CHAPTER 7. Leaving …. And their Mark.

It was late morning by the time the young magical lovers got out of bed. Still bitter cold, heavily overcast and the wind was biting, but at least the snow had stopped. They did eventually have their bacon and eggs, luckily restored to being eatable by Harry. They spent some time in the shower together, no lovemaking but still enjoying their mutual washing of each other, dressed, Hermione set about magically reducing all tent clutter and the beds, tent and everything to a packable size. Harry was busy removing as much traces of their three day stay at the site as was possible and then removed the wards from around them.

"That's it Hermione. I'm all done…You ready to go?"

"Just finishing off something Harry. Nearly done…there, all finished."

"What have you been doing, love? You finished taking the tent and everything down a few minutes ago. I thought you were just waiting for me to finish off taking down the spells."

"Oh, just leaving a mark for Ron, again, in case he does try to come back and find us. So he knows we were here."

"You haven't given up hope on him then? Coming back to us?"

Hermione sighed. "I think you got that right Harry, 'Hoping'. But, not 'hopeful'. It's been well over a month that he has been away so he has had plenty of time to get his head back together, sort out with his family and find Lavender, if she is still alive." Hermione paused and looked at the small outline of a snitch and the letter 'G' she had carved in tree bark. Harry smiled at the carving, then turned his head a couple of feet to another fresh but crude carving on an adjacent tree.

"I see you had some practise first." and nodded at the rough, heart shaped circle with 'H & H' inside it. Hermione blushed and then smiled at her new love.

"Marking the clearing so we can find it later. This is the place where our proper love for each other has started so I want to make sure we can find it a bit down the line Harry. I would like to come back here. "

"Hermione, …you and me. It has all happened so fast … you have no regrets about what has happened here, between us?"

Hermione grabbed his jacket lapels and pulled him to her, pushed her hands up into his hair, pulled his head down to hers and kissed him deeply. Upon release, after about half a minute, she looked up at him and answered, a bit breathlessly,

" Now, does that feel like I have any regrets? Stop doubting yourself Harry Potter, and doubting that I can love you. It is you and me Harry, you and me against the whole wizarding world, if need be. No one will separate us. I will not let anyone split us up. What we have Harry, now you can feel love and know what it is. I love you Harry, and always will."

And at that she pulled herself up to his lips and kissed as before. As they parted this second time Hermione said:

"Fuck! I am randy again! See what you do to me, Mr. Potter?... Right you, we better move or we will have to put the tent and bed up again. Merlin, you so turn me on, Harry."

"You're not the only one. Geez, Hermione. How come it took us both so long to cotton onto …. Well, this! Us! All this time?"

"Being the 'brightest witch of my age' and you 'the Chosen One', we are both thick as shit when it comes to love and stuff, aren't we! To busy thinking about other people and not realising that the person we were looking for was right in front of our noses, but not anymore. We are together at last Harry."

Harry smiled his crooked smile and she melted.

"Best we find a new site then, eh?"

She watched as Harry lifted his hand and with a quick slicing motion he cast a silent spell. Instantly, an arrow shaped like a lightening bolt appeared through the carved heart with one carved 'H' on either side of the arrows kinked middle. Hermione gasped at the show of wandless magic.

"Our mark, Hermione. If old Tom can have his skull and snake thing then we have got this. And we will come back , I just know it."

"Harry…your magic…it's…..well, it is just incredible. You couldn't do wandless magic to save your life even three days ago! Where has that come from?... huh …..Is that since….

"Since we have made love, yes. And before that, since Dumbledore's funeral. Hermione, I have played around with this wandless magic a little but it is only the second time I have managed to use it and I don't know how I have got it. I just have. Somehow, I feel that since Dumbledore's death I am changing Hermione, my power, my physique ,….everything. I suppose I will figure it out somehow, or probably you will, but I have these new magic gifts and I just have to practise how to use them. Also, since you and I have been….I'll be polite and say lovingly involved… I feel superhuman. My magic seems so, so different, as if it has been released inside me to go coursing through me like an extra blood stream. I can feel my magic in me all the time now, not just when I seek to use it and it is just waiting to be used instantly."

"As regards your physique, you can practise on me all you like, Harry Potter. I will not complain, honest! And just keep pouring that extra magic into me. I am definitely noticing the benefits of having the Chosen One as my lover!"

"Hmmm! Best we get gone to somewhere new pretty quick then. I feel some more changes happening and I will need to practise some more later."

"Oh yes please!"

She grabbed Harry's hand and with a quiet POP! … they were gone.

THE END