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Chapter 2

Harry sat in the waiting room at St. Mungo's clearing his mind, concentrating on the image of a candle's flickering flame. This was the first step to rebuilding the walls around his emotions. If he let those walls fall he would see Ginny, the mother of his children, her beautiful face contorted in pain, she'd died in pain . . .

Concentrate, keep the flame. Use the flame to cast out the darkness. Find the blocks and build the walls high and strong.

After a while his breathing calmed and he opened his eyes to see Neville Longbottom sitting in the chair across from his, also deep in meditation.

Neither man spoke.

Neville's eyes opened slowly.

"Harry."

"Neville."

"I'm so sorry Harry."

"Thanks, Neville, it means a lot to me."

"How's Hermione?"

"Better."

"Can she have visitors?"

"Yeah, I think she'd like to see a friendly face about now."

"You coming?"

"You go first. I'll be along after a while."

Neville stood and walked to Hermione's door, only to be blocked by the maroon cloaked auror already standing there. The guard looked at Harry, who nodded his head, before letting Neville into the room.

Harry pulled the small signaling mirror from his coat pocket and activated it. It was keyed to the large mirror on Hermione's hospital room door. He watched and listened.

"Neville!"

"Hello Hermione, feeling better?"

"Much, thank you."

"I came as soon as I heard. I'm so sorry Hermione, if there's anything, and I mean anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you Neville, you're a good friend."

"Not just me, Harry's here too."

"He didn't come in with you."

"Harry really wants you safe; Ididn't think the auror at the door was going to let me in."

Hermione's expression fell at that.

"Oh yeah, regular VIP here!"

Neville looked surprised at that. "Have you seen Rose?"

Hermione huffed at that, "She's with my parents for now, they plan to bring her by this afternoon, or so Ihear."

"Hermione, I'm confused. What's going on?"

"Neville, that auror at the door?"

He nodded.

"He's not standing there to keep me safe; he's there to keep me from going anywhere."

"You're a prisoner?"

"I think the word is "suspect." St Mungo's has wards around it to prevent apparation except in designated points, like the reception area and the emergency room. The same for portkeys. And I'll bet galleons to doughnuts that our conversation is being monitored and recorded."

As if on cue Harry knocked on the door.

Neville started.

Hermione sat up in the bed,"Harry? I didn't get a chance to say how sorry I am about, about. . ."

Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't speak.

Neville stood and wrapped his arms around Hermione's shoulders. Why wasn't Harry comforting her? And this nonsense about her being a suspect? That's fuckin' bollocks!

"Why you, Harry?"

"Why me, what?"

"There have to be other aurors who can do this investigation. I think you'd be a little too close to the case as it is - aren't there policies about that?"

"Yes, but I honestly believe Ican do this. If I didn't someone else would be handling the case and Hermione would be in a holding cell somewhere."

The lady in question looked at the man she'd thought was her best friend.

"How are you doing this Harry? It's like you don't feel anything. How have you turned so, so cold?"

"Occlumency, I'm a master occlumens these days."

Neville turned red-faced and nearly shouted, "Your wife is dead, Potter. So is Ron, remember Ron? Your best mate and Hermione's husband!"

The pregnant pause followed was broken by a discrete knocking. Harry opened the door and accepted the envelope from the auror on duty.

He removed the parchment and began to read as Neville comforted Hermione.

"Neville, I'm sorry, but could you excuse us for five minutes?"

Neville looked at Hermione who nodded and reluctantly released him.

As soon as the door closed Harry asked, "Why didn't you tell me Hermione?"

"Tell you what?"

"I have the results of your medical scan here. Multiple healed fractures, evidence of major organ and soft tissue trauma. The healer's report says the results are consistent with those of a professional boxer."

"That was the only time he'd ever lost control like that, usually we'd argue about something and then he'd slap me, "to get my attention," he'd say."

"No, Hermione, these injuries, broken bones, broken teeth, bruised internal organs, are indicative of chronic spouse abuse."

"I think I'd remember. . ." her face lost all color, "oh god!"

"Apparently Ron learned a thing or two from Gilderoy Lockhart."

"All those mornings that I woke up sore, I believed him when he said we'd just gotten drunk and "frisky." I never drink that much."

"So when it looked like he was going to beat you to death you struck back?"

"No!"

"It's a perfectly sound defense; you were protecting yourself and your unborn child."

Hermione's eyes went wide, "my what?"

"Surely you know you're pregnant."

Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted.

Harry's attention was diverted by a scuffling sound at the door. When he opened it he saw the auror attempting to put Neville in a choke hold. Neville, having learned how to avoid those, snaked his hand up the auror's back, grasped a handful of hair and pulled down hard. The auror fell and Neville had the business end of his wand pointing between the DMLE man's eyes before he could draw his own.

"You said five minutes, it's been five minutes."

The auror on the ground snarled "I'm placing you under arrest for the assault and battery of a Department of Magical Law Enforcement Officer. . ."

Harry's voice was soft as he said, "No, Stebbens, you're not."

"But sir!"

"Think about it man, do you really want the details coming out that a civilian took you down so easily? Not a career enhancing move. Now, learning from your mistake? That would be a good thing."

Neville stepped back and Stebbens got up, dusting himself off as he did.

"Can I see her, Potter?"

"She's just asleep, Neville, let's give her some time. I have quite a lot to suss out here. Care to be asounding board?"

Neville shrugged.

)O(

"What I'm going to tell you has to be held in the strictest confidence, all right?"

Neville nodded.

"Remember how the papers said she'd been badly beaten?"

"Yeah."

"Ron did it."

Neville's look of incredulity fell as Harry nodded grimly.

"Ron's been abusing Hermione; it's been going on for years."

"Why would she stay in an abusive relationship?"

"Why does anyone, Neville?" Harry looked away as he added, "She was surprised to find out she's pregnant."

Neville's mouth hung open for amoment before he asked, "How could she not know?"

"Apparently she's been obliviated, several times."

"Oh god, no!"

"This case just keeps getting better and better. The priori on Ron's wand shows several bludgeoning curses. Hermione's wand was locked in a drawer in Ron's study."

"So she was defenseless?"

"Pretty much."

"I always knew he had a temper, but this. I thought he loved her."

"Neville, do you know the number one reason given for murdering a spouse, magical or mundane?"

"No."

"Quote, 'Because I loved her,'unquote."

"So she gets off on self defense?"

"No."

"No?"

"She gets off on account of she didn't do it, she couldn't have."

Understanding dawned, "she didn't have a wand!"

"Correct, locked up in Ron's desk drawer."

)O(

Harry knocked on the hospital room door then opened it enough to put his head in, "Hermione? I have someone here who wants to see you."

She sat up and saw Harry holding his one year old son and leading her 15 month old daughter into the room.

Hermione slid from the bed to her knees and scooped her daughter up in both arms.

"Oh Rose, Rose, Rose, my little Rose!"

"Auntie HewMynee!"

"James!"

Three year old James Sirius Potter ran up for his hug as well.

Albus Sirius wanted in on the hugging action too so he fussed until Harry put him down to could totter over to his auntie.

"Would you like to take the boys home?"

Her eyes went wide, "Can I, Imean, I'm free to go?"

"Yep, the doctor says you're fine, physically, and I happen to know you're not guilty of any crimes, so. .."

Hermione stood, holding her daughter and nephew and started for the door.

"Um, Hermione, would you maybe like to get dressed first?" He handed her a garment bag. "I'll take the kids."

She blushed furiously and nodded.

She opened the bag to find a day cloak, skirt, blouse, underwear, the simple comfortable brown shoes she favored and her wand.

Five minutes later she was dressed and out the door.

Fifteen minutes she and Harry and the kids were in the London flat that she and Ron and Rose called home.

It was clean, almost too clean.

Harry went into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Hermione took Harry's cloak and put it in the hall closet next to hers . . . and Ron's.

It hadn't really sunk in yet.

All his stuff was still there.

If she went into the bathroom all his toilet items would be there.

If she went to bed she'd still smell him on his pillowcase.

"It's like. . ."

"Like he's going to walk in any minute, right?"

"Yeah."

"Hermione, I'm going to need something from you. Not today, not tomorrow, but soon."

She nodded her understanding,"You'll want my memories of the, um, incident, right?"

"Yeah, I can bring a penseive here or you can come to my office at the DMLE."

"Don't you have everything you need, Harry? I mean. . ."

"We have a pretty good idea of what went on, but we need a first hand account, so. . ."

"How about eight o'clock on Wednesday?"

"That will be fine, Hermione."

"But I need something from you too, Harry."

"What's that?"

"I need you to drop your occlumency shields."

He hesitated before answering.

"Later, perhaps. I still need to get through this investigation."

"Harry, your sons, remember James and Albus? They need a father now, and this Mr. Spock thing is not helping them."

Some of the foundation blocks of Harry's occlumency came loose as she said this.

"I, I can't. Not just yet." He took a deep, calming breath. "Soon. I promise."

"Do you want me to watch the boys today?"

"That would be very helpful, thank you."

Normally Harry would drop James and Albus off at the Burrow, but Molly and Arthur were grieving the loss of their two youngest children right now. Something that Harry didn't have the luxury of doing.

"I'll be back around five."

"I'll fix us all some dinner then, you can feed my Rose and I'll take care of Albus, all right?"

"See you then."

)O(

Author's Note: Pretty open and shut case, right? Care to guess what happens next? What will the penseive reveal?

Keep reading for the answers to these and other unasked questions.

Please, please review. I see lots of hits on the story but pitifully few reviews.

Again, thank you to my beta reader, PerfesserN, love you, love your work. Family Issue was inspiring!