Disclaimer: JKR owns.
Safe Harbour
Chapter 5: There Will be Consequences
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Hermione let out a strangled mix between a scream and a sob, quickly clapping both hands over her mouth and backing away from the unmoving body of a familiar brunette man, laying sprawled out on his back, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"K-Kevin…" Harry choked out, staring down at his friend. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up into the hallway, raising his wand from his waist. He scanned the hallway quickly, trying to see if there was any sign of a presence nearby. The corridor, however, was empty of both intruders and onlookers.
Taking a shaky look back at Hermione first, he then stepped out over Kevin's chest, leaning down and placing his two first fingers against the top left of his neck.
"Is he…?" Hermione asked with tears flowing down her face, one hand still held over her mouth and the other gripping the hair at the top of her head.
Harry ignored the bile threatening to rise from his stomach and looked back at her.
"He's dead."
"N-no," Hermione sputtered, walking towards Harry and grabbing onto his arm with a quivering hand. She glanced over his shoulder and saw Kevin's lifeless eyes, before turning, and hurrying in the direction of the kitchen with the hand placed over her mouth, now clamped tightly.
Harry closed his eyes as he heard Hermione vomit into the kitchen sink.
He had a pretty good idea of who had done this to Kevin- but why? Why did the culprit think it was necessary to take an innocent life- the life of a husband and a father, no less?
Now someone was going to have to explain to a wife and son that they had just lost the most important man in their lives over matters that didn't concern them in the least.
As a final act of respect for his friend and business partner, Harry reached down and gently closed his eyes.
Walking back into the kitchen a few moments later, Harry found Hermione rinsing her mouth out with water.
She looked up at him with round, watering brown eyes that contrasted greatly with her unnatural clammy skin.
"H-Harry? What are we going to do now?"
"We have to call the police," Harry mumbled. He stood still for a few more seconds, his eyes wide and unfocused while Hermione watched him with concern.
"Harry?" she asked again, this time stronger.
"We have to call the police," he said more clearly, now reaching in his pocket for his mobile and quickly dialling 911.
There was a certain look in his eyes as he spoke to the emergency operator- one that was indomitable and unemotional. One that Hermione had seen him wear religiously every day in the year following Dumbledore's death.
It was a look that brought back the boy she used to know, who had the pressure of the world on his shoulders.
…
"Let's run through this one more time before we go," a gruff voice that went by the name of Detective O'Leary said, looking down to a notepad he held in his hand.
"You got a text message from Kevin McCalister saying he was at your front door at 8:36 a.m., exactly one minute later you answer the door to see him on the ground, seemingly dead. You then checked to see if he had a pulse to find that he in fact didn't. You called the cops-"
"And the rest you know," Harry replied edgily, giving the man a hard stare.
The detective raised his chin as he gave Harry a probing look, "Look, I'm just doin' my job, kid."
"We understand that sir, but Kevin was a dear friend of ours. Excuse us for being a bit testy," Hermione replied for Harry, laying a hand on his shoulder. Usually, her touch would calm him down instantly but right now Harry was fighting the urge not to shrug it off…
"And excuse me for needing to get all the facts straight. I need everything exact if I'm to investigate Mr. McCalister's death thoroughly."
Harry's jaw twitched and he was about to give the man another rude response when one of the two paramedics cut in, "I really don't think that'll be necessary, Jeff. This doesn't seem to be a homicide."
"What do you think happened then?" Hermione asked the man as a hand soothed over her stomach. It had been uneasy all day.
"That I can't say for sure, but it looks to be cardiovascular related."
"Like a heart attack?" Harry asked with a frown. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or incensed that these muggles thought Kevin just dropped dead off his own accord. Of course, he knew full well that Kev was murdered, but what good would telling these daft blokes that?
"That's usually what cardiovascular related deaths are," the man replied slowly to Harry before glancing back at Hermione and wiggling his eyebrows, obviously trying to amuse her.
Harry glared dangerously at the paramedic while Hermione took the opportunity to speak, "Um, sir? Do you think we could have a moment with Kevin before you take him to the morgue? Just to say goodbye?"
The paramedic and Jeff shared a look before the younger bloke nodded, "Sure. He's right over there," he finished, pointing out in the hall to where the apparent form of a body lay on top of a gurney, a white sheet covering him.
Hermione and Harry approached him and just stood there for a few silent moments. Finally, Harry sniffed and reached over, pulling the sheet back below his hands crossed on his chest.
"Oh Kevin," Hermione cried softly, placing a shaking hand over his cold one, "I'm so sorry…"
"This shouldn't have happened to him," Harry muttered, again more to himself then to anyone else.
As Harry continued to shake his head and mumble, Hermione's hand ran over a rigid edge at the cuff of Kevin's wrist. Her eyes widened and breath hitched as she made out the sharp white corner of an envelope.
"Harry…"
"He didn't deserve to die-"
"Harry!" Hermione whispered frantically, nudging him with her elbow.
Harry finally looked at her, "What?"
Hermione merely nodded towards her hand that was laying over Kevin's wrist. She lifted her palm secretively so Harry too could see the envelope, without revealing to the Detectives and paramedics that something was up.
"What is that?" Harry asked.
"It's an envelope," Hermione replied, not taking her eyes from it.
Harry looked up and over to the two policemen that were chatting together, not paying the young couple any mind.
"Take it," Harry instructed quietly. He told himself that in all likelihood, it was the papers that he was meant to sign for the restaurant. But then again, what were the chances that Kevin really did just want to come over that morning to have him sign?
Not likely if Harry knew him as well as he thought he did…
Hermione carefully slid the long white envelope out of Kevin's sleeve and into her own buttoned jumper.
She glanced at Harry before walking back into their flat, towards the detectives.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but will there be anything else today? I'm afraid the day's
events has unsettled me and my little one greatly and I wish to have a lie down before I exhaust myself further," Hermione told them smoothly. Not leaving time for them to respond, she wished them a pleasant day and left for her and Harry's room.
"She gonna be okay, man?" the paramedic asked, turning back to Harry after he watched Hermione shut the door to her room behind her.
Harry shrugged as the men all headed towards the front door, "Like she said, he was a good friend."
"Well, we'll be getting out of your hair then," the kinder detective said, giving Harry a consoling pat on the shoulder before walking after the paramedics, who had begun wheeling Kevin's body down the corridor.
Jeff didn't look sympathetic at all as he walked up to Harry last, "I trust you won't be leaving town any time soon? The station will most likely call you down for some routine questions within a few days. Make sure you keep yourself available."
With that, Jeff O'Leary strutted out, leaving Harry's fist clenched with anger. He wanted nothing more then to hit something hard at that moment, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
As he closed the door, he heard soft footsteps making their way back down the hallway and turned to see Hermione staring at him with scared eyes.
"Hermione…"
"It's addressed to us."
"What?" Harry frowned in confusion, "To both of us?"
Hermione nodded and handed him the ill-fated object.
Harry stared into Hermione's eyes for a few solid moments before he ran his thumb underneath the lid and ripped open the envelope.
Discarding the trash to the side, Harry's eyes quickly read the four letter message.
His heart dropped.
"What? Harry, what does it say?" Hermione asked quickly, noticing his obvious reaction.
Harry handed over the note and Hermione took it eagerly.
"'There will be consequences' … oh god," she whispered, the paper trembling under her grasp.
"No… no! Harry, what does this mean?"
Their eyes met, the both of them searching each other for some sort of guidance.
Hermione was about to re-voice her question when suddenly, a heavy flapping was heard.
They both jerked their heads up to see a large, towering bird perched on the top of their small pile of luggage next to the couch.
It looked to be a large eagle owl, one of the magnificent sorts. It had piercing golden eyes, that seemed as if they were staring daggers into Harry and Hermione.
Jumping in front of Hermione, Harry instantly pulled out his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at the strange creature, not knowing what to expect.
The three beings stood there for a few minutes, the bird in an intense staring match with the witch and wizard.
Harry and Hermione finally started to glance at each other in regards as to what they should do. Right as they looked away though, the bird let out an ear pitching screech. It rose from it's position on top of the backpacks, and flew at full speed towards Harry and Hermione.
Harry quickly pulled Hermione to the side for safety, but watched as the haunting bird continued to fly at high speed into the fireplace and up the chimney.
"They know…"
Harry looked down to Hermione wrapped in his arms, "What?"
"They know we were trying to leave," she said, fresh tears running down her face, "He told me not to even try it. So they killed Kevin… they killed him…"
"B-but," Harry started, breathing quickly and shaking his head. None of this was making sense to him…, "But how could they know?"
"They've been watching us this whole bloody time probably. Oh god, Harry- that means, we- we're…"
"We're what?" Harry asked, genuinely frightened. He knew what Hermione was getting at, but for the life of him he couldn't bare listen to her say it.
"We're trapped."
There. She said it…
Harry could see the levy's of hope and trust that he would get them out of this predicament breaking in his love's eyes as more tears spilled over her cheeks.
How could he have done this to her? To him? To them? How foolish was he? He should have known that somewhere, someone was out looking for revenge on him…
He was only a kid, though! A kid having a kid. All he had wanted was to go somewhere to be safe and start a family with Hermione. He just wanted to escape their reality for just a little while. But what he really did was leave all the protection and family he knew. And now… now…
"We have no way out this time…"
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