After a fair bit of the late morning spent lobbing ideas back and forth on how they were to spend their day at Hogwarts (since anything academically productive was banned from even being discussed), the quartet ended up wandering the castle. It was the only thing they could settle on without someone being excluded.

But as it happened, just meandering through the school ended up being rather informative. They were able to do an improvised roll-call of the teachers and students who were staying over the Christmas holiday at Hogwarts. That was useful information. After everything Harry and Hermione had been through, they began to look at everything for how it could be considered useful information. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Pomfrey were already confirmed presences within the familiar walls, but after walking around the halls they were able to add Snape, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Sprout to the list of professors spending their holiday at the school. Naturally, some were more welcome sights than others, but even knowing that Snape was there could end up being useful. Most of the professors they saw were passing figures, more apt to be in their private rooms or socializing with one another if not expected to be teaching, but the four friends did spend a couple of hours at Hagrid's visiting and bringing him to speed on everything that had happened in the past few days. The enormous groundskeeper was almost apoplectic about what had happened to Harry's family and he was downright aggrieved for the Grangers having to leave their homes for their own safety, but beyond that it was nice to sit down and chat with Hagrid.

Of the other students staying the Christmas holiday at Hogwarts, their own house seemed to be scantily represented, though that small number looked to be representative of the trend in each of the houses for each of the years. Whereas last Christmas most everyone had stayed at school because of the tournament, this year's Christmas crowd was dismally small. The corridors were largely empty, but it made keeping track of whom among their same house, same year was spending the holiday at Hogwarts much easier.

Of course, Hermione's roommate Lavender was there, and her decision to stay the Christmas holiday at the school became a lot clearer when it turned out Oliver Wood was at Hogwarts, too. Ginny, who had kept her ear pressed to the rumor mill far more than the trio, did say that the pair seemed to be getting pretty serious. Serious enough for both to sacrifice Christmas with their families so they could be together. Passing the library they spotted Ravenclaw Anthony Goldstein catching up on some recreational reading, and at lunch they saw Hannah Abbot sitting with some fellow Hufflepuffs, though Hufflepuffs in the year ahead of their own. Kevin Whitly waved at them once in the hallways, possibly on his way to the bath if the bundle under his arm should prove to be a towel and robe. No one was happy to see that Draco Malfoy was also at Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday, but on the upside there was no sign of his mentally challenged henchmen Crabbe and Goyle. That would have to make the Slytherin snob more bearable.

After lunch, while Ron and Ginny were unpacking their things, Harry and Hermione went up to the owlery to visit Hedwig, who was very happy to see Harry and gave his ear an affectionate nibble. The snowy owl even gave Hermione a little nip on the finger when Hermione reached out to stroke her soft breast feathers.

A stop at Dumbledore's office yielded no further information about the Death Eaters who had attacked the Dursleys and killed Dudley, and in fact the headmaster confessed he was skeptical that anything would be found. From all indications, the Death Eaters who left the Dursley house and family in such ruins had been too mindful of themselves to leave behind anything that might allow the ministry to track them back to their lord. There was still the possibility something would turn up that had escaped notice before, but Dumbledore didn't peg too much hope on that. Needless to say, Dumbledore had not been encouraged by the continued lack of fruitful reports from the Aurors on the site of the attack. It was disheartening, but not wholly unexpected. Voldemort had evaded capture for eleven years before he was bested by a special baby, and it was fair to assume that that incident had taught him a lesson or two on caution. Voldemort wasn't dangerous because he was stupid.

On their way back from Dumbledore's, Harry and Hermione met Ron and Ginny in the corridor just as the Weasleys were off to the owlery to write their mother a letter to assure her that everyone was fine and safe and that she could stop her worrying (for what good it would do). Hermione begged off a second trek to the blustery cold owl tower in favor of the library… Harry opted to go with her rather than with Ron and Ginny. They stopped over at the Gryffindor tower so Hermione could get her things and they spent easily three hours in the library. With the castle so sparsely populated they took the liberty of slightly transfiguring one of the wood-backed chairs into a wide, comfy armchair that they squeezed on to together. With Madam Pince counted among those teachers not staying over the holiday at Hogwarts there wasn't much chance they'd be caught. Hermione ended up partially on Harry's lap while she thumbed through the big cat book he'd given her for Christmas, and Harry was content to spend the rest of the evening cooped up in the library, so long as Hermione didn't want to change their seating arrangements. He even managed to learn a few things, though he discovered that he tended to remember more about the lions than, say, the tigers or cougars.

The four friends met back up at dinner, Ron and Ginny red-faced and breathless from a quick kip over to the Quidditch pitch for a bit of airborne fun and Harry and Hermione straight from the library. Ron stated in no uncertain terms that Harry was expected and ordered to join him out on the pitch some time soon, the cold be damned. He hardly had to twist Harry's arm to get him to promise to cede to his demands. All in all, things were getting back to a state of normalcy, or as normal as things could get given the circumstances.

After dinner they congregated in the Gryffindor common room. When they first got back to the room they found Oliver and Lavender sitting close together on the couch in front of the fireplace, but once the older couple had company they got up to excuse themselves and made for the portrait hole. As Lavender was passing by Hermione, Hermione caught her arm to stop her. The older girl looked curiously at Hermione as she leaned in and said softly, "Harry and I transfigured one of the library chairs this afternoon so it's really cozy and fits two nicely."

Lavender beamed. "Thanks, Hermione." Shortly, they had the common room to themselves.

Ron looked after Oliver and Lavender while Ginny disappeared, dashing up the stairs to her dorm room. "Well, why'd they up and leave like that?" Ron asked.

Hermione snorted. "Honestly, Ron, even you can't be that dense. It's obvious they wanted to be alone. And the four of us come barging in… not very romantic."

Ron's face screwed as he thought on that.

Harry led Hermione over to the now vacant couch and pulled Hermione down to sit next to him. Hermione put aside her bag on the cushion space to her right and snuggled into Harry's side, her legs tucked up so her feet were practically under her bum. Their locked hands, fingers entwined, were resting atop Harry's thigh.

Ron eyed them as he came around to the sitting area. "I see the lack of privacy doesn't stop you two."

"Well, we don't know exactly what Oliver and Lavender were about to do when we busted in," Hermione countered. "Might be they had a bit more than just snuggling in mind."

Before Ron could spout a rejoinder to that Ginny came bounding down the stairs to her girls' dorm room with a letter in hand. Ron went over to the armchair beside the couch and dropped down into it. Ginny lay down on the rug on her stomach right in front of the fire and opened her letter.

"What have you got there?" Ron asked with a nod toward the note.

"It's an owl post from Seamus I got right before we came back to Hogwarts; I haven't had a chance to read it yet," Ginny answered easily as she smiled and read the letter, her feet swinging in the air behind her.

"Ugh… Ginny… what do you see in that bloke?" Ron groaned.

Ginny sent her brother a scowl. "Seamus is a really great guy, and a year ago, before I fancied him, you would have agreed with me."

"Sure, he's a good laugh, but he's not nearly good enough to be dating my little sister."

Ginny went from glowering to smiling. "Ron, that was slightly sweet of you to say."

"Well, he's not," Ron grumbled, then he came to greater attention and turned to look toward Harry. "How did we both end up having this conversation?"

Harry chuckled. "I don't know."

Ginny turned a puzzled look to Harry. "You talked to someone about Seamus not being good enough for me?" She looked slightly wounded by the thought, as though she'd counted on having Harry and Hermione on her side in this Seamus battle. Hermione was a bit curious herself; she'd never heard Harry say he actually disapproved of Ginny dating Seamus, much less any clue as to with whom he might have been discussing it.

Harry gave a wry half-smile. "No, ah, actually, I kind of told Ron that he wasn't good enough for Hermione."

Hermione fought a smile, because Ron was in the room and his feelings had to be considered. Still, she'd never heard this story before. "You did?"

Harry glanced at her and barely blushed. "Uh… yeah. Back when we had that big row."

"He screamed it at me, actually, right before he busted out those windows." Ron gave a self-deprecating chortle, ready to have a good laugh about the whole situation when it had not been the least bit amusing at the time. "But then, he fancied himself the only one fit enough for you even then, back when the two of you were being daft about it all."

Ginny grunted agreement.

Hermione almost giggled and traced the fingertips of her free hand up Harry's forearm. He shivered and she grinned at what her merest touch could do to him. "We were daft."

"I didn't fancy myself fit for Hermione," Harry argued to Ron's remark, "I still don't."

"Honestly?" Hermione asked, slightly taken aback by Harry's words. He'd said as much to her at Christmas, of course, but still an insecure part of her found it hard to believe that Harry would think himself unworthy of her. When it was the complete opposite if it was anything. She realized, as she looked at him, that she'd truly thought the conversation they'd had at her grandmother's would banish any notion of the sort from his mind. The idea that Harry Potter wasn't good enough for plain Hermione Granger… their one talk should have been plenty enough to set him straight on the matter. After all, it shouldn't take much to make one see something glaringly obvious… if it was the truth.

Harry looked at her, almost stunned that she could think otherwise. "Do you even have to ask? Come on, Hermione, you're, well… you're amazing. I'm not nearly fit for you, you know I believe that, and to be honest I'm a bit worried one day you'll figure that out." The underlying distress in his tone said the rest that he had not vocalized… that he was scared Hermione would 'come to her senses' and leave him.

In that moment, her love for him was all-consuming, even as it burned and compelled her to stop the ache that his fears made them share. Hermione leaned in and kissed Harry on the cheek in an effort to allay his concerns. "One, there's no chance of that happening. And two, if either of us is 'dating above their station' so to say, it's me."

Harry made a sour face.

Hermione just shrugged in a helpless gesture of apology and affection. She saw no reason to pursue the subject further. They'd been over this ground before, Harry knew she saw him as more than she justly deserved by all rights, and it seemed neither would be so easily dissuaded from their convictions by a few words to the contrary. She knew she still held to her prior beliefs, and Harry had just confirmed he did the same.

Ginny sat up and crossed her legs. "Truthfully," she mused aloud, "most of the wizarding world would agree with Hermione on that one. Not me, of course, so don't go taking that the wrong way, Hermione, I mean in the eyes of the rest of the wizarding world…"

Hermione waved it off without offense; she knew what Ginny meant and that she wasn't speaking for herself when she reflected on the public view of Harry. Being the girlfriend of a famous young man, Hermione was pretty well acclimated to disassociating private Harry from public Harry Potter and how she related to each in the mass's eyes.

"But to be fair, Hermione does have an impossible task in that. I'm not sure who the public would see as being a fit match for Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived."

"But that's not me," Harry insisted, rather vehemently to Hermione's slightly startled surprise. "That whole Boy Who Lived stuff is rubbish. All of it. All those things people say about the famous Harry Potter, it's about a person who doesn't exist. If they knew me at all, the real me, they'd never question whether Hermione was good enough. Never."

There was a very simple solution to the dilemma, in Hermione's mind. "Let them have the famous Harry Potter," she said gently to calm him, "he makes little difference. I'm in love with the real Harry, and as long as I have him I'm happy," 'and lucky' she thought additionally to herself, "and everyone else in the wizarding world can sod off."

Harry took a measured breath and looked at her, searching her face for the truth of her assertion. Hermione smiled to show him she meant it and tracked her fingers once again up his forearm, ending her traveling hand's journey by curling it around his upper arm and giving him a miniature hug.

The flicker of panic and distress left his eyes and he almost smiled.

"Do I need to remind you two that some of us just ate?" Ron broke into their moment with a whine.

Hermione loosened her hold on Harry's arm and looked toward Ron. Ginny was casting her brother a scathing look for his intrusion on Harry and Hermione's 'moment'. "You have to be about the most intolerable git in the universe. You keep on like that and you're likely to die a lonely old man."

"Hey, I'm sure there are plenty of girls who can appreciate a no-frills straight-talker, someone who's a real 'what you see is what you get' bloke," Ron protested. "That'll be the type of girl for Ronald Weasley. No games or riddles or sap. Surely those kinds of girls exist." Ron's certainty wavered. "Right?"

Ginny took pity on her older brother. "Somewhere, probably. Best of luck with that."

"As I don't have any big brother hang-ups, I imagine it's all right for me to say that I think you and Seamus make a wonderful couple," Hermione said to Ginny.

Ginny smiled brightly. "Thanks, Hermione."

Ron looked at Hermione as though betrayed. He touched his chest with one hand. "That hurt," he said tragically, though there was a faint hint of teasing in his voice. Ron looked next at Harry. "Come on, Harry, back me up here. Tell Ginny what a wanker Seamus is."

Harry looked between Ron, Ginny, and then Hermione, each in turn watching him for his response, and finally Harry said, "I'm going to have to abstain on this one."

Ron narrowed his eyes at Harry, again with that trace of humor in his tone, "Traitor."

Ginny looked pleased as she turned back to reading her letter.

Hermione chuckled, drew her hand out of Harry's, and pulled out the Everything Fact Book on Big Cats from her bag. She dragged it up into her lap, her bookmark wedged in the chapter about lions. She opened the book to her marked place and idly studied the pictures and their accompanying captions.

"Do not tell me that's a book for class," Ron wailed.

Hermione smiled and looked up. "No, it's a Christmas present from Harry." She picked it up so Ron could see the cover. Ron's expression changed at once. "Ahhhh… good one, Harry."

"Did you two get anything good for Christmas?" Hermione asked as she set the book down in her lap again. Surely Christmas apart from the disruption courtesy of Voldemort (which presents bought well before the incident would have to be) would be a safe, enjoyable topic of conversation for everyone present.

Ginny looked up from her letter and beamed. "I did! I got this outfit fashioned after the clothes that the witch dragon-keepers wear when they're not on the job. It's really wicked! Made of dragon leather and snug and very flattering. It's the only gift I got this year, aside the standard sweater Mum made; everyone in the family had to pitch in to buy it for me, but I absolutely love it. I can't wait for Seamus to see it."

"If Seamus sees you in that outfit I really will have to hurt him, Ginny," Ron stated. When Ginny threw him a dark look Ron held up his hands helplessly. "I'm just saying, if he sees you in that he'll pay for it with pain."

"How about you, Ron?" Hermione asked before the siblings could start in on another fight.

"Yeah, I got a new broom from Cousin Wulgrig! The man might stink, but at least he gives good presents. It's just a Cleansweep, nothing new or anything, but it was a better model than my old broom and it has my name engraved on the handle."

"What about you, Harry? What did you get?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, and remind me later Mum made a sweater for you, too," Ron tossed in then gave a wave for Harry to go on with answering Ginny's question.

"Uh… well, I got a football from Jake. And, uh…" Harry started to blush. Hermione, too, started to color when it became obvious of which present Harry was thinking.

"What?" Ginny asked eagerly, catching on to the fact that this was going to be something really interesting from her friends' reactions.

"Do I really have to say?" Harry groaned. "It's horribly embarrassing."

Ron's curiosity was piqued now, too. "Can't be that bad. What did you get?"

Harry slouched where he sat, dejected in defeat. "Gram got me a… box of condoms."

Ron and Ginny stared blankly at Harry. "What are condoms?" Ginny eventually asked.

Harry looked imploringly to Hermione, leaving it to her to explain. She blushed a new shade of scarlet and made a face when Ron and Ginny looked at her. "Well… they're… you see, muggles can't cast a contraceptive charm when they have sex, so to prevent unwanted pregnancy muggles use condoms." She stopped to clear her throat. "They're, uh… little rubber bags a bloke puts on his… you know."

It took all of two seconds to click. Then Ron began to laugh raucously. Ginny joined him a second later. Ron hooted and cackled and laughed until he was holding his sides in pain. "Oh! That's… muggles! That's a greatlaugh. Dad would die laughing if he knew about condoms!" He wiped his eyes and said through his laughter, "Have you got them here, Harry? Let's have a look at them."

Harry paled. "I most certainly will not!"

Ginny, in a fit of giggles, said, "Oh, really, Harry, we don't want to see you model one, but… come on! Little… rubber…" she burst into peals of laughter that robbed her of speech.