Moving On

Harry woke up feeling fresh and very energized. He grabbed his glasses from their resting place and put them on. Once he did, he saw Hermione standing before him, a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Hermione," he said.

"Good morning to you, too. Did you sleep well?" she said.

"Yes, I did."

"Good, now how about breakfast?"

"Sure. I'm starving."

Harry stood up slowly and walked towards the table. They had dry cornflakes for breakfast but he didn't mind as he got to spend the small feast with Hermione. After breakfast, he cleaned the table while Hermione washed the dishes.

"Okay, that's settled then. Make yourself useful and easy to pack our stuff, we have somewhere to go to," Hermione said, rushing towards her bunk.

"Where're we going?" Harry asked, moving to pack their stuff.

"You'll see. Now, come on. We don't have all day, you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

A few minutes later, after disassembling the tent and wards, both of them grabbed hands and Apparated.

They Apparated to an unfamiliar forest area- at least, to Harry- where a cottage was found. It was small but looked comfortable and livable. There was a chimney and smoke was coming out from it. He couldn't recognize the forest where they Apparated but seeing Hermione's expression gave him an inkling that she knew where they were.

"Hermione, where are we?" Harry asked, surveying their surroundings.

"My parents and I used to come down here every summer when I was younger. There's a village not far from here, it's 50 miles from Little Whinging. We can go down there sometime, they have a mart where we can buy our own necessities," Hermione said, her expression dimmed slightly at the mention of her parents.

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry about your parents," he said.

"Harry James Potter, will you stop apologizing to everything that isn't your doing? It's not your fault they got their memories erased. I did that to protect them from Vol- You-Know-Who. It's not your fault!" she snapped.

Harry sighed. He decided to stay quiet so as not to further agitate the brunette. But truth to be told, her words made her feel better. At least he knows she doesn't blame him for that.

"Now, come on. Let's go inside. I'm freezing here," she said, rubbing her arms for warmth.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. Once they entered the cottage, Harry could feel a sudden blast of warmth coming from the furnace which was found near the corner of the room.

He looked around and saw 2 rooms, a kitchen with a dining table, a bathroom, and a living room with 2 huge couches, facing each other with a small coffee table between them at the center of the room. In one of the rooms, there was a shelf with a lot of books and a study table. The floors were also carpeted.

"It's not much but it's all we have a the moment," Hermione said, sheepishly.

"Are you kidding me, 'Mione? This place is brilliant!" he said, not noticing he just gave Hermione a nickname.

"W-What did you call me, Harry?" Hermione asked, shock apparent on her features.

Once Harry did notice, he remembered Hermione hated nicknames. The word came out of nowhere.

"Oh... sorry, 'Mi- I mean, Hermione. It just came out of nowhere. Please don't hex me," he spluttered quickly, bracing himself for any hex she was going to throw towards him.

"N-No, it's okay. I was just shocked because most of the nicknames that others give me are either stupid or rude that's why I hated nicknames. To tell you the truth, I-I-I kind of l-liked the nickname you gave. But only you can call me that, though!" she ranted.

Harry blinked. Did he just hear her right? She liked his nickname for her? A smile graced his features as the idea revolved around his head.

"So... can I call you 'Mione'?" he asked.

"Yes, but only use that when we're alone. Oh, and don't call me 'Herms' or I will hex you, I swear to Merlin!" she said.

"Okay... 'Mione."

She smiled at him which he returned with one of his own.