The Journey Cycle Pt 2: New Zealand (pt 2 complete

This chapter deals with the controversial issue of abortion. Just so you know. The Squig xx

14

The next morning, Hermione was being as silent as she could. She was trying hard not to wake the other occupants of the house as she showered and dressed, fighting down incipient nausea. She felt a bit of a shit deceiving her friends this way but this still had to be done. On silent bare feet she went upstairs to the lounge locating the phone. Beside it was a local area directory that she consulted and a pile of mail addressed to their hosts and she read off their location before heading back to her room, her mobile out of her pocket. She quickly called a cab to come and pick her up before scratching out a quick note to her friends and hosts and leaving the house as silently as possible. She did not want to be late for her appointment.

The other four rose later and Harry noticed straight away: no Hermione. He had made her a pot of tea and trudged down the stairs, tapping on her door. Thinking she must really be out cold, he pushed the door open to her room. Odd. No charms or wards, but when he looked at her neatly made bed and the note on it, he smiled. Setting the tray down he read it,

Harry and Severus,

Have taken a taxi into town to sort out my finances and stuff. Apparently I also have to see someone at the Embassy about my visa so I’ll probably be gone most of the day. For Sammy, I suggest maybe a few potions or more spell-work. I doubt I’ll feel up to much in the way of tuition today after butting heads with bureaucrats all day, so have fun and I’ll hopefully see you around teatime. I’ll hire us a car too for some excursions,

See you later

H xx

Harry came back upstairs with the tray in his hands and the note clamped in his teeth and showed it to the others, “Sorry, no Hermione today, Sammy”, until Jed hushed him pointing to Sammy pacing back and forth with the phone at his ear. “His office just called”, Jed whispered and Harry backed off.

“Damn. Blast and buggeration!!” Sammy exclaimed, throwing the handset at the sofa in disgust, “Why can’t they bloody leave me be? I’m on fuckin’ holiday. It’s that damned Cowell case, love, there’s been another glitch and the gits are refusing to co-operate with the request for evidence. I’m gonna have to go in for a bit”, he addressed Jed then turned to his guests, “Sorry, guys, trouble at t’mill. No school for ol’ Sammy today. I’m gonna have to pop in the office for a while and, knowing this bloody case, it probably means I’ll be there all day. Damn and blast. Still, Jed, if you take ‘em out or something, it means you guys’ day needn’t be a washout. I’ll take the car and you can use the truck”. He wrapped his arms around Jed and kissed him, “Be back later, babe”, he whispered before picking up his keys and phone and heading out. As he descended the stairs, Harry could hear him on his mobile, “Okay, I’m on my way, set up a meeting for ten, if you would, please, Sarah...” and he heard no more except the squeal of rubber as Sammy shot out of the drive.

Jed slumped down onto the sofa sinking his face in his hands, “Damn. I was looking forward to Sam doing the driving. I’m a bit hung over from last night still but he doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word”. Severus winked at Harry and went downstairs. The next thing Jed knew was when a small glass bottle was thrust unceremoniously into his hands, “Here, this may help. It tastes fairly awful but it does the trick”. Jed eyed it dubiously, “What is this? One of your magic potions, then?” Severus sighed, “Just drink it, I haven’t poisoned anyone yet in all my years of brewing. Not without intention anyway and it would be churlish of me in the extreme to do away with a fine host such as yourself”.

Jed glanced at Harry, who was smirking for Britain. He still found it difficult to tell when Severus was joking sometimes. He looked up into the dark eyes and accepted the bottle with a mumbled thanks. He took out the cork and sniffed delicately, “God, that smells disgusting”. Harry laughed aloud, “It goes down a bit better with a spoon of honey but it really does work”. Jed made a face and swallowed the contents. Within seconds the hammering in his head had ceased and his stomach had calmed, “Oh, wow, that was fast. Even ibuprofen takes over an hour to work properly. Amazing. And it lifts the mood somewhat”, he smiled and thanked his guest.

“So, what do you guys want to do with the day?” Harry shrugged, he wasn’t really in any mood to play tourist and they really needed to do some laundry, cleaning spells only went so far and Bessie’s bedding could do with a change. Severus stretched, “I really have no idea, but I would like to have a swim in your pool if I may?” Jed laughed, “Well, you’re easy to please”, he waved an airy hand in the direction of the garden, “Help yourself. To be honest, I could do with looking over the bike. I recharged the battery and it wasn’t that that caused the problem but if there’s something special that you want to do.....?”

Harry shook his head, “Yesterday was a bit intense to be honest and a day chilling out is a good idea. Maybe I could cook us all something nice for dinner tonight if you like, and may we use your washing machine?” Jed laughed, “So your cleaning spells don’t work?” Severus uttered darkly, “Yes they do but it only goes so far before one has to revert to the old-fashioned way with good old soap and water, poss tub and mangle”.

Harry thwacked Severus’ arm, “Give over, love, they do have a washer you know, all mod cons in this world, my sweet. I doubt Jed even knows what a poss tub is”, when he spied the slight frown between Jed’s brows. Jed just shook his head at them and got up, “Make yourselves at home. Do whatever you need to do and welcome. See you later”. Harry volunteered to help him but Jed shook his head, “No, this bike is my baby and only I deal with her temper tantrums. It shouldn’t take too long”, before he ducked out and went out to the garage. Alone, Severus pulled Harry to him for a kiss, “Why don’t you come for a swim?” but Harry shrugged, he was at a bit of a loose end today. He patted his husband’s taut backside, “Nah, go ahead, do your mile. I know you haven’t done it for a while. I’ll do some washing, maybe work on that translation of that message for ‘Mione so she can take it back to England with her”.

They separated. Severus went to change into swim shorts and Harry set about the washing. The quilt was somewhat grubby so that was the place to start. Turning the dial on the machine to ‘delicates/woollens’, he filled the dispenser with soap and turned the thing on before digging out the laptop and his headphones and starting work.

The sounds of the foul man, even though slowed down somewhat, still disgusted him, so he made a couple of copies to disc. He listened to the mad diatribe a little. It certainly was no spell, more of a rant but it made absolutely no sense. Some rubbish about finally eating death and that all wizards would lose their supposed heavenly place to the new live Master Race and that even in the beyond he and his kind would rule. Harry shook his head as he grabbed pen and paper. Whatever this diatribe was, hissed between clenched teeth, if the evil one even had any, then it sure as hell was no spell.

Deeply absorbed, jotting notes on a pad beside him, he didn’t sense anyone come up behind him before he felt wetness on the back of his neck and flinched, whipping off the cans and turning quickly, “Ew, Sev. I’m bloody wet through now, y’git”, he exclaimed as his husband chuckled towelling the excess water from his hair. “Enjoy your swim?”

Severus nodded, “Though I loathe chlorinated water with a passion. Still, the pool is a good size and it’s kept at a decent temperature quite unlike those contraptions in the swimming baths where the water is more suited to a soporific soak rather than an invigorating swim”. He pressed into Harry’s back, “Come and have a shower with me”, he said in his customary low tone but Harry refused him gently, “I’m on a roll here, about half-way through, the rest shouldn’t take too long now. It’s boring as fuck and I hate having to listen to that voice so the sooner it’s out of the way, the better, then I shall archive it to two discs, send one home with ‘Mione, send the other to my bank in London and wipe that fucker from my hard drive. Ugh, it gives me the shivers just knowing it’s on there”. Severus tipped Harry’s head back and kissed him, “All right, but I’ll miss you under that yummy hot water. Who knows what I’ll get up to”. Harry smirked at him but today he wasn’t for turning and Severus slouched away.

An hour or so later and he was finished. He ripped the ‘phones off his head before opening up Word and typing the whole thing out neatly, saved the document to two discs and with a feeling of satisfaction deleted it from his computer. He grinned as he heard the bike engine roaring in fits and starts outside somewhere and closing his laptop decided to go and seek out his beloved. He found Severus sprawled out on their bed dozing wrapped only in a small towel around his middle, his damp hair splayed out all around him on the pillow. Harry bit his bottom lip as he took in the sight, “Gods, you are truly beautiful, Mrs P”, he whispered, to be greeted by an onyx eye opening, “See anything that you like, Mrs S?” Harry giggled, “All of it”, and approached the bed and crawled along the mattress with a predatory gleam in his eye.

He was welcomed with open arms and they kissed and fooled around a bit, Severus losing his towel along the way as they rolled about this way and that, Harry’s glasses steaming up in the passion of the moment before his own clothes disappeared in a trice and he was pinned under the delicious clean damp body of the man he loved and he placed his hands firmly on his lover’s arse pressing them together in naked abandon before they ate each other for lunch making themselves all sweaty again and having to shower all over again, “Now what was that about missing me under the hot water?”, Harry murmured before his arse was slapped soundly, and, flushed and grinning, he was turned to the wall and fucked soundly by his pink-faced mate.

They emerged looking a little guilty but Jed laughed at them as they entered the kitchen, “Bloody hell, this marriage lark seems to do wonders for the libido, even though Sam and I are strong that way, sex was never a problem with me and that man”, he mused as he turned to wash salad greens for lunch. Harry chuckled, “I know, it wasn’t a problem for us either before we wed but somehow, knowing it’s for life adds something extra. I dunno. I fancy him even more now”, he smirked as he held Severus around his middle. Severus leaned back into the embrace, “I must say I heartily agree”, he murmured, closing his eyes briefly as his head lolled on Harry’s shoulder. Jed smiled, “Well, it looks good on you both. I hope it suits Sam and I just as well”. Harry returned the smile, “I think it will. I must say, you’ve taken this whole magic thing remarkably well”.

Jed shrugged as he turned back to face them, “Dunno. Always thought Sam was special, always will I s’ppose. I love that guy with my life. It scares me a bit, the magic, you know, but if that’s him then that’s him. He must love me to bits otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me. What can I say?”, by now he was a delicate shade of pink and covered it by going back to his task and Harry steered the conversation to the bike.

“Oh, that. A simple transmission problem. Dust and crap in the engine. Comes of having the engine on show instead of under a cover. Bikes were never meant to have dust clogging them up. I bet that Perkins under Bessie’s hood is as sound as anything. I bet she never craps out on you at the merest hint of dust”. Harry grinned, “Nah, sweet as a nut that one. So far, she’s done sand and dust and snow, mountains and wet roads and beaches and has handled anything we’ve chucked at her so far. I must run her for a bit after lunch”.

They ate companionably keeping the tone light and chatty. Harry divined that Jed had had a bellyful of serious talk for now. Poor man, he had taken on so much with such calm grace. Harry really did admire the man. They pottered about for the afternoon and Jed thrashed both of them at chess. “You should really have a game with my mate Ron, neither of us is a patch on him at chess and he beats us hollow every time. A worthy partner for you indeed”.

They wandered outside into the afternoon sun and lit blunts and laid about, the soft rumble of Bessie’s motor in the background. When an engine was heard on the drive, Jed jumped up and went to greet Sammy who came round the side of the house looking all disgruntled and red in the face. “Goddamn those people. The messiest divorce on the planet. Not to mention that I just know that the old man is keeping money hidden from his wife. She gives up half her life to rear their kids, they’re living close to the bone while hubby is a dollar millionaire keeping his mistress in high style. Fucking disgusting, I call it”, he ranted then apologised to his guests.

Jed led him indoors throwing a wink over his shoulder, “Come on, babe, how about a nice hot shower....”, was the last thing they heard before both men vanished indoors. Harry grinned at his husband, “Oh, they’ll love it, being married. Jed’s a real sweetheart isn’t he?” Severus had to agree, “It would appear as if young Sammy has inherited his father’s temper and hot-headedness along with his magic but Jed seems to be the stabilising influence he needs. We shall leave them to it for a while then perhaps we ought to make good on our promise to make dinner”. Harry snuggled in Severus’ arms on the warm grass, “Mmmm, in a minute. I want a cuddle first”, and they lay like that for some time enjoying the cool air and the warm sun.

It was as they were standing to go indoors that they heard another car pull into the drive. Harry shot off round the side of the house, “I bet that’s ‘Mione back. Wonder how she got on”, he called over his shoulder as he went. Severus followed at a slower pace then hurried when he saw the tableau before him on the drive.

It was indeed Hermione, in a small hatchback runaround of the looks-like-any-other-car type but she was slumped over the wheel crying her eyes out with Harry crouched awkwardly beside her trying to comfort her. “My dear, Mrs G-L, what is the matter? Did something ill befall you at the Embassy?” She looked up at Severus’ gentle tone and both were shocked at her wan appearance as she shook her head.

“I suppose I should tell you the truth. Please try not to think too badly of me. I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Jed and Sammy though”. They both gave their word and she struggled out of the driver’s seat, obviously in some pain. Harry put an arm around her as she looked to be on the point of passing out. She paused as she got her shaking legs under control and turned to lock the car. It was then that Harry noticed the dark stain on the seat of her jeans. “’Mione, love, you seem to have come on, you’re bleeding. Let’s get you into the house, you look like death warmed up”. She glanced into the front seat and saw she’d stained that, too. With an irritated flick of her wand she cleaned it away before lifting her bag onto her shoulder and hobbled in leaning heavily on Harry. Severus walked behind them to spare her blushes.

“Give me a moment”, she muttered weakly, “While I go and change and get cleaned up. I’ll meet you in your room”, with that she hobbled away.

Harry sat on their bed and fretted, “Merlin, Sev, she looked fine last night. I wonder what’s happened, she looks like hell now”. They didn’t have long to wait before she returned to them, all clean again and sat heavily on the edge of the bed toying with the corner of the duvet unable to meet their eyes until Harry lifted her tear-streaked face to his, his own full of concern. “Whatever this is, ‘Mione, I’ll stand by you, you’re my bestest mate, sweetie. Come on, the Trio stand together no matter what”.

Hermione struggled with a weak smile at this and took a long shuddering breath, “I’ve just committed murder”, she whispered. Startled looks abounded from the bonded pair, “’Mione, did you run someone over or something?” She shook her head, “It’s the ‘or something’. Oh, gods, you’ll hate me for ever more for this. This is virtually a capital crime in our world, but I just couldn’t......I couldn’t.... not how things are between me and Nev”, and she crumpled in Harry’s arms, sobbing.

Harry and Severus shared a puzzled look over her bent head and Severus handed her a wad of tissues to wipe her face on. She looked up at the simple love offered to her and cried afresh, this time she kept her head up. “I didn’t mean for anyone to know. I booked this before I left England along with a hotel that I was going to hide in until I felt better then contact you two, but with my bag being stolen and all......”, she paused as she wiped her nose before looking each of them in the eye, plainly frightened of their reaction.

“I’ve just had a termination”. It came out flat and bald. Severus wrinkled his brow, uncertain as to what she was trying to say but Harry understood straight away and took her in his arms. “You were pregnant?” he asked gently, to receive a nod against his chest, “And now I’m not any more. Go on, you can hate me now”. Harry let out a breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding, “Oh, you poor darling, that must have been horrible for you”.

Severus was still confused. As an entrenched wizard and gay to boot, he had never come across such a thing before. As a teacher, he had been aware of the occasional young lady being taken out of school because she was in the family way but he had never heard of anyone terminating a pregnancy before and he had to admit he was more than a little shocked. He crouched down beside her on her other side and put his arm round her to lend support. They all sat like that for a while until Hermione lifted her head as the sobs subsided.

“Thanks for that. I can quite understand if you want nothing to do with me any more but it wasn’t entirely my fault. Nev broke my bottle of potion. He said it was an accident. Happened while we were in Spain. Just another of his clumsy blunders the night we all got drunk, but the next day he was as passionate as he ever got, aggressive even. Afterwards he said something to the effect that he hoped I’d caught as having a kiddie always seemed to calm me down. When I discovered I was actually pregnant again, I freaked. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Ginny and certainly not him. He’d have been overjoyed and it was like looking down the barrel of a gun to me. I’ve finished my family. In truth, Ben was one more than I really wanted but I love him to bits and don’t regret having him one bit, but the thought of starting all over again at this stage in my life totally did my head in. I’ve been sterilised now, they did it at the same time. My child-bearing years are well and truly over now. Did you know that magical medicine has no means of either aborting a foetus or sterilising a woman? That’s how fucking medieval it is in our fucking world, so I determined to find a nice clean hospital and have the deed done once and for all. Merlin forgive me”, she burst into fresh tears.

“That’s not entirely true, Hermione”, Severus said slowly. “I could have brewed you an abortifacient if you had wished although I know of no potion that renders a woman permanently sterile. I know that children are valued so highly in our world and that your actions are considered nothing short of homicide but I strongly believe that a woman should have complete control over her body. I have seen too many young girls embark on a life of motherhood before they were ready, smart girls like your good self condemned too early to a life of child-rearing before they had finished their education, never realising their true potential and if you want my opinion then I think it’s a damned shame actually”.

That brought out the first real smile, “Thank you, Severus for being so supportive and it’s very kind of you to say so. Motherhood wasn’t easy for me. I was actually on the muggle Pill for years before we started the family and I put it off for as long as I could but I had to bow to the inevitable. I have a feeling that if I had been a muggle bluestocking then I would have probably elected to never have kids at all. Does that shock you?” Harry squeezed her, “Actually, knowing you? No. You always were a bit of a den mother to Ron and I at school but your maternalism always expressed itself in a sisterly way rather than Molly’s mother hen way, if that makes any sense”. She turned to him again and threw her arms around him, “Thanks, you two. I feel so unnatural doing this, even though for myself, I know it’s the right thing to do”.

Severus stroked her hair, “Not every woman is mother material any more than every man is a father. I think you have done an admirable job with the three you have and they are turning into fine young people. You should be proud not ashamed. If it helps, I often got the feeling that my own mother would have preferred to remain childless but in our world expectation lays heavily on a woman”.

“So you don’t hate me?” she looked up and her expression was so lost that both men held her tight, “No, ‘Mione, I could never hate you”, murmured Harry, kissing her hair. “Nor I”, his husband whispered, “I’ll always love and admire you, you stroppy know-it-all cow”. This made Hermione laugh out loud, “I love you too, Harry and you, you bad-tempered grouchy bastard”. Severus smiled back at her, “There, that’s better, a smile at last. You had your reasons, Hermione and as long as you stand by them then I, for one, will respect them”. She looked between them, “I don’t deserve friends like you and I know I did just the right thing coming out here”.

“Balderdash”, exclaimed Severus, “It is I who considers himself lucky that a grouchy old bastard such as myself was taken to the bosom of such a lively and loving group of friends such as yourselves and managed to snare the man of my dreams into the bargain”. Hermione sat up and pouted, “I never called you ‘old’”, she said, hotly. “You don’t have to, dear. I still feel it on occasion”. She butted his shoulder with her head, “Silly goat. You’re barely middle aged according to our lights”. Harry rolled his eyes, “And he swam his usual mile this morning while I just lazed about then still had the energy to drill me into the shower stall wall. Randy old goat, I’d say”, and this got them all laughing and Hermione knew that she was all right with them and she was forgiven. She wiped at her eyes, “Actually, right now, I’m bloody starving. I had to go nil by mouth this morning ‘cos I had a general anaesthetic for the op. I’ve had a drink since then but I could do with some food now. Fuck! I can enjoy breakfast again without worrying that I’m going to see it again shortly after consumption”. Harry chuckled as the three broke up the hugfest, “Well, I said I’d do dinner tonight, so what do you fancy?”

With that, they made their way upstairs and into the kitchen, trying to ignore the obvious sounds of passion from the master bedroom. “I really have to teach young Sammy some silencing charms”, she grinned at the others before gingerly lowering herself into a kitchen chair while Harry started to ferret about in fridge and cupboards finding something for their evening meal. Severus asked her, “Hermione, are you in pain, only you seem to be curled around your midsection a bit and I have just the thing in my supplies?” She nodded once, “Yeah, they only put two stitches into me but I’m sore as hell, they said I would be when the morphine wore off”. As Harry bustled about at the stove, Severus went out to Bessie and fetched a pain potion.

While he was gone, the others strolled into the kitchen red-faced and grinning. Sammy looked a good deal happier than he had when he had arrived home. They saw the lines of strain etched into Hermione’s face and asked if she was all right. She smiled waterily at them, “Girlie cramps. When you’re as close to menopause as I am then it’s a bitch”. Jed sympathised immediately, “Ouch. My mum had a hard time with it when I was in my teens. Poor you. Is there anything we can get you?” Just then, Severus reappeared with a potion for her and she accepted it gracefully, “No thanks, I’ll just take one of Severus’ lousy-tasting but highly effective remedies”. Jed said, “He gave me one of those this morning. I was a bit hung over and it worked a treat”. Sammy looked askance at him, “Really? Do your potions work on non-magical people?” Severus rolled his eyes, “Of course they do, they are after all just concoctions of herbs and the like. We may not all have magic but we all have bodies. The same blood runs in all our veins and we all feel pain in the same way”. Hermione winced as she swallowed, “Yes, but aspirin never tasted this godawful”.

Her spirits picked up as the evening progressed and they had a lively meal with Sammy grousing about his shitty clients but he soon brightened when Jed told him that he had fixed the bike. They spent the evening watching TV. Hermione had the dog’s head cuddled up in her lap as she watched, some series that their hosts were obviously into about a bunch of plane crash survivors making their way on a lush Pacific island. She had seen part of the first series at her parents and thought that one of the male leads was hot and said so. The boys all shot her down in flames and a lively discussion ensued over which one they fancied and which were hot or not. Harry said, “If I was straight, then it’s the Korean lassie for me, as I’m not, it’s the half-brother getting it on with his sister”. Hermione giggled, “Yes, Sun is tres hot, isn’t she? But I’m still a Sawyer fan, It’s that cheeky face. I’d shag him in an eyeblink”, to a chorus of rolled eyes and, “Women!” from Sammy. “My mum watches this every week and she’s got a poster of him in the kitchen. Me, I’d have that Sayid but he’s a bit butch with the torture and all that”. Thus did the evening pass pleasantly.

It was pretty late when they turned in. The boys had all been drinking lager or wine, Hermione had stayed tee-total for the night, the remains of morphine still washing around her system. Severus slipped her a phial of Dreamless Sleep as they split up for the night and she reached up and kissed both of them on the cheek, “Thanks, boys”, she murmured as she went into her own room. She did think she might get the glums again but a swig of Severus’ potion soon put paid to that and she drifted into sweet sleep after reading the same paragraph three times.

Harry laid his head on Severus’ chest as they curled up in bed together, “You were amazing with ‘Mione earlier, Sev”, he muttered. Severus kissed Harry’s hair, “She’s pretty easy to be amazing with, Harry, and I do love her. A woman like that should never be bogged down in the mundanity of the average female existence. Like you, she really is special and it’s a great shame that that dolt of a husband doesn’t appreciate her. If this was you and I on the verge of splitting up, Merlin forbid, then I would move heaven and earth to keep you”.

Harry knew he was sticking his neck out, “I know, but you said yourself that you and Rem were at the end of whatever you had. Maybe it’s the same with her and Neville. People change. And I admit, I think Neville is becoming a bit stodgy in his old age, he needs a shake-up. I hope they stay together but not out of any feelings of obligation or anything but because it’s the real thing and worth hanging on to. If you were to leave me now, I think I’d rather die than contemplate life without you in it. I’m a lucky man. Hermione needs to grow throughout her life. I think Ron and I are the same in that respect although I can quite see Ron becoming the sort of pipe-and-slippers kind of guy as he ages, just like his dad, but that isn’t for me, or her. Or you”, he added quietly.

Severus sighed, “And to think, I nearly ended up sinking into the same kind of obscurity living day to day in the shop. I was devastated when Rem took ill even though we weren’t what we were to each other at the start of it all. Promise me this, Harry. Let’s never get bored with each other. I love you and I love the adventures we are having, although I have a feeling that life with you is always going to be a bit of a roller-coaster ride. That’s how we end up in all of these weird circumstances. But I’d rather be here with you than anywhere else. If I start to get staid and boring then you have my full permission to hex me into next century. And on that note, I’ll wish you goodnight. Come closer. I want to breathe you in as I sleep. I always sleep better with the scent of you in my dreams”. Harry kissed him deeply and passionately then made to turn away but Severus had other ideas, “Hmmm, Mrs S, think you can kiss me like that and get away with it, do you?” Harry grinned widely into the dark as he was pulled atop his beloved and kissed senseless again. It was a while before they slept.