╷〢╷〢╷

C H A P T E R  S I X T E E N | Transmogrify

spell. changes targets form.

╷〢╷〢╷

HER KNOCKS ARE EAGER, BUT HARRY DOESN'T ANSWER.

She presses her ear against the old, wooden door, and she's surprised to hear a pair of voices bickering back and forth. A frown draws down her lips as she backs away from the door. She knocks a few more times.

A moment later, the door flies open, but it's not Harry who bumps into her. It's Draco, and his cold stare tells her that he wasn't expecting her to be here either.

Instead of explaining himself, Draco continues down the stairs and out on to the sidewalk where he DisApparates in a flash of green.

"Hermione?"

She turns to stare at Harry.

His hair is a mess of curls, as if he's been running his hands through the tresses to deal with some form of unwanted stress. Was this stress related to Draco's unexpected appearance here, she wonders. And, as her eyes wander she realizes that Harry's still in his Auror's uniform. The silver buttons are unclasped, revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. His heavy boots are still snug on his feet.

"Harry," she says, suddenly feeling like a nuisance for bothering him. "I didn't realize I'd come at a bad time."

He takes a step back, allowing her into the darkened apartment.

"Not a bad time at all," he replies with his familiar grin. "Just brought work home with me today. Would you care for some tea?"

Grimmauld Place used to feel so cold, but since Harry moved in, the apartment has gradually been dusted, painted, and wholly remodeled. The kitchen is the brightest room with dandelion yellow walls and white cupboards. The long dining table is still in the middle of the dining room through the archway to the right and potted plants hang like jungle vines across ancient bookcases. The air is scented with firewood and broom polish, and perhaps something that is reminiscent of Draco's bourbon cologne.

Once the kettle is on the range, Harry asks her how the appointment went.

"Ron told me," he says, crossing his arms as he leans against the counter. His green eyes regard her softly from behind round-rimmed glasses.

"Then, I'm sure you'll receive an ear-full when he stops by later," she says before sighing. "He's not the father, Harry. What am I ever going to do?"

"I assume you'll be needing to tell the real father about what's going on," he replies. His lips raise in a gentle grin and the kettle begins to screech behind him. He turns the stove off.

After crossing the floor, Hermione pulls a pair of cups down from the cupboards above. As Harry pours the hot tea, she can't help but ask what exactly brought Draco around.

"Uh, I can't really talk about that with you," he replies without meeting her eyes. Harry grabs his cup and walks over to the long dining table, where he takes a seat at the end.

Hermione joins him.

"There used to be a time when you couldn't keep his name out of your mouth, Harry."

He chuckles before sipping at his tea. Then, he meets her gaze.

"To be fair, I thought he was involved in plotting my potential murder."

She gives him a smile, but it's half-hearted, and her eyes fall to the teacup in front of her.

"Have you ever heard of a woman called Y'Zara Cragov?"

Reluctantly, she raises her eyes to his from under a line of thick lashes. The way his brows are creasing over his eyes sends a shiver down her spine.

"Has she spoken to you?!"

Harry's sudden outburst is a mixture of anger and fear.

Hermione's back presses against the flat of her chair.

"No. I, uh -"

She wants to tell him everything that was said between the werewolves and the Malfoys - to potentially save Draco's life. If she knows he's safe, then maybe she can gather the courage to tell him that he's going to be a father.

She decides she must tell Harry, but a loud pounding erupts on the front door. The sudden noise startles them, causing them to jump up from their seats and head for the hallway.

"Accio wand."

A buzzing sound zips through the house until Harry's wand is firmly in his hand.

Hermione extracts hers as well, but Harry turns as more knocking breaks out against the door.

"You can DisApparate on the roof. There's no wards there. Go, now!"

His eyes are stern; suddenly hard jade stones glinting back at her.

"Harry -"

"- go, Hermione!"

The words catch in her throat as she backs away and flees up the first few steps with agile grace. She turns back and looks at Harry just as he casts a locking charm on the door.

"Fortis Defensionis!"

Silver chains burst out of his wand and it shoots toward the door, where it is absorbed in a sudden glow. He then shouts another spell, one that she's never heard before.

"Custos Auxilium!"

A ghastly plume of pale yellow magic seeps from the end of Harry's wand and pools by the door. The ethereal liquid rises from the floor before shifting into an otherworldly being, complete with magnificent horns and a glinting sword, which it raises into a defensive position. But, the pounding on the door has quieted suddenly, which is strangely more terrifying than the incessant knocking.

Hermione takes the moment of bittersweet calm to hurry upstairs. As much as she wants to stay behind and help Harry, it seems that he has the situation under control.

At least for now -

She must find help. Without knowing precisely where Ron, Pansy, or even Draco are, she decides the Ministry must be the next best place. They have Aurors crawling all over the place.

Outside, thick, rumbling clouds drop down a heavy rain, and a chilled wind has picked up. Her heart pounds loudly against her chest. Not a single fiber in her body wants to leave Harry alone right now. She rushes over to the edge of the rooftop. Down below, she expects to see the culprit attempting to break down Harry's door, but instead she believes she sees a parcel sitting in the puddle on the doorstep.

She rushes downstairs to call off Harry's defense, but as she reaches the ground level, a chill washes over her as the scent of rain fills her nostrils.

"Harry?"

Her heart drops. The front door is wide open; rain has already soaked the ornamental rug at the base.

On the doorstep, she finds the parcel, which she takes with her when she decidedly DisApparates to Hogsmeade. Grimmauld Place is no longer safe enough for her and it's top priority that she needs to find out why the envelope that was found with the parcel is addressed to her. It may be the only clue to finding out who took Harry and why.

☽✧☾

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER. . .

Please remember to vote, comment, and share.