i Beneath the messy black hair and above the dirty and ragged silk fabric… a lightening bolt-shaped scar. /i

b Harry Potter and the Curse of Riddle House /b

By arukas

At Grimmauld Place, Hermione abandoned her bathrobe and slipped into the warm water. Part of Mrs. Weasley's decorating ideas had been to improve the look and feel of the bathrooms. Hermione realized now what a great job she had done as she allowed herself to sink low into the water and bubbles. She could not close her eyes though, for as soon as she did horrible images would play across her mind's eye. The creatures mouth open and hungry… the scar that adorned the man's head. Had it been him? Surely there couldn't be too many people in the world with that scar? She had seen it so often and from so close that she didn't think she could ever mistake it. Of course the news had not been received well that she thought the man had been Harry. There had been pitying looks and even one or two of scorn but no one had seemed to believe her. Just as Hermione was about to allow herself to sink all the way under the water when she heard a knock at the door.

"Hermione, can I come in?" Ginny asked. Hermione sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah sure." She replied. The bathroom door opened just wide enough for Ginny to squeeze in before the red haired girl quickly shut it again. There was a faint tinge of red across her cheeks, likely her blushing, as she realized Hermione was sitting in the bath. However it quickly faded, the two girls having spent so much time together they each considered the other like a sister. "Is something wrong?" Hermione asked curiously as Ginny wandered over to the vanity and leant against it.

"That man today… was it really Harry?" She asked softly. Hermione felt a lump form in her throat and swallowed hard to dry dislodge it.

"He had the scar, right where it should be." She relied. Right where she remembered it to be…

"You don't think… you could have possibly been mistaken?" Ginny asked after a while. Hermione sighed and played with the bubbles in her hands as she thought about her response.

"He had the same black hair, the same lightning bolt scar and he even…" She stopped speaking as the memory played across her mind.

"He even what?" Ginny asked.

"He even nodded at me, as if he knew me." Hermione finished, remembering the expression on the man's face as he looked at her. "Except that the man he…" Again Hermione trailed off.

"Except what, Hermione what is it?" Ginny asked, more persistent now then she had been. Hermione washed the bubbles from her hands and splashed water on her face.

"The man, he wore a bandage across his eyes as if he were blind." Hermione replied. Ginny frowned in thought as she surveyed Hermione's expression. There was the soft hint of a smile on the older girl's features, something Ginny hadn't seen for the last few days.

"You really think it was him?" Ginny asked as she stood to leave. Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know what to think." She replied. Ginny nodded and opened the door.

"There's a meeting starting in twenty minutes, you should be there." And then she left.

"It's a most interesting turn of events." McGonagall said as she finished listening to the report from Hermione and Tonks. Between the two girls they had covered all they could remember about the incident in Diagon Alley, including their encounter with the strange man. Hermione had tried to remain as neutral as possible when describing the man, knowing that it was likely the only person in the room who believed her that it was Harry was Ginny. And even Ginny still seemed skeptical. Heck, even Hermione herself had her doubts about what she had seen. Three years, Harry would have had to survive for three years by himself in that house. In there with him had been Death Eaters, dragons and Voldemort himself. Not to mention there had been no food or water for him to live on… it was impossible.

"I think we should call it a night. I'd like to see you all here again tomorrow morning at ten in the morning for another meeting and new assignments." Remus said as he concluded the meeting. The Order members left one by one until Hermione finally pulled her thoughts together and left herself. On the way out Mrs. Weasley stopped her and placed in her hands some kind of dish covered in a cloth.

"Here, for your dinner tonight." She said. "Please Hermione, try not to be to sad." Mrs. Weasley continued. Her eyes pleaded with Hermione, causing the younger witch to feel a great deal of sympathy for her. Harry had become like another son to Mrs. Weasley and the loss of him had hit her very hard. Hermione remembered how she had done nothing more than cry for days on end when the attempts to break into the dome had been labeled as futile and called off.

"I'll try Mrs. Weasley." Hermione replied before thanking her for the pie and stepping out the front door. The rain that had held off all day had started to fall lightly and Hermione cursed the weather, mainly for lack of anything else to take her frustration out on. She then took a quick glance around before apparating home to her apartment.

Hermione fumbled with her keys at the door of her apartment, the rain now pouring heavily outside. She was thankful for the small awning that was protecting her from the rain that would surely drench her to the bone in seconds. Finally she unlocked the door and stepped inside, enjoying the warmth of her central heating. The apartment was costing her most of her paycheck each week but it was well worth it. The rooms were sizeable, warm and comfortable, the bathroom was clean and new and the location was convenient for walking to the shops.

Crookshanks came out from behind the couch and rubbed against Hermione's legs, mewing softly as he welcomed her home Hermione smiled down at her aging cat and picked him up, cradling him in her arms.

"Merlin Crookshanks, you wouldn't believe the day I've had today." She said as she scratched his tummy. Crookshanks made a face that said he would listen to anything she wanted to say as long as she would scratch his tummy some more. Then Hermione heard something, Crookshanks obviously heard it too as his head turned in the same direction. It had sounded like two flat objects connecting softly… like a book cover being closed. Drawing her wand Hermione walked slowly into through her house in the direction of her study. The door was pulled too and a light was on inside. Hermione cursed in her head, this was not something she wanted to deal with now. Did people have no respect for what wasn't theirs? But then again, how had the burglar gotten in? No windows were broken, the door was still locked and she even lived on the third floor! How had anyone gotten in? Maybe it was another wizard or witch? Hermione now gulped as fear began to creep into her mind. Surely if it were one of her friends checking on her they would have waited in the sitting room rather than ruffling through her things in the study! Hermione's grip on her wand tightened as she reached the door and lent against the wall outside. She could hear someone breathing softly inside and flipping through pages. Suddenly there was another noise, it sounded like the chair moving backwards on the carpet. Whoever was in there was taking the time to sit down and read through the books she had on her shelf. What could they possibly be looking for? Swallowing her fear Hermione prepared herself as best she could. If it really were another witch or wizard, she would have to be prepared for anything. Taking one last deep breath, Hermione shoved the door open and pointed her wand at the room's occupant. As she saw who was standing before her though, she dropped Crookshanks who meowed in protest as he unceremoniously landed on the ground and scampered off. Hermione's heart beat faster and faster as her mind reeled in vain, trying to understand what she was seeing.