"Legerdemain"
"Chapter Twenty-Nine: The One with the Vending Fairy"
Albus looped the strings of his dad's apron around his waist, tying them in the front. He mumbled about nobody being home to start dinner in time as he poured himself a large glass of a Bordeaux red blend, nearly filling it to the rim. If he was going to start cooking Friday night dinner by himself, then he was going to need a lot to drink. He pulled out his parents' recipe book that hadn't been updated in years and he hoped that the damn shepherd's pie recipe was in there and that it had the portion sizes for thirty-odd people.
The door to the kitchen opened and it took Albus everything he had in him not to grab a knife and pitch it across the room. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves as Rayko Krum walked in. Albus rolled his eyes, disappointed that it wasn't Grandmum Molly or his parents. But nope, it was only Rayko, who seemed to spend as much time at Potter House as Albus did.
"Hello to you too," Rayko greeted.
"Fuck off," Albus replied. "Nobody is here to start dinner and I'm in bloody charge now, I guess. It's so great to be home."
"I can help," Rayko offered. "What are we having?"
"We're not getting it catered, Rayko," Albus replied as he flipped through the recipe book.
"I can cook… ish," Rayko replied. "We didn't have a cook growing up. My mum is a fantastic cook."
"Hollis Sterling can cook?" Albus asked, his eyes wide. "Merlin, she can do anything."
"Ah, yes, Elle told me you had a thing for my mum," Rayko said with a smirk. "The only girl you'd go straight for, I believe is what Elle said."
Albus scowled. "Elle is a boldfaced liar! Just because Hollis has class and grace doesn't mean I want to shag her."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't shag my mum," Rayko added.
"Piss off, Koko," Albus grumbled as he stopped on the shepherd's pie recipe before cussing when he noticed it was just a regular single family-sized recipe.
"Have fun making dinner yourself then," Rayko said as he made a motion to leave the kitchen.
"Wait!" Albus called, cringing. "I won't shag your mum."
Rayko turned around and looked at him, an odd expression crossing his face. Albus squinted at him, trying to decipher the look but failing miserably. Widening his eyes, Albus waited for him to say something.
"You don't like me very much, do you?" Rayko asked as he stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets.
It wasn't that Albus didn't like Rayko. He was fine. Except Albus didn't like how quickly he had knocked up his sister, how dependent and then crushed she was when they broke up. Lily was… well Lily. She trusted too easily and was very naïve. When she fell in love, she fell face first and had always been hurt by blokes in the past. Albus still wanted to punch Sebastian Baskerville in his fucking nose and cut off Finn Harris' cock.
"I don't really know you," Albus settled on saying.
"Well, let's get to know one another," Rayko suggested. "You're not just Elle's brother, you're also her best mate. I want to get along."
Albus blinked, his jaw tight. "Want to have some wine with me and cook dinner?"
Rayko frowned. "I'm, uh, sober right now, but I'd be happy to help cook."
Albus wrinkled his nose as he took a large gulp of wine. "I thought potions were your poison."
"It is but I'm trying to steer clear of anything that alters my brain after… you know."
Albus nodded, his lips pursing. "Well, I suppose that's more for me then."
Rayko smiled tightly. "Yeah, I suppose so. What are you cooking?"
"Shephard's pie," Albus replied.
That's how Albus found himself getting drunk while cooking dinner with Rayko Fucking Krum, former poster party boy turned domesticated and slightly damaged wizard who stayed at home more often than not. Rayko became funny around his second glass of wine. He was damn reliable since nobody else had even stepped foot in the house to help cook dinner. He couldn't help but wonder where everyone else was.
It wasn't until Lily walked into the kitchen an hour later, looking pale that Albus understood that something had happened and everyone had conveniently forgotten to tell him and Rayko about it. The fucking nerve of people.
"What happened now?" Albus asked.
Lily sighed. "The question should be what didn't happen. Dad, Jamie, and Uncle Ron were attacked by an army of Inferi."
"What the actual fuck?" Albus asked, his arms waving and red wine sloshing over the edge.
"Uncle Ron has a concussion, Jamie broke a leg, and Dad broke some ribs. Mum, Riley, and Roxanne are at the hospital. Uncle George, Grandmum Molly, Granddad, Grandmum Andy, and Grandpa are on their way to the hospital now."
"Wait, so Ko and I cooked all this food for nobody to bloody well come tonight?" Albus asked, his eyes wide as he looked from the salad to the six shepherd's pies to the special order of bangers for Remus to the stove cooking jacket potatoes. "Is anyone coming?"
Lily squinted. "I don't think so."
"What the fuck? Nobody thought to tell us not to cook a bloody feast?" Albus exclaimed and finished his glass of wine. "Inconsiderate, the lot of you!"
Lily made a little sound in the back of her throat and pursed her lips. "Did you not hear the bit about how members of our family were attacked by Inferi and are at St. Mungo's being treated?"
"I did, but nobody thought to come tell Ko and I?" Albus pressed as he poured himself more wine. "We're members of this family too."
Lily cocked her head to the side. "Are you drunk?"
"We cooked a meal for nearly forty people, Elle!" Albus exclaimed, his jaw tight.
"Did you just call me Elle?" Lily asked, her brow furrowed.
"Yes, Ko and I talked about you quite a bit and it's starting to stick," Albus explained as he waved his hand to dismiss her concern. "But the real concern is what do we do with all of this food!"
Lily sighed. "Well, Teddy and Victoire have Henry for the night so we can invite them over."
"Yes, yes, because I made bangers for Remus so Dad didn't look at me all disappointed and like I tortured his grandson and I bloody hate bangers so… yeah."
"Really?" Lily asked as she tried to fight the smile on her face. "I thought you liked bangers in the mouth. The general shape and size."
Albus scowled. "Ha! Ha! You're funny, NOT!"
Lily burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking. Albus rolled his eyes and drank some more of his wine. It really wasn't about the food. It was the fact that nobody had told him about his dad, brother, and uncle. Was he chopped liver? Or did they just tell him last because he couldn't leave the bloody house? Either way, it just soured his evening.
"Oh… oh…" Lily said, her hand resting on her swollen belly.
"Elle? Are you all right?" Rayko asked, concern lacing his words.
Lily winced. "Yeah, just trying not to pee."
Albus' face pinched. "Ew, Lily."
"One of them is kicking my bladder!" Lily protested as Rayko crossed the room. "Probably your goddaughter because she would be just like you!"
Rayko pressed a hand to her belly. Lily moved it so that it was positioned on the underside of her bump.
"Oh! Was that a kick?" Rayko asked, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Lily grinned "Yes! Finally! Oh my Merlin, they're finally big enough for you to feel?"
Albus crossed the room towards them. He wanted to feel his nieces kick as well. He stopped short of them, his arms crossing over his chest. His eyes flickered between the two.
"Are you done yet? I want to feel before they go back into hibernation," Albus snapped.
Lily shot him a glare. "Albus, he's the father! Let him have the moment."
"I'm the uncle and godfather to half of what's in there!" Albus protested.
"No, it's all right," Rayko said as he stepped to the side, his hand still pressed firmly against her belly. "Right here, Albus."
When Rayko's hand slipped away, Albus placed his hand where Rayko's had been. He had never felt Victoire's and Riley's bellies before when they were pregnant. He had thought it weird at the time but he had also been a lot younger. Merlin, he wished that he had. One of the babies pushed a fairly large limb against his hand and Albus couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"That's really kind of… awesome," Albus replied. "Here, Ko, she's still moving a bit."
Lily looked between her brother and boyfriend as Rayko's hand pressed against her belly once more. "Are you two mates now?"
Albus shrugged. "I guess, yeah, maybe."
"We cooked the feast together," Rayko supplied. "Merlin, I don't want them to ever stop moving."
"I'd like them to stop eventually so I can have my stomach back," Lily replied.
"You pick out a name yet for the second baby?" Albus asked, his eyes tearing away from her belly to look at his sister.
"Hmm, no," Lily replied, a frown etched on her face.
"To be honest, I'm sort of surprised you didn't name them Ella and, and Chloe or something stupid after you and Ko," Albus said with a shake of his head.
Lily's eyes grew wide as she looked over at Rayko. "Koko…"
"No! No! I was joking!" Albus exclaimed.
"Emilia Chloe Krum and… Baby Ella Krum," Lily tested it out. "I want it."
Rayko chuckled. "I like it."
"We really need to stop calling the other one Baby though. We need a name," Lily commented.
"No! No! I was joking about Ella and Chloe!" Albus protested. "Are you listening to me?"
"We do need a name," Rayko replied and Albus was under the distinct impression that they were ignoring him.
"So if we call Emilia Emmie then we need a… um…" Lily squinted.
"Emmie and Addie?" Rayko suggested.
"I don't like the nicknames," Albus interjected but was ignored.
"Yes! How about Emilia and Adelaide?" Lily continued. "Adelaide Ella Krum and Emilia Chloe Krum? Also known as Addie and Emmie?"
Rayko beamed. "I love it!"
"I don't," Albus said, his arms crossed over his chest. "The Emmie and Addie bit is just… no. No, just no. Emilia and Adelaide sound so much better."
"We are killing this whole parenting thing!" Lily exclaimed as she and Rayko high-fived.
"No, no, don't be like James and Riley," Albus complained with a grimace on his face. "It's too much!"
"All right, Albus, I'll let you pick," Lily turned towards her brother, a wide grin on her face. "Do you want to be godfather to Emilia or Adelaide?"
"Uh… I want the one not named after you," Albus replied.
Lily rolled her eyes. "How does it feel to be godfather to Emilia Chloe Krum?"
Albus' lips twitched. "Pretty damn good. For the record, though, I will not be calling her Emmie. She is Emilia."
Lily gave him a pointed look before a smile overtook her features. She pushed Albus as hard as she could, but she was pintsize and he towered over her so he didn't really move. Albus only grinned down at her as being a godfather suddenly felt more real than it had been before, considering the kid had an official name and everything now.
Harry carded a hand through his unruly hair as he walked down the corridor towards Ron's hospital room the next morning. His wrist felt a little stiff but it no longer hurt when he moved it. His ribs pinched in pain if he moved just right, but otherwise he felt fine. James was set to be released that morning as well, which was good news. Harry knew Ron was being held for another day for observation while Hunter had a good two to three more days at St. Mungo's while he healed.
Pushing the door to Ron's room open, Harry frowned when he saw his best mate sitting up in bed alone with a file opened on his lap. Harry shut the door quietly behind him as he made his way into the room. Ron looked up and grinned at him.
"Demelza brought this by this morning," Ron said as he gestured to the file in his lap. "Apparently, Sutton got a few hits on the aliases that Greengrass and Macmillan were using in the Muggle world to fund their little research projects. You know, the names Reed supplied us. All business dealings seem to be out of Lloyd's Bank. Doesn't Dudley work there?"
Harry sat down in the chair next to Ron and held out a hand for the folder. "Yeah, Dudley's actually in the fraud department, I think. He could be helpful in gaining information on the accounts and shutting them down."
"Maybe you and James should pay him a visit soon. See if you can get evidence that it's Greengrass and Macmillan that are holding the fraudulent accounts," Ron suggested. "But first you should contact Hunter's parents since I'm spending an extra day here."
Dread filled Harry when he realized he was being released from St. Mungo's before Ron. That meant that he had to contact Hunter Lowe's family and let them know he had been injured on the job and would be staying at St. Mungo's for the next few days while he recovered. Harry hated being the one who contacted the families of injured Aurors. He had pawned that job off on Ron for years. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times he had been forced to contact a family.
Harry carded a hand through his hair and stared down at Ron, panic evident on his face. "I have to what?"
"You need to contact the Lowes if nobody has already," Ron repeated. "I'm not sure if Sutton or Robins did."
"Is their contact information in Hunter's personnel file?" Harry asked.
"You're joking, right?"
"No!" Harry hissed. "I don't do this part of the job. Does Jamie know them, you reckon?"
Ron blinked. "Do you not know who Hunter's dad is?"
Harry's jaw tightened. "Should I?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Axel Lowe ring any bells for you?"
Harry squinted. That name did sound vaguely familiar, but Harry couldn't quite place it.
"Maybe?"
Ron sighed. "He used to work in Violent Crimes when we first started. He transferred to Germany right before our promotion into Violent Crimes. He and Sutton were partners for a bit. Merlin, Harry, do you know nothing about our fellow Aurors? Especially ones dating our niece?"
Harry rolled his eyes in response. Was he really supposed to remember every single Auror that had worked in the department since they had started working there? Hunter had never talked about his family to him so Harry just didn't connect the dots.
"We attended his going away party," Ron continued. "At the Leakey. Merlin, how do you forget a name like Axel?"
Harry vaguely remembered a few going away or retirement parties for Aurors over the years. They had all been the same and boring and he had just wanted to go home with Ginny. He supposed he should look at Axel Lowe's file to jog his memory before contacting the family. He was always thought to be an antisocial arsehole, so maybe he could put in a little more effort this time since he did like Hunter and the name did sound vaguely familiar.
"When's Hermione stopping by?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "She didn't come by to see me yesterday, which was a surprise. She normally doesn't pass up a chance to roll her eyes at me and tell me I need to be more careful."
"She's been busy at work," Ron replied with a shrug.
Harry frowned. "I didn't know that. She's at almost every Friday night dinner."
"It's fine, Harry."
Harry sucked in a breath. "Just seems weird is all."
"Can you just drop it?" Ron snapped.
Harry jerked back as though Ron had slapped him. "All right. Yeah, mate, sorry."
Ron sighed, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, I'm sorry. It's just… fuck. All right, you were going to find out anyway and it was stupid of us to hide it for so long, but we didn't want to tell anyone with everything with Albus going on and until we were one hundred percent certain."
Harry's brow furrowed. "Certain of what?"
"If we, you know…"
Harry blinked. "I don't know, no. Wait… are you pregnant?"
"What?"
"I mean, I can't say I'm not slightly jealous because Ginny and I planned on having more kids but Lily's birth was so traumatic that we… well, Ginny changed her mind after that which I understand," Harry rambled. "But I can't help but think that we could have a kid still at Hogwarts right now if we had gone through with our original plan of having a big family."
"You're mental, you know that, don't you?" Ron whispered, his head shaking. "You do have a big family. Four kids, Harry. That is a big family."
"We wanted six," Harry replied.
"Yeah, and I thought you were mental back then too," Ron added. "Blimey, I don't think I'd be able to do it."
"Going from two to three is hard. You're suddenly outnumbered and the baby's schedule isn't consistent because of activities and school. By the time Lily came, though, I felt like… what's one more?" Harry explained. "Your kids are older now so it won't be nearly as hard."
"I am not having a baby, Harry," Ron said slowly. "Far from it."
Harry frowned. "What then?"
"Can we pretend for a moment that you're not married to my sister?" Ron asked, glancing over at him. "Let's pretend you're married to someone named Margaret, all right?"
"Margaret?" Harry asked slowly, his brows furrowing. "Sure, all right, Margaret and I are married."
Ron sucked in a breath. "You and Margaret are obviously still happily married, right? I mean, you two are always sneaking off to snog or whatever and you're happy, right?"
Harry frowned. "I am very happy with… with Margaret, yes."
"Was there ever a time when you weren't happy being with Margaret?" Ron asked, his eyes glancing down at the floor.
Harry squinted, trying to think of a time when he hadn't been happy with Ginny and came up empty. There had certainly been some hard times over the years. They had been through a few rough patches. But he loved her more than he loved anything else in the entire world. He couldn't imagine his life without Ginny by his side, without her laughing in his ear, without her touches sending tingles down his spine, without her being his shoulder to lean on. Life wasn't life without Ginny. There would be no point in living if Ginny wasn't by his side.
"Honestly… no," Harry answered. "The past several months have been harder than I could have ever imagined. There were certainly times G- Margaret and I have fought. But I wouldn't have been able to survive without her by my side. She's my rock."
"Well, Hermione's been staying with her parents since June," Ron announced and Harry just stared. "Things have been… lonely the past few years. If I'm being honest with myself, ever since Hugo went off to Hogwarts. Hermione is… always working or reading when I get home. We have dinners in silence. We just… I don't know, Harry, I'm not upset or angry with her. It's almost like we went from being married to being roommates. We've been in couples therapy since April."
"Oh," Harry replied because he didn't know what to say.
He couldn't imagine not coming home to Ginny chatting his ear off about work, not kissing her goodnight every night before bed, not laughing with her every single day, not just being together. Even when they did their own thing at home, they sat together with her legs plopped in his lap as they read or listened to the wireless.
"You and Margaret have gone through, you know, dry spells, right?" Ron asked, his neck pinking.
Harry blinked. Dry spells. Well, the longest they had gone without sex had been six weeks after each one of their kids' births. It had been the hardest six weeks of his life each time and he felt like a teenager wanking again in secret. As soon as Ginny was given the green light, they were right back at it again like they hadn't even skipped a beat. Not counting giving birth, he tried to think of their longest dry spell they had.
"Uh, I mean, I'm sure we've gone a week without having sex before," Harry replied, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, just busy with work or kids never giving us a moment's peace when they were younger or something."
"A week?" Ron repeated, snapping his attention towards Harry with his mouth open. "Just a week? How many times do you normally have sex in a week?"
Harry stilled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to determine if Ron really wanted him to answer that question. "I don't know? Several?"
Ron's eyes widened. "Several times a week? You have sex several times a week?"
"Uh… I guess, yeah. Why? Is that too little?"
"Too little?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide and crazed. "I was always lucky if I got sex once every couple of months, Harry!"
Harry couldn't help it. He laughed. There was no way that Ron only had sex once every couple of months! That was ludicrous! He and Ginny had sex nearly every night when nothing crazy was happening at work or home. He would die, literally die, if he couldn't touch Ginny as often as he did.
"It's not funny!" Ron hissed.
"You're joking, right?" Harry asked. "I mean, I'm laughing because you're joking. You have to be!"
"No, I'm not," Ron spoke in a soft tone. "Harry, I don't… I don't think Hermione and I are in love anymore."
"Ron…" Harry trailed off, the laughter gone from his face.
"I, I want a divorce," Ron admitted.
"What?" Harry breathed, his heart pounding in his ears.
"I love her, Harry. She's one of my best mates," Ron whispered. "I'm just not in love with her anymore. I don't think she's in love with me either. I think it's been that way for years. It's not fair to either one of us."
"Why didn't… why didn't you talk to me in June when she moved out?" Harry asked. "Or, or even April when you two started therapy?"
"We were going to. Hermione moved into her parents' house two days before the explosion at the Ministry," Ron explained. "When the explosion happened and Albus was implicated… we didn't want to burden the family with anything else. We went to therapy. We attended Friday night dinner together. We attended all the family gatherings together. It just… I don't know, Harry. I'll always love her. I'll always respect her. She's the mother of my children. I'm just not… happy being married anymore. I see you and Ginny, George and Angelina, Bill and Fleur, my parents… everyone is so happy and touchy feely and in sync with one another. Then there's Hermione and I. It's just different. It's disappointing and sad really. I miss being in love with someone."
"So, Hermione's had her parents to talk to about it and you've just kept it to yourself because I've been so focused on Albus?" Harry asked, guilt swarming inside of him. "Mate, I know I've been preoccupied a lot, but you're my best friend. I would have made time to talk to you."
Ron chuckled. "I love you, Harry. You're my brother and best mate, but you're shit at relationship advice."
"I would have tried!" Harry argued.
"I know, but I did talk to someone."
"Who?" Harry demanded.
"Don't be mad, all right?" Ron started. "But I've been talking to Robins about it."
"You talked to Demelza?" Harry confirmed and he couldn't help the stab of jealousy that had settled into his bones.
"She's a girl," Ron argued. "While she's been worried sick about Albus, she was just more… available. She's been a great friend."
Harry only nodded.
"Harry, you're my best mate. I'm telling you now," Ron pressed. "I would have told you in June, but we were just focused on Albus then. Time passed and there was always something coming up. At the time… at the time, Hermione and I thought we'd work it out in therapy. Except therapy sucked and made us realize that we weren't in love anymore. We were going to wait until after Albus' trial to talk to the family."
"So… it's, it's a done deal? You two are getting a divorce?" Harry asked, needing to confirm despite feeling sick to his stomach.
"We hired lawyers a week ago," Ron confirmed.
"Rose and Hugo…" Harry trailed off.
"They know. They knew when Hermione moved in with her parents," Ron replied, a grimace on his face.
Harry only nodded, not knowing what else to say. He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes focused on his best mate.
"I think it's why… Rose went a little wild. Her very public outburst with Gastrell, the way she got pregnant so quickly with Colin, and her general disregard for anything really," Ron said thoughtfully. "Hugo has been holed up with some girl. Won't tell me who but says I'll like her. Apparently, I know her dad which makes me equal parts terrified and curious at the same time."
"Maybe Rose was just like Lily and fell in love too quickly," Harry suggested. "They're both young."
"I love Lily like she was my own child. I love all your kids like they were my own, so don't take this the wrong way, but… Lily and Rose are very different. Rose is a little mini-Hermione while Lily is a very free spirit and she, um, she doesn't overthink everything like Rosie."
"I think Lily has really grown the past few months," Harry said, feeling the need to defend his daughter even though nothing Ron said was untrue or even rude.
"I didn't mean anything by it," Ron assured. "It's what we wanted, wasn't it? Our kids to grow up carefree and happy? To not have the weight of the literal world on their shoulders like we did. I think everything that happened with Albus and Remus was a very real shock for all of the kids. I think they were all a bit naïve before… well, maybe not Teddy. He's been haunted by the past like we were, just not to the same extreme."
"I tried to shield Teddy as much as I could," Harry whispered. "I think it worked for a while. You know, until I decided to abuse Felix and then he had a psychopath after him just because his last name was Lupin."
"He's a good kid, though," Ron said, a tight smile on his face. "Who would have thought you'd raise such a good kid? You're very mental."
Harry let out a small chuckle. "No more mental than you are."
"Fuck off, Harry," Ron exclaimed with a grin as he shot Harry a two-finger salute. "Now go contact the Lowes and be your socially awkward self."
Harry groaned and lolled his head back to look at the ceiling. "Can't you do it? I'll bring you whatever you need to do it in your hospital bed."
"Nope. Have fun, Harry," Ron said. "It'll do you some good to socialize with people outside your immediate circle."
"I hate this," Harry commented as he looked down at Ron. "I'm really hoping Demelza or Sutton contacted them."
Ron shot him a double thumbs up. "You got this, mate! I believe in you! You can muster up enough social skills to not muck this up completely!"
Harry shot him a rude gesture, the corners of his lips twitching. Ron laughed in response as Harry bid his goodbyes before he headed out of the hospital room. Before he left the hospital, he wanted to check on Hunter to make sure he was doing all right. Hunter was one of the few Aurors he trusted and liked. He was thorough, he respected the job, he was intelligent, and he was a damn fine Auror. It was why Harry had partnered him with James in the first place.
Harry sucked in a breath as he knocked on Hunter's door and heard a familiar female voice call for him to come in. Furrowing his brows, he pushed open the door to see his niece sitting on Hunter's bed by his knees. Hunter was awake and sitting up in bed. He looked pale and tired but seemed all right in general. Roxanne held his hand in her lap, a soft smile spread across her lips.
"Hey, Uncle Harry," Roxanne greeted.
Hunter nodded in his direction. "Harry."
Harry crossed the room and stood beside the bed, his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets. He greeted both of them with a smile before turning his attention to Hunter.
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked.
"Like I was eaten by the undead," Hunter replied, a light smile on his face. "But pretty decent otherwise."
"Hunt," Roxanne said, her head shaking and fondness clear on her face.
"What did the Healers say?" Harry pressed.
Hunter suddenly looked serious. "They think I'll be back to normal in a few weeks. The Inferi wreaked havoc on my side and even some of my organs. They were able to repair the damage but it's a slow process."
Harry nodded. "Take as much time as you need. I think when you do return to work, you should be on desk duty for a week or two at least."
Roxanne grinned up at him. "While I approve of this, it's certainly funny coming from you."
Harry rolled his eyes, a comeback on the tip of his tongue when someone knocked on the door. He stepped aside, thinking that it was a Healer come to check on Hunter. Roxanne called for them to enter. The door opened and two people stepped in that were definitely not Healers. A tall man with a gray beard and dark hair peppered with gray along his ears walked in with a petite brunette next to him.
"Mum? Dad?" Hunter asked. "How did you two get here so quickly?"
Harry squinted at the man and he supposed if the gray beard wasn't there, he would recognize the man. The woman rushed forward to fuss over Hunter as the man clamped a hand on Hunter's shoulder before he turned towards Harry and smiled at him, his hand reaching out.
"Been a long time, Harry," the man said.
"Axel Lowe," Harry said as he took the man's hand, grateful that Ron had jogged his memory just a bit ago. "I have to admit, I didn't connect you were Hunter's dad until Ron pointed it out to me."
Axel chuckled. "Well, we never really worked on the same cases. When you and Ron were promoted to Violent Crimes, I was just leaving."
"You remember us though?" Harry confirmed as they dropped the handshake.
"Who wouldn't remember you?" Axel replied with a grin. "You two were good but you were always little shits. Hunter says you're a great boss though. He really admires you."
"Dad," Hunter hissed.
"Axe, don't embarrass him," the woman said before she turned her attention to Harry. "I'm Petra Lowe. I believe we met at Axel's going away party a long time ago."
"Nice to see you again," Harry said even though he couldn't recall ever meeting her. Merlin, maybe Ron was right. He definitely needed to socialize a bit more.
Axel turned to Hunter and smiled down at him. "You doing all right?"
"I'm fine, Dad," Hunter replied. "I, uh, I'd like to introduce you two to my girlfriend."
Harry took that as his cue to walk slowly out of the room to give them some privacy but Roxanne shot him an anxious look and he felt bad leaving her. He had never really met the parents before, considering he had known Ginny's parents since he was eleven. He stood rooted in his spot, unsure of what to do. He stared wide-eyed at his niece.
"This is Roxanne Weasley," Hunter introduced. "She's Ron and Harry's niece."
"It's lovely to meet you," Petra said as she pulled Roxanne into an embrace.
"You didn't tell me she was their niece," Axel said as he shot Harry a smile. "Matter of fact, I don't recall you ever telling us her last name until now."
"It never came up before," Hunter replied.
"I'm going to give you all some alone time," Harry interrupted. "It was nice seeing you again, Axel and, uh, Petra."
"Uncle Harry, why don't you stay?" Roxanne insisted as she stared at him over Petra's shoulder.
"I wish I could but I need to get into the office," Harry replied. "With Ron and Hunter out, we're short-staffed on the case."
"What's the case?" Axel asked.
"Axel, we are not here to work," Petra hissed.
Axel waved her off. "Sutton said it was an Inferi attack. Must be pretty big."
"Uh, we, uh, found an Inferi army," Harry explained, his face pinching. "It's just, it's a mess of a case."
Axel nodded, his arms crossing over his chest. "If you're short staffed, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand if you need it."
Harry blinked. Having a fresh set of eyes wouldn't be entirely a bad thing. Maybe Axel would see something that they had missed. Ron had said Sutton and Axel had been partners at one point. Harry certainly trusted Hunter, so he should be able to trust Hunter's dad.
"I'll let you know. Thanks," Harry replied.
Harry finally saw his exit and made his way out of the hospital room, making a mental note to talk to Ron and Sutton about potentially seeing if they could bring Axel Lowe onto the case for some insight. He wanted to see what they thought first because he trusted Ron and Sutton the most.
First, he needed to grab Demelza, Sutton, and James so they could go check out the warehouse one last time. There had been plenty of rooms that they hadn't even searched. Harry wanted to have first dibs at investigating the building before he sent in another team to go over the place with a fine-tooth comb.
James sighed, carding a hand through his thick hair. He was back at work with his leg still bothering him if he wasn't constantly on a mild pain potion. James didn't know how he was going to survive work without Hunter. Going through Muggle financial records without someone to joke around with had him going crossed-eyed. He didn't know just how much he relied on Hunter to help him focus. His best work normally happened when he and Hunter talked things through and bounced ideas around with one another.
Clenching his jaw, he looked down at his watch that his parents gave him for his seventeenth birthday. It was a watch his Grandmum Molly had bought his dad when he was promoted to Head Auror. Except his dad wanted to keep his old beat-up one from some great uncle or something. When his parents gave him the watch, Harry had also said he approved of him being an Auror and would make a fine good one at that.
He decided to grab some crisps to snack on as it seemed a little early for lunch and to stop by Riley's office for a quick chat since she too was at work on the weekend. Plus, the vending fairy was on her floor because of course there would be no junk food on the same floor as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Tucking his wand into the inside pocket of his jacket, he dug around his desk drawer for change before he headed out.
He rounded the corner of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and froze when he spotted Scorpius looking uncomfortable while talking to Gareth Greengrass. A surge of protectiveness shot through James as he slowly inched closer to the pair. He knew he shouldn't get involved, not when the Auror Department was investigating Greengrass on the down low, but he wasn't about to let some git upset Scorpius.
"I should have always known Potter would bugger things up," Greengrass said in contempt as he looked Scorpius up and down. "Merlin knows he has a habit of buggering things."
"Grandfather," Scorpius replied in a small voice.
James couldn't stand by, not with the implied slur that Greengrass found fit to throw out. Squaring his shoulders, he closed the space between them.
"He was the worst thing that ever happened to you," Greengrass hissed. "He's made you forget your place in society. About the standards you must uphold as a member of the House of Greengrass!"
"Is there a problem here?" James interrupted as he stood next to Scorpius.
Greengrass sneered. "This is a family matter."
James crossed his arms over his chest and stood a little taller. "Well, if that's the case, I'm glad I got here when I did because Scorpius is my brother."
"You are neither a Malfoy nor a Greengrass, so kindly leave us be, Auror Potter," Greengrass insisted, his face souring.
"Nah, I don't think I will," James replied with a shrug and a shit-eating grin. "He's my brother. He's my family."
"What's going on?" a new voice asked.
James turned his head to see his father standing there with a bag of cheese and onion crisps in his hand. Harry stared at Greengrass, his jaw tight and lips twitching down in a scowl.
"I was simply trying to have a conversation with my great-grandson, but your son seems to find it socially acceptable-"
"You were belittling him!" James interrupted Greengrass.
Harry turned his attention to Scorpius, his eyes soft. He looked him up and down for a few moments before Harry stepped in front of Scorpius and James to face Greengrass. James wrapped an arm around Scorpius' shoulders.
"I think you need to leave," Harry said in a low, menacing voice.
Greengrass let out a bitter chuckle. "You have no authority on who I speak with."
"Scorpius is my son," Harry hissed. "And I will not allow you to belittle him."
"He is not your son!"
"He's as good as!" Harry raised his voice, his body trembling in anger. "You lost any relationship you could have had with him when you berated him when he came out! You couldn't love him for who he was! You were too concerned and disgusted that his last name was Malfoy. You couldn't wrap your tiny, bigoted mind around the fact that it doesn't matter who he loves. It only matters that he found love and was loved back. But that didn't fit into the narrative you had for him in your mind. He's not your pet or your doll. He is a human being with thoughts and feelings. It shouldn't matter what his last name is or who he chooses to love."
Greengrass' chest heaved as several people stopped and stared at the commotion. James felt Scorpius' shoulders shake so he rubbed his arm and pulled him closer.
"You're making a lot of assumptions," Greengrass replied through clenched teeth.
"Yeah? Which part is false?" Harry challenged. "I heard what you said. I heard all about it. Being gay is nearly as bad as being a Malfoy, isn't that what you said? You have never loved or accepted him for who he is. It's a shame, because he's a damn fine young man that I'm lucky to have a part of my family. You will not find a kinder, gentler person in this entire world. You blew it. You blew your chance to have a relationship with him. It's your loss, not his. Because he has a very supportive and loving family with my family… with his own father. Draco Malfoy is ten times the wizard that you'll ever be. He overcame his bigoted views. He grew as a person. You're still stuck in the past and clenching old views that have no place in our society."
"You think you're so much better than everyone else," Greengrass said in a low voice. "Except, whose son is being tried for treason and murder? Who abused their power to fire the Head Auror? You'll get what's coming to you."
Harry leaned forward, his face mere millimeters away from Greengrass'. "We'll see who'll get what's coming to them."
Greengrass took a step back, his head shaking. His eyes snapped beyond Harry to lock on Scorpius.
"When you're ready to see reason, you know where to find me," Greengrass told him before he stormed away from the group.
Harry turned around and gripped Scorpius' shoulder. "Are you all right? What did he say to you?"
"I'm fine, Harry," Scorpius whispered. "Thank you. Both of you."
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true," Harry insisted. "What are you doing at the Ministry?"
"Lily asked to go to lunch. She said her and Riley were going to the canteen together and asked if I wanted to join," Scorpius explained. "I was on my way to Riley's office when he spotted me."
"Do you need me to walk you to the Obliviator's Office?" Harry asked in a gentle tone.
"I'm fine," Scorpius assured. "Really. I don't think he'll bother me again."
"Do you have your mirror on you?" Harry pressed. "You know you can call me anytime if you need help."
Scorpius nodded. "I know."
Harry offered him a smile and pulled him into a brief embrace. When they pulled apart, James grinned over at Scorpius.
"I'm going to the vending fairy," James said in a light tone. "I'll walk with you."
"I'll come too," Harry announced. "I need to talk to you about going back to the… you know. Demelza is grabbing Sutton."
James nodded as the three of them made their way down the hallway. He supposed it made sense to go back to the warehouse to wipe it down for clues. They had left in a hurry and hadn't even gotten close to exploring the entire building.
They bade goodbye to Scorpius once they reached the Obliviator's Office and continued down to the vending fairy. James rattled his change in his hand as he looked at the options. He plopped his coins into the dispenser and the fairy grabbed the coins one Sickle at a time, her little wings fluttering fast at the effort.
"Salt and vinegar crisps," James told her.
The fairy huffed as she eyed him up. She shook her head and pushed a bottle of water down and gestured wildly at that.
"No! I don't want water! I said crisps!" James hissed. "You always do this to me! I don't need water! I want crisps!"
Harry rolled his eyes and held out his crisps. "Here, have mine. We need to get going,"
James pulled a face. "Ew, no! Nobody likes cheese and onion!"
Harry's eyes grew wide as he cocked his head to the side. "Salt and vinegar are the nasty ones."
"You're so wrong," James said before he pounded on the glass that separated him and the fairy. "Give me my crisps!"
The fairy huffed once more and shook her head. James growled as Harry grabbed his arm and tugged.
"We have stuff to do, Jamie," Harry insisted.
"I'm hungry!" James protested as he reached down and snagged his water before he allowed his dad to pull him away from the vending fairy. "Fucking fairies."
"I'll buy you lunch after," Harry said.
"I'm hungry now!"
Harry sucked in a breath. "You can wait. You're an adult, Jamie."
"I'm a Weasley!" James replied. "Weasleys can't wait!"
"You'll survive," Harry assured.
"Not bloody likely!" James whined.
Harry opened his bag of crisps and popped one in his mouth before he held the bag out to James.
"I'd rather eat dirt," James replied as he held up his hand.
"I think we can arrange that," Harry retorted with a smile as James shot him his best annoyed look.
Fifteen minutes later, James and his grumbling stomach left the Ministry with his dad, Demelza, and Sutton. They Apparated to Bakewell and made their way to where the warehouse was. Except… it was gone. The entire warehouse had been leveled. The only indication that something had been in the field was the dead grass.
Harry stepped forward, his wand at his side as he surveyed the dead grass. Sutton cursed beside James, his wand tapping on his thigh. Harry knelt down in the middle of the dead grass, his fingers picking something up. James squinted, his neck craning to try to see what it was. When Harry stood up, a singular black pawn was pressed between his thumb and forefinger as he held it out for them to see.
"A pawn?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.
"It's the weakest piece in chess," James supplied. "I think Greengrass and Macmillan are mocking us."
Anger flashed in Harry's eyes as his fingers wrapped tightly around the piece. "They think because they destroyed the warehouse that we're not going to get enough evidence against them?"
"Maybe they don't think there's much more to link them," Sutton supplied, his arms crossed over his chest.
"We have the financial records," Demelza said. "Reed told us about the bank accounts."
"We need more," Harry insisted. "We're trying to take down an esteemed member of the Wizengamot and the Head of the Department of Mysteries. They are rich and powerful. They're not your average everyday petty criminal."
"Harry, I don't mean to tell you how to run this investigation, but we need more Aurors on this case," Sutton explained. "There's too many documents. There're too many angles to check out. This is bigger than we could have ever imagined."
"Axel Lowe arrived in London this morning," Harry replied. "Can we trust him? He said he'd help out if we need it."
"You want to poach Axel Lowe from the German Ministry?" Demelza questioned. "That's great for international relations."
Harry shot her an annoyed look. "I was thinking of offering him a job and putting him on the investigative team if you think he's trustworthy."
"You trust Hunter," Demelza pressed. "Why wouldn't you trust Axel?"
"I trust Scorpius Malfoy but I wouldn't trust Draco Malfoy as far as I could throw him," Harry replied. "Blood means very little."
"We were partners," Sutton said. "I would trust him with my life."
"You don't think he'd turn on us?" Harry asked, his eyes boring into Sutton.
Sutton cleared his throat. "A few weeks before Dumbledore was murdered, Kingsley asked me to join the Order of the Phoenix. Apparently, I had passed Dumbledore's little tests of trustworthiness. I only attended a couple of meetings before he died. At the very last meeting, Dumbledore approved Axel to join the Order. When Dumbledore died, Moody downright refused to let anyone new join. He was paranoid. Then he died and then the Ministry fell. Axel and I just tried to keep our heads down and help as many people as possible until we were forced to go into hiding ourselves."
James perked up at the talk of the mysterious Order of the Phoenix. He knew very little except that his entire family had practically been members and fought in the war. When the war was covered in school, the Order of the Phoenix was never mentioned. Only names of members and events, but nothing ever indicated that an actual group existed outside of comments he had heard growing up.
"Draw up an offer for him," Harry instructed. "Start vetting Aurors to join on the investigation."
"I like Charlotte Naxon and Mia Hargraeves," Demelza spoke up. "They're both young and hard-working."
"Berkley and Ellis too," Sutton added. "They've been around a while, as long as I have. They didn't sell themselves in the war to maintain their jobs. They went into hiding and they tried to make a fucking difference."
"Vet them," Harry pressed, his eyebrows raised. "I want to know every single detail about their background before we give them any information."
"We'll get right on that, boss," Demelza replied with a smirk before she and Sutton disappeared from the field.
James took a few steps forward and stood in front of his father. "We'll get the evidence, Dad."
"I hope you're right, Jamie."
James had to believe that he was right. The thought that Greengrass and Macmillan would get away with everything wasn't an option. They had to be put behind bars and stopped. If they weren't, James feared that Albus wouldn't be acquitted. Shoving back the negativity, he grinned up at his father and chose to remain positive for both of their sakes.
Ginny chewed on her bottom lip as she read one of Dominique's newest novels. She was determined to try to stay awake long enough to talk to Harry as their time together was far and few between the past couple of days. Harry constantly worked, consistently left home early and came home late, and they hadn't had any real alone time in a while. She worried about him. His stress levels were through the roof and she'd be lying if she said she didn't measure out the doses for his blood pressure potion to make sure he hadn't forgotten to take it. So far, it seemed like he hadn't missed a dose since she plastered notes all over their bathroom and bedroom.
It was half past ten when the bedroom door opened and Harry walked in looking beyond exhausted. He tossed his Auror robes and suit jacket onto the wingback chair before he started to undress. Ginny bent the corner of her page down in her book and placed it onto her bedside table and waited patiently for Harry to crawl into bed next to her.
When he slid under the covers, he laid on his back and looked up at her. She smiled down at him, her hand carding through his thick hair. A small moan escaped his lips as he placed a hand on her thigh.
"I love you," Harry whispered, his eyes soft and sad. "I'm sorry for being a moody git. I'm sorry for never being home lately. I'm sorry for… well, everything."
Her fingers stilled in his hair. "Harry?"
He licked his bottom lip as he gave her thigh a squeeze. "I saw Ron this morning before I went into work."
"Yeah? How is he?"
"Physically, he's fine," Harry replied, his eyes squinting behind his glasses. "He told me that he and Hermione weren't… well, they're not living together."
Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah, apparently they've been in couples' therapy and they're living apart and they, Gin, they hired lawyers."
Ginny sighed. "Well, honestly, it's not that much of a surprise, I suppose. They've seemed… out of sync with each other the past few years."
"Really?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised.
Ginny nodded, her fingers brushing his hair off his forehead. Her index finger trailed along the lightning bolt scar on his forehead that stretched from his hairline down through his brow.
"It happens, Harry. People grow apart."
Harry shifted next to her, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow. "You're happy, aren't you? We're happy, right?"
Ginny smiled at him. It broke her heart that Harry even needed to double-check with her, but she knew it had nothing to do with either one of them. Harry was always uncertain when it came to reading people and often needed validation that he was loved.
"I'm very happy. We are happy," Ginny insisted.
Harry let out a breath, leaning forward and pressing his nose into her arm. "I just… I worry sometimes that I'm not picking up on things. That maybe in my mind everything is great but it's really not. I just… I had to check."
"I would tell you if there was something that was upsetting me or I thought we were drifting apart," Ginny assured. "I mean, have you not seen my fifty different notes to remind you to take your potion? I let you know when something is bothering me."
Harry chuckled. "I hate that you put notes everywhere."
"Well, have you forgotten your potion lately?"
"No," he replied and Ginny could hear the smile in his voice.
"Mission accomplished then," Ginny said with a chuckle. "Now I don't have to nag you about it."
Harry shook his head. "Ron said he feels like he's just Hermione's roommate. That he loves her but he's no longer in love with her. They rarely have sex. They barely talk. They just… co-existed together."
Ginny sucked in a breath, her nails raking across Harry's back. "That sounds awful. But, Harry, I promise you, that's not us."
"No, I know that now," Harry assured her as he pulled back to look at her. "Ron was absolutely shocked with how much sex we have."
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "He asked you that?"
"Well, we were pretending that you weren't his sister and your name was Margaret," Harry explained. "It made it less weird."
"Margaret?" Ginny questioned, her head shaking. "You two are unbearable."
Harry shrugged. "It'll be weird though, won't it? I mean, when they get a divorce. Would Hermione not come around anymore?"
"You're still allowed to see her and talk to her, you know," Ginny told him with a soft smile. "They're not going to put you in the middle."
Harry nodded, agreeing with her since they were in their mid-forties and not teenagers anymore. "But what about Friday night dinner?"
"I would think she would not be attending Friday night dinner," Ginny concluded. "That would be a bit awkward for them."
"I hate this," Harry admitted.
"I do too," Ginny agreed. "But we'll be there for each of them… together."
"I love you, Gin," Harry whispered.
Ginny smiled. "Harry and Ginny against the world, remember?"
"Forever."
Ginny pressed her lips against his forehead. "I love you, Harry Potter."
She scooted down on the bed so that she was lying next to Harry. He opened his arms for her and she didn't hesitate to allow him to envelope her in his strong arms. She closed her eyes, feeling comforted by his warmth. Her heart fluttered in her chest, happy that they were a strong and solid couple. She didn't know if she would have been able to survive the past few months without him. He was her rock and she loved him more than she could accurately describe.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she let out a contented sigh, burying herself deeper in his arms. No matter what else life had to throw at them, she knew that Harry would be by her side the entire time. They would be able to weather the storm together.
I'm back! I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Now, I know some of you aren't going to like the breakup between Romione, but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time and finally got the courage to do it. So, please keep your negative comments to yourself, but what's done is done and if you hate it that much, the x is in the corner. Now, I would LOVE to hear your positive reviews since they motivate me to write and just generally make my weekend.
Special thanks to Bell for editing.
