The first thing Hermione became aware of as she woke up the next day was that the warmth she had been clutching the whole night was no longer at her side. Instead, as her senses adjusted, she felt a little cold and could hear a voice grunting in effort while also counting up. Finally, her curiosity overcame her small desire to go back to bed and she opened her eyes and looked for the source of the voice. At the bottom of the bed, she could see what appeared to be two folded wings moving up and down rhythmically while the owner grunted, "86... 87... 88... 89..."

The bushy-haired Gryffindor turned around and crawled to the edge of the bed on her stomach only to be met with a most perplexing and equally arousing sight: her now-boyfriend Harry Potter doing push-ups on the floor, his muscles taut with effort and his skin covered by a thin sheen of sweat, both visible due to the fact that he was shirtless.

"97... 98... 99... 100!" With that, Harry opened his wings, unknowingly nearly hitting Hermione, and flapped them in order to pick himself up faster. When he was back on his feet, he folded his wings again and finally noticed his girlfriend laying on her stomach at the edge of the bed, her head laying on her crossed arms. "Morning, love!" he said with a grin.

"Morning to you too," Hermione responded with a smile, then frowned. "Why are you exercising? I thought that would be bad for you considering the weakening of your muscles yesterday."

Harry shrugged and said, "I dunno. When I woke up, my muscles were just fine, and I was in need of something to do. You know how antsy I get sometimes from staying still for too long."

Hermione nodded, moving to sit on the edge of the bed and letting loose a long yawn as she stretched.

"Boy, that was one of the best nights I've ever slept here at Hogwarts," Hermione said as her yawn ended.

"Tell me about it," Harry responded with a smile. "No nightmares."

Hermione smiled back and stood up in order to properly hug Harry, who chuckled and hugged her back with both his arms and his wings, which was becoming something of an automatic movement with him.

Hermione's nose wrinkled and she pushed Harry away while jokingly saying, "You might be an archangel now Harry, but you still stink!"

Harry laughed and said, "I guess that comes from doing a hundred push-ups in the morning, don't you think?"

Hermione smiled and said, "Yeah, probably."

"Alright then," Harry said, clapping his hands, "How about we eat something? I dunno about you, but I'm starving."

"What time is it?" Hermione asked, looking around.

Harry's eyes homed in on a clock hanging over the doors of the Hospital Wing and subsequently widened. In an overly dramatic voice, he said, "Sweet Veronica in Heaven, it's five in the morning!"

Hermione gave him a deadpan look, to which he scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

"Regardless, that's pretty early," Hermione muttered. "Breakfast won't be served for another hour."

"Then, how about we do this?" Harry proposed. "You head back to the Common Room and prepare yourself for the day. I'll take a shower here, get Madam Pomfrey to let me out, and we'll meet up at the Great Hall at breakfast time."

Hermione smiled and said, "That sounds like a fine plan, love." With a final, long kiss, she grabbed her things and walked out with a continuous swing of her hips, which made her bum appear even more tantalizing to Harry.

"Oh man," Harry said, looking down at his pants, "That girl's going to be the death of me."

Without another word, he turned, grabbed a towel from the storage closet nearby, and walked to the Hospital Wing's bathroom, whereupon he ran into a snag.

"How the hell am I supposed to shower with these wings?!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hermione walked with a skip in her step over to the Gryffindor Common Room, giving the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who smiled knowingly at her and gave her a wink. Hermione blushed and quickly walked in, going up the steps to the third-year girls' dormitory and quietly gathering her things before going into the shower.

Once inside, she did her normal morning routine of washing herself in every corner before rising out the soap and then just sitting on the shower floor, using the time to think. Being normally the first one up every morning, she had ample time to simply sit and mediate without the other girls asking for her to hurry. She thought about what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours and had to say that she was happy at this turn of events. Harry had finally gotten the help he needed since he had been stuck in the house of that horrible Dursley family, and now he had not one, but four girls who only wanted his happiness. She had to admit that a small part of her was jealous at the thought of sharing her boyfriend with the other three girls, but her logical mind squashed that thought when she remembered three things: the chasers had willingly shared their knowledge about Harry with her, a level of trust that they weren't under obligation to share; the goddess had been correct in the fact that Harry needed as much love as he could get; and ultimately, she had willingly agreed to the bet between the girls and was under no actual obligation to share him if she didn't want to, although she had been telling the entire truth when she said she'd consult with Harry before making a decision.

Finally, she got up and turned off the water, then walked out and dried herself before pouting on her normal uniform, sans the bulky Hogwarts robe, which she hung on a nearby hook for the moment while she brushed her teeth.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ah, that was refreshing," Harry commented as he exited the bathroom, running the towel over his hair. His wings were bedraggled with water, each of the feathers dripping continuously. "Now, let's see..." He attempted to put a towel over his wings but it just wouldn't stay due to the movement of the wings. He didn't know any drying charms, and Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight.

"Having trouble, Mr. Potter?"

Never mind.

"Actually, yes. I can't, for the life of me, reach behind me to dry my wings, and I don't want to blast them open and flood the Hospital Wing."

Pomfrey chuckled in amusement and waved her wand. Immediately, Harry felt his wings warm up and the water on them evaporate, leaving them freshly white.

"Ah, magic," Harry said wistfully, drawing another chuckle from Poppy. "Now, am I allowed to go, Madam Pomfrey? I want to have breakfast with my lovely girlfriend."

"Oh?" Pomfrey said, feigning shock. "And who is this girlfriend you speak of, Mr. Potter? I've never seen one in all the times I've treated you."

"Why, Miss Hermione Granger, of course," Harry said with a grin, going along with the act. "I asked her just last night, and it was the most glorious night of my life so far."

"Oh, dear, you must share with me the details!" Pomfrey said in mock excitement.

"Now, now, my dear," Harry shook his head, clucking his tongue, "that would be kissing and telling!"

Both healer and patient burst out in gales of laughter, which took some time to subside. When the chuckles finally did, Pomfrey waved her wand and ran a diagnostic charm on him, which produced some colours that Pomfrey seemed to read like a piece of paper.

"Well, your body's intact, without any breakage or problems. However, I am seeing some lactic acid left in your muscles, possibly for some..." Pomfrey fixed Harry with a critical eye, "morning exercise?"

Harry chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you know me, Madam Pomfrey. I'm not one to sit still for long, and I felt well enough to work out a bit."

"So I see," Pomfrey said. "Besides that, you're just fine, so you're free to go, but I advice against any... angelic activities for some time. You never know if you might end up worse."

With a serious nod, Harry put on his quidditch robes from yesterday and raced out of the Hospital Wing, automatically moving his wings so that the flowing air wouldn't hold him back. He was surprised at how much lighter his body felt, so much so that he laughed as he increased his speed, taking stairs three by three. At one of the turning staircases, he was emboldened enough to jump over the railing and use his wings to throw himself onto the next floor before gunning it once again and finally coming to rest in front of the Fat Lady.

"Hello, Miss Lady," Harry said cheekily to the moving portrait.

"Hello to you too, Mr. Potter," the Fat Lady answered back with a smile. "Just what are you doing coming to the Common Room so early?"

"Oh, you know, Quidditch accidents, supernatural beings, and just about everything else that's normal for my life." Both archangel and portrait laughed. "Now... Oh, cripes, I forgot the password..."

"I'll let you in just this once, Harry," the Fat Lady said with a smile. "Just remember, it's Mimbulus Mimbletonia."

"Good to know, miss... You know, I never actually got your name in the last three years I've been here," Harry said.

"It's actually Jessica," the now-named Jessica said primly.

"Duly noted," Harry said with a nod and a smile. Without further ado, he walked upstairs and quietly slid inside the boys' dormitory. He needn't have bothered, as Ron's snores easily masked the sound of his footsteps. Harry dug out a quick outfit from his suitcase, consisting of a plain white shirt, black slacks, and a Gryffindor tie. He quickly threw on his underwear and socks before putting on the pants and shoes, but ran into a snag with the shirt. Exactly how was he supposed to fit his wings inside that?

Almost as if to answer his query, Harry heard the shuffling of feet to his left with his slightly enhanced hearing. Turning to the noise, he found none other than a house elf quietly sneaking around and picking up dirty clothes from the floor. It seemed to notice Harry looking at it, for it also looked up and locked eyes with the angel.

"Excuse me," Harry said in a polite tone, "could you help me with something?"

The elf looked surprised at the way Harry addressed it but came forward nonetheless and bowed slightly, asking, "How cans Dipsy be of help?"

Harry moved so that the wings on his back were visible to the elf, whose eyes widened in shock. "I need to put this on, but I can't with the wings on my back. Is it possible you could cut a hole on the back of my shirt that could let me let them out?"

"Dipsy can do better, Dipsy can!" the elf, undoubtedly female, replied happily but in a low tone. With a snap of her fingers, two holes appeared on the back of Harry's shirt, hardly large enough to fit an arm inside. Harry looked at the elf in confusion, but she merely signalled for him to put on his shirt. Shrugging, Harry did so, slipping the shirt over his head and also his wings with some effort. The powerful wings easily ripped through the shirt, making the holes much larger than they originally were. Harry looked at the elf for more instructions but suddenly felt the shirt begin to close over the single, gaping hole that had been ripped on it closing up slowly before it completely covered his back again,. The only exceptions were two holes that ran tightly but not uncomfortably around the small area where the wings met his back.

"Dipsy, what did you do?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dipsy put a self fixing charm on yous shirt, Dipsy does! The holes fix themselves over times," the elf said excitedly.

Harry smiled at the little creature and knelt at her eye level before putting a hand on her head. "Dipsy, that's absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much. If it's not too much trouble, could you do the same to the rest of my shirts and my robes as well?"

"Dipsy does right now, she does!" With a snap of her fingers, Harry's trunk, as well as the Gryffindor-coloured robe that was on the bed, glowed a misty white before fading away completely.

"'Tis done, sir," Dipsy said.

Harry gave the creature a hug, surprising her. "Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver."

The elf giggled and popped away. With a smile, Harry put on his Gryffindor robe and let the wings out through the back before grabbing his school bag and walking out, down to the Common Room, which was still surprisingly empty. Harry looked at the clock nearby and was surprised to see it was only 6:48 am. No wonder most people were still asleep. He assumed that Hermione had either already gone down to the Great Hall or hadn't come down yet. With a small shrug, he walked out of the Common Room, said goodbye to Jessica, and began walking to the Great Hall.

0o0o0o0o0o0

As soon as he got to the big doors leading to the Hall, Harry could pick up a few chattering voices. Thinking, 'no time like the present,' he squared his shoulders and pushed one of the doors open.

Many heads turned to look at him, and immediately all talking ceased. Not feeling too unnerved by the quiet atmosphere, he walked down the aisle to his usual spot on the Gryffindor table and sat down, waving at Dumbledore and McGonagall, who both gave him nods and smiles in return. Turning to his plate, he picked some pieces of bacon, eggs, toast, and a liberal amount of jam, then began to eat, calmly and without rush, as he had no need for speed.

Slowly, the chatting around the Hall started up again, this time more subdued and about a different topic. Whether for good or bad, nearly everyone in the Great Hall, which amounted to about twenty students and seven teachers, were talking about the Angelic-Boy-who-Lived.

Harry was done with his breakfast quite quickly, and had just put away the last bite of bacon when the double doors opened again and in came Hermione, all washed up and with hair in a ponytail. Behind her were her dorm mates Parvati and Lavender, both as normally good-looking as they always were. Hermione's eyes easily homed in on Harry's form, due to his special attributes and the fact that he was one of the two Gryffindors at the table, the other being Percy Weasley, who was still eating his porridge and kept sneaking semi-surreptitious glances at Harry. The bushy-haired Gryffindor bookworm walked up to Harry, with Lavender and Parvati following semi-consciously, and swooped down to plant a searing kiss on Harry's lips, which once again sent the Great Hall into deafening silence.

"Morning, love," Hermione said happily, smacking and licking her lips. "Bacon... Nice choice."

Harry chuckled and motioned for her to sit to his left, moving his wings so that she had plenty of room. Parvati and Lavender shook off their shock and quickly sat to the left of Hermione, planning to grill her for gossip, but were interrupted by the arrival of the Gryffindor Chasers, who stood behind Harry and Hermione with predatory smiles.

"Look who we have here, ladies," Katie said conspicuously.

Harry smiled, which went unnoticed by the chasers as they couldn't see his face. "Good morning, ladies."

"Good morning to you too, Mister Potter," Angelina said, mimicking McGonagall's voice.

Harry laughed. "It's almost like you're related, the way you can mimic her voice so well, Angie."

The nickname drew Angelina short, surprising her into silence, so Alicia picked up the slack. "I see Madam Pomfrey saw fit to release you from the Wing."

"Yep. I'm completely healed, and none the worse for wear," Harry said, half-turning his head to meet each of the girls' eyes, although his eyes were only level with their breasts, as they were still standing, and quite close to Harry at that. In fact, if he moved his wings by only a millimetre...

Harry smirked deviously and slightly turned his body so that he could introduce Hermione to them as his girlfriend, but also intentionally moved his wings so that the crest of his left one and the outermost feathers of his right one would lightly graze each of their breast tips. He wasn't expecting them to overly react or even register the touch, but what he did not know was that the chasers were wearing polo shirts with the Gryffindor logo, and nothing more. They had all agreed to not wear bras today in order to further tease Harry and perhaps get a rise out of him, not knowing that Hermione had already claimed him. Thus, when his wings lightly grazed their breasts, the girls definitely felt it, and all three had to forcefully hold back a moan of pleasure due to the roughness of the polo fabric and the counter-softness of Harry's feathers.

Harry nonetheless heard the low moans they barely held back and mentally smirked in triumph. Finally facing Hermione, he waved in her direction and said to them in a conspiratory whisper, "I want you to say hello to your girl talk mate, my best lady friend and now girlfriend, Hermione Granger."

Silence greeted his low declaration. Hermione was half looking at him, a piece of toast halfway to her mouth. The other three girls were looking between Harry and Hermione. Harry looked between the girls with a slight smirk.

"Harry, move down! Girl talk time!" Katie said in a no-nonsense tone.

Harry shrugged and moved down, whereupon the three girls immediately sat around Hermione, Angelina and Alicia to her left, and Katie to her right.

"Jeez, Hermione, you work really quick!" Angelina said.

"I know! We hardly talked about the bet yesterday and you're already his girlfriend? Details, girl, give us details!" Katie followed up from her left.

Hermione couldn't contain the almost smug smile that appeared at their words. Calmly, she recounted what happened the night before after they had parted ways. She explained how she and Harry had talked a little, then Harry's actions toward her and how he had practically thrown her onto him and cuddled with her. She also explained about how she asked Harry to be his life partner, and the kiss they had shared, culminating in them sleeping together (and only sleeping, she stressed), and the following morning when she woke up to the sight of a shirtless and lightly sweaty Harry Potter finishing up one hundred push-ups.

"That... was the most arousing sight I have ever woken up to," Hermione whispered to them. "He looked so hot... and his muscles were... are... so defined..."

The chasers all sighed at the romance the two shared and at the mental image Hermione had unknowingly put in their minds.

Meanwhile, slightly away from the foursome, Harry started drinking from his cup of orange juice to hide his wide smirk. He had heard every word that Hermione and the chasers had said, and was saying nothing in response. The truth is that he had also heard their entire girl talk the day before due to his super-enhanced senses. He was surprised to be able to hear them talking, and despite the fact that their voices sounded no higher than whispers, he was still able to clearly define who was who based on the way they talked, which he had memorized. He had felt terrible at the fact that Katie, Angelina, and Alicia had seen him get beaten by his uncle, but had then felt elated at their promise to never leave his side. With how few friends he had in his childhood, he treasured those who stuck by him more than life itself.

When he heard about their bet, he had been floored. The three girls were willing to share him between themselves? He had asked himself the same question Hermione had asked them about relationships being a twosome, but had also been reassured about Angelina's explanation. At that point, he had felt his heart flutter in happiness at the declaration from them that they'd give him all the love they could. He felt he didn't deserve any of them, that he was unworthy of being loved so much. But... if they were truly willing to share him between them, then he'd do his best to return their love tenfold.

He had almost let slip to Hermione that he knew when she came back in, but then remembered that the chasers had mentioned wanting to surprise him. So he wisely held his tongue, instead deciding to play around with Hermione a bit. In his mind, he had already chosen Hermione out of the four, and merely hadn't gathered the guts to ask her to be his girlfriend. But now they were a couple, and Harry could safely say that he could probably make an even stronger Patronus than the one he performed yesterday at the Quidditch pitch.

"Mate?"

That word brought Harry back to the present in time to notice Ron sit in front of him and begin to spear everything edible nearby. Ron's appearance brought to Harry's mind a not-so-happy thought: how would Ron react to their relationship?

Ron, it seems, decided to get the ball rolling. "So what was that all about yesterday, Harry? Was that entire thing with Veronica true?"

Harry sighed and pointed behind him, at his wings. "Isn't this proof enough for you?"

"Not really. You could've just transfigured them," Ron said dismissively.

"Ron," Harry sighed again, "even if I am an archangel, I'm still miles away from human transfiguration. Besides, unless you forgot, McGonagall said to us that human transfiguration is really hard."

"Well, I don't believe it," Ron said stubbornly. "Why would you just suddenly get picked by a goddess to find You-Know-Who? Why not pick someone like Dumbledore?"

Harry was about to reply in annoyance when he decided against it. Ron smirked, thinking he had caught Harry, but instead Harry rested his cheek on his left hand and looked away, saying, "You know what, forget it. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. If you don't want to believe me, that's your own problem. I don't see why you wouldn't believe me, considering I've never lied before, but have it your way. Hermione, at least, gave me the benefit of the doubt before outright calling me a liar."

Ron was stumped at Harry's response, but picked up on that last comment.

"Yeah," Ron laughed, "but Herms would believe anything you say, mate."

"That's where you're wrong," Harry responded, still looking away but acutely aware that the Gryffindors close to them began to listen in on their conversation, Hermione and the chasers especially. "Based on how often you've begged her to do your homework or to let you copy off of hers, I would've thought you'd know her better. Hermione doesn't believe anything outright, much like she didn't believe Veronica was a goddess yesterday. But she believed me because she knows I'd never lie, especially to her."

"With how you stand up for her, Harry, I'd almost think Hermione's your girlfriend," Dean Thomas said from Ron's left, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

Harry regarded him with a small smirk before replying two simple words.

"She is."

The area around them went deathly quiet for a moment before Harry's dorm mates, with the obvious exception of Ron, either congratulated him or asked him what he saw in her. The girls, on the other hand, looked at Hermione with either jealousy or admiration. Harry noted with a frown that Ron's younger sister Ginny was giving Hermione a glare that could kill if given the chance.

"I see quite a few things in her," Harry said in response to the ones who asked. "She's loyal, since she's stood by me these last three years. She's a great friend, funny, incredibly smart, gorgeous, and to top it all off... She likes me just as much as I like her. If that doesn't constitute a relationship, I don't know what does."

A pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind, the owner being Hermione, who had stood from her seat and nestled herself between his wings, placing her head on his right shoulder. "Aww, thank you, Harry, but for the record, I'm sure I love you more than you love me."

"Oh, no, let's not start this," Harry said lightly, turning his head to kiss her cheek. "I've seen plenty of times where this goes, so let's just say we love each other a lot, eh?"

Hermione giggled and responded with a simple, "Fine by me!"

A clatter of cutlery in front of them made Harry's head snap forward. Ron had thrown his fork down onto his plate and stormed out of the Great Hall, his sister Ginny hot on his heels.

"That... can't be good," Neville said.

"Ah, that's his problem," Hermione said shortly.

Harry poked Hermione's ribs in order to move her away, making her jerk back. He used the opportunity to stand up, stretching his arms. A moment later, however, a snide voice behind him made him freeze in position.

"Well, look at this, boys. It's the resident chicken of Hogwarts. I always knew you were one, but you didn't have to make it so obvious, Potter."

Harry didn't respond to Draco's taunt right away. He simply let his arms drop slowly. The victorious smirk on Malfoy's face dropped when Harry suddenly said, "Did you hear anything, 'Mione? I could have sworn I heard a squeak, like a tiny rat or something."

Hermione giggled and responded, "I didn't hear anything, Harry. Are you sure your hearing isn't broken?"

Harry looked around in mock suspicion before turning and looking at Malfoy with surprise. "Oh, it was probably you, Malfoy. You always do squeal like a rat."

Malfoy ground his teeth against each other in frustration.

"Then again," Harry continued in an almost oblivious tone, "It should be expected, considering you come from rats and you'll most likely also breed rats. I guess it must be a family tradition, no?"

"Don't you dare insult my family, Potter," Malfoy hissed venomously.

"I don't see you doing anything to prove me wrong, Draco," Harry replied in a condescending tone.

Malfoy snapped at this and dug out his wand, aiming it at Harry and with a spell on his lips, his two ever-present goons repeating his actions. Hermione was about to pull out her own wand, but Harry held his hand up, stopping her. Everyone in the Great Hall watched the standoff, with Malfoy and his goons on one end, all three with wands drawn and pointed at both Harry and Hermione; and the newest couple of Gryffindor on the other end, Hermione eyeing the three Slytherins warily while Harry merely looked on in disinterest.

"Not so tough now, are you, Potter?" Malfoy said with a sneer. "I heard you earlier, by the way, about how you were dating the mudblood whore. I have to say, I expected better from you. Half-blood you may be, but even they should know better than to associate with such filth. Mudbloods like Granger are nothing more than playthings, to be used by upstanding pure-bloods before being cast to the wind like they should. Maybe she'd be a good little whore for me and my pals. What do you think, Crabbe, Goyle?" The two brutish Slytherins grinned maliciously and nodded.

Hermione had descended farther and farther into tears as Malfoy's insults continued, and by the end she was prepared to run away from the Great Hall. When Malfoy said she'd be a good whore for him and his goons, she turned away and was about to bolt when a hand softly grabbed her left one. She turned in surprise to regard Harry, who had not taken his eyes off of the three Slytherins but had reached out and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from running. In shock, she noticed that many of the Gryffindors nearby had stood up and were pointing their wands at the trio, who didn't look as sure of themselves as before, especially with the triple glare that Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were shooting them.

Almost imperceptibly quickly, Harry's wing snapped snapped open and slapped Malfoy's hand, making the wand in it fly off. The wing continued and slapped Draco's chest and face, making the boy flip backwards and crash onto his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. The blonde groaned and was about to stand back on his feet when a shadow covered him and he looked up in fright at Harry's serious visage.

"Listen to me closely, Draco," Harry said, "I will not take your shite any longer. You want to come after me, then do so, and you'll learn what the word regret means. You go after my loved ones, especially Hermione, and you'll find out that you won't have time for regret before I feed your corpse to a swarm of flesh-eating beetles. This is your only warning."

"My father will hear about this, Potter," Malfoy spit out, the quivering in his voice evident.

Harry grinned dangerously. "Your father won't be able to do squat. And you know why? Because..."

Harry moved closer to the trio and his smile widened.

"... He's one of the first ones that's going to follow his master to hell."

"I think that's quite enough, Potter."

Harry straightened up and looked directly into the eyes of Severus Snape, who was now standing behind the trio of Slytherins and was towering over them, piercing Harry with a glare.

"Not when he threatens the ones I love, it isn't, professor."

"I didn't hear any threats from Mr. Malfoy. You, on the other hand… Twenty points from Gryffindor for threatening a student, twenty more for attacking him, fifty more for threatening his noble family, and ten points for every student who pointed a wand at Mr. Malfoy."

Several shouts of anger rang out at this, as the point counter for Gryffindor was going to drop by a total of one hundred and fifty points, since six Gryffindors had stood in Hermione's defence. From behind Harry, however, an equally strong voice replied, "I do not think so, Severus."

Professor McGonagall had snuck behind Harry in her animagus form and turned back at this exact moment, rooting Snape to the spot with her glare.

"While your ears might not have caught it, I distinctly heard Mr. Malfoy here say several unpleasant things toward a girl who did not ask for any of it," the Head of Gryffindor said in a clipped tone. "Therefore, I will deduct twenty points from Slytherin for instigating a fight; twenty from each of these three for unnecessarily drawing a wand and pointing it at two unarmed students; twenty more points for calling Miss Granger a mudblood; forty points for insinuating she, to use the colloquial term, 'sleeps around'; and finally, fifty points for threatening a student with turning her into a sex slave based on her heritage." McGonagall had been civil for most of the point deductions, but by the end she had dropped the charade and was actively glaring at the three Slytherins and their Head of House.

The Gryffindors around her, as well as the rest of the Great Hall, were staring at McGonagall in shock and awe. The only exceptions were Harry, who was looking at the Transfiguration professor with a thankful smile; Snape, who looked like he had swallowed an incredibly sour candy and could have given McGonagall a heart attack if looks allowed; and finally, Professors Dumbledore, Sprout, and Flitwick, who had nodded along with everything McGonagall had said.

"If we may be excused, Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked politely to break the silence.

"You may, Mister Potter," McGonagall responded with a smile.

Harry's grip on Hermione's hand tightened as he led her out of the Great Hall, nearly crashing with Ron and Ginny as they returned from… wherever they had gone. While not angry at the two, Harry and Hermione were nonetheless cautious, as they didn't want to deal with the infamous Weasley temper, which these two had in loads. While Ginny was still glaring at Hermione, Ron was more focused on the scene happening inside the Great Hall: Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle flat on their arses, with Snape standing behind them, glaring at McGonagall, who was standing triumphantly in the middle row, while the rest of the houses just stared.

"Harry…" Ron said tentatively, "What the bloody hell happened in there?"

"Well, in a nutshell, Malfoy was being his usual arse self, belittling Hermione and I, but mainly 'Mione; he pulled a wand, I retaliated, Snape took off a hundred and fifty points, McGonagall came in, and countered by taking off a hundred and ninety points off Slytherin."

Both Weasleys stared at the duo in surprise and were about to question them when Harry said, "We have to get going, catch you guys later!"

With that, Harry grabbed pulled Hermione with him up the stairs. On the way, Harry distinctly noticed that Hermione was far too quiet. By now, she'd be asking relentlessly where in the world they were going. Harry looked back at the girl and noted that she was looking down, pensive and almost on autopilot. He frowned in concern and continued.

After several minutes, they reached Harry's intended destination: the Astronomy Tower. Hermione finally got her bearings enough to ask, "What are we doing here, Harry?"

Harry turned to regard her. "We're here because I thought you might need some clear air, away from idiots like Malfoy and his ilk."

Hermione sighed. "Its fine, Harry, I won't let it get it to me."

"Now both you and I know that's not true, 'Mione," Harry said seriously. "I can tell you're upset, as much as you don't want to admit it."

Hermione looked down in shame. Harry, having none of that, grabbed her chin and softly brought her head up so their eyes could meet.

"Do you know why Malfoy says the things he does?" Harry asked rhetorically. Hermione didn't answer, so he continued. "He's jealous, that's why." Hermione's eyes widened. "Yes, he was brought up thinking that muggle-born people are lower than scum, but as time went on here in Hogwarts, he realised that you constantly outperformed him in everything. He's of 'noble class', yet you're always the smartest, the wittiest, and the most powerful. You're a great woman, Hermione, and don't let anyone, whether they be muggle or magical, tell you otherwise."

Hermione's eyes watered as a massive warmth erupted from her chest, all focused on the wonderful angel that was in front of her. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him, an action he reciprocated softly and lovingly. After a few minutes of snogging, they separated, gasping for air, at which point Hermione laid her head on his chest (absently noting that he was several inches taller than she was) and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Harry. You have no idea how much those words mean to me. For the longest time, I always believed I was average, and even ugly, because the only compliments I ever got were from my parents. But they'd say I was beautiful even if I had just woken up the morning after a drunk party." Both teens chuckled at that. Hermione looked up and smiled genuinely at Harry. "So, thank you, love. For making me feel like a beautiful person."

Harry smiled and said, "That's what I'm here for, besides loving you, of course." Hermione's smile widened, but just as quickly dimmed when Harry's smile became mischievous. A small amount of dread filled her as she asked, "Harry? What are you planning?"

"Well, I didn't bring you up here just to compliment you," Harry said cryptically. Hermione was confused until she saw Harry's wings open fully, the feathers waving about in the slightly chilly air.

Then she put it all together: up on the Astronomy Tower, on a slightly windy day, and Harry was holding on to her and had opened his wings…

"Oh, no! Harry, don't you dare! HAAAAAARRRRRRYYYYYYY!"

The final scream was rather shrill, as Harry had pumped his wings and, with an insane grin, jumped off the edge of the Astronomy Tower!

Hermione yelled as they fell, instantly grabbing tightly onto Harry. She could feel the wind whipping at their robes, indicating that they were falling at a rather high speed, and her mind began to throw her images of all the ways that they would splatter on the ground like a pair of missiles. But soon, the wind began to slow and change direction. At the same time, she could feel herself turning, or, more appropriately, Harry turning in mid-air. She still kept her eyes stubbornly shut, even when she heard the powerful flaps of Harry's wings and felt the wind brush past her face softly.

"Hermione," Harry practically cooed in her ear, "Open your eyes, love. Come on…"

Against her logical mind, Hermione decided to relent and slowly opened her eyes. The image that greeted her left her speechless.

Since it was still early morning, the sun hadn't fully risen yet. Therefore, she was greeted with the marvellous sight of Hogwarts castle in all its glory as it was bathed in the morning glow. She could see everything perfectly from their altitude, and, more importantly, could feel Harry's arms firmly secured around her midsection, pressing her body against his.

She smiled brightly at the feeling of weightlessness and opened her arms, laughing in giddiness as she imagined herself flying over the castle like a bird. Harry smiled as he watched her indulge in the childish fantasy, figuring that she might not have had much as a child. He perfectly tilted his wings so that they banked left and right around the spires of the castle, coming close enough for his feathers to brush the bricks and mortar, before doing a few loop-de-loops and figure eights that had Hermione screaming in both joy and fear.

Finally, after several minutes of flying, Harry decided to end the trip and began a slightly steep descent. Hermione yelped as she saw the ground approaching quickly, but sighed in relief when she felt Harry stop himself several feet from the ground and softly float them down to the grass. Harry didn't let go of her when they landed, and she basked in the feeling of calmness that spread inside her body as they stood under the morning sun, with Harry's arms wrapped around her waist from behind and his wings wrapped around them protectively.

This… this was what peace was. This was what they were studying for… what they were fighting for.

"I hope we can have more mornings like this," Hermione said in a low voice, turning her head so she could meet Harry's eyes. A wan smile was plastered on her face, one she couldn't get rid of.

"I'll take you to the skies anytime you want, love," Harry said with a similar smile. "As for the mornings, I do too. I do too…"

Harry slowly moved his head down and captured Hermione's lips with his own, putting all of his love and attraction for the bushy-haired Gryffindor in it. Hermione moaned in appreciation and kissed back, moving her left hand up to Harry's head and sinking it into Harry's unruly hair.

The kiss didn't last as long as the pre-flight one, but it was tenderer, more loving. It was just what both of them needed before the day started.

As the kiss ended, Harry glanced at his watch and said, "You know, it's nearly eight. We're going to be late to Transfiguration."

Hermione jumped in surprise and immediately began to run back to the castle, dragging her laughing boyfriend by the hand.

0o0o0o0o0o0

From a window on the third floor, the trio of Gryffindor chasers had seen the interaction between Harry and Hermione, and after much cooing and giggling at the romantic sight, they had walked back to the Common Room and sat on a sofa side by side.

"Man, Harry is so romantic…" Katie said wistfully.

"I know, right? Veronica really did a number on him. He seems… much more mature now, but with a childish streak still in him," Angelina mused.

Alicia leaned back and laid her head on the sofa's backing. "I hope Hermione chooses to share him. I swear, I don't think I'd survive, watching those two be so loving towards one another."

"I know what you mean, Lish," Katie said, using Alicia's nickname jokingly. "And also, with his muscular upgrade and angel abilities, how… big do you think he is?"

"Katie!" Alicia and Angelina said in simultaneous shock.

"Oh, come on," Katie said with an eye roll, "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it."

The other two chasers blushed in sync. They actually had thought about it… more often than they were willing to admit.

"So?" Katie asked expectantly. "What do you think?"

"I'm not making any assumptions," Alicia said.

"Neither am I," Angelina replied.

"Psh, you two are such wimps," Katie said with a laugh, making the two blush again.

"Well, truthfully, I don't think we have to guess," Alicia said with a small smirk, drawing the attention of the other two.

"Why do you say that?" Katie asked.

Angelina, however, seemed to catch on to Alicia's train of thought, and immediately smirked as well. "You're thinking about asking Hermione to find out, aren't you?"

"Why, I would never!" Alicia said in mock shock. Katie and Angelina looked at her disbelievingly. "Okay, yes, I am thinking of doing that."

"Well, with the way the relationship's going, she's bound to find out soon. I know they're both young, but they're also hormonal teens, the angel side of Harry notwithstanding," Angelina mused.

"So it's decided then?" Katie asked for clarification.

"It's decided," Angelina and Alicia said simultaneously.

With three devious smirks, the girls got their heads together in order to figure out what to do.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Double meanwhile, in the second year female dorms of Gryffindor…

"That bookworm thinks she can steal my Harry?! No way! I won't let her! He's supposed to be mine, and mine alone!" Ginny screamed in the empty dorm room. "She must have bewitched him… She's a bookworm, of course she'd know how to make something like a love potion… I have to find a way to break him out of it! He loves me! ME!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Triple meanwhile, Veronica sat in a forest clearing, her back against a tree and a crystal glass floating in front of her. On it, a three-dimensional map of the magical areas of Britain and Europe sat, showing her places where life and death were happening real time. There were so many black and white dots that she could hardly keep up with them, but she managed. She moved her forces accordingly, making plans for bringing her angels together. She could feel a war coming, and she didn't like the implications of it.

"Looks like Harry's going to have to grow up quickly," Veronica sighed. Truth be told, she hadn't brought an angel as young as Harry under her command in several hundred years, but the state of affairs in both Magical and Non-Magical Britain had forced her hand. She refocused on the map ahead of her and zoomed in on the area around Hogwarts. She could see a small, light mass moving slowly around the castle, as if looking for something. She recognised the name instantly.

"Sirius Black, huh?" Veronica mused. "I'll have to find a way for him and Harry to meet sometime soon." Two black masses in one of the Hogwarts towers caught her attention, and she noted with some dread that it was in the Gryffindor Common Room. Two names appeared over them.

Ginny Weasley

Peter Pettigrew

"Curses, I almost forgot that the traitor is still alive!" Veronica exclaimed. "I have to warn Harry soon. As for Ginny… Hermione will have to watch her back…"

The goddess continued making plans as the day in her clearing slowly began to bleed into night.

0o0o0o0o0o0

As the relationship between Harry and Hermione blossoms, trouble is brewing. What will Harry and Hermione do against a jealous fangirl, several murderers, and the souls of the darkest man in a century?