Suppression

What Next?

"As I recall, you are the man who captured both Sirius Black and his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange."

William kept his mouth shut even as several scathing retorts arrived at the forefront of his mind. He had expected to be dressed down by Fudge and Umbridge when he reported back to them but the sheer annoyance and frustration he felt was entirely new.

"Now tell me how it is that the great auror William Fox has somehow been, as they say, 'outfoxed' by a teenaged boy?" Umbridge asked in a sickly sweet tone.

"The boy had a muggle contraption, a motorbike, they call it," he calmly answered through gritted teeth.

"Oh and this 'contraption' is your weakness. I'm sorry Mister Fox but I find it hard to believe that the boy wasn't captured by you because of a motorcycle."

"Dolores, that is enough." Fudge entered the fray and regarded William with a hard look. "Harry Potter is reckless, he is dangerous, and he is a threat to everything we have built in this world. He needs to be apprehended at all costs, William. Do what you must, spare no expense or manpower. I trust that I shall be greeted with your typical success when next we meet."

William nodded firmly and watched as the Minister of Magic and his undersecretary left the room. He didn't miss the scathing look from Umbridge but he couldn't have cared less about her opinion. He had a job to do. With no trace on the boy's wand, he knew things would not be as simple as he would have liked. If Harry Potter was to be captured, it was going to have to be done in the old fashioned way.

A group of aurors had relayed the incident at Hermione Granger's residence and said they spotted Potter leaving with the Granger girl on that damned contraption. He figured it was as good a place to start looking for clues to the boy's whereabouts. With this in mind, William departed the conference room to travel to the Granger home.
                                              ———
Heart wrenching screams roused Harry from his deep slumber. He tried to gather his wits about him before feeling as Hermione gripped his shirt tighter and screamed into his chest. She was in the throes of a nightmare, he recognized immediately. Springing into action, Harry sat up and tried to shake her awake.

"'Mione, it's fine. Your safe," he rubbed her shoulders, "'Mione wake up and look at me." When Hermione cracked her eyes open and tried to scurry away, Harry let her. He watched as she blinked her eyes twice before curling in on herself once she realized she was with him. Wordlessly, he crept over to her and pulled her hands from her face. "Hermione, love," he swallowed thickly, "do you want to talk about it?"

Even in the darkness, Harry could make out that she was nodding her head yes. He gently pulled her into his arms and propped her up in his lap as she buried her neck in his shoulder, immediately soaking his collar with her tears.

"I just...I just saw them," said Hermione after a long pause. "I hate this, Harry. I hate being so," she shuddered under the force of her breaths, "hurt. Every time I close my eyes I see them. I see how I failed to save them. It's all my fault." She wailed into his neck and nearly strangled him with her grip around him.

"Hermione, nothing good can come from thinking like that. How could you have known they would have attacked? You were caught off guard," he tried reason with the emotionally distressed girl.

"But I could have done better, I should have done better. Everything I've done in Hogwarts, all my books, all my cleverness and I still couldn't save them."

At her statement Harry's rage started to simmer. He wasn't angry at her, he was angry at the death eaters, at the world for making her feel like this. For taking her wonderful parents away from her. Before he could lose himself in his anger, however, Harry once again tried to reason with his girlfriend.

"Hermione," he pried her away from his neck, "look at me. It was not your fault. Do you know what your father told me on the day we became a couple?" When she nodded in the negative, he weakly gave her a small smile and continued on, "he told me there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect you. That there was nothing he wouldn't to do to see you happy. Your father would have gladly gave his life if it meant saving yours and I know it hurts terribly. I know how you feel but you can't allow yourself to think like this. He would want you to continue on, to keep fighting in his name. The death eaters and Voldemort will get what's coming to them."

Hermione nodded but a confession tore through her lips. "I just miss them, Harry. I miss them so much," she cried before burrowing herself into him once more.

"I know, I know. And you'll never stop missing them, but eventually, it will stop hurting. Your parents are always with you, Hermione. Always. The ones who love us never really leave us." He pulled her against him and laid back on the bed, her body entirely atop his as she laid her head against his heart. He stroked her hair and cooed at her until, finally, her breathing evened out and she fell back into sleep's waiting arms.

As she slept, Harry finally allowed the dam to broke. His rage washed over him as he thought of Voldemort his maniacal followers, and the silent vow he had made to himself when the Granges had elected to keep him around their family. He had sworn to protect them, whatever the cost, and he had failed. Failed because of the death eaters. He silently made another vow. One that guaranteed Hermione would never feel this pain again, that he would keep her safe. Even if it meant losing himself completely.
                                              ———
Hours after Harry fell asleep once again, he was awoken by incessant pecking at their bedroom window. He was thankful that the curtains were  closed as it meant he wouldn't have to deal with the morning sunlight. Carefully rolling Hermione onto her side and rising from the bed, watching as she clutched the warm spot he had just vacated, Harry retrieved his glasses and made his way to the window. When he drew the curtains, elation filled him as he saw the disgruntled look on his owl's face.

"Hedwig," Harry whispered excitedly. He cracked the window open and let the owl in before she perched herself on his shoulder and nipped at his ear. "Ow, I'm sorry girl. I had to run, I knew you'd find me." He grinned at her and stroked her snow white feathers. He cocked his head when she chirped before extending her leg out, showing him that it had a letter attached to it.

Quickly prying the letter off it and watching as Hedwig flew to the nightstand next to his and Hermione's bed, Harry tore the letter open and began reading.

Dear Harry,
I've recently gotten some news that has been most horrifying. Do not worry, I know you're innocent and I also know you have Hermione with you right now. Allow me to offer my assistance. Enclosed within the letter is a portkey directly to my home. I don't know where you and Hermione spent the night but I trust that you two are in good health. As to how Hedwig managed to find me, that remains a mystery. Your owl is a very smart girl. She showed up at my window soon after I found out about you and Hermione in the Daily Prophet. I pray this letter finds you before the ministry, or worse, the death eaters do. To activate the portkey, simply say the password to the marauder's map.

Love,
Moony

P.S
I have someone here who really wants to see you again.

Harry barely resisted the the urge to jump up in joy when he finished reading the letter and settled to silently grin. He looked over to Hermione and felt all the love in his heart rise to permeable levels as he thought of them finally having a real place to stay and not needing to trick old ladies into giving them a free room. Things were beginning to look up.

"Hermione, Hermione. Love, you've got to get up," Harry whispered as he roused her from her deep slumber. He shot her a cheery smile as she wiped the bleariness from her eyes before giving him a cockeyed look. Silently, he handed her the letter and watched as her face shifted to relief and joy almost instantaneously. Boy could she read fast.

"Harry, do you know what this means?" she asked as she jumped up from the bed and pulled him into a hug.

"We finally have a place to stay?" he asked with a laugh before running his hands through her hair.

"We need to transfigure some clothes and," her eyes came to Hedwig who was perched and preening herself, "is that Hedwig?" She bounded over to the creature and stroked her feathers before turning back to him.

"Let's get out of here."