A/N: Whew! Got it done tonight. Thanks again for the reviews! Updates will not be as frequent for a few days. Enjoy!
Hermione thought that Ron and Harry seemed a bit more subdued than usual when she emerged from the shower, but she just attributed it to the stress of the whole situation. They all agreed that they should stop back by Donnegan's room first and see if she could pick anything up that they had missed.
She was grateful for the hand Harry had kept at the small of her back since they had left their hotel. Entering that room again, especially after the flashback was going to be difficult. She knew both the boys were watching her intently and was determined not to show how much it was affecting her. Hermione knew they didn't think any less of her because of all that had happened, but she couldn't help feeling weak because of it.
She took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment before stepping away from Harry and pulling her wand out to begin working. Detecting what spells had been used, without having the wand from which they were produced, was one of the most significant new spells to have been developed in the last century. Hermione had started working on it while still at Hogwarts and it had been an instant hit with Aurors worldwide, although not just anyone was capable of using it and proper training and experience were important to get accurate results.
Understandably, Hermione was the best in the world and could not only detect the big ones, such as Unforgiveables, but also smaller more mundane spells such as `Accio' and `Lumos'. Where she was especially gifted was that she could find spell residue from years back and also how many times a particular spell was used. Most people, even those who had been trained couldn't find a trace past a week.
Ron and Harry were both adequate enough to be able to do their own work, they had been trained by Hermione after all, but most Auror departments now had Aurors who only worked at detecting what spells were used.
She started in the outer sitting room and they watched as she methodically searched the entire room, occasionally jotting down notes and figures. At one point she stopped and muttered something.
"What?" Harry inquired.
"It's…it's interesting. I thought I was familiar with every type of spell, but this is…different. It's not Dark, and it's not Light, it's pure, natural. I've never felt anything like it before. I can't tell where it came from or what it was used for though."
Ron met Harry's gaze and saw the most powerful wizard in centuries gulp. Hermione must have come across Harry's inadvertent destruction of evidence. They waited to see if she was going to probe any further and let out dual sighs of relief when she continued on.
They watched carefully as she entered the bedroom, but other than a slight hesitation in her step they couldn't tell that going in had upset her. Harry felt a flash of pride, the real Hermione was coming back.
Donnegan's body had been removed, but other than that, the room looked the same as it had the last time she had been in it. There had been several stunning charms used, and a variety of hexes. She found evidence of the prior Auror team that had checked out the room and noted that they had done a thorough job. But as she continued searching the room she was finding things that didn't make sense. The boys were watching her curiously as she wandered the room, twirling a lock of her hair as she often did while deep in thought. Something was nagging at the back of her brain but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Stopping in the center she held her wand with both hands and shut her eyes to concentrate.
What she was searching for was elusive, it would slip in for a moment and then disappear and she was having a hard time pinning it down. Finally, she realized why she was having such a hard time, there were two spells working against each other. With a little more digging she was horrified by what she found, Imperius had been used in that room and recently and the very purification spell that she had been trying to perfect had been used as well, to cover it up. With a gasp she opened her eyes and looked at Ron and Harry who were pretending to wait patiently.
Harry reached over to grasp her arm, "What is it?"
"Imperius. Imperius has been used here and it's been used for an extended period of time." She answered.
Harry and Ron exchanged concerned looks. Since the fall of Voldemort use of an Unforgiveable had all but disappeared, there were only about five or six instances a year of one being used.
"But Caige said that they had found no trace of an Unforgiveable and you know better than anyone that the Dark Magics are the easiest to spot." Ron stated "Do you think she was lying?"
"No, you don't understand. The Imperius had been hidden, erased. Someone used the same spell I've been working on to cover it up, just like I've feared. It's operational. No one else would have been able to detect it, I barely did." And then a terrifying thought struck her and she felt light headed. She raised a shaking hand to her mouth before voicing her suspicions. "What if that's what happened to me. What if someone was trying to kill me so that they could continue to cover up Dark activity."
Harry was sure that at that moment his heart had ceased beating. It was all a set up. Hermione had been stalked by Donnegan for over a year, she had been lured to his hotel and someone had certainly tried to kill her. All the pieces fell into place. Before someone could fully resurrect the Dark Magics they would have to make sure that they could function as long as possible without being detected. With the advent of spell detecting the only way to get around that would be with the purification spell. Hermione was the one person who had knowledge of both, she was what was standing in the way of the next Dark Lord. Harry knew that Ron had worked out the same theory as well and that whoever was behind this knew that she was still alive.
Hermione was jolted out of her shock when she was suddenly grabbed on each side by the boys and was bodily moved towards the door. "Wh...what are you?" she started completely perplexed by their behavior. "Stop!" and she dug her heels in forcing them to cease their progress.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded, her voice raised and the irritation evident.
"Hermione, we don't have time for this. We just need to get you out of here." Harry explained, trying to get her to move again and wondering just how pissed she would be if he side by side apparated her out of the room.
"No! I'm not going anywhere. I still have work to do." Hermione countered, frustrated that they weren't even consulting her.
"No you don't! You are the number one target of some psycho killer. I am getting you as far away from here as possible." Harry was beginning to get angry. Why couldn't she see that she was being reckless?
"What are you going to do? Lock me up somewhere? Tuck me away in some secluded spot? For how long. What if it takes years to catch them? I'm just supposed to go quietly and give up my work." Hermione was now locked in a battle of wills with Harry. How dare he try and decide this for her.
"If that's what it takes Hermione, than yes!" His eyes were flashing now, beyond irritated that she wouldn't listen to reason.
"Sod that Harry! How dare you think you can make this decision for me. I have a right to fight this. This is my work being sullied, my reputation on the line. I just want…"
"I JUST WANT YOU ALIVE!!!" Harry roared.
Ron had wisely stepped back from them ages ago, stepping into the sitting room and shutting the door behind him.
For a moment there was nothing but terrible silence. Harry was seething and he was sure he had never seen her more furious. Their eyes clashed, continuing the argument until suddenly Harry grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around so that her back came in solid contact with the door. She was sure her soul melted right before his mouth crashed down on hers. One of his hands fisted in her hair pulling her in closer while the other circled her waist and brought their hips flush together.
Her arms dangled useless by her sides at first before she was able to get control over them. She clutched at his back, nails catching in his robes as she pushed herself towards him. His tongue swept through her lips and he actually felt her moan. She brought one of her legs up and hooked it over his thigh, now her turn to get a moan out of him. His hands came down to capture hers and then brought them up over her head. Holding both her wrists with one hand he used the other to stroke down the side of her face to her throat. Hermione had a desperate need for air and drug her mouth from his, her head falling back and making her neck arch out. Harry remembered the responses he had gotten before and enjoyed finding the spots that had curled her toes.
Hermione knew they had to stop but she wasn't sure she could. "Har…Harry." She managed to gasp out. "Oh Gods." She moaned, as he had just found her earlobe. "Haaaarrrryyyy!" Her eyes rolled back and she gave herself up again.
He released her hands and with great difficulty pulled his mouth from her neck, resting his head against hers, attempting to get control of his breathing.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, ashamed he had let himself get so out of control.
"It's ok. I didn't exactly stop you." She whispered back
"'Mione, I need you to be safe. I need you to understand that. We don't know what we're dealing with or who we're dealing with." He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek
"I know. And I love that you love me so much. But I have to be a part of this. I have to have some control over this." Hermione sighed before delivering what she knew would be a low blow. "Harry, you of all people should understand where I'm coming from. Don't you remember how much you hated it when Dumbledore kept you in the dark. How much Sirius hated being forced to stay at Headquarters. I can't do that Harry. I have to be involved. I will be careful and I know that you and Ron will protect me, but you can't push me away from this. Please." She clutched at the front of his robes, hoping that he would understand.
Harry shut his eyes and fought an internal battle. He knew she was right. He knew how terrible it was to be kept out of your own life. But this was Hermione. With a resigned sigh he opened his eyes and pulled back so that he could look at her properly. "Ok." He acquiesced. "But you have to listen to us, and you have to be careful. And you have to trust us if things get too dangerous."
Hermione felt tears come to her eyes, knowing how hard this was for him. "Thank you. I love you Harry Potter." And went up on her toes so that she could press a sweet kiss to his lips. She smoothed his hair and the front of his robes before straightening herself up as well. "You ready?" she asked
"Ron's going to have a field day with this, you know." He said with a tone of disdain.
"I dare say, you'll survive. Now, lets go we've got work to do." She said stepping back so that he could open the door and took the opportunity to swat his rear as he passed in front of her, laughing as he jumped. "Now we're even."
Ron had been trying to block out the noises that were coming from the other room. At first he busied himself digging through Donnegan's files again and when that didn't work he turned the wireless on. Ron knew that Hermione wasn't going to sit quietly on the sidelines, but he also knew that she was going to have a hell of a time convincing Harry, unless of course she used the double standard line of logic, that one actually had a chance. Personally Ron thought that Hermione was pretty tough and could handle herself and he also thought that they needed her brain too, just like old times.
When they finally emerged Ron knew with one look that Harry had been over-ruled. "She use the double standard line on you mate?" he said clapping him on the back as he passed.
"Of course she did. Logical as always, our Hermione." Harry answered with the air of a man who had been beat.
Hermione swept past both of them and out into the hallway, "Oh hush up Harry. Come on, we've got work to do." She said with that familiar tone they knew all to well from school.
Ron and Harry trailed behind her and answered dutifully. "Yes Hermione."
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