A/N: I've been a bad, bad, fan-fic writer. Please forgive me! Alas, I am not on vacation any more. I never meant to go this long between updates, but I ended up going out of the country for a bit and have had no time to write. Hope you're still reading! Enjoy!!
The walk from the hotel to the nearest apothecary shop wasn't long, but Ron and Harry felt the need to hurry to keep up with Hermione. Just like she had been at school, and with everything really, Hermione was tenacious when her mind was set on something. Harry knew that Hermione wouldn't be `Hermione' if she wasn't like that but it worried him sometimes, she often couldn't see what was right in front of her.
Upon entering this section of wizarding shops they could tell immediately that it was similar to Diagon Alley back home, just smaller. The apothecary wasn't hard to find and Harry paused to allow Ron and Hermione to enter slightly ahead of him.
There weren't many customers but Harry quickly removed his glasses and ran a hand over his head to make sure his scar was covered anyways. He hated being recognized while working and usually hung back and let Ron do the talking.
He wandered towards the back of the store where he could stay out of sight but still hear what was going on. He saw Ron and Hermione approach the counter. From what he could tell by looking around this seemed to be a typical potions supply store. There was nothing illegal or dangerous, and there didn't seem to be anything suspicious about the place.
An older woman was stocking shelves behind the counter and she turned as Ron and Hermione stepped up. She gave them a small smile in greeting "Good day, how can I help you?"
Ron had been able to get a copy of Donnegan's picture ID from the conference and held it out to the witch. "We were wondering if this man had been in here lately?"
Hermione jumped in quickly, not wanting the woman to sense anything suspicious. "He's a friend from school and we haven't seen him in ages and were told he was here for a meeting but we just can't seem to find him."
The witch took the picture and scanned it carefully before handing it back, "No, I'm sorry. I've never seen him before." But her smile was tight and she sent an anxious glance to the back room of the store.
Ron picked up on this immediately. "Is there anyone else her that may have been working the last week or so. Maybe they saw him."
"No. I'm always here. I would have seen him. Now, if you'll…" but she cut her words off as a young man of around 17 emerged from the back carrying a crate filled with bottles.
Ron and Hermione were unable to see the boys face from their vantage point, but Harry was to his side and caught the look of shock that crossed it, followed by what he could only describe as revulsion.
The boy tried to go around the counter without acknowledging them but Ron put a hand on his arm. "Just a moment mate. Would you mind looking at this photo and telling me if you've seen the man in here before?"
The woman tensed but she gave a slight nod to the boy and he sat his burden on the counter and wiped his hands on his pants before taking the picture. He studied it for a moment and then handed it back. "Yeah, he was in a week ago. Bought some stuff. I don't remember what."
Hermione had been watching the shop owner and was confused as to why she seemed agitated when the boy answered.
"That's enough Tony!" she hissed at him "Finish your work."
Tony grabbed the crate quickly and moved to the side of the store where Harry had been browsing.
Ron turned his attention back to the shop owner and looked at her curiously.
"My son, is not very bright. I'm sorry. That is why I am always here, you see. I do not think he saw your friend." She stammered out her response, but they could tell she was trying to get rid of them.
"Well, thank you for your time." Hermione replied and left the shop with Ron in tow, knowing the Harry would be following them in a few minutes so that it wouldn't seem as if they were together.
Harry had been pretending to look over several different ready made potions but had actually been listening to what the shop owner's son had been muttering under his breath while stocking the shelves.
When an acceptable amount of time had passed he slipped quietly out of the shop and made his way down the street a bit until he saw Ron and Hermione waiting for him at an outdoor café.
"Well. That was interesting, to say the least." Hermione began "They were hiding something, both of them."
"I got that as well." Ron replied "I think she saw Donnegan also, but why would she lie about it?"
"Tony is not as dull as his mother would like us to think." Harry stated "I heard him while he was stocking the shelves. That boy has some anger issues. I couldn't make out everything he was saying but something is definitely going on. When he came out of the back room and saw you two he first looked shocked, but then…" he trailed off, because what he had seen had really made no sense.
Hermione covered his hand with hers "What Harry?"
"He looked…disgusted. Why would he do that?"
Ron sat back in thought for a moment. "Hermione, have you been in that shop before?"
"No, never. I haven't had a need." She stated.
"I guess it's possible he recognized us. Not everyone in the world sees us as heroes ya know." Ron speculated.
"That's possible. But there was something about the woman as well. She wanted us out of there before we even saw her son. I think she was afraid that we would talk to him." Hermione continued, confusion causing a furrow to form between her eyes.
Harry ran a hand through his messy black hair before speaking. "Well, I think it's safe to say that there is definitely something going on there. We'll just have to keep a close eye on them and see if we can't get any more evidence to warrant a good look at the place."
They ordered their lunch and then Ron spoke "I'd like to go back to Donnegan's hotel. I think we're missing something. Maybe talk to the desk clerk and see if anyone else was seen going up there that night. We know there was a third person in the room, we just can't prove it. "
Harry saw Hermione shudder slightly as a flash of the attack went through her head and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Their food came and in unspoken agreement, they didn't discuss the case anymore, for which Hermione was grateful. It was easy to fall back to their well worn discourse of Ron talking with his mouth full and her chiding him for it.
The walk to the hotel was silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Their route took them through the area of town that was a unique mix of magical and muggle. The muggles here were all aware of the magical world, they were either parents or spouses of witches and wizards but they still depended upon electricity and cars. There were similar towns in England, but they were not the norm.
The boys had put their Auror robes back on as this would be an `official' visit and they certainly wouldn't look out of place walking down the street in wizarding attire. Hermione had placed her hand in the crook of Harry's elbow and laid her head against his arm as they waited at a busy intersection to cross the street.
Harry saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and never really knew what clued him in that it was a danger. He was grabbing Hermione and yelling "DOWN!!!" before it even registered. There was sharp `POP! POP! POP!' over their heads as he pushed Hermione to the ground and threw himself on top of her. His robes settled around them and he hoped that whatever had been sent their way would be deflected by the protective spells the robes had on them. He had seen Ron dive for cover behind a car and heard the screams of terror as the people around them scrambled to get out of the way.
There was a squeal of tires and then silence. Harry lifted his head and scanned the area looking for who had attacked them but could find nothing. He turned his attention to Hermione, she was curled beneath him, ashen faced and shaking. Harry dropped his head to hers. "Are you okay?" he said quietly
Hermione nodded her head and reached her arms up to wrap around Harry's neck. She hadn't known anything was amiss. One moment she was enjoying just being close to him and then the next he was shoving her to the ground and they were under attack. His lips pressed into hers for a brief but desperate kiss and their eyes locked as he drew back, both of them understanding that this had been another attempt on her life.
Harry got to his feet and pulled her along with him, but didn't let go of her. He spotted Ron sitting up against a car and started his direction. Hermione gasped as they got closer and jerked her hand out of his to race to Ron's side. He was clutching his shoulder and a stream of blood ran between his fingers.
Ron was paler than normal and he smiled weakly at them as they arrived. "You two alright?" he asked
"We're fine mate. What happened to you?" Harry asked, concerned.
"That wasn't spell fire Harry." Ron stated, watching as confusion and then recognition crossed over Harry's face.
"You're right, didn't sound like any spell I've ever heard." He agreed.
Hermione was now prying Ron's hand off the wound and pushing his robe off his shoulder, wondering what could have possible gone through the protections. Once she got down to the skin she knew why it had sounded so unfamiliar.
"It wasn't a spell, it was bullets. Muggle bullets. Ron was shot!" she exclaimed
They all exchanged looks of shock. The use of guns in the magical world was virtually unheard of. Sure every now and then an over inquisitive wizard would get his hands on a gun and accidentally shoot it off but to actually use one in a crime just did not happen.
Hermione continued examining Ron's shoulder and determined that the bullet had gone straight through. She waved her wand and muttered softly and watched as the entrance and exit holes closed themselves before sitting back.
"That should do until we get back. You can have some of the healing potion that Madame Pomfrey left me. It'll probably be sore for a bit but I don't think you'll have any lasting damage." She stated
Ron rotated his arm, testing it and smiled at her "Thanks `Mione. It feels loads better already." She returned his smile, but he noticed her eyes were watering and she looked upset.
"Oh Ron! If that had gone in a few inches lower, it would have hit your heart! You'd most likely be dead!" and then she launched herself forward and pulled him into a tight hug.
Ron blanched for a moment, realizing what she said was true before rubbing her back and assuring her that he was fine and that he had full confidence in her ability to fix anything.
Harry stood back a bit and focused on controlling his emotions. There had been another attempt on Hermione's life and his best friend had been shot. Someone out there thought they were getting too close to the truth.
Hermione helped Ron to his feet and they stood for a moment and waited for Harry to speak.
"You sure you're alright? You can go back to the inn if you want."
"I'm fine mate. Truly. We need to figure this out now, more than ever. You do know they were aiming for Hermione right?" Ron countered, his anger evident.
"I know." Harry said tightly "Lets get going, we're obviously short on time."
They took a side street to get away from the crowd of onlookers and Hermione found herself with Harry on one side of her, his arm wrapped around her waist and pressing her against him and Ron on the other side, walking close enough that her shoulder continuously bumped his arm. They were in bodyguard mode now and she knew that nothing she could say would change that.
The boys swept her into the lobby of Donnegan's hotel quickly and looked for signs of danger as they did. But the lobby was quiet and empty, including the front desk. Harry let go of Hermione's waist and caught Ron's eye. They both drew their wands and stepped up and in front of Hermione at the same time, putting her directly behind them now.
They approached the desk and didn't see anything out of the ordinary until Ron used his height to peer down behind. His muttered curse and scramble to get around to the other side caused Harry and Hermione to follow him. Sprawled on the floor was the desk clerk. Ron checked for a pulse and slowly shook his head when he found none. "She's dead."
There was no blood, or wound that was noticeable, in fact, if it hadn't been for the odd angle at which she lay it would look like she was merely sleeping.
Hermione pulled her wand and the boys watched as she worked. "I'm not getting anyting. Maybe she just had a heart attack, or a stroke." Knowing how implausible it was that a witch of her age of would have died of either condition, she was much too young. Hermione gave a sigh. "Let me try again." And she dug a bit deeper, until she came across something frighteningly familiar. The cleansing spell had been used here, that she was certain of. But there was only one spell she knew of that would leave someone dead with no visible sign of attack. The thought was inconceivable but she worked deeper and found what she had been afraid of.
Harry had been watching her carefully and saw that she had begun to sway. He scooped her up and deposited her in the clerk's abandoned chair. He brushed away some hair that had fallen in her face and forced her to look at him. "'Mione. What is it."
"It's…it's uh.." she began shakily "The cleansing spell, again. She didn't just die of a heart attack. That's what they want it to look like, but she didn't."
Ron looked confused for a minute. "But what else…" and a look of horror crossed his face as he realized what she was getting at.
Hermione took a deep breath and confirmed what they were all thinking. "She was hit with the killing curse. Avada Kedavra was used and covered up." She sat back and closed her eyes as the implications of her findings hit her.
Harry swore violently, and clenched the arm of the chair she was sitting in. The killing curse hadn't been used since the end of the war. In fact, Imperius was the only Unforgiveable they ever came across and that was rare.
A strange noise from Ron cause Hermione to open her eyes. He was staring at something on the desk and Harry had rose to join him.
"What?" she asked worriedly and stood next to Harry, he simply pointed and she saw what had caught their attention. The Dark Mark had been burned into the wood, just like it had on her bed.
"Well" started Ron "I guess we know for sure it's not a coincidence now."
-->