Harry Potter The Final Straw

Harry wandered downstairs to stretch his legs and fetch a glass of water. In his hands was one of his books on occlumency. He was so engrossed in the text that he didn't notice Hermione's parents leaning against the counter and talking quietly amongst themselves.

When John and Annabelle saw Harry walk in, they noticed how immersed he was in his book so they continued talking quietly. Their smiles grew larger as Harry moved around the room on autopilot as he gathered his drink and left the room without ever noticing that he wasn't alone. It was something that they had seen Hermione do hundreds of times in their old home and it filled them with joy to see how comfortable Harry had become in the house.

Motioning with her hands for John to keep quiet, Annabelle silently followed Harry up the steps towards the library. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even notice his in-laws trailing half a landing behind him.

Harry flopped down next to Hermione and handed her his glass without even looking up from his book. On autopilot, Hermione had extended her hand at that exact moment and plucked the glass from his hand without tearing her gaze from her book either.

John and Annabelle stood in the doorway transfixed by the scene in front of them. The two teens were displaying a level of communication not achieved outside of couples that had been married for decades and sometimes not at all. They watched the silent interactions between Harry and Hermione for a few minutes in awe before Annabelle said softly, "It's getting late. Are you two going to turn in soon?"

Startled from their private thoughts, the two teens jumped slightly in their seats before Hermione squeaked happily, "Mum, Dad!" before hopping up and racing over to them to exchange hugs. Harry followed at a more sedate pace before exchanging his own hugs and pleasantries with the in-laws.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger. How was your dinner?" Harry asked politely when he stepped back from Annabelle's hug.

"It was enlightening. Dining in a magical house takes some getting used to." John smiled as he answered Harry's question.

Remembering fondly all of the meals he'd eaten during better times at the Burrow with the Weasleys made Harry smile in return before he answered knowingly, "Yes, it does. Doesn't it?"

"Why don't you two get ready for bed? We have a big day planned for tomorrow and we'll have to get started early." Annabelle said warmly as she steered the young couple towards their room.

.....

With a soft pop, two aurors appeared in the alleyway directly across from the wand makers shop in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kingsley stood motionless, his cloak pulled closed against the slight chill in the air, as he searched the area for anything out of the ordinary.

Deciding that nothing was amiss, he gestured to his partner and they quickly crossed the street and opened the door to the shop with their wands at the ready. The bell above the door chimed as they entered causing Kinglsey to flinch at forgetting something so elementary.

The tinkling of the bells brought the shopkeeper out of his workshop to greet his visitors. Wiping his hands on his apron, Mr. Davidson noticed the drawn wands and auror badges and asked carefully, "How may I help you gentleman today?"

Having no easy way to break the news to the shop keep, Kinglsey motioned for his partner to stand guard by the door and said calmly, "We're here to escort you to a safe house. Mr. Ollivander was killed and turned into an inferious today."

Leaning against the counter for support, Armand took a few moments to gather himself before whispering, "Does this mean what I think it does?"

Looking the old man in the eyes, Shacklebolt answered, "It does. Now please gather up your things, time is of the essence. We think Voldemort is targeting all of the wand makers in Great Britain for some reason."

Just as Armand was beginning to gather his supplies, Shacklebolt's partner, barked out a harsh whisper, "Shite! We have company!" and began setting as many defensive spells on the front of the shop as he could. When he was done, Smyth turned to them and asked, "Is there a secret way out of here?"

The wand maker nodded and pointed behind the counter before moving over to it and undoing the concealing and locking spells. Once they were gone, he opened the door and motioned for the aurors to follow him.

Kinglsey was halfway down the trap door when he realized that his Smyth wasn't following him. With a questioning look on his face, he peered back at his partner.

"Go. I'll hold them off while you get Mr. Davidson to safety." Smyth said resolutely while looking Kinglsey in the eyes.

With a nod of understanding, Shacklebolt whispered, "God speed." before closing the hatch behind him. He felt the concealment charms go back up seconds before he heard the front door being blasted apart. Seeing the wand maker standing by the tunnel, he gently pushed him in the back and whispered, "Go. Smyth is going to buy us some time."

With a shocked nod of acceptance, Armand turned and began leading Kinglsey down the hidden passage to safety. At the end of the tunnel, there was a small, dimly lit, room with a ladder going up through another trap door.

Pointing to the hatch, Kinglsey asked, "Where does this lead?"

"The door leads to the basement of the pub on the street behind my shop." Mr. Davidson whispered before continuing, "It's owned by my cousin so we should be safe."

There was a loud blasting noise followed by a showering of dust from the carved ceiling. Eyes widening in horror, Kinglsey vanished the trap door and practically dragged the old wand maker up the ladder with him in his haste. Just as they cleared the trap door, a cloud of dust and debris blew upward.

"Damnation." Kinglsey muttered before turning to Mr. Davidson and saying solemnly, "Grab my arm, I'm going to apparate us to the safe house before I contact Madam Bones."

....

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