A/N. Here it is finally - I desperately needed to get this out. The rewrites were driving me insane.
I'm really sorry that I kept you all waiting. I had to get this right.
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Chapter 63 - Desperate Moves
Hugo slipped out from the group to find his father. He tried to distract himself as Warren suggested but it was pointless. His mind kept coming back to Malvado and that meeting with the Hag. He desperately needed to know what she said.
The last time Hugo saw the Auror he was leaving the plaza with his Mum. Taking the same path they did, he stayed on it and greeted a few town folk along the way. He walked on for at least half an hour, the path becoming narrower and more deserted over time. He continued until he came up to a fork in the trail at the top of the hill. While deciding which one to take, it came to him just how foolish his plan was.
The Auror could be anywhere; he could have left Pag-asa. And if he hadn't left Pag-asa the chances of him not being with Mum were slim, which meant the chances of the Auror telling Hugo what the Hag said were less than zero.
Hugo had to talk to his father alone but sending him a message was proving to be a challenge. A Patronus was beyond his magical capabilities and he had been too proud to accept his father's phone number. The speediest way, he figured, would be through Warren. Warren would know.
Come.
He looked around. There was nobody but him.
Come.
Hugo heard it again. It was Warren's voice. It was coming from the dense foliage of trees and shrubs to his left. He stepped forward and, with the tip of his wand, slowly parted the banana leaves in front of him. The light he had could only go so far but far enough to get a glimpse of a Patronus disappearing deeper into the woods. It was a wolf, a silvery grey wolf. Warren's.
Follow me.
Warren's voice urged him. It didn't make sense. Was it really Warren? Why didn't Warren just come to him? Red flags were popping up in his mind but as he was sorting them out his feet started moving on their own.
Quickly!
He was running. He felt that he had to, like it was a compulsion. The thick bushes were cutting his arms but he had to hurry. He didn't know why but he didn't want to lose the figure. Barely able to catch up, he ran in the general direction of where the Patronus appeared intermittently in between the trees.
Then Hugo lost it. Warren's guiding voice was replaced by amplified sounds of his feet crushing the dried leaves and twigs on the forest ground and the creatures surrounding him, so loud that he could hear everything over the banging in his chest.
Hugo stopped running to reorient himself. He listened and watched, catching his breath. Off to his right, beyond several rows of coconut trees, was the image he had been chasing. It had stopped. Hugo was weighing the pros and cons of approaching when it turned and saw him.
Intense fear gripped Hugo that very instant. The eyes staring at him were aflame, uniquely terrifying and memorable. He had seen them once before. They were eyes that belonged to Salazar Malvado.
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Al overheard Marco, Tomas and Juan talking.
"Wow! He looks exactly like him," Juan was in awe.
"I guess Polyjuice does work. What's the plan?" Tomas asked Marco.
Marco replied, "What do you mean what's the plan? This was your idea!"
"Didn't you suggest it?"
They continued arguing. The pain was gone now but Al couldn't see well. Everything was out of focus. He took out his wand and conjured a reflective surface. Even with the bad eyesight he made out who he was Polyjuiced into.
"What were you thinking?" he confronted them.
"No need to panic or get upset," Marco waved him off.
"No need?! I could hex all three of you!"
"Calm down," Tomas tried to soothe him.
"Why?!"
"We're just trying to help. Isa doesn't want to talk to you but she likes Hugo," Juan answered with logic.
"And what do you think she'll do if she catches me pretending to be him?!"
"Er...um...okay, then you better not get caught."
Al turned away before really losing it with Juan. He paced.
Think. How do you fix this?
Al wasn't going to wait for the Polyjuice to wear off. Only Merlin knew when that would happen. He had to do something before anyone else found out and the quickest way to becoming himself again was to take anti-Polyjuice. There was a good chance there would be some at their potion source.
"Where did you get the Polyjuice?" Al asked the three.
"Well, um, we'd rather not say," Marco responded guiltily.
"I'm not going to tell on you, just tell me where you stole it."
"In there," Marco pointed up the hill.
Warren's hut.
XXXXXXXXXX
At home, Jessie sat anxiously beside Padma and could barely listen to Ron as he updated the Hogwarts gang on where things were at with the POTH, the Hallows and Malvado. She was dead tired, had not spoken with Seamus since he was dropped off by Dovalov at the Ministry, and the only thing she really wanted right now was for the meeting to finish so she could be alone with her husband.
"So, the Prophet elf, the store owner and Grawp were POTH," Neville summarized, "And Malvado wants the Russian Auror, the former MLE and Hermione dead to ensure the Hallows aren't found."
"Precisely," Ron confirmed, "Except for the Elder wand. He wants the Deathstick for himself. That's why he is looking for the Keeper."
"Do we know who the Keeper is?" Hannah asked.
"We think it was Professor Flitwick. Since both Hermione and Gummy deny being the Keeper that leaves us with Dovalov," George Bones answered.
Ron added, "Or someone else, like whoever it was who posed as Seamus and was with Dovalov at the Pitch."
Though it didn't seem so at first, the POTH were on their side. As proof, they left Seamus unharmed and lent Harry the Stone. In light of Hermione's physical state at the time Dovalov's visit to the Pitch with Seamus' impersonator was now speculated as the POTH's attempt to make contact with Harry. However, the nature of their organization still prevented them from revealing themselves to the public and, as such, continued secrecy was required. Luckily with Llamas and the two Malvado assassins now in custody, the case files of the robberies and murders in London could be closed without the need to mention the POTH. As for the other Hallows, they remained hidden and it was uncertain if the POTH had any intentions of lending them to Harry or anyone else.
"Are the rumours true? Did Hermione really resurrect from the dead?" Dennis asked the question.
Ron looked to her for help.
"She's not 'one of them'," she tried not to sound annoyed that Dennis listened to the hogwash the Unspeakables started, "She was badly hurt and to buy time a few of her creative associates staged a death that fooled all of us. Needless to say this information is not to leave this room. Hermione says it is important that Malvado not find out about her friends, for their safety. On record she did all this on her own."
She, Harry and Ron had talked about how much to tell the gang taking into account all of Hermione's requests for secrecy. They recognized that the integrity of Harry's circle was compromised. The more people knew the details the more access Malvado had to them. But in the end Harry decided it was only proper to tell them what they knew.
"How is she?" Padma voiced out, concerned.
"Well enough to blow off the Head Healer at St. Mungo's," Ron expressed his displeasure at Hermione's decision not to let the experts examine her.
Jessie paraphrased, "Considering what she went through it's a miracle she's still alive."
Hannah had been dying to ask Ron a question and she just found the opening to blurt it out, "Did you know Hugo wasn't your son?"
"Yes, I did," Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
She said to her husband, "I told you so."
Neville, somewhat reluctantly, followed up, "Did you know he was Harry's?"
Seamus answered for Ron, "And be okay with it all this time? Do you have to ask?"
The off topic discussion got out of control and went downhill from there.
Neville shrugged and defended his question, "Well, he knew Hugo wasn't his son."
"There's a huge difference between knowing that and knowing he's Harry's," the usually quiet George Bones weighed in.
"How different is that?"
"This is very awkward," Ron had enough, "I'd rather you guys talked about this behind my back."
Ron's request fell on deaf ears.
"I'm just saying it would be absurd if he did," Seamus replied.
Neville challenged, "So you don't think he knew Harry and Hermione had an affair."
"Definitely not."
"I'm right here," Ron waved at them.
"Ginny must have known," Padma thought out loud.
Hannah concurred, "I always wondered why she and Hermione rarely spoke to each other."
Almost never spoke, to be more accurate.
"That's one good reason. Poor Ginny. Must have been hard to take Harry back. How could they do that to her?"
"Things like this happen more often than we think."
"They knew it was wrong. They stopped."
"Doesn't make it right."
"Ron, did you know about the affair?"
"No, I didn't."
"How do you feel about that?"
"Yeah, Ron, how do you feel about that?"
This gang's curiosity about Hugo and the affair was natural but Ron didn't expect this inquisition. Jessie had to admit it was somewhat entertaining. She too wanted to hear what Ron had to say.
"Wait, stop!" Ernie, spoil sport, interrupted, "I'm sure Ron would prefer that private matters be discussed in a more private manner. We need to focus here. I'm still not clear on many things. Do we know who impersonated Seamus? What about Jurnuk? Was he POTH too or was his murder unrelated to this? What did Hermione say about them?"
The tension in the room increased a hundredfold. Ernie's tone of questioning made everyone uncomfortable.
Jessie answered, "Hermione didn't say anything."
"Did someone even ask?" Ernie followed up.
"She can't talk about the POTH," Ron took Hermione's side, "And besides, who the POTH are and what they're doing is no longer our concern. We have bigger fish to cook."
Dennis corrected, "You mean fish to fry."
"So, that's it. The POTH is now off limits because Hermione's alive?" Ernie sounded very frustrated.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Seamus had it and confronted Ernie.
It was then that Ernie lost it.
"I have a problem when we're putting our lives and reputations on the line and she doesn't even give us the courtesy of telling us the entire truth!"
Seamus, restrained somewhat by Ron, stood up for Hermione fiercely, "She can't tell us!"
"How do we even know that she's telling the truth about the Fidelus and the Unbreakable vow?!"
"We know because we know her and we trust her just like we know and we trust Harry and every person at this table," Neville spoke up, "Ernie, we understand how difficult this has been for you. You don't have to be here if you don't want to be here."
Everyone's eyes were on Ernie, most of them sympathetic Ernie too had been a victim of an imposter while he was in the Ministry jail. The MLE deputy head had been quiet until this outburst and Jessie could only imagine what he was going through. Ernie's reputation had taken quite a hit with what transpired at the Pitch and at Finnigan's. While he wasn't responsible for the acts the fact that he had been easily replaced by someone pretending to be him didn't reflect well on his abilities. It was the sort of thing that people remembered forever and probably meant the end of his political career.
Ernie got up, gathered his belongings and apologized in his own way, "I can't do this anymore. Tell Harry I'm sorry."
As they heard the front door close George looked on to Ron for direction. Ron waved him off. They were going to let Ernie go.
"Is he going to be okay?" Padma was worried for Ernie.
"Let's give him space. He'll come around."
Jessie wasn't as hopeful as Ron but she supposed he knew Ernie better than she did. The tension cleared and brought them some much needed focus. During the next fifteen minutes she took the floor and fielded questions about the being who took over Humptail's body.
The plan had been to dissect Llamas to figure out Malvado's weakness. Things were going well until Llamas asked for his one owl. That led to a rare intellectual discussion between the Aurors and the Unspeakables.
Ron argued that Llamas was actually 'dead' and that he had commandeered a viable human body illegally in an inferi-like fashion. In that case the Ministry was obliged to free the carcass, Humptail's, from unauthorized occupation. Being dead, Llamas had no rights.
Max and the Unspeakables were not about to rubber stamp any idea that came from the Aurors. They argued, and Jessie agreed with their first point somewhat, that since Llamas was talking and moving, he was alive. Unless the true owner of the body complained, who was to say that the possession wasn't mutually agreed upon as claimed by Llamas.
Ron countered, and she agreed too, that any being whose head gets blown apart and re-forms can't possibly be alive. As a scientist there was comfort in being able to depend on that truth so she was keen on proving it. She wasn't completely satisfied with the explanation she received about the being who had temporarily resided in her freezer and at some point she would get to the bottom of that but right now they needed irrefutable evidence of Humptail's demise. Humptail meeting criteria for physical death would certainly make things less complicated.
The alternative was frightening. Amending the definition of physical death because of these beings had astronomical implications and nobody really wanted to go there, not even the Unspeakables. Harry had to bring the legal department in. They sat on the fence between the two sides, finally suggesting that her office sort the mess out.
While things didn't go as planned, Harry seemed unperturbed. It gave her access to do tests anyway. They had a very small window to prove or disprove life in Humptail's body, and find out more about the being's powers. She had her staff run tests and then slipped out of her lab so she could go to this meeting and see Seamus in private.
Ron closed the meeting with a promise of more updates if necessary.
"Glad you're okay, mate," Neville shook her husband's hand as he and Hannah said goodbye, "I'm quite relieved that it wasn't you who jinxed me."
"Me too," Ron interjected, "Otherwise I would have had to arrest your arse and then answer to your wife."
Seamus, Neville, Padma, Dennis and George laughed at the joke. Jessie could only force out a smile. Neville and Hannah Disapparated a few feet from their front porch.
Dennis pledged to continue his spying on the Head Unspeakable as he left. Max and his relationship with Dovalov had not been sorted out either and the relevance of the tragedy that George dug up in Dovalov's old home was still unknown. It was very unsettling to know that the Head Unspeakable was possibly possessed by a spirit decades ago. Keeping an eye on Max was important not only because he had more power now than when Humptail and Jericho were around but also because the Aurors would be lost if they didn't spy on what the Unspeakables.
Padma and George reported back to the Ministry to do more work on the Llamas-Malvado case. She would join them later. Ron was off to see Anne and the twins at Shell Cottage where Ted had remained by request.
Finally, the last of their friends Disapparated and there was just her and Seamus. She hadn't had the opportunity to fully process the events that transpired but something about Seamus' story didn't feel right. Being abducted by a Russian ex-Auror, left in some unknown location, impersonated for access to Harry's inner circle, then dropped off at the Ministry unharmed seemed too neat and tidy. Dovalov and Gummy conveniently disappeared leaving her with many questions she was certain Hermione wouldn't answer. She had a feeling that her husband was lying and was conflicted about what to do.
Seamus walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, warm, familiar, comforting. She closed her eyes as he kissed her hair with deep affection. If she asked the question she would settle for nothing less than the truth. In a way the future of their marriage would then rest on Seamus' answer. Was she prepared for all possible outcomes?
"Tell me what really happened," her words came out in a whisper.
Seamus looked her in the eye and answered, full of regret, "Jess, I'm sorry. I'm not the Keeper."
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"You're POTH."
"I can't talk about that."
"I suppose you can't tell me who the Keeper is either."
He didn't say anything.
"It was you who hexed Neville and it was you at the Pitch," she concluded, then it dawned on her, "You could have been seriously hurt!"
"Please," he begged her, "We can't talk about this."
"You could have been killed!"
Seamus yelled at her, desperate, "I am not the Keeper!"
Her head felt like it was going to explode. All she could think about was that he lied to her about it and possibly about many other things. Her husband had been living a double life and she couldn't help but feel cheated. Worry, frustration and anger filled her and seeing Seamus looking so apologetic and helpless only made her feel worse.
She told him, "I need to go."
Jessie grabbed her cloak and purse, and then headed out the door.
XXXXXXXXXX
Harry didn't want to let her go.
When he asked her to dance he had not seen this happening. He had expected them to talk but never imagined she would end up in his arms.
With affection he brushed the wetness off her cheek. They gazed into each others' eyes, raw emotions swirling within them.
"Don't get me wrong," she broke their silence, "I really enjoyed what we just did but this complicates things."
"You think so?" he asked, and when she made a concerned affirmative gesture, disagreed, "I think this actually simplifies things."
She frowned somewhat.
"How so?"
"Let me explain."
He pulled her closer, leaning down until their lips touched. They kissed to their hearts' content. It was unfair to take advantage of her openness tonight but he didn't want her to run away from him again. Harry needed her to feel this. He missed her, he missed being with her like this and judging from Hermione's actions she felt the same. To him it was that simple.
Hermione broke it off, her eyes smouldering with the same feverish passion he felt.
"I didn't get that," she said somewhat breathless.
"No?" he too was out of breath.
"We should probably discuss this in a more conventional manner, before we go any deeper."
"You mean further."
"That too."
Hermione extricated herself from his embrace and stepped back. He had a feeling her current compliant state wasn't going to last long and he was right. Regret had set in, her rational self was about to mount a quick comeback and douse them with a sobering dose of reality. Harry was prepared for this, for what was to happen when he crossed the line he swore not to cross again.
"I know what you're thinking," he said to her, "You're thinking this is mental. You're thinking I shouldn't be doing this."
"We shouldn't be doing this," she corrected, "Harry, this is not the real world. We're in a bubble. We won't last a day outside of it."
"Maybe this time we will."
"It's been a stressful past few days," she was giving him an out, "You're finding out so many new things. Understandably you want to make it up to me and Hugo and..."
He cut her off to correct her erroneous assumption, "This isn't about the past. This is about the here and now."
"No offense but you're obviously not thinking straight."
"Not thinking straight feels great," he responded carelessly.
"Harry..." she scolded him.
"I'm listening."
"We keep coming back to this choice of us or them and I can't get past the thought of choosing what I know will hurt them which will hurt you."
"You worry too much about everyone else, never enough about you."
"Let's not fool ourselves, Harry. You can't do this to them," Hermione said with brutal frankness, "You didn't leave them then and you won't leave them now. Not for this."
"Things are different," Harry tried to explain and she assumed he meant Hugo.
"If we do this James, Al and Lily will look at us and think we're selfish. You'll be the bad guy again and it'll be more difficult to fix what's been broken. This isn't right."
It was hard to refute the truth in what she said. But in spite of her making so much sense he argued back with good reasons of his own.
"Not doing this isn't right either."
"Then it isn't the right time."
"If now's not the right time then there won't ever be one," Harry argued, "There will always be someone who won't be happy for us."
"You could lose Lily," she reminded him.
"Let's face it. I've lost her already," he voiced out the painful reality, "I love Lily. She, James and Al mean the world to me and I will try everything to get her back. But if she can't forgive me for loving someone other than her mother then it's too late. She knows and nothing I do or don't do will change that. Not being with you will not change that.
"Hermione, I can't do it your way anymore. I can't live my entire life not making choices because of fear that I'll hurt and lose the people I care about. At some point I have to trust that they'll care enough about me to accept my choices no matter how much they disapprove."
"Lily is too young to see that. Being with me will make things worse. I am not worth it."
"You are worth it and it's about time that you see that. I don't want to look back years from now and have regrets again. And I agree somewhat, this may seem like it's the worst time to be doing this. It all feels rushed and impulsive and insane that it can't be right. I'm rambling ... I didn't come here tonight to do this. I just wanted to talk. But Hugo, the locket, you..."
He paused to take a breath in and slow his thoughts down, then spoke with a deliberate calmness, "This is how I feel about you, how I've always felt about you. It's been a long time since I've let myself feel it without guilt and without regret. It feels amazing to be finally free to let you know how I feel. I can't pretend anymore, not when I don't have to, and especially not when I know you feel the same way about me. Yes, I know things are different, we're different, and we may not have the same thing we had or get to the same place we were twenty years ago but we can't know that until we try. I want to try. Hermione, it's my turn to make a choice for us. Let me."
She was crying and she fell into his waiting embrace. She just figured out what he had difficulty telling her.
"She let you go."
"We let each other go," he confirmed, stroking her hair.
"Oh Harry…"
She felt bad for him, her eyes and the tone of her voice said so, so much that she was making him feel bad that he really didn't need comforting about it. The break up had happened so long ago that he wasn't as upset about it anymore.
"Because of Hugo?" Hermione asked, worried.
He shook his head and reassured her, "We've been separated for months. It wasn't because of Hugo."
"But the Bahamas...?"
"To end it where it began," he explained.
Hermione had a thoughtful expression, as if she was working something out.
"That explains the ring."
"The ring?"
Hermione blushed as she held up his hand where his wedding ring used to be. Harry remembered that Hermione never missed much.
"What happened?"
Harry didn't really want to get into it and told her honestly, "It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time, okay?"
"The children? Do they know?" she asked, still concerned.
"James overheard me and Ginny discussing it over the summer. He knows. We were going to tell Al and Lily next weekend."
And he left it at that. The telling Al and Lily part was somewhat up in the air now. He would prefer that they waited a bit, until this news about Hugo blew over, and Ginny seemed in agreement.
"Harry," Hermione said seriously, "I hate to say it but being with each other is not going to simplify this at all."
"No it's not," Harry agreed, "But it's simpler than it was in the past."
Hermione looked away and they grew silent. She was working things out in her mind, the very same ones he worked through earlier. As much as he wanted her to come to the same conclusion he did he didn't want to crowd her. He felt no pressure. He gave it his best shot and it was up to her now. And whatever her decision was he was prepared to accept it.
After a while he heard her say, "I don't want to get hurt again, Harry."
Harry felt awful that she was justified to think he would hurt her again. And as much as he wanted to he couldn't make any guarantees. She'd have to sort out for herself if she was going to trust him again to give him another chance.
"I know."
Hermione looked at him, still questioning his certainty and his resolve. Wordlessly he set her mind at rest. It was reasonable that deconstructing the emotional barriers between them would take some time but he was determined to make things right. Things were going to work out for the best. He felt in his heart that they would.
"Harry, I…"
She stopped talking, distracted. She turned around with a curious frown. Someone was heading their way. Not five seconds later Warren appeared from beyond the shadows behind her, swearing to himself, mumbling something about sand in his shoes.
"Sorry. This couldn't wait," Warren apologized when he got to them, shoe in hand, shaking the sand off.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, seemingly perplexed about something more than the news Warren came with.
"Maria picked up a Malvado spy while patrolling the perimeter a few minutes ago," Warren picked up his other shoe and emptied it too, "Her recommendation to abandon the village was just rejected. The Elders want to talk to you."
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"How could you let him wander off by himself like that?" Isa huffed at Spencer.
"I'm sorry," her friend feigned an apology, "I didn't get the memo that Hugo was under house arrest."
Isa ignored his sarcasm, very worried, "He's been gone for more than forty-five minutes. We don't know where he is. He hasn't attempted to make contact and we can't get a hold of him. What if something bad happened? We can't just sit here and wait for him to come back."
Rosie must have noticed her distress for she came up and asked, "What's going on?"
Spencer shared what they knew, "Hugo left to find Mr. Potter forty-five minutes ago and he isn't back."
"I just saw Uncle Harry with Mum and Warren. Hugo wasn't with them," Rosie replied, also concerned, "I'll help you find him. Has either of you seen Al? Maybe he can help."
Spencer, with his unusual hearing range, answered her, "I overheard the locals say something about going to Mr. Gates' hut for some special juice."
XXXXXXXXXX
Jessie stood over the rapidly decaying body of Hosiah Humptail. She should be more pissed that the invincible being escaped and before she could do more invasive testing but fear and worry trumped pride. This was not good on so many levels.
"What happened?" Ron queried the second he walked into the lab, "Where is he?"
"It would appear that the being has left this particular vessel," Jessie explained the obvious.
"How do you know that?"
Jessie rolled the lab security video of a wizard gaining access into her lab and chatting with the prisoner just before the latter literally coughed up a small object into the man's mouth and keeled over.
"Ew!" Ron expressed verbally, matching the disgusted look he had on his face. He then recognized the wizard who walked away from Humptail and exclaimed in disbelief, "Ernie?!"
Jessie wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about many things anymore.
"My biometric scans picked up his signature on his way in. Ernie has full security clearance and access to the lab, which explains why no flags were raised. But it doesn't make sense. Ernie knows we're watching."
"So either he's really lost it or your scan is wrong," Ron concluded.
That wouldn't be the first time. Because of Warren's recent access into the identity database to switch Hermione's file with another being's Jessie made sure that the database had not been tampered with this time. She also crossmatched the intruder's magical traits with Ernie's non-Ministry records. It was 99% Ernie's. The other worrisome thing was, whoever it was, his signature did not change on his way out.
Jessie pointed out, "In theory, biomorphs can confuse biometric scans."
"And who do we know is a biomorph?"
Ron was thinking the same thing she was. But did Warren really do this? As capable as Warren was she couldn't imagine it. What just transpired was the epitome of stupidity or the height of desperation. Warren was never prone to either.
"We have to find Ernie," Ron said to her then gave the order to a couple of Aurors, "Either way Harry's not going to like this. Do we have anything at all that we can use?"
"Am on it."
XXXXXXXXXX
Ted had always considered Shell Cottage as one of his many homes. Even before he started dating Tory, her parents treated him well. Come to think of it, all the Weasleys did. He knew that was partly because he didn't have parents and everyone felt sorry for him but part of it was because they were good folk.
So, while Ted was somewhat surprised by the frosty reception he got when he arrived he didn't take it against them. Uncle George and Aunt Ginny were the exception, they acted 'normal'. Tory's dad was not his usual welcoming self and her Mum was in near tears when she saw him. That seemed odd until Tory told him the news.
Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were separated; they had been for a few months and had decided to make it permanent. The fact that Aunt Ginny announced it so close to the news about Hugo fuelled speculation that it was the final straw, even though she had apparently known about the affair at the time it happened. So after years of being likened to his godfather and reaping all its positive rewards it was difficult to escape being painted in the same stroke they were painting him now. Her parents were irrationally worried that what happened to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny would happen to them to, and already it was determined to be his fault.
Tory's mood had been mostly subdued since his arrival. There were no questions about where he was and what happened and how long he would stay. He had just spent a couple of hours patrolling the perimeter and ensuring the protective charms around Shell Cottage were intact. When he got back it was past ten and he found Tory in bed lying on her side. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. She had been waiting for him.
She sensed him. Her eyes fluttered open and met his gaze. He joined her in bed, facing her, wondering.
Did she think he was capable of hurting her that way?
After studying him for a while she said, "I'm sorry."
Puzzled, he asked, "For what?"
"For not standing up to Dad and Mom. For not reminding them that you're not Uncle Harry and that you'd never do that to us."
He breathed out a sigh of relief, "Apology accepted."
"Everybody keeps looking at me with pity as if I'm Aunt Ginny," she said with frustration.
"We can leave."
He brushed the tears that fell on her face as she shook her head slightly, "No. I can take it. It's just annoying."
She snuggled up to him and rested her head on his chest.
"Aunt Ginny told me it'll pass and that I should ignore them."
"Sound advice."
Something else was causing her distress, "She knew about the affair when it happened. I don't think I could ever do what she did. Take him back like that."
"You don't have to worry. It won't ever come up."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Would you forgive me if I had an affair?"
Ted didn't need to think about the question, "If you asked for it and were really sorry, definitely."
"Really?" Tory didn't quite believe him.
"Of course I'd be in Azkaban for murdering the bastard who touched you, so I'd rather you didn't do that."
The way Ted said it made her laugh.
Tory swore to him, "I promise I won't."
"Good. That's settled then."
"I'll talk to Mum and Dad, maybe they'll back off," she declared, and he knew that even though it would be a difficult conversation she would.
He said to her, "You don't have to."
"But they're wrong."
"We'll let them figure that out. I don't care what they think," he assured her, though that wasn't entirely true. He wanted her prepared for the possibility that her parents would never see it differently, "You're all that matters to me. You and our baby."
Ted rested his hand on her belly and rubbed it gently. He felt her tummy push back making his eyes widen with excitement.
"Was that...?" he didn't quite finish when it happened again.
Tory was laughing, amused by his reaction.
"Yes, Teddy. That's our baby."
She was happy and he was happy that she was. He loved his wife deeply and completely. He leaned down and kissed her to make sure she had no doubts about that.
XXXXXXXXXX
Harry and Warren were watching Hermione from afar. She was with the Elders at their table, keeping Maria's temper in check and hopefully giving the village leaders good advice on what to do about Malvado's impending attack.
"How much time do we have?" Harry asked Warren.
"Sunrise at best."
That was five hours away and if Malvado found out his spy was made much less than that. He looked at the dozens of women, children and elderly still enjoying the party, oblivious to what was about to happen. Harry assessed their chances against Malvado and his battle tested army. Staying here would get a lot killed.
"Do they have anywhere to go?"
Warren answered, "There are a few safehouses but most do not support the multi-being cohabitation you see here. Some would have to scatter and go into hiding on their own like they did before Pag-asa."
Harry had asked Hermione to pass along to the elders the ministry's assistance. Malvado was no longer just a local threat. He was certain he could convince the Wizengamot to approve the operation. However, Hermione cautioned him not to get ahead of himself. Foreign government assistance was always viewed with scepticism here. Any help they got cost them something. It was unlikely the elders would accept the offer, as generous it was. But she did say she would try.
"The beings will stay and defend. It's pride and they're fools," Warren judged harshly. "She's not going to walk away from this."
"Nor should we."
"Relax, I have no intention of abandoning ship, even though it's obviously sinking," Warren retorted, "But do you honestly think she will let you fight this fight? You are the Minister for Magic, Head Auror, and most of all, you are Hugo's father. This is a lost cause. She knows it. Regardless of what she told you she will find a way for you not be here."
Harry hated to admit it but Warren was probably right.
"You have to talk to her," Warren interrupted his thoughts.
"About what?"
"I know you," Warren said plainly, "You're not going to let her fight this on her own. You need to be smarter about this than she is. You can do it the hard way but you will need all three Hallows to defeat Malvado."
So Warren wanted him to talk to Hermione about the other two. Harry doubted very much that the advice was as selfless as Warren made it out to be.
"Her hands are tied."
"Not that tied. She convinced the POTH to lend you the Stone. She can do the same with the rest. She will not entrust them to anyone except you but she needs to know that you want them."
"You've got zero credibility," Harry said frankly, "Why would I listen to you?"
"Because you know I'm making sense. You've seen what Malvado is capable of. If you had trouble with Llamas Malvado is ten times more powerful than him. The Hallows used by the right person is the only way to keep him at bay, to defend against his attack and to buy time to figure out how to permanently decommission him. There are no alternatives. And he's coming for Hermione and Hugo. I'm sure you don't want what happened to your father to happen to you? Dying for your family is great and all but sucks because you won't be around to celebrate their survival."
Warren was always good at mind games. So far he was indeed making sense.
"And when would you like me to hand the Hallows over to you?"
Warren laughed, "We both know that's never going to happen. So when you do get them watch your back."
"If she wanted me to have the Hallows and she could get them to me I would have them already."
"Yeah you'd think that," Warren said in his annoying I-know-Hermione-better-than-you tone, "Any other person she'd tell them exactly what she wants done and give them whatever they need to do it but that's not how she operates when it comes to you. With you she's conflicted. On the one hand she desperately needs your help with Malvado but on the other hand she thinks you've risked your life enough in your lifetime so she doesn't want to impose."
"Seriously? I'm an Auror. Risking my life is what I do for a living."
"Precisely why she doesn't want to impose. I don't ever argue with her about how she thinks, not enough time in the world, unless it adversely affects me. But you can take that up with her if you want," Warren continued, "Anyway, using me as bait Jericho sucked her into this case and a year later she finds that she's way in over her head. She can't stop Malvado. Worse, she's run out of time. Malvado not only starts killing off POTH to find the Keeper to get to the wand, now he's after her and Hugo because of the prophecy.
"When Hermione set the POTH up she vowed never to use the Hallows and to remove them from this world but she never imagined it would come to this. She never thought she would need the Hallows to protect her son. She painted herself into a corner and now that she needs to get out she can't. She shouldn't have given them up, at least not completely.
"You're the only one she will trust with them. She'll get them to you but she needs to know that you want them. You have to insist. Like any decision you make that involves her she needs to be convinced you're doing it because you want to and not because you have to. And don't ever give her ideas that it's both even if it is. That will just mess her up."
"I'm not yet convinced she thinks we need the Hallows," Harry said truthfully, "I'm not convinced myself."
Warren let out an exasperated sigh.
"Then you're all fucked."
"What's that to you? You're not helping Hermione get rid of him. Why do you care if we use the Hallows or not?"
"Actually I don't. If you really think about it this doesn't matter. Everybody dies eventually and if it's not Malvado doing the oppressing it's some other evil being or some government. So no, I don't really care."
"If you don't care then why are you still here?"
"I find this all entertaining. It's a great way to pass time."
"I get it," Harry made his assessment, "You're playing both sides. You've betrayed Hermione just enough so Malvado doesn't kill you and you've betrayed Malvado just enough so Hermione will hang on to the pointless hope that you will eventually choose to do the right thing. You're juggling lie after lie and now you've got so many up in the air you're making mistakes. You've obviously decided to be a coward and not pick a side."
Warren showed no emotion, "You forget who I am. I have no loyalties. And you can't insult me or make me feel guilty."
"If she wants you around, I can't tell her otherwise. For now I'm going to assume that you're still here because you care about her enough that you want to see her through this alive. But the next time you do something that contradicts that assumption I'm going to arrest you."
"You're not going to do that."
"Try me."
Warren retreated somewhat then started up again.
"Did she tell you what I did that night?"
He was referring to the reason for his apology that night Hermione awoke at Grimmauld.
"Not yet, huh. I guess she doesn't think you'll understand."
It was pointless to talk with the asshole, especially when 99% of what came out of his mouth were half-truths and flat out fabrications. All he could think of at the moment was hex Warren into complete silence. He had to remember that Warren was just trying to incite him into some response he would later regret. That or he was desperate for something Harry had yet to figure out.
And because Harry wasn't talking Warren naturally blabbed on.
"No question, I betrayed her trust. Breaking the Fidelus we discussed but she never expected that curse. Boy, was Hermione pissed when I disarmed her and took her wand," Warren paused, looking for some reaction, "Malvado was on the offensive. She could have lost it to him and I couldn't leave that to chance. It has been a long time since she used the Deathstick, nobody knows if it still recognizes a master but I must say that for someone who insists the transfer of the mastery of the wand through acts of violence is all hypothetical she certainly tried taking it back soon enough. And she knows about our fight at Gracie's. If she hasn't cursed you yet then that proves that she wants you to use the Hallows. Stop being a fool. Tell her that you want them. The Hallows are the only way."
XXXXXXXXXX
A/N. Whew…these final chapters seem to be much longer than planned…wish me luck on the next one…
Am so glad Harry showed some life here and didn't let Hermione's logic completely take over.
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