DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here except my own characters, and I think you'll
be able to figure out who they are. Everything else belongs to J.K.
Rowling.
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"This is such bullshit," muttered Hermione, collapsing on the living room couch. She sat back against the jade green velvet and closed her eyes, very tired all of a sudden.
Harry followed his wife out of the kitchen and switched on the living room light. The two diffuser lamps on either side of the TV turned on, flooding the room with light. Harry sat across the room from Hermione in an armchair with the same fabric as the couch. He looked at Hermione and tried to gauge exactly how she was feeling at the moment. He knew, of course, that somewhere deep inside her she had to be sad, but the emotions bubbling at her surface right then seemed to be more along the lines of anger and confusion, and for Hermione that was not a good mix at all. Harry fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to do or say next. He decided to let Hermione make the next move.
After a moment, Hermione spoke. "I just don't understand," she said, hanging her head, "I mean, why would anyone want to kill my parents?"
Harry sighed, but not in exasperation. "I don't know," he said, "but the police are sure it wasn't Voldemort. This isn't his kind of thing, and the Aurors are on his tail right now in Belgium anyway."
Hermione nodded and looked up at her husband. "Thank God for that!" she said, "But I just want to know who hated my parents so much that they would want to kill them!"
Harry sat silently, thinking to himself. He kept racking his brain for a clue as to who might have murdered the Grangers, but he was drawing a blank. Of course, the police and coroner had evidence from both murder scenes, but no one had solved the mystery yet. He thought back to the phone call that he and Hermione had received just half an hour ago.
Because Hermione was sobbing uncontrollably, Harry had answered the phone.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, Mr. Potter? This is Ned James, the coroner where your mother and father-in-law are being held," said the voice on the other end of the line.
"Oh, hello Mr. James," said Harry. He turned to Hermione and mouthed 'coroner' and immediately her cries subsided to whimpers and she began to look interested.
"I'm sorry to be calling at this hour, but I thought it would be best to give you my report as soon as I was through with it," said Mr. James.
"Oh, well, thank you very much," replied Harry, returning to his seat at the kitchen table. Hermione continued to look at him.
"You see, it is very clear that both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were murdered, but by whom neither I nor the police are sure of. They were both killed by magical means," Mr. James informed Harry.
"Were they killed by a spell?" asked Harry.
"Yes, although it does not appear to be the Avada Kedavra curse," answered the coroner.
"Why was there a lot of blood if they were killed by a spell?" inquired Harry, frowning. Hermione sat down next to him at the table.
"The blood tests confirmed that the blood was theirs, and it was there partly because of the impact that both of the Granger's bodies fell victim to. Mrs. Granger hit the wall, and Mr. Granger hit a stationary boxcar." Said Mr. James.
Harry nodded, remembering how Hermione had had to use three different types of magical mess remover to get the bloodstains off of the wall and rug in Audrey's room.
"That is all I can tell you for now Mr. Potter," said Mr. James, "but I will be sure to call you when I have more information."
Harry thanked the coroner and hung up the phone.
Now, as he sat in the overstuffed chair watching Hermione feel awful, he said, "Let's go out on the porch for awhile."
Hermione frowned. "But what about Audrey?" she asked uncertainly.
"Don't worry," said Harry, "I'll sat up the security system and we'll take the baby monitor with us. We'll be right outside in the backyard, right under her window."
"All right, I suppose that would be okay for a little while," said Hermione, standing up and stretching, "I'll go get our coats."
Harry smiled as he set the security system and grabbed the baby monitor off the kitchen table. He met Hermione outside on the dark wood deck and they sat down on the swinging bench.
"It's so peaceful out here," said Hermione, moving closer to Harry. It seemed like her troubles were a million miles away.
"I know, isn't it?" said Harry, putting his arm around Hermione and kissing the top of her head.
"It is because you're here," murmured Hermione, leaning against her husband and closing her eyes.
They stayed this way for a moment, until Hermione suddenly felt Harry jerk away from her. She looked up at him to see his face staring up into the sky, His eyes were wide with terror and his face had gone white.
Hermione looked at where his eyes were looking and when she saw what he was so fearful of, she gasped and jumped off the bench.
She did so because there, hanging from a certain second story window, was Audrey, about to fall.
Hermione's eyes were as big as saucers and she cursed loudly when she remembered that her and Harry's wands were inside.
And then Audrey began to fall.
It was as though time had stopped. Hermione's heartbeat seemed to fade, the stream behind her and Harry's house went silent, and the cicadas stopped their noise.
Until she came to the realization that her daughter was seconds away from death.
"AUDREY! NOOOO!" Hermione shrieked, bolting forward, Harry at her heels.
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A/N: *evil grin* Okay, that's all folks!
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"This is such bullshit," muttered Hermione, collapsing on the living room couch. She sat back against the jade green velvet and closed her eyes, very tired all of a sudden.
Harry followed his wife out of the kitchen and switched on the living room light. The two diffuser lamps on either side of the TV turned on, flooding the room with light. Harry sat across the room from Hermione in an armchair with the same fabric as the couch. He looked at Hermione and tried to gauge exactly how she was feeling at the moment. He knew, of course, that somewhere deep inside her she had to be sad, but the emotions bubbling at her surface right then seemed to be more along the lines of anger and confusion, and for Hermione that was not a good mix at all. Harry fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to do or say next. He decided to let Hermione make the next move.
After a moment, Hermione spoke. "I just don't understand," she said, hanging her head, "I mean, why would anyone want to kill my parents?"
Harry sighed, but not in exasperation. "I don't know," he said, "but the police are sure it wasn't Voldemort. This isn't his kind of thing, and the Aurors are on his tail right now in Belgium anyway."
Hermione nodded and looked up at her husband. "Thank God for that!" she said, "But I just want to know who hated my parents so much that they would want to kill them!"
Harry sat silently, thinking to himself. He kept racking his brain for a clue as to who might have murdered the Grangers, but he was drawing a blank. Of course, the police and coroner had evidence from both murder scenes, but no one had solved the mystery yet. He thought back to the phone call that he and Hermione had received just half an hour ago.
Because Hermione was sobbing uncontrollably, Harry had answered the phone.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, Mr. Potter? This is Ned James, the coroner where your mother and father-in-law are being held," said the voice on the other end of the line.
"Oh, hello Mr. James," said Harry. He turned to Hermione and mouthed 'coroner' and immediately her cries subsided to whimpers and she began to look interested.
"I'm sorry to be calling at this hour, but I thought it would be best to give you my report as soon as I was through with it," said Mr. James.
"Oh, well, thank you very much," replied Harry, returning to his seat at the kitchen table. Hermione continued to look at him.
"You see, it is very clear that both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were murdered, but by whom neither I nor the police are sure of. They were both killed by magical means," Mr. James informed Harry.
"Were they killed by a spell?" asked Harry.
"Yes, although it does not appear to be the Avada Kedavra curse," answered the coroner.
"Why was there a lot of blood if they were killed by a spell?" inquired Harry, frowning. Hermione sat down next to him at the table.
"The blood tests confirmed that the blood was theirs, and it was there partly because of the impact that both of the Granger's bodies fell victim to. Mrs. Granger hit the wall, and Mr. Granger hit a stationary boxcar." Said Mr. James.
Harry nodded, remembering how Hermione had had to use three different types of magical mess remover to get the bloodstains off of the wall and rug in Audrey's room.
"That is all I can tell you for now Mr. Potter," said Mr. James, "but I will be sure to call you when I have more information."
Harry thanked the coroner and hung up the phone.
Now, as he sat in the overstuffed chair watching Hermione feel awful, he said, "Let's go out on the porch for awhile."
Hermione frowned. "But what about Audrey?" she asked uncertainly.
"Don't worry," said Harry, "I'll sat up the security system and we'll take the baby monitor with us. We'll be right outside in the backyard, right under her window."
"All right, I suppose that would be okay for a little while," said Hermione, standing up and stretching, "I'll go get our coats."
Harry smiled as he set the security system and grabbed the baby monitor off the kitchen table. He met Hermione outside on the dark wood deck and they sat down on the swinging bench.
"It's so peaceful out here," said Hermione, moving closer to Harry. It seemed like her troubles were a million miles away.
"I know, isn't it?" said Harry, putting his arm around Hermione and kissing the top of her head.
"It is because you're here," murmured Hermione, leaning against her husband and closing her eyes.
They stayed this way for a moment, until Hermione suddenly felt Harry jerk away from her. She looked up at him to see his face staring up into the sky, His eyes were wide with terror and his face had gone white.
Hermione looked at where his eyes were looking and when she saw what he was so fearful of, she gasped and jumped off the bench.
She did so because there, hanging from a certain second story window, was Audrey, about to fall.
Hermione's eyes were as big as saucers and she cursed loudly when she remembered that her and Harry's wands were inside.
And then Audrey began to fall.
It was as though time had stopped. Hermione's heartbeat seemed to fade, the stream behind her and Harry's house went silent, and the cicadas stopped their noise.
Until she came to the realization that her daughter was seconds away from death.
"AUDREY! NOOOO!" Hermione shrieked, bolting forward, Harry at her heels.
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A/N: *evil grin* Okay, that's all folks!
