Chapter 56

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or NCIS or any of their characters. I do however own this story, I wrote it and I do NOT give permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you want to share it post a link.

Kingsley and Robbards were delighted with the capture. Delighted enough that Robbards came in person to collect the prisoners rather than making Hadrian portkey back and forwards to London like he had to do last time. They did take the precaution of bringing a chess set with them and Hadrian promised to post back the pieces they left behind, replaced by the transfigured two death eaters and Voldemort supporter and several transfigured vials of memories.

Hadrian had been pleased to see them and updated Robbards on what had been going on in his life since he'd last officially been in London.

"So, your relatives got their comeuppance after all," Robbards said chuckling. "Kingsley was so angry after the war when you would not let him arrest them for the way you were treated as a child. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore was so insistent on protecting them."

"Dumbledore had promised they'd be protected in return for them taking me in. Even though they didn't treat me well he felt obligated to keep his word. I can't fault him for that and I was prepared to put it all behind me. Particularly after all the nastiness of the war. I didn't want to give people another reason or excuse to dislike muggles or espouse the pureblood beliefs but I must admit to feeling some satisfaction in seeing them punished now. Their greed couldn't leave my money alone. I had hoped that with me and magic out of their lives they could be happier. When you try to look at it from their point of view, Dumbledore did them almost as much of a disservice leaving me with them as he did me," Hadrian explained.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about the rumours going around about the number of squib children that have been murdered in England. Everyone who knows anything seems to think that the rumours might come from something you told Hannah Longbottom," Robbards said.

"I have no proof except for the number of children born to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy on the Black family tree that died just after their eleventh birthdays, and the number of Black children that died over the generations as well though none in my generation," Hadrian said. "Draco told me about several of his friends telling him about having older siblings die or disappear a couple of months before they would have gone off to Hogwarts as well. Of course, the others could have been abandoned in the muggle world but given who their parents were, I think most of them died."

"Is there any way to tell?" Robbards asked.

"Other than questioning all the parents under veritaserum?" Hadrian said sardonically. "Wouldn't the other old families have a family tree also. I know Sirius told me that displaying them had gone out of fashion but I doubt they'd have destroyed them."

"Perhaps they went out of fashion because they'd prove the deaths of the children?" Robbards said.

"More likely because they prove the families were birthing squibs," Hadrian replied.

"You managed to drop this in my lap via gossip," Robbards bitched at him. "Why didn't you tell me this shit when you heard it."

"What could you have done? There was nothing we could really do about it at the time you had your hands full just re-establishing peacetime policing and laws. Most of my information is hearsay and all the squib children's deaths I heard about, had parents who were either dead, in Azkaban or missing by the time I found about it," Hadrian said. "I only told Hannah because I was trying to convince her that marrying relatives is a bad idea genetically. I knew with her gossiping skills half the younger generation will hear about it within weeks, maybe it will make a difference. Otherwise the pureblood British wizarding world are going to breed themselves into extinction."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Robbards asked.

"Not enough muggleborns stay in Britain once they realise the bigotry isn't as bad in the rest of the world. Add the number of witches and wizards killed in the war and the population isn't sustainable unless something changes," Hadrian replied. "I want to do something to rescue the muggleborns that are trapped in the bigotry, not pure blooded enough to get a decent job in the magical word and not well enough educated to get a decent job in the nonmagical world, but I can't justify doing it if it's going to end up wiping out the British wizarding world entirely. We need to get rid of the pure blood ideology and then the bigotry will die out by itself."

"And you thought that the best way to change things was to set Hannah Longbottom loose to gossip about it?" Robbards asked shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well they wouldn't have listened to me directly. Hannah's a pureblood and she knows everyone. People listen to her. And you know that the whispers of gossip have more effect on beliefs than an official statement or public announcement," Hadrian said.

Robbards had to laugh. "You're unbelievably Slytherin sometimes. I can't believe you were a Gryffindor."

"Of course, it would help if you found a way to publicly announce that I was right about the squibs" Hadrian added. "And to start prosecuting parents for killing their children, though most of them will be hard to catch. It's difficult to know how many children we're even talking about when they've been kept hidden all their lives."

"Your gossip is starting to change that. It's become fashionable lately for light families to take their young children with them to Diagon Alley and visits to other light houses, the neutrals have started to follow suit and even Malfoy brought his baby in to show off around the ministry last week," Robbards said amused.

"So even if we don't manage to identify all the parents that killed their squib children we've managed to put a halt to the practice," Hadrian said grinning.

"Can you give us access to the Black family tapestry?" Robbards asked. "It would be a start at least, then I'd have reason to question the Malfoys and find out what Draco knows about the others. It should snowball from there. I'll arrange for the question to be added to the standard veritaserum questioning too."

"Sure, call for Winky when you get back to England. I'll get my elves here to send her a message to bring it to you when you call her," Hadrian planned.

"Thanks Hadrian," Robbards said getting up to take his leave.

"I'll see you soon, I've been spending a bit of time in England lately trying to sort out the mess of my friendship with Ron and Hermione," Hadrian replied.

"You're more forgiving than I would be," Robbards stated.

"Yeah well there was a time they were pretty much my only friends. I want to give Hermione one last chance before I wash my hands of them completely," Hadrian said firmly.

"Do me a favour and visit Kingsley next time you're in London" Robbards said right before he activated his portkey.

Hadrian grinned and apparated home.

-o0o-

"I think we should add another vow for each of us," Hermione suggested writing it down while Ron read over her shoulder. 'I vow to consider Harry James Potter and his family as my family and to protect them like I would my own.'

"Why should we vow that?" Ron asked, still more than a little upset by the way Harry was interfering in his marriage. Though he had to admit that Hermione was much happier now that she had a way to change things. He liked it, the house was much more pleasant, and the food and their relationship were better. Though in the back of his mind he was suspicious that Hermione was only happier because Harry was back in her life. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful to his best mate for making his life better or jealous that Harry may be able to make Hermione happy when he failed to do it. As a result, he reacted badly whenever Hermione said his name

"Because we've treated him really shoddily over the mess with your sister," Hermione said. "She and your Mom behaved so badly that he had to leave the country just to be able to do his job and we pretty much abandoned him for leaving."

"He broke my sister's heart when he broke of their engagement," Ron said.

"He never would have proposed if she wasn't feeding him love potions. I doubt he would have wanted to get back together at all after the war," Hermione retorted. "Ginny had to know he didn't really love her or she wouldn't have had to keep dosing him." Hermione rather doubted that Ginny had been heartbroken, she believed her sister-in-law was more upset that her fantasies of being rich and famous had been dashed and her pride had been hurt. "What happened Ron? When you first found out about the potions you were furious with Ginny for potioning your best friend, and even before that you were surprised he put up with how badly Ginny treated him and supported him when they fought over her tantrums. Now you talk like Ginny was the perfect girlfriend and Harry was a monster for what he did to her. Perhaps you needed to see the healer to be checked for memory and compulsion charms too."

She pulled out her wand and attempted to cast the strongest Finite Incantatem she could.

-o0o-

It was just over a week before Hadrian heard from Hermione again. He'd given her his mobile number, aware that the country code on the front would tell her he was somewhere in the united states.

"Hadrian," he answered curtly knowing it was a call from Britain. Whoever it was hadn't paid attention to the time differences and it was almost midnight in DC.

"Harry?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yeah, how are you Hermione?"

"I'm fine, Ron and I have agreed on vows and are ready to complete the ritual. Fred and George have given us Sunday and Monday off to do it. Not that they know what we're doing. We just told them we needed some time to ourselves. Molly is going to look after Rose for us," Hermione rambled slightly.

"Okay I'll come see you tomorrow to set things up," Hadrian replied.

Hadrian and Tim had talked it over and decided to use the house in Hawaii. Hannah already knew about it so it would be better if she and Ron were keeping the same house secret in case they both let something slip and Hawaii had the least restrictive laws on ritual magic anywhere in the world.

He thought about clearing the master bedroom or main lounge of furniture for the ritual but then slightly vindictively decided that they could do it outside on the beach. He knew a spell that would pack the sand hard enough to draw the rune circle on. And it would allow him or Tim to observe the ritual from a distance rather than one of them hiding themselves under the invisibility cloak and being in the room to make sure Ron went through his part and said the vows they had agreed on. The weather was warm enough but he was sure it would shock Ron's Victorian sensibilities to be expected to have sex outdoors under the bright moonlight. He checked the tide times and they were just about perfect the tide would be low enough for he and Hermione to draw the rune circle before the sun set, then wait for dark to perform the ritual though he had to admit it would have amused him to make them perform the ritual in full sunlight (without telling Ron about sunscreen charms) if the tides had been suited to that. He deserved a bit of discomfort for allowing their earlier stupidity to corrupt their marriage, after all.

-o0o-

Tim and Hadrian portkeyed back to Britain to meet with Hermione and finalise plans to portkey them to the ritual space.

"We'll do the same as we did last time and give the portkeys to Kingsley so he can make sure that only the two of you arrive at the ritual sight," Tim told her.

"You still don't trust me?" Hermione asked bitterly.

"We still don't trust Ron and Ginny and Molly," Hadrian replied bluntly. "You can't tell me you don't believe Molly or Ginny wouldn't set up an ambush if they knew about this."

"Ron hasn't told them!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Maybe not, but you know as well as I do that he's not too keen on having to go through this ritual and make those marriage vows to you. Getting rid of us would be the only way to get out of it without consequences, in his opinion. Are you absolutely certain that he wouldn't try?" Hadrian asked.

Hermione sighed, "He wouldn't hurt you," she protested weakly.

"Are you prepared to stake my life on that?" Tim asked. "What about Hade's life?"

"Kingsley will have the portkeys. Because of the time difference I need you to portkey over at midnight to help me draw the rune circle and Ron to follow at seven o'clock Saturday morning for the ritual," Hadrian said.

"Why can't he come with me?" Hermione asked.

"You mean what if he doesn't turn up?" Tim asked perceptively. "Bring Rose with you. We can have Tollie look after her. He'll come if it's the only way to see his wife and daughter again."

"He can't come with you because it's going to take hours for us to draw the rune circles and I don't want him wandering around my home by himself and it isn't fair to expect Tim to babysit him at gunpoint," Hadrian added pragmatically.

"Do you have a copy of the vows you've agreed on so we know what Ron has to vow?" Tim asked.

"Yeah here," Hermione handed the list to Hadrian.

Hadrian immediately held it out to Tim without looking at it. "You need to try to get to know Tim. How would you like it if I treated someone you loved the way you treat him for no reason?" he said to Hermione.

Hermione flushed, "I'm sorry Harry it's just so hard."

"I realise that I'm pretty much the only one of your friends not to marry someone who went to Hogwarts and through the war with us. But that doesn't give him the right to try to shut him out. Do you do that to your parents too?" Hadrian asked.

"No but it's hard to be with them, they just don't understand all the things we've been through" Hermione replied.

"And whose fault is that. You lied to them for years to keep them in the dark about the bigotry and the danger in the wizarding world and then when the war came you wiped their memories and compelled them to leave the country. They would have tried to be there for you through it all if you'd let them," Hadrian retorted.

"They don't understand my marriage. It just creates trouble to have them here when Ron's home" Hermione complained.

"Hell Hermione, I don't understand your marriage. I'll never understand how you forgave him for leaving us in the tent and trusted him again so wholeheartedly. And you could've had almost anyone after the war, surely there were wizards that you had more in common with, that respected your brains and your need to continue learning. Not to mention the vows you made without researching them," Harry said throwing his hands in the air and pacing around the kitchen.

"Hades, I think you ought to read this" Tim said holding out the parchment of vows.

Hadrian looked at him oddly before coming to get the parchment and plopping down into the seat beside him to look at it.

"You guys don't need to do that!" Hadrian protested once he'd read it.

"I can't think of any other way to make it so you can trust us again," Hermione replied. "I'm perfectly happy to make this vow if it gets me my best friend back."

"Was Ron perfectly happy too, or did you have to talk him into it somehow?" Hadrian asked.

"I talked him into it" Hermione admitted. "But it wasn't hard to do once I explained why. He wants to fix our friendship too."

"Hermione, are you sure you want to do this? Tim is my family now," Hadrian asked bluntly. "You haven't even shown that you're interested in becoming friends with him much less accepting him into your family."

"Harry, you are more my family than Ron's brothers and sister. You're right I hadn't really been thinking of Tim as your family, I was thinking about Teddy and the baby Rosie. But it doesn't change things Harry I want you to be able to trust me with Tim as well as with your children," Hermione said earnestly.

"You should let them do this if they want to," Tim said. "You want your friendship with Hermione back as much as they do."

Hadrian nodded. "You'll need to use my full name" he said writing it down for her.

"Merlin! Did you know this before you left?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, you knew this before I left. So did the Weasleys" Hadrian said shocked and concerned.

Hermione frowned. "I did? Are you sure?"

"Hermione, I think you need to see a mind healer. I told you about it when I found out and you heard me use my full name when I ended my engagement a couple of weeks after that," Hadrian said worriedly.

"You mean that you're not the only wizard who finds it convenient to obliviate me at will?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Hermione, I have never actually obliviated you. I had Robbards lock away your memories when you found us at work that day to protect Tim but I promise you that until a moment ago, that was the only time I knew about your memory being altered," Hadrian said honestly.

"I can't afford a healer," Hermione said embarrassed. "St Mungo's isn't on the NHS."

"I'll pay for a healer, but we can't go with you," Hadrian said. "I don't want my first public appearance in Britain in years to be at the healers with someone else's wife. Rita Skeeter will have a field day."

Tim laughed. "Yeah but she's not just another man's wife. From what you've told me everyone knows you're Hermione's best friend."

"That wouldn't matter to Skeeter," Hermione said cynically. "Or to whoever read whatever salacious gossip she wrote."

"You could take her to Healer Roberts," Tim suggested.

"The only way I could take her without telling her where we lived would be to stun her before portkeying her to him and again before we left. I doubt Roberts would take it very well," Hadrian said amused.

"I could take her to St Mungo's, or you could use that glamour spell to change your appearance," Tim suggested next.

"Any man with me other than Ron would draw too much attention. You could polyjuice into Ron," Hermione suggested.

"I don't happen to carry around two or three vials of polyjuice potion in my pockets," Hadrian said sarcastically.

"I could get some from the twins," Hermione said.

"Without telling them what you want it for?" Hadrian asked. "If you promise to use it on seeing a mind healer I will just give you the money." He remembered his thoughts on her research habits changing so drastically and decided he wanted her checked for curses and any other form of mind altering as well. He resolved to talk about it with Healer Roberts, perhaps the man would agree to be portkeyed to England or Hawaii for the assessment.

"I will Harry. I want to know what's happened to me," Hermione said earnestly. "I want to know how I could give up so many things that were important to me."

"I'd rather you not see a British healer. I'll try to have a healer meet you before the ritual," Hadrian promised.

-o0o-

Healer Roberts happily agreed to come to Hawaii to do the consultation with Hermione in return for a week's holiday with his family so Hadrian made him a portkey and told him that he would bring Hermione to him at the end of the week as he didn't want Hermione going back anywhere near Ron or any other Weasley once she'd been cleared of all compulsions, obliviations and behaviour modifications. After careful thought the Healer had given him a written order that he wanted Ron to give to his wife before bringing her to him.

"I have to admit your plan to add more vows is ingenious and it should go a long way in increasing the amount of freedom your friend has Hadrian. But it won't free her completely. Her husband can still give her any order that he can convince himself is in her best interests whether it truly is or not" Healer Roberts warned him.

"I know but other than killing Ron, there isn't much else we can do. It could be dangerous to have them in a situation where he couldn't give her any orders at all. Particularly in Britain where there is still a lot of resentment brewing from the last war. He's got to be able to alert her to danger without risking losing his magic with a badly worded statement."

"Yes I agree" Healer Roberts said seriously.

"So what else can I do? I'd hide her if she wanted me to but it would mean leaving her child, her parents, friends and her whole life behind. She doesn't want to do that," Hadrian asked the healer.

"There is another way out of the marriage. It is rarely used and I think probably unheard of in Britain" The healer said. "Their wedding vows are enforced by their magic, so if we removed their magic then they'd be free of them."

"You mean bound it like Tim's? But he was still able to make magical vows" Hadrian replied.

"No unfortunately, I mean actually destroying their magical cores. It is an extremely painful ritual and it would take them months to recover their strength. It is not to be done lightly, the sense of loss is overwhelming, some witches and wizards never get over the depression." Healer Roberts said.

"I'll offer them the choice. Would it have to be both of them?" Hadrian asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it would have to be your friend. She's the one who made the vows. If she wants to take this path I would suggest performing the ritual on her then if she still feels compelled to obey his orders you could perform it on his as well," the healer suggested.

"So she's the one punished for wanting to get out of this hellish situation. I think before we try that maybe she should just leave. Go into hiding somewhere and set mail wards so he can't contact her to order her to come back" Hadrian said.

"I'm not sure that would work either, because your friend would know that her husband would order her to come home. Does she have to follow unspoken orders like that?"

"Um I don't know" Hadrian replied.

"I don't think she does. She's given her daughter a muggle toy which she keeps hidden from her husband because she knows he would make her throw it out and not replace it if he found out" Tim said frowning thoughtfully.

-o0o-

Hadrian portkeyed Hermione to the beach house in Hawaii and took her up to the house to meet Healer Roberts. "It's beautiful here, is it a wizarding house?" Hermione said.

"It was, we're in the process of having electricity and a generator installed. Tim was fine with the gas lights and no internet for short periods but with his job, unless he's officially on leave he can't be that out of touch."

"Hello Hadrian" the Healer came out to greet them.

"Hey, did you have a nice holiday?" Hadrian asked.

"It was wonderful. We went across the island and spent some time in the town but most of our time was just appreciating the peace and quiet" the healer said enthusiastically.

"We've never been into the town. Do you have any recommendations for places to visit or not visit?" Hadrian grinned.

"Not really, you can't go wrong from what we saw, it was all interesting and everyone was very friendly"

"This is Hermione Weasley, Hermione this is my healer, Healer Roberts," Hadrian introduced.

"You have your own healer?" Hermione asked.

"The magical health service where I live is a lot more similar to the muggle system in England and the magical hospital is only for emergencies. Healer Roberts works as a GP," Hadrian explained. "He doesn't normally make house calls but I offered him a week here with his family in return for seeing you today."

"Thank you for seeing me," Hermione said.

"I'll leave you to it," Hadrian said. "I'll be out on the veranda when you're done Hermione."

"You're not going to start the rune circle?" Hermione asked.

"Can't for another hour or two," Hadrian replied.

The healer found several compulsion spells on Hermione but nothing recent. "You've had these spells for a decade or more, I'm not entirely sure what changes you'll notice in your personality when I remove them but you will need to be patient with yourself and forgive yourself for the actions you've taken that in hindsight now seem wrong or unexplainable," he warned her.

"Please remove them." Hermione demanded anxiously.

"Done." Healer Roberts said smiling a few minutes later.

"I don't feel any different!" Hermione said suspiciously.

"I don't expect you will until you come across a facet of your life the spells were influencing," the healer said gently. "The modifications were placed before you were fully grown and they've been on so long now that the reactions they produced may have become habits or even influenced the way the rest of your mind has developed."

"So you're saying that it's too late, removing the spells might not fix anything?" Hermione asked upset.

"It's not too late unless you let it be. You may want to question some of the habits and behaviours you don't like about yourself. Now that the spells are removed you have the opportunity to change," Healer Roberts said gently.

-o0o-

A/N: Thank you to Kourtney Uzu Yato, julschristine975, Aeryun, DarkRavie, xDarklightx, Kaorilamb, lilly-flower15, Firehedgehog, Shelleykids, charm13insomnia, MageVicky, TwinTigerLover, Rori Potter, Guest, .9, buterflypuss, acherongoddess, mother oracle, sandipi, lia (Guest), Guest, Vladimir Mithrander, Reader Ethiriel, Village-Mystic, madnessdownunder2, serenityselena, gabrieljuarezl, SpiritBlackPaw, kimbarn30, Silvermane1, Serpent91, LunaSunFlowerLily, LadyDrak75, Maben00, Fallow53 (Guest), Goddess Seshat, Aima (Guest), Gotham-Pixie, Lady Vaughan, blacksista4eva, Aura Jackson Potter Di Angelo, E. Chickarita, AlexWhiteTiger, TangoTwo, akire26, Hkcutiepie1352, ShadowMystic56, Bruna Snape2, spikelouver19, Kat Riddle, Moki Mischief, Hikaru Emiya, jackie-chan1230, renbergk, Alianna013, Adurna-Brisingr, Verdandi105, RavenPythium, NinjaHarryPotter4life, Only-4-you, Andromeda-170, mobulis, MissJu-chan and EMMACAT for your support.