The birds' song filled the air with their sweet melody. Wind rustled the blades of grass, wafting the morning dew. The scent of freshly cut lawns smelled heavenly to Hermione.

"They're just not biting," Cedric said to her with a shake of his head. He pulled the crust off the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she had made for their excursion. He threw the bread into the water only for a small fish to whisk it away.

"I think we're just not very good," Hermione chuckled. Her feet swung back and forth over the heavily graffitied ledge and hovered over the calm water below.

The two teens sat along the concrete edge and stared at the quiet pond. He had flooed to her house right after her parents left for work. He greeted her with a big sleepy smile and warm hug. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. Crookshanks' watchful eyes followed them from his perch on top of the back of the couch. The pair crept out into the morning and trekked to the local pond hand in hand.

It had been Cedric's idea to go fishing, as it was an activity he often did with his dad. Hermione began to wonder whether magical fishing was more entertaining, though, if his impatient sighs were any indication.

Hermione rubbed at the goosebumps that covered her arms.

"Here," Cedric said, shimmying out of his Quidditch jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. While the jacket only protected her from the wind, she felt its warmth spread all over her body. Her heart fluttered erratically.

"Thanks, Ced," she said with a smile. "Your hair looks really nice today."

It was Cedric's turn to blush. "Thanks."

They both let out soft laughs. Her eyes flickered to his face and found him already looking at her.

"Tell me more about your family?" She said, referring to the letters they exchanged since term ended.

"There's not much to tell. My mum and my dad are pretty great. They can be too much at times, but they're great. I know they would do anything for me."

"That's really nice."

"Yeah, I feel pretty lucky," Cedric said. "It's just that I'm their only kid, you know? So, the positive thing is that I get all of their love and attention. The negative thing, though, is – "

"-that you get all of their love and attention?" Hermione finished. He chuckled and nodded.

"That's how I often feel. I always wanted siblings, but I suppose I kind of have that with Harry and the Weasleys." She said, staring ahead at the water, not noticing the face he made. "My parents are both pretty supportive, too. Especially with me being a witch and all."

"I forget sometimes that you're a Muggleborn."

"Yeah," she said with a shrug.

"You don't really act like a Muggleborn."

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"You're just different, you know? Not in a bad way."

"Oh."

"Hey," he said, his voice just above a whisper. His hand covered hers. It made her body tingle all over. "This is nice."

The temperature in her cheeks rose. "Yeah," she smiled.

I'm a Gryffindor, she thought. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Before Hermione could even think, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his soft cheek. He smiled underneath her lips. She could hear her blood rushing in her ears.

"This is nice," he repeated.

Cedric wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It felt so right. Hermione laid her head on his chest. She had never been so intimate with a boy before. Her head was clouded with white noise and her heart thudded wildly in her chest.

They stayed like that for half an hour more. The rising sun brought its heat, silently urging the two teens to part ways. He walked her back to her house, their fingers once again intertwined. His fingers felt bulky in between hers and sweat collected between their palms, but all Hermione could focus on was his thumb rubbing against the back of her hand.

"I'll see you soon?" Cedric asked, his eyes focused on her face.

"Yeah, definitely." Her words were met with his boyish grin.

He left in a flash of lime flames from her fireplace. Hermione let out a squeal and threw herself onto the couch, clutching a pillow against her chest. The phantom heat of his hand in hers still tingling on her skin. Her heart ached to be with him again. It was like an addiction. The more she saw him, the stronger the pull to see him once more. Cedric consumed her thoughts in a way that no one had ever before. It was a mystery how she even got through her summer coursework.

At the start of her vacation she had been worried that she would never catch up to where she needed to be academically. However, a couple sessions with a tutor and many books later she not only caught up, but became ahead in her coursework. An unquenchable hunger to succeed and absorb as much as she could consumed her.

Hermione wasn't really sure what her end goal even was, but she just needed something to keep her busy from the chaos that was the wizarding world. It seemed that she could never quite forget the madness of it, though, as a constant reminder of it was always lounging in her living room in the form of a smushed-faced cat.

They had yet to speak since her interrogation at Hogwarts. She fed him and made sure that he always had fresh water. He left her alone and kept his distance with afternoon romps outdoors. Her blood ran icy cold every time she saw the dark furry band around his left front leg now that she knew that was exactly where the Dark Mark lay on his human arm.

Crookshanks was kind to her parents, though. Her father had taken a particular liking, "he's clean and independent!" And he was right. As weird as the whole situation was, he was a really good cat.

Hermione rose from the couch and made her way to her bedroom. "C'mon Crookshanks," she called.

The cat quirked his head from his spot on the recliner. He stretched slowly, arching his back high in the air, and slowly followed the girl.

"Sit," she said as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

The cat slinked its way to her desk chair.

"Reveal yourself."

Crookshanks cocked his head at her.

"I know you can."

The cat inhaled deeply before letting out a large breath. The furball morphed into the young Death Eater. His face gave away no emotion, but his silver eyes were slightly narrowed and followed her every move.

She sat across the room from him on the edge of her bed. "You ready to uphold your end of the deal?"

"What deal?" He asked. His voice surprised Hermione again, forgetting just how soft it was.

"The deal where I don't rat you out, let you live in my home, and feed you and in exchange you teach me magic."

"I probably shouldn't cast any spells in a muggle area. The Ministry could think it was you performing underage magic."

"You're not afraid of the Ministry. You just used magic to metamorph. You're not on the Map. You're not afraid of your buddies using that tattoo on your arm to find you. You said you were untraceable. You faked your death and have somehow managed to be successful about it. You can teach magic to me and you know it, so stop lying to me."

Regulus folded his hands together and leaned forward. Twenty seconds passed before he said anything. "I won't teach you Dark magic," he said quietly.

"I wasn't asking you to."

His posture relaxed. "What do you want to learn then?"

"I just want to learn wandless magic," she shrugged.

"That's it?"

"Well, I'd like to learn more things, like how to become an Animagus and any s you would be willing to teach me. But right now, I want to learn wandless magic and more about the horcruxes."

He rubbed his hand over his face, "How old are you?"

"15, I think."

"You think?"

She shrugged, "Timeturner."

He nodded slowly, "How about this: I'll teach you wandless magic for now. The horcruxes can wait a little longer."

Hermione stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Do you need new clothes?" She asked, changing the subject.

Regulus looked down at the rags that threatened to disintegrate if the breeze blew on him too hard. "New clothes would be nice," he said.

She nodded and pointed at the connecting bathroom, "You can take a shower in there. There are towels in the cupboard and I'll leave a change of clothes in here."

"Thank you."

They parted ways. Hermione went to the guest bedroom her mother had prepared for Harry last summer. It was kept the same as it had been since Harry stayed with them. Though he had brought many of the clothes with him to Hogwarts, he had left some behind.

What outfit does one pick out for their Death –Eater-but-not-really housecat? Hermione mused. She grabbed a black t-shirt, simple jeans, the first pair of boxer shorts that she saw, and a pair of socks. She heard the water from the shower turn on and went to leave the clothes at the foot of her bed. Hermione waited in the living room, twiddling her thumbs.

Regulus entered the living room ten minutes later. The clothes fit him perfectly, though she noted that the shirt's neckline was now crewneck instead of 'v'. His hair was also shiny waves and his face clean shaven.

"Your hair is dry?" She asked.

He took a seat across from her, "I know a lot of domestic charms."

"Is that normal for Purebloods?"

Regulus chuckled, "No, but it's normal for a kid whose friend was a house-elf."

"Kreacher?"

His eyes lit up, "Yeah, Kreacher! How did y-"

"Harry."

"Kreacher's still alive? Good for him!" He grinned. This was the first time Hermione had seen the man smile. If she had to wager a guess, it might have been the first time he had smiled in a while.

"Your brother doesn't seem to be too fond of him."

Regulus laughed, "the feeling is mutual between them."

"What else do you know other than house-elf magic?" she asked.

"I know a lot about a lot of different things, but there's nothing that I necessarily excel at."

"Not even Dark magic?"

He frowned and shook his head, "I read a lot of books growing up, Dark magic included. I have the basics of different concepts down, but," he shrugged.

"Jack of all trades master of none?" she offered.

Regulus quirked an eyebrow and nodded, "I've never heard that before, but yeah. That aptly describes it."

"So, what can you teach me about wandless magic?"

"Wandless magic is how magic was born. It's the most authentic form," he leaned back into the couch, "Wands are fairly new if you look at the timeline of magic and are a European concept. Some people theorize that wands may even be limiting, but I haven't read enough to have an opinion. I found that the easiest way to do wandless magic is to start with charms that are more organic; like the elements or healing."

Hermione nodded, "That actually makes perfect sense."

"Fire is the easiest for me," he said, "water is the most difficult." A small flame flickered out of Regulus' index finger, hovering over the surface of his skin. "Once you can create it, then you can control it," the fire slid down into his palm and grew into the size of a baseball. The flame shifted from its gentle yellow to a burnt orange and then an icy blue. "The same applies to water, earth, and air. Once you get that down, you can branch out to other things like electricity, flowers, and ice." A tiny cyclone danced in his palm.

"What about healing?" She asked.

Regulus sighed and the tornado vanished. "I can heal myself pretty well, but it still scars. I can heal basic wounds on others. The more adrenaline in me, the better I am."

Hermione leaned forward, "Why is that?"

"All of the wandless magic you've done has been accidental, right?"

She nodded.

"What was it triggered by?"

"Strong emotions."

Regulus nodded, "Wandless magic is powered by emotions, but controlled by thoughts." A ball of water appeared in his palm, suspended in the air. He tossed it between his hands. "While you're in a muggle area you can focus on feeling your magical core and spreading it through your body. The more familiar you are with your magic, the easier everything can become. Your magic sentient in a way."

"Interesting," she rose from the couch. She was nearly out of the living room before she stopped in her place. "How do you feel about the cat food?"

"It's okay, but I'd prefer human food."

"Like tuna or shredded chicken?"

"Yes, please."

She went to her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

That night the Grangers had their weekly dinner with Harry, Sirius, and Remus. Sirius always told the best stories, not because of their contents but because of how he told them. His enthusiasm was infectious, and he could have the table howling just from his recent trip to the supermarket.

Remus had initially been wary of coming over to socialize, but like most things Sirius pushed him to do it. Her former professor was much funnier than Hermione had ever thought him to be. Like Sirius, he was charming, too. Her parents loved how well read he was and found themselves three hours and a bottle of wine later discussing literature and politics.

Despite Sirius being a year older than Remus, it seemed that Hermione's parents respected her former professor's wisdom as they often treated Remus like Harry's father figure and Sirius as an endearing fun uncle. Despite these distinct roles, it was apparent that Sirius and Remus were the missing pieces that the boy so desperately needed. The Grangers and the Weasleys had tried their hardest to fill the void in Harry's life, but Sirius and Remus had succeeded.

"Any plans for your birthday this weekend, Harry?" Helen Granger had asked at their most recent visit.

Harry swallowed his roasted potatoes before grinning, "Sirius has sleepovers and the Quidditch World Cup planned."

Sirius turned to Hermione's parents, "I had wanted to take everyone to the Quidditch World Cup, you see, however Arthur was planning on taking the lot there anyway. So now it looks like we'll have a birthday dinner at the Weasleys' because it's important to Molly. Hermione's invited to stay the night at the Burrow and we'll all reconvene in the morning at the World Cup. Whenever the game finishes, the kids can all spend the night at my house and we'll have a big shindig in the morning," Sirius gesticulated wildly as he spoke.

"That sounds great, Sirius," Richard Granger said.

"Of course, you're both welcome to accompany us to all of that. You've got to see Quidditch!"

Helen smiled. "We'd love to, but there's only so many days from the practice we can take off. I imagine we'll only be able to make it to Molly's dinner."

Remus nodded, "If I could only go to one event, I'd go to the one that has Molly's cooking rather than Sirius'."

Harry threw his head back with laughter, telling the Grangers about Sirius' attempt to microwave a literal can of soup.

Hermione's eyes roamed over to her friend who sat beside her. Harry's cheeks were full, his skin sun kissed. His unruly hair still all over the place. Brand name clothing cloaked his growing build ("Sirius and I joined a recreational Quidditch team!" Harry had enthusiastically told her.") His eyes, now framed with glasses that were a newer, smarter version of his previous ones, were shining as he gazed up at his godfather. He was the same Harry as before, though perhaps he was becoming the Harry he was meant to be all along.

"It sounded like he had thrown a grenade in there!"

Helen covered her red face with her hands and shook her head. Her body shook with silent laughter.

"I didn't know that you couldn't put aluminum in there!" Sirius insisted.

"Why on earth did Harry's parents make you his godfather?"

"They were young and dumb when they had him?" Remus suggested.

Helen poured herself another glass of wine, "I'd say you're all still pretty young and dumb."

Hermione and Harry choked on their drinks, unable to contain their amusement. Sirius howled with laughter at the quip and agreed with the woman.

Dinner ended as it always did with Harry's guardians bickering with her parents over cleaning up. Eventually the two smirking men scourgified the dishes before wishing them all a good night. Her parents always created a big fuss over it, but Hermione knew they appreciated it. The second the men left the couple would always marvel over just how sparkling clean their plates now were. It made her heart happy to see her parents' approval of the simple magic.

They wished their daughter a goodnight's rest before heading to bed, after they diligently brushed their teeth of course.

"Crooks," she called.

The large cat sauntered to the girl and sat in front of her.

"How do you feel about staying over at the Weasley's?"

A meow answered.

"What about the Black Manor?"

He paused before meowing again.

"Goodnight, Crookshanks," she bid and scratched behind his ear.

The large Weasley clock's ticks echoed in the dead of the night. It's gears never-ending. Hermione flipped her pillow over, pressing her face against the chilled cotton. She tugged the afghan higher and over her shoulder. The scent of the Burrow clung to its yarn.

Tick.

She pushed her hair out of her face.

Tock.

The hair fell back from where she had moved it.

Tick.

She wondered if her house, also, had a unique smell.

Tock.

"Hermione, do you fancy anyone?" Ginny's voice whispered from the other side of the room.

Hermione opened her eyes. The moonlight shined on the redhead as she laid on her back.

"…yes."

Ginny rolled over, a smile on her lips. "Who?"

Hermione hesitated. She had spent a many night in Ginny's room, but that was the extent of their interactions. They smiled and made small talk. However, at the end of the day, Hermione was Ron's friend.

"Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't. I promise!" The words flew out of Ginny's mouth.

"Cedric Diggory."

The redhead's jaw dropped. "How do you even know who Diggory is?"

"He's the Hufflepuff seeker who beat Harry. I had seen him in the corridors every now and again, but I bumped into him once when he was doing his prefect rounds. How do you know who he is?" Hermione asked, rolling over to make eye contact.

"His dad and my dad both work at the Ministry. He's very handsome, kind, really smart, lives near here. Y'know, now that you said it, I can see why you like him" the younger girl's smile lit up her face.

"He lives near here?"

"Yeah, somewhere around here. Luna Lovegood is just down the street, too."

"Hmm." Hermione hummed.

"Wait..He's 17, Hermione!"

"He's still only 16. His birthday is in September like mine."

Ginny gave the girl a look, her face saying that she still wasn't sure. "How long have you liked him?" She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her body before scooting closer to the edge of the bed.

"Well, when he did his rounds he would meet me at the library and walk me back to the Tower. He's really sweet. This summer we started exchanging letters every day… we've gone fishing. We were supposed to go swimming but I had to cancel."

"Holy shit!"

"Ginny!"

The girls made eye contact before falling into a fit of giggles. The giggles turned into full belly laughs. There was a loud "THUNK!" and as Ginny's small frame fell off the bed from laughing so hard. Drunk on laughter, the only sounds that came out of them were wheezes that resembled a squeak toy.

A loud knock sounded on their door. The two girls immediately fell silent.

"Ginerva, go to bed!" Percy yelled before stomping back to his bedroom.

Ginny's red face looked up to Hermione who was wiping tears from her eyes. Ginny scrambled back into her bed and fixed her bedding. Hermione couldn't be sure which one of them broke the silence first. All she knew was that one of them let out a snort and the giggles resumed until they both couldn't breathe.

"I'm so sweaty, dear god," Hermione said, taking long deep breaths.

"My stomach muscles hurt!" Ginny agreed.

Hermione let out a heavy sigh. "Do you fancy anyone?"

"Yeah, I just don't really know what to do about it."

"Maybe you should talk to Sirius."

Ginny made a face. "Why Sirius?"

"He seems to know a lot about relationships, or at least a lot about pursuing relationships," she chuckled.

"Oh yes, he's quite the tom cat. Have you seen the latest Witch Weekly?"

"No?"

Ginny leapt off her bed and kneeled on the floor. She pulled up a loose floorboard and rummaged around in a shoebox.

"Oh my god! How long has that been there?" Hermione exclaimed, sitting up.

"I have six siblings, Hermione. I need privacy. If you have anything you want hidden, you can keep a box down here, too. Just don't go through my box and don't tell anyone about it." She pulled out a magazine and threw it at the brunette.

On the cover of the latest Witch Weekly sat a rugged young man smoldering at the camera. He wore a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and expensive dragonhide boots. Every couple of seconds the image would run a hand through his shoulder length waves.

"DESIRABLE NO 1 SIRIUS BLACK TELLS ALL

Exclusive interview with Britain's wealthiest bachelor

What were Black's reparations?

Who's his ideal witch?

Does wand size matter or is it how you use it?

Find out inside!"

Hermione flipped through the magazine, her eyes skimming through the fluff. "The Ministry gave him a high grade de-aging potion?!"

"Yup. He said that they robbed his youth, so they gave him a Ministry-grade potion to make him ten years younger. Also gave him A MILLION GALLEONS that he just gave away to charities! I can't even fathom that much money."

"Wow."

"His family is notorious for being very dark. Mum and Dad think that the Minister is probably scared of what he could do and just want to appease him." Ginny let out a laugh. "Look at what he says his type is."

The brunette flipped a couple pages, searching for the interview.

"Interviewer: What kind of woman bewitches you?

Black: I like my women like I like my whiskey: fiery."

Hermione snorted and shook her head. "He has no shame."

"When you have that kind of money, I imagine you can get away with it," Ginny shrugged with a grin on her face. She grabbed the magazine from Hermione and returned it back under the floorboard.

"What are you saving that for anyhow?"

"He's easy on the eyes."

"You have no shame!"

Ginny winked at the girl.

"What kind of man bewitches you?" Hermione laughed.

"Quidditch players," Ginny said.

"Same!" They fell into another fit of giggles. Hermione wiped away the curls sticking to her face.

"They're just so…"

"Rugged?" Hermione suggested.

Ginny grinned and bobbed her head furiously. "I love green eyes!" She said.

"And dark messy hair?"

Ginny's smile dropped.

"Ginny," Hermione paused and bit her lip. "You're really funny and fun to be around. I think if you were able to relax around him, he'd be able to see that. I know him, and I know that if he knew the Ginny that I'm seeing, he'd want to be friends with you. And maybe if he paid attention to anything outside of his bubble, he'd want to be more than friends, too." She cautioned a glance at the young girl.

Ginny brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and held her hands in her lap. "I want him to notice me so much it makes me sick."

"Have you had a crush on anyone other than him?"

"…it's never occurred to me."

"Maybe this year will be different?"

Ginny smiled. "Yeah, maybe this year a dashing older man will walk me back to Gryffindor Tower every night."

She dodged Hermione's pillow with a squeal.

Ginny heaved a heavy sigh. "I got my period this summer, but I still haven't got my boobs."

"Oh my god, Ginny!" Hermione gasped; her eyes wide.

"It's no fair! You got yours!"

The older girl's hand unconsciously touched her chest. "Eat your vegetables? Drink more water? Take your vitamins?"

Ginny snorted, "No thanks. I'll just stay flat."

"Who the fuck decided that we needed to get up this early?" Ron said, shoving his foot into an already tied shoe.

"Hear! Hear!" The twins said.

Without saying a word, Molly slapped the back of the boys' heads.

Hermione slumped on the couch, looking as though she were trying to melt into the cushions. Harry sat flush beside her, rubbing his eyes.

Ginny silently pointed to the small army of travel coffee mugs on the dining room table.

"Bless your soul, Ginevra," Ron grabbed a cup and wrapped his hands around its warmth.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him and curled her lip. "I hope you choke on that," she said before turning to Harry. "The one in the back is yours. It's all cream and sugar with a dash of coffee."

Hermione snorted.

"Brilliant," Harry said through a yawn and thanked the girl who simply nodded in response.

Arthur entered the dining room, wearing golf shorts and a polo shirt. Hermione wasn't sure whether she had seen the man's knobby knees before, and she wasn't quite sure how it made her feel to see them so early in the morning.

"Morning kids," he smiled, his voice loud and his eyes bright and shiny, "Would you all please throw a muggle jacket on over your jerseys? We have to be inconspicuous on the way there."

The lot of them traveled back upstairs, their slow steps sounding like small stampede.

"When mom said that we had to be up at the crack of dawn she didn't mean it literally," Charlie called from the back.

Fred pulled up his too big hand-me-down track pants, "Like what you see?"

Harry and Ron laughed.

"I hate you all," Ginny muttered.

Ron shoved his shoulder into Ginny. She steadied herself and continued up the stairs. Just as they reached Ron's bedroom, Ginny threw her entire weight into Ron's shoulder. She then thundered up the stairs as Ron fell against the wall.

Harry and Hermione side-stepped Ron. The messy haired teen threw his varsity jacket at her. It was dark maroon leather with "POTTER" written in golden letters on the back. Hermione had her own personal collection of plush fleece blankets at home. One could call her a connoisseur of cozy. With her 15 (?) years of experience, she could say with certainty that Harry's jacket was perhaps the most comfortable thing that ever existed.

"You should line that thing with the invisibility cloak," Ron said, rubbing the red mark that was forming on his temple.

"That's insane," Hermione said at the same time Harry said, "That's brilliant."

"Insanely brilliant?" Ron offered, extinguishing the light in his bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

"I'd pay to see that," Hermione said.

"More like you'd pay to not see it, because it would be invisible."

Harry laughed.

"And they call you the smartest out of the lot of us?" Ron dodged Hermione's incoming hand to the back of his head and hurried down the stairs. He ran into the living room.

"Geo- Bi – Ron," Molly sighed, frustrated at her stuttering, "no running in the house!" She turned to Harry, "Happy birthday weekend, love."

Harry smiled and thanked the woman.

"Everyone grab some toast on your way out. You, too, Charlie!"

Arthur kissed the top of Molly's head and took his piece.

"C'mon, kids. To the Quidditch World Cup!"

Author's Note: Hi! I've felt very insecure and nervous about posting! I know I haven't posted since February! I'm sorry! I love you!

Let me know your thoughts and feelings, I greatly appreciate the feedback :) Tell me more about yourself! I saw that someone's username ended in like '05 and that spooked me because I hope that's not a birth year, but FF was also my sex ed, so I guess I can't judge? What's your favorite food? What's your Hogwarts House? Who's your favorite character? What's the latest drama at your work? How are you guys living the Wizards Unite app? - I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I've been ignoring all the flaws because I desperately want to love it.

I know school's approaching so I hope everyone's doing alright. It can be really scary because you don't know what the year will hold. Please be treating yourselves kindly :) Talk to me if you need help with anything, even homework!

SSE