Ron chuckled softly, his arm pulling Malenda a little closer as he stomped up the walk to Grimmauld Place, "It's not much I know but it's home."

"It's absolutely charming." Malenda smiled softly releasing him as he unlocked the door.

"We've got to be quiet, My roommates are probably still asleep." He blushed softly, the thought of either Hermione or Harry seeing him in his ruffled state surely ensured a rather lengthy teasing session.

"Of course," Malenda whispered back chuckling softly when she was pulled inside. She shut the door behind her, raising her brow as Ron crept towards the first doorway, "Surely they're not that dangerous?"

Ron glanced back before reaching the living room doorway, "Well, not Harry no. But Hermione can be a bit jumpy."

"Hermione? Hermione Granger the ward breaker?" She moved closer to Ron's side, an air of awe in her tone.

She'd only heard stories about the three of them, having left school before the final battle. Being three years older than Ron she vaguely remembered the trio's escapades. Not that it mattered to her now. She was just happy to have found someone like Ron. She'd been so nervous when she'd asked him on a date and overly elated when he'd said yes. She knew Harry from work and quite liked how he'd matured over the years but she'd only heard of Hermione in passing or overheard the boys talking of her from time to time.

"Yeah," Ron blushed softly before wrapping his arm around her waist. He shifted more to look into the living room his shoulders tensing slightly at the sight inside.

Hermione was laid out on the couch, her head resting on the arm, her nose pressed slightly into the back of it. A blanket was tangled at her legs, as though she'd kicked it off during her sleep. A book rested on her chest, one hand along the spine the other over her stomach. Every so often her arms would twitch and flex, as though she were being shocked by an unseen force. Ron had seen and felt it loads of times when they had dated those brief few months.

He had tried to tell her she did it in her sleep but she'd never believed him. Even refused to go see a healer about the condition. It was one of the many things they had argued about. What had worried him so much about it had been when she'd held her breath in her sleep as though she was bracing herself against something. Or like she was under a residual curse. It had both confused and worried him to no end, though Hermione had very strongly told him to let it go, seeing it again after so much time had passed brought up the same worry all over again.

"Is she shivering?" Malenda whispered innocently.

"Yeah, maybe..." Ron didn't want to share Hermione's secret, it didn't feel right, "But we can't light the fire."

Malenda had already pulled out her wand to do so her brows raising when Ron gently pushed it down, "Why not?"

Ron's lips went tight before he lightly tapped his fingers into the doorway, a small vibration of magic revealing itself, "She's warded it."

Malenda's brows rose near her dark hairline, "Why...?"

"It's a habit of hers. Come on...my room's upstairs." Ron dragged his eyes from Hermione's sleeping form, absolutely astounded that their whispered voices hadn't woken her. Whatever she had been up late doing must have worn her out so completely that her heightened sense of hearing was dulled. Never a good sign in his book, she was either going to wake up cranky or overly focused neither one were particularly pleasant versions of the brunette.

By the time they'd reached the floor with Ron's room, another door was very slowly opening. Harry was slipping himself out of his own room. Hair an absolute mess and his sleeping pants on backward. He'd almost not seen Ron at all as whatever was in his room was seemingly more important than his surroundings. When he did lift his head and made eye contact with the pair at the end of the hall all he could manage to mumble in his embarrassing state was the need for the loo. To which he hastily moved across the hall and disappeared inside.

"Well, that's an image that's going to linger." Malenda teased her eyes comically wide, "Does everyone in your house sneak about?"

Ron's ears were red not just from the teasing but for the reason Harry most likely was skulking about. The image of something most unpleasant flashed through his mind making him grimace in disgust, "Not usually..." His brain took a few ticks to process the rest of her words and when he did he playfully furrowed his brows, "Hey... The only thing in your mind should be me."

Malenda couldn't help but chuckle more and run her fingers through Ron's messy hair, "Maybe you should show me again?" She pressed herself into his side, "So I don't forget?"

Her playful teasing removed any worry from Ron and he found himself happily locked in a rather pleasurable kiss. A soft hum left his throat when they parted, only glancing briefly at Harry who was scuttling back into his room before his eyes were completely taken in by the soft blue in front of him, "That can easily be arranged."

He spoke while opening his own door, gently pulling Malenda inside before locking and warding it. It would seem his plans to get decent for the day were to be postponed.

oOo

Hermione groaned softly, the chiming of the grandfather clock reverberating like a gong between her ears. Her arm came up to cover her face and press her ears further into the couch, the throb of a growing headache matching the chime signaling mid-day.

With as much poise as one could muster on only four hours of sleep, Hermione pushed herself up into a seated position letting her feet fall heavily to the floor. She groaned softly rubbing at her face, her entire body ached from lack of proper sleep and the lumpy couch. She hated falling asleep downstairs it always left her feeling on edge as though her body wasn't able to fully fall asleep in such an open space.

A deep yawn shook her frame and brought tears to her eyes. Absently she pulled her wand from her sleeve, her arm sore from where it had pressed into her, and casually lowered the wards she'd placed the night before.  With a ruffle to her hair, she pushed herself up to make her way to the kitchen only pausing long enough to remove the holster on her arm. She blindly tossed it down on the coffee table before shuffling her way down the hall.

"She lives." Ginny chuckled from the stove, properly showered and dressed for the day, her bright smile of a woman thoroughly shagged making Hermione groan and rest her head down on the table, "Tea or Coffee?"

Hermione rolled her forehead on the wood before wrapping her arms to cradle her pulsing skull, "Coffee."

"Ah, long night?" Ginny turned on the percolator leaning back against the counter to take her friend in.

"Not as long as yours I assume." Hermione snorted to her own words finally pulling her head up.

"Mmm, but much more pleasurable. What time did you even get in?" Ginny turned to get some cups from the cupboard.

"Midnight...I think..." Hermione couldn't have been sure how long she'd stayed beside Eileen's grave only that she had told her everything she had known. It had been cathartic in a way but exceptionally emotionally draining. She hadn't even realized how late she'd stayed out until she'd dragged herself home. Her mind much too busy to fall asleep straight away, she'd started and nearly finished the book Luna had loaned her.

"They worked you that late? On a Saturday?" Ginny squeaked obviously upset by the notion. Her brows rose to her hairline as she poured Hermione's coffee turning back to add milk and sugar.

"Oh, heavens no." Hermione took the cup offered to her pausing in her tale to let the heat run through her body, "I was done with that within an hour." She made a small face not at the coffee but at the memory.

"Well, that's good." Ginny pulled the beans from the stovetop pouring some onto the toast she'd made earlier, she motioned to Hermione if she wanted some but the elder woman declined, "So what did you do for the rest of the day?" Ginny sat down giving Hermione a good once over, her head tilting to try and catch the woman's eyes.

"Well...this and that..." Hermione wasn't sure if Harry had told her anything and honestly she presently didn't feel like getting into her latest obsession, "Research mostly."

"Ah...that explains it. But why did you sleep on the couch? Surely my charms worked." Ginny took a bite of her food watching the emotions shift on her friend's face.

"It wasn't you guys, honestly. I was just so tired when I got home I just wanted to read and fall asleep." Hermione gave Ginny's worry a dismissive wave before taking another drink of her coffee, "The book Luna gave me is really fascinating."

"Yeah, what's it about?"

"It's mainly the manipulation and preservation of memories. The various ways they can be stored and the like." Hermione sat up a bit straighter the coffee finally getting her engines going, "Did you know you can turn journals into pensives?"

"Well yeah, kind of I mean." Ginny waffled her fork, "Riddle kind of did that to me in what my first year?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, no that was a possessed book, a Horcrux. What I'm talking about is something so much more complex. Like...you could literally have a movie of your entire life hidden away in pages of a journal."

"Okay...?" Ginny tried to understand the difference but decided to let Hermione just get on with it, "But isn't that what pensives are for already?"

"Yes of course but with the journals you can hide multiple memories away at once without the need for vials to store them." Hermione shifted a bit, obviously awake now "You could create something to pass on to your children, let them see things first hand and not just through hand me down stories."

"Okay, I see your point. So how does one accomplish something like that? Surely it's not easy or everyone would be doing it." Ginny took another bite.

"That you are most correct about. It takes immense concentration and skill. Though if you were to master it, the actual process of putting the memories in the journals is comically simple." Hermione paused to take another sip of her coffee, "All you need is a pensive infused journal, a quill designed to hold memory, and the ability to write your thoughts clearly."

Ginny snorted and grinned looking up at Hermione through her lashes, "Oh yes, quite simple."

Hermione glowered at her teasing tone before rolling her eyes, "Alright fine. Not simple but learnable."

"I concede. Is this what your latest project is then? Cataloging your memories?" Ginny watched her friend closely, there was always a reason behind Hermione's relentless pursuits of magic, even though she wasn't always too keen on divulging the purpose.

"In a manner of speaking," Hermione was saved from explaining herself any further as Harry came into the kitchen with a soft smile on his face, "That's my cue."

Hermione pushed herself up not wanting to be the third wheel on their afterglow session. She took her coffee with her and started towards the stairs. A hot shower sounded really nice but when she got to the landing someone else had beaten her to it, it wasn't Ron as he'd seen him slip back into his room just as she'd gotten to the top of the stairs. A sour look came to her face as she slipped into the safe space of her room. When had their house turned into a 'Love Hotel' ? Sheesh.

Downstairs Harry looked to Ginny completely confused by Hermione's exit, "What did I do?"

Ginny smirked and shook her head, "Nothing, she slept on the couch last night." Ginny scraped her plate taking the last bite, "Her mind's probably doing everything it can not to imagine us shagging."

"Ginny!" Harry's voice squeaked his eyes wide. His girlfriend simply laughed at him and turned to face him, "How could she not know she basically left us the entire house for the night. What else were we going to do? Play exploding snaps?"

Harry shook his head with a blush that ran to his ears. He came closer running his arms down Ginny's shoulders to rest his chin on her head, "Still...don't you think it's a little...I don't know the word for it, rude almost?"

"How do you mean?" Ginny shifted her head to try and look at him properly.

"I don't know...I sort of feel like she's being pushed away somehow...like..." His brows furrowed as he tried to express himself clearly, "Like we're all happy and found someone and she hasn't."

"Maybe she doesn't want anyone?" Ginny knew it didn't feel right when she said it.

"I don't know...she hasn't been looking but I mean..." Harry sighed and pulled himself up and towards the stove his stomach growling, "She's always so busy or in her own head." He put some toast into the toaster, "I think if someone did fancy her they'd have to be extremely special."

"Or just smack her on the head to get her attention." Ginny chuckled, "But I get your point. She doesn't really seem to be trying. Do you think we should help her out?"

Harry shrugged, it was always complicated with Hermione, especially as of late. She had steadily become more withdrawn and it was rather difficult to predict what reaction one would get half of the time. He worried that he'd done something to upset her but she hadn't said a thing to him about it. He was very certain if he were to blame he would have known about it.

"Help who out?" Ron had appeared now, Malenda at his side both freshly washed and dressed.

"Hermione," Ginny said plainly waving slightly to Malenda who shyly waved back.

"With what?" Ron gently led Malenda to one of the table chairs kissing her temple before going to get them some tea. The elder woman blushed softly as she felt terribly out of place in a seemingly private conversation among best friends.

"Ginny is under the impression that Hermione needs a boyfriend," Harry said as he passed the kettle to Ron.

"A boyfriend?" His brows rose for a moment unsure how exactly to respond to that given his girlfriend was present at the table.

Harry hummed taking his tea to the table sitting next to Ginny. He smiled at Malenda who bashfully smiled back, "This is my girlfriend, Ginny."

"Nice to properly meet you." Ginny offered her hand which Malenda took gently.

"Same." Malenda relaxed visibly.

Ron came back to her side sitting down two cups of tea, "She's the medic for our team, wonderfully brilliant." Ron kissed her cheek once more, "Can't be any luckier."

"Brave too, considering she fell for you." Ginny teased earning her a kick under the table from her brother. Her response was to kick him back though much harder making him squeak.

Malenda glanced down at Ron who was rubbing his leg; the man just gave her a lopsided grin, "She's my sister. Don't mind her."

Malenda nodded slightly shaking her head, "I see."

"Where is Hermione anyway?" Ron mumbled adding some sugar to his tea.

"Upstairs." Ginny said with a small sigh, "Grabbed a cup of coffee, and poof she was gone."

"Well, do you think she'd want to come shopping with us today?" Harry asked having not seen what sort of mood she had been in, though starting her day with coffee versus tea was never a promising sign.

"Probably not," Ginny half sighed, "She seemed really into whatever research she's doing on pensives."

"Pensives?" Malenda's eyes widened slightly, "My great great grandmother helped invent the potion used in them. Not the original ones of course but the newer ones that you can buy for your personal use."

"Really?" Ron gawked, "That's amazing."

"I guess...but I mean I don't know much about them but my mum might have some books lying about." Malenda looked between the small group. She had desperately wanted to meet Hermione, her prowess at the ministry had turned a lot of heads. She seemed to be on the fast track for something absolutely brilliant, a wonderful ally to have indeed.

"Hermione would love that," Ron said with a smile, pulling Malenda closer so happy that she was his to call his own.

Malenda smiled softly and nodded her head, "I'll see what I can do."

Meanwhile, upstairs Hermione was sitting back in front of her desk. Though unbelievably fatigued she found herself using the knowledge she'd just obtained last night to look back through Eileen's journals. Having learned the spell to stop the books from automatically pulling her in, she was now thumbing through the pages at her leisure. It was then she realized how much she would have missed had she not learned to control the spell bewitching the book.

There was almost an entire textbook worth of information on modified potions. How she'd managed to alter them to be safe for muggles or changed their presentation to have more desired effects. She was frighteningly brilliant in her theories, who knows what good she may have accomplished had she not fled the magical world. The revelation tasted bitter in her mouth and she found herself setting the books aside to examine Snape's.

She pulled over a small beautiful leather-bound journal first, it was heavily worn, the pages somewhat crinkled at the edges from overuse. She was rather curious as to what could have been inside to have left it so used. A small tap and spell to the binding of the book should have removed any chance of the book automatically pulling her in, though still new to it she hadn't realized the spell did not work at all.

"What...?" Hermione felt a line of fear trace its way down her now erect spine. Her eyes went wide as she flipped the pages in the completely blank journal. She feared the worst for a moment thinking she had somehow ruined the magic with her spell before slowly realizing that this must have been a different type of journal. A more...complex version of what she had been seeing previously as she could feel the magic inside it when her fingers touched the worn pages.

It had been the chapter just before she'd fallen asleep. It was a little hazy to remember the details, she most certainly would have to read that section again. With a soft sigh of annoyance having realized she'd left the book downstairs, she pushed herself up from the desk. Unfortunately, she'd used the hand with which she held her wand and when the tip it pressed into the pages a bright white light stole away her vision.

A cacophony of sound assaulted her next and she found herself on her knees clutching desperately at her ears to muffle it as best she could. Her wand no longer with her in the place she'd found herself. When the noise and the light beyond her closed eyes faded, she very hesitantly cracked her eyes to find nothing but an abyss of darkness. The only thing giving her any bearing at all was the pressure against her legs from her collapsed position.

With great trepidation she pushed herself up, her dilated eyes staring at the pure blackness. In a blink a light appeared, causing her to jump. It was a sort of cone shape like one would find from a street lamp in the darkest of nights though held no source. Another blink and the light appeared much closer, only a few meters away.

Unwilling to blink again, her eyes went wide when slowly a dark shape formed from the abyss. There was no sound accompanying the movement, as though it formed purely from the darkness itself. Unable to stop herself she blinked once more, the shape now perfectly defined, leaving her breath stuck in her chest.

"Sn-ape?"