Secret Wizards

Harry85

Rating: R
Genres: Romance, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 14/02/2008
Last Updated: 27/02/2008
Status: completed

Harry and Hermione work together ina secret Ministry security group and nobody knows it, not even Ron. What will happen when they are asked to go undercover and pose as a married couple? Will they be able to pull it off? And will new feelings blossom?

Chapters

1. A Troubling Test

2. Broken Trio

3. Seven Years Later

4. Blending In

5. Starting The Surveillance

6. Breaking In and Tailing

7. A Day With The Target

8. Useful Information

9. Disagreement and A Mistake

10. Screwed Up and A Rescue

11. New Beginnings

12. Living Together

13. New Love

14. Epilogue

1. A Troubling Test

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter One: A Troubling Test

It was nine o'clock of a bright, sunny morning when Harry Potter entered his office in the Ministry of Magic. More precisely, in the Auror Department.

“Morning, Harry” came the greeting from his right. He turned, and grinned at his best friend of ten years now.

“Morning, Hermione. Already at work as usual I see” he teased her. Hermione Granger had always been an early morning person, while Harry and Ron enjoyed staying in bed until late. At least, she thought giving him a smile, Harry was able to arrive on time at work.

The same couldn't be said for Ron, who still had to show up, and if all the other mornings were an hint, the redhead would not do that for at least another half an hour.

“Fancy a cup of coffee?” Harry said after settling his jacket on the rack.

Hermione adjusted her now curly, not bushy anymore, hair with a clip to stop it from falling in front of her eyes, and shook her head.

“Your loss” he winked while leaving the room. Hermione snorted at his antics, and he flashed her a grin of his.

As she was once again alone, she wondered why his grin had always affected her this much. “Maybe because he has never really been able to do it freely before, and I associate it with him being happy, something I've always wished for him to be” she mused, sucking on the end of her quill. They weren't sugary and flavoured like those from Honeydukes, after all this was a real quill, but once she got the habit, it was hard to stop doing it.

Harry returned shortly after, three mugs in his hands.

“Here” he said, leaving one on her table, in front of her.

“Coffee, one spoon of sugar, and a sprinkle of milk for you, miss” he joked, and she felt her heart swell. He remembered exactly how she took her coffee.

“How did you know?” she asked, actually glad that he had brought it to her even if she had refused to go with him just minutes before.

“Is it so shocking that I pay attention?” he said, feigning to be hurt while placing one mug on Ron's desk with an Always Warm Charm on it, and finally taking a seat behind his own desk.

“No. It's nice, in fact” she replied with a smile. “Now, if you would just take a look on your table, you might find some paperwork that needs to be done. I did my part but as the leader of our team it's up to you to complete it”

Harry groaned. If there was something he hated of the job was paperwork. He was good at fighting, arresting Dark Wizards, but paperwork was boring.

Knowing exactly what was going through his head, Hermione gave him a stern look, but he knew she was faking it. In fact, she wasn't particularly fond of paperwork herself, and that was saying something.

As Harry finally started reading the sheets he needed to fill, Ron barged in.

“Good morning Harry, good morning luv” he called. Yes, the redhead and Hermione were a couple. They had been dating since the end of the war, just like Harry knew would happen. He wasn't jealous, as he had Ginny. They were all happy from this point of view, and Molly was delighted at the situation.

She never failed to drop anvil sized hints that she might be quite happy with a couple marriages in the future, especially if that future wasn't so far away. The four of them had always rebuked her attempts till now, but Harry had a feeling soon or later one of the two couples would give in and the other would soon just have to follow.

It was only a matter of who was the first to fall, and Molly knew it too, thus her continuous efforts.

“Nice of you to join us at half past nine, Ron” Hermione scolded him, and he sheepishly grinned, which earned him a scowl, that broke into an affectionate roll of eyes and an half smile when he kissed her forehead.

Harry was amused at their antics, but also a bit jealous. Why couldn't he have his own girlfriend in the same place where he worked?

Squashing the thought, he resumed his reading while Ron settled and started to work, not before gulping down the Cappuccino Harry had so gently brought him, though.

The three of them then all concentrated on their occupations. After an hour or so, Harry started rubbing his eyes.

“Bloody Hell, this thing's never-ending!” he moaned, realizing he still had ten pages of paperwork to complete.

Ron chuckled, and resumed working on the plans for their next field mission. Being so good at chess, it was just logical that the redhead would be the tactical brain of their team. Team that was composed of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, no one else.

The three of them had expressly required to be assigned to the same team because of their so well built understanding, and the Head of the Department had agreed, deeming good collaboration and quick understanding with each other pivotal for a successful field mission, especially against the remaining Death Eaters or their wannabes.

When lunch time rolled around, signalled by Ron's stomach growling loudly, Harry was still buried neck-deep in work, so he remained in the room to finish what he was doing.

Hermione and Ron walked to the cafeteria to grab a bite, and the brunette thoughtfully brought back a couple sandwiches for their raven haired friend. Ron would have thought of that too, if he weren't so distracted by what he was wolfing down.

Hermione reproachfully glared at him as he attempted sticking something more in his mouth without swallowing, giving her an atrocious show.

“Ronald Bilius Weasley, I swear, your manners when eating are troll-like!” she furiously whispered at him as their boss walked by to go get something to eat himself.

Ron merely shrugged.

As Hermione placed the two sandwiches on Harry's table, he looked up at her and his green orbs locked with her milk chocolate ones.

“Hermione, you're a lifesaver” he gratefully said, while grabbing one and taking a bite.

“No problem, Harry” she said with a grin, winking at him and going back to her desk, which was directly in front of his. Ron's was on Harry's left, forming a kind of C with the other two.

Later that afternoon, Robert Glembers, Head of the Department since Kingsley Shacklebolt had been appointed Minister, entered their office.

“Aurors Granger, Potter, Weasley” he called and they all stood up, saluting him.

“You are all requested into the main briefing room. I'll explain once we are there” he barked, and left. The three of them hurried behind him.

“It's test day!” Hermione suddenly whispered, smacking her forehead.

“Test day?” Ron whispered back, dumbly.

“The every two years psychiatric evaluation, Ron” she explained, rolling her eyes. Harry stayed silent, as he wasn't aware of it, just like Ron, but he was wise enough to not let Hermione know, otherwise he wouldn't hear the end of it.

As they reached the room, Hermione's guess was proved right.

They weren't the only ones there, all the Aurors that had been hired with them had to do the test too. Taking their seats, they let their boss explain everything, then a form and a quill appeared in front of all the Aurors in the room.

“I'll be back to collect the sheets in an hour time” Glembers announced, before leaving them alone. Harry noticed that Hermione had already started scribbling, and sighed.

This was not what he needed after a day spent on paperwork. Rubbing his eyes, he set to answer the questions the best he could.

However, half-way through, one caught his eye, and he wondered how to answer it.

"If you had to lie to your friends and your family in order to protect this kingdom and its citizens, would you do it?"

The black haired wizard pondered over it for some time.

Could he lie to Ron in such a case? Could he lie to the Weasleys, his surrogate family, or to Ginny, who was probably going to be his wife?

He guessed he could, if a real need arose, albeit with an huge wave of guilt hitting him. But what about Hermione? Would he be able to lie to her?

Probably not. Better, he might attempt it, sure, but she wouldn't buy it. She never had, when he had lied to her.

However, the question wasn't if he could fool them into believing his lie. The question was if he could lie, he reasoned.

With a sigh, he scribbled his answer.

Yes.

When the hour was up, Glembers returned, as promised, and after collecting the sheets, left them free to go back to their offices. As they slowly walked back to the room, Harry asked his friends about that question, which was still now troubling him. He wondered what situation might call for such a dire need to lie to the people closest to him.

Hermione had a pained look on her face. “I said yes, albeit I'm not so proud of it” she said, looking down.

“So you'd lie to me if Glembers asked you to?” Ron said, flaring up.

Hermione looked at him, and nodded.

“But Hermione, I'm your boyfriend!” the redhead protested, and Harry knew one more argument was about to explode.

“And does this make you more worthy than the lives of all the British citizens?” Hermione asked hotly. “I already said I wasn't proud of it, but if the need arises I'll lie to you, Ronald, and to everyone else for that matter, so you better grow up and accept it”

Harry knew she didn't mean anything bad when she said it, yet the fact that she said “and to everyone else” thus including him too into those she would be willing to lie to, stung.

But after all, he had said yes too, so he was ready to lie to her as well. His hurt over the matter was hypocritical.

“Harry, you never told us what you put to that question”

“I said yes” Harry briskly replied, not wanting to dwell more on the possibility. Ron scowled and Harry guessed the redhead had put No.

“Maybe he's the right one this time” Harry mused as he resumed his paperwork.

-->

2. Broken Trio

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Two: Broken Trio

It was six months after the psychiatric evaluation, and the three of them had long forgotten their little row over that question on if they were ready to lie to their friends and family to save the kingdom and its citizens.

Not that they had much time to think about it, as work had been hectic for them. Many Death Eaters sightings had been reported, and their team was often on field missions of unknown length to try and capture them.

Harry was more than happy for the distraction those mission caused from his private life. Ginny had started dropping hints herself about marriage, and while he was sure he would marry her one day, at the moment he wasn't ready to settle down, which lately caused rows between them.

The fact that Ron and Hermione had gotten engaged the previous week wasn't helping, not at all. As he suspected, now that his two best friends had given in to Molly's convincing, the ball was in his and Ginny's field, and they were expected to follow suit soon.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he concentrated on the task at hand.

“Hermione, reach your position” he hissed, then nodded at Ron to let him know to do the same.

The redhead had devised a plan to block Dolohov from escaping, and this time Harry was adamant to bring the Death Eater in. Too many times he had slithered through their fingers, but tonight was different. They had been tailing him and his men for three days now and they would arrest him, no matter what.

As they approached the little house, Disillusioned, Harry grabbed his wand. With a deep breath, he caused the door to fall down, but no one of them entered the building.

As expected, no one left too. Harry and Hermione fired more curses at the building, making it shake on its foundations, but they didn't bring it down. They needed Dolohov and who else was inside alive to give them useful information, and as it's known, dead bodies don't speak.

Ron, in the meantime, had circled the house in search for a second exit, some secret passage of sorts, in case the dark wizards had already started to flee. Soon later, he spotted a chunk of land moving aside.

He rushed there, alerting Harry and Hermione with the device they had come up with. It was something like the Galleons of the Dumbledore's Army, but these gave a strong vibration instead of heating themselves.

Hermione had enchanted them, and the Head of the Department had liked the idea, so they were now standard equipment for all Aurors.

Wand in hand, Ron stunned the first one to exit the hole, but soon later Dolohov and other five fled, with Shield Charms in place.

“Fancy a run in the countryside, Antonin?” Harry smirked as the Death Eater stopped in his tracks, having almost run over the Auror.

“Potter” he snarled. “Move aside, or I'll kill you”

“Should I be worried by your threat?” Harry replied, an hint of boredom in his voice.

“Avada Kedavra!”

The green light flew toward the raven haired wizard, which conjured a rock in front of himself to stop the curse.

“Expelliarmus!” he then cried, and the other man dodged. Harry kept a straight face, but inwardly he was grinning.

Dolohov didn't have the slightest idea that Hermione was there and that she had already stunned four of his men, thanks to Silencing Charms put on herself and silent spell-casting, while Ron was binding the last one.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry cast again, knowing very well the man would dodge.

“Such childish spell work, Potter. I expected better from the Boy Who…” Dolohov taunted him but he never finished the sentence, as Hermione slammed her elbow in his head, knocking him unconscious. It was only fair that it was her to defeat him, as he was the one who cursed her in the Department of Mysteries years ago. It was a little revenge, but a sweet one nonetheless.

“Good job, guys” Harry congratulated both his best friends. “Let's bring these to the Ministry, shall we?”

Ten minutes later, they were enjoying an hot cup of coffee in their office. It was freezing outside, as it was the end of November, and they had spent the last three days camping and scouting the countryside to find Dolohov's hideout.

They were all laughing over a joke Ron had said when the door of their room slammed open.

“Potter, Granger, I need you to come with me to the Department of Mysteries” their boss, Glembers, bellowed, and then left not even waiting for a reply.

Harry and Hermione sighed. “We will see you later, Ron?” the brunette asked, giving his fiancÃ© a smile.

The redhead shook his head. “I think I'm gonna call it a day, you know. Three days out there knackered me. See you at home, luv” he said. The two of them were now living together at Ron's flat, it was a month that she had moved there but Hermione still owned her own place.

She had grown fond of it and was reluctant to let it go, even if she knew she would probably have to soon or later.

With a nod to their friend, Harry and Hermione walked out of the room and made their way to the lower levels, where the Department of Mysteries was.

“This place always gives me chills” Hermione admitted, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective fashion.

“Better chills than nightmares” Harry moodily replied. He still hadn't completely forgiven himself for Sirius' death, and Hermione almost dying too. It was one of the reasons he was so determined on going after Dolohov, it was some kind of revenge for himself too. The images of Hermione struck with that purple curse flashed into his head and he balled his hands into fists.

“What is it, Harry?” Hermione said, placing an hand on his shoulder and trying to soothe him. He looked sideways at her, and gave her a small smile.

“I'm sorry” he said. “For letting Dolohov hurt you, years ago” he then explained to her bewildered expression.

Realization dawned upon her, and she grinned at him. “It's in the past, you don't have to worry about it anymore” she said. They finally caught up with their boss, who was waiting for them.

“Sir, if I may, what's the reason for us being here?” Harry asked.

“You'll find out soon enough, Potter. It's not something that can be discussed freely” the man mysteriously replied, leading them down a side corridor, to a locked room. He tapped his wand twice on the oak door, and it glowed white for a moment.

“Aurors Glembers, Granger and Potter” their boss stated, and the door unlocked. Pushing it open, he lead them in.

“Welcome, Aurors Granger, Potter” a deep voice they very well knew welcomed them.

“Minister Shacklebolt” they acknowledged the older man, who had been part of the war just like them and had been appointed minister after Voldemort's fall to guide the magical world through a difficult time of rebuilding.

“Have a seat, please” he instructed them, then introduced the other person in the room. “This is Chief Secret Wizard Hanlemore”

“Chief Secret Wizard?” Hermione asked.

The Minister nodded, allowing the other man to explain.

“Miss Granger, the Secret Wizards are a quite recent group formed by the Ministry as an attempt to stop threats like Voldemort from rising. Our main concern is to stop any kind of possible terrorist action here in England. We may be able to extend our jurisdiction to the whole magical community worldwide in the future, as other Ministries don't have a division like that, but for the time being our focus is just on England”

Both Harry and Hermione listened attentively, wondering why they were being told that information.

After some minutes, their silent question got addressed. “You two are here because you have proved yourselves to be among the top Aurors the Ministry has, and we are in need of new recruitment in our ranks. You have been chosen not only for your field abilities, which are nonetheless outstanding I must admit, but also for your high rank teamwork”

Harry intervened. “Why just the two of us, and not our other team mate, Ron Weasley?”

“Ah, I knew this question would arise” Hanlemore said, looking at the ministry who nodded. “See, Auror Weasley has failed to meet the psychological profile requested to be part of this group”

“Why is that?” Hermione asked.

“Miss Granger, as I said coming here, this is no matter that can be discussed freely” Glembers intervened. “Mr. Weasley is not up to the secrecy levels required for the job, since he is not up to lying to his friends or family, if a matter of national security requesting it arises. Plus, his spell work is good enough for a fight like those you have been involved till now, but not good enough for this job. You'll need to learn some new and complex charms, and frankly I don't think he would be able to, considering his marks in the subject back in Hogwarts ”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, understanding dawning upon them.

“So, for the details of the job. You will have to be available on call 24 hours a day, you won't be able to tell anyone outside the Secret Wizards group what it is that you do, where you go when you are on mission, and anything related to the organisation activities. Your equipment will vary from mission to mission, based on the environment you will be posed in, the characteristics of the target, and the secrecy level required, but I can assure you it will most of the time be far more advanced than what normal Aurors have available” Hanlemore explained, earning himself a grunt from Glembers, who obviously wasn't pleased with that remark.

“Of course, your efforts will be widely rewarded. I understand being part of this group can result in a stressful lifestyle, what with lies to tell and keep up, being called in the middle of the night if need comes, and such. Not to talk about the risks of the job itself, after all we are against terrorists here and they usually don't stop in front of anything, and will be more than glad to eliminate you if you are a threat to them. So, the pay is quite high, one hundred and a half thousand Galleons per year”

Even being rich as he was, Harry's eyes bulged out at the ridiculously big amount of money they were being offered. Not that it mattered much for him, but sure enough with few years in the job, he would be able to provide his family enough gold to sustain them for generations, if shrewdly spent.

“So, what do you say?”

Harry and Hermione remained silent for some time. Finally, Harry cleared his throat, and spoke.

“Could you give us a couple minutes to discuss this between ourselves?”

“Of course, of course. We will be back in ten minutes” Minister Shacklebolt said, leading the other two out of the room.

“Blimey” Harry said once they were alone. Hermione chuckled.

“You can say that again” she said. He could see she wasn't completely happy with the situation.

“You are worried about Ron” he said, knowing her almost better than himself.

She nodded, then looked up at him, as he took her hand in his own, rubbing circles on it to ease her nervousness. It was a normal gesture for them, although some might have spotted something more than friendship there.

“He will be upset” she said. “You know how he is with his jealousy issues, and once again he gets left behind, he won't be pleased”

“No, he won't. But Hermione, you two are about to get married, I'm sure you two will work it out. You will start a family…” he said, and she interrupted him.

“Exactly. What kind of mum can I be if I need to be away for long periods of time, maybe, and might have to leave in the heart of the night?”

“A wonderful one, because you will be doing it to assure your kids, and those of all of us, are safe from another Voldemort-wannabe” he reassured her, and she nodded.

“Plus, aren't you curious to see what equipment they will come up with?” he teased her, and she lightly swatted him on the arm.

“Prat” she said, just moments before the door opened.

Once everyone was seated again, Hanlemore spoke. “So, have you decided? I'll have to tell you, if you refuse the offer we will need to Obliviate you, and the existence of the group will be removed from your knowledge”

“We accept the job” Harry said, looking at Hermione for assurance, and she nodded.

“Very well then. You'll have to sign these contracts, magical contracts where you accept all the secrecy issues of the group, then” he said, passing them two sheets of parchment and a quill.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were packing their things in the office, ready to go home, still discussing the details of this new adventure.

The Golden Trio was officially broken, one member was left behind.

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3. Seven Years Later

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Three: Seven Years Later

“Fine!” an enraged Ginny Potter shouted, slamming the door shut.

Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. It had become an habit that every time he and Ginny talked, they would end shouting at each other. He didn't know why, to be truthful, although he started to suspect it, and the thought was upsetting, to say the least.

But after all, he had witnessed the same thing roughly an year before.

Ron and Hermione's marriage had never been a quiet one, they had always been known by everyone as the “bickering couple” since their Hogwarts days, when many guessed their fights were a mere cover for their feelings for each other.

When the two of them had hooked up, many smugly thought they had been right all along, and their belief was strengthened by the wedding. Once married, Harry's two best mates didn't change much their way to deal with each other, but their families and friends were sued to it, so nobody was worried when they would find them fighting.

After some years, though, the fights had begun to escalate in length and strength. They would more often insult each other and end hurting their feelings. Thank Merlin they didn't have children, Harry mused, otherwise it wouldn't have been a pretty sight for the munchkins to witness their parents throwing insults at each other.

More than once Hermione had come to see him afterwards, as she always did when in school, and he had comforted her, silently starting to wonder if his two best friends did the right thing getting married in the first place. It was with no real surprise to him then, when one day he found out that Hermione had started wondering the same thing.

Ginny of course would side with her brother most of the time, which enraged Harry to no end. Of course, at times he sided with his best mate too, when he reckoned he was the one who was right, and tried to make Hermione see his point, with his notorious kindness and gentleness. He didn't always succeed, but he did fairly often.

However, the fact that Ginny could be so hostile to someone who was supposed to be her best female friend, led to fights of their own between Ginny and Harry, adding to the fights they often had about his job.

Ginny had never gotten over the fact that the topic was off limits, that he couldn't tell her a thing about it, and that he had often to be away from home for long periods, and didn't lose occasion to spit it in his face.

Another thing that annoyed the redhead to no end was that Harry was nowhere near to be ready to be a parent.

“It's been six years, Harry” she often reminded him. “Six years we have been married and we still are childless”

“I don't see Ron or Hermione fretting over it, though, and they have been married for longer than us” he had reasoned, till his best mates were still married. Ginny glared at him, stomping away muttering something about him always bringing Hermione into the mix. He shrugged.

Since the divorce, though, Ginny had been much more determined to “tie him down” with a baby. Probably she felt their own marriage drifting into dangerous waters and wanted to have something to keep it going, to not have it end like Ron and Hermione's.

Harry, though, thought that bringing a child into the world with those premises was plainly wrong. So, he always refused to approach the subject and when Ginny did, he coldly told her to stop pestering him about it.

Which led to her slamming the door of his study shut just moments before, walking away shouting at him.

Taking a look at his watch, he noticed he had no time to dwell on the matter. Their boss had summoned him and Hermione at ten o'clock, and he had just few spare minutes. He would deal with Ginny and her stubbornness once he was back.

Apparating away to the Ministry, he quickly made his way to the lifts.

“Good morning, Harry” a well known voice greeted him. Turning, he spotted Hermione, her hair collected in a ponytail, her usual work attire of white shirt, trousers and a sweater on. He grinned.

“Good morning, Mione” he said, and he swore he saw an hint of a blush creep to her cheeks as he realized he had been slightly staring at her. Which, of course, made him blush a bit himself.

Once they were alone, walking to the corridor of the Department of Mysteries their offices were located in, she spoke, safe that she wouldn't be overheard, or at least not by people who shouldn't know about the anti-terrorist group the two of them were part of.

“Wonder what Hanlemore was so worked up about” she said, casting a side glance at Harry, and noticing his face hardening.

“Whatever it is, it can't be good” he said. “The man seemed quite preoccupied”

They were soon sitting in front of the aforementioned man, who began pacing the room nervously.

“Secret Wizards Granger, Potter. We have some kind of emergency to assess. We have sure information that Ethan Frikplask, top of our list of suspected terrorists, is in Australia, precisely in the Sydney area. We do not know what he is planning to do there, but we know where he is staying. As you know, over the years since this group being founded, we have gained jurisdiction over all the world, being the only anti-terrorist Wizard force of this kind on Earth, so we will be able to prevent any harmful action he might be planning if we can capture him.

Problem is, we have no proof against him, so I need the two of you to go undercover to Australia, find dirt on the man and then arrest him. Possibly, without getting yourself killed” he added then, with a pointed stare to Harry, who had a certain tendency to dive head first in the line of danger.

The raven haired wizard had the decency to blush, knowing he was a bit reckless when it came to arrest dangerous wizards, or Muggles for that matter, as they had stopped more than a couple terrorist actions in the Muggle world too, over the years.

“I've prepared two files for you to learn the details of the mission, and I'd be grateful if the two of you settled to work on it immediately because we are on kind of a tight schedule here” their boss added.

“When do we leave?” Hermione asked, taking her file and passing Harry the other one.

“Tomorrow, at dawn”

Both looked at their boss as he was mad.

“You mean we have to learn everything about the people we are going to impersonate by heart, work on the details of the operation, and pack, all in twenty hours?” Harry blurted out.

When Hanlemore nodded, serious, Harry muttered, “That's a new record, even for this group”

“I agree, Potter. That's why I chose you and Granger for it. You will provide top teamwork, and I trust that you won't blow your cover up once there, leading to a successful arrest. You two are, after all, the best I've got” Hanlemore said, with a slight smile that was returned.

Once out of the room, Hermione started reading the info on their undercover selves, and gasped.

“Harry, we have to pose as a married couple!” she exclaimed.

He looked at her, then at the file in his hand, and there was the confirmation he needed.

They were to pose as Mr. and Mrs. Glenson, newlyweds. The fact that they were wizard and witch provided them with longer life, so to Muggles they would seem at most 25 years old, which went well for them posing as newlyweds. That was not what worried Harry.

He already had a wife, and in this assignment he would have to show physical affection for Hermione to keep the cover up, and lots of it since newlyweds were supposed to be madly in love with each other and barely able to keep their hands off each other.

Was it considered cheating?

He had no time to think about it. Thirty pages to learn by heart about the habits and life of Mr. John Glenson was no easy task.

He and Hermione stayed all day locked in his office, studying the files and taking turns in asking questions to each other, to test their knowledge of the part they had to play.

It was well after midnight when he got home, knackered. Luckily for him, Ginny was already asleep, which avoided him a round of questions on where had he been all day, why was he home so late, and such.

Crashing on the couch, his last coherent thought was that he would have to endure her shouts enough in the morning when he would tell her he was leaving.

And right he was, because her bellowing when he told her that over breakfast would have made Molly proud.

He finally had enough, so he set his mug of coffee in the sink, setting it to wash itself, then he left, ignoring her shouts, to pack something for the trip.

Considering that Australia was rather warm that part of the year, contrary to England where winter was just starting to settle, he packed all his summer clothes and swimming trunks too. The fact wasn't missed by Ginny, who had followed him into their bedroom.

“Going on a little vacation, are you?” she spitefully said. He glared at her and if looks could kill, Ginny would be dead.

“It's work. You know I can't tell you more so don't ask” he said, before she could even open her mouth. Then, he flung the bag over his shoulder, checked that he had his wand and everything he might need, and Apparated to the Ministry, leaving a fuming Ginny behind. He quickly made the trip to their boss' office, and found Hermione already there.

“You are early” he stated, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a simple pale blue shirt, and a pair of black trousers. A grey sweater completed the mix. However, as simple as her attire may be, he found that she was quite pretty.

She sheepishly grinned. “Was a bit excited” she admitted, looking down, and heard him chuckle. Looking up, she locked eyes with him, and grinned too.

“If you two are comfortable enough” their boss interjected entering the room, “this is your supply of potions for the mission. Improved Polyjuice, lasts ten hours instead of one, you have fifty vials of it each,” he explained showing them the stacks of vials. “All of them are unbreakable so don't worry about bringing one or two around with you all time”

It was just obvious, Harry thought. They couldn't go as themselves, lest someone recognized them and blew their cover. However, he was impressed with the potion. It was ten times more efficient, and it wasn't an easy feat to obtain, the Ministry potion masters had to have worked very hard on it.

Their supply of potions was completed with Blood Replenishing, Never Tired and Confusing ones. There were also two vials of Veritaserum, one each.

Then, they were showed the surveillance devices they would have available. There were micro cameras, enhanced to work in magic environment, improved Extendable Ears which worked at up to a mile distance, without need for a cable to link the two ends, of course, this was a new feat from Fred and George who were their best suppliers with that kind of tricks, Peruvian Instant Blackness Powder in case they were in need of an hasty retreat, a special potion to allow them to see through the darkness of the powder, or any blackness to tell the truth, a cell phone that could be used as wand holster, so they would be able to shelter their wand inside it, and have it in their hands ready to shoot even if they were walking amongst Muggles, and, directly from the proud owners of WWW, Trust-Me bracelets. They had already inserted the info of their target into the identical bracelets, and when they wore them, Ethan Frikplask would be compelled to trust them, no matter what. Should be handy to enter his good graces and get close enough to spy on him, Fred and George reckoned. However the note told them to not overdo the bracelets because they were still in testing so there was no guarantee of how much workload they could go through before suddenly becoming ineffective.

Then, the twins had worked with the Ministry to develop some Portable Anti-Apparition, Anti-Floo and Anti-Portkey Wards. They just needed to throw the spheres on the ground or the building they wanted to ward. Last object was an Immediate Post Pit, a black cylinder that would allow them to send anything directly to their boss' table without having to rely on owls. Better for secrecy, and quicker.

Gathering everything and putting it in a purse like the one they used in the Horcrux hunt, Hermione finally stood, and smiled at Harry, who quickly dropped his shrunken Firebolt in the bag too.

“Shall we go then?”

He nodded and followed her out of the room, ready to start this adventure.

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4. Blending In

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Four: Blending In

Trying to not raise suspicions in their target or his support network there in Sydney, Harry and Hermione had travelled as normal Muggles, thus arriving in Australia by plane.

Harry, having never been on one before, kept muttering about how sore his muscles were for the long time he had had to be seated, while they were walking outside the airport to fetch a taxi and get to the hotel they were going to stay in.

It was quite a luxury establishment, The Observatory Hotel, and Harry had to restrain himself from looking around in awe. Instead, he concentrated on the task at hand, and moved to catch up with Hermione, who was already heading for the reception.

Slipping his hand into hers, which he found oddly comfortable, and exchanging a look of understanding with his partner, he then spoke to the man behind the desk.

“Hi, I believe we have a suite booked” he stated.

“Of course. If you were so gentle to give me your name” the man politely asked, ticking on the computer in front of him.

“Oh, right. I'm Mr. John Glenson and this is my wife Alexandra” Harry said, giving the man their fake IDs.

After a few moments, the man smiled. “Newlyweds, uh?” he grinned, handing them the badge which was the electronic key for their suite.

Harry blushed, and felt Hermione squeeze his hand. She then leaned her head on his shoulder, looking up at him with a dreamy expression.

“Yes” she said softly.

“Well, I wish you the best honeymoon here” the clerk politely said. “I hope our suite will satisfy you”

Harry nodded, then moved to grab their suitcases.

“Oh, Mr. Glenson. There's no need to carry your baggage, we will see that it is sent to your room as quickly as possible” the man said.

The two of them then headed to the lifts. The trip up to their floor was long as they were on one of the highest ones in the building. Their target was just a couple floors under their own, trusting the intelligence that they had read about in their files.

As Harry turned to close the door, he heard Hermione gasp.

“What?” he said, turning.

“The view, Harry. It's breathtaking” she said, and he found automatic to slip his arms around her waist, admiring the scenery with her.

“It truly is” he whispered. After some moments, he cleared his throat, realising he was still holding her close to him, and left with the excuse to check the rest of the suite.

Hermione felt a sudden rush of cold when his body left hers.

Moving from the window to inspect the rest of the room, she noticed that there was only one bed.

“Of course, silly” she admonished herself. “We are posing as newlyweds” she reasoned, seating on the fluffy bed, and started worrying. “This means we will have to sleep together!” she thought, and blushed crimson red at how the sentence sounded.

“We will need to sleep in the same bed” she corrected herself. Suddenly she was roused from her reverie by a knock on the door.

“Your luggage, madam” a voice on the other side of the door replied when she asked who it was.

Letting the young boy in, she thanked him and gave him a generous tip. The lad bowed, then left, and Hermione closed the door.

“I guess we should start unpack” she then said. “And then go have a look around, see if we find this Frikplask guy” she reasoned, trying to not think anymore about the fact that she and Harry would be sharing a bed that night, and those who followed too, of course.

Harry, however, had been her friend for too long to not read into her nervousness. “Hermione, there's a perfectly comfortable couch in the living room, I'll sleep there” he said, and she looked up at him sharply.

“No, Harry. We are both adults, and we can share a bed without it being awkward. You need to rest well just like I do, we are on a mission here” she said with a look of determination, and he just nodded.

“Let's make a quick job if unpacking then” he grinned and winked at her. It was a good thing that he had immediately turned to grab his suitcase, because otherwise he would have spotted Hermione's face flush quite a bit at his boyish grin and wink.

Deciding to not dwell on it, Hermione set to work too.

It was one hour later that they were finally back to the lobby of the hotel, after refreshing their new appearances with a vial of Polyjuice potion.

They discreetly scanned the crowd for signs of Ethan Frikplask, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Luv, why don't we head to the pool?” Harry whispered in her ear, making her shiver as his hot breath tickled her skin.

“Seems a good idea, John” she said, kissing him on the cheek, and allowing him to lead her that way with one hand on her back, her head resting on his shoulder.

As they finally reached the area, Harry pulled his shirt over his head, showing the nice fit body of John Glenson. She wondered if he would look like that himself, and reasoned Quidditch and Auror training must have done lot s for his real figure.

“Alexandra, you there?” Harry asked again, calling her with her cover name.

“Sorry luv, just spaced out a bit, the flight from England was quite long” she said.

“Well, why don't you relax a bit then? The sun's warm and I'm sure we can start to get some tan here” he said, helping her out of her shirt, and kissing her neck.

Hermione bit on her lower lip to stop the moan that was coming out. She then stepped out of her shorts, and lay on a towel Harry had prepared for her on a deckchair.

“John, dear, will you help me with the protective lotion?” Hermione said, and he gulped.

Smearing some on his hands, he started to rub it on her shoulders, on her back, slowly and accurately moving down to her legs.

Hermione couldn't believe how skilled his hands were. He was just putting protection on her skin, and yet she started feeling aroused.

“At least we aren't failing to put a show as newlyweds” she thought, before purring at his touch.

Harry almost froze as he heard her do that.

Surely he had heard wrong. There was no way Hermione had just purred. He moved on the other leg, and here she did it again.

Poor Harry felt his swimming trunks tighten, with a not so welcomed reaction. He willed himself to imagine Snape in a tutu but even the disturbing image took some minutes before stopping the effects of seeing Hermione in a bikini and hearing her purr. Granted, her looks were different now but he knew who she really was and it was about his brown haired best friend that he was thinking at the moment.

As he finally took his place to sunbathe, or pretend to, on her right, he scanned the attendants of the pool. Their target was nowhere to be seen, and he wondered where they guy might be, when he suddenly got a glimpse of him.

“Alexandra, I'm going to the bar” he whispered in her ear, then moved to join their target there. Ethan Frikplask wasn't alone, a blonde was on his arm, and was giggling at something the man had said.

Moving closer, Harry noticed she would be considered a beauty by most males, her long legs and quite full chest being an undeniable pair of assets in that field.

“A Mohito” he asked the bartender, sitting just near the couple. While waiting for his drink, he decided to break the ice.

“Quite nice here, isn't it?” he said.

Ethan scanned him with his eyes, then smirked. “Five star hotel, and there's nothing better in town. You must have just arrived, am I right?”

“Yes, yes, me and Alexandra arrived just a couple hours ago from England. We are just starting to relax after the long trip”

“I'm sure you are” the man replied, taking a sip of his whiskey, while Harry grabbed his cocktail that had finally arrived.

He felt a bit nervous as the blonde kept checking him out in no subtle way.

“You put a nice show out there, you and your missus must really be in love” Ethan then noted. Harry blushed, but reckoned it was good for their cover that they had been so convincing.

“Well, we are on our honeymoon, we finally got married after being engaged for years” Harry said, perfectly reciting his role as it was laid in the file.

“Sydney's great for honeymoons” Frikplask nodded. “Been there myself on my first one, although the marriage didn't work out for the best” he said. “But, where are my manners. This is Michaela” the brown-haired man said, gesturing toward the blonde, who giggled as Harry looked her way.

“But you can call me Micky” she flirted, leaning slightly toward him as to give him better view of her cleavage. “Your wife is a really lucky woman, to have such an handsome man as her husband” she then said, winking at him.

“Oh, well…thanks, I guess” he flustered, and Ethan chuckled. “Micky, be good” he warned, pulling the tart, because that was how Harry thought appropriate to classify her, on his lap.

Soon after, Harry felt a pair of arms sneak around his waist.

“Hi, luv” he said, turning. “Missed me?” he said, and could see Hermione's now blue eyes sparkling.

“You can't imagine” she said, before claiming his lips in a fierce kiss. Harry went with the flow, he couldn't risk any little uncertainty because they were in front of their target and it could mean blowing their cover, so he kissed her back as hungrily, pulling her down to sit on his lap, too.

She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms still around him, and gave a contented sigh as they finally parted.

Harry didn't miss a pointed look to Michaela as the blonde and Ethan walked away few minutes later, and grinned. He felt flattered at the possessiveness Hermione had shown, if only for making their cover believable.

When they finally headed back to their suite, Hermione plopped on the bed.

“Well, it went well. We established a first contact, and you got him to invite us to their table tonight for dinner” she reasoned. “I can't believe the nerve of that wench though. You told them you were here on a honeymoon and she was openly flirting with you!”

Harry chuckled. “Upset you much, Alexandra?”

“No, John. I know you have eyes only for me” she cheekily said, swaying her hips as she went to the bathroom to change for dinner.

Harry shook his head, smiling.

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5. Starting The Surveillance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Five: Starting The Surveillance

When Hermione emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, Harry turned, while finishing to button his white shirt, and was rendered speechless.

She was wearing a black dress that emphasized her curves, clinging to her body in the right places, and leaving bare most of her back, and a good amount of her cleavage, which was underlined by the crystal pendant she was wearing around her neck.

Her hair was styled in curly waves cascading around her shoulders, and the hint of make up that she wore exalted her natural beauty.

The attire was completed by high heels, and the Trust-me bracelet around her right wrist, which had magically adjusted to match the style of what she was wearing.

Harry had placed his own under his Armani shirt, as it was a bit uncommon for men to wear bracelets, and it had magically thinned so that it wouldn't be noticed. His attire was completed by a pair of Dolce & Gabbana black jeans, and a matching sweater. Nothing too formal, but elegant enough to not clash with Hermione's choice of clothes.

“My, you're smashing” he whispered, and she blushed, knowing what he said wasn't part of their cover.

“Thanks, you look quite handsome yourself” she said. “Will you help me to close the zipper?” she asked then, and he obliged.

He sucked in a breath as he smelled her perfume, and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in it. Then, he grabbed the zipper and finished to pull it up, grazing her skin with his hand as he did so. That sent a shiver down her spine.

“Calm down, baby” she chastised herself. “It's just Harry, right?” she thought, not completely convinced, though.

They then downed their Polyjuice potion, transforming once more in John and Alexandra Glenson.

“Shall we go, then?” he said.

“Of course, luv” she said softly, as he had already opened the door so she had resumed playing her part. It didn't came difficult at all, knowing it was Harry she was really talking with. He placed his right arm around her waist and started walking them toward the lifts.

“You know, I might get used to walking like this with you” he whispered into her ear. “The real you, I mean” he then added, in a voice that Hermione thought was slightly husky.

“I wouldn't mind” she cheekily whispered back.

They met with Ethan and Michaela just outside the restaurant.

“Oh, here you are, our favourite couple of newlyweds” Ethan said, taking Alexandra's hand and kissing it, making her blush the tiniest bit. “You two must really be in love, it just radiates from you” he said then with a wink.

Michaela flashed John her best smile, and the four of them walked to a table in a secluded area of the room.

As they enjoyed their meal, Harry/John decided to try and steer the conversation on a more useful topic.

“So, we are here for our honeymoon, but I didn't catch why are you here, Ethan” he said while cutting a bit of lobster, and offering it to Hermione, a cute gesture that most married couples do. She took a bite and smiled at him, thanking him.

“Oh, just some business in town. But I like treating myself and my girl well even if it's only for business” the other man evasively replied, squeezing Michaela's hand. She distractedly nodded, finding John much more interesting.

“I'd tell you more, but I fear the ladies will be bored to death” their target joked then. “However, I'm going to take a day off and go fishing in the ocean in a couple days time, so if you want to join me, we could always finish this conversation then” he suggested. The man had taken a liking for John, probably due to the Trust-me bracelets they were wearing doing their job.

Hermione/Alexandra, however, clearly had a less pleasant opinion of their target.

“Ugh, he's a fucking pervert” she said once they were in the safety of their soundproof suite, thanks to some Silencing Charms, while kicking away the high heels shoes she was wearing. “Did nothing else than leer at me all dinner” she complained.

Harry felt her uneasiness and protectively wrapped his arms around her. “If it makes you feel better, Michaela kept ogling at me too” he joked, and felt her relax in his embrace.

She smiled at him. “It would be hard not to” she said softly, leaning in to kiss him, but chickening out at the last moment, as she reasoned they hadn't to keep their cover up in there, and kissed him just on the corner of his mouth, berating herself for almost slipping.

“Who knows what he would have thought if I kissed him on the mouth without reason” she reasoned, and tried to evade the awkward situation going to change for bed.

Harry stood there, rooted on the bed, wondering if she really was almost going to kiss him or if he had just imagined it. “Wistful thinking, Potter” he scolded himself while slipping into his pyjama bottoms. He didn't bother with a shirt, as it was quite hot there in Australia, and moved toward the couch.

“Don't you dare” a voice stopped him.

He turned to see Hermione, leaning on the bathroom doorframe and scowling at him. “We both need rest, Harry, and you know it” she said, contemporarily thinking of Snape in a swimsuit to stop herself from ogling at his naked chest.

“Oh, we will get plenty of rest tomorrow. We are posing as newlyweds, we aren't expected to be able to keep our hands off each other, so I think we should just stay in here, letting the others think we are shagging,” he blushed saying this, probably imagining how would it be to shag Hermione, “and take the chance to plan our actions” he finished then, trying to will himself to calm down.

Hermione blushed deep red at what he was suggesting most newlyweds did, but realized he was right.

“Still, it doesn't seem fair to me that you sleep on the couch. We are both responsible adults, Harry, so don't be silly and sleep in the bed”

He sighed. There was no way he could win an argument with her, he thought, and did as he was told. Both moved to the farthest end of the bed from the other, keeping lots of space between them, and trying to not feel the awkwardness.

Soon enough, sleep engulfed them both.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he felt something heavy leaning on his chest. He forced his eyes open, and was met with the sight of Hermione's head resting there, his right arm wrapped around her.

“Bloody Hell, how in the world did we end spooning?” was the first thing that crossed his mind. Then, he tried to move from the potentially embarrassing situation without waking her up, but soon found out there was no way to accomplish the feat. “She probably usually slept like this with Ron, and did the same with me out of habit” he thought, but then realized it was more than an year since she and Ron had divorced, surely she would have lost the habit by then. He, however, was still married with Ginny, as rocky as their relationship was, so maybe it was him who had reached out for her while sleeping.

Sighing, he resigned to wait for her to wake up, absent-mindedly running an hand through her honey-coloured curls.

He felt all his blood rush south as she emitted a low purr of satisfaction at his ministrations.

“Down, Potter” he thought, willing himself not to get aroused, but he already knew it was going to be a lost battle. Especially because Hermione was slightly squirming on top of him, and pressing herself more into his body.

Finally, he heard a louder intake of breath, first sign that she was waking up.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Hermione wondered why her pillow was so hard, and moved to find herself looking into the green eyes of Harry Potter.

“Good morning” he grinned at her, and she just had to smile.

“Good morning to you, Harry” she said, then finally the situation they were in registered in her still sleepy brain, and she jumped away from him, blushing madly.

He chuckled.

“It's not funny, Harry” she said, scowling, but in the end she chuckled too.

“How in the world did we end spooning?” she voiced the question he had asked himself earlier.

“Don't really know,” he said, “but I've to admit it felt good” he cheekily added then, earning himself a playful swat on the arm.

“Order our breakfast while I shower, Potter. We have some planning to do” she said with a wink, and quickly entered the bathroom, not fast enough to stop Harry from noticing what a cute bum she had, though.

He groaned. It was going to be a very long mission.

As he heard the shower being turned on, he phoned the reception to bring them a classic English breakfast, with scrambled eggs, toast, jam, both tea and coffee and of course bacon and muffins.

Few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Harry thanked the waiter, then placed the tray on the bed, and placed a charm on it to keep everything warm.

It was just few minutes before Hermione emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, drying her hair with another one, and that simple gesture, done without any sexual innuendo from her part, almost drove Harry insane.

He felt himself getting a nasty stiffy, and quickly readjusted the sheets on the bed to cover his lap. “S-so, about today…” he said, clearing his throat. She gave him a strange look, which led her to notice, again, how muscular his torso was.

“Yeah, today” she said, covering her own embarrassment. “You said we should stay here, to keep pretences that we are a newlywed couple and that we are, uhm…” she blushed furiously.

Harry smirked at her discomfort. “Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her generation, can't say shagging?” he teased her, and she smacked him on the head with her pillow.

“Yeah, doing that” she continued her reasoning, while Harry noticed with a smile that she still didn't say the word. “But, if we stay holed up here, Ethan might do something and we won't know it” she explained, nicking a bit of his chocolate muffin.

He looked at her outraged. “It was mine!”

“Not anymore” she stuck her tongue at him, then returned to the matter at hand. “Anyhow, I was thinking one of us should follow him”

Harry stood there, deep in thought, for a minute or so. “I'll do it” he said then. “I'll use some glamour charms, so I'll look different from John, and it won't raise suspicions. The cloak won't do, there's too much people walking the streets and the chance of bumping into someone is too high”

“I guess you're right” she agreed. Finishing their breakfast quickly, they then set to work.

As Harry was ready to go, now with flaming red hair that would have made a Weasley proud, grey eyes, his scar covered and different face features, he looked at her, sitting on the bed reading her file on Ethan Frikplask.

“Won't you be bored, all day here alone?” he said, and she shook her head with a smile. “You go, I'll be fine” she reassured him.

Harry nodded, then walked up to her, pecking her on the lips, before taking a look in the corridor to make sure it was empty, and slipping out of the room.

Hermione stood there touching her lips in a daze for some minutes, wondering what had happened there, before shaking herself from her reverie, and going to dress for her own bit of action, that she had carefully avoided cluing Harry about, knowing he would worry about her.

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6. Breaking In and Tailing

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Six: Breaking In and Tailing

Slipping out of their suite with Harry's cloak draped over her head, Hermione walked down the stairs to reach the floor where Frikplask's own suite was placed.

Making a quick work of the locked door, Alohomora coming quite handy in that situation, she slipped in, unseen, only to soon enough find herself facing an unexpected situation.

Michaela exited the bathroom just moments after Hermione had entered the bedroom, and Hermione's eyes widened noticing the attire the other woman had slept in. It was something many would call “minimal” but to Hermione that was more like “non-existent”.

The blonde walked right toward Hermione, the closet containing her clothes behind exactly behind the witch's unseen position.

The brunette quickly moved aside, and quietly moved back toward the living room, leaving Michaela alone to dress, reckoning highly unlikely that Frikplask would discuss anything of importance with the tart, and even more unlikely that he would hold a meeting with his accomplices in the bedroom.

Taking a look around the suite she noticed it was almost identical to her and Harry's one, so it wasn't difficult to find ideal spots to place her Disillusioned Muggle surveillance systems.

Now she just had to wait for the wench to leave, and she could set to work.

Hiding near a plant, Hermione stood still for ten minutes before Michaela walked past her in her bikini top and a pair of tight shorts.

“I'm going to have some fun with the boys on the beach today” the blonde gushed as she left the suite, and Hermione was disgusted with the bimbo's attitude.

“No wonder many still think women are only good as baby-makers” she scowled, while starting to set the micro cameras in the spots she had selected.

Since she was alone in the suite, Hermione took her time roaming between Frikplask's properties, and found some interesting things.

First of all, she had proof Ethan was a wizard, he had been living as a Muggle for years but his work bag had a magically concealed compartment. Taking out the sheets hidden there, she copied them with an handy charm, and placed them back into the compartment.

Hermione then left the suite and went back to her own, where she plopped on the bed and started reading the copied documents.

--

In the meantime, Harry was following Ethan through Sydney.

Their target made a stop to the harbour to hire a boat for the next day, and Harry remembered he had mentioned wanting to go fishing. Then, the man stopped by a Muggle jewellery and bought something, probably for Michaela.

At lunch time, Ethan stopped to a fast food, eating a couple sandwiches and drinking a beer. Harry wondered if following him had been a waste of time, and of energy as he had to change his glamour now and then to not raise suspicions about the same man following Ethan everywhere plus he had to walk all day following the guy, but late in the afternoon things became more interesting.

After following his target into the Australian Diagon Alley, and spying him make various harmless stops, Harry tailed him into a dark alley, that he thought must be the equivalent of Knockturn Alley.

There, his man made very interesting purchases of rare and venomous potion ingredients.

Harry documented it with his Muggle camera, hiding behind a corner.

“Fancy thing, that is” someone addressed him from behind. He turned to be met by the glare of a dark robed wizard, his wand drawn.

“I'm sure the man you're spying will be interested in seeing it” the man sneered then, but Harry Obliviated him with a silent wandless charm, then moved away.

The encounter made him lose track of his target, and he cursed under his breath, but luckily he spotted the man just at the end of the Alley, and quickly caught up.

Soon later, Harry found himself outside the hotel they were both staying in, so he walked some more, keeping pretences that he wasn't following Ethan around, found a deserted spot and finally Apparated into their suite.

“I'm back” he called, and seeing that Hermione wasn't in the living room, entered the bedroom.

“Hi” he said, seeing her scribbling furiously, a tray with half eaten lunch on her left side.

“Hi” she smiled, looking up. “Had a good day of tailing our man?” she joked, and Harry nodded.

“Yes, although I'm a bit tired right now” he said, plopping on the bed too.

“So, what did you find out?”

“Our target has a liking for the local Knockturn Alley and rare, dangerous potion ingredients” Harry replied, rubbing his eyes and stealing a strawberry from the bowl on the tray.

“Hey! That was mine!” Hermione scowled, and he gave her a boyish grin.

“Come and get it back” he challenged her, putting the fruit in his mouth.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, and then turned back to her notes.

“I guess it makes sense. I've entered their suite, placed the Muggle surveillance system there and found some Gringott's papers in his bag and there are regular withdrawals of high sums of money, more or less on a monthly basis, since May. I was trying to think why he would spend so much at regular intervals but if he is storing rare, thus expensive, potion ingredients, he will have to buy them at intervals. It's unlikely a great quantity of every rare ingredient is available all at the same time, which would explain the high sums and their regular withdrawal”

“Well, we don't have proof that he buys those things every month yet, but it's a theory. Think we should report it to Hanlemore?”

“Nah, should wait for something more concrete, I guess” she said.

As she moved from the bed, Harry called her back.

“I knew you wouldn't stay here all day, you know” he said softly and she smiled warmly at him, with a wink.

A couple hours later, they entered the restaurant of the hotel, under their disguise.

“John!” someone called, and Harry turned to see Frikplask waving at them. Steering Hermione toward the table with his hand on her back, Harry smiled at their target, and soon the four of them were sitting at the same table.

As usual, dinner was quite pleasurable, the food was five stars, really, and Harry thought it would be hard even for the Hogwarts House-Elves to do better. They chit-chatted quite amiably, too.

“I had to attend a business meeting today” Ethan said, “but Michaela here tells me you two weren't around at all today. I'm sure you have found the bed quite comfortable for newlyweds' business, uh?” he winked, and both Harry and Hermione remembered how they had woke up that morning, blushing furiously, which went well with their cover, although they hadn't exactly done what Ethan had implied..

Michaela scowled the tiniest bit as their blushes kid of confirmed her suspicion that they had been shagging like bunnies all day, which made her jealous of Hermione/Alexandra for shagging an handsome man like Harry/John, when she herself hadn't.

Hermione noticed and gave her a brief smug look, which was lost by the men but not by her “enemy”. It was like a challenge between the two was on, and for now it was Hermione on the lead, even if, actually, she and Harry had done nothing of what the other two had been thinking.

The brunette witch wondered briefly about this possessiveness of hers about Harry. It was not like they were really in a relationship, right? And yet, she couldn't stop remembering his muscular torso and back, how she was snuggling with him in the morning…

After dinner, the four of them passed some time together in the lounge, Harry and Ethan playing cards, while Michaela was sitting on Ethan's right side and Hermione was currently on Harry's lap, her arms around his neck, her mouth now and then kissing his neck or gently nibbling on his earlobe. They were, after all, supposed to not be able to keep their hands off each other.

After five rounds, three lost and two won, Harry called it a night.

“Seems your lady is impatient to get you back to the bedroom” Ethan joked, and both Michaela and Hermione giggled, although the blonde did so in a sort of forced manner.

Harry grinned, and nodded. “Won't do to keep her waiting, now, would it?” he said with a slight smirk, and after wishing the other two goodnight, he let Hermione drag him away hand in hand.

“Oi! John!” Ethan called.

Harry turned, while Hermione faked a pout at the delay.

“You up for that fishing tomorrow?”

“Which time do you leave?” Harry asked.

“Let's say we meet here at half past seven in the morning, if you want to go” Ethan suggested.

“That early?” Harry feigned shock. “Well, I'll see if my miss here lets go of me long enough to come” he winked. “Don't wait for me, if I'm not there by that hour you go and enjoy yourself” he added then, implying he might be busy in other activities with Alexandra. Harry wasn't going to miss such a chance to have a chat alone with Ethan though, so that was just for show.

After a nod from Ethan, Hermione resumed dragging him away.

They were by now out of sight, and yet she gave no sign of letting go his hand.

“Alexandra, relax, we are out of sight now, you can slow down!” Harry said, while she kept dragging him. After they had turned a corner, she came to an abrupt halt, and planted a searing kiss on his lips.

His hands flew to her sides, caressing them, as his tongue found hers, battling it fiercely.

Her hands were buried in his mane of black hair, and he could hear soft moans coming from her throat as he nibbled on her lower lip, backing her against the wall, and cupping her buttocks with his hands.

As they finally parted, due to lack of air, he rested his forehead on hers.

“Let's go back to our suite” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as they entered the lift. He wondered if that kiss might have had nothing to do with their cover, as they were out of sight from their target when it had happened, but decided it wouldn't do to dwell on the matter. After all, they were still in a corridor of the hotel so they still had to keep the cover up, he reasoned.

As they prepared for bed, they discussed the next day.

“I really think you should go. Maybe he will say something interesting” Hermione suggested.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Oh, I can do some more research here”

Harry shook his head. “Remember that if I'm with him on the boat, you won't have the excuse of being locked here with me to not show up. I'm sorry to tell you this but I fear you'll have to hang out with Michaela all day”

Hermione sighed. “I guess you're right. Can't say I'm eager to do it, though, but for the sake of the operation, I'll have to”

Feeling less shy, he moved closer to her in the bed, and pulled her to him. “Can I do anything to make it up to you?” he whispered in her ear and felt her shiver.

“I might have a thing or two in mind” she played along, turning in his embrace and wrapping her own arms around him, resting her head on his chest. “Spooning with you this morning was quite comfortable. Will you hold me like that again?” she said looking up at him with innocent eyes, willing herself to be content with just that although she yearned for more.

Seeing her puppy dog eyes, it Harry found it extremely hard to not kiss her right there. It definitely would have had nothing to do with the mission, and everything with the strange feelings he kept having when he was alone with her.

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7. A Day With The Target

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Seven: A Day With The Target

The first rays of sun entered the suite, making Harry start to stir. He had to get up to meet with their target and go fishing, but he really didn't want to. With Hermione in his arms, he was more than comfortable there, thank you.

However, he knew it was a good chance to build even more trust between him and their target and maybe Frikplask would let something slip, and it may be important for their mission.

So, he tried to disentangle himself from Hermione's body as quietly as he could, without waking her up. There was no reason for her to be up so early, after all.

His attempts, however, weren't successful, as he felt her stir, and soon later his green pools met her brown ones.

“Good morning” he said. “I tried not to wake you up, but…”

“No problem” she said, smiling up at him. “Although, I might act like a real newlywed and keep you here” she teased him, tightening her grip around his waist.

He chuckled, lazily running his left hand through her brown curls.

“Believe me, the offer is tempting” he winked, and she looked up at him with mock outrage.

“Harry Potter, are you flirting with me?” she said, and he shrugged.

“Makes our cover more believable if he are comfortable doing that, don't you think?” he said, and noticed a flicker of hurt pass in her eyes, but just for a moment.

“Yeah, of course, the cover” she said, finally releasing him. “Well, you better go then, Ethan is not going to wait and you're already almost late” she added, retreating into the bathroom, leaving Harry wondering what had just happened.

Inside the bathroom, Hermione chastised herself. “Silly girl, Granger. He's married, there's no way he would cheat on Ginny. He's too loyal for that, plus you're just plain, no way he can notice you” she thought while splashing cold water on her face, trying to rid of the remnant sleepiness.

When she came out, Harry was fully dressed, he had already drank the Polyjuice potion, and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

“Behave when I'm not around, ok?” he teased her, then left without giving her a chance to retort, but not before giving a gentle slap on her bum and a wink.

Annoyed that he had just had the upper hand, Hermione chose trough her wardrobe for a bikini, a comfortable shirt and pair of shorts, and then settled on the bed to review her notes on the documents she had copied from Frikplask's bag.

--

Harry jogged to the lounge room where he had the appointment with Ethan. He found his target was still there, and sighed in relief.

“Sorry” he said, joining the other man.

“Your miss almost made you run late, uh?” the other one winked, and Harry smiled, thinking that it was exactly what had happened. “I'll have to make it up to her later for leaving her alone all day on our honeymoon, but I've heard fishing here is something really exciting and I couldn't pass it up”

“Oh, exciting, it will be for sure” Ethan chuckled. “Just hope we don't meet a great white shark, or it could be even more. I daresay it would be thrilling, in that case, if you get my meaning” the man said, shaking his head with a smile.

“Yeah, I've heard those beasts are quite vicious” Harry agreed while they reached Ethan's car and drove to the harbour.

There, Harry and Frikplask got on a rented boat, and started preparing their fishing rods while the owner of the boat drove it to the spot Ethan had told him.

“Sorry, I never used one of these. Can you tell me how to do it?” Harry asked, and Frikplask was kind enough to help Harry with it. Once they reached the planned place, Ethan showed Harry how to throw the bait into the water in the right way, then the two of them sat, waiting.

“A beer?” the suspect offered and Harry agreed.

As there was nothing else to do, They started chatting, and Harry decided to try and breach the subject.

“So, you never got around telling me what it is that you do for a living” he casually asked taking a sip from his beer.

“Oh, I'm in the construction field” Ethan evasively said. “Sadly, some politicians have lately passed some laws that make it difficult for me to develop my activity”

Knowing the man was a wizard, Harry had little difficulty imagining the politicians he referred to were some from the local Ministry of Magic, probably the Minister himself. Which gave Harry an idea on the possible target of a terrorist attack.

He made a mental note to check with their boss later that day on it.

“So, tell me something about your lass” Ethan said while they were having a couple sandwiches for lunch. “Where did you meet her?”

“Oh, we met at school. Both in a boarding school, we were in the same class, so we got to know each other very well by the day we graduated” Harry said, following the planned profile for their covers, but it was also the truth considering his and Hermione's history.

“Oh, how sweet. I'm sure you two hooked up at school and were united since?”

“Actually, we dated some other people in school, and never got together till a couple years ago” Harry corrected. “Seems like we were afraid of what we had and thought we were meant to stay only friends, but it turned out to be rubbish” he chuckled, and for a moment a thought passed through his head about his real situation with Hermione. Might that be the path reserved for them too? Were they too blind to see the truth back in Hogwarts? There was no time to dwell on it at the moment though.

The conversation then steered toward sports, and luckily Harry knew enough of football to not raise suspicions in his host about his true identity.

He wondered where Frikplask had learned so much, but then remembered the man had been living as a Muggle for years to escape the attention of Auror forces.

“So, what's your favourite team?” Harry asked.

“Oh, definitely Manchester United, even if I live here in Australia most of the time nowadays”

“And you always stay at that hotel? You must be really rich!”

“Oh, no. I've got an agreement with the hotel owner, since I can guarantee him that the suite I stay in is occupied most of the year, he gives me lower fares. Becomes almost a rent more than an hotel bill, to tell the truth”

Harry was sure the fact he had his Trust-me bracelet on was helping Ethan spill so much info, otherwise there was no chance the man would be so open with personal life, especially if he was working to plan a terrorist attack. The Twins had outdone themselves again.

“Mine is Manchester City” Harry said. For a moment he had been tempted to say West Ham, Dean's old favourite team, but then he remembered being impressed by City's play against Chelsea last summer when they all got together to their Muggle-born old friend for a “old times” dinner.

“Seems we're in for a friendly rivalry when the derby comes around then” Ethan joked, and Harry thought their rivalry wouldn't be so friendly if the man knew Harry's true identity and job.

“Guess so” he smiled then, taking a bite of his sandwich.

--

Hermione had never been more annoyed than at the moment. She had been on the beach for a total of five minutes, and Michaela had already found her.

She almost wondered if it was her and Harry who were tailing the other couple, or the other way around.

However, she gave the woman a polite smile, and inwardly groaned when the blonde claimed the spot next to Hermione's with her towel.

“You don't mind, do you?”

“Of course not” Hermione said with a tight smile, although she would have wanted to strangle the other girl.

As they were sunbathing, Hermione was becoming quickly bored with the conversation.

“Harry sure has to make it up to me, I swear” she thought, while listening to Michaela tell her all about her numerous boyfriends.

“So, what about you? Is John your first?” the other woman giggled. “I dare guess he is”

“And why would you?” Hermione said, a bit too defensively as her own real private life had been quite dull after the divorce with Ron, and not so exciting before the marriage too.

“Well, no offence, but you don't seem the kind of girl to have throngs of admirers waiting to shag you”

“Not that it matters, does it, since I'm quite content with my love life as it is. After all, John satisfies me more than enough” Hermione retorted, with a smug smile, as to say, “not that you will ever know how he is in bed”.

Michaela noticed, and scowled. “The question is if he is satisfied with you” she muttered before claiming she was tired and going back to her suite.

Hermione was fuming. Not that she and Harry had ever done anything, they weren't even together, but to have another woman to imply she wasn't good enough in bed, even if directed at her cover, made her mad.

So it was with a foul mood that she returned to the hotel a couple hours later, only to be pulled in a fierce kiss by Harry, who was just waiting for the lift as he and Ethan had come back from their fishing experience.

She tensed for a moment before relaxing in his arms and kissing him back with all what she had, pushing herself even closer to him, her tongue seeking his own in his mouth, and tangling itself around it in a fierce battle for dominance, Harry's free hand caressing her back, and sneaking to her shorts to squeeze her bum, eliciting a yelp from her.

“What was that for?” she breathlessly asked when they finally parted.

“Can't a guy kiss his beautiful wife when he gets back from a day away from her?” he said with innocent eyes. Hermione laughed heartily, and noticing Michaela passing by, leaned in and huskily whispered, loud enough for the other woman to hear, “Wait till we get into the room, and you'll see what I plan to do to my handsome husband”

She then threw a look behind her shoulders and saw the blonde glaring at her, which sent a thrill of feminine satisfaction, only bettered when she felt Harry's physical reaction to her words pressing into her thigh.

The raven haired wizard, for his part, knew her words were just for show, but felt aroused by the way she said them all the same, and wished they really were newlyweds who were going to enjoy their honeymoon.

He sighed, not knowing how long he would be able to restrain himself around Hermione anymore.

-->

8. Useful Information

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Eight: Useful Information

Once inside their suite, Harry retrieved the communication mirrors and called his boss.

“Chief Secret Wizard Hanlemore, here's SW Potter”

“Talk, Potter” his boss replied, his face appearing in the mirror.

“Well, today I spent the day with the suspect, and he evasively told me he has some trouble with his activity because of some laws recently passed by politicians. Since we found proof he's a wizard, is not hard to believe the local Minister of Magic might be the target of the speculated terrorist action. We also found out that our lad has a knack for poisonous and rare potion ingredients”

“And what would he use them for?” Hanlemore asked.

“We don't know yet, but my personal opinion is that they might be preparing a potion for their action. We don't know yet what potion it may be, though”

Hermione then interjected. “I planted the magic-proof, Disillusioned Muggle micro cameras in the suspect's suite, so if anything happens in there we should be able to know it”

“Well done SW Granger” Hanlemore praised her and Hermione gave a curt nod to acknowledge the praise.

Just before the communication was closed, Harry suggested they send notice to the local Ministry to reinforce surveillance on the Minister.

“Don't forget the target might be some Muggle politician too, Potter. Frikplask has been living as a Muggle for years, after all”

“We'll check on that too, sir” Harry confirmed, then put the mirror back in their “bag of tricks”.

Finally relaxing, he sat on the bed and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“Long day?”

“Well, it would be better if we had already solid proof” he grinned. “So, tell me about your day”

“Horrible. That wench is really insufferable and I'm quite sure she hates me, or better Alexandra, for being John's wife”

Harry chuckled. “Yeah, I got the impression she might want to have a go at dear ol' John too”

Hermione snorted, and lay on the bed near him. Harry instinctively pulled her close, and she smiled.

“You know, I wanted to hex you in the next millennium for leaving me all day alone and having to deal with her, but if you're being so gentle it's hard to stay mad at you” she said, letting her new feelings get the best of her for a moment and wrapping her own arms around his waist.

He chuckled. “I'm glad I've managed to avoid the business end of your wand for now, then” he retorted, tickling her, and making her squeal.

After a couple minutes of tickling each other, they found themselves with Hermione pinned to the bed by Harry, their faces mere inches from each other. Hermione looked up and found Harry's green eyes staring at her, darkened. She gulped at the raw emotion clearly visible in them.

“W-We should get ready for dinner” she breathed, and saw him close his eyes.

“Yes, we should” he agreed, and rolled away from her. Quickly gathering her things and scurrying to the bathroom, Hermione locked herself in, her heart still beating fast, and only then she let herself dwell on what had just happened.

--

It was almost an hour later when they entered the restaurant, and as usual they joined Frikplask and Michaela at their table.

“So, did you enjoy yourself today, John?”

“Oh, of course, Ethan” Harry replied. “Those marlins you got were pretty big, I didn't think you could get fishes that size with a simple fishing rod”

“That's because we didn't use “simple” fishing rods, John. Those are heavy duty ones, made for this kind of fishing” the other man explained with a smile.

“Boys, as much as we might be thrilled to hear your manly actions earlier today, why don't we order?” Michaela interrupted, not so subtly showing she couldn't care less of fishing. Hermione, for once, agreed with the blonde.

As they jovially ate, then, the topic of the conversation shifted to Sydney, and what was good to see in town.

“I guess we might not have so much time outside the room” Harry joked, earning himself a light jab in the ribs from Hermione, “but just to know what we're missing if we stay holed up all honeymoon” he finished, winking at her and making her blush.

“You know, the two of you are so cute” Ethan teased them before launching in a lecture about the Sydney Opera House, and the other interesting things in town.

As they finished their meal, Frikplask announced that he and Michaela were going to hit a dance club, and asked if John and Alexandra wanted to tag along.

Harry turned to Hermione, checking with her if it was okay. The brunette, now raven-haired because of the Polyjuice potion, shrugged. She wasn't ecstatic about the prospect, but guessed the more they stayed with their suspect, the more they might catch him slipping and thus giving them important information on his plans.

So, the four of the reached the dance club with Ethan's car, and Harry helped Hermione get out. Then, Frikplask talked a bit with the security at the entrance, and they were escorted to a table in the private area.

“Perks of being well known in town” Ethan winked while they settled at the table.

Five minutes later, Michaela grabbed Harry's hand, and stood up.

“Let's go dancing, John” she said, and Harry cast an apologetic look at Hermione, who was smiling but inside was fuming, and followed her. From their table, she watched the two of them, now and then nodding to let Ethan know she was listening, all the while seething at the sight in front of her.

Michaela had her arms around Harry's neck, and his hands were on her waist. Hermione could see Harry was trying to keep her as far as possible but the tart had other ideas in mind, and kept pressing herself into him, now and then leaning in to whisper something into his ear and remaining there more than necessary.

As they turned, Hermione's eyes widened when she noticed the blonde was kissing Harry's neck.

“Sorry, I'm gonna have a dance with my husband” she excused herself with Ethan, and quickly made her way to the pair.

“Mind if I cut in?” she said with false sweetness in her voice, and Michaela was about to retort that they were fine like they were, but Harry was quicker.

“Was wondering when you would ask” he grinned at her and in a flash his hands were on Hermione's waist, pulling her close, while hers latched around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder as a slow song started playing.

Michaela stomped back to the table, annoyed.

“You shouldn't play with fire” Ethan told her taking a sip of his bourbon.

“Whatever” the woman grumbled, asking a waiter for a Caipirinha.

On the dance floor, Harry was nuzzling Hermione's neck.

“I'm sorry” he said, and felt Hermione relax.

“Don't be. I know it's all her doing” she smiled, and they kept dancing close to each other, their bodies pressed together. Finally, Harry leaned in and kissed her hard on the mouth, never stopping their slow movement.

She moaned into his mouth as she kissed him back, and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to Apparate back to their suite and shag him senseless.

Soon later, they excused themselves with the other two, claiming a taxi would be fine to reach the hotel, and that they didn't want to spoil the other couple's night.

Ethan then told Harry he was going for another round of fishing the next morning so not to worry if he wasn't around, and that he didn't think Harry would be up for another day away from his “gorgeous wife”, as Ethan put it.

Harry chuckled, replying that he would probably have to make it up to her for that day already so a repeat was definitely not going to happen soon, and they left.

As they settled for bed, Harry shared his thoughts with Hermione.

“I have a suspicion he might be up to something tomorrow” he said. “Fishing is going to be an excuse”

Hermione nodded, while changing for bed, and Harry gulped when he turned and saw her just in her underwear as she was putting her nightgown on. She was back to her normal self, having taken the antidote to the Polyjuice. They used to sleep in their true form, as they weren't completely comfortable with their alternate selves' bodies.

“I never guessed she was so beautiful” he thought, while slipping into his side of the bed. She soon later joined him, and the lights went off for a few hours of rest. Or at least that was what Harry hoped, but judging by how the image of her in her underwear seemed burned into his brain, he somehow doubted he would get much sleep.

--

Next morning, they were up early to set the surveillance measures for the day. Using the excuse of being newlyweds, they had decided to stay in their suite and do a bit of spying into the suspect's one.

Hermione found the micro cameras perfectly covered all of the space outside the bedroom. They noticed Ethan reviewing some papers, sitting on the couch, and Michaela leaving, dressed for the beach, around nine o'clock.

Half an hour later, people started Apparating in.

Harry and Hermione watched attentively on their screen, recognizing some old Death Eaters between the people in the room. Others were Dark Wizards from other countries, however there was no doubt about what kind of meeting was going to take place.

“You lot sure that no one followed you?” Frikplask barked.

“Sure, sir” one of the foreign dark wizards replied. “And we have the potions almost ready”

“Very good. The final ingredients are here” he said, passing the man a bag.

“That must be their Potions Master” Hermione commented, and Harry nodded.

As they continued following the meeting, they took notes of who was there, their names, and what they were talking about. They also guessed what the role of everyone was in the organisation, based on what they spoke about.

Apart for the Potion Master, it was easy to find out that a wizard from China was responsible of wards, both making them for their hideout and taking down any that they might encounter when going to act. Other easily spotted ones were the spies inside the Australian Ministry, as they were the ones relating all the Minister routine.

When everyone left the suite and Frikplask was once again alone, Hermione switched off their screen and gasped.

“Hanlemore was right, their plan is to take out both the Muggle Prime Minister and the Wizarding one in one single attack!”

“And we now know what their potions are for” Harry grimly commented. They had found out later in the meeting that the terrorists planned to brew some banned potion that acted like a liquid Imperius curse, only ten times stronger, and turn all the Ministry their way, and the Muggle government too, and another one to kill the two Ministers, so that Frikplask would then rise to be Minister of Magic in Australia.

Harry suspected that it would be just the first step, because once he was Minister, Frikplask would gain access to the other Wizarding Ministers of the world, as they had to meet now and then, giving him a chance to use Imperius on them, or that potion that acted like the curse, and have them act like he wanted them to, thus having control over the whole Wizarding World.

The killing of the Muggle Prime Minister in Australia was to put someone in Frikplask's inner circle in the position, making it easier for them to control the Muggles and make them their slaves.

“It's just like Voldemort again” he wearily commented while taking the mirror to relate the news to their boss, while Hermione soothingly hugged him.

-->

9. Disagreement and A Mistake

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

I decided to make some changes to this chapter, following the suggestion of many reviewers that Hermione was too forgiving toward Harry. And I removed the graphic part of Harry sleeping with Michaela. Only a kiss is left now, then we jump to Hermione entering the suite. Most of the chap is the same though

Secret Wizards

Chapter Nine: Disagreement And A Mistake

The talk with Hanlemore had not gone well. Harry was pushing to go and arrest Frikplask straight away, but their boss wouldn't budge.

“SW Potter, if we capture him there's no way to assure someone else won't carry on the plan all the same. We need to trap them all, or most of them, to cripple their organisation once and for all”

While there was logic behind this order, and Hermione could clearly see it, Harry had always been the one for impulse, for acting on instinct, and while he knew his boss was right, he also felt useless doing nothing while those thugs were planning assassinations and world domination.

Sensing that her partner needed to relax, Hermione suggested they hit the beach.

“Some sunbathing will make you good, Harry” she reasoned, “plus the ocean is really great to have a swim in”

Despite his foul mood, Harry couldn't stop himself from giving her a smile.

“Why is it that you always manage to cheer me up?” he said, affectionately pulling her close and holding her tight.

She blushed crimson, and said nothing, just enjoying his touch.

“You've got it bad, Granger” she chastised herself, “He's married man, what kind of woman are you for wanting him? No better than that slag!”

And with that thought, she pulled away, claiming she had to get ready and that he better start doing it too.

Half an hour later, they were lying on the golden sand of the beach, the waves roaring not afar, and a light breeze blowing, keeping them from being too hot under the Australian sun.

“You up for a swim?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“You lazy pig” she joked, and swatted his bum, before running into the water. She didn't notice Michaela grinning to herself once she left.

The blonde made her way toward Harry.

“So, John. Nice day, uh?” she said, plopping down where Hermione had been moments before.

“Mmh” he said, not really in the mood for conversation.

“You seem tense” she flirted, placing her hands on his shoulders and starting to massage them. Harry wanted to tell her to sod off, but the massage was relaxing, and he definitely needed to relax at the moment. So he let her continue.

“I was wondering, where's your wife?” she whispered into his ear, leaning on his back to do so, and thus pressing her bikini-covered breasts on it.

“She's gone for a swim. I didn't feel like going so I stayed here”

“And would you mind terribly if I kept you company in the meanwhile?” she cooed, stretching on his right side, on Hermione's towel.

Harry thought that yes, he would mind lots, but he couldn't be rude, plus she was their suspect's girlfriend. Maybe he could play her and find out more about Ethan Frikplask. Besides, Hermione wasn't really is wife, was she? That fact that he had a wife, albeit in England, was not important right now.

“No way” he said, flashing her one of his best grins.

“You'll have to help me with the sun lotion though” she said with innocent eyes, and Harry fought an urge to roll his own at the blatant flirting she was doing.

“My pleasure” he said with a fake smile, taking the bottle, and squeezing it so that some fluid landed on Michaela's back. The contrast between the cool fluid and her hot skin made her shiver, and then Harry set to work, massaging the lotion on her shoulders, and her back, earning soft little moans from Michaela, which he was sure she was exaggerating in her attempt to seduce him.

It was by now half an hour since Hermione had left, and he was starting to get thirsty.

“Michaela, I'm heading to the bar to have a drink” he said, standing up.

“Call me Micky” she coyly said. “Or you don't think we are close enough for that?” she pouted then. Harry chuckled.

“Ok, Micky, I'm going to get something to drink now” he said, with a mock bow. She giggled, and stood up too, taking his hand.

“I'll come with you” she said, her eyes sparkling. He fought the urge to sigh and nodded. After scribbling a note to Hermione and leaving it in her purse, they then left. All the way to the bar she kept his hand in her own, leaning her head on his shoulder now and then and Harry was starting to get annoyed at that. Luckily, they had arrived.

After placing their orders, they sat at a table.

“So, where's Ethan today? Not back from his fishing yet?”

“No, he must have gone soft on you yesterday. It's rare he comes back before dinner time when he goes on those trips of his” she rolled her eyes. Harry nodded, then turned toward the bartender to see if their drinks were coming.

“Oh, I'll get them” she said. “You're already being gentleman enough to pay for them” she winked at him and he let her. At least, he would enjoy few moments without her presence.

Sipping his drink while chatting with the blonde, Harry thought it tasted a bit different from what he expected, and he knew he should stop drinking. But he was pissed at his boss and he rarely used his head when he was so angry, so he ended drinking the whole cocktail. Not that he had ever tasted a Japanese Slipper, so he couldn't be sure it had been spiked with something.

After a few more minutes of chatting, Michaela claimed she was a bit tired of the sun, and preferred to go back to the hotel.

“Will you accompany me?” she asked, and Harry felt the need to see that she got to her room safely. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to accompany her.

So, letting her take his hand again, they strolled toward the building of their hotel, and then entered an elevator.

“Which floor is your room?” he said, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, I don't want to go to my room yet” she said, smiling. “I feel much better now, so why don't you give me a tour of your suite?”

Harry grinned and pushed the button for the floor his and Hermione's suite was on. Leading the way, he let her in. The moment he closed the door, she kissed him hard on the mouth, lacing her arms around his neck.

He was surprised, and for a moment thought about pushing her away, but then he found himself kissing her back with as much enthusiasm.

--

It was only two hours later than Hermione came into the suite, and noticed Michaela's purse on the couch. She had a sinking feeling and didn't know if she was more angry at Harry for doing what she thought he had done, or at her for being so affected by it. But the thing that disgusted her when she stormed inside the bedroom finding the both of them naked under the covers, was that Harry was a married man, and that he had cheated on Ginny with a stranger. Deep down, the fact he did that with a stranger but not with her hurt a lot, too.

“John!” she shouted, her brain functioning enough to keep their cover up.

Michaela looked up from doodling with her finger on Harry's chest and smirked.

“Seems I need to leave, luv” she whispered into Harry's ear before leaving the bed, gathering her sparse things, and moving to the living room, smirking at Hermione.

As she passed near the other girl, she whispered maliciously.

“I was right, he wasn't satisfied at all with you, silly girl” she said, before haughtily making her way out of the suite.

Hermione was rooted to the spot, and Harry looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. After blinking for the tenth time, he groaned.

It all came back to him, and he wanted to disappear, but he knew he had to address the issue before it could cause damage to their teamwork and thus to the mission.

“Hermione…” he started, but she looked the other way.

He moved, put on his swimming trunks and a shirt for decency, and then walked up to her.

“Hermione” he said again, more forcefully. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she moved away, slapped him hard, then turned.

It broke his heart to see tears pooled in her eyes, and he knew he totally deserved that slap. He probably deserved more, in fact.

“I trusted you, Harry. But more than anything, Ginny trusted you, and you betrayed us both” she whispered, looking outside of the window.

Harry's eyes widened. Ginny! He had already stopped thinking much about her with Hermione around, if not for fleeting moments of guilt about his blooming feelings for his best friend, but he had completely forgotten about his wife when with Michaela. How was that possible? How could he not act on his growing attraction for Hermione out of respect for Ginny, and yet he could shag a stranger without the minimum remorse?

“I'm shit” he whispered, putting his head in his hands, guilt overwhelming him. He wished he had a Time-turner to set things straight now.

Hermione said nothing, she just kept staring out of the window.

Silence engulfed the room for a long time, before Hermione finally spoke. “I…I think I should go for a walk” she said. Being in the same room he was in was unbearable now. She never thought he could hurt her so much, and yet he did.

Of course, it was unintentional, and the one really hurt should be Ginny, not her, as the redhead was his wife, and yet she felt betrayed, almost like he had cheated on her. She brushed away the tears falling from her eyes as she closed the door of their suite.

Harry nodded, his heart wrenching at the hurt clearly showing on her features. Seeing her cry was his undoing, and once she had left, he berated himself for his stupidity, pacing the suite angrily. It was five hours later when he fell asleep on the couch, and Hermione hadn't come back yet.

A/N: For those of you wondering about it, the Japanese Slipper is a cocktail made with Midori, Cointreau, and lemon juice.

-->

10. Screwed Up and A Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

I've made some changes to chap 9 so you might want to go and reread it, especially the ending if you don't want to go through the whole chapter, as the ending is what has been changed the most. I hope this chapter will make it up to all of you who were upset by last chapter. I'm posting this earlier than usual hoping you'll like it. There's not a complete explanation of the events of last chap but there's a big hint, I'm sure you can guess from there, and there is quite a bit of action. A tiny bit of gore too, and of Vindictive! Hermione. I'm reposting this chap because I realized Hermione wouldn't kill out of revenge. I kept her using Sectumsempra but with less deadly results.

Secret Wizards

Chapter Ten: Screwed Up And A Rescue

Next morning, Harry woke up feeling cold. He was on the couch, and he wasn't used to sleep alone anymore. Plus, his back was terribly sore for the uncomfortable position he slept in. He wondered if Hermione had come back at all the previous night, and he went to check the bedroom. It was empty.

Snuggling with Hermione in the morning had quickly become an habit, and he missed it. Seeing the empty bed made him realize exactly how much she had come to mean to him during this mission, and he wanted to bang his head on the wall as he thought back to the events of the previous afternoon and evening. Some Secret Wizard he had proved to be, drinking something that tasted strange. Once again his inability to think before acting got him in trouble.

Harry was also starting to worry for Hermione. The last time he had seen her was when she had left the previous night. He spotted a note on her bedside table.

Harry,

I couldn't sleep so I went to do

some investigation in Frikplask's suite.

I'm sorry but right now I can stand seeing you,

So I left alone

Hermione

He frowned. She must have come back when he was already asleep, and carefully avoided confronting him that morning. He just hoped he hadn't messed up their friendship, that would kill him.

Smacking his forehead with his right hand, and cursing himself for the umpteenth time for being such a stupid git both toward his partner and his wife, he sighed, then went to take a long, hot shower, relaxing under the spray of water. If Hermione didn't want to see him, there was no use for him to search her. She would make sure she avoided him till she wanted to confront him, that he already knew all too well.

Finally, he dressed with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and went to the living room with their bag of tricks.

There, he proceeded to send the memory of the meeting they had witnessed to their boss through their Immediate Post Pit, after removing the silvery string from his brain and placing it in a vial.

Then, he stood up, wanting to get the papers Hermione had copied to study them more, since he had had little chance to do that, when something glinting in the sunlight caught his eye.

He crouched on the floor and found two empty vials, hidden under the couch. It was just luck that sunlight had crept under it and made that glint or he might have never discovered them. Picking them up, he noticed there were some remnants of potion in them.

He raised his wand.

“Potionem Indico”

As the yellow beam hit the vials, Harry's eyes widened, the names of the two potions spelled in front of him in the air.

“Bloody Hell” he muttered before rushing to the bedroom.

--

Hermione cautiously stepped into the suite, under Harry's cloak.

Wand in hand, she proceeded to the living room. She didn't know what she was searching there, but she knew she had to do something, otherwise she would go mad replaying the image of Harry in bed with that wench in her mind. It was burned into her brain and she needed some kind of distraction to get rid of it.

Stepping around the couch, she kneeled to inspect under it.

“Expelliarmus!” a voice shouted behind her, and her wand flew away from her hand.

“Accio Invisibility Cloak” was uttered next and she was revealed. She turned to see the sneering face of Ethan Frikplask looking at her, the remnants of a Disillusionment Charm still wearing off. He must have removed it once he got her wand.

“Nice of you to join us, Miss Granger” he taunted her, and Hermione had no time to duck before a stunner from behind her back hit her, and the world went black.

--

“Chief Secret Wizard Hanlemore, here is Secret Wizard Potter, it's an emergency” Harry shouted into the mirror.

“What is it, Potter?”

“Our cover was blown, and SW Granger is now in the suspect's suite, unaware of the fact. There's an high possibility she has been taken by now” Harry nervously said.

“Care to tell me how your cover got blown, Potter?” Hanlemore glared. “Never mind, I'm sending word to the Australian Aurors, try to find Granger and then cast a tracking charm on yourself so they will know where to go”

Harry nodded, and closed the communication, rushing out of the suite after Disillusioning himself. Hermione had taken his cloak over him. Hastily making his way to the suspect's suite, he noticed it was open. He warily entered, and checked the rooms, but found no one there. Looking out of the window he noticed Frikplask and Michaela entering his car, Hermione being dragged with them. He quickly restored his Firebolt to its normal size and swung on it, taking off out of the window, smashing it in the process, after Disillusioning his broom too, so that he wouldn't be spotted by Muggles.

He didn't care of the tiny cuts he got himself with the process, and cast a Silencing Charm over his broom and himself, flying in hot pursuit of the car, who was driving at mad speed through the streets of Sydney.

He followed it to the very outskirts of the town, where it stopped in front of a storehouse.

“Must be their hideout” he reasoned and approached it quickly, all the time berating himself for putting Hermione in this situation. If anything happened to her…

No, he had no time to think about it. He pushed the thought out of his mind and landed nearby. He cautiously made his way to the building, his now shrunk broom in his pocket and wand at the ready.

He didn't notice any guards on the side of the storehouse, so he crouched there, using their improved version of the Extendable Ears to listen what was being said inside, and the Everywhere Eye to see through the wall.

--

“Feisty, isn't she?” Frikplask laughed, and his minions did too, at the sight of Hermione, tied to a chair, struggling to get free.

She glared at him, even in that situation she wouldn't lose her pride.

“I fear we will have to leave you to the care of Michaela for some time, dear” he said, caressing her cheek with his hand. Harry wanted to strangle the man for toughing Hermione. “Me and my faithful friends have some matters to discuss, but I'm sure you can guess what it is about, don't you? By the way, interesting use of Muggle technology with those enchanted micro cameras, I'm sure you're the one who came up with it” he said, winking at her. Hermione fought the urge to shiver, than man gave her the creeps the way he looked at her. “I'll make sure you have enough company after our meeting though, of that you can be sure” Frikplask then laughed coldly, and Hermione knew what he was hinting.

Harry quietly moved to the other side of the storehouse, to check how many enemies he was against, while he cast the tracking charm to let the Aurors know where he was.

He spotted ten, plus seven other patrolling upstairs.

“Seventeen bad guys, and I'm alone” he snorted. “Don't think I can do it” he sighed. Waiting for the Aurors to arrive, he decided to act only if Hermione's life came in immediate danger. He slithered to the side of the building where Michaela was watching her and he felt a surge of hatred for the woman. Not even Bellatrix had ever elicited such raw emotion from him like the woman who was now taunting Hermione.

“He was so eager to spill me all your secrets, told me he couldn't wait to have you killed so me and him could shackle up” the blonde said. “He told me what kind of annoying, bushy haired, ugly bookworm and know-it-all you are, and that he wondered why he ever bothered being friends and partners with you” she continued, and Harry could see hurt on Hermione's face.

It was ironic how a cold blooded murdered like Ethan Frikplask couldn't bother her, not too much at least, and a stupid wench could instead get under her skin so easily.

Harry felt his blood boil in his veins at the sight of tears pooling into Hermione's eyes. The cold laugh leaving Michaela's lips when she spotted it made him so full of rage he knew he would have no problem casting the Killing Curse on the slut.

He willed himself to calm down. He would explain everything to Hermione once she was free, hoping she would forgive him although he knew he wouldn't forgive himself in her place, but right now he needed to focus.

He pondered over his options. With their bag of tricks in his pocket, he could trap the thugs inside with some Portable Anti-Apparition, Anti-Floo and Anti-Portkey Wards. He could then seal the door, and they wouldn't be able to leave till the Aurors arrived, but this wouldn't stop them from killing Hermione, and once they were sealed in, he was sealed out. It wouldn't do.

He could seal the door only after he had entered but then he would be sealed into a storehouse with seventeen dark wizards and Hermione didn't have a wand to help him fight them, so he ruled out that option too.

Rummaging into the bag, he found some Peruvian Instant Blackness powder. He could seal them in, use the powder to stop them from spotting him while he saved Hermione, but he would be moving in the darkness too. Then, he found a vial of a fluorescent liquid, and grinned. That would do. It was an antidote to the powder, developed by the twins, who were more or less the Secret Wizards Q Branch, for anyone who knew Bond movies. If he drank it, it would allow him to see in the dark just like Muggle nocturnal vision goggles.

And for the escape, there was his broom, he remembered. The place had to have a window somewhere, and they could smash through it. Hermione didn't like flying, but for once she might even be glad to do it, he chuckled.

His plan of action decided, he started throwing the Anti-Apparition, Anti-Portkey and Anti-Floo Ward spheres on the building. Then, he found the door, and saw one single enemy guarding it. A well placed stunner let him in, and then he cast a strengthened version of Colloportus on the door. He quickly gulped down the potion, and his vision blurred for a moment. Light was hurting his eyes now, so he closed them and let the Instant Blackness Powder loose. When he was sure it had started working, he opened his eyes and he could see quite well. He could hear panicked enemies running blindly running around, and he smirked, while he made his way toward Hermione, throwing more powder on his way. Michaela was shrieking like a banshee, and he silenced her with a well placed blow to her head with his elbow. Then he freed Hermione, whispered into her ear to stay calm and pulled her on his broom after restoring its size. He gave her a vial of the same potion he had gulped, and once she could see, she grabbed his wand and cast Sectumsempra on Michaela, slashing the bitch repeatedly, a great amount of blood pouring out. Harry was sure once the cuts were healed, the scars would ruin Michaela's good looks forever.

He however could easily understand Hermione's need to get revenge on the woman, and he wasn't much surprised to see her choice of spell, as deadly as it could be. He himself had wanted to kill the bitch, after all.

Then, he zoomed upstairs toward the only window in the building, blew it open with a Reducto, and flew outside, just to see Aurors starting to pop nearby, as the wards he had used prevented them to Apparate inside the building.

He landed near the one he thought was the commander.

“Secret Wizard Potter” he said, still holding Hermione close.

“Auror Commander Richards” the other man said, shaking Harry's free hand.

“The bad guys are locked inside the building by wards preventing them to flee, and the door is sealed. Inside there's pitch black darkness because of a special powder I used, if not for a small portion of the upper floor where I smashed the window, so you might want to drink this before entering” Harry explained, giving the commander five more vials of the potion he had used to see in the dark. The twins had named it the Midnight Sight Potion.

As he let the Aurors start their operation, Harry placed Hermione under a nearby tree.

“Will you be ok for a little while?” he softly asked her and she nodded, shock engulfing her now that she was safe. Adrenaline had sustained her till that moment, but now she slumped against the tree trunk.

He kissed her on the cheek then rushed back into the building to help.

Half an hour later sixteen of the bad guys had been arrested, and a bloody, pale and unconscious Michaela too. Her wounds had been healed but the scars would remain on her skin. Only Frikplask hadn't been captured yet, and he had killed three Aurors that had duelled him, as he had moved in the spot of light provided by the broken window.

“Leave him to me” Harry snarled.

“Potter, what a pleasure” Ethan sneered. “I'll kill you just like I killed them” he said, pointing his wand at Harry.

“Avada Kedavra!”

The green light flew fast toward Harry, who merely conjured a rock in its path, then fired a volley of curses toward his enemy. He spread it in a wide range, and while his opponent was able to avoid the more deadly ones, them being Reducto and Sectumsempra, there was no way he could avoid them all.

Unluckily, only Tarantallegra hit the man, who quickly recovered ending its effects.

“Childish, Potter” he taunted, then cast some dark curses. Harry avoided the Cruciatus, and the Killing Curse again, but couldn't help being hit by a black light, which caused an huge gash to open on his right shoulder. Blood freely spilling on the ground, Harry felt quickly dizzy, but fought to keep his focus on the duel.

His enemy was sneering and Harry knew what he would cast next. The green light that erupted was no surprise, and Harry collected every ounce of strength he still had in his body then Accioed the man to himself.

This move caught Frikplask by surprise and he flew straight onto Harry, intercepting the Killing Curse he himself had cast, falling dead on the ground.

Harry then felt blackness envelope him.

-->

11. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Many of you might not like how calm I made Ginny here but I think she has had time to think while Harry was away and realize that their marriage is more or less dead anyhow, and accept it before actually confronting him.

Secret Wizards

Chapter Eleven: New Beginnings

Harry had been unconscious for three days, and Hermione, albeit still in shock for the experience she had been through, and for almost killing Michaela, had never left his bedside in the Australian branch of St. Mungo's.

She had barely slept, and kept holding his hand, hoping he would wake up soon. They had to talk, of course, as not everything between them was ok, but at the moment she just wished he would wake up and flash her one of his trademark grins, probably inherited from his father James.

On the third sleepless night, finally her eyes gave up and closed. It was half an hour later that Harry groggily lifted his eyelids, and the sight of her, sleeping with her head leaning on his legs, her left hand still holding his right one, her curly brown hair splashed around her head, made him smile tenderly. He wished he could reach out to her to push back a few loose tendrils that had slid in front of her face.

Instead, he stood there, still, looking at her, his beautiful angel, because that was how he saw her, and he was glad it was him in the hospital bed, not her. If she had been hurt because of his foolishness…

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the warm chocolate eyes staring at his face. He was aware of her being awake because of her shout though.

“Harry! You're awake! Thank Merlin, you had lost so much blood!” she shrieked, enveloping him in a bear hug, despite the awkwardness that had been between them after she found him in bed with Michaela.

He chuckled, forcing his arms to close around her form, hugging her the best he could.

“I'm sorry, Mione” he whispered, and she knew he meant it.

“Ssh” she said. “We will talk about it when you'll be out of here” she cooed, pushing back some hair that had stuck to his forehead.

--

It was a couple days later that Harry was released, the healers had monitored him even once he was fine just to make sure the dark curse hadn't left some kind of effect. Now he was back to his full strength, and they were meeting with the local Wizarding authorities.

“I don't think you will be needed here for the trial, Auror Potter” the Head of Australian Auror Department, Dietmar Bauer, a wizard of clear German origins, told them.

Their boss Hanlemore had officially qualified them as Aurors, and had assured Bauer that they had clearance with their Ministry for being there on Australian soil in their undercover operation.

The existence of the Secret Wizards was known to no one apart those who were part of the force, and the Wizarding Ministries across the world, and so it should remain.

“Thank you for the quick intervention” Harry said, shaking the man's offered hand.

“No problem. And by the way, nice tricks you had up your sleeve” the brown haired man grinned. “I'd love to have some of those in my daily equipment”

Harry chuckled, and Hermione gave the man a warm smile. “I fear some things are going to remain prerogative of the British Ministry of Magic” she said to cover their special equipment. Not that the twins would object to selling their items to all the Aurors in the world, mind you, but after all those equipments were reserved to the Secret Wizards.

As they started walking away, Bauer called Harry back for a private word.

“She's a bright lass, I'd try to not drive her to do something rash next time because it's difficult to find partners like her” he said, referring to what Harry had told them of the events of that fateful day, and why they had found themselves in such a sticky situation.

“Don't I know it” he said with a fond smile. She then turned and looked up at him, wondering what they were whispering about. He nodded at her and with a last nod at the other man, moved to join his partner.

“What was it about?”

“The Head of Auror Department likes you” he teased her and she blushed. After all, Dietmar Bauer was an handsome man.

Harry felt a surge of jealousy rushing through him at the sight of her blush, but he willed it to vanish. He was married to Ginny, after all, and he had already forgotten it long enough during the mission. Still, he knew it would not placate the feelings he had started developing for Hermione.

She had always been his best friend, even more so than Ron since she never left his side if not for a couple of brief times when he pushed her away, for example in their third year at Hogwarts. She had always been his rock when he was down, and he could always confide in her, whatever it was that troubled him.

This, he already knew.

He had also always vaguely known that she was a girl, first, and a woman, later, unlike Ron who seemed to have discovered it suddenly in their fourth year. But having to share a bedroom with her and see her in a bikini drove home the point that she wasn't only a woman, she was a really beautiful one too.

And when he realized they had been discovered and she had unknowingly walked into a trap, he felt his heart turn to lead. He couldn't live without her and if those terrorists had killed her, he would have lost half of himself, especially knowing it would have been his fault for blowing their cover.

That was the moment he realized it wasn't just a physical attraction that he had developed. He realized he was in love with Hermione.

What he would do about it, well, that was another matter altogether. He was married to Ginny, and the Weasleys had already had to endure the pain of Ron and Hermione splitting up.

He would try to make his marriage work, for their sake, for the sake of those who were a second family to him.

Maybe it was time to think about having a baby.

As he was wrapped up in these thoughts, he didn't hear Hermione calling him.

Finally, she nudged him on his shoulder, and he looked up, locking eyes with her. Those warm milk chocolate orbs were staring at him, waiting for him to say something. And as he looked into them, he knew he would never be able to love Ginny like she deserved and that their marriage would not work, whatever he did to try and patch it. Thinking about having a baby in such a situation was simply crazy.

“Sorry, I spaced out a bit here. What were you saying?” he asked with a grin, and she smiled one of those smiles she reserved for him.

“I was wondering if you'd like to go to the beach before we leave later this afternoon”

“I'd love to. The sight of you in that blue bikini is still burned in my mind” he teased her, pulling her close. He was so happy that she was ok, he wouldn't have known how to go on if he lost her.

She blushed crimson red, and swatted him lightly on his chest, but made no attempt to move from his embrace.

“You silly git” she said in an affectionate tone, as he took her hand and Apparated them to their suite in the hotel.

There, they changed into their swimwear and then headed down to the white sand of the beach, casting glamour spells to them to look like John and Alexandra long enough to get there, then they removed them. It was their last day in Australia and they wanted to enjoy it as their real selves.

All day they sunbathed, swam, laughed, for once free of any care.

As they were sipping a cold drink while having lunch, Hermione finally asked something that had been on her mind since she got captured.

“Harry, how did they find out about our true identities?”

He sighed, and ran an hand through his hair. “I told Michaela about it” he blurted out. Seeing the shocked expression on her face, he elaborated.

“When we came here to have a drink that day, she offered to get my one for me from the bartender. She somehow spiked it with a powerful Lust Potion, which led to the two of us having sex” Hermione grimaced at the mental image.

“Pretty horrible, I know” he said, squeezing her hand. “I can't stop berating myself for my stupidity” he said, almost forgetting she was there. He then focused again.

“Well, after we did it, she claimed she was thirsty and fetched us two glasses of iced water. In mine, she poured a vial of Veritaserum, and then…well, I guess she asked me questions and I told her everything. I understood it the next morning. You were gone so I decided to revise some of the papers you copied from his bag, and something glinting in the sunlight caught my eye. It turned out that two empty vials were under the couch, I cast the potion revealing charm and found out what potions were there before, and it all made sense” he said. Then he looked up at her, caressing her cheek.

“I'm so sorry, Hermione. Once again my foolishness almost cost you your life” he said, his voice full of regret. “I wanted to use her to find out more about Frikplask and she played me instead”

Hermione snorted. “Harry, as dunderhead as she might have been, you must really have seen too much 007 movies to think about using her as a fount of information”

He looked at her shocked, then both of them started laughing.

“Yeah, I guess I did” he admitted. “But as Bond girls go, I think he would be hard pressed to find one better than you. Beautiful, smart, good in a fight, what else could you ask?” he said with a veil of adoration in his voice.

She blushed. “Don't be silly, those are super sexy actresses”

“And I am saying you're no less sexy” he retorted, huskiness now permeating his words. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned in, unable to resist her anymore, and that was the moment the waiter brought them their dessert, breaking the moment. Hermione was glad for the distraction because she wanted to stay mad at him, or at least not have him affect her in that way for a bit longer, but he was making it pretty hard.

Harry instead thought the blasted man couldn't have worse timing. “Even Ron isn't this bad” he found himself thinking. Sighing, he looked up at her. “Are we ok, Mione? As friends, I mean?”

She looked up at him, and nodded. “I'm not sure how long it will take for me to forget that image” she admitted. “But I know now that it wasn't your fault, not completely at least. I guess I've always known, you know. It seemed so out of character of you to do something like that…”

He nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

--

Eventually, the day came to an end and they caught the International Portkey arranged for them by their boss. No use travelling as Muggles now that they didn't have a cover to go by.

In a minute or so, they landed in front of Chief Secret Wizard Hanlemore.

“Potter, Granger” he acknowledged them. “The operation has been a success. Not a complete one because of some events that almost jeopardized it” he commented then, his steely gaze fixed on Harry.

“It won't happen anymore, sir” Harry said.

“I hope so, Potter” he said coldly. “On your credit though, you reacted in an amazing way to the situation and the show you put on in that warehouse was five stars, really. We might not be here discussing it right now if you hadn't, so well done on that aspect” he then praised him. Harry was a bit shocked.

Hanlemore chuckled. “Mistakes happen, SW Potter, and we learn from them. I am sure next time you won't be so trusting, or so superficial to think someone who is not a direct suspect can't be equally dangerous”

After a quick de-briefing, they were sent on their way. Harry groaned.

“What is it?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Ginny. She will throw a tantrum for my absence, I'm sure” he rolled his eyes. “I better go”

“Yeah, you better” she said with an hint of a motherly tone. He stuck his tongue at her before Apparating away.

--

As Harry landed in his home, he prepared himself for what was to come.

“Harry James Potter, where the hell have you been for so long?” Ginny shouted at the top of her lungs. He cringed. That was not the kind of welcome he hoped for after such a mission.

“I had work to do” he said.

“Where?”

“You know I can't tell you!” he growled, already annoyed with the situation.

She moved closer, and narrowed her eyes at him. “You know, Hermione left the same day you did, and she's been missing for all this time too”

“So?” he said, having an half idea of what she was implying.

“So, I think you have been cheating on me” Ginny spat. “With her”

Harry wanted to laugh at the implication and the absurdity of it. But then, flashes of Hermione in her nightwear, in her bikinis, simply of Hermione, came to his mind.

While he hadn't actually done anything with her, if not kissing to keep up their cover, he still had wanted to. Merlin, if he had wanted to. And suddenly the idea of him cheating on Ginny with Hermione wasn't so absurd anymore. He had almost kissed Hermione earlier that day, when they were having lunch, after all, and that would have been much more cheating than sleeping with that bimbo under the effects of a Lust Potion.

.

His laugh died on his lips, and he sighed. “I think we should get a divorce” he said, knowing there was no way he could forget Hermione now that he knew he was in love with the brunette.

Ginny looked at him like he had sprouted a second head.

“So it is true” she shouted after a moment. “That wench! The nerve of her, she knows you're supposed to be with me!”

Harry grabbed the redhead by one wrist. “Don't. Insult. Hermione” he growled. “And yes, I have cheated on you, albeit because of a Lust Potion I have been slipped” he said. “Not with her though. Not yet, at least” he said. “And what's this rubbish about me being supposed to be with you? Supposed by who?”

After a moment of pause, he released her wrist, and sighed. “I am sorry, Ginny. I didn't want it to end this way, but I've realised I never truly loved you. Not like you deserve, at least, and you never truly loved me too. You have always been in love with Harry Potter, hero, not with just Harry, which is what I want to be loved for. Hermione, she has always seen me as just Harry, and I don't know if she loves me, to be honest. But I know I'm in love with her, and there's nothing I can do about it”

He paused once more, pulling his wife into a bear hug. “You'll always be part of my life, Gin, but not this way. I'm sorry, but we can't help who we fall in love with”

She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she wanted to scream at him for breaking her heart, she wanted to slap him, but even in breaking her heart he was so gentle, she could do nothing of that sort. And, she deep down knew he was right. She would always see him as a knight in a shining armour, not just Harry.

“I wish for you to be happy, Harry” she said, and then stepped back from his hug, wiping the tears in her eyes. “I'll arrange for the barrister to give you the papers for the divorce. I actually had a feeling we would end this way and had them prepared some days ago” she snorted.

He was speechless.

Finally, shaking himself from his stupor, he scratched his head. “Well, I guess I'll take my things then”

She didn't say a word, and when half an hour later he had packed all his possessions and shrunk them, tucking the items in his pocket, he walked up to her and kissed her forehead.

“You'll find someone who truly loves you, Gin” he said, and she hugged him the last time, staining his shirt with her tears, before smiling shakily at him.

“Good luck” she said, and he grinned. “I'll need it” he replied, before Apparating away.

--

After leaving the Ministry, Hermione Apparated to her flat, and there she busied herself with unpacking, trying to not think about Harry.

She wanted nothing more than to be with him, but he had Ginny, and she would not come between them. Plus, she was still a bit mad at him for the Michaela incident, wasn't she?

“I don't know anything anymore” she thought, while sipping a cup of tea on her couch.

True, he had hurt her then, but it wasn't really his fault, since he was drugged. And, he hadn't looked twice toward the blonde, even with the wench's flirting, when he wasn't under the effect of a potion. He had, instead, been quite interested in her in their time alone, and she was sure he was going to kiss her few hours before, on that beach.

She wondered if maybe she was holding too much of a grudge over it, when suddenly a knock at her front door startled her.

-->

12. Living Together

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Twelve: Living Together

Hermione wondered who could be knocking on her door. Only Harry already knew she was back, after all, and he was currently at his home making it up to Ginny for his long absence. Or so she thought.

Going to open the door, she was shocked to see her best friend standing there, a sheepish grin on his face and his emerald eyes sparkling.

Something else flared in them when he saw her and she gulped. It was something raw, primal, and it was powerful.

“Harry!” she said. “Come in, come in”

“Me and Ginny are going to divorce” he said. “Tomorrow she will send me the papers to sign. Had them prepared while we were away” he started. “We agreed that the flat is going to stay with her, so…uhm…I was wondering if maybe…”

“Of course you can stay here! What would we be friends for, otherwise?” she said, hugging him. “Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry” she said then holding him tight.

“Don't be” he breathed in her ear. She shivered and looked up.

“I wanted it as much as her” he whispered, just inches from her lips.

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment or two, before Hermione cleared her throat, let go of him, immediately missing the contact, and then started leading the way to the guest bedroom.

“I'm sorry it's a bit messy…” she started, but he placed a finger against her lips. “It's much tidier that it will be in a few days with me staying in here” he grinned, and she smiled too, albeit a bit shakily. She didn't know how she was going to live in the same flat with him and not shag him silly.

“I'm still mad at him for that…incident” she lamely thought in her head, but suddenly another voice took charge.

“Way to go, girl. Keep holding a grudge over what happened in Australia, see what good it will do you to reject him” a voice inside her head sneered. She willed it to shut up, but deep down she knew it was right.

Nonetheless, she left Harry unpacking and retreated to the couch again, after fixing a mug of coffee for herself, trying to think about anything but the black haired young man in her guest room.

--

When Harry had finished unpacking his things, he joined her in the living room, and they chatted about what had gone on between him and Ginny once he had come back.

He carefully omitted the part where he was assaulted by far less than platonic thoughts for the brunette in front of him, of course, and just told her he admitted having cheated on Ginny, which led to their agreement to get a divorce because he was in love with another woman.

Hermione gasped at that. She wondered who she may be. She didn't dare hope it could be her, although many of his actions when they were alone during the mission might have pointed in that direction.

As they chatted, the pair started fixing dinner, it was something quick and easy to prepare as both were tired for the emotions of the day.

They amiably conversed through the meal, a couple glasses of red wine accompanying the dishes, and then they settled on the couch for a movie. Hermione had a vast collection of DVDs, as she had found a way to make Muggle electronics work in a magical environment some years before.

“So, what should we watch?” she asked.

“Anything, but not a chick flick” he groaned, taking a seat on the couch.

She mock glared at him, then finally sighed and chose “Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl”, slid the disk inside the DVD player, and sat on the couch near him. Harry's left arm immediately moved around her shoulders, and she contentedly snuggled near him as the movie started playing.

An hour and a half later, they were both asleep on the couch, cuddling together, the forgotten movie still playing on the TV.

--

Next morning, Harry woke up first, light peering into the room from the window. He took in his surroundings, and memories of the previous night came to him.

He couldn't help grinning.

There in his arms lay Hermione, still asleep, her head resting on his chest, her left arm draped over his stomach. He started running his fingers through her mane of curly brown hair, smiling fondly at the beautiful woman in his arms. He loved her so much…

Today it would be a big day, he thought. The papers for the divorce would come in, and his life with Ginny would officially be over.

He was glad for that, and yet a sudden sadness overcome him. They had spent years living together, he and Ginny, and while he knew he wasn't in love with her anymore, if he had even ever really been, still she had been an important part of his life. The papers for the divorce would make the separation much more real, and it was a bit painful, to tell the truth.

He felt a bit guilty over how Mrs. Weasley would take the news, too. Her reaction to Hermione's and Ron's divorce hadn't been pleasant, not at all, and he shuddered when thinking what kind of shouting he would be in for.

Hopefully, he would still be able to visit the Burrow. It was like a second home for him, really, and being kicked out of it would hurt. But for Hermione, he would risk it. She had risked much more for him, after all, and he knew she was more than worth it.

“What's wrong?” he heard Hermione say, and looked down at her brown orbs.

“Nothing. Just thinking that when the papers for the divorce will come in, it will make the end of my life with Ginny official, and it is kind of painful, even if I do want it”

She nodded her understanding, disentangling herself from him, a blush coming to her cheeks when it truly dawned on her how they had fell asleep the previous night. He stood up too, and before she could retreat to the bathroom to get ready for the day, he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for letting me stay” he said.

Truthfully, he wanted to kiss her on the lips, but he knew she might not have fully forgiven him yet for the events in Sydney, plus there was no assurance that she felt the same way about him. So he let her go and walked into the kitchen, where he busied himself preparing coffee, putting a jug of pumpkin juice on the table, setting it for two, and stated cooking eggs and bacon; he was also preparing pancakes and placing the jam and the syrup on the table.

It was a bit overwhelming to check on all these things at the same time, but he wanted everything ready for when Hermione came down.

She, however, was quicker than he expected, and leant on the doorframe, watching him with an affectionate smile as he rushed here and there through her kitchen to keep everything under control.

Finally, he spotted her and grinned sheepishly.

Breakfast finally ready, they were quietly eating it, idly chatting in the meantime, when a brown owl came to Hermione's window.

Harry, being nearer, was the first to get it, and after paying the owl, he unfolded the newspaper in front of him.

What he read made his blood boil, spoiling the great morning they had had so far.

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Cheats

By Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding World and married to Ginny Weasley for some years now, has finally revealed his true sneaking self, as after a prolonged absence for what he claimed to be “work”, which coincidentally met the disappearance for the same amount of time of Hermione Granger, long time best friend of Mr. Potter since Hogwarts, came home to his broken hearted wife just to dump his luggage, without even a word to the poor woman, and left again, to nowhere else than Miss Granger's flat, from where he still hasn't left at the moment we are printing this. More details inside at page 4.

Harry growled as he opened the newspaper at the indicated page and kept reading.

It takes little to piece the things together and understand that Mr, Potter has been having an affair with Miss Granger, covered by his frequent absences for “work”, a work that no one of his family or friends knows a thing about, as apparently he hasn't been given freedom to divulge details about it. The only job that requires such a level of secrecy is being an Unspeakable but that line of work doesn't require leaving the country often and at any time of day or night, so you, my faithful readers, can easily see that something is not adding up in Mr. Potter's story.

All of you surely remember my claims that Miss Granger had been playing with Potter's heart back in their fourth year at Hogwarts, when the boy was involved in the Triwizard Tournament and Miss Granger kept stringing along both him and the Bulgarian bonbon Viktor Krum, one of the Champions himself.

Well, it seems the bookwormish girl is up to it again, leading Mr. Potter to break the heart of a respectable young woman as Ginny Potter (but I don't expect her to stay under this name for long now). I wonder if the divorce of said Miss Granger with Mr. Potter's other best friend Ronald Weasley…

Having had enough and stopping reading, Harry threw the paper away.

“What a cow” he muttered, and Hermione picked up the paper herself to see what had him so riled up.

Noticing this, Harry sighed.

“I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to drag you into this scandal when I came here last night. And by the way, how the hell do they know I came here? Do they watch both our houses?” he snarled, starting to pace the kitchen, and finally busying himself with washing the dishes in the sink, the Muggle way. It relaxed him to do manual work when he was angry.

Hermione stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his back.

“It doesn't matter, Harry. I don't regret letting you in last night, and a stupid wench like Skeeter can't change my opinion. We are friends and you need a place to stay right now, so it's normal you came here and I let you stay, this is it” she said. She felt her own heart torn while addressing their relationship as just friends, but for now that would have to do. At least till she was ready to give him her heart again.

“I know, it's just that her ability to make up dirt on anyone makes me mad. I still haven't forgotten the book of rubbish she wrote on Dumbledore”

“Well, at least she got one thing right” she joked. “You really spent the night here”

He gave an hearty laugh. “Yeah, I definitely did” he said, pulling her close. “You're really the best, you know that, right?” he whispered into her ear then.

She just smiled warmly.

--

It was around noon that a grey owl flew to Hermione's living room window. She had needed to go out to stock her, and Harry's now, flat with food and other things and he had insisted to go with her, so it was a bit of surprise for them both when they entered the room and found the animal there.

Spotting the elegantly wrapped stack of sheets, Harry guessed those were the divorce papers so they put the bags of groceries and such in the kitchen, to be assessed later, and then went back in the room. They ignored most of the hate mail Harry had received through the day, not the Howlers though, those were hard to ignore, and the nastier one came from Molly, as Harry had expected. She had believed Rita back in fourth year, why wouldn't she now?

As he scanned through the pages, reading the terms of the divorce, a little note slipped out of the stack.

Harry,

Here are the divorce documents.

Don't worry about the Prophet,

I'll handle it once I get the signed

papers back. Oh, and I already told

Mum that Rita is a sodding liar, so

don't worry about the Howler she sent,

she knows the truth now.

I'm sure we will see each other around soon,

Ginny

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

“At least Molly's been taken care of. Ginny has a temper that can match her mother's one so I'm sure it wouldn't have been a pretty sight to witness them arguing, though” he chuckled, and Hermione nodded, smiling warmly.

“Let's go through those papers now, shall we?” she said, and he nodded.

He was surprised to see that Ginny's only requests were the flat and one fourth of his money. He expected her to ask for half of it, and he was willing to give it to her, money never mattered much to him anyway.

Another little note appeared out of nowhere when he was finished reading that particular sheet.

I know you probably expected me

to ask for more but your money is yours

and it's not right of me to take too much away

from you just because we were married.

Ginny

When he was finally finished reading the terms of the divorce, Harry sighed, and shakily grabbed a quill Hermione had given him.

He stared at the papers for the longest time.

“Is this what I really want?” he asked himself. Ginny had been his companion in life for so long, it seemed strange to cut that connection. He looked up at Hermione, who was staring at him almost expectantly. She realized what she was doing, and blushed, looking down and busying herself in tucking back a couple of loose tendrils of hair.

He grinned. Yes, if his future held a life with Hermione, divorcing Ginny was definitely what he wanted. Of course, he still didn't know if Hermione would be part of his future that way, but he hoped she would, eventually.

As she looked up again, their eyes met, and he nodded. Then, still with a smile tugging at his lips, he signed the papers, stacked them together again, and tied the package to the owl's leg once more, letting it take off out of the window.

-->

13. New Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Thirteen: New Love

After the owl had left, Harry and Hermione made a quick work of preparing lunch. As they ate, Hermione asked him if he was ok, as he was being a bit silent.

He smiled, taking her hand in his own. “Yes, I'm ok. It's just that this is a big change in my life. I'm sure it's for the best though” he reassured her and she nodded. That afternoon, they busied themselves in the reports they had to write for their mission. It was three hours later that she looked up from her sheet, and called him.

“Harry” she said. He looked up, just to be met with her apologetic stare.

“Don't worry. You have to tell the truth, so write down what exactly happened” he said, reassuring her. He had been a fool, and if he got fired because of it, well, then he deserved it. He could always find another job, or not work at all. Money was not a problem, but he couldn't stop beating himself up for his stupidity. He could have got Hermione hurt, or worse, killed.

He sighed loudly before picking up his quill again.

When they were finally finished, he spoke.

“Would you like to go have dinner somewhere nice?” he suggested, and she smiled.

“I'd love to, Harry, but…” she said, motioning toward the forgotten newspaper. He understood, and his shoulders slumped.

“We can go out once the divorce is official” she suggested, to cheer him up. He nodded, still a bit down. He really wanted to give her a wonderful night as a thank you for letting him stay.

“At least let me cook” he said then, and she nodded. “I'm not this good a cook, after all” she shrugged, and he laughed.

“Hermione Granger isn't more than brilliant in the kitchen?” he asked with feign shock.

“Prat” she said, swatting him on the head with a book of hers which was nearby. He, however, was not Seeker for nothing, and caught her arm in mid swipe.

Their eyes locked, and they realized how close to each other they had drifted while working on those reports.

Finally, Harry cleared his throat and stood up. “I better start on that dinner” he said, moving into the kitchen. Hermione closed her eyes, letting out a frustrated breath.

“I can't do this” she thought, before standing up herself and going to help him cook.

They ate chicken breast with roasted potatoes, some salad and fresh fruit. Neither of them was particularly hungry, other thoughts occupying their minds as they ate in silence.

The pair then set to do the dishes, which were clean in few wand moves, then they settled once more on the couch for a movie.

This time, it was Harry who picked it from her collection, and soon the TV was showing “Bad Boys II”.

Hermione playfully rolled her eyes at his choice of movie, and he stuck his tongue at her, then he started tickling her sides. She squealed, and moved far from him on the couch, giving him a mock glare that soon dissolved into a bright smile. Moving back close to him, she snuggled into his embrace.

As the movie credits started showing on the TV a bit more than two hours later, Harry bid her goodnight and retreated into the guest room. There, he made a quick job of changing into his nightwear, and then he slipped under the sheets, wishing Hermione was there with him like in Australia. Sighing, he turned on his side, and with time he fell into an uneasy sleep.

In her bedroom, Hermione went through the same processes, and she too wished Harry was in bed with her.

“He could have been, if I had stopped holding a stupid grudge and done something to let him know my feelings” she thought, as sleep took her.

--

He was outside the storehouse in Sydney. He could see Hermione inside, bound to that chair, Michaela making fun of her. She had tears in her eyes and Harry's heart broke. Soon, Frikplask joined the two women, with his followers behind him.

“I guess we will have to kill you, Miss Granger” the man sneered. “But before, me and my cronies will have a bit of fun with you” he announced. Harry wanted to save her, but he couldn't find a way to enter the building. He had to witness all of those thugs raping her, one after the other, until only Frikplask was left.

“I'm sure a Mudblood like you will be a good fuck. You're nothing more than a whore, Hermione Granger, and as one you shall be treated”. Then he proceeded to have his way with her, Hermione's face stained with tears falling.

Then, someone shouted. “Avada Kedavra!” and a green flash approached the brunette. Just before the Killing Curse hit her, she turned in his direction, and said, “It's all your fault, Harry”

“Noooo! Not Hermione! Kill me instead!” he shouted in his sleep.

--

“Noooo! Not Hermione! Kill me instead!”

The piercing shout resounded in the quiet of the flat, rousing Hermione from her sleep. She immediately ran to Harry's room, finding him crying freely, still not awake, as the nightmare was still going on.

She shook him awake, and he blinked twice before realizing where he was.

“Hermione? You're alive?” he asked, uncertain.

“Yes, Harry, I'm alive” she said, smiling at him and wiping away the last tears. “I'm not going to leave you”

He pulled her close, inhaling her scent, and let out a rattled sob. “I…I was there, outside the storehouse, and you were bound, and I couldn't find a way to enter…Frikplask and his minions had their way with you before they killed you, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it…and just before you died you blamed me…” he told her about the nightmare, as if telling her would make him forget it sooner. He had learned he could tell her anything, she would not think less of him.

“Oh, Harry” she said, kissing the top of his head. Then, she made her decision. She slipped inside the bed with him, and laced her arms around his waist.

Harry was looking at her intensely, and she could see fire in his green eyes. Finally, he took a deep sigh.

“I need to tell you something” he said, and she nodded.

“Tell me anything, Harry” she breathed, tickling his face as they were really close now.

“I'm in love with you, Hermione” he finally said after a minute or so of silence, desperately searching her eyes for a reaction.

Hermione gasped, and didn't know what to do, what to think. The moment she had dreamed for an year now had come, and she was too shocked to say something.

“May…may I kiss you?” Harry asked, tentatively, and she lay there, unresponsive, for the longest time. Finally, when he was going to move away from her embrace, thinking she was rejecting him, she made up her mind and nodded, a wide grin spreading on her lips as the idea that Harry was in love with her finally registered in her brain.

He shakily grinned at her, not completely recovered from the nightmare, before closing the distance between their lips, in a kiss that started soft, tentative, but that quickly escalated to hot, needing, hungry, with a battle of tongues taking place in their mouths, the occasional nibbling that elicited moans from both of them.

Harry's left hand found her bum and he squeezed it, making her yelp, before she kissed him again, her own right hand buried in his black unruly hair, caressing it, revelling in its silkiness, while the other one was placed on his muscular chest.

He then moved his hand upwards, caressing her back, while the other became lost in her brown curls. He could smell her vanilla shampoo that he had come to appreciate while they were on mission.

At last, his hand brushed the swell of her breast and her breath itched. He stopped, but the way she was kissing him told him it was ok.

“If you want to stop…” he said, but she shook her head.

“I've been dreaming of this for a long time now” she admitted, and the simple fact she had had fantasies of them together almost drove him over the edge.

He started kissing her neck, cupping her breasts in his hands through the fabric of her pyjama, and she moaned, arching her back as to push her mounds of flesh harder into his palms.

Harry then lifted her pyjama top, stopping his ministrations long enough to take it away, and then he started kissing her on the neck, where he found a particular spot that elicited a strong moan from her, all the while kneading her hardened nipples. She managed to smirk at him through her gasps of pleasure.

“You're over-clothed, Potter” she said, lifting his own pyjama top over his head.

“Much better now” she cooed, running her palms over his broad, strong chest, and making him groan. The knowledge that she was the one being able to make him react this way sent a thrill directly to her core, between her legs, and her panties dampened even more. He then gently pushed her back onto the bed, and while flicking one nipple with his thumb, took the other in his mouth, sucking, circling it with his tongue, gently nibbling on it.

“Harry!” she gasped, arching against him. He then switched nipples, not wanting the other one to feel less important, before he resumed kneading them both with his thumbs and started kissing the valley between her breasts.

Slowly, he kissed his way down to the waistband of her pyjama, and slid them down. She lifted her bum to help him do that, then bit her lip when he started lavishing feather-like kisses on her legs, up to her thighs, before settling between them.

He hooked his fingers under the waistband of her knickers, and pulled them down with a teasing pace.

“Harry!” she snarled, and he chuckled, the nightmare by now a distant memory as he was lost in his passion for the young woman under him.

“Eager, aren't we?” he huskily said, when he finally threw the panties away and moved up to her face to claim her lips in a searing kiss. All the love for her was poured in it, and she responded in the same fashion, just to gasp when his thumb touched her slit for the first time.

After he had teased her enough, Harry pushed down his own pyjama and boxers, and Hermione grabbed him with a smirk. “My turn”

Harry learned then that retaliation could be wonderful if coming from a certain brunette witch, and he had to stop her before it would all be over before even starting. He then slowly slipped inside her, and she clung to him for dear life as the sensations building inside her were like nothing else she had experienced before.

As he thrust slowly but with a rhythm, inside and out, she felt her climax come, and dug her nails in his shoulders as she screamed his name to the night, feeling like she had gone straight to Heaven. He came just moments after, and collapsed on her side.

Wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close, he sweetly kissed her.

She smiled warmly at him. “I love you” she whispered, doodling on his chest with her finger, and he kissed the top of her head. “I love you too” he said, “More than myself, in fact” he added then, before both fell in a deep, resting sleep, the first of many nights they would spend that way.

--

As sun peaked into the room from the window, Harry stirred. He looked down to his chest where a weight was resting, and smiled fondly. Hermione's head was there, her right arm draped over his stomach, their legs entwined, her chest pressing on him, giving him a really pleasurable sensation.

“Morning” came the sleepy greeting that startled him from his thoughts.

Looking down at her, he met those chocolate orbs, the radiant smile she was giving him, and he felt his heart swell. He had never seen a sexier sight in his whole life, and felt his lower regions start to stir. There was something in the smile she was giving him that tugged at his very core, making him need her, physically need her, almost more than the air he breathed.

“Morning, sexy” he said, giving her a roguish grin, and she blushed. He pulled her up a bit and softly kissed her.

“Now this is a proper good morning” he joked, and she swatted his arm playfully.

When they finally got out of bed ten minutes later, putting on the first things they found, Harry made his way to the kitchen, while Hermione stopped in the bathroom to start get ready for the day. She felt a mess and couldn't understand how Harry might find her attractive at the moment, but he had made sure to let her know he did.

Smiling to herself as she combed her hair, she felt giddy thinking back to the previous night.

Harry loved her! She couldn't believe it, and thought it must have been a dream, a really good dream but unreal nonetheless, till she opened her eyes and found him in bed with her. That was the moment she realized it was all true. It had started with Harry waking her with his screams from the nightmare, and that was proof enough for her that he had understood his lesson.

There was no point in torturing him more, so she made her decision and forgave him at once, completely giving him her heart, knowing he wouldn't shatter it again.

It took her twenty minutes to fix herself enough that she was satisfied with her looks. “After all, I've a boyfriend now, it won't do to scare him away with bad morning looks” she girlishly thought as she headed to the kitchen, knowing very well Harry wouldn't be scared away by something this trivial, and still, wanting to look her best at every time for him.

Hermione then approached him, sneaking her arms around his waist, as he was finishing their breakfast.

“Need some help?” she whispered into his ear, and could feel him shiver.

“Not really…but if you keep distracting me, our breakfast might just get burnt” he cheekily replied, squeezing her bum. She gave him a mock outraged look, before giggling.

Harry, who had stepped away and turned to check on the pancakes, looked at her in shock.

“Did Hermione Granger just giggle?” he exaggeratedly said. “What is the world coming to?”

“Oh, shush it, you big baby” she said, before claiming his lips in a kiss. When they finally parted, Harry smirked at her.

“You know, that is a most pleasurable way to shut up someone, but I'd really appreciate if you didn't go around practicing it”

“And why would that be, Potter?” she coyly said, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

“Because now that I've finally got a hold of you, I don't plan to let you go anytime soon” he huskily replied, crashing his lips down on hers again, and making her gave a tiny moan as their tongues clashed together.

Soon later they were surprised by an owl carrying the latest issue of the Quibbler. Scanning it, Harry found out that Ginny had given Luna an interview.

Harry Potter is not a cheater!

By Luna Lovegood

Following the Prophet's claim that Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, was a cheater, Ginny Weasley gave the Quibbler her version of the facts.

“Harry and I had agreed to divorce. We realized we couldn't function as a married couple anymore and that we didn't actually love each other like that. So, when he came home after his latest work trip, I told Harry I had the papers for the divorce ready and he just needed to sign them” Ginny explained. She then showed me the signed papers.

“He did, and only after that, being officially a free man again, he left to go see the woman he really loves, Hermione Granger. I guess I've always known they were right for each other, although I had hoped I could be the woman to hold Harry's heart when he and I hooked up, but in the end it was just that he mistook what we had for true love, when his soulmate was in front of him the whole time. I'm not angry at how things ended between us, and I'm glad we realized our mistake before bringing any child into the equation. Things would have been much worse if we had, blossoming into much more angst for everyone. For this, I can't thank Harry enough, because it was him who realized first it would be wrong to do that, while I were giving him an hard time about it”

Ginny smiles at me while saying this, and finally confesses, “I just wish for him to be happy, and I'm sure Hermione will see to that”

Harry had an huge smile on his face when he finished reading, and turned, just to find Hermione reading over his shoulder.

“She was right when she said she had all covered to deal with Rita's article” she chuckled.

“Yeah, she took a page from your book” he said, looking up at her fondly. Hermione blushed, understanding what he was referring to. She had set him for an interview with the Quibbler back in their fifth year, letting him tell his truth about Voldemort's return.

That morning, they discussed the issue of who should be resigning from their job to go around the rule that forbid co-workers to date each other. Harry felt it was him who should resign, and Hermione argued that fighting Dark Wizards had always been his dream since fifth year. In the end, he managed to make her see that with the huge mistake he had done in their last mission, he was risking his job anyhow, so it was better if it was him who resigned.

When they were finished eating lunch, later that day, Harry kissed her on the top of her head, hugging her close, and then he Apparated to the Ministry. Making his way to Chief Secret Wizard Hanlemore's office, he gave him a letter of resignation.

“I take you and Hermione are together now then” his boss said, in one of the few moments when he talked to Harry not as a boss but as a friend.

“Yes, we are, sir” Harry replied. “And since we need to go around the rule about dating co-workers, considering my huge mistake on last mission, I reckon it's better that it is me who resigns”

“You are aware that your memory of this group will be wiped out and you'll have to deal with Hermione being secretive about something you don't know a thing about, right?” Hanlemore said, seriously.

“Yes, sir”

“Very well then” Hanlemore said, grabbing his wand. “We'll miss you, Potter” said with an half smile, but before he could perform the charm, a loud knock on his door was heard.

“Come in” Hanlemore bellowed, and Hermione entered.

“Hermione!” Harry said, surprised. “What are you doing here? We talked about this…”

“I know, Harry. But I just can't do it. I can't stay part of this group without you being here with me, so I'm resigning too. It would be too painful to have to keep you in the dark about what it is that I do, and have to leave you without being able to tell you where I'm going. I just can't do it” she said, and her eyes told Harry he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it.

Two Obliviate later, they stood in the Ministry cafeteria, scanning over possible jobs, not knowing what they had done till that moment but knowing they had just resigned and needed a new occupation.

But till they had each other, nothing could worry them.

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14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would be married right now.

A/N: My take on the challenge “Secrecy” by reptilia, you can find the requirements here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26369 . Hope you'll like it, and if you read, please review to let me know how I'm doing, ok? Thanks!

Secret Wizards

Chapter Fourteen: Epilogue

“Alexander Brian Potter!” a shout was heard at seven o'clock of September 1st in the Potter household. “You get up this minute!”

The raven haired teen sighed, and finally stepped out of his bed. He groggily walked to the door of his room and shouted back down the stairs, “I'm up now Mum!” then he walked inside the bathroom.

He didn't know why he should get up at seven o'clock, four sodding hours before the train left, when his trunk was already packed.

Downstairs, Harry Potter was sipping his coffee while scanning the newspaper, while his wife was putting dishes with breakfast in front of their daughter Caroline Julie. The eleven years old smiled nervously at her mother, her green eyes sparkling with both excitement and fear. It was her first year at Hogwarts, and hearing Alexander boast about it made her eager to go, but she was also a bit nervous about being away from her parents.

Sensing her discomfort, Harry smiled at her, mussing her brown curls, that she inherited from her mother.

“You've nothing to fear, munchkin” he said, in a soothing way. “Of course, you'll have to wrestle your way in against a troll and a dragon, but apart for that it's ok”

His wife glared at him, but her look was immediately softened by the sight of their youngest giggling.

“Oh, Dad, you're so silly. They can't have us wrestle a troll and a dragon the first day, we haven't learned enough to do so yet” little Caroline called Harry on his lie and he laughed heartily.

“You're too smart for your age, you know that, right?” he teased her, his coffee forgotten as he tickled her on her sides, making her squeal.

Hermione watched them fondly, feeling happier than ever.

Finally, their eldest came into the kitchen, and sat in front of his plate of eggs and bacon.

“You're too active at this hour, Caroline” he said, wondering how could his sister be so energized when he wanted nothing more than go back to sleep.

“You're all packed, Alex?” Hermione asked while sipping her tea.

“Yeah, Mum, I'm ready” he said, yawning. “I just can't see why I have to be up so early if we don't leave in another hour and I'm already packed”

“Because it's better to be early than late” Hermione replied, giving him a mock glare.

Alexander said nothing else and sipped his tea.

“So, son, are you ready for your fifth year?” Harry asked, finally settling back at the table with a still giggling Caroline.

Alexander immediately grinned, his mood making a sharp turn to the brighter side. “Yeah, I am. I'm so happy Kathleen is a prefect too!” he said, his brown eyes warming at the thought of his best female friend.

“Alexander is in lurve!” Caroline said in a singsong voice, earning herself a glare from her older brother.

“I'm not”

“Are too!”

“Kids,” Hermione chided, “be quiet”

So, the four of them finished their breakfast quickly, then when almost an hour later everyone was ready, Harry loaded both Alexander and Caroline's trunks into their BMW 535i Touring, and the Potters started their drive to King's Cross.

It took them a bit more than an hour and a half to get there, even if Harry wasn't certainly a slow driver, and another forty-five minutes to park. When they got to Platform 9 Â¾, however, they still had more or less half an hour spare.

Alexander helped Caroline load her trunk on the train, and then they were back on the platform to say hello to their parents. As they walked back to Harry and Hermione, the platform started to fill with families accompanying their kids to the Hogwarts Express.

Soon, the red hair of no one else than Ron Weasley appeared, an arm around his wife Luna's waist, and three equally red haired boys running to get on the train.

“Don't run, Fred and Bart!” Luna admonished them. The two were twins, and it seemed that every couple of twins in the Weasley family was meant to create trouble. Well, their uncle George's influence must have had something to do with that, too.

The other boy, Darius, was trying to catch up with his older brothers, and it was clear he was a first year too.

“Look, Mum, it's the Weasleys!” Caroline said, and soon enough the two families were exchanging greetings.

Ron and Harry started chatting about Quidditch, as usual, while Hermione and Luna pleasantly chatted.

Alexander was laughing at something Fred had said, while Caroline and Darius were wondering what Hogwarts would be like.

“Alex!” a feminine voice exclaimed, and the raven haired boy groaned. It was Heather Ponberg, a blonde fifth year Gryffindor who had always had an huge crush on him. Well, she wasn't the only one, as at least 80% of the female population of the castle was smitten with the boy, including some sixth and seventh years, but this girl was adamant that she and Alexander were soul-mates and were meant to be.

“What is it, Heather?” he said, bored.

Hermione looked at the girl and was strongly reminded of Lavender Brown. So, it wasn't a shock for her when the girl, after being more or less given the cold shoulder from her eldest, went back to her own parents and Hermione spotted no one else than one of the Gossip Queens of her and Harry's Hogwarts years as her mother.

“Lavender had a daughter?” Harry asked, bewildered, following her line of sight.

“Seems so, and the girl doesn't seem so different from her” Hermione commented, before turning back to the kids.

As she did, an huge grin spread on her face, as she felt Harry sneak his arms around her waist.

“They are cute, aren't they?” he whispered in her ear, as they stared at Alexander, hugging tightly a brown haired witch, who was hugging him as strongly.

Hermione nodded. “Kathleen is really a nice girl” she admitted, watching them chat and Alexander smile at something she said.

“And she can keep him in line” Harry added. “I've a feeling those two will be Heads in two years time” he predicted.

“Taking up Divination again?” Hermione teased him, and he stuck his tongue at her.

“Mature, Potter” she said, deadpanned, then turned again to look at the two youngsters. They were now walking toward Harry and Hermione.

“Mum, Dad, me and Kathleen are going on the train now, we need to get ready for the prefect meeting” Alexander announced.

His parents nodded then turned toward the girl. “Pleased to finally meet you, Kathleen” Harry said. “Alexander has told us lots about you”

“Dad!” his son protested, blushing madly. Hermione smiled softly at him. “There's nothing to be embarrassed about, dear” she said.

Kathleen was blushing, too. “I hope he told you good things then” she finally whispered, and Harry grinned.

“Good? I'd be hard pressed to not suggest you for next Minister of Magic, the way he goes about you” Harry said again, enjoying to tease his son. He was sure his father would have done the same with him, if he had the chance.

Alexander was now almost-tomato like, and Kathleen was more or less the same, but her blue eyes betrayed the fact she was pleased nonetheless.

“Thanks, Mr. Potter” she said, and Harry waved his hand dismissively. “Call me Harry, dear” he said, smiling.

When the two teens finally parted, few moments later, Alexander automatically put an hand on her back, and both Hermione and Harry could see her relax into his touch. “They are so much like us” Hermione commented softly, and Harry nodded. “That they are”

“They are going to be together by the end of the year. Wanna bet?” Harry said then.

“I say they are together for Christmas” Hermione challenged him. “Five Galleons”

“Agreed” he said, shaking her hand, smirking. She smirked too, before both dissolved in a fit of giggles.

It wasn't much later than the train whistled and started to move. From a window, Caroline waved at them, and they waved back, looking the red train speed away from the station, till it wasn't visible anymore.

“They are going to be fine” Hermione said, hugging him from behind.

“I know” he said, smiling proudly. “They are our kids, after all”

Hermione chuckled, and he did too. As he turned and softly kissed her, he wondered what else could he ask life for.

He had a wonderful wife he was madly in love with, two great kids that were making him proud, and no mad Dark Lords on the horizon. All was well.

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