A very shocked Scott Walker stood stiffly as the familiar yet unfamiliar woman remained latched on to him as if her life depended on it. He looked at Tom the bartender in confusion and got a shrug and a smile in response.
Harry? "Um ... Excuse me ..." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "I think you've got the wrong person, miss."
The woman sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She was still wearing the glasses and continued to inspect every inch of him.
"My name's not Harry ... Its Scott." He said, for some reason feeling very stupid. He pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and paid the bartender for the meal. "Thanks for the meal, Tom." He said quietly. He couldn't take his eyes from the woman in front of him but before she could look into his, he grabbed his luggage and settled it over his shoulders. "It was ... a pleasure, I guess ... Have a good day." He said hurriedly and went for the door.
This day cannot get any weirder ... He thought in disbelief. Scott almost got to the door when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end again. Without thinking he shot to the side of the door and glanced around the common room quickly as he reached to his left side for something.
The door banged open and three men in what could only be described as black robes stormed into the place. The woman that had called Scott Harry handed the glasses back to Tom and disappeared out the back.
"She went out the back. Com on!" The one in front said gruffly. He pulled out a long, shiny stick and ran to the back of the room. The other two brandished similar items and followed quickly.
Once they were out of the room, Tom hurried to Scott with a look of worry on his face. "You've got to get out of here!" He said in a harsh whisper. "Call the Knight Bus and take it to this address." He handed Scott a folded piece of parchment and looked around quickly.
"What's the phone number?" Scott asked as he tore open the folded paper and looked at the handwriting scrawled upon it. Scott was still reeling in disbelief at everything that had just happened. If she can make it down Knockturn Alley, she should be able to catch that unmonitored Floo ... WHAT AM I THINKING? He looked at Tom with curious panic and the bartender glanced at him incredulously.
"Just raise your wand and Stan will get you out of here." Tom hissed impatiently.
"I don't have a wand." He admitted with confusion. "I've never owned one, let alone believed that they actually existed!"
Tom reached into his apron and pulled out a sleek shaft with a handle on one end. "Use mine. Now get out of here before they come back!"
Scott took the wand and without looking back shot into the street. The door slammed behind him as he looked around the area carefully. There were a few shadowy people looking his way and one stood up. Without a second thought, he stuck his wand in the air and immediately an ensuing bang echoed down the street. Scott was startled to see a violently purple bus screech to a halt directly in front of him.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or -"
"Stan, no time, I need to get out of here!" Scott rushed onto the bus and set his bag into a chair.
"Excuse me?" Stan asked taken back.
"No time, no time! Tom told me to have you take me here." Scott shoved the paper into the palm of Stan's hand and the young man's eyes went wide.
"Ern, HIT IT!" Stan slammed himself into his seat and buckled in. The short man in the driver's seat smiled excitedly and slammed the gear stick, at least Scott thought it was a gear stick, into the farthest forward position it could go.
Scott was thrown from his feet as the bus shot off with an acceleration that defied physics. There were several loud cracks as the scenery flashed and changed outside the windows. Another crack was heard and they looked out the window to see Charing Cross Road again.
"ERN! Ignore it! Emergency measures!" Stan shouted as the bus began to stop. There was a mass of men and women in black robes converging on the spot where the Knight Bus' projected position was going to be when it came to a halt.
The driver pulled a switch and hit another button that caused them to disappear with another loud crack. The scenery began to change far more rapidly during their journey and Scott was finally able to pull himself into a seat.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Calm down, mate." Stan said reassuringly from his seat. He slowly got to his feet and pulled a ring from a pocket inside his robes. "Do you recognize this?" He asked cautiously.
Scott looked at the ring and found himself drawn to it. The band was composed of gold, silver, platinum, and bronze threads that were woven together in a Celtic knotwork design. The ancient decoration started and ended at a golden lion's head with emerald eyes. He felt like he'd seen this ring before but couldn't place it. When he concentrated on the elusive memory his head began to spin and he felt a little faint.
"Cor!" Stan shouted. "I guess you do. Ern, toss me the medical kit!"
Scott looked at the driver who retrieved a small box from under his seat and slid it down the aisle to Stan's feet.
"Hold on, your nose started bleeding." Stan said soothingly. He opened the box and pulled out some gauze. "Pinch your nose with this. Blimey they did a bang up job on you ..."
"What do you mean?" Scott asked quietly while he did as he was instructed.
"That's one bloody strong memory charm they have on you." Stan said quickly. "Put this ring on, it'll keep the Aurors off of you for the time being."
Scott looked at the ring apprehensively but slowly slid it over his finger. It stopped at the middle knuckle and he watched as the ring grew in size to accommodate his finger.
"I don't think I can handle this ..." He said woozily. He looked around at the spinning bus and slid helplessly to the floor.
"Hold on, we'll get you into a bed ..."
Scott nodded absently as he felt his consciousness drain away. What's happening? He felt bile rise in his throat but was feeling too weak to do anything about it. A moment later, everything was black.
"What do you mean there's someone else in there?!" Scott yelled at his partner angrily. "I just did a sweep of the entire place. Nothing visible or invisible was left!"
"Damn it! I told you there's someone in there!" His blonde-headed partner yelled back at him. "Now's not the time to bring up our past! We've been partnered together and that's that! Look I'll take the top floor and make sure there aren't any Death Eaters there, you hit the ground floor ..."
Scott pulled out his wand and muttered something under his breath and a wide, green beam shot from the tip. "One more effing sweep! We don't have much time before that damn bomb is supposed to go off! Now get going!"
The partners ran into the building and as planned they each went their separate ways. Scott bustled into each of the separate rooms on the ground floor and stopped in the library. The green light from his wand illuminated a few footprints in front of a bookcase and there were handprints all over a particular book.
"What the? This wasn't here before!" Scott bent and muttered a few words as his wand trailed over the footprints then did the same on the handprints. He looked at the book and sighed at the title. "Rise ... of the Dark Arts ... Death Eaters must have scratched off the 'and Fall' part ..." He shook his head and reached for the tome.
Be careful tonight, Love. A voice in the back of his head said with concern. I want you to come home tonight ...
"She's right, this could be anything." Scott doused his light and muttered another spell. The book glowed a bright orange then faded to green before going out. "Well, there isn't a portkey glamour on it." He observed. He moved the book and the bookcase opened to reveal a long, dark tunnel that seemed to stretch a bit farther than the house. Scott cautiously entered the stone corridor and the door slammed shut behind him.
"Damn it!" He turned around cautiously and found that he was no longer in a tunnel, but was instead in a room. There was a man tied to a chair in the center of the square area. "Who are you?"
The man struggled wildly and he shouted through the bag over his face. "MMMMPH!"
Scott's paranoia shot to new levels as he stalked closer to the bound man. A faint light was shining on him from a small window set into the wall. He pulled off the bag and stumbled backwards. He tripped and fell into an identical chair as ropes shot from the backrest and tied him firmly in place.
"WHAT THE MMPMPHH?!" A gag snaked around his mouth as someone tied it firmly behind him. Scott could only stare in horror at his twin who seemed to be staring back at him with an equal amount of fear.
Scott turned to see who was there but a bag was shoved roughly over his head and someone belted him across the face a few times. He fought to stay awake but he fell unconscious.
"Will he be alright?" A familiar voice asked worriedly. Scott tried to move but found it difficult. "Harry? Are you awake?"
He fought to open his eyes and with a tremendous amount of effort he blinked. The amount of light that poured through his eyelids blinded him and left him dizzy where he lay. "Wh-where am I?" He asked with a thick tongue.
"You're in a safe house." The woman said quietly beside him. He looked down and saw that she was holding his hand. Or what he assumed was his hand, it didn't look quite right.
"What's wrong with my hand?" He looked up to the woman's face and saw the one from the pub. "Who are you?"
The woman sighed and Scott could immediately tell it was one of sadness. How he could tell, he didn't know. He suddenly realized that something else was off.
"Hello? Testing ... testing ... one - two - three ..." His free hand shot to his mouth and his eyes widened. "This isn't my voice ..." He freed his hand and felt his face. "Where's a mirror!" He whispered harshly.
Without looking up, the strangely familiar woman handed him a mirror. Scott took it in his hands and peered into the unfamiliar green eyes that were embedded on the man's face that was reflected back. He wiggled his eyebrows and opened his mouth experimentally and watched the color drain from the face of his mirror ego.
"What?" He ran his fingers through his raven hair. As his bangs were pulled back his forehead was revealed and it was sporting a jagged scar that resembled a lightning bolt. "No ... You've got to be kidding me!" He looked at the woman and a tinge of recognition flashed in his eyes. "H-Hermione?" He asked tenuously.
She snapped her head up and her eyes found his. Scott could see the look of hope that flashed in her chocolate-brown swirls just before everything drained to a worried look of concern. "Harry? Your nose is bleeding ... Here, let me get that." She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at his nose but the bleeding increased.
"It feels like my head is going to crack open ..." Scott said with a woozy voice. Hermione looked panicked and ran to the door.
"Quick! It's happening again!" She yelled down the hall. The sound of several people running on tile echoed into the room and Scott's vision blurred as they stormed up to him.
"He's going into shock! I need the vial of ...." The rest of the conversation died out as Scott slumped back into unconsciousness.
He didn't make a sound as he looked up the two steps that separated the sunken living room from the dining room in his small apartment. The woman in front of him was smiling seductively and with a raised hand, beckoned for him to join her.
Scott rose from his seat on the couch and walked over to his beautiful wife. His hands slid up her silk-laden sides and he could feel the soft skin under the smooth fabric of her nightgown. His hands made their way to her hips and with a groan of pleasure he pulled her into him, her arms encircling his neck as she smiled sweetly.
He looked into her deep brown eyes and watched as her long, curly, brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. He smiled and inched his face to hers.
"I love you, Harry ..." She said quietly as their lips met for the first time since they'd been back.
"I love you too, Hermione." He said huskily when he lifted her from the floor.
His lips were back on hers in a flash and the next thing he knew, the doorbell rang several times in rapid succession.
"I'm going to kill him!" Harry said angrily under his breath. "I'm not supposed to be back until tomorrow!"
"Don't go, Harry, just stay here ..." Hermione whispered into his ear before nibbling seductively at his earlobe. His eyes rolled back into his head and a moan escaped his lips.
"POTTER! Open up! We have a break in the case!" Draco Malfoy shouted through the door. "We don't have much time!"
Hermione's head shot up. "They've got a lead?" She asked incredulously.
Harry sighed and handed her dressing gown to her. "Damn it! Why now of all times?!" He threw on his pants, strapped his wand holster to his shoulder and threw on his black cloak.
"Harry, be careful tonight, Love." Hermione whispered to him as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I want you to come home tonight."
"Don't worry, Love, I'll be back. I promise." Harry said quietly into her hair. "If anything goes wrong ..."
"Nothing will go wrong, Harry!" Hermione said sternly.
"I know, but you need to be ready." He said in an equally stern voice. "The emergency portkey, remember to use it!"
Hermione didn't argue and just nodded that she understood.
"I love you, Hermione." He said reassuringly.
"I love you too." She said quietly and pulled him into another hug.
Harry left the bedroom and opened the door. "This had better be good, Draco, I wasn't due to return until tomorrow ..."
"Don't worry, Potter, this is something we can't pass up!" Draco said with a wide smile. "We have him where we want him!"
"Fine, let's get this over with, I have a wife I need to get home to ..." Harry looked over his shoulder at Hermione and smiled with reassurance. He mouthed 'be back soon' then closed the door and apparated to the police box next to headquarters.
The sound of people talking suddenly washed over him like a tidal wave crashing into a mountain. His eyes fluttered open to a sea of blurry red and a speck of brown.
"You're awake again!" Hermione leaned over the bed and looked into Scott's eyes. "It looks like they were able to get you back to normal ..." She sighed and Scott saw the tears glistening on her cheeks when her head bowed.
"Hermione ..." He said hoarsely. "What's happening?"
She pulled a familiar pair of glasses from her robe and slipped them onto his face. Once they were settled, the room slid into crystal clarity and the sea of red dissolved into several redheaded people.
"You've got a particularly nasty memory charm on you, mate!" A tall, gangly redhead said with a smile as he approached. "Took us three years just to find you, come to think of it, you found us! I knew they couldn't keep you away from Hermione for long ..." He ruffled Scott's hair playfully and smiled at him.
"Wait a minute ... If she's Hermione and she keeps calling me Harry, let me guess, you're Ron, right?" Scott smiled sarcastically. "Ok, what drugs do you people have me on?"
Hermione looked hurt and a twinge of regret flooded through him. He looked at who he guessed was Ron and winced at the anger in his eyes.
"Harry, you've been gone for three years. We've been looking for you non-stop for quite some time. Yes, I am Ron and I know the memory charm has us locked away in your head somewhere but nobody is tricking you. At least, nobody in this room ..."
"How on earth can I be Harry, I'm guessing Harry Potter because of this damned scar on my head, when he's a fictional character in a book!" Scott was about to tighten his hands into fists to keep the anger at bay but remembered that Hermione still had his hand in hers. That touch brought him under control instantly. "My name is Scott Walker. I'm thirty-five and am in London on vacation." He said evenly. "This has got to be a dream because I just read the entire series a few months ago ..."
"Those books aren't fictional, Mr. Potter." A tall, mature yet attractive blonde said from the doorway. "I should know because I used your journals to write them."