It was never your intention to neglect your friends in your search for the Cursed Vaults, but it always happened. The castle was simply so massive that one might easily lose themselves within the vast expanses of hallways and moving staircases for several hours. It should come as no surprise then, that seeking out a series of rooms so well hidden that they were considered by most to be mere legend, took an astounding amount of time. Every nook and cranny of the ancient bastion had to be thoroughly examined, keeping lookout for even the most miniscule of details that may well reveal the next piece of string to be pulled, hoping that it might be the one to lead to the next vault. More often than not though, the string ended in a series of loose threads with only the most infinitesimal amount of direction pointing to the next piece of the never-ending puzzle.

It had been seventy-nine hours since you had stepped foot outside your brother's, now your own secret study, even longer since you'd last slept. The bed in the corner of the room had been abandoned of its intended function, and now served as a second desk, a cluster of parchment and books scattered across its surface. A pile of dirty plates were stacked next to the door, the remnants of food brought to you by Hogwarts' loyal house elves. It had been sixty-eight hours since you'd last eaten.

You were so close, you could tell. The answer lie somewhere in the swarm of papers you'd enchanted to float in the air in front of you for you to examine. You grabbed at one of them, quickly scanning it for the ninth time, then reached for another and examined the two side by side. Still nothing. You groaned frustratedly and released them, allowing them to flitter away and back to their original positions. You rubbed your face in your hands. Time to start over again. Break apart the puzzle and try assembling it another way. You began grabbing at the papers, restructuring their positions, organizing them in different combinations hoping that this time you'd find what you were looking for, but quite frankly, you doubted it. You were sorely lacking on information, most of the pieces of parchment having to do with the vaults you'd already found. But maybe they'd help lead you to the next.

You wished Jacob hadn't been so paranoid and destroyed all his notes before disappearing, but then again, it wasn't as if his paranoia hadn't been justified. Already you'd had several warnings issued against you by the mysterious group, 'R', and even a few attempts on your life. Now that you thought about it, maybe Jacob hadn't been as nutty as you'd thought. After all, you couldn't be too careful in your pursuit of the vaults. They contained powerful curses and hunting them down was bound to draw unwanted attention from dangerous people. No, there was no such thing as too careful. Even the walls had ears. Who knows when someone will sneak up behind you, fingers wrapped around your neck? You jumped and released a yelp of fright as a small pair of hands placed themselves on your shoulder.    

"Penny?" You hissed in shock as you looked up from your seat to see the blonde-haired Hufflepuff standing over you. Of course, it was Penny. It was always Penny. Everyone else had given up a long time ago. They knew there was no reaching you when you got like this. It was only Penny that cared enough now to bother trying.

"What are you doing here? You nearly scared me half to death."

"Three days." She said.

"What?"

"No one's seen you in three days." Her voice was small and full of concern. "Not in your dormitory or common room, not in the Great Hall. You even missed Snape's most recent exam."

"Bloody hell, Penny. I hadn't realized it'd been that long." You said truthfully. "I'm sorry."

"You need to take a break." She said.

"I know. And I will. Just as soon as I figure this out." You turned your attentions back to the papers floating before you, continuing your reorganization of the information. "I'm so close, Penny. I can feel it."

"(F/N)." She said, trying to get your attention. "(F/N), please. I miss you."

You felt the weight of her body on your back as she draped her arms over your shoulders, hugging you from behind. Her head rested atop her left arm; cheek pressed against your neck. You sighed in exhaustion and closed your eyes, leaning into her touch, tilting your head so it rested against hers.

"I'm almost there, Penny." You whispered. "Just give me another day or two, then I promise, I promise you, I'll come back."

"But I need you back now." She whimpered.

You could hear the grief in her voice. The need for your reassuring presence. The past few years had been especially trying on her. Losing Scarlett, the fear of losing Beatrice. And this most recent curse turning people to stone had her fearful of losing someone else. Penny was strong, but life had not been kind to her. She had difficulty coping with loss. No more than anyone else, but the horrors of her life mixed with her proclivity for potions were a dangerous combination. On more than one occasion you'd pulled her away from such methods. Those events had brought you closer, closer than words could say. You felt for her in a way you didn't for any of your other friends, and you knew she felt it too. So, when she said she needed you, you knew she meant it.

"Please." She begged, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Come back to me. I miss your hugs."

Her voice sounded so small, and God, it broke you. Hogwarts needed you to break this curse, but right now, Penny needed you more. She took a step back as you stood, abandoning the pages floating to envelop her petite frame in a warm hug. You stood like this for several minutes, hands gently stroking up and down her back. You saw tears streaming down her eyes when you separated. You placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, your other coming up to hold her face. You placed your forehead against hers, her hands gripping you tightly by your robes, as if she was afraid you would slip away if she let go. Gently, you angled her face upwards to capture her lips softly with your own.

This wasn't the first time you'd kissed her, that had been sometime last year. Her maddening fear and your pure exhaustion had united the two of you. When you'd awoken the next morning, both of you agreed it was probably for the best that you didn't repeat what had happened the night before. There were too many things happening for either of you to properly sort through the feelings you had for one another. But three weeks later it happened again. And once more two months later. At this point, neither of you were trying to hide anything from each other. Lying to yourself was difficult. Lying to each other was damn near impossible. But this thing you had, whatever it was, was easy. Comfortingly so. It just felt right.

"I'm scared, (F/N)." She whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." You assured her.

"Won't I?" She asked. "It already feels like I am. You always used to have time for me, but lately it feels like I hardly see you anymore. I can't even remember what your body feels like."

Already her small hand was reaching for the buckle on the front of your waist. You grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Penny..."

"Please, (F/N). I need to remember."

The papers on your bed had been scattered across the floor, joining your discarded robes. Penny was wrapped in your arms beneath the duvet, her head rested on your chest as you languidly trailed your fingers through her loose golden locks.

"I've missed this." She said, fingers tracing over one of the many scars you had collected over the past six years. "I wish things could always be like this."

"Me too." You agree. "But it's too..."

"Too dangerous. I know." Penny sighed, having heard the excuse many times before. "But maybe, maybe once it's all sorted. After you've broken this last curse and defeated R."

"Is that what you want?"

"It's all I want." She said, propping her chin up on your chest and looking up at you with her shimmering eyes. "Promise me once this is all over, promise me we can be like this."

"I promise." You said seriously.

"Promise me you'll still hold me?"

"I promise."

"Promise me you'll always love me?"

"Always. I promise."

She smiled softly up at you and rested her head back on your chest.

"Can we stay like this just a little longer?" She asked.

You tightened your grip around her in response, placing a lingering kiss in her hair.

"Always."

You listened to the relaxing sound of Penny's breathing, and as you drifted off to sleep you wondered if you could ever have this. You weren't certain this nightmare would ever end. But as you lay there, holding Penny in your arms, you took solace in one thing. Your love for each other would never die. And that was enough.

A/N: Started this story with one thing in mind and it just naturally turned into something else. Hope you enjoyed.