Disclaimer: No plan survives first contact . . .

The Perfect Moment . . . Lost

Hermione looked at the food-covered table and breathed out a sigh of relief. It had taken hours to cook and set up everything but it was all worth it to make everything perfect, she told herself. Checking once again to make sure that the charms on the candles were still good and that the crystal wine glasses were free of spots, she smiled.

"Thanks for the help mum," Hermione said brightly.

"No problem dear, you're sure the food will be ok?"

"I'm sure," Hermione agreed. "For the next week if necessary."

"That why you did… what ever it was you did to hide it all?"

"In case Harry gets back too late," Hermione agreed. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Well… good luck, Hun."

"Thank you, mum. Um… I don't want to run you off."

"But you've got that mysterious thing you need to do?"

"Yes, mum."

"See you later, dear."

"Bye, mum."

IIIIIIIIII

"What are you doing, star thistle?"

"I'm brewing up some headache potion, father," Luna replied.

"Oh… do you have a headache?"

"No, father, it's for Harry."

"Does Harry have a headache?"

"No, father," Luna said. "But he's going to get a terrible cold."

"From staying out in the rain all night?"

"Yes, father," Luna agreed. "He really should know better."

"You could go get him," he suggested.

"I'd like to, but if I leave my potion it will be ruined and then we'll have to buy a potion for Harry's headache."

"Good point," he agreed. "You never want to buy a potion if you have the time to make your own. Good thinking, pine."

"Thank you, father."

IIIIIIIIII

"This sucks," Harry said to himself. He presumed that the sun had gone down about four hours before, presumed because it was impossible to tell due to the heavy cloud cover and rain. "This really sucks."

"Shhh," one of the Aurors hissed. "You'll reveal our position."

"I hate my life," Harry lamented. "Really, really hate it."

IIIIIIIIII

Hermione crept through the Macnair house intent on removing everything of value. "These will look great on my mantle," she mused as she pulled another irreplaceable family heirloom off the wall. "Oooh, and this will make a perfect foot rest." She had already appropriated the family spell books but saw no reason to cut her shopping trip short just because she'd found what she came to get. "Damn."

"Who are you?" Macnair asked with a sleepy frown. "One of the new recruits?"

"Um… yes?" Hermione agreed nervously.

"Thank god we've finally got another woman," Macnair sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just picking up a few things," Hermione said nervously.

"You're here for the thing in the den then," he said with a nod. "Password is 'smoo' be sure to wait five seconds for the poison gas to dissipate before going into the vault."

"I will," Hermione said brightly.

"Good, now I'm going back to bed unless you need me for anything?"

"Nope, you've been a great help." Hermione hesitated before taking advantage of the situation that fate had given her. "It'd really be a shame to leave without at least checking on what it is," she told herself firmly.

IIIIIIIIII

"More potion nightshade?"

"Yes, father," Luna agreed. "For nausea."

"Be sure to make up a lot of it," he said after a moment of thought. "For the morning sickness."

"But I'm not pregnant, father?"

"Your cousin Gretchen is," he replied. "And I thought we could send some to her."

"Of course, father," Luna said with a nod of understanding. "It's really no trouble at all to make a bit more then I'd intended."

"Quite a bit more," he mused. "Her friend Elizabeth and the others are expecting too."

"But they won't suffer morning sickness as bad as Gretchen will, father," Luna protested.

"Hmmm." His eyes unfocused for a minute. "Yes you're quite right, artichoke, I'd forgotten."

"You are getting old, father," Luna said sympathetically. "Would you like me to brew up some remembering potion later?"

"I'll get to it . . . if I remember it."

"Ok, father."

IIIIIIIIII

"Who are you?" Macnair demanded.

"One of the new recruits," the man in assless, skin-tight leather pants replied. "Here for the item."

"But… the other recruit already got it about an hour ago?" Macnair said in confusion. "You know… the girl?"

"Girl?" The Death Eater said in disgust. "What do we need them for?"

"But… "

"Exactly," he agreed. "Now why don't the two of us find some place to…"

"Follow me," Macnair demanded. "We've got to check the vault."

"Is that what they call it these days?"

IIIIIIIIII

Hermione returned to the apartment and stowed the loot in one of the many hidden storage areas they'd installed for just such a purpose.

"Harry's not home yet," she observed with an unhappy sigh. "Well… I guess I could wait a little while." She spent the next two hours reading and casting nervous glances at the door. "Or I could postpone the dinner until tomorrow and see about getting Harry home soon," she said to herself. "He better appreciate what I'm doing for him."

IIIIIIIIII

Harry was just about to drift to sleep when one of the Aurors shook his arm. "Wake up."

"What is it?" Harry groaned.

"You can't fall asleep," he replied. "The Fox and the Hound could be out there."

"I really doubt that," Harry said sourly. "My guess is that they're having a laugh at our expense right now."

"Care to make a wager on that?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "They show up I loose."

"We find out that they were playing us for fools you win," the man agreed. "We can't tell it's a push."

"Fine, what do you want to wager?"

"I hear you have an invisibility cloak?"

"And you want one?"

"I want two," he corrected. "And if we catch the Fox and the Hound you won't need yours will you?"

"If they're laughing at us, yours will make a great gift for Hermione."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

IIIIIIIIII

"They still out there?" Daphne asked.

"Still out there," Neville agreed.

"Close the curtains," she demanded. "I don't like entertaining a crowd full of perverts."

"You do know that the other girls spy on us all the time don't you?"

"I'm well aware of that," Daphne sniffed. "That's not entertaining a crowd of perverts."

"Then what is it?"

"Showing off," Daphne explained with a naughty grin.

IIIIIIIIII

Hermione wandered through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until she came to Kingsley Shacklebolt's desk.

"Hmmmm," she muttered to herself. "What now?" Grabbing a quill and some paper, she wrote out a quick note and got up. "And that is that," she said with a satisfied smile. She was half way out of the room before anther thought struck her. With a long suffering sigh, she walked over to the petty cash and signed out a few Galleons. "Harry had better appreciate this too," she grumbled.

IIIIIIIIII

"Master?"

"What is it Gretchen?" Ron asked.

"Do I look fat?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because I'm pregnant and I'm swelling up like a balloon," she sobbed. "You haven't touched me in minutes."

"You haven't been pregnant more then a month," Ron said firmly. "And you don't look fat."

"Really master?"

"Really," Ron said firmly.

"But what about when I do start to look fat," the girl said in despair.

"Um . . ." Think Ron think. "You'll just look more beautiful because you're carrying our child."

"I will?"

"You will," Ron said with a relieved smile.

"Oh master, take me now."

"Gladly." Ron took his mininon in his arms but before things could commence, they were interrupted by one of his other minions.

"Master," Elizabeth began. "Will you still love me if . . ."

"For gods sake yes," Ron said in exasperation.

"Oh master," Elizabeth said in delight. "I'm so happy you're going to allow me to do that . . . I'll go get my sketch book"

"Sketch book?" .

"She probably wants to show you some new uniform ideas master," Gretchen explained. "Or maybe she wants to get your ideas on how to decorate the nursery."

IIIIIIIIII

Harry was really starting to get tired of this stake out, dawn was only a few hours off and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep or a bite to eat. If this is what it means to be an Auror then count me out, he thought to himself.

"Special delivery," a man with a stupid hat on a broom announced.

"What?" One of the Aurors asked.

"Special delivery," he repeated himself. "Here in an hour or less or your meal is cold."

"We didn't order anything," the Auror said dumbly.

"Order came from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," the delivery boy said with a shrug.

"Oh . . . that's alright then."

"Here you go then." He passed a small boxed meal to each of the Aurors. "Now which one of you is Mr. Potter?"

"That's me," Harry said reluctantly.

"Separate order for you," he said.

"What is it?"

"Leek and potato soup with fresh bread and a slice of chocolate cake for desert. Also an everwarm thermos full of tea and two pints of milk."

"Oh . . . thanks."

"No problem sir. Now is there an Auror Shacklebolt here?"

"Not at the moment mate."

"Then my job here is done." The delivery boy remounted his broom and kicked off the ground.

"Wait," one of the Aurors commanded. "What's in our soup?" He took another gulp out of his bowl. "And why didn't we get any cake or bread?"

"Toad mucus and snail slime soup for you," the delivery boy replied. "And bread and desert didn't come with your combo meal."

"Oh," the Auror said sickly. "Thanks." Several Aurors spat out their soup and eye'd Harry's meal enviously.

"If you think that's bad," the delivery boy said as he flew away. "Just be happy you're not Auror Shacklebolt."

"I kinda like it," one of the Auors said as he took another sip. Upon noticing the looks of his fellows he tried to defend himself. "It's warm and no worse then anything we've had in potions."

AN: The ongoing list of people that contributed to this fic without whom, it would not have been nearly as good . . . one might go so far as to say it would be quite bad: nonjon, Ed Becerra, ausfinbar, David Wangen, neil.reynolds, dogbertcarroll, hattenjc, the caitiff, AlanP, Lone Wolf, meteoricshipyards, Shawn Pickett, Morris Rague, luinlothana, Treck, Drake, David Brown, Moshehim, Arthur Hansen, Marneus Calgar, Goblin214, Chris LeBron, khadon99, Shawn Pickett, tekobaka, Freddie, Musings of Apathy, Brian Arcis, Fenris, Pelel, and everyone else on my yahoo group. They gave me scenes, ideas, and all sorts of other things. Tell me if I missed you so I can add to this list. Another thanks goes to meteoricshipyards who wrote the majority of the continuing adventures of the tentacle monster as well as several others. Anything I wrote on that sub plot was fairly minor so kudos. And still another goes to neil.reynolds who wrote a large number of scenes. Yet another goes to The Resident who was good enough to do a bit of editing and caught several of my mistakes.