Unbroken

Sunday, Week 1 (2)

Hermione POV

Tableside conversation after dinner was light and heartwarming as we all recounted the week we spent. Draco, however, started to regale us with the tale of Lestrange's capture and my anger at Harry returned in full force. His cavalier disregard for his own life started to grate on my nerves. He chased after Lestrange by himself and let Draco and the rest of the team set up the perimeter and wards while shielding the civilians. Of course he did, I wasn't surprised.

"Of course you went after him yourself." The bitter words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and the table looked at me, falling to silence. They were shocked but Harry lightened the mood with a soft chuckle. I didn't know why he was laughing, this wasn't funny to me.

"I had to. Someone needs to make sure Draco and Neville get home to their lovely girlfriends." The table laughed while Ginny voiced her agreement to him. Nothing about this was funny to me. In fact, I was beginning to get highly annoyed at this idiot of a man.

"And I suppose it had to be you because you have no one to come home to." I instantly regretted the words when hurt flashed across his face for a split second. The table gasped in shock and Molly yelled my name reproachfully but my eyes were focused on the steely face of Harry. I mentally cursed myself for going too far.

I was about to apologize sincerely when his wand's communicator began sounding. He was being called and, knowing him, he would most likely leave for work after the call. Whatever it was must have been important but I couldn't let him leave without saying sorry. For all I know, I might not even see him again after that outburst of mine.

"Sorry, I've got to take this." He was out of his seat and the door in a hurry, before I could even blink really. I felt the mixture of shocked and angry glares at me for ruining the mood at dinner time and a tear slid down my eye. I make to follow him after taking a moment to compose myself.

Harry POV

"Lyla, what is it?" I hurriedly speak into the communicator, hoping that it was enough of an emergency to leave The Burrow. Hermione's words stung me like no other and I needed to be as far away from her as possible.

"Boss, sorry to bother you but you're going to want to see this. I'm at Knockturn." Lyla's voice came through, sounding a bit worried. Instantly, my guard went up.

"No need, I needed to leave anyway." I honestly say. "Do I need to bring Draco with me?" I added despite not wanting to do that. Today was Draco's day off and it felt downright wrong for me to pull him away from Ginny, especially now that they were going steady.

"Probably not, but you need to bring yourself. This is bad. It's a Jane Doe, dead with some kind of curse mark I haven't seen before on her chest. No more than eleven or twelve."

My blood boiled at the news and my mind was made up. Whoever killed this little girl was going to pay and it wouldn't be through a dementor's kiss. The hardest part about my job are cases like these, cases where the crime has already happened and there's nothing I can do.

Turning back, I see Hermione waiting for me. I hope she didn't hear about me wanting and needing to leave. Her words were hurtful, sure, but I didn't want her to feel guilty. They were true, after all. The only woman I wanted to come home to was her and that turned out marvelously.

"I've got to go, Hermione. It's an emergency." I step past her and enter the home to look at the rest of the family. "I'm sorry everyone, work called and I need to be in." Draco was out of his seat, ready to offer to come but I nodded at him. "It's alright, Draco. Lyla said she found something but it's not too bad where you need to come." Ginny looked relieved at that news and I felt better. Draco looked a bit put out but agreed wordlessly.

"Thanks again, Molly and Arthur. Wonderful dinner as always," I hurry out while nodding to Ron, George, and Angelina.

Without so much as a second glance to Hermione, I dash out the door and apparate to Knockturn Alley quickly.

Hermione POV

I didn't know what I was going to say to Harry when I followed him out. I wanted to apologize but nothing was happening in my brain except the titanic wave of guilt that kept washing over me. Why did I have to say that? He was already stressed and hurt as is from his work and I only compounded it. Some best friend I was.

I watch him as he speaks into the communicator and faintly hear him talking to Lyla, his most trusted partner and new friend. An unsettling feeling rises within me at the thought that this Lyla was close to Harry but I push it back in an instant. What I heard next, however, broke my heart.

He told her that he wanted, no, that he NEEDED to leave. My unsettling feeling turned to pain unimaginable as I thought of myself forcing him out of the house because of my stupid mouth.

Something must have ticked him off because I saw his body stiffen and the defined muscles of his back started to show through. He was tense and, from his posture, I knew he was irate. I spent more than enough time with him to know how he felt without him ever needing to say it. This was serious, whatever he was being called for.

I nearly fell flat on my bum when he whipped his head around to me and I saw the hard set of his jaw. He had been gritting his teeth and he looked scary, like every bit the man who took down Lord Voldemort. I barely register him telling me he has to go before he's past me and back into the house.

Everything goes by in a blur and he leaves without a crack after disapparating. He had mastered silent apparation faster than anyone in the department but I was still shocked when he did it. It was a small reminder of just how powerful he was.

I turn my head from the doorway back to the Weasley's and found disapproving looks on everyone's faces except Ron's. His expression was unreadable but it vaguely looked like he was pleased. I don't read too much into it and settle myself back in to face the music.

"He's just trying to protect us, Grang...err-Hermione." Draco still hadn't gotten used to calling me by my first name but his words were loud and clear. It was obvious that he had grown out of his dislike and envy of Harry and had grown into a deep admiration for the man but she didn't care. Harry protected everyone but who protects him?

"Who's trying to protect him?" I bite back sharply, making Ginny wince and Draco flinch. "He doesn't care about his own bloody life." I fight to keep my composure but torrid tears begin to pool in my eyes.

"He doesn't need protection. He's Harry, remember? That's the man who took down Voldemort," Ron dumbly boasted for his best mate. I am surprised at his words mostly because he and Harry haven't been nearly as close. My surprise, however, transforms to anger once I realize he's implying that he's okay with my best friend casually risking his life.

I turn to him only to find him opening his mouth to speak again. "Besides, I think he goes home to that Lyla woman anyway. We caught them together multiple times, Hermione."

I remember trying to visit Harry just to end up seeing him bollocks deep in a black haired woman a couple of times but I always thought it was some random fling of the week like he was carrying on with. I never thought that he had somehow settled down with this Lyla woman. A nagging thought that he used the emergency to escape for a rendezvous with the woman attacks me but I push it back forcefully. It is irrational and, for some reason, it hurts me.

The few times I caught Harry having sex with some random whore were traumatizing to say the least but it didn't fill me with this uneasy type of hurt. Now, the knowledge that he had found someone was starting to hurt me. Why was this happening?