INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Loyaulte Me Lie! This story is my twist on a classic inception scenario for the Harmony ship: Harry and Hermione realize bitter truths after the war and decide to leave and start new lives, together as a couple. I also wanted to explore a realistic anti-Weasley fic, without over the top bashing or having Harry or Hermione become mouth-pieces for the author's personal dislike of the Weasley characters.
If your favorite character is a Weasley or you believe in the sanctity of canon-established couples, steer clear. But, if you would like to see Harry and Hermione together and in love, always faithful and loyal to each other -
Then this is the fic for you. Enjoy!
Chapter I: End of an Era
Tuesday, 22 June 1999
A thunderous round of applause was not what Harry expected to be greeted with, as he entered the Auror's Office with a bound and captured Theophanus Nott.
"That's our boy!"
"Potter has done it again! He's unstoppable!"
"Our Savior has delivered us again! Well done, Potter - well done!"
Against all protocol and professionalism, it seemed like all of the Auror Department had gathered to witness what they believed to be a historical moment: the morning that Harry Potter had brought in the last Death Eater.
A flash of light went off, blinding him for a split-second. When his vision cleared, through the haze of the instinctive Shield Charm he'd thrown up, Harry realized that it had been the harmless flash of a camera snapping a wizard photograph.
Someone had taken a picture of him.
Snapped a photograph as if he'd just arrived at a Witch Weekly event or a Quidditch match.
A respected and sworn Auror was behvaing no better than a reporter or an overenthusiastic fan, as if they didn't know themselves what an apprehension of a Wizarding criminal could involve and what great, dangerous personal risk it was to perform such a duty.
Nott had nearly killed Harry and had murdered fourteen people as he'd fled arrest and capture. Robards had been here at the Ministry to receive them, waiting since Harry had reported the successful apprehension - but, he hadn't been there himself. Robards was standing there, soaking in the glory and the praise as he held onto Nott's other arm, but this was an accomplishment that he had very little to do with.
Perhaps that was why Robards was allowing this uncalled for outburst to carry on with good cheer, smiling indulgently as the dark blonde Auror snapped two or three more.
Harry glared, his teeth clenching as his eyes began to swim with purplish spots from the camera's repeated flash.
"For posterity, of course!" announced the photographing Senior Auror, a witch that Harry didn't know by name. "There'll never be another catch like this - "
Several Aurors seemed to be ready to come up and pose with Harry, Nott, and Robards, but Harry raised his wand, threateningly.
"That's far enough, lads," said Harry, pointedly. "This is a wanted and highly dangerous war criminal. Getting close isn't exactly a good idea, though I'm shocked this has to be pointed out..."
The Aurors halted and they all looked startled that Harry didn't approve of a spontaneous group photograph.
Harry could only imagine the boastful and embellished rounds such a photograph would make around the Ministry. The Aurors would go about the Ministry, allowing sneaks and peaks at the photo and making it an open secret - and, all too soon, an open secret in the Ministry would be a public declaration in the pages of the Daily Prophet and other newsprint in Wizarding Britain. From there, it would get picked up by the British Wizarding Wireless, and then it would make it to the international newswire.
There was precious little privacy he had these days and the thought of an unexpected photo adding to the unending attention and focus that was on him every moment, for the past thirteen months since he'd defeated Voldemort...
Harry clenched his teeth tightly, his mouth thinning with anxiety. He felt violated and exposed, as the horde of Aurors pressed around them still, wanting to capture every moment of what they saw as something to be celebrated and enjoyed.
"Alright, alright, enough already, corpsmen," declared Gawain Robards, his ruddy face glowing with smug cheer. His words sounded stern - but, he was grinning indulgently at his disorderly and disruptive corpsmen. "We all knew the Chosen One would deliver us again, so there there's no need for all the theatrics. Order in the Corps!"
The Captain's Command was one that all Aurors took seriously, although their collective obedience was half-hearted, at best.
The Aurors broke rank around Harry, Nott, and Robards, drifting back to their work stations and duties - but, nobody was focused on work in the least.
The dull roar of conversation and discussion was nothing like the quiet, focused, and disciplined atmosphere that Robards usually required in the Auror Corps Offices. Harry had never known people to be gathered in clusters, shouting and talking and exclaiming to one another like Hogwarts students, as he and Robards steered Nott towards the holding cells.
Harry could only breath properly, it seemed, when they passed through the heavy steel doors that lead to the stairwell that would take them down to the holding cells.
The stairwell was defeaningly quiet compared to the uproar of the work stations and Harry appreciated it, immensely.
The echo of their collective footsteps - Nott's dragging from a broken ankle, Robards's heavy, proud footfalls, and his own slightly squelching steps, from boots covered in blood and mud - was almost soothing. Anything was better than words and chatter and grating excitement.
Robards seemed content to honor his wordless lead, his indulgent grin remaining as they came to a halt before a super-maximum security cell. There were no words exchanged or needed, as Harry let go of Nott's spindly arm and allowed Robards to roughly guide Nott into the cell that would neutralize his magic and keep him bound to his bed for twenty-three hours a day.
Harry took a moment to simply breathe.
It was truly over with, now.
There was nothing more of the Dark Order that was left.
Voldemort was forever gone, his Death Eaters were forever gone, and the network of allies and spies that had kept the movement protected and allowed it to corrupt nearly all of Wizarding Britain was dismantled and powerless.
Harry clutched his hands together as they began to shake.
The rot and destruction of Voldemort's reign had poisoned his life since he was fifteen months old. He hadn't known a moment where Voldemort hadn't been a lurking presence or blatant nightmare to him, not even when he was ignorant of the Wizarding World and knew nothing of his past. Voldemort had been connected and interwoven into his life from the moment the madman had decided to give life to a prophecy -
And now, it was over with.
Robards slammed the door of the cell shut, soundly.
"The end of an era, eh?" said Robards, clapping his hands together jovially. "Right, then. Potter, there is a lot to talk about! I can have the paperwork started in the next fifteen or twenty minutes, and we'll have an office brunch to discuss - "
Harry halted in the stairwell, looking up at Robards sharply.
"There are families to be notified. Nott murdered over a dozen people!"
Robards stopped smiling, briefly. "Notifications to the next of kin of the decedents is being handled. There's no need for you to do so, personally, Potter."
Harry's face tightened. "Fourteen people lost someone today and they deserve to know, personally, that the criminal responsible for it has been arrested and will be brought to justice. That is more important to paperwork, I think."
"Potter," Robards said and it was clear that he was struggling with appeasing someone so much younger than him, even if it were the Chosen One, "I know you've gotten familiar with the Ministry in the past year, the Auror Corps, especially. Therefore, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that it is standard protocol that we inform the next of kin through written record, and adhering to protocol - "
Harry scoffed in no little amount of disgust.
"Protocol, my arse." Harry thundered up the stairs, pushing past Robards with no small lack of grace. "If you won't do it, then I will."
Robards glared. "Right now? Potter, there's paperwork and the arrest to process and - "
Harry spun on his heel, looking at the Auror Captain balefully.
"There are people right now who are waking up, unaware that they'll never again see one of the fourteen people that were murdered over the course of last night. That is never something you write in post and send with an owl or a nameless Ministry staffer." Harry glared deeply, as he made it perfectly clear to the Auror Captain: "I don't give a damn about your paperwork, Robards."
Harry left the Auror Captain to himself, as he turned down the short corridor that would lead to a side exit and away from the Ministry for Magic.