"So you're telling me that Muggle kids actually want to carry their stuff with them on their backs, not eat decent meals, sleep in dodgy hostels, and walk all over Europe on foot? For fun?" Ron asked incredulously as they were once again in Sirius's old bedroom, packing for another mission.
"I told you Ronald, people our age do this all the time. They don't have jobs, don't want to go to school, and don't know what they want to do. Backpacking around Europe is like a rite of passage." Hermione's tone was one of exasperation as Ron still didn't seem to understand why they were transfiguring bags into backpacks.
Harry hadn't been participating in the conversation, but she would have sworn she heard him mutter, `my rite of passage was being killed by the Dark Lord. Backpacking sounds like it would have been a little less painful.' The look she shot him and his answering grin let her know she had heard correctly.
"The intel Kingsley provided us shows that the German school doesn't have a magical village nearby or is in any way isolated. It's in the middle of a fairly large city. If we're going to be staying there for awhile, we need a cover that makes sense," she explained, pointing to the black rucksack she was charming to hold more than it should, but have no weight.
"There's a decent hostel a few blocks from the school. We'll get ourselves established there and spend some time in the city. If there's anyone else there who shouldn't be, they'll most likely stick out and we'll be able to stop the next attack before it happens," Harry stated, bringing his bag over to Hermione for her to charm as well.
"I understand all of that," Ron retorted, clearly upset at the implication that he didn't. "I just don't get why you'd want to do this. Muggles are strange. Sorry, you two, but I'm right." He snatched the bag from Hermione and began to shove his belongings in. She opened her mouth to protest his unorganized and sloppy actions, but Harry's hand clapped over her mouth before she could.
Spinning on the spot she glared at him. "Thanks, mate!" Ron called, and was out the door before she could turn on him as well.
"It's his bag, not yours, `Mione. Let it go," Harry stated, dropping a kiss to her hair as he passed by, taking his bag and flicking his wand to send his things into it; in an orderly fashion she was pleased to see. "I'll meet you downstairs."
"I'll just be a minute," she promised. Her bag was ready and waiting by the door. All she had left to do was dress and meet the boys downstairs before they left.
Harry had insisted they look like muggle university students, so their typical black boots, trousers, and jackets weren't going to work.
With a sigh she pulled on worn jeans with actual holes in the knee, a t-shirt with a company logo she didn't even recognize, and an oversized hoodie. Cringing at the image in the mirror, she reluctantly parted her hair and put it into two plaits, completing the picture. If it weren't for the dark circles under her eyes, she could pass for fifteen again.
None of them had gotten a solid night's sleep in ages, but the few hours she'd managed to grab had been filled with horrible images. She had been back in Norway and every time she uncovered another body it had been someone she knew. She had woken herself up screaming. Harry hadn't said a word and had just held her until she fell back into a fitful sleep.
Taking one last look in the mirror she let out a deep sigh in preparation for the grief she knew Ron was going to give her. Silently casting `Nox', she grabbed her bag and trudged down the stairs to her fate.
It was early still and the house was quiet. Only Mrs. Weasley and Luna met them in the foyer. Ron, as expected, could not control the loud guffaw that escaped him as Hermione joined them. She narrowed her eyes at him, and raised her wand, but his mother was quicker and his laughter was cut off by Mrs. Weasley's silencing charm.
Sending Ron a smug look, Hermione turned her attention to Luna. "Thanks for yesterday," she said softly before giving the blonde girl a warm hug. Mrs. Weasley was next, telling her how she had given Ron plenty of sandwiches and biscuits and that the three of them had better make sure they were careful. When the handkerchief came out of her apron pocket, Hermione deftly stepped to the side so that Ron would be subject to the rest of what his mother was saying.
Making her way to Harry, she enjoyed Ron's repeated, `Yes, Mum,' and, `We'll be fine, Mum'. When he finally managed to get away he gave Luna one more quick kiss and then came to stand on the other side of Hermione.
"Thanks a lot, Granger. Glad to know you've got my back," he hissed at her angrily, but she just stifled a laugh. "Anytime, Ronald," she replied and then turned her attention to Harry, who was observing them with a slightly bemused, slightly impatient expression. "You two ready?" he asked, and with one final goodbye they were gone.
It was still dark when they arrived, although a faint hint of early dawn could be seen. Harry had taken them a few miles from the city, so they could walk in once the sun was up, protecting their cover and looking every bit the backpacking students.
He had somehow managed to deposit them in a clearing adjacent to a copse of trees; a perfect location, as it provided them some coverage, and he had avoided apparating in the middle of the forest and all the unfortunate consequences such an action could have caused.
Hermione cast a quick detection spell to see if there was anyone around, and after ensuring that there wasn't, made her way over to the base of a large tree and slid her pack off her shoulders.
They had briefly gone over the plans before leaving Grimmauld Place, but she knew Harry would want to do it again just to make sure.
Harry followed her lead and dropped his bag to the ground before using it as a backrest, and Ron took no time in following, sprawling next to them with his legs splayed in all directions.
Pulling a paper map from his back pocket, Harry shook it out in front of him. With a tap of his wand it sprang to life and all previously marked spots, routes, and information lit up; however, to anyone else looking it would appear as a normal map.
"We're here," Harry said, pointing to a small area in the bottom right of the paper. "The school is presumed to be in this large building in the city center. The German ministry has always been secretive about its location, but once we're closer we'll be able to detect the distraction and anti-muggle charms."
"Where's our hotel again?" Ron asked, not even looking at the map as he was digging in his pack for whatever food his mother had sent with him.
"Hostel, Ron," Hermione corrected, and not for the first time.
"Right, right. Hostel," he repeated, emphasizing the pronunciation.
"The hostel is here, two streets over from the school. There are plenty of restaurants and shops around, and from what Charlie told me, this city is a popular destination for backpackers," Harry explained. "We'll check in, and then start getting the lay of the land. Hopefully we'll find a place close to the school that will allow us to keep an eye on it without looking suspicious."
Ron nodded his understanding, and for once didn't attempt to speak around a mouthful of food.
The early morning chill hadn't had a chance to burn off yet, and Hermione wrapped her arms around her bent legs in an attempt to keep warm.
"Cold?" Harry observed.
"I wouldn't say no to some robes," she returned, and looked at her jeans in disgust. "My clothes have holes in them. On purpose." If she was looking to Harry for any sort of sympathy, she wasn't going to find it as he and Ron were both smiling at her obvious distaste for their cover.
"Boys," she muttered, exasperated, and got to her feet. "By the time we walk into town it'll be busy, we can check in, and yes, Ron, get something to eat," she added before he could even open his mouth.
The road into town was mostly deserted. A few cars and one bus passed them. The closer they got, however, the more dense the houses became, and as they walked past one house, an older man on his porch shook his fist at them and shouted something in angry German.
"See, that man doesn't approve of this whole backpacking thing. That's got to matter for something," Ron spoke up, sending a smirking grin in Hermione's direction.
She and Ron bickered for the next ten minutes until Harry had enough and silenced them both. The look in her eyes must have frightened him because he paled suddenly when he realized what he had done and lifted the spell immediately. She didn't even reply, merely stalked ahead to walk by herself.
"Oi, mate! What's that all about?" Ron bellowed.
They crested a hill and she stopped to take in the view. The city had appeared. It spread below them in the valley and it was easy to spot their destination. Harry came up on her side and took her hand in his, squeezing it in apology for silencing her. She squeezed back to apologize for letting Ron get to her.
"Fifteen minutes and we should be there," Harry stated. "Everyone good on our story?" he asked unnecessarily.
Ron rolled his eyes but dutifully responded, "University students who took some time off. We're from Manchester. I like football and girls. You two are so into each other you can't be bothered about anything else. We're staying in town for awhile because we're getting low on funds and we're waiting on one of our parents to `bail us out?' Did I get that right?" He'd had trouble the night before with the muggle expression, but Hermione assured him it was correct.
"Well done, Ron. I always knew you had it in you to do better on your exams," she replied, grinning cheekily.
"Thank you, Prefect Granger. I aim to please," he gave her a mock bow and then started down the hill.
Harry gave her hand a tug and they followed.
Streets were busier, there were more people on the sidewalks, and she saw quite a few other young people who looked a lot like them.
They paused in a small park right near the hostel and Harry pulled the map out again, not because they needed it, but because it gave him a chance to observe the park and see if there was anyone there who seemed out of place. Ron lay on a bench and pretended to take a quick nap, although Hermione was sure she heard an actual snore come from him once.
She and Harry cuddled on another bench, and when he dipped his head down to press a kiss to her neck, she didn't have to fake the shiver that went through her, even though she knew he was looking over her shoulder to see the people behind them.
"Anything?" she whispered, taking the opportunity to scan the rest of the area, unobserved.
"No. Mostly just early morning dog walkers," he replied, kissing her again. "Oh, and a member of the park police heading right for us. They must not like loiterers here." Then he was scrambling to his feet, thrusting her pack at her and hauling Ron up as well. They ran off across the grassy lawn and cut through a busy intersection, narrowly avoiding being smashed by a delivery truck, before they were back on the street that would take them to the hostel.
She was still gasping for air when she looked up at Harry and saw him grinning at Ron, his eyes bright, the exertion having caused his cheeks to flush, and a rush of love went through her. He looked like he had at Hogwarts, when times were good and the weight of the world wasn't quite on his shoulders yet. She wrapped her hands around his arm and pulled him towards her, wanting to feel him close.
He smiled down at her and took her hand again, before looking around to see where they were. "There it is," Harry said suddenly, and within a few feet he was pushing open the door of a nondescript building.
The open lobby of the hostel was half full. Sleepy travelers lounged on various surfaces, and one rather boisterous group had taken over the floor space in the far corner. A woman at the check in desk saw them come in and held up her finger in the universal sign of `one minute' before ducking into a back room.
Hermione let her pack drop to her feet and leaned heavily into Harry, trying to perfect the look of an uninvolved, tired, girlfriend.
Ron left his bag with hers and then wandered over to the group in the corner, pretending to look at a rack with brochures of local sights.
Harry's arm wrapped around her waist and she felt his chin brush over the top of her hair as he pressed a kiss into it, but she also knew he was using it as a way to check out the space without being obvious, much like he had done at the park.
The desk attendant returned and spoke in slightly accented English. Soon enough, Harry had secured them two rooms that shared a bath, which was an apparent luxury at a hostel. He had also gotten them a discounted rate since he paid for a week in advance. Harry was the last person who needed a break on the price at a hostel, but it fit in with their guise of being broke university students.
They were given their keys and Harry grabbed his pack and Ron's and he and Hermione went to join Ron. The guys in the corner had drawn him into a discussion about football, and even though he didn't know a lot about the sport he knew enough from the Muggle born boys at Hogwarts to carry a conversation.
Ron greeted them and introduced them to the group from Portugal.
"Hey," she said easily, calling on images of the young students she used to tutor and their casual, easy going natures. Letting her chin rest on Harry's upper arm, she looked around distractedly, like she was half bored.
"These guys offered to show us around the city if you're up for it. They've been here a few days and know where all the best pubs are." Ron was so good at his role she half wondered if he was acting at all.
"Thanks, mate, but I think we're going to go check out the accommodations if you don't mind." Harry's tone was downright lecherous, and she was certainly not pretending when she buried her flaming face in his jacket. Ron thumped him on the back, and his new friends let out cat calls.
Hermione couldn't make eye contact with any of them, but she just knew Ron was reveling in her embarrassment. "Harrrryyyyy," she mock whined, "can we go?"
"Coming, love," he answered, playfully grabbing her about the waist and bending down to whisper in her ear, "Sorry about that."
She wanted to smack him, but instead she went along and forced a giggle, when a stroke of genius came over her. She pulled back slightly so he could see her and have a moment to be concerned, and then she went in for the kill.
Her mouth slanted over his, and her tongue conducted a thorough investigation, while one leg hitched itself over his thigh. She ran her hands through his hair, knocked his glasses askew, and had succeeded in completely catching him off guard. Just as he was beginning to respond she pulled back so their lips parted with an audible pop.
She licked her lips slowly and purposely ran her hands over the front of her hoodie before straightening it. Harry had a gobsmacked expression on his face, and Ron and the Portuguese footballers were staring at her, mouths agape.
Plucking the room key from Harry's slack fingers, she stroked one more hand across his jaw and turned, heading straight for the stairwell. "Grab my bag, would you dear?" she called over her shoulder, putting an extra swing in her hips.
The heavy metal door shut behind her with a loud bang and she let out the breath she had been holding. By the time she made it to the second floor landing she heard the door bang again, and then Harry's heavy footfalls on the concrete stairs.
She waited for him by the door to their floor and tried to look contrite, but she knew he'd see right through it.
He took his time climbing the stairs. When he made the last turn she saw he had his pack on his back and was carrying hers in one hand. His face was carefully schooled, but he didn't meet her eyes until he was right in front of her, forcing her to look up.
She clenched her jaw to keep from speaking. This was one of those situations where the first person to speak was going to lose and she was determined it was not going to be her.
But Harry must have been familiar with this tactic as he didn't say a word either. The longer he stared at her the more uneasy she became. She began going over what she had done and started to second guess her actions. Had she brought too much attention to them? Had she distracted Harry from something important? Had she broke her cover of the vapid slacker?
Her apprehension must have begun to show because the muscle in Harry's jaw ticked and then he moved so slowly at first she thought she was imagining it. When she realized he was leaning in towards her, she held her breath in anticipation. His mouth was right by her ear when he finally spoke. Lips brushed the lobe and she shivered. "Just don't do it again," he breathed out, the warm air making her stomach flip. And then he was gone, and so was the key to the room.
She let out a growl of frustration and looked to the rapidly closing door that Harry had disappeared through. Now she had no choice but to follow after him. She caught the door before it closed all the way and jogged a few steps to catch up, taking the pack out of his hand and slipping it over one shoulder without saying a word.
The rooms were at the end of the hallway, and were adjacent to each other. There were bunk beds, a small dresser, and a chair that had seen better days. Immediately Hermione eyed the narrow mattress on the bottom bunk and knew that was never going to work.
Harry had gone through the door to the bathroom and into Ron's room where he had started setting wards. Taking her wand out she quickly enlarged the bed, and added a charm that would keep muggles from noticing. Harry finished up with the wards in their room and then noticed what she had done to the bed. By the lift of his eyebrows, she didn't think he minded.
She sat her pack on the bed and began to take out some of the files and books she had brought. Her magical bag was in there as well, with their emergency supplies if they ever needed to run.
"You think Ron will be ok?" she asked, trying to sound like she hadn't just half ravished him in public.
His pack was tossed on the upper bunk and he sat in the chair, facing her. "You gave him a pretty thorough `Muggle Do's and Don'ts' before we left. He knows to keep his wand hidden, and keep a low profile. I trust him." The tone of him voice however, implied that she did not know how to keep a low profile.
She nodded, and worried her lip as she looked through the files, trying to find the one with the newspaper articles that had started all of this. Harry kept silent and finally she couldn't take it anymore. She tossed the correct folder on the bed and then dumped her pack rather unceremoniously on the floor, before she flopped heavily on the mattress.
"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly, "but I'm not used to acting like an idiot, nor am I used to being treated like...like a piece of meat. You and Ron aren't exactly being asked to behave completely contrary to your normal selves, but I'm just expected to sit back, shut up, and look pretty. I'm not very good at that." The more she talked, the more annoyed she got. "I mean, why couldn't you have been the dumb jock? And I could have been doing a semester abroad from Oxford conducting ethnographic research on my ground breaking work on..." she paused, her hands gesturing into open space as she clambered for something that would make sense. "...on, class disparity of British university students in the 21st century, or something of the sort. I mean, really? Would that have been too much to ask?"
Harry hadn't blinked while she ranted, and when she finished he sat quietly and just looked at her. His silence was starting to become disconcerting. "Really, Harry? You have nothing to say?"
Then he was kneeling on the bed next to her, one arm going to the other side of her waist, effectively trapping her. "You're cute when you're angry, but then again, I already knew that."
Her mouth opened in shock, but he laid a finger across her lips before she could speak again. "I'm sorry about this, but it's the easiest and most believable story. These things always work better when they're kept simple. Trust me, no one who's spent more than three minutes with you would think you were an idiot. And you aren't bad to look at, so..." He trailed off with a small smile, and she could feel her ire abating.
"Don't think you're going to sweet talk your way out of this one, Harry Potter," she said in mock exasperation. He looked as if he intended on trying just that when she placed her hand on his chest and gave him a gentle push. "We've got work to do. I haven't even begun to look at these files that Kingsley got us."
With an exaggerated sigh Harry fell to his side next to her and picked up the nearest folder. They worked in relative silence for almost an hour before Harry's stomach announced its displeasure at having not been fed.
"Let's go. It'll give us a chance to find the school and see if any of our former acquaintances are in town," Harry said, nodding to the stack of Death Eater dossiers they had been going through.
Hermione grabbed her magical bag and selected a few of the files before transfiguring them to look like trashy tabloid magazines. When Harry gave her a look she just rolled her eyes and placed them in the bag, pulling the drawstrings taut with more effort than was necessary.
The day was sunny and warm, and she actually found herself forgetting what they were doing a few times. Her joy at just walking down the street with Harry, holding his hand trumped anything else that she should have been doing.
The main center of the city was open to foot traffic only, but it was bustling. Harry's hand gripped hers tighter and she could feel the tension in him gather as the crowded space meant he couldn't get a good measure of the area.
When a man paying more attention to his phone than to where he was walking plowed into her shoulder, she put her hand out just in time to keep Harry from pulling his wand.
"We're fine," she whispered loudly and then looked around, hoping to find someplace they could go sit and get out of the way.
This time she led him, and towed him quickly towards an outdoor cafe. Large table umbrellas provided shade from the mid-day sun, and there was an open one at the end, against a wall, perfect for surveillance work.
Harry relaxed slightly once they were sitting and he could see everything in front of him. They were handed menus, but he spent more time looking around than looking for something to order. However, when the server returned, he ordered for both of them in fluent German.
It took her longer than she liked to get the shocked expression off her face. Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Just something I picked up," he said by way of explanation, and she had that sinking feeling in her stomach that there was still so much about his life that she may never know.
She gave him a tight smile and pulled the `magazine' out of her bag. Harry reached into his jacket pocket and emerged with sunglasses and a worn paperback.
By the time their food came, the street had cleared out some and it wasn't so difficult to see the people around them.
They were almost directly across from the largest building. It rose for four stories, had an enormous marble staircase, and pillars that supported an intricately carved relief. Harry had kept most of his attention on the people entering and exiting the structure and anyone that seemed to be spending too much time just looking.
From what she could observe, and what Harry had told them, the building held the city's main government offices. The people going in and out certainly supported that claim as most were dressed in business attire and had phones permanently clutched in their hands.
"Are you sure the school is here, Harry?" she asked. She hadn't seen anyone that looked like a student at a magical school. Everything around them looked completely Muggle.
"It's here. I just don't know how they're hiding it," he said in a voice that let her know he wasn't pleased he hadn't figured out their secret yet.
They had finished eating and ordered coffee in an attempt to keep their table without looking conspicuous. Harry had his mug halfway to his mouth when he suddenly froze and stared hard at a point to the far right of the building. He placed the mug back on the table with a rueful shake of his head. "Clever," he said almost to himself.
"What is it?" she asked impatiently.
He picked the mug up again and took a long swallow before casually sliding his arm across the back of her chair and over her neck, playing with one of her thick braids. She put down what she was reading and leaned in so he could whisper, her hand slipping over his knee, drawing lazy circles on the denim.
"The spell that conceals the magical entrance is similar to the one that hides the Leaky Cauldron. You have to know what you're looking for before it will reveal itself to you."
"But we know what we're looking for," she countered, not understanding where he was going with his explanation.
"True, but in this case, you not only have to know, but you also have to be with another magical person in order to get through." The corner of his mouth lifted at her little gasp of breath. "Look at the side, where the stairs go down right before the next building joins." He waited for her to find the spot and when she nodded he continued. "It's right there. It's fairly well concealed on its own, not many people are going to notice someone coming out of that area, as there very well could be an auxiliary entrance door there. But if you wait long enough...See, there. Those two kids with the satchels. They just appeared."
Now that she knew what she was looking for, she didn't move her eyes from the spot, and within a few minutes another group of students suddenly emerged. There were three of them this time. They stepped onto the sidewalk and kept walking and talking like they had always been there. If anyone around them noticed anything strange, they certainly didn't react.
"Do you think they have any sort of distraction spell on the area as well?" she asked.
"Possibly. We'll know more tonight when we get a chance to take a look without so many eyes."
"Want to go walk around some?" she asked, loud enough for the passing server to hear. They had been sitting there for almost two hours and had to be either noticeable or obnoxious at this point.
"Sounds good, love," he said lightly, taking the hand she still had on his knee and pressing a kiss to the palm before tucking the book back inside his jacket.
Harry dug around in his pocket and pulled out a handful of wadded up Euros, which he dumped in a pile before slinging his arm around her neck and guiding her out into the street.
They meandered slowly across the plaza, stopping to browse in small kiosks along the way. She made sure to make comments about how sparkly the necklaces were, or how much she liked the garish scarves, not missing the knowing grin Harry would give her when she did.
By the time they had made it across to the building where the school was the foot traffic had increased and it was easier to take their time approaching the magical entrance. A small group of girls exited just as they passed, allowing them to see the ordinary looking door that faded into the stone as soon as it had closed. Hermione moved as if to follow the girls, but Harry tightened the grip he had on her. "We'll follow them tomorrow," he said softly, and she nodded her understanding.
They made it to the end of the block, and she was pleased to note there was an internet cafe two spaces down from the school. Leaning her head into Harry's arm, she looked up at him as she spoke. "We should come back here in the morning," nodding her head at the shop as they walked past it. "I wouldn't actually mind checking my email. I haven't even thought about my classes since I've been back." There was a note of guilt to her voice, as well as some surprise at the realization that she had actually forgotten about her school work. "And it's got a good view of the school," she added, in case Harry needed a better reason than she wanted to use a computer.
Harry was quiet and she was becoming concerned that her idea hadn't been a good one, that it had violated some sort of secret Auror field code she wasn't aware of when he finally spoke. "Do you think you'll go back?" his voice was unsure, and she was reminded of the boy he had been at Hogwarts.
"Go back?" she repeated, not understanding what he was asking.
"Go back to school? In France."
"I'd like to finish. I was almost done when I left and it wouldn't take anytime at all to do what I need to do." She stopped and pulled them to the side. "What's all this about? I thought we already talked about this."
He scraped a hand through his hair and looked at her. "We did. I'm sorry. I just hadn't thought about that. It occurred to me that maybe you'd want to go back to school, and I didn't want you to think I was trying to hold you back or anything. I told you, I'm with you wherever you go."
She smiled at him tenderly and reached up to try and fix the damage he had just done to his always untidy hair. "You silly man. Stop thinking about that. We'll sort this out when the time comes. Until then, we do have other things to be going on about."
"Quite right," he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple, before pulling her towards him for a quick hug.
They took a wide loop around the next few streets, circling back to their hostel. Harry carefully noted where everything was; shops, bus stops, hotels, restaurants, and even where the longer duration parking was along the side roads. Almost back to where they had begun, they spotted Ron, slightly stumbling down the sidewalk towards them.
Harry let out a long sigh. "Well, at least he remembered where the hostel was."
Ron was grinning widely as he approached. He clapped them so hard on the shoulders that Hermione's knees buckled slightly and Harry had to slide an arm under her elbow to keep her upright. "Easy there, mate," Harry said to Ron, a slight warning in his tone.
Ron lost his balance some, sending him even closer to them which he used to cover his whisper. "No worries. I'm fine. Those guys are lightweights, but I figured it would be better to just play along." He gestured behind him and Hermione looked up to see the footballers staggering against each other and causing a ruckus. When they saw her look in their direction, they began hollering and attempted to quicken their pace.
Hermione looked to Ron with disapproval and didn't understand when he mouthed a quick `sorry' at her. "So I see you two managed to come up for air," he slurred, and then exchanged high fives with two of the guys who had overheard.
Harry's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in close to his side. "Well, we finally decided we needed to get out and fuel up again."
Hermione swallowed down rage and tried to will her cheeks not to flush. Raising up on her toes, she brushed her nose over Harry's and gave him the biggest, enraptured smile she could manage, even eking out a short giggle before she snuggled under his arm.
There were ribald jokes thrown about and she pretended to not notice, studying her fingernails and looking around absently while the rest of them talked. Harry had the ability to talk to anyone and get them to open up without even realizing it. Within five minutes he knew the names of every underground club and bar within five miles, and even the contact information for the bouncer of the one nearest to the school.
While Harry was busy gathering his intel, she took the opportunity to observe these young men from Portugal. There were five of them total, but the more she watched, the more it seemed like one of them wasn't really attached to the group. He didn't have the same team jacket as the rest did, didn't join in with their joking around either, nor did he seem to be drunk.
He must have felt her eyes on him because his gaze locked on hers and a shot of fear went through her. She unconsciously moved closer to Harry, who dropped his hand to her back and rubbed it up and down even though he didn't know why. The man's eyes had been so dark they were almost black and she felt like there was something very, very wrong with him. She planned to ask Ron about him as soon as they were alone.
"Alright?" Harry asked, leaning down so he didn't have to speak so loud. She gathered her composure before flashing him a tight smile that she knew didn't meet her eyes. "Of course," she murmured. Harry's eyes narrowed, and she could tell he was about to ask her what was wrong; cover be damned. A squeeze to the hand he still had around her waist was enough to hold him off for the time being, but she knew he was aware something was wrong.
Harry's hand clenched the fabric of her jacket and before she knew it they were calling out good-byes and promises of meeting up the next day.
As soon as they were in the lobby, he was grasping her by her upper arms and turning her to face him. "What is it?" he demanded, his voice hard.
"Not here," she said with a shake of her head, and Ron looked back and forth between them in confusion.
Harry took a deep breath and gave a stiff nod, grabbed her hand in his and practically dragged her to the stairs.
He dropped the wards three feet from the room and then stood at the door waiting for her and Ron to enter before once again securing the space. As soon as he was finished he spun to look at her. "Tell me."
She gave him a look that she hoped he understood and then turned her attention to Ron, who clearly wasn't expecting it. "Who was that other man with the football players? The smarmy looking one with the dark hair. He wasn't part of their team. They didn't even seem like they knew him that well."
Ron was taken aback and paused before answering, "Oh yeah, him. Yeah, he's not, part of their team that is. His name is Lazlo, but I didn't catch his last name."
"Why are you asking?" Harry asked quickly. "You looked spooked `Mione. Have you seen him before?"
"No. Nothing like that," she assured him. "But I noticed he didn't seem to fit with them very well, and then...he looked at me and...it was disturbing. I just got a bad feeling." She rubbed a hand across her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know it's not very empirical, but...there's something about him."
Harry held her gaze for a long minute and then turned on Ron. "Tell me everything you know about him."
Ron blew out a loud breath and turned the lone chair around so he could straddle it backwards. "Let's see. They just said they had met him two days ago. He's staying here in the hostel. He said the person he was traveling with had had an emergency and now he was on his own. He decided to stay because he's got family in the area or something. They asked if he wanted to join them and he agreed." Ron shrugged his shoulders. "That's about it. He was nice enough I suppose. Kind of kept to himself, only had one drink. I didn't talk to him very much because the other guys were more than willing to talk. Sorry."
Harry paced to the window and placed his hands on either side of the sash. Ron's eyes cut to hers, but she looked immediately to Harry and waited.
"Okay. It could be nothing, but we should try and pay closer attention to him when we can," Harry stated before turning.
Hermione lowered herself to the edge of the mattress and for the next hour they exchanged stories. Harry filled Ron in on the entrance to the school, and Ron explained how he'd managed to stay sober while the experienced party goers got more and more intoxicated.
When they were finished Ron offered to go out and grab them something to eat while Hermione dragged out the rest of the files and books and made a makeshift desk on their enlarged bed.
The night progressed slowly. She kept finding herself nodding off in the middle of reading yet another Death Eater biography, where there had been little more than `possible sightings' since the war.
Ron headed for his room just past midnight and didn't bother making a joke about silencing charms. Somewhere around two, Harry pulled a file from beneath her cheek, removed her wand holster, and tugged her jeans off before pulling her under the covers with him and falling asleep with his arm tucked around her waist.
They awoke later than she would have thought. The sun was fully up and Ron was actually knocking on their door. Harry staggered over to let him in and she just pulled the covers higher and tried to block them out.
"I didn't realize we were pants optional this morning," Ron deadpanned, and she peeked open one eye to see that Harry had forgotten he was in nothing but boxers when he had gotten up.
Harry responded by sending a wandless stinging hex in Ron's general direction. She smirked when she heard him yelp.
"Let us get dressed and we'll go to that cafe for breakfast," Hermione called, but when she didn't hear Ron exit she had to up the stakes. "I'm not wearing any pants either, Ronald, so unless you want a full show you should give us five minutes."
He was gone before she could throw the covers back.
Twenty minutes later they were tucking into coffee and pastries, and Harry was trying to keep Ron from hanging over Hermione's shoulder while she used one of the cafe's computers.
She didn't have as many emails as she had feared. The ones from her department head she answered immediately, asking for an extension on the time allowed to defend her dissertation. There were a few from some of the students she tutored, and she cringed with guilt that she had just abandoned them so close to the end of the semester.
Her classmate Sarah had sent several, each one getting more and more concerned about her lack of reply. Hermione responded to the most recent, which had only been sent a few days prior.
Harry came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just feel bad I had to leave everyone there with so little notice. Sarah's sent me one a week since we left. She sounded worried." Hermione reached up and covered his hand with hers and leaned her cheek into it.
"Sarah?" Harry asked
"She's a classmate, and she lives in my building. Probably the closest thing I had to a friend while I was there." Her throat closed as she was swamped with feelings of desolation and sadness that had plagued her during their years apart.
Harry didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed his lips into her temple. She let hers eyes fall shut and just enjoyed the moment of feeling him there with her. She wasn't alone anymore.
Ron had begged to be let onto the computer, but she refused to pay for another five minutes just so he could play around. She bought him another piece of apple cake instead and he seemed to consider it a fair exchange.
Harry had decided they wouldn't stay there long. Instead he wanted to try going around to the back of the building the school was in to see if there were other entrances there as well.
Hermione packed her files back up, still disguised as magazines, and slid them into her beaded bag. Harry's fingers found hers as they stepped out into the chilly air, Ron behind them.
They hadn't made it fifty yards down the street when she gasped in shock and pain. She dropped Harry's hand and spun to her right automatically, her hand immediately pulling her wand, not even considering she was in broad daylight in the middle of a Muggle street.
Her right hand held her wand while she clutched the left one to her chest, where she was trying to put pressure on both her scars at once; the mystery pain had returned.