Sorry this took so long folks. I have decided to start up a live journal to let people know what is going on and when they can expect my next chappie. I will also be putting thank yous on the journal for all reviews intead of in the story as well. I have seen that people do get irritated with them and figured if you want to read em you can just go have a look at my journal, otherwise there are no worries about it. I have posted the link for my journal in my bio page, so go have a look and say hi if you wish!
Harry watched Sirius as they drank their tea in relative silence. The only sounds to fill the room were the quiet sips and the soft rustle of cloth. Finally Harry sighed softly and spoke. "We owe a large debt of gratitude to the Family, Sirius. Without them I don't know if we would have our Hermione."
Sirius stayed silent as Harry continued to speak. "She was there when the Death Eaters came for them. Both her parents died that day but she managed to get free. We of course had no idea if she was alive or dead at the time. They had been sending us pictures…" Harry paused and a shiver of revulsion rippled through his body at the memory of a time long passed.
"Anyways, she wasn't with them like we thought. Hermione had managed to escape into muggle London and it was there that she encountered Kevin. He is the leader of the Family. The best way to describe their association would be a band of thieves I suppose. You see he tried to rob her but even after all she had been through she fought." Harry put his teacup on the table.
"You can't tell me that Hermione would sanction a bunch of thieves…" Sirius started until Harry interrupted.
"She believed in you when you were thought to be a murderer by everyone in the wizarding world, didn't she?" Harry said softly. "It was Hermione that kept Remus's secret, even from Ron and I, all those years back. Hermione has this ability to see beyond the obvious. She saw it with Severus, Remus and even you. Kevin is a good man. I won't delve into his relationship with Hermione though, I think it is up to her to let you know all those details. They were close though." Harry stated with a serious tone and watched his Godfather as he assessed what had been said.
"So you are saying he was her boyfriend once…" Sirius inquired hesitantly.
"Boyfriend? Hmm, as I said I think you need to speak with Hermione about their relationship. I myself never really asked the full details about what they were to each other. I just know that they were more than just casual friends." Harry stated. "Now I don't want you getting all paranoid about her being with him. She loves you and you have to realize that if you don't trust her, then you will lose her."
Sirius sighed softly and rubbed his hand over his face. "I know, it's hard. I have never had what your parents did. They were so secure in each others love. Hermione and I, we are so new and I fear losing her before I ever get a chance to feel secure in our love."
"She has loved you for a long time Sirius." Harry said with a half smile upon his face. "She fancied you in our third year. Thought you were so brave and admired you for all that you went through. It is not every wizard in this world that can say that they have suffered years of torture from the Dementors of Azkaban and live to tell about it. That night that you complimented her about how smart she was, I could tell it really made her happy. Of course back then she considered it a schoolgirl crush."
"She really fancied me you think?" Sirius asked with a hopeful tone.
Harry chuckled. "She didn't gush about you like Lockhart, but I saw her eyes glaze over and that smile whenever I would mention your name. She couldn't hide much from me then, and she couldn't hide a thing from me now."
There was a pause in their conversation as Sirius digested all that had been told to him until finally he spoke. "This Kevin will do everything he can to find her you think?"
"I know he will do everything he can to find her. If anyone can it will be him." Harry stated.
It grated on Sirius's nerves that he could not be Hermione's hero, but he knew that he would have to rely on this Family to locate her. "I suppose all we can do is wait then?"
Harry gave Sirius a wicked grin. "Of course not." He stood up and walked over to his desk to grab his laptop. "We are going to do a bit of research while we wait."
There were just some things that Harry could not live without, even in the wizarding world, and his laptop was one of them. "We are going to find out everything we can about Crane Industries and figure out just what the hell they want in the wizarding world."
Hermione turned towards Rielle while the elevator took them down to the ground floor, "I'm Hermione, and you would be?"
Rielle turned towards the attractive young woman. "I would be Rielle, but I know you better as the Princess rather than Hermione. It is an odd name is it not?" he inquired inquisitively.
She seemed to get her back up about the comment and muttered her response to him. "Yes it is, as is Princess. Call me Hermione please."
Rielle raised his eyebrow and smirked as he commented while the elevator continued its downward trek. "Ok Hermione it is."
The young woman held her hand out to him in an expectant manner. "Your phone please." She stated.
"Pardon me?" He replied, somewhat offended by the direct and ordered tone that she took with him.
"Your phone, I need to use your phone is that difficult to comprehend?" She replied.
"First of all, it is I who will be issuing orders. I'm the rescuer here am I not?" Rielle said with a scowl. He paused as he took in her expression that clearly stated that he in no way rescued her and the little chit that was with her.
"What?" He inquired. "I will be the one supplying your transportation am I not? I will be the one taking you to the Warren will I not?" He stated in a smug tone.
"If you really think that I am unable to find the Warren myself, then you are sorely mistaken. For now though I refuse to go to the Warren." Hermione raised her nose into the air as she crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them upwards enough that Rielle could spy a touch of her cleavage.
"Umm.." A slightly distracted Rielle started and then shook his head to look back up into Hermione's face. "Of course you will be going to the Warren. I am under orders to get you to safety, and the Warren means safety."
Hermione uncrossed her arms and poked Rielle in the chest with her finger. "You will listen to me now, I will not go to the Warren and you will hand over your phone right now."
"I don't think so considering that I was sent to come and get you, obviously if you landed yourself in a mess that you needed rescuing from, by the family no less, you don't have the best decision making capabilities." Rielle growled back to Hermione.
Hermione growled in response while Hailey's head bounced between looking at the two of them. The young witch felt as if she was watching a match of muggle tennis and couldn't help the small burst of giggles that escaped her lips.
The two adults swung their gaze towards Hailey and she gave them a contrite look. Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to look back at Rielle. "Either hand the phone to me now or call Renee yourself. It is important that I speak with him." She growled.
The chime interrupted their arguing to signify their arrival to the ground floor and the doors slid open. "And what if I said that I didn't have a phone?" He replied as he stepped out into the Lobby.
"Then I would wonder if you were truly a part of the Family, because Lord knows a member wouldn't be caught dead without their Blackberry." She retorted with a smug look.
"Is that right? You know the family so well do you?" He replied back in a snarky tone.
"Oh sweet Merlin, Avada me now." She mumbled as if extremely irritated. "You must be one of the newer recruits into the inner circle." Hermione sighed. "I know that the reason you are here is due to the woman that checked us in. I know that there are family guarding all the exits, including the group of five over there that are trying to blend, and they are doing it successfully to those that are not aware of their backgrounds. One would think that they truly were a group of businessmen here for a conference."
"And what if I was to tell you that you were wrong and that really is a group of men here for a conference?" Rielle replied.
"The fact that I know three of them gives it away so please stop trying to seem more important than you are and make the call." Hermione purred in a smug tone.
Rielle growled and retrieved his Blackberry from inside his jacket pocket. "I'm doing this because I needed to speak with Renee anyways, not because you ordered it."
"Oh yes of course." She responded in a saccharine tone.
Rielle dialed Renee's number and placed the phone to his ear. "Renee, Rielle here." Hermione tapped her foot while she watched him speak. "Yes we have her. Bouchard is taking care of him." Another pause. "There is a young girl with her. I'm going to take them to the Warren."
Hearing this set Hermione off and she smacked Rielle on the arm. "Did you not hear what I said to you earlier? You will not take me to the Warren. Give me the phone, let me speak with him." She held out her hand expectantly.
"You are an aggravating little bint is what you are." Rielle said in a harsh tone as he pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. "What!" Rielle growled as he put the phone back to his ear. "Of all the…" he growled loudly. "Yes of course sir." Finally with a resigned look Rielle held the phone out to Hermione.
Hermione gave Rielle a sweet smile to rub salt into the wound before taking the phone and putting it to her ear. "Hello Renee."
"Princess, putting my men to the test again are you?" Renee said with a chuckle. "Try not to be too hard on the boy, now why won't you go to the Warren?"
"The people that captured me put a collar on me. I don't know what it is fully yet, so I don't want to risk the Warren in case there are any tracking devices on it." Hermione responded and watched the dawning comprehension on Rielle's face.
"Bloody bastards. Who the hell did this to you? Nevermind that. I'm picking Kevin and Anabel up now, meet us at the Café Véry." Renee said through the phone.
"We will see you there. Thank you Renee." Hermione said with a genuine smile on her face.
"Put Rielle back on for me Princess, we will see you soon." Was Renee's final words to Hermione.
"Here." Hermione said as she jutted the phone in Rielle's direction. He snatched the equipment from her and took Renee's direction with curt responses before hanging up.
"Why didn't you just say you were worried about compromising the Warren?" Rielle asked with narrowed eyes.
"Why didn't you ask?" Hermione responded with a smirk. She turned towards the entrance of the hotel and started to walk out of the building. To thank the others of the Family surrounding her weighed on her mind, but she could not give away their identities and settled for having Renee thank them for her at a later date.
Hailey trailed the two adults with wide eyes. She couldn't quite figure the two of them out. Hermione seemed irritated with him, but not overly so. It was almost as if she were purposely tormenting the guy. Rielle on the other hand looked openly hostile.
Exiting the building Rielle took Hermione's arm and led her towards a side street until they approached a motorcycle parked at the side of the road. He reached to grab his helmet and turned towards Hermione to give it to her. When he looked at her it was to see her with her arms crossed again and an exasperated look upon her face.
"That is our getaway car?" She said in a snooty tone. "That?" She asked again while pointing at the bike. "How do you expect the three of us to get on that hmm?"
Rielle groaned and rubbed his face with his hand. Of course he had forgotten about the chit in all the irritation he felt towards Hermione. "Nobody told me anything about a kid. She yours or something? I suppose if you gave over really young she could be yours." His head twisted to one side and the accompanying sting of the slap that resounded around them stopped him from saying any more.
"Now that you have had some sense knocked into you, you will get us another bike and then you will take Hailey with you seeing as you think my decision making abilities to be lacking. Obviously she will be much safer with a big strong man like yourself." Hermione's tone brooked no argument and Rielle turned and stomped away from the two witches.
Hermione turned towards Hailey with a smirk. "Lovely gentleman isn't he?"
Hailey chocked slightly and gave her a bewildered look.
Hermione chuckled softly and gave her a wink before continuing to talk. "Rielle is from a group of friends that I know Hailey. We are going to be alright now. They will have stopped Marcus from leaving the hotel, at least of his own volition." She gave Hailey an evil smirk.
"The last person that tried to hurt me while under the protection of the family ended up halfway to Saudi Arabia before he woke up from being drugged." She said with laughter in her voice.
"Oh…" Hailey responded looking rather shocked. Both witches turned their heads at the roaring of a motor and around the corner they saw a motorcycle screeching and then coming to a stop in front of them. Rielle lifted the helmet off his head and grabbed one that was hanging of the back of the bike.
"Here I brought another helmet for the girl. Do you know how to work one of these things?" He looked at Hermione as if he knew right off that she would not.
"Hmm I don't think I do, perhaps you can show me?" She responded with an airy tone.
Rielle rolled his eyes and got off the bike. He gave Hermione a crash course on Motorcycles 101 all the while speaking to her as if she were a child. All the while Hailey stifled the giggles that wanted to escape as she watched Hermione rolling her eyes at the man's attitude. Finally Rielle looked up at Hermione, "Do you think you can handle this?"
"I suppose I must. With such excellent instructions how could I fail?" Hermione said in a sickly sweet tone.
Rielle paused for a moment to assess the woman, as if he would refuse to let her ride the bike alone, but knowing that didn't have another option at the moment he nodded his head and waved at Hailey. "Come with me, just in case she crashes into something."
Hailey glanced over at Hermione and the older witch gave her a smile and nod.
"Do you know how to get to the Café Véry?" Rielle inquired.
"It is at Jardin des Tuileries. Yes I know of it." Hermione straddled the motorcycle and then pulled on her helmet. Leaning forward she gripped the handles while she kicked the stand up and out of the way. Hermione looked apprehensive as she started the machine and then after having done so she gave Rielle a broad smile. The man just looked worried while Hailey looked puzzled as she gripped Rielle's waist as she sat behind him.
Hermione gave them both a wink as she revved the engine and suddenly she was off, weaving down the road through the cars as if she had been born on the back of a motorcycle. Rielle sat there stunned for a moment till he lowered his head and muttered to himself. "Merde."