Roses Under Cypresses

Chapter 21

Hannibal nodded his head; he understood that Will still harboured a great deal of anger at what happened between them. He understood it, didn't mean he had to like it. He had corrected his earlier error, he had freed Will from the prison masquerading as a hospital. Admittedly, with a great deal of…persuasion on his brothers part. He pondered on how long it would take to gain Will's forgiveness. He didn't doubt he'd get it; Hannibal wasn't one to think any task was impossible.

However, it was clear that being here was pushing Will's boundaries a step too far. Then again, Will had made it more than clear that this place was a sanctuary. His safe place away from the rest of society and it's expectations. Somewhere that dulled the empathy he felt from everyone else.

He knew he would abhor someone intruding upon his own private spaces. Not because of his illegal activities, of course, but just because it was rude.

"I do apologise for my lengthy intrusion," Hannibal smoothly confessed, without even blinking or showcasing any irritation or annoyance at Will's attitude. "Now that the emergency is dealt with, we shall take our leave." He'd find other ways to visit, wear Will down, he'd do it in time.

"I can shrink down your car and Apparate you both back," Harry commented, "Just give me a few minutes to write down the order you'll have to give her the potions she needs." Summoning a pad and paper, and writing carefully on the paper so that his instructions couldn't be mistaken.

"Your writing is…beautiful," Hannibal commented, as he accepted the pad of paper once Harry was done. "Not many people write in calligraphy anymore. It is indeed a dying art."

Harry laughed, "I spent from the age of eleven and up, writing with quills, literal quills and inkpots. The wizarding world is a little backwards, alright, a lot backwards, you learned to write really well with a quill like it or not."

Hannibal blinked, "Is that normal? For all of society?" fascination sweeping through him as it so often did as of late.

"In Britain, last time I was there, yes, but MACUSA and the rest of the American wizards and witches, its more advanced. They have their own magical version of pens that change colour depending on what rune sequence you set it to, glass pens with gel in them, they've made a better attempt at keeping up with the time in other words."

Ringing from a cell phone interrupted their conversation and the silence.

It started Mischa who let out a startled cry more confused than scared, but the fear was quite quick to replace and mingle with that confusion. It was a noise she'd never heard before; it was also extremely loud at least to her sensitive ears – she'd gone months without hearing anything in that basement – so all noises were loud. She'd grow used to the general noise of society. As a species they were loud, from cars, to children, to music, to celebrations everything was done with a certain loudness.

"Please excuse me," Hannibal murmured, quick to extract his phone from his inner pocket of his jacket. Frowning at the sight of the number that wasn't registered in his cell, and it also wasn't one he recognized. Not many people had his personal cell phone number, less so would hand it out, and only in the event of a very real emergency.

"This is Doctor Lecter; how may I help you?" Hannibal moved to the side so he could hear the person on the other side of the phone. Safe in the knowledge that the others would help his sister, until he could come to her aid himself. The phone had caused her upset anyway, so the farther away it was the better.

"Hello, this is Ava Johnson from Baltimore City Department of social services, child protective service," Ava spoke politely and succinctly, clearly well versed at her job and her duties. "We're calling regarding a child you have in your care, I'd like to meet up and discuss this, when would be the best time for you?"

"And just whom put in a complaint to child protective services?" Hannibal asked, a layer of his person suit peeling away in his anger. He already knew the answer to this and to say he was furious was putting it lightly. Luckily, he was in company of two people who saw through his layers already, and weren't frightened off.

"I'm sorry but that information is confidential, I would like to visit you at home, when the child will be present preferably, I would like to talk to them and get a feel for them while I'm there." Ava continued on, she wouldn't be hoodwinked, she'd see the child and see for herself if there was any concern.

"I see," Hannibal said, licking his two front teeth in agitation, a tick he hadn't had in such a long time. Not since he was a young boy in his youth, before he had been found by his uncle. He could hear a car idling, so he thought it best not to lie just in case it could come back to bite him. Well, regarding certain things, for all he knew she was outside his home. "I am sorry to say I am currently in Wolf Trap Virginia at the moment, and tomorrow I will be returning immediately to my patients. How about the day after at six o'clock in the morning? It's not the best solution, but I'm afraid my last patient is at eight o'clock at night." He might have them all written down, but Hannibal had long since memorised his schedule and his patients.

He would need to start trimming back on his workload, that was for certain. Once Mischa was more comfortable and had school and after school activities perhaps even learning music as she once had? Then he could take on more, but right now? Right now, she'd likely be asleep by six or seven o'clock when her body was capable of it again.

"Six thirty sounds perfectly fine," Ava explained, "Is your address current? I have a 217 N Charles Street Baltimore MD?" naturally they'd done a little digging into the man when they got word from a very respected Psychologist and an occasional FBI consultant if she couldn't pick out possible abuse and neglect, well, there would be no hope for any of them.

Then she'd looked up information against the person she was accusing. Now he was a very accomplished Doctor, not just of the body but of the mind. He donated to various charities and organisations. He was in the socialite articles online. Very dapper and he was highly respected, and she also noticed the name of the one of the recent articles when he appeared at some sort of play. The very woman who had accused him. Naturally she wanted to believe it was just a bad split and was just trying to get revenge. However, she would never forgive herself if she didn't at least check on the child. No, it was best she covered all her bases, she'd rather inconvenience someone for half an hour than make a mistake that could cost a child their lives. CPS got a bad rep as it was, she wasn't going to add to it. Even if it meant starting her day even earlier than usual, it's not like she got much sleep as it was. She was overworked, under valuated and exhausted, but she did what she could. She was only one person.

"That is correct," Hannibal answered, maroon eyes glimmering coldly, but his voice was bland and professional as always. It took a lot to make Hannibal lose his composure, but the very threat of anyone taking his sister again? That had him seething in fury, Alana's interference wasn't just discourteous, it was unspeakably rude.

"I look forward to meeting you Doctor Lecter, have a good day," Ava proclaimed, before a click heralded the end of the conversation.

"Child protective services?" Harry said, arching a brow from where he was. "Do they normally react so quickly to any complaints?" Hannibal had barely had Mischa longer than a few days, for Merlin's sake.

"No," Hannibal confessed sourly.

"Then it's a professional that's made the complaint," Harry deduced, causing Will to inhale sharply.

"You don't touch Alana," Will warned him.

"Still feeling protective, Will?" Hannibal zeroed in on Will, they hadn't discussed Crawford or Alana or anyone at the BAU as a matter of fact.

Harry was staring as well, a curious look on his face, he hadn't expected that. "Huh, genuinely fond, are you?" he shouldn't feel anything except his own feelings, so if he did like her, then it was his own.

Will just rolled his eyes heavenward, he didn't know who was worse, his brother or Hannibal. "No, I'd just hate for him to get arrested for one murder when he's killed dozens."

Harry snorted, loudly. "That's cute that you think it's that little a number."

Hannibal had to smother his amusement, while attempting not to preen.

Will conceded the point, Hannibal had a very bad habit of copying other current killers, and dropping a body into the pile. Given his age – which he definitely didn't look – he could have been doing it for years before he came around on the scene with nobody the wiser. Without him on the scene Hannibal likely could have continue adding to the pile, the BAU definitely wouldn't be able to tell between the two, even if they did know that the Chesapeake ripper was also the copycat killer.

Which brought him zeroing back on what Harry had told him while he was locked up.

"Where's Abigail?" Will's retort was without any real heat, without Garrett Jacob Hobbs inhabiting his mind through his empathy – stronger still due to the fact that Will had killed him and had been staring him in the eye – along with his illness, it had been eating him up inside more strongly than anything else possibly could have.

"Good question," Harry commented, "I'll need to take care of it."

"You're not killing her!" Will protested.

"No, I'm not, I'm going to remove all memories she has of you, of Hannibal, and kindly, of what her father did to her and her mother." Harry stated, "I'm not trusting a stranger with your life, if anything comes back on Hannibal, it risks coming back on you, and ultimately me. It's the best I can offer."

Hannibal stiffened, the idea was both fascinating and abhorrent. Fascinating in an abstract way, but the thought of his own mind being affected thusly was abhorrent. "May I observe your removal of her memories?" as much as he found the idea distasteful, his curiosity outweighed it. He would just need to find a way to ensure his memory couldn't be tampered with. Not that he believed Harry would do it, no, the wizard had, had many chances to do so but hadn't leading him to believe it wouldn't occur.

"Get her to your house as soon as possible, no matter the time, give me a message once you've' accomplished it." Harry stated firmly.

"And it doesn't bother you that she'll likely pay for her father's crimes?" Will questioned.

"No, she'll pay for hers, don't be dense Will, you know as well as I, that she was a lure for her father." Harry commented, oh how he loathed when people got away with murder. Malfoy Senior was the same, he'd managed to walk away free, he was acquaintances with Draco, but he could not stand his father. Draco was friends with Blaise and he and Blaise were friends so, yeah, he knew the wizard better than he had at Hogwarts.

"She did what she had to in order to survive, don't pretend each of us wouldn't have done the same thing." Will pointed out the blunt truth.

"Touché," Harry murmured rubbing his chin, "Then what would you suggest?"

Hannibal waited impatiently for Will's answer, he no longer seemed to hold that paternal feeling towards Abigail. He didn't seem to care for Alana and didn't defend her quite as vocally as he expected him to. Yet he must still feel something, even if it was lacking his usual over emotional demeanour. Not physical, not anything you could point to, but something of an observation he saw. Wills emotions bled through his eyes, his anger, his rage, his softness, it was all in his eyes even if he had a perfectly emotionless mask in place. Much like he, Hannibal, had himself.

"Give her some credentials, then send her to a different country, let her live out her life there. Somewhere where her father's actions won't follow her for the rest of her life." Will replied, "I'll give her enough money to get her by for a bit, until she can stand on her own two feet."

"Credentials or not, she will be running for the rest of her life, the longer she's on the run, the less chance of her actually being found innocent. It's going to be difficult as it is, especially since she won't remember anything." Harry pointed out.

"Suo!" came the cheerful but groggy voice of Mischa, her hand making the universal gesture for 'give' as she tried to reach Winston.

Will whistled for Winston to approach her, giving him the okay. "You had dogs?" stunned to learn this information, it was definitely not something he'd expected from Hannibal Lecter. Then again, he had looked after his when he was away a time or two, and they definitely were fond of him. He refused to dwell on the why.

"She's inferring to the actual title, not the name," Hannibal explained, as he always did, "But yes, as a family we had dogs, hunting dogs mostly." His eyes softening at the sight of Mischa's wonder, "There was a puppy in particular she was fond of, she brought him into the castle when our parents had explicitly forbidden it."

'Castle?' Will mouthed in disbelief, he'd known Hannibal was well off, but a bloody castle?

"What happened to them?" Will asked, holding himself for any possible outcome.

"You don't want to know," Hannibal replied immediately, and he knew Will didn't know. Regardless of his empathy he clearly still retained his utter love and devotion to his pets.

Will swallowed thickly, giving a curt nod, perhaps he didn't want to know.

"They got what was coming to them," Hannibal answered, at least that would sate Will's anger over what had happened.

"Good," Will declared coldly, and he knew Hannibal would have made it as painful as possible. Prolonged their suffering as much as he could. He had seen the Chesapeake rippers crime scenes after all, so nobody knew better than him how much they suffered.

Hannibal's lips twitched into what might have been a smile but he aborted it. Too used to hiding how he felt. He was pleased to see that not everything about Will had changed, but he was also looking forward to getting to know this new side of him. The real him as he was coming to realize.

"I shall inform you the moment I have Abigail in my home," Hannibal declared, "If you don't object, I would love some books on the magical world, it's history, culture, the politics of it all before you see us home."

"You can stay the night," Will grudgingly agreed. However, he wasn't even looking at Hannibal. He was smiling at Mischa who was lovingly petting at Winston with a glee that only children could harness.

Hannibal stared speculatively at Will's head, what was he feeling that he suddenly would let him stay just for Mischa? Not that he was going to turn his offer down, there was no way he would do so. He wanted to know them more, to know them, observe them, one must be present, mustn't they?

"Kreacher?" Harry called quietly, as the House-elf appeared before he could speak, Harry begun to, "Bring my trunk here please. Yes, that one."

"That one? How many do you have?" Hannibal asked, watching his sister giggle over the two dogs she now had near her. It made him really smile; she was an innocent ray of sunshine in his life. Or had been, the tenses were really confusing even him now. It seemed even Will wasn't impervious to her beautiful nature. One he was going to ensure she didn't lose, not for anything.

"I have my school trunk which had just basic functionality, my second one I got after leaving Hogwarts, I needed a bit more room, thus got one that had expanding spells imbued, then years later I got sick of forgetting certain books that struck my fancy," Harry said, startling Hannibal at the wording, as Kreacher returned, "Thank you, Kreacher."

"By struck my fancy I meant I had a sudden desire to read while abroad, or chasing down criminals." Harry explained, "I didn't call Kreacher every time I wanted a book to read although he would have gratefully came. In the end I had a trunk especially commissioned to return to me or my blood, so that if it was somehow left behind, I'd be able to recall it to me immediately."

Hannibal arched a brow, "And is such commissions unusual?" still watching Will with his sister, despite Will's inability to understand her words, it seems he was able to understand her emotionally to make up for it.

"Rare, yes, I couldn't even tell you who made it, which is unfortunate. However, it's understandable, Britain doesn't tolerate blood magic, which is exactly what this was. He didn't strictly break the law, since he was over here when he created this."

Hannibal was staring at the tiny thimble sized box, almost waiting for the punchline. Instead, he observed Harry – carefully – setting it on the floor, well away from any dogs bodies or furniture. Then with a tap of a wand, the trunk begun to expand until it was level with Harry's knees. Fascinating, expanding spaces, slotting it away in his mind for future use.

"Follow me," Harry informed Hannibal, before climbing down into the trunk and disappearing entirely. He couldn't help but move and then peer down, amazed that Harry was nowhere to be seen.

Will laughed softly, observing Hannibal out of his element was truly hilarious. He wasn't sure he'd gotten more than three different emotions from Hannibal since knowing him. The derision for 'poorly trying to remove a kidney' his usual setting and oddly enough worry, that day after Tobias attacked him in his office. That worry he was positive was actually genuine, although, he wasn't quite sure why, especially since he'd intended on carting him off to prison by setting him up.

This complete baffled wonder was definitely something, before Hannibal could meet his eyes, he turned back to Mischa, her halo of blonde hair was mixed with Winston's dirty blonde, neither seemed to care, as she drowsily petted him with a softness and care Will didn't associate with children at all. She must have a very sweet temperament.

Hannibal very slowly, begun to descend into the trunk, going down the seventy ladder rungs, to his count, until he stepped on flooring next to Harry. His green eyes were twinkling in amusement, as if he understood how discombobulated Hannibal felt over these new experiences unlike anything he'd ever felt.

"Welcome to my home away from home," Harry said softly, as if speaking quietly was a requirement for his sanctuary. "There's everything you need to make a home here. Sitting area, kitchen, bathroom, potions lab, herbology solarium, cupboards for potions and herbs, and of course, the belle of the ball, the library." This was the only door he actually opened to show Hannibal, although the sitting room and kitchen were open and he likely got a peek in there.

Hannibal inhaled sharply, taken aback by the largeness of it all. It looked like three levels of a property, and an entire room, "This seems familiar…somehow." He confessed.

"Beauty and the beast, it's the library I chose to have, it's apparently a popular choice." Harry said smiling, it reminded him of Hermione. Not that she'd ever been here, but it was a little piece of her. Or the piece he liked to think about, not the woman she became.

"I'm not one for watching Television, I only have one in my home and it's very rarely on. I only have it in case of emergency news, but since phones and computers have advanced, it's used less so." Hannibal confessed, so he wasn't sure how it was reminding him of somewhere.

"Oh, it's based off of a real place," Harry confirmed, curious to see if he could figure it out.

"The Admont Monastery," Hannibal declared, as it clicked into place where he's seen it about. "In Austria." He didn't add 'if he's not mistaken' before he knew he wasn't.

Harry nodded, pleasantly surprised, "That it is, I was only there a day, but I did get in to see it just and no more. It's just something else, isn't it? Even for people that don't particularly care about reading much."

Hannibal made a soft noise, utterly besotted, he wasn't sure how Harry convinced himself to leave. It was beyond anything he could describe; it was a piece of art that he wanted to gaze at until the end of time. It was beauty, and Hannibal so did love beauty.

"There's scrolls and books as old as the monastery itself in here too," Harry said with a reverential tone of voice. "My family, my godfather's family, we come from nobility, can track our family back to the dark ages although the main line ended with my godfather's death."

"How have they survived?" Hannibal asked, the scrolls and books must be too delicate to receive any handling whatsoever.

"Preservation spells, that and the creation of a spell that copies any item you put in front of it, works for the older books, newer ones have spells that prevent you from duplicating them." Harry said ruefully, "Thus the older scrolls and books are maintained perfectly, while people can read them without risking their ruin."

Hannibal didn't know where to start, he could literally stand here for weeks without picking up a book or getting bored. He had always taken pride in his libraries, but they were nothing compared to Harry's. The ceiling was even identical to the monasteries, whoever had created this had gone into an insanely persistent amount of detail.

"Come here," Harry said, moving towards the table and chairs that blended into the room very well. "This is all the books, you can search by selecting your preferred category, bring up all books pertaining to history of the magical world." And a massive list begun to accumulate, anything with history did. "Current magical history within the past one hundred years."

The high volume of books still made even Hannibal wince.

"You can take the books out of the trunk, but they cannot be taken out of the property the trunks in." Harry explained, summoning one of the books he reckoned Hannibal could do with knowing. "They will literally materialise back in their position if any attempts are made."

"How long did it take for you to get all these books?" Hannibal asked, he didn't even have this many and he knew he was older than the younger man by a long shot.

"Most of them have been accumulated by my family, I am just keeping the tradition, but in a better way than sitting in a vault underground or in the rubbish heap." Harry explained, laughing a little when Hannibal made a soft sound of distress at the mere thought of it. "Yeah, my godfather hated his family, and a lot of those books would have ended up on the landfill if not for Kreacher."

"It's far more comfortable to read the book in the study, a fire will begin the moment you step in. No fire can come out, there's no risk of it burning or anything." Harry told him, so that he didn't worry, "I do have some food and drinks in the kitchen, and oh, there's a cellar with alcohol, mostly wines but quite a few bottles of fire-whisky. Any questions?"

"What happens if someone moves it?" Hannibal asked not sure where to start but he was deeply curious enough to ask about this one.

"You won't feel like you're moving, even if someone was shaking it about up there, you'd feel nothing. Gravity is a wonderful thing in here, even if it was put in the fireplace, it wouldn't do anything, I've safeguarded this with everything I am. It's even safe from physical breakages."

Hannibal was helplessly swept away in the wonder of this new world he was now being welcomed into, that his family had known perhaps.

A/N – well this chapter was far easier to write, but most of it was about the magical world so it's always easier that way, I do need to think of a fantastic way get Will to forgive Hannibal…any suggestions? One that says he knows Will very well…and that he genuinely wants forgiveness I don't want Mischa to be the thing that gets them together at least not at first anyways lol and ooo Alana did a bad thing will she survive Hannibal's ire focused on her? R&R please