A/N: This is the last chapter of this story. I know there's a lot more that could be told, but it was an exchange fic, and I was under a tight timeline. I meant to post this yesterday, but I was too sick to do it. RL can be so annoying.

Warning: lemon scene

Enjoy!

Once they were away from the large group Hermione, Ron, and Harry re-emerged from the Invisibilty Cloak. Hermione immediately reached for Jasper's hand, their fingers intertwined automatically. In unison Harry and Ron looked from their connected hands to Jasper. They exchanged a quick glance, and Jasper didn't need his ability to realize they both were a little uncomfortable around him.

"I guess introductions are in order," Jasper broke the silence with an awkward smile.

"A good place to start," Harry replied, tentatively reaching a hand out to him. "Harry Potter."

"Jasper Whitlock," he plastered a warm smile across his face before repeating his introductions with Ron, who was even more ill-at-ease with the whole situation.

"I guess this is what you meant by 'no matter who they are', huh, 'Mione?" Harry looked at her.

"Well, if I flat out said it you probably would have gone nutters, and I thought you had enough stress on you," she replied with a half-smile.

"How old are you?" he asked, turning back to Jasper.

"Let me put it this way- I was a Major in the army of the Confederate States of America."

"About twenty when you were turned?"

"More or less. You kind of lose track of exact dates after a while."

"Golden eyes..." Ron was muttering. "Why do I remember something about golden eyes?"

"It means I haven't killed a human in a long time. Well, with the exclusion of the Death Eater earlier today. But I resisted temptation," he said, looking down at the splash of red across his sleeve.

"Let me help you with that," Hermione muttered, lifting his arm up and siphoning the blood off his sweater. "Better?" she murmured, looking up into his eyes.

"Much. Thank you, darlin'," he smiled down at her, not breaking eye contact. He leaned forward for a quick kiss before turning back to Harry. "I do believe this is your time to talk. I apologize for the intrusion. If you wish me to go back to the Great Hall to help out there while you talk to Hermione and Ron I'll excuse myself."

Hermione's hand tightened around his, but she did not protest.

Harry considered him for a moment. "I think you're keeping Hermione sane at the moment, and she deserves it. I'll leave it up to her."

"Stay," she begged quickly, her free hand coming across her chest to clutch his arm.

Ron and Harry both shot her looks.

"I know, I'm not normally like this. But I've killed people today and seen good friends fall. I need to be surrounded by all the strength I can get."

Harry nodded, then motioned for the small group to follow him. He told them everything as they walked towards the headmaster's office, and Jasper could barely listen to everything and take in all the spectacular sights of the partially-demolished castle. Once he lifted a large statue out of the way, but mostly he held Hermione's hand and listened. He seemed to be the only one who noticed that several of the portraits were clapping politely as they walked past.

Harry led them up to the Headmaster's office. He talked a little to Dumbledore, but was cut off by the portrait for the first time with a polite, "Excuse me, but I do believe you have another option for that wand."

"I do?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Hallows, much like Horcruxes, can be physically destroyed, though as you know they can work if placed back together. Place one piece back where it was taken from, and keep the other one somewhere safe."

"Right," he replied, sounding skeptical. "Where did you guys drop those basilisk fangs?"

"If you look around, I think you'll find little need for basilisk fangs," the old man in the portrait said knowingly.

"What are you...?" he looked confused, but suddenly felt the wand being gently lifted from his grasp.

"Pardon me," Jasper smiled. He looked the wand over, then up at the portrait, which nodded. Before anyone could protest Jasper had bitten the end of the wand off, handing the larger of the two parts back to Harry.

"Wow... you knew to do that?" Ron asked, looking impressed.

"Not really," the vampire admitted. "Hermione was whispering 'vampire venom works'. I believe she thought it was under her breath."

"I am proud to see Hermione has chosen to look beyond the typical bias of the magical world against vampires. He could be a powerful ally, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore smiled warmly at Hermione.

"He already has been," she replied, interlacing her fingers with Jasper's yet again.

A long silence fell over the room as the realization came across Harry, Ron, and Hermione that it was all over. There were funerals to attend and they would be media sensations, but the fighting and the running was over. For the first time since they had become friends there was no Voldemort, no need to stick tightly to each other. A sudden freedom that was thrilling and somewhat terrifying at the same time. One journey was over, and it was time to pick their next.

"What now?" Harry asked quietly.

"Right now?" Ron replied with a forced chuckle. "I'm going back downstairs. My family needs to be together right now. You both can come if you want."

"I'm ready to just go to sleep," he shook his head. "I need the time to just rest."

"Of course," Hermione nodded in agreement. "I think I'm going to take a bath first, but then I'm going to go to bed."

There was another long moment of silence. "I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"Yeah. Night, mate," Ron yawned.

"Oh, you stubborn...!" Hermione sighed before throwing an arm around each of them to pull them into a three-way hug. Jasper could feel the love for each other that the otherwise simple-looking gesture was causing each to feel, and he pretended to study a portrait to give them a moment.

"Come on," Hermione said a couple minutes later. She had let Harry and Ron leave first, Harry a couple minutes behind Ron, and Jasper hadn't realized he had actually gotten caught up in looking at the portraits until Hermione's hand was in his yet again.

"Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore stopped them as they reached the door.

"Yes, Sir?" she asked, turning to the portrait.

"The charm is only on the stairs. And the password is 'lemon-scented'," he said with a wink.

"Thank you, sir," she gave a shy smirk as they stepped onto the stone staircase going down.

"What was that all about?" Jasper asked as they slipped through hidden passages. Floors below him he could hear his family still working with the wizards. They would find a way to keep themselves entertained for a while.

At least, you better find a way to keep yourself entertained that doesn't have anything to do with me, he added in his head in case Edward was listening. He hoped beyond hope that the magical protections around the castle were messing with Alice's visions.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said, stopping in front of a door on the fifth floor. "Lemon scented," she whispered.

The door opened, and Hermione pulled Jasper inside. As they entered several torches on the walls lit, casting dim light around the room. Hermione immediately made her way to the large bath, turning on faucets. She then crossed to what looked like an empty closet.

"Towel and pajamas, please," she asked, and suddenly a large towel, a pair of red and gold pajamas, a red robe, and a pair of slippers appeared on a shelf.

"Thank you," she said, taking the items and placing them on a bench by the tub. "Magic," she shrugged at Jasper, who was looking in disbelief at the whole thing as she turned off the water.

"I am enjoying watching all this magic," he said, staring up at the stained-glass mermaid, who was smiling and flipping her hair flirtatiously.

"She's like that with all the boys, but she's worse with the cute ones. She can't seem to get it into her head that she's stuck on the wall," she rolled her eyes. "Now turn around."

"Yes, ma'am," he obeyed, and heard her peeling off her clothes, folding them and putting them into a pile, and finally sinking into the tub with a satisfied sigh. There was the sound of her moving through the water, then settling in.

"You can come in if you want," she said timidly.

He turned, and saw her sitting on the far side of the very large tub, everything below her collarbone obscured by thick, pink-tinged bubbles.

"Do you get to watch?" he asked with a smirk.

"Oh!" she blushed and looked down, covering her eyes.

He chuckled as he quickly stripped down to his boxers. "I'm not putting on that much of a show, darlin'," he announced as he folded his clothes.

She looked up, and blushed even deeper as she stared at his chest as he walked into the tub. He took a seat close to her, but kept his distance because he feared making the water cold. She didn't say anything for a while, closing her eyes and leaning back to just relax for a few minutes. He reveled in watching her, thinking about their letters, and wondering where the relationship had gone from casual pen pals to two people who seemed to need each other. He considered that, perhaps, there was a bit of that feeling for him since Paris. After watching her a while he noticed that she kept adjusting her shoulders, wincing each time that she did.

"Are you hurting?" he asked.

"I'm just a bit stiff," she admitted.

"May I try something?"

"Sure."

He moved through the water so he was right next to her, then gently twisted her body so she was facing away from him. Cool hands slid up her back, pressing gently, until they reached her shoulders where they began to gently massage her warm skin.

"Oh, sweet Merlin," she moaned.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked in concern.

"That feels so good," she replied, relaxing into him.

An involuntary smile crossed his lips.

"May I ask why a vampire knows about giving massages?"

"I have a lot of time on my hands, and I'm a quick learner."

"You needed some way to pick up girls, didn't you?"

He chuckled. "I've never really found a girl who piqued my interest quite like you," he muttered before kissing her shoulder. She gasped, and he could feel her skin erupt in goose bumps. Smirking he continued working on her back, fingers tracing lightly, looking for knots, then applying more pressure to work them out. Every sound from her, from the ones that escaped her lips to her heartbeat, would tell him if he was doing something wrong, but for the most part everything about her screamed 'relaxed'. As he was finishing he noticed that bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap had appeared. Carefully he worked the shampoo into her hair, massaging her scalp, feeling her go just short of slack in his hands before dipping her carefully backwards to rinse the suds from her hair. He repeated the actions with the conditioner, then let her wash herself with the soap.

"I want to just stay here a couple more minutes," she said when she was finished.

"Whatever you want to do," he replied, beaming as she sat on his lap, head resting on his shoulder, giving him a view down her throat and to the very top of her breasts, which were now showing over the top of the bubbles.

He closed his eyes, trying to hide his arousal, a skill he had mastered over the nearly one hundred and forty years he had been a vampire, but it was impossible with Hermione so close to him. His arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly to him, and lowered her lips to the skin of her neck. Another moan escaped her lips as her fingers tightened on his arms, the goose bumps dotting the top of her skin yet again. She twisted her head so their lips met, pressing herself into his body, tongue cautiously meeting his between their mouths. His lips trailed from hers, down to her jaw, over to her ear, moving lazily down her neck. Suddenly she let off an unexpected chuckle.

"What is it?" he asked, planting a kiss at the base of her jaw.

"I was just thinking that normally I would consider myself crazy for allowing a vampire this close to my neck," she replied.

"I'm sure that after what you have been doing recently, this hardly rates on the crazy scale," he replied, kissing her again.

"Not hardly," she said, yawning.

"Perhaps it's time for you to get some rest," he suggested.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded warily, turning her head to kiss his cheek. He lifted her gently up, carrying her out of the water, forcing himself not to take a peek as she wrapped the towel around herself and disappeared into a stall. He stripped off his wet boxers, using his strength to wring them dry in a sink before getting dressed again. A couple minutes later she emerged, now dressed in her pajamas- a loose pair of red pants and a black tank-top. Without asking he scooped her into his arms.

"Tell me where to go," he said, heading towards the door. She told him how to get into Gryffindor Tower, where the Fat Lady seemed to have deserted her post when a spell destroyed her portrait, which was now being guarded by Dean Thomas.

"Hey, 'Mione," Dean smiled after Jasper put her down. "How are you?"

"I feel like I could fall asleep for the next month or so," she replied. "By the way, Dean, this is Jasper."

"I saw you and your family fighting out there," Dean nodded, not offering a hand to shake. "It was... impressive."

"Thank you," Jasper nodded.

"What are you doing out here?" Hermione asked.

"I volunteered to guard the entrance, since I know all the Gryffindors, until they can get Sir Cadogen up here," Dean replied.

"Oh, no," she groaned.

"You don't need to tell me twice, but the Fat Lady is refusing to guard it right now, even with another portrait. She and her friend are scouring the castle for something to drink."

"I'm going to make myself scarce before he shows up," she smiled.

"Good plan. I'm leaving as soon as they get him here."

She turned to Jasper, and muttered so Dean couldn't hear, "the stairs up to the girl's dorms are charmed so everyone will know if you try to go up that way. Very top window facing away from the lake." With that she turned and climbed through the portrait-hole. The common room was empty save for Bill and Fleur Weasley, who offered her a shaky wave from a couch by the fire, both looking as though they were seconds from passing out. She made her way up to the seventh-year girls' dorm at the very top of the tower, and as she entered she saw Jasper slipping in the window.

"What took you?" she chuckled.

"Window was locked. I had to jimmy it with a card," he replied, cracking the offending window open slightly, enough to let in fresh air, but not enough to carry in the voices trailing up from what had been the battlefield below. He made sure to keep himself between her and the window, she didn't need to see the people working to carry off bodies and destroy the field of acromantula parts.

Slowly she walked to the room to the bed just to the right of where Jasper was standing- the only bed without a trunk at the foot, the only one where the sheets had not been left in disarray with the sudden, middle-of-the-night departure of it's occupant. This was the bed meant for her had the school year gone as it should have. She stared at it for a couple seconds before crawling in, drawing the curtains at the foot of the bed and the ones behind her as she did so.

"Are you coming?" she asked, looking up at Jasper with pleading eyes.

He climbed in, drawing the last curtains as he did so. He took her into his arms, kissing her cheek as she fell asleep.

XXXXX

The morning seemed red as she awoke the next day, the light from the sun trying to force its way through the tightly shut curtains surrounding the bed. She was cool, Jasper's arms still wrapped around her, his cold breath rolling gently through her hair and down her neck. As soon as he was sure she was waking him his lips found her neck once again. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel every light caress on her skin. Tingling feelings cascaded down her spine, finally settling below her waist. Involuntarily her hips moved backwards into his, pressing her bottom into him, feeling his erection poking into her, fanning the flames that were setting in her lower abdomen.

"Where..?" she asked sleepily.

"Your roommates have all come and gone. They packed their things and left, saying something about the school closing for repairs. You have been asleep for quite some time. It's closer to dinner than lunch," he replied, lips brushing her skin.

"Well, I had a long day yesterday. I only broke into and out of a bank that has only had one break in before, rode a dragon most of the way across the country, and fought in a battle. Perhaps I may have been a little tired."

"There's a reason I didn't wake you up," he replied before gently lifting her face towards his so their lips could meet once again. He took his time kissing her, savoring the taste of her lips as they danced against his own, paying attention to the reactions of her body to his. She wiggled her body under his so she was on his back as he was perched above her, so concentrated on her body and emotions that he almost didn't notice the scent of her blood so close to him.

His fingers ran down her side, causing hers to tighten their hold of his shirt, and he gently guided the crook of her leg upwards so he could place one leg between hers. Her arms crossed behind his neck, holding him to her, as she hooked her leg around his.

"Wait, Hermione," he muttered after forcing himself to break away from her. "Much longer and I'm not sure if I'll be able to control myself."

"Is it my blood?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head emphatically. "I just feel the emotions coming off you, and they're amplified by the ones I feel for you, and while I would stop if you say no I'm not sure if our emotions..."

"You're an empath," she said matter-of-factly.

"It's what drew me to you in Paris," he nodded.

"Jasper," she smiled up at him. "If I didn't want you, do you think I would have let you get into that bathtub?"

"But I could hurt..."

She cut him off by grabbing his hand and guiding it under her tank top to come to rest on her breast. He rolled the peak between his fingers, and she responded by biting her lip to stifle a moan, the scent of her arousal washing over the small enclosed space. Carefully he lifted the tank top up to expose her breast and lowered his mouth to it, carefully licking around the peak and listening for any negative reaction from her, but again it didn't come. Instead a soft 'yes' escaped her lips and her fingers began to pull his sweater upwards as she tried to pull it off him. He stopped long enough to divest both of them of their tops, and relished the fact that her hands suddenly seemed to have a magnetic attraction to his skin. His attention turned to the other breast, his hand coming up to take the place where his mouth had been seconds before. If she was chilled by their skin-to-skin contact she didn't let it on, but the warmth of the woman underneath him made the situation all the more intoxicating to him.

He sat up, eliciting a groan of protest from her. He wrapped his fingers around the waistband of her pajama pants and looked into her eyes for permission to continue.

"Please," she whispered.

The scent of her was almost overpowering as he gently pulled the fabric from her body. Starting at the top of her hip he kissed downwards to her knee, taking his time, eyes locked onto her face which radiated pleasure. After reaching her knee he pushed her leg gently to the outside, and blew a path from the inside of her knee all the way up her leg. She gasped at the cold sensation, the goose bumps immediately rising all over her body, but the gasp was followed by another moan of approval.

"I need you, Jasper," she whispered, eyes locking with his. He moved so he could lock lips with her again.

"I'm afraid, Hermione," he admitted.

"Of what?" she asked, unbuttoning his pants.

Lightning fast he grabbed the wrist at his pants and pushed it above her head as if to prove the point he was about to make. "I could hurt you, and I would never forgive myself if I did."

"I know, and I'm willing to take the risk of a few bruises. I could clear those up in a heartbeat. And I'm confident my reflex-magic will protect me from anything worse."

"You're putting a lot of confidence in something that sounds little more than a theory."

She placed her hand on his cheek and gazed deep into his eyes. "I'll be fine. I need this," she repeated.

His response was a deep kiss as he slipped out of his pants, then looked at her face as he slipped himself inside of her. She gasped loudly, eyes widening, but he was forced to bite his lips together, hands ripping the sheets next to her, head resting next to hers with his eyes closed tightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him in concern.

"It's so... warm," he hissed. "It's unlike anything I've ever felt."

"In a good way?"

"The best," he smiled before kissing her again. Slowly his hips began to move against hers, taking his time, being as careful as he possibly could be while his body screamed at him to surrender control to his pleasure and desire. To take the focus off his feelings he focused on kissing her body, caressing each part of her neck, relishing her intoxicating and erotic scent. She closed her eyes and her hands ran up and down his arms and across his back. With each of his thrusts a small, satisfied moan escaped her lips, and her legs wrapped tightly around his, holding him to her, encouraging her.

His movements sped up, and one of his hands found her leg to pull it higher against his body, allowing him to move more deeply into her. The hand slid down her leg to hold onto her arse, lifting it upwards with each thrust. His other hand slid under her head so her neck was resting on his forearm, causing her head to fall backwards and her throat to become even more exposed to him. He nuzzled her flushed skin, occasionally pressing a light kiss to her pulse point, as he kept his climax at bay.

Without warning he pulled out of her, and in a lightning-fast motion, he grabbed each of her sides and pulled her upwards, falling back onto the bed in a sitting position, Hermione's legs wrapped around his waist as he entered her again. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, using his strength to guide her motions against him, while the other hand wrapped into her hair to pull her to him in another searing kiss. She gripped his shoulders tightly, nails straining against his hard skin, moving her hips more quickly against his restraining arm as she tried to maximize the pleasurable feelings he was causing in her. Finally she could control herself no longer. He forced her to continue moving as her lips involuntarily stopped moving against his, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Jasper," she moaned as her body tightened, clamping around him, legs locking around him. He allowed himself to give into the pleasure he was holding back. His arms tightened around her, his lips pressed tightly together as he spilled into her with a soft grunt. It only when he realized that she was breathing shallowly because he was holding her so tightly that he loosened his grip and laid her gently back onto the bed, coming to rest next to her. They faced each other, legs intertwined, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Words didn't need to be exchanged for a long while, just the occasional prolonged kiss.

"What now?" she whispered as the light beyond the curtains began to dim.

"What do you mean?" he asked in response.

"Are you... I mean, do you want to... you know, change me?"

He was taken aback by the question and didn't answer for a moment in the search for the right words. "Do you want me to change you?" he asked, voice shaking. As much as he had known for a long time that he wanted to be with Hermione, the thought of actually changing her hadn't passed his mind.

"It would be nice to do that without worry of this," she said, looking down at her arm where a bruise was forming. "But I'm not ready yet," she added quickly.

A feeling of relief passed over him. "Really?" he smiled.

"I'm not going to take the possibility of it off the table, but I have a lot of things I want to do before anything like that ever happens. I can't see myself being ready in anything less than a year, possibly more."

"So I guess it should be me asking you what now?" he smirked.

"I need to get out of here," she said with confidence. "I just need to get away from everything for a while."

"I think I know exactly what we can do, if you're willing to allow me to come with."

She chuckled before kissing the tip of his nose. "You are stuck with me. Don't even try to run."

"I'm never going to run from you," he muttered before kissing her passionately. "Especially since you seem to have a penchant for finding trouble, and at this point I'm not sure how much more of it I can take. My whole family has been on edge for a while now."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate a break, then," she replied, sitting up. "There's just one more thing I have to do before we go."

XXXXXX

Harry hadn't seen Hermione all day, but if she was anything like him she was probably still resting and enjoying the solitude for a while. Or, as much solitude as she could get with Jasper around, and he was sure they had suddenly become an item. And while he was worried about his best friend he was sure that Hermione could hold her own against a vampire, especially one who looked so enamored with her. He only wished that he had thought of a way to communicate with Ginny as Hermione had been communicating with Jasper during their time on the run.

He had gone to sleep right after getting back to Gryffindor tower from his chat with Hermione, Ron, and Jasper. The next day he woke up, feeling famished and not hungry at the same time. As soon as he made his way down to the Great Hall where the house-elves had put forth a fantastic spread, however, he was lost and soon had a plate piled high with some of the best food he had ever tasted. The Weasleys appeared shortly after, some eating, some avoiding the food, all with looks of pain and grief etched on their faces. Molly offered him a place to stay for the summer, but he wasn't sure about his plans. All he knew was that McGonagall had agreed to let him stay three or four days while he took account of where he was going.

After dinner he had bid goodbye to the Weasleys and had delivered the wand fragment of the Elder wand to Dumbledore's tomb, and spent some time sitting by it, staring out at the lights of the castle dancing on the lake. His body was feeling exhausted again, and after placating Sir Cadogen with upwards of six different passwords he was climbing the stairs to his deserted dorm. But what he found wasn't a warm, empty bed, but the box he recognized as the one Hermione had been sending Jasper letters through. Stomach sinking and dancing at the same time he reached a shaking hand out to the battered wood and extracted the roll of parchment within.

Dearest Harry,

I'm sorry for not having the strength to do this in person. You and I have been through more than two people should ever have to go through together, and while I have felt the need to hold words back before I have never wanted to keep you completely in the dark on anything, and so I find myself writing this letter to you. Don't think of it so much as a goodbye, but rather a farewell for now. The more I thought about things, the more I realized that I just can't physically or emotionally handle what lies ahead in the coming days or weeks. Funerals, saying goodbye to those who I have come to respect, and some I have come to love as family. No one should be forced to say goodbye to so many good people at one time, and it's even worse considering the extreme abuse both of us have placed on our minds and bodies in the past few months. There is also the consideration of the Daily Prophet and the Ministry, and all the publicity I would be subjected to (though it'll be nothing compared to you). Frankly, I have no desire to be exalted by groups that, just mere days ago, were clambering for my wand and my blood.

This may worry you, but Jasper has offered a place for both of us to go and relax for some time. I'll be the first to admit that our relationship did not grow under ideal circumstances, and that the passion that hit us was sudden and extreme. Perhaps it is best he and I spend some time away from any drama and distractions so we can both discover our feelings and make thought-out decisions about where our relationship is headed. I'm not quite sure where he is spiriting me off to, he, his sister Alice, and his brother Edward seem to be the only ones who have an idea (which is terrifying in and of itself considering Alice has promised delivery of a new wardrobe by the end of the week). But Jasper does assure me that if it is seclusion I want, this is one of the best places in the world to get it. After some time there I want to spend some time by his family, seeing all the sights of the pictures he has sent me, and I hope that when that time comes you'd consider joining us. I have an idea that you might need a trip away from things for a while as well.

I am going to retrieve this box's twin from Mrs. Figg, so we'll have a quick way to communicate. Please keep in touch, and make a run for it if you're feeling overwhelmed. Don't feel like you owe anything to anyone, and remember to put yourself first for the first time in a long time. All I can promise right now is that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I am not going to make any life-changing decisions for some time, certainly not until I see you again. The short of it is you haven't seen me for the last time with a pulse. Please, take care of yourself, Harry.

So much love,

Hermione