A/N: There is about one more chapter after this and a potential epilogue. Feel free to leave a review. I would love to hear from you. Enjoy xx
The next morning Hermione opened her door to find Lee Jordan with his fist raised, about to knock on her door.
"Hermione," Lee said smiling, holding out his hand. She ignored his hand and instead enveloped him in a hug. He didn't respond right away obviously shocked at her forwardness. They had never been close in school and hadn't seen each other since the final battle. He finally returned the hug and Hermione ushered him into the flat.
Hermione noticed that Colin had quickly removed himself from the main living area, which was perfect. In the note she penned to Lee, she just mentioned she needed his help for a complicated case and had yet to give him details. Walking into the kitchen, she asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Just water please," he said taking a seat on the loveseat. "I have a feeling I will need my brain to be fully functioning knowing you," he said, smirking. When Hermione returned to his side, he had shrugged out of his heavy robes, leaving him in just black trousers and a white button down.
She set the water on the coffee table and leaned back into the loveseat.
"So, tell me what this is all about," he said.
"You're going to think I am a bit mad," she admitted. "This isn't something I could just go to anyone with. I talked to Harry, and he recommended you, but even he doesn't know the details."
"My kind of project," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Give me your worst."
"Okay, then. I'll just get out with it," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "I am currently harboring a fugitive in my bedroom."
Lee looked at her in surprise and then walked over to the bedroom. He opened the door, peeked in, closed the door and made his way back to the loveseat.
"Who is that?" he asked.
"Colin Mulciber. An ex-Death Eater who is about to be wrongly imprisoned if he goes into the courtroom without a full proof case."
She looked up and smiled as Colin sauntered into the room and took a seat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.
"Colin Mulciber," he said, introducing himself. He held out his hand, and Lee took it without hesitation.
"Both of you have some explaining to do. I am not above helping, but I need to know what exactly I am getting into."
Hermione laughed, relieved he hadn't just walked out after he found out what was going on.
"Of course. Colin," she said, looking at the man who she had spent the last few weeks with. "You tell it better than I do."
"Will do, Cupcake." Colin then launched into the same explanation he had given Hermione only weeks ago. He told Lee everything. From Voldemort murdering his parents and placing him under the Imperius curse to how he read muggle literature in Azkaban.
Once he finished, it looked like Lee's jaw had become unhinged from his mouth. "Would you like something stronger than water now?" Hermione asked.
He nodded. Hermione bounded off to the kitchen to grab some brandy for the three of them. She figured they wouldn't need glasses for the occasion instead opting to drink straight from the bottle.
"Here," she said, placing the bottle in his hands. He took a long gulp and sighed.
"Thanks, Hermione. I wasn't expecting to drink so early in the day, but I think this called for it."
He handed the bottle of brandy back to her, and she passed it to Colin, who just set it on the ground.
"Sorry for thrusting all of this onto you, Lee. I know it wasn't quite what you were expecting from me."
"Definitely not, but don't worry, I won't be backing out. I still want to help," Lee said, lifting his briefcase from the floor and setting it on the coffee table. He pulled out his wand, waved it and the briefcase opened. He pulled out several pieces of parchment and a ballpoint pen with his name engraved.
Hermione laughed. "I don't see too many of those anymore," she said.
"Tell me about it. When I went off to Hogwarts, the thoughts of using ink and a quill was neat at first, but a pen is so much more convenient."
"I agree, but let's stay off of that topic. I could go on and on about muggle alternatives that are better than the magical version," she said. Colin just looked dumbfounded and chose not to contribute to the conversation.
"What are some of the specifics of his situation you were hoping to mention?" he asked, the pen touching the parchment ready to scribble away.
"Well, the main thing is his testimony. We have already been practicing direct and cross-examination over the past few weeks," she said, pausing so Lee could write down what she was saying. Continuing, she said, "I also think another Death Eater would be helpful, especially one who was close to Colin."
"Which one?" Lee asked, not looking up.
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but before she could spurt out a name, Colin answered for her. "Malcolm Avery," he said, quietly.
Lee looked up for a moment before scribbling the name down on the piece of parchment. He then set the pen down and leaned back with his hands behind his head. "As far as I know Malcolm Avery is in Azkaban for his crimes committed during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Is he innocent as well?"
Colin just shook his head.
"Well, that makes things a bit more complicated doesn't it? We can always have him write down his testimony under oath, but that is not as effective as in person. I will have to petition to have him in attendance at the trial."
Hermione was concerned about Avery's attendance versus a written testimony. Her gut was telling her it wouldn't matter how he presented his side of the story; it would still be worth nothing coming out of the mouth of a convicted Death Eater.
"Will it be worth it? I mean, will it even help Colin's case to have Malcolm Avery's testimony. He is a convicted Death Eater after all."
"Kingsley will hear him out for sure, but he is only the chairman of the Wizengamot as the Minister of Magic. He has no say when the Wizengamot is deliberating. It could help or hurt. There is no way for us to know for sure," Lee told them.
"Well, I best be off," Lee said, getting off from the loveseat. He held out his hand and motioned to the bottle of brandy. Colin handed it over and Lee took another large swig. "I'm going to need this to get through today. Petitioning for prisoners to be released, even temporarily is a pain in the ass."
He grabbed his robes and draped them over his arm while simultaneously waving his wand to collect all of his things and lock them in his briefcase.
"I'll be owling you, Hermione, Colin." He nodded to both of them in farewell. As soon as he walked out, Hermione quickly shut the door and locked the deadbolt, sinking to the floor. Despite the stress she was feeling, she had a smile on her face.
Looking over at Colin, he was looking at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "Why do you have that goofy look on your face?" he asked when he noticed she was looking at him. "You look like a lunatic."
"You're an expert on those, aren't you?" she said, laughing. For a moment, she thought he would be upset with her comment, but he just roared with laughter. Eventually, they were both flat on the floor, chests up trying to catch their breath.
"I needed that laugh," Colin said, lifting his head to look at her.
She nodded and broke out into a huge grin. "So did I."
Hermione sat up and slowly got to her feet as Colin did the same. They both walked to the kitchen and Hermione got started on breakfast as Colin took a seat at the island.
She hummed quietly to herself, trying to distract her from the impending hardships they were about to face.
"What's the plan for today, Cupcake?" Colin said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Well, I suppose we just wait around until we hear back from Lee. There isn't much else we can do until then. Unless you want to practice direct or cross-examination again?"
He shook his head and said, "No. I am okay not going through that again. It was torture."
"Oh please," Hermione said, giving him a 'look.' "It wasn't that bad."
"You didn't have a stubborn, curly-haired witch yelling in your face about the crimes you committed," he said smiling at her. "I prefer not to be on the end of an argument with you again unless I have to."
She laughed. "I was just trying to prepare you for questioning during cross-examination."
"I know," he said, coming up behind her. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder. "Thank you."
She smiled and blushed as he whispered into her ear. The close contact was making her feel warm, and she needed to stay focused. No distractions until after the trial was over. Kisses here and there were fine, but if they went further, they would probably be spending hours upon hours in her bedroom as new lovers usually do.
She turned to look at him, and he quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away. She whimpered a little at the loss of contact, and he laughed.
"Can't have you burning breakfast cupcake," he said, removing his hands from her body and making his way to the refrigerator. He pulled out the same orange juice from the day before and frowned, immediately putting it back into the fridge.
"I know one thing you can do today," he said, plopping down onto the island seat once more.
"Hmmm," Hermione hummed.
"Go to the grocers. I cannot drink any more of that orange juice. I need something else."
"How about we go to a muggle grocers? That way you can get out of the house for a little bit without fear of being recognized or turned in. We can go to one over by my parent's old house. There shouldn't be anyone over there."
"That sounds good," he said. "What are you making?"
"Well I had a ton of potatoes that were about to go bad and some peppers, so I have making fried potatoes and peppers for breakfast. It's a muggle thing, but I promise you'll like it."
Colin just sat in silence as Hermione finished making breakfast. She grabbed two plates and handed him one already filled. They quickly finished their meal and got ready for their day. Hermione transfigured some of her things into male muggle clothes for Colin wear for their adventure into Muggle London. Once they got past this trial and hopefully, won, she would take him out on a shopping spree for both muggle and magical clothing.
"Ready?" she asked him.
He nodded, and they walked out the door, headed toward Muggle London ready for an early afternoon at the grocers.
Hermione and Colin returned to the flat mid to late afternoon, laden down with bags and bags of groceries. Hermione had only wanted to get what they absolutely needed, but Colin had insisted that if he was going to be trapped in her flat for at least another week, he needed enough food to last him day after day, and have food for snacking and watching the television. She just rolled her eyes, and let him pick out what he wanted. The result—him complaining about how muggles needed to find something better to hold groceries. She was currently listening to him say how his circulation was being cut off from the handle of the paper bag.
As soon as they reached the kitchen, he almost tossed the groceries onto the island, and let out a huge sigh, rubbing his wrists.
Hermione just raised his eyebrow and dared him to continue with his complaints. He didn't but asked her in the nicest possible way if she could use her wand to put the groceries away.
She nodded and pulled out her wand, also not wanting to put the groceries away; it was her least favorite part. Just as with laundry, folding and putting away was the worst part.
She was about to head to the living room to look over some case specifics before dinner when she heard a tapping at the window. She turned around and saw Kingsley's tawny owl with a letter in his clutches.
Hermione shouted for Colin and ran over to the window, wasting no time in letting the creature into her flat. Colin skidded in after her.
"What is it?" he asked, watching her make quick work of the sealed envelope.
"It's from Kingsley," she said, her breath coming in short spurts from nervousness. She pulled out the letter and began to read out loud:
Hermione —
I hope you are doing well since we met yesterday and aren't causing too much trouble with whatever you have up your sleeve. I have scheduled your court date for next Friday, January 9th at nine in the morning. It will be full Wizengamot hearing with Penelope Clearwater representing the Ministry. She's feisty and not afraid to get in your face. Be prepared. If you need anything, send an owl to me or my secretary — we'll get it taken care of. I'll be seeing you very soon.
Much Love,
K. Shacklebolt
"So we have eight days until the court date," Colin, surmised.
Hermione nodded. "It's perfect. I take my N.E. on Wednesday morning, so after that I can fully focus on the trial for the last two days."
"Has have you heard anything from Lee yet?" Colin asked her.
She just shook her head and looked at the watch on her left wrist. "I haven't but, I assume he will let us know what is happening. It might have taken all day to try and get Avery temporarily released. Like he said, they don't take those things lightly."
As if on cue, another owl flew through the open window, dropping a letter on the counter and immediately flying back through the window, not concerned with waiting for a response.
Hermione tossed Kingsley's letter to the side and once more, made quick work of the envelope seal.
"It's from Lee," Hermione shouted in glee.
"Well read it out loud!"
Hermione —
I have good news, and I have bad news. So that this ends on a happy note, I will start with the bad. The Ministry will not allow me to remove Malcolm Avery from Azkaban for the trial. This is due to the lack of information they have on what or who the trial is for or about. This thankfully is all being kept under wraps. Now for the good news, they will allow the three of us into Azkaban to visit Avery and take his written testimony. Not wanting the other inmates to see that he has visitors, they will only allow us to go at midnight tonight. Colin will need to be disguised, but I think it will be helpful for them to speak. If I don't hear back from you, I will assume you are good with the plan, and I will meet you at the entrance of Azkaban tonight.
Best,
L. M. Jordan
Hermione handed the letter over to Colin so that if he chose, he could reread the letter. She watched as his eyes skated over the words so quickly, they almost appeared blurred.
He crumpled the letter in his hand and slammed his fist on the counter. "Damn!" he shouted. "How is this going to help us?"
"Everything will be okay. I have been thinking this might be for the better."
"What? How can you think that? A piece of paper that has his testimony on it rather than him physically being there and showing emotion?"
"Well, with the written testimony, Lee can convince the Wizengamot to think certain things about Avery. If they don't see him, they don't actually know what he is like, and Lee can paint a picture to put him in a better light and therefore, more credible."
Colin didn't say anything, but just kept his head down, seemingly staring at his fist. With lack of argument from him, Hermione continued.
"And, not to mention, we would have less than twenty-four hours to train him for direct and cross-examination. If he's anything like you — we would have lost the case with his testimony alone."
Colin still didn't say anything, frozen to the spot. Hermione carefully took a step toward him and placed her hands on his bicep, leaning into him.
"Colin, please say something," she begged.
"I don't know what to say," he said, letting go of the crumpled paper and wrapping his arms around Hermione. "You're right, of course."
"Everything will be okay," she whispered, praying to Merlin that she could fulfill her promise of keeping him safe. If not, she would keep another promise and find herself in a cell right next to him.
The hours past slowly until midnight, Hermione found herself looking at her watch more often than not. She was anxious to speak with Avery about his time as a Death Eater and his friendship with Colin.
Finally, it was ten till midnight and Hermione cast a glamour charm over Colin. She lengthened his hair and changed the color to blonde and completely vanishing his facial hair. She had transfigured more of her clothes, but this time into wizard robes knowing the Azkaban guards would sneer at them, hindering the process if they were in muggle clothing. They both dressed in black robes as to not draw attention to themselves, especially when they were supposed to be avoiding other inmates.
Hermione grabbed Colin's arm and spun on the spot, apparating them to the entrance of Azkaban. There Lee was waiting for them, almost shivering from the coldness. Thankfully, it was just that. After the war, Kingsley had made an executive order to get rid of the Dementors. He sent them off to uninhabited land to feed off of nothing and eventually die out. She shivered thinking about all of those Dementors in one place. Horrifying.
As soon as Lee saw them, they headed inside to check in.
"Jordan, Granger, and Flitney here to check in," Lee said, not hesitating on coming up with a name for Colin.
"Right this way," the guard said, leading the way.
"Flitney," Hermione whispered. "How did you come up with that?"
"Quidditch player for England not too long ago," Lee smirked. "They won't think twice about it." Before Hermione could compliment him on his quick thinking, they arrived at the part of Azkaban where the interrogation rooms were. Hermione was thankful that they hadn't yet come across the holding cells. She didn't care to see the other souls stuck in this horrid place — she would want to champion for all of them.
"You have thirty minutes, no longer," the same guard told them ushering them into the room and closing the door behind them.
Hermione focused her attention on the man in front of him. Avery was chained to the desk by his hands and feet, looking like he was asleep with his head face down on the table.
"Avery," Colin said, walking over the man and squatting next to the chair. Avery looked up and frowned at the man next to him. "It's me, Colin. I am under several glamours from being recognized."
Avery smiled and reached out to Colin, stretching the chains as far as they would go. Hermione had to keep herself from grimacing — Azkaban hadn't been kind to the man. He was missing several teeth and to be honest; he looked like he was losing his mind a bit despite the absence of dementors.
Hermione watched as the two men embraced, awkwardly due to the restrains on Avery, but it was heartwarming — she could tell these two men cared for one another very much. Once they broke apart, Colin introduced her and Lee.
"This is Lee Jordan, my attorney, and Hermione Granger, the witch who has been helping get my named cleared of all charges."
"Where was she when I needed her," Avery grumbled, with a smile.
"Ahh, come on Avery. We both know you are guilty of the crimes you committed. As much as I don't want you to be in here, justice must be served."
The man nodded and waved his hand, obviously not wanting to talk about his imprisonment.
"What do you need from me?" Avery asked, tapping his fingers on the table.
Lee spoke up. "We just need a statement from you about Colin and his time as a Death Eater. We only have half an hour…" Lee paused and pulled out his wand. "So we must be quick."
"My wand has a recording feature built in to make this as quick as possible. It will be transcribed once I return to the Ministry. But first we need you to take a Wizarding Oath and swear on your magic that what you tell us is true. Do you understand?"
Avery nodded in understanding. Lee spoke again. "Do you have any questions?"
"No," he said, simply.
"Okay, let us begin, then," Lee said, taking a seat across from Avery and holding out his arm. Avery grabbed Lee's forearm.
"Hermione, if you will," Lee said, gesturing to their arms. Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at their joined arms.
"Do you Malcolm Avery, swear on your magic to tell the whole truth and respond to the questions asked to the best of your ability?" Hermione asked.
"I do so swear on my magic," Avery promised, as a swirl from Hermione's wand encompassed the men's hands.
"Do you, Lee Jordan swear on your magic that you will not coerce Malcolm Avery into answering questions in ways that benefit you and to transcribe he answers word for word?"
"I do so swear on my magic," Lee said. Another swirl from Hermione's wand encompassed the men's hands before completely disappearing. Lee immediately let go of Avery's forearm and pulled out a piece of parchment. Looking over his shoulder, Hermione saw that it was a list of questions. Looking down at her watch; she was skeptical — it was going to be damn near impossible to get all their questions answered in this short time frame. She prayed to Merlin the guard was distracted and let them be.
Hermione almost zoned out while Lee zipped through the questions. She stood right behind Lee while Colin paced, not listening to the questions or the answers, but instead watching Avery's body language. Sometimes what your words didn't say — your body did. She made sure make mental notes of everything and compile them into a section of her brain, wanting to share her findings with Lee and Colin later on if needed.
What seemed like minutes later, they heard a knock at the door and the guard yelled, "Times up!" Hermione looked at her watch once more and smirked. He had given them forty-five minutes. Standing from his chair, Lee said, "We got all we came here for. Thank you." He held out his hand for Avery to shake. Colin then walked and hugged Avery — a long one. If the guard thought that was odd, he didn't say so.
Hermione smiled when she heard the raspy voice of Avery ask, "That you're girl?"
"I hope she will be," she heard Colin admit. By that point, she was full on grinning, but hid it behind her hand until she could pull herself together.
Walking over to Colin, she placed her left hand on his back and held out her right hand out to Avery. "Nice to meet you, Mister Avery."
"You better be treating my man Colin here, like a King," Avery told her. His tone was quite threatening, and Hermione couldn't tell if he was joking or being completely serious. She decided just to respond with a nod and grabbed Colin's hand to walk out the door before the guard started getting irritated with them.
They walked back out to the entrance, said their farewells to Lee with promises to touch base later in the day and apparated back to Hermione's flat.
As soon as they arrived, Colin collapsed onto the sofa and Hermione lifted the glamours on him before joining him moments later.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned with his well-being after seeing his friend in Azkaban.
"Surprisingly, I am okay," he admitted. "I don't like seeing him like that, but like I said, justice needs to be served and I know he wasn't under any curse while serving the Dark Lord — he committed every crime on his own accord."
Hermione just nodded and laid her head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand, entwining his fingers with hers.
I recently started a group celebrating the pairing of Harry x Hermione called Harmony & Co. (18+). If you're interested, head on over!
