The Pride
by Jardyn39
Summary
As a particularly licentious story about Harry breaks in the Daily Prophet he discovers that a truer story about unsung heroes has been pulled from the Quibbler. Apparently to right this wrong, Luna sends him to stay with some old friends who have just found good fortune. Once there, he discovers an empathy with an unlikely creature and begins at long last to believe Hermione may be ready to reach out and restore their strained friendship. Post Hogwarts.
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AN: You'll need to piece together what happened between Harry and Hermione as the story progresses. The idea with this piece is for the back-story and circumstances to come out relatively slowly.
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Prologue - Promises, Promises
Harry Potter just lay helplessly on his back on the cold hard pavement and watched as an assortment of bright spells crisscrossed over him. Harry blinked up into the night sky. After a few moments, the firing stopped and he heard pops and cracks as the various defeated antagonists Disapparated away into the night.
After a few seconds of complete silence, Harry heard footsteps approach from behind.
He looked up to see the silhouette of a figure looked down at him and shaking her head slowly. He couldn't see her face but he knew she was smiling.
"Perhaps the Chosen One should have been more alert this evening?" she asked lightly.
"Um, perhaps," thought Harry, squinting a little against the bright neon street lamp shining down from behind her.
"Good job the Dark Force Defence League knows what an idiot he can be."
She pointed her wand down and Harry felt a tingling sensation as the jinx was partly lifted, giving him limited movement of his head and neck.
Harry almost managed a smile but said, "If you release me from this body-bind properly, I'll thank you properly, Susan."
"Promises, promises."
*
"So, what were you doing around there? Most people have the sense to be at home in bed this time of night."
"That's my business, Susan," Harry replied evenly, lowering his mug of tea. He didn't want to sound unfriendly, but he had no intention of explaining himself. They both had secrets that neither would ever tell the other.
They were sat facing each other at a small table in a Muggle night café and most of the other customers appeared to be half-asleep mini-cab drivers. Harry had selected a window table but the windows were so misted up it made it almost impossible to see out.
It was not the first time that Harry and Susan Bones had sat together, victorious after a minor skirmish. The discovery that Susan had decided to take direction action to avenge the wrongs done to her family had come as a bit of a shock at first.
Not only had she become a skilled duellist in the short time since she had left school, but she had also decided to mould the Dark Force Defence League, an organisation which drew sniggers and derisive comments at the very mention of its name, into an effective fighting force.
In truth, privately Harry still had serious doubts about the effectiveness of the Defence League. Most members were either rather old or infirm and those that weren't he regarded as a serious risk to themselves and others.
What he didn't doubt was the zeal and commitment of its new unofficial leader.
"You walked right into an ambush. You really ought to know better."
Fortunately Susan's tone was light and this told Harry that he hadn't interrupted anything too critical.
"Actually, I don't think the ambush was meant for me. The house I was going to is two streets away."
"That's hardly the point," she reminded him. "Besides, I rather assumed the Order of the Phoenix was still looking after you. Where are they this evening? Probably clearing up after Ms Granger. I saw the dirty great hole she left in Diagon Alley the other day."
"That time we were in a hurry to leave," explained Harry. "Unfortunately we both had the same idea and the combined spells were a bit more powerful than we anticipated."
"She is earning herself something of a reputation amongst the Death Eaters, from what we hear. You're usually together when there's trouble too."
"I like to do some things on my own," Harry replied with a smile to himself.
"Well, you certainly showed how little you need any help," she replied sarcastically.
"I thought I was doing okay, actually. Well, okay until I was hit from behind. Do you know which one of you got me?"
Harry looked around at the other customers as he spoke. He knew that at least two were her own men, although he had no idea which ones they were.
"The Dark Force Defence League prides itself on the accuracy of its member's spell-work," replied Susan, her smile widening mischievously.
"And to think I always regarded you lot as a joke," commented Harry dryly.
"Well, that is the idea. You-Know-Who mustn't regard us as a threat. If the Death Eaters target us we'll have serious problems. You'll remember to keep your promise, won't you, Harry?"
"Of course I will."