Notes:
Hello lovelies!
Nothing much to say this time around. I'm not entirely sure about this chapter, but I did want to upload it so you guys have something to read :')
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 43: Anything
She couldn't believe she almost forgot the meeting she had planned with Aberforth. Hermione supposed it was because she was a bit… distracted. Which wasn't that hard. Kakashi looked breathtaking to her, there were no other words to describe it. She couldn't understand that he somehow found her attractive. His, well, bodily functions did the talking for him, however. Hermione didn't know a lot about how the male genitalia worked, but what she did know was that was usually something they couldn't control. It was kind of how she couldn't control the arousal she felt when she was sitting on his lap.
Trying to control her breathing and hoping her face wasn't as flushed as it felt, she picked up the mirror and called out a shaky "Hello?"
"Hermione? Merlin's beard, Hermione! It is you!" Her eyes widened in surprise as it was Harry who greeted her. Next to him was Ginny, who's expression mirrored Harry's.
"Harry, Ginny!" She exclaimed. "You have no idea how much I missed hearing your voices!" Finally. She could finally speak with her friends. They were rapidly firing question after question, of which none registered in her mind as she felt the biggest smile she'd had in a long time appear on her lips. Her eye caught movement as Kakashi got dressed and pointed at himself and then to the door. With a small nod in acknowledgement from her, he disappeared from the room, letting her focus on the mirror.
"Slow down, you guys. I can hardly follow what you are saying."
"Sorry, 'Mione, I can't help it. We've been worried sick!"
She felt bad when he said that. Of course they'd been worried sick about her. She disappeared without a trace, no doubt. "I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't you dare, Hermione!" Ginny scolded. "We've seen the cottage, we feared the worst if I'm being honest. But we know you didn't choose this, so don't apologise!" Ginny, always the voice of reason when there's chaos. "Really, we're just happy you're alright."
"I know, Gin. I know."
"You are alright, right? I mean you seem alright but you look a bit flushed." At that comment, Hermione felt herself flush again.
"Y-yeah, of course. I'm fine. Absolutely fine." She stammered.
Harry looked between his girlfriend and Hermione and looked positively confused, which Hermione was grateful for. Ginny simply cocked an eyebrow, staring at her before, thankfully, dropping the subject. "Well, anyways. Where are you?" Ginny asked. "We looked and looked but we couldn't find you."
"That's a bit harder to explain," Hermione said. "And I will explain. But for now just know that I'm safe."
"If you're sure.."
Harry seemingly had enough of being on the sideline of this conversation, grabbing the mirror from Ginny which caused her to call out a "Hey!" and now showing just his face. "So," He started. "When are you coming home?"
The question caught her off guard, yet she should've expected it. It was Harry after all. Movement from the other side of the room caught her attention, as well as a short burst of shock. Looking up, she saw Kakashi looking at her with an unreadable expression. Neither moved and she only vaguely heard Harry call her name from the mirror. Then, Kakashi bowed his head and took a step back.
"Kakashi, wait!" She called out, but he didn't listen. "Damn it," she cursed, "I'll be right back." She quickly told the pair as she threw it on the bed and rushed out of the room to go after Kakashi.
Who, as it turned out, hadn't been planning on running this time around, as she ran into him around the corner, causing her to squeak as she fell on her behind. "Ow!"
"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow, as she scrambled to her feet again.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? Chasing after you of course!" She told him angrily. "Why did you walk away?"
Kakashi shrugged, "I figured I'd give you some space to talk to your friends." He'd pocketed his hands and relaxed his pose. She didn't like it. He always did this, acting indifferent while in fact he wasn't.
"Don't do this, Kakashi. Don't lie to me. I know you heard what Harry asked."
"So?" Another shrug.
"So? Remember the last time this subject was breached?" She reminded him. "Because I do. And it wasn't pretty and I'd rather not go through that again."
"I can't help it." He admitted softly. "Every time I think it's going well, something like this happens and- Fuck, Hermione. I already lost so much. I can't lose you too."
Her heart broke at that. "I know." She said as she stepped closer to him, cupping his cheek. "I know. You're not going to lose me, Kakashi. Actually, you can't." She continued with a lighter tone. "You're kind of stuck with me, y'know? Bond and all that." Kakashi snorted at that and rolled his eyes but let her move closer to him without any objection. "Alright?"Kakashi looked at her a moment longer and nodded. "Alright. Now, you should probably go back to that mirror of yours. Your friends are waiting."
"You're going to be okay?"
Kakashi snorted at that. "Of course. Now go. I'll be in the next room."
Walking back to the bedroom, she picked up the mirror she had discarded on the bed. "You guys still here?"
"Of course! Bloody hell, Hermione. You can't just do that!" Ginny told her exasperated. "We're already worried about you being away, this strange behaviour of yours isn't helping one bit."
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "But honestly, I'm alright and safe. Merlin, I have so much to tell you guys, I don't even know where to start. While I was expecting a call, I didn't think it'd be you so I'm kind of overwhelmed and I will need some time to get my thoughts in order." Hermione explained.
"Can you tell us what happened at the cottage, at least?" Harry asked, switching to his Auror mode.
"I-" Hermione bit her lip wondering how much she could say. This was becoming a lot more complicated than she had initially expected. She knew that if she told Harry about the Death Eaters, they would want to know what happened to them. Could she tell them about the shinobi? Would the Hokage allow that? Should she just lie to Harry? No, she couldn't do that, could she? Shit. What should she do?
Oh no. And Remus. She'd had to tell them about it too. And Sirius, eventually. This was quickly turning into a huge shitshow. She should've thought this through better. How could she be so stupid?
"'Mione?" Harry asked. "What happened at the cottage?"
"Harry, I- I can't." Hermione stammered. "I'm sorry. I know you're worried. But I-" Suddenly the mirror was taken from her hands, her eyes shooting up in shock at Kakashi who held the object in his hands.
"Call's over. Try again later." He said before tossing the mirror on the bed. "Come on, let's go." He told Hermione, who couldn't help but to gape at him as he pulled her up and took her out of the room. What had just happened?
"Hermione! HERMIONE!" Harry yelled into the mirror. "Hermione!"
"Harry, stop. The line's closed. She's gone for now." Ginny tried to calm him.
"Who was that? What the hell happened?" He turned to Ginny firing the questions at her but he knew she didn't know either. Turning his head towards Aberforth this time, he opened his mouth to question him but the man held up a hand before he could speak.
"I know you're confused. And worried." He started. "From what I've gathered she is safe, where she is. She's taken care of."
"But-"
"No. She told you, Harry. She was overwhelmed and you kept firing questions at her. There's a good chance that that young man was keeping an eye out for her." Aberforth said calmly. It was infuriating how calm the man was. Also…
"Young man? He had grey hair!"
"He's just as old as she is, I believe. I only saw him once before during one of my talks with Ms. Granger." The older man explained. "But for now, Harry. She will call again. Give her some time. This is a lot to work through for her as well, surely you understand that?" Aberforth Dumbledore had a point. Just as his brother he seemed wise beyond his years, even if it was a different wisdom.
"Harry, please just listen to him?" Ginny begged as she took his face in her hands. "I know you're freaked out about what just happened but think of it like this: She's alive! She's breathing and she looked fine from what I could see. And yes, the way that guy disconnected the call like that was worrying, but he did say to try again in a few days so let's just wait that out and see what she has to say then, okay?"
Harry rather not wait. He'd rather speak with his best friend now. But he couldn't. He knew he couldn't and that frustrated him even more. He gave his girlfriend a nod before grasping her wrists and pulling her hands away from his face. "I need time, Gin. Sorry. I'll be back later."
Before Ginny could respond, he moved towards the front door, grabbed his jacket on his way out and left Grimmauld Place. He had no destination in mind, he just walked. Turning into a dark alley, he quickly looked around and once deeming it safe, he Apparated away. Harry Apparated a couple of times, getting further and further away from his home. The moment a location came to his mind, he Apparated there. Soon, Harry found himself in the Forest of Dean.
The moment he appeared, he felt himself calm down. It had been quite some time since he'd been in the forest, yet it seemed like yesterday when he camped here with Ron and Hermione. It had been Hermione who brought them here, after Grimmauld Place was no longer safe for them. It had been Hermione that helped Ron when he got splinched. Hermione was the one that carried the tent and it had been Hermione who kept them alive the weeks that followed. If it hadn't been for her, he knew he'd have died a long time ago. He owed her so much and yet now that she was in trouble, he couldn't do shit.
Harry listened to the birds chirping as he walked through the forest. It wasn't for the first time that he was reminded of the spoken option to just stay here, in the forest. To forget about the war and Voldemort and everything else. To just… leave. He still sometimes wonders why they didn't. Why they had to fight a war they were too young to fight for something based on a prophecy that some old man believed in because he was so desperate to chase something that didn't exist.
With a sigh, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked. It wasn't long until he reached a creek that was familiar to him. It was different now, especially since it wasn't covered in snow. But he remembered finding the Sword of Gryffindor here, after seeing the Patronis which turned out to be Snape's. Harry shook his head. While he knew all this, he never bothered to take a moment to appreciate it all, what everyone had done for him. He owed his life to so many of his friends he wondered if he'd even be alive if he'd try to do everything alone. The answer was 'no', of course. A stroke of luck would only get you so far. Hell, even the Malfoys technically saved his life, save for Lucius of course.
Wait. Malfoy. He still needed to speak to Draco about the Death Eater's involvement of Hermione's disappearance to wherever she was now. He'd been postponing that particular conversation because he wasn't sure how to go about it. Well, now's as good a time as any, he supposed. Turning on his feet, he visualised the Malfoy Manor, knowing Draco didn't work weekends. This conversation was better held away from prying eyes, he knew. With a pop he left the forest behind, appearing in front of the Manor. He hadn't been back here since they had been taken hostage and honestly he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being here. But Hermione came first and if that meant he'd have to face this, he would.
Harry knocked on the door, and waited with bated breath for the door to open. He didn't even know what to say to Draco. And what if someone else answered the door? He really should've thought this through, shouldn't he? Damn it. It took too long for anyone to answer the door. Maybe they weren't in. He did drop in unannounced after all. Just as he turned to walk away, he heard someone unlock and open the door.
"Mr. Potter?" Harry turned back to see Narcissa Malfoy at the door, looking confused.
"Ah, Mrs. Malfoy, um, hi." He said awkwardly.
"Can I help you?" She asked, ever polite. What a sight he must be. Still looking disheveled from earlier that day. If he had thought ahead, he would have at least made sure to look, well, clean.
"Actually, I was wondering if Draco is home. I need to speak with him."
"Oh?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow at this. "Is he aware of this?"
"Ah, um, no. He isn't." Harry said, while rubbing the back of his head.
She waited a moment, no doubt thinking it through. "Very well, Mr. Potter. Come in, please. I'll go get him for you." Opening the door for Harry, she showed him in. It looked vastly different from the last time he'd been here. He followed her to what seemed to be a sitting room and she pointed to one of the chairs. "Please take a seat. I'll be right back."
"Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."
Harry sat down and twirled his fingers nervously. He needed to calm himself. This had to be done for Hermione, any information Draco could give would be welcome really. He just needed to make sure to word everything right, which would be a challenge on its own, because when did he and Draco ever communicate well?
"Potter? What are you doing here?" Harry looked up to see Draco walk into the room, looking confused. "We didn't have a meeting planned, did we?"
"No, I'm sorry for stopping by unannounced, but I- well, I came for information." Harry said as he stood up to shake Draco's hand. Might as well start civil. "Hermione's in trouble." He explained.
"Granger is in trouble? And you thought I had something to do with that, did you?" Draco sneered, obviously sounding offended. "You never change, do you Potter?" The blond-haired man said. "You don't come into my home and accuse me of-"
"Would you at least hear me out, Malfoy? I didn't come here to accuse you of anything. I-"
"Hang on, Potter. I need Fire Whiskey for this conversation." Draco said with a sigh, waving his wand before plopping down in one of the chairs. A second later a bottle and two glasses drifted towards the pair of them. Draco knocked back a shot before filling his glass again and then nodding, "Okay. Yeah. Let's get this over with."
"Right. So, first of all, I don't think you have anything to do with this, or, well, I really hope you don't. No, it's… Death Eaters took her. And I was- I thought maybe you knew more about it." Harry looked at Draco and waited for him to say something, anything, as Draco processed what was being said. "Look, I- I know you and I don't get along. We never have. And I know you and Hermione never got along either, but… She's my best friend. And they took her and I just- I need to find her. If you know anything, anything at all, will you tell me?" Harry nearly begged. He couldn't care less what Draco thought of him at this point. Didn't care if he thought Harry was a wimp or worse. He could barely sleep, knowing Hermione was out there somewhere and speaking with her today didn't make him feel any better. He wouldn't rest until she was back home.
"Come on, love. You've been cooped up in here for a few days now. You need fresh air." Sirius said as he leaned against the door of her bedroom. He was right, she had been staying inside, she thought as she buried her face into her pillow. After the talk with Harry and Ginny she felt awful and she didn't know what to do. She needed to get her thoughts in order, but for some reason she didn't manage to do it. There were so many variables she needed to take into account and she couldn't make sense of it all. Hermione still didn't know what to do. Still didn't know what to tell them.
A sigh came from Sirius as he moved to sit on her bed. "Talk to me, 'Mione. What's on your mind?"
Turning her head to the side so that she could speak, she inhaled before explaining. "Remember when I told you about the talk I had with Harry and Ginny?"
"Mhm, yeah. It's about that?"
"They asked me some things and I have no idea how to respond." Hermione sat up, turning to Sirius. "They want to know where I am. How I got here. What happened at the cottage and- I don't know what to tell them. I don't even think I can tell them the truth, can I?"
"Hm, that's quite a predicament, yes. If you don't say anything, Harry will never take your word for it. But if you do.. Who knows what the Hokage will do when he finds out." And that pretty much was what she was worried about. She realised she had already broken half a dozen laws by telling about and showing the shinobi her magic. She knew, however, it was necessary to secure her own safety as well as Teddy's. And she'll deal with the consequences when the time comes. But this? If she told Harry something she shouldn't have, it could very well mean she signed her death sentence. "Maybe," Sirius continued. "It would be a good idea to speak to the Hokage about this?"
"I thought about it," Hermione confessed. "But what if he says I can't speak with them anymore? I can't do that."
"I think, Hermione, that the old man may surprise you." He told her with a smile. "So, now that that's settled. It's time for you to come outside with me. I've got something to show you."
Something to show her? "Oh?"
"Yes. So, come on!" He urged.
Hermione sighed but smiled. "Okay, fine. I suppose you're not going to tell me beforehand?"
"Nope, not a chance." Sirius smirked at her. "I want your honest opinion and I won't get that if you have time to think about it." He stood up, pulling her up and nearly dragged her out of the house with a quick wave to a surprised looking Inoichi.
He never let go of her hand as he continued to pull her along. "Uh, Sirius?" She started. "You know you can let me go, right? I'm not gonna run." She joked. Sirius ignored her as he kept walking, going left and right when needed. Before long, she found herself on the edge of the civilian's district, near the market. "Sirius?"
"Almost there, love."
A minute or two later they stopped in front of a shabby-looking building. It almost reminded her of the Shrieking Shack. "What's this?" She asked.
"This," He turned to her with a big smile. "Is going to be my new pub."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "But- wha- how?" Hermione stammered.
"The one in Tanzaku Gai ran quite well until I sold it. I managed to save up enough to buy this. You know how I go stir crazy if I just stay inside. I needed something to do. So I made some arrangements with the Hokage. I mean, the building has a lot of issues, sure, but it's nothing a little magic can't fix." He said with a wink.
"This is brilliant!" She threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks, 'Mione, really." Sirius chuckled and patted her on the back.
"Well, if you need any help at all-"
"Which is why I dragged you here. I could definitely use an extra pair of hands to fix this place up, if you're up for it?"
"Of course! I'd be happy to help!" Hermione looked at the building with a big smile. It looked terrible, sure. But that had its charm too, she knew. They would be able to turn this into something amazing. She was incredibly happy for Sirius. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't like to be cooped up inside, just like he had at Grimmauld Place. He truly was free here, wasn't he? She wondered, then, if he would want to go back to England, if the choice ever presented itself. Hermione herself had doubts, mostly because of Kakashi. But Sirius? All he had back home was Harry and while that sounded harsh, she knew he was happy here. He was thriving in his own way. And would it really be fair to take that away from him?
"Wanna go inside and check it out?" He offered, walking up to the door and opening it to go inside.
"Lead the way, Mr. Owner." Hermione chuckled as she followed him inside.
Kakashi sighed as he stretched in his sleeping bag. The mission was almost done, thankfully. For the umpteenth time his mind drifted to Hermione. After her conversation with her friends, they barely had time to talk before he got a summon for a mission. He didn't even know what got into him when he ripped the mirror from her hands. All he knew he felt another surge of panic coming from her and he moved before he had realised he had. It probably wasn't a smart idea to show his face to those people, but at the moment he couldn't care less.
Shortly after that he had to leave and he made her promise not to talk to them again, not until they had talked about it. He had to make sure Hermione knew she couldn't just tell those friends of hers everything, she would have to be selective with the information she shared. He would definitely need to talk to the Hokage about that as well. Releasing another sigh, he sat up and checked on his teammates before getting up.
With a nod towards Tenzou, who kept watch in one of the trees, he walked towards the river situated next to the camp. Crouching down, he pulled down his mask. Cupping his hands in the water he washed his face before taking a couple of sips. He dried his face using his sleeve and got back up to move back to the camp. "Anything to report?" He asked Tenzou as he stopped under him and leaned against the tree.
"No, nothing. Don't think we'll run into any trouble on the way back."
"You'll never know. Stay sharp."
"Of course, senpai."
Kakashi hummed and went to wake up the rest of the team. Tapping each one on the shoulder, he waited until all of them were up. "Alright. Everybody up?" He asked, looking at all of them. Receiving a nod from them, he continued. "We've got one more stop to make in order to complete this mission. "Raven, you're with me. Cat, Rabbit and Crow, you'll take out the guards. Cat will take point on that."
"Yes sir."
"Good, we'll move out in five minutes."
He moved to pack up his belongings, rolling up his sleeping back and sealing it in one of the scrolls and placed it in his pouch. The minutes passed quite quickly and soon they were moving at a fairly fast pace towards the last stop of their mission. This was a relatively easy mission for his team. A simple reckon and assassination. They did the reckon and the planning. Now it was time to assassinate the target. Some guy that hired mercenaries to attack and rob small villages. The villagers barely had any money for themselves but apparently still managed to raise a fair amount to hire an Anbu-team. These kinds of missions, he didn't mind doing at all. It felt justified for once.
Kakashi glanced at the Anbu next to him wearing a mask of a Raven. Uchiha Itachi, clan heir. He was the new addition to his team, while Genma was still on time-out. While his team had had doubts at first, save for Shisui, they quickly learned the kid was extremely talented. Not that Kakashi was one to judge a shinobi by his age, he knew all about the backlash of getting judged on that. Yet, he couldn't help but think that eleven was still a bit too young for Anbu. He was skilled, sure. And wise far beyond his years. But he needed life experience and he wasn't sure this was the way to get it.
"Something wrong, captain?" Itachi asked.
"No." He denied. "We're almost there. I'll explain what needs to be done while they take care of the guards. Let's stop here. Get yourself ready." Kakashi said as he signalled for the rest of the team to go ahead. "This is your first assassination mission?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Any questions before we go in?"
"No." Kakashi cocked an unseen eyebrow at that. Very well. At least he asked.
"Very well. Let's get going. I'd rather go home sooner than later."
"Yes sir."
With a nod they continued after the rest of the team. It was surprisingly easy to get to the leader of the group of mercenaries. Kakashi went ahead and used his tanto to slit the man's throat. This wasn't an assassination to cover up, for once. This was to send a message to whoever found him that whatever he was doing wasn't without consequence. Wiping his tanto on the dead man's shirt, he sheathed his short sword and signalled Itachi that he was done as he watched the boy kill the leader's right hand man. Itachi gave him a nod and sheathed his sword as well. Ten seconds later, they were on their way again, leaving the bodies behind.
Not long after, they were well underway to get back to the village. It was a bit weird to have the group so quiet. Usually Genma would have made at least a dozen bad timed comments in the time from the assassination until now. It was actually quite calming too, to have everyone be quiet.
"Soooo, you're in a bit of a rush aren't you, Boss?" Shisui piped up, nearly making Kakashi groan. "You've been wanting to get back home faster and faster lately. Eager to go back to your girlfriend?" He said, stretching the last word.
"..." Kakashi didn't respond to Shisui, ignoring the bait.
"Come on, Boss! Tell us, how's it going between you two?"
"I fail to see how this is any of your business, Crow." Kakashi commented with a sigh. "Focus on the mission."
Shisui's response was immediate. "But the mission is done."
"It's not done until we've reported to the Hokage. So, no. It's not done." He felt a headache forming. He almost missed Genma's nagging now. At least that guy knew when to shut up.
"Pleaaase?"
Oh, for the love of- "No."
"Come on, Boss!"
Count to ten, Kakashi, he told himself. "No."
"But-" Shisui started.
"One more word, Crow and you'll regret it." Kakashi threatened. He was definitely going to regret it if he said another word.
"Wh-"
"If I may," Itachi interjected. "Maybe it's a wise decision to listen to our captain. You of all people should know that captain Hound will follow through with his threats."
A grunt came in reply from Shisui. Kakashi almost wanted to release a sigh in relief but knew if he did that, Shisui would start again, no doubt. Just an hour or two to go, he thought to himself. Then he could ditch his team, report to the Hokage and go home. And he supposed Shisui did have a point. More often than not he couldn't wait to get back home. To see Hermione again. They were finally doing well. They hadn't had a fight in a long time, well, long for them. It felt.. nice. With every passing day, their bond grew stronger. He could feel her the entire time, like she was right there. It was a bit unnerving at first, but also comforting.
She'd been down, no doubt from the contact with her friends. That made sense. But now… He focused on the bond and he felt genuine joy come from her. She was happy? It made him wonder what it was that had made her this happy. It was good, of course. He was glad she was happy, even when he was away. He hoped she enjoyed it while it lasted, because he wasn't sure what was going to happen in the future, especially with Danzo's trial that was coming up. But, he'd do what he could for her. At this point he'd probably do anything for her.
Anything to make her stay.
End of chapter notes:
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