A/N: Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on his chapter.
Chapter 40: A strike from the night.
******************************Hogwarts*******************************
February 12, 1998
Harry turned from the dispersing crowd and shakily let out a breath. Tears were in his eyes, as he looked over the lake, along the shore and towards Hagrid's cabin. He felt Hermione's hand in his flutter slightly before she spun to him and buried her face in his black dress robes, the tears that she had been desperately holding in the entire service falling free. Harry buried his face in her hair, as he finally lost the bare edge of control he had held since the huge, shrouded forms had passed them in procession.
He did not acknowledge Arthur's hand on his shoulder as the new Minister of Magic passed, nor the almost twenty strong security contingent of Aurors spread out around the lake. Molly did not say anything, simply gave them a small nod. She did stop to give Ron and Luna a crushing, tearful hug each, however. The other couple was standing next to Harry and Hermione, with Luna looking blankly, almost lifelessly, at the newest tombs in the thousand-year-old cemetery by the lake. She had been almost inconsolable when she had heard the news, and had broken down in the Great Hall.
Ginny followed her parents at a slight distance, but stopped as she reached Harry and Hermione, and looked to them with bloodshot red eyes. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered in a hoarse, tired voice. Her shiny red hair hung lankly over the shoulders of her black robe, Harry closed his eyes for a moment as the color reminded him of the scene that he had found just days ago.
Harry looked at her, over the top of Hermione's hair, "Ginny...I have just one question," he asked softly, his voice flat and dead.
"What?" she whispered, as Molly paused and looked back at her. Several black-robed students passed on their way to the castle, with Harry holding his words, until they passed.
He looked up as Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus and Dean joined them, their faces leaden with emotion. He nodded to them before he looked back to Ginny, still without lessening his grip on Hermione, "We still have our differences, Ginny," Harry went on, one of his fists clenched behind Hermione's back for an instant before he relaxed it. "But what I need to know is," his eyes bored into hers, "is there still a Gryffindor in there somewhere, or are you too far gone?"
Ginny stood silent for a bit, while the crowds thinned even more, the majority of the students already on their way back to the castle. The lawn was almost silent on this relatively warm winter's day, a day that seemed to mock them with its light and warmth, amidst the winter of their discontent. Hermione finally pulled her face from Harry's robes and wiped at her eyes angrily, she took a long, broken look towards Hagrid's tomb, before her sullen, flint-like eyes held Ginny's gaze. Ginny broke the connection after a second and looked slowly around at the others crowded around, "Yeah, Harry," she looked at the tomb and nodded, "I think there still is."
"Be ready at midnight," Harry replied almost silently as he took Hermione's hand and started back towards the castle, clearly deep in thought.
*************************12 Grimmauld Place, London**********************
February 13, 1998
1:00 am
A somber, almost silent group sat scattered around in the huge, old Library of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black as Harry came in, alone. Ron and Luna were curled together on a couch, snacking from a plate that Dobby had just placed in front of them. Across from them, on another couch that the Potters' miniscule retainer had found somewhere, Neville, Parvati and Lavender were sitting, or rather Parvati was curled up more or less on Neville's lap, while Lavender seemed to be asleep on his shoulder. Seamus and Dean were rather involved in a game of Wizard's chess on the Library table, while Padma sat next to the Irish Wizard, reading through Really Nasty Curses the Ministry Really Doesn't Want You to Know About.
Away from the rest of them, as if she carried a minor communicable disease like the Wizard's Flu, Ginny stood, looking out the huge Library windows at the wintry night outside. She turned and looked at Harry as he stopped and nodded at the small witch. He looked around at the rest of the room, "Hermione will be here in a bit, she's...ah...bringing someone. I want everyone to stay calm, when she gets here, alright?" he said, his words a command, not a question. Ron frowned, already knowing whom she was bringing, but said nothing as Luna grabbed his arm.
Harry looked back at the door to the Library a beat before Hermione led in a familiar presence. A loud growl of discontent sounded from the other Gryffindors as she pointed towards a seat and sat Draco in it forcefully. Harry ignored them, but as he turned to the newcomers, out of the corner of his eye, he did notice that Ginny seemed to want to cross to Draco. The blonde's grey eyes flicked to her, and gave her a minuscule headshake, that would not even be noticed if you weren't looking for it. Draco looked up at Harry, his normal sneer only a bit in evidence, "So, Potter," he looked around the room, "I see that you've settled in here, you and your little Order."
Harry looked at Draco and shook his head. He moved over and perched on the edge of the Library table and looked down at Draco, "There will be no insults here today, Draco, from either side if I can avoid it." Harry looked back at Hermione, who had sat next to him looking down at the former Slytherin, she shrugged, "Where are your parents, Draco?" A soft, hungry sound came from behind him at his words.
"Why do you want to know, Potter?" Draco said softly, his eyes looking quickly around the room at the various Gryffindors and others crowded into the room. He shrugged, "How the bloody hell should I know, I've been locked away in your little hole."
"I'm sure that you have some idea," Hermione said softly, her voice replete with menace as she pushed off from the edge of the table and took a pair of cat-like strides to loom over him. His head turned slightly and looked up her. Across the room, Ginny started to move to his side, but stopped as Ron's hand shot out and rested lightly on her forearm. She glared over at him, but did not attempt to move closer. Hermione was ignorant of the byplay as she placed her hands on the arms of the chair that she had placed Draco into and leaned forward, "Where are they, Ferret?"
"And exactly why should I tell you, Mu...Granger," he corrected himself as Harry slowly flowed to his feet. Eddies of magic gathered at the corners of the room, as a sourceless breeze caused the candles and oil lamps lighting the room to flicker. Harry took a breath, closing faintly glowing eyes, and calming the room.
He opened them to turn hard, emerald eyes to Draco, "Because you hate your parents, and you are not quite as evil as they are," Harry explained, darkly. "And somewhere, in that little twisted thing you call a heart, you know that's true." Harry stepped to the opposite side of the chair from Hermione and assumed a similar posture, "And if you don't tell us, it will bloody well make my year to fillet your mind and serve it up with a side of chips. You are going to tell us, either way, Draco."
"You just want to kill me, Potter, so why don't you just get it over with?" Draco snapped, rising out of his chair and taking a step towards Harry. The rest of the room reacted instantly, most drawing wands and Ginny breaking free of Ron's grip and rushing towards the pair only to be stopped by an invisible wall as Hermione slashed her wand downwards.
"If I had wanted to kill you, Malfoy," Harry snarled coldly, "I already would have." Harry looked over his shoulder at Ginny, where she was pounding against the near invisible wall. His eyes cut to Hermione's for a millisecond, Let her through, Hermione. Hermione made no obvious gesture, but the slightly glowing wall vanished. Ginny staggered forward a step before she recovered her balance and pushed Hermione out of her way as she stood next to Malfoy, pushing between him and Harry. She flicked her wrist, catching her wand as it dropped into her hand. Harry crooked an eyebrow as the small witch pushed Draco back, a slightly comical vision, as he was at least a head taller than her.
Ginny's wand came up, pointed towards Harry, he ignored it, "No, Harry," she pleaded. Ginny gave Ron a beseeching look; he crossed his arms and shrugged. "You are asking him to give his own parents up to die, Harry," she wailed softly, "please."
"No, Ginny," Harry returned, looking over her directly into Draco's eyes. "Unlike his parents would have, I'll give them a chance to surrender."
"London...the Savoy," Draco said softly, "Father takes her to our suite there every Valentine's Day. He's a part owner; the staff won't admit he's there. Just promise, Potter, give me your word that you will try to keep my mother alive, please, this is not her war. She did not choose it."
Behind them, Hermione gave Harry a faint nod, and moved around Draco, "If I can, I will, Draco," Harry said. "If she surrenders, I promise I will do everything I can to see that she is treated fairly." Looks like you get a Valentine's date in London, love, Harry whispered, his expression not changing, his thoughts melancholy.
We really need to discuss someday, this predilection you have for taking me to...abnormal places, Harry, Hermione said with a hidden almost smirk, that fell away instantly.
"Dobby," Harry muttered, and a beat latter the tiny elf appeared with a pop.
"Harry Potter, sir, how can Dobby bes of service to you and your Mione?" the elf grinned up at him, between sparing a tiny, hateful glare towards Malfoy, and a somewhat smaller one towards Ginny. Dobby did not forgive transgressions easily.
Harry knelt down next to the elf, "Dobby, please take Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley to the holding room. They may have refreshments if they wish," he added after a moment.
Dobby frowned, and looked up at Ginny, who was still shielding Draco with her body, her wand still pointing vaguely in Harry's direction. "Yes, Harry Potter Sir, should I take her wand, Sir?" Dobby gave Ginny a vaguely threatening glower, which was a remarkably effective one from a being of all of one and a half feet tall.
"It will be fine, Dobby, she may retain her wand, if she gives her word that she will not escape or cause or let Malfoy do the same," Harry looked up at Ginny, and she gave him a nod and slowly lowered her wand.
Dobby looked as if he did not particularly relish this thought, but stepped towards the door. He looked back towards Draco and Ginny and crooked a finger, "If you would follow me...Sir and madam," the words as if they were pulled from the tiny elf with a lorry.
Ginny did not say a word as she took Draco's hand and led him towards the door. A faint, tiny, grateful smile was on her lips as she looked at Harry and Hermione and left, following the elf out the door, down the stairs to the secured bedrooms that they had set up for holding 'guests'.
She could still 'drop' her wand that wouldn't, technically, be letting him escape, Hermione muttered as she leaned back into Harry as the door closed behind the grey couple, she looked up and back at him, I guess we are going to be in London, for the next few days, her thoughts were resigned.
You know, the Blacks have their own suite there, Harry mused, half-heartedly trying to cheer her up, I thought that the Savoy was supposed to be romantic...there on the banks of the Thames.
I'd rather go to the Florida compound, or the one on the Riviera, she grinned in her thoughts, or just the bedroom.
Which one? Harry quipped; we have several.
I'm thinking the one at the Hollow, Hermione admitted with a faint, hidden blush, that faded from her mind as she thought back to a tomb by a lake, Is this vengeance, Harry, or justice?
Harry gave a soft grunt and moved to the window looking out over the dark London streets. The movement coincidentally hid his expression from the rest of the room, the part that did not share his soul and thoughts, anyhow. I don't know, Hermione, Harry whispered slowly. He reached up and ran a hand through already disheveled locks, I want to think it's the latter, love, I really do. But...but, Hagrid was my friend, Hermione. His eyes did not move to hers, but it was not as if they needed to any longer, He was my first friend, Mione, the one that first gave me a glimmer of hope that I might be more than a human House Elf to some evil bigots.
Hermione glanced back into the room, to see the rest of the group watching them silently. She caught Ron's eye, he gave her a nod, and with a series of quiet, forceful gestures sent the rest of them away. She gave him a thankful look; he nodded and led Luna from the room with nary a sound. Harry had not noticed, at least not consciously, even though he could, if he chose, track each and every one by their signatures. He was my friend and I abandoned him last year, Hermione, Harry went on as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her cheek on his back. We tried to make it up, but did we really? I mean we didn't invite him to our wedding, we didn't even trust him to know we were married, until after Beauxbatons was hit, and that fact was under a Fidelius. Now he, Maxime and Alastor are dead, Hermione, and I know that the man who planned it is within my...our grasp.
A flash of light, invisible to Muggles, snapped at the bottom left of the window, as a cat or dog or something crossed the house wards. Hermione pulled back from inspection of the wards, He was my friend too, Harry, and I abandoned him, too...I'm never going to forgive myself for that, either. He stood up for me, he was like a really big uncle, who was really pants at magic. Harry snorted softly at the thought. Hermione chuckled for an instant, which quickly degraded into soft sobs. Harry spun and tucked her head to his shoulder, he slowly combed his fingers through her hair as she wiped her eyes and looked at him, We should get Tonks, at least, out here tomorrow for the operation, if you really want to take them alive...it'll be more or less legal, then.
Alright, he whispered and closed his eyes for an instant. She felt the pulse of magic snap out from him, examining the house and environs and interrogating the wards. Here at Grimmauld, or at Godric's Hollow, she or Harry had the power that the Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts had at the castle, the building was theirs for the interrogating. She smirked slightly, knowing that the privacy filters to protect the dorms and certain other places that the founders had included in the school wards, were not in place here. Though, from things she had heard from the older girls, she was not all that sure that Dumbledore had not always known exactly what was happening every where, anyway. Or at one time he had, he sure had not that last year. She cut off that thought as Harry's fingers began to trail lower, one hand slowly rubbing circles at the small of her back as the other hand slipped fingers along behind her hipbone, just under the loose waistband of her low riding jeans. Hermione?
Yeah? she replied, distractedly, as she played with the small hairs at the nape of his neck.
It's our house and, as far as I know, we are the only ones who are actually married; we are probably the only ones not...Harry waggled his eyebrows and she giggled softly, you know, I never knew you to giggle before, seems so...girlish.
Hermione's right eyebrow rose slowly as her fingers climbed to tangle in the hair on the sides of his head. She closed her eyes and leaned in, capturing his lower lip with her teeth, before letting it go as she felt Harry return the kiss and greeted his tongue with her own. She ground against him, moaning slightly as she felt his response against her belly. I hope you know that I'm a girl by now, Harry. She gasped as his lips left hers to kiss down behind an ear. Teeth lightly gnashed against her pulse point and she ground into him harder. A flicker of thought, and her jeans unbuttoned themselves. Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head slightly as the hand that had been in her waistband, slid around front and fingers delved beneath the knickers below.
Hermione arched against him, grinding against the fingers that were slowly sliding down. She leaned forward, pushing aside the collar of his t-shirt with her lips so she could bite the skin of his shoulder as she felt, two, then three fingers slide in and slowly begin to wok themselves in and out in a counterpoint to the rhythms of the thumb above. I've pretty much figured out that you're a girl, Love, Harry said, his eyes a dark, forest green. A faint glow started to build from the outside in on his eyes, twin, she was sure in some distant part of her mind that still cared about such trivialities, to the one in her own as she felt her heart start to race to join rhythms with his. You know what's cool about this being our house? Harry asked as he started to move faster. Hermione moaned, loudly, and moved her hips in counterpoint to his movements, faster and faster.
Hermione looked up at him with her eyes fully lit now, but only slight crescents were visible as they were almost closed of their own weight, through damp bangs that hung in her eyes, hiding her face from any observation but his own, Umm? Her lip in her teeth.
Harry smirked, as his other hand slipped up from the small of her back to cup the back of her head and pull it to his. Hermione moaned in his mouth as he captured her lips once again and redoubled his efforts below. That we can do this with no silencing charms and no one can say a word.
Harry pulled away from her lips, as her hips were crashing against his hand, "Ohhhh....Harrryy.....Ohhhh," she gasped, her eyes looking more or less at her own frontal lobe now, "Ohhh....fuckkkk...." Hermione bucked against his hand, shuddering as his fingers were bathed in her juices. She collapsed against him bonelessly, knowing he would not let her fall as he rained soft kisses on her sweaty hair. After another minute, she pulled back enough to look at him, panting as he grinned at her. "T..think, anyone h...heard that," she panted.
"Hope so," Harry replied, walking them backwards towards the library table, Hermione looked around him, towards the table, and slid her hands under his shirt.
"So, what other ideas do you have for this evening, since we are already awake?" Hermione asked, waving at the table, having caught her breath.
"Since I'm," he reconsidered at an upraised eyebrow, "we're already working on a plan for tomorrow; I'd thought I'd just wing it." Hermione smirked and pushed Harry back to perch on the edge of the table. She pushed between his knees, and leaned forward kissing him, growling deep in her throat. Harry reached forward, pulling her into him; she dropped her head to his shoulder and took a breath.
"That sounds good, actually," Hermione, whispered, her voice muffled by his shoulder, she reached down between them; nimble fingers untabbed his fly. "So where do we go from here?"
"Depends," Harry whispered, his hands ran around her back under her jumper, he leaned in to breathe in her ear, "where haven't we christened this place?"
Hermione bit her lip in thought, as Harry felt her running through the dozens of rooms and locations in the house in her mind, her eyes relit, glowing softly. "Honestly, Harry, loads of places, there's the rooftop, and the kitchen, and Kreacher's old room, and the potions lab, and the combat room-"
"We did that one in August," Harry murmured against her ear.
"Yeah..." she agreed, "how about..." she trailed off, growling slightly under her breath as she as she leaned back in and kissed him. "Right here, I'm sure it could stand--rechristening." Harry's smile grew against her lips as his fingers hooked under the hem of her jumper, peeling it off and over her head, leaving her in a short camisole above her open jeans. Hermione pushed down, and stepped from her jeans and kicked them into a corner. She smirked slightly, tugging at his jeans until he lifted himself enough for her to slide them off. She snapped her fingers, and watched as his jumper and t-shirt vanished, to reappear hanging over the edge of one of the table chairs.
"Is the door locked?" Harry asked, and Hermione only shrugged, her eyes glinting as she leaned forward her hands on the table to either side of him to kiss him again. "You're right..." he added, his voice tight as he felt himself react further, slightly painfully as she licked her lips unconsciously, "Maybe they'll learn something, we are supposed to lead by example." Hermione giggled as she raised her hands above her head, to allow him to slip her last top off, leaving her only in a small pair of red knickers. The purr that rumbled from her chest increased as Harry spread his fingers over her belly and thought a charm, a tingling warmth filled her, causing her breath to catch for an instant. She grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet and to her. Hermione took a step back, and slid off her last garment, kicked it up to her hand and tossed it overhand towards the shelves lining the walls. She laughed as it hung off an unlit wall sconce.
Harry took a step to her, pulling her to him and spinning her around so her back was to his chest. She reached up and back, her arms going around his neck as she turned her head enough to share a kiss. Her eyes cut to the library table at the same time his did, and with a flare of power, the books cluttering the top skittered to the floor in a cascade of parchment and leather. You know, if you were Ron...you'd be in a lot of trouble, right now, she sighed, and grunted softly as she pushed back, grinding her hips.
That's the thing, you love me, Harry replied, pushing down on her back, stretching her out, along the table. Hermione looked back over her shoulder, as Harry pushed into her from behind, pushing her against the table as he slid completely home. Harry froze, relishing in the sensation as he slowly began to kiss down the bumps of her spine.
Hermione pushed back against him, grinding her hips, desperate for movement, "Harrryyy, pleasseee," she whined, pushing back against him as she reached underneath and began to stroke herself. Harry grinned at her, and moved his hips from side to side slightly, teasing, "NOW, DAMN IT!"
"Alright," he breathed in her ear, as he lowered his head to her shoulder and began to move. Hermione's soft, cat-like mews, grew louder, softly undercutting and interspaced with their desperate draws of breath as they started to pick up speed. The heavy, oak table squeaked loudly across the polished floor, in counterpoint to the groans of the pair.
Books on the shelves began to tremble as Hermione began to use her arms to push back against him, meeting him, move for move. "Ohh...fuckkk," she whispered, loudly as Harry paused, pulling her up with his arm around her belly and staggering back until they fell backwards into a library chair.
It trembled, dangerously, as Hermione used the added force of gravity to drive herself onto him deeper than otherwise possible. She leaned back twisting enough to find his lips with hers again as she felt a liquid heat pooling out from her center, and a ghostly, second sense of Harry nearing his peak alongside her own...Hermione bounced once more, and with an inarticulate gasp that probably contained Harry's name, she crashed, her walls clenching around him. He took a shuddering breath and followed, letting a second, welcome, warmth fill her before he stopped moving.
Harry leaned his head forward onto her shoulder, moving only his eyes as he panted onto the sodden skin of her upper back. After a minute of silent panting, he kissed her again. Hermione smiled slightly as her head lolled back, and glanced around the room. Her gaze took in the piles of books that had met the floor, abruptly, and she sniggered. He followed her eyes and laughed with her.
Hermione shakily got to her feet, pulling him with her. They took a slow, slightly tottering step toward the couch, and spun as the chair collapsed into kindling. Hermione spun and buried her face in his chest, laughing loudly. She let him lead her to the couch in the corner and he pulled her down next to him, summoned a blanket from somewhere. It floated over and dropped down, covering them just as Hermione started to shiver as she began to cool off in the slightly chill room. Hermione motioned tiredly in the direction of the door and it sealed with a loud squelch. "Oh, now you lock it," Harry muttered in her ear.
"Hush, you," Hermione whispered back as she rolled over to look him in the eyes. "You lost your glasses again, didn't you?" she mumbled, not expecting an answer. She burrowed into the arm of the couch, her eyes bright in the light from a few candles that had survived their efforts, she frowned as her lip trembled slightly; "I miss him, Harry."
"I know, baby," he whispered, "me too."
"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted almost silently as she lowered her gaze from his and watched her fingers trailing absently on his shoulder, "I don't know, Harry, because the ones that are left...I don't know if I could survive that."
"We go on, Love, it's what they would have wanted," Harry whispered, "it's all we can do."
*******************12 Grimmauld Place, London*************************
February 14, 1998
8:15 am
Ron yawned mightily as he staggered into the kitchen, his eyes still cloudy with the remnants of whatever inadequate amount of sleep he had gotten. In fact, he was not entirely sure that he had gotten any sleep at all, though he seemed to think he had been awakened several minutes ago by a small, silver crane that kept pecking at the top of his head, to wake him up to go retrieve breakfast. I really need to try to keep Luna from hanging out with Hermione so much, he mused as he pushed the door open.
"Morning, Ron," the subject of his thoughts said softly as he walked past her and his other best friend, not looking, and opened the cold box. He spun, a carton of Farmer Bob's Ever Fresh Pumpkin Juice in his hand to find Hermione watching him over the top of the Weekend Prophet. His eyebrows slowly rose as he realized that one of his best friends was sitting on the lap of his other one, wearing only a long t-shirt, she took a breath and he realized it was quite probably only a t-shirt that she had on. Ron just shook his head as he took a large platter of cold, cooked bacon from the fridge, and set it on the table. He flicked his wand over it, warming the food before transferring about half to a plate. He looked to the stove, waving.
"Where's Dobby?" he asked; not yet thinking. He winced internally as he watched a brunette eyebrow slowly creep upward. Harry closed his eyes, and shook his head.
"Do you think that Dobby's only purpose in life is to serve you, Ronald?" she asked acerbically. She started to rise, but was restrained by Harry's arm around her stomach, so she contented herself with merely glaring.
Catching Ron's eyes, Harry gave him a tiny headshake before sweeping aside Hermione's hair from her neck. He kissed it lightly, she turned towards him involuntarily, as he said quietly; "I gave him the day off, Ron." Harry reached around Hermione, plucking a piece of the bacon he had cooked and set in the cooler from the platter and took a bite, "He stayed up all night outside Draco's room to keep watch."
"Why he'd do that?" Ron replied perplexedly, "Draco couldn't get past those wards."
Hermione rolled her eyes and returned to her paper, leaning back as Harry tucked his head over her shoulder to read the paper as well. "Because he probably hates Draco even more than me, Ron," Harry replied simply as Hermione read an article and groaned.
"Another half-dozen Dementor attacks overnight," she muttered, darkly. "This is getting...bad. The Muggles are discussing putting SAS teams into the Scottish Border regions, to keep order."
"They are sassing?" Ron, retorted, "They have whole teams to be sarcastic?"
Hermione sighed and dropped her head to her paper. Harry kissed her hair, and paused, obviously saying something in his thoughts that was probably best left unverbalized. Hermione laughed, and looked up at Ron's slightly blank look, shrugged and took a sip from the mug of coffee in front of her. "They are the Muggle version of the Auror Black teams, Ron," Harry explained, "they are the same ones that are stationed in Ireland. It means that the Muggle government is afraid that there will be civil disturbances." Harry looked towards the icebox as Ron retreated to it, and removed several eggs. He placed them on a counter, and flicked his wand at them. They rose into the air, hovered over to the stove, where the skillet, which Harry had cooked the bacon in was sitting, and cracked over it. Flames erupted under it and the eggs began to sizzle.
"Dean, Seamus and Padma went back last night," Ron mentioned, then turned to Harry, "though I do think that they stayed long enough for the entertainment." He smirked slightly, "Its Si..len..ci...o, if I remember correctly." With keen Keeper's reflexes, Ron fielded the apple that Harry threw at his head and took a bite.
"Oh, we know, Ron," Hermione said brightly as she folded her paper and dropped it to the table. She leaned back against Harry, wiggling slightly on his lap, causing a slightly glazed expression to cross his eyes. "We got...distracted." She laughed and squirmed as Harry's fingers tickled her ribs.
Ron rolled his eyes before he looked down at the six eggs, two for Luna and four for him, and summoned the plate he had placed half of the bacon on earlier. He waved his wand at the skillet; it lifted and neatly slid the eggs onto the plate, another flick and the skillet returned, and the flame extinguished. "They have the decoys with them, are you sure they will work?" Ron inquired quietly, returning to the subject that they all had tried their damnest to push away, only to snap back at them like a rubber band of disquiet.
"Should," Hermione replied softly, with more or less complete confidence. "Harry's and mine, I was able to spell more completely; it's yours and Luna's and Neville, Parvati's and Lavender's that are iffier, but," she shrugged, and glanced back at Harry over her shoulder, "they concentrate on Harry more anyway."
********************Hogsmeade**********************************
February 14, 1998.
4:00 pm
The streets of Hogsmeade were filled, more or less, with the crowds of Hogwarts students, which now included a scattering of former Beauxbatons' students in amongst the celebrants, as it was Valentine's holiday. Small pink cupids and hearts decorated shop windows and specials, advertising; "Romantic Lunches and Dinners for two" were posted in the windows of the Three Broomsticks and Natasha's. Several uniformed MLE officers were readily visible on the street corners, watching the students and many adult couples walking hand in hand down the street.
One of those officers surreptitiously pulled down his left sleeve where it had ridden up slightly and concentrated, rather intently, on a large group walking down the center of the High Street as if they owned it. They were a mixed group of several witches and wizards none older than nineteen or so, hanging off each other. A tall, red-haired man was giving a piggy-back ride to a lithe, blonde girl who was wearing, of all things, a pair of huge, dangling earrings that seemed to made of...carrots. A brunette wizard was leaning over, trailing behind them, talking to a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl who seemed to be hanging on his every word. She looked over, laughing at something her identical twin said, shouting across a moderately rude comment. The blonde next to the twin leaned back into a tall, broad boy. His brown hair seemed somewhat tussled, especially so after the blonde jumped up to wrap her arms and legs around him and leaned in to snog him thoroughly. A black man grinned and shouted something, gesturing as he waved towards the Three Broomsticks.
None of those young adults seemed as interesting to the MLE officer as the pair standing slightly off to themselves. A girl with long, brunette curls looked around the area, with an oddly probing gaze as she leaned back into the arms of a bespectacled, black-haired man. They set out after the group, hands joined and looking, as they did not have a care in the world.
The MLE officer looked away from the group and stepped into a side alley, vanishing from view. He reached into his robes, and pulled a palm-sized, rough edged crystal from its depths. He raised it to his lips, "Potter is in Hogsmeade, will continue surveillance."
"Understood," came from the shimmering stone, the agent then re-pocketed it and slipped back out onto the street.
An instant later, a presence in slightly shabby robes detached himself from the shadows of the doorway into Scrivenshaft's and followed. His steps were whisper-quiet like those of a wolf on the prowl as he followed the scent of the one in front of him, and the absence of scent of several of the ones ahead.
***********************London, Savoy Hotel*******************************
8:25 pm
The Savoy had been built late in the last century, and its funding had been in more than Muggle Pounds. More than a few Galleons had been sunk in the quiet, luxury hotel deep in the heart of the West End. Those Galleons had come from families, with pockets filled by generations of Wizards adding to the subterranean vaults under Soho, with other investments such as this. Ones, that many of the Families seemed to ignore, had as much to do with the Muggles surrounding them as they did with folks who were apt to wear pointed hats on a daily basis.
But it had been the desire of that group of long-ago investors that had caused the Savoy to have an entire, hidden floor of rooms and suites, including several that were permanently set aside for families such as the Malfoys, Zabinis, Dumbledores, Boneses and Blacks, among others. And atop that hotel, cloaked to all but those with magical blood, a restaurant looked out over the icy waters of the Thames. It was there, with a romantic view of the river below, and of the lights of London sparkling off a fresh coat of softly falling snow, that a pair of diners looked across the crowded room, at an older couple. The pair of older blondes were leaning together over the table, the man who possessed a remarkably pointed face and of hair so light as to be almost silver, took a drink from a snifter of Brandy that held a depth of color so pure as to scream expense. His companion looked at him with slightly haunted eyes, glancing around the room. Her eyes settled for an instant on several tables surrounding them that also held couples, that even a casual glance, seemed to give lie to the patrons actually being there for any tryst.
Narcissa raised a flute of champagne and sipped it, replacing it next to her plate, and daintily picking up a fork. She frowned slightly as she thought of the suite several floors below, of what was still to come tonight; then shook her head and took a bite of her veal. "What is wrong, my love?" Lucius' cultured, nasal voice carried across the table, and across the room, courtesy of the new, wireless variant of the Weasley's Extendable Ears, which like many of the other new, more interesting, innovations of the pranksters had not made it to their shelves.
She gestured around at the tables surrounding them, filled with dour couples dressed in quite similar dresses or dress robes, like they had all gotten them off the same rack in Diagon Alley, "Are these...really necessary, Lucius?" Narcissa muttered. "You've paid enough for the MLE dispatcher on duty this weekend to not to have to worry about the Ministry, who else, the Order? They are shattered."
"Hush," Lucius snarled across the table, Narcissa recoiled slightly and he relented, partially, "our Lord does not want another debacle like that occurred with Severus. However, since Moody died," he went on lowly, the surrounding tables filled with low-ranking Death Eaters giving them a perimeter of security, "I doubt that the Order can field another such attempt. Now finish your meal, Cissy, there is still much-enjoyment-to be had." Narcissa gave him a small smile and looked back to her meal.
Across the room and safely removed from the direct sight of the nest of vipers, centered around the east window table where their quarry sat, by a screening bit of decorative foliage, another couple sat, enjoying dinner. Unlike the first pair, this couple was at most half their age, though they, like the first couple, looked as if they belonged. These two sat side-by-side, cuddled together like newlyweds on their first Valentine's Day. The girl, whose deep red curls were piled up on top of her head, with only a few loose tendrils escaping to frame huge, chocolate-brown eyes, giggled softly as she carefully fed a forkful of an almost sinfully chocolate dessert to her companion. He took the bite in his mouth, as she slowly withdrew the fork. Luminous emerald eyes cut left, under bright, blond locks and a smooth forehead, as the waiter finished refilling a pair of wine glasses and withdrew. He's gone, Mione.
That's fine, she replied, absently as took a bite of the chocolate herself, Merlin, Dobby has to get this recipe. A soft, contented purr-like sound whispered from her throat as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She glanced up to catch the eyes of another waiter across the way, who gave her a tiny nod, and then proceeded to barely keep from crashing into a cart full of heart-shaped desserts. Hermione glanced down at the mirror sitting in her lap, concealed by a casually placed napkin, which showed the picture from an Osiris eye planted in the shrubbery above them and directed back over their shoulders at the cluster of Death Eaters. She closed her eyes, listening to the chatter of her enemies in her left ear, via the Extendable Ears' receiver. The soft, occasional whispers of one of the DA members cutting across that with their snide comments on the Death Eaters via the Mirrors' other channel which was showing as a tiny, inset window in the bottom right corner, and of course, there was her and Harry's comforting, endless background hum of thoughts.
She smiled as Harry turned his head slightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head. At least Lavender got a date out of this, Harry commented as Hermione's eyes followed his, to watch as the couple, skillfully disguised by Tonks, sat at a table in plain sight, in the middle of the room. She grinned slightly as Neville leaned forward to kiss the normally blonde girl, who today had hair the color of Harry's.
Parvati's already complaining that the flip was rigged, Hermione snorted softly. She raised her head off Harry's shoulder to take another, tiny bite of the dessert before pushing it away. Hermione glanced down, "They are moving," she muttered under her breath, and a bare few acknowledgements came to her and Harry's ears. Hermione's eyes caught Tonks in her form as a tall, dark, waiter as she vanished into a door marked, "Staff Only".
Hermione folded the mirror closed and eased it into her purse. Harry gestured to their waiter, and scrawled a false signature at the bottom of the bill, charging the meal to the accounts of Fawkes Enterprises, his shell company. The two of them looked down, seemingly examining the bill in detail as Lucius, Narcissa and their entourage swept past and entered a lift at the end of the room. The door closed behind them, and Harry and Hermione stood slowly. Harry caught Neville signaling for the waiter to refill their drinks one last time, as Harry wrapped Hermione's bare shoulders with a woven shawl and took her hand.
They crossed the room, and waited for the elevator to return from its errand. "Ready, Keeper?" Harry whispered, the wire from his pocketed mirror invisible where it passed behind his right ear, to nest in the canal. Several rooms below them, in a suite rented for the next three nights in hard Galleons, Ron muttered an affirmative as he watched the group pass his door through the peephole. Behind him, Parvati and Luna tightened grips around wands, waiting.
Above them, Harry and Hermione boarded the lift, and could almost imagine Tonks' feet as they thundered down the stairs, this hotel having first-class anti-Apparation Wards to ensure the privacy of its guests, a fact that if all worked well, would be to their advantage. "What did you count Hermione, six?" Harry muttered, already knowing the answer. Hermione did not respond in words.
The flat of her hand snapped out, hitting the emergency stop on the lift. With a growl, she reached out, grabbed the small hairs at the back of his neck and pulled him in for a hard kiss. After a minute, Harry having responded almost instantly to her, she pulled away enough to rest her brow on his, a deep breath, "Yeah, six," she confirmed, with totally different words in her eyes. Her fingers waved towards the button and the lift jerked into motion, she bent down slightly, reaching under the skirt of her emerald green dress and retrieving her wand. She held it, and moved slightly behind Harry to give him room to move.
Eyes flickered green and hair began to darken as, with a torturous slowness, the elevator door opened. Harry was moving even before the doors had completely retracted. A fine mist shot out from Hermione's wand, passing him and locking any innocent bystanders into their rooms, along with cutting off any sound from the hallway reaching into those rooms. The first Death Eater looked up, seeing a blur of movement. Harry rolled right, as the Eater's wand came up, being seemingly dragged though mud to Harry's sped-up perspective, and reached out and pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the air. A green bolt snapped past his shoulder as Harry took a step left, and sliced right.
Harry fell forward into a roll, as a Cruciatus burned the wainscoting behind him, and sliced upward with the movement. The first Eater finished falling to the floor as the second began to slide down. A third spun with glacial slowness, the skirt of her dress flaring out slightly with her movement, and suddenly flew backwards to crash into the wall, as Hermione joined the fight.
A shimmering silver shield, embossed with a Lion, took a bolt of fire with a loud clatter as the third Death Eater started to her feet, began to think about pointing a wand in Harry's direction and collapsed as a silver bolt hissed through the air from Hermione's wand, drilling a neat third eye in her forehead. The fire-thrower collapsed as Hermione summoned him into the path of a backhand slash. The last two, down the hall from the entrance to the Malfoy Suite, reacted, their wandtips lighting with green and yellow fire. Harry took a breath, and slashed the sword sideways.
A whip of pure, white flame cracked out from the tip of the sword, snapping across both Death Eaters at head height sending them tumbling to the floor.
At the far end of the hall, the door to the stairs opened and Tonks tumbled out. She took one look at the scene, and hurriedly flicked her wand. Instantly, all six bodies vanished to a hidden morgue, set up at the Ministry for just such black operations. Harry nodded to her as he snapped the blade and it cleaned itself. He gestured with it and it vanished into the air, he then flicked his wrist, catching his wand as it dropped into his hand. He looked up as Ron, Luna, Parvati...and Ginny slipped out from the suite. Ginny looked slightly ashen having just seen the occurrence in the hall on the Mirror.
Harry reached up and ran his free hand through his once-again, black hair and looked towards the door through unaided eyes. He ran his thumbs over his temples; the corrective spells always gave him a headache and motioned towards the door to Malfoy's suite. "Alright," he whispered, even though no one could hear him through Hermione's charms. Behind him, the lift opened again and Harry did not turn as Neville and Lavender stepped out of the lift, the dark looks in their eyes at odds with the festive, pristine dress robes and silver dress the couple were sporting. Parvati gave them both a tight smile as she slid to the left of the door to Malfoy's suite. Luna went to the right and the trio stacked as if they had been doing this for years. Hermione did something to the skirt of her dress, opening the knee-length slit up to her hip to move better, and gave Harry a small smile.
Harry motioned to Ron, who reached into a pouch and dug around until he found a bright, red cylinder. He touched his wand to it, it started flashing, and Harry took a step back, Reducto.
A searing blue bolt snapped out from Harry's wand, vaporizing a good chunk of the heavy, wooden door and causing the rest of it to fly into the room, in flames and splinters. Ron reached around the corner of the sill and flung the now-rapidly flashing cylinder inside. A blinding flash and a banshee scream washed out into the hall, much, much less intensely than what the pair inside was experiencing. Harry was moving into the room before the flash had even faded, his wand tracking for targets. Hermione spun in at his heels, following to the right as Ron, then Luna, then Parvati, and finally, Tonks swept into the room behind their wands. Outside in the hall, Neville and Lavender were keeping up the locking spells on the doors and lift, while Ginny stood next to the door, her wand nervously in her hand. "Clear," the call came from Ron, as he kicked in the door to a bedroom on the left and followed a pair of Stunners from his and Luna's wands into the room.
"DOWN," Harry screamed as he sensed a bloom of magic from the remaining bedroom. He grabbed Hermione and pushed her to the floor just as the door exploded, and several green, howling bolts snarled across the room. Harry and Hermione pushed away from each other, rolling to their feet as a pair charged out of the room with their wands firing. Harry deflected a bolt, rolled right and vanished. Lucius' wand tracked towards Ron, and stopped, instantly, as Harry's dimpled the skin behind his right ear, "Not a good idea, really."
"LUCIUS!" Narcissa screamed, swinging her wand towards Harry, and collapsed as Hermione's heel caught her neatly behind the ear. She crumpled to the floor as Hermione recovered, landing on the balls of her feet. She bent over the fallen Malfoy and took her wand, sliding it into her cleavage before flicking her own wand to conjure thick ropes around the blonde.
And you thought the boots didn't go with the dress, she murmured to Harry as she paced over and plucked the wand from Lucius' unresisting fingers. She backed up, her eyes glowing faintly as her wand remained trained on his right eye, while she placed the second wand with the first she had taken.
I didn't say that, Harry muttered, I said that they were an interesting, statement...I rather like them, kinda sexy, really. Harry slowly removed his wand from Lucius' head and walked around in front of him.
"Potter," Malfoy drawled, his hard grey eyes panning around the room. He returned his gaze to Harry's, "So, Potter...what now, are you going to kill me...we both know that you don't have it in you, just like that fool Dumbledore..."
"No, Lucius," Harry replied flicking his wand, and freezing the blonde wizard like a giant icicle. He gestured behind him, and Tonks appeared, changing back into her normal appearance as she approached.
She reached up and shook long pink hair from her collar, "No...cousin," she said happily as she reached into a pocket, and flipped open a leather wallet. A shining golden badge glittered in the light from the oil lamps on the tables and the lights leaking in from the windows. "You are under arrest, for the Murder of Rubeus Hagrid, Olympe Maxime, and Alastor Moody," she leaned forward as his eyes bulged slightly, "and after the Ministry interrogators rip every scrap of information from your mind, and leave you a blubbering vegetable, it will be my pleasure to watch the Headsman separate your head from your shoulders. And. End. The. Malfoy. Line. Forever."
Lucius' eyes widened further and the cords stood out on his neck, as Harry took a step forward, and looked Lucius in the eye. His voice was bleak as he pronounced sentence, "As Head of House Black, I have declared your marriage to Narcissa, null and void...your son, if he survives, will be a bastard, and can not inherit...Another house falls, Lucius...sad isn't it?" Harry asked, his eyes glittering, as his steel-edged voice sliced through Lucius like a rapier. Harry gestured and Malfoy collapsed, to fall next to Narcissa.
Harry looked down at him and flicked his wand; steel cables appeared and bound Malfoy like a mummy. Harry walked over to Hermione, plucked Lucius' wand from where it was resting, and snapped it in half. Shimmering particles slowly floated down to the fine carpets as Harry tossed the two halves in the air, where they flashed into flame, becoming merely extinguished ashes before they hit the ground.
There you go, the saga of Lucius is not over yet, though. Next chapter, an unexpected offer.