Home for the Summer

Chapter Thirty- The Mark



Harry felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. There was a creaking sound from behind, Hermione was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the entry hall. She was white as a ghost, starring at both her husband, and her father. They were both looking at her. In the blink of an eye, she bolted up the staircase, brushing past Lily, the door slamming. Harry watched her, Lily was quiet, and David looked like a petrified statue. A scream came from the kitchen along with a clattering sound. The girls couldn't be left alone. Harry headed towards the kitchen, Lily grabbed his wrist.

" I'll take care of it" she said softly, taking a guess on the situation.

Harry glared at David, " please stay" and went after her.





She was sitting on the windowsill, holding her knees against her chest. In deep silence, not a single thought crossed her mind. For the first time since she was born, Hermione wasn't thinking.

Harry quietly opened the door, peeking inside. She turned her head that was resting on her arms. He saw down next to her, not sure what to do, like she was with him a few days ago. It felt the same though. Someone you thought you'd never see for the rest of your life, magically showing up again.

Hermione buried her face in her knees, letting out small cries. Harry pulled her into his arms and she began to cry harder. Gently rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair, neither knew how to react.

" Why is he here Harry?" she cried.

" I don't know, I haven't- I don't know" he waited a moment, " I think he came to see you".

She still had her sarcasm, " oh yeah, and I'm sure it took him five years just to find us. I don't know if I can see him as my father, he kicked me out alright, he kicked me out of his home, and he kicked me out of his life".

" Maybe he was scared because he thought you wouldn't forgive him".

Hermione muffled her words on his shoulder, " yeah, well, I have my reasons".

" I know" Harry whispered.

" When's he coming back?".

He paused, " he never left".

Hermione backed away, running a hand across her cheek, " maybe I should kick him out".

As much as Harry knew how upset she was, she did not want David to leave. " No, wait, how about I'll go to talk to him for a few minutes, you don't have to come, you can stay here".

Hermione shook her head, " I've never told either of them, that Ella was yours when they found out I was pregnant. He threatened horrible things to whoever it was. When he asked, I wanted to protect you, so I didn't tell. You can't go down there Harry".

" Hermione, that's more the reason why one of us has to go. I don't think he came here because he was angry, and he no longer has a reason to be. Look at you, you're a Transfiguration professor and you're not even twenty. Maybe you're a not a dentist, but nobody's perfect!". She giggled and Harry smiled, " okay, I'll be right back".



Down the hallway between the bedroom and the staircase, Harry overheard a conversation between Lily and David in the entry hall. He stopped at the stop step, trying to listen. Hearing very little, Lily sounded angry.

Sudden bolts of pain in Harry's forehead took away his attention. He kneeled on the floor, wincing, shutting his eyes, and rubbing the area over his eye. It was extreme, worse than ever before.

Back on the window still, to Hermione it sounded as though something was throws down the stairs.

" Hermione!" Lily screamed.

She burst through the doorway to where Harry had been standing less than a minute before. He was now laying on the platform, thirteen steps down. Lily was kneeling at his side. Hermione ran down and stopped at his other side. In all this, David was only watching.

" I think he just knocked himself out, probably slipped" Lily spoke.

Placing some strands of hair aside, she could see the scar. On a normal day, it would not stand out too much from his complexion. Right now, it looked freshly engraved, with a bright tint to it. Lily saw as well, she knew how he got the scar (very few people didn't know that one) but not the warnings it contained.

Hermione had a deep expression of lying and fear that her mother-in-law could easily read, but didn't say anything. " Just a bump on the head".

" Lily, why don't I help you get him upstairs?" David offered, Hermione avoided eye contact.

While they brought an unconscious Harry back upstairs, Hermione went to the girls, bringing them with her.

" I'll get some ice" David told her, passing by in the hallway.

" In the kitchen" she muttered, then felt like an idiot for pointing out the obvious.

Hermione entered the room, Ella went to sit on the armchair in the corner and she placed Hailey in an extra bassinet next to the rocking chair. Lily was examining her son. " I think it's more than a bump".

She joined her, " it is, his scar only looks like that when something bas is going on. It hurts him a lot too".

Lily looked up at her, desperate for answers. " Something bad? What do you mean?".

" Voldemort" Hermione whispered, " it hurts really bad whenever he's around".

It came as quiet a shock for Lily, " b-but I thought he was gone for good".

That's when Hermione noticed a print on Harry's arm, it was never there before. " We've been known to be wrong sometimes".

The marking on the inner part of his arm looked too familiar. A skull, with a snake emerging from it's mouth.