewhat taken back by Harry's sincere declaration. She all the sudden felt the lateness of her invitation to meet with him. They had both been busy in their various jobs. Harry with Auror training and Ministry hoops and she with helping rebuild Hogwarts for the coming school year. She had thought of him often but there had been little communication between the two besides the occasional, inconsistent owl. Hermione bit her lip and confessed, "I've missed you too Harry. I'm sorry I've been so absent."

Harry heard the guilt in her voice and felt bad for making her feel as if she had failed him. "No, it's alright. I haven't been very good at keeping in touch either. So, how are things going at Hogwarts? I keep meaning to stop by and see how things are going but…I just…I'm not quite ready to face that place again."

Hermione saw the sadness in his eyes and was touched by his confession. She didn't want this little reunion of sorts to be marred by sadness though, so she excitedly said, "It's going really well! We are almost done. The towers need more work but things are looking almost like new. I also have some exciting news to tell you!"

Harry rose to the bate and asked, "Great! So, what's this wonderful news? Or do I have to beg?"

Hermione gave a little giggle and said, "Hmmm, perhaps I should make you beg." She gave him a sneaky glare that was not at all convincing.

"That glare of yours needs some work Hermione. I'm trying not to insult you by laughing. Spill."

Hermione rolled her eyes playfully and continued excitedly, "Well, as you know I have already taken all my NEWT'S-"

"And passed all of them with top marks," Harry interrupted.

With a sly grin Hermione continued, "Yes, well, I haven't been sure what to do next. But this week Professor McGonagall asked me if I would consider a position as an apprentice at the school! I'd be working with the new Transfiguration professor as well as the new DA teacher! I'd get to teach some classes, lower levels mostly. It's a two year position and after that Professor McGonagall says there is a good chance I'd be ready for my own classroom!"

Harry sat back and watched as Hermione's mouth moved a mile a minute to tell him her news. He watched as she took a deep inhale at the end and looked at him with expectant hazel eyes. Harry couldn't help the smile that rose from his lips over her excitement. He was happy for her to be sure. It was the perfect thing for her. She loved academia and thrived as a natural leader and teacher. A part of him was sad however. If she was staying at Hogwarts the chances of him seeing her on any kind of regular basis were not very good. They were both grownups now and he was afraid that also meant they were growing apart. He shook those feelings away and summoned all the excitement he could to declare, "I am so happy for you Hermione! It's perfect for you. I can absolutely see you teaching. You're a natural with information and sharing knowledge." He gave her a dark look and said teasingly, "Whether someone asks you to share it or not."

Hermione gave him the most dramatically offended look as she took in a big intake of air, "You did not!"

Harry burst out laughing at her mock offensive reaction. "Oh, I most certainly did."

"Well, I suppose you're not entirely wrong." Hermione conceded with a shy smile. Hermione was glad to see Harry teasing. He had been so serious when they last saw one another. The war had been so fresh. It still was in many ways. She had worried about him. She still did. Maybe it was just second nature to worry about him considering the last year and a half they had endured. She took the time to soak up his cheeky grin.

"So, was that the reason for inviting me on this little get together? To share your news?" Harry asked curiously. He watched as Hermione hesitated and then cleared her throat.

"Actually, no. I mean, yes. Part of the reason." Hermione all the sudden felt a bit self-conscious. She had wanted to talk to Harry and knew she needed to because the situation was just…well, she didn't fancy Harry only hearing Ron's version and it somehow changing their relationship. She took a deep breath and said, "I was actually wanting to talk to you about Ron." She unconsciously bit her lip.

Harry had suspected as much. When Ron had told him about his breakup with Hermione a couple days ago Harry had been a bit surprised, a bit unsurprised, and a bit relieved. Though he wasn't sure why. He could see Hermione was uneasy and that was the last thing he wanted her to feel. He smiled at her and said, "Yeah, I figured that was it. I was a little surprised to hear you guys had ended it."

Hermione said, "You're not mad at me are you? I mean I know you and Ron are like brothers. I know he probably told you what happened but I wasn't sure if he would tell you…well, if his story would be the same as mine. That is.."

Harry watched her begin to ramble and jumped in to save her from herself. "I'm not mad at you Hermione. And you're right that Ron gave me his side of the story, but it didn't paint you in a bad light at all really. He did make it sound like it was his decision to end it. Though, I suspect that it was actually your idea but made him feel like it was his?" He gave her a raised eyebrow and a questioning look.

Hermione couldn't help but crinkle her nose and smile at him as she huffed, "Ah, how did you know? I mean it was a mutual decision and we are still friends of course. I just…we…we just got on each other's nerves too often. I guess we should have seen that coming after years of fighting in school over silly stuff. I just finally realized I wasn't unhappy with him, but I wasn't as happy as I want to be with a boyfriend. Does that make sense? I was tired of always trying to change him. Maybe not change him, but help him to be better when I didn't feel like he returned the favor." Hermione sighed in an agitated way as she tried to explain it to him. "Am I making any sense at all? I love him. I always will I think. Just not in the way I thought. I think we both agreed. I hope he did. He seemed to. And we are still friends. I just…"

Harry chuckled slightly, "Hermione, breath. It's fine. Ron said the same thing…almost. He carried on a bit about how you nagged him, but he did tell me that you both agreed to just remain friends. I am fine with it. I kind of wondered how long it would last."

Hermione's eyes got big at that admission. "You did? Harry, why didn't you say anything?"

Harry shrugged, "You were both so into each other. I knew I didn't matter what I said. You just had to figure it out on your own and see what happened. It was fine. It's not that I didn't think it could work…I just…I don't know. It's like you said, you guys did tend to fight. I just want you to be happy Hermione. If Ron can't do that for you than I don't fault him, or you. I'm just glad it was a mutual decision. Think we can all hang out without it being awkward between you two?"

Hermione's pulse beat a bit too quickly at hearing how sincerely Harry wanted her happiness. She breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't upset and seemed to understand so easily why she wasn't his best mates girl any more. "I am sure it will be fine. It might take a little getting used to but there are no hard feelings on my part and I hope not on his."

"He seems alright with it. Ron's not very good at hiding his feelings so I think I would have noticed if he was struggling. There are some attractive girls in the Auror training program with us. I am betting he will have his eye on one of them before too long." Harry joked.

"Really?! Well, I wish him luck. Speaking of girls, how is Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, she is fine." Harry replied.

Hermione noticed Harry started to fidget with his napkin. Something about her question had struck a nerve. "Is she still planning on returning to Hogwarts this year for her final year?" Hermione thought it was an innocent question.

Harry sighed, "I think so. Although, she isn't too excited about the idea. She would rather try out for a semi-professional Quidditch team. You can imagine that doesn't make Mrs. Weasley very happy." Harry smirked.

"No, I imagine not. So, she hasn't really decided what to do then? I hope she comes back. It would be good to see her and then she could go do Quidditch with a full education under her." Hermione reasoned.

"That's what I told her. She wasn't too pleased that I agreed with her mother." Harry said with a slight edge in his voice.

Hermione cautiously asked, "Are you two alright?" Harry didn't meet her eyes. He didn't answer right away either.

Harry sighed. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew Hermione cared but he wasn't sure he was ready to express to anyone else his frustrations or doubts about a relationship he had been so positive about before a couple weeks ago. Pulling his hand through his hair he said, "I don't know. I mean, I like her. She's fun and fiery and pretty. She is brilliant at Quidditch and can dish out a killer curse when called for."

"But?" Hermione hedged.

"But…sometimes it feels like she's with me for the attention. I know that sounds awful. I don't mean it to. I just…she always pushes me to do all the interviews, photo session, aware ceremonies, and charity benefits. It's not that some of those aren't important. I just…sometimes when I try to tell her why I don't want to go or that I'm not feeling up to it, she somehow talks me into it anyway by saying she already told some one she was going, or how she'd hate to waste the nice dress she just bought, or how it will help my career to rub elbows with so and so. When I try to put my foot down or talk about more serious things it feels like we always end up arguing or I end up hurting her feelings. It's confusing. Sometimes I just…I'm not sure. I don't know." Harry sighed, "I'm a mess aren't I?"

Hermione looked at him. He seemed defeated in that moment and overwhelmed. She smiled gently, "You are not a mess Harry. You're just navigating a relationship. In my limited experience they can be tricky. You've been through a hell of a lot the last…well, it's been years. And not wanting to be pushed into every public event is not a bad thing to be feeling. You need time to recover Harry. I know you tend to push things down inside and put on a good front. I know you well enough to know you probably aren't sleeping enough. I know you well enough to know you need some time to process all that has happened and grieve for all those we've lost. That's normal Harry. I think you owe it to yourself to step back now and again. It sounds to me like Ginny is all fun, excitement and social joy. Which, I think is great. But it seems to me, that sometimes that's not what you need. She needs to try to understand that. A relationship is not about just one person. It's about both people. It seems you've been great at accommodating her needs and wants but she hasn't quite grasped what you need yet." Hermione paused. Harry was staring at her as if she had said something revolutionary. His gaze held hers. She felt like he was searching her soul. Finally, she couldn't take his intense eyes any longer and she looked down sheepishly, worried she'd been too bold in her assessment of a relationship she really had no business butting into. "I'm sorry. I'm not a great one to ask for relationship advice considering I just broke up with my boyfriend." She gave a nervous chuckle. "Ginny is a great girl. I hope…well, I just want you to be happy Harry." She suddenly realized that was exactly what he had said to her not moments ago.

Harry had let Hermione's words wash over him. Her voice was soft and lilting. She had perfectly summed up his feelings about his relationship with Ginny in less than a minute. How did she do that? It was as if she read his mind or could see into his heart. She had expressed the same fears and worries that he was debating about in his mind. It almost clicked for him in that moment. He looked at her as if for the first time realizing her intelligence. Her eyes really were the most interesting shade of brown. Flex of gold shimmered around the middle and they got deep and chocolatey on the outside. Harry shook himself when Hermione pulled her gaze to her cup and shakily said she wasn't the one to listen to about dating advice. Harry almost laughed but then grew serious when Hermione's voice confessed to him she only wanted him to be happy. Something inside of him agreed. Something inside of him stirred at her tender declaration of…friendship? Love? He suddenly felt a bit more confused than when he had arrived. It was clear to him however that he needed to have a chat with Ginny. He prayed it wouldn't end in an argument. Without thinking Harry reached for Hermione's hand and grasped it gently, "Thank Hermione. That means a lot." He removed his hand almost as soon as he had realized he had taken it. The lose of her petite hand against his almost made his fingers itch.

Hermione suddenly felt the room was a little too warm. She didn't have a reason to blush but she couldn't quite keep her face from turning a shade of soft pink. This was her long time friend after all. A friend she hadn't seen in a few months but was able to pick up with as if no time had passed at all. That was a friendship worth treasuring. Feeling the atmosphere was a bit too intense, and feeling as if she had spoken a bit too boldly, she attempted to lighten the mood as she busied her hands to grab a menu, "Well, I'm starving. What shall we order for lunch?"

Harry followed her lead and picked up a menu and started to look at the options. They gave their orders to the waitress and began talking about the spells Harry had learned in his training. Hermione was soaking up the information on various spells and defensive strategies. Suddenly Harry's words dropped off and a look of pure loathing crossed his face. Shocked by his sudden change Hermione followed his gaze across the room to a tall man who had just entered the pub. The man was in dark green robes. The man's face was marred by a large scar that ran across his left cheek down to the right side of his chin. The scar cut across his lips making them come together at an odd angle. The strangers hair hung in dark straggly locks just above his shoulder. "Harry, are you alright? Do you know that man?" Hermione whispered.

"Yes, it's Atticus Benton." Harry growled. The man looked around the room and sudden made eye contact with him. Harry's heart rate increased when the man started moving toward them. Harry unconsciously gripped his wand underneath his robes.

Atticus, approached with a disgusted look on his face before he spit out the words, "Well, if it isn't Potter. The Savior of the Wizarding world. With a mudblood." He turned his evil glare to Hermione.

Harry saw her touch her lower arm. He knew she was unconsciously covering the scar that lay just under her sweater. The next moment Hermione squared her shoulders and glare right back at him. That a girl, Harry thought. But Harry also knew he didn't want Atticus taking any real interest in Hermione. It wouldn't be good to have her on his radar. Atticus spoke again before Harry could intervene. "Poor taste, Poor taste indeed. Isn't it below you to socialize with such filth? After all, we wouldn't want the Wizarding world to think you were nothing but a boy. No real understanding of class. No real talent. No real power. That would ruin it. Hmm, if only they knew the truth about you, huh Potter?" Atticus smeared.

Harry tried to remain clam. His hand gripped his wand tightly and he attempted to breath steadily. He could see the hatred in Atticus's eyes. He knew Atticus was just dying for Harry to rise to the bate and give him a reason to fight. Not here. Not now. Not with Hermione present. "You know Atticus, you better enjoy your freedom. It's going to come to an end soon enough. In the mean time I'd think harassing the Wizarding worlds hero's would not be the wisest choice." Harrys tone was casual but icy.

"Is that a threat boy?"

"No. It's a promise." Harry glared at him. He hoped he hadn't over stepped. This whole situation was making him nervous. He knew Atticus was not someone you wanted to have a run in with. Harry was well trained and his fear was not for himself but for Hermione. Despite having full confidence in her abilities he couldn't help but pray she would continue to keep quiet. Harry glanced at her across the table and could see her eyes flaming with built up indignation and anger. He could tell she was ready to burst.

Atticus laughed derisively, "Ha, A promise. Sure. And by the way," His voice dropped dangerously low, " I better never hear you refer to this filthy mudblood as a hero again. She may look good, probably tastes good too by the look of her. But she is nothing!"

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine at his distrusting, insinuating words. Her heart hammered inside of her before she knew what she was doing she whipped out her wand and pointed it at Atticus's face. Her voice was shaking with rage, "I suggest you shut your ugly face up right now! How dare you insult me like that! I may not be a hero, but I fought to bring that evil, bastard, Voldemort down and guess what? We won. The light won. I am guessing you didn't fight for that side. That puts you on the team that lost. I suggest you remove yourself from this place unless you'd like to lose another fight." Hermione was vaguely aware that her hair was slightly crackling with magic as she tried to restrain herself from hexing the man into oblivion. She was breathing hard and staring the man down.

Harry sucked in a breath when Hermione drew her wand. He was astounded by the sheer power he felt swirl around him. He cringed at the words she spat out to the man. This was not good. He needed to stop this before it was too late. I f the situation hadn't been so serious, Harry would have to smiled at how fierce Hermione's words had been. But then Hermione didn't understand the seriousness of it. She didn't know who this man was. Harry quickly brought a hand to Hermione's wand arm. She seemed to settle slightly at his touch. "Hermione, not here. Not now."

Hermione tore her eyes to look at Harry. His expression was almost pleading. She took a deep breath and lowered her wand slowly, her hair quit sparking. The power around them dissipated.

Atticus growled, "You stupid girl! You filthy mudblood. You have-" He was moving to grab Hermione. Harry quickly stepped between them and facing Atticus said, "You wouldn't risk an open attack on me would you? That would land you in Azkaban for sure. The Ministry seems to think I'm fairly important these days. They'd have a field day with you. Look at all these witnesses." Harry gestured to the other guests who either were staring, or where attempting to look as if they hadn't heard Hermione's outburst. "On second thought, maybe you should attack us."

Harry saw Atticus assess the room. He was aware that Atticus must have his hand around his own wand inside his robes. He hoped he had been able to talk him down. Atticus leaned in grabbing Harry by the shoulder and bent to whisper in his ear, "There will be consequences Potter." He stood straight and stepping back said, "Enjoy your life together." He gave them a deadly glare before abruptly turning and storming out the door.

Hermione put her wand away and took a deep breath. Harry was still standing in front of her. She saw his shoulders relax a fraction. "Harry?" He slowly turned to her and she was surprised to see him looking quite tired and somewhat irritated.

"Why Hermione? Why couldn't you keep quiet? That was close. Too close. Don't you know who that was?" Harry took a deep breath and said in a more calm voice, "No, of course you don't. I'm sorry. I…"

Hermione bit her lip and asked, "You know him then?" She wasn't sure what had just happened. She had almost lost control. She had just gotten so angry. She had endured insults like that all her life but to hear them in the after math of the war... The war she had given everything for. The war she had lost her parents for. The war she had almost lost Harry for. She couldn't stand by and let that pass. But something in Harry's expression told her she should have stayed quiet.

Harry whispered back, "Yeah, I know him, or of him is more like it. He's one of the Aurors top priorities. The only reason he's not in Azkaban is because we can't seem to find any evidence against him. He covers his tracks well. He was a major informant, supporter and financial backer for Voldemort."

"A Death Eater? Isn't that enough evidence to convict him?" Hermione asked.

"No. He isn't a Death Eater. He never took the mark. I'm still not sure how he managed to get out of taking it. He did a lot of dirty work for Voldemort in the way of smuggling dangerous potion ingredients, and coming up with new ways to torture, manipulate, and blackmail people into doing whatever Voldemort needed. He worked behind the scenes."

Harry's tone was dark. There was something in his eyes that made Hermione a bit afraid. "Dangerous then."

"Very." Harry ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't think. I just sort of reacted." Hermione all the sudden felt ashamed of herself. She should have kept her cool.

After a moment of silence Harry spoke, "I'm not mad. I was just…nervous. I don't want you getting mix up with him. That was some display of power. I don't recall your hair sparking like that. I could literally feel the magic coming off you."

Hermione blushed, "Oh, um, yeah, I guess I just…I've picked up a few things in the last few months, I've been training too. Nothing like what you're doing, but I've read some things about increasing your magical output and being able to unlock more magic from your core. I've kind of always felt like I could do more, but I was always scared or unsure what to do. How to…I don't know. How to access it. I've started learning how to tap into my core magic. But my temper tends to make it a bit uncontrolled."

Harry studied her for a moment. She always was brilliant. He had always sensed she was going to be a great witch. The display of her power just now had him wondering if she had subconsciously been suppressing her abilities all these years in school in order to avoid standing out any more than she already did. He could tell she was uncomfortable. "Hey, it's alright. It was impressive. A bit scary even. "

She smirked at him a bit, then grew serious again, "I'm sorry Harry. I-"

"Hey, we avoided a fight. It's alright."

Hermione shook her head and fought to keep her eyes from pooling with tears, "No, no it's not that. I just…I'm sorry I didn't discover this power before. When we were running. When we were fighting the war."

Suddenly it clicked in Harry's head. She was feeling guilty and upset for not being more, not doing more during the final battle. She was blaming herself for something she didn't even know about at the time. Harry quickly embraced her. "Hermione, no. There was no way you could have known you were so powerful at the time. We were kids. We were running for our lives for heaven's sake. It's not like we had a lot of help being instructed on how to be more powerful wizards and witches. It wasn't exactly on our mind. We were so focused on the Horcruxes. Besides, even if you did unlock this power you seem to have had hidden inside of you, there is no way to know if it would have helped or if you would have been able to control it under such extreme circumstances." He felt her take a deep breath against him. He gave her a final squeeze and then slowly unwrapped his arms. Her face was flushed and her eyes were watery.

"Thank you Harry." She dabbed at her eyes.

"Still hungry?" Harry said lightly.

Hermione gave a light chuckle, "Sort of killed our lunch didn't it?"

Shrugging Harry said, "Fancy a walk instead?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Hermione took the arm that Harry extended her as they exited the pub and headed down the road.

"You know you were wrong back there. What you said to Atticus was wrong." Harry turned to look at her and saw her eyes question him. "You are a hero. The world might not know it like I do. Sure, they see you as part of the Golden Trio, but I know the only reason we got as far as we did was because of you Hermione. It was all you."

Hermione let a small smile tug her lips. She didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. She leaned against him and gave his arm an extra squeeze as they walked