Some people seemed really jazzed by the name Bradbury, and I'm confused. The google wasn't much help, although I do now know that a lot of Mrs. Bradburys teach the 5th grade. Help a girl out?

Chapter 2

Harry Potter had begun receiving correspondence from an old woman claiming to know the whereabouts of Hermione and Draco. He didn't trust the reliability of his source, and so, he remained in England. There was an outstanding warrant for Draco's arrest, but Harry had bigger problems to solve. Was this Charlotte Bradbury trustworthy, or was she just looking for a little reward money? If she were as close to the young pair as she claimed, why would she sell them out to the Aurors' office?

The latest letter had come early that morning. From it, he learned that Hermione had given birth for the second time. Dread settled like a lead balloon in his stomach. Malfoy must have had her under a spell. It wasn't like Hermione to abandon her friends, the people she loved, to run off with a Death Eater. That she had married and had children with him fueled his theory.

"What's that?" Ron asked, sitting down in front of Harry's desk.

The Head Auror quickly snapped to attention and attempted to hide the letter. "Nothing," he said quickly. The redhead smirked; a look that told Harry his answer wasn't one to be believed. Sighing, he placed the parchment on his desk for Ron to read. "I think I know where Hermione and Malfoy are."

"You trust this woman?" Ron wondered, his scowl deepening the further he read. "Why would Hermione be with the ferret?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know," he said in response to both questions. Ron had carried a torch for their missing friend for years. In the midst of battle, they shared their first kiss, and Ron had been sure that meant she returned his feelings. Reading Charlotte Bradbury's letter seemed to deflate his best friend. "What do you think?"

Sighing heavily, Ron discarded the letter and rubbed his blue eyes. "I think if she were in trouble, she would have gotten word to us by now," he replied. "It's been five years, Harry. Arrest Malfoy if you want, but maybe it's better to just let Mione be."

"They're married," Harry informed him. "We can't go after Malfoy without disrupting Hermione."

"Then leave them both alone," Ron advised. "He was never a real threat anyway, and if they are in the States, he's definitely not a threat to us."

But Harry was less confident. "What if she's there against her will?" he suggested. "He could have used any number of spells or potions to kidnap her and hold her prisoner in a foreign country. You really want to leave her there with him?"

"It's Malfoy. We both know Hermione could take him," Ron said with a hearty laugh. "You haven't considered the fact that maybe she went willingly."

Dark brows rose. "So, you're okay with giving up on her?" Harry asked incredulously. "We have a lead, and you don't want to pursue it? You could have her back."

Sighing, Ron shook his head. He had given up on that dream years earlier when Hermione never returned home. "I want answers too," he admitted, "but she's with Malfoy now. They have a family. There's no winning her back."

"But what if she is under a spell?" Harry inquired exasperatedly.

Getting to his feet, Ron picked up the letter once more. "I'm not going to get my hopes up that she is," he replied. "I don't think you should either."

Harry didn't want to believe that Hermione had spent five years in a strange muggle town against her will. It was difficult to comprehend that the strong, confident, capable witch would abandon them so quickly after the fighting ended. That she would do so with Draco Malfoy by her side was even harder to fathom.

"I'm going to Connecticut," he declared as Ron's hand closed around the doorknob. "Are you coming with me?"

Broad shoulders slumped. A reluctant nod was the only reply Harry received before Ron left.

It took a good amount of arm twisting and pleading to be allowed to go to the United States, but Harry and Ron were granted permission for a three day trip. They were to bring Malfoy back unharmed, and he would stand trial for crimes committed in Lord Voldemort's service. They portkeyed to the U.S. Ministry of Magic, and from there, were given permits to work and Apparate within the country.

"I don't like this," Ron said as they approached the informant's house. "Lots of people have claimed to see the two of them. Why do you trust this one?"

"No one else ever claimed to see them together," Harry pointed out.

Ron eyed him warily. "That should make her less trustworthy," he muttered.

The pair slowly proceeded up a stone walkway and stopped on a porch filled with potted plants and flowers. The house was small, but looked cozy. Ron rang the doorbell, but Harry's gaze fell upon the house next door. He wondered if it belonged to Draco and Hermione. It was small and well maintained despite the children's toys that littered the lawn; not a place he expected Draco Malfoy to live.

The front door opened. Frizzy gray hair belonging to a stout woman with wide green eyes greeted them. Hurriedly, she removed the stained apron she wore. "Come in, come in," she said excitedly, recognizing the pair instantly. There wasn't a witch or wizard alive who didn't recognize Harry Potter.

The pair entered the small, cluttered home. Knick knacks, picture frames, old magazines and newspapers, and more plants occupied the living room. "Reminds me of Mum and Dad's," Ron whispered to his friend, who nodded in agreement. He surveyed the mess, and picked up a framed photo of a little girl with hair like Hermione's, eyes like Draco's, and a smile all her own. "Your granddaughter?" he asked as Mrs. Bradbury instructed them to take a seat.

"Something like that," she replied, magicking a plate of cookies to the coffee table. "That's Clara, the Malfoys' little girl. Looks like her mother, doesn't she? I don't have a picture of Liam yet. Hermione's a photographer, you know. He's keeping her too busy to develop anything new though."

Both boys nodded. "So, you know that there's a reward for Draco Malfoy's capture," Harry stated. "What I don't understand is why, if you're close to them, would you tell England's Head Auror of his whereabouts?"

Charlotte fidgeted nervously with her hands. She never intended to get the young couple in trouble. "They don't know that I'm a witch," she confessed. "I recognized Hermione right away. Your pictures were plastered across the papers here too. Our wizarding community isn't large here, maybe a handful in this state. New York is where you go if you want to be a part of things. Anyhow, about a month or so ago, I saw an article about the anniversary of the final battle, and they mentioned the three of you. You, Harry, were quoted as saying that you hadn't given up your search for her. That's why I wrote. I thought you would want to see her again."

"I do," he murmured. "Would you mind taking us to see her?"

Charlotte adamantly shook her head. "No, not if you intend to arrest Draco," she stated. "I won't see that family torn apart."