A/N: Here it is a brand new chapter. And when I say 'brand new' i mean BRAND NEW. This is not in the original. As I was finishing the previous chapter and prepping the next I realized there was a lot more I wanted to write so I've written a new one. So I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you to those who R&R. It really does encourage me to work on it more, and lets me know you're enjoying the direction. Enjoy!
Chapter 11:
Hermione stared over her shoulder at her friends for a long time as the conversation around her washed over her. She wondered what Harry and Ginny were talking about. She could tell from the relaxed position of Harry that it couldn't be anything too serious, and for that Hermione was grateful. She was afraid, if pushed, that Harry would retreat away from them. It's what he used to do, much to her eternal frustration while at Hogwarts. You cannot push Harry Potter into anything he didn't want. This new version of Harry though she wasn't quite sure, she didn't know him well enough anymore to tell, but she sure as hell wasn't going to purposely find out anytime soon if she could help it.
Watching them she thought of the many questions that she had for him. Thinking back on the conversation with Ron at lunch the day before, she recalled what she had said to him about masking one's magical signature. She had told him that long term would be difficult, and it was the truth. Someone couldn't constantly mask it, it would be a huge power drain on the person. But thinking back to the past month of living in the muggle neighborhood she could only recall feeling the signatures of Bill and Fleur along with their children's nearby. She didn't recall ever feeling Harrys or Evelyns. Being so used to being around magic Hermione didn't even notice the absence of the signatures when around them.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and pushed her magic around her to seek out Harry's. She felt those around her, all the red heads and their spouses, she concentrated to extend further, to reach out to the tree. She smiled as she felt Ginny's but as her magic searched around there was no one else. Hermione opened her eyes again and stared at her friends, a sadness filling her. It was like her magic knew what she was searching for, like it remembered Harry's and it felt disappointed it couldn't touch his again.
It was with this thought that she replayed the scene during lunch, as Percy verbally attacked Harry and Harry's magic reacted as his temper had risen. She had been unsure what it was at first, so focused on the argument, stunned by Percy's audacity, but quickly she was able to feel the rise in power that had surrounded the table. From their reactions it was obvious the rest of the occupants were also alarmed. It had frightened her as the air prickled with electricity and the ground began to shake. But though it rose slowly it had suddenly stopped as Evelyn ran towards them with her ruined shirt and Hermione realized then that it had been Harry.
Never had that happened before, and she had seen Harry angry so enough on more than one occasion where she was sure it would actually be possible for him to physically explode. She had immediately wanted to grab Harry's hand and pull him to a secluded area to ask him what the heck had just happened. But before she could fully pull herself together, Harry had walked away from the table and towards Evelyn. Without a backwards glance he had grabbed the little girl's hand, and they walked a little away towards the tree they now sat under
Nobody moved to follow him as the air around them cleared of the static that pinched their nerves. After a few stumbled starts, the conversation began again, the silent consensus of the group to collectively pretend that nothing unusual had just happened. It wasn't a secret in the wizarding world that Harry was magically gifted. Everyone knew that Harry Potter was a powerful wizard. The man played it down to luck and having help but there was no denying that Harry's magic was on a level up there with Dumbledore and Voldemort. But never had she witnessed anything like what happened at the table from him. They were lucky they were outside; the strength of the powerful outburst could have toppled The Burrow.
There were more than a few curious things involving one Harry Potter at the moment.
Glancing down at her watch she noticed it was becoming late in the afternoon. They should really be going soon. The two of them had work the next day and Harry had mentioned he needed to prepare some supplies for a project his students were doing that week.
Hermione nudged her fiancé to get his attention, "We should consider going soon." She said softly to him. He nodded in agreement, getting up from the table, pulling her up beside him.
She saw the others tense as the two of them got up, each knowing they were signaling their departure. She looked over at Mrs. Weasley, who stared behind them at the two under the tree with sad eyes and Hermione knew what she was thinking. What they all were thinking. It was the same thing that kept Ron and her awake for just over a week now. "I'll have Harry and Evelyn stop to say goodbye before we leave." She told them.
And with a smile from Mrs. Weasley the two of them turned to gather Harry.
"Wait what?" Harry asked, unsure if he heard correctly.
"I said I am friends with Draco Malfoy, Harry." She repeated to him, but it didn't seem to register in his brain.
"I'm sorry, I'm not getting it." He told her as she rolled her eyes.
"Draco's a really nice guy now Harry." She exclaimed. "He's been a really good friend to me since the war."
Harry just stared at her with wide eyes. His brain still didn't seem to comprehend her words. Did Ginny just tell him that she was friends with Draco Malfoy? The boy who had done nothing but torment others for years. Who bullied people and thought he was better than everyone else?
"Draco?" Harry asked again.
"Yes."
"Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes Harry." She laughed again. They paused for a few beats before Harry shook his head, hoping it would shake his brain too.
"No…"
"Yes."
"No…"
"Yes!"
"No…-"
"Yes! Harry, stop that."
"'No, yes, no yes, no, yes Harry stop that' what?" Ron's voice interrupted. Harry looked up as his friend stood tall behind Ginny with Hermione standing next to him with a bemused expression.
"Ginny was just telling me how she's friends with Draco Malfoy." He told them. The two of them shared a look before moving to sit on the other side of Harry across from Ginny.
"It's true mate." Ron informed him as he sat. Harry blanched wide eyed at the man. "I know, I don't like it either, but you know how she is. She's uncontrollable."
"And don't you forget that, Ronald Weasley." Ginny told him.
"Just how the hell did that happen?" Harry asked, still shocked. "How does one become friends with Draco Malfoy?"
"And not just any friend, but a Weasley." Hermione laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself at his expense. "And not just any Weasley, but Harry Potter's girlfriend."
"Well…not really girlfriend." Ginny said softly. And just like that the happy camaraderie that the four of them had shared was deflated as Ginny looked down sadly at a piece of grass entwined in her fingers.
Harry's chest ached as he watched her, not knowing what to say. He wanted to reach out to her and hold her and tell her how sorry he was, but he wasn't sure that would be enough. It would never be enough. Nothing he could do or say would ever be enough for him to express how sorry he was for hurting her. Harry knew Ginny would forgive him, she may have already done so, but he didn't feel at the moment that he would ever be able to forgive himself. And not just to her, to everyone.
Harry opened his mouth to say something, anything, to break the silence that stretched between the four of them but stopped when he felt Evelyn stirring on his lap. He looked down at his daughter, his heart beating with love as she fluttered her eyes open and rubbed them sleepily with her fist.
"Welcome back sweetheart, did you have a good nap?" He asked her as he ran his hand gently through her hair. She looked up at him, blinking dazedly a few times before sitting up with a yawn. Harry knew they should probably leave now, he had things to do before work the next day, but he didn't want to leave things with Ginny the way they were. "Why don't you go get a drink from the table then play with your cousins for a little longer. We'll be going soon."
"Ok daddy." She said as he helped her up. He watched her head towards Mrs. Weasley who had her arms wide open for Evelyn once spotted. The little girl ran towards her new grandmother and Harry smiled as the little girl curled into the older woman's lap and relaxed.
He turned his attention back to Ginny then, ignoring Ron and Hermione's presence for the moment as he reached out and grabbed her hand in his. She looked over at him and he saw the moisture in her eyes, and he gave her a sad smile. "I don't know what to say Ginny." He confessed.
"There's nothing to say about it Harry." She told him. "We weren't together. Hadn't been for over a year at that point."
"No, but we weren't apart either."
"Draco had changed. Has changed, Harry. He's not the same."
Ron scoffed. "Doesn't mean you had to go and become best buds with him though."
Ginny glared at her brother as Harry held her hand tighter to keep her with him. "I'm glad Draco became my friend. Sometimes it felt like he was the only one there who understood. Everyone around me was moving on and I felt trapped."
Harry's heart broke and he felt his own eyes moisten. "Ginny I - "
"Don't." She stopped him and he had to look away from her as his stomach knotted. He wanted to run away then. He didn't think he could handle this. "I was pulling away from everyone. It was Draco who pushed me not to. It was Draco who gave me a wakeup call." She looked over at Ron then "It was Draco who pushed me to come home that Christmas. I was going to stay at Hogwarts."
Harry looked over at Ron who just nodded. He felt like he was missing something.
"Then I'm glad he did that for you." Ron told his sister earnestly. "If he hadn't, I doubt you would have shared the letter from Harry."
Harry narrowed his eyes on his friend, confused. "What letter?" he asked them.
"The one you sent that first Christmas after you…" Hermione stated. "It was the only correspondence you had ever sent. Well…that we know of." She looked at Ginny then.
Harry stared at each of his friends, confused. He didn't remember sending a letter. He wasn't even sure how he could have. After he had left the Dursleys, a lot after that was a blur or missing from his memory. He had lost over a year of his life with no recollection of what happened. All he knew was what his doctors had told him once he was placed in the asylum.
Harry remained silent as Ginny and Ron changed the topic to something a little lighter, but as he met Hermione's eyes, he could tell that she knew something was off with him. It was with a thankful heart that not long after, she had announced it was time to go.
It was with a heavy heart that Harry stood from the tree and helped Ginny up. He hated saying goodbye to her, he wanted to stay with her, but he knew he had to get home. It was hard, he'd be lying if he said it wasn't. He just wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go ever again. But he wasn't ready for that, and he knew she wasn't either.
The process was repeated with each of the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley was the most difficult. The matronly woman held him so tightly he thought he'd explode. He promised her he'd come back, and he wrote down his address, being the secret keeper of his home, so they knew they could find him.
With a final wave Harry went into the Burrow. Immediately he felt comforted at seeing the inside of the house. The Burrow always felt like home to him. It had been his home away from home, his home being Hogwarts that is, not the Dursleys. He had so many happy memories of summers here.
"Ready to go sweetheart?" Harry said to Evelyn. The girl looked sad as she reached to be picked up. Harry held her close and kissed her brow. "Don't worry. We'll come back soon. I promise."
With that he stepped into the fireplace after taking a pinch of powder from the flowerpot next to it and held his daughter tightly to his chest as the green flames engulfed them and shot them back to Ron and Hermione's.
Once again, he crashed to the floor as he existed, groaning as he did. No matter how much he uses the floo network Harry doubted he would ever get the hang of it. He was only glad that they only lived an hour or so away from Andromeda and therefore was able to at least drive there as opposed to floo.
Not surprisingly Ron and Hermione had beaten him there, having apparated to their backyard. They looked amused as they helped Evelyn and him up, dusting the ash from their clothing.
"I don't like that daddy." Evelyn said, coughing.
Harry laughed and nodded his head in agreement. "Should we go home then?"
"Wait, Harry, can you stay a little longer? I want to ask you some questions." Hermione inquired from him. Harry looked down at Evelyn who only shrugged her shoulders at him.
"I guess so."
"Great, I'll make some tea. Ron, please find something for Evelyn to watch." She said bossily, causing a smile to form on Harry. He exchanged glances with his other friend and laughed as the red head rolled his eyes and obeyed her command. Some Things never changed.
Five minutes later found the three of them sitting at the dining room table, a cup in front of each of them. Harry gave a tired sigh, the day had been eventful, his emotions had been all over the place. He hadn't felt so much anxiety in a long time and it wore him out.
"Well Hermione, you called this meeting, what do you want to know." He teased as Ron laughed. "Should we read the minutes of the last meeting?"
"Funny Harry." She said, sipping her tea. "I just was curious, and a little concerned. How are you able to mask your signature? And what exactly happened at lunch?"
"Yeah mate, you caused a bloody earthquake."
Harry stared at his two friends, pausing to take his own sip. He knew that they would ask about that. Especially Hermione. Glancing towards the living room, he listened in on the television playing, hearing Evelyn laughing at the screen to be sure she wouldn't hear them. There were a lot of things he didn't want her to know just yet. She was too young and knew little of the magical world.
"Harry?" Hermione prodded gently after several minutes of silence. He looked at his friend and was glad to see concern marred on her features and not fear. It would not be lost on his genius friend how much power it would take to cause a ruckus such as he had caused. A lot of people would be afraid. That had been a good chunk of the problem with Dumbledore and Voldemort. They were so powerful people both feared and revered them. Or more so in Dumbledore's case. Harry was certain Voldemort was mostly just feared.
"I discovered, a couple years after the war, that my magic had increased." He confessed.
"What do you mean?" Hermione prodded further. Harry sat there thinking. He wasn't quite sure how to explain it. "Ok, how about you tell us when you first discovered the increase. Your magic does increase as who grow but it's mostly stabilized by the time you're an adult."
Again, Harry was silent. It brought up memories he didn't want to remember. Memories that he knew at some point he had to share with his friends but wished he didn't. "I guess about six years ago. I was living in an apartment. It was kinda crappy, but that's not the point. I didn't do a lot of magic back then either, but when I did, I noticed the spells were more powerful or easier to perform." He explained. "Like the lumos spell. If I wasn't careful, it would be too bright or start a fire."
"You started a fire with Lumos?" Ron laughed, but quickly stopped when Hermione kicked him under the table.
"I didn't do it on purpose Ron. I thought it was from not using any magic for a couple years."
"Wait, you went more than a year without magic?" Ron asked, alarmed.
Harry nodded his head. "In all honesty I wasn't even entirely sure where my wand even was for a while."
"Well, you took it with you when you left The Burrow."
"I know. I had it when I left the Dursleys."
"Bloody hell, you went to the Dursleys?" Ron shouted. Harry glared at him before listening in for Evelyn, still hearing her giggling at the TV, thankful she didn't hear Ron's outburst. "Why the fuck would you go to them? Do you not recall what they've done to you?"
"Of course I know what they did, Ron, I was the one living it." He ground out angrily. "And please keep your voice down. I don't want Evelyn to hear you talking bad about them."
"And why shouldn't she? She should be warned to stay the hell away from them or they'll lock her in a tiny cupboard and starve her."
Hermione slammed her cup down, startling the both of them as she too glared at Ron. "That's enough Ron."
The three of them sat in silence. Harry wanted to just get up and grab Evelyn and go home. "I understand your dislike for them Ron. I appreciate how angry you are at them because of what they did to me. But Dudley had changed."
Ron scoffed at that. "Yeah right."
"He has Ron." Harry defended. "That dementor attack in fifth year really gave him a wakeup call. And then Dumbledore implying to them that Dudley was also a product of their abuse really made him think about his life."
"And just how was Dudley Dursley abused? Was he shoved in a cupboard? Starved? Unloved? Given endless chores and treated worse than a house elf?"
"No but they indulged him and encouraged bad behavior and gluttony. They loved him, a lot, there's no denying that but they coddled him and because of that he had and still has trouble functioning in normal society. It's hard to explain Ron, but what they did was abuse as well. Just a different kind. But we're on good terms now. Evelyn and I have dinner with him and his family once a month."
Ron just stared at him for a few moments before nodding his understanding. Harry didn't think Ron would understand, could understand. Ron was raised in a loving house where his parents were strict but still cared for him. He wasn't allowed to indulge in his every whim but still received what he desired if earned. Ron's parents raised him to navigate the world with a kind and moral compass. Ron was raised to understand there are more important things in life than money and material possessions. Dudley didn't have that. And he had come out poorer for it.
"But back to you not using magic for over a year. How did you manage that?" Ron asked him, bringing Harry back from his thoughts.
This was it. He was going to tell them. Harry took another sip of his tea and stared at the table as he put the cup down. He couldn't meet his friends' eyes. "I managed it because…I was…in an asylum."
"What?" Ron shouted again flabbergasted. Hermione shushed him as they all looked towards the living room again. Evelyn was still watching tv. "You were in a looney bin?"
"Ronald." Hermione scolded as Harry snickered. He could always count on Ron.
"Sorry."
"It's fine Ron." Harry said. "Yeah. I was in the looney bin. After I left the Dursley's I ended up there. They took everything I had away from me, including my wand. As I wasn't in shape to do magic anyways it didn't matter to me. Or more specifically, I didn't even notice." He paused again, swallowing hard, trying to contain his emotions from bubbling over. "I wasn't well, as you remember. I really wasn't."
Hermione sniffled and scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Oh Harry." She cried as he felt his shirt dampen. Harry let her cry onto his shoulder as he glanced over at Ron who held a grim look. Harry felt himself sniffle but took a shuddering breath to try to control it. It wouldn't do well bursting into tears at the moment. He didn't want Evelyn to see that he had been crying. She was an insightful little girl who hated when he was sad.
"It's okay Hermione." He whispered to his friend. "I'm ok now. I'm better."
After several minutes Hermione was able to put herself together, she gave a watery laugh as she sat up and saw the wet stain on his shirt. "Sorry about that." She mumbled but Harry waved it off.
"I have a four year old, I'm used to it. At least you didn't blow your nose on me. She's done that more times than I'd like to admit." They all laughed for a moment at the visual.
"So…" Hermione started, giving a final sniffle, and reaching for the teapot to refill their mugs.
"That's when you noticed, but it's possible it had actually happened sooner, but you just didn't notice because you weren't doing magic."
"That's the gist of it, yes." He said. "As for masking my signature, not long after Evelyn was born, the two of us stayed with Andromeda for a few months. I had just finished off my teaching certificate and was starting a new job. One evening I was browsing her extensive library and came across some interesting books on warding and such and would read them after Evelyn went to bed. There were a couple of books that mentioned signature masking and I learned how to do it."
"Andromeda knew where you were?" Ron shouted. "You lived with her and she couldn't be bothered to mention that?"
"I asked her not to Ron."
"So, you went to Andromeda instead of your friends?"
"I went to Andromeda because she has Teddy. I'm his godfather Ron, I had to make sure he was okay."
"But not your friends?"
"Ronald please stop." Hermione begged him. Harry could see that she was getting upset and he couldn't blame her, he was too. "Harry, its ok, we understand-"
"No, we don't, Hermione." Ron blustered. "Do you have any idea how hard we looked for you? How long we looked? And you were just hanging out at Andromedas? A woman who was supposed to be our friend."
"It wasn't like that Ron." Harry stated.
"How could it not be? We were scared for you Harry." Ron yelled. "We were scared for you. Do you not get that? You were not right in the head when you left."
"You don't think I know that? For fucks sake Ron I was in a psychiatric hospital for over a year!" He shouted back standing up. Harry stood over Ron and pulled his sleeves up and watched as his friend's red face suddenly turned white. "Look at these scars! I tried to kill myself Ron! More than once. I was drugged up and tied down and put in isolation in a padded cell more times than I could count."
Harry took a deep shuddering breath and turned away from his friend, his heart was racing and he could feel electricity in the air as his power reacted to his outburst. He worried about Evelyn and glanced towards the living room. He could hear the TV but couldn't hear her giggling anymore. He wanted to go to her and grab her, make sure she was ok and just run away back to the safety of their home.
"Harry…" Hermione started and he looked over to her, she had tears streaming down her face and he felt sadness at being the one to cause it.
Taking another deep breath Harry sat back in his seat and covered his arms again. He hadn't wanted to show them that. He never planned on showing his scars to his friends. He hated himself for allowing his emotions to be riled up. Normally he had such great control over them, but he found over the past week that he had less, and less control and he didn't like that at all.
"That letter you mentioned. What did it say?" He asked quietly.
"It was addressed to Ginny. It just said that you loved her, and that you hoped she would forgive you for what you did." Hermione answered softly.
"And she got it on Christmas?"
"Yeah." Ron answered. "During desert. An owl just randomly showed up and dropped it on her plate."
Harry thought about that, casting his mind back to that time period, to one of the worst times of his entire life. "I don't know how she got that." He admitted, not meeting his friends' eyes again.
"What do you mean? It was your handwriting. I would know it anywhere." Hermione said. "Especially since I had taken to re-reading all the letters you've ever sent me. I found comfort in them."
Harry reached out to Hermione, taking her hand. "No, I wrote the letter. I remember it. But I don't know how she got it." He told them. "You see, I had written it, I don't know when, I do know it was Christmas time as there were decorations all about. But you see, the thing is, that night, after I wrote it, was the first time I tried to…end my life."
Harry grimaced as Hermione gripped his hand painfully, her nails digging into his skin. "What?"
"I didn't send that letter, Hermione." He said again. "I was already locked in a psychiatric hospital. I had no access to an owl. I don't know how Ginny got that letter."
"How…but…when…." Ron babbled as he tried to make a coherent thought.
"I was moved to another hospital after that. The only thing I can think of is somewhere during that time, I encountered a witch or wizard, and they sent it off."
"Which means another person knew who you were and where you were." Ron muttered.
With that comment Harry was done for the evening. He was tired, emotionally, and physically. The day had worn on and while he was glad to be reunited with his family, he was ready for it to end. He understood why Ron was angry at him, and Harry fully believed he deserved said anger and Ron deserved answers but at the moment he was just done. Done with it all.
"I need to get Evelyn home." He said as he stood up. Hermione quickly stood up as well and reached for him.
"Please don't leave Harry. Not like this." She begged, worried.
Harry just smiled at his friend and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple. "We're ok Hermione. You, me, Ron. We're fine. I promise." He told her. "But I really do need to get going."
She nodded in understanding, finally letting him go. He walked to the living and saw Evelyn staring off into space, no longer focused on the program on the television. She looked worried and he knew that she had heard them shouting. She didn't like it when people got mad, it caused her anxiety, and she would either try to stop it or just shut down.
Guilt flooded him as he reached for her, picking her up off the sofa and holding her close. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and laid her head down on his shoulders as he held her tightly. "Wanna say goodbye to Ron and Hermione?" He asked her softly.
She lifted her head and looked at the other two adults in the room. "Goodbye." She said simply and laid her head back down.
"Is she okay?" Hermione asked him as they headed for the door.
"She'll be fine. She's just tired. It's been a big day." He told his friend. With a final goodbye the two of them left Ron and Hermione and headed home.
Once the door was shut Hermione turned towards Ron, staring at him for a moment before covering her face with her hands and crashing down to her knees. Sobs wracked her body as the events of the day hit her. She could feel Ron get down to the floor next to her and reach out to hold her and Hermione let him, taking solace in his strength.
She had figured it would have been bad. Not the lunch, that went well aside from the slight hiccup of Percy. But finding out what had happened to her friend after he left them. Hermione wasn't naive. Harry's deterioration had been serious. She had been fully aware of just how close to death their friend had been the day he left them. It was something she tried to avoid thinking about over the years as they searched for him. The thought scared her and never once had she let her mind think that perhaps the reason they hadn't found him in all that time was because he was already dead.
Hearing Harry tell them, having him show them the scars on his arms made it real. Too real, the reality of how right she could have been. That by some miracle he wasn't dead by his own hands, despite his attempt.
'Multiple attempts.' Her mind supplied.
Hermione cried harder.
She didn't know how long she sat on that floor in front of the door with Ron crying her eyes out. It felt like eternity and a blink of an eye all at once, but eventually her tears subsided, and she looked up to her fiancé. Her heart ached at the tear stains on his own cheeks. Gently she reached up to him and wiped them away with her thumbs as she brought his lips to hers, kissing him.
"Ready to get off the floor?" He asked her as they pulled away. Hermione nodded and he stood, reaching his hand out to her to help her up. Taking it gratefully she stood and allowed him to wrap his arm around her and lead her to the couch where they sat down and he turned off the television.
"What are we going to do Ron?" She asked him sadly and laid her head upon his shoulder.
"There's nothing to be done. It's in the past, Mione." He said.
"He was so alone. He must have been frightened."
Ron held her closer and she felt tears fall again from her eyes. "Listen to me Hermione. We did what we could for Harry. It was his decision to leave us."
"He wasn't in his right mind though."
"True, but we did what we could. We tried to help him, and after he left, we tried to find him. There was nothing we could have done to help him until he was found. We did what we could." Ron moved away from her then and turned her towards him, both hands on her shoulders, gripping her tightly. "Look at me." He demanded, and she met his eyes. He looked serious and determined. "Don't ever feel guilty for his choices. Do you hear me?"
"Ron-"
"No, Do You Hear Me?"
Hermione sighed and nodded. "Yes. I do."
"Good, because you know Harry would say the same thing. Old and new Harry, both would agree."
Ron dropped his hands from her shoulders and they sat there still facing each other in a comfortable silence. She tried to pull her mind away from the horrible thoughts of Harry's suicide attempts and to think of other things. She was most curious about his magic increase and what had caused it. Thinking back on the final battle, before he walked into the forest, she hadn't noticed anything unusual. In fact, his magic seemed a bit muted due to not having his own wand any longer. Sure, Draco's wand changed its allegiance to Harry, but it hadn't been the same. So, something between the final battle and now had caused the spike.
"Who do you think sent the letter?" Ron asked, breaking Hermione from her own musings. She looked up at him confused for a moment. "The one to Ginny."
That was another curious question that weighed on her mind. "I don't know." She said simply. It was the truth. They didn't have enough information to even begin to investigate it. They would have to find out where Harry was first. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or grateful that some witch or wizard knew who and where Harry was and just sent the letter out without telling anyone of his whereabouts. There most likely wasn't a single witch or wizard in the UK that didn't know that Harry Potter had disappeared. The whole country had been looking for him in that first year.
But as Harry had inadvertently pointed out, there were people who did know he was missing and did know where he was and what he was up to. Namely, Andromeda. She understood why Ron had been so angry. Hermione herself couldn't stop the anger that welled inside her at knowing Andromeda had known almost the whole time where Harry was. They had obviously been close enough that Harry had lived with the woman with Evelyn for a short while. She wondered how that came to be.
Hermione also wondered how Andromeda and Harry were able to keep Teddy from spilling the beans. While most of them only saw Andromeda a few times a year, she knew that Mrs. Weasley saw her more. Teddy however was a frequent guest at the Weasleys weekend meals. Mrs. Weasley had taken the boy in as a surrogate grandson as well, allowing Andromeda some much needed time to herself. How was it that Harry had been in contact with the boy for years and not once had Teddy ever mentioned it?
The whole situation with Harry baffled her.
With her thoughts moving back to the mystery of Harry magic increase, her mind made a list of books she could check to begin her research. Looking up at Ron for the first time in a good half hour she could see his grim knowing expression that he was about to lose her to her library again. So, with a small chuckle she stood up and kissed the top of his head and as she moved upstairs to her office, determined to get a start on her research before bed.