What I Always Wanted
Chapter 24: Coup d' ètat
Ignoring Ron's comment Tonks stared after Harry and contemplated what he had just said. Turning to face Harry she asked.
"Harry do you honestly believe that all of this is purely coincidental?"
Harry turned to look at Tonks as she elaborated further. Tonks took a breath and began.
"I understand your line of thinking… there's nothing at all that points to a connection between Isolde and the Penneford twins but this can't be all coincidence there has to be more to it, something that we aren't seeing, a connection that we aren't making. I have this feeling that there's something more that we're missing and I'm certain that the piece we are missing is the answer to what ties it all together."
Harry mulled over Tonks' words carefully then responded.
"You think we missed something."
Harry paused as Tonks nodded; Harry nodded as well then continued.
"Alright… we missed something…something obvious…something that we hadn't thought of before…"
Harry stopped and cast a querying glance around the room and asked the assemblage.
"What was it…what'd we miss?"
His question was greeted with silence by the remaining occupants of the room seated around the table. The silence lasted a few seconds before Tonks spoke again.
"What do we know for certain?"
Ron mumbled in answer.
"We know that Hermione is being held by a bloody nutter."
Tonks rolled her eyes.
"Yes we know that Hermione is most likely being held by a psychopath…what we don't know is what the psychopaths in question have in common."
Will offered an answer.
"Harry, all of the suspects had a vendetta against Harry."
Esmeralda shook her head.
"Isolde didn't have a vendetta against Harry; she's never even met him. She was presumed dead years before Harry even became an auror."
Caiaphas Artaxerxes proposed a second option.
"I believe that the commonality we're looking for here is Hermione Granger-Potter."
A murmur of assent buzzed through the room as Caiaphas continued.
"Leah and Lyra Penneford needed to get to Hermione as a means to draw Harry out while Isolde needed Hermione's outstanding translation abilities."
As Harry took in Caiaphas' words a frown blossomed across his face. Will caught sight of the look and recognized it as the look Harry got whenever he sensed something was not quite right. With a raised eyebrow Will asked.
"Harry what is?"
Harry shook his head as if to clear it.
"It's what Caiaphas just said; it's the logical answer to the question but something about it doesn't ring true…it just doesn't add up."
Ron turned to Harry and asked.
"What do you mean? What isn't adding up?"
Harry was about to speak when suddenly his expression changed. The frown that had been covering his face disappeared and was replaced by a look of revelation.
"Bloody hell it's been staring us in the face the whole bloody time and we never noticed it!"
"Never noticed what?!"
Ron's vocalized question was etched on the faces of every person in the room. Harry stared around the room briefly before he launched into his explanation.
"Caiaphas, you said that Leah and Lyra Penneford needed to get to Hermione as a means to draw me out."
Harry paused and stared at Caiaphas Artaxerxes who nodded his head in verification. Harry went on.
"If they were using Hermione to get to me why wait so long to act? Leah had been working as Hermione's assistant for what, six weeks before I got back from Transylvania…whether she knew about the more intimate nature of my relationship with Hermione or not Leah had to have known that if anything happened to her I would've come. So why wait…why wait all this time if what she really wanted was me?"
Harry's statement was greeted with searchingly introspective looks. He didn't bother to wait for a reply before continuing on.
"But more important than that there's Isolde…"
At the sound of his daughter's name Melbourne focused his attention on the younger man.
"All this time we've been trying to suss out what Isolde has been up to! What was she doing and why? We've gone round for months thinking that Isolde was after Hermione because she needed her to translate the spells so she could find a way to bring Priam back. We were so quick to ascribe a reason to her actions we overlooked the obvious. What was the first thing that tipped us off to something strange going on?"
Will immediately answered.
"It was the dark magic we started seeing popping up all over."
Harry nodded.
"And you can't do magic like that without a spell."
Will let out a stunned whistle and murmured "Bloody Merlin".
"If Isolde needed Hermione to translate the Book of Spells how in Merlin's name was performing spells from a book she couldn't even decipher? In order for Isolde to cast those spells she had to have been able to make out what the book said and what's more she'd have had to have both books to do it."
"Both books!"
Harry nodded at Ron's exclamation.
"Hermione was always certain that we had the wrong end of things with Isolde that she wasn't trying to hurt anyone with what she was doing. At first I thought that it was about her trying to bring Priam back but what if it was something else? What if she was trying to get our attention?"
Will replied incredulously.
"You think she wanted to be found?!"
Harry nodded.
"She faked her own death and managed to stay out of sight for twenty years…I don't reckon she would have been foolish enough to let herself be seen after all that."
Esmeralda interjected.
"But why would she want to be found?"
It was Agamemnous, not Harry, who answered.
"Because she needed our help to protect the Book of Spells."
Ron sighed and said.
"Well this bit of information narrows our choices considerably doesn't it…the Pennefords have Hermione, Isolde and the Book of Spells and we've no idea where."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isolde looked over at her cellmate as she paced about their tiny cell. Pushing herself into a sitting position Isolde called to Hermione.
"Given your condition pacing around like that may not be the best idea."
Hermione stopped and turning to look at Isolde said.
"Judging from the look of you, you're into your third trimester that coupled with the tremendous amount of stress you are under and that pacing you're doing could trigger labor."
Having said that Isolde steered Hermione back to the bed and sat her down. She then bent down and lifted Hermione's feet onto the bed and propped the pillows on both beds behind Hermione's back. Hermione looked to Isolde and said.
"That's right…I am in my third trimester. But how could you tell that by just looking at me?"
Isolde shrugged.
"Well I'd be a right poor obstetrician if I couldn't work out the basics."
Hermione answered back in a shocked tone.
"You're a healer!"
Isolde shook her head.
"No I'm not a healer. I wanted to be but seeing as I dead I thought it best to let that dream go. So I decided to become a muggle doctor instead."
"All this time you've been living as a muggle…as a doctor."
A small ghosted across Isolde's face as she answered.
"Priam was fascinated with non-magical folk. He learned as much as he could about muggles and the way they lived most of our kind thought he was mad. When I had to go underground I thought where is the one place a wizard like Penneford would never look for a witch…"
Isolde stopped and waited for Hermione to supply the answer.
"In the muggle world."
Isolde smiled and nodded. Hermione posed another question.
"Was it hard adjusting to life as a muggle?"
With a shake of her head Isolde replied.
"Not really…considering all I'd lost in the wizarding world I actually found it somewhat of a relief to give up magic. My last act as a witch was to have some poor records clerk falsify my new life as a muggle. Once he'd given me a new life I oblivarated his memory and burned my wand in a rubbish bin down some back alley."
Isolde paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before saying more.
"I chose the name Isabella Middleton; it was something of a comfort having my initials the same. I found a job as a waitress and got myself into university. Naturally I took up medicine I figured that if I couldn't be a healer I may as well become a doctor. I chose obstetrics because I'd seen more than my share of death and I wanted to see the true beauty of life…"
Isolde's next words were silenced by the sound of the door above them swinging open and the thump of footsteps coming down the stairs. Isolde rested a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder. Leah appeared before them holding a domed serving tray. With a wave of her wand she conjured a table and two chairs. Hermione and Isolde watched as the serving tray appeared on the table; the top lifted off and the heavenly smell of roast chicken wafted through the air. The two women took in the plates piled high with chicken, peas, carrots, mash and fresh buttery rolls but made no move towards it. Leah spoke.
"I thought you might enjoy a home cooked meal."
Leah hesitated then added.
"I tried to make it as healthy as possible for the sake of the baby."
With both women still keeping their distance Leah cried in exasperation.
"It's not poisoned you know!"
Hermione shifted her body and heaved herself into a standing position and responded with.
"Well considering the fact that we're being held captive in some dank cellar in the midst of Merlin knows where…so I suppose you'll have to forgive our skepticism in regards to your generosity of spirit."
Leah sighed.
"Please you should eat before it gets cold."
Hermione and Isolde exchanged a look before seating themselves at the table and cautiously tucking in. Leah conjured a chair for herself, sat down and watched her captives eat in silence. The three women remained that way for the duration of the meal. Once Isolde and Hermione had finished their meal Leah cleared the table and inquired.
"Is there anything else that I could get the two of you?"
Isolde replied sarcastically.
"You, your sister and your boyfriend in here with us out there would do for a start!"
Leah frowned.
"Ben is not my boyfriend! That dubious honor belongs to my sister, unfortunately."
Hermione caught the rather venomous tone of voice Leah used and posed a question of her own.
"If you don't like him why is he here?"
Leah answered back noncommittally.
"He has his uses."
Isolde cut in.
"Yes like accosting and kidnapping unsuspecting women."
Hermione sent a quelling look in Isolde's direction before readdressing Leah.
"Help me to understand this Leah…on the one hand you're holding us captive her against our will but you take the time to cook us dinner, you're threatening the life of my husband but the thought of any harm coming to my child is abhorrent to you. Why are you doing this?"
Leah opened her mouth to reply but never got the chance to say a word as the cellar door crashed open. Leah turned to see what the commotion was. Suddenly, Leah was thrown backwards, she went crashing into the wall behind her, hit by a stunning spell. Leah landed in a heap against the far wall. Hermione emitted a horrified gasp as Leah's attacker came into view. Lyra looked down at her sister's still form and called over her shoulder.
"Ben take Leah upstairs."
Ben mopped his tangled blond locks out of his eyes and hoisted Leah onto his shoulder. He then turned and trudged up the stairs. Lyra turned to Hermione and Isolde and with a sneer said.
"I hope you enjoyed your little feast, as we're under new management, it'll be your last."
Lyra turned and followed Ben upstairs.
Hermione wrapped her arms about her belly protectively and looking to Isolde said.
"Isolde we've got to get out of here…now."
Isolde nodded in agreement.
"I know Hermione I know."
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