Note: Wow. This story is already 310k words and I mean, I didn't imagine it would get this big. It's insane, to be honest. But I can see the finish line from here. Still a bit far, but we've already passed the middle of the story.
I'm curious to know if you guys prefer shorter chapters (around 6k-7k words) or longer ones (around 9k-10k words).
And it took me a bit longer to update because it was hard finding the time to write properly and get this the way I wanted.
This chapter is only in Harry's POV, but from the next one forward, we'll get both POVs: his and Hermione's.
As always, thank you all for the comments, fav/follows!
(Separate - Saint Mesa)
PART FOUR
March 29th, 2006
Ministry of Magic
He can't believe he's stepping out of his cell.
It feels surreal.
The moment he was thrown inside, the only thing he kept thinking was that he was going to die without having a chance of really, fully living. And it frustrated him to no end that the life he regretted not living was one with… Hermione.
His eyes are on her now.
There's not a single emotion on her face that he recognizes and he still can't believe what happened. She did this to him. She used their intimacy and trust and fooled him, laughed behind his back-
It can't be.
Chiara hugs him and Harry smiles, returning the hug and closing his eyes, forgetting about Hermione for a moment. He's incredibly happy that his grandfather is here, happy that he wasn't wrong in imagining they would come. He hoped they would find a way of saving him.
Harry lets out a heavy sigh, still squeezing Chiara in his arms.
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"Yes. I'm fine." He says in a strange voice, opening his eyes.
Hermione has her arms crossed, her eyes on them, one of her hands holding the black stone of her necklace. Harry can't see the jealousy he learned to recognize. He blinks a few times, as if this motion could bring back the Hermione he knows, the one he fell in love with.
But it's like she's not there. Not anymore.
Maybe she never existed. And his own heart wants to reject this idea.
He gulps, releasing Chiara and turning to his nonnino. It's hard not crying. He was fairly sure his days were over and inevitably he kept thinking about his whole life, about the way Matteo raised him and how strong he should be to get through this with some dignity.
With teary eyes, Matteo comes to him and embraces Harry. He feels extremely emotional, crying for real now and letting all the fear and uncertainty from the past days wash away.
Harry has no idea how long he stays there in his grandfather's arms, finally feeling safe again. But the moment ends when Hermione clears her throat. He takes a step back and wipes his tears, setting his jaw, his eyes landing on her again.
Hermione presses her lips together, she's looking at him.
"You're a free man, D'Angelo." She says in a neutral voice, showing no emotion whatsoever. "As the Minister stated, you no longer work here. I'm sure you can fetch your things with Ron later." She uncrosses her arms and takes his wand from her front pocket. "You can have your wand back." Hermione levitates it to him, not daring taking a step forward and he takes it, firmly closing his fingers around it. For an insane instant he sees himself throwing a curse at her. And he can tell that she sees the same in his eyes. But Hermione doesn't move, she holds her ground, raising her chin, daring him to try. Harry squints. "You all have fifteen minutes to leave. Otherwise, you'll be forced to." She says looking at Chiara and Matteo.
Then, Hermione nods and turns around, ready to go. She's only taken two steps when he calls her. She stops, but doesn't look back at him.
Harry has no idea what he wants to say.
His emotions are all over the place and he's so confused…
Still so confused after days of thinking about everything-
She saved him today. He knows. But-
"Yes?" She asks, still with her back to him.
Harry inhales deeply. "I hope you get what you deserve, Head Riddle." He says in a menacing way, his fury and broken heart seizing him.
Hermione's head moves a bit down and he hears a soft chuckle from her. It angers him. It drives him mad the way she barely cares about him now. It's that knife entering his heart all over again, slowly and painfully.
"Have a nice life in Italy, D'Angelo." It's her answer, and then, she strides away.
Harry opens his mouth, his heart beating fast, his mind rejecting the way he still feels like he's losing something when she walks away from him. Chiara and Matteo say nothing, both letting Harry deal with the moment. He lowers his head, shaking it a bit, chuckling bitterly to himself. Then, he turns to Chiara.
"You were right about her." He says through his teeth. "Nothing more than a backstabbing bitch." The words are sour in his mouth, wrong in a way. Like any other he said to Hermione on their last conversations.
Chiara clicks her tongue, squinting. "You must be tired, Harry." She says. "Come, we should go."
He frowns. Since when Chiara loses an opportunity to gloat?
But he doesn't question her and they head to the elevators. There's silence between them, but a comfortable one. Harry knows his grandfather will only say what he wants when they're out of there, back at Villa.
All the ride up is a bit nerve wracking. Harry has no idea what he'll encounter, but he knows that Sirius did his best to protect him and he's thankful. He wonders how the others dealt with everything, what they're thinking and how are things with Hermione. They all knew, from Harry, that she was in love with him, that they shared something special, so, he figures it was pretty damn hard for them to accept this attitude from her. To throw the man she allegedly loved in jail…
He raises an eyebrow when the elevator stops.
From the things Hermione said, she never loved him. Not for real. Everything was only a well built lie to find out his secrets.
But she never even mentioned the Persecution, or the Aurors she's sure I murdered. Why not question this? Why give me Veristaserum and make only one question-
The first step out of the elevator is monumental. Being completely honest he couldn't see himself getting away this time.
He takes a deep breath, very relieved, but also… hurt.
Matteo and Chiara walk fast, flanking him. Harry sees Sirius, Ron, Ginny and Draco from afar, they're talking at a corner, looking at them. Sirius nods discreetly and Harry returns the gesture, not stopping their walk to the fireplaces. They'll have time to talk later. The Ministry is not the place for it.
As he goes, his eyes briefly scan the Atrium on their own. Harry knows he's searching her. But Hermione is not there. Nor is Pettigrew. He grits his teeth. After everything he still had to watch them kiss in front of him… she was smiling to Pettigrew-
He shakes his head when they reach the statue.
Harry needs to forget Hermione. Forget what she meant to him.
She's only Tom Riddle's daughter, nothing more.
And the same way he hates Tom, he'll learn to hate her too. He has to.
Chiara touches his arm when they reach a fireplace and Harry lets her guide him out of this place, out of London.
Back to Italy.
Away from the Riddles. Away from his revenge.
March 30th, 2006
D'Angelo Villa
He opens one eye at a time, slowly understanding that he's not inside that cell anymore.
Harry puts a hand over his face, breathing deeply.
It's real, I'm out.
They arrived yesterday and he couldn't bring himself to talk about what happened. Matteo didn't push. He just told Harry to rest. Chiara gave him another hug and walked upstairs with him to his room, holding his hand and trying to comfort him in a way.
Mostly because… the moment he stepped out of the Ministry it all crumbled down inside of him. The endless days alone inside that cell, the way Hermione talked with him, the interrogations and the never ending fear of waking up to discover if he would be taking his last breath.
He couldn't hold back his tears.
Harry cried a lot, letting out the hurt and the fear that ate him from inside out for days. He knows it all feels a thousand times worse because Hermione was the one who did this to him, the one who betrayed him, who stabbed him in the back.
And even so, he couldn't stop thinking about them obsessively. Harry relived all their moments while inside that cell. His mind went through each and every memory they shared together trying to find an answer, a plausible explanation for everything-
In his heart he believes there must be something he doesn't know… because- when he accepts what she said, that their love was a lie, that she loves Pettigrew and really wants to marry him, he has a hard time breathing, he feels suffocated and the pain squeezing his chest is unbearable.
Harry notices he's crying again and he brushes away some tears. He hates feeling this vulnerable, but it's impossible not to.
On top of everything he still doesn't know what to do next.
Inside the cell he would go from moments of extreme anger to moments of extreme pain. When in anger he would think about how he would make Hermione suffer. How he would make her pay for what she did to him… then, he immediately would regret these thoughts.
Hurting her is… unthinkable.
And he's not even an employee anymore. He has no reason to step inside the Ministry and no reason to go back to London.
And if he's honest with himself, maybe staying away for a while will do him some good. He needs time. Time to digest. Time to think.
He sits on the bed, letting out some air and groaning, running both hands through his hair.
Not even bothering that he's wearing only a t-shirt and some sweatpants, Harry heads out of the room.
When they arrived at the Villa his mother and father weren't there. Matteo told him that both are away on a second honeymoon as they called it. They don't even know what happened. In a way Harry's glad, but he misses his mother, he wished she were there, but she'll be back in four days, so…
Harry walks aimlessly inside the mansion, thinking and observing the grounds from the inside. It's very early in the morning, probably 6am. He leans, pressing his forehead against a huge window, crossing his arms. The floor is cold and he's bare feet, but he doesn't care. There's not a physical pain or discomfort that can hurt more than the invisible stab Hermione gave him.
He feels haunted by her.
By her smell, her touch, her voice.
By her smiles and loving words.
And also by her coldness and lies.
By her betrayal.
He presses his lips together, a boiling anger taking over him.
This is not over, Hermione. Not even close.
Even if he's setting himself for more disappointment, he wants to go back to London. He wants to face her again. He wants to search for another explanation.
Because his heart can't accept what happened.
Harry has no idea how he's going back, but one thing he knows: he'll have his revenge.
And even if he lost the trail on Greyback, he still knows where Dolohov lives. There's no need to wait for Hermione to protect the location, no need to set a date with her.
He gulps, moving away from the window and resuming his walk inside.
He brought her to his house. He let her in. He told her secrets and took her to meet Bellaverde. She met his mother and saw almost every room of the Villa-
Shaking his head, he stops at the kitchen and searches for something to eat. Harry settles down with a huge jug of coffee and some fruits, bread and scrambled eggs.
He needs to talk with his grandfather, after all, he's the Ministro, maybe he can find a way for Harry to go back to London in legal terms. Not that he has been banned, no. There are no accusations against him anymore and he keeps ignoring the reason why.
It was Hermione.
She gave him the hint. He easily understood what she was saying with his wand. In a blink he knew she had gone through the spells he'd casted and discovered that he never performed an Avada Kedrava.
That was how she saved him.
And that wink. Fuck.
He closes his eyes, sighing.
All his emotions are on the edge.
It doesn't make sense.
She saved his life more than once. She almost got herself killed when trying to save him from the bite-
He chews the insides of his cheeks.
But the things she said, the way she said them… he can't help believing her in a way. She was so sure when she told him it had all been a lie that Harry knows he won't forget that moment so easily.
However… the kiss.
Inevitably he opens a tiny smile. That kiss wasn't a lie. At all.
When he first landed his eyes on the wand tucked in her waistband, he knew she had to be close enough for him to fetch it, and his dumb brain thought of a kiss. He was sure she was going to deny it but when she actually accepted and chuckled he- he glitched. And even if he was focused on taking the wand, the kiss was bliss. Like any other they shared before.
He raises an eyebrow and scratches the back of his head.
What the fuck is he supposed to think? In what should he believe?
Maybe he's trying to find reasons to still cling to the overwhelming love he feels - felt - for her.
He's fooling himself.
Because the truth hurts too damn much.
She said it loud and clear that she loves Pettigrew and is marrying him-
A glass explodes behind him and Harry turns on the stool to look, widening his eyes. He blinks many times. His magic did that. His anger. With a sigh and another wave of his wrist he puts the glass back together.
And then he hears Chiara's voice, calling from the entrance.
"In here!" He calls out from the kitchen, so used to speaking English that he doesn't even think that now he doesn't have to anymore.
In less than a minute Chiara is there, smiling to him. They greet each other with kisses on the cheeks and she settles by his side, magically summoning some food for herself. Harry observes her in silence, thinking.
"So, are you going to open up about everything or do I have to use Legilimency?" She asks while sipping on her steaming coffee.
He opens a side smile at her English.
"I-" He sighs. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, to be honest." She keeps watching him, waiting. He shrugs. "I feel lost." He whispers. "I never felt like this before. Never this strongly."
Chiara looks down, then back up at him. "I know you don't want to hear this now, but… you're probably feeling like this because your soulmate betrayed you-"
He scoffs. "You're right. I don't wanna hear about this."
She exhales heavily and rolls her eyes. "Fine."
A silence falls between them and Harry squints. In reality… he should hear about this.
"You know. Maybe I should know a bit more about soulmates." Chiara widens her eyes. "Can a soulmate betray the other like this, Chi? This easily? Without feeling remorse or anything?"
She inhales deeply. "Well, it… depends." And she shuts her mouth. Harry frowns.
"It depends?" He repeats. "What that even mean?"
"It means that… the reasons why a soulmate betrays the other, matter. Do you know all her reasons?" Chiara gulps.
Harry narrows his eyes. Odd. "I have to say that I'm a bit surprised you're not calling her all the terrible names you know." He says slowly.
Chiara raises an eyebrow. "There's no need for me to say a thing, is there?"
He clicks his tongue. "There isn't." Harry nods, taking a bite on an apple.
Hermione's reasons-
"So, have you thought about what you're going to do now?"
"I want my revenge." He answers bluntly.
She blinks a few times. "You do know that Tom Riddle fired your ass, right?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll find a way of going back."
"To working at the Ministry?"
"Yes. I need to destroy him. Destroy his rule. And his family."
Chiara swallows hard the piece of bread she was chewing. "Are you even capable of killing her, Harry? Or are you just fooling yourself?"
He sighs. "I-" Just the mere thought of killing Hermione makes him nauseous. He shakes his head. "I don't know." He says sincerely.
"Well, regardless, I know of a few people I would want to kill before her."
Harry widens his eyes. This is… strange. "Who?"
"For starters, the Pettigrews."
Just hearing this name gives him a murderous rage. He fists his hand. He would give away his entire fortune to punch Asmodeus right now. "Indeed." He says through gritted teeth.
"How do you plan on going back to the Ministry? They won't have you."
"Nonnino è il Ministro." [Grandfather is the Minister]. "He can do it, don't you think?"
Chiara tilts her head. "Maybe. Does he want to, though? I'm not sure you're aware, but you almost died, Harry. If it wasn't for the way Hermione clearly saved your ass-"
"Hermione?" He makes a face. "Since when do you call her Hermione?"
She opens her mouth, also making a face. "What am I supposed to call her? The Riddle bitch?" He frowns. "Fine, if it wasn't for the way the Riddle bitch saved your ass yesterday, you would be dead and I'm sure Matteo doesn't want to risk his only grandson's life that way again." She shrugs.
Harry chews the insides of his cheeks. He agrees with her in a way. "By the way, how nonnino freed me? Did he strike a deal with Riddle?"
Chiara keeps chewing a piece of banana and Harry knows she's stalling. He raises an eyebrow. She's acting very… weirdly.
"You'll have to ask him. I'm not sure. I wasn't there when he spoke with Riddle."
Harry crosses his arms, intrigued. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" She says fast.
"Well-"
"To be honest, I'm a bit shaken with everything that happened. Don't you think I was shitting myself thinking that you were going to be executed, amore? It wasn't easy dealing with all this anxiousness and I'm still on the edge… Matteo even talked about War, Harry."
He widens his eyes. Then he nods, comprehending her attitude. He takes her hand in his, his thumb going over her skin. Chiara opens a small smile.
"I'm fine." He says to reassure her.
"Are you, though? For real?" She asks in a low voice.
He gulps. He isn't. At all.
"I'll get there." He says. And still caressing her hand, he continues, "I- I'm not sure how I'm feeling. I'm not sure about a lot of things right now. It still feels like my heart was brutally taken from my chest-" He chokes and Chiara moves closer to him, her arms around him in a comforting way.
"Give it time, Harry."
He nods, holding on to her. "I know. But it- fuck it hurts." He cries.
She stays there, soothing him with kind words.
But after a while he pulls away from her embrace and wipes his tears, exhaling heavily.
He doesn't want to think about Hermione or about what she did right now. He needs to find a way of moving on and focusing on what really matters.
And just when Chiara opens her mouth to say something else, Matteo enters the kitchen and they both turn to look at him.
"Harry." He says. "I'm glad you're already up. I have to go to the Ministero, but I do want to talk with you tonight, okay?"
He blinks. Matteo hardly asks if it's okay to have a conversation… "Sure."
Matteo nods and his eyes fall on the way Harry is still holding Chiara's hand. "We should go, Chiara, there's a busy day ahead of us."
She agrees and stands from the stool, giving Harry a final look before apparating away with Matteo.
And he's left alone with thoughts he wants to bury deep inside him.
He magically cleans the kitchen and walks back to his room, trying his best not to think about Hermione.
But in a way he can't help wondering what she's doing right now.
It's pretty late when he wakes again. Harry slept the whole day, which is far from ideal, but maybe the only way of coping.
He takes a quick shower and changes clothes.
Harry observes his reflection in the mirror while he brushes his teeth. His beard is showing since he didn't have the means to shave it inside the cell. It looks a bit scruffy but he likes it.
A new look might help.
Maybe he'll even let his hair grow a bit.
Harry closes his eyes. It's almost as if he can feel Hermione's fingers in his hair, caressing him, pulling it, moaning against his ear-
He strides out of the bathroom and heads to his grandfather's study. He's sure Matteo is home and Harry's eager to talk about what to do next. There must be a way for him to go back to London, a way for him to work inside the Ministry again.
In no time he reaches the study and knocks on the door. Matteo allows him inside and they share a heavy look. In silence Harry magically pours himself some Firewhiskey. His grandfather also accepts a glass and both settle side by side, observing the night outside the same way they did months ago when Matteo had been elected Ministro.
"I want to go back to London." Harry says after minutes.
"Why?"
"Because my revenge isn't over." Because I need to see Hermione again.
"They won't have you now. Not after this whole mess."
"But you can put me there, can't you?" Harry turns to look at Matteo.
The older man raises an eyebrow, taking a sip and thinking. "Maybe." He answers. "But I'm not sure I want to, Harry."
"I won't be so reckless-"
"Indeed." Matteo cuts him sharply. "You fell in love with your enemy and you let her in. And look where that got you. Inside a cell, waiting for an execution!" Harry gulps. "It wasn't easy getting you out of there. Riddle wanted you dead and I had to pull a lot of strings for him to reconsider."
"It'll be different this time-"
"How? Huh? Tell me how, Harry, because when I look at you now I still see the same man who came home to spend the Holidays and was totally in love with a Riddle." Harry lowers his head and Matteo scoffs. "You have to understand that there's no way of this working if you still love her. How are you going to kill her? Kill her family?" Harry says nothing. "Answer me!"
He's a bit startled by Matteo's strong words.
"I'll do it. It may take some time, but I'll do it." Harry says steadily. His heart hurting. He's lying. He knows he won't be able to kill Hermione. Not in a thousand years. "Don't you think I want to rip my own heart out for still loving her?" He hisses. "I hate myself for it." Not entirely a lie.
Matteo snorts. "The only way I'll even consider letting you go back is being sure that you're ready to face her without your emotions getting in the way. She used you, Harry. Hermione Riddle was ready to execute you and I can't believe that after all our years of training you're this weak!" He shakes his head.
Harry presses his lips together, wanting to cry. Matteo is saying out loud all the things he used to think when he first realized he loved Hermione. It's hard hearing this, having to deal with this.
"If you don't help me, I'll find a way of going back myself."
"Don't act like a child, Harry. You know there's no way of you going back without my help." Matteo shakes his head, his tone a bit gentler. "I want you to recover and train. I want you to spend your time with Chiara and study what we're going through here in Rome, because if I don't deem you ready to go back to London, you'll return to your position as Head here, is that clear?"
Harry nods. "Yes." Not ideal, but the only thing Matteo will offer right now.
"But most important of all… I want you to learn how to hate Hermione Riddle." Harry chews the inside of his cheek. "That's the only way I'm letting you go back. Do you understand?"
"I do." He takes a deep breath. "And I won't disappoint you this time, nonnino. I had a lot of time to think inside that cell and I'm very grateful for all the training you gave me. I'll be ready to go through with my revenge and this time I won't hesitate. Te lo prometto." [I promise you.] It's not a lie. When it comes to Tom Riddle Harry still wants to murder him slowly.
"Good. I'm glad you're safe and sound, Harry. Now," Matteo rises from the armchair and looks down at Harry. "to start I want you to block all thoughts about Hermione. You won't think of her. You won't try to find an explanation. You won't dwell remembering what you shared with her. I want you to act as if she doesn't exist. As if you never knew her. Can you do that? For starters?" Harry nods. "Good. Consider it our first lesson on this matter. It's been a long time since you trained with me personally, but I want to be the one to strip her from your heart and mind. You know why?" He shakes his head, his throat dry. Matteo opens a wide smile. "Because I'm the best, Harry."
And without another word, he walks back to his desk, sitting and not looking at Harry again.
He feels numb. This is a bit too much. He's not sure he's capable of just forgetting her in a blink, but he owes it to his grandfather. He owes his life to this man who took him in and raised him as his own.
So, the least he can do is try.
"I'm going for a run." He communicates and Matteo nods.
A run and then he'll fly a bit, empty his mind.
Empty his heart.
And his soul.
April 6th, 2006
Grimmauld
He apparates inside the living room. Sirius and the others are all waiting for him.
Harry smiles widely when he's received with cheers and many hugs, kisses and a lot of kind words. He missed all of them very much.
But he shares a special hug with Sirius. It's long and filled with emotions. He was there at the interrogations and Harry imagines he was the one who changed the Veritaserum in a way, giving him only water.
"I'm glad you're well." Sirius says when they separate.
Harry wants to cry. "I am. Really."
Maybe if he repeats the words enough times he'll feel like it. But the truth he's ignoring is that there's a constant pain in his chest. And it's often hard to breathe or function properly at the times when he catches himself thinking about Hermione. It's involuntary. And maddening.
Chiara apparates by his side and a new round of yells and greetings take over the living room. They all love her and Harry just observes, a small, but sad, smile on his face.
It's odd being back. But at the same time, exhilarating.
He missed London. Even if he's doing well in Rome with his family and friends, he constantly thinks about this gray city that seized his heart in a way-
Harry blinks fast when he realizes his thoughts were leading him to Hermione.
She was the one who seized my heart.
He doesn't miss the city. He misses her.
Harry grits his teeth.
Apparently being back makes it harder to ignore her existence.
"Come, come, the food is ready!" Molly yells from the kitchen.
They all head to the enchanted dinning room ready to accommodate all of them for this lunch. He sits close to Sally, Gin, Ron, Luna, Draco and Chiara. He notices that everyone avoids touching the forbidden subject: his imprisonment and what Hermione did.
However, he's insanely curious to hear something about her.
He won't ask, though.
"And how is your family, Harry?" Luna asks, her belly is bigger now. He wonders how far along she is.
"Good." He answers. "My mother didn't even know what had happened. She was very surprised when she saw me." He chuckles, remembering his mother's despair when she heard everything. "But she's glad I'm home, I think she wants me to stay forever."
"Indeed. And he's such a mama's boy." Chiara mocks him and the others laugh.
"Are you thinking about coming back?" Ron asks carefully.
Harry takes a moment to sip on his drink. "I am." He states and observes their shocked expressions. "But it'll take some time. I mean, I'm not even sure I'll be able to, but I'll try."
"But not to work at the Ministry, right?" Ginny asks, frowning. "I mean, Riddle sacked you for good."
"I know. But yeah, I want to go back to the Ministry-"
"As an Auror?" Draco asks with wide eyes.
"Of course." He holds his tongue, sipping on his drink again. Everyone is paying attention to his words. "How else? Last time I checked I'm still an Auror."
"It's just…" Ginny trails, sharing a look with Ron. "After what happened-"
"You can say it, you know?" Harry cuts Ginny. "You can say her name and you can talk about what she did. I don't care." But he does care. A lot.
A silence falls on the table. Chiara raises both eyebrows, amused.
He's doing his best not to think about Hermione or even mention her, but he can't hold any longer. He's dying to know something about her, anything.
"Okay." Ginny makes a face. "You do realize that if you go back as an Auror you'll be under her orders, right? Nothing changed. Hermione's the Head."
"Of course she is." He says, his heart beating faster. "So? She can give me orders, doesn't mean I'll obey them."
"Are you nuts, Harry?" Ron asks, shaking his head. "I don't think it's a good idea. Maybe you should stay in Rome. Things are finally… settling around here."
He gulps. Dying to ask, dying to-
"What do you mean?" Chiara asks for him. "By the way, how is Head Riddle? I can't say I miss her, but I'm dying to know how she's feeling after having all her plans frustrated by Matteo."
Oh, shit. He wished he weren't so eager to know the answer to this question.
Ron, Draco and Ginny share a look, making a face. The others keep eating and listening carefully.
"She's…" Ron begins, "away."
Harry blinks. Away?
"Away?" Chiara asks. "Why? Did something happen to her?"
"Well, no." Ginny says, looking down. She looks… ashamed. "She asked for a leave. Two weeks or three."
"Or four." Ron says. "We're not sure, she didn't specify when she'll be back. I'm in charge for now."
"It surprises me she didn't leave her amazing fiance in charge." Chiara says.
"Well…" Ron looks down. "They're together. It's kinda of an anticipated honeymoon or something."
Harry feels the air leaving his lungs in one go. Like a punch to the stomach. It hurts.
Here he is, doing the possible and the impossible to hate and forget her after she stabbed him in the back while she's away on a fucking honeymoon with that piece of shit-
He jumps in place when a lightbulb explodes near by. They all frown, looking at it. At least Draco is fast enough to stop the shards of glass from harming them.
"Are you okay?" Chiara asks, one hand on his thigh.
He looks at her. "Yeah, sure." His voice is steady and he opens a smile, his hand taking hers and squeezing. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just exploded a lightbulb, Harry." Draco says in a sarcastic tone.
He shakes his head, moving his hand and dismissing the occurrence as a mere detail. "It was nothing, I swear." He grits his teeth. Fuck! Now he can't stop picturing Hermione with Pettigrew on some paradisaic island. And it burns inside him. The jealousy. But he shrugs. "It's a nice thing that she's enjoying some vacations. She'll be refreshed when she comes back to face me as her Auror again."
Ron clicks his tongue, clearly unhappy. The others look away and resume their eating.
Harry is thankful when Luna changes the subject and begins talking about her pregnancy and how excited they are to welcome their baby boy. He smiles and nods, but his mind is going fast. One thought consuming him: She really loves Pettigrew. All along. It was a lie.
He wants to cry, but he keeps his shit together. And he shuts down all thoughts of her. Just like his grandfather is training with him every day.
Harry is watching Chiara trying to beat Ron at chess when Remus stops by his side.
"Harry, can I have a word?"
"Of course." He says and stands from the couch, amused by the way Ron is ambushing Chiara without her even noticing. They walk to an empty room, the one with the tapestry and Remus turns serious, closing the door. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. I just… the full moon is in three nights."
"Oh?" Harry perks up at that. With everything, the consequences of the werewolf bite were far from his mind. "Okay." He clears his throat. "Do you think I'll transform or something?"
"No. You won't transform. Hermione did an amazing job at stopping this from happening." Harry grunts internally. "But I don't advise you to go out on the first night. The full moon can last for three days or so, but the first one is the worst, the one you have to be careful with."
"Do you think I should lock myself inside my room or something?"
"It's not a bad idea, Harry. Since it'll be your first full moon after the bite, I think you need to take precautions to understand what will change inside you or not."
He nods. "Okay. I'll do it, then. Don't worry. I'm sure I can handle it."
"I believe so, yes. But…" Remus seems hesitant. "There's something that I think you should know. I'm not sure how well you studied the werewolves and their… ways." Harry raises an eyebrow.
"I know the basic stuff, I mean, the enhanced hearing and sense of smell, the strength and the predatory side-"
"Do you know anything about mates?"
Harry frowns. "I… don't think so."
Remus sighs, crossing his arms. "A mate is a destined partner. A soulmate." Harry closes his eyes, aware of where this is going. "Since you had the Perfect Harmony with Hermione I have no doubt that she's your mate, Harry."
Oh, great. Fucking great. "And?"
"Aaaaand on the full moon you'll want your mate, Harry." He widens his eyes. "Since she's away and we have no idea where she went with Pettigrew, I guess you'll only yearn for her, but if…" He stops.
"Just say it, Remus." His heart is beating so fast.
"If you do come back to London as you plan, on the next full moon, being close to Hermione, I- I don't think it's going to be possible to stop your urges, Harry. Maybe it's best if you keep a distance from her."
"Good. It's what I want, after all, so, it won't be a problem."
Remus makes a strange face. "But well, I could be mistaken. We're not sure how the bite will affect you, so, pay attention to every aspect of it-"
"What if I just drink a very strong potion and go to sleep? Would that stop me from reacting to the full moon?"
"I'm not sure." Remus says sincerely. "Maybe." He nods. "Yeah, it might work since the venom was almost completely expelled from your body."
"Amazing, then." He smiles to Remus. "I'll just catch up on my sleeping schedule, problem solved."
They share a chuckle and head out of the room.
He tries not thinking about the fact that Hermione is his mate, but he fails.
And it consumes him for the rest of the night.
April 7th, 2006
The Palace
He's crying in his aunt's arms. Shaking his head and apologizing. Of course Petunia was warned about what had happened and Harry can't imagine how difficult it was for her. There wasn't a thing she could have done to save him and he knows she resents this fact by how much she's squeezing him.
"Stop apologizing." She says when they pull back to look at each other.
"I-" He chokes, wiping away his tears. "She-" He sobs. "She betrayed me." He whispers, almost whining.
"This is something she'll have to carry for the rest of her life, Harry. You have nothing to blame yourself for, do you understand?"
"I was weak! I feel in love with a Riddle and-"
"Stop. I don't wanna hear you talking about love as a weakness. You weren't weak. At all. And you're the victim here, is that clear?"
He gulps, running a hand through his hair. Then he nods and she opens a tiny smile to him. Petunia raises his chin with her fingers and they take a deep breath together.
"Now," She begins, "this is behind you. I want you to understand that not because you had your heart broken it can't be mended. You will love again. And you'll trust again."
He hugs his aunt one more time.
"I'm so glad I have you." He says to her and she squeezes him tighter.
"Me too." She pulls back and takes his hand, leading him outside.
They walk slowly and in silence, until Petunia says, "Look." She points out.
Harry sees little Victor, the boy they saved from the orphanage. He's smiling and playing a game with Dobby. Chiara is there with Oliver - his cousin - and they're both participating, excited.
"What game is this?" He asks.
"I have no idea. It looks fun, though." She pats his arm. "Why don't you join them?" She winks at him. "I know we have a lot to talk about, but we can do it later. Besides, I have a class now." And she kisses his cheek, "See you soon?" He nods and she walks away.
Harry takes a moment to pull himself together. So, he leans on a pillar, crossing his arms and observing. Since yesterday he's failing miserably in his little task of not thinking about Hermione. If anything it seems like he's thinking about her even more.
He makes a face, trying to change his thoughts.
It's nice seeing Victor this excited and carefree, totally different from the boy he took in his arms on that day. Dobby also looks more comfortable around others.
His eyes go to Chiara.
Sometimes he forgets how gorgeous she is. He opens a small smile. She's been an amazing and incredible friend. Like always. He chuckles when a bucket of cold water falls over her head and she screams, clearly losing the game.
And… he squints.
Chiara is laughing hard and touching Oliver's arm in a way that- Harry blinks, straightening up. What? Oliver is also laughing and in a beat he takes Chiara in his arms, running away with her from another bucket of water that was surely going to hit both of them. Victor and Dobby are laughing their asses off.
But Harry is paying attention at the way Chiara is looking at Oliver. With affection and some admiration. Would you look at that, Chiara Ferri. He shakes his head, snorting. He knows she comes here frequently since that first time he brought her, but he had no idea that- he recognizes the look. She's in love.
Harry opens his mouth, surprised.
And shocked that he feels nothing. Not even one pinch of jealousy. He's just insanely happy for her. He smiles when they notice that he's watching. Oliver takes a wide step away from Chiara and Harry narrows his eyes. This might be fun. He has no idea why she's hiding this from him, but he respects her decision of not sharing. Maybe it's recent and they want to be sure before telling the others.
They walk to him and Harry can see that Chiara looks shy. He's ready to tease her mercilessly.
"Hello." He says to both, opening the biggest smile ever. "How you doing, Oliver?" He shakes hands with his cousin.
"I'm well, mate. We missed you around here. I'm glad you're safe." Harry's smile gets wider at the words and he nods.
"Indeed." He looks at Chiara. "Chi, have I told you how absolutely gorgeous you look today?"
She widens her eyes and discreetly glances at Oliver who suddenly seems very interested on his own boots.
"Thank you, Harry. But I'm always gorgeous, so, it doesn't count."
He chuckles. "True." He winks to her.
Oliver clears his throat. "I- I need to get to a class. We'll talk later, right, Harry?" Harry nods. "Okay, bye Chiara, nice seeing you."
And he just walks away.
Chiara watches him go with her mouth hanging open. Harry doesn't think his smile can get any wider when she puts both hands on her waist, outraged because of the way Oliver barely looked at her.
Then, she looks down and snorts.
"You're such an ass, Harry." She says and he bursts into a loud laugh. Chiara comes to him, slapping his arm. "That's not funny." She says, serious. "He respects you to a point of adoration! If he thinks you want me or something he's never going to touch me again!" And she keeps slapping him.
Harry can't stop laughing.
He holds her hands. "Hey! Come on! I was just having some fun!" Chiara grunts, but stops with the slaps. She raises an eyebrow, angry. "If you had told me I wouldn't have done it!"
"I-" She sighs. "It's very recent and we wanted to keep it to ourselves but you had to go and act like a jerk!"
He fakes outrage. "First of all! I do find you gorgeous, so I was being honest! Second of all! If you want to keep something a secret you shouldn't look at each other like that in front of others!"
She opens her mouth. "Oh? You mean like the same way you and Hermione looked at each other?" Suddenly he's not smiling anymore. He clears his throat. "Oh, shit, Harry, I'm sorry." Chiara tries hugging him but he takes a step back, shaking his head. He's not angry with her, but with the truth in her words. "Cazzo, I'm sorry." She says in a whisper. "I didn't mean to, I-"
"It's okay. Hey, it's fine." He sighs, accepting her hug. "Are you happy?" He asks.
"I- yes." She looks into his eyes. "Are you jealous?"
"Do you want me to be?"
She makes a face. "Not really."
He smiles. "I'm not. I'm actually very happy for you." He kisses her forehead. "But I have to say, you better not break my cousin's heart or I'll have to hunt you down."
She laughs. "Please, I can kick your ass any time." She squeezes him one last time before pulling away. "You're my best friend." She whispers, holding his hand.
"And you're mine." He kisses her hand.
"I want you to be happy, Harry." He gulps. "You… Hermione-"
"Stop." He cuts her sharply. "I don't wanna talk about her or even remember she exists."
"She's your soulmate." She hisses.
He groans, annoyed. "So what? Last I checked it didn't stop her from stabbing me in the back!" He says louder than he wants to and Chiara flinches.
She wets her lips, releasing his hand and crossing her arms. "Don't you think you should at least have a talk with her, Harry?"
Maybe. I want to. But-
"We already talked while I was inside that cell and I have nothing more to say to her." He runs a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you're all connected to this stuff of soulmates and such, but to be honest I don't get why you're so cool with what she did! Chi, she gave me Veritaserum and threw me inside a cell! To wait for my death. And not satisfied by it, she went there and rubbed in my face how she fooled me and laughed behind my back! She never loved me, not really." He repeats some of the words Matteo keeps saying to him, reminding him of what Hermione did.
Chiara sighs. "Don't get me wrong, Harry. She's a bitch. But it doesn't change the fact that maybe there's something more to what she did."
He shakes his head. "I don't care anymore. All I care about now is my revenge."
"That's not healthy."
He shrugs. "I won't let her get in my way again. I won't make the same mistake twice. I don't fucking care what Destiny says about it."
And he strides away to talk with Victor. Chiara doesn't follow. She stays there just watching him.
Deep down, Harry doubts his own words.
April 13th, 2006
Somewhere in Romania
He whistles, waiting for Bellaverde.
Hagrid had sent him a letter saying that she laid two eggs and hatched two little male Dragons. Harry wants to see them. And he paces while he waits for her to show up.
He feels normal after going through the full moon. He took a strong potion and slept peacefully. Maybe he won't manifest a single werewolf trait and he's fine with it, but it was a necessary precaution. He's glad he didn't had any urge regarding Hermione, Harry's not sure he would handle it well-
Bellaverde comes flying fast and stops right in front of him on the other side of the ward.
Harry smiles. And allows her through the ward.
He locks his eyes on hers, and it's pretty intense, almost as if Bellaverde is trying to say something to him. Harry frowns. But the moment passes and he utters the protective spells before jumping on her back and soaring into the sky.
The bond they share is very much alive and it gives him an immense relief. It's an unique sensation and the only one that comes close to what he shared with Hermione when they touched their left hands.
"FUCK!" He screams and Bellaverde lets out a kind of roar.
He's thinking about Hermione again. Wondering where she might be. Thinking if she misses him, if she even remembers him-
Harry cries. He knows he's doing his best at concealing his feelings regarding Hermione and what she did. He can tell that his grandfather is satisfied with the progress they're making when it comes to hating her, but truth is… Harry's not sure he's capable of hating her, not for real. Which is crazy, considering everything.
He knows he smiles and laughs when with his friends, especially when he's with Chiara, but that's not how he's feeling inside. At all. There's a sadness inside him that Harry's not even sure it can go away. It's taking hold of him. And in a way he fears he might be totally consumed by it.
Bellaverde comes to a stop at the top of a mountain, blowing out a huge ball of fire and settling. Harry realizes they're on the same spot where he professed his love to Hermione for the first time. The very same place where she said she loved him back.
He shakes his head.
"It can't be, Bellaverde." Harry holds his head with both hands. "It felt so real." He could feel their love as if it was a living energy. How it's even possible that things changed so abruptly in so little time? "You smelled her heart, didn't you?" He asks in a pleading tone. "I know you can see through the bullshit. Please, show me a sign that I'm not crazy, that it was real." He sobs. "Please."
Bellaverde lets out some fire, little dancing sparks. Harry observes attentively. Through the bond he can feel the same hope Bellaverde feels. And it soothes him. Is this a sign? It could be. He calms down a bit, thinking.
The Dragon takes flight and soars into the sky, roaring.
According to his grandfather, Harry shouldn't dwell on this. Matteo says, time after time, that the best he can do is forget about Hermione, because trying to discover if she was honest with him or not is surely going to drive him crazy.
But he can't help wondering what she would say if he asked her why. Now, not inside a cell. Not thinking he's going to die. It would be a totally different conversation. Would she behave the same way? Coldly? Like a bitch? Like someone who never loved him?
This time when Bellaverde lands, Harry notices they're in a place inside the wards. And he soon notices two Dragons having a brawl on the grass, spitting fire and trying to bite each other. He dismounts and opens a tiny smile. They look like Bellaverde when she was little. The only difference is the black color mixed with the beautiful green. They're both the size of adults Golden Retrievers.
Bellaverde snarls and puffs out some smoke to separate them. And in a blink they notice Harry's presence, coming fast to him. He widen his eyes, but extends his hands to caress both.
And in a beat they're running around the place, Harry playfully sprinting from them and genuinely laughing, feeling the adrenaline of being in the wild with such dangerous predators.
It's everything he needed but wasn't aware of.
Bellaverde just observes.
He wants to talk with Hagrid before he leaves. He misses the big guy. So, he waits for his friend to open the door.
"Harry!" Rubeus says in an excited tone. "It's been a while! Come in!"
They settle to drink some ale and Harry lets himself be distracted by the many stories Rubeus has to share. It's a very interesting and fun afternoon.
But when he's about to leave, Hagrid says, "At least your girlfriend came by to visit Bellaverde."
Harry frowns. His heart beats faster. "My girlfriend?" The only person he ever brought here was Hermione.
"The one you brought that day. Hermione." Hagrid makes a strange face. "I thought you knew. I think she also bonded with Bellaverde." Harry opens his mouth. "I mean, otherwise it would be impossible for her to spend a whole afternoon with her in the Valley-"
"What?" Harry reacts strongly. "When was this?"
Rubeus scrunches his face, thinking. "I'm not sure, but at the end of last month."
Harry presses his lips together. Is he hearing right? Hermione bonded with Bellaverde? She was here while he was inside that cell?
"But you knew, didn't you?" Hagrid is asking again.
"Of course." Harry says in a low voice, not wanting to alarm his friend. "I need to go, big guy, see you?"
They share a hug and Harry apparates from there, feeling numb.
He has no idea what to make of this. But he saves this information. For later.
April 24th, 2006
D'Angelo Villa
He enters his grandfather's study and stops on his tracks. Harry wasn't expecting to meet another three wizards inside. Two men and a woman.
Nodding his head, he greets them and recognizes who they are a second before Matteo makes the introductions:
"Harry, they're here representing the High Board of the International Wizarding Organization." Matteo says their names and Harry sits down to listen. This is clearly a meeting.
And he wonders why he's there.
There's another knock on the door and Harry turns to see Chiara. She also looks surprised, but conceals it fast, sitting down by his side after the introductions.
"So, shall we?" Matteo asks and settles down, his face serious.
"Ministro D'Angelo," One man begins, Lynel is his name. "Since you reached out to us we've been thinking the best way to help you and also meet our interests." The man glances at Harry. "One of ours went to London and talked with Minister Riddle about the recent events concerning your grandson, Harry D'Angelo." Harry gulps. "Head Auror Riddle wasn't there but we talked with the responsible Auror, Ronald Weasley. From their retelling of how things went, it's clear that Minister Riddle treated the situation carelessly. We asked him directly if he would accept Auror D'Angelo back as his employee and he denied vehemently."
Harry sets his jaw and Matteo looks at him, clearly saying 'I told you so'.
"And how do you suggest we solve this little… inconvenience? You see," Matteo talks calmly, slowly. "My grandson has unfinished business in London and I don't trust Minister Riddle. I've been saying this for a long time now. London is sinking. Their Wizard Community is a shame ruled by Purebloods that can't see beyond their own noses. It ruins us as a whole, it tarnishes the power of our magic!" Matteo says slightly louder and Harry clears his throat. Chiara moves a bit uncomfortable by his side. "Tom Riddle must be dealt with." Matteo says in a final tone.
The woman from the IWO sighs. Martha. "Matteo, you know we take your opinion seriously, but that's not how things work. Riddle was elected fair and square and since he took over, no one ever rose against his rule. He even keeps a wide board of counselors around him to show some kind of Democracy. It's impossible for us to interfere without plausible reason. Yes, he's a ruthless dictator, but there's not one concrete proof for us to use against him in trial. Just seizing London would diminish our purpose of keeping a balance between countries, it would bring only more uncertainty." She shakes her head. "There's nothing we can do."
Harry shares a glance with Chiara. Both wondering why the hell they were summoned to this meeting.
"I understand." Matteo says. "But I don't agree." He leans forward in what Harry considers a menacing stance. "Help me put my grandson back inside and he'll bring the concrete proof you need. I assure you." And he looks at Harry, his eyes sharp, his expression one of authority.
He nods to his grandfather. He'll do whatever it takes.
The other man from the IWO glances at Harry, Jonathan. "This won't be easy, Matteo."
"I know." Matteo says, nodding. "But I already thought it through."
"What do you mean?" Lynel asks.
Harry perks up. His grandfather has a plan. One he's sure the Board won't be able to refuse.
"There's one man that's been causing trouble throughout Europe and from what I heard, he reached Asia now. Khan Moritz." Harry frowns. He already heard this name. Hermione told him about Moritz. Chiara clicks her tongue by his side and he looks at her. She only nods once indicating that she also knows who he is. "The drugs, potions and powders he's illegally selling are a threat. A real one. And it astonishes me that the IWO is doing nothing about it." The three move on their seats. It's obvious they know about Moritz.
"What Moritz has to do with any of this, D'Angelo?" Lynel asks.
His grandfather makes a face of impatience. Harry is sure he thinks they're relatively dumb.
"The IWO needs to publicly recognize the threat Moritz poses." Matteo says firmly. "And the solution for this is… a joint investigation." He opens a small smile. "This is an international affair and all affected countries should come together to deal with this man. Don't you think? It will be easier to find him and also bring our communities closer."
There's a silence when Matteo stops talking.
Harry understands the whole plan in a blink. And he feels the excitement inside him. It'll work. He'll go back to London.
"It's…" Jonathan begins, "not a bad idea."
The others nod, thinking.
"A collaboration." Martha states. "It might actually be what we need."
"Indeed." Lynel agrees.
"Since Italy and England are the most affected, it's only fitting that both countries are in charge." Matteo continues. "Moritz used to work for Riddle. And I can't take out of my head that the Minister enabled this man to do this. Riddle is nothing more than an accomplice."
"You can't make such affirmations, Matteo." Lynel says harshly.
"For now they might be conjectures, but I'm sure Harry will find the proofs we need." And he raises an eyebrow to Harry, who takes it as a hint to talk.
He clears his throat. "Of course. I'm eager to go back and set things right after the injustice I suffered in the hands of the Riddles." He includes Hermione because he knows it will please Matteo. "I agree with my grandfather, Riddle is a menace. And he should be dealt with."
Martha sighs. "Okay. We'll do it, Matteo. We'll force Riddle to collaborate and accept Harry back-"
"Not just Harry." Matteo cuts in. "Chiara Ferri also." Chiara makes a sound by his side, not understanding.
"But I'm Head Auror, Matteo-"
"I'm excusing you from your position. I want you in London with Harry. Is that clear?"
She blinks many times, not knowing what to say. Harry is torn. It's unfair to Chiara to make her move to London and abandon her position here, but he's also relieved that she'll be there with him.
He can see her pressing her lips together and fisting her hands, angry.
"Yes. It's clear." Chiara says to Matteo.
"Of course that for this investigation you should be based in London, at their Ministry." Matteo continues. "Harry should be able to work from there as Head Auror. I don't see why he should be subordinated to Hermione Riddle again."
Harry tries ignoring the way his insides churn or how anxious he feels. To work again with her. As Head Auror. On the same level of hierarchy… it's actually perfect.
He moves on the couch and Chiara puts one hand on his thigh, feeling his nervousness.
Jonathan nods. "I think it's doable. But we need to discuss things with the others members of the Board, Matteo. If this passes, then we'll get in touch."
Matteo agrees and stands from his chair to shake hands with the three. Harry and Chiara do the same.
Even if they still need to go through some bureaucratic bullshit, Harry knows he'll get what he wants.
Matteo did this for him and now Harry will do what he needs to.
I'm going back, Hermione. For us to settle our score.