Harry Potter The Final Straw

Goyle turned his head towards the feminine voice but all he got for his troubles was a bright light shone in his face as he answered tonelessly, "We were looking for Sirius Black and Harry Potter so we could capture them and take them to our Lord."

"Bugger." Dora swore softly before asking a follow up question, "Do you know which disguise he wore to Gringotts?"

"Yes." Goyle said as his head lolled to the side while a small rivulet of drool ran down his chin.

The bright red flash of a stunner from Remus' wand hit Goyle right in the forehead causing the large man to rock backwards tipping his chair over with a resounding crash. "We need to tell Dumbledore about this bit of news." Remus said somberly while he levitated the Death Eater back into his cell.

"I agree." Ted rumbled in his deep voice while his daughter nodded in silent agreement.

Looking at his two friends, Remus said wearily, "Don't hold any meals for me. I'm sure that Dumbledore is going to play his usual games."

Dora patted Remus on the small of his back as he headed out to complete his unwelcome task with a wistful look on her face.

"You like him don't you?" Ted asked his daughter softly.

"I do." was her simple reply.

Ted nodded once, turned to his daughter, and said, "He's a good man with a lot of baggage." When Dora turned to look at her father, he smiled back at her and said warmly, "Just so you know, we approve."

He walked out of the basement with a spring in his step and a light smile gracing his lips as his daughter stood there blushing like a tomato. It was the little moments in life that were so special sometimes and he was glad to have shared one with his daughter. Every little bit of happiness helped with the dark times looming.

....

Hermione had been walking towards the library when she felt Harry's nervousness explode through their bond. It was enough of a distraction that she realized she wouldn't be getting any worthwhile studying done. Altering her course, she headed out onto the grounds for the one place that she knew there would be solitude, their garden.

By the time she settled into one of the cushioned stone benches, Harry was no longer flooding the bond with nervous energy, instead it had shifted to concerned anxiousness. Deciding to settle in for a while, she tucked her legs beneath her and pulled out one of her guilty pleasures, trashy romance novels. It was a secret obsession that she shared with her mum, much to her father's amusement.

Her favorite genre centered on romances taking place in the Victorian Era. It was highly amusing to her that she dwelled part time in a world that was still living somewhat in that era. The troubling thing was; the Wizarding World was nothing like the real world at all. The insular magical society had effectively stagnated due to its own longevity.

The average life span for Witches and Wizards was so long that the people in power felt very uncomfortable around the modern non-magical world. Hermione doubted that some of them had even left the Wizarding World in their lifetime and willingly spent time around the 'muggles'.

Oh, sure, there were a few exceptions to the general rule, the knight bus, and the enchanted cars that the Ministry employed from time to time, but the average citizen didn't even understand the basics about non-magical life and technology.

Some families attempted to change with the ever-evolving times but they often fell short of abandoning the outdated ways of thinking because so much of their lives were intertwined with the same establishment that refused to change. The Weasley's were a good example of a family that had made some attempts to evolve with the times. As a result, the majority of the purebloods in power shunned them as blood traitors.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Hermione turned her attention back to her book and let out a sigh. Her mind's wanderings left a bad taste in her mouth, and with a snap, she closed the book and stuffed it into her bag. What good was a book if she couldn't loose herself within its pages?

Gazing into the ever-burning fire, she focused on feeling Harry through the bond. Realizing that he was actually on the grounds sooner than anticipated made her worry that something had gone wrong during the planned outings.

Moments later, Harry strode into the clearing and sat down heavily next to her with a sigh. Silently, he reached over and grasped her hand for support.

Hermione noticed that Harry was shaking slightly with nervous energy so she squeezed his hand tightly and snuggled into his side. A few seconds later, she quietly asked, "Do you want to talk about it yet?"

She knew it had something to do with his visit to Diagon Alley.

Tentatively, she asked, "Is everyone alright?"

Before he answered, Harry stretched out his senses for any listening charms. Finding none, he relaxed a bit and said in a soft voice, "I don't know." Rubbing his hand over his face in frustration, he continued worriedly, "It all happened so fast. The Goblins knew that it was me despite my disguise. Dora and I were both worried so she had me empty my vault and then she put the goblin under the Imperious Curse and told him to follow us out into the Alley after we left."

Hermione gasped at the mention of the Unforgivable Curse but otherwise kept silent as Harry continued his recounting of events.

....

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