Chapter 4: 30 August 2010
"And in other news," the male anchor for Wizarding Britain Broadcasting said as Harry's PR photo appeared over the man's shoulder. Harry had an ear to ear grin plastered on his face, unlike how a majority of athletes posed. His hair was in a worse state than it usually had been, since he'd forgotten about the shoot and had gone out flying before getting his picture taken.
"Star Seeker for Puddlemere United, Harry Potter, was noted to have been missing from training camp two weeks ago. As fans flocked to the practice pitch for the opportunity to watch their favourite players start to prepare for the season, there was one noted player who was absent. It was glaringly obvious to anyone coming out hopeful for a picture or an autograph from the fan favourite, Potter was not in attendance."
Theo glanced over at Hermione next to him as she watched the coverage. Her hair was flat, and he could see a few small matted spots that he made a mental note to charm out after she'd fallen asleep.
"Puddlemere United's manager, Eric Glover, had this to say two weeks ago." The screen image changed from the anchor to the press conference that Harry's team had held.
"I reached out to the Potter family, and they informed me that Potter went out for a run the day before his birthday and never came back." Harry's coach looked visibly worried, though Theo knew it wasn't for how poorly his team might do without Harry. The man had a heart of gold and genuinely cared for each of his players.
"Potter's spouses reached out to the Auror Department and were denied a search for their husband by the British Ministry of Magic. Furthermore, it was brought to my attention that any attempts at contacting the media had been blocked for the family as well. Therefore, I'm calling upon the public to demand answers from our government. Where is Harry Potter, he saved our world, it's high time that we pull together to save him."
The screen changed back to the anchor. His hands were clasped on the top of his desk, his lips were pressed in a thin line as he looked at the prompt. The wizard appeared visibly agitated at the story he was covering.
"Since Glover's message was received two weeks ago, the reply from the DMLE has been delayed. But at last, we have answers from the head of the department, Cormac McLaggen himself. Coming live from the Ministry."
Hermione shifted so that her body was pressed against Theo's, her hands gripping her robe closed around her. Theo slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, trying to give her as much comfort as he could in that moment.
A camera was pointed at the stage McLaggen was to appear on, showing that it was still empty. Theo and Hermione sat together, nearly on the edge of their seats as they waited for what McLaggen might say. With the public demanding answers, he couldn't ignore them any longer. It felt like hours before the waste of magic finally appeared.
His thinning blonde hair made him look like he was slowly going bald and was struggling to come to terms with it. His robes fell open, revealing his belly that was hanging over his trousers as he stepped up to the microphones. McLaggen cleared his throat and held up his hands to hush the reporters who were shouting their questions in his direction before he leaned in to begin.
"Settle down, settle down." He said, smiling at the camera as if he weren't talking about a serious matter, but instead this was just to promote his campaign for minister. "Over the past few weeks, accusations against your Ministry have been made. I'm here to assure you that they simply are not true."
Hermione gripped Theo's hand, unable to do anything to move against the wizard speaking poorly about their family. Theo was stunned silent and his body stiffened as McLaggen continued.
"I spoke with the Potter family the morning after they'd last spoken to him. I began an investigation into Harry's – I'm sorry, Potter's 'mysterious' absences. What we've found is that the pressures that have been on his shoulders since he first came to the Wizarding World had simply become too much. Potter does not wish to be found and brought back to England's wizarding society, instead insinuating that he'd like to be left to live in peace. We thank the public for their concern on such an icon, but we ask that they lay the matter to rest.
"We have letters that have been matched to his magical signature, and photo evidence. However, due to respect for Potter, we will not be releasing those for the public. Thank you." McLaggen didn't wait to answer any follow up questions, instead skirting from the stage giving a wide smile and waving as he went.
Hermione and Theo sat in a stillness as the screen flickered back to the anchor, who obviously wasn't buying the shit that McLaggen was trying to sell. The man made a comment about following up once they had any new information, then moved onto the next segment. Theo didn't wait to hear what the next story was, instead turning off the television.
The fireplace in their sitting room came to life, and out unfolded Draco's large form. Over the past month, Draco had become such a frequent visitor to their home that he'd stopped announcing his visits. This time, Draco wore just his gym shorts, his body glistening from his workout, clearly having rushed to come over.
His silver eyes flickered between Theo and Hermione huddled together on the couch, and he kept his distance at the hearth. "I'm assuming you saw then?" Draco asked, nodding his head towards the television. "Mipsy gave me a rundown on what McLaggen said. He put together a rookie team and sent them out to check out Potter's running path."
"And they obviously found nothing," Theo commented, his wife was still in shock next to him and unable to speak. "So, what? McLaggen is going to open a full investigation a month later now?"
"No, actually he's closed the case. I'll dig a bit more to find out for sure, but I think his uncle is helping him cover it all up." Beside him, Hermione's body began to tremble, and Theo just pulled her in closer. "I don't know what McLaggen thought would happen, Potter is single handedly the most famous wizard in the world. Being the Saviour at seventeen and then following that up with a Quidditch career like his. Putting the gag order on all of you was never going to stop his fans from asking their own questions."
Draco finished talking, finally noticing the state that Hermione was in. His flushed face, turning a brighter red all the way to the tips of his ears. He noticed that maybe he'd said too much, or maybe not in a gentle enough way. There was nothing for it though. At this point, it didn't take much to send Hermione into a fit of shock.
Theo motioned towards the potions that Nanny left sitting out now for easy access. Draco looked towards them, quickly grabbing one and handing it to Theo. Theo nodded his head in thanks before he turned his full attention to his wife. Rubbing under her chin, he encouraged her to open her mouth.
She did so, her eyes glazed over as she opened her mouth to take the calming draught. Her body, exhausted from what'd just happened, relaxed into Theo's hold and soon Hermione was asleep. Theo looked up at Draco, who'd been watching the entire exchange between husband and wife.
Without another word, Draco disappeared back into the flames leaving Theo and Hermione alone.
ooo
Theo sat in his office, flipping his way through one of the many photo albums that Hermione had put together of their lives. He smiled as he remembered the first time Harry had come over to their house. Of course, Hermione had snapped a picture of Theo and Harry sitting next to each other in their foyer – their thighs touching. There had been a warmth that Theo had felt from the other wizard that he'd never known he was missing from his life.
There was a bit of blush Theo could see on Harry's neck while he glanced in Theo's direction. Theo, of course, was bent over his charms homework, completely aware of Harry's closeness. He'd been so nervous that he'd pulled out his books to distract himself from grabbing Harry and kissing him right then and there.
However, it only took another week before that happened.
All these memories, tucked away so neatly.
Theo laughed when he found one of Hermione with bright blue eyeshadow on, glaring at the mirror of her vanity. The reflection showed Harry and Theo standing together, Theo with the camera in hand and Harry pecking a kiss on his cheek. Theo's eyebrows were in his hairline with surprise at the simple loving gesture from the other wizard.
The other two didn't know it, but that was the moment he knew that he couldn't live without either of them. It was nothing big or monumental, but somewhere along the line of all these collectively small moments, Theo had realised that they were it for him.
He skipped past their engagement and wedding albums. That was just too painful. However, when he flipped open the next book, a sob ripped from his throat. Portia, her brown curls still short as she was not even a year old at the time, was climbing into Hermione's lap to get closer to her mother. Hermione was sitting in a hospital bed, newborn Remus in the crook of her arm. He already had tufts of straight jet black hair sticking every which way. James was standing on his toes, his red hair pulled out of his face into a little man bun, had been five at the time.
Harry wasn't even looking at their wife and children, he'd been looking straight at the camera. His eyes locked on Theo, who'd been the photographer this time. His green eyes were filled with tears and he mouthed 'I love you' to Theo before looking at their family.
The sound of the floo coming to life had Theo rubbing at his eyes, trying to hide the evidence as Draco rushed from the fireplace.
"Is Granger in here?" The blonde asked, looking around.
"No, she's in bed with the children," Theo answered. He lifted his tumbler to his lips, taking a sip of his firewhisky before putting his glass back on. "Did you need my wife for something?" He asked, waving his wand to summon a cup of tea for Draco.
"Maybe, maybe not. Have you ever seen these before?" Draco asked, tossing a large stack of parchment onto Theo's desk. "Did you know Potter had another vault at Gringotts?"
"Well yeah," Theo answered, pulling the papers towards him. As he began scanning each note, he felt his blood run cold. "We all have our own personal vaults and then the combined family one. We have ones for the kids too."
"Well, duh. No, that's not what I'm talking about. Potter had another opened under the name of Dudley Evans. Only, he didn't store any gold or valuables inside. The only thing he had stored in there were these letters."
Upon each piece of parchment that Draco had given him were graphic depictions of violence the writer wished to inflict upon Harry or his family. How after seeing Harry and Hermione together that they were going to kidnap his wife and rape her. Show her how a mudblood couldn't just come into such a respected family name and sully it. Another stated if Harry was going to be bedding a man, his cock was of no use and that the writer would gladly sever it from his body.
Threats, all threats against Harry. Against their wife. Against Theo. Against their children. The handwriting all appeared to be done by the same person. Each one letter graphically depicting what they would do if they were to ever get their hands on any of the Potters. Theo's stomach churned at the sight.
"Who's magical signature?" Theo asked, the anger in his chest rising.
"Well, that's the thing," Draco said, leaning against the hearth. "There's none. I ran the handwriting in the database at work as well and came up with nothing. So, I'm assuming you've never seen these?" Draco confirmed, grabbing his tea and fixing it the way he liked.
"No, I've never bloody seen these!" Theo shouted, standing and knocking his chair over in the process. "Don't you think I would have reported it if I'd known!?"
"No need to get your knickers twisted, just making sure. Look at the dates though. The oldest one is six months before Potter's birthday and the newest is about a week before."
Theo turned his back away from Draco, dropping to the floor with his head in his hands as he began to sob. Why had Harry kept this a secret? Why hadn't he trusted Theo enough to tell him that they were being threatened? If he'd kept this from Theo and Hermione, what else had Harry not been telling them?
"There's more," Theo heard Draco say.
Letting out a harsh laugh, Theo couldn't imagine how much more he could take. How much more Hermione or their kids could take?
"What?" Theo spat, not moving from his place on the floor.
"McLaggen fired me, he found out I was digging into Harry's disappearance. Said he can't have an Auror going against him and looking into a case that he's personally closed out," Draco explained. Theo heard his friend's heavy boots crossing the room before he felt the blonde sit down next to him.
When Theo didn't respond, Draco didn't continue. They just sat together, wondering what the hell had happened to Harry James Potter.