A/N- Hey all
A/N- Hey all! Well, while I was in Disney, I dumped the last half (interrogation scene to the end) of the chapter on Melissa while I got a nice tan, so I give complete 100 credit to her. And I thank her for helping me out tremendously for all in incredible work she has done for me!!
Hey. Hey! HEY!! I do not deserve this credit. I was just doing what anyone would have done for a friend. I do not need the credit, and I do not want it, so… TAKE IT BACK KATIE!!
Not gonna (and its kinda obvious because she wrote her portion in 3rd Person)…so save your breath for something more worthwhile…like playing Magic with Jeremy every waking moment of your life.
EXCUSE ME…but I do not play it every moment of my waking life…only every other moment…But it doesn't matter because every single time I LOSE!! So yea not that fun…
Well, it can be fun if you try to make it…but it's not if you lose, so I guess you're right…but oh well…as I was saying…school was great!! And I went to prom!! I went with Brad!! I was excited as all getout!! I had a light pink dress that has silver-y flower swirl prints on it and I reeeeeally like it!!
OK…OK we get the point. Here is a brilliant idea, why don't we stop talking and let them read the next chapter (Aren't I always the voice of reason?).
I guess you are…sometimes (she can be a little cookie crazy in the head sometimes…like signing up for Biology AND Chemistry next year…but don't tell her I said that)
Hey!! Kindof right next to you, you know!!
Too bad…it's my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. Well…we've wasted a whole page on author's notes, thank you to Mel's kind reminder, so we're going to head straight over to the next chapter of Lips of An Angel!!
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! (please?! )
Now Comes The Night
Hermione POV
"What do you mean…stay with us for a few days'?"
"The penthouse was vandalized by someone with dark magic. We've been evacuated for our safety." Harry explained. I was standing there, red with embarrassment. Why did we have to buy a penthouse then get it trashed?
"Of course. You can stay in the guest room as long as you need to. But we're sorry; we only have one guest room, as we're decorating the other room for the baby." Luna said kindly. She ushered us through the door. There was a blanket laying on the floor in the living room and a fire crackled in the grate. Luna started asking Harry what happened, but he politely disinclined to answer her questions.
She left us at the door to the room. It was very quaint and peaceful, which the feeling was heightened by the sunny yellow paint on the walls. It had a king-sized 4-poster bed with lace hangings at the corners and an oak frame. Beautiful lace curtains also hung at the 2 windows on the western wall, showing the last rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. A rough-hewn clothes chest sat next to one of the windows and an open clothes bureau stood next to the door. There was a small table next to the bed that held a lamp, a book, and a few pictures from Hogwarts. A couple more pictures sat on the chest, as well as feint vanilla-scented candles sitting with them and floating near the ceiling. I walked into the bathroom and saw it contained a toilet, shower, bathtub, and a small vanity. When I walked back out, Harry was setting down the 2 small suitcases of clothing and items we had been able to retrieve. We had everything from the wedding, but we both managed to salvage our laptops, a few articles of clothing, and a few books. We were quickly unpacked, and I made a list of things that we would need to go to the store and buy. I went to go talk to Ron and Luna about arrangements that needed to be made while I left Harry to himself.
Harry POV
How could this have happened? We were together, living the dream. How could this have all fallen apart so quickly? I needed to talk to my financial planner about what to do. I dialed up The International Bank of London.
"Hello. This is Harry Potter. Can I please speak with Mr. Schwartz?" …………
"Hello?"
"Mr. Schwartz? It's Harry Potter."
"Ah, Mr. Potter. How can I help you?"
"I was informed that someone has taken a large amount of cash out of my accounts, so that I am down to 500,000. Can I please request a little more information?"
"Well, nobody knows what happened. There were at least half a dozen cameras hidden strategically, all getting good vision of your vault door. I've reviewed the tapes and all I've gotten is a slight shadow of a person and then a quick skip on video feed and it keeps on playing. I've sent it to several security agencies to see if they can identify the figure, but it's going to be tricky."
"Could I ask for a copy of those tapes?"
"Certainly. And when and where should I have them delivered to you?"
"Have them delivered to Mr. Ronald Weasley at the Blue Skies Apartment Complex in the Knightsbridge District at promptly 9am tomorrow morning."
"I will personally do it myself."
"Thank you. I also wanted to check in on my position with the insurance coverage."
"I've done everything I could to appeal to them, but they won't budge. They understand the trouble you are currently in, but they stand by their policy."
"Damnit…sorry. Ok, so what do you suggest I should do in order to keep my assets and a stable future intact?"
"What I would say you should do is first sell the penthouse. Move into a nice home in the suburbs or get an apartment like your friend Mr. Weasley in the Blue Skies Apartment Complex. They have nice housing at reasonable prices. And I would also sell some of your less-profitable stocks. Prices are on the rise and you could make a handsome profit off of them." I was taking notes on all of this.
"…sell stocks for extra profit…got it. Thank you Mr. Schwartz for your time."
"It's no trouble Mr. Potter. Take care of yourself."
"Thank you. I will be in contact with you later in the week or early next week. Have a good evening."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
And the line clicked.
"Ok…this just proves someone magical is behind it." I said, beginning to pace the room. I looked through my notes "Let's see…500,000 in the bank…selling my four lowest would bring in at least 1500…couple thousand galleons in Gringotts, no! That is extreme emergency only…definitely sell penthouse..."
"Harry? You alright?" Hermione opened the door. I sat down on the bed and put my hands between my head. She came over and sat down next to me.
"I just wanted to give you your dream…"
Hermione POV
"My dream is to be with you. I could care less if we were living in a cardboard box…but as long as I'm with you, my dreams have come true."
"But when you were at Hogwarts, you always said that you wanted to marry a rich man and live in a big, expensive home." I blushed at the memory.
"But I was naïve and a greedy 11 year-old, Harry." I said, stroking his hair "But I want just to be with you…dreams can change, can't they?"
"I guess so…but I need to make some arrangements that depend on what you want. I need to sell the penthouse once it is fixed, that much is obvious. Do you want to buy an apartment here, close to Ron and Luna, or do you want to move out to the suburbs?"
"The suburbs would be nice…I never really liked the crowded conditions of London." I said. "I always wanted to live in Kensington…its pretty there."
"I'll have my real estate agent look at some homes…of decent size and cost." He added. I knew he said the last bit for my benefit.
"Thanks." I said, giving him a hug. He hugged me back, kissing my neck. I froze at the gently way his lips lightly touched my skin. He gave me a wicked grin. I gave a shiver of content, then lay back on the pillows.
"So, Ron and Luna said we could stay as long as we like. It would help Ron so that he can get in more hours of work rather than watching Luna. Watching her would be my job…since I don't have one anymore." Harry lay down next to me.
"That's nice. I can get in more hours too. And you beautiful ladies can get some shopping and decorating done." I grinned. Shopping…something I had not done in ages.
The door opened and Ron poked his head into the opening "Oy! You lot mind helping us out with dinner? We're having mum and dad over. It's going to be a full place with 6 of us."
"Sure, Ron." I jumped off the bed.
"Harry? Could you help me with getting the groceries?" Ron asked.
"Actually, Ron, I need to go to the store anyhow. I'll go with you." I went to the bureau and grabbed my cute bright orange (knee-length) trench coat.
"Alright…" He left.
Harry looked at me as I pulled on brown boots. "What?" I asked, going towards him.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. "Please be safe for me." He tilted my chin upwards and I was looking into his eyes. They were bright, but fearful. He gently and slowly lowered his lips to mine and swept me away in a soft and gently kiss that did not last nearly as long as I had hoped...
"Herm…oh! Sorry!!"
"Ron…"
At The Store- Ron POV
"Is that everything, sir?" Asked the cashier politely.
"Yes sir, it is." I said.
"Ron? Can I have the keys for the car? I've already got everything checked out."
We were at a small corner store. The area was pretty deserted except for a few stray joggers in a nearby park. It was a dodgy area, but this store was amazing, so I kept coming.
I handed Hermione the keys and she walked out the door to the car.
I was handing the cashier the money I owed him when there came a scream from outside. A terrible, terrified scream. I knew it was Hermione, so I threw down the cash, left everything where it was, and ran outside, pulling my wand out of the inside of my jacket.
"Don't wave it, or she dies." Came a gruff voice from beneath a black ski mask. I turned to the side and saw my worst fear. Hermione was standing in front of the car, key in the hole in the trunk, bags dropped and purchases strewn everywhere. The burly man was holding a 9mm pistol to the side of Hermione's head, which he held tightly in the crook of his arm. There were 2 other men in masks. One pointing a gun at Hermione's heart, the other pointing a gun at me. I glanced through the window and saw the young cashier fumbling with a phone, panicking while talking to police.
"Go take care of him." The first assistant walked quickly into the shop. I saw the cashier set down the phone and the gunman point the gun at his head. The cashier held his hands up in surrender and walked out of the store and he was guided to stand near us.
"Ok… police are on the way, so let's make this snappy." Said the main man. "I know you two are involved with Potter." He waved his gun at me and Hermione. "Miss Granger, I know you are with the subject. I think you need a little reminder why you do not deserve Harry Potter. I guess I need to torture you a little." He set the gun, ready to shake her up a little.
"NO!"
The following scenes occurred in a flash in a matter of seconds.
I lunged at the man, knocking him to the ground as he pointed the gun to Hermione's neck. He was going to hit her in the middle of the neck, but I knocked the gun so that he barely grazed the side of her neck. However, it hurt her coronary artery and blood immediately started to squirt out. Gun shots rang out from all sides. I did what my instincts told me to do, cover and protect her. So I gently lay over her until I was sure the coast was clear. While I was laying on her, I ripped off the bottom half of my t-shirt and applied major pressure to the wound, stemming the flow of blood until a little still oozed out of the wound.
When I looked up, I observed a relieving scene. The two cronies were dead (thank god) and the main man appeared to have disappeared. I could feel the magic, so I guessed that he had disapparated. I observed a SWAT team coming out from the trees across the street and from the dark alley. They took one look at Hermione and raHermione and radioed in an ambulance. I could hear police sirens fast approaching and I looked at Hermione. It hurt me to see all the pain that she was in: her face contorted in sheer pain, she was gripping her neck like she was trying to pull something out of it, her facial color was rapidly paling, and I could tell that she was fast losing consciousness.
A SWAT member told me to lay her on the ground and they would take over. He applied a fresh cloth to her neck and applied some major pressure and she writhed in pain. A second later, she rolled her head to the side, her face pale as a sheet. I paled immediately and sank to the ground. Why does this always happen??
"Sir? Are you alright?" One of the team members came over to me.
"M' alright, I suppose." I said. He stared at me with piercing eyes. "She's been an extremely close friend for a very long time and she's my best friend's girlfriend. He's going to freak when he finds out." I put my head in my hands.
"I'm truly sorry sir," the team member said with remorse. The ambulance pulled up. "Will you be accompanying her to the hospital?"
"Of course, sir."
"Then I would suggest that you call her closest family member now so that they can meet you at the emergency room door."
"Oh what a joy!" I said sarcastically. "I get to tell the great and over-protective Harry Potter!"
"Well, sir, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do."
I nodded and walked a little away so that I could call Harry.
"RON!! WHAT THE HELL AM I WATCHING ON THE NEWS RIGHT NOW?!"
"Um…we had a spot of trouble with The Black Key again."
A/N- Hey everyone!! It is the unlucky day, Friday the 13th, but it is a lucky day for you because you get a new chapter released!! YAY YOU!! It is also a very lucky day because I passed my Driver's Knowledge test so now I have my Temps and I can begin to drive!! You better stay off the roads!!
Anywho….school is out!! I am swimming at 5:30 in the morning!! Partying every weekend!! Life is good!! And I finally got a chapter out!! YAY ME!! Anywho…I'll briefly turn it over to Melissa….
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY…sorry I couldn't wait for school to be out….This chapter is left on a cliffy to inspire you to review. We really would like a bit a feedback and if you do review, we will try to get to the end of the story by the end of summer (No easy feat for busy BEES)
Yup!! But we will try our hardest to get it done before summer is out!! And we will dedicate the next chapter to anyone who leaves a review…so PLEASE review!!
Thanks for reading our chapter, have a wonderful evening, and we will hopefully see you shortly for the next chapter of Lips of An Angel!!
Katie & Melissa
PS- I also got this done so that I wouldn't dump the end of another chapter on Melissa because I am going to Florida (Fort Lauderdale) next week for an international swim meet with my team!! Over 800 people are signed up and I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo psyched!!
Thanks for listening!!
K