The Safehouse

Yay, I finally finished this chapter. Sorry it took so long, but as there are canon deaths in the chapter, and my uncle died while I was writing it, I didn’t feel like working on it for a bit. Major DH spoilers in this chapter.

The Safehouse Chapter 3 “The Wireless”

Within five minutes she only remembered shards of her dreams, but it was enough to know that the dreams were not pleasant. Getting up, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she made herself an icepack to bring back up to her room. Keeping the ice on her wrist, she busied herself with reading. She hadn’t told Harry or Ron, but she had purchased all of the books she would have needed for the year, having asked Professor McGonagall what books would be called for. She would be damned if she let herself slip in her education; she still wanted to pass her N.E.W.T.’s, after all. When the twenty minutes was up, she brought the icepack to the bathroom, leaving the ice in the sink to melt and the plastic bag it went in to the trash. The towel she had wrapped around the whole thing came with her to her room though, ready to be used in another four hours.

She fell back asleep rather quickly, waking back up another two hours later feeling relatively well rested, as well as much better from the fall. In fact, the only part of her that was sore at the moment was her wrist, and even that wasn’t so bad. Glancing over to the clock, she saw that it was six-thirty in the morning. Deciding that she was up for the day, she made a trip to the bathroom before descending the stairs in her pajamas.

Finding that no one else was up yet, she decided to make a nice breakfast for everyone. After going through the pantry, she decided on blueberry pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. She had just finished cooking and was preparing a plate for herself when Petunia walked into the room, dressed for the day as though she were expecting to go out rather than just hang out in the safe house all day. The woman stopped dead in her tracks at the sight in front of her. “You did this?” she asked, a slightly condescending tone to her voice.

Hermione nodded her head, smiling in response. “Did you use m-m-magic on this food?” came the suspicious question.

Hermione shook her head, looking affronted. Instead of sitting down to eat, she set her plate on the table, grabbing the notepad she had brought downstairs with her. “My parents are muggles, and that’s how I was raised. My mum taught me how to cook a great many dishes while I was home from school. She’s a dentist, but cooking is her passion.” There was no way that she was going to reveal she had placed a warming charm on the food. If she did, she didn’t think the food would get eaten, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

“In that case, thank you, Hermione.” Petunia sniffed.

“You’re welcome,” Hermione replied, sitting down to eat her food and placing the notepad off to the side. By the time she was done eating, both Dursley men had come downstairs, Vernon wearing dress slacks and a button down shirt. It seemed that after so long of being stuck in the house, he still dressed for work every day. Dudley, however, was still wearing his pajamas from the night before.

Hermione excused herself, cleaning up her dishes and going upstairs to take a hot shower, letting the water massage her muscles. After changing into jeans and a t-shirt, she tucked her wand into her inner pants holster and grabbed her purse. As she walked through the house, she found Dudley lifting weights in his bedroom while his parents were both watching telly in the living room. She passed them by, settling onto a couch in the den with her school work.

It was when Hermione heard the crack of apparation coming from the kitchen that she was roused from her studies a half hour later. She quickly grabbed up her notepad and ran towards the sound, passing a disgruntled Vernon and embarrassed looking Petunia in the living room. When she arrived in the kitchen she immediately flung herself into the arms of Remus Lupin, giving her former professor a tight hug. “Hi Remus! How are Teddy and Tonks?” she wrote, pulling away.

“Good; they’re good. We’ve been staying with Andromeda. I was sorry to hear about your voice,” he told her.

She shrugged off his concern and gave him a ‘what can you do?’ face.

By this time, Vernon had made his way into the room, looking at Remus as though he had smelled something rather foul. “We’re all here and alive. There’s no need for you to stay,” he told the wizard rather rudely.

Hermione spun around, glaring at the rotund man. “No,” she mouthed, her eyes cold with the stern tone that her voice would have been.

Remus touched his hand to her shoulder, stopping her from doing anything further. “It’s okay, Hermione. Mr. Dursley, you know as well as I do that I will not be leaving until I see both your wife and your son. Not to mention that I was in the middle of a conversation.”

At the word ‘conversation’, Hermione had a sudden thought and grabbed at her notepad, writing furiously. “Hey, Romulus, would you happen to know the next password to Potterwatch? And would I be able to turn it on without speaking?” She shoved the notebook under Remus’ face, taking him away from his staring contest with Vernon.

He stared blankly at the page blankly for a moment, blinking as the words seeped into his brain. “You’ve listened to Potterwatch?” he asked, his voice soft.

“We were only able to get it in once. Remus, Harry feels really guilty about what he said to you. He was right, but he was very harsh.”

Remus sighed, pulling out a chair at the small round table and dropping into it. “Harry has nothing to feel guilty about. Yes, he may have been harsh, but if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have listened to him. If it hadn’t been for Harry, I would have kept avoiding Dora, and I wouldn’t have had the past few months with her; I would have just been sulking to myself. I wouldn’t have been there for Teddy’s birth. In fact, I am grateful to Harry for saying what he said. Now, do you want to see a picture?” he asked, ignoring the tears that had appeared in each of their eyes.

Petunia and Dudley had each arrived in the kitchen by the end of Remus’ heartfelt speech, Petunia having gathered Dudley, knowing that whatever witch or wizard that had shown up would not leave until they had seen every member of the household. Petunia looked gob smacked at the idea of anyone being grateful to her nephew, while Vernon was turning a nice shade of beet red. Dudley, on the other hand, looked as though it were business as usual, with no feelings either way. Remus pulled out a wizarding photograph and handed it over to Hermione. The tiny baby had a tuft of bright turquoise hair and was waving his fat little fists at the camera.

“Oh, Remus, he is so cute! Metamorphmagus?” she mouthed with a smile. When he nodded his head, her smile slipped just a little. “Werewolf?”

“Nope,” he replied happily, a grin across his face. In response, Hermione gave him another hug, her face just as happy as his own.

Petunia, being nosy as usual, stuck her head over to get a glimpse at the photo she suspected would moce. However, she was not anticipating the baby in the photo. “He has blue hair!” she gasped, mortified as she glanced over to Dudley, thinking on what would have happened if he had been born with blue hair.

“Yes. He’s a metamorphmagus like his mother. It means that they can change their appearance at will, though Teddy’s too young to control it,” he explained proudly.

‘Cute kid,” Dudley commented, also taking a peek at the photo, having gotten curios from the discussion. Petunia glared at them, as though they had made her son betray her.

“Thanks,” Remus replied. Before he could continue, Hermione snapped her fingers in front of his face to turn his attention back to her. He looked at her blankly for a moment, but before she could mouth or write what she wanted to say, he remembered the original question. “Oh, right. Potterwatch. Hermione, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but you are quite good at wordless magic, so I would think you could. The next password is Fawkes. I’m not sure on the time yet, but I do know Lee is planning on doing a show today.

“Fantastic!” she mouthed.

As soon as Remus had left, Hermione made her way back to the den, but instead of going back to work, she got her wizarding wireless out of her purse, fiddling with the buttons and tapping it with her wand as she focused on the password. After taking a shower, Dudley came down to join her wearing slightly baggy jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair damp. He couldn’t help but smile at the look of concentration on her face as she worried her bottom lip.

After a half hour of trying, the familiar voice of Lee Jordan could be heard through the airwaves. “And for those just joining this surprise edition of Potterwatch, we are here to report a confirmed Harry Potter sighting.”

“Oh, shit,” Hermione mouthed, sitting down, her hands wringing themselves as she stared intently at the wireless. Dudley sat next to her and took a hold of her hand, partly to comfort her and partly to stop her from aggravating her injury.

“Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, who has apparently made a miraculous recovery from a severe case of spattergroit, were seen by wizards and muggles alike this morning fleeing Gringott’s on the back of a dragon after allegedly breaking in to a high-security vault. While we at Potterwatch know which vault is in question, we feel that it is information that is best not shared, in case it hampers Harry’s cause in any way. Stay tuned to Potterwatch for future Harry Potter sightings. This evening we will have our regularly scheduled program and the password is still Fawkes. This is River, signing off.”

Dudley had sat there watching Hermione throughout the short broadcast and had become worried as she started to tremble and rock back and forth slightly, seemingly mouthing the same phrase over and over again, though he couldn’t make out what that phrase was. Feeling at a loss to help with anything, he pulled her into his lap, holding her still as he pet her hair in a comforting motion. “everything will be fine, Hermione. P-Harry can take care of himself.”

Hermione looked at him for a moment before climbing off his lap and walking over to where she had left her notepad, scribbling in it furiously as she paced before dropping it onto his lap. “You don’t understand. Now He knows what they’re doing, and he’ll go after them, but they don’t have enough information to finish the job they’re doing, and if they don’t finish it, then he can’t die,” he read.

“First off, none of that makes any sense. Secondly, I’m sure they’ll figure it all out. Is this guy really going to come after then for breaking into a vault?”

She nodded her head profusely as she held out her hand for her notepad. “He doesn’t need an excuse, haven’t I explained it already? Harry’s the only one who can kill him, so he’s looking for Harry no matter what. If they got what was in that vault, then he has even more reason. To kill them, and anyone they dear. It’s how he works.”

“then I guess it’s good that you’re here and not with them,” Dudley commented, only to be the target of her withering gaze.

Hermione spent most of the day trying to stay occupied, trying out the wireless every now and again to see if there had been any updates. For a couple of hours in the afternoon, her mind had been completely occupied as Dudley taught her the basics of boxing, though he wouldn’t let her hit anything with her hurt hand. He also made sure she was continuing to ice it. When it came time for dinner, she helped Petunia prepare the meal. She could tell that the woman was warming slightly to her, having put in an effort to use as little magic in front of either her or Vernon. She was also pretty she had surprised the woman with her muggle cooking abilities, no matter what she had told her earlier.

After a relatively amiable dinner, Hermione went back to the den with the wireless. Dudley came with her, but he reclined back in a chair with one of Hermione’s books in his hands. It took her an hour and a half before she was able to tune Potterwatch back in, and when she did she clapped her hands and hugged the wireless to her.

“And one of the newest rumors we’ve heard is that the head Death Eater, You-Know-Who himself, can be in more than one location at once, thus helping him to order the deaths of more people and destruction of more property. I’m here to tell you that all of the time turners held within the Ministry were destroyed two years ago, coincidentally only an hour or so before he made his reappearance public. If he did have a time turner, I, for one, highly doubt it would make all that much difference in the amount of mayhem going around the country.”

“I agree with Rapier. Everyone needs to just calm down a bit. Panic never works out in the long run, especially if it has to do with things out of our control. So if everyone just keeps to themselves and their closest friends, there will be a lot less to worry about.”

“Well said, Romulus.”

“Thank you, River.”

“And now to Royal. Oh, hold on one second, everyone.” There was the sounds of people moving and shouting for a minute before Lee got back on. At this point, Hermione was worrying the bottom of her lip and Dudley had moved to sit on the arm of the chair she was sitting on, looking at her worriedly.

“Sorry for the interruption, everyone, but my sources have just informed me that Harry Potter is allegedly at Hogwart’s and the Death Eaters are on their way to meet him, so those of us here at Potterwatch are going to be on our way to give those Death Eaters the fight of their lives. To everyone with children at the school, tryst in the professors of Hogwarts who are loyal in their fight against You-Know-Who to keep your children safe. Also, anyone who feels compelled to help in the fight, a reminder that Hogsmeade’s curfew is in effect and every known way into Hogwart’s is probably being watched, so please err on the side of caution. We don’t want anyone getting themselves hurt or killed because they forgot such simple things. Potterwatch will be back as soon as possible, and once again, the password for the day is Fawkes.”

That said, the air went dead and Hermione was tempted to throw the wireless, but instead contented herself with placing it on a side table and grabbing for her bag, wand in hand. Dudley reached out for her, holding her in a tight bear hug as she struggled to get away. “You heard what that River guy said. You can’t get there without getting caught. I’m not going to let you go and get yourself killed.”

She continued struggling for a bit but it became obvious that he would hold her there all night if he had to, she stopped fighting. Just as he was about to let go of her, she suddenly burst out crying in her feeling of helplessness, wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up and carried her over to the sofa, where he sat her down next to him, but as she cried harder and harder, she ended up like a small child, sitting in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck and crying on his shoulder. He felt highly awkward, but he just kept his arms around her, his hands rubbing circles on her back. When she finally calmed down, he found that she had cried herself to sleep on his lap. Not knowing what else to do, he sat back and let her sleep on him, eventually falling asleep himself.

It was a full three hours before she woke back up. When she did, she looked around at her surroundings, the evenings’ events rushing back to her. She was still on Dudley’s lap, his arms wrapped around her.
She momentarily mused that she should have felt more uncomfortable in the position, having just met him and all, but she actually felt safe and secure. She gently removed herself from his grasp, careful to not wake him up. After using the loo, she came down the stairs only to be accosted by Vernon. “Missy, I don’t know what m-m-magic you’re using on my son, but I suggest you stop it. He is perfectly fine without the likes of you.”

Hermione stood there, confused for a moment, as she tried to figure out where this sudden outburst had come from. After an moment, it occurred to her that he must have walked into the den while they were sleeping. She rolled her eyes and held out her hand, accioing her notepad and pen from the other room. “Mr. Dursley, your concern for your son is rather sweet, but I haven’t used any magic on him. As it happens, I like being in Dudley’s company. But I have to go and try to make the radio work in hopes that none of my friends have died in the fight tonight.”

She gave him just enough time to read the paper before taking it back and leaving for the den. When she got there she found that Dudley was just waking up. She sat down on the couch, notepad in hand. “I’m sorry about crying all over you and falling asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. She stayed there, fidgeting in her seat for a moment before he rolled his eyes at her. “Hermione, just go get your radio.” She gave him a brilliant smile before getting up and gathering the wireless in her arms.

It was three in the morning before Potterwatch came back on. Hermione was sitting on a chair, her legs crossed, and Dudley was stretched out asleep on the couch, not wanting to leave her alone. At the first sounds of the program she poked him awake and he sleepily sat up while she sat down next to him.

“Attention all Potterwatch listeners who are up so early in the morning,” came Lee Jordan’s bone-weary voice. “Early this morning in the Great Hall at Hogwart’s, Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who and has personally assured me that there is no chance of him coming back to life again. That was the good news. Now for the bas news. Scores of witches, wizards, and students have died tonight, with casualties on either side. I am going to read a list of those who have already been identified, starting with Potterwatch’s own Rapier, or Fred Weasley, and Romulus, or Remus Lupin and his wife, Nymphadora Lupin, formerly Tonks.”

Hermione didn’t hear any more of the list, having fallen against Dudley in a dead faint.

End note….. The description of Teddy in the photograph comes straight from the book, page 605 American edition.
And thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I love you.