She gave a startled half-shriek and jumped away from him. Then she got a good look at him and relaxed. "Teddy! What in Merlin's beard are you doing here?"
"Er, sorry," Teddy mumbled, flexing his fingers to try to get rid of the sparks running through them. She had really nice hips. "I'm- I'm here about the case."
"Oh right, you're an Auror," Hermione said, sounding breathless. She gave him a long once over that would have been more flattering if Teddy hadn't detected a distinct clinical edge to it. Then she sighed and looked away. "This is just too weird," she muttered.
"What is?" Harry asked.
She quickly turned to him. "Nothing."
Harry sighed and addressed Hermione again. "I know I'm not your father. I'm not trying to be your father, but we lost you for twenty years, Hermione. You were as good as dead. Then you are miraculously alive," -Harry smiled sadly and looked away- "and I can't help if I'm feeling overly protective."
Hermione visibly softened as Harry talked, and she bit her lip as she considered him.
Harry turned his gaze to her again. "Your attacker hasn't been apprehended. He seems to be attacking people again. Killing again. When I say don't go out without protection I'm not trying to be your father. That is what I would say as an Auror to anyone in your situation."
"It's true," Teddy said, a little surprised he was backing Harry up. "Standard procedure."
Hermione glanced between both of them. "I suppose I see why that would be important, especially how splashy my recovery has been in the papers."
Harry brightened.
She frowned and turned an accusing finger on him. "That doesn't negate the other parts. You guys keep buying me clothes or making me jobs or fixing my room-"
"We'll stop that," Harry said. "I'll tell Ginny too."
"But it's not really about the clothes or the job or," Hermione trailed off and gripped the bridge of her nose. "We'll talk about this later, okay Harry? I need a walk." She turned to Teddy. "You have time to be my bodyguard?"
"Yeah," Teddy said, perking up at the idea. "That would be fun."
Harry pressed his lips together and said, "Constant vigilance, Teddy."
Teddy resisted the urge to sarcastically salute in response to one of Harry's favorite catchphrases. Instead, he tried to give a serious nod so Harry didn't feel the need to lecture him on duty.
