# Asleep

ProphecyMarauder45

Rating: R
Genres: Romance, Suspense
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 18/06/2013
Last Updated: 16/10/2016
Status: In Progress

A prophecy made on the eve of the Final Battle caused Hermione to leave London on the night she's finally together with Harry. Now, five years later, she's back. She's ready to reconnect with the people she left behind and introduce Harry to someone he should have met years ago. But a new evil has followed her to London and he'll do anything to get her back.

## 1. Prologue: Five Years Ago

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction! This story has been bouncing around my head for a few years now and only got the courage of putting it down in writing after much convincing from my boyfriend! Emily Browning's version of "Asleep" was the inspiration to this story. (Yes, the song originally sang by The Smiths) (And another yes, I am a hardcore Harmony shipper and damn proud of it!) I've been working on this story for a while. Where a story was supposed to be just a few chapters is now a full blown multi-chapter and I don't see it ending anytime soon! Well, here's the first chapter sooooo... Enjoy! :)

She didn't know what woke her. Her eyes adjusted to the dim room and it looked vaguely familiar. As her eyes roamed around, they settled on the person lying beside her. All memories of that night came flooding into her mind. A slow smile crept onto her lips as she lightly brushed his raven-colored hair.

After the weekly dinner with their friends, they decided to go to Harry's flat, as it was closer, for tea and a little catching up. Rain suddenly began pouring as they were walking. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and ran towards his flat building. Both were drenched and laughing all the way to his front door. Before Harry opened the door, he looked at Hermione and just stared. His heartbeat was suddenly fast and loud he was sure Hermione could hear it. This was one of those moments he tried so hard to avoid, tried so hard to ignore. He was scared she will see what he's been trying to hide for years, scared she will see how much he truly loves her.

Curious as to why Harry suddenly stopped halfway from opening the door, she looked up to see him staring at her intently. Her breath caught in her throat from the way he was staring at her. How long had she longed for him to look at her like that? How long had she wished, hoped and prayed she would see all that love in his eyes directed at her? She didn't hesitate to let her eyes show what she's longed to show him, tell him but couldn't.

Harry could read her like a book and she can read him as well. He brought his hand to her face, gently touching her cheek. She closed her eyes at his caress, bringing her hand up to cover his. Before she could open her eyes, Harry leaned down and tentatively touched his lips with hers, as if asking for permission. She opened her mouth and poured every emotion, every bit of longing and love she had in her kiss. He met her passion with his own and hastily opened the door. They stumbled inside as he closed the door with his foot and wrapped his arms around her. He needed her closer; he needed her so much more than his next breath. Her arms went around his neck as her hands tangled with his shaggy hair. She couldn't believe this is finally happening. All those nights thinking and dreaming what it would be like to be in his arms and kissing him, they didn't compare to this. They moved towards his bedroom, stopping a few times while discarding each other's clothing.

When everything was on the floor, he picked her up and carried her to his bed. As he lay her down in the middle of his bed, Hermione looked up at him and gave him a small smile telling him that she wants this. He smiled back as he lay beside her, lightly touching her skin as he kissed her again. He will never get enough of her lips, her soft skin, and her warmth. As their kisses grew more heated, he moved and covered her body with his. He momentarily stopped kissing her, touched their foreheads together and held her head in his hands.

"Hermione," he whispered huskily.

"Yes Harry?" she replied.

"Before we do this, I just… I want you to know that this isn't just lust for me. It's more than that. You're more than that," he said as he drew back a little to stare at her eyes. Tears suddenly formed in her eyes but she couldn't help but smile.

"I know, Harry. I know. I have loved you for so long."

"And I you. I don't even remember the time when I didn't love you," he said, still looking straight into her eyes.

"Oh Harry…" Hermione whispered before crashing her lips to his. Harry answered her kisses with own as he shifts his body to meet hers. He could feel the heat from the center of her body, he knows she's ready.

"I love you so much, Hermione," he says against her mouth as he thrusts into her slowly.

She gasps as she felt him enter her. She wrapped her arm around his neck, the other rested on his back, as he started moving in and out of her. This was beyond anything she ever felt being with a man. Hermione just knew it would be different with Harry, but she didn't think just how much more it was going to be. She could feel his ragged breath on her ear, his heartbeat on her chest, and his arms around her.

Harry moved his head to kiss her as he moves faster. He could feel his peak coming but he refused to reach the edge before Hermione reached hers. He knew she's almost there when her moans changed, her breathing quickened and her hands tightened on his hair and back. Hermione came so hard, she swore she saw stars, and Harry followed her, spilling himself inside her. He collapsed on top of her and buried his head at the crook of her neck while willing his breath and heart to return to normal. She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting him to go, not even bothered with his weight crushing her. Harry rolled to his side but kept his arms around her.

"You were beyond amazing," he said, while tucking her hair behind her ear.

"So were you," she replied, smiling. Sated and relaxed, Harry rolled on his back and tucked her on his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest as sleep overcame them both.

As she remembered the night's events, a distant memory came crashing to her mind as if it just happened yesterday. Her hand stopped its ministrations on Harry's hair as her blood turned cold and her breath was once again caught in her throat.

The day of the final battle was finally here. Everyone in the castle was preparing for the fight about to take place as soon as Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrive. She was running around a corner when she bumped into someone hard. She stood up as fast as she could and apologized, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going-," She was cut off as soon as she saw who the other person was.

"It's quite alright, my dear," Professor Trelawney quickly said.

Hermione hesitantly approached her and reached out her hand to help the professor to stand up. As soon as their hands touched, Professor Trelawney seemed to enter a trance. She had a far-away look on her face. Her eyes shifted suddenly to Hermione and her voice was deep when she spoke, "When the moon is almost full, you will achieve your heart's greatest dream but you will also inflict the greatest sorrow." Then she shook her head and said, "So sorry dear, did you say something?"

Hermione, eyes wide, quickly pulled Professor Trelawney to her feet and run past her. She only had one idea as to what the professor was taking about. It was the one thing she kept from her best friends. She tried to deny it before but knew it was inevitable. She didn't believe in Divination, thought it was all bollocks and quite useless, but after hearing the prophecy that brought them to where they are now, she was a bit shaken. She kept running until her lungs burned. She didn't know where in the castle she was until someone called out to her. She knew who it was without looking, she knew that voice anywhere. She stopped running and slowly turned to face her "greatest dream."

"Harry…"

She withdrew her hand from Harry's hair and sat up. She brought the sheet up her chest yet couldn't stop from trembling.

Could this be what she predicted all those years ago? I would finally be with Harry but I will cause him great sorrow? She thought to herself. But how? How am I going to cause him sorrow?

As she thought long and hard, she went back to the events earlier that night again. Her hand suddenly covered her mouth to smother her gasp as a realization dawned on her.

They forgot to perform the contraceptive charm.

Her hand slowly travelled to her mid-section.

What if I get pregnant? What will Harry say? She thought fearfully.

What was it that he wanted the most? You know better than anyone what his dream is. Another part of her answered.

I know but I can't have him sacrificing himself like that.

You're not even sure if you will be pregnant. Her logical part countered.

We forgot the bloody charm! And whether or not I will be pregnant, I will cause him great sorrow and I can't do that to him. Right now, he has his new career going for him and if I turn out pregnant, I will only hold him back.

You know he will do anything for you. You're his best friend and he loves you.

I do. But I love him too much to do this to him. I need to leave.

The thought brought tears to her eyes. Just when she finally had her dream within her grasp, something happens to ruin it. She didn't want to leave Harry but she knew she must. With resolve, she quietly left the bed and looked for her wand, summoned her clothes and dressed. After dressing, she looked at Harry's sleeping form and felt her heart break into millions of pieces. She looked for a piece of paper and pen and wrote a short letter which she left on the pillow next to Harry's head. She kissed his cheek lightly, praying he won't wake then walked out of his bedroom. Closing the front door behind her, she closed her eyes as tears fell and apparated to her own flat.

Harry woke with a jolt. He had a feeling something was wrong. Reaching out to where Hermione's body was supposed to be, he felt nothing but air. He whipped his head to his side and saw a paper on the pillow. He hurriedly opened the letter, dread seeping through his bones.

Tonight was amazing, Harry. I will never forget it.

But I must leave. I'm so sorry. I love you so much.

Hermione

He rubbed his eyes, hoping they were playing tricks on him, but no. I must leave. That line kept repeating in his head, over and over. He crumpled the paper and threw it across the room. He hastily dressed and ran out of his room.

"Hermione!" he shouted when he reached the sitting room. He ran to the kitchen, to his office. Nothing. He apparated to Hermione's flat.

"Hermione! Where are you?!" he shouted while checking every room in her flat. He went into her bedroom and saw that a lot of her things were gone and her closet was empty. He could feel cold fear creeping in his stomach. Hermione ran away. He didn't want to think it but he knows deep inside that was what had happened. He apparated again, going to Ron's flat and knocked on the door loudly.

"What the f—" Ron started angrily but was cut-off as he saw his best mate's face. "Harry? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked worriedly as he let Harry into the flat. Luna was standing at the entrance to the sitting room in a robe, looking worried as well.

"Hermione, she—" Harry began. He couldn't get the words out of his throat. "Hermione," he began again, "I told her how I felt about her earlier tonight. She told me—she told me she felt the same way and we made love but when I woke up… when I woke up she was gone. Said she had to leave. I went to her flat and her things and clothes were gone!" Harry couldn't help it and broke down, tears streaming down his face. "She fucking left and I have no bloody clue why! She just fucking left… she ran away… she's gone."

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A/N: I'd love some reviews please! I'll be posting the next chapter in a few days. :)

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## 2. Present Day

A/N: Hello! So here's the new update! I hoped you liked the first chapter. I know there were flaws but I hope you bear with me as this is my first fanfiction.

@Anonymous: Thank you so much for reading and leaving a review for my story. Yes, Hermione can be quite thick sometimes. She's too protective of Harry, that's for sure.

@pawsrule: Hi! Thank you so much also for reading and reviewing the first chapter. Actually, yes, I've posted this story on FF.net about a month or so ago, I think. Portkey just approved my author application so I only got to post the story yesterday.

I'm quite disappointed with the reviews. Only two? I hope this chapter does better. Thank you for taking the time to read it. It means a lot! Now, here I give you the second chapter of Asleep! Enjoy! :)

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The sun shone brightly as she stepped out of the store with paper bags full of groceries in her arms. Hermione hasn't been back to London in 5 years and she has to admit she missed it. She loved the tan she got from living in Australia but she also missed the constant rain cold temperature in London. She walked hurriedly past the people to get to her daughter's preschool. They've only been here for 2 weeks but her daughter has grown to love London and her new school. Her daughter got her love for books and knowledge yet she has her father's love for adventure. She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant as if it was just yesterday.

She's been face to face with the toilet seat of her private bathroom for the last half hour. She hasn't been this sick before and she felt like she'd thrown up every organ in her body.

"Jane? Are you alright?" Amanda Sinclair, her co-worker and flatmate, asked through her bathroom door, "I can hear you throwing up from the living room."

Hermione washed her mouth before opening the door. "Hey," was all she got to say before running back to throw up again.

"Oh God, what is wrong with me?" she groaned as she sat down on the floor beside the toilet.

"Was it something you ate last night? You barely ate anything at dinner, you know," Amanda said as she knelt beside Hermione and rubbed her back to help soothe her.

"I don't know. I didn't think much of it at first, assuming it was just a stomach bug but it's been a few days since I started feeling sick every morning," she answered.

"Every… morning?" her flatmate asked slowly.

"Yeah, for the past week," she paused and looked up to Amanda and saw her expression, "What?"

"Jane, when was your last period?" Amanda asked her carefully.

Hermione paused and did calculations in her mind. She began to feel panic rising inside her as she realized she hasn't had her period since she moved to Australia two and a half months ago. She whipped her head towards her flatmate, eyes wide and mouth open. Amanda suddenly stood and left the bathroom. Hermione was still in a sort of trance when she came back with her wand in her hand. She took Hermione's hand and said, "I know a charm we can use to know if you really are pregnant. I'm going to use it on you, all right?" Her words vaguely registered to Hermione so with a swallow, she just nodded her head. Amanda did some wand movements and chanted "Exhibeo gravid!" They stared as the charm touched Hermione and she felt its warmth as it entered her body. Then suddenly, golden light began to emanate from her belly then disappeared. Both females stared at where the light was for what seemed like forever before Amanda broke the silence, "Is Marius the father?"

The question snapped Hermione from her trance and vehemently shouted, "NO!"

Amanda looked at her in surprise and she realized what she'd done, she took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice, "No, Marius is not the father."

"Then who is the father? Are you going to tell him about this?" she looked at Hermione with concerned eyes.

She shook her head in reply and stood up. Amanda followed her as she went to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she was done, Hermione silently went back to her room and sat down on her bed. Amanda just leaned on the doorframe and looked at her from across the room.

"Jane?"

Without looking up, she said sadly, "I can't tell this baby's father that we're having him or her."

Amanda rushed to her and knelt on the floor beside the bed, "Why not, Jane? He's the father, he should know about the baby," she paused as she falsely assumed, "Is this man married?"

"Oh no, he's not married. From what I knew, and I knew him quite well, that he hasn't dated in a couple of years," she answered.

"If he's not married or dating anyone, then why can't you tell him you're pregnant? Was it a one-night stand?"

"It wasn't supposed to be. But I ran away from him, and here I am." Tears were now streaming down her face. She took a deep breath and thought maybe she could tell her flatmate why she really left London months ago. She's been her only friend since she moved here as she doesn't consider Marius as her friend. She looked into her friend's eyes, "I was, and actually still am, in love with this baby's father. He was my best friend in the whole world and on the night before I left London, we told each other how we felt. But years before, a premonition was made by our school's Divination professor about me and him. She said that if he and I ever got together, I'd only cause him great pain. I couldn't bear bringing him pain so I left."

Amanda looked at her with sympathy and sat on the bed beside her, "Honey, why would you let some old woman's words chase you away from the man you loved? The future's uncertain and it can be changed."

"This woman has made a number of premonitions which came true. I didn't believe in it myself but when she made a prophecy about my best friend and it came true, I came to believe her words."

"Are you sure can't tell him about this? I'm sure he'd understand, as you said, he's your best friend, " Amanda asked her.

"I'm sure he hates me right now," she answered.

"Well, if you change your mind, I'll help you tell him. For now, we'll both take care of you and your baby," Amanda said with a smile as she put her arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Thank you, Amanda. You're a great friend," she said, returning the smile.

Amanda was there for her in every step of the pregnancy, the birth and the few years after. She was forever grateful of her and her sacrifice so Hermione and her daughter could escape back to London.

Every time she looked at her little girl, she can't help but feel pensive. She missed everyone so much but she couldn't find the courage to go and see them. She supposed she was proving the sorting hat wrong for putting her in Gryffindor but she can't help it. There were too much to say, too much to explain and she doesn't even know where or how to begin. With all her musings, she reached her daughter's school just in time when the students came bursting out of the front doors. She silently stood while looking for her daughter and finally saw a familiar bushy mane of black hair among the children.

"Mummy!" shouted the little girl while running towards Hermione.

"Hello love," she said as she put down her groceries so she can give her daughter a hug and a kiss. "How was school?" she inquired as she picked up her bags and walked hand in hand with her daughter.

"It was great! We learned to count more than ten and then we studied some animals," the little girl replied.

"That's nice. So what do you want for dinner? Spaghetti?" Hermione asked as she opened the door to their flat.

"Yes please!" came the enthusiastic answer.

"Harry?" a knock and a voice called out from the door.

"Come in," Harry said without looking up from the court case he's been reading. "What's up, Nev?"

Neville just stood in front of Harry's desk and held out a paper in his hand. When Harry didn't hear a reply, he looked up and his eyes met the paper. He read it twice and looked up to Neville, hope and fear fighting for dominance in his expression. Neville felt sympathy for his friend, hoping this would finally bring peace and happiness to him.

"We found her. She's back in London," he said quietly.

Harry said not one word as he suddenly took the paper from Neville and stood up, went to get his coat and ran towards the Ministry atrium so he can apparate.

She's here. She's back. Those were the only things on his mind as he ran. His heart felt like it was going to explode from all the emotions. He's so mad at her for leaving him, so happy that he's finally going to see her, relieved that she's alive and okay, scared of what she'll say to him.

He couldn't remember a happier moment than finally telling Hermione how he felt and finding out she felt the same way. He could have shouted on the rooftops in joy if his mouth wasn't at all busy in kissing those delectable lips of hers. He will never forget hearing those words he'd longed to hear come out of her mouth. And as he moved away to look at her, his eyes widened as Hermione started to fade in his arms. No! He tried to shout but no sound came out. He desperately tried to tighten his arms around her, holding onto her, but she just continued to fade. No, Hermione! Don't go! Please! He pleaded in his mind. He closed his eyes, praying to all that was holy that this wasn't happening, that Hermione was still with him, sleeping beside him.

He woke up from the dream. As he looked around the room he was in, he unconsciously placed his hand on his face and realized he was crying. He took a deep breath before sitting up. Then the events of the night before came flooding into his mind. He and Hermione running through the rain, him looking at her and thinking how beautiful she was, how he instinctively caressed her cheek and proceeded to kiss her, stumbling into his flat as they discarded pieces of clothing off each other, ending up on his bed and finally, telling each other how they felt. He couldn't stop the tears from falling by then. Nothing hurt him more, not his parents' death, not Sirius's death, not Lupin's or anyone who he considered family or friends who died in the war, than when Hermione left in the middle of the night after he told her he loved her. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it, he'd been trying to think of why she could have left, but he came up with nothing.

"Harry?"

He looked up to see Luna carrying a tray, with tea and cups on it, and Ron behind her. He hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Good morning Luna, Ron," he paused, took a deep breath and continued, "I'm so sorry for barging in last night like that."

Luna entered the room, followed by Ron, and placed the tray on the bedside table. She sat in front of Harry on the bed and took his hands in hers, "Harry, we're your friends. No matter the time, our doors are always open for you. You know that."

"That's right, mate. Even if you scared the hell out of us last night, s'all good," Ron clapped his shoulder and gave him a smile.

Harry looked at both of his friends and said, "Thank you, both of you."

"Have some tea first then you can tell us what really happened last night," Luna said, sympathy and concern clear in her wide blue eyes.

Harry waved his mind absent-mindedly then the tea was being poured into all the cups magically. As the tea cups floated into their hands, he ran through what happened the night before in his mind again.

"I honestly don't know, Luna," he paused, sipping his tea. When he realized his hand was shaking, he put the cup down with drinking it, "We had that monthly dinner with you lot then we walked back to my place because we decided to do some more catching up. We haven't seen each other a while because I was busy finishing law school and she had her shifts in her healer training. While we were walking, it started to rain so we ran towards my flat building. Before we entered the flat, we, uh," he shifted on his place on the bed as he looked at his friends' faces, "I, uh, kissed her then you know the rest," he said quickly, embarrassed.

Ron chuckled, "Yes, we know. You already told us the gist of it last night."

"But I don't get it. I mean, I've known she's had feelings for you for a really long time, so I know she wanted to be with you," Ron said absently as he rubbed his chin while thinking.

Harry looked at his best friend as if he's grown another head, "You knew she had feelings for me?"

"I did. Like I knew you had feelings for her, that's why you never dated seriously after Hogwarts," he answered with a smug smile.

Harry sighed and shook his head, "We could've had years together, mate, if you'd just told me how she felt."

"But really though, can't you think of reasons why she could have left" Luna asked Harry.

"No, Luna. Nothing. I couldn't even believe that she just left her healer training like that," he said, again shaking his head.

The three friends were silent as they were each lost in their own thoughts. It was a while before Harry looked up to Ron and Luna then broke the silence that filled the room, "I will look for her. I don't care why she left. I need to find her and I won't stop until I do."

He appeared in a deserted alley across the building complex where Hermione's flat was supposed to be. Harry watched the building and its surroundings for a minute or two. It was a quiet neighborhood, with a few children playing out on the street. Hermione's building complex was five floors up, has white walls and four columns on the façade. Her flat is on the 3rd floor. He tried to make out the shapes and shadows inside the windows along the 3rd floor but he decided to go inside instead. Walking slowly on the stairs, he suddenly didn't know what to say to her if it is her. He can give great arguments at trials but he knew, when faced with Hermione, every word in his vocabulary will be gone like a puff of smoke. Without realizing it, he's suddenly in front of her door and he still doesn't know what he's going to say to her. He raised his right hand to knock but hesitated for an instant before rapping his knuckles against the wood. He jerked his hand back and waited.

"Here's your spaghetti, love," Hermione said as she put down a plate of pasta and garlic bread in front of her daughter. "Dig in." Then there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" her daughter wondered, looking to the direction of the door then to her mother.

"I'm not sure. You eat your food while I see who it is, okay?" Hermione answered as she removed the apron from her body and kissed her daughter's hair as she passed by. She wondered who could be visiting at this late hour. None of her friends knew she was back and she's been living in muggle London so she wouldn't be seen so easily. She slowly put her hand behind her back to feel if she has her wand with her. She removed the locks and slowly opened the door. She let out a gasp as her eyes met with intensely green eyes boring into hers.

"Harry…"

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A/N: How's that for a cliffhanger? Haha. Reviews please! :)

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## 3. I Finally Found You

A/N: Hullo guys! T his is going to be a bit longer than the previous two chapters and I've included a scene here which I bet is included in every Harmonian's top Harmony moments. So without much further ado, here is the latest chapter (and I suppose everyone's been really looking forward to this part) and I hope you like it! Enjoy! :)

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When he heard the sounds of the locks on the door being removed, he unconsciously held his breath. What if it wasn't Hermione? What if it's just another one who looked like her? But what if it IS Hermione? His mind was racing as the door slowly opened. He wasn't sure if he wished it was really her or not. Then his world came to a halt when his eyes met those chocolate-colored eyes he knew so well, eyes that haunted his dreams in the past five years. He felt as if his knees were going to give out at the weight of his emotions as he set eyes on Hermione for the first time in years.

"Hermione…" He barely heard her say his name at the same time as he breathed her name.

They just stared at each other for what seemed like hours, days, months even, both not knowing what to say to one another. Neither made a move nor a sound, fearing that any will cause them to wake up and realize it was all a dream. He wanted to touch her, hold her, just to know if she really was real, if she was really in front of him. The trance was broken when a little voice was heard from behind Hermione.

"Mummy, why are you just standing at the door?"

Harry blinked, wondering where and whom did the voice come from. Then a little girl stood beside Hermione, clutching her leg as she looked out the door.

"Hello," she said in a quiet voice. He looked down and he met another set of green eyes, eyes that he only saw in his own reflection before now. He quickly did a once over on the little girl before realization dawned on him. He looked up at Hermione so fast he felt dizzy all of a sudden. He could feel his heart racing hard and fast in his chest, he thought it would burst out any minute. Hermione covered her mouth with one hand, trying to stifle a gasp. He noticed tears were forming in her eyes. He looked down at the little girl as she eyed Harry then her mother then back to Harry again.

Hermione took a second to compose herself, then looked down at her daughter and said, "Love, are you done with dinner? If you are, please go to your room. You can watch any Disney movie you like. This man and I need to talk for a while."

"Okay, Mummy." The little girl looked at Harry for another second then practically ran to her room. The two adults watched her until they heard her closed the door to her room. Hermione took a deep breath before turning back to Harry.

"Please come in, Harry," Hermione said, trying her best not to let her voice crack. She was not prepared for this confrontation. She'd been in London for two weeks and she still was not prepared to see, much less, talk to him. But then again, she should've known that Harry would just show up at her front door sooner or later once she's back.

Harry entered the flat silently, eyes roaming, taking in the appearance of her home. He realized they hadn't been staying here long as some of the things looked relatively new.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked, needing some space and little time to think of the things she has to say to Harry. His presence in her flat unnerved her. She needed to pull herself together before she talked to him.

"Just a glass of water, please," Harry answered, glancing back at her then continued walking towards the fireplace.

"Make yourself at home, please," she said before going to the kitchen.

Harry kept looking at the row of pictures in frames on the mantle. Some were magical, like photos of him, Hermione and Ron at Hogwarts after graduation, photos of just him and Hermione after he passed his entrance exams and his graduation from law school, and others were muggle photos of her and her daughter. His daughter. He might not have believed it if it wasn't obvious enough. There was no mistaking it. He could feel it in his gut, he knew. He knew that little girl was his daughter. Could that be the reason Hermione left years ago? He turned around as he heard Hermione's footsteps behind him and saw her carrying a tray with a teapot, cups and a glass of water. She set the tray down on the coffee table and straightened up, wiping her hands on her thighs and looked at Harry while chewing her bottom lip. He couldn't help but stare at her. Even after five years of not seeing her, she was still the most beautiful woman to him. Even after five years, he still loved her now as much as he did before.

They've just set up camp somewhere in the middle of a forest. The Forest of Dean, he recalled was what Hermione said when they apparated there earlier to escape some Death Eaters who were chasing them in Godric's Hollow. It's been a few days since Ron left and they weren't any closer to finding the next horcrux. He sat in front of the fire, taking a break from reading the books Hermione brought, hoping to find clues regarding Voldemort's other horcruxes. She sat by the steps that led to the bunkers, looking sad and tired. He felt as tired as she looked but he didn't like seeing that frown and that sad expression on her. They didn't belong on her beautiful face. He wanted to see her smile again, the smiles she usually gives him. The ones full of life and happiness despite of the uncertainty of their future. He turned on the Wireless while thinking of a way to make her smile, even for a while.

As he heard the strings of the beginning of a song, he stood up and slowly walked towards her.

Pass me that lovely little gun

My dear, my darling one

The cleaners are coming, one by one

You don't even want to let them start

She was looking away so she didn't notice him approach. He stopped in front of her then held out his hand. She looked up to him with a question in her eyes. Harry just gave her a smile and continued to hold out his hand.

They are knocking now upon your door

They measure the room, they know the score

They're mopping up the butcher's floor

Of your broken little heart

O children

She looked at his hand for a second before putting hers in it. Her hand was a little cold so he gave it a brief squeeze. As she stood up, Harry began walking backwards while pulling her with him. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he was glad she didn't reject him. He led her to the middle of the tent and began swaying, coaxing her to follow him.

Forgive us now for what we've done

It started out as a bit of fun

Here, take these before we run away

The keys to the gulag

As she started moving with him, he started doing a silly dance. He spun himself while holding her hand up high then he spun her, too. They started playing around the song and she began to smile.

O children

Lift up your voice, lift up your voice

Children

Rejoice, rejoice

Harry moved away from her without letting go of her hand then he pulled her to him. She spun around towards Harry and as she hit his body, she was laughing. He was such a bad dancer, he wasn't sure what he was doing, but Hermione seems to be having fun so he didn't mind at all if he looked like an idiot.

They kept dancing and moving around the space as the song went on. As the song started winding down, so did they. The weight of their mission and Ron's departure began to creep into their consciousness again. He laid his head against hers as they went back to simple swaying. Harry closed his eyes, savoring the moment. Who knew when he would be able to hold her like this again? IF he will be able to hold her like this again. He heard her sigh and felt her pull away. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. They could feel the tension between them but neither moved. He didn't know where the sudden urge to kiss her came from, but he felt it, wanted it. He was still deciding whether he should risk it when Hermione made the decision for him as she moved out of his arms.

"Thank you for the dance, Harry," she smiled briefly before walking towards the bunkers, to her cot. Harry just stared at her back as she walked away. He felt his chest tighten and his shoulders fell. That was when he realized he was in love with his female best friend. Not with his other best friend's younger sister, but his female best friend. And he didn't know what to do about it.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Harry," Hermione said. Harry snapped out of his reverie and stared at her. He could tell she was nervous. Even after five years, he still knew her, can still read her. He silently walked towards the couch and sat down. Hermione took a seat at the other end of the couch, leaving a bit of distance between them and Harry noticed this.

"How long have you been back in London?" he asked, looking intently at her.

Hermione, refused to be intimidated by his stare, answered, "Not too long. About two weeks. Iris started school a week ago. She loves it."

"Is that the little girl's name? Iris?" asked Harry, leaning a bit towards Hermione. Hermione shifted on her seat as she looked down on her hands.

"Yes," she whispered, "I named her after a flower—just like your mum and aunt."

"I don't think I need to ask if whose daughter she is because the moment I saw her eyes… I knew." Harry said quietly, looking back at the bedroom's closed door. "She looks so much like you except for the color of her hair and her eyes."

"I wanted to tell you about her, Harry, I—" Hermione looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, "I wanted to tell you but I didn't, I couldn't."

"Why did you leave, Hermione?"

"Harry, I-"

"Why, Hermione?" There was an edge in his voice.

Hermione looked down at her hands again and sighed. "O-On the eve of the final battle, I ran into Professor Trelawney—" she started.

"What does that have to do with—" He interrupted, his eyebrow raised.

"This started it all, Harry, please. Just… listen," she pleaded with her eyes then began her story again.

"On the eve of the final battle, I ran into Professor Trelawney. We both fell and as a I helped her stand up, she took my hand and she looked like she was suddenly having a premonition—"

"I thought you didn't believe in Divination, much less Trelawney,' he interrupted her again.

"I didn't," she sighed, "I wouldn't say I'm a fan but when you told me about the prophecy that she made for you and Voldemort before you were born, I… I gave her a little credit."

"So what was her premonition about, then?" Harry prompted.

"She went into a trance and said 'When the moon is almost full, you will achieve your heart's greatest victory but you will also inflict the greatest sorrow.'" Her heart tightened as she remembered those words.

"Your greatest victory…?" He understood what that truly meant but he wanted to hear it from her.

"You, Harry. You were my greatest victory," she said in almost a whisper, looking anywhere but him. "Th-That night we made love, it was the day before the full moon. it was also the best moment of my life. But I woke up in the middle of the night then I remembered what Trelawney said. I thought that if we got together, I will only cause you great pain. I couldn't—can't bear to cause you pain," she paused, "Also we forgot to perform the contraceptive charm. There was a likely possibility I could've gotten pregnant after that, which I did anyway, because I wasn't on any birth control either."

"So you left because of a prediction? Why did you think you had to leave if that was the case?"

"I was going to inflict you the greatest sorrow, Harry! And at that time, your career was what you had going for you. I didn't want to be in the way of that. You just finished law school, started a new career. You still had your fame to deal with, too. I would've only burdened you and I can't do that to you." Her voice was so low Harry had to strain to hear her.

"You thought that by being together and by being pregnant, you would hurt my career and bring me sorrow so you left?" Harry said heatedly, "I'm sorry for being blunt here but who gave you the right to decide that for me? Did you think I wasn't capable enough to be successful in my career even if we were together and had to raise a child?!"

"No! No Harry, that's not—,"

"Then why, Hermione? Did you not think that leaving me wasn't the greatest sorrow you could possibly cause me?" Harry asked, his voice full of emotion.

"Harry, I—" she said, looking down again. She realized he was right. She initially thought that she was going to hurt him and his career if they end up together and she got pregnant but she never thought that leaving him would hurt him even more, making Trelawney's prediction come true. Maybe that was what she really saw: Hermione's departure thus causing Harry the greatest sorrow. She misinterpreted the premonition and she felt like the biggest fool.

Harry stared at his clenched fists as he spoke. "I searched for you for the past five years. I searched everywhere for you. I didn't stop looking for you. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, because I needed to find you. I needed to know why you just up and ran away. Bloody hell, even Ron was telling me to give up! You were the brightest witch of our age and if you didn't want to be found, you won't be. But I was too fucking stubborn to listen to him. I couldn't just let you go. I loved you too bloody much."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that. He searched for her for five years? He wouldn't give up on her?

He stood up and began pacing in front of the fireplace. "The years after you left were hard. I didn't just lose the woman I loved, I also lost my best friend. The years when Voldemort was still after me were nothing compared to the years without you. I tried to think of reasons why you had to leave me like that. Why you even had to leave in the first place. And I kept coming up with nothing. I didn't know if it was something I did or didn't do. I didn't know and it was eating me up inside."

He paused from pacing and scrubbed his face with his hands, exhaustion evident in his posture. He took a deep breath before facing Hermione, "I know what it's like to have a prophecy looming over your head, not knowing when or how it will happen. But one thing I learned from my past, Hermione, is that I can't let a prophecy run my life. I can't live my life being scared of a prophecy and push everyone away to protect them and myself. You could have told me about it. We could have talked about it, done something about it. But you decided to run and hurt both of us in the process."

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she said quietly, tears streaming down her face.

Harry sighed and returned to sit on the couch. "Why did you decide to come back to London, Hermione?"

She looked at to him, "I-I came back because of you and Iris. And because there are things I need to do. I-I missed you terribly. I've thought about you every day."

Harry felt that there was something a little off in Herminone's reply. After all, Harry was an accomplished lawyer and a good judge of when someone was hiding the truth. But, he let it slide, hoping that whatever it was, Hermione would trust him enough to tell him in her own time.

"I missed you too, Hermione, so much that it hurt. I ought to be so fucking mad at you right now. I should hate you for leaving and breaking my heart like that but I couldn't," he said, voice cracking. He can't believe he's saying these things to her, he knew he shouldn't because he couldn't trust her not to break his heart again, yet he couldn't help himself, couldn't help his heart.

"I know, Harry, I hated myself for what I did to you, even more now that I've realized what a big fool I was," she took a deep breath before speaking again, " I just… I… I guess, what I wanted to ask… to know… is… is it… is it too late to ask for another chance? Is it too late for us?" she asked nervously.

Harry stared at her for a second before standing up again and went to the window, looking out at the city's skyline. She didn't know what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was already with someone and couldn't help but feel hurt but she supposed she should have expected that Harry would stop looking for her and move on. She deserved it if she didn't get another chance with him. She broke his heart in the worst way possible, she deserved nothing less.

After what seemed like forever, Harry turned around and faced her, his face giving nothing away. "A lot has happened to us, Hermione. We fought a war together, survived together, recovered and moved on together. Five years have gone by. You've changed, I've changed. I just… I can't trust you right now. I can't trust what you say. I can't trust you to be there when I need you. I can't trust you not to leave me hanging again," he paused as he ran his hand through his hair and exhaled, "Maybe… maybe we can try to get to know each other again as friends and see where that goes."

Hermione stared at Harry then nodded. It was better than she expected, "I guess that would be the right thing to do. I can't tell you how sorry I am, Harry. For what I did, for everything."

Harry just nodded, ran his hand through his hair, before asking, "Can I… can I meet our daughter?"

Hermione couldn't help but feel elated when Harry said "our daughter." "Of course, I'll go and get her," she said with a smile as she stood up from the couch then head for their daughter's room.

Harry suddenly felt nervous. What would his daughter think of him? Did she think that he abandoned her and her mother? Would she accept him? More importantly, he doesn't have a clue on how to be a father. He walked back to the couch because he didn't think his knees could hold him up much longer.

"Harry?" Hermione called out from the entry way of the sitting room, her hands on their daughter's shoulders. Iris was in front of her and was looking at Harry with an expression he couldn't place. He hoped it wasn't anything bad. Hermione and Iris moved into the sitting room and settled beside Harry while Iris remained standing in front of her mother.

"Harry, this is Iris Alexandra Granger. Iris, this is Harry James Potter," introduced Hermione, her eyes on her daughter's face, gauging her reaction. Harry stared at Iris, holding his breath while waiting for her to speak.

The girl stared at Harry for a second or two before speaking, "Mummy said that that I have the same eyes as my daddy and that his name was Harry. You're the first person I ever saw with the same eyes as mine and your name is Harry, then you must be my daddy," the little girl said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Harry couldn't stop himself from smiling. She is her mother's daughter all right, already too smart for her age.

"Yes, I am your father, Iris," Harry said slowly in a steady voice.

There was a loud squeal and he suddenly felt small arms wrap around his neck. He wrapped his own arms around his daughter's little body and smiled so wide, he felt his cheeks hurt. Hermione watched the two most important persons in her life get acquainted and felt her heart ready to burst with happiness. She was fearful of how the father and daughter would react to each other but seeing them now settled her doubts. Harry looked up at Hermione and she could see the same happiness she felt reflected in his eyes.

"I knew you would come one day! I knew you would come and find us!" Iris said excitedly as she jumped up and down in front of Harry, "I finally have a daddy! We're finally going to be a family!" she continued. Hermione's smile faltered a little at that but tried her best not to show Iris or Harry.

Harry was still staring at his daughter in wonder and awe. She truly does look like her mother aside from the hair color and eyes. He couldn't help the burst of love he suddenly felt for his daughter. He finally understood what drove his parents to give up their lives to protect him because he would do the same for his daughter.

"Are you going to stay with us, Daddy?" Iris asked, hoped was quite visible on her face.

Harry was slightly taken aback by the question, "I-I'm afraid I can't just yet, Iris. I have my own flat in London. I need to go home there," he answered.

"But-but families live together, don't they? Mummies and daddies live together with their children, don't they?" she asked with tears in her eyes, looking at her mother and father.

Hermione put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and turned Iris to face her. "That's true, love. Families live together but your daddy and I have some things to work out. We can't force Daddy to live with us because he also has a home of his own. He's been living there for a long time and he can't just give that up," she explained, hoping her daughter would understand.

"I could always come and visit you every day after work. I'll stay here until you go to sleep." Harry spoke up as Iris turned to him.

"Will you tuck me in bed and read me a story till I fall asleep?" Iris asked in a small voice.

"I promise," he answered with a smile.

"Okay," she said as she hugged her father.

"Now it's bedtime for you, little lady." Hermione said.

"But Daddy's here! Can't I stay up a little bit more?" Iris pleaded. Harry filled with joy in hearing his daughter call him "daddy" even though they have only just met.

"Sweetheart, you still have school tomorrow. You know you can't stay late during school days," Hermione reminded her.

"Come, I'll tuck you in," Harry said, taking his daughter's hand and letting her lead him to her room.

When Iris opened the door to her room, he was surprised to see that she didn't have an overly girly room. He expected pink walls and lots of frills and dolls around, but what met him were purple walls, huge windows with cushioned seats below them, one wall covered with a huge shelf filled with books and toys, cream colored carpet covered the whole floor and there was a medium sized bed in the middle of the room. He also noted the telly at the corner of the room with the collection of dvds of Disney cartoons. Iris led him to her bed and Harry helped her onto it and then tucked her in. As soon as the little girl's head hit the pillow, her eyes began drooping down but she was still fighting to stay awake.

"I love you, Daddy. I'm happy you're finally here." she said sleepily.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight." He replied.

"Goodnight, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead lightly and silently left the room, turning the lights off and leaving the door slightly ajar, in case she would wake.

Hermione watched everything from the doorway and could help but feel happiness and regret at the same time. She was happy that her daughter is finally reunited with her father and regret because she kept her away from Harry all those years.

As he left Iris' room, he found her looking at him.

"I'd better go. You probably need to rest, too," he said as he went to the sitting room to get his coat.

"Are you really going to be here again tomorrow?" she asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.

"Of course. I promised our daughter I'd be here every day. Besides, we still have some things to work out together so I'm thinking that could be a good way to do it." He gave her a small smile as he put on his coat.

"I think so, too," she said with a smile as Harry looked up to her.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yes, tomorrow."

She accompanied him to the door and was surprised when he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm glad I finally found you," he said before turning around and apparated on the spot. She unconsciously put her fingers on the spot where he kissed her and smiled. Maybe things are going to be better after all.

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A/N: Did you like the "confrontation"? How about that little father-daughter moment? Lemme know, guys!

Please review! Thank you so much! :)

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## 4. Telling Ron

A/N: Hullooooo! I'm still alive! So sorry for taking so long to update. Life happened! So how did you guys like the previous chapter? Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. It's a bit short but I think the next chapter will be quite long. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy! :)

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The following morning Harry found himself in his office looking out the window at muggle London. He barely slept a wink as he kept repeating his encounter with Hermione the night before. He still couldn't believe that he finally found her after all these years. Taking a seat on his leather chair, his eyes fell on the picture of him, Hermione and Ron on his huge desk. He thought his best mate needed to know that he's found their female best friend so he searched for a piece of parchment and scribbled a short note saying he wanted to meet Ron for breakfast. After folding the note, he attached it on Anemone's leg, the grey eagle owl he and Hermione got for him before he started law school.

"Take this to Ron, okay? Fly safe, girl," he said as he opened the window to let the owl out into the morning sky. He went back to his chair and stared into space as he waited for Ron to arrive.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there when the fireplace roared to life and a figure of a man emerged from the green flames. Harry stood up and walked around his desk to greet Ron.

"Good morning, mate." He held out his hand to shake with Ron but the other man took Harry's hand and pulled him into an embrace.

"Hullo, mate," his best friend greeted him before pulling away, "Glad you asked me to meet you for breakfast. Luna's gone early to The Quibbler office so I dropped off little Henry at Mum's before coming here."

"How's Luna and my godson? I'm sorry I haven't been to see you lot in weeks, been a bit busy with work," Harry smiled sheepishly as they sat down on the chairs in front of his desk.

"Luna's as good as any other five-month pregnant woman should be. She's not as temperamental as she was with Henry but still drives me batty sometimes," Ron laughed, "Little Henry loves going to primary school. Definitely taken after his mum, you know how I am about school."

"Who could forget?" Harry retorted as the two of them laughed.

"C'mon then, breakfast hour will be over soon and we both have work to do," Ron said as he and Harry stood up from their seats. They went to a small café behind the Ministry which they frequented a lot due to its privacy, good food and coffee. As their cups of coffee arrived, Harry looked out the window, gathering his thoughts. Ron noticed his friend's serious expression and knew something big has happened. He was about to ask when Harry took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes.

"I found Hermione."

Ron wasn't sure if he'd heard it right. He thought he heard his best mate say that he'd finally found their female best friend. He just stared at Harry with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"W-what?"

"I said I found Hermione, Ron." Harry's serious expression turned even more stern.

"W-when? D-did you see her? Did she see you? Did you talk to her? What happened to her? W-where—"

"Slow down, Ron. I saw her last night. You know how Neville's been helping me look for her?" After Ron's nod, he continued, "He gave me her new address here in London. I wasn't sure if it really was her but the look on Nev's face when he told me about the lead made me anxious to find out if it really was her, so I went straight to the address he gave me."

"And? What happened?"

Harry sighed, "I knocked and when the door opened, she was right there. Standing in front of me—in the flesh. My whole world just… stopped right there. We just stared at each other for what seemed like forever wh—," he suddenly stopped.

"What, Harry?" Ron prompted.

Harry swallowed the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat as he remembered his daughter, "She has a daughter now, Ron. A little girl with brown, tousled hair and green eyes."

"WHAT?! She has a daughter?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Harry hissed, "WE have a daughter. The little girl's my daughter."

Ron's eyes grew wide and Harry thought they were going to pop out of his head. The situation would have been funny if they weren't talking about Hermione and his daughter, who he met for the first time last night.

"Whoa. You and Hermione… have a daughter?"

Harry just nodded.

"Wait a minute. Hold up," Ron put his hands up in front of him. "Lemme get this straight. Hermione left five years ago, right? Then you found her back in London last night, after years of searching for her, with a daughter? And not just anyone's daughter, but your daughter?"

Harry nodded again, not trusting his voice at the moment.

"Bloody hell, mate. Are you sure she's even yours?"

Fury filled Harry's eyes but he kept his expression calm and simply raised his eyebrow at Ron.

"Yes, Ron, I'm quite sure she's mine because Iris…" the anger and frustration leaving his body as he remember his daughter's wide, emerald eyes very much like his, "because those green eyes of hers are exactly what I see when I look in the mirror."

Ron slumped back on his chair and let out a whistle. Harry let out a deep breath and shook his head.

"I have no doubt in my mind that she's my daughter, Ron. Just one look at her and I knew. I just knew," he paused and looked straight at his best friend, "I never believed in falling in love at first sight. But when I saw her, all I could think of was I'd give everything I have to make her happy, keep her healthy. I'd do everything in my power to protect her, even give my own life if I have to. I've never felt this much love for one person."

Ron was nodding his head in understanding. He knew how Harry felt because those were his exact feelings when he first laid eyes on his son, Henry. He also knew how big of a deal this is to his best friend. The thing he wanted the most, a family, was already within his reach. They were silent for a few moments during which their food arrived.

"Why did she leave, Harry?" he suddenly asked Harry.

Harry sighed, put down his fork and looked down at his plate as he thought of the conversation between him and Hermione when he asked the same question, "On the night before the final battle at Hogwarts, she bumped into Trelawney and she had a premonition that when Hermione achieves her heart's 'greatest victory', she'd also inflict the greatest sorrow."

"She actually believed that?" Ron exclaimed, shocked that Hermione would actually believe anything Trelawney said.

"Well, she did make the prophecy about me and Voldemort and a few of her predictions actually came true even if not many people knew about them."

"Yeah, but Hermione hated Divination."

"She did but she said that after learning about the prophecy about me, she gave Trelawney a bit of credit. She left because she thought that being with me, she would just hurt me. We also forgot the contraceptive charm that night, so that added to her resolve to leave. She thought that being with me plus if ever she got pregnant, which she did, would only burden me, hinder my career and cause me pain."

Ron shook his head in disbelief, "So her 'heart's greatest victory' was…?"

"The night we told each other our feelings," Harry simple answered.

"And the greatest sorrow was…?"

"The pain she caused me when she left."

"Bloody hell. She misinterpreted the premonition. And she's supposed to be the smart one," Ron said as he rubbed his temples.

"She was acting rather irrationally that night," Harry nodded.

"Or she was acting more like you? Must've rubbed off on her, seeing as you spent almost all the time together," Ron teased.

Harry chuckled, "You bloody well know I'm not like that anymore. I was, but not anymore."

As their laughter died, they were silent again for a few minutes before Ron spoke again.

"Have you forgiven her for leaving?"

Harry sighed again, "The moment I saw her, I've forgiven her already. It's stupid, I know. But I…" he raked his hand through his messy locks, "I just love her too fucking much to stay angry at her."

Ron simply nodded in understanding. Hermione was the only woman Harry has ever loved. Even he knew that his best friend never loved Ginny when they were dating. "Did she ask you for another chance?"

Harry nodded, "She did. She can be the most prideful person but she asked for another chance for us to try again. But I don't trust her, not yet. I can't trust that she won't leave again, that she's here to stay. I can't trust her to tell me the truth because she's going to try and protect me."

"Why did she come back, then?"

Harry frowned and shook his head, "That's what's been bothering me since I got home after my visit. She said that the reason she came back was because of me and Iris, that she missed me terribly. But she also said that she had some things she needed to do."

Ron cocked his head to the side as Harry looked up to him. "If you're thinking I believed her, no, I didn't buy that for a second. She must have forgotten that I'm a lawyer and most importantly, her best friend. Even after all these years I can still tell when she lies or when she's hiding something from me, and right now, she's keeping something from me: the real reason she came back."

"You don't think she'd actually come back for you?"

"You know how we can be both irrationally and intensely protective of each other. She'd stay away as long as she can from me if she thought that would keep her from hurting me. I'd do the same for her, if I were in her place."

"That's going to be a huge problem for you both, being overprotective of each other."

"It is. And we're going to have to work things out if we want to make our family whole. She's going to have to tell me the real reason why she came back."

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A/N: So what did you think? Let me know! Reviews please! :)

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## 5. So It Begins

A/N: Hey guys! Still alive and kicking! Thank you for the reviews for the previous chapter even if it was a short one and nothing much happened. So here's the new chapter. It's longer (I did say it will be quite long, but not too long, I think. LOL). Here it is! Enjoy! :)

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It has been weeks since Harry finally found Hermione and met their daughter. They have grown into a routine where he would drop by her flat in the morning before he goes to work and have breakfast with them, and then he and Hermione would alternately drop off Iris at school. After work, he would go straight to their flat again and stay there until Iris would go to bed. He was glad that the Daily Prophet still hasn't caught wind of the news about his daughter. He and Hermione had a silent agreement that they wouldn't wander into the Wizarding World until everything was okay, so they spend time in muggle London whenever they go out as a family.

Ron and Luna had come to see Hermione and Iris a few days after Harry's first visit. They brought their son Henry, who was the same age as Iris. As the children played in Iris' room, the adults talked in the sitting room as to why Hermione left five years ago. It was decided that Ron and Luna will be Iris' godparents as Harry was Henry's godfather. Ron, assuming the role of the gracious godparent, gave Iris a package of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Package of Pranking Paraphernalia, from her “uncles” Fred and George, under the disapproving eyes of Hermione. Harry beamed with pride as the little girl gladly accepted the package and hid it where “Mummy wouldn't find it.”

There were times when Hermione would hope that Harry would stay for the night but she never asked. They were still working on rebuilding their friendship and there were moments as if they were back to their old selves and were never apart, but she didn't want to jeopardize the process by being all too familiar.

Iris loved those moments they spent together doing things as a real family. She was always happy to see her parents together. She did not understand why they weren't living together yet but she never asked them. She could see that her parents loved each other very much but couldn't figure out why they both were trying to act like they don't.

One Saturday night, the little family was spending time together in the sitting room, Harry with Iris on the floor playing Exploding Snaps and Hermione on the couch, reading. Suddenly he remembered something and looked up to her and said,

“Hermione, Molly's invited us again for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. She really wants to see you and Iris.”

She sighed and closed the book she was reading. “I suppose we should finally go. I mean, I want to see her and all the Weasleys, too. I think it's about time Iris meets her other family.”

Iris looked up, a bright smile on her lips and said, “We're going to see Uncle Ron and Aunt Luna's family?”

“Yes, love. But be prepared, there are more Weasleys than you can count!” Harry exclaimed while spreading his arms wide.

“Daddy, you're so silly!” his daughter giggled at his antics. Hermione loved these father-daughter moments, and she cherished every single one. She knew Harry was going to be a great father—and already is—and she loved him even more because of that. He's been an amazing father to Iris, given that he has never had a steady father figure in his life.

After carrying and tucking in a sleeping Iris, Hermione thought he was going to leave as he always did after the little girl falls asleep, so she was surprised when Harry turned to her with a blush on his cheeks. He was trying to look at everything else but her and she tried not to smile at his obvious nervousness. She was even more surprised when he suddenly looked at her with a serious expression and asked, “Is it—is it okay if I stay over tonight?”

Hermione was speechless, trying to process what he just asked.

“I-I was thinking that if-if I stay tonight, it'll be easier for-for all of us to go to the Burrow together tomorrow. I could just sleep on the couch,” he stuttered while blushing even more.

She snapped out of her excitement and smiled at Harry, blush creeping into her cheeks, too.

“Of course you can stay, Harry. Iris would love to wake up and find out you stayed here tonight,” she said, looking down at her hands, “but the-the couch looks terribly uncomfortable. You could, umm, sleep with me.”

His eyes widened and she suddenly realized what she had just said.

“I-I meant you could sleep beside me, o-on my bed! It's, uh, b-big enough for the both of us,” she quickly explained.

“Are you sure, Hermione?” he asked, blushing even more.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Okay, if you're sure. I'll just pop in at home and get some clothes. I'll, uh, I'll be back quickly.”

“Alright.” She replied with anticipation at the thought of Harry actually spending the night with them.

He apparated on the spot and appeared in his bedroom. He'd been meaning to ask Hermione if he could stay over but didn't have the courage to ask. He knew they still have a lot to work on but it felt so good to have her back in his life. He realized that he loves her more now than he did all those years ago.

He quickly took some clothes from his closet and apparated back to her flat.

As he appeared in her sitting room, he realized Hermione changed into her pyjamas while he was gone. She had on an old quidditch shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, both she stole from him. She was in the kitchen making tea and turned as she heard him apparate in. He just stood there in the middle of the room staring at her and only snapped out of it when he saw her blush and look down. He hurriedly excused himself, saying he was going to get ready for bed.

When he was done, she was waiting for him at the hallway.

“My room's over here,” she said in a low voice, he barely heard her. He followed her as she led him to the room at the back of the flat. She opened the door and stood aside so he can enter. He looked around her room, thinking it was almost similar to her bedroom in her old flat from years ago. Bookshelves filled with rows upon rows of books covered one wall with a leather chair in front of it. On one side stood a huge closet and beside that was a door that must lead to her own bathroom. There was a sliding door leading to a small porch and a huge window with a cushion seat below it, similar to their daughter's room. And in the middle of the room was her bed. He swallowed and turned to look at Hermione who was watching him as he observed her room.

“I hope it's okay,” she said quietly.

“It's perfect. It's very… you,” he teased with a smile.

Hermione smiled back and slowly turned to close the door. He went to the sliding door and stepped outside, feeling the cold wind. He took one deep breath, went back inside and slid the door shut.

“Which side is yours?” he asked.

“I usually sleep on the right side,” she answered, looking down on the bed.

“I know,” he unconsciously said. He was surprised at what he said and wondered when did his mouth disconnect with his brain.

She blushed again and said nothing, lifting the covers and sliding under them. He did the same and laid there, trying to keep as much distance as the bed would allow. Hermione noticed this but simply said, “Goodnight, Harry.”

“Goodnight, `Mione.”

He listened as her breathing evened out, letting him know that she'd fallen asleep. He just stared at the ceiling, trying not to think of a sleeping Hermione beside him. It took a long while before sleep finally came to him.

~~~~~

There was something tickling his nose. He tried to move away but it wouldn't leave. He slowly opened his eyes and was met by a mass of curly brown hair. He looked down and stifled a gasp as he realized that sometime during the night, he and Hermione had moved closer and were now holding each other. He decided to savor the moment of having her in his arms again before she woke up and undoubtedly shy away from him. Before he could enjoy the moment more, an excited shout came from the door.

“Daddy! You're here!”

Hermione jerked awake and took a few seconds to realize that she was in Harry's arms, her head snuggled on his shoulder. She looked up at him and saw him staring at her with a slight grin on his face. She suddenly moved away, as he predicted, sat up and tried to fix her hair and at the same time, control the creeping blush coming over her.

Iris ran up to the bed and jumped on her parents with a huge smile on her face. “Daddy! You slept here! In Mummy's bed!”

“I did,” he answered. He couldn't help answer his daughter's smile with his own as he clearly saw how happy she was. She hugged him tightly and in return he wrapped his arms around her tiny body. Even after weeks, he still couldn't believe that he and Hermione created this little bundle of energy. Right then, with his arms wrapped around the squealing, giggling form of his little girl, he renewed to himself his vow to provide her everything she would need and want and protect her with his life.

Hermione's earlier surprise subsided as she watched Iris' happiness of learning her father spent the night in their flat play out. She's been asking her, whenever they were along, why Daddy didn't spend the night with them and she would always find herself at a loss for an explanation.

She didn't want to break the moment but she knew it was time for breakfast.

“C'mon you two, it's time for breakfast,” she said, smiling as the two separated and looked at her with smiles.

“Alright, let's race Mummy to the kitchen!” Harry said, mischief clear in his eyes. He stood up from the bed and carried Iris in his arms. He waited for Hermione to stand from the bed and with an evil grin, he darted out of the room with his daughter squealing in his arms.

“Hey, that's not fair!” Hermione shouted as she ran after them. As she reached the kitchen, she found Harry sitting Iris on the counter, all the while giggling non-stop, while he was smiling goofily. She smiled at them and went on to start making breakfast. Harry immediately walked up to her and stopped her saying, “Go sit down with Iris. I'll make breakfast today.”

She just nodded and scooped Iris off the counter and sat her down on one of the seats at the table. She watched as Harry made breakfast the muggle way. She knew he loved cooking, it was the one thing he was grateful of the Dursleys for.

“This is the first time Daddy's making us breakfast, isn't it?” Iris asked as she also watched her father cook.

“Yes, it is,” she answered with a smile.

“Does Daddy cook very well?”

Harry heard this and said “Hey!” pretending to be offended.

Hermione laughed, “As a matter of fact, your daddy is a better cook than I am.”

He looked up to her and gave her a lopsided grin. She felt her stomach flutter at that, thinking how he could still affect her with that smile. She just smiled back, summoned pumpkin juice and three glasses from the cupboard.

“Do you want some pumpkin juice?” she asked Harry as she poured some for her and Iris.

“Later, perhaps. I'll have coffee first. I can never not have it first thing in the morning,” he answered without looking up from what he was cooking.

After a while, he placed two plates filled with pancakes and omelets for her and Iris. He made another plate for himself, poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down.

“What time do you want to go to the Burrow?” he asked Hermione while they were eating.

“Around after lunch, I suppose. I bet those Weasley boys will want to have a game of quidditch before dinner. Thought you might want to join them and Iris could see a qudditch game first hand,”

“Oooh! Quidditch! I've read about that in Quidditch Through The Ages! Daddy, will you take me on your broomstick later?” Iris asked excitedly.

“Yes.” “No.”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a second and then started laughing.

“I should have expected that she'd be interested in riding a broomstick,” she chuckled.

“She's my daughter, you should have known it'll be in her blood,” he laughed.

She just smiled at him and turned to look at their daughter who was busy reading the morning paper. She chuckled again at how short her attention span is, taking after her father. They finished breakfast and set about doing chores around the house before getting ready for the Burrow.

Harry was waiting when Hermione and Iris came into the sitting room. When he turned around and saw Hermione, he barely kept his jaw from dropping to the floor. She was wearing a red, sleeveless sun dress and flats, her hair was tied in a messy bun with some cascading along her face and neck. She was wearing minimal make-up which only highlighted her natural beauty. He pulled himself together and looked at their daughter beside Hermione, who was wearing a little floral sun dress almost the same shade of red and little ballet shoes. He might be biased but they were the most striking mother and child he had ever seen. He coughed a little and said, “Both of you look absolutely stunning.”

Hermione blushed and smiled while Iris beamed at her father. He smiled back and went to pick up his daughter in his arms so they can apparate together.

“Ready?” he asked looking at Iris then Hermione.

Iris nodded, “Ready!” she said excitedly.

“Let's go then,” he said before apparating them to the Burrow.

~~~~~

They appeared at the Burrow's front garden. Hermione looked up to see the all-familiar building and its lopsided floors. She smiled and felt a bit of nostalgia upon thinking of the times she spent here with the Weasleys.

Iris squirmed out of Harry's arms so he set her down gently on the grass. She took Harry and hermione's hand in each of her little hands and pulled them to the front door. She let go of both of her parents' hands to knock on the door.

Harry could sense that Hermione was nervous so he gently grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile. Even when things weren't totally fine between them, he's still there for her. The door opened and she turned to see a very tearful Mrs. Weasley. The years had been kind to her, aging her gracefully with just a tinge of gray to highlight her ginger head. Laugh lines branched out of the corners of her eyes and stern lines marking the sides of her mouth, presumably from all the scolding she'd been giving all the Weasley boys.

“Oh dear. You're here,” she whispered as she hugged her long-lost surrogate daughter. After a few moments, Mrs. Weasley stepped back to hold Hermione at arm's length and gave her a once over.

“You don't feed yourself enough, dear. Good thing you came, I made a lot for tonight,” she said.

“Thank you, Molly,” Hermione said shyly. She looked down to look at her daughter and saw her trying to hide behind Harry's leg, her earlier enthusiasm gone upon seeing an unfamiliar face. Mrs. Weasley followed her line of sight and saw the little girl, clutching one of Harry's trousers leg. She leaned down and smiled, putting her hand out to Iris.

“Hello there. You're such a beautiful girl. I'm Mrs. Weasley but you can call me Nana Molly, if you like,” she said. Iris moved from behind Harry's leg and shook Mrs. Weasley's hand as she said, “Hello, my name is Iris Alexandra Granger. How do you do?”

“Such a polite little girl!” Mrs. Weasley said, looking up at Hermione. “I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. Now come inside and I'll give you some cookies I just made.” They all followed Mrs. Weasley into the house and were immediately met by the Weasley children and their children. Seems like almost everyone came to the Burrow to see Hermione and to meet her daughter.

“Harry! Hermione! So glad you could make it!” Mr. Weasley called out from the stairs. He hurriedly went down to hug Hermione and shake Harry's hand.

“Hey, mate! Good, you're early. We're having a quidditch game in a bit,” Ron said as he came out of the kitchen followed by Luna and Henry.

“Good thing Hermione thought you'd want a catch up game so I brought my broomstick along,” Harry said with a smile, looking down at Hermione. She blushed and Ron couldn't stop the smile from creeping up his face. He knew his best friends were still in love with each other and he understood why they haven't gotten together yet but he still wished they'd pull their heads out of their arses and just follow their hearts.

He and Harry headed out into the garden while Hermione headed towards the kitchen where most of the older Weasleys were. As soon as she opened the door, someone came running towards her and wrapped their arms around her. She belatedly realized it was Ginny and she returned the warm embrace.

“I'm so happy you're back. We all missed you,” Ginny said as she moved away from Hermione.

Fred and George approached her and gave her warm hugs as well. Fleur came to her with her youngest daughter in her arms, she gave Hermione a one-arm hug and kissed both her cheeks.

“I `ope you will not leave anymore. `Arry will finally be `appy,” she said with a small smile.

“I won't. I promise.”

Fleur just nodded and went to sit beside her eldest daughter, Victoire, on the dining table.

Hermione looked around for her daughter and when she didn't see her, she decided to go outside and look for her. She went out the back door and into the garden and saw the boys getting ready for their game. Before she could wonder where Iris was, she saw her with Harry at the swings tied to a large tree branch. They both looked up to her and smiled. She smiled back and walked over to them.

“Hi Mummy! Daddy said he's going to give me a ride on his broomstick after their game!” Iris informed her mother, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

Hermione tried to give Harry a disapproving look but couldn't stop the smile from growing on her lips. He didn't even look repentant and just gave her his signature lopsided grin.

“As long as your daddy promises he won't go too high or too fast,” she said, pretending to be stern.

“We promise! Right, Daddy?” her daughter answered, nodding then looking at her father.

“I swear on my life,” he said solemnly but was belied by the smile he's trying to hide.

“Go on then. Go start your game so Iris can have a go at flying before supper.”

He stood up, took his broomstick and gave both Iris and Hermione kisses on the cheeks. She came to sit on the swing he vacated and turned to her daughter. She could see that Iris couldn't wait to watch her first ever quidditch game, even if it's not a professional one. It looked like her daughter's going to be into quidditch once she gets older, might even play once she goes to Hogwarts. She let out a sigh and moved her gaze towards Harry. She noticed that he's been more and more comfortable at being affectionate towards her again and it's been giving her hope that things are getting better between them. But her hope was suddenly tainted by the memory of the real reason why she came back to London. He mustn't know about it, she resolved she would end it herself because she brought this upon herself. This was her problem and she wouldn't involve anyone, especially Harry.

The game ended about an hour later with Harry catching the snitch before Charlie did. Iris cheered her father on and hastily jumped off the swing when he flew close to her so he can take her on her first broomstick ride. Hermione nervously watched as he sat Iris in front of him and let her hold the handle. He just smiled at her and told her not to worry before making the broom move forward. She could see the happiness in both their eyes, making her relax a bit. She tensed again when Ron sat on the swing beside her and quietly watched Harry and Iris fly around the garden.

They remained quiet for a while. She was about to break the silence when he suddenly spoke, “How are things between you and Harry?”

She was surprised at the question. Funny how she was just thinking about it just a while ago.

“Things are better, I suppose. We're getting more and more comfortable with each other again. He spent the night at my flat last night,” she said while looking at the ground. She looked up to see Ron looking seriously at her. She fought herself from squirming under his gaze.

“I've never seen him as happy as he is now than in the fifteen years I've known him,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“I will never forget the way he looked when he came to my flat the night you left,” he said as he looked to the far away distance, “I've always known he loved you. When he told me that night that he finally told you how he felt and that you felt the same way but suddenly left without saying why, I was torn between being so mad at you and sympathizing with Harry. He was so heartbroken it was so difficult to watch. We had to slip him some sleeping potion in his tea so he can calm down.”

She kept silent while Ron spoke. She didn't know about this, she and Harry never talked about the night she left. She honestly didn't know what to say.

“When he woke up the next day, we talked. He said he'd look for you and he wouldn't stop until he did,” he continued, “He looked for you for five years. Luna and I had to force him from time to time to take a break or just to eat. He was worse the first few months, he barely took care of himself. It was when he fainted in his flat due to dehydration and malnutrition did he start taking care of himself again. I told him he won't be able to find you if he's dead, then you might not even want to get back with him because he looked like death.

“Two years in, I was starting to discourage him from looking for you. We both know that if you didn't want to be found, you wouldn't be. You're that smart. But he wouldn't hear any of it. I even tried setting him up with other witches from work. Luna gave me hell for that because she knew he loved you and wouldn't even think of going on dates while looking for you. Did you know that he never went on a single date in the past five years? Never even slept with any woman, even if they were practically throwing themselves at him. He was that devoted to you, said that he would be cheating on you if he went out with any woman.”

She whipped her head towards Ron at this and her mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say. Ron looked at her and she stuttered, “H-He never slept with anyone in five years?”

He nodded, “Yeah, been celibate all these years. Bloody crazy if you asked me.”

She looked down again, still trying to process this information. They've asked each other if they have dated in the past five years. She told him she went out with a few men but it never went beyond the first date. She also remembered him changing the subject without answering the question. She just assumed that he dated around and didn't want to tell her.

“I-I didn't know. He never told me,” she said in a low voice.

“I'm sure he didn't. Probably didn't want you to know he loved you that much. He didn't want you to know you have that much of power over him.”

“Then why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to do everything you can to let him know and assure him that you love him just as much. I know and I can see that you love him and he's just scared that you'd up and leave again. He wants to be with you but he's afraid, bloody terrified, of having his heart broken again by the same woman,” he answered solemnly.

She looked and studied Ron for a bit, her other best friend for the past fifteen years. He may have had the emotional range of a teaspoon in their teenage years but he has grown to be a mature man, father and husband.

“I deserved it if he finds it hard to trust me but I promised myself that I'll do everything to show him that I love him and I'm here to stay. I was stupid to leave before and I won't do that to him again. I will never forgive myself if I hurt him again.”

“I know. But even if you broke his heart, I will still beat his arse if he broke yours,” he teased, finally smiling at her.

She smiled back and said, “I'm sure that won't be necessary but thank you, Ron.”

He stood and faced her saying, “And they say I'm the immature one in the trio,” before turning towards Harry and Iris who were finished from flying. The little girl had the brightest smile on her face Hermione has ever seen. She ran towards Ron, who took her into his arms and spun her around. She squealed loud and giggled as they came to a stop.

“Wanna go in the kitchen and steal some cookies from Nana Molly?” he asked her conspiratorially.

She smiled mischievously, which Hermione thought was suspiciously similar to her father's, and nodded. They began walking towards the house while Harry went to sit on the swing Ron was occupying earlier.

“Did you have fun? How did she like flying?” she asked.

“Well, I can confidently say that she will soon be playing quidditch when she starts going to Hogwarts,” he answered, puffing his chest out.

“I thought about the same thing earlier.” They laughed together for a bit before Harry turned towards her with a serious expression on her face.

“What did you and Ron talk about? Looked serious.”

She was silent for a few minutes before facing him, looking straight into his eyes. “Is it true you never went out on a date or slept with other women in the past five years?”

Harry sighed and looked towards the house. “Bloody Ron.”

“Not once?”

“Not once.”

“Why?”

He looked at her as if she was being daft, “Do you really have to ask that?”

“W-Well, you could have had any woman,” she said lamely.

“YOU were the woman I wanted but you were gone. There wasn't anyone else I was interested in, so dating and sleeping around weren't exactly on my to-do list.”

“But when we talked about it, you didn't answer. I just assumed you did.”

“It doesn't matter to me whether you dated in the past five years or not. I never dated because I wasn't interested in it. I never dated because I was in love with you. I couldn't do that to you,” his voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

“I'm sorry. I don't think I'll ever say sorry enough,” she said, “I dated because I thought you'd just move on and date other women. I tried to date but I just kept comparing them to you and they just weren't enough.”

He looked at her with soft eyes and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Like I said, it doesn't matter,” he said. She nodded and just stared at his eyes.

He suddenly stood up and said with a smile, “We better go inside. Who knows what Ron's been feeding our daughter.”

She laughed and nodded. He held out his hand and she took it as she stood up. And he didn't let go of her hand even after they had gone into the Burrow.

~~~~~

It was late when they got back to Hermione's flat after their animated dinner at the Burrow. Harry was carrying his sleeping daughter in his arms as they apparated into the sitting room. Hermione led him to their daughter's room.

When she turned on the lights, what she saw on the little girl's bed made her blood turn cold. She quickly turned to Harry pulling his sleeve back the way they came and said in an urgent voice,

“We need to leave the flat. Now.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Dun dun duuunn. So, what did you think? Lemme know! You guys are awesome! :)

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## 6. The Hounds

A/N: OH. MY. GOD. I am back! I am 1000x sorry, my dears, for being gone for so long. Two year s, I believe! I've always meant to come back to this story but I just couldn't get around to actually writing again. I am still surprised that despite my long absence, there are still people following and liking this story, and for that I will strive to keep this story alive. Anyway, this chapter will be an introduction to certain major characters in the story. Hope you like this one! :D

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

He had always been fond of his office. The view of the New York City skyline from the floor-to-ceiling windows was his favorite. He knew the moment he had this building built for their corporate empire that he would be spending more of his time here, rather than his own flat. It had been a very strenuous day and watching lights dance around every corner of his office window gave him peace for the first time that day. He could never get tired of watching every piece of light turn on as dusk fall upon the sky. Yet he was not alone in the room. A large brusque man with blond hair sat at the bar at the far right of the room, sipping from a snifter of whiskey. On the couch near the bookshelves, on the other side of the bar, a petite woman with flaming red hair and fair skin, in a business suit, sat while reading some documents. They had known each other since they were children and working together was only natural. For years, they have been devising a plan. A scheme that, when executed perfectly, will change the world as they know it. A slight smile came to his lips with that thought. They will change the world and create history. A lifelong dream their ancestors weren't able to realize, they now had the power to fulfill themselves. He may have been a bit worried, for the first time in his life, but he was sure they will succeed.

His musings were interrupted by a short knock on the door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering.

“Enter,” he called out, as he turned around to face whoever disturbed his trail of thought.

The door opened to reveal a tall, slender woman with olive-colored skin, her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun. Icy-blue eyes filled with darkness and evil looked at him, others who saw her would have ran far away in an instant.

Andreina was the perfect right-hand man, or rather, woman. She was efficient not just as his second in command, but also as a trained assassin. Having found her as a child, he personally trained her to be ruthless and indifferent, listened to and obeyed no one else but him—the best assets of a killer.

“Ah yes, Andreina. More candidates, I assume?” he said in a thick Italian accent, sitting on the huge leather chair behind his desk.

“Yes. I think you, Dareia and Haemon will like this new batch, mio signoré,” she answered, as she placed the stack of papers on his desk.

Both the man at the bar and the woman at the couch looked up at the mention of their names and stood up to approach the desk at the middle of the room.

“Good. We already have a good number of candidates but having more is a good back-up plan,” he said, nodding, while he picked up another stack of papers on the right side of his desk and passed them to Andreina.

“I need you to pick up these candidates. These are the people I need for the research and development department in Sydney.”

He waited patiently as she read through the batch of dossiers of the people she's supposed to recruit for their plans. He noticed a slight twitch on her impassive face as she reached the last person on the list.

“Something wrong, bella?” Dareia asked calmly as she sat on top of the desk.

She looked straight at her, then at Marius and passed the sheets of paper with information, “This person went missing just two days ago. We are still not aware of her current whereabouts,” she answered bluntly.

“You have men monitoring these people, yes? Then how are you not able to know where she is now?” Haemon inquired collectedly, not even waiting for Andreina to reply.

“She is very smart, Lord Haemon, as the records show. If she doesn't want to be found by anyone, she won't be,” she said in a smooth voice. “Even by Cerberus agents.”

Marius put his elbows on top of his desk and rested his chin on the back of his clasped hands.

“Find her. And don't come back to me until you do,” he ordered with a severe tone in his voice.

Andreina bowed her head wordlessly and walked back towards the door. As the door closed almost quietly, he turned his chair to face the windows again. The night lights twinkled in the night like stars yet he can't seem to find the usual calm he felt when looking at the city skyline. He was starting to feel frustration at the possible delay this will cause his plans and he will not have it. He leaned back and put his fingers together as he contemplated his next strategy.

“Things in Sydney are going smoother than they are here, Dareia?” he asked the woman on his right.

“Of course. The offices and the laboratories are all up and ready to start running,” she answered before waving her hand to summon a drink of her own from the bar.

“Good. You and Haemon will fly to Sydney as soon as you can to watch over things while I wait for word on our missing candidate.”

“Is it still necessary to find her? We have other candidates talented and smart enough to accomplish the task we need,” Haemon asked.

“She's an important figure in the magical community. She's on a whole other level as the other candidates. Wouldn't it be fun to watch her dance like a puppet by my strings?” he said with malice in his tone.

“You intend to break her, then?” Dareia inquired as she folded her arms and looked at Marius curiously.

“Oh, I do. Very much,” he replied with an evil grin.

-----

“We found her, Lord Marius,” Andreina said as she came into his office after a week. He has been growing impatient with the delay of finding the last person on the group he was assembling.

“Good. Now, where is she?” he asked without looking up at her while reading some documents.

“She's in Australia,” she answered quickly. He looked up at her in surprise, “She's been staying in a hotel in Sydney and we found her because she's been trying to look for a job, both in the muggle and wizarding world,” she continued.

Marius stood up and began pacing by the window. “Very good. Contact every connection we have and tell them not to hire her. We will fly to Sydney tomorrow. I will personally make sure that she applies for a job at our company,” he said without pause.

“Yes, mio signoré,” Andreina said before she turned around and left the room.

Finally, he thought, finally.

-----

This was probably the coldest day he had ever experienced while being in Sydney. It was the middle of the year and winter is upon Australia, it was still too cold. Thanks to modern technology and a little bit of magic, his office was as cozy as summer. He's been there for a few days now and he had plenty of work to do. Paperwork was piling up on his desk but he has been ignoring them in anticipation.

A minute or so later, there was a knock and Andreina opened the door.

“Marius, Ms. Granger is here for the interview,” she said with a small smile on her usually impassive face.

“Ah yes, let her in, please,” he said with a smile of his own.

Andreina opened the door further, took a step inside and stood by the opened door. Just by the threshold was a rather petite woman, lean with pale complexion. Here hair was in simple pleats and she was wearing a crisp light blue shirt in a black business suit. She looked at Andreina first then stepped into his office. After the door closed, she walked towards his desk. As she drew closer, Marius discreetly studied her a bit more. She walked straight with confidence, studied her surroundings with clear attention and her intelligence simply radiated from her. Didn't matter that she's muggle-born, he needed her brains for his plans.

She stopped in front of his desk and looked straight at him.

“It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Hermione Granger,” he said as he extended his hand to her.

“Mr. Marius Ambrose, believe me when I say it's a bigger pleasure meeting you,” she said, shaking his hand firmly but briefly.

“Please have a seat,” he motioned at the chair to her left as he sat on his own chair.

“Thank you,” she answered.

He stared at her for a few seconds, noting that she was very calm and on guard.

Interesting, he thought.

He picked up a folder which contained information about her. He already knew all of them but he just wanted to go to the pretense of reading them.

“Your school records and transcripts are exceptional, Ms. Granger. As I've heard, you are not just a war hero but also the brightest witch of your age,” he said without looking away from the files.

“I was merely fighting for my life and the lives of the people I loved. Many were heroes in the past war,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, “As for being the brightest of my age, I just worked and studied hard.”

He nodded and smiled. “But,” he looked up from the papers and stared directly at her, “you did not finish your advanced healer training program and suddenly moved here. May I ask why?”

She tried to be subtle but he noticed the change in her posture, her hands tightened around each other. She was more on her guard now. Even more interesting.

“It's a personal matter, actually,” she answered coolly.

“Of course, of course,” he said, waving his hand around, “Forgive me for being intrusive.”

“It's alright.”

“Very well,” he said, dismissing the matter but decided to explore the matter some other day, “I hope you are aware of what we do here at Cerberus Industries?”

“Oh yes,” she answered with a smile. He saw her relaxed a little, probably glad that the conversation has steered away from her more personal matters.

“I have read great things about your company. Research and experiments on bringing muggle technology to the wizarding world, you also pioneered in making medicinal potions into tablets and capsules for easier consumption. You also buy and invest in struggling muggle businesses and turning them into mega corporations,” she enumerated, “I'm sure I'm missing some but these are the major trades I know of your company, Mr. Ambrose.”

He could hear the pride in her voice and he can't help but smile. A small laugh escaped his mouth before speaking.

“So you have heard of us. That's good, especially if you're going to start working with us. Have you been briefed regarding the type of work and responsibilities involved in the job you applied for?” he asked her.

“Yes. I will be involved in the research and development department for spells and charms, if I'm not mistaken.”

“That is correct,” he said, nodding. He stood up and began pacing behind his desk. “We have successfully incorporated medicinal potions into solid form, now I want to be able to translate spells into potions. Every spell. Some spells have counterparts in potion form, but what about other spells that do not? Can they be recreated into potions? That is what I want to know.”

He turned to her and smiled, “This is my new project. Despite your incomplete advanced healer training, your knowledge of spells and potions are astounding and I'm sure you will be a great asset to this company. Would you like to accept the job?”

“Yes, of course,” she answered quickly, delighting him, “I would really love to be involved in such a project. I don't think anyone has ever tried it before and it would be great to be part of the team who will pioneer, research and learn about it.”

“Wonderful! I believe Amanda recommended this job to you, yes?”

He saw her surprise but she quickly recovered, “Why, yes. She works here and she told me you had an opening in the department she's assigned in.”

“That is good and you will be working in the same department,” he said as he sat back down, “Amanda can tell you the rest about the job and you can start next week, yes?”

“Yes, sir. I can start next week.”

“Good,” he stood and held out his hand to her again, “Looking forward to seeing you here soon, Ms. Granger,” he said with a smile.

She smiled back and stood. She took his hand and shook it. “Thank you, sir.”

After shaking his hand, she turned around to leave. As she reached the door, he called out, “Take care, Ms. Granger.”

As Andreina opened the door for her, she turned to look at him and smiled, “You too, sir,” and left.

Andreina sat on the chair that was previously occupied by Hermione Granger.

“So what did you think?” she asked.

“She's just what I'm looking for.”

He stood up and made his way towards the windows, similar to his New York office, overlooking the Sydney Opera House, “Make sure Amanda is keeping an eye on her. We can't afford to lose Ms. Granger again.”

-----

A heavily secured door faced him. He swiped his key card and presented his right eye to the optical scanner located on the right side of the door. The clicking sounds that ensued from inside the door's locking mechanism signalled his entry was allowed. Even early in the morning the place was already bustling with movements and noises from the analysts and researchers he had hired. Standing in front of a wide one-way glass, he amused himself in watching those brilliant minds put to work. He stood behind a clear glass above the busy laboratory. It wasn't your typical everything-is-white kind of laboratory; it had wooden, polished walls (sound-proof, of course) with rows after rows of shelves of books, muggle or magic and anything in between; papers were scattered on heavy desks and magic was flying everywhere. Testing rooms for more elaborate experiments were located at the back of the lab for the safety of other people. Each analyst was given a desk and a computer that has been modified, partly run by electricity and partly by magic, to be able to withstand the amount of magic the room contained. He was profoundly pleased with the design of the room. As he slowly paced along the glass, he looked for a particular analyst, one he had hired just two weeks ago. Movement at the far corner of the laboratory caught his eye. He moved a little closer and tilted his head in curiosity. Ms. Granger was already carrying a few large books and yet her brows are drawn together while studying the other books on the shelves. A smile played on his mouth as he went to the phone on the table at the corner of the room.

“Ah yes, please proceed to the observation room,” was all he said before putting the phone back to its receiver.

Not ten minutes later, a tall woman with blonde hair entered the room. She had eyes as blue as the sky but she hid them behind thick spectacles. Another muggle-born witch with so much potential. He found her struggling to find her place in both the muggle and wizarding world, and he gave her this place. She acts as both the head of the department and his spy among the analysts. She was his eyes and ears amongst these geniuses. But that didn't make her trust him. Oh she trusted him, but not enough to keep her guard down around him, even after years of working for him. She truly was a smart girl.

“You're fairly early today, Lord Ambrose,” she said in a steady voice.

“Ah Amanda, I'm merely observing how my analysts and researchers are. You know I like my employees happy and healthy,” he said without turning to face her.

“How is she doing?”

Amanda didn't need to ask who Mr. Ambrose was pertaining to. She knew he had been keeping a close eye on her roommate since she began working at Cerberus.

“She's been adjusting pretty well. She has spoken to almost all of the members of the department and it seems she has taken a liking to her job here,” she answered quickly.

“Has she said anything about her personal life? About her life back at London?”

“No. We talk about our work at home but she hasn't been sharing anything deeper,” she sighed, “She is constantly on guard around people, careful not to say anything intimate or to get attached to people.”

“Interesting, indeed,” was all he said. It was after a few moments before he spoke again.

He looked at Amanda with calm but firm eyes, “Learn what you can about her; her history, her life at school and after, everything. If anything arises, inform me as soon as possible.”

Her brows moved in reaction to his order, but her face became blank instantly. It was quick but he caught it. With a quick bow, she immediately exited the room.

He turned back to the laboratory. He was increasingly curious of Ms. Granger's personal affairs. It was not common for him to be interested in anyone's business unless he had a need for it or use of it. To him, everyone had a use for him and when that utility is gone, they can be easily replaced.

-----

Cerberus Industries Australia was one of the most elegant-looking high-rise in Sydney. Thousands of people walked in and out of the massive main lobby located on the ground floor were both magical and non-magical people worked under a common, if albeit unknowingly, goal under Cerberus. The building's security was impressive for both muggles and wizards alike. Metal detectors on all entrances, bio-scanners and access control as well as biometric systems to deter even the most earnest infiltrator. And for the wizards, anti-apparition wards were embedded within the walls to make even Hogwarts jealous. Various counter-spells and anti-charms most wizards don't even know about were ensorcelled into every nook, cranny and crevice of the building. It made breaking into a near impossible feat.

Within Cerberus Industries' towering structure were a myriad of offices, laboratories and rooms where science and magic ran amok. Here, the undiscovered secrets of science were being unravelled and the hidden mysteries of magic were explored. Science and magic progressed as one under Cerberus' guidance. Cures to illnesses, famine and even war were researched, tested and exploited by various projects at any given time.

One such project was the research of manifesting magic into tangible objects. Various spells compressed into a single capsule to be ingested by both magical and non-magical people. All under the pretense of being for the betterment of mankind as a whole.

But underneath all that was the true face of Cerberus. The sinister, darker side that explored weapons created from the manifestation of magical spells charged into objects. Wands capable of being used by muggles, firearms that were powered by spells and even teleporting vehicles to use in war at the push of a button. All these were done in secret, under a select group of men and women who answered only to the three Heads of Cerberus.

Under one of Marius' projects, Hermione laboured to unlock the secrets of transmutation. The art of charging spells into physical form and vice-versa. She soon realized that there was more to this project than Marius was letting her on. She decided to dig deeper into the company's operations in secret. Months and years of investigating, first she uncovered the shady dealings with former Death Eater sympathizers. Then there was the black market dealings and the horrid weapons program. Finally, the references to something called the Achilles Helix. She wasn't sure what it was, but from the context of the information that she unearthed she knew it was dangerous. It mentioned weapons of such ancient and powerful magic that its true purpose and meaning was hidden to the world lest it fell into the wrong hands.

Clever as she was, she knew she couldn't just up and leave the company. She knew Marius was keeping a close eye on her. She needed to plan and time her escape carefully, to make sure she and her daughter would be well away from this place before they even find out she was gone.

-----

When Haemon arrived in his office and told him to come with him, he didn't expect to be led down to the lower basement of the building. They used the special lift only he, Haemon and Dareia can use to access the restricted floors. As they reached their destination, they went straight to one of the isolation rooms, used for the more extreme experiments and for other activities, like extraction of information. Haemon opened the door and motioned for him to enter first. He was greeted with the sight of a man, wrapped in chains and hanging upside down in the middle of the room. His arms dangled above his head, tied together at the wrists and elbows. Patches of skin were already missing from his arms. Blood dripped on the floor and his men watched silently from the other side of the room.

“Well, what do we have here?” he said, amused.

Dareia stood facing the prisoner with a small bloody knife in her hand, turned her head towards him with a serene expression as if she wasn't flaying a man alive, inch by inch, and delighted in the pain she inflicted on her hapless victim.

“Some of our men overheard him contacting the aurors. He was hiding in one of the alleys behind the building,” she moved closer to the bleeding man, “They said his name was Augustus but I'm positively sure that name is a fake one, isn't it, mi bello?” She then delicately scraped her fingernails along the exposed meat of her victim's arms and smiled softly as the man screamed at the slight touch.

Marius walked around the hanging man with a curious look on his face. He barked a short laugh and leaned in close to the man's face, “Aurors? Why would you be contacting them?” he said, his expression flared from curious to anger in a blink of an eye.

The prisoner didn't answer but looked straight at Marius with challenging eyes. Sweat beaded on his brow as blood continued to drip and congeal on the floor. He had lost track on how long he had been under the sadistic touch or Dareia's care. He had known the minute the Cerberus Hounds found him in a back alley trying to get in touch with his handlers that he was a dead man. He had just hoped that he had sent the warning before he was interrupted with a blow to the back of his head.

“Ah, we have a silent type here, don't we? There's nothing to be shy about,” he said as he moved closer again.

“What's your name?” he asked calmly. The prisoner still didn't answer and never took his eyes off him.

Marius grabbed the man's hair with a sharp tug and pulled his head within inches of his face. “I shall ask you one more time. Are you Blackwatch?” he said through clenched teeth.

Dareia moved beside Marius with a satisfied look on her face. “He still refuses to answer even when he's at the verge of infinite pain,” she said with a hint of pleasure on her lips, “Such courage. Admirable, but pointless,”

“Well then,” Marius released the man's head and began to walk away, followed by Dareia. In an instant, he withdrew his wand from his coat's inner pocket then pointed it at the prisoner.

“Crucio!”

A blood-curdling scream filled the room. He had missed that particular sound, the sound of excruciating pain and suffering. He heard Haemon laugh behind him, and on his left, Dareia looked on with a small smile on her face. The man continued to scream in agony, writhing and jerking the chains that bound him. It's as if he was being cut in half.

“Finite!” Marius shouted, ending the Cruciatus Curse.

“You still won't answer our questions, young man?” he asked.

“Go... to... Hell,” the man struggled to say.

“I was expecting a different answer but if that's the way you want it…”

“Crucio,” Dareia casted the unforgivable curse this time. He had always known Dareia had a sadistic nature and no one could have suspected her of it. It did not show on her calm and sweet demeanour but she enjoyed every second of the torture she inflicted upon her victims. He did not know how long it lasted; he came to realize that all that could be heard was a slow dripping sound that echoed on the concrete walls. It seemed the man had died, both due to his wounds that bled profusely and the agonizing pain.

“Hmph. That was faster than I expected,” she said in dismay. She wiped the bloodied knife in her hand on one of the unnerved Hounds who could only stare at what had just transpired before she walked out of the room.

“Alright people, show's over,” Haemon started, clapped his hands together to gain the men's attention, “Best start cleaning this mess up, eh? Make sure this room is squeaky clean and the body disposed properly.”

Marius waited as the men moved about the room and released the chains to lower the dead man to the floor. He approached the corpse and with a snarl of frustration, he casted I ncendio. Flames ignited around the body and he watched it burn along with the blood surrounding it. The horrible stench of burning flesh filled their nostrils and permeated the room.

Haemon approached him and placed his hand on Marius's shoulder, “C'mon, Marius. It's been a long day. Let's leave them to it, eh?”

Marius turned to look at Haemon and gave him a small nod. He turned to stare back at the burning corpse then at the men who stood on the other side of the room, waiting for his command.

“Well then, do clean this room thoroughly,” he ordered, before he left with Haemon.

Dareia waited for them, her back rested on the wall beside the elevator doors.

“Took you long enough,” she said with a smile as the men approached.

“Marius set the body on fire before leaving. Such a good guy, really. Gives the Hounds less to do,” Haemon joked as he put his arm around Marius's shoulders.

“It's been a long time since I've seen a burning corpse. Besides, it annoys me that we did not obtain any information from the man,” he sighed.

“I am willing to bet that he is not alone here. There are others, definitely,” Dareia said.

A small chime signaled the arrival of the lift. Once the doors opened, the three stepped into the car as Marius spoke again, “We have to be more careful now. Let us keep our eyes open for more of these… spies. We cannot afford for the aurors or any of the authorities to hinder our plans.” He looked at his companions one after the other as they nodded in agreement.

-----

“Ms. Granger!” he called out to the woman about to exit the building. She turned and was surprised to see him walking towards her.

“Yes, Mr. Ambrose? You need anything?” she asked him politely. Even after working for him for three years and several outings around Sydney, she still treated him with professionalism and detachment. It frustrated him to no end, not knowing how to make her lose her guard around him. He had grown attached to her, his curiosity turned into interest and interest turned into obsession. He had been watching her constantly in the laboratories, observing her. And it came as a shock when he found out that she was pregnant a few months after she started working for him. He still did not know who the father was—she wouldn't tell anyone, not even Amanda. He had only seen the child a few times, yet he felt that she had something to do with Hermione's departure from London years ago.

“Ah no, nothing urgent. Are you going straight home?” he asked as he stopped in front of her.

“I have to pick up my daughter from the day care center,” she answered.

“Of course, of course.” He knew it to be true but he cannot help but notice as if Hermione had been trying to avoid him these past few weeks.

“Would you like me to accompany you?” he offered.

“I'm sure you have some important dinner meeting tonight,” she said with a smile.

“Well, I do have a meeting tonight but I have time to spare.”

“Oh, it's okay. It's just a waste of your time,” she looked at her wrist watch, a signal that the conversation was over, “I have to go, really. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“The offer still stands until the time you accept it,” he told her as she began walking out of the automatic glass doors.

Hermione simply turned to wave goodbye to him then turned onto the sidewalk.

He stood there, with a feeling of foreboding, as he watched her walk further away from the building.

-----

“W HERE IS SHE?” he asked Amanda once again, his hands gripped her hair tightly.

“Far away from you and your evil stench!” she shouted back.

He backhanded her then she fell on the floor. She spit a bit of blood as her lip was cut by the blow. He was not one to lose his temper, he rarely did. When Dareia came into his office earlier that day to report that Hermione Granger did not come to work and that important documents were missing from the restricted archives, he nearly destroyed everything in the room. At that moment, he had barely kept himself from killing Amanda outright if only to find out where Hermione run away to.

“Seems like our little Amanda isn't so little anymore,” Haemon said teasingly as he stood beside the mantel, “Got yourself some courage, have you, girl?”

Amanda glared at him from the floor but didn't answer.

“She was never going to be yours, Marius! She never trusted you! She knew something wasn't right from the very beginning, that you're some kind of monster!” she said vehemently.

Marius looked away and walked past the sofa where Dareia sat, her legs stretched upon the length of the sofa, and stood in front of a window, stared into the distance.

“Her loyalties were never with us, Marius. We knew that from the beginning,” she said as she summoned tea from the kitchen, “It was only a matter of time before she betrayed us.”

After a few moments, he audibly sighed and closed his eyes to calm himself down.

“I just don't understand why you had to betray us, Amanda? Why you had to betray me?” He turned to look at Amanda again as she struggled to sit up.

“I could not… be a part… of the evil… you want to unleash… unto the world,” she said in between heavy breaths.

Marius laughed, “Evil, you say? No. We are going to change the world to the way it should have been, beginning at the time of our ancestors. We will make the world rightfully in the image of our forefathers. We will make the world better!”

“You are fucking insane if you think you will succeed!” she shouted. Haemon was about to approach Amanda when she suddenly screamed and doubled over. He looked up to see Dareia pointing her wandat the woman, her face calm but her eyes were maniacal. She kept Amanda under the Cruciatus for a few more seconds before ending the curse. The woman collapsed on the floor again while coughing hard.

“We are not insane, bambina,” Dareia said slowly, “Those who betray us, those who think they can stop us are the insane ones.” She was about to cast the Cruciatus on Amanda again when Marius put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“That's enough, Dareia,” he told her.

She put her wand down on her lap and watched Marius as he walked around the sofa and crouched beside the curled-up figure of the woman on the floor.

“For the last time, Amanda, where is Hermione and her child?” he asked calmly.

“I'd… rather… die… than tell… you,” she answered.

He shook his head and stood up, “Very well,” he took his wand out of his coat and pointed it at her, “You shall die then. Avada Kedavra.”

Green light filled the room yet nothing was heard from the woman on the floor. As the room came back to normal, the first thing he saw was the lifeless blue eyes starting up at the ceiling. His wand remained pointed at the corpse at his feet as he chanted, “Evanesco,” And then it was gone. As if Amanda Sinclair never existed in this world.

Dareia and Haemon approached Marius as he placed his wand back into his coat.

“We need to find Hermione Granger and recover what she took from us,” he said to them.

“And if she resists?” Haemon asked.

“Then kill her.”

A/N: What did you think? Are they scary or what? Leave me some reviews please! After this one, we'll go back to regular programming. LOL.

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## 7. The Truth

A/N: HEY I'M BACK. AGAIN. HUHU. It's been what, a year (give or take) since my last update? No, I haven't given up on this story, it's just life gets in the way sometimes and I'd get writer's block. Anyway, this chapter is the continuation of that cliffhanger I left you in Chapter 5! This one's the longest chapter I've written so far. Hope you enjoy it! Love love! 3

"We need to leave the flat. Now."

Hermione pushed Harry out of their daughter's room and began summoning things from both of their rooms.

"Hermione, wait. What's going on? We just got here," Harry said with worry in his expression while he sheltered the sleeping child in his arms from the objects flying through the hallway.

"I'll explain later. Right now we need to—," She wasn't able to finish as the front door to the flat was blasted open. Iris woke and screamed in fright as Harry and Hermione huddled over the child to protect her from the debris. After the initial shock of the attack wore off, Harry grabbed Hermione's arm, ran towards the sitting room and took shelter behind the couch. Curses were flying through the door, randomly hitting objects in the room. Hermione immediately casted a deep-sleep spell and silencing spell on a crying Iris. This was for Iris' sake as to avoid her from being traumatized by the chaos and ferocity of what she's sure was about to happen. After the spells were casted, Harry transferred the little girl into her mother's arms, waved his hand to place a very strong protective charm on them both before he summoned his wand unto his hand. Despite the commotion, Hermione took a moment to be amazed at his power. She had always known Harry was an extremely powerful wizard but as humble as he was, he rarely displayed it. They looked at each other's eyes before he gave her a nod and and sprung out from behind the shelter of the couch.

"Harry, no!" she called out but her voice was drowned out by the noise. She simply closed her eyes and held Iris tightly to her. She prayed to any and all powers that be that Harry would be safe.

As Harry left the cover of the couch, he rolled on the floor to avoid a curse. He used a spell to increase the density of the smoke to mask his movements. He wasn't sure how many attackers there were so he kept low and moved slowly towards the front door. He stopped his advance when he saw a vague silhouette moving towards him. Shifting his position, he flattened himself along the wall and waited as the silhouette moved closer and closer. As the silhouette passed him, he stealthily grabbed the person, and realized it was a man, in a rear-naked chokehold. He felt that the man was wearing a peculiar mask and made a mental note to study the mask after he was done dealing with the assailants. He felt the man began to lose consciousness and slowly felt the struggle ebb out of the assailant. When he was sure the attacker was out, Harry guided the unconscious man unto the floor silently. Through the smoky haze, he resumed his advance towards the front door slowly. When a green curse flew by his left shoulder, he ran at full speed and hit the attacker around his middle with his shoulder. The man stumbled back and they both fell on the floor. Harry rolled away as the man aimed his wand and fired another curse at him. As he righted his position, he faced the direction of the attacker and saw he was wearing another peculiar mask. Another curse flew towards him and he immediately rolled towards the masked man then swept the man's legs from under him. When the man fell on the floor, Harry instantaneously raised his wand and stunned the masked man.

Harry stood up slowly as he listened intently whether there were more attackers coming. When he didn't hear a single sound, he banished the smoke with a swish of his wand. Ropes flew from his wand and coiled themselves on the masked men's arms and legs. After he was sure that both men were secured and won't be able to escape, he moved to check the ruined door and the outside hallway leading to the flat. Neighbors began coming out of their respective flats to check what the noise was all about and where it was coming from. He simply smiled and waved at the other tenants before returning inside Hermione's flat. He would have to ask the aurors toobliviatethe other tenants so what happened tonight would be erased from their memories. He discreetly reassembled the ruined door then closed it, before going back to check on Hermione and their daughter.

He found them still hiding behind the couch. Hermione's eyes were closed as if she was praying while tightly holding a sleeping Iris in her arms. Harry crouched in front of her and lightly touched her cheek. Her eyes opened in surprise and widened even more as they focused on his face.

"Oh, Harry!" she breathed with relief in seeing he was all right.

Harry gave her a slight smile before he spoke. "Hey, I'm fine. I've secured the attackers and left them tied in the hallway. I just need to send mypatronusto the Auror Headquarters."

Hermione simply nodded and watched Harry as he said, "Expecto Patronum!" A silvery form of a stag emerged from the tip of his wand and galloped around them before standing still in front of Harry.

"Hey Prongs," he said as he gently stroked thepatronus' neck, "Go to Neville and deliver this message, 'Hermione's flat was attacked. We are fine; I was able to subdue the attackers. Please come.'" The stag simply nodded before turning towards the window and dashed into the night. After watching thepatronusfade, he turned around and took the sleeping child from Hermione. Once he secured his daughter in his arm, he pulled Hermione towards him and wrapped his other arm around her.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he leant his cheek on her hair.

She burrowed her face on his neck and nodded, "A little shaken but alright."

The little family stood there for quite some time before they heard a popping sound of apparation. Neville was one of the few able to apparate directly into the flat's sitting room.

"Harry! Hermione!" Neville approached them and quickly scanned them for any visible injuries.

"We're fine, Neville. We're not hurt," Harry answered his probing eyes. Neville simple nodded then proceeded to look around the flat. His expression of concern quickly changed into surprise as he saw the damage and devastation that littered the flat. He followed the trail of debris from the sitting room entryway to the hallway that led to the front door. As he turned in the hallway, he saw two masked men bound and unconscious on the floor. He promptly did a physical scan on both men to make sure both were still alive. When he was sure that they weren't injured extensively, he crouched to exam them closely. He noticed one had a wand in his hand, Neville took the wand and castedPriori Incantatoto find out what spells were used. Green light came out of the wand, revealing theAvada Kedavracurse. His eyes search the other for his wand and saw it lying a few feet away. He stood to pick up the wand and perform anotherPriori Incantato. This wand emitted the red light that came with the Cruciatus curse. He did not see any other spells casted by the wand, same as the previous one he examined. Two knocks on the front door suddenly rang and he knew his aurors have arrived. His men had to apparate to an alley close to the flat and walk the rest of the way, as the wards of the flat are strong, courtesy of Harry, and would not allow them entry. Wands in his hand, Neville left the suspects and went to open the front door. Three men stood outside in full auror uniform. He nodded, opened the door wider and stood aside to let the men enter the flat.

"Jenkins, Lee, we got two suspects unconscious inside. Secure them and set a guard while Monroe and I secure the premises and check for other clues as to who they are. Keep your guard up, we're not sure if this is over yet."

They broke into two groups as two of his men approached the suspects and stood guard, while Neville and the other auror went about to investigate the scene of the crime. Neville gave Monroe a nod and pointed at the doors leading to the bedrooms. Monroe understood and went towards the other direction, which led to the kitchen and sitting room.

He went to the furthest door first. As he opened the door to the room, he realized it was Hermione's room. He went towards the bookshelves while doing a scan for bugs and charms that could have been planted in her room. He scanned every inch of the room and when he found nothing, he left the room and went to the next door. He knew before opening the door that it was their daughter's room. As he opened the door, his eyes fell on the bed that was at the center of the room. A black, shiny figurine of a three-headed dog was perched on top of the pillow on the bed. His blood immediately ran cold as he recognized it. He levitated the figurine and placed it inside an evidence bag he kept in his coat. He studied the figurine up close and saw the engraving on the side,Κέρβερος.He hurriedly turned around and went straight to Harry and Hermione who sat on the couch, holding each other and the still sleeping child.

"Hermione," he said, calling for their attention. Both looked up to him at the sound of his voice.

"Why do you have this?" he asked as he raised his hand to show the figurine in the transparent bag, "Do you know what this is?"

Harry's brow creased as he looked at what was inside the bag in Neville's hand then turned to look at Hermione and saw her expression changed from surprise to fear. She looked away and he saw her close her eyes with what seemed like pain on her face.

When she didn't answer, Neville turned to him.

"Harry," he began, "for the past two years, I have been investigating a group that deals with weapons smuggling, illegal drug distribution, illegal magic and potions application, illegal muggle experimentation and slavery, and many other heinous crimes. They are known to kill whoever stood in their way; they do not have qualms in killing muggles or wizards. And this figurine," he shook the bag in his hand, "means you're a target. They often leave this on their victims as a warning, that they will beÉ dealt with."

Harry's eyes widened at the realization of what Neville had been saying. His head twisted toward Hermione so fast, he felt as if he almost broke his neck.

"Hermione?" he said her name tentatively. She looked up to face him and he saw unshed tears in her eyes. He also saw her fear, clear as day. His every instinct reacted to that look in her eyes, every protective fibre in his being shook with what he saw.

"Who is this group, Nev?" he asked without looking away from Hermione. He heard Neville release a long breath before speaking.

"In the black market and underground world, they are known as theKeroberos. But you might know them better as Cerberus International Industries," came the answer.

"What?!" he almost shouted, his frown deepened, eyes disbelieving as they continue to look at Hermione.

The tears that filled her eyes fell unwittingly. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You must realize, Harry, that Hermione is in grave danger, in more danger now than during the war. These people are not only deadly but also very powerful," Neville continued, "We have had numerous raids on their warehouses and docks but we never found enough evidence to make them go away. It's as if they're always a step ahead."

One of the aurors went to Neville's side and whispered something to him. He nodded in response and faced Harry and Hermione again.

"I'd like for both of you to come to my office tomorrow morning, first thing," he looked to Harry then turned his gaze to Hermione, his eyes softening, "Harry, take Hermione and your daughter back to your flat. They'll be safer there. I'll send someone to keep a close eye on you. Hermione, I need to know what happened in the years you were gone. I need to know why theKeroberosis after you. Please, Hermione. We need everything we can get to nail these bastards."

Without looking at him, she simply nodded her head. With a curt nod at Harry, he signaled his men and went in front of the fireplace to floo. Harry watched as the aurors levitated the unconscious masked men toward the fireplace as well, opting to floo rather than apparate. Neville gave him a last look before he vanished into the flames, followed by his subordinates.

He continued to watch until the flames died down and all that was left were charred wood at the bottom of the fireplace. He was broken out of his thoughts when Iris suddenly moved in his arms. He didn't know how long they sat there, each lost in their thoughts about what happened that night and what would happen in the coming days. He reached out to touch Hermione's twisting hands in front of her. She stopped and didn't move for a minute before she looked at him.

"Let's get out of here," he said, his voice soft. She nodded, still not wanting to speak. They stood up; he shifted Iris in one of his arms and wrapped the other Hermione's shoulders. She moved to hug him and buried her face in his shoulder while keeping their daughter between them.

The familiar sensation of apparating took them both till their feet hit solid ground. They stood unmoving in the middle of the room for a few minutes before Hermione broke the hug then looked at Harry. He raised his hand to gently caress her cheek, wanting to erase the fear that clouded her eyes. Her eyes momentarily closed at his touch and she slowly let out a shaky breath. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at her surroundings to distract herself from that night's events, realizing that this was the first time she had visited Harry's flat since he found her a month an a half ago. Hermione moved out of Harry's arms to walk around the flat. She was surprised to see that the flat had a huge open space. Tall glass windows lined the side of the flat. She looked out of one of the windows to see where they could be in London. The flat was probably on the highest floor of the building, in the heart of muggle London, as she can see the city's wide skyline. She turned her back at the windows to continue studying the flat. On her right side was the sitting area; dark yet comfortable-looking leather couches formed a U shape, with a thick wool rug underneath, in front of a fireplace. Pictures littered the top of the mantle, Hermione moved closer to look at them. There were magical and muggle photos, quite similar what she had on her own fireplace. A photo of the Trio while in Hogwarts, probably in their third year; a laughing Harry and her, arms around each other after he graduated from law school; another was a photo of Harry and Hermione with the Weasleys at Molly's birthday a few years before she left; Lily and James dancing under falling leaves, the only photo Harry had of his parents; a photo of their daughter on a swing, laughing; and photo of Harry, herself and Iris, taken a week ago in her flat. She was genuinely surprised to see a muggle photo of her and their daughter, one that she had in a frame in her own flat, beside the other photos. Harry must've copied it when she wasn't looking. On the other side of the flat was a modern dining table that could fit six people. To the right was a counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area. By the kitchen was a set of stairs leading upstairs where the bedrooms must be, she assumed. Beside the stairs was a slightly opened door, probably Harry's office.

"How many rooms does this flat have?" she asked as turned to look at Harry.

Harry simply watched Hermione when she started looking around his flat. For a bachelor like Harry, it had been a wonder for many friends why he had bought a huge flat for himself. What they didn't know was that he bought the flat with Hermione in mind. He had bought this flat a year after Hermione's departure, with hopes that when he found her, they would live and build their family here. And he had yet to bring her to the flat after finding her weeks ago. He couldn't understand it fully himself but he had felt that he wasn't ready to show her the flat. Now that Hermione, and possibly their daughter, was in danger. There was no question and doubt that they will stay with him from now on. He slightly shook his head to come back to the present to answer her question.

"Uhm. Four, I believe," he answered.

"This is a huge flat for a bachelor, Harry," she said, looking around again, "I doubt you bought it just because you can, but because you need it."

He chuckled, as he was thinking about the same sentiments his friends have said. He shook his head.

"I didn't buy the flat just because I was being vain, no." He turned slightly and started for the stairs. Hermione immediately followed him.

"Then why did you buy this place? I know you can afford it but I'm sure it didn't come cheap," she wondered.

Harry took his time in answering the question. As they reached the second floor landing, he faced Hermione and answered.

"I bought this flat because I thought that once I found you and was able to convince you to come back to London with me, we could live here together and start a family."

He tried to seem nonchalant with his answer and began walking towards the bedrooms. He stopped at the first door on the left and when he realized that Hermione didn't follow him, he looked back to where she was. Hermione stood dumbstruck, looking like a statue with her mouth covered by her hand. Tears began to form in her eyes and she tried and failed to will them to stop. Two tears fell from her eyes that she hastily wiped with her hand that previously covered her mouth.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. Harry simply nodded then opened the door to the room. He understood what she meant. She was sorry, again, for leaving; sorry that she kept away for years; sorry that she caused him pain the past five years; sorry for not telling him about Iris; sorry for the problems and trouble she had brought him now. As she entered the room Harry and Iris were in, she was surprised to see that the room had matched their daughter's bedroom in her flat. She slowly moved to the bed where Harry had already tucked the sleeping child in, making sure that the cover was snug enough so Iris wouldn't feel cold. He kissed her on the forehead and on the cheek then moved back to the door and waited for Hermione to kiss Iris goodnight, as well. After she was done, she walked back and with one last look at Iris, she gently closed the door behind her. She looked up to see Harry staring at her intently before moving to the door across their daughter's room. Harry opened the door and stood to the side to let her in. Her hand moved to her chest when she saw, like the other room, this room was an exact replica of her room. She turned to look at Harry, wonder clear in her eyes. "H-howÉ W-whyÉ?"

Harry simply shrugged one shoulder and faced the room. "Iris showed me around your flat once when you were out to get groceries. The next day, I converted these room to match your bedrooms back at your flat," again, he shrugged one shoulder before continuing, "I kind of had this idea that someday, you and Iris would stay here with me."

Hermione nodded even if he couldn't see her. She moved into the room and stood beside the bed that was slightly bigger than the one she had in her flat. She deposited her beaded bag and her wand on the bed then stood there, unmoving. Deciding to give her time and space, Harry started to move out of the room when she called out to him.

"Harry?"

He immediately turned to face her.

"Yes?"

She was still for a few moments before she looked at Harry with a pleading expression on her face.

"Stay with me a while. Please?" she whispered. Her voice was so soft and low that Harry thought he had only imagined it. But looking at her face, he realized it was real. His feet began moving even before his mind made his decision. He stopped at Hermione's side and reach out to her shoulders, turning her to face him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"Of course," he said, his right hand moved to caress her hair while the other held her tightly to him, "I'll stay for as long as you need me to."

Hermione's answer was just a nod as she buried her face into Harry's neck, savoring the feeling of warmth and safety his arms and body provided her. After a long while, which felt like forever for both of them, she slowly broke the hug and sat on the bed. She grasped Harry's hand and pulled, telling him without words to sit beside her. He sat down then shifted so that his body faced her side. She kept her eyes straight at the wall, unseeing. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and released it, before she opened her eyes as determination seeped into her expression.

"When IÉ abruptly left five years ago, I went to Australia," she began, "I don't know what prompted me to go there but I guess it's because it was where I sent my parents years ago, before the Final BattleÉ"

"I went there three years ago, you know, for two weeks. I looked for you there," he interrupted.

She nodded, "I know. Amanda, my roommate, heard from one of her friends in the Ministry in Magical Sydney that you were there looking for me. She told her friend not to disclose that I was indeed in Australia. And I've hidden my magical signature so you couldn't trace me while you were there. I barely left the flat, I went straight to work then back home right after. Which was fine as Iris was in her terrible two's so I needed to be home as often as I could," she sighed, "Anyway, I stayed in a hotel for a while. Luckily, I could access my vault here in Gringotts London thru Gringotts Sydney so I had money but I knew I needed to find work.

"As I wasn't able to finish my healer training and I didn't want to work at a hospital, knowing that you can be easily find me in one, I tried to look for other jobs. I couldn't understand it but for two weeks, I couldn't get a job, even as a clerk for a bookshop. Whenever they see my resume, they would tell me they didn't have a vacancy or I'm over-qualified. One day, as I was having coffee in a cafŽ while looking at classified ads in both muggle and magical newspapers, a woman approached me. 'Are you looking for a job?' she asked me. I told her that I was and that I've been having a hard time getting one. She told me that she could refer me to the company she worked forÉ"

"Cerberus International Industries," Harry guessed.

"Yes. Amanda Sinclair told me to go to Cerberus the next day for an interview. I did and was outrageously surprised that Marius Ambrose, president of the company himself, interviewed me. I was hired immediately and started working a week later. I had loved my job there. I was surrounded by books and people who loved learning as much as I do. We would talk about theories and studies for hours. It was a good distraction for me, so I could stop thinking of you so much," she smiled sadly, "I was assigned to Magical Research and Development where we study how to do spells, charms and potions-work and try to recreate them into different forms and/or improve their effects. When researching a spell, I had to go back to its origins, the beginning of magic as it were. So I've learned quite a lot about our magic's history and origin than in Binns' History of Magic class," she chuckled.

"At first, the spells I studied were small ones,accioand such. Then came the complicated spells and potions. I was working hard so that they would not find reason to remove me from my job. Two months after I started working there, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't know what to do. Should I have called you and told you about the pregnancy? Should I go back to London? It wasn't a matter of whether I was going to keep the baby or not. I knew I was going to have her, no matter what," she sighed.

"You should have told me about her. I could have been there for you both," Harry tried his best to keep the anger and pain out of his voice but he knew he failed. Hermione finally looked at his eyes, regret and sorrow clear in those cinnamon colored eyes. Seeing them in her eyes ebbed his anger away.

"I know," she whispered, "Amanda told me to tell you, that you had every right to know but I was stubborn."

She faced the wall in front of her again, "At the same time, Marius had been giving me special attention. I knew what his intentions were and I tried dismissing him without compromising my job, but he was persistent. Nothing happened, really. I didn't want to get involved with anyone, especially with my boss, and I was still in love with you."

He already knew that she dated a few times while she was gone but he still couldn't help the jealousy he felt whenever he was reminded of it. Of course men would notice her, she was an intelligent and beautiful woman, inside and out. He was shaken out of his musings when she began to speak again, her voice laced with fear.

"Three years into working for Cerberus, that's when I began to feel that something wasn't right. Talks have been going around that employees have been vanishing one by one. Two or three missing employees in a year wouldn't have raised any alarm but two or three employees vanishing in a month is a different matter altogether. They didn't necessarily belong in the same departments, and our department wasn't spared. Two had already gone missing weeks before, then another analyst vanished and no one still knew why. I felt terrible because I was the last one to see her the night before, when we had to stay a bit late in the lab to finish one of our experiments. She was a brilliant researcher, French, and so young. I went to her desk to clear out her things when I stumbled upon a journal and several parchments that seemed out of place in the lab.

"In the notes, she wrote about the Greeks, the Trojan War, the three founders of Cerberus and their ancestors, and their connection to numerous illegal activities and crimes for the past years.

"As I've said, my work had let me learn magic's origins that haven't been discussed extensively during History of Magic with Professor Binns. I've learned more about it the last five years than the seven years I've been in Hogwarts," she chuckled, "And I've learned that our magic came from the half-blooded children of the Greek gods and Titans. Half-human half-gods, these children had powers or magic in them but no one had the strength of mind and body to harness it until Achilles.

"It was indicated that Achilles began to develop his magic years before the beginning of the Trojan War. That was one of the reasons why Menelaus recruited him and made him one of his generals. He was strong physically, mentally and magically. Once he was able to harness his magic, along with his Myrmidon generals, after he'd trained them, began creating spells to be used mainly in warfare. They didn't use wands back then, they used their weapons to be their magical conductor," she took a deep breath and stayed silent for a while.

Harry patiently waited for her to continue. He wasn't sure why Hermione was telling him magic's history or Achilles' story but he knew that this played a big part on why she was so scared ofKeroberos.

"I began investigating her notes. Cerberus was an unending fountain of information and knowledge. You can learn a lot if you simply knew how to get them. At first I wasn't sure if I could trust Amanda with the information I had but I needed help and she was the closest person I had in Cerberus. That was when she broke down and told me the truthÉ"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears and Harry gave her a handkerchief that was in his pocket.

"What truth, Hermione?" he asked as she wiped her tears that kept on falling. It broke his heart to see her in this state but maybe, after she had told him everything, she would feel better.

"Cerberus is in the habit of tracking and recruiting great minds, both muggle and magical, to help the company stay ahead of everyone else. Amanda confessed to me that Cerberus had been trailing me for some time before I even set foot in Australia. I was shocked, to say the leastÉ"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, "Wait, so does that mean when you met AmandaÉ"

She nodded, "It was planned. Everything was planned. When they discovered I was in Australia and looking for a job, they manipulated everyone not to hire me so that I had no choice but to apply at Cerberus. Amanda, being in the coffee shop at the same time I was, was also planned."

"Then why did she decide to tell you everything?" he asked, a frown formed on his brow.

"We've grown close, in the years we've shared a flat and worked together. Her job was to keep an eye on me, to keep me from leaving. Amanda was never evil; she was just a lost child that felt she owed Marius for giving her a place and a purpose. She loved Iris so much. After we've talked, we both realized that Cerberus wasn't all flowers and rainbows, we began to study and investigate the missing researcher's notes further. We would sneak around the Cerberus complex. It was difficult at first because our identification cards are only allowed in certain areas and the security system could detect if an intruder was trying to get into restricted areas. Amanda and I were able to bypass every security, muggle and magical, but it took us months. In one of our pursuits, we were in one of the lower basements. There was an ungodly scream and we rushed to see whom or what is was," she paused briefly and screwed her eyes shut as if trying to erase the image from her mind, "When we finally found the room and managed to sneak in and there we saw a man hanging upside down, in chains. Men in masks were standing around, as they watched the man get tortured. Dareia was the one casting theCruciatuson the man while Marius and Haemon stood and watched. They asked why he was contacting aurors and whether there were more of his friends were in Cerberus. That's when we figured that the missing employees could be spies or undercover aurors.

"We left even before the tortured man died. We had to get out of there before they could discover us. After that, we let a week pass before we resumed our investigation on Cerberus. We continued on looking for further connections between the Greeks and Cerberus. And it all comes back to one man: Achilles. We discovered that Achilles had three weapons that he imbued with his magic: his spear, his sword and his shield. In them is the most powerful magic, magic from the Greek gods themselves, in its purest form, and whoever wields and combines these weapons shall rule all that is on this earth. That kind of magic can be either used for good or evil. Achilles wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the devil either thus the light or the dark can exploit the power for their own purpose."

"Cerberus is after these weapons," Harry said, finally understanding why Hermione was telling him about Greek history.

"Yes," she answered softly, "They already got one, the spear. They are still looking for the others."

Hermione remained quiet and still. She looked as if she was lost in thought but Harry could see the fear, anger and resolve in her eyes. He felt dread creep up from his stomach to his heart.

"You took the spear, didn't you, Hermione?" he whispered. He didn't need to hear her answer to confirm his suspicions. Being who she was, Hermione couldn't just let evil succeed; she had to do something to stop it. And it seemed like this time, like she always did before, did what she knew was right.

"Yes," she answered after what seemed like forever, barely louder than a whisper. She turned her gaze towards Harry, her eyes blazed with determination. "I had to! When Amanda and I discovered what they wanted to do with the weapons, we had to act! I couldn't just let them use the weapons to rule over everyone, over the world!" The fire that ignited inside her was extinguished in an instant.

"Cerberus wants to rule over the world?"

"They believed that magical beings shouldn't be hiding from the world, whereas Voldermort was prejudiced against muggle-borns and half-bloods, Cerberus believe all magical beings are superior to non-magical beings, no matter your blood status is. They have it in their minds that we came from the gods, thus we were meant to rule, not hide away," Hermione explained.

They remained quiet for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. Harry struggled to understand everything that has happened that night: the attack in Hermione's flat, what Hermione has revealed, the danger she and their daughter was in while they were in Australia. That last thought brought words to his mouth.

"Is that why you came back, because of Cerberus? Not because you wanted to come back to us?" Harry asked quietly. Hermione turned to him with wide eyes.

"I've always wanted to come back to you, Harry, always. I justÉ didn't know how," she answered just as quiet, "But when the opportunity rose, I took it. Iris needs her father to protect her while I go and look for the other weaponsÉ"

Harry grasped her shoulders and roughly turned her towards him, "Whilewelook for the other weapons, Hermione. I lost you for five years, I'm not going to lose you again!"

"I need you to protect Iris! You're the only one who can protect her!"

"And who's going to protect you, Hermione?!" he countered, "You didn't let me go alone for the Horcrux hunt years ago, I won't let you go on this dangerous hunt alone either. The Weasleys can protect Iris. They're more than capable of that."

Hermione was breathing heavy as she stared at Harry. She knew what he was saying was true but she wanted Harry to protect their daughter himself. No one is more capable of that than him but she also knew that he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, she also needed protecting. It's been years since she last dueled and the most magic she used in the past five years were household charms and spells at work. She was going to have to do a quick refresher on dueling with Harry. She sighed as she came to a decision.

"Alright. We'll leave Iris at the Burrow while we look for the other weapons," she said.

"Good. We'll talk more about the journey tomorrow after we talk to Neville," he rose from the bed, and then moved to stand in front of her. Taking her face in his hands, he continued, "Get some rest. Tonight has been rough and I'm tomorrow will be, as well. Goodnight, Mione," He kissed her forehead then proceeded to exit the room.

Hermione grabbed his hand, halting him. He looked back at her with a question in his expression.

"HarryÉ" she started, uncertainty clear in her voice.

Harry's expression softened after realizing what Hermione wanted to say but couldn't. He sat back down on the bed, removed his shoes. Hermione also removed her shoes and moved to the right side of the bed. As Harry laid down on the bed, she immediately moved closer to him, burrowing herself against him. He wrapped his arm around her and waited until he could hear her breathing evened out. He looked down at her sleeping face, only then he let himself feel every emotion battling inside of him. He was angry, worried, happy, frustrated and scared. He would have to sort through all this tomorrow, then he will do everything to protect Hermione and Iris from Cerberus and end all this. He tightened his arm around the sleeping woman against him then let himself drift off to sleep.

A/N 2: So what did you think of this chapter? I'm currently writing the next chapter. Hopefully it won't take me another year to finish it. LOL. Reviews please! And be kind. :)

## 8. The Meeting

A/N: A new chapter! Yey! Hope ya'll like this one as well!

Consciousness slowly came to Harry as he woke before dawn. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the window and saw that it was still a bit dark outside. He stifled a yawn then turned to his side only to see Hermione's sleeping face in front of him. She slept prone with her face turned towards him, her hair wild around her. He felt his heart swell at the sight and a small smile graced his lips. He belatedly realized that his arm was still wrapped around her as memories of last night's events came crashing down on him. Hermione was in danger and possibly the most powerful organization in the world was after her because of an item she took from them. He let the mix of emotions he'd had last night to wash over him again. He was angry with her for leaving him five years ago, far from where he could have protected her, for putting herself and their daughter in danger. He was worried for their safety. He knew he would do anything to protect them but would his power be enough? He was frustrated that Hermione's sense of independence and pride had almost caused her to set off on her own and would have left him behind again. He loved that she'd always do what was right, but sometimes her stubbornness frustrated him to no end. Must've rubbed off on her, he thought, silently chuckling. The laughter left him as quickly as it came, as he felt scared for Hermione and Iris. Cerberus wasn't just after the weapon she took, but Marius was undoubtedly furious because she was able to escape him. Of course he wasn't going to hand over Hermione that easily, he would fight tooth and nail for her. But these people were ruthless, he was pretty sure they're the kind that will do anything just to get what they want. And yet, in a way, despite of the troubles they would surely face ahead, he was happy. He was happy that Hermione and Iris were with him, even if things between him and Hermione weren't completely resolved yet. Maybe this thing with Cerberus would pave the way for things to settle between them.

He wasn't sure how long he stared at Hermione sleeping, finally he decided to get out of bed since he couldn't go back to sleep anymore anyway. He gently moved off the bed so as not to wake her, he realized he wasn't even able to change his clothes before going to sleep last night. He still wore his shirt and jeans, which were covered with dust from the debris. It was a wonder neither he nor Hermione began sneezing from all the dust. A shower seemed like a good idea, he mused, and then quietly headed to his own room. Harry wasn't sure how long it took him but when he emerged from his room, freshly showered and shaved, he found that Hermione was still sleeping on her bed. The previous night's events must have really taken a toll on her, he thought. He walked by her side of the bed and bent down to kiss her lightly on her temple. He gave a last look at Hermione before leaving the room. After he checked up on his daughter and made sure she was sleeping peacefully, he silently went down to the kitchen and began making coffee and breakfast for his family. As he cooked some pancakes (his pantry was pretty well-stocked, always ready whenever Ron would suddenly show up and decide to eat a week's worth of food there), he thought of the day's agenda. He and Hermione would need to drop off Iris at the Burrow before they headed to the Ministry to meet with Neville. There was no doubt in his mind that Molly would be happy to have Iris in the house. She loved looking after her grandchildren, especially now that all her children were grown ups and had already moved out of the Burrow. He wondered if Hermione would tell Neville everything that she told him last night. He would have to consult with her during breakfast. After the meeting at the Ministry, they would also need to discuss about their upcoming trip. Hopefully, Iris wouldn't mind being left behind for a while. Oh but he would miss his little girl terribly. Maybe they can visit her some time during the trip, but he also knew that would be difficult for them. While he plated the fourth pancake, he heard some movement from the second floor. Steps echoed through the flat and he saw Hermione, with Iris yawning in her mother's arms, turned from the stairs and headed towards him. “Good morning, Daddy!” the little girl greeted her father with a happy smile. He walked around the counter and gave each of his girls kisses on their foreheads before guiding them to the bar stools in front of the counter table.

“Good morning! Would you like some pancakes, pumpkin?” he asked his daughter while he put one pancake on a plate for her.

“Yes please! With lots and lots of chocolate syrup!” Iris answered excitedly.

“Now, now. You can't have chocolate so early in the morning, love,” Hermione reprimanded. The little girl looked at her mother with the cutest pleading look Harry had ever seen and he can't help but laugh.

“Don't laugh, Harry. She got this puppy-dog look from you. I can't believe you taught her this. You doing it was already too much,” Harry knew Hermione tried to fight her growing smile so he decided to imitate his daughter and gave her the same pleading look. She couldn't help but burst in laughter because both Harry and their daughter were too adorable for words.

“Oh all right!” she finally acquiesce while she giggled. “Fine, you can have a little chocolate syrup on your pancakes. Just a little!”

The father-daughter duo cheered and gave each other a high-five in celebration of winning against the stern Hermione. Even though Harry loved to indulge his daughter, he still kept in mind Hermione's wishes so he simply drew a smiling face on the pancake before putting the plate in front of the excited child.

“Daddy's so silly,” she said as she laughed at the drawing her father made.

“You still love me,” Harry teased.

“Very much!” Iris replied, “And so does Mummy, too!”

Harry simply smiled as he and Hermione shared a look before each dug into their breakfast. Breakfast was a noisy and fun affair and Harry had grown used to mornings like this ever since he found them a couple of weeks ago. Once Iris was done eating, Harry told her to go up to her room to get ready because they would be bringing her to the Burrow for the day. The little girl was ecstatic to find out she would be spending the day with Nana Molly and her `cousins.' She hurriedly ran up the stairs to her room to prepare. It would take a while for Iris to get ready so Harry took the chance to speak to Hermione about what they were going to do that day.

“Will you be telling Neville all that you told me last night?” he inquired as he gathered the used plates and begun washing them the muggle way.

“I think I will. If it would help them, even a tiny bit closer to getting Marius and Cerberus,” she answered in a quiet voice.

He wiped his hands on a towel and reached for both of her hands across the counter top.

“Hey,” he said, softly. He patiently waited until she raised her head and looked directly at him. “I'll be there. You don't have to be afraid. You're not alone in this. Okay?”

He knew Hermione was trying to search for any doubt in his eyes so he resolved to show her none. They were together now, things would not be easy but he was confident that they would emerge victorious after this ordeal, not unscathed, but still victorious. When she did not see any doubt, she simply nodded.

“Good girl. Now go get ready. We have a full day ahead of us,” he told her as he walked around the counter and wrapped one arm around her shoulder. Harry waved his hand towards the dishes in the sink and they began to wash and dry on their own. Together, he and Hermione went to their respective rooms to get ready for the days events.

---

“I'm really sorry for bothering you like this, Molly. I hope you don't mind watching over Iris today,” Hermione said apologetically.

“Oh shush, dear. I don't mind at all! I love having the kids here, you know that,” Mrs. Weasley reached out and rubbed Hermione's shoulders, “We'll be fine! Stop worrying!”

Hermione turned around and looked at where Harry was giving Iris some last minute instructions while the little girl was nodding her head and looked so serious. She wondered what the father and daughter were talking about and decided to ask Harry later on their way to the Ministry. She was brought out of her thoughts as the sound of her second mother.

“I'm really happy you came back,” Mrs. Weasley said softly, one arm still around Hermione's shoulders. Hermione looked at her and she could see tears forming in the Weasley matron's eyes.

“We were all so worried and we missed you terribly. We knew you were still alive because the clock there simply pointed to “Away” all this time, but we never knew where you were,” she paused and drew a deep breath, “The change in Harry was monumental after he finally found you and learned about his daughter. For years, his eyes had this far away look in them. They were dull and had little life in them. But now, his eyes are so alive and the spark is back in them.”

Mrs. Weasley then turned to Hermione with a smile, “Thank you for coming back. It brought Harry back to us as well.”

Hermione couldn't stop her own tears from falling and she hugged the old woman who was as much as her mother as her biological one.

“I'm sorry. Truly sorry for worrying everyone,” she whispered.

“It's fine now, dear. We're family, we forgive each other,” she answered as she rubbed the woman in her arms. This girl - no - woman was like a daughter to her, much like Ginny was. She would be there whenever Hermione needed her and her maternal instincts are telling her that she and Harry would need her now.

“Is everything all right?” Harry's concerned voice broke the women's moment and they pulled apart slowly.

“Of course, Harry. We're perfectly fine. Just one of those mother-daughter moments, you know,” Mrs. Weasley answered with a smile.

He looked at Hermione with concern in his eyes and she simply looked back at him with a smile and nodded. He returned her smile and nod then faced Mrs. Weasley, “Please call us if something happens,” he said.

“Harry, I think you're forgetting I had seven children who weren't exactly angels growing up,” she countered.

Harry and Hermione laughed at this, then Mrs. Weasley ushered them both out the door. They both kissed and hugged Iris before moving to the garden to apparate.

---

The couple appeared at one of the apparition points, off to the right side of the entrance to the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. Ministry workers apparated and disapparated one after the other; all walked in a rush to make it to work or appointments on time. None took notice of them and they preferred it that way. After passing thru security (Harry gave Patrick the security guy a nod as they passed by, not bothering with the standard procedure of logging in the visitor and giving them a visitor's pass), they went straight to the lifts and headed to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

While they waited in the lift, Harry looked down at Hermione and noticed that she was nervous. To the casual looker, she would seem calm and collected, but with his knowledge of her spanning for more than a decade, he knew in an instant that she was far from being calm. He took her right hand in his left and rubbed little circles at the back of it. She looked up at him and they stared for a few moments. She gave him a smile in thanks before there was a sound of a bell ring and the lift doors open. Hermione straightened her back, squared her shoulders and exited the lift with Harry by her side, neither let go of the hand of the other. They passed rows and rows of cubicles where aurors were just arriving or were busy doing paperwork. They belatedly took note that the room had gone silent. The couple slowed their pace and braved a look around to see almost everyone openly stared at them and their enclosed hands. Harry felt a tugging on his hand. He looked around to see Hermione, with a blush on her cheeks, her brows raised with an expression on her face that said, “What are you waiting for?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “On with you lot,” he said out loud to their audience as they walked faster towards the offices of the higher ups. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see Harry in the DMLE as he worked alongside the aurors quite often as a prosecutor in criminal cases. The aurors were more surprised to see Hermione Granger, who, from the last of their knowledge, had been missing for the past five years. She looked like she belonged there and didn't seem like she was gone for several years at all.

The couple headed to the direction of Neville's office. When his secretary saw them, she jumped up from her seat and greeted them with ill-hidden excitement, “Good morning, Harry. You're quite early. Good morning, Ms. Granger.”

“Good morning. And it's Hermione, please,” she replied with a small smile. The woman blushed terribly and apologized. Hermione looked at Harry and saw that he was amused by the young girl's reaction.

“Good morning, Cara. Neville is expecting us,” he said, his amusement gone and his face bore an expression of professionalism. Cara immediately took a somber expression and nodded her head. She then lead them to the door to Neville's office, “Yes, he informed me you will be coming in today,” she said as she knocked, “It seems he had been in his office the whole night and didn't sleep at all,” she continued before there was an inaudible voice from inside. Cara opened the door slightly and can be heard telling Neville that they were there for their meeting with him. They didn't hear what Neville replied but Cara turned to them with a smile and opened the door wider, signaling them to enter. Harry and Hermione thanked Cara as they entered the office of Lieutenant Auror Longbottom.

Neville looked up from the numerous parchments in front of him when his secretary had opened the door to admit Harry and Hermione into the room. Harry took note of Nev's disheveled appearance and confirmed Cara's suspicion that her boss did spend the night in this office and had not slept a wink.

“You look like a fright sight, Nev,” he teased.

“Well, good morning to you, too, Harry,” Neville answered with sarcasm as he stood up, went around his desk and gave Hermione a tight hug, “How are you doing, Mione?” His face wore an expression of concern. Hermione pulled back a little and gave him a smile, “I'm quite alright. I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared, but I know I'm not alone in this fight anymore.” Neville nodded, he let go of Hermione and went to give Harry a hug, as well.

“All right?” he asked Harry. Harry simply nodded then each went to take seats; Neville sat at his high back leather chair behind the desk while Harry and Hermione each sat on the two armchairs in front of it. Neville then called Cara and asked her to bring some coffee and tea for them. They had small talk while waiting for the beverages to arrive. After Cara had brought their beverages and left, Neville casted silencing and privacy charms at the door to prevent any eavesdroppers and intrusions. He then looked at the couple in front of him, his shoulders squared and his stance spoke it was time for business. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Let's get started…”

---

For an hour and a half, Hermione told Neville everything that she told Harry the previous night. She had told him of everything that had happened since the day she left, even the reason why she left so suddenly. She felt she owed Neville an explanation and apology for simply leaving like that, as she considered Neville to be one of her closest and dearest friends. Neville understood, of course, knowing how their lives were once affected by a prophecy made before they were even a year old. After hearing Hermione's story, they all took the time to absorb all the information she had given. The Quick-Quotes Quill had just finished taking note of Hermione's statements on the desk. In the silence of the room, each of them thought which steps they would be taking after this meeting. The couple was surprised when Neville suddenly stood up and went to face the window behind his desk. Hermione looked at Harry with worry in her eyes and he took her hand in his to comfort her. They waited patiently for Neville's reaction to everything that had been said in the past hour. In what seemed like hours, Neville returned to his seat, composed and collected. The two knew that behind the calm exterior of the auror in front of them, there was fury and tension within. Harry understood the need to hide emotions for work. He did the same whenever he was in the middle of the trials of his cases. As a teen, he had been very emotional and that had proven to be possibly fatal in certain circumstances.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Hermione,” Neville said after a long moment of silence, “This will prove useful in our mission in apprehending Cerberus.”

“Of course, Neville. I'm willing to do anything to help stop this menace,” Hermione replied.

Neville nodded and spoke again, “You mentioned about the weapons of Achilles. How you stole the first weapon they were able to retrieve and brought it here with you,” Hermione nodded, “Where did you hide it?”

Hermione took a deep breath, looked at Harry for a moment before she answered, “As I have mentioned, when I had been sneaking around Cerberus, I also used my time working there to research my colleague's notes on Cerberus and their history. I found that after Achilles died, his six Myrmidon generals where divided into two factions: Keroberos—led by Menesthius, Eudorus and Peisander—who wanted to use their magic and Achilles's weapons to invade and rule over the lands around Greece. They are Marius Ambrose, Haemon Marduk and Dareia Nomisma's ancestors—,”

“Huh. Now we know where Marius and his got the name and their twisted mentality from,” Harry interjected.

Hermione gave him a smile before continuing. “The other faction, called Diadromí Tou Fotós or Path Of The Light, was composed of Phoenix, Alcimedon and Patroclus—Achilles's nephew—who wanted to use their magic to bring peace among the lands and to keep Achilles's weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The two factions fought each other for the weapons and when Menesthius and other were defeated, Patroclus and his companions took the weapons and assigned each to protect one weapon,” Hermione paused to take a drink of water. “To this day, their descendants have been tasked to continue protecting the weapons as clans. As Cerberus had taken the spear, it would be a safe assumption that they were able to find one of the clans. The clans are pretty hard to find. They do not stay in one place for too long. They tend to travel around the world every few years, and two clans are never in the same place at the same time.

“As for where I had hidden the spear, unfortunately, I can't disclose the location yet. Before I came back, I contacted Minerva if she could help me to look for the clans. Of course, I had to explain to her why I was looking for the Diadromí Tou Fotós. She helped me hide the spear until the remaining members of one of the clans tasked to protect it come forward and claim it back. Minerva has been helping me in looking for the other clans.”

Neville studied Hermione for a moment. “You intend to look for Diadromí Tou Fotós to warn them about Cerberus, correct?”

“Well, I doubt they would need any more warning if one of the clans was attacked,” she replied, “They may be far from each other but they keep close watch on the other clans. They keep tabs on one another on a regular basis,” she looked at Harry again, “But we still intend on finding them, yes.”

“You'll be travelling, then? Quite similar to what you did in our seventh year?” Neville asked.

Harry tore his eyes from Hermione and decided to answer, “Yes well, we'll definitely be more prepared now than the last time. We don't necessarily have to stay in a tent the entire trip now that we have money to spend.”

All them laughed, breaking the serious atmosphere in the office. But it didn't last long and the seriousness came back.

“When do you plan to leave?” Neville inquired the couple, “What about your daughter?”

The couple looked at each other for a moment, a silent conversation went between them. Neville had seen this happen for years before and it made him smile. Even if they two were separated for year, there are some things that never really change. This act simply showed that Harry and Hermione still knew each other best and it's always nice to witness such connection between two people. It seemed that the couple have reached a decision for Harry gave Hermione a slight nod then faced Neville.

“We will be leaving as soon as possible, once our affairs are in order,” Harry said, and Hermione nodded at this, “In regards of our daughter, we'll be leaving her in the care of the Weasleys. We just need to make sure that the wards at The Burrow are intact and we'll see if we need to add a few more.”

Neville nodded and added, “I'll assign one or two of my guys to watch over The Burrow.”

“Thank you, Nev,” Hermione said, tearfully.

He waved off her gratitude. “No need for thanks. Iris is pretty much my niece and the Weasleys are family so I'll do what I can to help and protect them while you're not here.”

“Still, thank you for everything you've done for us up until now,” Harry said. Both men knew what Harry meant by his statement. Neville had helped Harry search for Hermione, using his contacts all over the world to get word in case one of them spotted her somewhere.

“We're family, it's what we do,” Neville stated. The couple simply nodded in agreement.

The trio was quiet for a while before Harry spoke up. “What are you going to do now?”

Neville thought for a second and began writing a note in a small parchment. He then waved his wand and the note disappeared. Harry and Hermione were beginning to wonder what Neville intended to do. After a few minutes, they felt apparitions within the room. The couple whipped their heads toward the new presence and saw three figures standing at the corner of the room. The silent apparition didn't at all surprise them as aurors were trained to do it for easy infiltration and avoid detection. Although Hermione knew Harry could apparate silently, as well, him being powerful and all. All three were dressed in robes that were different from the standard issued uniform for aurors. The black robes were made of dragon hide and high quality leather, for higher resistance to curses and jinxes, and buckles held the upper half of the robes together. Black tactical slacks were tucked in black, high-cut combat boots. Each wore a full-face tactical mask to hide their identities.

“Hermione, you said that you witnessed a man being questioned and tortured by the leaders of Cerberus. You also mentioned that they asked the man if he was part of a certain group,” he said, not at all surprised at the sudden appearance of the three figures in his office, “Harry, Hermione—meet the Blackwatch.”

A/N: So, what did you think of this chapter? How about the Blackwatch? Any idea who they are? Don't forget to review please!

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