Disclaimer: JKR owns.
Safe Harbour
Chapter 4: Options
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Hermione's eyes fluttered open slowly, almost cautiously. Rays of light were shinning through their bedroom window, spilling into the room and over Hermione's blanket covered body. She took the light as a sign of hope and sat up in bed.
Surely after such a horrific night, a beautiful morning wouldn't follow?
Then she heard it. Grunting and swishing sounds coming from the closet. Throwing the blankets over her and carefully levying herself off the bed, she approached the noise.
"Harry, what are you doing?" she asked cautiously, watching as Harry made quick work of shrinking his shirts and jumpers that were hanging on the mantle and then throwing them into a large black duffle bag.
"Packing," he said without looking at her.
Hermione swallowed the dry lump in her throat and for the first time that morning, noticed the faint throbbing in her temple. It disturbed Hermione how Harry wouldn't even spare a glance at her.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"We both are," he replied in the same manner, moving on to his trainers.
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed and she looked over to find her side of the spacious closet completely cleared out. Suddenly, the urge to cry came over Hermione full force. Her hopes of waking up to a beautiful, peaceful morning dashed, and were again replaced with the dread of last night's events that were slamming back to the front of her mind.
She turned back to Harry as an unmanageable tear escaped, "Didn't you listen, Harry?"
Finally he stopped and looked up at her, sweat dripping from his brow. She watched him intently as he let out a pained breath through his nose, grabbed his left side and unwillingly leaned against the wall of the closet for support.
"We can't run," she forced on in a shaky breath, desperately not wanting to appear so weak and fragile like she actually felt. "He'll find us and kill us."
"What other option do we have, Hermione?" Harry nearly screamed, all his frustrations draining out, "Do you want to just roll over and hand him our baby?"
That time it was a scream. Hermione took a involuntary step backwards while Harry stepped forward from the wall.
He pointed a finger at her and said in a more strangled, controlled voice, "I won't let it happen anymore. Not to us and not to our fucking child!"
His eyes were alight with fury and Hermione looked down, wringing her hands, trying to control her trembling. He was right- she knew he was. Over the past eight years of their friendship- with all the hardships and hopelessness they endured, they were always able to find a way out. To find an escape.
They had no other choice. They had to run.
After a few moments, Hermione nodded her quivering head and turned to the bedside table to fetch her wand.
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"So we're just taking the necessities?" Hermione asked as she followed Harry out of their bedroom.
"I don't think packing up the whole flat would be a good idea. I mean, more baggage would just slow us down."
Hermione nodded, "Of course."
Harry's eyes softened at her tone and he took a step forward to gently grab her hand, "Are you okay?"
Hermione bit the inside of her lip, "Harry, where are we going to go?" She had been wanting to have this conversation with him all morning but couldn't find the right moment to ask. The fact of the matter was that they had two options; one being do the whole on-the-run scenario and see how many bed and breakfasts' they could make it too before they were found; or two, go back to the one place that people might be able to help them.
Harry obviously recognized the look in her eye, "I'm not taking you back to the place where this all stemmed from. These people are operating out of Britain, that much is obvious. There's no way in hell I'm taking you back there!"
"We have more of a chance of surviving this if we have help! If we're found, what'll the two of us and a baby be able to do against possibly hundreds of these monsters?" She stopped for a moment as she watched Harry scrub two hands over his face and start pacing back and forth in front of her. She took a calming breath before speaking again, "I'm just saying, if we reported it to the ministry they could-"
"The ministry, Hermione?" Harry asked turning back to her, clearly not convinced in the least, "They'll be more concerned with the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived got his best friend pregnant, not that raging lunatics are out to murder them- again," he added the last part bitterly.
Hermione nodded, knowing he was right. Plus, the British department of magical defence wasn't particularly in a strong stage at the moment. Even before and ever since the final battle they had been trying to draw in as many recruits as possible, but it turns out that an occupation concerning magical law is only appealing after the period of looming threats and dangers.
"Well, what about the Order? They'd help us," Hermione offered.
Harry again shook his head condemningly, "Half of the Order are Weasley's! You think they're going to want to help us after they know what we've done?"
"I'd like to think so, yes!" she shouted back, frustrated by Harry's critical attitude, "They have to find out sooner or later, right? That's what we've been saying this entire time. I think that the fact that we're in danger would overpower the fact that we lied to them."
Harry was about to start listing back all the reasons why the Weasley's very well could slam the door in their faces if they did show up until he saw Hermione breathing heavily and trembling. He took a breath before stepping forward to pull her down onto the sofa with him.
"Look, we don't know who these people are," he explained gently, rubbing his thumb over her palm, "They could very well be people we thought were our friends. That's why I think if we did go back and tell the ministry or the Order- well it could be one huge trap."
Hermione nodded mutely as she watched Harry's hands run soothingly over her legs.
"What about Grimmauld Place?" she asked a few seconds later. Harry's face began to contort into another frown when Hermione continued, "I know there's bad memories there Harry, but no one would be there and it's unplottable. We could go there for the time being, just to get our heads together and figure out our next move."
Harry fell silent, staring out of the window that overlooked the Boston Gardens while Hermione studied him, waiting for a reaction.
Moments passed, "Harry, what other option do we have right now?"
Harry finally turned to look into Hermione's chocolate orbs, shining with unshed tears. She was being so strong for him. If it were anyone else they'd be running around in hysterics, but not her- not his Hermione. 'She deserves so much better than me,' Harry thought, shaking his head lightly.
"I'm sorry Hermione…"
Hermione felt her heart plunge down to her stomach. She placed two hands on the side of his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes, "You've never given up on me before."
"What if something goes wrong?" he asked in a near whisper.
Hermione bit her lip, "We'll have to take that chance. But if I know one thing, it's that I trust you," she finished leaning forward to kiss his temple and moving his hands up to her stomach, "And I trust you to keep us safe."
As they continued to stare into each others eyes, both too scared to break contact, Harry knew that it was time. He had to tell her before he didn't have the chance anymore.
"Hermione, I love-"
Buzzz Buzzz
Harry wanted to pound his head into a brick wall. He looked in the direction of the bedroom from where his mobile was vibrating and then back to Hermione. Her eyes were round, still staring into his and her mouth was slightly parted.
Harry swallowed, "I l-"
Buzzz Buzzz
"Go," Hermione said in a cavalier tone, "It could be important."
Harry let out a defeated breath before standing and walking towards their room. He entered, and picked up the phone just as it started vibrating again.
'1 Unread Message' was glaring from the screen. Harry frowned to himself, wondering who it could be, and started walking out into the hall again.
"Who is it?" Hermione asked from the kitchen with a bottle of water in her hand.
Harry scratched his head as he read from the screen, "Kevin. I guess he's coming by with the papers that I was supposed to sign yesterday."
Hermione looked at him with a confused look, "That's odd." Kevin was never one to take business out of the work place. He had been to Harry and Hermione's flat on many occasions, but that was because of the friendship that had grown between the two, not for work related issues.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe there's a deadline on them or something-"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Both Harry and Hermione's heads jerked to the pounding on the front door. With a flick of his wrists, Harry's wand soared into his hand from the coffee table. Immediately, he trained it on the door.
Hermione too had pulled her wand from her back pocket and was coming to stand next to him.
Harry quickly turned to Hermione, "Go into the bedroom and lock the door."
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed, "No."
"Hermione-"
There was another series of pounding outside the door.
"If it were an intruder do you think they'd bother to knock?" Hermione asked
reasonably, taking a step forward.
Harry grabbed her arm long enough to step in front of her and approached the door, his wand now at his waist.
First, he looked through the eye whole. An empty corridor met his view.
"No one's out there," he whispered turning back to Hermione.
She shrugged as Harry turned back and started to unlatch the lock. He made sure Hermione was fully behind him before he cracked the door open.
Slowly, he inched the door back further and further- far enough until a limp hand fell in between the crack.
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