Please heed the M warning!
o.O.o
"I want to send them everything," Hermione said quietly after the boys were finally asleep.
"I do too, but we can't risk that," Emily replied. "Some of the men have already commented on our friend flying around frequently and one even thought it followed us from France, to Russia, and now to Japan. If the owl comes back with a letter then we'll have to tell him to stay in Virginia permanently."
Hermione was quiet while they sorted out their laundry.
"This has to be hard for you," Hermione said softly. "You love Ian and you are going to have a baby with him. If they do find us eventually, how are you going to walk away from this family he's brought together?"
"Today's a beautiful day," Emily quietly responded. "Maybe the boys would like to have one of their lessons outside."
"They would love that," Hermione replied sombrely when Emily changed the subject. "Phoenix missed Japan."
"Mama!" Phoenix laughed as he ran into the laundry room. "There's a grove of cherry blossom trees nearby! We love those!"
"We do love them," Hermione smiled at her brother as she carefully sat next to him on the bottom step. Her stomach was already growing, but she thankfully wasn't as big as Emily. Phoenix moved to her lap and patted her stomach while he cooed at her bump.
"I hope I have a niece," Phoenix said with a smile.
"Whatever I have, you will always be my first baby," Hermione softly replied as she kissed his cheek. "What game are you and Declan playing?" She asked.
"Hide and seek," Phoenix responded. "I'm supposed to be counting out loud but I can count just as well in my head!"
Hermione and Emily laughed.
"Maybe it is time you go find Declan so he will not have to wait too long for you to find him," Hermione suggested.
"Okay," Phoenix agreed, then called out loudly to Declan.
"Lovely day," Ian smiled as Phoenix ran past him. "The boys love this place."
"I think we all do," Emily replied as Ian stepped toward her and tiled her head back to kiss her.
Hermione's heart pulled as she thought of Spencer while folding the last of their clothes.
"How are the little ones?" Ian asked as he pressed his hand on Emily's stomach.
"They're devils," Emily grumbled while Hermione laughed.
"Mine seems to be an angel so far," Hermione said.
"That's because you're an angel," Emily retorted.
"Emily," Hermione playfully gasped. "What does that say about you?" She asked as she threw her a raspberry and laughed when Emily grumbled more.
"It's not my fault their father is a big devil," Emily responded.
"I came to announce the arrival of some new books," Ian said and chuckled when Hermione squealed and waddled as fast as she could out of the laundry room.
"Love the new walk!" Emily called after her.
"I am tempted to throw you something I have never considered throwing before," Hermione replied as she continued toward the house.
"Just do it!" Emily taunted.
Hermione glared before sliding the door closed.
"Don't tempt my niece to be vulgar," Ian frowned as Emily closed the door to the laundry room. "And don't be vulgar yourself. I don't want our children learning those things."
"Ian," she replied as she waddled back to him. "I need you to do something."
"Anything besides allowing you to contact your friends in Virginia," he agreed.
"I need you to shut up and fuck me," she said quietly. He pulled her into him with a smirk and gasped as he pressed his hardness into her stomach.
"How ready are you?" He asked as he backed her into the wall.
"So ready," she said breathlessly as he lifted her dress and started pulling down her panties while she worked on his belt and zipper.
His fingers plunged into her and she moaned into his shoulder.
"You're so wet, love," he said whispered as he started kissing her neck. "How hard do you want it?" He asked.
"So hard," she whimpered as he brushed across one of her sweet spots. "Please," she begged as she finally freed his cock and slowly pumped him while squeezing.
He groaned into her shoulder and lifted her leg over his hip and she lifted her other while he held her up and waited for her to line him up before plunging into her with a rough pump of his hips. She gasped while he bit down on the top of her breast and pulled out before plunging back into her, earning a low moan for his effort.
"Harder," she breathed.
"As my wife wishes," he said lowly, she moaned as his words vibrated from his chest and teased her nipples before he pulled her down onto him while pumping up into her and she moaned louder.
"There, there, there," she kept repeating until she said, "Faster."
He growled as he started pumping into her faster while she tightened around him and pulled him over with her.
"Pregnant sex really is amazing," she said after a few moments while he softened and eventually pulled out.
"We are going to do that more often," he promised her and himself.
They could hear Hermione calling the boys in for lunch and slowly pulled away from each other the more the heat penetrated the small room and threatened to suffocate them.
"I can't imagine how Hermione feels without Spencer here to scratch her itch," Emily said unthinkingly.
"What?" Ian turned and growled.
"Ian," Emily said softly. "Hermione loves him. I know she loves him as much as we love each other. No one will ever be able to take his place."
Ian paused as he took in a breath to start yelling about that foul FBI stooge defiling his niece and instead stood staring at Emily.
"What?" He finally asked when he could breathe again.
"You heard me," Emily said as she opened the door and stepped out, only to teeter on her feet and dangerously sway until Ian caught her.
"That was your roundabout way of confessing," he said with a small smile that lit up his face that reminded her of Declan and she silently cursed herself for falling harder than ever for her husband, the wanted terrorist. She was afraid of her team popping in to burst open the snow globe that was her current life and watch as water soaked them all after they realised her darkest dreams.
But she would have to wake up sooner or later…she just hoped it was later… meanwhile, she took full advantage of being Ian's wife.
"I want you to fuck me harder tonight," she whispered to Ian as they entered the house.
He groaned into her neck before pulling out her chair and carefully pushing it in for her to sit.
"You prepared lunch," he said to Hermione. "I thought you would have been buried in a book by now."
"The crates are still sealed," Hermione replied.
"I'll help after we eat," he promised and Hermione smiled widely as she nibbled on her small servings.
"This is your second lunch, right?" Emily asked, frowning at herself for not paying better attention to Hermione.
Hermione hummed around her fork and Emily narrowed her eyes at the same time as Ian and Hermione looked at the both of them with wide eyes.
"A proper answer, if you will," Ian said softly, but no less menacingly.
"We were washing for my first lunch," Hermione said to Emily quietly.
"Hermione," Emily said with near exasperation. Hermione started to say something but Emily held her hand up. "Don't say you'll do better. You've said that so many times now that I'm no longer going to argue with Ian against that live-in nurse he wanted from the beginning."
"I'll make sure our newest employee is settled in by the end of this week," Ian replied before Hermione could protest. He finished up his lunch and motioned for Hermione to follow him to his study. "We need a library for you," he commented with a smirk as he started prying open a lid on a crate.
"Perhaps the Library of Alexandria?" Hermione asked with slightly glazed eyes.
"If it hadn't been destroyed," Ian responded as he finally pulled the top off and a paper fluttered to the floor.
Hermione kneeled to pick it up but he beat her to it and rolled his eyes before rolling it up.
"Don't," Hermione whispered harshly, surprising him by her tone and snatched it from him. "Give me your mobile," Hermione said as she reached for it in his pocket and took a few pictures. She barely had five seconds to glimpse what was written before he snatched both back
"That's Liam's, I believe," he said as he rolled it up again.
"I heard my name," Liam said as he entered Ian's study and Hermione busied herself with sorting through the books to hide her reaction to what she glimpsed.
"From your secret admirer," Ian said as he handed Liam the letter and Liam murmured his thanks before leaving, but not before turning to watch Hermione until she grew uncomfortable. Ian pretended to not notice as he pried open another crate. "What was that?" He asked when Liam left.
"He's been doing that," Hermione said quietly and reached for his mobile again. "Where's your paper?" She asked.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he watched her.
"Call auntie Em in with the boys and close the door," she ignored his question as she searched his desk and found his paper in a drawer while he watched. "Do it," Hermione firmly said as she looked up and willed him to understand.
"Emily, boys!" He called for them.
Declan and Phoenix came running into the room with Emily following along behind them at a slower pace. He stared at her with a silly smile and she rolled her eyes. He closed the door when they were finally inside and Hermione started closing all the windows.
"What is this about?" Ian and Emily asked as they watched.
"Stay with the boys," Hermione said to Emily as she pulled up the pictures on Ian's mobile and started writing on the paper.
"That's Arabic," Emily said as she watched over Hermione's shoulder.
"I know," Hermione replied as she continued and Ian joined Emily in watching Hermione.
"Why are you even writing this down?" Ian asked. "It's not like yo-" he stopped abruptly and looked at Hermione suspiciously.
"Understand?" She asked without even glancing up at him. "Perfectly," she replied as she silently thanked Ancient Runes for making it easier to understand other languages. Ancient Runes were like the Wizarding World's Rosetta Stone. "And I am sure none of us like Liam's 'secret admirer'," she said as she handed him a translation and watched as his face grew darker, then pale. He sat in Hermione's favourite seat while Emily read what Hermione translated after prying it from his hand.
"We need to get out of here," Emily breathed, looking as though she wanted to cry. "Burn this," she said to Hermione. "Remember to make sure it's all ash."
Hermione tore up the paper into small pieces and threw them into the bin while Ian stayed with his head down as he stared at the carpet as though it held all the answers. She quietly summoned her blue flames and watched as they burned every scrap of paper to ash and singed the bottom of the bin before extinguishing the flames with a wave of her hand.
"How did you do that?" Ian asked. As he continued staring at the carpet, startling Hermione.
"Worry about that later," Emily said as she started pacing. "What are we going to do?" She asked them. "It's not safe here."
"Are there any more letters?" Hermione asked and she started rifling through the second crate.
"We need a plan," Emily said when Hermione came up empty handed.
o.O.o
"Neshama," Eyal greeted over the BAU's conference phone. "I found some friends of Liam." They could hear his sneer from wherever he was. "You will not like what I have to say."
"We need to know," Annie replied.
"Doyle tried to recreate his network through Liam after escaping, and while Doyle was successful, he chose the wrong man to trust," Eyal explained. "Liam has turned to the lowest of the low and started trafficking women and children." Their worst fears were coming to life. "Your family is in more danger than you originally thought," he said needlessly.
"Oh, God," Garcia started sobbing. Severus stepped toward her and quietly murmured to her while everyone tried to hold everything together.
"I think I can get in before Liam decides on making any moves," Eyal said. "He'll want to wait until the women go into labour. That won't happen for a few more months."
"Wait," Morgan replied, "back up now. What do you mean you might be able to get in?"
"There's a certain advert in nearly all the personal sections from Russia, Germany, to certain places in Asia," Eyal responded and they could hear him grinning. "A man is looking for a live-in to help his niece through her difficult pregnancy."
"Difficult?" Spencer asked, sitting at the edge of his seat, pale.
"That's all it says, my friend," Eyal said apologetically. "This was posted five days ago and only once. They'll have hired someone by now. If I can find out who, I can bribe or blackmail them to recommend me as a replacement."
"There's no more information on that advertisement?" Hotch asked.
"Just a number that I've already dialled," he replied. "The number has been disconnected already, I figured it would be."
"Give us the number," Hotch, Easter, and Auggie said at once.
Eyal chuckled and listed the number to them.
"I'll have a friend at Mossad run the number also," he said.
"Just make sure they won't endanger my sister and brother," Auggie warned. "Or any other innocents," he added when he could feel Annie glaring at him.
"That's our family, Eyal," Annie said to her friend. "Please take care of them if you can."
"I'll do everything I can to do that, Neshama," Eyal promised before he disconnected.
"My dad isn't going to like this development," Auggie finally said to the silent room as he typed away in his corner of the room. "He'll be here in three hours."
"Strauss is going to have a field day if he shows up here," JJ responded.
"The number was prepaid, of course," Auggie announced as pulled his headphones off. "The card used to buy minutes was issued to," he paused and waited until Annie punched his arm. "Violent much?" He asked with a smirk. "It was registered to Declan Granger from Russia."
"That's them," Rossi said with relief while Annie messaged the information to Eyal.
"Eyal is going to follow this lead until it's dead," Annie spoke.
"Get this," Easter said as he glanced up from his mobile. "The number pinged quite a few times in Hong Kong."
"We already know they haven't gone there," Spencer replied.
"Let me finish," Easter drawled. "It pinged quite a few times in Hong Kong," he repeated, "but once in Tokyo."
Annie started messaging again.
"That's all we have for now," Hotch said as he dismissed everyone, wishing to every deity he could think of that they would have their missing family back soon.
"Make sure Reid is at mine for dinner?" Rossi asked Hotch.
"Sure," He agreed.
"Make sure you bring Jack too," Rossi said. "We haven't had a boys' night in a while."
"Jack would like that," Hotch replied with a small smile.
"Come on, Anderson," Rossi called to Auggie. "Don't want to keep your parents waiting at the airport."
Auggie was on his feet faster than they could blink and Rossi chuckled.
"I'm so ready for the rest of that conversation you promised," Auggie said as he unfolded his cane and allowed Rossi to guide him to the cark park. Rossi placed Auggie's hand on the side of the car so he could find his own way to the passenger's seat. The few times he had led him straight to the passenger's side and opened the door, Auggie protested about his loss of independence jokingly, but with the undertone of bitterness that he could not do things the way he used to before losing his sight.
"Hermione's car is so comfortable," Auggie groaned as he settled and waited for Rossi to turn the engine over so they could be on their way. Rossi smirked at his unseeing companion. "What's her car again?" He asked as he felt the dash to familiarise himself with the buttons and knobs. "Don't tell me," he said quickly. "It has to be Mazda."
"Subaru," Rossi corrected him. "This was my work vehicle before Hermione and Phoenix came to live with me."
"You gave this up for Hermione?" Auggie asked, surprised.
"She's my granddaughter," Rossi tenderly replied. "I'd give Mya and Phoe the stars if I could."
"Mimi created a whole family without us," Auggie said quietly. "I find myself wondering if we weren't enough for her."
"Mya didn't intend to create a family apart from yours," Rossi responded. "More like we were family, but wandering around each other to protect each other from the world but never really involved in each other's lives unless we were invited. Mya changed that.
"She became the glue that brought us all closer than we thought we could be," he continued. "We thought inviting each other into our personal lives would invite invasion and start to blur the lines between our work and home…but Mya showed us. We're a stronger team with Mya and Phoenix and it feels like we've lost our family's heart and soul without them.
"Hermione and Phoenix…they didn't need us," Rossi said softly. "They had her friends back in England, friends that went through hell with Mya, friends that understood her better than we might ever be able to. She has your family, but I suspect she didn't go to you to protect you all, so her and Phoenix came to me and we needed them, though we hadn't figured that out yet. Hermione cared too much about the last of her family that she stayed away from you all to keep herself safe from more loss."
"Uncle Atlas and Aunt Jane," Auggie sighed. "I still can't believe they're gone…it's been months, more than two years and I still expect Aunt Jane to call me asking why I haven't called my mom." He smiled sadly. "We've arrived?" He asked when Rossi's window started rolling down.
"Time flies when you're busy have a heart to heart," Rossi replied as he rolled his window up again. "Temporary parking. We've got an hour to find the Andersons."
"My parents are very punctual," Auggie said as he unfolded his cane and stepped out of the car to wait for Rossi to guide him.
"It's the airline we should worry about," Rossi replied as Auggie placed his hand on his shoulder, then started walking. "I'll have to leave you near the gate if there's a delay."
"Thanks for the heads up," Auggie responded as they entered the airport and passengers bustled around them, avoiding them as Auggie's cane slid along the floor. "Did I not mention that the not rude people don't want to bump into the blind guy?" He asked with a smirk. "We'll be at the gate in five minutes, tops."
"Just in time too," Rossi said as he read the flight boards. "It looks like your parents are arriving early. They might be exiting when we get there."
"Even the plane is punctual," Auggie chuckled.
"Want to buy a gift for your mother?" Rossi asked as they came to a gift shop.
"She has too many trinkets already," Auggie replied. "My dad will just store it up in the attic."
"I see something Phoenix would love," Rossi said as he headed in that direction. "Won't take more than a minute."
"What is it?" Auggie asked.
"Something that'll make Hermione fume," Rossi chuckled as he grabbed Phoenix's gift and paid. They were at the gate in time for the passengers to start exiting. Auggie leaned on his cane while Rossi observed the passengers and occasionally messaged on his mobile.
"Are you sure this is the correct gate?" Auggie asked after ten minutes of waiting with nothing to do but mentally sort through Hermione and Phoenix's case.
"I'm sure," Rossi replied, "and if I'm correct, your parents are heading this way."
"August!" A woman called when she spotted him. Auggie was quickly surrounded by his mother's light floral perfume and arms and he couldn't help hugging her as tightly as she embraced him.
"Hi, mom," Auggie said with a slight smile and felt along his mother's cheek before kissing her and catching a sniff of her sea salt and bergamot shampoo. "I missed you," he couldn't help but say even though he would hear an earful of reasons why he should call and visit more often.
"Well you wouldn't miss me so much if you called more often," Melanie Anderson started.
"Son," Harold greeted before his wife could continue her lecture.
"Hi, dad," Auggie greeted when his dad wrapped an arm around him for a sideways hug. "I don't believe you met our host and newest Anderson, Agent David Rossi with the BAU."
"Newest Anderson?" Melanie asked as she shook Dave's hand.
"You're in for quite a story," Auggie said before Dave could reply. "Mimi has been quite busy collecting new Andersons. Do we need to collect your suitcases?" He asked.
"Let me help with that," Dave offered when Harold confirmed they did, leaving Auggie with his mother to guide him.
They were soon settled in the car and headed to Dave's home while Auggie distracted his mom with the tirade he provoked from her in the airport. It was another long drive, and the Andersons ended up napping in the back seat while Auggie sighed.
"Got any jazz?" He asked.
"Mya has a playlist," Dave answered as he connected Hermione's player and quiet music filled the silence in the car.
"I think I'll sleep in here until we're needed back at headquarters," Auggie said as he reclined his seat and suddenly popped up with wide eyes when the next song started playing.
"What?" Dave asked.
"You gotta be joking, Mimi," Auggie started laughing. "I can't believe she actually snuck this song in there," he said with a nostalgic smile. "It was a by comment from Hermione when I started calling her Mimi."
"I figured she would hate that," Dave said wryly.
"You have no idea," Auggie replied. "She died my hair blue when I started and no matter what I did, my hair just became brighter until it was neon blue and I finally gave up." He laughed at the memory.
"Take this call for me," Dave said as he answered and handed it to Auggie. "It's Hotch."
"Anderson here," Auggie answered and listened for a few moments while Hotch talked before hanging up. Dave waited patiently while Auggie seemed to vibrate with excitement. "Lavin found a contact."
"Are they solid?" Dave asked.
"Very," Auggie smirked.
"Are they trustworthy?" Harold inquired with his eyes closed.
"Trust is a relative term in a spy's world," Dave replied. Harold's dark eyes cut into him when Dave glanced back through his rear-view mirror. "My home is two minutes away," Dave warned them. "You'll get to hear what can't be written into the official files after you've both settled in."
Harold's eyes grew darker but Dave kept driving and they quietly unloaded the luggage while Auggie showed his mother inside when they finally arrived at Dave's home.
"I don't like how your team has kept some things out of Hermione's case file," Harold said deeply as Dave grabbed the last suitcase.
"You'll understand better once everything is explained by the team and the Malfoys," Dave replied as he started rolling the cases in the mudroom where Auggie and Melanie were waiting for them. The front doors suddenly flew open and Narcissa look at them with a quiet excitement.
"Come in," she said with a tempered smile that threatened to stretch wider. "Lucius please help Dave and Mister Anderson with the luggage," she ordered. "Mrs. Anderson," she said more softly as Melanie grasped Narcissa's hands. "It is so good to meet you in person."
"It is," Melanie agreed. "Call me Melanie. Jane told us a little about your family. I wish she could have told us more."
"Call me Narcissa," she replied. "The less you all knew the safer it was for the Grangers and my family. There is much to tell you and your husband. Dinner will be done in ten minutes, why do you not set your overnight bag down in your room and we all will have this much anticipated conversation after."
"I'll show you to your room, mom," Auggie offered, seeing as how the rest of their party had already headed up.
"Thank you, August," Melanie smiled as she took her son's arm when he offered. "Thank you for helping Mister Rossi host us," she said to Narcissa.
"It is our pleasure," Narcissa responded before they turned toward the staircase. Spencer entered a few minutes later and greeted Narcissa before heading up to Hermione's room to change for dinner, then Hotch and Jack arrived with Derek following along behind. "Is the whole team coming?" Narcissa asked.
"Except Garcia and Walker," Derek answered as he greeted her. "Garcia has Annie helping her figure out shipment patterns for Hermione's nerve potion and now book shipments."
Narcissa lightly laughed.
"Only Granger would request books from her captors," Draco drawled.
"Draco," Lucius warned as he came down the steps, having heard his son. "Perhaps it might be best if you had dinner in your room."
"Yes, father," Draco sneered.
"Draco," Severus warned. Draco turned to find Severus holding a pie in one hand and a spatula in another. He tiled his head toward the stairs and Draco pressed his lips together and headed up to his room while the Andersons quietly watched.
"Is that Jane's cherry pie?" Melanie asked to break the tension in the room.
"I asked Severus if he could recreate the recipe from Hermione's cookbook," Dave replied. "It's a favourite for all of us."
"It smells delicious," Harold said and chuckled when his stomach audibly growled. "Exactly like Jane's pies."
"I believe there are a few more introductions," Narcissa said apologetically as they sat around the table. "To your left, Melanie, is Jennifer Jareau, her fiancé William, and their son Henry."
"I'm the media liaison for our team," JJ said after nodding her greeting to Mister Anderson and shaking Mrs. Anderson's hand.
"Next is Aaron Hotchner and his son Jack," Narcissa continued.
"You're the Unit Chief for the BAU," Harold said as he and Hotch stared at each other for a few minutes when Narcissa's voice interrupted their silent profiling of each other.
"This is Doctor Spencer Reid next to Jack and Derek Morgan," Narcissa said. "Clyde Easter here was sent from Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth's, Secret Service and Interpol. After him is Hermione's brother, Harry Potter."
"Another new Anderson," Melanie smiled at Harry who lightly blushed.
"Severus Snape, also from England. He is Hermione and Phoenix's second godfather and is working with Harry," Narcissa informed the Andersons. "Last is Lucius and myself. I believe you briefly met Draco, our oldest son."
"Very nice to meet you all," Melanie said, speaking for herself and her husband while Harry and Narcissa started bringing the dinner dishes to the table.
"Our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia is working with our CIA collaborator tonight," Hotch said to Harold. "And, of course, Emily Prentiss and her son Declan were abducted along with Hermione and Phoenix."
"Dinner, Aaron," Narcissa said with a strained voice.
"Sorry, Narcissa," Aaron said gently.
"I created some entertainment with Garcia's help while we eat," Dave said as he waved Morgan over to help him set up a white screen and Spencer started up a projector and laptop. "I'm sure Lucius and Narcissa might enjoy this just as much as Mister and Mrs. Anderson."
Everyone started serving themselves while waiting for them to finish up and soon a slide show started that had all three Andersons glued to watching and listening. Narcissa quietly described the pictures to Auggie while he slowly ate until a video popped up with Hermione warning Phoenix not to eat the chocolate and blaming Dave. Various pictures and videos the team took showing Hermione and Phoenix with their friends in their everyday life kept everyone occupied until there wasn't a dry eye in the room.
"We truly are family," Melanie said as she dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "I can see now that Hermione means so much to all of us. This is my first time seeing and hearing my godson. I understand we are also Draco's godparents?" She asked Narcissa.
"Yes," she confirmed. "We all thought it best you be there if something happened to Atlas and Jane and Lucius and I."
"What can I do to bring our family together again?" Harold asked as he set down his fork and sat back. Harry started picking up plates with JJ and Spencer's help before they brought out a few pies and some ice cream.
"I think I should be heading out to take Garcia and Walker some dinner," Spencer excused himself.
"You be sure to return," Narcissa stood up to help him put together two plates and dessert in the kitchen. "Will?" Narcissa asked when he walked into the kitchen and stood over the sink then lifted his sleeves and started washing the dinner plates.
"I still can't believe my son is a wizard," Will said quietly. "There's this whole other world out there that I'll never be fully apart of and…what if he has to go through what Mya went through?" He asked, voicing his worry for the first time. "I wouldn't be able to protect him."
"Henry will have all of us," Narcissa said gently as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "He will not have to experience a war as we did. Henry will get to have a normal childhood and his children also will because Harry and Hermione will not have it any other way."
Will let out a wry laugh as he continued.
"I know that's supposed to make me feel better," he said.
"It hardly does," Narcissa quietly replied. "I had to give up my baby to have him experience something close to a normal childhood," she said softly. "It was the hardest thing I had to do. I understand your feelings because I have experienced them."
"I'm sorry," Will quickly apologised. "I didn't mean to unbury those memories for you."
Narcissa gave him a watery smile.
"My daughter gifted us with a bigger family than we thought we had," she replied. "My family will have normal lives as long as there is breath in my body."
There was some commotion in the dinning room and Narcissa handed Will a towel.
"We missed Harold and Melanie's discovery of magic," she said as he took the towel and dried his hands. "Let us dazzle them with something magical."
"What are you thinking?" Will asked almost excitedly.
Narcissa smirked in reply.
o.O.o
Hermione frowned as she threw out the bacon bits set in a small dish on her window sill. Every day she set out fresh bits to see if she could attract another post owl, but so far all she had been attracting were pests and bugs. She dared not leave her window open or open the screens to the outside at night while her and the boys slept.
Living in the mountains was too quiet and she could hear everything, like when her, Harry, and Ron spent nearly a year camping and running. She could hear a twig snap at the top of their mountain and jump awake.
It was getting harder to eat and rest when she constantly worried about the boys' safety.
The nurse that had been living with them for a few weeks had her more on edge.
The woman threatened Declan a few times when she thought no one was paying attention and was too close to Liam for comfort. Hermione and Emily coaxed out the story from Declan and found he was doing his best to protect Phoenix when the woman suggested they visit the stream up the mountain, but Phoenix was wary of the nurse.
When the woman didn't return from her day off Hermione was satisfied.
Ian would certainly fire her on the spot now, no matter the woman's excuse.
The knock on the door in the morning had Hermione sitting up in bed in anticipation. Emily quietly entered the room and stretched out next to Declan.
"He will fire her, right?" Hermione asked.
"He was looking for an excuse," Emily said with a wide smile, then frowned when two sets of heavy footsteps passed Hermione's room while talking quietly. "Stay with the boys," she said as she struggled to get up again. Hermione quietly laughed and climbed over Phoenix to help her up. "Shut up, Mya," Emily said with a roll of her eyes.
"But Auntie Em," Hermione innocently replied. "You looked like you needed the help. I was only being a good niece."
Emily cracked a smile as she headed toward the door.
"I have my eye on you," she said before closing the door and heading into Ian's study where the unknown man suddenly stopped talking and Emily stared at him in surprise. She suddenly headed to Ian's window and closed it before heading to the other open window and doing the same, then turned to their guest and crossed her arms.
"Do I want to know why Mossad has suddenly taken an interest in my husband?" She asked as she crossed her arms and Ian casually leaned back into his chair. Emily knew he had a gun strapped under there somewhere.
"Former Mossad," the man corrected as he looked over Emily and studied Ian from the corner of his eyes.
"You went dark, Lavin?" Emily asked as she stepped closer to Ian.
"Retired," he replied. "Reluctantly. My former boss, Rivka, used a friend through me and my friendship was more important than my job."
"Must be some friend," Emily said as she stopped next to Ian's chair.
"I understand we both value Annie," Lavin responded and Emily stiffened. "As I was telling your husband, I'm here to replace Rebecca. It seems she had an accident last night in the city."
"An accident I'm sure you staged," Emily replied with a slight smirk as she relaxed and pushed Ian's shoulder so she could take his seat. Ian rolled his eyes, but moved to sit on the side of his desk.
"I don't know what you mean," Lavin stoically denied and Emily rolled her eyes. "I do have medical training and have delivered three babies, two nieces and a nephew. I assure you they are healthy," he said to Ian.
"Eyal here went to medical school," Emily said to Ian. "he dropped out before he could officially become a doctor."
"I'm not sure I want a Mossad around my family," Ian said. "Former or not."
"You won't find anyone with my type of training at such quick notice," Lavin replied as he placed an ankle on his knee and rested his elbows on his legs while his fingers touched at the tips and his chin rested on them. "Your…friend…Liam…looks very familiar," he said slowly.
Emily and Ian became rigid in reply and the conversation paused until a pair of small feet ran to the door and hastily knocked.
"Uncle Ian!" Phoenix shouted. Ian quickly moved to open the door. "Uncl-"
"What's this commotion?" Ian sternly asked.
"Mama's stomach is really hurting," Phoenix said fearfully.
Emily struggled to stand and Lavin quickly moved toward Phoenix until Ian stopped him with an outstretched hand.
"I'm the closest person you have to a doctor," he said to Ian who glared but reluctantly motioned for him to follow after a moment. Emily caught up to them as they entered Hermione's room. Eyal was already leaning over Hermione and checking her eyes and pulse, then feeling around her stomach while asking her questions that Declan answered knowingly.
"Rebecca never really payed attention to My," Declan said quietly and paused when they heard Ian's knuckles crack. "I know auntie My has skipped a lot of meals and I only saw her drink water once yesterday."
"You're malnourished, dehydrated and you've hardly slept if those bags under your eyes say anything at all," Eyal said to Hermione. "She needs saline. Do you take vitamins?" He asked Hermione who nodded. "Bring them," he ordered. Emily sighed as she stepped out of the room and headed toward the kitchen. He had them in his hand a few minutes later as he read the prescription label and rolled his eyes. "Not enough iron for how little you're eating. She needs to take these for all three meals for a month. How soon can you get me a saline bag?" He asked Ian.
"Is an hour too long?" He asked.
"Yes," Eyal said as he started lifting Hermione into his arms. "Where's the bath?" He asked. "I need Epsom salt."
"This way," Emily said, leading him outside to the washroom.
"Do you trust him?" Ian quietly asked as he walked with her on his arm to help her as she stumbled a few times over the loose gravel.
"Annie sent him," Emily answered as she tried to hold back a smile.
"Annie?" He asked.
"My cousin," she replied. "Annie is a good judge of character. I trust her."
"So we trust him," Ian said, then sighed. He looked around and motioned for the boys to enter the large washroom before closing the door securely behind him. Emily blocked a few airholes with Declan and Phoenix's help before turning to Ian and Eyal as the water filled a large rectangular bath. "Maybe he can connect me with someone on the inside," Ian whispered.
"For what?" Emily asked.
Ian stared at her.
"The salt?" Eyal asked, interrupting them.
"Here," Emily said as she opened a cabinet and handed him a full bag and watched as he poured in three handfuls.
"This is making me thirsty," Hermione said weakly as she adjusted her wet nightgown to stop it from floating up.
"Make sure that saline gets here in an hour," Eyal said to Ian while Emily filled a cup of water for Hermione. Ian and Emily shared a worried look and Eyal sighed. "I'm here now," he said to Ian. "I have a part to play so be sure to treat me as you did Rebecca."
"If my family is going to be rescued, I want the CIA here first," Ian said to Eyal before leaving to make a few calls.
"Why?" Eyal asked Emily as he closed the door again and locked it.
"I don't want to say out loud," Emily replied worriedly.
"The bath will help you as much as your niece," Eyal said after a few moments then turned to distract Declan and Phoenix.
"Emily?" Hermione asked.
"Might as well," Emily said as she slipped off her slippers and stretched out next to Hermione. "Oh, dear God," she groaned in relief. "Why didn't I know about this sooner?" She asked.
Hermione quietly laughed and winced.
"How's my niece or nephew?" Emily asked as she laid her hand on Hermione's stomach to feel the baby wildly kicking. "Drink the rest of your water," she admonished Hermione.
"Yes, auntie Em," Hermione said with a slight smile, then grimaced. "Ever since this little one discovered their feet my organs have become soccer balls. I think I'm permanently bruised from all this footy."
Emily laughed.
"I'm almost five months," she said as she stared down at her stomach. "I still feel flutters."
"I miss the fluttering stage," Hermione quietly replied. "I wish I had my wand," she said sadly.
"We'll find it somehow," Emily reassured Hermione. "If it was lost at the mall, then the team might have it."
"If they have not found it?" Hermione asked.
"Then we'll get you a new one somehow," she promised.
"What if we can access the wizarding world here?" Hermione quietly whispered. "Uncle Ian might let us spend a few days in Tokyo if he knew. Do you think it might be safe to tell him now?" She asked.
"I think it is," Emily replied. "But I want to be sure."
"We don't have time for being sure," Hermione said quietly. "Your acquaintance there," Hermione motioned to Eyal's back. The man was drawing on the stone floor with some of the Epsom salt and was in the middle of playing some game with the boys.
"I trust him," Emily responded. "I know he was friends with another group of ICW wizards from Israel. That's where he's originally from."
Hermione looked interested.
"Hopefully they didn't erase his memory after his business with them was done," she said then her brow furrowed as she looked thoughtful. "How long should we be in here?"
The man turned in surprise then just as quickly turned back to the boys while Emily quietly laughed.
"Just how many languages do you know?" She asked Hermione.
"I want to keep surprising you," Hermione replied as Eyal stood and placed two large robes on a stool.
"Ten more minutes should be long enough," Eyal answered with his back to them.
Someone knocked on the washroom door and he opened it, only to step out and close it behind him. He started arguing with someone outside until a third voice joined in and Ian huffed as he opened the door with Eyal closing and locking it behind him.
Eyal started cleaning up the salt with the boys to start another game while Ian sat on the edge next to Emily and stared at only her while they quietly talked.
"Uncle Ian," Hermione said quietly.
"Hermione," he answered, his eyes never straying from Emily.
"Do you believe in magic?" She asked, noticing how Eyal's head slightly turned, interested. She turned back to see Ian staring down at her through narrowed eyes.
"Are you going to make a joke about leprechauns and gold?" He asked through clenched teeth.
"What?" Hermione asked, taken back.
"Nothing," Ian replied as he rested his chin on the back of his hand and his elbow on a knee. "You were saying?"
"I was wondering," Hermione replied.
"What kind of magic?" Ian asked. "The magic of love?" He asked as he glanced at Emily then back to Hermione.
"Well, love is its own brand of magic," Hermione knowingly responded and Ian narrowed his eyes at her again.
"Do you believe in broom riding, cauldron stirring witches and wizards, Madonna?" Eyal asked as he started another game with the boys. Hermione stared at him for a few seconds
"Madonna?" She asked. "I whole-heartedly do," Hermione replied. "Because I've been one since I was eleven."
Eyal laughed and Ian stared between them.
"That surprised me too," Emily said to Ian. "Our genius niece knows French and Hebrew and can translate Arabic."
"Really?" Eyal asked, interested.
"It's good to know you know," Hermione said to Eyal then looked at Ian while he stared between them. "If you knew someone who could do actual magic, what would be the first thing you would want from them?" She asked.
"Safety for you all," Ian answered right away. "I know how to run and hide. I can take care of myself."
"You know I can do that too," Hermione responded. "I have done that with my friends."
"When you were searching for those documents to destroy," Ian replied.
Eyal looked at Hermione in surprise.
"You are Hermione Granger," he said, amazed.
Hermione smiled at him before closing her eyes and concentrating on her magical core. She lifted her hand and felt Emily grasp it and she opened her eyes.
"Auntie Em?" Hermione asked.
"You're not fit enough," she said.
"She's right," Eyal agreed. "We need to get you better first before you practise any spells."
"What?" Ian asked, confused. Hermione sighed and looked at Ian.
"Uncle Ian," Hermione said quietly. "When I turned eleven years old, a woman knocked on our front door. Her name was Minerva McGonagall and she was the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She proved to us that I was born with magic and I needed to learn how to control it. I was a muggleborn student, meaning I came from parents who had no magic," she explained.
"The old bloods," Ian said as he stood and started pacing. "The ones whose families had children attend your school for generations."
"Yes," Hermione replied. "They call themselves purebloods. The ones with both muggle and pure-blood heritages are called half-bloods. From the moment I entered Hogwarts I was despised and hated because I am a muggleborn. I was smarter than everyone else, more powerful than the purebloods and quite a few half-bloods. They wanted to destroy me."
"What were the documents?" Ian asked.
"They were retainers," Hermione said quietly as she leaned back and rested her head on the ledge while Emily started running her fingers through Hermione's hair. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, Jr., known in the wizarding world as the Dark Lord Voldemort, performed the darkest of forgotten magic. He split his soul into six pieces. He never knew until the end that he actually split his soul into seven pieces, and that the seventh piece was sealed in my best friend's scar on his forehead."
"What fanatical book did you read this from?" Ian asked when Hermione paused and she gave him a watery smile and held up her hand and summoned her familiar blue flames. He looked down at her wet hand before she handed the ball of flame to Emily and he knocked it out of their hands before Emily could take it and watched as the blue flame sat on the water.
"It's a bluebell flame," Hermione said as she gathered it in her palms. "It's harmless," she said as held the flame out to him. He reached out and poked through the flame with a finger while trying not to look surprised when he wasn't burned. Hermione held his palm upwards and transferred the flame to his hand while he stared down at it in surprise.
"Does this mean I don't have to be discreet anymore?" Phoenix asked.
"You still do," Hermione replied as Ian stared at Phoenix and Declan with new understanding. "No one else besides us in this room can know about magic," she said to him.
"What else can you do?" Ian asked as he placed the flame back on the water. Hermione looked at Emily and she nodded
Hermione waved her hand over the flame to extinguish it and looked up at him.
"If I had my wand, I could do nearly everything you could possibly think of," she answered. "There are rules and laws to magic, just like there are rules and laws for gravity. Witches and Wizards have their own government and society. The most important law we have is the Statute of Secrecy.
"There are exceptions made for family," she explained, "but if a muggle, a non-magical person, is exposed to magic then their memory of the magical event must be erased. If a witch or wizard purposely exposes magic to a muggle, then they face up to fifty years in Azkaban, the wizarding prison."
"Do you have a wand?" Ian asked.
"I lost it," Hermione replied as she started to dwell on her memories, trying to remember what happened to it. "It is hard to say if I lost it at the shopping centre or after."
"The retainers," Ian said, "they held the pieces of Riddle's soul."
"They did," Hermione confirmed. "My seventh year of school was spent on the run from the British Ministry of Magic. I was Undesirable No. 2. I even had an award issued for my capture," she said with a mocking smile.
"You were captured," Ian pointed out.
"Yes, by Scabior and his group of Snatchers with Greyback leading them," Hermione shivered.
"Fenrir Greyback?" Eyal asked sharply.
"Yes," Hermione answered. "Greyback was a werewolf," she explained to Ian and looked at the boys to make sure they were still distracted. "He liked biting and turning children young," she said quietly. "After," she shivered more violently and Emily reached for her hand. "He dominated them in every way," she said meaningfully. "He was a cannibal, rapist, and-" she choked. "Bellatrix tortured me with the Cruciatus curse," she said to them. "It is one of the three Unforgiveable curses. It is like ice and fire flowing through your veins, millions of glass shards shredding your muscles…your brain being pushed through a sink pipe.
"I had withstood seven hours of the curse and-" she choked and Emily wrapped her in her arms. "G-Greyback…Greyback's touches. Narcissa was finally able to coax Dobby to come back to Malfoy Manor to rescue Harry from the cellar. When Harry refused to be taken with the other prisoners, Dobby opened the door. Pettigrew was standing guard and he was going to summon Voldemort but Narcissa blasted him up into the chandelier.
"Harry disarmed Draco before he realised Draco was on our side and Draco started fighting with his aunt Bella while Narcissa was dragging me toward Dobby and blocking Lucius's curses," she said to them. "Dobby apparated us away, but Bella's cursed knife sunk into his heart.
"Luna had to explain what happened when I later woke up," Hermione said quietly. "We were at a Malfoy safe house and Narcissa tried to heal the cursed carvings in my arm and the one on my neck that was a hairs width away from nicking my artery. Dobby died a minute after he apparated us to safety.
"We had to break into Gringotts to get to one of the horcruxes," she continued. "The goblin we rescued promised to take us down to the Lestrange vault down in the deepest caves of the bank in exchange for the sword of Gryffindor. I estimated the vault to be at least seven thousand feet below the surface…he betrayed us.
"The damn goblin betrayed us and alerted security and we had to hurry inside the vault and collect the horcrux. We had no way of exiting. The security staff were throwing every dark curse they knew, even the killing curse, and of course there was a dragon that guarded the vaults," she scoffed. "There just had to be a damn dragon spewing fire, but at least it was killing off most of the security staff and holding them back.
"We managed to climb a few levels before I realised our only hope of escape was the damn dragon," she lightly laughed. "Harry and Ron thought I was crazy, of course, but after seven years of friendship and trust…they hopped on the dragon and we released it from its chains. I swear the monster was laughing while I was screaming my bloody head off as she escaped," she said with a wry smily. "I think I still have glass in my scalp from when we broke through Gringotts's glass ceiling." She unconsciously ran her fingers over her scalp. "We made to it Hogwarts's Black Lake on the back of her…that was the beginning of the end of the war.
"We won, but not without losses," she said quietly. "I woke up in the hospital wing because I felt the wards on my parents' home pull at me. I apparated to find their home surrounded by police and neighbours. One of the officers escorted me to an Agent Campbell and I was given a basis to negotiate their release.
"If I had just listened to the man, I might have been able to save them," she admitted as she clenched her fists. "Instead I offered to take Phoenix's place and it is all my fault. I might as well have been the one to pull the trigger on them."
"Calm down, Madonna," Eyal said quickly. "This stress is not good in your condition. Is the saline here?" He asked Ian who looked up at him blankly while Emily murmured into Hermione's ear. "The saline," he said again as he lifted a robe and motioned for Emily and Hermione to get up.
Ian quickly reached to help them, and with Eyal's help, they were hurriedly wrapped up in the robes and escorted inside with Declan and Phoenix leading them inside. Eyal quickly scanned their surroundings as they walked in.
"Bugs," he quietly murmured to Ian as they kept walking towards Hermione's room.
Hermione closed her eyes after hearing Eyal's whisper, feeling everything that opposed her magic.
"You forgot to drain the water," she said to Eyal. Emily looked at her questioningly but Hermione simply looked up at Eyal and waited for him to go back outside.
"Very well," he said and went to do as Hermione requested.
"Hermione?" Emily asked.
Hermione ignored her and closed her eyes as she concentrated on her core and felt her magic flowing through her veins, down to the tips of her toes and all the way to the ends of her hair.
"What is she doing?" Ian asked as he watched in amazement.
"Hermione!" Emily snapped as she stepped closer to Hermione to stop her.
Hermione ignored them while Phoenix and Declan stared up at her with their mouths gaping at the golden sparks zinging off the ends of her hair and fingers, falling onto the floor and scattering towards specific areas throughout the house.
She felt the pull of the storm coming from the east and felt the electricity calling to her magic and she pulled harder until she smelled the ozone after a thunder strike and pulled harder at it with her arms until the boys' screams broke through her concentration and Emily's shriek stopped her.
She opened her eyes and the lights were out, small burn marks covered certain places in the family room, bedrooms, bathroom, and Ian's study.
"You killed them," Ian said before Hermione's eyes rolled back and he dived to catch her.
o.O.o
Ian's been introduced to magic…
Hope this chapter answers some questions for some people…there are three chapters left after this one and I hope all your questions are made clear by the end…
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!