Disclaimer: Everything in here belongs to J.K. Rowling and Thomas Harris. Let them fight over what's what.

Chapter Three

Funeral Dress Code; Black

Mr. Vernon Dursley was found dead two days later.

A missing person's report had been filed in the morning when it became evident that Mr. Dursley had never returned home, but it wasn't before the discovery of his car, much later, that the police became involved. A small but deep pond in the forest was dragged and the body was found within a few hours. Despite the widow's claims that magic and witchcraft had been involved; it was quickly established that they were dealing with a very normal suicide case.

The beautiful snow that covered the front garden of number four Privet Drive was trampled down by neighbours, who wished to give their condolences to the recent widow. Some though, came because they wanted to hear just how deranged a tale Mrs. Dursley could make about the death of her husband and those involved. But they came in vain. Mrs. Petunia Dursley was the perfect picture of serene sorrow and not a word of ghouls and ghosts escaped her lips. Several neighbours would later mention the weirdly dressed man in the corner with a stick, but Mrs. Dursley would always deny that such a person had ever been present in her house.

Dr. and Mrs. Fell were the closest support that Mrs. Dursley could wish for in those days. They came by as soon as they'd heard what had happened (that will say; after the investigation) and they helped taking care of the boys and do chores around the house. Mrs. Dursley would always think that Mrs. Fell was very awkward around death and would always become quiet or make up excuses to flee the room when anyone mentioned the deceased. That was very normal and Mrs. Dursley accepted it with the grateful afterthought that at least she was trying. Dr. Fell on the other hand was very amicable and graceful in his handling of the situation. He took both boys to the movies one night, despite the fact that he'd never liked the bigger cousin much. But Dudley Dursley was very quiet in those days and seemed very confused at the whole situation. Somehow, Dr. Fell had managed to make the cousins get along for the first time in their lives.

But Dr. and Mrs. Fell weren't handling the situation as well as people would think.

Neither was Mrs. Dursley, but we will come around to that later.

No, Dr. and Mrs. Fell were trying hard to keep up appearances. If anyone had looked closely at the pair, they would have noticed how Mrs. Fell always stepped away as her husband reached out for her, or how Dr. Fell would frown when he saw his wife pout or glance guiltily at the pictures of Vernon Dursley. After a while though, Dr. Fell noticed that her face would harden at the mention of the deceased's name and he knew that she was finally convincing herself that the man had deserved it. It wouldn't be long before she came around again.

But it wasn't till the night before the funeral that Hannibal finally saw forgiveness in his wife's eyes.

Darkness came early in those winter days and the shadows filled up the rooms of number two Privet Drive, where hardly a sound could be heard. Hannibal sat alone in the living room with a glass of wine, glancing uninterested at the book in his hands. It had become very hard to concentrate on reading anything after he'd watched his wife ascent the stairs. The way her jeans had hugged her legs and the curve of her buttocks had sent a rush of heat through his body and he'd averted his eyes immediately as he remembered that they weren't talking. The silence during dinner had been unbearable and he'd tried countless of times to start a conversation, but his wife had just nodded at his words and averted her eyes from him.

Hannibal looked up as he heard the wind howl against the house and his eyes landed on the watch. It was late and they had to get up early tomorrow to be at the funeral. He got to his feet, put the book aside and forgot all about the wineglass on the table as he went upstairs. The throbbing between his legs became worse as he neared the bedroom and he glanced down at the tent in his pants with a sigh. Just great…

He noticed the light from the crack under the door and he knew she was awake; probably reading. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Clarice was propped up against the headboard with a pillow behind her back and a book in her hand. Her eyes left the book as she glanced up at him and momentarily halting at his crotch as she noticed the state he was in. Clarice returned her attention to the book and turned a page.

Hannibal sighed. "I know things have been tense between us the last week, so I won't bother you Clarice. I'm going to take a shower."

Clarice closed the book as her husband turned around and opened the door to the adjoining bathroom. She bit her lip and felt her heart skip a beat as the door closed behind him. Should she go in after him? Her answer was given as she heard the key turn in the lock. He'd never done that before as far as she knew. For as long as they had been married, she'd never caught him masturbating. This was something new.

The shower started running and she heard a loud yelp from the other side of the door. She sat up straighter. That did not sound like… A painful groan could be heard and Clarice threw the bedcovers aside as she leapt from the bed and hurried to the bathroom door.

"Hannibal!" She pounded on the door. "Hannibal! Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?"

Clarice's heart was in her throat and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears. The water was turned off and she heard the wet splashes as his feet padded across the floor to the door. The key was turned in the lock and she stepped back as Hannibal came out with only a small towel covering him. To anyone else, Hannibal looked completely calm, but Clarice noticed how he blinked twice a second and how his lips were drawn into a thin line. He was in pain.

"Oh God, Hannibal." She stepped forward and touched his arm gently. He was freezing cold. "What happened?"

"When I said shower, I meant a cold shower. A very cold one." Hannibal spoke through his teeth in an attempt to stop them from clacking. He gestured to his crotch. "It worked, see."

"Oh Hannibal." Clarice rushed into the bathroom and took the biggest towel she could find. She placed it around his shoulders and started drying him off. Despite the Doctor's attempt to stand still, she noticed that he was shaking. "Why didn't you just fix it the other way?"

"It would be rude…" He whispered, watching her fuzz over him. Their eyes met and Clarice felt tears threaten to fall as she saw the desperation in his eyes. "I didn't want to make it worse between us. I promised you that I would never do anything like I did with Mr. Dursley and I broke it…"

Clarice lifted her hand and touched the side of his face, trying to think of something to say. "You promised me that you would never eat another human being… not kill… I would kill for you and I can't deny you to do the same for me."

Hannibal nodded and he leaned down, placing a kiss on her cheek. She stayed completely still without turning her face away from him like she'd done earlier that week. It tugged at the corner of his lips and Clarice smiled as she saw the light in his eyes.

"You're freezing." Clarice said, taking him by the hand. "Get under the covers before your balls crawl back up where they used to be."

"I think that's too late…"

Clarice just shook her head at his comment as she tried to contain her laughter. Hannibal was smiling with amusement as he lay down on the bed. She tucked him in and placed a small kiss on his forehead before slipping under the covers, resting her head on his chest. He ran a hand through her hair.

"Would you ever say to me; Stop. If you loved me, you'd stop?" He asked quietly.

"Not in a thousand years." Clarice said resolutely, lifting her head from his chest to look him in the eyes.

"But you wouldn't like it, would you?" He asked. "If I ate someone?"

"No…"

"Would you stop loving me?"

Clarice sat up at his words, placing her palms on both his cheeks, so he couldn't look away from her. His lips were slightly parted as he waited for her answer.

"Do you remember our wedding?" She finally asked.

"Yes…" He whispered. "It was just the two of us and the witnesses in that small chapel. It was a good day… a little rushed because we thought we would get caught, but a good day."

"And do you remember our vows?" She ran a finger over his jaw and Hannibal closed his eyes briefly.

"Never…" He started.

"Never, no matter what happens, would we stop loving each other."

"Even if I went back to my old ways?"

"Even if you went back to your old ways." She didn't smile as she said it. "But you would be sleeping on the couch for a very long time."

Clarice rested her head on his chest again and they continued talking for a while, but it didn't last long before they felt their eyes tire and sleep overwhelm them. Hannibal felt content to sleep in his own bed for the first time in a week and Clarice snuggled closer to him despite his cold feet. But like it had happened a billion times before; morning came.

Light crept through the window and travelled across the floor till it reached the bed. Hannibal stirred as it hit his face, making the inside of his eyelids turn red. He tried to turn around to his other side, but the heavy weight of his wife across his chest made it impossible to move. He opened his left eye and peered down at her. The sun was playing with her hair and made it look like it was on fire. He blinked the other eye open. Clarice had died her hair completely blonde when they first came here but then her normal brownish color had come back. Right now though, he could swear that he saw strands of red in it. He thought about his own hair that was slowly but surely turning white and found that he didn't mind the new colors that were appearing in her soft strands of hair. Hannibal breathed in slowly and glanced at the watch on the nightstand. It was time to get up.

Within the hour, both Dr. and Mrs. Fell were dressed in their finest, black clothes and they made their way down the short length of pavement that divided the two houses. Mrs. Dursley didn't answer the door and when it finally opened, they were surprised to see the wide eyed face of Dudley Dursley stare up at them. The boy was dressed in a small, black tux that had probably been tailored to fit him and it looked quite good. Clarice leaned down with a smile.

"Hi there handsome, where's your mother?"

Dudley's lips moved but no sound escaped them and Hannibal noticed that no one had bothered to help him with his tie. He glanced past the boy and into the house. It smelled as if someone had burned the breakfast. Suddenly he heard a shout from upstairs and Hannibal pushed aside the kid and started for the stairs.

"Stand still!" Mrs. Dursley's voice sounded tired and close to tears, but the sharp undertone revealed her anger. "You should be glad that Aunt Marge already left to go to the church, or else… I should have listened to her back then. Vernon would still be here then. Stand still I said! He never liked you. I should have listened to his sister and put you in an orphanage. It would have been better for everyone!"

Hannibal didn't rush up the stairs as he listened to Mrs. Dursley's words. He took one step at a time, trying to be as quiet as possible. As he reached the top; he stopped in the doorframe to Dudley's bedroom. Mrs. Dursley was on her knees, trying to force Harry's arm through the sleeve of a white shirt that didn't even look big enough for a one year old and the boy was starring hard at the floor taking in everything she said.

"And did Vernon try, yes he did, he tried to help you Harry. You don't understand that yet, but you will soon enough. He said that he had to beat the freakiness out of you. It's the only way, he said. I didn't always agree, but he was right." Mrs. Dursley took a pair of scissors up from the floor and started cutting the shirt open to make it bigger. "I have to do better than Vernon… beat it out of you. You'll be normal soon Harry. No more freakiness, no more little monste…"

"That's enough!" Hannibal stepped into the room and snatched the scissors out of her hand. Mrs. Dursley looked up from the shirt in her hands and her mouth fell open. Hannibal could feel the anger bubbling under the surface and he grit his teeth.

"Dr. Fell…"

"Spare me of your excuses Mrs. Dursley." He glanced at Harry, who had lifted his eyes from the floor. The boy was watching him suspiciously as if he wasn't really sure what the Doctor was doing there. Hannibal sighed and turned around to Dudley's wardrobe. "Please leave the room Mrs. Dursley. I'll make sure Harry is dressed."

He heard the woman scuttle out of the room as he took a nicely sized shirt out of the wardrobe. When he turned around, Harry was standing on the exact same spot as before, watching him with his lips drawn in a thin line as he tried to be brave, but Hannibal could smell the salt of the tears that were threatening to fall at any moment. The older man got down on his knees in front of the small boy and slipped his arms through the sleeves. As he helped him with the buttons, Hannibal spoke.

"Does your aunt talk like that often?"

The boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"She's wrong, you know." Hannibal found the butterfly that Mrs. Dursley had left on the floor. "You're not a freak. You're completely normal and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But I am a freak." Harry said quietly and it made Hannibal stop what he was doing. "Weird things happen around me. I can't help it."

"Weird things?" Hannibal asked skeptically.

"Yes…" Harry looked at the shredded shirt on the floor. "That shirt was bigger than the one I'm wearing now. The more Aunt Petunia tried to get it on me, the more it shrank…"

"I'm sure there's a very logical explanation for that." The Doctor said as he remembered the events four years ago that involved a flying motorbike amongst other things. "You're a good boy Harry. I don't need to tell you that because you know it. Your Aunt is grieving and doesn't know what she's saying and your Uncle was a bullying brute who got what… who couldn't live with the things he'd done to you."

Hannibal had nearly slipped in his speech and wasn't about to test exactly how much Harry suspected had happened that night. Did the boy know it wasn't suicide? Or did he believe his uncle had offed himself out of guilt? The latter would be better. Harry just nodded silently as Hannibal slipped his shoes on and tied them.

"Come on Mr. Potter." Hannibal patted his cheek. "We have a funeral to attend."

Dr. Fell took the boy by the hand and together they walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen where Mrs. Fell had managed to fix Dudley's tie and was currently listening to him talking animatedly about some sort of TV series. It didn't take long before Mrs. Dursley joined them, wearing sunglasses and an expression that would have sent the bravest man running. Dudley took his mother's hand reluctantly. The Fells had offered to drive the small family to the funeral and they did so in silence.

Neither Hannibal nor Clarice were religious people and they sat down in the church feeling ill at ease. They were seated right behind Mrs. Dursley and the boys in case they needed anything and they were hastily introduced to the heavy woman known as Marjorie Dursley. Hannibal noticed that Harry sat as far away from his "Aunt" as possible and glanced back at the Fells to see if they were still there. Clarice squeezed the small boy's hand and he smiled widely.

Hannibal managed to stay alert during the ceremony, but he couldn't say the same for his wife, whose eyes dropped every two seconds. He nudged her gently in the side every time it looked like she might finally nod off, and she glared at him angrily. He would have laughed if it wasn't for the circumstances. They didn't want to attract unwanted attention, now, did they?

When the coffin was finally taken outside, the Fells felt relief flood them as they breathed in the fresh air. Harry was walking behind the coffin, clutching his Aunt's left hand as Dudley did her right. He looked a proper little gentleman even though the suit Hannibal had found was a bit too big and Harry waved silently as he walked past them. Clarice waved back, smiling gently. Hannibal watched the delight on her face and felt something heavy land in his stomach. He couldn't give her a little boy that she could wave at whenever she wanted to….

Putting Vernon into the ground didn't take long and the Fells kept their distance from the grieving family, waiting for the moment when they should drive them back home. There was going to be a reception at the Dursley's home and Hannibal had been the one to arrange it. He knew that there were currently several people at the house, setting up the food and everything. It crossed his mind that it was rather macabre that he was at the funeral and had arranged the reception when he was the one who had killed the deceased.

His lips tugged into a smile.

Mrs. Dursley was very nervous as she shook hands with all the people who had attended the funeral. When a tall, white haired man walked up to her, Hannibal felt recognition well up in him. He had seen him before…. Was this? Yes, this was the man who had placed Harry on the doorstep of the Dursley's house all those years ago.

But eventually even the oddly dressed people walked away, leaving the Fells alone with the family. Marjorie Dursley was eyeing them suspiciously, especially when Harry let go of his aunt's hand and walked up to Clarice and hid behind her legs.

"I see the boy has taking a liking to you, Mrs Fell." The big woman said. "Just watch out, he has always been an ungrateful little bastard. Vernon always said so."

"I'm sure Vernon said a lot of things Mrs. Dursley." Clarice started. "But I do believe he was wrong about that one."

"We'll see…" As she walked past them, she sent Harry a look that made the boy let go of Clarice's leg and clutch her hand instead. A loud yapping could be heard from inside the car and Hannibal noticed the dog on the front seat.

Mrs. Dursley stepped forward, holding onto Dudley, who looked just as confused as always, clearly not having understood the finality of his father's situation.

"I think…" She started. "I think it would be best, if Harry stayed with you for a while. Marjorie has decided to stay for a few days and she can't stand the boy. I'm afraid… I'm afraid she might do something rash… blame Harry or…"

"We understand." Clarice spoke quickly. "It's no problem. Is it Harry?"

Harry was still holding her hand and looked from her aunt to Clarice, before he shook his head. "I would very much like that Mrs. Fell."

Hannibal noticed the relief that passed over Mrs. Dursley's face, which was quickly masked with gratitude. Harry seemed genuinely happy at the prospect and Hannibal smiled kindly at the boy as he beamed up at them.

The reception passed uneventful. Harry kept himself to Hannibal or Clarice the entire afternoon, avoiding both his aunts with near perfection. Hannibal even found it in himself to include Dudley as he took Harry outside with a football that Harry had found in the shed. The boys played nicely together, though Hannibal was surprised to see that Harry was the one who seemed most animated. Clarice, who had wanted to learn the rules of European football since she came there, was rather confused at the boys' game. Hannibal had to admit that their game had nothing to do with football and rather looked like something they'd just invented where it was okay to pick the ball up in their arms and throw it instead.

As it became late and most guests had gone home, Hannibal picked Harry up in his arms despite the boy's protests.

"It's late Harry." Dr. Fell said, struggling with him. "You're going home with me and Clarice tonight, remember?"

"Oh, right." Harry quieted and beamed at Clarice as she walked up beside them. "Where am I sleeping?"

Hannibal glanced at Clarice, who looked just as confused as him.

"Well…" She started. "We don't actually have a guestroom or a mattress or…"

"I guess you have to sleep with us tonight." Hannibal said, not really feeling all that comfortable at the thought.

"But I'm not allowed to go into a grownup's bedroom…"

"Hush honey." Clarice said with a smile. "We don't mind at all, do we Hannibal?"

"Not at all dear."

Harry nodded solemnly, clearly thinking that it was quite a big deal. The Fells took the two boys inside where the aunts were seated. The guests had all left and Marjorie Dursley stank of cognac as she lifted her glass in greeting.

"Well met!" She slurred. Her eyes landed on Harry. "Not you boy…"

"We're taking Harry home." Clarice said quickly, eyeing the big woman at the table warily.

Mrs. Dursley nodded, hardly looking at the boy at all.

"The Doctor and his wife are being very kind to you boy." Marjorie said. "You better behave, cos if I hear anything else…"

"I always behave." Harry said with a hard tone, feeling much braver in Hannibal's arms. Clarice couldn't hide her smile at his words and she excused them, saying that it was getting late and that they should get home.

"Of course, thank you for taking him." Mrs. Dursley said quietly.

"Not at all." Hannibal noticed the lost expression on the heavy cousin's face as he waved goodbye to Harry.

Back in number two Privet Drive much later that night, Harry was standing awkwardly in the doorway to the bedroom. He was watching silently as Clarice picked out one of Hannibal's old t-shirts and handed it over to him.

"You can sleep in this one Harry." She said with a smile. "Come on, let's brush your teeth."

Harry was surprised to see that Clarice had somehow managed to bring his own toothbrush with her and he quickly did as he was bid.

"Let me see them." She asked. Harry smiled widely, showing off his teeth and toothpaste dripping down his chin. Clarice laughed and wiped it off with a towel, handing him a glass of water. "Gurgle and spit out."

When they came back to the bedroom, Hannibal was already there, dressed in a blue pajamas and Harry crawled up, placing himself in the middle. He wasn't really sure what he should do, but his five year old mind decided that it might be best if he went straight to sleep. He knew that his aunt and uncle didn't like it when he couldn't sleep. So the small boy slipped under Clarice's blanket, staring at the ceiling.

Both Clarice and Hannibal were unusually silent and Harry thought that probably meant that they wanted to sleep too. He couldn't know of course that the two grownups simply didn't have a clue as what to do with him. Should they tell him a story? They didn't have a single children book in the house and reading him something might turn out to be problematic. As the silence stretched on, Harry closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.

Hannibal looked down at the small boy as he sat with his back to the headboard.

"That was quick." Clarice mumbled and Hannibal nodded in agreement as he watched the boy's chest move up and down in an even rhythm. "You know, if he's going to stay here for a few days, we might consider installing something in the guestroom…"

"Just for him?" Hannibal asked with a furrowed brow.

"No, yes, I mean, all the extra bedrooms in this house are empty. Completely empty. I know we decided to keep it that way in case we had to move, but it does seem a bit weird, doesn't it? We have no pictures and a half empty house…"

"You mean, in case Harry gets suspicious?"

"Yes. It didn't matter before, because no one who visits goes upstairs, but Harry might and quite frankly, the boy is smart."

"You're right Clarice." Hannibal winked at her. "It would be quite embarrassing if we got caught by a five year old, wouldn't it?"

The Fells were right to make the second bedroom, because Harry Potter didn't just stay for a few days. A few days turned into a week and a week turned into a month and by the time Marjorie Dursley finally decided to go home, Harry Potter had firmly moved into number two Privet Drive.

A/N:
Please review! It makes it so much easier to write the next chapter :P

So what do you think of my way of installing Harry in House Lecter? Quite smooth, wasn't it? I considered killing Mrs. Dursley, but I saw no motivation for it, besides, what would happen to the blood protection? And Harry would obviously be taken away by Dumbledore… The rest of the Dursley's stay alive… for a while MWHAHAHHA!