with you, i'm with an army (hermione)

[Deleted]

Dec. 30th

Hermione had crazier protections around his house than even he did. So he asked Luna to send a message ahead that she was sending something to Hermione so the Minister would be out on the lookout for it. 

So, Harry approached wearing a cloak that hid his face. He wasn't sure how Hermione would react to that... so when he got to her house he just awkwardly stood out front for a moment before he saw a face in the window. He lifted a hand and... waved? 

He was always the suave one of the group, clearly.

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

Hermione was up later than she’d like, mostly because Luna had let her know she was sending something to her that evening. She’d been up early for a meeting with the interim head of the Magical Law Enforcement, and the entire meeting she kept thinking how much easier this would be if Harry were in charge. There was still no word from her best friend, or any sign of whether or not he was alive, and Hermione was trying to keep it calm, at least on the outside. Inside….well, that was a different story. There had been a reason she had stayed behind with him when they were hunting the Horcruxes after all; she knew Ron would just be going back to his family, whereas Harry would be all alone. Not that she didn’t believe he couldn’t handle himself, rather she knew she’d be better off sticking with him and finishing this mission they had been building towards for years.

It was nearing eleven, and the large grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the hour. Hermione sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Whatever Luna was sending over better be important. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck raised and she whipped her head around. She was being watched by a cloak figure outside her window! Whipping out her wand, she drew closer to the window; who she saw made her nearly faint with shock. “Harry?” she mouthed, eyes wide with uncertainty. She went to the door, tapping it once to unlock the locks before stepping outside. “Is it really you?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her wand was still gripped in her hand, even though it was shaking slightly. “Prove it, tell me something only we’d know,” she declared, her voice sounding more confident than she really felt.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

She mouthed his name and he gave an incredible awkward looking grin. She stepped out, asking if it was really him and he nodded. But then, of course, she said to tell her something that only they would know. "Uhh..." he cleared his throat, and started to sing a song. He wasn't a great singer, but he was good enough that she would recognize the tune from the song they danced to in the tent when they were seventeen, after Ron had abandoned them. "Oh children. Lift up your voice, lift up your voice..." he cleared his throat again, "We have the answer to all your fears. It's short, it's simple, it's crystal clear," he stopped singing, "or... or something," he muttered. He hoped that was good enough, but he still racked his brain for other things that he could say. They had a lot of history, so there had to be something. Well, Ron was there for most things but those could still work too, right?

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

The minute Harry started singing (perhaps a bit off key) brought Hermione right back to the tent that night Ron had left. She knew Harry could tell how visibly upset she had been by Ron’s betrayal and departure, and had tried his very best to cheer her up. It had worked, at least for a few minutes at least, but those few minutes had been pure playful joy. She teared as he kept clearing his throat and trying to sing the song, then finally gave up. “Oh, Harry,” she whispered, before enveloping her best friend into a tight hug. She sniffled, but didn’t let go; just being able to hug him again, to know he was alive and safe, was exactly what she needed. “I’ve missed you so much,” she admitted, finally letting go and wiping her eyes with her hands. “Come inside, we have much to talk about,” she said, ushering him into her apartment and locking the door behind them. If the wrong people knew about Harry’s resurfacing before he was ready, it could be catastrophic.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

She knew it was him, the song had work. He breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into an embrace and he returned it with gusto, not wanting to separate from her. In his best friends arms he felt like he was seventeen again, facing death and danger at every turn. She was always by his side caring for him and behaving as though he was one of the most precious things in the world. That didn't mean she didn't scold him if he was being particularly ridiculous, but that's what best friends did wasn't it? No, that's what sisters did.

He sniffled back his tears when she pulled back enough to usher him inside. He stepped in, waiting until he got the go ahead before removing his cloak and letting it float on its own to find a hangar. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed, how he'd abanonded his friends when their marriage was falling apart. How Hermione had to face the ministry when her head auror had gone missing.

He looked to her, eyes pleading through his glasses like a wet dog who had just destroyed the neighbors roses. Ashamed, pleading, and anxious to explain himself. "First of all, hi. I missed you," his voice cracked on that last word. He wasn't sure he'd ever stop getting emotional at all these reunions.

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

Hermione felt like she was on an entirely different planet. How could Harry be here? Ron had found his wand, alone and abandoned in the forest. Wizards could perform magic without the use of a wand of course but typically the wand needed to be nearby for it to work as well as it could. So many questions flooded Hermione’s brain, the forefront being where on earth had Harry been these past few months? Still, she knew better than to overwhelm him; when he was ready to tell her his story she knew he would. “I’ve missed you too,” she breathed, still not quite believing her eyes as he sat down in her living room. “Would you like some tea? Of course you would,” she said, brushing tears away from her face as she hurried into her kitchen to set the kettle on the stove.

She came back in with two steaming cups of tea and handed one to Harry. Just as she was about to sit down, Hermione remembered something else of his that she had safely stored away. “Sorry, just a moment,” she said, hurrying up to her bedroom. She opened her closet and pushed the back of the wall gently, allowing the false wall to give way to an enchanted locked box. Reciting the charms necessary to open it, Hermione took what was inside and brought it back downstairs. “I believe this belongs to you,” she said, holding out Harry’s wand for him to take back.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

She said she missed him too, asking if he'd like some tea but not waiting for him to answer as she bustled away into the kitchen. Harry couldn't help the frown on his face, the shame. He knew he had let everyone down, of course, and not he was freaking them all out. Maybe it would have been best if he didn't come back.

She returned with the tea, ”thanks Hermione,” he tired to get in before she hurried away again. Was she having a hard time looking at him, or something? No, no. He was overthinking it. He sipped the tea as he waited for her, not caring that it was entirely piping hot. That's how tea was meant to be consumed, after all. She returned though, holding out... his wand.

His jaw dropped slightly and he set the tea cup down, standing up to reach for the wand, ”wow,” he choked a little on his words. ”This thing just keeps coming back,” he added. It had been broken at the Malfoy manor so many years ago, but the elder wand was able to repair it. He lost it in the woods and... someone had found it. He could only imagine the looks on their faces when they discovered it. ”Thank you,” he breathed softly, returning to his seat. He set the wand down on the couch beside him, and took the tea again. He took another long sip, then cleared his throat and looked to her. ”Okay, I can tell you everything my way or you can ask about what you want to hear first,” he suggested. He was ready to get into it.

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

Hermione laughed shakily, not able to help the tears springing in her eyes. “Ron found it,” she told him softly. She shifted in her seat, her hands wrapped around the mug of tea. “You’re probably wondering why he’s not here…” she trailed off. She took a deep breath. “We’ve separated, Ron and I. With the Order splitting off, we found ourselves on opposite sides of the table and well..it ended up being too much for us,” she finished, chewing her lip before taking a gulp of tea. “No divorce proceedings have started yet, but I wanted to tell you before you found out about it from the papers, or worse Rita Skeeter,” she told him, her nose wrinkling in disgust. That wretched woman was still finding ways to damn her and her family, no matter how much blackmail Hermione compiled against her.

Hermione set her mug down and smoothed out her pants. “I want to hear all of it, start to finish,” she said promptly, sitting up straighter. Harry knew she meant to know every last detail about where he was, what he was doing, who he found, even if it took all night.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

She said Ron found the wand, and then started to speak about why he wasn't there. Harry raised an eyebrow with concern as she took a deep breath. Wait... separated? Woah. The Order split off, which Ginny had kind of broken down for him, and that... was this all because he left? No, he couldn't put that on himself. Relationships could stick together under that kind of pressure if they were strong enough to in the first place. This was not his fault.

He nodded, quiet for a moment as he tried to process that. He looked down at his tea, not quite able to take a sip. He was slightly worried about the state of his stomach after such news. But.... really, Hermione and Ron had always had their differences, hadn't they? Ones that were almost rifts between mountains. Harry finally breathed in, then looked up at her, ”thank you for letting me know. I am sorry you've had to go through that and... without me. Both of you,” his two best friends, going through this life change without him... it was a lot.

As the conversation was able to shift to where he'd been the last eight... nine months? Felt like an eternity. He sat up, taking a sip of his tea before starting. ”I was investigating a report a witch made of someone stalking her. Seemed like simple business, but I took a special interest because she said that when the person got close she felt... exhausted, or something like that. You might have seen the report. Anyway, I got into the case and found a ring of Witch Hunters in London. They have this group that seems to get together to try and expose wizardkind. Second Salemers they call themselves. Well, finally they were onto me. One of them has this... tracker thing, and I became a new target. I didn't know what to do, what was next, and they were closing in on my home location so I... decided to hunt them down myself. I was afraid of targets being put on everyone's backs for helping me and... and Elaine... there's just so much,” he paused their, ”I started traveling, trying to track down their home base before they found mine. I didn't tell anyone because... well, I was positive it was just a small group that I could take out myself. I thought it would take a week, tops. But, too late, I found they are NOT small,” hat seemed like a good place for a break.

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

Hermione pursed her lips. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard rumors of witch hunters in London; indeed, a few reports had come across her desk in the past few weeks. The name of the group he provided however was something she recognized from her history books. “The Second Salemers, I thought they disbanded all the way in the 1920s,” she said, frowning at him. If the Second Salemers were rebanding after nearly a century, what did that mean for wizardkind? Would she have to make the decision the American MACUSA had made all those years ago, to completely forbid interaction with Muggles? As a Muggleborn herself, Hermione hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

With a small sigh, Hermione allowed a smile to grace her lips as she reached out to take Harry’s hand in hers. “Harry James Potter, how many times must I tell you that we are with you until the end? No matter what state Ron and mine’s relationship is in, we are your loyal best friends, regardless of anything else,” she told him with a strong assurance. She sat back, folding her hands in her lap. “What did you find?” she asked curiously. Hopefully he had something to go on, otherwise why else would he have come back?

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

Hermione said she thought the group had disbanded. If only. Maybe they had for a time, but they were back and stronger than ever as far as Harry knew. She smiled, though, and took his hand. He happily accepted it, even as she affectionately scolded him for leaving people behind and not accepting that they were always with him until the end. He always had a hard time accepting that, even though he knew that was his greatest strength. His protective nature was still a weakness in him. "I know, I do," he muttered softly, letting her release his hand as she asked what he found.

He leaned forward a little lowering his voice habitually. "Well, I found that they wanted to come back for the relic we were using in Azkaban... that they want to find ways to replicate more just as powerful. They have small things, sure, but nothing like that. But when I came back, well... it's gone now," he breathed a sigh, "I am relieved, but the consequences of losing those prisoners... Hermione, what will you do?" it was up to her as Minister more than he, wasn't it? And she'd always been the smart one.

@hermionejean

[Deleted]

Hermione leaned in as she listened to her friend recount what he had found out. As he finished talking about the Azkaban debacle, she sighed and leaned back, rubbing her temples with her fingers. The papers had gone wild with the news of the Azkaban breakout, and every day notes were flying into her office. Her assistants were trying their best to weed out the letters that had some merit to the ones that were trying to tell her how to do her job, and it was a lot to deal with. “Honestly Harry? I don’t know. We’ve established a nationwide manhunt for the escapees of course, but I refuse to enlist the help of Dementors, regardless of what my other Ministers may say. I saw them switch sides to help Voldemort at the drop of a hat, and we know they prey on everyone, innocent or guilty.”

Hermione looked up, a fierce gleam in her eyes. “Elaine has been underground for a long time, too long. It’s been impossible to find her. If she would make a move, any move, then we’d have somewhere to start.” She paused. “I just wish the artifact in Azkaban hadn’t been destroyed. I’m glad it isn’t with the Purifiers, but now we don’t either,” she admitted softly.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

[Deleted]

She said she didn't know and that she was doing the best she could. At the mention of other Ministers and Voldemort... he sighed, looking down and shaking his head. His hand found his temple and he rubbed there. His voice was soft, "I'm just glad you're here now... I don't think Victoire could have handled all this." He didn't want to say that he didn't have faith in his niece, he did, but there were so many layers he didn't think she could deal with. Hermione was the right person for the job even if she was not confident about that right now.

Hermione looked up and Harry met her eyes. The look in them was one he had seen many times before. She spoke of Elaine and Harry felt a familiar burning race through him. He nodded, then stopped when she menionted the artifact. He shook his head and placed a hand on top of hers. "It's better off gone, Hermione. I've always believed that kind of magic should be destroyed rather than in the wrong hands... even if I didn't know I believed that."

@hermionejean