The Bodyguard

Alright, here's the next chapter. It's short, yes, but at least some of your questions will be answered. I know it's late, but here you go.

Chapter 5

Harry froze in his tracks, hoping against hope that he had misunderstood. Emma chuckled at his panicked expression and reached down, gently brushing the fur off of his forehead and revealing the lightening shaped  white mark in place of where his scar would usually be. She nodded, as if it confirmed what she had already known. "It's alright Harry. I talked to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. They explained why you were here." They had also told her a couple of other interesting things, but she wasn't about to mention that. " Don't worry--I won't tell Hermione." She watched him relax slightly. "Just a minute." Turning to the window over the sink, she opened it and called, "I'll be right back--just running down to the post office."

Daniel waved acknowledgement from the other side of the yard and turned back to his conversation with Hermione.

"There. Now, why don't we take a walk, hmm? You can change back once we're in the living room." She strode back through the house, clearly assuming Harry would follow--which he did, although his mind was buzzing with questions. What had given him away?

Emma kept him in suspense all the way to the sidewalk in front of the house. She had watched him transform in silence, only the widening of her eyes betraying her awe. When he stood before her as Harry-the human, she was speechless for a moment before smiling widely. "Hello Harry. You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you." Her approving gaze took in his 6'3 form. Working for his relatives had enabled him to fill out with muscles that Quidditch couldn't help him obtain, and he carried himself with a new confidence and grace that she hadn't seen before. The messy hair and vivid green eyes were the only things that marked him as the young boy she had met four years ago in Diagon Alley.

He grinned sheepishly. "Hello Mrs. Granger."

"Emma, please. You're a part of the family now, so to speak, so I think we can dispense with the Mrs. Granger," she replied. "Come on--let's take a walk."

Now outside Harry waited for her to start the conversation as he paced gravely beside her.

"We don't have much time," she began finally. "So I'll brief you on what Professor Dumbledore told me. Basically, my daughter is a target for Lord Voldemort and you are here as a bodyguard of sorts, to keep an eye out for any magical happenings."

Harry nodded. "Yes--and no. I'm here to see if I can weasel out who has been leaking information to the Dark side. Also, as a Muggle-born, Hermione is one of the more obvious targets, so it's a given that there are going to be wards and guards around, but who would suspect that I would be in the middle of it? One thing about Lord Voldemort that we can count on is his arrogance. He believes I am with the Dursleys because I'm there every summer and he also still believes that my mother's protection still works. He weakened it, yes, but to all intents and purposes as long as I stay with my 'family' I'm safe. Dumbledore figured out that the spell relates to blood, not the physical home, which is why the Dursleys could go on vacation to America." He paused. "Unfortunately, what he did to me in fifth year worked better than he realized, which is why I'm here instead of with the Dursleys."

She nodded her understanding. He continued, "As to why all the secrecy, well, number one we can't afford for anyone to know where I am, other than a few significant members of the Order and Max, of course. Number two, we don't know who precisely is leaking information, although I find it interesting that Robert Crawford is a relative to Draco Malfoy, and Draco and his cronies just happen to be coming here for the summer. But until we know for sure, I can't afford to trust anyone other than you, your husband, Hermione, and Max." He managed a rueful grin. "Despite what I may have implied to Hermione."

"Mm. Yes. Well, I can't hold that against you. Hermione was telling the truth when she said that Robert was one of the first friends she had made before she came to Hogwarts. He had a sister who used to come over here as well, although she died from a car accident. After that, they became close. She trusts him, although I'm not so sure she will be so blind in the future now that she knows that he is related to Draco Malfoy. I know he has never mentioned that before."

Harry frowned. "If I could, I would convince her not to go to this party. No matter how much she trusts Crawford, I don't trust him, and I definitely do not trust Draco Malfoy." He sighed heavily.

"But you know that's not going to be possible," Emma replied knowingly. "My daughter will go, just to spite him and make the other girls jealous. Being on Robert's arm will just be an added bonus. Despite the reputation she has for being known for her brains instead of her beauty, Hermione is still a sixteen year old girl. She may act like she is more interested in books and school, but she still has the hopes and dreams of any young girl. Robert is a handsome young man, plus he's the first boy who has shown interest in her, all of her, not just her brains. Going to this party with him will give her a perfect opportunity to repair some of her feminine pride."

By this time they had reached the post office. Harry waited outside while she went in and retrieved the mail. They started walking slowly back home.

"Exactly." Harry shook his head. "And no offense, but having been your daughter's best friend for over five years, I know better than to try to fight the inevitable. I can't even write to Ron about it and warn him, 'cuz I'd have to explain how I knew about it in the first place." A thought occurred to him. "That reminds me. Hermione is planning on writing a letter to me and Ron, telling us about, well, me-er, Leo. All of my letters are spelled to go to Remus instead of Number Four Privet Drive, and then he's going to send an empty envelope with the address and postage on it for my reply to send to Ron, but I need a way to intercept the owls so Hermione doesn't see. Can you do that for me?"

"Certainly. Molly turned me on to wizard romance novels, so I'll just tell Hermione that I subscribed to a new author. That way she won't suspect the frequent packages." She winked at him. "Well, I think we've covered just about everything. Just be careful Harry. My daughter cares about you a lot, which makes you an important person in my book, regardless of scars or heritage. Watch your back, and trust your instincts."

"Thanks Mrs--Emma." Harry replied quietly.

They walked in silence the rest of the way home. Just before they went inside, she touched him gently on the arm. "When you get a chance, write down some of your favorite foods and I'll do my best to keep them stocked in the refrigerator for you to snack on at night. You're a growing boy; there's no reason for you to starve just because you're a cat."

He smiled. "I will." She turned up the walkway to the front door. "Um, one more thing: what exactly gave me away? You talked to Professor Dumbledore after you saw me, so you must have guessed after we met. What did I do?"

She smiled, eyes sparkling with mischief and a sudden secret. "Your eyes, for one. The color, yes, but also the fact that you squint slightly, even as a cat."

He blushed. "It's a habit. I'm still not used to not having my glasses."

"And also, I saw the scar earlier. You may want to make sure Dumbledore includes something about lightening marks in the 'books' he sends Hermione about you." She shot him an questioning glance. "Although, Hermione told me that since there were so many students tested that the girls were in one room and the boys in another, but the only form she knew about was your hawk form. How...why..."

He blushed harder. "I guess it's the curse of me being, well, me. We went individually into a separate room with Professor McGonagall, as a safety precaution since it's hard to distinguish between animal instincts and people instincts during that first discovery change. You don't choose the form; it chooses you. And, since I can't do anything normally, I was chosen to be both bird and cat. With everything else going on, it was decided that we would keep my hawk form as my official Animagi form, since that is what most people assumed I would become, and keep the panther for...other things."

"Ah. That explains a lot." She chuckled. "Very well. Here we are; you better change back to 'Leo'." She watched him shimmer and shrink back to the size Hermione had charmed him to; apparently the Reducio charm hadn't worn off yet. "Why don't you go check on the others, and I'll start something for lunch, hm?"

He meowed his assent, and trotted through the house out to the backyard.

He found Daniel puttering around with the barbeque, but no Hermione so he returned inside and headed upstairs to her room. He found her on her bed, writing busily into what looked to be a journal. Not wanting to intrude, he padded softly in and curled up on the rug beside her. Curiosity soon got the better of him however, and despite his best intentions he rose to his haunches to peer over the bed and see what she was writing.

Robert came over today. His trip to France was canceled, although he gave a rather vague reason as to why exactly. No matter—I'm more concerned with the news that he is related to Draco Malfoy! How could I not know that? How could he keep that from me? Of course, that would explain the nasty looks Pansy and her little pack of ankle-biters were shooting me at the train station at the end of last year. Apparently he's a distant cousin or something, just enough that both acknowledge a blood tie when it suits them. That alone should be enough for me to refuse to go to this party, and yet…If I didn't know the Malfoy Mansion was so close by, then neither does Draco and company. I would love to dress up and go, just to see the look on Pugsy's face when I stroll in on Robert's arm. Little mousy bookworm Hermione in the Malfoy home, as a guest no less! With the handsomest man there. Of course, it's not physically possible, considering who and what I am, but it would be nice. Just to be acknowledged as a female vying for a guy's affections, and not just the girl who earned her House another bunch of points for being a know-it-all.

She paused, nibbling absently on the end of her pen. Harry thought it was strange, to see her writing in a Muggle notebook with a regular ball point pen instead of parchment and quill, but it fit the mood and the moment. She was a Muggle-born witch, and a part of both worlds. It was only right that she be as proficient with pen and paper as she was with quill and parchment. He admired her neatly slanted handwriting, so different from his half-legible scribbling, for a moment before comprehending the words she was busily writing. His eyes widened.

Still, what if I went, but in disguise? Harry and Ron would kill me if they found out what I was planning, but I saw a letter from Professor Dumbledore to my parents saying that there has been increased Dark activity around here. The Malfoys relocating seems a little bit too convenient to me, so I bet they have something to do with it. Ron is out of the country, and Harry is stuck with his horrid relatives, so there's only me. It's not like I would do anything suspicious; I just would keep my eyes and ears open for anything interesting, and if I heard or saw something, I would contact Dumbledore immediately. And besides, Robert said that Lucius was staying at the Manor, and just Draco and his friends are coming. I can handle them. Besides, Leo will be with me—I don't dare leave him home. Not that I'd have much of a choice, anyway—that little contest of wills we had earlier confirmed that.

Harry snorted. Right. She's not going to do anything, just like we always not do anything. That'll last all of two seconds. At least she's not going to try to stop me from going with her.

Not that I don't appreciate my own personal bodyguard, but--Males! What is it with them being protective of me, but not possessive? I mean, if I look at a guy, even one of my Housemates, Ron and Harry conveniently find some excuse to drag me away. Heaven forbid that I have a conversation with someone that doesn't have to do with schoolwork! And yet, neither one of them have gotten the courage to ask me out themselves—well, strike that. Ron did ask me to a Hogsmeade weekend last year, but that was when Harry was sick with the flu and couldn't go with us anyway. Still, it was a sweet gesture. It just confirmed what we both already knew though—Ron and I are destined to be just friends, nothing more. And yet, despite that, I'm not allowed to date any other boys either! Merlin! Ginny has six brothers and she isn't nearly as overprotected as I am!

He noted that she didn't write anything about their relationship and couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Sure, they were best friends, but it was like she just took it for granted that because she and Ron were destined to be just friends that she and Harry were fated to the same without even giving him a choice in the matter. He had always done his best to respect the friendship boundaries in their relationship, assuming it would be awkward between the three of them if two decided to make a pair of it. He had believed that Hermione and Ron agreed with that sentiment, although it had never actually been brought up. Apparently he had thought wrong, but nothing, thank Merlin, had come of it. He returned his attention to the journal, hoping she would write more about her feelings about Ron, but she was back to writing about the party.

I feel so helpless sometimes, being a Muggle-born. Yes, I'm Harry's best friend, and I've helped him defeat Lord Voldemort before, but he's the one who's the hero. I want to do something on my own, prove that I'm more than just a brain. Then maybe he'll notice me as more than a friend

She quickly scribbled out the last sentence before Harry could see what she had written and closed the journal and tapped it twice with her wand, vanishing it. Harry grumbled a protest, and she glanced at him.

“You know, it's not polite to read a girl's journal,” she said crisply.

Harry stared at her, eyes wide with innocence. “Fine. “It's not like you know what you're reading. I'm going to take a nap.“ Scooting over, she tapped the spot next to her invitingly.

Harry hesitated. This was Hermione, his best female friend. Besides, it was only a nap, right? It wasn't like they hadn't fallen asleep on each other's shoulders numerous times in the common room or library. He jumped up on the bed and curled up next to her, expelling a long sigh and closing his eyes. He needed a nap. This bodyguard stuff was hard work. It was still only his first day on assignment, and he'd had to deal with the shock of Hermione having a male friend that he and Ron didn't know about plus finding out that said friend was a distant relation to a Malfoy. And now, even knowing all that, she was still planning on willingly walking into the viper's den—on the arm of a cobra, no less! It was too much for him to take in all at once. Breathing deeply, he deliberately relaxed. Hermione was safe beside him. He knew where she was and what she was doing, and that was enough for the moment.

***

Emma was busy setting the table for dinner when her husband walked in. She glanced up and raised her eyebrows in question. He smiled. “They're both fast asleep on the bed. She's sprawled out and taking up three fourths of the space, yet he still managed to stretch out along the edge like a big furry black barrier protecting her from the rest of the world—or at least from falling off the bed.”

Emma chuckled. “Did either of them wake up when you checked on them?”

Daniel shook his head, snagging a tomato out of the salad bowl. “They were both dead to the world.”

“It's just as well—they've had an exciting day. We'll let them sleep.” She paused, debating on telling him about the interesting conversation she had earlier, but decided against it. She loved her husband very much, but he didn't have the tolerance for the different and unknown like she did. He very much believed in what he could see and touch. He had accepted that his daughter was a witch, but by mutual consent they didn't speak of it except as needed. Until someone made him see otherwise, he would accept that Leo was just a overly large, extra intelligent feline. There was no need to shatter his illusions unless absolutely necessary.

Noticing that he was giving her a strange look, she pasted a bright smile on her face. “How are the burgers coming?”

He winced. “Oops. I better go check.” She watched him dash out the door again and giggled to herself before following.

***

Harry woke slowly, aware of a heavy weight laying across his midsection. Disoriented, he kept his eyes closed, letting his senses adjust as Professor McGonagall had taught him. Smell first. The crisp, clear scent of rain blowing softly through the window, tainted only slightly by the lingering bitter tang of smoke from the grill. Mr. Granger or one of the neighbors must've cooked on the barbeque earlier. And next to him, the strongest scent. Cinnamon and apples and a hint of fresh soap mixed in a blend that was uniquely Hermione. He could pick her out of a crowd of thousands, just by her smell.

And if he couldn't smell her, well, he could always pick her out by her snoring. He snickered inwardly. She would deny it if he ever called her on it, but she did snore. Not loud, not consistently, but just a slight whistle every once in a while that reminded him of a bird. She was also a bed hog, he had discovered. If he had been human he would've had to grab onto the bed post to stay on the bed. Good thing he didn't need any covers, because she had managed to wrestle them out from under him in her tossing and turning.

Opening his eyes, he encountered darkness. By the lack of sound downstairs, he deduced that it was late, close to midnight. Time to make his report. He slowly slipped out from under Hermione's arm, immediately missing her warmth as he left the bed. The door was open, so it was easy enough to pad quietly down the stairs and out the back door. Whistling a small tune, he held out his arm and waited. Hedwig, his snowy owl, came winging in and landed on his arm. She cooed affectionately before shifting to his shoulder and nibbling on his ear in greeting.

“Hi Hedwig. I see you've been out hunting. I need you to take this to Remus for me, and then stay out of sight, okay? You're a bit conspicuous, and I don't need you getting hurt because of me. Remus or Tonks will have plenty of work for you to do once you're there.” Unbuckling the collar from around his neck, he pried one of the jewels off and carefully wrapped it in a bit of material before tying the whole thing securely to her leg. “There. Take that to Professor Lupin, and be careful.”

She nipped at his finger before allowing him to shift her back to his arm so he could launch her into the sky. He watched her disappear into the darkness before slowly reverting back to his Leo form and returning to the house. Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. That little jewel was a magical version of a Muggle tape recorder. Everything Harry had heard or seen up until that point was recorded onto that chip. It could only be activated by Lupin, Tonks, or Professor Dumbledore himself, but once they had done so, the contents could be examined at luxury. Harry knew Robert Crawford would be of particular interest to the Order, as would the information that the Malfoys were making move.

Yawning, he trotted back upstairs and curled up once more next to Hermione, and soon slipped into slumber once again.