Chapter 11 – Primus

An: I do not own Harry Potter.

Draco was the first person to protest, "I came here for Harry Potter not some werewolf," he spat. He knew if he spoke first he would be setting the example. Severus and Ron were somewhere around and it would be best to encourage the other wizards to disregard Remus and leave him in this place.

Higgs agreed, "You've wasted my time Primus. This werewolf means nothing to me."

"I have unfinished business with Potter," McLaggen said his voice dripping with venom, "Not this dog." He had this very unhealthy fixation on Hermione. She rejected him regularly and he blamed Harry for that.

"We had an unfortunate series of events that lead to Potter's rescue by his girlfriend or maybe she's his wife now Ginny Weasley," the hooded figure said.

"Did you even have him?" Gregory Goyle questioned angrily.

Primus pointed his wand at Goyle and hit him with the Curciatus curse. "Don't ever question me," he said as Goyle fell to the ground writhing in pain. Primus let the spell continue for 30 seconds before he put an end to the torture.

"I assure you we have plans in place to flush him out. You will get to bid on him again," Primus said.

"But in the meantime, you want us to settle for this piece of filth?" William Crabbe, the younger brother of the deceased Vincent Crabbe, asked.

"Fenrir might be more interested in him than us," Draco further offered steering the group present away from the idea of bidding on Remus.

"I agree with Mr. Malfoy," Higgs said.

"If no one is interested in the werewolf, we will deal with him," Primus said. He signalled to the guards who levitated his unconscious form and took him back to the room where he came from.

"How are you sending us back?" Draco inquired.

Primus signalled to an assistant and he came forward with a variety of different items which told Draco they were going back via portkey.

"For future reference Primus, and I think the rest of the wizards here agree, we would much rather a different method of transport. Perhaps floo or broom?" Draco suggested.

There was a general grumble of agreement from the rest of the wizards present.

Primus levelled his wand at Draco but he didn't blink or move a muscle. He stared straight ahead at the hooded figure. All chatter around them came to an abrupt halt. Draco tried to see what features he could make out under the hood but Primus was wearing a black mask underneath to completely obscure his face.

"I will take your suggestion under advisement Mr. Malfoy," Primus said.

"We would be most grateful if you do," Draco responded bravely. Perhaps he was spending too much time with Hermione. He didn't know where this brave streak was coming from?

The assistant started to hand out the portkeys and as soon as the wizards received them they activated. Draco was last in line and he was offered a yellow rubber ducky. He raised an eyebrow at the assistant.

"You expect me to hold that?" he asked in a superior tone.

"It's either that or the dildo?" the assistant said with a giant smile.

Draco grabbed the silly yellow object from the assistant. He was very tempted to tell him exactly where he could shove the other object. When Draco landed at his final destination he found himself just outside Malfoy Manor. It had been a very long time since he had looked at his house from the outside. For the first time in a decade, he used the front door to enter his home.

Snape covered Ron's mouth with his hand to prevent him from reacting to Remus battered state. The annoying boy wanted to rescue Remus right away but he stopped him. Ron was as exasperating as he had been when Snape taught him at Hogwarts. Couldn't the boy see they were in a room full of wizards and there was no way the two of them could fight their way through them, to Remus, pick him up, fight their way to the balcony and escape? But he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. The youngest Weasley boy never showed any aptitude for solving serious problems. He was also very unobservant. Snape knew that Draco would find a much easier way for them to rescue Remus. He could trust Draco to think like a Slytherin and manipulate the situation in their favour.

A few minutes later, he was smirking with pride when Primus ordered Remus out of the room. The door to the back opened and Snape pulled Ron through it. They were on the top landing of a dark stairwell. It was quite narrow which meant the guards holding Remus would be limited to a single file. He did not want to tackle the guards by the door in case the commotion alerted the others inside so he ordered Ron to descend. They came to another landing with a door and another set of stairs continuing down to a basement Snape guessed. He opened the door and surveyed the area. There were several large windows that would be perfect for their escape.

"We stop them here. You hold on to Remus and I will take care of the guards. There are large windows on the other side of this door that we can use to escape," Snape said. "Do you understand," he asked. They heard the footsteps of the guards on the tops stairs.

"Yes," Ron answered.

"Are you sure?" Snape asked again.

"I'm not as daft as you think I am," Ron snapped.

"You have yet to prove that to me," Snape sneered.

They stopped talking as the first guard reached the middle of the stairs. There was one guard in front of Remus and two guards in the back. Snape was positive he could neutralise them easily. He waited till the first guard was just about to step on the landing and he wordlessly cast the stupefy spell. The red light left his wand and sank into the guard who collapsed on the landing. A few seconds later, the second and third guards were falling forward with Remus and Ron had to rush forward to catch his friend.

"Let's get moving," Snape said opening the door and looking left and right before stepping out into the open area of what seemed to be a living room.

"A little help please?" Ron said.

"Use a charm to lighten his weight again," Snape suggested.

"I would but I'm using both arms to hold him up!" Ron snapped.

"Must I do everything myself," Snape said sternly.

He drew his wand and cast a spell that made Remus as light as a feather.

"Much better," Ron said holding Remus with one hand. He used his other hand to take his wand as well as miniature broom out. With a quick spell his broom was back to the correct size. He settled himself on it and then pulled Remus on in front of him.

Snape did the same with his broom before using a quick spell to open the window. He really hated flying but this was the best way to get out of there. Ron kicked off the ground and was soon out the window. Snape cast his eyes over the room quickly before kicking off the ground to hover on his broom. He nearly hit the side of the window on the way out. As soon as they passed the anti-apparition wards and he figured out where in the countryside they were, he was aparating back home.

Much to Hermione's chagrin, Harry followed her all the way back to the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry was mostly empty at that hour but there were a few wizards and witches milling about, mostly cleaning staff though. They stared at him in awe but he ignored them. He was convinced if the bad guys knew he was back there was no need to keep his presence in England a secret anymore. They could gossip all they want about him.

They turned down a corridor that led to the Auror Office. The office was mostly empty but the one other Auror that was there acknowledged her with a simple grunt of Granger before his eyes widened at the sight of Harry. Hermione ignored him choosing to walk down a corridor between the cubicles towards a large office in the back labelled Shacklebolt. She stopped at the cubicle that was closest to Kingsley's office. Seamus's was right next to hers she said before making the off handed comment that Kingsley liked to keep a close eye on them.

Harry imagined Hermione's desk would have been neatly organised but instead it was covered with stacks of parchment, though they were in neat piles. She sighed when she looked at the tall stacks. "You see Harry you don't want to be an Auror. Even a witch as organised as me can't keep things straight around here."

Harry was getting fed-up of her telling him what he can and can't do, "I'm sure it's only because you are short staffed at the moment. With a little extra help, you'll be back on top of everything," Harry said alluding to the fact that he wanted to join the Aurors.

Hermione read him loud and clear, "Seamus will be out of St. Mungo's by the end of next week and things will be back to normal," she countered. "There's no need for any extra help."

"Really," Harry said pulling a piece of parchment off her desk dated six months ago. Hermione pulled it out of his hand.

"Oh, the Hanson Report. I was looking for that," she turned it into a paper airplane and it wooshed out of the office.

"I am not leaving England again Hermione. I have made up my mind. I want to be an Auror," Harry insisted.

"You only came back because you thought you saw me die. We found a solution to that so you can continue travelling the world," Hermione said stubbornly.

Harry ignored her. "I would appreciate it if you could point me in the direction to apply for a job as an Auror," he asked with a pleasant tone.

Hermione smiled and in an equally pleasant tone she replied, "I'm sorry but the Ministry does not officially open until 8:00am. You will have to come back at that time."

Harry's eyes bored into Hermione's as she stared defiantly back.

"Why do you want me to leave so badly?" he asked her. There was something clearly bothering her and he knew it was the reason she wanted him to leave.

"I have to talk to Cole," she said trying to change the subject and move away from Harry.

He placed his hand on her wrist to stop her from running away from him.

"Bullshit! You're going to talk to me now. You've ducked and avoided me since I've been back and I want to know why," Harry stated fiercely.

"I've been busy." Hermione replied nonchalantly as she pulled her hand free from his loose grip on her.

"I deserve an answer," he insisted trying to reach for her hand again.

"You deserve an answer?" Hermione said in disbelief as she moved her hands out of his reach. "I don't need to explain to you anything that happened over the last few years."

Harry ignored her astonishment and continued on with his questioning. "How could you even stand to look at the Ferret after the way he treated you in school. I feel like you prefer his company to mine."

Hermione looked him straight in the eye, "Maybe I do prefer Draco to you. Now leave us alone. You've found your answers. England is not the place for you."

Harry would be lying if he said Hermione's words hadn't hurt. He would never have dreamt in a thousand years that one of his best friends would pick Draco Malfoy over him but his gut told him she was hiding something and he couldn't waste time sulking over his hurt feelings. He knew he needed to find out what it was. He needed to break down those brick walls she had built around herself during his absence. He also knew from experience that a direct assault would not work. She would just resist with equal force and he would get nowhere. He had to be tactful and thankfully he had learnt a few things while he was gone. He decided to try and throw her off guard and changed the subject.

"How did Ginny find me?" Harry inquired in a soft tone. He tried to remove any hint of the anger he had had previously.

Hermione turned to face him fully. She placed her hand gently against his chest, the tips of her fingers touching his otter pendant. The pendant he had purchased because it reminded him of her. The otter was her patronous, her protector and with it he felt like she was protecting him as well. The heat from her hand sank into him and his heartrate picked up.

"There's a tracker in your otter," she replied softly.

"I got it in Orlando," Harry whispered. He didn't know why he said that. It was just a random thought that popped into his head.

He encircled her smaller hand with his and pulled her into a hug. He felt her tense and then she slowly relaxed into him. Her hair smelled of vanilla and Harry closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

"How did you get a tracker in it?" he asked.

"I slipped you some sleeping draught in a beer to you one night at the pub and then I followed you home and placed the tracker in your pendant. I needed to use something you always had on you," she explained.

Harry couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. Her otter really had been protecting him all through the years.

"What are you protecting me from?" Harry asked as he unconsciously held her closer to him.

"Me, protect the Great Harry Potter," she said with a mocking laugh.

"Hermione, you have never been able to lie to me and you still can't. Drop the act and tell me what's wrong," he pleaded softly in her left ear.

She remained silent and Harry cursed her stubborn streak.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you when I left. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to make you choose between your parents and me," he confessed.

She looked up at his apologetic gaze.

"Harry, there was no choice to make. My parents understood. I was your friend and I promised I would be there for you. I would have always remained in contact with them." she told him.

"Was?" Harry questioned her past tense.

Her gaze dropped to the floor, "I still am your friend Harry. That's why you need to trust me. England is not the place for you."

"Why?" Harry asked again as he reached up with his right hand and gently brought her face back up to meet his eyes.

"I don't want you to die Harry," Hermione admitted as a lonely tear escaped her watery eyes.

Harry gently brushed the tear away with his thumb. "I'm not afraid of death."

"Har," she tried to protest.

"It's my decision whether or not to stay, not yours. Since I've been back I've noticed that things haven't turned out the way I thought they would have. I was a fool. I thought I could solve my problems by running away from them but I can't. Whatever it is you want me to run away from, it won't solve it. Everyone will know I'm back now. I won't be surprised if tomorrows Prophet has some ridiculous headline about me," he stated.

"You're right about the prophet. That's about the only thing that hasn't changed in seven years!" she agreed with a little chuckle before she sobered. She looked him square in the eye and chewed on her bottom. Harry knew she was debating with herself about what to tell him and he saw the moment she decided to tell him what was bothering her.

"I had a premonition," she said.

Harry frowned, "I thought you didn't have much faith in them. After all we have beat two already," he pointed out.

"I saw you die. You were wearing bright red Auror robes Harry. And now you're back and you want to join the Aurors," she said in a bit of a panic.

"Hey," Harry said rubbing her back gently. "Tell me what you saw. We can beat it," he said confidently.

"We go to the Room of Requirement. Ron was with us. They were holding Ginny and Luna hostage. Primus tried to kill me with the avada kadvra but you stepped in front of me and the spell killed you," Hermione explained.

Harry pursed his lips, "Sounds simple enough."

Hermione punched him hard in the arm, "There's nothing simple about your death."

"Ow, and I meant stopping my death. The next time you have the dream I want you to take note of everything," Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I have. Its recorded in a diary back at the Manor."

"Let's get going then," Harry said.

Hermione smiled, "I just need to get something off my desk and I'll be right with you."

Harry nodded. He felt someone's gaze on him and found the other Auror there watching him intently.

"Alright," Hermione said with a stack of parchment in her hand, "Let's go."

"Let me help you with that," Harry said taking half her load.

He was keenly aware of the Auror watching them leave the office.

Hermione's and Luna's smiling faces greeted Harry when he arrived in the Manor covered with soot. He frowned as he brushed the offending substance off his robes.

"Why the winklytoad face Harry?" Luna inquired.

Harry blinked twice trying to figure out what a winklytoad was before he noticed Hermione shaking her head fervently behind Luna. He got the message. Don't ask.

"Is Ron back yet?" Harry asked his voice laden with concern.

"No, no word from Draco, or Professor Snape either," Luna said worriedly.

Harry wanted to question their decision to send Ron with Snape but that didn't seem like a very smart thing to do at the moment. He had to remember that he was the newcomer to this group. They had been functioning as a unit for years and it was not his place to tell them how to do things. Instead he chose to ask, "Where's Ginny?"

"She's in the dining hall with Neville," Luna stated as she headed to one of the exit doors with Hermione.

"Neville's still here?" Harry frowned as he followed behind them.

"He was working on cleaning up the dragon sized mess you guys made earlier," Luna informed him as she stepped through the ward that guarded the entrance.

"Oh," Harry had forgotten about that plant. With everything that had happened in the day, it seemed so far away. He paused before he reached the ward, mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen as he walked through it. This time was just as bad as the first time and he found himself face first in a cold steel bucket while Hermione laughed away. He had no idea what was so funny about him retching into a metal bucket. He his stomach settled and he felt strong enough to stand up, he followed them to the dining hall. Before he even opened the door, he heard Ginny's laughter.

"Neville stop it!" she said as he stepped into the room.

"I'm serious. My students really did that," Neville said. Harry noticed that his old classmate was completely fixated on her.

"I don't believe you," Ginny huffed crossing her hands in front of her chest.

"They're cute together," Harry heard Hermione tell Luna. From the way her head had cocked to the side he could tell that she was studying the interaction between the two.

"Ms. Granger, are you playing cupid?" Harry teased.

"Nonsense, you know I don't believe in Cupid," she responded primly.

Harry gave her a wide smile.

"There you are!" Ginny exclaimed. "We went through a lot of trouble to rescue you and then you just disappeared on us. Not even a thank you. I mean I know you were raised by rude muggles but I was sure my mother had drilled some manners into you when you stayed at the Burrow,"

"Sorry, Hermione needed me," he said giving the fiery redhead his best puppy dog face.

Ginny watched him skeptically, "I'm sure." Her eyes cut between him and Hermione suspiciously.

"So got everything cleaned up Neville?" Hermione asked moving the conversation away from Harry. He gave her a grateful smile. She was always good at diverting attention away from him. Dobby quietly appeared with a glass for water for Hermione and Harry wondered how the elf knew to bring her water.

"Of course, I even got samples for my seventh year Herbology class," he said flashing her a pearly white smile. She rolled her eyes at him and a yawn escaped her.

"Go get some sleep," Luna encouraged, "We have your mom's party followed by the twins' party tomorrow and you definitely need to be alert for that or you might find yourself the colour of a farkle."

"What are my brothers' parties like?" Ginny asked curiously.

"A nightmare!" responded the other two girls around the table.

"I think I should follow Luna's suggestion and get some sleep before I get called in on another case. Nev, can you do me a favour and request an Order meeting for tomorrow there're several issues that need to be discussed," she said as she stretched in her chair.

She picked up her glass to finish off her water just as Luna asked, "Why don't you go curl up with Harry?"

Water came tumbling out of Hermione's mouth and all over Harry as he arched an eyebrow at Luna's comment.

"Oh dear this can get a bit confusing," the blonde said as she looked at Harry.

"I didn't realise that I could be confusing," he stated picking up his wand to perform a drying spell on his robes.

"Hermione has a big black bear with green eyes that a previous boyfriend won for her in a fair. She curls up with it every time she goes to sleep. Her mom called it Harry and the name stuck," Luna elaborated while Hermione's cheeks had a pinkish tinge to them.

"Previous boyfriend?" Harry asked. It was meant to be a tease but the thought of Hermione dating hadn't settled very well with him. He wondered how Ron would react to this bit of news.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist Potter, that particular boyfriend didn't last very long," Draco said casually strolling into the room.

"Draco!" both Luna and Hermione exclaimed. Once he was close enough both girls drew him into a tight hug.

Harry could faintly hear, the blonde wizard whispering to them that he was safe and there was nothing to worry about.

"Where is my brother?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"I assume both he and Severus were able to escape with Remus," he answered.

"Remus?" Hermione asked. Harry noted the familiar way her eyebrows drew together when she was trying to figure out something.

"Instead of Potter's head, they were offering us Remus. I managed to sway the group into not bidding on Remus. He was taken away and I assume Severus and Ron must have followed them and freed him," he stated.

"We need to find them," Hermione said walking towards the doorway but Draco grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her to face him. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders, "No. You are going to sleep. The four of us can handle this. If we need you, we will come and get you. I promise," he said.

Hermione deflated, "Ok."

About ten minutes after Hermione left, Severus arrived with the news that they had successfully rescued Remus but he was too badly injured to apparate with to St. Mungo's so Ron was flying all the way there. Severus estimated that it would take an hour. He also sent an owl to Kingsley with the location of the mansion they had gathered. The Aurors would be raiding the place soon.

The moon was shining bright over the rolling hills, a lone figure in scarlet robes apparated into the middle of the field. It was the closest he could get to this particular safe house. After getting his bearing he slowly walked over to a large wild cherry tree in full bloom. The beautiful white flowers look surreal in the moonlight. He paused for a second just before he reached the tree and exhaled before heading forward again. He felt as though ice cold water had been thrown on him and his body responded with a violent shiver. He inhaled once he saw an elaborate mansion appear in front of him.

He walked forward but before he could knock, the front door was flung open and a very terrified looking girl spoke to him.

"What happened? Is the bitch dead?" she asked him immediately.

"Potter interfered. I assume the other wizards failed to guard him properly and he escaped," he said as he entered the house and shut the door behind him. He reached for the blanket that was at the door and wrapped it around him.

"The boss is really upset. They were both supposed to be dead by now," she said as she let her eyes drift fearfully upstairs. "Wartman and Cringley are dead," the girl told him.

The man nodded his head. The boss did not tolerate failure at all. Those two wizards had been guarding Potter. The hideout at King's Cross had been very convenient and now that it had been discovered their plans would have to be modified.

"How did the auction go?" he asked as his eyes drifted to the stairs that led to the room upstairs.

"The boss tried to use the werewolf in place of Potter but it was very embarrassing. To make matters worse the werewolf was rescued and the boss had to relinquish that site. You know how much the boss liked that site," she said to him.

"How did they find out about that place?" he asked.

"I don't know but the boss wants to see you," she said.

He nodded and approached the stairs but the girl gripped on to his arm.

"Be careful," She said

"Don't worry darling. I'm still of value to the boss," he said before he walked up the stairs and disappeared through the door leaving the scared girl at the bottom of the stairs praying that she didn't see any flashes of green from the room.