CHAPTER 19: What new wand

A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the delay once more. You can blame my Uni for that but thankfully, I'm free for the next three weeks which gives me time to finish this story. We're nearly there. This chapter is very short compared to my normal posts but I always felt a chapter should hold some intrigue and the point where this chapter finished does that. If I hadn't done that then this chapter would've been well over 10k.

So, without further ado...

Interior, Journey, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire – Morning

Hermione's eyes fluttered behind her eyelids before they slowly opened. They didn't waver even the tiniest but simply remained focused on a singular spot on the wall she lay facing, unblinking. Her hands were tucked under her head and a woolen blanket covered her frame from feet to shoulder. She inhaled a long breath before letting it out slowly as she swiped a tongue over her chapped lips and finally, blinked her eyes a couple of times before rolling on to her back and placed her hands just below her chest over the blanket.

She turned her head to the left and her gaze landed on the blanket lying a few meters away from her. It was ruffled into a ball. Craning her neck, she swept her eyes all around the timber structure. She let out a groan as she tried to sit up. Once she managed to put her weight on her elbows, she rolled her neck a few times before gathering her hair and tucking them into a loose ponytail.

Exterior, Journey, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire – Morning

She walked out of the hut dressed in her sleeping attire which happened to be a loose pair of pink trousers and a grey sweater along with a pair of white slippers that made a crunching noise with each step she took as the ground was littered with golden brown leaves.

She stopped when she passed the wards and inhaled the fresh morning air. Her eyes closed involuntarily and her mouth tugged upwards at the corner as she tilted her head back.

Soaking the moment for a few seconds she turned left and moved forward. She paddled along the path at a lazy pace with her hands folded behind her back, admiring the natural beauty of the forest.

After walking for a while, she came to a clearing that overlooked a small pond. The water was continuously pouring down from a narrow waterfall that adjoined the left side of the cliff with the back. A haze of steam was gathered in the air around the perimeter of the pond.

She walked to the edge before bending down. She put her right hand in the water and scooped it in her palm. Her head jerked up and quick as a flash her hand went under the sleeve of her sweater, taking out her wand.

There was a small disturbance in the middle of the pond caused by a ripple before a head popped up, creating a loud splatter.

Her expression immediately eased back to normal and she put her wand back in its place. She stood up and folded her hands across her chest as Harry swiped his hair back before opening his eyes, his gaze landing on her.

He put a finger in his ear and wiggled it as a trail of water leaked out. He repeated the action with the other ear, his eyes never leaving hers for a moment.

"How long have you been up for?" she asked, her eyes dropping to his chest for a quick second before landing back on his emerald orbs.

"Couple of hours" he replied, as he swam closer to her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Couple of hours?"

He nodded. "Went to Neville's."

Hermione stared at him in confusion before realization dawned on her face. "For the address of those seven men"

He nodded.

"And what did he say?"

"What do you think" He reached the edge and looked up at her. He put his elbows on the ground and folded his arms. "He said yes before I even finished speaking, said that after so long he could finally start repaying me back." he shook his head. "I told him that if he does this one thing for me then consider us even but he's stubborn as a virgin's pussy, wouldn't budge."

"Well, what you did was very monumental in his life and he's just grateful" she said before smiling. "Plus, he's always been a softy" Her smile gave away to a light frown. "He could get in a lot of trouble if anyone gets wind of this. You're not the ministry's golden boy anymore and anyone who helps you can suffer dire consequences. He could end up losing his job"

"I know but there is barely any risk for him in this. All he has to do is find the files and make some copies which is technically his job."

"Well, not anymore since he's the head of the department."

"And that's even easier since he has no one to answer to." She chewed her lip and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's just..." she sighed. "I just think the less people we pull in this mess, the better. Neville's a sweet man and you don't know this but there were many times back in school when his sweet and caring nature got him in trouble. Trouble he never had any part in and I always felt bad for him. You know he'll do anything you say and I have this nasty feeling in my heart that we're taking advantage of him. I know the chance of anyone finding about this is very low but if they do and he gets caught...I'll never be able to forgive myself and I don't think you would too"

"He won't get caught, trust me"

Her eyes snapped to his and a moment later. "Always" she blurted and immediately her eyes turned wide as if she didn't mean to say that.

A hidden emotion flashed through his face as his jaw tightened. He lowered his gaze to the ground and lifted himself up before getting out of the water.

He stood butt naked in front of her as he held his right hand forward.

She was still a little ruffled by her quick response to notice his hand.

He snapped his fingers which snapped her out of her shock. She blinked her eyes and looked at him, all of him.

"You can stare all you want later darling, for now" he snapped his fingers again. "Give me your wand" he drawled.

She gave him a boring look with a deadpanned expression as she took out her wand. "Please, even a unicorn loses its appeal after you've seen it a countless time"

"Wow! A unicorn, huh." He gave a slight bow, flashing her a smirk. "I'm honored"

"Shut up" she grunted, waving her wand and performing a drying charm.

"Thanks"

"I can never understand how you can perform the most extraordinary magic without a wand but not a simple drying charm"

"You know me." he said, summoning his clothes lying under a tree with a wave of his arm. "Easy never did it for me" he caught the clothes before giving her a pointed look.

She lifted a brow as he gave her a sly wink. "You better not be referring to what I think you're, Potter" her voice held a hint of warning.

He chuckled as he put on his trousers before tugging on his shirt and closing the buttons. He leaned closer to her till there was only a few inches difference between their faces. "You were and remain to this day my hardest catch." He leaned back and blew out a breath of exasperation. "The shit I did for you..." he snorted, shaking his head as he put on his shoes.

"And I suppose that's my fault too" she huffed, but there was a playfulness in her tone.

"No" he smiled sardonically as he tied his laces before standing up and looking right into her eyes. "That was entirely my fucking fault" he whispered. His words took away the twinkle in Hermione's eyes, snatching the warmth away until they exuberated nothing but a long, hollow pit of brown pools.

She dropped her gaze to the ground as Harry walked away. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before following him.

"When did he say he could get the information" she spoke once she caught up with him. Her tone formal and business-like.

"By afternoon...hopefully"

"Hmm. So, what's the plan then...after you've got the address. What are you going to say to these people. That a psychopath is after your life and then what? How is that going to help us catch him?"

"Simple, they'll lead us to him. I'm not gonna do shit but wait"

She whipped her head at him in disbelief. "You're gonna put these people's lives on stake!"

"I'm going to do what I believe is our best chance at catching him"

"Really!" He nodded, and steam started coming out of her ears. "So, you're not even going to tell them! Just sit and wait outside their house till he shows up." she exclaimed. "By the way, you're overlooking one major hole in your perfectly thought-out plan" the sarcasm wasn't lost on him and his eyes narrowed at her dig. "There ae seven of them, not one, and fortunately for the entire world, there is only one of you. So, you can't be at all the locations at once unless you plan to kidnap them all in one place"

He winked and her eyes widened even more.

"What!" she screeched. "That's-"

"Relax" he cut her off. "God you can't even take a joke"

"This is not a fuckin joke, Harry. These are people lives we're talking about"

"I know!"

That put a seal to her lips immediately.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as they continued to move forward. "Neville wasn't the only person I met up with" he gave her a side glance before continuing. "I talked to John as well"

Hermione's breath hitched.

"I know what you're going to say that he has my job now, that he's loyal to the ministry and all that bullshit"

"No"

He jerked his head at her and lifted an eyebrow. "John's a man of principle and doing right by the duty but his loyalty lies with you too. So much so that before I stumbled upon you, he was the one who was helping me trying to locate you. He deeply regretted what happened to you and told me that he won't forgive himself till he has apologized to you personally. He said that he feels like a fraud by taking your job from you, that he didn't earn it"

Harry sighed and nodded his head. "I told him he's a fuckin idiot for even thinking that when he said that to me. No one deserves anything in this world. You gotta take it, snatch it from someone if you have to. Fuck the world"

"Well, not everyone lives by your cynicism" she rolled her eyes. "So, he's agreed to help you because I don't believe for even a second that you simply backed away and told him to finish this off"

"As if" he scoffed.

"Then what. Remember what I said about Neville losing his job. That'll be nothing compared to the consequences John will suffer if word gets about your collaboration. Forget Azkaban, they'll fucking castrate him."

"Believe me, he's aware of this. He confided in me that since his promotion as the head of the DMLE he hasn't been able to form a comradery."

"Well, I mean he's their boss so it's not that uncommon. They're probably afraid of him. Just look at you, you never made any friends in all your time when you ran the joint."

"But he says that's not the case. He doesn't see respect in their eyes, says it's just envy and jealousy. Says they all think what he feels...that he doesn't deserve the position and that these past six months have been miserable. They're nowhere near catching the killer and that the entire division is so fed up with the case that no one even wants to pursue it anymore."

"I suppose the lack of any news or action on that front has dampen their spirits." she mused.

"Hmm, which is why he agreed to my proposition"

She turned to him. "And what's that?"

"He needs a win, a big one, for the division to believe that he is their leader. That it wasn't just pure dumb luck that got him where he is. So, I proposed that he help me in the case moving forward. I told him everything and he was shocked to learn how close I am to cracking it. I told him that he tells no one about it except a select few who will assist us, which happens to be the team I initially assembled, Dave, Chris and Rebecca."

"Wait let me get this straight, you're saying that after everything you've done, devoted every moment of your life to this case, that at the end when it's all finished, you're just going to walk away and let John take all the applause so he can be respected by the department. You do realize what you're saying, right. You're throwing away your chance of getting your job back because let me tell you that the minister of magic would be on his knees to offer you the position back no matter how much he detests you, the public would revolt if he doesn't do it. Remember, the people chose Martin Locke as their minister, not Corather Rain, there's still a lot of grief among the wizarding community about Martin's death and if you were to bring his killer to justice, forget about the public opinion about you right now, that'll be yesterday's news because you'll go back to being their golden boy"

He swiped his tongue across his lips as his eyes swept across the woodland. "My goal is simple, Mars. I just want blood. Plain and simple, and if in doing so I can help a man who I believe is excellent at his job and right now is made to feel otherwise, I have zero qualms about it." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want the job back. I never did to begin with anyway, you know that. I just wanted to be an auror. Catch criminals, be a part of covert missions, look badass while doing so" he chuckled. "That's all I ever wanted. I never wanted this fucking responsibility to run the entire department. It was thrusted upon me and I simply caved under the pressure because I felt that was what expected from me. But now, I'm past caring about what anyone thinks"

"Then don't take the job back but I don't think Corather is going to reinstate you as an auror too if the public doesn't know that you had something to do with the case"

He clicked his tongue. "Nah...I'm not working under him. There are plenty of ministries who would hire me on the spot as an auror but what's the point of that. I'm going to be dead in a few months anyway" he said causally.

"Don't say that!" she hissed, grabbing on to his arm and whirling him to face her. "I told you I'm not going to let that happen"

"Yeah, we'll see about that" he whisked his arm away from her grasp before continuing walking.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, once they entered the hut and she closed the door behind her. "Do you feel any different?" she followed after him into the room they had slept in.

He put his hands on the shelf and leaned his weight on it, rolling his neck a few times as a sigh left his lips. "My energy...or strength...I'm feeling a bit weak" he finished, as he got the crinks out of his neck.

"That's fine, that was expected" she came to his side and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Your body will take time to slowly get accustomed to the potion. More importantly, your magic will. But other than that..." she trailed off.

He shook his head.

"Good" she gave him a light pat. "I'll wait for another day then get started on working on the cure once I've ran a diagnostic scan of your core"

"When"

"I'll do the scan tonight, after dinner"

"Hmm"

"I'm just going to drop off at work for a couple of hours and then I'll be back" she dropped her hand to her side.

"I won't be here"

"That's fine. I'll come to wherever you are"

"No-"

"Don't even bother continuing that sentence" she snapped. "Get this through your thick skull that I'm not leaving your side, you hear me" she snarled. "So, throw every childish tantrum you want to but that's how it's going to be and you're going to deal with it"

He shot her a nasty glare but she didn't cower, didn't even flinch.

"Save your glowers for someone else. They never had an effect on me and they never will" she chastised, whacking him on the back of the head.

He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief as she walked over to collect her bag, his eyes trailing her figure.

She grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder before strutting back over to him.

"Okay" she adjusted the strap before looking up at him. "Where will you be in couple of hours' time and I swear to God, Harry James Potter, that if you send me to some silly goose chase, I'll rip your fuckin head off!"

He put his hands up in defense. "I never said that"

"That's what you were thinking!" she accused, pointing her finger at his chest.

"Fine, fine. I'll be at Florean's, meeting Neville there"

"Good, I'll see you there then" she leaned forward on her tip toes to kiss his cheek but then realized what she was doing and halted her motion before leaning away, a light blush coloring her cheeks. She cleared her throat, swiping a loose hair behind her ear. "I'll see you then"

She walked past him and a few seconds later was out of the door.

She had just crossed the wards and was about to apparate when the door opened and Harry came running out.

"Wait!"

She whirled around as he skidded next to her.

HIs breathing harsh as wheezing noises left his mouth.

"I told you to be gentle with your body. Conserve your energy as much as possible, and might I add you're not twenty anymore! Really Harry-"

"Mars"

"You need to be sensible-"

"Mars"

"About this. Exertion is really bad for you"

"Mars!" he exclaimed, grabbing on to her shoulders and giving her a slight shake.

She blinked her eyes up at him. "What"

His mouth quirked at the corner. "Shut up" he whispered, raising his eyebrows. "I need you to drop me into town, at Gladarad's. It's hell of a walk and I don't particularly fancy walking forty minutes right now"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why would you be walking?"

"Because the ministry confiscated my fucking wand for an entire year for my 'uncivilized behavior' against the minister" he made quotation marks with his fingers before rolling his eyes.

"What did you do" she asked warily.

"Nothing!" he exclaimed. "I just had my hand around his neck."

"Oh god" she groaned, hitting her head against his chest a few times before looking up at him. "Harry, you must realize that what constitutes as 'nothing' to you, isn't the same for everyone else. Squeezing the minister's life out is not nothing!"

"Don't be dramatic! I wasn't squeezing his life. I was just-"

"Fine" she cut him off and took a calming breath. "But why do you need me to take you to Gladarad's or have you finally lost it and forgot how to apparate"

"Nooo!" he growled, stretching the word out. "But it seems you've finally lost it as you can't even remember the conversation we're having right fucking now. I told you the ministry has my fucking wand. Fuck's sake how many fucking times do I have to repeat it! Maybe you can apparate without one since you're so high and mighty but us mortals can't"

Her nostrils flared and held up her finger. "Firstly, don't ever take that tone with me, you hear me!" she yelled, give him a whack behind his head for the second time that morning. He gritted his teeth but she paid him no intention and continued on. "And secondly, use your new wand!"

"What new wand!"

"The one you've been using the past six-" she snapped her mouth shut. "What do you mean what new wand. The wand you've been using for the past six months"

"I haven't been using any wand for the past six months. I've been travelling by floo and public transportation. I bought a bike but I forgot that it had been so long since I last drove one that I crashed into a car on the freeway. It's a miracle I survived."

Her eyes turned wide. "What" she breathed.

"Yeah" he nodded. "These six months have been fucking miserable. I wasted 3-4 hours commuting every fuckin day. But thankfully, that all ends today because I managed to persuade John to steal my wand from the minister's office. That's where the bald fucker is keeping it. If anything, you should be praying he doesn't get caught doing that" he snorted.

He ran a hand through his hair as she kept staring at him with a perplexing expression. "Why didn't you buy a new one" she whispered.

He jerked his head up from staring at the ground and the moment their eyes locked her eyes turned even wider in disbelief. "No" she croaked, putting a hand over her mouth, her eyes tearing up.

He smiled ruefully and nodded his head before leaning forward. He pulled her wand from her grasp before grabbing her hand and disapparated with a twist.

They landed in a side alley next to a bar named, Gladarad's, in a small wizarding village. "I'll take the floo from here" he said, holding out her wand for her to take which she did with shaking hands as few drops leaked down her cheeks.

He moved to face her but she turned her back. He lifted his hand over her shoulder for a few seconds and ultimately decided otherwise and brought it back to his side before walking away.

He reached the end of the alley and just as he was about to round the corner a choked sob filled his ears and though he didn't stop walking, a pained expression crossed his face as he shut his eyes.

A/N: As always, post your comments below and let me know your thoughts and I'll catch you on the flip sid