Chapter 20-Moving In
"Congratulations," Draco Malfoy drawled as his eyes flitted to Hermione's ring finger. "Are you hoping that this announcement will get the death eater wannabe's up and running faster?"
"That wasn't my main reason, no," Harry answered coldly, fuming inside at the situation he and Hermione found themselves in.
"Baby!" Janie pointed to Scorpio who was sitting happily at Draco's feet eating a biscuit.
Quicker than any 19 month old should, she then brandished her Uncle's wand and practically yelled, "Accio Baby!" and to Draco's surprise his son scooted across the floor a few feet and settled at Janie's chair who laughed with glee. Scorpio, nonplussed, pushed himself into standing position and carefully made his way back to Draco, turning around to stare at Janie as if to ask why he didn't have a wand since she did.
"Why does she have a wand?" Priscilla asked quietly from her spot next to Draco.
"Long story. Doctor's orders basically," Harry answered then quickly turned to Janie and reprimanded her for using the wand on Scorpio. She pouted then quickly recovered and began showing her new friend toy after toy that Ben brought her from the living room.
"Why don't we get you set in your rooms?" Hermione stood up, pushed her chair away from the table and Harry could tell by her body language that she was just as thrilled as he was to have three house guests drop in on the night they got engaged; especially since no one knew for how long the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy roommate situation would last.
"Thank you again," Priscilla's soft voice barely carried across the kitchen table as she waved her wand, sending tea cups to the sink. Harry nodded and saw Hermione's shoulders relax slightly. It was hard not to like Priscilla who looked nothing like her cousin, Viktor. Her bright blue eyes rivaled Luna's in their roundness and her dark blond hair hung straight down to the middle of her back. She looked almost perfect in every way except for a small scar that ran down the side of her cheek, almost covered up with makeup.
"We need to keep you safe and right now, this was the fastest place to get you too. Admittedly, we didn't think that there would be any problems this soon into the investigation," Hermione relented, tiredness ringing through her words.
It was four hours after the Malfoys had arrived at the ministry with Draco in a state of panic that Harry had never seen come from a Malfoy. Someone had apparently tried to get Scorpio out of his mother's home while he and Priscilla worked that day. Aurors that were watching the Malfoy Mansion caught the person, who was refusing to say who sent him. Draco took that threat seriously and minutes later had rounded up his family and called upon Harry and Hermione's promise to protect his young family.
Harry waited until the Malfoys followed Hermione upstairs before he rounded up his daughter and stepson-to-be for their bedtime.
"Baby!" Janie chortled happily and Ben echoed her as they climbed up the stairs with Harry coaching them from behind.
"Yes, his name is Scorpio."
"Scor-pee-oo!" Ben yelled and Janie tried to imitate him but only managed, "Cori-o!" as Harry shushed them, bending over to help them up the last step. He followed them into Janie's room where she liked to get dressed first, then to Ben's, finally onto the bathroom to try and brush their teeth.
"No more using magic on Scorpio, or Ben, Janie. You know that, okay?" Harry narrowed his eyes slightly and Janie looked down, knowing that she had broken a rule.
"Magic!" Ben repeated loudly. Harry shushed him again and briefly wondered if he was going to be able to handle two children so young and not lose his mind.
"Cori-o!" Janie pointed as the littlest Malfoy walked down to the other bathroom with Draco. Scorpio stopped and fixed his round blue eyes on Janie; and for a moment Harry felt Janie go absolutely still. They stared at each other for a moment then Scorpio grinned, his smile happy and oblivious to the problems his parents were facing. Janie looked up at Harry and held up her arms, indicating she wanted to be held. Puzzled over the sudden quietness that came over Janie he held her against his chest and passed Ben off to Hermione.
Janie acted like her usual self by the time Harry tucked her into bed, but he was still wondering what had happened
between the toddlers. He tried to ask Janie what she thought of him, but she just shrugged and stuck her thumb in her
mouth.
"Well, good night. I love you," Harry kissed her forehead and he smiled as he heard her repeat the words around her thumb. As he cracked her door he heard his whispered name.
"Daddy?"
"What?" Harry turned around and saw her little form under her blanket.
"He's funny."
"Who?"
"Baby."
"How is he funny?" Harry asked, hoping that this may lead him to an answer.
She shrugged again and gave him a smile. "Cori-o is."
"It's Scorpio."
"I said that, daddy."
"Sure, okay," Harry sighed and said good night for the second time.
Minutes later Hermione joined him in their bedroom and flopped onto the bed next to him. Together they stared up at the white ceiling, trying to decompress after a rollercoaster of a day.
"Well. We take an extra long lunch, we have sex on the kitchen floor, we get engaged, we end up having the Malfoys as house guests. Now what?" Hermione sighed reaching for Harry's hand. He wound his fingers around hers, absentmindedly running his thumb around the diamond on her finger.
"Well, for one thing, how are we going to keep the kids quiet about who is staying at our house? Lavender doesn't even know and you know Janie will say something about Scorpio." He told Hermione about the moment that passed between Scorpio and she didn't have any idea as to what it was either.
"Maybe he just hasn't been around other children as much and suddenly realized that they are like him, just a few months older. Anyway, you have a good point about the kids. Maybe we can get a family member to watch them. We can trust Molly or even my parents to not say anything. We'll just have to think of an excuse we can use on Lavender."
"There's a new strain of wizarding flu that is making its rounds already, even though it's only June. Maybe we can pretend to be the overprotective parents?"
"They would definitely believe that form me," Hermione laughed.
"And I'll just do what you say, like I always do," Harry smiled feeling her hand squeeze his. "Anyway back to child care…I think your parents would worry too much. Also, they have a lot on their plate with finding out about Charles and this situation may push them over the edge."
Harry new that the short moment of silence that followed meant he had made a point she couldn't argue. A rarity so he let himself smile a bit at having thought of something Hermione hadn't.
"True," Hermione sighed then pushed herself off the bed and began pacing, chewing her bottom lip as she did so.
"Don't beat yourself up over this, Hermione. The Auror's did what they were supposed to do and protected Malfoy's kid."
"I know that. I just wish I knew what their next move was. I was hoping that Draco could be more help but looks as if that isn't going to work." She paused and looked out the window where rain was tapping against the glass.
Harry rolled to his side and looked past Hermione out into the dreary night.
"Me too. It still sounds to me as if they don't have much of a plan, and that will help us because you know that this shadow group is making up some of this as they go."
Seeing her sigh, he got up and stood next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and feeling her left hand cover his. The cold metal of her ring reminded him that he was now standing with his future wife and the thought that any harm could come to her seared through his soul. He stiffened slightly but Hermione didn't seem to notice.
"I don't think that they hastily thought up the kidnapping plot of McGonagall then Janie. Based on some intercepted coded notes that John got, it sounds as if that was their plan all along."
"Do you think that maybe we should get her involved and see if we can help them along in this plan? We can try to beat them at their own game?"
"I don't know, Harry. I wish I knew who everyone in this group was then I could figure out how intelligent they are. Some people could see that trap a mile away; some would think that we are falling right where they want us to. I don't want us to get trapped in our game and have one of us get hurt…or worse."
"I won't let that happen. Not again," Harry promised fiercely. He heard her intake of breath as she got ready to respond and he shook his head, cutting off her statement. "I'm not just saying that, Hermione. I mean it with all my heart. I'm not going to let anything bad happen especially after what we have been through." Hermione moved away, ready to contradict his words so Harry quickly changed the subject.
"Right now, we are both so tired we need to go to bed and think straight in the morning." Harry steered her away from the window, closing the blinds as he did so.
"Harry-," Hermione began and rolled her eyes as he placed a hand over her mouth.
"No, don't tell me that I can't promise what I want to promise." He removed his hand and saw her watching him intently, making him push forward. "I'm sorry if it sounds selfish of me, but after everything that I have done and have been through, I just want to settle down and relax. I was just beginning to feel that way with Ginny and then she and Ron were taken from us. I'm sorry if I'm a bit pissed that these Shadow guys have, for lack of a better term, cast a shadow over us, but I can't help what I feel, or what I want." Harry turned away quickly, pushing his hands through his hair and trying to pull in his anger. He could feel the last few days stress beginning to overwhelm his usual calm demeanor.
"What do you want, Harry?" it was a whisper from right behind him but he didn't turn around.
"What do I want? I want for us to move on together; to merge our family together and add to it; I don't want to have issues hanging over my head and threats being made on my loved ones lives." Rubbing his hands over his face, he stopped to massage his temples then felt a small pair of hands rubbing his shoulders followed by the still-slightly-strange, (yet familiar and thrilling at the same time) body press up against him, hugging him from behind.
"Me too. I rarely ever hear you ask for something, Harry and when you do I want to be able to give that to you. We will catch this group…all of them! Then, I can give you what you want." She rested her head against his back and Harry didn't have to turn around to hear the tremor of tears in her voice.
"Hermione…," Harry began but this time she silenced him with a slight squeeze of her hands on his arms.
"Look at what you gave us, Harry. The entire wizarding world is safer because of what you did at the age of 18, hell, not even 18 at the time. I want to be with you and help you with everything you could want. And if we first need to capture this group in order to get that peace of mind, then we will do it. You promise me that neither of us, nor our family, will get hurt and I promise you we will have a happily ever after."
The breath Harry didn't realized he had been holding was the only sound in the room as he exhaled, stunned by the turn of the conversation and how much he loved her at that moment. Not being able to say anything, knowing that if she heard the thickness in his voice her tears would start up again, so he could only nod in agreement.
That was all she needed. Silently, she slipped away from him, murmuring it was time for bed.
Indeed by eleven that night everyone was asleep gearing up for the next step in capturing the group that insisted on disrupting Harry Potter's life.
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