The Reason Why (Harmione)

Chapter 35

Harry and Hermione burst into the office, turning so that they could both squirm through the doorway at the same time.

The Head Auror sat at the desk, unsurprised to see to the rush the two were in. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, please take a seat," he said in a formal tone.

Harry and Hermione obeyed, literally sitting on the edge of their seats as they waited for him to continue.

"We received a call today. Your daughter had been spotted."

Hermione's eyes were wide, silently begging for answers that she was keeping her tightly close to stop herself from asking out loud.

"A woman named Amelia Miles said that she saw the child in her yard."

"Then let's go!" Hermione shouted, leaping up from her seat. "Where is it?"

The Auror had barely finished telling them the address. Hermione reached for Harry's hand and together they Apparated to the location.

They arrived in a rather normal-looking yard. They stood just inside a white picket fence on a narrow sidewalk that lead to the front door of the white and blue trimmed house.

Without a moment's hesitation, Hermione marched down the sidewalk, up the porch steps and rapped loudly and quickly on the door.

Harry joined her at the door. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let me do the talking, okay?" He whispered.

Hermione bit her lip, wanting to object but knowing he should. How he managed to seem so calm this whole time, she didn't know, but she needed to thank for it.

Reluctantly, she nodded.

After a short moment that felt like an eternity, the door opened. A young woman stood in the doorway, small and slight with short brown hair.

"Hello," Harry said politely, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his identification. He held it up so that she could see it as he continued. "My name is Harry Potter. I am an Auror. We received your call claiming that you've seen a missing child. We're here to investigate."

"Of course!" The woman said, standing aside to allow the couple into her house. "Yes, I looked out the window and there was a child in my yard! I brought her into the house to get her out of the cold, and I realized she looked familiar. Then I compared her to picture in the Prophet and it was her!"

"Where is she?" Hermione asked, trying and failing to sound professional.

"In the bedroom upsta-"

Hermione didn't hear the rest of the sentence. She rushed up the stairs and ran down the hall, throwing open every door she saw. It was the third door she opened that showed her what she wanted to see.

There she was, her baby, lying in the center of the bed, covered in blankets.

"Lily!" Hermione shouted.

At the speed of light, she got to the side of the bed and lifted the infant out of the bed. It was her. It was her baby, the best thing that had ever happened to her, finally in her arms again.

Harry burst in the door and Hermione turned. She smiled at her husband as tears ran down her face. "She's here," she whispered. "We've finally found her."

Harry grinned and ran to Hermione's side. He wrapped his arms around his wife and his daughter. The family was reunited at last.

                               ~ooo~

The child had no visible injuries, but Harry and Hermione took her to a Healer, just to be sure.

The three of them sat in the waiting room. They heard their last name called and made their way to the front desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter?" The woman asked, and Harry and Hermione nodded. "Lily's results have come in."

"Is anything wrong?" Hermione asked anxiously.

The woman smiled. "No need to worry, Mrs. Potter. Your daughter is perfectly healthy." Hermione sighed in relief. "However, we noticed something very unusual."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"

The woman nodded. "It seems that your daughter has the ability to Apparate."

"That's impossible," said Harry.

The woman shook her head. "Not impossible, sir. Extremely rare, but not impossible."

"So that's how she went missing? She wasn't kidnapped after all?"

The woman laughed. "No, sir. She just has a very special gift."

"So how can we prevent this from happening again?" Hermione asked.

"We recommend that you put charms around your home that make Apparition impossible. In other places, be sure to keep hold of her so that if she goes some place, you will follow."

The family left for home with smiles on their faces.