Harry was sitting alone in a forest watching a seemingly innocent, seemingly empty cottage. Guther's sister, Silvia, truthfully hadn't known exactly where her brother was or what his plans were but she did give up some information under the influence of veritaserum. The locations of meeting places previously used by this band of death eaters. She hadn't been inducted as one herself but had overheard many conversations and whisperings between her brothers and the dark acquaintances that had visited the family home. Their parents were dead, both killed during the Battle of Hogwarts and since then the brothers had felt the need for revenge. They'd sought out others who spouted the same pureblood propaganda rubbish and formed a tight knit group that had been wreaking havoc from the shadows for a good few years now. It started off as petty crime but had escalated into some serious breaches of wizarding law including disgusting acts of harm on innocent muggles, which is when the Auror team had been called in.

Silvia was actually fearful of her brothers and after interrogation it was obvious she hadn't wanted to follow them into the life they chose. But she was alone and shunned from a community who knew her parents had been death eaters. Children of death eaters didn't have many options when the war ended and they found themselves left on the wrong side. She was thankful to be offered the truth serum, it gave her an excuse if she ever found herself having to explain herself to death eaters again. She'd begged the Auror team to keep her safe after giving evidence and Harry had conceded to holding her in the Ministries soft detention facility for a few days.

He actually felt very sorry for her, she'd been forced to live a life she didn't choose by a horrible, self-righteous, bigoted family and then been shunned by the magical community because of her surname. It's no wonder she ended up a slave in her own home. There were no opportunities out there for someone like her.

It was about 5am, still dark, there was an early morning chill in the air and he'd barely moved for hours. Harry was stiff and sore and tired but he wouldn't be anywhere else. Just watching and thinking.

…

He parted from Ron the day before with a hug, running back to The Burrow's kitchen fireplace and Floo'd directly to the ministry. He'd sent his team home to pack and ready for the emergency mission but he knew he'd everything he would need already shrunk in a concealed pocket within his robes. He was always prepared. He wanted to talk to the Auror strategists; they'd been working on a plan to catch that bastard ever since he'd escaped from the cave last week.

They'd massively underestimated Guther and that mistake had resulted in his best friend, no…his sister, his pregnant sister fighting for her life in hospital and that of her unborn baby.

Fuck, Harry thought, they never should have waited after the cave collapse, the team should have continued on and hunted the escapee down. It was ridiculous they were hauled in and relieved while they investigated Ron's actions. He'd been the bloody hero, saving his life again after he'd screwed up. If something happens to Hermione or that baby I'll never bloody forgive myself, he thought.

Arriving back into the ministry had been chaos. It seemed every witch and wizard that worked there had congregated into the atrium eager to hear some gossip or see where the attack had happened. Harry realised he didn't even know himself, but as he pushed through the crowd he soon noticed the mangled, blackened elevator cage. He shuddered as he stared at the wreck, seeing a vision of Hermione unconscious on the floor and Ron kneeling over her in despair. Later he told himself, he would hear the full details later, right now he had a job to do. He ignored anyone trying to make conversation and tried not to hear the whispers and shouts of the crowd…there's Harry…surely he'll know…I'm sure she was dead…I saw it, Hermione Granger was killed…Harry…Ron was with her…Harry over here…

The Auror strategists were waiting for him, Kingsley was with them.

"Ah I didn't think you'd take long to show Harry. Hermione Granger was attacked in the ministry, her and Ron were just leaving at lunchtime. There are eyewitnesses who confirm that it was Guther, the escaped death eater."

"Minister." Harry greeted Kingsley. "Yes, I just saw Ron. He's…he's in a bad way."

"Is she ok Harry? I'll go to the hospital as soon as I can."

"I…I think so. Waiting to hear. She's where she needs to be and he's by her side. The best thing we can do for them is hunt Guther down and lock him in Azkaban. Ron is adamant he must have had inside help so no one except the Alpha team and yourself can be privy to this mission plan."

Kingsley nodded stiffly. "Agreed. Very well, unless you are Auror Alpha team or top tier strategy clear the room." his voice boomed addressing the crowded room.

Harry listened intently to all the information the team had gathered over the last few days. They had a few leads, apparently there was a sister and there had been a sighting on Sunday. Plus, there was Ron's hunch about reinvestigating the family home. It wasn't much but it was something to get on with. Thanking the strategists, Harry left to return to the Field Auror offices.

As he walked briskly down the corridor a flash of silver passed him. He made out the shape of Ron's Terrier patronus racing into his office. He broke into a run ignoring Quinn, his shared secretary with Ron, bursting into his private workspace sealing the room closed and silenced behind him. His heart was thumping from anticipation of what this message would hold. Ron's voice came through, calm and controlled.

"Terrier to Stag.

Both alive."

The silver patronus disappeared into the air. Harry fell back heavily into the navy armchair which sat in the corner of his office. He took a few deep breaths trying to compose himself, running his hands over his face and through his dark hair. Relief washed over him. Then came thankfulness, he was so grateful that Hermione and the baby were both alive. He didn't know how he would have coped if they hadn't been and if that's how he felt he didn't even want to imagine how Ron would have reacted.

He wanted to run back down to the atrium and floo straight to St Mungo's. He wanted to see them and congratulate them, this isn't how it should be…to find out that your best friends are expecting. But Harry knew he had to support them in another way. Ron wouldn't relax until this situation was neutralised and Harry would do that for him, for them.

He went back out to his secretary. "Quinn, sorry but I've no time. Please message Ginny and tell her I'm needed on an emergency mission, no idea when it'll complete. Clear Ron's diary for the rest of the week. Thanks." He closed his office door without even waiting for a reply.

He opened a second door and proceeded into his adjoining conference room. Banks, Mitchel, Hood and Smith, the Alpha team minus Everly were seated eagerly but patiently awaiting his arrival. His heart swelled. This team had been working together for three years now, handpicked and assessed by himself and Ron. These men and women were not only elite highly skilled witches and wizards but had formed a bond. The team knew how to move together, anticipating one another's movements and reactions. They'd learnt and appreciated one another's strengths and weaknesses. They were strong, determined and fiercely loyal. Harry knew he could trust them implicitly.

"Thank you for coming." He took a seat.

"Sir, before we get started. Can you tell us if Mrs Weasley is going to be alright?" Harry looked at Banks, her eyes were glistening. At work Harry and Ron retained respect as the leaders of the Auror field division but outside of work many recruits, particularly the Alpha squad had become friends. They had been to both his and Ron's homes, many times, where formalities were dropped during Christmas parties, birthday celebrations or random BBQs in summer months. They knew Hermione.

"I believe so Banks, she's alive, which is all I can tell you right now. I know this is deeply upsetting. An attack on one of our own, on ministry ground. This guy is either incredibly stupid or a criminal mastermind. Regardless, he is reckless and dangerous. We have got to get him behind bars as quickly as possible, not just for Ron and Hermione but for everyone's protection."

"Agreed Sir, let's hear the plan." Smith nodded encouragingly.

Harry spent the next hour pouring over maps and setting the plan for the next 6 hours. They searched the family home and found the sister hiding in a concealed room. She'd come quietly enough, Smith and Banks left to interrogate her under veritaserum while Harry, Mitchel and Hood completed an extensive search. After reconvening and sharing intelligence Harry had set a 24-hour plan and split up the team.

Banks was to relieve Everly and go on rotation for night shift at St Mungo's. Harry knew Ron wouldn't be able to rest if there wasn't an Auror posted at the hospital and Ron wouldn't trust anyone other than an Alpha right now. Shaken as he was. Harry and Hood went to watch separate possible hideout locations while Mitchel and Smith were sent to rest at an Auror safe house before relieving them at 8am.

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to be relieved at 8am. He trusted the team but he wanted to be there to take down Guther. He didn't think he could rotate off and sleep. There hadn't been any movement, light or noise from this dam cottage and no word from Hood who was watching an abandoned mine shaft. Harry positioned himself in this location on this shift resolute in the belief Guther would have been here. Perhaps he'd been wrong and this was going to take longer than expected. In which case he probably should have gone home to say goodbye to Ginny in person.

He'd been making himself and Ginny a cup of tea when Ron's patronus had appeared and urgently summoned him to The Burrow. He knew in that instant something awful had happened. He'd just been with Ron, he'd looked so relaxed and happy with Hermione before their lunch date, But Ron's patronus sounded pained and full of anguish. Ginny had rushed into the room, he had looked at her and she just shouted "GO". He kissed her quickly on the way to the fireplace and shouted "I love you" before entering the flames, a tea bag left floating in his cup.

Ginny.

Fuck, how he wished he'd said goodbye properly, there was no way he'd be returning home until this git was caught and this could take a while. She'd looked utterly gorgeous before the emergency had pulled him away. They'd been preparing lunch, her wearing a pair of his comfy sweatpants (hers no longer fitted and they were apparently the only comfortable piece of clothing in their whole house), they were rolled up twice at the waist. Her black t-shirt was a bit too snug around her swollen belly, a little bit of bump peeking out between the tight t-shirt and rolled up waist band of the sweatpants. The minute he'd arrived home for lunch his hand had been drawn to caress the exposed skin. His poor wife was naturally so slight, growing their baby was exhausting and making her uncomfortable but she'd never looked more attractive to him. He was so excited to be a father.

Was Ron going to be a father? He heard the baby was alive but would it survive all of this? What had Ron said…they'd been trying…for years? Isn't that what he'd said. What the hell did that mean? He thought about himself and Ginny, had they tried? Not really. They'd talked about starting a family, decided to wait until she'd finished the Harpies season then stopped the potion and charms. About 6 weeks later they'd done the confirmation charm and there was an extra heartbeat in the room. It had all been so easy.

What the heck had Ron and Hermione been through? Had it really all stemmed from Malfoy Manor? Had the torture caused her fertility issues? Fuck, he was such an idiot! He'd joked with both of them about starting a family since their wedding, fuck even before it. Anytime he or the Weasley brothers had an opportunity to wind each other up they'd be joking about buns in ovens…getting up the duff…dragons in caves. Ron would always laugh it off and tell them to shut it. Prats…all of us Harry thought.

Why hadn't his best friends told him?! He knew why…of course he did. They didn't want him to feel guilty. They'd watched him struggle after the war. He'd been thankful to be alive, that the trio had survived, that Ginny was alive and desperately trying to reconnect with him. His overriding feeling was shock. He'd walked into that forest knowing he had to die, he'd resigned to that fact, come to terms with it. Surviving wasn't in the plan, he suddenly had a whole life to fill and he'd had no idea what to do with it. There was a very small amount of time where Harry felt elation as the battle ended but then he found himself in a world of pain. The Weasley family was broken, Teddy had been orphaned, friends and family were gone and they'd all been fighting in his name. He couldn't find a single thing to celebrate.

The golden trio had been united, braving the relentless funerals together. After the last body had been buried Harry withdrew from everyone and everything, sinking into sadness consumed with guilt. Well he'd tried to withdraw but Ron and Hermione hadn't let him. As they'd done so many times in their lives they'd point blank refused to leave him alone in his brooding. Hermione had insisted they all see mind healers to help them process and cope with what they'd been through. With their help he'd eventually let Ginny in and found light in the darkness. Eventually finding the things to celebrate, the reasons to be alive.

Now he could admit that he'd been a bit lost and depressed and then shamelessly engrossed in Ginny. Could he have completely missed what his best friends were going through? It's entirely possible. He felt terrible, they'd stood by him through everything…everything…how could he have been so wrapped up in himself that he didn't know something so important about them. I'm a terrible friend, he thought.

Pop

Someone had just apparated within the cottage. Arriving or leaving Harry didn't know. All thoughts were gone from his mind as he 100% focused on where he'd heard the sound, barely breathing. He knew he wouldn't be seen or heard behind his charms but still remained steady. A whole 10 minutes went by without any further developments. Harry raised his wand and cast Homenum Revelio which revealed two people were now inside.

"Two…what the hell." he whispered under his breath. If it had just been one he'd have stormed in straight away but getting hot headed wasn't going to help end this mission. Getting himself in trouble tackling two of them wouldn't be useful for anyone. He wordlessly sent a message with specific apparition coordinates to Hood who arrived within seconds inside the small concealment wards Harry had established. Harry felt the air move as Hood arrived right next to him, it was testament to the trust the men had in one another to apparate blindly in the dark in such close proximity. An inch off centre would have been disastrous for both of them.

"Hood. Two have arrived 10 minutes ago. Unidentified. No further movements or noise. Circle around the perimeter, carefully."

Hood cast concealment charms around himself and slowly stalked around the building. Harry kept his eyes trained on the front entrance, searching for signs of life through the windows.

Hood returned from the perimeter check. "There are two males in the bedroom at the rear of the cabin. They are sitting in darkness, not daring to illuminate. Can't confirm their identities. Approval to summon Mitchel and Smith?"

"Yes, send the message but we need to advance now. I don't want to take the risk of losing this git again. Return to the back of the property, I'll enter through the front, cover me through the window."

"Yes Sir." Hood sent the message then retraced his steps to the back of the property again.

Harry crept towards the cottage, his heart rate rising. Sunrise was about another hour away but the darkness was slowly lifting everything in various shades of grey. The silence around the cottage was eerie, he suspected they'd cast muffliato and Gods knows what else. He advanced slowly, a shielding spell on the tip of his tongue. He climbed onto the wooden porch, avoiding rotten parts which looked sure to crumble. He opened the front door, silencing the creak it wanted to produce and slipped inside.

Familiar with the property layout thanks to the sister, Harry pressed his back to the hallway corridor and inched towards the back bedroom door. He lifted their silencing charm, a spell manipulated and inspired by the Weasley's extendable ears.

"I saw the prophet…it said the Auror's wife could be dead."

"Fuck really?! Dammit, wish I'd got them both."

"They're the couple that were in the golden trio with Pot head ya know…"

"Yeah I know. Maybe now we'll be taken seriously. Managed to take out one of the golden trio...more than the Dark Lord himself manged to do!"

"But who's left Ed? The others aren't getting out of Azkaban. Ivor is dead."

"I fucking know that! And they took Silvia! I saw them tearing the house apart. Bastards the lot of them. We'll go back to Gnat, he'd already asked us to join ranks. We'll just it sooner. Gotta lie low until night fall here then we move. Meet up with Gnat. After that I'm going after that Weasley fucker for Iv, make him pay…maybe I'll let him join that bitch wife after he's paid enough."

Harry had heard enough. His blood was starting to boil with rage and running on fury wasn't good in these moments. He kicked open the bedroom door to attack, catching both men by surprise. The two men jumped to their feet. In an instant Harry had appraised the situation and identifying Guther as the older man on the left he fired to shun him. This left him open to attack from a much younger man, possibly only just of age. The bedroom window shattered as a binding curse from Hood hit the younger male, not before he'd shot a hex hitting Harry directly on the chest.

The force of the curse knocked Harry off his feet, heat exploding in his chest, he was blasted from the bedroom and hallway smashing through the external wall of the cabin. He braced for a painful landing but it never happened. He was suspended in mid-air, looking to his right he saw Mitchel with her wand trained on him. Smith was retching open the front door of the cabin to help Hood but both men were already under control.

Mitchel lowered Harry gently to the ground. She ripped open his robes and pressed her wand to his chest. She was an Auror first and foremost but had trained as a healer alongside. She was an invaluable asset to the team and had performed emergency aid more times that anyone cared to count. The burning sensation swirled around his chest and lessened, it felt like Mitchel was syphoning it away from his lungs with her wand.

"Sir, this will be painful for a few weeks but you'll be alright. You'll need doses of skelegro to mend those cracked ribs."

"Ugh I hate that stuff."

"It should have been a dangerous curse but the wizard couldn't be that strong."

"He's barely of age. Guess I got lucky. Thanks Mitchel, I owe you one."

"I'll add it to the list Sir." Mitchel smirked as she pulled Harry to his feet. They made their way into the cabin where Guther and the other were bound and gagged. Hood and Smith standing over them.

Harry cast muffliato over them so he could speak freely to his team.

"Sir I'm sorry, I should have had you covered faster, I couldn't get the angle when he jumped up." Hood was quick to offer an apology. Harry waved it off.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're all good. Well done everyone. It's a massive relief to have caught Guther and so quickly. I overheard them speaking of a larger organisation they were planning on joining. We'll need to feed the name Gnat back to the strategists and investigate but I'm spent right now. Smith, you and Mitchel have had some rest, would you please get these two checked into our detention quarters, leave them there, questioning can wait, I don't even care who this other git is right now. Submit their paperwork please. Sorry to leave you with the shit at the end. Hood and I will report after we've gotten some sleep. Hood you're excused…unless…could you do one more thing for me?"

"Yes Sir, what's the order?"

"Stop by Willow Cottage. Check for any invasion or monitoring, strengthen the wards."

"Of course."

"Thanks everyone. See you in the office…umm…what day is it? Whatever I'll be in tomorrow morning." Harry dismissed the team and was already heading for the door.

"Sir, you really should get checked over properly, at St Mungo's" Mitchel called out after him.

"Where else do you think I'd be heading Mitchel." he called over his shoulder as left the cabin, an arm wrapped around his rib cage trying to ease the pain.

…

Harry apparated into the lobby of St Mungo's and headed straight for the family wing. He didn't know where her room was but didn't think that would be a problem. Once in the general area he paced the wards looking for Banks. She was stationed outside a corner room and he marched towards her.

"Banks. Mission successfully completed. Maintain rotation with Everly until they're home please. OtterWatch."

Everly nodded and moved aside. "Go ahead Sir."

Harry looked at the door handle, took a deep breath and reached for it. He entered the room which was still dark, the curtains drawn. Against the opposite wall was a bed encased in a shimmering glittery cloud, Hermione was lying peacefully within it. It reminded Harry of a Christmas tree shining brightly in the depths of winter, it was beautiful. He noticed a second bed behind the door as he closed it. The bed was empty and didn't look like anyone had slept in it. As he walked closer to Hermione he saw Ron asleep on an armchair next to the head of the bed, exactly where he expected him to be.

He walked around the bed and conjured a replica of Ron's chair to sit. He winced as he settled down, planning on waking Ron but he was so exhausted he simply drifted off to sleep. Finally, able to relax after the stress of the last 24 hours. A bit later he was startled awake as three healers came in to check on Hermione and feed her potions. Ron was staring at him looking both surprised and groggy which was an interesting achievement. Harry gave him a reassuring smile and nod but neither spoke while the healers were in the room, the minute the door closed...

"Bloody hell Harry when did you get here? You look like shite mate." Harry laughed, some things never change.