As I stood on my deck, overlooking the sea, I saw the waves begin to turn and grow choppy as the dark black clouds swirled in the air. There was a storm coming. The water crashed against the rocks below as I retreated into the cottage that I had come to call home for the past year and a half. Something felt wrong, in the air and in the energy around me, almost dark and evil, as if something was coming and I didn't know what. I could feel the magic sizzling around me, in my hair and on my skin and it wasn't the gentle, soothing relief it normally gave me; this felt wrong. The small two-bedroom cottage was my little escape, the one place I felt completely and utterly safe.
It was my childhood summer home, the place me and my parents would come during the summer months when the weather was nice, where we spent hours on the beach at the bottom the cliffs whilst my dad did some coast fishing and my mum and I would poke about in the rock pools. Oh, when life was so much simpler. When my parents emigrated to Australia, I didn't know that they had the cottage in my name for years until I was contacted by their solicitor after the wizarding war about a piece of property I was entitled to. Of course, he didn't know who I was, but he didn't ask too many questions. I took Harry and Ron here after the war was over. It was peaceful, a place where we could heal. Harry came a few times, just on his own, when he wanted to get away from the fame and papers. Nobody knew us here- they didn't know we were war heroes or whatever we were labelled nowadays. It felt wrong to get a hero's reward when there was so many others who fought and died for us.
I put a few logs on the wood burning fire, as I felt the temperature slowly grow colder, and turn to the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil- maybe a cup of tea might soothe my nerves. A sudden crash of thunder startled me and made me jump, making me drop a mug onto the floor. "Shit" I mumbled under my breath, as I crouched down to pick up the shattered pieces until I heard an abrupt cry from upstairs. Taking a sigh, I walked up the stairs to the spare room that had been converted into a nursery.
He was in his crib, eyes scrunched up tight as little tears rolled down his red cheeks as he held out his arms crying. "Shhhh… it's okay my little man. You're okay Scorpius, it's just nasty thunder and silly mummy dropped a cup. Did it wake you?" I murmured, as I picked him up into my arms and gently rocked him, hoping to try and get him to sleep again. He put his fingers in my hair as he laid his head on my shoulder, as I gently rubbed his back in circles soothing him.
His blonde hair had a grown a few more inches in the past weeks and had begun to fall over his forehead towards his eyes. I kissed his little red cheeks as he looked at me with his bright blue eyes. He looks so much like his father, that sometimes I look at him and only remember those bittersweet memories. I smiled as I tickled his tummy, which won a little giggle from him as I sat on the rocking chair under the window, and looked out to the raging storm that had overtaken the sea and sky.
After soothing Scorpius for a while, I managed to get him back to sleep and in his crib, as I went downstairs to clean up the rest of the broken mug. Quietly, I tried to focus my magic on the cup pieces as they slowly gravitated towards each other and began reassembling themselves back together. It was rare I used magic, even wandless magic, but it was better than getting the vacuum cleaner out and possibly disturbing Scorpius again. I never used my wand anymore- since running away from the Wizarding World; it felt wrong using something I had turned my back on. Instead, I kept my wand in my bedside drawer, just in case.
Another crash of thunder made me shudder until that's when I heard it, the monstrous banging that was coming from the door. I thought I might have just been hearing things, perhaps it was the thunder playing tricks but then I heard it again- only this time the door shuddered against its hinges. Quickly, I ran upstairs and grabbed Scorpius pulling him tight against me before running into my bedroom, and to my bedside drawer. I quickly grabbed my wand and vanished with a pop just as I saw a shadow appear at the top of the stairs.
I appeared at No. 12 Grimmauld Place, trying to calm Scorpius' ear-splitting cries. He'd never experienced Apparating before and I understood how awful it felt especially at a young age, but there was no other choice. I ran to the front door and began pounding on it with my fists, "GINNY!" I screamed, through the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. Before I knew it, I felt the front door open as Ginny stood there in her lilac dressing gown and unicorn slippers.
"Oh my God, Hermione what happened?!"
"S-Someone broke in. A w-wizard I think. I left before he caught us." I sobbed through the tears, "He was trying to get us, Ginny."
"Quickly get in," she said, slamming the door behind us as she grabbed Scorpius off me. "I'll put the kettle on." She said as she led us through the long corridor and into the open kitchen. Since moving into Grimmauld Place, you could tell Ginny had made it her own, it felt warm and cosy instead of the strange, creepy, vibe it gave off before. "It's okay, Hermione, you need to calm down; you're here, you're safe." She said as she placed a hot cup of tea in front of me, whilst rocking Scorpius on her hip.
I took the cup reluctantly as I took a long sip, allowing it to calm my nerves. I'm okay, I'm safe. Scorpius is safe. We are safe. That's all that matters. The boiling tea scolded my tongue but I didn't care. Deep breaths, everything is okay. I let out a long breath as I held out my arms for Scorpius, who was still inconsolable. He reached out to me and grabbed my curly hair, as I held him against me. "Right," Ginny said, "I'll send Harry a Patronus. He's working late at the office tonight and you need to report this Hermione, especially if you think it's a wizard." I nodded a little, as I held Scorpius against me tight, wanting to never let him go.
Within two minutes, Harry showed up with a wand in his hand ready for a fight. "Harry, the danger isn't here you idiot." Ginny huffed, as she went to embrace him. "Do you want to give Hermione another heart attack!"
"Sorry," he said, as he came over to embrace me and Scorpius. "Do you want to come to Uncle Harry, little man?"
Scorpius looked at me with his bright blue eyes, before looking at Harry; "It's okay Scorpius," I murmured to him, "You'll always be safe with Uncle Harry." Quickly he reached his arms out to Harry, as he began to grab and pull on his glasses, whilst giggling at the faces Harry started to pull.
"Do you know who it could be?" Harry asked.
"I have no idea. I knew something strange was in the air, I can't explain it, but my magic felt it. And then next minute the door was blown off its hinges. I didn't want to stay and fight Harry, not knowing who was breaking into my house or what they were after" I said, staring at Scorpius.
"You don't think it's him do you," said Ginny.
"Who, Malfoy? I made sure when Scorpius was born he would never be able to find him, no matter what magic he used." I said as I showed them the rune mark on my skin. After becoming pregnant with Scorpius, I knew I didn't want to be found and after he made it perfectly clear he didn't want to be with me or want anything to do with his child- so I researched for months to get around blood magic.
I knew that unless I could stop the blood magic between father and son, Scorpius would be born and his name would appear instantly on the Malfoy Family Tree, and I would just become a pawn in Malfoy's life again. I researched until I found the answer. It has cost me dearly in my magic and energy but it was worth it.
"No, it wasn't Malfoy." Harry said, "He's been with me all night in the office." He looked carefully at me before he took my hand. "Look, Hermione, I need you to report this. I can't protect you and Scorpius until you do. Come morning, I can have every single Auror on this case, but I can't do anything unless you report this. We can even do it now, so you won't have to see anyone."
I took a deep breath and contemplated whether I should. Do I want people looking at all my things, delving into my life? But what if this person finds us again… what if he wants Scorpius? "Okay." I murmured to Harry, wiping away the last of tears with the back of my hand. "I'll go now."
"I'll look after Scorpius here, I can put him down in one of the spare rooms," Ginny replied.
"Okay, just… please don't leave him alone Ginny."
"Don't worry… I could watch this little angel sleep all night." She said as she took him from Harry, "Come on little one, let's go change that smelly nappy of yours."
He turned to me and gave me a toothless grin, whilst waving his little hand as they disappeared up the stairs. "You know she's a complete natural, Harry," I said to him, as he smiled goofily at me.
"I know. Anyway, we can talk about that later. We need to get you to ministry," he said, as he grabbed my hand tightly as he apparated us into the Atrium.
