Author's Notes: They see me editing...they hatin'... -Writing Nerdy
3:00 P.M
Under normal circumstances Amelia would simply have apparated to her destination. However given the fact that her destination, Scotland Yard, was in fact located in the middle of London she figured it was a bad idea. Adding to this problem was the fact the building boasted more CCTV cameras than the average government structure in the nation's capital. That it was broad daylight also contributed to her caution.
Instead she found herself surreptitiously climbing into a muggle taxi outside the Ministry, using the small fund of muggle money she kept for emergencies, she proceeded to ride it to her destination. Traffic being what it was at this time of day she arrived with only a few minutes to spare, something which grated on her already frayed nerves considering the content of the message she'd received.
Thankfully as she climbed the front steps into Scotland yard she found a welcoming committee of sorts already waiting for her. She tried to ignore all the cameras tracking her progress across the lobby.
Samantha Grimes. Chief Inspector of the Greater London Metropolitan Police Department, and her liaison with the city's law enforcement apparatus. Sam was a tall, dour woman who looked, quite frankly like she'd seen eight kinds of hell. Like Mad-Eye Moody without all the missing bits.
"Amy" Samantha greeted simply as she approached, her hands fiddling idly with a silver cigarette case before slipping it back into a pocket.
"Sam," Amelia replied, offering a dry smile in return. It was unusual for members of the muggle and magical government to cultivate any kind of friendly working relationship, however Amelia and Samantha had managed it.
Sam grunted in acknowledgement. "If you'll follow me, we've got something that requires your attention."
Well...as friendly a relationship as it was possible to have with Sam Grimes. As the Director understood it, the woman had started as a beat cop and clawed her way, in most cases entirely unwillingly, up the ladder. The woman had little patience for small talk or politicking which was just fine with Amelia considering how much crap she had to deal with from her bosses on a daily basis. Things like that could wait until later as far as she was concerned.
The Inspector led the way through a security checkpoint, waving off the peculiar looks Amelia got when the guards found her wand. Apparently the guards had learned a long time ago, to just roll with the punches where the boss was concerned and barely reacted before handing it back to her.
Eventually she was led to a bank of lifts, secluded near the back of the lobby, where Sam opened one secured with specialized locks, before stepping inside.
Amelia watched Sam wait for the doors to close behind them, before beginning to run through the various built in security measures. Some of these she'd never even heard of, let alone seen before, and she was reasonably certain even magic might have a hard time bypassing the lock which required a biometric scan.
Once these measures were complete and the lift began to descend, Amelia spoke up. "So, what's this all about Sam?"
The other woman grimaced. "Not here, the elevator shaft is fairly safe, we think, but we won't be fully secure behind the anti-surveillance screens until we get down where we're going." Sam replied shortly.
They descended in silence for close to a minute before they came to a halt and the doors slid open allowing them to step out into a fairly barren concrete hallway. Finally Samantha spoke up, perhaps sensing Amelia's growing curiosity. "We…got a bit of an odd call last...never mind" She cut herself off as they made their way along the long, dimly lit corridor. "One of our telephone surveillance systems picked up a number of keywords which immediately had the call forwarded to me."
She glanced sideways at her magical counterpart, and seeing the mild confusion explained. "We have a computer system which listens to people's phone calls for keywords. In this case it picked out a couple words of note. Muggle, magic, blood, Ministry and Aurors."
Amelia felt her eyebrows go up, but Sam continued before she could inquire. "The caller was contacting their spouse that they had found one of their family members in distress, they were debating contacting the Ministry for help. However something was staying their hands…"
The finally found themselves at a featureless black steel door and once again Sam was occupied with passing security checks under the watch of a pair of very serious looking guardsmen wearing heavy body armour. They stepped through once the security check was completed and found themselves in an antechamber of some sort, here Sam paused.
"Naturally, given the circumstances we investigated. I sent a special team which has been read in on such things to the residence in question. It was there they found a woman, girl really, of perhaps eighteen? Her name is Cassandra Anders."
Amelia stiffened immediately, recognizing the name quite well. Inspector Grimes just nodded. "Thought that might get your attention, she told us she was one of yours."
She nodded firmly in response. "She's alive then? She was my Niece's bodyguard, we had assumed her lost after an attack on my home a few days ago…"
Sam grunted, a thin, dry smile on her lips. "Yes, heard about that. Made quite a mess didn't they?" She said pointedly, letting Amelia know, none too subtly that she was aware of her previous place of residence. She led the way over to a door set into the far wall and stepped through, holding the door open for her guest.
The room they now found themselves in was roughly rectangular from what little Amelia could see, though it was hard to be certain of the rooms dimensions in the limited lighting. In the centre of the space lit up by a small bank of dim lights was a large cube of dark glass like material. She did her best to pretend she hadn't noticed and was not alarmed by the presence of runes inscribed into the surface. An odd muffled hush seemed to fill the chamber.
Here the Inspector once again paused, leaning a hand on a raised panel in front of the cube. "Miss Anders was in a great deal of distress when we found her, and was covered in blood, her family were doing their best to tend to her, but largely seemed at a loss. I admit, knowing what I do about your ministry I can understand the problem."
Amelia cocked her head curiously at the other women, "What do you mean?"
Sam glanced over he shoulder at something, but shrugged, dropping one of her hands to a circular control on the panel beside her, and turning it slightly with a dull clicking noise. Lights ignited within the cube and while still fairly dim, the interior was now visible to those outside.
There, huddled and shivering in the corner was her missing agent.
Cassandra Anders, a new recruit really, barely out of the Auror basic training program. She'd been scored in the top five of the last decade of Auror intakes in personal protection and defence, just below Tonks, and as a result had been assigned as an opening assignment to Susan Bones' summer protection detail to ease her into training proper.
A young vibrant woman of only eighteen, Susan had immediately taken to the young athletic woman quite nicely. A pretty girl all told, with shoulder length blonde hair and a pleasant complexion.
At least—that was how she had looked the last time Amelia had seen the girl. The woman in the corner, while undoubtedly the person in question, was very different as well. Her hair was no longer blonde, but black and lank hanging well past her shoulders. Her eyes dark red and staring. She had a blanket draped around her, but Amelia could tell that underneath she was lightly clothed in a mismatch of ill-fitting bloodsoaked garments. Her skin, what was visible of it, was unnaturally pale and was spackled with blood.
"What happened to her?" Amelia hissed.
Sam grimaced. "She told us very little, though what she did tell us wasn't strictly speaking necessary, upon a basic examination we determined that she has what we mundanes refer to as HV-virus." At Amelia's questioning look she sighed before clarifying. "Vampirism?"
Amelia sagged, that explained it all right there. Cassandra, the young woman who had protected Susan with her life had been turned into a blood drinker. Now that she looked closer, the signs of her condition were fairly obvious. The pale complexion, the change in hair pigmentation, the blood red irises.
"When we found her, she was gorging herself on animal blood her mother had bought up at a butcher shop on her way home. How she managed to contain herself long enough for that to work, I have no idea. As I'm sure you are well aware, newly turned Vampires are extremely…volatile."
Amelia nodded, she and many other Aurors had experienced the clean up involved in tracking down and eliminating a rogue newborn vampire. The families were generally good about policing their own, but every once in awhile a rogue would turn someone… "Can I speak with her?"
The inspector nodded and flicked a couple switches, and a dull hum emanated from the panel, she finally hit another switch and something, an odd current seemed to run over the glass, Cassandra's head snapped up focusing on those in front of her suddenly.
"She can see and hear us now." Sam murmured.
Amelia stepped closer to the glass. Cautious, worried, as much by the strange tech she'd seen displayed before her, as of the cell's occupant. "Hey Cass, are you—" She halted and shook her head. "Sorry, that would have been a silly question wouldn't it?"
Cassandra chuckled weakly, a rough, dry tired sound. "Hey boss…nice of you to stop by. Didn't know if I'd be seeing you again."
Amelia smiled wanly at the woman across from her. "Likewise."
Cassandra sighed. "Sorry I screwed up Boss, they caught me unawares…Is Susan okay?"
Amelia nodded quickly to reassure the young…woman across from her. Yes, yes…Cass was still a young woman. No need to overcomplicate things. "Susan is alright, a little shaken up, but we got her through okay."
Cass sighed in relief. "Good…I'm glad." The silence stretched for a short while. "So…I guess I should probably ask what happens to me now right?"
Amelia looked sideways at Sam who merely shrugged idly. "Don't look at me Amy, she's one of yours, which firmly places her in your court, she hasn't broken any of our laws-yet."
The Director of the DMLE nodded relieved Sam wasn't about to give her any trouble. "Well, I suppose that would be up to you Cass…"
The bitter laugh she received in response said it all. "What can I do? I'm a f—" The woman broke off, stifling the impolite response. "A Vampire now, which means I can't even have a wand anymore…I'll always be a danger to my family and friends…and there's no way in hell I'm going to one of the Vampire courts." She spat with loathing.
Amelia nodded, "Why don't you tell me a little about what happened to you, if you feel up to it that is?"
The woman nodded shrugging, "Not really, but I suppose it needs doing" She stared in silence at one of the mirrored walls for a moment before continuing. "We had just returned to the building, Susan had forgotten something she needed…At the last moment I noticed the wards were up. They caught us on the step though, I tried to fight, but they overwhelmed us, there were too many and HE was there. I don't know what happened after that, I was unconscious for I don't know how long, and I woke up somewhere I didn't recognize…" She paused considering.
"He, was furious, I didn't know why at the time, but now that I see you again, alive, I think I know why." She noted with a bitterly amused snort. "He wanted my secrets though, anything I knew that could help him against you or the Aurors. I resisted, but he was too strong, he smashed through my occlumency barriers. It hurt, him digging through my head. Went on for a long time too…When he found out I didn't know anything important he was this close to just killing me."
She shrugged. "But apparently he got curious, who knows why, and started picking through my memories for things that would hurt or scare me. I don't know if I ever mentioned this to you or Susan…But I'm—I was terrified of Vampires. Started back when I was a kid and I saw a movie with some of them in it…Then it got worse when I went to school and learned more about them, and what they—we could actually do."
Cass grimaced. "He decided it would be…a fitting punishment for defying him or some such, so he turned me over to one of the Vampires allied with him."
Amelia, felt nothing but sympathy and horror for the young Auror in the cell. Voldemort had preyed on her fears just to torment her. Cassandra continued unaware. "They…I don't know how long I was with them, how long they tortured, tormented and toyed with me, but it seemed an eternity." She shrugged. "I don't know what possessed the one who did this to me. Perhaps he felt it was a mercy, or maybe he felt pity for me…or maybe he just wanted to screw with me a bit more before the end. Either way, I was nearly dead by this point. He made me drink some of his blood and then took me away, telling the others I was dead. He dumped me in some tunnel somewhere…I don't know where exactly. Told me to run when I had the chance…"
"I found my way home eventually. I don't know why I went there. I was terrified of hurting my family when I figured out what I was…" She sighed. "Perhaps I hoped they would kill me?"
Amelia pondered the story for a time, nodding slowly. She was reasonably convinced that Cassandra was on the level with her, she had no reason to lie that she could see. That didn't mean she shouldn't do her due diligence on the matter. Voldemort had enacted more elaborate ruses in the past, and had made heavy use of imperius curse against his enemies before. It was best that she cover her hoops.
"Alright Cass, I'm inclined to believe you on all this, but before we go any further I think it best I check you over. I'll uh-need your permission to do a legilimency examination." She winced at the crestfallen expression of the girl across from her, but sighed in relief when she nodded slowly and looked up at her.
Amela had been forced to witness many terrible things in her life. What she found in Cassandra's blood soaked mind beat out most of it. The girl had been honest, and though she searched Amelia could find no evidence of imperius or compulsion upon her thoughts. She had to admit while she had heard Vampire's minds were different, she couldn't have imagined just how true this would be. Everything was viewed through a haze, influenced and enhanced by the Vampire's superior senses and need for blood and the hunt.
Amelia stood in silence for a time considering the young woman's tale. Eventually she nodded, Cass had no reason to lie about any of it, Amelia had checked her mind, and Cass saying what she had could have been a death sentence had she been handled by someone other than her. "You did your duty Cass…I'm sorry to hear what they did to you…But nothing can be decided here and now can it?"
Madam Bones looked to Sam who was standing off to the side listening with interest while fiddling with a cigarette holder. "Can you arrange transport back to our ministry?" She knew from past conversations with the Inspector that the muggles were in fact aware of their location.
Sam nodded easily, slipping the case back into her pocket. "It can be arranged. Give us a few minutes to get her properly cleaned off and such…Er—there is perhaps one more thing I'd like to cover before you go though. An inquiry from the Prime Minister actually…"
Amelia indicated she should go ahead. Sam took a breath, "Do you happen to know anything about that weird tornado out west?"
Albus Dumbledore, paced his office floor slowly. Though he hid it well, he was in an almighty foul mood. Not that his mood in general had been anything to write home about in the last few days.
His carefully laid plans and plots, almost all of them, had been upended in the last few days. Following the death of his damnable, interfering Godfather, Harry Potter should have never had the kind of willpower necessary to defy him on such a grand scale and make his escape. He had specifically taken care to ensure that this was so.
Thus, he was at a loss as to explain how it was that Harry had taken such a drastic course of action. In none of his predictions had Harry dared to act so rashly, it was quite…out of character for the lad.
He should know after all, he'd gone to great pains over the last decade and a half to ensure that Harry Potter was, precisely, who Albus Dumbledore wanted him to be. He'd carefully moulded and manipulated events throughout the boy's life so that he'd be exactly who he needed him to be upon his entry into Hogwarts. And since that time, had been able to more directly influence the boy's character.
He'd been fooled however, forgetting in his confidence in his own machinations that people had the annoying habit of surprising you when you least expected it. It was infuriating.
Harry was…at least he should have been, meek, mild mannered and malleable. He'd ensured through subtle manipulations that Harry should be the sort to take the path of least resistance. Which should have always been the path he'd set for him.
He might have even caught up with the boy despite his impromptu rebellion and corrected him. Had it not been for Amelia Bones and her interference.
The Director of the DMLE had stymied him long enough that when he eventually found the lead at the Granger's, he was unable to do anything about it until it was far too late.
That those…muggles, had dared to sit there and mock him from behind those wards had only irked him more. They undoubtedly knew something, their attitudes alone had made that plain, but they now officially operated under the protection of the Ministry's aegis thanks to Madam Bones. Legally speaking, he was not allowed near them, and he was certain by now that any leads they might have provided him were well and truly cold. At the end of last term he had attempted to facilitate a situation which would have removed the Granger girl permanently from the equation, no longer allowing her to interfere in Harry's progression along the path Dumbledore had set for him. Insisting she be treated at Hogwarts rather than Saint Mungo's following Dolohov's curse should have ensured that. Sadly fate, it seemed, had intervened.
He had of course attempted to bypass Amelia, appealing to Cornelius Fudge. However the woman was nothing if not a deft operator and master of her craft. She'd verbally handed Fudge his arse on a platter and sent him away.
Worse still in Albus' reckoning the woman had cut him off from several key members of the Order of the Phoenix. And others were wavering in the face of her displeasure. Even Moody had been making unhappy noises about the Order's activities of late. She was rapidly becoming a severe nuisance, and what was worse, for the moment at least, he was quite unable to do anything about it.
With the Ministry in disarray following Voldemort's official return, many of his allies and their political capital had all but dried up, and while he wished Amelia out of the way. He would not stoop to the levels now required to achieve it.
The likes of Voldemort, and Gellert used violence. The former like a hammer, the latter like a scalpel when possible. While fools like Fudge traded in favours and gold, and were all the more irrelevant for it.
He, Albus Dumbledore, was a different beast altogether. He was a master at this game, and the other players, not more than gifted novices. If he could not win without resorting to beginners tactics, then he didn't deserve to win in the first place.
Where others would continue to use force and the trading of wealth, he used cunning. Manipulation and intrigue were his weapons of choice, and ultimately he was certain that in this game they were the winning combination. Now, if only he didn't have so many rogue elements wandering the board…
He shrugged mentally and physically, destiny, fate? They both assured that Harry would return in time, this was certain. If he could not catch the lad's trail at the moment...he would just turn his attention to other matters until he could. There were many things which could benefit from his attention in these troubled times he was sure.
Amelia slumped back into the relatively plush seat of the vehicle the inspector had provided for transport back to the ministry. A dark SUV with blacked out windows which would allow them to safely transport a Vampire in daylight. Not that they hadn't ensured Cass was slathered with SPF 100 sunscreen before hand just in case.
Strictly speaking the stories about Vampires burning up in the light were…exaggerated. What Vampires experienced was more akin to a severe sunburn, if they were not appropriately protected by sunscreens and such. What would give a human a 1st degree burn would give a vampire only inches away from 3rd, one which would give a human 3rd would basically incapacitate a Vampire for the next month as they were too crispy to actually move. Actually manage to light one on fire though? Well...it was sort of like watching fireworks.
Cassandra Anders, now done up in a generic pair of jeans and t-shirt was seated nervously across from her, rubbing idly at her wrists, looking admittedly a bit…rumpled.
She hadn't been brought into Scotland Yard in her Auror's regalia, as that had long since been destroyed by her…hosts. Add to that, the rigours of decontamination and Cass was feeling edgy. Covered in blood, particularly that belonging to herself, a witch's blood at the time it was first spilled, and vampiric blood, from her transformation, made her a walking biohazard. The technicians had been as kind as they could about the procedure, but….
Amelia sighed, considering the woman across from her. "Cass…I don't even know where to begin."
Cassandra cringed a bit. "It's okay boss…I know what kind of shape I'm in right now, and I know the laws regarding Vampires and employment—"
Amelia waved that off tiredly. "You did you job Cass…I may not be allowed to actively employ a Vampire as an Auror, a damned shame by the way, but that doesn't mean I'm about to hang you out to dry either."
Cass smiled thinly, though Amelia could tell by her pained expression she was deathly afraid of accidentally baring her new and impressive set of fangs at her by accident. The Director shrugged. "Well, either way, you'll be receiving a severance package and a pension. We look after our own."
The smile was a touch more real this time. "Thank you ma'am."
They sat in silence for a time as the SUV picked its way through traffic towards the Ministry, Amelia soon noticing just how uncomfortable Cass was getting. She sat forward as a thought occurred to her and she began digging about in the pockets of her trench coat. Finally, finding what she was looking for and huffing a satisfied sigh. Her emergency kit.
She pulled out a small vial of pink liquid and handed it across to Cass, who looked at it and her curiously. "Blood replenishment potion." She explained simply and the girl's eyes lit with understanding.
Vampires benefited from blood replenishing potions in a way everyone else didn't. While traditionally they still required an infusion of "fresh foreign" blood every day or so, it was not enough to kill their target necessarily. However a blood replenishing potion regimen could extend the period between feedings to about a week. As an added bonus if a Vampire was fortunate enough to get a regular supply of this they could subsist solely on animal blood if needs be.
Cass took it and drank it down quickly, her nerves rapidly fading allowing her to relax a bit until they reached their destination.
When they did eventually arrive out front the ministry, Amelia led the way to the phone booth which served as the Ministry's service entrance. Cass, mainly due to her aversion to the sun, had her hoodie drawn up to cover her head. Dialling in her special access code, Madam Bones had them descending with no further hassle into the ministry.
As they came to a shuddering halt on the floor of the Ministry guests entrance Cassandra became noticeably nervous, here, she knew she was likely to run into people she had once known, people who might not want anything to do with her after what had happened.
Amelia's quelling look was more than enough to prevent the desk guard from harassing Cassandra as they entered the building, though he clearly wished to comment. Amelia made a note to extend his time in that bottom feeding position by a couple weeks. She didn't need bigots out on a beat.
Though they received a couple odd looks along the way, they made it to the DMLE without being accosted further.
Still, when they entered the office Cassandra's presence was immediately met with stares and murmurs. It got bad enough when they were passing the bullpen Amelia felt the need to stop and comment. She paused, briefly patting Cass on the shoulder consolingly before stepping forward and clearing her throat, immediately catching the attention of those gathered. "As many of you have no doubt noticed, your former colleague Cassandra Anders has suffered unfortunate difficulties in the line of duty. While it does indeed preclude her from working further with us due to current Ministry Law, she is still one of ours…" She looked pointedly at those whose glares were a touch more hostile. "And we look after our own, don't we?"
This seemed to do the trick, the Director had basically thrown down the gauntlet and made it clear what the official stance on Cassandra's predicament was to be. Things were clearer now, which seemed to ease the minds of most of those present. Amelia nodded. "Good, carry on."
Most of the Aurors seemed properly settled now, and Cass briefly smiled her thanks to her former boss. Amelia nodded in return and led the way back through the offices to her little corner of the building.
The door opened and they stepped into the waiting room for her office, Tonks and Hestia pushing to their feet to meet whomever was entering. They had been more than willing to watch Susan while she was gone. Her reflections on this were immediately interrupted by the sound of a small ruckus erupting off to the side…
A small ruckus in the form of a red haired comet rocketing into Cassandra. "Cass!" Yelled Susan's joyful voice and Amelia smiled, Susan was very fond of Cassandra, and had been very worried about her. She nodded to the two Aurors she had placed on guard duty and they smiled in return before filing out.
Cass had stiffened uncertainly, worried about Amelia's reaction to her ward hugging a Vampire. Susan continued to babble unaware of her concern. "I'm so glad you're alright, I was so worried."
"Uh-hey Susan…" the Vampire responded patting the girl's back tentatively, still a small smile threatened at the girl's words.
Amelia chuckled at the display, "Susan you might want to ease up on Cass bit, she's had a bit of a hard couple days."
Susan jumped back at the gentle reprimand, and smiled up at the young woman. "Sorry Cass, I didn't mean to, I'm just so relieved—" Her voice tapered off as she took in Cass' altered appearance. The young Vampire tensed, clearly bracing for a negative reaction. Susan did indeed gasp at first bringing a hand to her mouth, then quite to Cassandra's surprise she flung herself forward again hugging the woman. "Cass! He didn't! Oh that utterly miserable bastard, he didn't!"
Cass was clearly relieved at the response this revelation had received, this time returning the hug from the younger girl more sincerely. "Yeah, I'm afraid he did Susan…"
Susan was crying now, still holding the other woman tightly. "How could someone do something like that to you…"
The Vampire sighed then explained. "He dug around in my head until he found what I was afraid of, apparently he wasn't too happy I wouldn't help him."
Susan shook her head, still sobbing. "I'm so sorry Cass…"
Amelia watched these proceedings with no small measure of pride, Susan never had been one for petty bigotry. It was then, as she watched the girl who meant more to her than life itself hug a Vampire, that an idea occurred to her. It would no doubt be a bit of a bumpy road…But then again Susan had always been close with Cass, so any trouble would be worth it in her mind.
She let the hug-fest continue for a time before chuckling and clearing her throat. "Why don't you two come into my office, we'll get the paperwork sorted, and I've been thinking on something. I believe I've got an idea for something you might both find interesting…"
The Next Morning
Hermione awoke to the nose twitching aroma of breakfast being prepared somewhere beyond her vision, even swatting absently at her nose as she clawed her way back to consciousness.
Though she couldn't really remember it just then, she had stayed up reading late into the night, and had been far too tired to make it to her room after, instead opting to collapse bonelessly onto the couch, asleep almost as soon as she landed.
Therefore finding herself in a completely unexpected and somewhat unfamiliar environment only added to her confusion, and she bolted upright staring about hurriedly as she attempted to determine her location.
Thankfully, for her nerves, she spotted Lily asleep in the recliner next to her and the events of the day before soon came rushing back, allowing her to slump back in relief. Finally what she was smelling permeated her brain and she looked about again, this time her gaze being drawn to the kitchen.
Where, quite to her surprise she found a familiar unruly mop of black hair working busily at the stove. Curious as to just what her friend was up to, she pushed to her feet, stretched and then proceeded to stumble her way over and into the kitchen.
"You made breakfast?" She asked confusedly, yawning slightly before settling herself in a chair at the table.
Her friend looked around at the sound of her voice and smiled wanly over his shoulder at her before returning his attention to the task in front of him. "Yeah, always was the one who cooked while I was back at the Dursleys. Reckoned I could put all that work to use and make a good impression this way…Though, at least this time I'll actually get to enjoy the meal myself." That last part was muttered but she still caught it.
She blinked as the implications of that statement sunk in. Standing, she silently made her way up to her friend who was stood quietly watching and waiting on the meal he was preparing. She wrapped her arms around him from behind careful not to trap his arms, before leaning her forehead against his upper back. "I'm so sorry Harry…" She murmured, feeling her eyes well slightly at the thought of how his relatives had treated him.
She felt him shrug slightly though a modicum of tension also left his frame as she held him. "You didn't know, and you most certainly weren't among those forcing me to stay there." He chuckled slightly, his tone sad. "It'd be pretty silly to hold it against you now wouldn't it?"
Hermione gave him a final squeeze before releasing him and backing off, she wiped at the moisture in her eyes only to look up in surprise when she caught motion in her peripheral vision. There, standing in the door, looking relatively lightly disheveled was Harry's mother.
Eyeing her son first with wary eyes, Lily then turned her attention to the girl in front of her. "Is something wrong?" She asked, clearly concerned.
Harry looked around at the sound of his mother's voice, already smiling. "Nothing worth worrying about mum…"
His mother quirked a slight smile at his positive attitude, but followed it up by shaking her head. "I hardly think it's nothing if your friend is in tears over it hon."
Harry blinked in surprise before noting the redness around his friend's eyes. "Aw, sorry Hermione, I shouldn't have bothered you with it. It's just…some bad memories—mum." He explained haltingly, giving Hermione a quick hug before returning to the stove. Clearly he wasn't yet used to calling someone that.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Lily asked concerned.
He shook his head. "I already did…well, sorta. I was just thinking back a bit on the time I spent at the Dursleys. I'm really glad to be away from there."
Hermione turned a pleading look on the red head. "I'm sorry Mrs. Potter, I didn't understand just how bad it was there. You have to believe me, I would have—"
Lily smiled kindly at her, waving that off with a small gesture. "You've helped him far more than anyone else in his life Hermione, and from what I've seen thus far my son generally isn't one to talk about his misfortunes." She shrugged philosophically. "I'm willing to bet that you, and many others, are among those Dumbledore made a point to spout off about those supposed 'Blood Wards"
Hermione smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, he kinda did."
Lily nodded easily before looking up towards the door opposite Harry across the kitchen. Kate had stumbled in yawning expansively, and Hermione felt her eyes widen. Kate, Harry's sister had just staggered dazedly into the room, buck bloody starkers…
Kate stood there blinking dumbly at them for a moment before noticing Hermione who waved at her uncertainly. From there her attention turned to Harry, who's back was still thankfully turned. Kate released a particularly girlish squeal before ducking back into the hallway, the sound of rapidly retreating feet filling the room.
Harry, naturally confused by the sudden noise looked up startled, however all were fortunate in that he managed to just miss his sister's exit. He raised a questioning brow at Hermione before shrugging and returning his attention to the work at hand.
Hermione shot the older woman a quizzical look and the Lily explained. "Me and Kate have lived here, just the two of us, for a long time Hermione. It's going to take some getting used to that we have others around the place now."
Hermione supposed she could understand that. Two women, living a ways away from the next nearest person, without the risk of visitors or nosey neighbours, clearly they'd grown a little casual in each other's company.
Harry continued to work for a time, Kate eventually returned, this time clothed in what could be described as casual sleepwear, being a pair of shorts and an overlong t-shirt. Finally, Harry finished the meal and began setting their servings on the table.
Kate kept glancing at her brother nervously, and upon determining that he had remained oblivious to what had happened, sagged visibly in relief. The dark haired girl smiled, clearly chagrined at Hermione before turning her attention to her meal.
"So, what are we doing today?" Kate asked, clearly striking out for normalcy a few minutes later.
Lily shrugged. "Well, if we're doing this thing, we have a lot of things that need to be handled before we can leave…" She looked pointedly at her daughter. "Not the least of which is that you'll need to resign from your job on grounds of a family emergency." Lily paused and huffed a sigh. "And it would probably be a good idea for us to stop by Old Lady Winter's and say goodbye and thank her for the help she gave us…"
Kate smiled sadly at her mother, the other two teens in the room weren't aware of it but Lily had become quite fond of the old medicine woman. "We'll be sure to letter her occasionally, and maybe we can come back some day and visit."
Harry watched this interaction with interest. "Just out of curiosity, how much will you two need to pack? I mean, it could be a long time before we manage to get back here, and all of your stuff is here isn't it?"
His mother shrugged, "We'll pull everything inside, either into the offices or into the warehouses. Then we'll lock everything down with wards and such before we leave. Only thing of note we need to worry about is ensuring the owner of the truck I need to finish today, actually comes by to pick up his vehicle. We'll likely only be packing a little, we can come back later and put anything else into storage with the help of any elves that might remain."
Hermione looked concerned at this last bit so Lily explained. "A couple of the Potter elves had been in the family long enough they had served James' great-grandfather. They were already very old by the time…well, the point is that some of them may have passed of old age."
The others' nodded understanding. "We girls may want to head into town to buy up some feminine supplies…"
The girls nodded easily at this, though none failed to notice the slight blush Harry got at this. He hadn't had much experience living among women who spoke so freely about things. Petunia would sooner chop off her hands then speak of feminine matters in front of Vernon or Dudley, let alone in front of Harry.
Harry for his part, hurriedly cast about for something else to discuss and pushed to his feet carrying his dishes over to the washer. "I'll uh—I'd like to let Hedwig out for a spot of hunting, will she be safe?"
His mother nodded, "She should be, familiar enchantments protect her, and out here nothing much really bothers snowies. She's a beautiful bird by the way."
Harry nodded happily as he lifted a very smug looking Hedwig from her perch. "Yeah, she's great isn't she, first gift I ever got. Hagrid bought her for me on our first visit to Diagon."
His mother smiled fondly at the bird before shaking her head. "Once you're done with that, would you be so good as to help Kate out once she gets back? She'll be moving things about and putting them into storage.
"Sure, shouldn't be a problem." He agreed before pacing out murmuring gently to his bird on his way outside.
Once he was out of earshot his mother turned her attention to Hermione, her expression questioning. Hermione picked up the implied query easily enough. "I got the impression early on that Harry has had it fairly carefully burned into him by the Dursleys that he has to be useful."
Lily scowled before tiredly rubbing her face, "Just—how bad was it, do you know?"
Hermione looked uncomfortable. "I—I know, I just think…." She huffed a breath and looked to her apologetically. "I think it'd be better if he was the one to tell you these things. He's a fairly private person, I don't think he'd appreciate me talking about it for him."
To Hermione's relief, Lily nodded easily. "Fair enough, I haven't earned that kind of trust yet, I know…As much as it pains me to admit it."
The younger girl from Britain smiled encouragingly. "You will soon enough. He's always been told good things about you by your friends back home. And thus far you've been really good to him. Just give him some time." She said gently getting to her feet and padding off with her dishes.
Lily nodded, though slumped somewhat in her chair shaking her head. "Tunie, just what have you been doing to my son?"
Kate sighed, hanging her coat back up on the rack inside the entryway, looking around her at her long time home. It was strange, she was not usually the sort to fall into melancholy. However today, as she returned from resigning her position at her job, and found the living room filled with packed luggage it seemed more real to her. She'd be leaving here, and she might never return.
Her mother had finished her repairs on the truck she'd been working on the day before, and the owner had come to pick it up a while ago. It was strange to think, that when it came down to it, their latest project of the time was really the only thing tying them to this place.
It made sense considering, and she had accepted this a long time ago. Even when they'd believe the Dark Lord of Great Britain dead and gone, when her mother hadn't remembered the truth, they'd wondered if they were still in danger. His followers would likely bear a grudge for those who had defied their master.
This place was a bolt hole, a hiding place, as well as a place for her mother to forget her problems. Not a permanent home, despite the years they'd spent here. So when Harry had reentered their lives, everything had changed, but the primary imperative of their lives stayed the same. Family first.
And in this case that meant following Harry away from this place. Not that it bothered her as much as it might have. She'd never felt particularly attached to their home here. It was just…strange, all things considered.
She paused looking up at a small clatter as Hermione hauled her trunk out of the guest bedroom and into the living room. Harry as yet nowhere to be seen.
"Hey Hermione." She greeted, a touch cautiously. For all her feigned good humour and boisterousness, Kate was well aware this girl was a significant part of her brother's life and she knew Hermione felt something for him. Offending her was never going to be something Kate wished to do considering all that.
Hermione looked up at her and smiled, "Hello Kate, everything go well?"
Kate nodded, "Yes, how's everything going here, what else is there that still needs doing?"
Hermione shrugged, dropping her trunk with the rest of the luggage. "Not much left now I think, we are all packed. I think your mother is hoping to head out to Old Lady Winter's soon, hopefully she won't be busy."
Kate nodded. Old Lady Winter's community was very tight knit, and her place in their community irreplaceable, thus it was not unusual for her to be called upon at a moment's notice.
Hermione straightened stretching slightly. "Oh, right, and we still need to head into town with your mum to pick up essentials." Kate nodded agreement, she would have simply stopped off to buy some herself while she was out, but they hadn't had time at that point to figure out everything they needed.
"Okay, we'll go grab mom and let her know we're ready to head out and do those things. I'll pack the rest of my stuff later, though it looks like mom's already gone and gotten most of it." She noted pointing at a pink duffle.
Hermione nodded, clearly considering something, "You know, it just occurred to me, I don't know if I've seen you carrying a wand."
Kate blinked at the non-sequitur and Hermione explained. "I just—you were talking about picking up anything already packed and I tried to think of important things you might leave behind…"
Kate snorted amusement, and pulled up her sleeve by way of explanation, there secured to her forearm was a holster. At Hermione's questioning look Kate explained. "Mom taught me a long time ago to keep it concealed. She was…tense the first few years while I was growing up. I don't think she'd accepted that we really are safe here for the longest time."
She smirked shaking off those thoughts and dropped her sleeve again, clapping Hermione on the shoulder, drawing a surprised look from the girl. "Come on, enough of that, let's go grab mom and get this out of the way…" She turned and hurried from the room, after a brief and confused hesitation on Hermione's part she trailed after the other girl.
The first thing Harry noticed when the girls returned from their trip into town was Hermione's blush. It was prominent enough that he felt the need to inquire, "Hey Mione what's wrong?"
The girls sighed, obviously chagrined that he noticed. "It's nothing important Harry…"
He just shot her a look at that, "Hermione, if I said it was nothing important like that, would you believe me?" He asked, a touch of humour in his voice.
She groaned, "No, I don't suppose I would."
"So, what's bothering you?" He asked smiling.
Hermione hesitated. "Your mother—was worried that with us, and particularly Kate, going out into the world for the first time, that we girls might find ourselves in…trouble." Seeing his confused expression, she cringed and pressed on. "She uh—gave us "That Talk"
He winced, Harry had never actually gotten subjected to a formal version of "the talk", but he was well aware of its contents. Thankfully he had sat through basic sex ed just like every other student back in primary school. Vernon and Petunia had actually happily signed him up in the hopes it would prevent or discourage him from "breeding".
He sighed. "Do I want to know?"
Hermione shuddered at the thought. "I've had this talk before, but never from another witch who wasn't Madam Pomfrey."
"That makes a difference I take it?"
She glanced about nervously. "Er—yes, yes it does. I—I'd rather not talk about it right now."
He nodded easily, changing the topic. "Okay, so what now? We've got everything that needed to be pulled inside, and we're all packed…not that you and I had much extra to do on that front." He noted, they hadn't after all had much of a chance to unload in the past day.
Hermione sagged in relief at the change in topic. "We're going to have supper next I believe, your mum and Kate were discussing it on the way home. Then us girls are going to head out and check things over one last time.".
Kate, he noticed, was blushing as well, though he pointedly ignored it. Unfortunately for all involved, Kate misinterpreted his lack of reaction. "Uh—you didn't tell him about the uh…thingy did you?"
Hermione groaned theatrically, "Honestly Kate, no! However, if you keep bringing it up, we're not going to have a choice in the matter."
Kate's blush deepened and she nodded before scurrying for the kitchen.
Harry just shook his head, mystified by the strangeness of girls, particularly those with starring roles in his life.
Author's Note: As ever thanks to Temporal Knight for his continued Beta/Pseudo Co-authory assistance. As ever he's been fantastic!
Recommendation(s) of the week: Hmmm, trying to decide just what to unleash you lot upon this week…. How about "Dark Lord Rising" By AndrewsQuill sadly unfinished. It finishes off a bit oddly too…