You hurt me then

You're back again

No, no, no, not a second time

As Ron whispered "Bloody Hell" and Hermione began to sob, Harry shook his head in an effort to clear it. Neville was dead, and the message was clear: revenge. It was safe to assume none of those who fought against Voldemort and his followers were safe and that those around them could be in danger as well. Chloe, he thought, the sick feeling in his stomach worsening. Without a second thought, he walked past the Minister and into the kitchen, where he pulled out his wand and casted spells to keep the others from ears dropping.

"Kreacher" He called, and with a pop the elf apparated in front of him.

"Master Harry" He said, with a small bow.

"I don't have time to explain Kreacher, so listen carefully. Go to Chloe's Manor and tell her to pack a bag for a couple of days. Tell her something bad has happened and she is to stay at my apartment with you. She can send one of her house elves to inform her father, but tell him to stay in Bulgaria instead of coming back sooner. Other than that, she is not to see or speak to anyone else until I come back home"

"Tell her to keep her wand close by" Hermione said, suddenly standing next to them "and give her this piece of paper, it has important shielding spells she must know in case she has to leave Harry's apartment… Sorry Harry, I had to come in here and check on you and I overheard you and Kreacher. Don't worry; Ron is keeping everyone else out of the kitchen until you are done."

"Thanks Hermione " He said, with a new found appreciation for his friends "Stay with her at all times Kreacher and if any strangers come by my apparent, take her away. This is really important"

"Yes master"

"Go Kreacher, I will come home when I can"

After he left, Harry undid the spells and walked back to the living room with Hermione.

"Kreacher" Chloe cried out, looking down at the little creature whose sudden pop startled her so badly she almost fell off. "What are you doing here?"

"Master Harry sent me, mistress Chloe must come with me"

"What is going on? Is he ok?"

"Master is fine, but something bad has happened and he ordered Kreacher to take mistress Chloe home. Pack a bag for the next few days and come with Kreacher, we must hurry"

Chloe had started running to her room before his sentence was even over. Kreacher followed her as best as he could, and by the time he made it to her room, she had already begun to pack. She groaned in frustrating for dropping things due to her shaky hands and for opening the same drawer four times before realizing what she needed wasn't in it.

"Kreacher, can I tell my dad I'm going to Harry's?"

"Master says for you to send an elf"

"Lana" She commanded, and the little elf appeared with a loud pop that made Chloe jumped "Go to my father and tell him something has happened and Harry wants me at his place. We are both fine and I will contact him again soon, but he is not to come back here"

"Yes Mistress Chloe"

"And you are not allowed to speak of this to anyone or anything other than my father and I. Don't matter what you are told or ordered, you know nothing of my whereabouts, of Kreacher's visit or that Harry sent him. Are we clear?"

"Yes mistress"

"Then go"

As soon as she left, Chloe ran to the loo and threw all kinds of things into her bag without really stopping to look at them.

"I'm ready" She said, stepping back into her room.

Reaching for her hand, Kreacher apparated them back to Harry's apartment. Before he had a chance to let go, Chloe casted a few spells to make sure they were alone and that none of the protective spells had been tempered with. Only after checking twice did she let go of him. Throwing her bag on the floor, she plopped down on the couch and Kreacher came to stay by her.

"This is for you" he said, handing her a piece of parchment.

"Hermione?" She asked, looking at the handwriting "Was there anyone else?"

"Kreacher saw only Master and his friend"

"Do you know what happened?"

"No, Master was standing in a kitchen but Kreacher didn't recognize it"

Chloe nodded, and silence fell between them. They spent the next several hours in silence, staring without really seeing, at the fireplace or wall, Chloe's hand tightly holding her wand and both them close enough to reach for each other in case of an emergency. Sometime around four in the morning, Chloe finally fell asleep, but it was an unrestful sleep that lasted only a few minutes at the time. As she began to drift again, they jumped at the sound of a sudden pop. Chloe stood up, wand pointed straight at the heart of the man in front of me, while Kreacher positioned himself in front of her, one of his hands holding the hem of her cloak, ready to use his magic.

"What is the secret ingredient in any of my mother's ice cream?" Chloe asked Harry, whose wand was also pointed at her.

"A spoon of honey" He answered "What were Snape's last words to me?"

"Look at me" She answered, lowering her hand and walking towards Harry.

They collide rather harshly and wrapped their arms around each other. They stood in silence for a few minutes, relieved to be together and knowing the other was safe.

"Tell me what is going on Harry" She said, finally looking up into his eyes.

"Come sit down Chloe, there is a lot I need to tell you"

They both thanked Kreacher, who left to make them tea, even though both Harry and Chloe suggested he should go get some rest. Once Kreacher was back in the kitchen, they sat on the couch and Chloe snuggled in his arms while he held her tightly.

"The Minister is going to make an announcement in a few hours… he is not going to disclose everything but he is going to tell the general public that the rumors about the Death Eaters are true… Yesterday one of our aurors, Landon, got a letter from a mysterious person telling him to go to a specific address. He went there with William, his partner, and they found two bodies, the dark mark floating above them"

"What?" She said, voice barely audible "Who?"

"Neville and his girlfriend Anna"

"I… Harry I'm so sorry"

"Thank you, but I need you to focus on what I am about to say…. You and I will be training together every night of the week starting today and… I want you to say here with me for right now. We don't know who those people are and when they will attack again… but we do know that all of us who fought at Hogwarts are in danger, especially those closer to me"

"I understand"

"We need to be extra careful until we can find whoever those people are and send them to Azkaban. I'm going to meet with your uncle later today to discuss further protecting their house and his café. I have also sent an owl to your father asking him to come here first, once he gets back to England, so that we can discuss further protecting your house also"

"You are going to all this trouble for me, but what about everyone else? What about you Harry?"

He waited for Kreacher to serve them tea before taking a sip of it, sighing heavily.

"The Minister will instruct people to protect themselves and be vigilant, much like they have done before and I will be fine Chloe. I will be around you, or Hermione and Ron or other aurors"

"People are going to panic" She observed, rather pointlessly "This is bad Harry"

"I know, but we have spent the last few hours discussing the best way to address what happened and the next steps to take… we will get through this"

"You don't sound so convincing"

"I'm just tired…. And Neville… he's gone… I thought we were all safe, that all the fighting was over"

"So did I, but this will pass Harry. The Ministry will catch whoever did it"

"Of course…. Let's go to bed Chloe, we will both need some sleep… today will be a long day"

They put down their mugs and went to his bedroom. After quickly changing clothes, they laid down and tried to sleep, both failing miserably at it. By the time they arrived at the Ministry, mere hours after going to bed, a large crowd was already gathering in the atrium. A small podium had been placed by the fountain for the Minister's use and he was currently standing to the side talking to some aurors and Hermione.

"Stay next to me, ok?" Harry asked, grabbing her hand.

Chloe nodded, and they walked past the crowd to join the Minister and his group. When the time came for Kingsley to speak, an eerie silence fell over the crowd as if they knew something bad had happened. And as she looked over at those who knew what had happened, she came to the conclusion that it was easy for the crowd to know something was wrong by simply looking at their grave faces. The Minister spoke for almost fifteen minutes, but she absorbed little of what he said. The entire time he spoke, she watched and listened to the crowd and their reaction, occasionally squinting at the flashes from the reporter's cameras. There were lots of gasps when Kingsley announced Neville and Ana's deaths and although he didn't provide any details on their deaths, he did tell the crowd to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activities to the aurors.

For another ten minutes, people asked questions, mainly as to whether former Death Eaters were responsible for Neville's death and if the Ministry had any leads. At one point someone turned to where they were standing, off to the side, and asked Harry, Ron and Hermione if they would be taking the lead on Neville's death, but before any of them could answer Kingsley announced that he and the auror's office would be working together. Thanking everyone for being there, he stepped down and told them to follow him.

"Harry, I have to go to class" Chloe reminded him as he began to follow the Minister, still holding her hand.

"Oh, right, I forgot. Listen, don't leave the Ministry for lunch ok? And I'll come meet you when you are done, we will go home together"

"Ok but Harry, you have to stop worrying about me and start focusing on what you have to do" She said "Go, the Minister is waiting. I will see you later"

And after kissing him on the cheek, she turned around and walked to the lift before he had the chance to protest. She arrived in the classroom, dreading the long hours ahead considering her lack of sleep and how her mind seemed to be a few floors below, but the moment the instructor began talking, and to her complete relief, he had her undivided attention. When lunch time arrived, it occurred to her that she had not brought any food, and thanks to her earlier promise to Harry, she couldn't leave to go get something so she sat back down on my desk and opened her notes, hoping that reading them would help her forget her growling stomach.

"Tuna or chicken?" A female voice suddenly asked.

Looking up from her notes, she found Hermione sitting in front of her, two bags on the desk beside her.

"Please don't tell Harry you sneaked up on me that easily" She asked, stomach turning.

"I won't, but you really need to work on being more aware of your surroundings Chloe"

"I know" She agreed, with a sigh.

"I brought you some lunch"

"Thanks, I'm starving"

"You're welcome, so tuna or chicken?"

"Chicken"

Hermione handed her the bag and they began to eat in a comfortable silence.

"How was the meeting with the Minister?" Chloe asked after a while.

"Very long…. And" Hermione stopped to look around before pulling out her wand and casting a spell "and even though he doesn't want everyone else to know, he is worried"

"Does he have any ideas at all as to who did it?"

"No, and that's the foremost reason he is so worried. When Voldemort was out there, we knew exactly who we were fighting, but now we only know it is someone who used to be a Death Eater"

"Because the person conjured the Dark Mark… I'm really sorry about Neville…"

"Thanks, I still can't believe…"

"No one can, it's bonkers! Are you, err… scared?" Chloe asked, hoping she wouldn't get mad at the personal question.

Hermione looked down and didn't answer for a while, eventually looking up at me and the answer was very clear.

"Yes"

"And so are Harry and Ron"

"Yes, we are all afraid for several different reasons and you are one of Harry's"

"I wish he wouldn't worry about me so much. I understand just too well how problematical my situation is, all things considered, but I can deal with it and I will be fine. Neville had no warning, but… "

"Chloe" Hermione interrupted "Harry tried to leave the Burrow once, by himself, because he didn't want anyone else to get hurt, and he also broke up with Ginny so that she could be safer. He worries about other people, that's just who he is"

"And I love that about him, but I'm not letting him break up with me because of this. But neither will I let him worry over me so much that he exposes himself… what?" She asked as Hermione looked at me with an expression Chloe couldn't quite figure out.

"Harry was right, you know" She said, standing up and heading for the door "There is something especial about you"

Chloe watched as she left, unsure as to what she could or should have said in response to that but soon all chairs were filled once again and the instructor was back in front of the class and she pushed all other thoughts aside.

Later that afternoon, Harry met Chloe at the atrium and they went back to his flat where they were greeted by Kreacher and the smell of his famous onion soup. After eating dinner, Harry cleared the living room of all its furniture and began practicing with Chloe. True to her house, she was a fast leaner and by the end of their first session, Harry was feeling slightly better. They showered together, and she asked him to lay in bed with her. Harry obliged, though he had work to do. She fell asleep within minutes, but he couldn't shake away the anxiety he had been feeling since leaving Ana's house. He tried paying attention to nothing more than Chloe's breathing and was almost asleep when a knock on the door startled him. Very carefully, he stood up and grabbed his wand, watching as the door opened. He pointed his wand at whoever was coming in.

"Kreacher is very sorry master" the creature said as quietly as he could "but Mr. Elliot is in the living room wishing to see you"

Harry nodded at Kreacher and looked over his shoulder at the bed; Chloe was still asleep, so he decided against waking her up. He quietly left and followed Kreacher back to the living room where Elliot was standing by the fireplace.

"Harry, there you are" He said once he heard them come in. "Where is my daughter?"

"She is in bed, asleep. I didn't want to wake her up but I can go get her if you would like"

"No, no, you can let her sleep"

"Would you care for anything to eat or drink?"

"Tea would be fine"

Harry looked down at Kreacher and he nodded, before leaving for the kitchen.

"I supposed I should tell you what happened" Harry began.

"Only what really happened" Elliot said, handing Harry a copy of the Daily Prophet.

Kingsley was on the front page, addressing the crowd, and Harry guessed the article had told Elliot all he had missed this morning. Putting the paper aside, Harry told him about the Dark Mark and how important it was for him to keep it a secret. The Minister had given permission for some people to be informed but they had all agreed it would be better if less people knew.

"I met with Paul earlier today and we have improved the protection spells on his house and coffee shop. I would like to discuss fortifying your Manor and office as well" Harry said.

"Our Manor is very old Harry and it has been protected for many years. I'm not sure what else can be done, but I will gladly work on it if it means keeping my daughter safe. As for my office, it will need a little more work"

They stopped talking when Kreacher came in with a mug of tea and Harry waited for Elliot to take a few sips before speaking again.

"I will personally come to your Manor and office to help with the spells" He offered.

"Owl me tomorrow when you can come to my office and we will go to the Manor from there"

"Yes sir"

"Thank you for taking care of Chloe"

"She is only in danger because of me, protecting her is my responsibility" Harry replied, a knot forming in his throat.

"You are a great person Harry, don't be too hard on yourself" Elliot offered, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"To be honest, I thought you would tell her to stay away from me"

"Like she would have listened" Elliot said, with a chuckle "I would never get between the two of you Harry, unless you didn't deserve her. But I think we can both agree you have shown me that you most certainly do"

Silence fell between them as Elliot finished his tea. When Kreacher came to offer him a second mug he shook his head and told them it was time for him to leave. Harry waited until he had disappeared into the flames before following Kreacher to the kitchen for a glass of water, unaware they were being watched. After watching her father floo home, Chloe silently walked back to Harry's room and got under the covers. She had been listening to them for the past few minutes, after waking up to find Harry gone. She should have told them she was up but after hearing the guilt in Harry's voice for indirectly putting her in danger, she couldn't make herself join them. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep when Harry came back in. He got under the covers and nuzzled next to her, his breathing eventually slowing down. He fell asleep soon enough, but now she was the one who couldn't sleep. Knowing how little they had on Neville and Ana's killer and how worried Harry was physically hurt her. She had to do something to help and she brainstormed as to what for what felt like hours, until an idea finally hit her. It was the craziest idea she could have come up with, but it was also the best choice she had and no matter how complicated or dangerous, she would do whatever it took to help Harry catch the dark wizards.