After celebrating their successful robbery (by spending the whole evening, night and morning in each other's arms going at it over and over again), Harry and Hermione sent their stolen goods to Rubystones. After a few days of processing, they received a letter telling them that 20,000 galleons were transferred to their vault. With the current exchange rate, it meant they had about £500,000. It was a lot of money, more than they were expecting from this heist.
With that money, they decided to make Grimmauld Place livable again. Harry discovered that week that Hermione loved shopping. The young couple went from muggle store to muggle store, buying all sort of things like furniture, appliances, decorative objects, clothes and everything they thought they needed. Harry even bought them a computer so they could browse that strange new thing called the Internet. Then, they portkeyed everything to Grimmauld Place, and spent the following days putting everything in place.
Now, Grimmauld Place no longer was an empty house, each room instead filled up with as many things as there were before. Not that it would be recognizable to anyone who visited before. The dark gloomy atmosphere the house projected before was gone, replaced with that of a modern house full of love.
With the money, Harry also used the opportunity to buy some things behind Hermione's back. Mainly a birthday cake and some gifts. Hermione's birthday was coming up soon, and he wanted to celebrate it!
Harry surprised Hermione on the morning of her birthday when she woke up all alone in their bed.
(Even with the sold furniture replaced with new ones, the couple did not go back to having their own rooms, preferring to sleep together at night.)
"Harry?" Hermione asked in confusion, wiping her eyes. She rose up – blanket sliding down her naked chest – and turned to look at Harry's side of the bed. Nobody was present.
When Harry was the one who woke up first, he usually stayed in bed to observe her while she slept on, greeting her with a kiss when she finally woke up. That he hadn't today was nothing concerning, but it was a bit unusual.
Curious, Hermione stood up. She put up some panties and a t-shirt before leaving the bedroom. She walked down the stairs, smelling the aroma of freshly baked food. Arriving at the kitchen, she entered, and found Harry in the middle of putting plates of food on a meal tray.
"Harry?" she asked, curious. Harry gave a jolt of surprise.
"Hermione? Aw, crap." Hermione blinked unimpressed, something he noticed immediately. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed! But you woke up before I was done." he pouted.
"Breakfast in bed?" she perked up with a smile. "What's the occasion?"
Harry looked at her in surprise. "Hermione, it's the nineteenth of September. Today is your birthday." he revealed.
"Oh!" she exclaimed.
He took the surprised witch in a hug. "Happy birthday, love." he whispered in her ear. Harry herd hear sniff in his embrace.
Harry knew why Hermione was sad. This was her first birthday since they learned about the deaths of her parents. While her twelfth birthday onward were all celebrated at Hogwarts (or on the run) without them, her nineteenth birthday should have been celebrated with her parents. In an ideal world, Hermione's family would be organizing a huge party to celebrate the fact it was her first birthday they could celebrate with her in years.
But her parents were dead. They would never wish her happy birthday ever again.
"I'm sorry." he whispered to her. Hermione shook her head in his arms.
"Not your fault." she murmured. It was then her turn to apologize. "I'm sorry. You made me breakfast but all I'm doing is crying on your shirt."
"Don't worry about it." he said, not blaming her for her reaction. "Do you want to eat here or in bed?"
Hermione pulled away with a smile. She wiped her cheeks. "Well, since you put in all that effort, it might as well be in bed."
Harry grabbed the tray. "Then let's let's go eat!"
Since they no longer spoke to any of their friends, Hermione's birthday was spent with only each other for company. But neither really minded. While she would have loved for her parents to be here, just being with Harry was enough. They had a very good day together, and Hermione felt very pampered by her boyfriend. She wondered what she could do to convince her to do the same for every other day of the year.
Then again, it wouldn't be special any longer if he always pampered her.
That evening, while they were getting into bed to get a good night of sleep, Hermione asked "What next?"
Harry blinked in surprise. "You mean for your birthday? Well, my schedule is pretty much done, but I could be tempted into a round of amazing sex with my girlfriend." he whispered, leaning to kiss her. Hermione giggled and, after sharing a kiss, slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Not that, you horny man." she said, making him grin. "I meant in our lives." At Harry's confusion, she explained. "We've spent the last few months working on our robbery. But, now that we have money, what do we do with ourselves? I know you said you wanted to pay back the Goblins by robbing them, but that's not something we can do anytime soon. So, now what?"
Harry brought a hand to his chin, slowly rubbing it as he thought. "Good question." he said. He pondered for a moment. Then, he turned to her. "I don't know about you, but robbing the jewellery store... I really loved it. Maybe it's just because I'm a man of action, but the whole thing excited me very much. I want to do it again. Do something bigger. Get more money for ourselves. Grimmauld Place is amazing now, but I'd love if we could buy ourselves our own place. A house in the countryside where we could grow old together."
Hermione smiled. "I'd like that very much." she said, thinking of an old dream of her where she and Harry were a happily married couple with a family of their own. A house would certainly give them the space to have as many children as they wanted. "But, if we want to rob another place, we need to find people we can work with. The jewellery store was great, but if we want to hit something bigger, we'll need help."
"You're right." he sighed. "Who do you have in mind?"
It was Hermione's turn to ponder. "Maybe we could find people like us. People who were betrayed by the magical world. People who would be open to make some money, and screw people over it."
"That's a sound idea. Do you have someone in mind?"
She nodded. "A few days before you arrived at the Burrow last summer, I received a letter from Sally-Anne Perks."
Harry frowned. "Where do I know that name from?" he asked to himself. Hermione huffed in exasperation.
"Sally-Anne Perks was one of our classmates! She was a Hufflepuff!"
"Oh, that's right!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, what about Sally-Anne?"
"Well, her parents were some of Voldemort's first victims after his return." she revealed, making her boyfriend wince in compassion. "Well, when she reported the attack to the Ministry, they – in their denial of Voldemort's return – refused to acknowledge the attack and, without investigating, came to the conclusion that she used magic without cause, and expelled her from Hogwarts."
Harry's eyes were wide open. "They did to her what they tried to do to me?" he asked. Hermione nodded, causing him to sigh. "Bloody hell." he muttered.
"With her parents dead, her wand snapped and four years of missing muggle education, Sally-Anne got screwed over by the magical world. I'm not sure what she went on to do but, before you left Privet Drive last summer, she sent me a letter. Or, rather, I should say she sent a letter to all muggle-borns still in school. She warned us to take our families and leave the country before it was too late, and gave us her address if we needed a place to stay until we could find a place for ourselves."
"That was very insightful of her." Harry said with surprise. The Ministry had fallen mere days later after the delivery of the letter.
She nodded. "It was. I told her at the time that I couldn't accept her offer since you needed me, but that I would take it and drag you there myself if I felt it was necessary."
Hermione grinned when she felt him shiver. She knew he wasn't scared. Quite the opposite. He loved it when she was being forceful with him. She didn't need to use her imagination to know his blood was flowing south.
"Do you still have the address?" he asked her, subtly adjusting his legs to hide his growing erection.
"I do. Fancy a trip to France?"
"France?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Do you really think she would hide in the country she's telling people to escape?"
Harry looked sheepish. "Said like that..."
"So, do you want to go to France?" she asked him. Before he could answer, she leaned forward and whispered "We could turn the trip into a vacation. I know of a topless beach that could interest you."
Seeing the expression on his face, Hermione knew Harry was sold.
Harry and Hermione left Britain for France a few days after Hermione's birthday. They spent the first week in the town of Annecy – often called the Venice of the Alps – exploring the city and all of its sights. They went a few times to the beach, but the lowering temperatures caused the couple to abandon the idea near the end of the week. Harry still enjoyed the beach very much, if only to see Hermione topless.
For their second week, Harry and Hermione moved to the famous Paris, and took on the sight there. The Louvre was a place they visited frequently, at Hermione's request. After the third time seeing old paintings, sculptures and other arts of old, Harry started entertaining himself by imagining a scenario where they tried to rob the museum of the Mona Lisa. Not a scenario he would even consider actually doing, but it was fun nonetheless.
After the second week, the couple, tired of France, realized they couldn't continue postponing their original objective: that to visit Sally-Anne's address. So, armed with the letter Hermione received more than a year prior, she and Harry travelled to Bordeaux to try to find the elusive former Hufflepuff.
"So, this is the place?" Harry asked, looking at a tall apartment building located across the road. It was an old building constructed out of red bricks. If he had to estimate, Harry would guess the age of the building as being slightly more than thirty years.
Hermione looked at the letter where the address was written. "Seems like it. It says 'Apartment 330'."
"330." Harry repeated. He looked both ways of the road before crossing, Hermione following after him.
They entered the lobby of the building. It was a tiny room with two doors, one leading outside and one leading inside the block. On one wall were eight small postal box. The other wall held a big panel full of buttons, with each having a number next to them. The numbers were by intervals of ten, going from 300 to 380.
"Why did they place a zero at the end?" Harry asked, baffled. "Why couldn't they just number them 30 to 38?"
Hermione shrugged. "I guess we will never know. Doesn't matter anyway. Now, are you going to press the bell?"
"Right." Harry brought his hand up and pressed on the 330 button. He held it for a few moments before releasing it.
There was a moment of silence. Then, a voice broke through the intercom. "Hello? Who's here?"
Harry recognized the voice instantly. "Dean?!" he barked in shock.
Another moment of silence. "Harry?!" Dean Thomas's surprised voice came through. "What are you doing here?"
Hermione decided to speak up. "We wanted to meet with Sally-Anne Perks. We got the address from the letter she sent me a year ago." she said.
There was a pause. "Hermione? Is there anyone else? Ron?"
"No, just Hermione and I." Harry answered.
One last pause. "Alright. Come up." he said. A few moments later, the sound of a buzzer was heard. Hermione grabbed the now unlocked second door and opened it, giving them access to the apartment block.
The couple walked up the stairs to the first level where the door of apartment 330 was located. Harry knocked on it. They did not have to wait long. They heard the sound of a lock unlocking before the door opened, revealing the tall Dean Thomas.
"Harry? Hermione?" he spoke, almost like he hadn't believed them to be who they were.
"Hi, Dean." Hermione greeted with a small wave. "Can we come in?"
"Uh – yeah. Sure!" He moved aside, allowing them entry in the apartment.
The inside of the apartment did not look very great. While it wasn't dirty, everything seemed to have come from garage sales, donation bins or even from the side of the road. While there wasn't anything wrong with refurbishing old furniture and items instead of buying new, it showed its inhabitants were going through financial struggle. As a pair who were living in similar conditions not so long ago, Harry and Hermione could commiserate.
Dean led them to the living room and invited them to seat on an old brown couch. He then went to the kitchen, asking "Can I offer you something to drink?"
"No thank you." Hermione answered for them both. Dean returned a few minutes later with a bottle of butterbeer.
"So, how did you end up living here in France, if you don't mind me asking?" Harry asked, curious.
Dean opened his bottle and took a gulp. "Well, since Hermione mentioned it, I assume you know about Sally-Anne's letters?" he asked. He nodded. "Well, I received one that summer. I didn't believe her at the time. I knew things were going to get bad, but I did not think it would be so bad as needing to escape the country. I didn't take her up on the offer, which was a massive mistake in hindsight."
"Yeah, the Ministry fell right after we received them." Hermione said sadly. Dean nodded.
"So I went on the run. I knew they would come after my family if I stayed with them. You know what happened next. I travelled with Ted Tonks and Griphook. We got captured. Ted was killed while Griphook and I were sent to Malfoy Manor to eventually be rescued by you two. And then there was the Battle of Hogwarts." He sighed. "After you killed You-Know-Who, I tried to find my family. But, I couldn't. I learned they were killed in an old newspaper."
"Oh. I'm so sorry." Harry said.
"I should have done more to protect them. Even something drastic. Maybe if I removed me from their memories and relocated them to another country, they would be safe now."
"NO!" Hermione exclaimed, startling both wizards. She flushed sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just... that's exactly what I did to my parents. Removed myself from their memories, gave them new identities and sent them to Australia where they always dreamed of moving to. Except... their plane never made it there. I sent my own parents to their deaths." she exclaimed, tearing up. Harry took her in a hug.
"Shit, I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't know." Dean said. Hermione shook her head and wiped her few tears.
"I think if our stories teaches us anything, is that there is nothing to gain by wondering what might have been. Because they could have suffered the same fate even if we acted differently."
"You're right." Dean sighed.
There was a moment of silence as everyone remembered those they lost. But, the silence was broken where a door further down the apartment opened. "Dean? Did I hear yelling?" the voice of a young woman said. They heard footsteps, then saw a woman with dark brown hair tied in a pony-tail enter the room. She froze at the sight of Harry and Hermione.
"Sally-Anne?" Hermione asked, shocked.
Harry could not be blamed for not immediately recognizing her. Not only had she grown a lot since they last saw her, but her face now bore a long scar, a relatively straight line starting from her chin and going to her left ear. Strangely enough, Harry did not think the scar made her any less beautiful. Then again, he grew up with one all his life, so he was good at ignoring their presences.
"Harry Potter? Hermione Granger? What are you doing here?" Hermione, who still held Sally-Anne's letter in her hands, raised it. "Ah. I didn't think anyone else would take me up on my offer now that the war is over."
"Yeah, now that I think about it, why are you here?" Dean asked, realizing he still didn't know. "Did something happen back home?"
"If you're trying to bring us back to magical Britain, then forget it." Sally-Anne said sternly. She crossed her arms and sat down in Dean's lap, which raised some eyebrows. "We're not interested!"
Harry and Hermione turned to glance at each other. "Actually... that's not why we're here for." Harry said.
"Yeah... we kind of left magical Britain months ago." Hermione completed. Sally-Anne and Dean were shocked.
"You left the magical world?" the scarred brunette asked. The couple nodded. "Wow. I didn't expect that from you."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Sally-Anne shrugged.
"Well, you're kind of the darling of the magical world." she answered.
"That, and it's known you're a supporter of Umbridge's regime." Dean said, glaring at his former classmate.
Harry choked. "Wait, rewind!" Hermione exclaimed. "What do you mean Harry is supporting Umbridge's reign?!"
"It's been all over the Prophet." Sally-Anne explained. "Minister Umbridge said that her administration had the support of the 'Man-Who-Conquered', and that you were working on the continent as an ambassador."
"WHAT?!" Harry thundered, jumping to his feet. The volume of his voice surprised everyone. "I certainly did not! That bitch is the reason why Hermione and I left the magical world in the first place! Because, after everything we've been through, everyone we lost, everything we sacrificed, pureblood supremacists still kept their power and prosecuted muggle-borns! I am not working with her!"
There was a moment of silence. Harry suddenly felt sheepish at his outburst, and sat back down next to Hermione. They suddenly heard a tap, and the whole group turned toward the closest window, where they found an owl waiting for them. Feeling awkward about his outburst, he sighed in relief, thanking the distraction the owl's presence caused, and jumped to his feet to allow it inside.
When the window was opened, the owl flew in – revealing it was carrying the Daily Prophet – and landed next to Dean and Sally-Anne. The latter used her wand to summon her money pouch and gave the owl a few knuts. The owl promptly left.
Sally-Anne unrolled the newspaper and looked at the front page. "Well, that's interesting." She looked up at Harry. "I guess you weren't lying, huh?" before passing them the newspaper. Hermione grabbed it and turned it around, allowing them to see the headline.
POTTER WANTED FOR QUESTIONING FOR ROLE IN DUMBLEDORE MURDER!
Hermione started reading aloud.
A few days ago, the Departement of Magical Law Enforcement, on the recommendation of Minister Umbridge, reopened the case on the murder of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was known for his power and magical prowess, along with his great wisdom. But the man was also flawed, as his past with Gellert Grindewald reveal. The country was in shock when his death was first revealed, and many questioned how such a thing could happen in the middle of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's bastion.
This morning, Minister Umbridge has revealed some new information discovered by the investigation. It was discovered that Harry Potter – the Boy-Who-Lived and Man-Who-Conquered, was one of those present on the scene of Dumbledore's murder. Some witnesses even report seeing the two together in Hogsmeade mere moments before his death, where they were seen flying together toward Hogwarts.
Minister Umbridge has this to say: "It is clear to us that Mr. Potter has some kind of role in Headmaster Dumbledore's death. It is inconceivable that a wizard with the power and experience of Headmaster Dumbledore could fall so quickly when confronted by Death Eaters in his own school. To the Ministry, all the evidence indicate someone close to Dumbledore betrayed him. We asked Mr. Potter to present himself for questioning to ascertain his role and offer him the chance to prove his innocence."
When asked if Severus Snape might have been the traitor, considering his presence at the time of the murder and his work with Dumbledore, Minister Umbridge answered with: "It is now known that Severus Snape was a spy in the Dark Lord's ranks, and fought behind the scenes to protect the magical population of Britain. That the idea he was the one to betray and kill Dumbledore is ludicrous!"
Minister Umbridge also had this to say: "Mr. Potter has been working with this Ministry since the death of the Dark Lord. It is a great pain to learn of his possible role in the death of such an estimated wizard such as Albus Dumbledore, but the Department of Magical Law Enforcement intend to find out the truth about Dumbledore's murder, and this Ministry will not protect Mr. Potter, even after he defeated the Dark Lord."
Harry stood up angrily and began pacing. Hermione was fuming as she read the article. "That... that bitch!" she exclaimed. "She's trying to insinuate you're the one who brought the Death Eaters inside of Hogwarts instead of Draco Malfoy, and that you're the one who murdered Professor Dumbledore instead of Professor Snape!"
"People must be realizing that I'm not supporting the Ministry like the toad is claiming since nobody even saw me since the start of the summer. And since she doesn't want to admit she lied about having the support of the 'Man-Who-Conquered', she instead decided to distract them by destroying my reputation, accusing me of murdering Dumbledore, a well-loved man who also defeated a Dark Lord. When I inevitably don't show up to the questioning, she'll be able to claim that she acted fairly and gave me every chance to prove my innocence, and call for my arrest. People won't have any issue believing her, since I never showed up to the questioning. After all, why would I not go if I have nothing to hide?"
"That does make a whole lot of sense, now that I think about it." Dean spoke, being the first to do so. "You've always hated Umbridge, and she and the Prophet are known to make lies to suit their needs. Your 'support' always gave me the impression something was wrong, but the Prophet looked like it reported the news factually at the time. It didn't help that the Quibbler also wrote the same."
Harry groaned and fell back next to Hermione. "Great. Of all the conspiracy theories the Lovegoods could believe, it had to be the one where I'm working for Umbridge." he groaned tiredly.
Hermione grabbed his hand in support. "At least we don't live in the magical world anymore."
"Aurors could still find out I live at Grimmauld Place. It's public record I inherited the Black Family's former townhouse from Sirius. And the Fidelius is gone." He turned to her. "I guess it become even more important for us to find a new place." He then shook his head. "Whatever. We'll work on this later. It's not the reason we're here, after all."
"Right." Hermione said. She turned to the other pair. She pondered for a moment how to bring forward the subject she and Harry wanted to discuss with them. "Answer me truthfully. Are you happy with your current lives."
It was obvious Sally-Anne and Dean found the question strange. "Not really." Dean said, frowning. "I'm stuck doing small jobs to get even a little bit of money to help pay for this place. I finished neither my muggle nor magical education. I'm stuck doing annoying small jobs for every Euro that could be used to help rent his place. The only bright side in my life is Sally-Anne."
Sally-Anne squeezed his hand in support, further confirming Harry and Hermione's suspicions that the two were a couple – or at least attracted to one another. "I had a bit more luck. After I was expelled from Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore talked to Madame Maxime and got me invited to Beauxbatons."
"That was nice of him." Hermione said.
"I've been working for the French Ministry of Magic since I graduated. When Voldemort was defeated, I hoped I would be able to come back home, help the country rebuild and finally bring the people who murdered my parents to justice. But, by the time I walked out of Beauxbatons with my NEWTs, Umbridge was elected Minister, and I knew nothing would change under her 'watchful' eyes."
She then looked angry. "Umbridge still hasn't released the muggle-borns arrested in her horrible commission. There are hundred of people who still suffer in Azkaban every day. I hate the fact that I'm free and living my life when they can't. I know, it's not a great life. Like Dean said, the only light we have is each other. But, I'm still free to live how I want. These people can't, and I hate it.
"I want to help them. They're our people. But I can't do anything. Because I'm just one muggle-born witch. The Ministry back home only care about two things: who has the purest blood, and who has the most money. And I have neither. So, I'm stuck here, living in a shitty apartment with my friend, trying to sleep at night knowing hundreds of us are in Azkaban, hunted by the Dementors and the horrors of their worst memories."
At the end of her speech, Hermione was crying, having felt every word Sally-Anne said. Harry only marginally managed to keep his composure better. Dean was the one looking the less impacted, likely because he heard it all before.
Harry and Hermione turned to look at each other. Harry was ashamed to admit that he hadn't tried anything to free the muggle-borns. With Umbridge in power, he simply assumed it would be impossible to get them released, and proceeded to leave the magical world alongside Hermione. But now, he felt the need to free them. But, how to do it?
Harry might be the defeater of Voldemort and be as powerful as Voldemort and Dumbledore, but he lacked something very important: knowledge. Harry was only a sixth-year Hogwarts dropout. No matter how many Dark Lords he defeated, he would never have the knowledge required to free a hundred people from Azkaban. Not without risking turning it into a muggle-born slaughter.
But, maybe there was another way. An idea formed in his head. Maybe there was a way to achieve all of their goals together. A way to rob Gringotts like he wanted, and to free muggle-borns like Sally-Anne wanted. And all while making enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
"I think I have an idea." he said. Everyone turned to him. Harry ignored Sally-Anne and Dean, instead looking at his girlfriend. "The Ministry run on bribes. Take that away from them..."
Hermione lit up. "Harry! You're a genius!" she exclaimed, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"What are you talking about?" Sally-Anne demanded.
The couple turned to her and Dean. "I have an idea that could allow us to not only cut off the pureblood supremacists' money, ensuring they won't be able to bribe their way out of trouble anymore, but gain enough gold for ourselves to do it in their steads until we have control of the Ministry and can put into place our own changes – like freeing the muggle-borns." The two lit up at Harry's words. "It is however highly illegal and would see us get sent to prison for hundred of years if we were ever discovered."
Sally-Anne and Dean looked at each other. The tall wizard shrugged. Sally-Anne turned to Harry and Hermione, a smirk on her face.
"We're interested. Tell us more."
Harry and Hermione grinned.
Petunia Dursley was waiting in line at the bank. She held in her hand a newspaper. She glanced at it and scowled.
The newspaper was reporting on the latest failure of the police to identify and locate a group of robbers who were involved in several high profile robberies.
The group, composed of four, were getting known for robbing jewellery stores and small banks and escaping without being caught. Nobody understood how they did it. One moment, they were being chased by the police, and the next they were gone. The police's failure to catch them earned them a lot of derision, and everyone wondered where the robbers were going to strike next.
It had been months since they last struck. While some people hoped they retired, others believed they were working on a big take. Petunia and her neighbours were in that camp, wondering when their dreaded names would reappear on the first page of the newspapers.
People were getting scared of going to the bank. Petunia was among those. Only the new security measures recently brought to her bank made her feel comfortable enough to come in person. In fact, representatives of her bank went on national television to discuss the new security changes. And Petunia was very impressed.
Still, despite all of these changes, there was a tension in the air. Vernon didn't want her to go to the bank alone. In fact, he was planning to accompany her – until work called in emergency. Angrily, Vernon went to work, and Petunia went to the bank alone.
She took another glance at the newspaper. The headline was simple, but striking:
MERLIN, MORGANA, ARTHUR, GUINEVERE. WHO ARE THEY?
The headline was accompanied by pictures taken from surveillance cameras during one of their robberies. The paper noted the connection to the Arthurian legends. Merlin was believed to be the leader, despite how one of them using the name Arthur implied otherwise. They were even given a collective nickname: The Pendragon Robbers. The reporter wondered if there was a meaning behind the use of the Arthurian legends, or if it was chosen at random.
Petunia scowled. Oh, she knew. She knew the meaning quite well. With names like these, there was no way the freaks weren't involved.
It was obvious to Petunia that the robbers were witches and wizards. It explained why they were never caught, why they always seemed to disappear so quickly. It explained every little detail the investigators picked up – like why their hair colour was always different between each robbery, and the strange appearances of their masks.
Petunia wanted to tell someone what she knew. Unfortunately, not only did she have no proof other than her own (biased) theories, but nobody would ever take her seriously ever again if she did. For the first time in her life, Petunia wished she had a way to contact one of them. She even wished to have a way to send her hellish nephew a letter to tell him. Apparently, he was some sort of hero in their world, so it should be his job to take care of these robbers.
But, of course, Harry Potter never tried to stop them. It was not surprising. Petunia knew how useless her nephew truly was.
Tired of constantly thinking about these robbers, Petunia decided to put the newspaper away. She shoved it in her purse, dead intent on forgetting all about it for the next few hours.
After ten more minutes of waiting, it was finally Petunia's turn to the counter. She stepped forward to speak with the employee. "Hello. I would like to deposit a check." she said, grabbing it and giving it to the employee, a woman with red hair.
The employee looked at it. "Of course." she said. "Identity piece?" Petunia grabbed her driver's license and showed it. "Good. Thank you, Mrs. Dursley. You can put it away now." Petunia nodded and put her license back in her wallet. The employee grabbed the check and started typing some things in the computer. She frowned and said "Sorry, but there seem to be an issue with the network. This will take some time."
While she waited, Petunia took a look outside of the window. It was a big window covering half of the entire wall from the floor to the ceiling. On the other side of the wall was the road, where a car passed every few minutes. The road was quite calm.
Petunia was about to turn away when she spotted something strange. A bendy bus had just parked on the side of the road right next to the large window. It was quite strange as she knew from her neighbour Mrs. Broadbent – an old lady who lived in the neighbourhood since it was built in the mid 1970s – that no buses passed by close to the bank. Her neighbour had been quite cross about that fact. Why one was here, Petunia didn't know. It unnerved her that it stopped in front of the bank.
Then again, maybe she saw too much. It was possible the bus was only taking a shortcut – or going back to the bus depot. Yes, that was probably it. The freaks robbing places just made her paranoid, that was all.
While Petunia returned to her business, outside, the people in the bendy bus were preparing for their own business. Harry, Hermione, Dean and Sally-Anne – known to the country as Merlin, Morgana, Arthur and Guinevere, were sitting on some of the seats inside, going through the last details of their plan.
"So, we cut off the bank from the outside world?" Harry asked. Sally-Anne nodded.
"Yep. Hermione and I took take to disconnect every telephone and internet line. They won't be able to call for help."
"Unless someone has a mobile." Dean commented.
"Which is why we're here." Harry said to his friend. "We take care of the hostages while the ladies get the money. It should give us just enough time until the police arrive."
They knew that all the police departments were on high alert for possible robberies. They hoped cutting off the lines would be enough to gain them some time, but they weren't entirely sure.
"While you're keeping them in check, Sally-Anne and I are going inside the vault." Hermione spoke. "Since the bank essentially gave us a guide on live television on how to rob them, it should be pretty quick. We'll destroy all the cameras inside the vault, then portkey the money in bags to Grimmauld Place before making our mistake."
"And we'll mask the portkeys by lighting the inside of the vault ablaze." Sally-Anne added. "It wouldn't do for people to wonder why we left with only a few bags when there's a lot more money than that missing."
Dean spoke next. "After we have the hostages on the floor secured, I will go take care of the security to ensure they can't sabotage us from the inside and help the police. Thankfully, there shouldn't be too many guards. Two watching the cameras, four on the main floor with the customers, and two near the vault."
"We'll take care of them while we're on our way there." Sally-Anne said, prompting a nod from Hermione.
"Alright. Everyone ready?" he asked. He received three nods. "Then let's go."
Everyone grabbed their house-elves masks and their weapons. Now equipped, the team walked out of the bus, which was strategically parked inches away from the window. With this position, not only would it be trivial for the four to enter the bank by breaking the window, but it would stop the police from doing the same and give them more cover.
Harry, rifle in hand, stood in front of the doors first. Someone behind him activated them, physically and metaphorically opening the door to him. Harry took it. He pressed on the trigger and a bullet fired in a loud bang. The window shattered. The alarm inside the building loudly blared, red lights flashing everywhere in the bank. Harry stepped out of the vehicle and entered the building, followed by the other three.
"EVERYONE ON THE GROUND! NOW!" Harry yelled, he and his friends pointing their weapons at the crowd. There were many shrieks of terror, shouts of shock, and loud gasps. One person even started crying.
While Harry terrorized the clients, Dean found the security guards and ran toward them, guns raised. "ON THE GROUND, NOW!" he yelled at them. "DON'T TRY TO PLAY THE HERO!"
With the hostages being handled, Hermione and Sally-Anne ran further inside the bank, jumping over the counters to get closer to the vault. Dean, after securing the guards, followed them to take care of the employees hiding behind the counters.
One by one, Harry and Dean tied up the hostages' hands. Harry got to his first surprise of the day when he stumbled upon a crying Petunia Dursley lying on the ground next to the counter. He stared at her, frozen in shock, not expecting to find his aunt as one of the hostages. She stared back at him through her tears. Her glare made her instinctively recoil in fear, a reaction ingrained in him after living a hellish childhood in the woman's house.
"Merlin!" Dean yelled, snapping him out of his shock. Harry tied her hands and turned around. He took one step in direction of the next hostage when he suddenly heard her yell.
"YOU!" Petunia Dursley barked behind him. "I recognize you, you freak!"
Harry knew he only had a small window of opportunity to take care of the problem. Petunia wouldn't hesitate one moment to reveal his name, which would bring their whole operation down.
Harry turned around as quickly as the blink of an eye. He raised his weapon and pointed it at her head. There was a brief moment where Harry saw the hatred in Petunia's eyes change to shock and fear before he pulled the trigger.
Petunia Dursley died with a loud, ear-shattering bang when the bullet went through her head and splattered her brains all over the wall.
Despite the loud blaring alarm, Harry heard all of the hostages' reactions. Someone yelled "What the fuck?!", more people began to cry, and some pleaded him not to murder them.
And Dean? We was standing on the other side of the counter. Even with his mask on, Harry could see he was shocked.
"Merlin? What the fuck did you do?!" the exclaimed.
"Go back to your task!" he yelled back, making it clear it was not up for discussion. Dean stared at him before turning around and leaving to take care of the remaining security guards.
Harry knew he would have to explain himself after the heist. It was essentially a silent agreement they had. That to never harm innocent civilians. They might be their hostages, but they were just regular folks caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
He sighed. Whatever. Now was not the time to think about such things.
Harry was keeping watch on the hostages when he heard police sirens scream louder and louder. He cursed. He expected they would be ready to flee by the time the police arrived. Yet, neither the girls nor Dean were back.
Through the window, an anxious Harry watched as police cars after police cars parked in front of the bank, followed by half a dozen black vans. Out of these black vans walked out men in black uniforms and ballistic armours, and who held rifles and other weapons in their hands.
Harry gulped. 'Shit!' he thought. He looked around him, still seeing his friends absent. Where where they? How long could it take to empty out a vault and capture two mere security guards?!
"METROPOLITAN POLICE!" came a voice from outside, spoken through a speakerphone. "WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!"
Harry did not know what to do. No scenario they planned for had him alone with the hostages while the other threes where fuck know where.
Then, suddenly, the voice of someone who might as well have been a goddess to Harry spoke aloud. "WE HAVE HOSTAGES!"
Harry turned around and found Hermione and Sally-Anne, a bag slung over their shoulders each. Hermione had a speakerphone in her hand (Where she got it from, he didn't know). Moments later, Dean walked out of a corridor behind them, joining them.
After a moment of silence, the police answered back. "LET'S SETTLE THIS QUIETLY."
The four robbers bunched up together. "What do we do?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. We just need to find a place to apparate away." Hermione said.
Sally-Anne spoke next. "Well, we have hostages. Maybe we can negotiate. Make them let us go away."
"They never will." Harry shook his head. "They might play along, but they'll wait for the right moment to capture us."
"But that should give us enough time to escape. It's our specialty. We only need to find some safe spot and apparate without being seen. Even if they're right behind us, it should be enough. Like our first robbery, Merlin."
"You're right." he said.
"So, we negotiate?" Dean asked. The other three nodded.
"How many hostages do we have?"
"Fifteen here." Harry answered.
"One of them dead." Dean added icily, turning to look at Harry.
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry winced.
"Look, it doesn't matter right now. We still have fourteen left. Let's trade some of them to get a van and escape without being trailed." he said. They already had an escape vehicle, but with the hostage situation, if they wanted to get out in one piece, they would need a bigger vehicle.
"Fine." Hermione said before raising the speakerphone. "HERE'S THE PLAN! WE HAVE FOURTEEN HOSTAGES! WE TRADE EIGHT OF THEM IF YOU BRING US A VAN. THEN, TWO MORE IF YOU LET US GET IN THAT VAN WITH THE REMAINING FOUR. WE'LL DROP THEM OFF LATER WHILE WE'RE ON THE ROAD IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW US!"
There was a moment of silence. They couldn't see very well what was going on outside since the main window was blocked by the bus, but they saw through the glass doors of the banks, behind one of the police cars, a trio of officers speaking to one another. One was in a black uniform and armour, while the others were dressed like regular police constables.
The one with the speakerphone spoke. "LET TEN HOSTAGES GO FIRST. WE CAN NEGOTIATE AFTER."
"NOT ACCEPTABLE!" Hermione returned. "WE'RE ALREADY QUITE GENEROUS!"
A pause. "LET TEN HOSTAGES GO IN EXCHANGE OF A VAN!"
Hermione turned to the others. "Do we accept?"
"We should." Dean said. "Give them two of the hostages we intended to bring with us on the road. It will be easier to escape with two rather than four, and it will be easier for the police to find a van for six rather than eight."
"That, and they're more likely to cooperate if we show we are actually negotiating and not buying us some time."
Seeing everyone was in agreement, Hermione raised the speakerphone. "AGREED!"
Harry, Dean and Sally-Anne went to the hostages and unbound tenof them. The tenlooked relieved while the others looked horrified they wouldn't be freed now.
"MY GUY IS GOING TO LEAD THEM OUTSIDE. DON'T TRY ANYTHING, OR THE OTHERS DIE!" Hermione spoke through her speakerphone. She turned to Harry. "Merlin, go."
"Why me?" he asked. He immediately tensed. Even through her mask, Harry could see his girlfriend's glare. "Never mind! I'm going!" he said before she could speak. Unbeknownst to him, Hermione smirked under her mask.
Harry raised his weapon at the hostages. "You're going to get in line and walk out one by one. No running. Am I understood?" he asked them. He got ten terrified nods.
Without a word, the hostages placed themselves in a single line, with one of the employees leading. Harry pushed the one at the back with his rifle into the one in front of him, prompting the line to start moving. The employee in the lead walked to the front doors of the bank and slowly opened them. She let out a sob of relief at the sight of the open world and the squads of police officers in front of her.
One by one, the hostages had their own emotional reunion with freedom as they were freed. At the end, only Harry remained. He stared down at the officers before stepping back inside, closing the doors behind him.
"The hostages are with the police." he told his friends after returning.
"Good." Hermione said. She brought up the speakerphone. "WE'VE DONE OUR PART OF THE DEAL. WHERE IS OUR VAN?"
The answer came quickly. "GIVE US A MOMENT, WE HAVE A FORD TRANSIT FOR YOU ON THE WAY."
"Arthur, Guinevere, get the hostages ready so we can do the trade quickly." Hermione spoke.
Sally-Anne and Dean went to the hostages and ordered them to their feet. "Please! Don't kill us!" one of them sobbed.
"Haven't you been listening?" Sally-Anne spoke harshly. "There's negotiations taking place. Don't try anything and we'll have no reason to hurt you.
They then dragged them toward the entrance before forcing them to their knees again. Harry and Hermione followed them.
"When the van is here, I want you to grab one hostage each." Harry said. "Use them as body shields to make sure the police doesn't try anything. "Arthur, Guinevere, you will get out first and sit at the back of the van with your two hostages. Morgana and I will then follow you, release our hostages when we reach the van and sit in the front."
"Why that order?" Dean asked, curious. It was Hermione who answered.
"Because I will warn the police before we leave the building that if they try anything while Merlin and I are getting aboard, you two will kill your hostages down in retaliation. They want to catch us, but not at the cost of the hostages' lives. So they will let us climb onboard."
"Alright, let's do this." Sally-Anne said.
They waited impatiently for a few minutes until the arrival of the van. By the time it arrived, the group was getting restless after hearing the alarm blast on and on in their ears and the frequent sobs of two of the hostages.
But, eventually, the promised van arrived. They saw it through the windows of the door. It was a white Ford Transit van. The driver parked it close to the entrance, in a spot that would allow them to drive off.
"WE HAVE YOUR VAN!" the negotiator spoke in his speakerphone. "NOW, PLEASE RELEASE YOUR HOSTAGES."
Hermione spoke back. "FIRST, WE SAID WE WOULD RELEASE TWO HOSTAGES. THE OTHER TWO LEAVE WITH US." When they didn't say anything, she asked something else . " ARE THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION AND ALL THE DOORS UNLOCKED?"
"YES, THEY ARE." the negotiator returned.
"THEN HERE'S HOW IT'S GOING TO GO. TWO OF US WILL LEAVE WITH TWO HOSTAGES FIRST AND GET IN THE BACK OF THE VAN. WHEN THEY CLOSE THE DOORS, THE OTHER TWO WILL LEAVE WITH THE REMAINING HOSTAGES. ONLY ONCE THEY REACH THE VAN WILL THEY RELEASE THEM TO YOU. TRY ANYTHING WHILE ONE GROUP IS MOVING AND THE OTHER WILL KILL THEIR HOSTAGES!"
There was a moment of silence. "UNDERSTOOD. WE WILL NOT TRY ANYTHING. WE WANT THE HOSTAGES' SAFETY FIRST AND FOREMOST."
"Well, we're at an understanding." Hermione said to her friends, dropping the speakerphone on the ground. "Arthur, Guinevere."
"Yep. We're going." Arthur spoke with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Sally-Anne and Dean grabbed their hostages and brought them up to their feet. "You heard our conversation, right?" Sally-Anne asked them. The two teary hostages nodded. "Then you know what will happen." Then, more kindly, she said "Don't worry. Everything will be over before you know it." Her words didn't really reassure the hostages.
Harry and Hermione watched from the inside as Dean and Sally-Anne dragged their hostages to the van. The four dozen police officers didn't do anything but stare at them. The special forces – those in black uniforms and ballistic armours – had their weapons in hands. However, they were lowered. Ready to strike, but they did not hold Sally-Anne and Dean at gunpoint for fear of making them panic and kill the hostages.
Once they reached the van, Sally-Anne opened the door and stepped first before threatening her hostage to step inside. Dean then did the same. They let the hostages sit next to the doors, ensuring their release was going to be very quick.
"Well, it's our turn now, honey." Harry spoke.
Harry and Hermione brought their own hostages to their feet. "Alright, freedom's at hand's reach. Just cooperate with us and everything will be fine." his girlfriend said. The hostages remained silent, but neither of them missed the hope and relief on their faces.
Harry kicked the doors open, allowing them out of the building. It was only then Harry got his first sight of the entire force that showed up to stop them. He gulped.
His estimation had been at nearly 50 officers and constables. In reality, it was closer to a hundred. It look like the entire Metropolitan Police showed up to finally put them behind bars. It was nerve-wracking, and Harry prayed everything would go well.
Together, holding their hostages in front of them, Harry and Hermione walked down the path leading to the road where the van was parked. They looked all around them at all the officers on the scene, each staring at them – some anxious for the hostages, others angry at their actions.
He nearly let out a sigh of relief when they reached the van. Harry brought his hostage to the driver's side and waited. When Hermione reached her door, they looked at each other through the van's windows and nodded. At once, they pushed away their hostages in direction of the police cars. Then, they quickly climbed aboard.
Like expected, Harry found the key in the ignition. Immediately, he turned it to ignite the engine. Once it was revving, he pressed the accelerator pedal, and the van drove forward.
"Don't say anything important until we're out of here." Sally-Anne suddenly spoke. "They probably hid microphones in the van."
"Good call." Hermione said.
"Okay, let's get some distance from them and then we'll release the hostages." Harry said.
"Do it only if the police stay far away from us." his girlfriend said. It wasn't meant to them but the police in case they were currently listening to the microphones. "If they tail us too close, we shoot them."
"Got it." Dean said.
"You tell me if the coast is clear. I'll watch out in front." Harry said, turning a corner.
Harry decided to find a spot that wasn't too far away from a dark alleyway they would be able to hide and apparate from. That way, it would leave little time for the police to try to gain on them before they vanished.
"When we're out of trouble, we really need to discuss what you did to that hostage, Merlin." Hermione's voice icy voice suddenly spoke. Harry flinched under his mask.
"Yeah. What the fuck was that?" Sally-Anne asked, unknowingly repeating Dean's earlier words. "I know we left ourselves open to killing hostages in case the police tried anything, but that wasn't it. That was just useless murder!"
"No, it wasn't." Harry spoke, his own voice turning cold. "I had a very good reason. But if you think I'm going to explain myself here and now when the police might be listening..."
"Like I said, after we're out of trouble." Hermione said.
"Just look out the windows." Harry sighed as he drove down a road with little traffic. "Is the coast clear?"
"Yes." he received from all three of them.
"Alright then, open the doors."
Sally-Anne and Dean moved over their hostages and opened them. Harry then put his foot on the brake until the van was stopped. The hostages were pushed out of the van, were they fell on the ground. A harsh drop off but not one that left them with anything worse than scrapes. The doors were immediately closed and Harry accelerated again.
"Alright." he said, driving much faster this time. Distance between them and the dropped hostages was quickly gained. "I have the perfect place in mind for us to make our escape. It's only two corners away."
Just as he said that, the engine of the van suddenly spluttered and died, leaving them stranded in the middle of London.
"Shit! They must have sabotaged the van!" Dean exclaimed. Harry pressed on the brakes.
"Then we have no time to lose!" Hermione said. "Get out! We're running to the destination! Use your guns if you have to! It's us first, them second!"
The four removed their security belts and jumped out of the van just as ten police cars descended on them, yellow and blue squares and all.
"Shoot them!" Harry yelled. Dean was the first to raise his rifle. He pressed the trigger, and a bullet flew in direction of one of the police cars, going right through the front windshield and passing right next to the driver. The next bullet followed, landing in the man's throat, killing him instantly.
Harry crouched and fired his own salvo, sending bullets flying in direction of a stopped car where three officers stood behind. The first one fell, unable to react in time. His death gave the others enough time to hide behind the car before bullets pierced the space they once occupied.
Hermione, in contrast, instead fired at the tires of an approaching car, deflating them. The car quickly spun and crashed into another just as an officer walked out of it, forming a bloody police car/officer sandwich.
Sally-Anne recklessly rushed toward another stopped police car to take them at close range. One officer raised his meagre taser in her direction, but fell when a bullet lodged in his shoulder. She quickly followed by hitting his teammate in the face, blowing up the back of his skull in a shower of blood.
"They've opened fire!" Harry heard one constable yell through his radio. "Five officers are down! We need all the back up we can! Send all the special forces!"
"Guys! Time to move!" Harry yelled, hoping the police was sufficiently scared away to give them just enough time to apparate away before back-up arrived. He waved at his friends to follow him and started running toward their exit. Hermione was behind him, followed by Dean, and Sally-Anne closing in last.
"They're running away!" one of the officers yelled. He died soon after when Sally-Anne turned around and shot him in the chest.
The four robbers weren't far away from downtown London. So while traffic would be to their advantage – slowing down upcoming back-up, civilians walking on the pavement would slow them down. Thankfully, the closest ones all ran away when the shoot-out began, giving them enough room to run without being hindered. However, not having civilians around meant the police were a lot braver. The surviving constables with firearms did not hesitate to try to avenge their fallen comrades, firing in their direction to try to hit them.
"There!" Hermione yelled with a pant. She had caught with with Harry. "An alleyway!" She pointed at an opening between two big buildings. It was about a hundred meters in front of them, and a hundred meters away from a road intersection. Escape was at hand's reach!
Unfortunately, it was right at this moment that two special forces vans turned around the intersection and stopped. Right in front of the alleyway.
Harry stopped, followed by the others. He quickly looked around. He realized the ground floor of the building they were standing in front of was a retail store. The store was one of the two buildings that left a small gap between them. There had to be a back entrance opening to the alley.
"Inside the shop!" Harry yelled. He turned around and fired a bullet in the glass window, shattering it. The people inside, only now realizing something major was taking place outside, all let out cries of fear. Many of them immediately fell to their knees, hoping they wouldn't be shot.
Hermione, catching on to his idea, was the first to run toward the shop, the others following after her. Harry closed behind. He briefly turned to fire a few more rounds in direction of the special forces who were getting out of their vans. One of them was hit, but Harry didn't look around to see the results. He rushed inside the shop, following his friends.
"EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!" Dean yelled, firing a bullet up the ceiling. The crowd was even more terrified, and many ran away to avoid getting hurt.
"Oh my god, it's them! The Pendragon Robbers!" one of the clients cried. In a brief lapse of distraction, Harry found he liked the name and kept it in the back of his mind for later.
The group ran between the shelves, trying to reach the back. Just as they arrived at the end, Sally-Anne spotted an employee – a teenage girl likely working to get some pocket money for the upcoming school year – and threw herself at her. Sally-Anne and her hostage crashed down on the ground. Sally-Anne quickly straddled her. "Where's the back exit?!" she yelled at the teenager.
"P-Please, I-I don't know!" the girl said immediately without thinking properly. Sally-Anne realized this.
"Try again!"
"At t-the b-back! E-Employees o-only door! T-Then you t-turn r-right."
"Thank you." Sally-Anne hissed. She let go of the girl and stood up, leaving her lying harmlessly on the ground in tears.
"You heard her! Let's go before the guys outside catch our plan!" Hermione barked.
Harry, Hermione, Dean and Sally-Anne ran to the back of the store. They quickly found the employees only door and crashed through it, entering a storing area where some employees and clients were hiding. For the sake of it, Harry fired two bullets on the ceiling, scaring them away.
They ran to the exit door, which was right where indicated by the teenage employee. Hermione stepped outside first, followed by the others. Harry closed the door behind him.
Hermione looked at both openings of the alley. One entrance was empty. The other was blocked by the police vans, but the few officers they saw weren't looking in their direction. It was the perfect moment.
"Now." she immediately said quietly. At once, all of them apparated away from the scene, leaving behind loud cracks which immediately gained attention of the officers. However, when they investigated, they did not find anyone.
Once again, the Pendragon Robbers had managed to escape.
The robbers in question apparated on the front step of Grimmauld Place and immediately entered.
"Jesus! That was close!" Sally-Anne exclaimed, removing her mask. "My heart is racing."
Dean didn't even stop to talk. He went straight to the parlour, removed his mask and shoes and dropped on a couch. He let out a huge sigh of relief. "God that's comfortable." he said, closing his eyes. He opened them when he felt a weight settle in his lap. He smiled and kissed his girlfriend.
Dean and Sally-Anne hadn't been dating when Harry and Hermione met them in France. But, they didn't stay single for long. Less than a week later, they were sharing their first kiss, and were together ever since.
"What a battle." Harry agreed, removing his own mask. "I feared we were toast more than once. The police really went all in."
"They probably wouldn't have if they didn't find a bloody corpse in the middle of the bank!" Hermione snapped. Harry flinched, especially once she removed her mask. Her glare immediately gave him the shivers – and not the good kind. "What. Did. You. Do?" she asked, pointing straight at her boyfriend.
"I killed a hostage."
Hermione looked ready to pull her hair out. "Why did you kill her?!" she exclaimed. "We never hurt our hostages before! And now you've gone and killed a random woman, and for no reason! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Harry was starting to feel annoyed. "It wasn't some random woman! And it wasn't for no reason."
Sally-Anne and Dean were watching the by-play with interest.
"Then explain it to me! To us!" she said, stepping closer to him. Harry also took a step forward.
"That woman was my Aunt Petunia!" Harry yelled at her.
There was a moment of silence as everyone digested the shocking news. "Wait, you mean Petunia Dursley? The woman who raised you?"
"Do you know any more aunts I have with the name Petunia?" he said with a snort. "And she didn't raise me. I raised myself."
"And you what... killed her because she was your aunt? Before you hate her?" Dean asked, speaking up for the first time. Harry turned to him.
"I won't deny I hate her. But I did not want her dead." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how exactly. Maybe it was my mannerisms, or the charms weren't enough to conceal myself from her. Or maybe it was just a very strong bias against me. But, one way or the other, she recognized me.
"Petunia has never been the brightest. Instead of keeping her realization to her, she confronted me. 'I recognize you, you freak!' she said. I knew right then and there that I had to act to protect us. Petunia wouldn't have hesitated one moment to shout my name aloud. If she did, then we would be done for. There is no way we could have erased that. Even if we obliviated every hostage, we would never have the time to erase the recordings. Then, it would only be a question of time before my name was published everywhere in the press. It wouldn't take long from that point on for the information that Harry Potter was a most wanted criminal in the muggle world to filter through the magical world. And while Dean and Sally-Anne would be safe, it wouldn't take much for people to deduce you were one of my accomplices, Hermione. And we would spend the rest of our lives hunted by both worlds.
"So, in the end, I struck preemptively. I killed her before she could divulge my identity. I didn't do it for 'no reason' or because I hate her. I did it to protect us!" he told her before stomping away from the parlour, leaving his three shocked friends behind.
"Damn." Sally-Anne said, breaking the silence. She turned to Hermione, who was still frozen. "You should go speak to him. I think it's clear now that Harry didn't want to kill her. I have no doubt he'll need some comfort from his girlfriend."
Her words snapped Hermione out of her shock. Without a word, she spun around and ran after Harry, intend on doing just that.
She ran up the stairs until she reached their bedroom. There, she found Harry slowly undressing himself, a depressed expression on his face. He looked up and his eyes met hers.
"I'm so sorry, Harry." she said. She moved forward and took him in a hug. "I didn't recognize her as your aunt, and I wasn't thinking clearly when I confronted you. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize." he sighed, removing his pants. All he was left wearing were his underwear. "I wish I didn't have to kill her. But it was necessary."
"I know... and I'm sorry it was necessary." she said.
"I feel bad about it." he admitted. "Not because I took my aunt's life. Not directly. It's just... I can't help but wonder what my Mum would think of my actions. We did a lot of reprehensible things, both before and after the war, but now... I've killed her sister. And I don't even feel bad about it. Well, I do, but only because of what Petunia meant to her. I'm honestly relieved she can no longer hurt me. I just... I can't understand myself."
Hermione felt teary at the turmoil her boyfriend was going through. Not knowing what else to do, she kissed him and said "I'm here for you, Harry. Forever and always."
Harry smiled. "I love you, Hermione." She then saw a glint appear in his eyes as he got an idea. He grabbed his wand, which was lying not far away from him. "In fact, I love you so much that-" With a wave of the hand he summoned a small, black velvet box to him. He fell on one knee in front of her. Hermione gasped.
"I could make a big speech to you to explain why I'm making the decision I'm making, but I'm nearly starkers and it would be hard to be serious. So, instead, I'm going to keep my speech for the wedding." He opened the box, revealing a shining engagement ring. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
Hermione stood still in shock. And then, she grinned.
"YES, YES, A HUNDRED TIMES YES!" she yelled.
Harry grinned. He stood up and grabbed the ring. He gently put it around Hermione's finger. She immediately looked closer to admire it. And then, she gasped.
"Is that..."
"The ring from the jewellery store?" he asked. She nodded. "It is." he confirmed with a smile. "I knew your reaction seeing it was too real to be an act. When we were packing the jewellery to send them to Rubystones, I stumbled upon it and decided to keep it for when I decided to propose."
She turned her teary eyes to him. "We had only just started dating. You already knew then?"
He brought a hand to her cheek. "I've known it since I was twelve." he whispered.
Hermione gave him a good snog. She grabbed his crotch with her ringless hand. "You, me, shower. Now." she spoke huskily.
Harry grinned.