A/N: This is the longest chapter in the story so far. So, enjoy!
Some parts of the story quote lyrics from the song "Moving Closer" by Never The Strangers.
Look it up on Youtube or Spotify as mood music.
I am excited for the feedback on this chapter.
As always, your reviews, faves, and follows make my day.
P.S. The next update may be delayed a bit since aside from this story, I'm working on a one-shot to celebrate Hermione Granger's birthday on the 19th of September. The one-shot is called Nerds Win in Life which I will be posting here in FFN during the actual date itself. To readers of my other stories, sorry that my muse is so focused on My Cheating Heart recently. I do promise though that I will never abandon any of the stories I have written.
My Cheating Heart
By: tweety-src-clt9
Chapter Twenty-one: Moving Closer
Hermione Granger entered her temporary office at St. Mungo's with great determination, focus, and excitement. The lead that she and Irie have thought about during her rest period will finally be tested today. The rest of the healers and employees in the wizarding hospital were both surprised and genuinely happy to see her. Of course, since she had a new haircut, some people would give her a second look just to confirm if it was indeed her. She received a lot of compliments for her new hair though which is quite flattering, even if she only did it as a means of self-preservation.
She left the penthouse early since she was too excited to start testing. Hopefully, they could find a way to fully heal the children by the end of the week. It is moving closer and closer to Christmas soon. No child ever deserves to spend the season of giving and the most wonderful time of the year stuck in the hospital because of illness. It would be the greatest Christmas gift she and the rest of the healers could ever give to the children – for them to be well again before Christmas Eve.
As she entered her office, she carefully cleared her desk and placed the box which contained her newly purchased microscope at the center. Afterward, she summoned the Chemistry books from her trusty beaded purse. She summoned a couple of thin flasks that will be used in storing the extract that they will be testing.
Since she was one hour and thirty minutes early for daily rounds, she decided to just spend some time reading how to process extraction and to understand the molecular structures of the combination of certain elements, especially the volatile ones. I do hope the team will be able to understand the dynamics of whatever it is I plan to do. While chemistry shares some similarities with potions and alchemy, there are still very significant differences…
After thirty minutes of reading has passed, and her parchment now filled with notes, her concentration was broken by a knock on the door.
"Yes? Who is it?", she called out. Her eyes are still glued on the book.
"Chief Healer Granger, this is Auror Thomas. May I come in?", a baritone voice called out.
"Sure, Auror Thomas", she replied. The door opened and a tall dark man in auror robes entered her office.
"Good morning, Hermione. It's good to see you well", Dean greeted.
"Thank you, Dean. I assume you've been assigned to be part of the security team for this week?", she said with a smile.
"Yes. Auror Potter assigned me to lead your security task force today", Dean replied.
"Taskforce? And just how many are there?", she asked with an eyebrow raised.
"I am afraid that it is confidential information Hermione", it was said with a sigh.
"I see", she said with a nod.
"Here. Auror Potter asked me to give these to you. He says that you should eat all this", she was handed a takeout bag from a famous restaurant and one bag filled with Honeyduke's finest chocolate.
"Thank you for handing these over, Dean. I don't know why you allow Harry to bully you into running errands though", she snorted.
"Oh no. Harry bought them. He just asked me to hand them to you. He is so paranoid about the threat to you that he bought the food himself. We're also tasked to check everything being sent to you, especially the gifts and letters from well-wishers when you were hospitalized", the man confided.
"Hmmm… I see. Well thank you so much for all your help, Dean", she said with a smile. He gave her a nod before he gently closed the door.
Hermione inspected the food that Harry had sent over. He even bought coffee. There was a note attached so she picked it up.
Hermione,
I know you're excited to work on your theory today. Quite obvious really since you left earlier than usual. But remember to take it easy. Eat the food and have some chocolate. We can't have you exhausting yourself too much.
See you later,
H
P.S. Can I pick you up after work? I need some help. You see, Teddy's coming back from his first term at Hogwarts soon. And well, I need help in looking for his perfect muggle present. I always get him two gifts – one magical and one non-magical. Is that okay? I'll treat you to dinner for your trouble. Your choice. You can even order the whole menu. But if your busy, it's alright. I understand. Could you let me know your reply though so that I can finalize the schedule? Maybe a Patronus? Er, an owl is fine too. Whatever works. Right! So, I'll see you at home or in St. Mungo's. Have a great day ahead. I am confident you and your team can heal these kids. Sorry that the P.S. is longer than the actual note.
She shook her head in amusement after she read the note. She could imagine how he must have fussed over what to write. Even in his 30s, Harry Potter is still super awkward when it comes to women.
"Expecto Patronum", she whispered and a corporeal otter bounced all around.
"Go to Harry Potter and tell him he can pick me up at six-thirty in the evening", she told her Patronus who playfully nudged her fingers before floating away.
Hermione decided to help herself with the delicious food that Harry bought for her. He was right. She was still newly recovered from her magical exhaustion. Besides, she promised her dear Viola Lily that she would take better care of herself from now on.
As she was enjoying her meal, the door to her office opened once again. Kei Irie and Evangeline Rosier walked in and she gestured for them to take a seat.
"Woah! What's with the large bag of breakfast and chocolates, Chief?", Irie asked.
"Harry sent them over", she shrugged before taking another bite of the strawberry waffles.
"Ooh! I see you and Lord Hotstuff are getting on splendidly then", Irie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Shut it! I'm still mad at you both for bloody leaving me at the club", she scoffed.
"We didn't leave you. Lord Potter was there and you went with him. I may enjoy ruffling his hotness' feathers but seriously! I would never go against the slayer of Voldemort", Irie explained and Rosier nodded in agreement.
"Fine", she huffed.
"Anyway did you get a taste of his hotness again? Do tell!", Irie squealed and Rosier giggled.
"Excuse me! I am not that kind of woman!", she glared at them.
"I take that as a no then", Irie said sadly.
"Well before you all get nosy with my love life, I take it that you two had fun", she snorted.
"Abso-fucking-lutely!", Irie said dreamily.
"I'm still a bit sore", Rosier giggled like a schoolgirl. Hermione could only roll her eyes at her friends' antics.
"Er, chief, since Lord Hotness seems to be you know, making an effort… What if you try marriage counseling? You know, just to clear your issues in a systematically organized manner. Whether it helps you end the relationship amicably or helps resolve it, at least you will have the chance to properly sort out your issues", Irie said gently.
"Hmmm…and where may I ask, did you get that idea from?", she said with genuine curiosity.
"Oh! The man I fucked this weekend works as a shrink with expertise in marriage counseling. You could always find a magical counselor", Irie shrugged.
"Yeah, that does sound like a good idea. I'll try to bring it up to Harry", she agreed.
"Anyway… Chief, Irie tells me of this theory that you guys thought of together", Rosier said.
"Yes. I'm sure he already gave you the details. I already brought the microscope and some books that we will be needing for the extraction. After we go for today's rounds, we will be working our arses off with the extraction of the substance, testing, and analyzing our results", Hermione said with conviction.
"Of course, chief!", they chorused.
Harry Potter was pacing around his empty office to prevent himself from lashing out in anger or worse – shape-shifting into his animagus form. The entire ministry would be in an uproar if they find a monstrous predator inside the Office of the Head Auror. It's been five minutes since he last read the letter from Switzerland. What he read made him lose his mind in anger. He could feel his magic ripple inside of him just waiting for something or more specifically, someone, to lash out on. He was so angry that he bloody memorizes the damn letter word for word! He has faced so many horrors in his life. Voldemort, who terrorized the entire European Wizarding Community, being the worst. But even the Dark Wanker never made him this angry! The leader of that bloody syndicate should pray that it's the ICW who will be capturing him… I'll tear him apart from limb to limb and then infuse basilisk venom on him before that stupid shit of a wizard whoever dared to even plan something against MY Hermione, dies in the most horrible and painful of deaths…
As he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to center himself, the words of the letter are once again plaguing his mind...
December 13, 2010
Lord Potter,
Our hit wizards captured three members of the 'Red Triangle'. We're lucky that one of those captured is a high-ranking member of the group. They were found by chance loitering around a shady pub in muggle Germany. Our gut-feeling was right! They are involved in the non-magical world through the production of cocaine and other illegal drugs. We were able to find the location of their drug base. Updates will be given once we've taken them out. This will have to be a joint operation with the German non-magical community with the help of the German Chancellor for Magic.
We're also able to find out that they have been involved in human trafficking in the muggle world as well. Some obscure prostitution den in Asia that we still cannot decipher where.
The most important news for you is that as we crushed the mind shields of the high-ranking member, we discovered their plans for Hermione Granger. The leader of the group wants to capture her so that she can be involved in either a healing operation or a ritual. Details are not complete but one thing is for sure, they want your lady alive for capture. I trust that you will do your best to prevent that from happening.
I wrote to you so that you will be made aware.
Sincerely,
Babajide Akingbade
Supreme Mugwump
International Confederation of Wizards
"I'll kill that arsehole with my bare hands! Nobody hurts Hermione again!", he seethed.
The trio of ICW Medical Researchers was locked inside a heavily warded laboratory in the basement of St. Mungo's. They were here to conduct the test on the substance and to discuss the next steps.
Hermione watched as Evangeline Rosier, the potions expert among their small team, perform a spell that extracts the substance infused on the cursed toy that's been causing all this trouble on the poor children. She observed as Rosier poured the sample to one of the flasks. When the extract was safely stored inside, all three of them took turns to observe the substance through the glass. Since they weren't sure if the substance had harmful effects when inhaled, all three of them had thick masks on.
Kei Irie, the pathologist of the team, started to conduct diagnostic spells to confirm and match magical signatures. After a ten-minute thorough investigation, he sighed.
"Our initial findings are confirmed. The first victim is Freddie Weasley. Here, I've written down the order of contamination. Also, we have to find a cure and fast. But first, we have to destroy whatever substance this is. The dark magic-infused will make its potency even more dangerous as time passes by. Infection is tactile for now, but with time, who knows", Irie said with worry.
"Rosier, what have you found out?", Hermione asked.
"You are right, chief. The substance infused is non-magical. But the dark magic laced on it is making the effect worse. We have to know what the substance is. Being the only one among us here, who has the best understanding of the non-magical community, Chief, it's your turn to run the test. Magical tests will not work on this one. I am certain of it", Rosier explained.
"Alright. In the meantime, why don't you sit over there and read through some of the Chemistry books I bought. It might prove useful not only for this case but in our future research as well", she gestured to the stools by another desk. They nodded and immediately started on the books. Meanwhile, she summoned a dropper from her beaded purse. It was now time to test her theory!
As she made sure that her mask was properly in place, she carefully removed the cork that sealed the flask. She tilted the glass a little before she used the dropper to get a sample she could use for the testing. When enough of the substance was sucked in by the dropper, she resealed the flask again.
She gently dropped the sample specimen on a rectangular thin glass.
After covering the glass slip, she inserted the glass on the microscope's stage. She adjusted the stage clips to steady the specimen. And then, Hermione Granger got to work…
Thirty minutes had passed, and she was able to record her findings on a parchment. They were right! The substance was indeed a magically enhanced compound of Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium. She was surprised that the atoms on the substance are not erratic. There were no mutations or any sort of molecular change that could be observed. The dark magic that was infused, seem to stabilize all three elements. She also discovered that the complex metalloid compound that resulted from the combination of the three was laced in water. She hypothesized it was some sort of plasma at first, given the thick viscous nature of the substance. Whoever formulated this substance is a sick twisted evil genius! She sighed. Why do some people use their talents for evil?
She cleared her throat so that she can call the attention of the two healers who were now so focused on the books they were reading. When they looked up and saw the serious look on her face, they closed their books. Both were now anxious to hear what she discovered.
"Our theories were right. It is a complex non-magical substance. It is a mixture of Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury that was laced in water. Both of you have already read the harmful effects of each element to the human body, I am sure. The problem though is that the dark magic infused in it stabilizes the elements. We need a very strong substance to kill the dark magic and the potency of the compound", she informed the team.
"What about basilisk venom?", Rosier suggested.
"I believe that is a good idea. But I think we need very fresh venom for it to work. I have read the arithmancy of the spells, it is very dark magic. Besides, how do we control a basilisk to bite something? Hell! How do we even tame one when we are not parselmouths! Lastly, basilisks are very rare", Irie explained the facts.
"Do you think fresh basilisk venom would work?", Hermione wanted confirmation.
"Yes, it will. But, Chief! Are you out of your mind? Basilisks are dangerous!", Irie insisted.
"I know where to find a tame basilisk. Well, I'm sure that I'm the only one who can tame it", she muttered.
"What are you talking about, Chief?", Irie gave her an incredulous look. Rosier too seemed uncertain.
"Don't worry about it. You guys can stay here to carry on reading. Or you can brief Abim at headquarters so that we can start further discussions regarding the treatment we have to develop. I believe we need a combination of potion and spell healing", she told them.
"Where are you going?", Rosier asked.
"I have to, er, get the basilisk here", she admitted.
"What? That's dangerous!", Rosier was aghast.
"Just go back up to my office. And carry on with what you want to do. Hopefully, before the day ends, the blasted cause of this epidemic will be finished", she insisted.
"But chief – ", they chorused but immediately stopped when she glared at them.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I'll call for you once the venom infusion on the cursed item is done", she said firmly and they gave a reluctant nod.
"Do you want us to tell the others that you'll still need the laboratory?", Rosier inquired.
"Yes. Tell them I'll be back", she replied before leaving the room.
Harry was much calmer now but he is still absolutely livid. He was angry and scared at the possible threat to Hermione's life. If she gets captured, Merlin forbids, and when her purpose is served, he is very certain that they will end her life. So here he is, sitting behind his desk, reading auror reports from the various cases his team was handling. He wanted to blow off some steam. Maybe participate in a dueling session with the auror trainees, but he knew how dangerous it could be. With his emotions at an all-time high, his spells will be at its most powerful. In as much as he wanted to train the young aurors to face the harsh reality of their job, he didn't want to scare them. He understands how potent his spells could be especially now when he is trying his best to rein in the basilisk.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock. He hissed. Who in the hell would come knocking? I bloody told them to not disturb me if it's not an emergency!
He grumpily stood up from his seat. He opened the door, preparing himself to yell at whoever disobeyed his orders when he was greeted by a vision he did not expect to see. Hermione Granger was standing in front of him with a confused yet determined look on her face. They remained rooted in their place as they locked their eyes on one another. Hers was filled with anxiety, perplexity, and confusion. He was filled with surprise, joy, and worry. He cleared his throat before speaking to her.
"Er, hi! What can I do for you?", one of his hands rubbed the back of his neck. He was nervous and excited that she visited him.
"I'm so sorry to intrude. Your secretary says that you asked not to be disturbed but I – "
"No! No. It's alright. You're welcome here, anytime", he immediately reassured her. Seriously! Any wizard who gets a visit from the brightest witch of the age is bloody lucky. Even now, as his eyes quickly glanced around the auror department, he could see the appreciative and curious looks the male aurors were discreetly throwing at Hermione. Who could blame them? Hermione, who is dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt tucked under a black pencil skirt, and the low-heeled shoes that emphasize her long stocking-clad legs is a vision! She looked like a perfect sexy librarian fantasy, minus the eyeglasses. And then he remembered the times when he saw her wear reading glasses as she gives out orders to her team and the rest of the healers… Seriously! There is something wrong with how sexually deprived I am…
"Oh, thanks", she replied. When he noticed that some of his male aurors and the lesbian ones were standing up from their seats to get a better chance to ogle Hermione, he sighed. Hell! Even the straight female aurors are looking at her.
"Why don't you come inside? I can't have you distracting the aurors", he muttered thoughtlessly.
"Excuse me!", she frowned.
"Never mind. Just please come inside", he tried to convince her to let it go but he could only see her frown deepening. She now had her arms crossed.
"Not until you tell me why I prove to be a distraction to the aurors", she demanded to know.
"Look, some of the aurors are randy blokes. You get the picture", he begrudgingly admitted.
"I'm coming inside your office but you have to explain this nonsense", she said grumpily as she entered his private office. The heels of her shoes clanking on the wooden floors. He smirked as his eyes followed the graceful sway of her hips as she walked. He closed the door and walked towards his seat behind the large oak desk.
"Explain", she said. She sat on the chair across from him.
"Explain what?", he said innocently.
"The statement about your aurors being randy blokes. It's not like I'm wearing something indecent!", she huffed. Her eyes inspected the buttons of her shirt to see if anything was amiss.
"Ah, well, you see Chief Healer Granger. A bloke's hormones get the better of him sometimes especially when faced with a vision of beauty before him", his voice tried to imitate her know-it-all voice at Hogwarts.
"I still don't understand! You better not be making fun of me Potter or I'll hex you in your sleep", she glared at him. How I miss this! Annoying Hermione…
"Of course not, Miss Granger. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't walk in here looking like a sexy librarian fantasy straight from the pages of Playwizard. Your presence is too distracting. Aurors are trained to feel magical auras. When you entered the room, your magic sizzles. You can hardly blame my poor aurors. If Dark Witches look half as good as you, they'll be ruling the world by now", he chuckled.
"Sexy librarian fantasy. Oh", she muttered to herself and then blushed. This woman is so adorable.
"So, thank you for not having dreams of being a Dark Witch. I mean, even I would succumb to be your follower", he winked.
"Will you stop it!", she blushed some more which made him chuckle.
"Anyway, what can I do for you this fine afternoon?", his tone was playful. All the anger he felt ever since reading the letter, dissipated. Her presence always did calm him down.
"I need your help. Well, the basilisk's help", she replied. Her voice was now filled with determination. All traces of her bashfulness from his rather crass compliments on her looks were gone.
"Hmmm… why?"
"Well, our theory was proven right. Rosier believes that to kill the effect of the substance, as well as the dark magic that surrounds the infected item, we need something very potent. So, she suggested basilisk venom. And Irie agreed but added that only fresh basilisk venom could do the trick. Of course, the venom idea is more of a hunch for now but I wanted to try it out. Please, Harry", he could hear the pleading and desperation in her voice.
"Okay. I haven't tested the potency of my venom and other basilisk traits, so this will be a good way to test it. So far, the only thing I know is that I can control my eyes. If I lower the protective layer, the worst I have done is to petrify a rat. So I guess, it all depends on my magic and emotion as well. Maybe if I was angry enough, my uncovered basilisk's eyes could kill", he told her.
"Thank you so much, Harry! Thank you for doing this", he could hear the relief and joy in her voice.
"I need to ask a favor too, though", he said.
"Of course. How can I return the favor?"
"I want to test the limit of my animal instinct. If you shapeshift into your bunny form, I want to see if I can resist the predator within. I want to know how dangerous I could be", he said.
"Wow! You drive a hard bargain", she muttered.
"I promise, if I can't control it, I'll immediately change back. You know I'll never physically hurt you", he added.
"Alright. I'll do it. If I feel scared though, I'll hex you", she reluctantly agreed.
"Deal."
"So, er, can you come with me to St. Mungo's now?", she asked.
"Of course", he grinned as he took out a parchment to write some instructions and to inform people of his whereabouts.
"Oh, and Harry?"
"Hmmm?"
"Thank you for the food this morning. And the chocolates", she smiled.
"You're very welcome", he glanced up from the parchment to look into her eyes.
Hermione led Harry who was hiding underneath his invisibility cloak towards the basement. They agreed to keep this a secret amongst themselves including Irie and Rosier. The British healers need not know about Harry's involvement in all this. He was still quite uncomfortable in telling others the truth about his animagus form. Given how prejudiced the British Magical Community was, they decided it was best to keep it a secret from the local healers.
As they entered the lab, Hermione closed the door and Harry shed the cloak off himself.
"So, maybe we can test your form's animal instincts first before we attempt to breaking the curse on the item?", she said.
"Okay. You should shift first. And then I will follow. Remember, if you feel any sign of aggression, change back", he told her and she nodded.
She closed her eyes and she shape-shifted into a fluffy white bunny with brown spots and a bushy fur. The bunny started to hop until it settled itself on a stool.
"Still the cutest thing I ever saw", Harry chuckled. The bunny raised its little nose, similar to the way Hermione huffs.
"Alright, Hermione. Here I go", he said. With a deep breath, he shape-shifted. In his place, a large basilisk was coiled on the ground.
The slit eyes of the basilisk were immediately drawn to the delicious smell of his prey. He slithered on the ground and stopped in front of a stool where a little fluffy bunny calmly sat.
Mate. Not food, the basilisk thought. So, his slit eyes remained focused on the bunny in front of him. Slowly moving closer, the basilisk's head rubbed on the bunny's fur. To anyone who would have seen this exchange, it would seem odd. A cold-blooded predator and a warm-blooded little prey seemed to be locked in a tender embrace. Well, as tender as animals could seem to be.
Mate smells good, the basilisk thought. His long tongue lowered to slowly touch the bunny's fur…
The bunny raised one of its tiny feet to rub on the predator's scales. Snake not be bad. Snake won't hurt me, the bunny thought.
The basilisk slowly moved away from the fluffy bunny and turned back into Harry. The bunny too changed back into Hermione. Their eyes met and they smiled at one another.
"Well, I was right. Your bushy fur does taste good. But I could never eat you", he said with a blush.
"Oh. Well, that's a relief. So, did you have full control of your animal side?", she grinned.
"The basilisk thinks of the bunny as its mate. No matter how bizarre that sounds. So, I guess I have very good control of my snake instincts while in my form. I could never bring myself to physically hurt you", he admitted.
"Oh. Well, that's good. For me, all the bunny could think of was that the snake is not bad and will never hurt her", she said.
"So, you've fulfilled your end of the deal. It's my turn to help", he said with a smile.
"Okay so since I don't know how to safely extract basilisk venom, I'm afraid I'll just have you bite the toy that's causing all this trouble", she told him.
"Er, okay. What shape is this toy?", he dreaded to find out but he had to help her save all those kids. If he could help prevent this epidemic in attacking more kids, then he will do it.
"The toy is a cube about the size of a basketball. It's made of some sort of magical rubber. Each side changes colors and it bounces. The rubber was laced in the substance but I do believe that at the center, lies the dark magic-infused since the substance never runs out. We tried all sorts of spells but it won't work. So, I need you to bite the cube in half so we can open the damned thing. And then, inject your venom right at its core to end the dark enchantment forever. After that, I'll call in Irie and Rosier so we can conduct tests if the dark magic is still there. If the venom works, then we can burn the toy. Pensieve memories could be used as evidence should we need to present some sort of proof once the culpable people are sent to trial at the ICW", she said.
"This is rather embarrassing. But, fine", he laughed.
"I'll levitate the toy cube on a stool and you go do your thing", she told him. When he nodded, the toy was carefully levitated on a stool.
Everything happened so fast. Harry had shapeshifted into his basilisk form again. The basilisk attacked the toy cube with its long sharp fang. Hermione saw dark smoke float from the cube at the direct contact from the predator's sharp fang. The darkness dissipated. All that was left was an angry basilisk, licking the center of the split in-half cube, coating the toy with more venom. The basilisk gave a curious look at the two pieces of the toy he destroyed as if to inspect if he was able to coat everything with venom. Satisfied, the king of the serpents coiled its large body…
Harry Potter stood in front of Hermione looking angry and disgusted.
"Are you alright?", she asked with concern.
"Yes. I'm fine! Whatever that thing was, it is bloody disgusting. Reminded me of the Horcrux. But I know it's not a Horcrux. Anyway, one thing is for sure, that was some nasty dark magic in there. Eww! It feels like even a one-hour tooth brushing session can't remove that awful taste. It still lingers on my tongue", he made a disgusted face.
She pointed her wand to whatever remained of the toy that the basilisk split in half. When the magical detection charm no longer emits any magical signature, she squealed in delight. Because of the joy and relief that she felt, she threw her arms around Harry. She hugged him tight, gave him a chaste peck on the lips and left the laboratory to find Irie and Rosier.
"That nasty toy is well worth that kiss", Harry grinned as he heard Hermione's footsteps rushing up the stairs to look for her fellow healers. I think she doesn't even know that she kissed me… She just seemed so relieved… Ah well, at least the basilisk could come in handy.
He had a goofy smile on his face. He was so happy just to see Hermione that relieved!
As he waited for her to come back to the laboratory with the rest of her team, he recalled a song that reminded him of this moment they shared today. He could feel them getting closer again. Little by little, he knows that he is slowly breaking down the walls that she built around herself.
When you smile, everything's in place
I've waited so long, can make no mistake
All I am reaching out to you
I can't be scared, got to make a move
Inch by inch, we're moving closer
Feels like a fairytale ending
Take my heart, this is the moment
I'm moving closer to you
Who'd have thought that I'd breathe the air
Spinning 'round your atmosphere
I'll hold my breath, falling into you
Break my fall and don't let go
"I'm moving closer to you, 'Mione", he said out loud as the lyrics of the song lingered at the forefront of his mind…
Meanwhile, watching all the events from the afterlife, Viola Lily Potter squealed and jumped up and down.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!", the happy spirit did a celebratory victory dance as she looked at her father grinning like an idiot while her mother ran away to find her friends.
"You go, daddy! I gotta tell Mister Salazar!", she happily ran to look for the Slytherin founder, the most cunning spirit she knew. After all, it was Salazar Slytherin's idea to make that request from her mummy to stay at her daddy's house...