Chapter 8: Change of Address
Harry Potter sat on his sofa, paging through the several sheets of paper he had compiled containing all the facts he had on Hermione's disappearance. Harry had been offered a position on one of the most prestigious teams in the Auror office upon his graduation. It was challenging and time consuming, and Harry thrived on it. He felt like he was really accomplishing something for the first time in his life. As Ron often said, he knew no one who was better at Defense Against the Dark Arts then Harry, and now he really had a chance to prove it.
The low, magical, fire in the grate glowed bright casting the darkness to the four corners of the room. The weather was still hot and muggy in early September and the fire wasn't needed for warmth, but was essential to have. Harry never knew when a head would need to pop into their flat with urgent news or information.
Sighing heavily, Harry looked up from the page he was reading and into the fire in an effort to relax his sore eyes after hours of reading. The miniscule handwriting of his assistant got to be too much after a time. Harry returned his focus to the paper in front of him. This information was too important to let himself get distracted. It was a compilation of all the details they had gathered about a suspected Death Eater hideout. He and his team would be heading there in the morning to check the sight. Harry was particularly nervous about this investigation as the evidence they had gathered pointed toward the likeliness that this was one of the locations that the Death Eaters held hostages during the war, and if rumors were correct, there might still be some prisoners trapped inside. Which is why Harry hadn't told Ron about tomorrows mission. He had watched his friends hope sore time and time again only to come to a horrible crash when nothing was found. He couldn't do that to Ron again.
Harry had just flipped to the next page when he heard a tapping at the closed window. A large barn owl stood outside on the sill looking in with its large, probing, unblinking eyes. Harry hurried to the window and undid the latch so that the bird could fly in and lend on the stand standing near the wall.
As soon as Harry had removed its burden the owl took off once again and quickly disappeared through the open window. Scrunching his eyes with puzzlement Harry turned over the package.
"Ron," Harry called after quickly scanning his friends name on the envelope. "Ron, you got a package from Hogwarts."
Seconds later Ron appeared in the archway leading to the small kitchen, "What?" He asked whipping his hands on a towel before throwing it over his shoulder and leaning against the doorframe.
"You got a package from Hogwarts." Harry repeated holding the brown paper parcel toward him as he took the few steps that separated them.
Ron's brows scrunched in thought. "What is it?"
"I have no idea." Harry said as he handed his friend the envelope. "Did you leave anything behind when we graduated?"
"I don't think so." The redhead turned the package over and found the note that was attached to it. He broke open the wax seal and his eyes quickly read the short missive. "It says that these are the things they found on me when I arrived in the hospital wing. It got lost in the shuffle, what with all the patients coming in and out for treatment and it was only found yesterday in the back of Madam Pomfreys cabinet."
Ron's lips twitched from side to side a moment as he contemplated the bundle. Finally he turned to head back into the kitchen and wedged the envelope between two books standing on the bookcase near the door.
Harry's mouth fell open in surprise. "Aren't you going to see what's in it?" he asked Ron's retreating back.
"No." was all the more response he got.
Harry persisted after him. "Why not?"
"Because," Ron picked up his wand and waved it in the direction of the stove setting the knifes flying again as the chopped fresh vegetables and dumped them into the boiling pot. "I'm trying my hardest to forget about that day."
"Ron you can't just ignore the fact…
"Harry, please don't." Ron leaned with his palms against the countertop, bearing his weight as his head dropped forward in defeat. "We've talked about this before. Please don't try and make me talk about it again."
"All right." Harry nodded with understanding. He picked up a piece of raw carrot and popped it in his mouth. "So what are we going to do tonight?" He asked, officially putting the topic to rest.
"I thought after we ate we'd go out and get pissed."
"Had a rough day?"
Ron snorted with disgust. "Don't ask questions if you already know the answer. You're leading her investigation. Who knows more then you do."
"You're not under my jurisdiction Ron. I don't know everything that you do. You don't have to report back to me." Harry pulled out a chair from their small table and flipped it around so that when he sat in it he could lean against the back rest. "You'd make a great Auror, Ron. You know that."
The tall man shrugged his shoulder half heartedly. "I know, you told me that before. But I told you, my first priority is finding her."
"I told you Ron, if you joined us I would do everything in my power to put you as Head of her case."
"No," he shook his head. "You know I would never be allowed to work exclusively on her case." With another flick of his wand he set a tea pot to boiling. "I refuse to take any of my focus off of her and put it on something else. Besides, I told you, I'm done with fighting. I don't want to do it anymore." After several minutes of silence that was only broken by the sound of the water boiling in the vegetable pot, Ron summoned two bottles of Butterbear and handed one to Harry before he opened his own and leaned back with his hip against the counter.
"So," Ron took a deep pull from his bottle. "Do you have anything new that I can use?"
"Well," Harry began hesitantly, "we now know for a fact that Draco Malfoy was the last to see her. We found her wand in that catch at Malfoy Manor. You know the one I've told you about. That one we've been working on getting open for weeks. Had to call in your brother as a matter of fact. Took Bill all of twenty minutes. Made me feel like a damn idiot, I'm telling you."
"So we now know for an absolute fact that Malfoy was the last one to see her."
"Yes, but he's still not talking."
Ron turned and downed the rest of his drink before slamming the empty bottle down on the counter. "God, if I thought it would help I would kill the son of a bitch. I'd strangle him with my own two hands."
Shaking off the hand that Harry set on his shoulder for comfort, Ron gave another flick of his wand and set the food into serving bowls before sending them to the table. He pulled a knife out of the block and took up a loaf of bread, slicing into it with gusto. After a minute of savagely taking his anger out on the bread he stopped, and with a sigh tilted his head back, pushing his bangs out of his eyes as he did. "You know… I really don't expect to find her alive." Harry felt his throat tighten at the unemotional way his friend spoke. "But I can't seem to move past this. I know I won't ever be able to until I know once and for all what happened to her."
"I think you should reconsider making a deal with Malfoy."
"No." Ron snapped instantly. He whirled around in a burst of anger to confront Harry. "I can't believe you of all people suggested that. That Son of a Bitch deserves to rot in prison, and I will do nothing to lighten his sentence. That sadistic bastard needs more then an Azkaban sentence." Ron diverted his eyes as he walked to the table and sank into his chair. "Besides, Hermione wouldn't have wanted me to."
Harry took his own seat and hesitantly started scooping portions onto his and Ron's plates. "So where do you go from here?"
"You said her wand was found in Malfoy Manor?"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "That's right."
Ron picked up his fork and dug it into his mound of cooked vegetables. "Then I'm going to start in the area around Malfoy Manor. It stands to reason that perhaps that was the last place she was seen."
"And after that?"
Ron shrugged. "I'll tell you when I get there."
One month after the birth of her daughters Hermia was sitting in the back seat of a taxi cab, Hero nestled comfortably in her arms, listening as Lizzie and Nate bantered back and forth at rapid fire about the physical qualities of the new young doctor who had started work that day. With a content smile on her face Hermia turned and looked out the window, watching the crowded street rush past the open window. She closed her eyes as she breathed in deep. The air might be heavy with the smell of car exhaust, but it still smelled a right side better then the recycled air inside the Hospital.
"Here we are!" Lizzie called brightly as she directed the taxi driver to pull over near to the curb. She quickly paid the driver and threw open the door rushing around to the other side to take the baby from Hermia's arms so that she could pull herself out of the car and onto her feet. When she had gained her proper footing, Hermia looked up and saw for the first time the building that would be her new home. It was nothing spectacular. It was a tall building made of brick, surrounded by a sweet little picket fence and hundreds of bright flowers of every color. But to Hermia who no longer knew what a home felt or even looked like, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She fell in love with it instantly.
"What do you think?" Nate asked as he saddled up next to her.
Tears glistened in her eyes when she turned to smile at him. "It's wonderful."
"I'm glad you like it." Nate slipped his arm around her waist.
"Shall we go in?" Lizzie climbed the stairs to the front door; Hermia's half filled bag of belongings in one hand. She set the bag down at her feet to riffle with her keys before she managed to slip the proper one in the lock. They heard a click and the door swung open.
Coming out of her stupor of the splendor of the house, Hermia took a step forward but stopped when a group of children suddenly rushed in around them, their voices raised in excitement.
"Uncle Nate! Uncle Nate!" They cried with excitement, jumping up and down around them.
"Oh no!" Nate groaned as two little children latched onto his knees. "I've got monkeys climbing on my legs."
"Is that your baby, Uncle Nate?" One of the children cried.
"Are you going to come and play with us?" asked another.
"Sorry kids." Nate handed Helena to Hermia so that he could knell down to the four little children's level, gathering them all in front of him. "I've got to show Hermia here the house."
"Ohh." The children spun around and stared up at Hermia as if only noticing her for the first time.
"Are you Uncle Nate's and Auntie Lizzie's new friend?"
"Is that you're baby?"
"What's his name?
"Why don't you remember who you are?"
"Isn't there two babies?"
"Do you want to come out and play with us?"
"Oi! Midgets!" Lizzie reappeared in the doorway having set Hero down inside, allowing her to press her hands to her hips and wait for the children to stop and look at her. "Why don't you let her answer a question before you ask her another one?"
"Sorry Auntie Lizzie." The oldest of the four children said, digging her toe into the ground.
The corner of Lizzie mouth turned up in the barest of smiles. "And where exactly are my hugs?" Lizzie knelt down and with a squeal the four children through their arms around her neck, knocking her to the ground.
"That's better." Lizzie laughed when the last of them jumped on the pile, wrapping her small arms tightly around Lizzie's neck.
When they were finished with their hugs, they all four grabbed onto Lizzie's hand and grunted and groaned as they struggled to pull her to her feet. She crouched down in front of them as Nate had done moments ago. With one look it was clear to Hermia that these children must be some of the nieces and nephews Lizzie had told her about. "Do you remember how I told you someone was moving in with me and your Uncle Nate?"
"Yeah!"
"Well this is her." Lizzie nodded over their shoulders to where Hermia was still standing.
The group of children turned and looked up at her with appraising eyes. Hermia, can I introduce you to my sister Jeannie's kids." Hermia's brows scrunched together slightly. "This," she motioned towards the oldest girl, "is Andrea. Next to her is Lisa. This little squirt," she said picking up a little blond boy, "is Jacob and that." She nodded to the little girl who had reached up and tucked her hand into Nate's, "is Sarah. Kids, this is Hermia."
Hermia smiled sweetly at the children. "Hello. How are you?"
As one the children burst out, each going into a separate description of the events of their individual day. Hermia's eyes widened as the children's tirade got longer and progressively louder. Frantic, her eyes went to Lizzie for help.
"All right, all right. That's enough." Lizzie's voice broke over their loud chatter. "I have an idea. Why don't we give Hermia a tour of the house?"
Their excitement being diverted, Andrea and Lisa grabbed Hermia's hands and pulled her towards the front steps, their little feet moving as fast as they could. Along the way they pointed out the highlights of the garden, stopping to show her their own private garden Lizzie had let them plant.
They reached the front stoop and the children wiggled anxiously as Hermia slowly made her way up the steps. As soon as she reached the top step the took her hands once again and rushed into the house, tugging Hermia along behind them. They towed her from room to room, pointing out their favorite features like the sitting room where Lizzie and Nate had allowed them to paint the decoration on the walls, or the home theatre Nate had put into the basement. Hermia thought the chalkboard paint on the walls of the kitchen ingenious as she saw a spot for phone messages and a recipe over the stove that looked as though it might be dinner for that night.
Finally after making a visit to every room of the house, including all three of the bathrooms, they reached the top floor where the master bedroom was situated.
"And this," Andrea said with grand stile, "is your room."
"See," Lisa rushed to the two large bassinets set against the far wall and wrapped in huge yellow ribbon, "These are for the babies. This was Auntie Lizzie's room, but she said it's going to be yours."
"What? Lizzie…" she turned to face her friend. "This is too much."
"Don't be ridicules." The blond brushed away Hermia's objection as Nate went to put Helena in the empty bassinet. "This is the largest of the bedrooms and it's more then enough room for you and those two little angles of yours."
"But…"
"No buts." Nate objected. "We told you that no 'buts' were allowed in this house."
"No butts!" Lisa and Andrea through back their heads with laughter. "He said no butts in the house."
"How are you suppose to sit down, Silly?"
"Yeah," Hermia turned on Nate and playfully crossed her arms in front of her chest. "How are you suppose to sit down, Silly?"
