A/N. Doing this quickly before RL sucks me into its vortex again :). I really wish there was more time in the day. My apologies to the reviewers I haven't had the chance to reply to. That is so unlike me and I feel bad. Will try over the next few days to catch up.
Happy New Year to you all. My New Year's resolution (I'm making it up right this very moment) is to put up a new chapter at least once every two weeks. Just to let you know, my track record on New Year's resolutions isn't very good. :(
Title reflects both my and Harry's frustration in this fic.
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Chapter 53 - Getting Nowhere
Never in all the years of keeping Hugo's true parentage secret from Harry did Hermione imagine him making this erroneous conclusion about why she did what she did. In her single-mindedness to give Hugo the most normal childhood she could provide it had not occurred to her that he would think she didn't want him in their lives because she didn't trust him to do what was right for her and Hugo. In truth, she lied to him then because she knew he would forsake all else so he could.
While it would have made things less complicated to let Harry believe what he did, she owed him the entire truth. If there was going to be a 'bad guy' to blame for all this she couldn't allow him to be it and if there was a reckoning of sorts to be had this was on her all the way.
Still weak, she squeezed his hand as firmly as she could, looked into his eyes and said, "Don't...think th-that. It...wasn't like th-that..."
Her voice barely carried the short distance between them. There was this heaviness weighing her down physically and it was frustrating that she couldn't continue.
Harry saw her struggling and understood her annoyance. He gently brushed the tears off her face.
"Sssh, it's okay," he said to her, "It can wait."
She shook her head. She couldn't let him go thinking what he was thinking and Merlin only knew when they could talk again; if they could talk again.
"But..."
"Save your strength," he urged, "You need it. I promise we'll talk. I'm not going anywhere."
His reassuring tone settled her down.
"And I'm not letting you off easily," he added light-heartedly.
"You're...not angry...?"
"I was," he replied honestly, "But I can't stay mad at you, no matter what you do. You should know that by now."
His eyes burned with the overpowering selfless affection familiar from a long time ago. It is with this same irrational completeness that she loved him - that she continues to love him; boundless and without condition, no ifs or buts. It is why she understood he had to stay with his wife and children and why she didn't resent him for making that choice.
Something about the moment tugged at her heartstrings. She had not seen him since her Mum's funeral last year. There had been no chance to talk to him then, to study him this closely, to see the new subtle laugh and frown lines on his face and to notice the few gray strands on his hair. Hermione had wondered if their sparse contact in recent years would diminish how he felt about her, not that she would have done anything had things changed. The answer to her question stilled her heart.
Gazing into his green eyes she noticed they were sadder than they were that night she said goodbye four years ago, when she let him believe she was leaving to find her own happiness. Having looked out for him for most of her life, it was impossible to stop the innate compulsion to make him feel better.
Hermione cupped his face in her hand and gently caressed his cheek. He let her. She missed this; she missed him. Four years was too long to live without him. For once she didn't care that she was the other woman still foolishly unable to let go. It didn't matter. She loved him and returning affection in kind was okay, even if just for this moment. She would have the rest of their lives to go back pretending after.
"Mum!"
They turned to the entrance where the excited yell came from. Hugo ran and flung his arms around her, giving her a bone crushing hug.
"You're awake! You're finally awake!" their son burst out with joy.
"Yes," she answered meekly, all smiles, hugging him back, grateful for the fact that she could.
She looked behind him. Jessie was misty-eyed and Ted had bright orange hair, grinning from ear to ear.
Harry had stepped back to give Hugo space. Their eyes met and he gave her a nod before leaving the room, a reassurance that he was fine and that they would continue their conversation at some point. There was much to talk about but she imagined that like her he had a lot to do.
Hugo pulled away, tears and all. The dark lines under his eyes went with the enormous burden she could feel he was carrying within. Her heart went out to him. Seeing him like this always brought about regret for the decision she made for them but it would be a waste to wallow in guilt She was determined to make this work. She was going to make this better.
There was a resurgence of energy within her and she felt the deadweight upon her lifting.
Rejuvenated, she said to him, "Tell me everything."
It was only then when she noticed that Hugo looked unwell. He was pale and becoming paler by the second. His grip began to loosen. She quickly sat up, hanging onto his limp hand, watching in shock as he slumped onto his knees. Ted broke Hugo's fall as he lost consciousness.
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Earlier, just outside Hermione's room, Harry took his phone out and called the number Warren had given him back at Hiwaga.
"Yes, Harry?" the Canadian answered with an irritating smugness, as if he was expecting the call.
It took all of Harry's self control to remain calm. Having worked with Warren before Harry knew him well. Warren didn't act like an asshole just because he was one. He did it for many different reasons, but ultimately to give him an advantage. The ex-Auror was counting on Harry to be riled up, to be rash, to not think clearly. Harry wasn't going to fall for that.
"Al and Rosie. I want them back."
Warren sighed loudly.
"The problem with you Harry is that it's always about what you want."
"And the problem with you is that you talk too much. Spare me your crap. I'm through playing your games."
Warren replied readily, "Alrighty then. Open up. I'm outside the door."
Without second thought, Harry Apparated to the main entrance and swung it open. Warren stepped in, flashing wood. Harry spun leftward and pulled out his weapon. The next split second unfolded in a blaze of wandfire.
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Earlier at the Pitch, Ginny's pulse was racing. Help was on the other side of the door. If only she could get the message out.
The bell rang again. She was prodded down the stairs, urged at wandpoint. They stopped near the double door entrance and the elves began talking in a foreign language, deliberating in an almost panic mode what to do next. She heard their names being thrown about. Dovalov was not alone and they were talking about whether or not it would be prudent to let him and his companion in. Finally, after the third ring, Ann answered. They made her.
"I would like to speak with Mr. Potter," said their visitor.
"Is he expecting you?"
After a pause, Dovalov answered back, "No. I have private message for him and his wife."
"The Potters are away," Ann replied too calmly, obviously under an Imperius, "Can I take a message?"
There was a pause followed by a disturbing remark, "I have warning. Tell them that Malvado knows he does not have Hallows. Tell them he is closing in on the Keeper."
Ginny glanced over to her captor, the elf called Magino-o. He was as troubled about Dovalov's revelation as his fellow elf was. They were exchanging hand signals and gestures, arguing about what to do next, and not paying much attention to her.
"What's going on Mum?"
They all looked up in unison to where the voice came from. It was James. He and Lily appeared from their bedrooms.
"Run!" she screamed.
There was not a moment to lose. Ginny grabbed the most injurious item within reach, a vase of heavy glass, and swung it hard against Magino-o's head.
Crash!
That caught the elves off guard. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ann gather her twins into her arms and disappear into the adjacent sitting room. The kids were nowhere to be seen. She hoped they would think to head to the Master bedroom and Floo from there. The elves wouldn't be able to follow that way for Floo travel was designed for wizards and witches only. She snatched the dazed elf's wand and had barely released the entry wards before being disarmed by Magino-o's companion.
Two distinct Apparitions into the Pitch happened in succession. Wand sparks and spell beams were exchanged between their two abductors and Dovalov's party. To her disappointment Magino-o had recovered from her blow easily and was skilfully leading a counter-offensive without his wand.
Ginny had to get Ann and her children out, and then make sure Lily and James had gone. She ran into the sitting room where she found Ann and the now awake and screaming twins behind the sofa.
She took Sam from Ann and then led her sister-in-law and other nephew into the Floo, yelling instructions over the ruckus, "Go to Shell Cottage!"
Ann nodded obediently. After putting Sam back in her unoccupied arm, Ginny used a handful of the Floo powder and watched the three engulfed by green flames and disappear.
Ginny turned her attention to the next task at hand. The fighting in the adjacent room was as intense as when it started. Without another thought, she Apparated to the corridor on the second floor just outside Lily's room. Lily was screaming from the master bedroom. Ginny rushed in and saw the other elf threatening her daughter at wandpoint.
"Surrender or your sister gets it!" Ginny heard the being say to James, who promptly did as he was told.
Maternal instincts took over. She fired at the elf but it was deflected. Magino-o appeared beside James and Lily the same time Dovalov showed up. Dovalov's companion followed soon after. It was Seamus.
"Remove the anti-Disapparition wards," the head elf demanded, as he used James as a shield.
"You can't have my children!"
In her gut Ginny knew that while the elves wanted to take them, neither would hurt Lily or James. She fired at Magino-o's head and the elf, not expecting an attack, got hit squarely. It drew the being's ire but he just shook it off.
"Why do you have to be difficult?"
"You're working for Malvado!"
"That is just plain stupid," Magino-o replied nastily, making her even more furious, "If we did do you think you and your children will still be alive? And how dare you insult us with such accusations!"
Dovalov spoke up, "Your boss works for Malvado!"
"Warren is not our 'boss'. And he works for no one! Your loyalties, on the other hand, are misguided. The Granger boy is the one. Using the Hallows is the only way he can succeed."
"The Granger boy," Ginny repeated calmly, realizing, "This is about Hugo. My children have nothing to do with this."
Magino-o blushed and, somewhat embarrassed, explained, "Unfortunately because of Mr. Potter's er - true relationship with the Granger boy that is not entirely true. The word is out and Malvado is seeking all the leverage he can get."
The room fell silent. Everyone, including Lily and James, understood. It irked Ginny how this was all happening to her children because of what Harry did in the past. It was so unfair to them and they were about to pay a lot more for their father's transgression. She wanted them far away from all of it.
"I don't care about Malvado!" Ginny cried out in defiance.
"You should care," was Seamus' cautionary reply, "Malvado is as dangerous as Voldemort was, maybe even more."
"Finnigan is right," Magino-o concurred, "We can protect your children."
"I-don't-care!" she said emphatically, believing in her heart that no one could protect her children better than her, "Get Gates! Tell him I want my son back!"
"Pop! Pop! Pop! Po-pop!
Multiple apparitions punctuated her demand. In the span of mere seconds they were all disarmed and surrounded by wizards and witches, law enforcers from the looks of it. They were outnumbered three to one.
"MLE! Nobody move!" the apparent leader yelled out, confirming who they were.
One of the wizards slammed Seamus down against the hardwood floor unexpectedly and with such brutality she heard Lily gasp.
The man spoke, "Seamus Finnigan, You are under arrest for the murder of Jurnuk the Goblin!"
"No. You must be mistaken," Ginny voiced her objection but her words fell on deaf ears.
"Traitor!" Seamus spat back over his shoulder as magical restraints snaked over his wrists and ankles.
Ginny recognized who Seamus was referring to, a wizard somewhat obscured in the second row. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ernie?"
"That is an outrageous lie!" Dovalov exclaimed.
"Shut up! The rest of you are under arrest for aiding a fugitive."
"We are under arrest?" Magino-o repeated, "Under arrest?"
Magino-o began to laugh, and so did his colleague.
"What's so funny?!" Ernie demanded.
"You're only MLE, untrained in being combat" Magino-o answered in between trains of laughter, "You don't stand a chance. Our apologies in advance, Mrs. Potter."
It dawned on her that these battle ready elves could perform magic without their wands and the MLE were unprepared for that. The Beings were going to do what they intended to do. What choice did she have?
"Take me with you. I have to be with them," she heard herself say to the elf leader.
"Restrain them!" Ernie ordered.
Wands were raised and aimed but not one fired. There was confusion on many faces as the Pitch suddenly went pitch black.
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Hugo woke up to the sight of his Mum's worried face and the sound of fighting in the background. He quickly propped himself up, realizing that he was now occupying the exact spot where he had last seen her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered without much thought, distracted that something dire was happening down on the ground level, "What's going -"
"No - no," Aunt Jessie interrupted, "You passed out and you were throwing up a lot just before that. You can't be okay."
So maybe he was drained and feeling a bit queasy. He was certain the large junk food dinner he partook and the near death experience he had with Malvado caused all that. Hopefully his Mum wouldn't find out about either.
"I had indigestion. I feel fine," he insisted and as he was about to be told again that he wasn't his Mum replied on his behalf.
"He's fine."
Whew! That stopped Aunt Jessie from asking more questions, for now anyway. She was still eyeing him with a look of disapproval for the lie he was trying to sell.
Fortunately there was a more important matter at hand. The fighting was not letting up though his Mum didn't seem concerned about it. He could feel her still probing him.
"Is it Malvado?" he asked, his heart pounding hard against his chest just at his mention of the name.
"No," his Mum answered, "It's Warren."
"Shouldn't we be um- helping?"
"I suppose I should sort it out before someone really gets hurt," she said to him.
Her calm demeanour amazed him. She was always in control when it came to her job. Even that night when she was hurt and sent him to his father's, she acted as if she had thought everything through and that she knew exactly what was going to happen next. He wanted to be as unafraid and as certain of himself like her and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, like his father earlier.
He got on his feet and followed his Mum and Aunt Jessie out of the room. The shot of adrenaline from clasping his wand tightly was more than enough to offset the lingering dizziness he was feeling.
As they got to the foot of the stairs, he ducked. A projectile zoomed over his head. The tiny figure slammed against the wall beside them and crashed onto the floor like a rag doll, joining the two other beings already unconscious there.
"Jessie, do you mind?" his Mum asked.
"I am not a Healer," Aunt Jessie tried to remind them but his Mum had already gone down the hallway towards the kitchen. She expressed her irritation to Hugo, "I deal with dead beings only. Why is that so hard for people to understand?"
Hugo shrugged and not knowing what else to say, apologized. He walked past her as she attended to them anyway. Things had noticeably quieted down. He joined his Mum at the kitchen entrance, his jaw falling at the sight before them. Warren and his father were fighting bare fisted like common Muggles, their wands idle on the floor despite being within easy reach.
It was hard to judge who had the upper hand. There was blood and broken furniture everywhere. His father was bleeding from a cut just above his right eye while Warren was sporting a golf sized shiner on his left cheek. The Canadian attacked, swinging a big left hook but the Auror fluidly sidestepped it and countered with a wicked three-punch combination. All blows hit the intended mark busting Warren's lip in the process. His mother was seeing the exact same thing he was.
"Winky is going to have a fit when she sees this mess," she remarked, getting everyone's attention.
"Honey!" Warren greeted, coming off of his defensive stance, evidently happy to see his Mum, "It's about time you woke u- oh shit - !"
He didn't finish. Warren dove for his wand and got to it but got blasted by a Stunner anyway.
"Thanks," his mother said to him as she gave him back his weapon, just now noticing that she had taken it from him without his knowledge. How did she do that? She then turned to his father and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Never better. But I wasn't quite finished with him," the Auror complained.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. You two can catch up later," she responded.
Hugo watched as she went to the ice box and retrieved a couple of packs from the freezer. She tossed one to his father, who caught it perfectly, and then walked over to where Warren was moaning noisily a few feet away from where he was when the curse hit him.
"Ow...ow..." Warren groaned as he gingerly picked himself off the floor, "I was winning. Was that absolutely necessary?"
"Yes, it was," she answered while holding the cold object against Warren's swollen mouth.
"I had to do it. I couldn't take the chance," Warren replied in an apologetic tone as he took the ice from her, "And I swear on my mother's grave that that's the complete truth."
His mother stared at Warren, gave a slight nod and let him attend to his injury. Hugo had seen this many times. They talked in private this way and while he didn't really mind it before it annoyed him now, maybe because he wanted in on the conversation. He did sense that his Mum was sceptical about the truthfulness of Warren's answer.
"Where's Ted?" she asked.
"He went after Gummy," his father answered, gauging her reaction.
"The arse ran away after mounting an unprovoked assault and almost taking my head off," Warren added bitterly, "You shouldn't encourage him to stick around."
There was unspoken tension in the air between Mum and his father. His mother turned to Hugo and gave him the look. He didn't want to go.
"Mum, I want to know," he pleaded.
"And you will but not just yet," his mother put simply.
He couldn't help vent his frustration, "When? When I'm dead? When it won't matter anymore?"
"When you're old enough not to act like a child," she chastised.
There would be no arguing with her at this point. Hugo pleaded his case with Warren who was usually on his side. Warren was whipped and couldn't help him either. He marched out of the kitchen angrily, tears brimming and steam coming off his ears. How was he supposed to finish off a Dark wizard when he wasn't completely in the loop?!
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Harry watched Hugo storm out of the room, thinking how at thirteen he would have probably done the same.
"Yes, the kid hasn't fallen very far from the tree," Warren commented, "If he was mine I'd tell him everything."
"You've told him enough," Hermione replied, "I will not let him go through childhood thinking it's up to him to kill a dark wizard and that he could die in the process, especially when it doesn't have to be that way."
"He already thinks that," Harry told her.
"What do you mean?"
"The Hag told him as much."
He briefly recounted the Trelawney incident and before he could get to the part about the book Hermione went on a tirade.
"That witch! She should mind her own fucking business! I tell you she just did it to piss me off! She knows I don't care about prophecies, especially hers, so she's forcing them on him. If she weren't dead already..."
Warren interrupted, "I know, you'd kill her. Look. Hugo knowing about it is a good thing. I really think you should tell him everything you know. He's a smart kid. At least he won't get in trouble because of what he doesn't know."
Hermione frowned, considering the advice. Harry hated the feeling of being a bystander, of not being asked for his opinion. After all, wasn't Hugo his son? As if sensing his ire, she turned to him.
"What do you think?"
"A little knowledge can be a bad thing," Harry spoke what he knew from experience, "Hugo certainly knows just enough to get him in trouble. But then again I don't know what this is all about so I don't know if you should tell him everything."
"Kiss ass," Warren hissed.
Harry faced him and asked, "Al and Rosie; where are they?"
"I don't know enough to decide if I should tell you. How does that feel?" Warren was mocking him.
It was an invite he wasn't going to let pass. If he had to beat Warren to death to get the information he would do so without remorse.
But Hermione put herself between them quicker than he could get his hands around his neck and answered his question, "Al is safe. He and Rosie are in a secluded magical village a few miles from Hiwaga."
"I want Al back here in London."
"Not a good idea," Warren said a sing-song tone.
"Warren will take you there. You can take Al back yourself," she responded, ignoring the asshole.
"Good one, honey," Warren complimented, "Brilliant as always."
Harry could never stand how Warren talked to her, or was it how she didn't care and just let him get away with it? He was so not getting into that right now.
"I have a lot of questions and I need answers."
"Me, me, me - it's all about me," Warren carried on.
Harry said to her, "If you don't shut him up I will."
"Just ignore him like I do," she suggested.
"You're hurting my feelings," Warren whined.
Hermione continued, "I promise you'll get answers."
"Honey, maybe you shouldn't be making promises you can't keep," Warren smirked at her.
"I said stop calling me 'honey'."
"Sure thing, sweetums."
Harry was miffed more than ever. He was deciding how much more of this banter he could endure.
The Head Auror asked impatiently, "Hermione, where are the Hallows?"
Warren laughed. Hermione blushed a crimson red.
She answered, "I'm sorry, Harry. I can't tell you. I'm not the Keeper."
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A/N. Hope the loyalties are starting to have better shape and form. There's lots more to cover on that.
Can't explain it but I went back and forth on Hermione's POV in this. Hopefully it satisfies most.
The part at the Pitch was problematic too - I don't like writing action sequences and needing to write one with Ginny in it was very hard.
I had thought about changing this last part - to just let Hermione give Harry the answers (and shorten this fic by a mile) but I've always wanted this so that Harry and Hugo will need to work together.
As you all can tell, this fic is far from over. Thank you all for your patience.
See you in a couple of weeks (crosses fingers).