August 5, 1997
Harry woke slowly and brushed a hand through his hair as his eyes came open. They were still sleeping on transfigured beds in the library, much to his chagrin. Even though he wasn't used to sleeping in the best of conditions thanks to his time with the Dursleys, it still rankled. Hermione deserved better, sleeping on at least a bed. He knew that she didn't hold it against him but he hated that she was living like this for him.
Truth be told, he knew that Hermione had given up more than anyone for him. Nobody could deny that. She had finally told him and Ron just what she had done to her parents to keep them safe. He felt like complete shite for not even thinking about protecting them; they were important to Hermione so they should have been important to him. Even more importantly, why hadn't the Order done anything to protect them? They were protecting other muggleborns and families of witches and wizards alike. It should have been their priority since Hermione was so important to the war effort.
He heard Hermione stirring on his left; they had moved her closest to the fire since she got cold so easy. She was so tiny and very slender; it was no wonder that she was always cold. He had these strange longings to pull her into his arms and warm her up that way but after seeing how Ron clearly fancied her, it felt like a betrayal. Besides, he still had the Ginny situation to put a complete stop to before he could even consider bringing another witch in his life.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open and when she saw that he was watching her, she smiled softly before rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a messy cloud around her shoulders but Harry thought it was the most beautiful she had ever been. She was still wearing her comfortable night clothes to bed and seeing her natural beauty every morning upon waking up, he wondered how he ever thought that Ginny was beautiful. She was very high maintenance, never wanting to leave the house unless she looked perfect. He supposed that she was pretty, gorgeous even, but Harry found that her appeal to him was fading.
Hermione sat up and stretched, her arms above her head bringing her shirt up to reveal a strip of tanned skin on her belly. Harry had to avert his eyes; his best mate wanted her and he was still tangled up with Ginny. It wasn't right to stare at his best friend like that. He knew that objectively but it was so difficult to actually remember. He sat up too, deciding that it was time for him to start working on breakfast. He was only in a pair of boxers so he waited until Hermione's back was turned to stand and throw his robe on.
They were still waiting for Kreacher and Dobby to return; Kreacher had appeared in the library the day after they had arrived and demanded to know what they were doing in his mistress' house. It had been Hermione that had realized that Harry was his new master; the elf came with the house and title. After Harry had told the elf that it was his house and that they would be staying there, there had been even more grumbling.
Finally, Hermione had taken over the questioning of Kreacher. She had asked him about the locket belonging to Regulus and the elf had started insulting her and calling her a worthless mudblood. Harry had ordered him to stop and answer all her questions; Kreacher had grudgingly told them everything they needed to know.
Regulus' defection took them by surprise; Hermione was even further astounded at the obvious love that the young Death Eater had had for his family elf. There had been tears in her eyes at the end of Kreacher's story, telling them how he had failed his master since he couldn't destroy the locket. Hermione had hugged the elf and told him that they needed to find it because they needed to destroy it. Kreacher had looked at her with such hope in his eyes that Harry hadn't known how to respond at first.
Hermione, however, had explained to him that they needed it to kill the wizard that had killed his Master Regulus. The elf had told them exactly what had happened to it and Harry had been on the brink of a fit of rage when he learned the truth. Apparently, after Sirius had been killed, Mundungus Fletcher had went back to Grimmauld Place and raided the house, taking all the valuables and anything that he thought might fetch a decent price. The locket had been one of those items. Harry had lost all hope when he heard that; there was no way that they would be able to trace it after it left the thief's hands.
Hermione, however, hadn't given up. She had questioned Kreacher further and asked him if he had any idea who the locket had ended up with. Kreacher had gone to rummage through an old stack of newspapers in the kitchen when Dobby had appeared. He had been vexed that Kreacher had come to serve them rather than them calling for him. Harry had tried to explain that he had never called for Kreacher, that he had inherited him, but Dobby hadn't understood.
Kreacher had returned with an old Daily Prophet and handed it silently to Hermione. She groaned when she saw just who was on the front page. She handed it to Ron and he cursed out loud before handing it to Harry. Dolores fucking Umbridge was on the front, the article having something to do with upcoming laws going through the Wizengamot. There, hanging around her neck, was one of the Dark Lord's fucking horcruxes. Hermione, despite not liking where the locket had ended up, smiled at the elf and thanked him for his help, telling him that they would be retrieving it to destroy it. Kreacher had thrown himself on the ground in tears of happiness.
Harry hadn't been sure how they were going to get ahold of the horcrux now when Kreacher dragged himself off the floor, snot still hanging from his nose. He had told Harry that he would go find Fletcher so they could question him; Kreacher thought he might have more information. Dobby had been quick to volunteer as well, clearly jealous that there was another elf that was willing to serve Harry Potter. He knew that Hermione hadn't wanted him to send Kreacher and Dobby but, in the end, he had. They wanted to go and he couldn't help but think that Fletcher needed the shite scared out of him for stealing from Sirius' house. Though he had supposed that the house was his now.
Today would be the third day that they had been gone and Harry had to admit that he was getting worried. He figured that it would be an easy task but apparently it wasn't. Since the elves weren't there to do the shopping, that meant that they needed to do it. The day that Kreacher and Dobby had left, the three of them had disapparated to a grocery store near where Hermione had grown up. Ron had been astounded at how muggles shopped but neither Harry nor Hermione had had the patience to let him revel in the differences. They were exposed and in danger as long as they weren't behind wards.
After buying enough to last them for a month or so, the three had left with their purchases and returned to Grimmauld Place. Since then, Hermione and Harry had been taking turns cooking since Ron had no idea how to go about it. Harry couldn't help but wonder how his redheaded friend would survive in the real world once he left the Burrow. Nobody could afford to eat out for every single meal.
Harry had taken so long getting dressed that he could already smell the bacon cooking in the kitchen. Ron was stirring now, clearly roused by the smell of bacon. Harry nudged his mattress and Ron came awake with a snort. When his blue eyes focused on Harry, he grinned.
"Come on, get up. Hermione's already cooking breakfast." Ron grunted his acquiescence so Harry left him to get dressed on his own. He made his way through the house and found Hermione singing to herself in the kitchen while she fried bacon and french toast. She was still in her pajamas and was dancing to the words of her song. Harry just stood there and watched her, an amused smile on his clearly didn't know that he was there, otherwise she would have never allowed him to see her like this. Just as he was getting ready to clear his throat, Hermione turned to set a plate of bacon on the table and froze when she saw him smirking at her. Her face flushed bright red and he laughed out loud.
"I wish I enjoyed cooking as much as you do." She glared at him before turning back to the stove silently. Harry sighed; he hadn't meant to embarrass her. He went up behind her and rubbed her arms softly. He could just barely smell the shampoo in her hair; it was sweet and flowery, almost like cherry blossoms.
"I wasn't laughing at you, 'Mi. I've never seen you act like that. It was nice." She bowed her head for a moment before turning to look at him. He could see that he was forgiven and it was further evidenced by her words.
"I'll forgive you this time but don't let me catch you laughing at me again," she chastised him. He just grinned at her again before kissing the side of her head and moving away to set the table.
Ron ambled in almost ten minutes later, just as Hermione set the rest of the food on the table. She pulled a book down to the table with her and read as she slowly ate a piece of french toast and a couple slices of bacon. Harry didn't think that it was enough to survive on but he supposed that it was enough to keep her healthy. She didn't look underweight so he wasn't going to worry about her too much.
Harry and Ron made quiet conversation while they ate, talking about things that really didn't matter anymore since the war had officially started. After they were done eating, he and Ron rose to clean up. Whichever of them cooked let the others clean up afterwards. Ron had gritched about it at first but Hermione had been quick to lay into him for being a lazy sod and told him that it wasn't going to work that way. She had informed him that she was not his mother and would not treat him like a child.
After the dishes were done, they all retired to the library again. Hermione went through her beaded bag and pulled out an outfit to wear before leaving briefly to go change. Ron watched her leave, his eyes planted firmly on her arse. Harry couldn't even blame him; her arse was phenomenal. She returned quickly, however, dressed in jeans and jumper. Her feet were still bare and Harry wanted to chuckle. She hated wearing shoes and would always choose to be barefoot if there was a choice.
Harry could see that Hermione was reading a book about Herpo the Foul, the first wizard to create horcruxes. He wasn't sure if she was reading it for pleasure or if was to do more research on things they were trying to hunt. Harry settled in on the opposite end of the couch from her and started to read a book he found about the history of quidditch. Ron set up the wizards chess set and played against himself.
They continued in this way until lunch when Harry stood and went to prepare their food. He settled on roast beef sandwiches and crisps. Their lunches tended to be on the lighter side, something that drove Ron half crazy, but they weren't expending any energy yet. They were doing nothing to make themselves hungry. He brought the meal to the library and they continued their personal endeavors while they ate.
About an hour after they ate, Hermione laid her book aside and rested against the arm of the couch, resting her head in her arms. She closed her eyes and Harry wasn't sure how she planned to nap in that position. However, he had seen her do so once before already so it must be comfortable for her. She hadn't been in that position long when there was a pop in the corridor and then yelling.
"Let go a me, ya bleedin' elf!"
Harry knew instantly that Kreacher and Dobby had arrived with Mundungus Fletcher. He nudged Hermione's leg softly, bringing her out of her doze. Ron was already on his feet, wand in his hand. Hermione looked confused but pulled her wand as well. Harry stood and led the way out into the corridor, finding Fletcher on his knees with both elves on his shoulders, Dobby smacking him repeatedly in the face. As much as he wanted to crack up in laughter, he decided to try to be nice so he would get more information.
"Dobby, Kreacher, thank you for retrieving him. You can get off him now." Ron was behind him, guffawing in laughter. He caught Hermione pinching him on the side in the corner of his eye and he wanted to laugh when Ron yelped in pain. Kreacher and Dobby both jumped to the floor but made sure to retrieve Fletcher's wand before they left him completely. Kreacher handed it to Harry with a slight bow.
"What the hell did I do to ya, Potter, for ya to make yer elves treat me with such hostility?" Fletcher demanded. Harry gave him a hard look that caused the thief to draw back in surprise. He took a step forward and hoped that he was intimidating the wizard.
"I learned that you came here after Sirius died and stole my things. I want to know why you would do that," Harry asked him. Fletcher turned a brilliant shade of red as he started to stutter.
"I would never steal from ya, Potter. I know how powerful ya are. It would be stupid to provoke ya," he explained. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I ever catch you stealing from me again, Fletcher, I'll kill you," Harry threatened. He wasn't sure that he would go through with it but he saw the fear on Fletcher's face and he figured that he was primed to ask his questions.
"I want you to tell me about the locket. Tell me when you sold it and to who. Don't fucking lie to me either," he threatened. Fletcher gulped audibly.
"It was three months or so after Sirius was killed. I had just been through here and was hawking what I could on Knockturn Alley. Some Ministry hag came by and demanded to see my permit. Since I didn't have one, she took the locket as payment. Umbitch, was her name?" he didn't sound too sure of himself on the name and despite the circumstances, he still wanted to chuckle at the wizard calling her Umbitch. He made sure that his glare was extra strong for this last question.
"Do you know if she still has it?" he asked, his voice low and clearly serious. Mundungus nodded quickly.
"I see her all the time with it on, just a few days ago actually. She boasts she's a pureblood, related to Selwyn, but everyone knows it's a damned lie." Harry gave him a nod and turned to Hermione.
"Clear his memory, please." She stepped forward and raised her wand to work her magic. Once she lowered it and stepped back, Fletcher's eyes were glassy. Now, he turned to Dobby.
"Please take him to wherever you found him and leave him there. If he'll be in immediate danger, pop him to wherever. Stick his wand in his pocket before you leave," he ordered. Dobby reached out and took the wand from Harry, unbelieving that a wizard and told him to take a wand. He grabbed Fletcher roughly and they were gone. Harry turned to Kreacher and he could see the elf still scowling. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket that they had pulled from the cave. He held it out to Kreacher.
"I can't give you the original because we have to destroy it but you can have Regulus' last piece of magic. You served him well." Kreacher burst into tears again but this time, he allowed Harry to place the locket over his head to settle around his skinny neck. He threw himself at Harry's knees, hugging them tightly. Harry wasn't sure what to do and he glanced back to see Ron staring in disgust at the display. Hermione was hiding a smile behind her hand. Finally, Kreacher pulled away and grinned, showing off his teeth.
"Kreacher go make a wonderful dinner for his master and master's friends. Kreacher is happy to have new master." He was gone before Harry could even respond. He hoped that the elf made something that they would eat though he supposed that they weren't all that picky.
The three of them headed back into the library and took their previous seats. However, none of them picked up their books or chess set. He could tell that Hermione was deep in thought but Ron's face seemed to be lax like he was concentrating on nothing. Harry broke the silence.
"I think we need to make a plan," he told them. Hermione sighed as Ron perked up. Planning was definitely his strong point.
"Alright, what is our ultimate goal?" Ron asked. Hermione didn't want to answer and piss Harry off. Therefore, they waited for him to stutter out his next words.
"I think we should see what has been going on around here. You and Hermione can sneak around under disillusionment charms to find out what's going on. From there, we can make further plans. However, we need a plan to get the horcrux from that nasty bitch in the Ministry," Harry stated. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"It's not safe to make Harry spy. I think Ron and I should take turns spying at the Ministry to see who is going in and who isn't. See if we can formulate a plan after watching them for long enough," she decided. Harry nodded in agreement.
"I think that's a great plan. We'll see what we're dealing with before we make any certain plans for the mission," Hermione agreed. Ron looked over to Harry with a solemn look.
"We'll start spying on the Ministry tomorrow. We can't all three fit under the cloak anymore but two of us can. I think we should take turns until we know what's going on," the redhead suggested. Harry nodded his agreement.
"We'll let the elves finish up today and we'll start bright and new in the morning."
Ron smiled and nodded, rising to his feet. He gave a great yawn even though they hadn't don't anything to warrant him being tired.
"I'm going to take a nap, mate," he warned. Harry nodded. He supposed that he might as well not say anything. This would likely be the last day in awhile that any of them could nap. Ron moved to lay down across his mattress before the fire and in just minutes, he was snoring. He glanced at Hermione to see that she was frowning slightly at Ron so Harry remained silent.
However, it wasn't meant to be. Ron fell asleep without a word to either of them and Hermione watched as Harry stood suddenly, his forehead dotted with sweat. He rushed to the bathroom and she couldn't help but wonder if it was an emergency. After several minutes of waiting for him to return, Hermione stood and went to the nearest bathroom door. She knocked quietly only to receive no response.
"Harry, please tell me that you're alright," she begged. It was silent for almost a minute before he spoke.
"I'm just fine, Hermione, something just disagreed with my stomach," he explained. Hermione knew better than that so she took matters into her own hands. She cast a spell on the knob to unlock the door and barged right on in. Harry was hunched over the toilet, his head hanging down, and he was recovering from losing his lunch. Hermione bent next to him and carded her fingers through his hair, talking softly.
"What's wrong, Harry? Don't lie to me," she begged. He turned his head slightly so he could just see her expression and sighed.
"I had another vision. I know I'm supposed to be working on keeping him out, suppressing the connection, but I couldn't help it. I saw him looking for a wand and questioning a wizard named Gregorovitch. After he was done, he killed him. However, the wand he wanted was stolen by a thief. I saw his face but have no idea who he is," he explained. Hermione felt her blood run cold. She hated that Harry connected to him like this. Therefore, she put her hands under his armpits and pulled him up, showing him that she wanted him to come with her.
Harry followed her through the corridors until they were in the library. After she settled on the couch, she pulled him down until he was seated next to her and his head was resting in her lap. Harry seemed terribly stiff, as though she were having to coax every single action out of him, but when her fingers entwined in his hair and started to pet him, he relaxed.
They laid there together, her brushing her hands through his hair and him doing his best to stay awake while Ron snored in the background. He knew that his vision had been important. He had seen Voldemort kill Gregorovitch after all. However, Hermione wasn't going to let them discuss it further that day.
"Tomorrow," she had whispered down to him when he had tried to tell her just how important it was to the war effort.
Hermione watched as Harry closed his eyes and his breathing evened out, his face in her lap and turned to face her abdomen. It had been a long day and there was no sense in letting Harry work himself up over a vision that they weren't sure was true. However, she felt that they were not only true but important somehow.
Rather than let him worry and dwell, Hermione had laid him down and he had fallen asleep in her lap. Her fingers brushed through his hair, smoothing them away from his forehead and his scar. She felt a little special; she knew that he allowed nobody to touch his scar, not even Ginny. However, he had fallen asleep to Hermione softly brushing against it. She wished once again that things weren't so complicated with Ron and Ginny; life would be so much simpler if they weren't.
Hermione felt herself growing drowsy, not wanting to fall asleep but knowing that it was inevitable. She buried one hand of fingers in Harry's hair and laid her other hand on his chest as she leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. Sleep was rapidly approaching and she knew that she should move so Ron wouldn't have a fit when he woke up. However, she dismissed it almost immediately. She wanted to take a nap and to hell with the consequences. Harry shifted even closer in his sleep and mumbled something under his breath and Hermione smiled just a tiny bit.
Sleep pulled her under and she hoped that things were just as peaceful when she awoke. After all, they had to plan to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic.
A/N- Kind of a boring chapter but there was a little Harry and Hermione action. Hope you all enjoyed. Let me know what you thought, reviews are love.
Next chapter, break into the Ministry of Magic.