"You're lucky I love you."
The words had definitely slipped out, made even more apparent by the way her hand jumped to her mouth, her eyes went wide.
'I- I didn't-'
But the response came easily to Lucifer.
He'd known he felt this way for a while. This was more than just a crush.
More than just someone he liked.
This was a girl, the girl, that he would stay with for as long as they both could.
"I love you too."
Hermione's hand drifted slowly away from her mouth, her face was difficult to read and for a few moments.
Lucifer thought he'd messed up. Then she threw herself at him and almost sent both of them crashing down to the floor.
She would have done it if not for the fence surrounding the shack.
Lucifer managed to catch it and prop himself up against it.
"I've almost said that to you so many times. Like that time in the library when I got annoyed at Palmistry..."
"I figured so, especially with how you hid your face. But I didn't want to force you into anything."
"You could have said something instead of letting me worry about it!" Hermione cried loudly.
"You mean like you did last year?"
Hermione glared at him, and then her face cracked into a happy smile and she pulled herself back in against his chest.
'Well then, let me do it properly this time. I love you, Lucifer."
"I love you too, Hermione."
The two stayed like that for a few more minutes before Lucifer broke the silence.
"Always the shack."
xxxxxx
"Hello, is anybody there?"
"Sorry?" Hermione blinked her eyes twice, then stared at Lucifer's face with a question mark.
"You got crashed....Well, how about we visit somewhere else?"
"....Right." They made their way back down the hill about five minutes later, Hermione still in a daze as she walked.
They re-entered the high street and began to make their way up towards Dervish and Banges, Hermione wanted to see if they had anymore planners for future years as the one Lucifer had gotten her was proving useful, when they saw Ron walking alone towards the Post Office.
Or seemingly alone.
The dull pulse that wracked Lucifer's brain said otherwise.
She simply shook hef head and the two of them pressed on.
Whilst Dervish and Banges didn't have any more of the planners readily available, they were able to put in a request for one and the shop keep assured them that they would be willing to hold onto it until the next time they could visit Hogsmeade, even if that wasn't until the following year.
They made a stop at Honeydukes now that they knew Ron and Harry had already left and picked up the bits for themselves, Ginny and Luna as per usual.
They stopped at Zonko's joke shop afterwards.
"I'm surprised you never buy more when we're in here," Hermione said as they perused the shelves. "They all seem like your style."
'Whilst they are-' Lucifer said as he investigated a small box of nose-biting teacups, '-they're a little bit too flashy for me. Words and tricks are more my style. This level of stuff is for the twins. But there's always something good around if you dig deep enough."
Following this, the duo made their way towards the Three Broomsticks and settled themselves in.
"It's especially wonderful in the Winter, because it'll warm you right up," Hermione said and told him to go sit down and that she'd get the Butterbeers for them.
She walked up to the counter where Rosmerta was standing, "Good afternoon, Madam Rosmerta."
"Good afternoon, what can I get for you?" She asked.
"Two Butterbeers please?" Hermione asked.
Rosmerta glanced over at the table that Lucifer was sitting at, "Of course," she gave Hermione a subtle wink.
When she came back with them, Hermione was about to pay, but Rosmerta stopped her, "For this one time, consider it on the House."
Hermione picked up on what she was getting at and she was sure her cheeks were pink.
"Th-Thank you," she took the mugs back to Lucifer, face surely still pink.
A thought crossed Lucifer's mind, taking his sip, "I hate to put a damper on things... but how do you think the trial went?"
"I hope it went well..." Hermione said, having a bad feeling that it didn't.
"Yeah... there's still the appeal if it didn't... but the question is, will they care?"
"I don't know..." Hermione didn't like the situation at all.
Whilst the weather wasn't unpleasant for the day, there was still something warming about sitting in a corner booth.
Butterbeer on the table in front of him and Hermione leaning her head on his shoulder as she flicked idly through her Rune translations.
"I hope this never ends," She said idly as she drummed her fingers against the table.
"Hmmm?"
"This," Hermione said, gesturing at her head on his shoulder. "It's like a dream come true, if you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be sitting in Hogsmeade with you as my boyfriend three years from now I'd have called you crazy. Especially after I met you. Didn't think I'd stand a chance."
Lucifer gave a warm smile and kissed her on the forehead.
"Well, it's very real. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you chase me off."
"Well then you're staying for a very long time," Hermione said, her eyes roaming the bar.
Before Lucifer could respond, he noticed an Owl arrived and dropped a letter off to Hermione, "It's from Hagrid!" she exclaimed.
Lucifer could also see that, "What does it say?" He asked as she tore into it and quickly read it.
She began to tear up, "Hagrid lost his case... Buckbeak he-" she got choked up and couldn't say more.
He also took a small glance, "He's going to be executed?" couldn't believe it, "Damn Lucius Malfoy..."
Hermione was crying at this point, "Why?"
"Because the Malfoy's are spiteful of Hagrid, of Dumbledore, and of Hogwarts... I've got some reading to do in the first month of Summer Break," Lucifer said, they both decided to return to Hogwarts for the day.
"What kind of reading?" Hermione asked him, her eyes red from crying, eyes still leaking.
"Any book I can about the Ministry... They are bound to have books on Voldemort and his followers as well," Lucifer had a vengeful look in his eyes.
The rest of the walk was spent in silence as they trudged back to Hogwarts.
They got back to Gryffindor Tower, Lucifer keeping his eye on the Security Trolls, and both sat in the Common Room.
Hermione was about to write a response to Hagrid when the Portrait hole opened again, and in walked Harry and Ron.
Hermione stood up, letter in hand, and walked up to them.
"Come to have a good gloat?" Ron asked with a sneer, "Or have you been to tell McGonagall on us?"
Lucifer stood up, watching them closely, "No," he heard Hermione say, "I just thought you ought to know... Hagrid lost his case... Buckbeak is going to be executed..."
She handed the letter to them and Harry took it, "They can't do this, they can't! Buckbeak isn't dangerous!"
"Malfoy's dad frightened the Committee into it," Hermione said and wiped her eyes of the tears that had appeared.
"You know what he's like... they're a bunch of Doddery Old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, there always is. Only, I can't see any hope in it... nothing will have changed..."
"Yeah, it will," Ron said fiercely, "You and Lucifer won't have to do all of the work this time, I'll help!"
Hermione gave him a look of contempt, her tears now seemed to have made a halt, "Y-You only decided to help, because it was Malfoy? Isn't that so, Ronald?!"
She really understood, this boy had no intention of helping. Just didn't want a prick like Malfoy to make trouble for Hagrid.
He obviously didn't care before!
Ron looked over at Lucifer a moment, and was met with a glare, "L-Lucifer, I-I'm sorry... I've been a right prat."
"Yeah, you have," Lucifer walked up behind Hermione's left shoulder, "but it's not me you need to apologize to."
Ron turned to Hermione, "Hermione, I am really sorry for saying all of those nasty things, and treating you so badly...if not for Crookshanks eating Scabbers, I wouldn't have don-"
"I-I think, you should probably stop here Ron." Harry looked like he was trying to move past the hostilities, but ginger-head is going to ruin, if he goes any further.
"So... a-are we good?" Ron was looking at Lucifer when he asked.
He just glared at him a moment before talking, "I will tolerate you for now, Weasley."
"Eh, it's alright, I'm glad we can at least get to where we are," Ron managed a smile.
xxxxx
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