Matt returned with Hermione back to her flat and she promised an early start to their next day. He left for the night after a lengthy kiss and nearly asked her to simply spend the night, but was not sure if that would take things too far or not. Hermione wished him good night as he Disapparated from her doorstep. Once back in his own apartment, he quickly got himself ready for bed. That night, all he could think about was wrapping his arms around Hermione and laying close to her. His entire focus was on her and he remembered what it was like sleeping beside her in the tent.
The following morning came too quickly, and images of what he and Hermione were doing in bed together flitted from Matt's mind as he pushed himself up. After a quick breakfast and a shower, he changed into traveling clothes. Taking a leaf out of Hermione's book, he took his old duffle bag out from the back of the closet. It was the same one he packed all those years ago and took with him while they were hunting for Horcruxes. It still had the undetectable extension charm on it Hermione had done for him.
At the time, she had come to The Penthouse immediately after making sure her parents' memories were altered and they were safely on a plane to Australia. They had spent a day or two packing things at his apartment and making sure that Temperance was returning to America. It was the only safe thing for her while Matt was quickly going to become the number three most undesirable person in the country, after Harry and Hermione.
Matt was quick to pack at least a week's worth of clothing to be safe, alongside a tent. Their second tent had never been used and returned to the Weasley family after the Battle of Hogwarts. Although it had been months of hell, Matt had developed an affinity for camping and decided to purchase a tent of his own. This one was a little smaller than the one they had borrowed originally, only having a common room, one bedroom with a large bunk bed, a small bathroom, and a tiny kitchenette. It was modest but two people could live in it, if needed. He made sure that it was in the bag.
He then moved to the bathroom, packing essential toiletries and towels they would likely need. A part of him was hoping to share a shower or two with Hermione, whether they needed one or not. Next came the kitchen. This was the most complicated magic Matt had ever done. He pulled out a medium size plastic lunch box. He took out his wand and waved it over the insulated container. Opening it, he stuck his hand down into it and smiled. The inside was chilled perfectly. It would act as a refrigerator for food now. Grinning he waved his wand and muttered an incantation under his breath and then peered inside.
The extension charm had worked! Hermione had told him all about how she had charmed her own bag as they had traveled to The Burrow together, prior to the Order meeting regarding moving Harry. Matt shook his head at how they had all been duped by Snape. Part of him still hated the fact that Snape had been responsible for Alastor Moody's death. No matter how much Harry sang his praises, Matt would never forgive their former professor's transgressions. Now, though, he was elated at how the extension charm had worked perfectly.
A few more flicks of Matt's wand and shelves had formed inside the insulated lunch box, perfect for food storage. He opened his own refrigerator and began to unpack it, taking out much needed food supplies like frozen meats and vegetables. Matt emptied his entire refrigerator and freezer, casting an extra cold charm on the lower shelves to keep frozen foods frozen while not freezing fruits and fresh veggies near the top. Next, he took out non-perishable goods from his cupboards and undid the cooling charms on one half of the lunch box. Now it could be used as a pantry for things like canned vegetables, condiments, and rice. Satisfied the two of them would have everything they needed for food, including seasonings, Matt closed the lid and stuffed the lunch box into his bag.
The final bits of equipment he packed were various cooking utensils, pots, pans, cutting board, knives, silverware, and plates. He made sure to cast unbreakable charms on the dishes, just to be safe. In the event of an attack, hurling an unbreakable plate at a potential attacker's head was a quick distraction. Even more so if it could be hurled again and again against other attackers as needed.
Satisfied with everything, Matt attempted to lift his bag and found he could not. Grimacing, he realized Hermione must have had a feather weight charm on hers. He opened the bag and tapped the lunchbox before repeating it on the bag itself. Although it had been manageable, Matt was sure the food weighed well over sixty pounds. Now the lunchbox and the bag were light as air. He shouldered the duffle and headed for the door.
A few moments later, Matt Santini was standing outside of the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic in mid-December. He pulled his jacket tight around him as he walked to the red phone booth and tapped in the code 6-2-4-4-2.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and purpose for visit." The automated voice said in a pleasant tone.
"Matt Santini, here to see Hermione Granger." He replied and the booth dinged, giving him a name badge. He pinned it on his jacket as the booth dropped below ground. Matt was quick to check in at security and was almost immediately greeted by Hermione as she rushed into the Atrium.
"Matt, you're just in time!" Hermione said breathlessly as she took his hand.
"You said to meet here at 9:00am." He said with a smile and happily grasped her fingers in his.
"Yes, and you're exactly on time!" Hermione beamed at him as they quickly walked through the Atrium to the elevators.
"Wouldn't miss seeing my new girlfriend at work!" he said with a grin. She returned the smile as they boarded the elevator. "Where exactly are we going?" he asked.
"The Minister's office of course!" Hermione replied. "I've got to explain to him that I'm traveling for this week in response to a new report about werewolves that came anonymously to my office."
"Anonymously?" Matt said with a knowing grin.
"Yes, well, they don't need to know this a personal matter as well as professional." Hermione said as they reached the top level and the Minister's office.
Matt and Hermione strode into Kingsley Shacklebolt's office, hand in hand.
"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Santini." Minister Shacklebolt said with a smile. "You're very lucky I had time this morning to see you. What can I do for my head of Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"
"Thank you, Minister. You see, I've had an anonymous tip that there is something being worked on at this moment. A potential temporary cure for lycanthropy."
"Oh my." Shacklebolt said and looked between Matt and Hermione, neither of which had let go of the other. "That is quite the rumor. And you have a report to back this up?"
Hermione nodded.
"Yes, and I want to travel, you see, we're not due for another full moon for almost twenty days. I want to talk to members of the werewolf community. I want to find out their sentiments on things and gather some research. I would like to get a set of laws in front of the Wizengamot by late January, to help the community. Especially if this report, once vetted, proves true. We need to act quickly if this is to work."
"What does Mr. Santini have to gain from all this?" Shacklebolt asked.
"I'm here to support Hermione. And I'm on emergency vacation." Matt replied quickly.
"I see. Your mother has been causing quite the stir."
"Yeah…she has that effect on people…" Matt replied with a solemn air.
Shacklebolt leaned forward at his desk and tapped a finger on a stack of papers. Matt could see his mother's handwriting on them, her signature at the bottom of the papers.
"These were submitted to me under the instructions that, unless I heard from her no later than the thirty-first of this month, they were to be signed and executed on January first." Kingsley explained.
Matt now leaned forward to examine them himself. He took the papers and read through them quickly, scanning each page. Matt felt his stomach churn; he could see the topmost set of papers were disownment documents that would legally expunge him from the Bonneville side of the family. The second set were deportation documents, revoking Matt's Visa and right to live in the U.K. A third and final set was a request for a Portkey to be set up to take Matt back to America, to Chicago. The churning formed into a solid lump, now. He had less than two weeks to locate their missing tent, prove he and Hermione had romantic feelings dating back to the fall of 1997, nullify Malfoy's marriage contract and marry Hermione. It felt overwhelming.
A part of him knew that he was holding his very fate in his hands. An impulse gripped Matt for a second and his eyes darted to the fireplace in the minister's office. In a quick motion he could throw the documents into the fireplace and destroy them before anyone could stop him. He pushed down this impulse however, not wanting to risk the wrath of Kingsley. He imagined destroying those documents would sour the meeting and possibly negatively impact Hermione's goals; to say nothing about how it would likely lead to Matt being arrested and possibly jailed, ensuring his mother would draft a whole fresh set of documents and likely not wait to get them signed and have him deported.
With a heavy sigh and shake of his head, Matt replaced the letters onto Kingsley Shacklebolt's desk. He would trust in the Minister for Magic and his friend to not immediately doom him. Afterall, since he and Hermione were official members of the Order of the Phoenix, and Kingsley the leader of the group, he did not want to push things. While the Order had little to do since the fall of Voldemort, they still chose to meet routinely. If nothing else, it allowed the remaining members to keep in contact and discuss any potential new threats arising similar to Voldemort. It also allowed Matt, Hermione, Harry, and the others exclusive nom-formal access to the Minister of Magic.
"I don't know what you did to invoke the wrath of your mother, but she's set on this it seems." Kingsley said.
"I didn't do anything." Matt replied. "My mother on the other hand, is demanding I adhere to pure-blood customs. It's ridiculous!"
Minister Shacklebolt winced and shook his head.
"Did she learn nothing from the last Wizarding War?" the Minister asked with a pained expression.
"I don't know that she ever factored in traditionalist thinking into the root cause of the conflict…" Matt responded. Hermione gave his hand a squeeze of affection. Matt responded in kind, returning a gentle squeeze. Hermione let a quick smile flash across her lips and then it was gone.
"Well, you have a lot of work to do between now and the end of the year." Kingsley said and Matt nodded his acknowledgement.
"Yes sir."
With that Matt and Hermione stood to leave, ready to begin their search for the tent.
"Oh, one more thing," Kingsley began. He took out a small coin and tossed it to Hermione. "For emergency sessions of the Wizengamot, should your travels warrant it."
Hermione nodded and pocketed the coin in her robes. She smiled at the Minister.
"Thank you, sir." Was her reply as she and Matt slipped out of his office and down the hall.
Matt and Hermione left the Ministry they looked at one another and smiled. He gave her a quick kiss as they moved through the streets of London. Finally, they walked down a back alley between some shops that were deserted.
"Where should we begin?" Hermione asked.
"Well let's backtrack. We were in the Forest of Dean when Ron rejoined us, right? Then we went to the Lovegood's outside Ottery St. Catchpole," Matt replied.
"Then on to the coast after that," Hermione continued.
"And then we were in another forest…that's when…" Matt stopped his sentence as he took Hermione's hand into his and held it. His thumb caressed the back of her hand. She looked down at the simple gesture of comfort and affection and then back to Matt, her own brown, doe eyes capturing his darker brown mahogany ones. He did not want to think about the horrible night they spent in Malfoy Manor, Hermione's screams sometimes still echoed in his nightmares.
"Right, that forest…" Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated very hard but could not quite conjure the exact location. "Oh, I can't remember it!" she moaned.
"Let's go to the coast then. We can pick up from there." Matt said, with a small smirk crossing his lips.
"You have a plan, don't you?" Hermione said, recognizing the look and Matt nodded. Hand in hand, they Disapparated from London with barely a pop.
The sea breeze hit the couple instantly as they appeared on a small hill along the coast. Thankfully they had packed extra warmth as Hermione drew a pair of Gryffindor scarves out of her bag. Matt beamed at her and gladly accepted one of them, her perfume still clinging to the fabric. Together, they walked along the coastline, through snowy drifts and rocky outcroppings. It was a long hike, but as they moved along, the terrain became familiar. Matt started nodding as they walked and then stopped dead,
"What is it?" she asked and shivered.
"There!" Matt pointed inland, just down the hill they were on top of, was a small indent. He hurried quickly, Hermione moving to keep pace with him as they descended the hill. "Right here!" Matt said and drew his wand. With a wave, the snow covering the ground began to blow away to uncover the grass underneath.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, confused as Matt walked in a circle, clearing the snow from it.
"This is where we were camped…I'm sure of it." He said as he crouched near the ground. "Ha! Yes!" he exclaimed and stood up. Clutched between his fingers was a small, smooth coastal stone, with markings on it.
HP, HG, MS, RW
Hermione looked at it and then her eyes grew wide.
"You carved this, didn't you?" she said, and Matt grinned, nodding.
"I left one of these at every campsite we were at, just in case. I always dropped it when we first arrived, having made it while on watch at the previous campsite."
"In case of what?"
"In case we were killed." Matt said somberly. "It was a life and death situation, if we were ever found out or something happened, and we were ambushed…well I thought it might be fitting if there was some kind of marker."
Hermione nodded her understanding. They had all taken precautions as they knew what they were facing with the Horcrux Hunt and how dangerous it could be. This was just one more emotional memento left behind during desperate times.
"Do you know what this means?!" Hermione said excitedly.
"No?" Matt was now confused.
"We can trace this! Magic leaves traces, remember?"
Matt nodded but still looked confused.
"How exactly does this help us?" Hermione knelt in the grass and drew her wand.
"I can trace the spell you used to carve this and find where others like it are located."
"Of course! One will eventually lead back to the tent!"
"And since you dropped it when we first set up camp…" Hermione beamed.
"It'll still be there!"
Hermione spent several hours going over the small stone waving her wand over it and a piece of parchment. She had made a crude yet effective map of the entire United Kingdom and was using the stone to find locations outside of cities where the spell was still located. She had used a combination of scrying techniques they learned in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy lessons to make the map. After she was done, she held up the map to Matt.
He looked over the paper and nodded. There was perhaps a dozen different dots on it, showing various campsites they had made. London and Hogwarts were also marked for convenience and reference points. Matt looked over and could remember a few significant ones, including one in the Forest of Dean and several others close to that one.
"Here, this one, it's not far from here and it might be an area we were in just after here." Matt said pointing to a dot.
"Alright! We'll try it!" Hermione said. Together they Disapparated again.
Unfortunately, the duo was met with disappointment, as their next destination ended up being the very first campsite they had ever made. Neither were particularly fond of the memories that were brought with it, Ron being injured and weeks they spent there while Ron recovered, and they formed a plan. Despite the bad memories, the pair were forced to make camp as the sunlight was fading quickly.
"It was a late start…" Hermione lamented as Matt brought his tent out of his bag and waved his wand.
"It could be worse," Matt replied as the tent unfolded itself and anchored itself into the frozen ground. "We've got a really good start and even though we struck out today, there's still tomorrow!"
After the tent was erected, the couple slipped inside, and Matt lit a fire in the small stove in the middle of the common room as well as one in the oven to make dinner with. Hermione placed her bag in the small bedroom and turned to Matt as he set his own duffle bag down on the table. She had an usual expression on her face as she walked over to him.
"There's um…only one bed…" Hermione observed.
"Yeah…sorry about that…" Matt apologized. "I can take the top bunk if you want…" he said.
"No! Um…we could share? The bottom one that is…like a p-proper couple."
"I'd like that." Matt said and wrapped an arm around Hermione, drawing her close. Her hands rested on his chest, and he leaned down. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned up as their lips met. They stayed like that for a while, until their stomachs rumbled. Blushing they were forced to part and prepare themselves dinner.
They ate quietly, talking lightly but more than anything enjoying the hot food and pleasant company. Afterwards, they began to unpack some more things from their respective bags. Matt stowed the lunchbox in the kitchen, along with the pots, pans, and utensils. Hermione took half the tiny dresser to put some clothes in, leaving the other half for Matt. When he came into the room she blushed as he added his own things, accidentally opening her underwear drawer.
"Sorry! Wasn't trying to snoop." He apologized.
"It's alright…" Hermione said and took a step forward. "I-I was thinking…we're going to be sleeping together, like couples do, and since we are a couple…perhaps we should change together?" she asked, shifting her weight on her feet slightly.
"I would like that." Matt said, his own face turning red at the thought of seeing Hermione naked. She shyly smiled and moved over to the bed. Hermione undid the top buttons of her blouse, slowly. Matt swallowed as he watched her fingers gently unclasp her shirt and work it up over her head. He flushed even redder but could not take his eyes off her.
"Oh…you've never seen me like this, have you?" she asked, recalling they had all been very well behaved during the hunt, despite the fact Matt held feelings for her. He shook his head as Hermione closed the distance between them. "It's alright, you'll get to see even more." She said and took his hand in hers. With a small nod, she placed his hand on her bare stomach. His hand gently moved over her smooth belly, his fingers brushing her belly button as he slowly moved up her body.
Hermione blushed and let out a small gasp as his hand moved over her bra and gave a very slight squeeze. She bit her lower lip as her own hands moved to him now. Matt smiled and gave her the same permissive nod she had given him. Her hands slipped under his shirt and pushed it up and out of the way. He shook his head as his shirt came off and Hermione's warm touch roamed over his chest and stomach.
"Go ahead." Hermione said as she turned around, pulling her bushy brown hair out of the way and exposing her back.
"Um…" Matt fumbled for a moment with her bra. She giggled and reached around, taking his fingers in hers and demonstrated to him how to do it. He was impressed that she could unhook the garment without seeing it. "Years of practice." She reassured him as it slipped from her shoulders. Matt's hands ran down her bare back and Hermione let out a groan of pleasure as she backed herself up to him, pressing herself against his body.
Matt's hands went to her side and around her front. He moved up her body again, this time, when he cupped her breasts, there was nothing between his hands and her bare flesh. Hermione snaked her arms around his neck and turned to look at him. Matt's head dipped and their lips met again as their eyes closed. Hermione moaned into the kiss as Matt gently gave her a squeeze, his fingers trailing over her nipples.
"Do you like them?" Hermione asked after they broke off the kiss.
"Very much so." Matt said and responded with his thumbs caressing over her sensitive buds.
"I thought so." Hermione grinned as she wiggled her butt against Matt's crotch. Matt let out a small groan himself, his own body responding to hers. He knew she could feel it between them as she grinded against him. His hands slid down to her hips, and she placed her own over top of his.
"You're allowed to go lower." She said with a mischievous smirk and a quick kiss. Matt spun her around before slowly working her pants down to her ankles, he followed them down, kneeling in front of Hermione. He looked up at her and smiled before giving her bare stomach a kiss. Hermione tilted her head back and let out a moan of satisfaction at the kisses he trailed from her panty line up to her belly button and back down again.
Hermione hooked her own thumbs into her underwear and shimmied them down, but not before Matt caught a glimpse of a damp spot right in the middle. She took a step back and let Matt take in the sight of her entirely naked body. Hermione even turned around to show off her bum, which Matt did not mind at all. He leaned in to give her a quick couple of kisses on her cheeks before squeezing her and standing up.
"My turn?" he asked.
"Definitely." Hermione said as her hands went to his belt. Her fingers were nimble and deft at undoing the leather strap as his own pants fell away. With a quick wink, Matt stepped out of them and grinned at Hermione. There was a tent in his boxer shorts, his own arousal more obvious than Hermione's but no less intense. Slowly he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the boxers and bent double to take them off, standing a little more slowly.
Hermione blushed as bright as the red on their scarves at the sight of Matt's naked body, and his already hard erection. He gave her a come-hither motion, and she wasted no time in closing the distance between them. Instinctively her hand went to his member, and he let out a small gasp of pleasure. Her fingers were soft and warm as they explored his manhood.
"Oh god, the effect you have on me, Hermione!" Matt said, beaming at her. He knew she could feel him twitching in her grasp.
"I can see." She replied with a grin. "And feel."
"I want you." Matt said desperately.
"I want you too!" Hermione's reply was breathless. In a sudden movement, the two of them were on the lower bunk. Hermione summoned her wand to her hand, flicked it, and placed it on the small nightstand beside the bed. She had cast a lube spell, slicking herself for him. With Hermione beneath Matt, she guided him into her. She gasped and moaned as he entered her, and their emotions began to take over their bodies.
Matt had always known he loved Hermione; she meant more to him than he realized. As they lay there in bed, their bodies joined, he could only think of how she made him feel. This moment allowed him the opportunity to physically demonstrate to her what she meant to him. His body moved slowly and passionately with her, hot kisses trailing from her lips down her neck. Matt's thoughts of how amazing she truly was and what she was willing to risk for him, for his sake were incredible. He did not know of anyone who would be willing to go through this with him, yet here she was, by his side.
Hermione could tell what this meant for Matt and herself. She responded to his motions with her own, rocking her hips and arching her back. She wanted to show him how she had been feeling. It was true, she had been wrapped up in her career for a while, that she had missed the human connection. Here it was, touching her, loving her. She was not sure the last time anything felt this good, and it was with Matt! He was her oldest friend and now they were so much more. She returned his kisses with equal passion and zest. Her body moved under him, expressing her feelings of deep love that had surfaced. It was unlike anything either of them had experienced before.
In the aftermath of the night, Matt lay on his side, Hermione was curled into him, his arms draped around her. His breath tickled her neck as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she giggled. Matt smiled as he gently squeezed her body to his. He never would have imagined that things would turn out this way. Hermione was lying in his arms, and they had just spent the previous couple of hours giving themselves to one another. He had never imagined it would be her who he would end up loving, that ship was supposedly sailed. Yet here she was, naked under the sheets and nestled against him. He sighed, feeling content for the first time in a long time.