New Year's Day
The owl continued to peck at the window until Draco finally noticed it.
"Who's it from?" Hermione asked as Draco opened the window and let the tiny, freezing owl inside.
"I don't know. I don't recognize the owl." He tore the paper off the owl's leg. "Holy fucking…" he swore. Hermione ran over and grabbed the paper.
"It's from her! Claire sent this! She's alive!" Hermione said, tears running down both her cheeks. "We need to go get Harry so he can see where this came from and what it means." She headed for the fireplace and threw in some powder. "Harry's house." she shouted. Draco followed her in. The Potter house was quiet. So either they weren't home yet or they were sleeping.
"Harry!" Hermione called out.
Then she heard the distinct sound of a baby crying and an angry redhead swearing. Harry came down the steps wearing only pajama pants and half-crooked glasses.
"Hermione, what in Merlin's name are you doing here this late? You just woke up Arthur, Ginny's going to have my head!" he said exasperated.
"Here, a small owl brought us this!" she said forcing the paper into his hand. He adjusted his glasses and looked it over.
"What is it?"
"It looks like a drawing, from my daughter." Draco said putting his arm around Hermione. "Her name is printed at the bottom."
Harry looked it over.
"Brick buildings…no door at the one with the number 153, I feel like I've seen these buildings somewhere before." Harry said studying the picture more carefully.
"Where?" Hermione asked excitedly.
"I don't know. I need to take this to the ministry. You two can follow me. Just let me get dressed." he said running up the steps and changing into jeans and a t-shirt.
They used the floo to go the ministry. Several Aurors were still there working on Claire's case when he arrived.
"This just arrived at Mr. Malfoy's house." Harry said handing the paper to the closest one. "Make copies of it and pass it out to everyone. I know I've seen these buildings somewhere before…I just can't think where." He rubbed his temple absentmindedly.
Draco still had his arm around Hermione's shoulder. He stared at the drawing on the desk and racked his brain thinking if he had also seen the buildings in question. Several people were buzzing about them, handing off papers to one another. Draco found Hermione a seat and insisted that she sit down. She complied, trying to listen to everything that was being said around her.
"Son of a…" she heard Harry say from across the room.
"What is it Harry?" she said standing back up and searching the room for him.
"I know where I've seen these buildings. It's on the street in Hogsmeade that leads to the Shrieking shack. West Hogsmeade road I believe." he said pointing to the picture.
"153 West Hogsmeade road then? Why is there no door on the place?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know the answer to that. Maybe it's got protective spells on it? Only those who know how can get in? But whatever it is we need to get there now." Harry said. "It'll be quicker to apparate."
"Wait!" Hermione interjected. "Shouldn't we apparate farther down the road. That way that Fin guy won't see us coming?"
"Good thinking. How about right at the Shrieking shack? We all can picture that right?"
"Right." Draco replied.
"On the count of three…one…two…three!" and with that the three of them disappeared on the spot. They landed outside of the fence that led to the shrieking shack. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Hermione shivered. None of them were wearing coats. Draco took off his sweater and offered it to her, leaving him in only a thin t-shirt. She took the oversized sweater and wrapped herself in it. Harry headed off in the direction of the buildings in the picture, with Draco and Hermione following closely behind. It was a bit of a walk, half a mile or so up the road. More snow was falling making it hard to see and even harder to walk. Finally they arrived at the buildings and followed the numbers until they got to 153. Harry ran his hand across the unblemished bricks. Looking for any trace of magic. He found what he was looking for.
"I see where the door would be…" he said squinting his eyes. "But there is no indication of how to make it appear. It might be a spell. If it is there is no chance of getting in here tonight."
"But we have to!" Hermione said distressed. "Who knows what he is doing to her in there!"
"Calm down Hermione." Harry whispered. "I don't want him to know that we are out here or he might take her somewhere else and we will be back to square one."
Hermione nodded tearfully, burying her face in Draco's chest.
Harry walked back and forth in front of the door, reminding Hermione of how he used to do that to the room of requirement before the DA meetings. But nothing happened.
"Trying the room of requirement trick?" she asked in a whisper. He nodded.
"It was worth a shot."
Hermione gave him a weak smile.
"Now what?" Draco asked.
"Well I have an idea, but I don't think either one of you will like it." Harry said sternly.
"Will it help Claire?"
"It might."
"Just tell us and we will do whatever you want." Hermione told him.
"Well, it involves leaving here tonight without her."
"Forget it." Draco said a bit forcefully.
"Just listen…" Harry started.
"NO!" Hermione cried. "I can't leave knowing she's in there. And what will she think? That we got her note and didn't care enough to come and get her?"
"Come back to the ministry with me quickly and I will tell you. It may be the only way." he told them. Hermione started to cry again and nodded before Draco helped her apparate back to the ministry. Harry led them into his office.
"Look, I know you both want Claire back, but this is going to be tricky. There is no way into that building unless someone comes out and returns. And we are there waiting when he does. My first objective will be to place an Auror outside of that building 24 hours a day, in shifts. Under an invisibility charm. The second thing is that I am going to make any words spoken outside of that door taboo. You know how that charm works don't you?"
Hermione and Draco both nodded.
"Anything said outside of that door will be reported back here. That way in case the auror misses the man, the words that enable someone to get inside will be echoed back here. We can apparate there right away and get inside."
"How long will this take?" Hermione asked.
"I will set all of this up now. But if no one exits or enters the flat it could take a while. I'm assuming that this Fin guy has food and water and supplies stashed up there. But who knows how long those will last. You can't conjure food so he will have to get some help eventually. Oh, also I'm putting a trace on the floo from that address. That way if he floo's out for food we will know."
"Why can't we get in that way?" Draco asked.
"We can try, but with all the protective spells placed on this flat, we can assume it's blocked. But let's try anyway. Sometimes people overlook the most obvious thing." He led them down the hallway to the floo network. He grabbed some powder and shouted:
"153 West Hogsmeade Road." the flames turned emerald green and then died out quickly.
"It's blocked." Draco said unsurprised.
"Yes, it's blocked. But putting a trace on it will let us know immediately when it becomes unblocked."
"Now what?" Hermione said again.
"Now we have to wait." Harry said solemnly.
Hermione and Draco were told to go home and get some rest. They both knew that that might not come easily. When they arrived back the house elves had started a fire in the bedroom fireplace, set some tea out for them and two white terrycloth robes. They both undressed rather wearily and put the robes on. Draco sat on the small chaise in front of the roaring orange flames. Hermione joined him and poured him a cup of tea.
"Thanks." he said giving her his best, albeit weak smile.
"You're welcome." she said returning the weak smile. They sat there in silence staring at the flames until they both fell asleep.
New Year's Day dawned with no word from Harry or Claire. Both Draco and Hermione were cramped up from sleeping on the small chaise. The fire had long burnt out and the room was cold and gloomy. New fallen snow lay on the ground and the clouds were threatening to cover the area with more. Hermione woke up first, neck kinked from lying on Draco's lap. Draco's head was bent over the side of the chaise in an awkward position. Moments later Draco woke up and stretched, feeling thoroughly retched from sleeping like that.
"Morning." he managed to say.
"Morning." she replied.
"No word from Potter?"
Hermione shook her head no.
"Tea?" she asked. He nodded. Evy had brought up a fresh pot moments after Hermione woke up. Scones and fresh fruit were piled on the tray as well. Draco helped himself to a cranberry scone and walked to the veranda where they had eaten breakfast during the summer months. A good foot of snow covered the cobblestones now. His eyes browsed the sky for any sign of an owl. Hermione nibbled on some fruit ignoring the scones.
"What should we do today?" she asked him.
"I don't know." he replied. His voice felt very distant to Hermione.
Suddenly Hermione bolted up from her seat and ran into the bathroom. Draco heard the sounds of retching and the loo flushing before she returned.
"Are you alright?" he asked taking a seat next to her.
"Oh, yes…morning sickness. Just hit me like a bludger." she laughed.
"I keep forgetting." he said smiling for the first time that day. He put his hand over her stomach. "I don't feel anything." he said, slightly disappointed.
"It's too early. A few more months and you will be able to." she told him. She rubbed her neck.
"Sore?" he asked.
"Yes, I don't think this chaise was meant for sleeping on."
"No, I don't think so either."
Draco tried to keep his mind off of Claire, but she kept swimming to the front of his mind.
"Why haven't we heard anything by now?" he asked aloud.
"It's only been a few hours. Maybe this Fin guy has everything they need already." she said trying to soothe him.
"But why haven't we heard from him? I mean he must have heard that a Malfoy adopted her. He's holding her for ransom right?"
"Maybe he just felt he should be the one to raise her. Some people are selfish like that. They can't raise a child but can't bear to have anyone else raise them. They treat children like property." she said.
"Do you think she's eating alright?" he asked softly.
"I think that he is taking care of her, but she want to come home to her daddy."
Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's neck and buried his nose into her hair. The soft scent of her calmed him a little.
"Please let us get her back." he pleaded. "I swear she will never be out of my sight again."
Hermione felt hot, wet tears falling onto her hair, and she silently asked the gods for the strength to help Draco if Claire didn't return.