Hermione gasped. But her surprise at the sensation was mixed with a pleasure so full of joy that she was powerless to protest, because she was breathless with exhilaration. With a racing heart, she responded in the same way; she took a handful of of the stag's fur, and as her fingers tightened within its silky warmth she knew that Harry was feeling all the things that she was, and she felt unspeakably closer to him in that moment.