A/N: Really there are no excuses I can give that are good enough. Although I did have another baby and graduate recently so hopefully some of you can forgive me for that. This story will be finished.
The wait for Snape to arrive was one of the longest of Harry's life. He knew that Fawkes should be able to bring the old potions master there quicker than any other means, if he was even still alive. Harry felt revived enough to pace and stalked the area in front of the hearth answering any question thrown his way by the other Aurors. The trace on Ron's badge had come up with nothing which either meant he was dead or something was blocking their ability to find him. Harry refused to entertain the first option. He knew the apothecary shop was where they should begin their search but until he had at least some of his magical ability back he was no better than a Squib.
Remus had been watching Harry and finally approached him when his pacing became more frantic. He had to say his name twice before Harry acknowledged his presence.
"I've never wanted to kill someone before, Remus" Harry began, looking the man in the eye "I've killed plenty, but I've never actually wanted to kill them. Even Voldemort. Even after everything my life had been and everything he took away from me, I still didn't want to kill him. I had to. But this..." Harry couldn't come up with a name to adequately describe how he felt about the person who had Hermione. "Whoever has done this to her...I want them dead. I'm not even sure I need any magic to do it either." he ran a hand through his hair before stopping abruptly and slumping down to lean against the stone wall behind him.
Remus sighed deeply before speaking "I understand, Harry. But you can't let your anger cloud your judgement. I know you want to rush straight away to that shop but we must have a plan. You don't want to risk making things worse for Hermione and Ron by..."
But Harry cut him off "by being rash. I know. But this is just so damned hard! I have never felt so powerless before." the irony not being lost on anyone in the room.
Remus crouched down in front of Harry and clasped a hand to his shoulder "We will find them Harry, I promise you. And you can rain all of hellfire down upon them when we do."
"Thanks, Remus." Harry replied softly before forcing himself to his feet to resume his pacing.
The Aurors were quiet for a while, waiting was something they were trained to do but that didn't mean they enjoyed it. Poppy kept attempting to run more tests but Harry continued to brush her off his actions becoming more agitated the longer it took Fawkes to return.
When the Phoenix did reappear it was with no notice. Suddenly, the figure of Severus Snape stood only feet from Harry for the first time in years.
Harry only allowed himself the briefest starts before addressing his one time foe. "Snape."
"Potter." Snape replied, nodding his head slightly
"Thank you for coming." Harry said
"You sent Fawkes." was all Snape said in return but Harry knew what went unsaid.
Without giving him any history on why he had been summoned, Harry immediately got to the point. "I need the potion you made for Voldemort to restore Death Eaters health during battle."
To his credit, the former potions master only blinked before replying "You know the side affects of this potion, Potter? It will very likely kill you. The Draught of Regeneration is not to be taken lightly."
"I know the risks. Right now this is the only option I have."
"Very well. The potion is fairly simple to make, the spell which goes along with it is more complicated. I will need an hours time to prepare before it can be administered."
Harry sighed impatiently but knew he had no other choice. "Thank you for your help. Fawkes can take you wherever you need to go. " and just as quickly as he had arrived Snape was gone again.
The wait for his return seemed unending. All he could think about was what could be happening to the woman he loved and his best friend while he sat and waited. Poppy forced a conjured sandwich into his hands but he ate it without tasting. Remus had long stopped trying to talk to him. Kingsley went back and forth from the fireplace attempting to get as much intel as possible on their potential suspects and Moody slipped from the room saying he wanted to discuss `differences in protocol' with Caige.
Harry eventually found himself slumped in the settee he had been in earlier his head in his hands, elbows propped on knees staring at a crack in the floor as if it could give him some answers. He was tired, more tired than he could ever remember being, including the war. All his body wanted him to do was let sleep take him but he knew he couldn't allow that right now. It may be what he needed but there wasn't enough time to indulge in what he wanted. His life had never been fair, but to lose her now would be the cruelest fate he could imagine. He couldn't think about what the outcome might be from taking the potion. He couldn't allow himself to dwell on that yet. Saving Hermione was the only thought he had.
It took Harry longer than it should to realize that the crack he had been staring at had turned into a pair of black toed boots.
"The potion is ready, Potter." Snape announced as Harry looked up suddenly, immediately noticing the vial of green liquid in Snape's right hand.
Snape stepped back as Harry gathered himself and stood. Remus approached him but Harry cut him off before he could speak. "Don't. I know what I'm doing and if this doesn't kill me Hermione will when she realizes what I've done."
"This was designed to work quickly on the battlefield. That doesn't make it any less painful however and it has never been used to restore magics." Snape explained.
Harry's eyes shot to Snape's at the mention of restoring his magic. He had never fully explained why he needed the potion. Then Harry realized Snape must have looked into his mind, without access to his powers he had been unable to block the intrusion. There was a slightly apologetic look on Snape's face but that was quickly replaced by his normal countenance. Harry just nodded his understanding and consent, even if it was after the fact. He should have known Snape would have wanted to know why Harry had requested the potion.
"So basically you're telling me all those times you threatened to kill me via potion may finally come true?" Harry asked with a half a grin.
"Still such insolence, Potter. Some things never change." Snape said as he handed over the vial.
He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he looked at the potion that would decide his future. "Well, I have nothing left to lose. Cheers." and tipped the liquid down his throat.
Immediately he was surprised that there was virtually no taste. Usually the more helpful the potion the worse it tasted. Then suddenly he felt as if his lungs were filling with fluid and he was drowning with no water around. He barely registered falling to his knees before he was wracked with a pain so terrible it made the cruciatus feel like a paper cut. Harry could feel hands on him, raised voices and blurred images but he could not focus on anything. Knowing that he was doing this for Hermione brought him some sense of peace before he thankfully submitted to darkness.
The others were concerned about Harry's loss of consciousness but Snape assured them it was part of the process and that if the potion worked as it was intended he should wake in only a few minutes.
Remus resumed the pacing that Harry had started earlier. Tonks attempted to comfort him to no avail. Poppy had tried to administer to him but Snape had stopped her with the warning that any interference could proved deadly to Harry.
Finally Harry began to stir. He was disoriented and groggy but no longer in pain. Upon standing he reached for his wand and cast lumos, unexpectedly releasing the breath he had been holding when it worked. A few more spell castings assured the others that the potion had worked as intended.
"A word of caution, Potter." Snape said, stopping him before he could assemble the team going to the shop. "This potion has only restored your magics back to normal levels. I do not know if your....advanced skills will be available to you or not." Snape practically choked out the last part of his warning. Even though they had managed to overcome their differences Harry knew saying that was difficult.
"How do you feel Harry?" Remus asked as he approached
"I'm good Remus, I just want to get going." he replied impatiently
"All in good time Potter." Moody stated "We're not going anywhere until we have a plan in place"
"All the intel suggests that the apothecary shop is a point of interest." Kingsley stated as he stepped forward. "Moody has ensured a more, cooperative alliance with the Auror office here and we have a warrant to enter the premises."
Kingsley waved his wand and an image of the shop appeared in front of them. "There are two entrances. The public entrance out front and the private one in the back." the respective areas lighting up in Kingsley's model as he spoke. "We assume Weasley and Granger went in through the back and thats where we will be entering as well after we've established there are no traps waiting for us."
"Do we have anything else on the owner of the shop?" Tonks asked
"No, nothing that would suggest any connection. Either the owner is innocent or doing a very good job of covering their tracks."
"What information do we have on her?" Harry asked "I don't think she's as innocent as she would like us to think."
Kingsley flipped through reports before finding the one he wanted "Maria D. Prewett, proprietor of the shop for the last six years. Moved here from England when her son Antonin Prewett was only 11. They have lived a rather quiet life, no altercations or complaints that have been recorded. Why do you have reason to distrust her, Harry?"
For many reasons Harry wished Hermione was by his side right then but no more so than at that moment, he knew something was brushing at the edge of his memory and he was missing it. "It's hard to say. When we were in that shop she acted as if she couldn't get us out of there fast enough and she lied about her son being there as well and taking Donnegan's order. She brushed it off that the boy was slow and didn't know what he was talking about but he didn't seem that way to us. He seemed angry. More than angry really, almost mad, maniacal. There is definitely something not right with that family."
As Aurors they all knew that often what was on paper didn't match real life and Kingsley was more inclined to trust his Auror over anything else. "Alright, thats good enough for me. Keep an eye out for the mother and the son. When we get there we'll set up a perimeter. Moody do as much as you can with that eye. The rest of you need to be doing the usual precautionary protocols before entering. Harry has point." Kingsley knew there would be no way to keep him from going in first and chose to save himself the argument. "I want Tonks and Moody to cover the front and back entrances once we're inside. Harry, Remus and I will enter the premises and it will be Harry's call once we have the all clear to enter. Any questions?"
Somber nods were all that he was met with. The next few minutes were spent donning Auror robes and making sure they had all the supplies they would need. Harry noticed Snape standing off to the side and walked up to him while fastening his robes.
"My fighting days are over Potter." Snape said as Harry approached
"I'm not asking you to fight. I understand. I just wanted to thank you again. I will ask that you stay here until we return, you may be able to help Poppy depending on what condition Hermione and Ron are in." Harry stumbled a bit over the last part of his sentence, not wanting to imagine what could be happening to them right now.
"I will stay." Snape replied stiffly before turning to consult with the healer.
Harry took a deep breath and then turned to the others. "Let's do this." he said flipping up the hood of his robes and stepping out of the room.