HP:per aspera

May 1995

Hermione's mood improved significantly ever since the night at the Astronomy Tower. Lilith was officially her girlfriend. She was wary at first, not knowing how the relationship would work but Lilith proved to be unbelievably sneaky. So it became a routine for them to have breakfast together in the kitchens (Harry and Ron believed she was still working on her plan to free the house elves there), go on nightly walks together (Lilith still had her night patrols as a prefect), and write notes to each other through an enchanted notebook that Lilith's gifted her. It just worked impeccably, and her friends didn't have a clue.

And slowly she started to learn more about Lilith. She was an insomniac, barely getting an hour or two of sleep every night, which explained the dark circles under her eyes and the amount of coffee she drank every day. When she was deep in thought, she always absentmindedly played with a ring on her left pinkie (which she also learnt was a Farrow family ring). And to Hermione's surprise, she had a photographic memory, meaning she remembered everything she lived through or saw or read. So even though she was cranky and very blunt in the morning over her third cup of coffee, spaced out from time to time and as Cedric described it 'was a chain-smoker', Hermione could feel herself falling more and more for the older girl. It wasn't the big proclamations like in the romantic novels that made Hermione fall. It was the small gestures that always made her blush. A cup of tea waiting for her every morning. Lilith making sure she always blew the smoke away from Hermione when she smoked. Or lending Hermione her cloak at the first instance of her shaking from cold during their nightly walks. Instead of feeling out of place, she cherished the moments when she had a cloak with an eagle wrapped around her instead of her usual lion, and Lilith's fingers intertwined with hers. The moon shining from the windows illuminated their walk through the corridor.

"If I'm scared? I'm terrified!" she whispered, careful not to raise her voice.

"Why are you terrified?" Hermione only huffed.

"It's the O.W.L.s! Just thinking of them makes me petrified." Hermione shuddered.

"Well, you already have an experience being petrified, and if I remember correctly, it only lasted a few weeks." Hermione whipped her head only to see Lilith watching her with slight amusement.

"How do you know that?" Lilith shrugged.

"I volunteered in the Hospital Wing at that time. Plus, Penelope Clearwater wouldn't shut up about it afterwards." she nudged Hermione's side. "Now, don't change the subject. Why?" Hermione bit her lip feeling Lilith slightly squeezing her hand.

"It decides our future. It's such a big challenge, and I don't feel like I'm ready for it. I don't know nearly enough for it." she felt Lilith tug at her hand, making her stop and look at her. Lilith watched with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not such a big deal, darling." Hermione blushed slightly at that pet name, still getting used to it. "Yes, everybody puts so much weight on O.W.L.s but in the end, it's almost the same as end-of-year exams. The only difference is someone else being your proctor." Lilith's words calmed Hermione a little bit but O.W.L.s still scared her. Lilith seemed to sense it as she squeezed Hermione's hand again. "Remind me, when are the end-of-year exams?" the question left Hermione puzzled.

"End of June?"

"Yes, and when did you start studying for them?"

"February." Hermione's eyes widened. "Why? Is it too late? I knew I should've..." Lilith's chuckles interrupted Hermione's ramble.

"Hermione, you do realise that most of the students here start studying for them during the first week of June, right?"

"Not all of them."

"Yes, but most of them still pass. Same with O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s." Lilith tucked a stray hand behind Hermione's ear. "That means that you, a person who starts preparing for normal exams several months in advance, will pass O.W.L.s with flying colours. Trust me." Hermione didn't know how Lilith did it but her words seemed to calm down the last of her worries. She nodded hesitantly, letting out a breath she was holding.

"Alright. I trust you." they began walking once again.

"So, how many did you get?" she heard Lilith's quiet groan.

"Hermione."

"Please, I just want to know."

"Alright then," Lilith sighed. "I've got eleven. Happy?" Hermione gaped at her.

"Eleven?"

"Yes, eleven." the way Lilith said it was way too casual, it sounded more like a formality.

"That's... amazing! What are your plans after? Surely with those marks you could work at the Ministry or anything you want." Lilith chuckled.

"Hermione, I won't be looking for a job." Hermione stopped in her tracks. Her shock was the complete opposite of Lilith's carefree attitude.

"What?" Lilith shrugged.

"I won't be looking for a job." the carefreeness of her voice started to infuriate Hermione.

"But you're a prefect and you got eleven O.W.Ls, and surely will have amazing N.E.W.T.s results." she was absolutely livid. "Why would you throw it away?"

"Hermione," Lilith started, a small smile playing on her lips. "I won't be looking for a job because I already have one." Hermione's fury dampened into confusion.

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm the head of the family. We have estates, shares in businesses, and financial deals. That's my job. Managing it all, making sure everything runs smoothly. I'm basically a part-time banker, a part-time lawyer and a part-time babysitter." Hermione didn't think about that. She didn't even realise it until Lilith spoke of it.

"Oh."

"Oh, yes. See? That's why."

"Have you always known you'd be doing that?"

"Of course, I'm the first-born. I've always known."

"And Aveline and Sebastian? What about them?" Lilith shrugged.

"They can do whatever they want. They're not bound to anything. Most of the famous Farrows are second or third-born children. Us first-borns, we just make sure the family is secured." Hermione frowned. The way Lilith said it was... disturbing.

"That... quite sad actually." Lilith raised her eyebrow.

"Really? And why's that?"

"I don't know. It just sounds like everything's been decided for you even before you were born and you have no say in it." Lilith gave her a small sad smile. Her left hand left Hermione's and cupped her cheek, her thumb gently stroking Hermione's cheekbone.

"Yes, well, I can still find small liberties, right?" she smirked and leaned forward, giving Hermione a small peck on her lips. Even though Hermione's mood wasn't very bright, the gesture made her smile. After Lilith pulled away, she intertwined their fingers once again. Hermione watched her for a while.

"What is it?" Lilith noticed the look, of course, she did.

"Is that why they call you 'Lady'?" Lilith blinked a couple of times.

"What?"

"I've noticed a few people calling you 'Lady Farrow' instead of 'Miss Farrow'. Is that why?" Lilith stared at her for a moment before chuckling slightly.

"Always perceptive, aren't you?" she shook her head but nodded after a few moments. "Kind of, yes."

"But why? I've never heard anyone calling another person 'Lord' or 'Lady' in the wizarding world." Lilith played with Hermione's fingers for a while before answering.

"It's purely habitual, I suppose. I don't know why it started but a couple of centuries ago, people started calling the head of our family 'Lord' and it just stuck. So ever since then, they call us 'Lord' or 'Lady Farrow'." Hermione leaned back against the wall, smirking at Lilith.

"Well, technically speaking, you're from an influential family, you own estates and are the head of the family. So, by definition, you're a lady." Lilith chuckled at her reasoning, shaking her head slightly while taking a step closer towards the younger witch.

"I suppose so." she smirked and took another step closer, now standing mere inches from Hermione. "So by association, you're My lady." Hermione blushed profusely and ducked her head, hearing Lilith giggle at her reaction.

"Don't call me that."

"Come on, you liked it." she could hear the smugness from Lilith's tone and blushed even more.

"No, I didn't." Hermione lied through her teeth. Lilith released her hand once more, gently took hold of her chin and pulled it up, making Hermione look her in the eye. She was smirking playfully at the younger witch whose cheeks were burning.

"Whatever you say," she whispered innocently and released her chin. "My lady." Hermione groaned at the last remark and glared at her. Lilith just giggled at her reaction.

"You're insufferable!" she jabbed slightly at her shoulder but Lilith didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, I know." they continued staring at each other. Hermione in slight annoyance, Lilith with playfulness. Another thing she liked about Lilith. No matter how stern or scary she seemed to be, with her, she slowly started to show her playful, lively side that only a handful of people had seen before. She could feel Lilith leaning in and closed her eyes, eager for another kiss but the kiss never came.

"Who's there?" Hermione's eyes shot open as she saw Lilith blinking in surprise before groaning.

"Oh bloody hell." she whispered and turned around. "What are you doing here?" she hissed at the person standing behind them.

"Lilith?" Hermione peeked behind Lilith shoulder to look at the person. It was a very confused Sebastian. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm patrolling this floor." Sebastian raised his eyebrow, glancing at Hermione who gave him an awkward wave.

"You call this patrol? Hi Hermione." Sebastian crossed his arms on his chest.

"Hi Sebastian." she answered weakly, not really knowing how to react. Lilith mirrored his posture, hiding Hermione behind her.

"That's not the point, what are you doing here? You're supposed to patrol the sixth floor. This is the seventh."

"No, you're supposed to be on sixth."

"Did you even listen to Micheal yesterday? He clearly told you that you are on sixth."

"No he didn't, he said 'Little Farrow on sixth'." Lilith groaned.

"And that meant you, you idiot!"

"But I'm taller!" Hermione almost chuckled at the exchange but she could see Lilith's knuckles turning white in irritation.

"But you're younger. He meant it age-wise. Not height-wise. He always calls you 'Little Farrow' or 'Farrow Junior'." both were silent for a moment, just staring at each other.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. So if I were you, I'd go there right now and agree that we won't speak of this. Deal?"

"Definitely. Deal." he peeked to look at Hermione and gave her a small wave. "Bye Hermione."

"Bye Sebastian." Hermione finally giggled as she saw Sebastian hastily leaving the spot he was standing in. Lilith finally turned back towards her and released a long sigh.

"But I'm taller" she mimicked Sebastian's voice making Hermione giggle even more. Lilith gave her a small smile.

"Sorry about that, where were we?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione shrugged and leaned back against the wall. Lilith put her hand next to Hermione's head, leaning closer.

"Oh, really?" Hermione nodded making Lilith smirk playfully.

"I believe we were about to do something." Hermione played with Lilith's blue and bronze tie.

"I have no memory of that."

"That's quite sad actually."

"Yes it is. Maybe you should remind me." she tugged at Lilith's tie making the older girl smirk even more.

"That's a great idea." Lilith leaned in once more and Hermione closed her eyes, once again waiting for the kiss. But her ears caught a sound she knew very well. All too well. Her eyes shot open again as she stopped Lilith and quickly grabbed her wand, pointing it at the place nearby.

"Accio Invisibility Cloak." it was shot in the dark but to her surprise and annoyance, the familiar fabric flew into her hand in a second, revealing none other than Harry standing just a few feet away from them, staring at Hermione like a deer caught in headlights.

"Harry!" she hissed at her best friend.

"H-Hi Hermione." Harry let out weakly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she heard Lilith whisper as she turned to look at Harry, leaning back from Hermione.

"Hello Potter."

"H-Hi L-Lilith." she could hear Harry gulp nervously from the distance.

"Harry what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you." Hermione shook her head.

"Looking for me? Harry, you have the map..." Hermione stopped, blinking a couple of times before pushing herself from the wall, gripping the Invisibility Cloak. Her annoyance grew into fury. "Harry James Potter, were you following me?!" Harry gaped at her.

"Hermione I wasn't..."

"Harry!"

"Alright you two, stop it or you're gonna wake the whole castle." Lilith sighed and turned to Hermione, continuing in a hushed voice. "We've already got busted by Sebastian and now Potter. I'm sorry. I think we should call it a night." Hermione couldn't help but agree, it was a bust. She glared at Harry.

"I'll walk you two to Gryffindor tower, you can continue there." Lilith put on her prefect voice and both Hermione and Harry nodded in agreement. None of them spoke a word on their way. Hermione was too angry, Lilith was too annoyed and Harry was too nervous in their presence. Once they were in the near distance of the Fat Lady portrait, Lilith stopped them.

"You two, get under that cloak. She can't see you or the whole castle will know about it by breakfast."

"But how are we supposed to get in?" Lilith glared at Harry, annoyed that her even had a nerve to speak. Hermione could see Harry shrinking and smirked slightly as she put his Invisibility Cloak over him. Lilith turned to Hermione carefully stripping the Ravenclaw cloak from her and putting it back on. Hermione bit her lip. She completely forgot that the cloak was still around her shoulders. "I'll write, okay?" Hermione nodded and slipped under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Now, don't make a sound, follow me and when you see an opening, slip it. Let's go." It was a tight fit for both of them to be under the cloak together but they made sure to follow after the older witch, careful in their step. To their surprise, the Fat Lady seemed to perk up once she saw Lilith coming towards her.

"Ah Miss Farrow!" she stopped. "I'm sorry, it's Lady Farrow these days, isn't it?" Lilith gave her a small smile and a short curtsy.

"Hello Great Lady. It seems so, yes."

"What can I do for you, Lady Farrow."

"I was on patrol you see, and I thought I'd pay you a visit. There is something bothering me, and I thought you could help me." The Fat Lady couldn't look prouder at the comment. Hermione was in awe of how easily Lilith could play the old vain lady.

"What can I do for you then?"

"You see, Aveline's been on my mind lately. You know how she is." The Fat Lady scoffed.

"If I know? That child is a little demon!" Lilith chuckled.

"Precisely. I try to take care of her but whenever I try talking to her, she disappears into Gryffindor Tower. Imagine if there was an emergency and I couldn't get to her." the Fat Lady nodded pensively.

"Yes, yes. I can understand that. What is it you want, Lady Farrow?"

"Could you be so kind, Great Lady, and tell me the password?"

"But Lady Farrow..." Lilith threw up her hand in defence.

"I know, I know. You're responsible for the security of the Gryffindor Tower. But you know me, Great Lady. You know my family and I'm a prefect. It'd be only for cases of emergency, I swear it." the Fat Lady watched Lilith for a moment, measuring her but in the end she gave her a small nod.

"Alright then. But just know that I'd hold you responsible if the security is breached."

"And I'd take full responsibility." the Fat Lady gave her a small smile.

"Good. The password is Fairy Lights." Lilith smiled.

"Thank you, Great Lady. Do you think I could try it? I've always wanted to try it. I won't step in or anything." the Fat Lady watched her once more before giving her a small nod.

"Fairy Lights." the portrait opened, revealing the entrance. Hermione grabbed Harry and both of them rushed in before the entrance closed again. Soon, Lilith was out of sight and both of them released the breaths they were holding as they stepped into the empty Gryffindor common room. The fire was slowly dying in the fireplace, illuminating the room with a slight orange glow. Finally alone, they got out from under the cloak which Harry immediately started folding, avoiding Hermione's gaze that burned through his skull. Hermione folded her arms over her chest.

"You were following me?" Harry still avoided her eyes, folding the cloak. Hermione was tired of his silence.

"Harry!" she raised her voice, making Harry flinch and finally look at her. His whole demeanour resembled a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry, Mione." he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry? You're sorry? Harry, what you did was completely unacceptable."

"But we've already used it multiple times like that." Hermione threw up her arms in frustration.

"Harry, I'm your friend! You're supposed to trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Mione."

"Then why did you do that?" Harry let out a groan and fell into the nearest armchair. After a few moments of silence, he finally looked up.

"I was worried about you. That's why I was out there." Hermione was puzzled by his answer. Her anger and frustration slowly died down due to her tiredness. She sat down on an armchair near Harry's.

"Why were you worried?" Harry fiddled with the Invisibility Cloak in his lap.

"Because you may think I haven't noticed but I have. You haven't been yourself lately, you're not with us at breakfast and you've been sneaking out at night during the past couple of weeks." Hermione gaped at him. He really noticed that. She didn't know whether to feel touched or shocked. "So when I saw that you were out again, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Harry." Hermione's tone changed significantly after the revelation. Instead of sounding angry or frustrated, she sounded more gentle. Harry finally looked at her, giving her a small smile. "That's very sweet of you but you could see that I was with Lilith." she didn't miss how he winced.

"Yes, well... that's why I was worried." Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I just heard some things and..."

"From Ron, right?" it took him a couple of seconds before nodding. Of course, he heard it from Ron. Hermione didn't miss the looks Ron gave to every Farrow sibling through the years.

"Harry, you especially should know that most of the things you hear about others aren't true."

"Yes but by the way she was standing over you..."

"She was teasing me, Harry!" Hermione groaned and fell back into the armchair.

"Really?" Harry looked confused.

"Yes. She was just teasing me." Hermione sighed. She knew she promised Lilith to be secretive about their relationship, but this was Harry. He might be stubborn and reckless but she knew he could keep her secret.

"Harry, the reason why I'm not at breakfast most of the time is because I've been having breakfast with Lilith in kitchens. And the reason why I'm sneaking out at night is because I accompany her on patrols." Harry blinked in surprise but Hermione continued. Blood was slowly flowing into her cheek and her heart was hammering like a hummingbird. "And the reason why I don't seem like myself lately is because... I'm happy, Harry." she gave him a shy smile. "Really happy." Harry blinked at her a couple of times, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Hermione stayed silent, giving him time to absorb what she meant by it. Finally, after almost a minute, his mouth formed into a big 'O'.

"You mean, you... and Lilith?" Hermione nodded. Harry leaned back into his armchair, shock written all over his face. But then all of a sudden he started laughing. Hermione watched him, confused by his reaction.

"Oh, thank Merlin." he let out after he finally calmed down. "I thought she was hurting you."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know!" Hermione couldn't help herself but started laughing along with him. The whole situation was absurd. Too absurd.

"I thought you and Krum..." Hermione waved her hand.

"Oh no, never. I mean, he's nice but he was never something more than a friend." Harry ruffled his hair, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh Merlin, I never would've thought. How long has this been going on?" Hermione bit her lip.

"Officially, a few weeks. Unofficially," she chuckled. "We've been dancing around it since the Yule Ball." Harry's eyes widened.

"Since Yule Ball?" Hermione nodded. "Wow." he paused and ruffled his hair again. "I mean, congratulations! You've managed to find a girlfriend before me. How in Merlin's beard did you do that?" Hermione giggled and shook her head. When she first thought about it, she was scared of his reaction. But of course, she forgot that Harry was Harry.

"I honestly don't know." she paused and bit her lip. "But Harry, you have to promise me that this stays between us. You have to promise me not to say anything to Ron. You know how he would get." Harry fiddled with fabric in his lap.

"It's your relationship, Hermione. Not mine. I promise." that touched Hermione. Ron's always been Harry's best friend first, and Hermione always felt like playing second fiddle. So him promising something like that to her was very moving. Suddenly, Harry leaned forward, his back straightened.

"I just have to ask, please don't be defensive." Hermione was puzzled but nodded. "I know that she's rich, and pureblood and a prefect but she's not using that over you, right? Because if she is..."

"No Harry, no. She's not." she gave him a small smile. Harry put up his hands in defence.

"I just had to ask."

"I know, but Lilith's not like that. She's been... amazing." she paused. "Alright, a bit infuriating but amazing." Harry leaned back into his armchair, satisfied with her answer.

"Alright then." he paused. "But if she hurts you, I don't care if she's a Farrow, whatever that means, I'm going after her." Hermione chuckled. He sounded more like her brother than her best friend. Maybe that's what he's always been. More of a brother than a friend.

"I know, Harry. I know."