Chapter Four- New Enemies
A/N: Sorry that it took so long to update! It's just that I have been extremely busy! Hopefully, you will enjoy the two chapters I have uploaded and you won't have to wait that long for chapter 6.
"Hi there."
Harry was standing on Hermione's doorway, grinning. Hermione put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "How was your first day at work?" she asked.
"It was quite uneventful," Harry said. "Well, except for the part where I found Katherine Muller and Draco Malfoy at Loch Ness and they saw Raven for the first time."
"They must have been shocked," Hermione said. "I know I was."
Hermione drew away from Harry and grabbed her coat. "So, ready for dinner?"
Harry nodded and they walked out of the building, holding hands. "I must sound stupid but…I'm jealous," Hermione said.
Harry turned to look at her and snorted. "What? You know that there's nothing going on between Remigius and me."
"Ha, ha," Hermione mocked. "You know who I am talking about."
"Raven?" Harry chuckled. "Aw, come on. You can't be serious."
"This is what I have been thinking," Hermione said. "I mean, what if Stephanie Navitek hadn't killed her? Maybe I would have married Ron and you would have dated her. I don't know."
"Well, maybe," Harry admitted. "But it didn't happen. You are the one I'm crazy for."
"So many girls have heard that," Hermione said playfully. She kissed Harry on the cheek and they entered a small restaurant.
"Packed with muggles," Harry muttered and Hermione giggled as they approached a table. They sat down and a waiter walked over to them. They ordered drinks and the waiter left.
"I'm worried about the Auror Office," Harry said. "I guess that there's not a lot of team work."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Well, Muller and Malfoy were on their own while everyone was at the lake and… Why are you smirking?" Harry stared at Hermione.
"I just found out today that they are together," Hermione said. "I mean, they are a couple. Maybe that's why they were sneaking."
Harry remembered Kat blushing and Malfoy's disheveled hair. "Maybe they wanted a moment for themselves… But come to think about it, snogging while working is not very ethical," Hermione said. The waiter brought them their drinks and took their order. He left and Harry drank from his glass.
"Malfoy and Muller?" Harry said in disbelief. "I can't believe it. I thought they hated each other!"
"We all did," Hermione admitted. "I overheard Pansy Parkinson talking about it at the cafeteria. She obviously was gossiping about Kat and her nervous breakdown. Poor pug-faced Pansy."
Harry laughed. Hermione still disliked Pansy for the way the Slytherin girl had treated her while they were in Hogwarts. Harry looked over at the door and froze. Ron Weasley was entering the restaurant, chatting animatedly with his younger sister, Ginny Weasley.
"Damn it," Harry muttered.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Ron and Ginny have just entered the restaurant," Harry said slowly and Hermione went pale.
"Oh no," Hermione muttered. "I hope they don't see us."
"Are you kidding me?" Harry muttered back. "This restaurant is so small they could see us hiding behind a tree."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron glanced around and his eyes stopped on Harry and Hermione. He and Harry stared at each other for a moment and Ron turned to look at Ginny. He muttered something and Ginny stared back. She stepped back, but Ron grasped her arm and pulled her gently. The siblings sat on a table not that far away from Harry and Hermione.
"Your order." The waiter was back and placed food in front of Harry and Hermione.
"Thanks," Harry said as the waiter walked away.
"I wonder why I lost my appetite," Hermione said darkly. Harry heard approaching footsteps and he sighed.
He raised his head and saw Ron standing in front of their table, his eyes narrowed. "So, you two having fun?" He asked scathingly.
"Ron, you're being immature," Hermione said calmly. "Please, don't make a scene."
"Oh, so now I am the immature one!" Ron said sarcastically. "Who's the one that has been avoiding me?"
"Ron," Harry warned. "Lower your voice."
"And you…" Ron pointed his finger menacingly at Harry. "I thought you were my friend, Harry! But no, I was an idiot, wasn't I?"
"You were the one that cheated on Hermione," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Remember?"
Ron breathed deeply and shook his head. "You're right."
Harry said nothing. He saw Ron's expression of defeat and for a moment, he thought that Ron was going to apologize and that everything was going to be like it had always been.
"But that doesn't justify that you hid from me the fact that you were in love with her," Ron said coldly. "When I told you that I thought she was in love with someone else, you should've told me, instead of lying. I guess we're even."
Harry remained silent, and Ron walked away. He whispered something to Ginny, who merely glared at Harry and they both left the restaurant.
Harry felt Hermione's glaze on him, and he sighed. "We should go," Hermione said shortly.
Harry nodded, feeling that no matter what he did, he always would feel guilty for something.
The next day"Whoa!" Harry entered his new office, and saw envelopes everywhere.
"Fan mail?" Raven smirked as she entered the office.
"Potter, you should start a fan club," Remigius said thoughtfully as he followed Raven. Harry picked one of the envelopes and opened it. There was a photograph in it, and it seemed to have been taken from a long distance.
And even though the photograph was a bit blurry, Harry understood. "Damn," Raven said as she opened one of the envelopes. "They are following your girlfriend."
"Is it just me, or all the pictures seem to be different?" Remigius asked as he opened more envelopes.
"Raven's right," Harry said. "They are following her."
"Blackmail," Raven mused. "So simple, yet so disturbing."
"Hermione has nothing to do with this," Harry said angrily. "She didn't put them into Azkaban."
"No, but they know she's important to you, Potter," Raven pointed and Harry said nothing, defeated.
"You should tell her to be careful," Remigius said. "Navitek and Remarque are evil enough to harm her severely."
Harry nodded, his heart clenching. "I'll be back in a minute," Remigius said suddenly. "There's an owl I have to send."
Remigius left, and Raven stared at Harry. "So… I guess you know what you have to do," Raven said.
"Of course, kill them," Harry said, tearing apart the photograph he was holding.
"You have to break up with her," Raven said shortly.
"I did that once," Harry said. "I was sixteen, but I'm much older now. I'm quite capable of protecting her."
"Sure, Potter," Raven snapped. "As you were capable enough of protecting me."
Harry stared blankly at Raven for a second. "Are you blaming me…?"
"Or maybe you didn't love me like you love her," Raven interrupted. "But wait, I knew that!" Raven stormed out of the office, banging the door close as she left.