Eleanor found Harry alone in his room shortly after the fiasco between Snape and Sirius.

Eleanor had also wagered a guess that Harry had just told Ron and Hermione about his private Occlumency lessons with Snape for Ron had come down the stairs looking quite horrified and telling Hermione he'd refused point blank to do it if he were Harry.

Eleanor knocked gently on the door before entering the bedroom. Harry was sat on his bed with his head in his hands but looked up once Eleanor entered. He smiled weakly.

"You okay?" Eleanor asked as she came and sat down next to Harry, after closing the door quietly behind her.

"Not really," Harry admitted with a sigh as he rested his head on Eleanor's shoulder. Eleanor raised her hand and began to run her hand through his raven hair soothingly. "I'm not looking forward to going back. I'd rather be staying here."

Eleanor nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not surprised," she said. "Hogwarts has been a giant shitshow this year." A moment passed. "But then again, it has been ever since I met you."

Harry mustered a small laugh. "Yeah," He agreed. "I'll give you that."

Harry sat up suddenly, letting out a groan of frustration. "I've got nothing to be going back for! No Quidditch, I'll be going back to Umbridge who no doubt has probably created another dozen Educational Degrees for us all. If it weren't for the D.A. I wouldn't be going back at all."

Eleanor was watching Harry closely and was unsure what to say for a while. It was hard to understand how Harry was feeling when she was a Muggle and hadn't witnessed first hand the goings on at Hogwarts. She did know that the students had been less than kind to Harry all year, as well as Umbridge and the Quidditch ban, and the now added dread of Occlumency lessons with his least favourite teacher, it was no wonder he didn't want to go back.

"You have everything to be going back for," Eleanor said fiercely after a beat of silence in which Harry looked gloomily at his bed. He looked up at Eleanor in surprise. "Like you said, you have the D.A. in which you are purposely doing the one thing Umbridge is most afraid of. By going back you are ensuring that you are not letting Umbridge get to you because she would be all too happy if you refused to go back. You'd be playing right into her hands! By going back you are standing up for what you have been saying about Voldemort returning and showing the students that you will never waver in what you've been saying all along. By going back, although it might not feel it at the moment, you are returning to the one place you've been the most happy. By going back, you'll be returning home."

Harry stared at Eleanor for a moment and it seemed that Harry was unable of speech because he opened his mouth to speak but swallowed thickly instead.

He fell back on to his bed and Eleanor saw his eyes shining and filling with unshed tears. "I just don't think I can do it anymore." Harry's voice was barely a whisper.

Eleanor lay down next to Harry and curled up at his side. She grabbed his hand which she stroked with her thumb.

"I know it's hard," Eleanor said as she watched Harry. He turned his face directly to hers and Eleanor watched a single tear run down the side of his face. "But I know you can do this, Harry. If anyone is capable of getting through this, it's you."

Eleanor leaned over and brushed Harry's fringe away from his forehead. She placed a long kiss directly on his lightning bolt shaped scar. "I'll be with you along the way. I'm only ever a letter away, okay? You can call on me for anything. Heck, I'll Floo to Hogwarts and I'll knock out Umbridge as well as the entire population of Hogwarts if I have to, in order for you to be happy again."

Harry gave a small smile which Eleanor took as a victory. Harry wrapped his arms around Eleanor and pulled her closer. The two lay like that for some time, basking in each others company, neither one being the one wanting to pull away first. They both could've happily lay there forever.

>>>

The pair were still lying intertwined some time later. Eleanor could feel herself slipping into sleep. Her eyes were heavy and the sound of Harry's heartbeat underneath her as well as his breathing was lulling her into unconsciousness. She didn't think she's ever been so relaxed.

Just as she was about to give in and close her eyes, she heard Harry's voice which was barely a whisper. "Eleanor?"

Eleanor smiled slightly. Harry's chest rumbled underneath her when he talked. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

Harry's voice was so sincere and so concerned, it reminded Eleanor of when Josh was little and how he used to tell her he was scared of the thunderstorm raging on outside.

Eleanor lifted her head off Harry's chest and looked at him. He was staring right at her. Eleanor knew instantly that Harry was talking about the nightmare he had had.

"Of course," Eleanor said as she grabbed his hand. "I'm safe here and so are my family. We'll all be fine and this will pass eventually. So please stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

Eleanor smiled. "Okay."

She was just about to lie back down when she ran her thumb over Harry's hand, feeling rough skin and indentations.

Eleanor raised his hand to the light where she saw a white scar forming the words: I must not tell lies.

Eleanor felt anger and panic hit her all at once. She sat up straighter. Harry sat up also.

"What's this?" Eleanor's voice shook slightly. "Was it Umbridge?"

"It's nothing, El. Honest." Harry mumbled trying to pull his hand away.

"Is this what she does in those detentions? Is this what you meant by 'writing lines?'"

Harry looked Eleanor in the eyes and nodded slowly when he saw she was close to tears.

"That awful woman! How dare she! She-"

Harry cupped Eleanor's face. "Hey, it's fine. Look at me. El, look at me."

Eleanor looked at him. "I'm okay." Harry promised.

Eleanor was still angry. "Harry I love you, but you need to report this. It's-"

Harry's fingers slackened on Eleanor's face. He was staring at Eleanor, his face unreadable.

"You what-?" He trailed, incoherent.

Eleanor looked at Harry and knew what she had done. Realised what she had said. Harry's face was still unreadable.

And then Harry was kissing her and Eleanor was kissing back. Only this time they didn't stop.

>>>

The next morning Eleanor and Josh joined Harry, Hermione and Ron on their way down to the kitchen. When they entered the adults seemed to be mid-way through a whispered conversation, which stopped immediately as they saw everyone.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were to return to Hogwarts via the Knight Bus. Remus had the job of explaining to Josh exactly what the Knight Bus was and as soon as Josh found out, he begged Remus endlessly to go along for the ride.

"I'm afraid you can't, Josh." Remus said, looking slightly uncomfortable as the younger boy continued to pester.

"But why? I won't slow you down. I'll do as I'm told, I promise!" Josh's eyes were alight with excitement.

Eleanor decided it was time to step in. "You can't Joshy. Muggles can't go on the Knight Bus." She said delicately. She didn't know if this was exactly true but Eleanor knew it was the only way to stop Josh begging.

Josh's face fell. "Being a Muggle sucks." He grumbled and stormed out of the room.

Eleanor looked at Remus. "Don't feel guilty. He'll get over it. He gets the same way when dad says we're not allowed another dog."

William came into the kitchen, looking harassed. Eleanor's parents were normally gone by the time Eleanor woke up but because she got up early to see everyone off, she was up in time to see them too.

"Has anyone seen my tie?" William asked, looking slightly frantic.

"I washed it yesterday, along with everyone else's dirty laundry. I put it back in your room. It should be in the second drawer." Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Oh," William said, looking startled but then smiled. "Thanks, Molly." He rushed back up stairs.

Not long after, Ethan entered the kitchen. "What's wrong with your brother?" He asked Eleanor.

Eleanor swallowed her mouthful of toast. "I told him he couldn't go on the Knight Bus." Then seeing her fathers confused look. "It's transport for witches or wizards. It's how Harry, Ron and Hermione will be going back to Hogwarts."

Ethan shook his head. "That boy," he said, sounding exasperated but smiling fondly. "You'd think we told him he had ten seconds to live."

William came back in to the room, he had found his tie and was looking a lot calmer now. "Well can you save him some breakfast? He's stubborn but he'll get hungry later and will eventually make an appearance out of his room."

"Of course." said Mrs. Weasley, already piling food on to a separate plate for him.

"Well, we better go." Ethan said. Eleanor received a kiss on the cheek from both her parents.

"Be good." William said absently. They always said the same things before leaving Eleanor anywhere.

"Will do." Eleanor said, smiling.

"We hope you all have a good term." Ethan said to Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"And thank you once again, Harry, for helping us." William said.

Harry looked abashed. He wanted to say that he didn't do anything. That he shouldn't be thanked. It was his fault, after all, that they were here. But both William and Ethan were smiling at him sincerely, so he couldn't find the right words. "N-No worries." Harry ended up sputtering.

Arthur got up aswell. He had been Apparating William and Ethan to work before going to the Ministry for work himself. He kissed Mrs. Weasley and bade everyone goodbye.

"Bye, Josh!" William called up the stairs.

"Love you!" Ethan shouted but neither got a response.

Eleanor rolled her eyes at her brothers behaviour then put on her best impression of Josh's voice. "Bye daddy, love you too!"

Her parents crestfallen faces broke out into a smile and waved one last time at everyone before leaving with Arthur.

After everyone else had finished breakfast, they wrapped up warm against the cool, chilly January air. Harry kept shooting Sirius glances and Eleanor knew Harry wanted to speak to him before he left. Luckily while everyone was still getting their things ready to leave, Sirius pulled Harry to one side. They were gone for a few minutes but when Harry returned he was pocketing something wrapped rather badly.

Suddenly, it was time to say goodbye. It seemed Harry wanted to say something else to Sirius but Sirius was already pulling him into a one armed hug. "Look after yourself, Harry." He said gruffly.

He was then being pulled into a hug by Mrs. Weasley. "Goodbye, Harry, take care."

Eleanor, who did so with a heavy heart, began hugging the Weasley's and Hermione goodbye, wishing them to stay safe and stay in touch.

And feeling like she was being rushed, quickly kissed Harry on the cheek, not daring anything more with all the adults around. "Write to me, okay? And remember what we talked about."

Eleanor could see that Harry was remembering their conversation in his room. He nodded, smiled, albeit a bit unconvincingly and no sooner Mrs. Weasley ushered them all out the door, with Tonks and Remus hot on their tail as they would be travelling with them to Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley closed the door and shuffled back into the kitchen, humming.

The only people left in the house were Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Eleanor and Josh and Eleanor couldn't help but feel an emptiness fill her already as she realised how empty the house now was.

She stood there for a while, and then noticed Sirius was still standing close by too. He looked gloomy. But then he shook his head and disappeared into the kitchen.

Eleanor heaved a sigh and was just about to walk upstairs when Sirius appeared again, holding the plate of food that was saved for Josh. He looked at Eleanor. "C'mon, I reckon a game of Exploding Snap will help cheer Josh up."

With a smile, Eleanor followed Sirius upstairs.

(Eleanor and Harry are so cute, I can't! Also I'm so so sorry for such a long wait, I hope this semi long chapter makes up for it a bit. Thank you all for your continued support! Until next time...)

EDIT: After reading the comments, it seems a lot of you think that Harry and Eleanor went all the way in this chapter. That didn't happen. They just had a long make out session or whatever you want to call it. I mean if you want to think they went all the way then that's obviously fine but I thought I'd just clear this up because personally I think it's too soon for them to go all the way, even if they are just fictional characters.