A/N: SO sorry about the time between updates. Have you ever just not wanted to type anything? Between classes, household duties, cleaning out my house, that's where I was. I apologize! But, my mind is fresher now and there won't be months between updates from now on <crosses heart>. Now, onto the next chapter, which will pull us into the final chapters of the story!
The Plan
"Since she'll be adjusting to a different environment, don't be shocked if her magic goes a little…awry," Charles explained to Molly who was meeting him for the first time. Molly let out a belly laugh and her eyes twinkled.
"It can't be worse than when Fred and George were young!" Molly's laughter stopped short as she remembered her son, feeling Hermione slide an arm around her shoulders while she talked quietly.
"It's okay, Molly. Just think, George is going to be a father at the end of the year and I'm sure his child will be just like him and Fred."
"I know," Molly sighed sadly, giving Charles an apologetic smile, "my life has altered so much. Sometimes I don't know which way is up anymore." She turned towards Hermione, a new thought showing in her eyes.
"However, I do know the perfect place to have your and Harry's wedding, Hermione!" Molly pulled Hermione to the side and began going through her list of magical places that would offer their services to the future Mrs. Harry Potter.
"Is she always so…motherly?" Charles asked as he popped another biscuit in his mouth.
"Always." Harry smiled thinking of all the times he was fattened up when he'd come and stay over the summer. That led him to think of Hogwarts and for some reason that led to Draco, who was still hiding out at Grimmauld. He and Hermione had tried to give the small family some privacy but Draco was getting antsy, wanting to leave, but knew it wasn't the safest plan to do so.
"Harry? Are you ready?" Hermione managed to disentangle herself from Molly and hurried to Harry's side.
"Stay!" Ben demanded barreling into the room and grabbing Hermione's legs.
"Please?" Janie begged, taking a more emotional approach and beseeching with her eyes at her father.
"They can spend the weekend here if they want to. We can talk about what we are going to do when they stay during the day while you work," Molly bent down and picked up Janie, being the lighter of the two. "Do you want to stay?"
"YES!"
Within seconds it was decided the children would stay. After bidding Charles good bye Hermione and Harry floo'd back to his house, finding Draco and Priscilla lounging on the sofa watching the television.
"I never pegged you for watching the telly," Harry told Draco noticing that Scorpius was asleep in his mother's lap.
"Some of the Muggle shows aren't too bad," was the only response he received. After bidding them goodnight, Harry and Hermione headed upstairs.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Hermione asked quietly, slipping between the sheets next to Harry.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry tucked his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling. "You really think the Shadow's haven't a clue that we know where they are hiding out?"
"Who would think the Shrieking Shack, Harry? Really?" Hermione turned towards him and tucked her hands up between her cheek and pillow. "I didn't even believe John when he said that they were hiding there. Right under our noses!"
"Good thing we have enough aurors to spread out among the countryside so they don't suspect," Harry murmured, jerking when he felt Hermione's hand rest on his chest.
"Don't worry. We have all precautions in place."
"Draco wants to come you know. I heard him telling Priscilla."
"I know, but we can't let him. His emotions will get in the way," Hermione reached up and turned Harry's face towards her.
"He's good with a wand though and I think we may need all the help we can get." Harry searched her eyes mentally conveying that wanted her to stay back and not take a chance on losing her life. With a narrowing of her eyes, she made it clear that his desire wasn't an option this time.
"We're getting our plan together, Harry, in the next few days. It's going to be fool proof. By this time next week, they'll be gone."
"Definitely, especially since I have something to say about it," Harry leaned over and kissed her, grunting as she slid on top of him and pushed the air out of his lungs.
"Let's not think about them for a bit, hmm?" Hermione whispered in his ear, her hands moving towards his hips. Smiling in agreement, Harry let Hermione occupy him until both lay gasping on the bed, trying to pull some coherent thoughts together.
"I can not wait until that's all we have to worry about," Hermione sighed, her head tucked against his shoulder.
"What?" Harry's hand drew lazy circles around her bare shoulder, his mind pleasantly numbed.
"You and I. Doing that. Raising the kids. Having a wedding. Possibly more children."
"Well," Harry turned towards her slightly. "If all goes according to plan, this time next week we can talk and plan all that."
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"Malfoy, you can't go with us," Hermione answered early Monday morning as she and Harry got their bags together for work.
"I'm dying here," he practically whined, then checked himself knowing he sounded like a child.
"If you want to do something productive then watch the news. See if anything out of the ordinary has happened in the last few days. Send a confidential note to your mother and let her know you're still alive and kicking," Harry offered, zipping up his bag and hefting it onto his shoulder.
"Let's do that, Draco. And, I can work on our glamour charms and maybe we can take Scorpius out to the park."
"I don't want you messing with my looks," Draco told Priscilla briskly walking past her into the living room. Giving a slight eye roll to Hermione, she followed her husband while waving goodbye to them over her shoulder.
"Kids are settled at Molly's. Let's get to work. We have a meeting in five minutes." Harry glanced at his watch, took Hermione's hand and they disapparated into the Ministry of Magic.
By nine in the morning Harry was going over some self defense moves with the two new aurors they had hired. Upstairs, Hermione started handing out assignments on who was covering what part of the Shrieking Shack property and how long they were to stay on their shift.
"Hermione, I can handle more than six hours staking the place out," John said evenly, pushing back his long blond hair and securing it with a rubber band.
"I need you and Isabella fresh. I need everyone on their toes, alert…you know that. Six hours a shift. Harry and I will be taking a shift too. We have more than enough people to handle that, John."
"Still," he mumbled but backed off as his girlfriend laid a hand on his arm.
"We volunteer to go first," Isabella stated as she moved a bit closer to John.
"Okay. I'll give you that." Hermione made a few notes on her parchment and continued assigning everyone times until they had the next two days of surveillance on the Shrieking Shack covered.
She dismissed everyone, but John hung back, nodding to Isabella to continue without him which Hermione took notice of.
She waited until everyone filed out of the room, intent on getting down to business.
"Something wrong, John?"
"No. I just had a thought I wanted to run by you. Please hear me out before you say no?"
Cocking an eyebrow, Hermione gestured to the seat next to her, closing the door with a wave of her wand.
"I'll try."
John smiled slightly then launched into his theory, without Hermione interrupting once.
Silence ensued as John finished talking and he fidgeted, waiting to hear his boss's reaction to his idea.
"Well, you know I hold you in the highest regard, as I do Harry with this job. Everyone one of you has earned that from me, but you two are the hardest workers if only by the barest amounts." Turning to face him she prepared to admit that he was correct. "So, since you and Harry have come up with the same idea, and I'm sure it wasn't planned to gang up on me because I would've known about that, I think that maybe we can use Draco Malfoy to help us in this effort."
John bit back a smile but his eyes lit up excitedly as he realized Hermione was about to use his idea.
"After Harry is done his lesson and has assigned the two aurors to their jobs, I will talk with him about it. We also need to talk with Malfoy too. Though, I don't doubt he'd be in from the get go."
"Great. Just let me know if you want him to hang with me. I assume you know where he is?" John stood up, knowing it was time to head off to his and Isabella's shift.
"We do. And when the plan falls in place on what exactly Malfoy will be doing, Harry or I will let you know. Good luck today, John. Stay safe."
Hermione stood up with him and they shook hands warmly. She headed back to her office to jot down some ideas on what role Draco would be able to play in capturing the very group that threatened his family's life.
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