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Only the Best | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Other, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence, Violence/Physical Abuse Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 82 Summary: Metropolitan Police Inspector Harry Potter was having an amazing twenty-four hours. He slept a full eight hours, had a good pint, and met the most incredible red-headed woman. Of course, that was all nulled by the dead woman lying in Whitehorse Road Park. Hitcount: Story Total: 32782; Chapter Total: 2564 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: I would like to thank Arnel and gryffindormischief for their help on this chapter, and every chapter in this story! Both do incredible work, which I highly recommend. |
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“So, you think it was just a scare tactic?” Tonks clarified, her hands gripping the sides of her chair tightly. Moody had called her and Harry into his office at nine that morning to discuss the last eight weeks. It was eight weeks since Tonks had suspected that man with the cold grey eyes had been following her. Eight weeks of living with Ron at Harry’s flat. Not that Ron was bad or anything. No, on the contrary, they had become fast friends. Ron had talked about his brothers and sister, while Tonks relived some of her best cases on the force. Three weeks into their friendship they had even gone on a double date. Ron had set her up with his brother Charlie, who was staying in England for the next two months, while Tonks had dragged Hermione Granger to the restaurant. She and Charlie had really hit it off. Ron and Hermione, however… well, they seemed to think foreplay involved arguing. Professionally, within those eight weeks, Harry and Tonks had gone over every possible route they could for the stalker. They figured this man was connected to their case somehow, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air. They checked multiple shop cameras, talked with vendors along the pavement, but the result was always the same: zilch. After that, they had gone back to their primary focus - the emails from their supposed killer. There had been radio silence since Terry’s communication. Even after they finally received access to the account, the sender had only written out the two emails. No drafts, nothing in the trash, there wasn’t even spam. A crew watched the email, waiting for it to be logged back into, but after a month no one, other than the crew, had accessed it. Now here they were, Moody telling them that the potential stalker was a scare tactic. “I mean,” Harry rubbed his temple, as he looked at his partner. “It is a rather effective maneuver. Not to mention it did distract us from focusing on other aspects of the case, if that was their ploy.” Moody nodded his agreement. “That’s what I’ve been thinking as well, Potter. It took up some resources for the department and messed with both of your minds. Throwing you off your game.” Tonks’ grip tightened making her fingers turn white. Harry, who had been watching her gently extracted her death grip from the chair. “So now what?” Harry had turned his head towards his superior. It wasn’t often that he asked help so directly. That alone seemed to clear the fog from Tonks’ mind. If Harry really had no idea what they needed to do… well, they were in a really bad situation. Not that she didn’t already think that, but this just solidified the idea in her mind. Moody ran a hand over his stubbled chin. “To be honest, Potter. Tonks. I have no idea. There haven’t been many cases that stumped me like this, but this one…” His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes. Tonks and Harry locked eyes. It wasn’t often Moody showed any signs of distress. “Moody,” Tonks said hesitantly, “have you heard back from the profiler?” Though both she and Harry were trained in profiling, they had requested an outsider to see if there was anything they may have missed. The grizzly man grunted. “Yes. He said he would respond with his report by Monday morning. Apparently, he is rather busy with his own case… git.” Moody’s voice became harsh, even for him. “It would take a few hours for him to go through it all.” “Why are we using him then?” Harry asked. Moody shrugged and rolled his neck, trying to loosen the knots. “He’s the best, according the Americans. He helped solved some of the most challenging cases across the pond.” “And that just makes him have a big head,” Tonks commented picking at a nail. She hated dealing with overconfident people. They were always such pricks. Grunting, Moody nodded. “Well, for now I guess —“ Whatever Moody was going to suggest was interrupted by Harry’s phone. All eyes turned to look at the black-haired inspector’s pocket. “Sorry,” Harry said as he reached for the distraction. He quickly checked the caller ID, then answered. “Hey, what’s up?” Tonks could hear a higher pitch voice talk on the other side. A woman clearly, and Harry had answered casually, making Tonks assume it was Ginny. Possibly-Ginny was talking fast. Tonks could see her partner’s face drain of color as the voice continued to explain something. Then he finally responded, “Okay. Don’t worry. I have it covered.” Then he hung up the phone. Both Moody and Tonks watched Harry, expectantly. “That was Ginny,” Harry explained, placing the phone back into his pocket and standing. “Dean Thomas has gone missing again.” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Harry looked around the crowded parking lot of Brawny Brute Fitness Club in Belmont. Based on Ginny’s information the last place any of Dean’s friends had seen him was at this gym. Apparently, Dean and his mate, Justin, had been coming here for years. Since before Dean was a professional football player, at least. He and Tonks made their way to the front counter where a small, but strong-looking woman sat typing something out on her computer. Harry approached her, trying to smile. Something he learned a long time ago was that a smile went a long way, especially with women. “Hello,” Harry made sure that his voice was direct, showing he meant business. He pulled out his ID card as well, placing it on the counter. “I’m Detective Inspector Harry Potter. I called earlier. Mr. McLaggen should be expecting me.” The woman regarded the ID, then nodded. She grabbed the phone on the console and dialed a number. “Hello, Mr. McLaggen. A Detective Inspector Potter is here to see you.” The other side responded quickly. The receptionist looked up at Harry and Tonks. “Go through that door to the left. Head up the stairs. Third door on the left.” “Thanks,” Tonks said as they followed the instructions. McLaggen’s office was large, and overly cluttered. Trophies lined the walls on shelves, photos of McLaggen hung around the room. The man himself was seated behind a small desk that sat in the center of the floor, eating some grey, foul smelling dish. Once he noticed the inspectors, McLaggen stood and offered his hand to Harry. “Hello,” his voice had a slight Irish accent to it. “Name’s Cormac McLaggen, but you know that already.” He sent Tonks a flirty smile. “Call me Cormac.” “Mr. McLaggen,” Tonks said as she positioned herself in front of him, “We are looking for a missing person. Dean Thomas. He is a regular here. Have you seen him lately?” McLaggen scratched the back of his head as he sat back down. “Yeah, I know Dean. He’s one of the few blokes I will stop to talk with. He’s a professional football player. Though,” he sent Tonks another coquettish smirk. “I’m better than he is. I can play any position really.” “That’s great,” Harry had to resist rolling his eyes. He could tell he wasn’t going to like this guy. “When was the last time you saw Mr. Thomas?” Glaring, McLaggen looked over at Harry. Clearly, he would rather focus on the female in the room. “I would guess about three days ago.” “Do you have cameras here?” “Yeah, of course. Why?” McLaggen clearly wasn’t the brightest light in the attic. “Can we look at the footage of Dean?” Tonks requested, pulling out her phone to take down notes. McLaggen leaned back in his seat, an eyebrow raised. “Why? My word isn’t good enough?” “Your word is fine, but we would like to see who else he may have spoken with, what time he left, those kinds of things.” “What’s in it for me?” Harry couldn’t prevent the snort from coming out of his nose, making McLaggen scowl at him again. “How about we help you dodge being arrested for suppressing evidence?” McLaggen’s eyes went wide. Harry felt immense pride at scaring the bugger. He was clearly used to getting everything he wanted and Harry loved being the one to ruin his streak. “Alright. Alright. I’ll pull it up on my computer.” It took only a few minutes for the footage to be displayed on the screen. “Thanks,” Tonks said as she rolled McLaggen’s chair away from his desk, giving the man in question a push out of his seat. “Can you bring up some water for me and Potter?” Harry and Tonks leaned towards the screen while McLaggen hustled out of the room, muttering under his breath. There were seven different tapes to watch, all in black in white. They sat side by side, all within the same time frame. It took them a moment to find Dean, but eventually Harry found him on tape four. They watched as the man lifted weights for some time. Then he moved through the different tapes. Going from four to six, where he stopped at a vending machine. Dean bought a water and as he took a large sip a dark-haired woman approached the area. Harry noticed a visual response from Dean, as he stiffened. The woman put her money into the system and bought her own drink. They couldn’t see the woman’s face, as she was facing away from the camera. Dean suddenly leaned against the side of the machine, and started chatting to the woman. “Who is that?” Tonks asked as Dean and the woman walked away from the area together. She paused the tapes giving them a clear view of the lady. She had heavy-lidded eyes and a strong jaw. Harry would have called her pretty if she didn’t look so haughty, a trait he couldn’t stand. “No idea. We’ll ask if McLaggen knows her later. Check where they go,” Harry said. Tonks clicked play and they followed the couple as they left the gym together, talking away, water bottles clutched to their sides. Just as the door shut behind Dean and the woman, McLaggen walked back into his office. “Mr. McLaggen,” Harry gestured him over. “Do you know who this woman is?” Cormac took a moment to observe the image before, the full display of the woman’s face. Then he shook his head. “I’ve never seen her before.” “Do you keep track of when members come in and out?” Tonks asked. “No, not by name or anything. They just need to swipe their tag and they can run any of the machines.” “Would the tags contain personal information?” Harry pressed. “Uh… I can ask my IT guy.” “See that you do,” Tonks said, making McLaggen move quickly out of the room. “So, he vanished after talking with a woman,” Harry started to formulate. “Just like last time… He has bad luck with ladies.” Tonks snorted as they waited for McLaggen to come back with their possible lead. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX “Ginny, dear, are you alright?” Molly Weasley’s voice broke through Ginny’s hazy mind like a fog horn. “You look peaky. Have you been eating enough?” Ginny could barely contain her eye roll. “Yes, Mum. I’ve been eating. I’m just stressed…” Ginny voice fell as another wave of nausea crashed over her. Ever since she had arrived at her mother’s home, Ginny had felt ill to her stomach. Molly had requested all her children come to the Burrow on Friday, because finally they were all in England, well, every child except for Percy. Ginny had left work early to make it. Wood was left in charge of the “Dean hunt.” Dean… Dean was the cause of her anxiety. He had gone missing again! No one from the stadium had seen him since before Monday. He had been scheduled for a meeting with Oliver on Thursday, but Dean never showed up. So, Ginny had called Harry instantly. She was not dealing with this missing person bullshit again. She had called around to some of Dean’s known friends and finally, Justin had told her they had gone to the gym on Tuesday. Now here she was sitting in her mother’s spotless kitchen, head resting on the polished wood of the kitchen table, while her mother interrogated her about her eating habits. “Do you have a fever?” Molly asked, leaving her guard over the stove to feel Ginny’s forehead. “A slight one,” Ginny admitted, raising her head ever so slightly from the cool wood. “I checked it before I came, but it’s also the warmest day we’ve had in a while.” “What other symptoms do you have? You may have the flu.” Ginny inwardly sighed. This is why she wasn’t going to say anything. She didn’t need to be mollycoddled. Her mother, however, wasn’t going to accept anything but a list of all her symptoms now. “I don’t know, Mum,” Ginny looked up into the eyes she had adopted. “I’ve been tired and…” Ginny tried to remember how she felt when she woke up, “and like I’m swollen or something.” Molly’s red eye brow rose inquisitive. “Swollen?” “Yeah,” Ginny moved sat fully up and rolled her shoulders around, trying to make her body feel slightly more alive. “I swear I felt like a balloon this morning.” “Huh,” Ginny’s mother tapped her fingers against the table. “Have you been sick?” Ginny thought back over the week. “No,” she admitted, “but I have felt like I would be.” Molly’s eyes lit up with what Ginny had to call excitement, which was odd seeing as they were discussing her illness. “Really, and when would you get this feeling?” Her mother’s voice was starting to become smug, something that annoyed Ginny to high heaven. “I don’t know,” she said trying to keep calm and not yell at her mother. That never went well, if the past was anything to go by. “Maybe when certain foods are being cooked?” “Yeah, I guess…” Ginny couldn’t understand why Molly’s smile was growing rapidly. “What, Mum?” Molly placed a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “Ginny, dear, is it possible that you may be pregnant?” “No!” Ginny objected instantly, making her mother smile more. “So, you’re telling me you and Harry are practicing abstinence?” Molly’s diabolical smirk was well in place by now. Ginny had to fight hard to prevent blush from creeping onto her cheeks. Oh, this was a topic she never wanted to discuss with her mother. She settled on glaring, that seemed to be the least incriminating approach. However, Molly Weasley could read her children like books. She knew that a glare from Ginny meant she didn’t want to admit the truth, but it was more than likely the answer that was less favorable. “I’m assuming you’ve been using protection?” Ginny just continued her silent war, but she did nod. “Well, nothing is one hundred percent,” Molly laughed at the look of fear and annoyance that flashed on Ginny’s face. “Oh, dear. We Weasley’s are a special bunch. I mean, your father and I were pregnant three out of the six times while using protection.” Ginny visibly flinched. Oh, how she hated discussing or thinking about her parents’ sex life. Molly seemed to take pity on her daughter. “How about you run to the village and grab a test or two. If you hurry none of your brothers will have arrived.” Jesus Christ! Her brothers… They did not need to know anything about this discussion. Ginny rushed to the door, grabbing her bag and keys while moving as fast as her legs would take her. The drive to the local village only took ten minutes on a regular day, but today it took hours. Then trying to decide which brand to buy was nearly impossible. Ginny had never done this before. She had no idea which were the most accurate. Settling on the three most expensive, she tried to ignore the clerk’s sideways glance at her left hand. The trip back to her childhood home was even longer than the trip to the village, taking nearly a week. After turning off her car, Ginny rushed through the back door, not stopping to talk to her mother, who was still positioned in the kitchen. Ginny went up to the only toilet in the house and followed the awkward instructions on the back of the boxes. Never had time dragged so slowly to Ginny. The instructions said to wait five minutes, but really it was a month before the timer on her phone dinged. Oddly though, Ginny couldn’t lift herself from her uncomfortable makeshift seat on the edge of the bathtub. Those three white sticks sat on the sink, waiting to possibly change her life forever. She wasn’t ready. Plain and simple. How could she be a mother? She went out with her friends often, she had no experience with babies, being the youngest, not to mention she wasn’t married, and Harry! Harry was always at work, he drove a motorbike which certainly wasn’t the family vehicle of the year… How could they be parents? A knock on the loo door made Ginny jump, nearly falling back into the tub. “Ginny?” Molly’s voice came muffled through the wood. “Can I come in?” Without looking towards the sink, Ginny went over to the door and opened it for her mother. Molly walked in and her eyes instantly looked at the three little sticks. Her face gave nothing away as she placed a hand on Ginny’s back and guided her to sit on the seat of the toilet. “Have you looked yet?” Ginny shook her head. How could she look? When as long as she didn’t check those three little sticks she could pretend everything was the same. Molly smiled at her daughter, clearly knowing the young woman’s thoughts. “Ginny, dear, would you like me to tell you what they say?” Eyes shutting on their own accord, Ginny nodded. It would be much easier to have her mother break the news. Hell, maybe if she was pregnant Molly would be willing to tell Harry, because Ginny sure as hell didn’t want to. “All three say positive.” There it was, Ginny was pregnant. What the fuck was she going to do? She and Harry had never discussed children, hell, they never even really discussed marriage. Sure, they loved each other, and Ginny knew she would want to marry him, but did he feel the same? “Maybe you should go talk to Harry.” Molly’s soothing tone made Ginny open her eyes. Her mother’s brown eyes were filled with tears. Happy tears, Ginny hoped. She knew how much her mother loved grandchildren, but out of wedlock? Then she was pulled into an almost bone breaking hug, while Molly let tears flow. “My baby!” Ginny let her own emotions free. Tears sprang to her eyes, then cascaded down her cheeks. She was having a baby. An unplanned baby, but the image of a black-haired, green eyed, toddler came into her mind. Chubby cheeks and tiny fingers. Little booties and small blankets. Yeah, this baby was unplanned, but Ginny already felt connected to him or her. Love, Ginny realized. She already loved her baby, before even seeing him or her. Molly released her, and Ginny stood wiping the tear tracks off her cheeks. She needed to go back into London. Hopefully Harry would be off work by the time she arrived. They had a couple of things to discuss. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX “Had Dean ever mentioned a Bellatrix Lestrange?” Harry asked Oliver Wood and Seamus Finnigan, as he, Tonks, and the two football professionals sat in Wood’s office. The IT bloke from Brawny Brute Fitness Club hadn’t been able to find any information on the woman who left with Thomas, but fortunately for Harry and Tonks the woman apparently had a rap sheet. They had sent in a photo of her to be searched through The Yard’s database and Bellatrix Lestrange had appeared. There hadn’t been much on her, but that one traffic ticket had given them plenty to start. However, Bellatrix was no simple woman. The address listed for her was a vacant lot. Any numbers attached to her name, disconnected. That left them with talking with Dean’s mates, checking to see if he had ever talked about Bellatrix. “No,” Seamus claimed, “is that some bird he was with?” Harry inwardly sighed as Wood shook his head as well. So, either Dean had never met Lestrange before the gym, or he had never mentioned her to anyone. “We’ve been granted permission to go into Dean’s flat and search. We plan on checking his computer. Do you know his security password?” Seamus looked around the room awkwardly. “I don’t think I’m supposed to say.” Tonks nodded. “Normally you shouldn’t, but we need to check to see if he sent any emails that would tell us where he went with Ms. Lestrange.” Wood placed a hand on Seamus’ shoulder and nodded. “It could help find him.” Letting out a deep sigh, Seamus grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the passwords and usernames to his main accounts. “Thank you, Seamus,” Harry said as he stood. He offered his hand to both men. “If we have any other questions we will call.” “What do you think happened?” Wood asked as Tonks followed Harry’s lead. Shaking his head, Harry pulled on his jacket. “I have no idea. We can’t come up with any reason for Dean to vanish. We’re hoping to find some answers at his flat.” Oliver let out a deep sigh, but nodded. “Good luck.” Harry and Tonks left the office and started down the long passageway towards the car park. Harry’s basic jingle started to echo off the walls. Reaching into his pocket, Ginny’s face was lighting up his screen. She had set the picture so long ago. She was holding the phone up high in the air, sticking her tongue out at the camera, while Harry was asleep on the couch in the background. “Hey, Gin,” Harry said once he slid the green answer bar. “What’s up?” “Hey,” Ginny’s voice was hesitant and slightly lower than normal, the first and second warning signs to Harry. “I was just wondering when you would be home.” “Eh, well, we need to head to Dean’s flat, but probably after that. Why? Did something happen?” Tonks’ head turned to observe her partner. Harry counted five seconds before Ginny answered, sign number three. “Yes, but nothing that can’t wait.” Tonks rolled her eyes. She reached towards Harry and took the phone away from his ear, placing to her own. “Hey, Ginny, it’s Tonks. Harry will be there in ten minutes.” Harry couldn’t hear Ginny’s response, but he noticed Tonks’ brow raise. “Yes, I’m sure. I can head to the flat on my own. Harry and I will meet back up later to discuss what I’ve found.” Another muffled response then Tonks said, “Alright, see you then.” Then she hung up Harry’s phone and handed it back to him. She looked at her partner. “You’re gonna go talk with your girl. Something’s wrong, I could tell from her voice alone.” At first Harry wanted to object. He should stay working on the case. He may catch something that Tonks would miss at Dean’s flat, but the look Tonks gave him quelled any thoughts of protesting. “Alright, let’s go.” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Tonks left Harry at front door with an ominous “good luck.” Before entering, he silenced his phone; he had feeling this was going to need his undivided attention. He found Ginny resting on the couch once he walked inside. A cup of water was placed in front of her, looking untouched, while the television played softly in the background. “Hey, Love,” Harry said as he walked over towards her. He placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head as he rounded the corner of the couch and took the empty seat cushion. Ginny watched his progress with a cautious smile. “Hi, Harry. How’s the case going?” Ginny decided to start off with small talk, well smaller than what she needed to tell him. Harry raised an eyebrow, but explained what they had found so far. Ginny barely listened. She would feel bad for not caring about Dean later, but right now she couldn’t stop thinking about what she needed to tell Harry. Not to mention how to tell him. “But let’s talk about something else,” Harry said quickly. He started rubbing her arm, trying to comfort her. “What’s wrong?” Ginny resist the urge to run. Running and hiding would be so much easier. Instead she cleared her throat. “Harry… do you want to…do you want…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Harry’s eye brows knit together in concern. “What is it, Gin?” He scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. “You can tell me anything, you know that.” Ginny rested her head in the crook of Harry’s neck, breathing in his comforting scent. After letting out a long breath, that most likely tickled his neck, Ginny heard a voice just like hers asked, “Harry do you want children?” She could basically hear his mind trying to work out what was happening. “Yes,” he admitted slowly, “why are you asking?” His breath was coming out shallowly. Clearly, he had a guess at what this was about, but he needed her to say it. Hell, she needed to say it for herself. The entire drive home from her parents’ she had tried to say the word. She took in a finally lung full of his scent and said, “I’m pregnant, Harry.” Ginny had heard many stories of how significant others discovered a pregnancy. Some people faint, some freeze, others cry, but Harry just continued to hold her, breathing in and out. Nothing was said for what felt like eternity. Ginny needed to know what he was thinking. Was he happy, mad, scared, excited? “Harry?” Her voice was timid to her own ears. She tried to pull back so she could look at his face, but he held her tight. She allowed another minute of silence between them, before gently extracting herself from his arms. This time, he allowed it. When she could finally see his face, she fell more in love with the man than she already was. Harry James Potter was beaming at her, his eyes brighter than normal. “How far along?” His voice shook. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t been to a doctor, but I took three tests. All were positive. I called one of Fred and George’s friends who is a doctor and she agreed to meet with me on Monday morning. It’s at nine if you want to come.” Harry looked at her like she had lost her mind. “If I want to come? Of course, I want to come!” He pulled her tightly to his chest again. “So, you’re okay with this?” Ginny asked, her anxiety getting the better of her. “Okay with it?” Harry’s voice was still trembling, which was more intense as she was pressed to him. “I mean, we didn’t plan it, but Ginny it’s wonderful.” He pulled away to so he could kiss her. First on the forehead, then her nose, cheeks, and finally her lips. “We should find a place together,” Harry started to ramble, once he tore his lips from hers. “Maybe someplace further from the city. Someplace with a garden. Oh, I should try to get better hours. More baby friendly hours. What are baby friendly hours?” Ginny had never appreciated Harry more than she did in this moment. Some men would have retreated if their girlfriend of less than a year told them she was pregnant. Others would insist for an abortion, but Harry… no, he was talking about finding them a house with a garden, whether they should get a dog or cat for the child to grow up with. Harry truly was the most amazing man she had ever met. “I say we get one of those play structures,” Harry was sit rambling. “My aunt and uncle built one for my cousin. They never let me play on it, but it looked like a lot of fun. I say one with a swing and — “ “Marry me,” Ginny interrupted. She had no idea what made her say it, but she knew she wanted it. She wanted to marry Harry. She wanted to have this baby with him. To raise their child with all Harry mentioned. To be each other’s family. Harry looked at her stunned, but slowly a smile crept onto his face. “One second.” He rushed off towards the bedroom. Ginny had no idea what he was doing, but he returned thirty seconds later. His left hand was clenched in a fist. He grabbed her left hand in his right, then looked up into her eyes. “Yes.” Opening the fist, he revealed a diamond ring. The silver band worked well with the mid-size diamond that sat in the center. Ginny watched with surprise and adoration as he slid it onto her finger. It fit as if it had been made for her. “It was my mother’s ring,” Harry explained as Ginny stared speechless at the addition to her hand. “Sirius gave it to me before he was arrested again. I’ve kept it all these years.” “But how — how does it —“ Ginny wanted to know how it fit her so well, but words were not her friend right now. “How does it fit so well?” Harry asked. He just seemed to know her so well. “I took one of your other rings to a jeweler’s and had it resized to match. I did it about two months ago.” He gave her a hard-loving look, as her eyes opened wide in surprise. “Gin, I knew this was it. I knew you were it. I don’t want to just get married because we’re having a baby. I want to marry you, because of you.” Ginny wanted to cry, and if anyone asked, she would blame it on pregnancy hormones. She didn’t even know if the hormones were already present, really though, even if she hadn’t been pregnant… if Harry had told her those things… She was a goner. Pressing her face into his neck, she let her emotions bubble over, Harry rubbing her back, lovingly whispering nonsense words of comfort. She wanted to tell him it was all his fault, but she couldn’t. Her throat felt like it was six times its normal size. They clung to each other, both emotionally unstable. Eventually, Harry moved them so they lay side by side on the couch, Ginny still tucked into his chest. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Ginny let his arms comfort her as the fatigue that had been plaguing her pushed her into sleep. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Tonks parked the car at Scotland Yard and headed for her desk. After searching Dean’s flat for over three hours she had found nothing about Bellatrix or leaving the area. Nothing out of the ordinary for the average football star. She had brought in his laptop to be search more thoroughly, but as far as she could tell it was another dead end. As she settled into her desk chair, her mind drifted to Harry and Ginny. She hadn’t heard from her partner since she had dropped him off. Tonks had hoped it would be a simple conversation and Harry would have called her to get back to work, but no, apparently it was as big as she feared. Tonks opened her email and started responding to the usual messages. After about thirty minutes, she received a text from Moody calling her into his office. She went instantly, hoping they finally got something for the milk case. “Good, Tonks you’re here. Where’s Potter?” Moody grumbled as Tonks walked into the man’s office. “He had a private matter to attend to, sir,” Tonks explained. Moody had always been accepting to personal lives, though he lacked one of his own. He never wanted anyone to be lonely. More than once he and Tonks had gone out drinking together, discussing everything from the latest scores to love. Moody nodded and sent another text, most likely to Harry. “Alright, we will start without him.” He picked up a dark yellow package container from his desk. “This arrived five minutes ago.” He showed her a typed letter and a basic smartphone. “Who sent it?” Tonks asked uneasily. She had an assumption, but she didn’t want to be right. “We have no name, but we have a strong reason to believe it’s the person who murdered Bell, Bones, and Chang.” “Does the letter mention them?” “Yes, with specific detail.” Moody grabbed a pair of glasses and roughly pushed him onto his nose. “He also mentions how the next person will be the ‘bell of the ball’.” “Holy shit!” Tonks exclaimed. “Do we think Bellatrix Lestrange?” “Possibly,” Moody confirmed, “but it’s the final paragraph that… well, it says ‘maybe next time I should go for a feisty red-head. They do have their merits, don’t they, Mr. Potter’.” Tonks became a statue. “You don’t think…?” Moody nodded gravely. “I want to get Harry and Miss Weasley to a secure location. I’ve had Boot call every minute since I’ve read the letter.” Tonks grabbed her own mobile and called Harry. It instantly went to voicemail. She then tried Ginny, at least this time it was ringing. “Hello?” Ginny’s voice sounded as if she had just woken up. “Ginny!” Tonks practically yelled, “Where are you? Is Harry with you?” “Yes, we’re at my flat.” Tonks could hear shuffling. “Do you need to speak with Harry?” “Yes, please.” Air could be heard as the phone moved from one ear to the other. Then Harry’s voice, also sounding as if he had only just woken, came over the line, “What’s going on, Tonks?” “You and Ginny need to come to The Yard,” Tonks explained to her partner, “We’ve received physical letter that ties directly to you and someone whom we assume is Ginny.” Harry was silent for one second… two seconds… then finally he spoke, but not to Tonks. “Gin, go pack some clothing and all essentials you’ll need for a few days.” Ginny’s response was muffled, but she could pick up Harry’s reticence easily. “I don’t know yet, but we’re gonna go find out. Tonks?” “Yeah?” “We’ll be there soon.” Then the line went dead. Tonks looked up at her boss and saw a rare smile twisted on his face. “Good thing you have Ginny’s number.” Letting out a deep sigh, Tonks agreed. Then she turned her attention to the other item from the package. “What’s with the phone?” Moody handed it to her. The display showed only three words. The black backdrop making the white letters stand out: “Come Find Me.” |
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