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SIYE Time:21:50 on 28th March 2024
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Only the Best
By Celtics534

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Other, Ron Weasley
Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance
Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence, Violence/Physical Abuse
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 82
Summary: Metropolitan Police Inspector Harry Potter was having an amazing twenty-four hours. He slept a full eight hours, had a good pint, and met the most incredible red-headed woman. Of course, that was all nulled by the dead woman lying in Whitehorse Road Park.
Hitcount: Story Total: 32689; Chapter Total: 2338
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Huge thanks to gryffindormischief and Arnel for their help on this chapter. They both have contributed a lot of time and effort to this story, and for this I thank them.




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Moonlight shone through the thin curtains of the Scottish lake house Harry was currently residing in. The small, yet efficient bedroom of their safe house was warm, giving off the impression of safety, or maybe that was only because Ginny’s body was so close to his. After all the emotions he had experience within the last twenty-four hours, Harry welcomed the feeling of security.

Yesterday had been like any other day on the force. Going to talk with business owners, trying to make connections within a case. Then, Ginny had called and she had flipped his world upside down. She was pregnant… pregnant with his child. Not to mention she asked him to marry her. Lord, how he loved her.

He had been thinking about it for a while, the idea of becoming Ginny’s husband. She seemed to understand his almost obsessive attitude when it came to his work, his past held no importance to her, and hell, she loved playing games, watching movies, and yelling at the referees’ blindness in football matches just as much as he did. Ginny Weasley was his ideal woman, there was no doubt in his mind that she was the woman meant for him.

Then… then after he had received the best news of his life, he had read the worst of his life. That crazed maniac had threatened her… his world. Not by name, but Jesus — that bastard — clearly identified Ginny in all but name in that fucking letter.

Unable to stop himself, Harry tightened his arms around Ginny as she slept. Her head was cradled in the crook of his neck, a small smile pressed into his skin. Harry loved the feeling of her close to him, but at the same time… They wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him. His name had been written in that letter. His name was the one that loon had singled out, out of everyone in the world, everyone in the department, it had been Mr. Potter and because of that Ginny had been thrown into the mix.

If Harry were stronger he would have separated them. He would have pretended to never have known her, so maybe that lunatic would never think she was vital to his existence. Fool the killer into believing that this red-head had no importance to him, then Ginny would be free from the looming shadow that was hovering over them. Sure, he would still have a target on his back, but Ginny would be safe. She would be able to continue her life as she pictured it, not stuck in this cottage in the middle of nowhere. But Harry couldn’t do it. This was the woman he loved, his child… their child was currently growing in her. He couldn’t pretend as if they meant nothing, even if it meant saving them.

Having grown up with no family, no one who cared for him… this was everything to him. Did it make him selfish to want to keep it close to him? Yes, but Harry couldn’t let go.

Ginny sighed in her sleep, her body somehow pressing closer to him. Harry took the arm that was not constrained by her form, and gently pushed the hair out of her face. She looked peaceful, even though her world was crashing around her. She hadn’t panicked once. Not while Moody explained the letter. Not while driving hours into the night to reach the safe house. No, Ginny Weasley was calm in a storm, which was just another reason to love her, in Harry’s opinion.

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open made Harry’s skin crawl. Looking fast, he saw Tonks’ figure leaning on the wooden door jamb. In the pale light, he could see her hand moving, gesturing for him to follow her. Slowly he disentangled himself from Ginny, rising out of the warmth and comfort to trail Tonks.

The three of them had driven for hours after Harry and Ginny had arrived at Scotland Yard. Moody had shown him the note, which was like having a knife stabbed into Harry’s gut. The Detective Chief Inspector had used a tone Harry was unfamiliar with, having become gentle and almost soothing. A vast change from his normal gruffness. Moody had told the three to head to the undisclosed safe house (the address written in a sealed envelope) and stay there until he sent word.

Normally, Harry and Tonks wouldn’t have been sent out of the target’s zone, but this case… Moody had almost pleaded with them. Harry hadn’t wanted to leave. Hell, he wanted to catch this bastard more than ever, but it was the look Ginny had sent him. It wasn’t fear, per say, but there was a vulnerability in her eyes that made him back down. She was worried about him, not herself. A trait Harry knew all too well. Tonks had protested, but Moody hadn’t backed down. However, he had agreed to let Harry and Tonks take the phone and try to understand why it had been included in the package. It had already been scanned for any dangerous material, but Harry had a suspicion there was going to be more to the message.

Tonks led Harry into the sitting room, where two cups of tea rested on the center table. “I figured you could use a little pick me up,” Tonks explained as she took a seat on the sofa. “It’s been a long day.”

Harry smiled gratefully at his partner. Tonks was one of those few people who could understand Harry’s moods without asking. She probably felt his brooding throughout the entire road trip. He took the empty armchair, which sank under his weight. “Thanks,” Harry blew at the steam emanating from the mug he had picked up.

“How are you doing with all of this?” Tonks asked staring intently at him. She knew how much he valued family and loved ones. There was no doubt she understood how much this all upset him.

Harry closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. “To be honest, not well.” Harry didn’t mind admitting his weakness to her. Tonks was a trusted confidant. He trusted her with his life every day; hell, he trusted her with Ginny’s life, not to mention his unborn child’s life, and there was no higher praise in his mind.

Tonks nodded. “How about Gin?”

“She’s strong,” Harry felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth. He looked around the room, as if he was afraid of eavesdroppers, then he said, “She told me she was pregnant yesterday.”

“No way!” Tonks voice seemed to fill the room.

“Shhhh,” Harry whispered looking over his shoulder towards the closed bedroom door where Ginny hopefully continued to rest. “Don’t wake Gin.”

“Sorry,” Tonks guiltily returned her voice to a normal level. “But Jesus, Harry, that’s great! It is great, right?” Her expression had shifted, showing worry.

“It’s the best news I’ve ever heard,” Harry assured. He could feel a goofy smile spreading across his lips, but he was too enamored with the idea to care.

“That’s incredible. Little Harry having a little Harry…” Tonks’ smile dropped as another thought seemed to come to her mind. “Oh, fucking Christ! Gin’s pregnant and some fucking manic is threatening her.”

The smile fell from Harry’s face as Tonks reminded him of his current situation. He nodded, unable to speak as his throat had seemed to close upon itself.

“I wondered why you gave in so quickly to Moody,” Tonks mused, “I figured you and I would fight his request tooth and nail, but after you relented I knew I was doomed to follow.”

“Sorry, but I…” Harry wanted to explain himself to her. He wanted her to understand every thought that had been going through his head over the last day, but his damn throat just won’t allow it.

It seemed Tonks didn’t need him to talk, since she waved a dismissive hand. “I would have done the same thing in your position. Besides, this gives us a chance to see what is going on with that phone.” That phone… halfway to the safe house the phone Moody had sent with them had started to play a jingle, a happy sound that should have filled Harry with joy, but instead struck him with fear. The message that had previously been displayed had faded, and instead had been replaced with blank lines. There were six sections, all of which were separated by empty space. It was like a hangman board, just without the hangman’s stand.

“I haven’t slept,” Tonks admitted, reaching forward and grabbing some papers that lay on the table. “I’ve been trying to solve this puzzle.”

She passed him the messy pieces of paper. Tonks had re-written the lines from the phone all over the page. Letters spread over the lines. None of which really spelt out anything familiar to Harry.

“My thought was that those letters and numbers that have been left on the bodies are hints to crack this,” Tonks explained grabbing a new sheet and pen, drawing out the lines again, then she passed it over towards Harry. Harry stared at the disconcerting empty lines. Four on the first section. Two for two. Five, then nine, four again, and finally eight.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“And do you have any definite placements?” Harry asked, continuing to study the page.

Tonks shook her head. “Not really, no, but I keep thinking this guy wouldn’t just give us these blank spaces… no, there is going to be something else. I just don’t know what yet.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The something else established itself when light had risen. While Harry and Tonks filled page after page of paper with random words, the phone’s display lit up while that oxymoronic jingle played again. Tonks reached the device first. She stared at the screen for at least ten seconds, before she scoffed, “What the hell is wrong with this bloke?”

“What?” Harry pulled the mobile from her grasp and looked at the updated puzzle. In the first two sections ones and a two had been added, making it now display:

1 _ _ 1 21 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

At the bottom of the puzzle another message had been added: Two Hours.

“What?” Harry repeated. He couldn’t understand. Two hours until what? What was this guy playing at? Giving them this phone, creating this hangman. Then a realization hit Harry, this person had given them a hint… he really did want them to find him.

“A one and then another one with two more spaces in between,” Tonks muttered, “and twenty-one… What the honest to God shit is this?” Her voice oozed with anger, and Harry had no answers. He wished he understood. He wished he could solve this damn riddle, find the guy and end this twisted game.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours can pass quickly, especially when you’re trying to solve a murder, Harry thought, when that haunting jingle sounded from that blasted mobile phone. Harry was able to grab it first this time. The screen showed all they already knew: the two ones and the twenty-one. Slowly two R’s and two O’s formed on four different lines, presenting him with a little more to work with.

1 _ _ 1 21 _ _ r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ _ r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ o _

It wasn’t much, but anything was better than the blankness of before. Then, another message below the lines appeared. One Hour.

“We have one hour before the next clue,” Harry threw the phone over to his partner. She caught it and took in the new formation.

“Some R’s and O’s… great, not enough to have any real words form,” sarcasm dripped from Tonks as she took a new sheet of paper and updated her possible solutions. “What do you think this is? Is it a place? Is it his name and age? I just can’t figure it out.”

Harry rolled his pen between his fingers. “I really don’t know,” he stared at the third section. An R in the middle… after two numbers… “The date!” Harry’s voice rose above normal decibels in is excitement.

“Huh?” Tonks looked up in confusion from her work. “It’s the twenty-first.”

“Yeah,” Harry agree, poking the paper he had been working on, “the twenty-first of April. April could fit in that third section.

Tonks looked down at her sheet, then back at Harry. “Holy shit! Does that mean whatever this hints at… is happening today?”

“I would have to guess so,” Harry didn’t like being so blind when whatever was happening would happen within the next twenty-four hours. “If I had to make another guess, I would say the first section is a time frame, and that means we only have around four hours before half the day is gone.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginny woke in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. The morning light was streaming past the burgundy curtain, making the room have a red tinge. She sat up as the previous day’s events came into her mind. Pregnancy, proposal, maniac potentially after her… all in a day’s work, Ginny thought sarcastically, but Jesus Christ. Now I’m stuck in a safe house with my brand-new fiancée and his work partner, hiding from a loon.

“What the actual fuck!” Tonks’ voice came muffled through the bedroom door. Ginny had no idea what was going on, but she had to assume Harry was there with Tonks, seeing as he wasn’t still in bed. Deciding to brave the hardwood floors, Ginny threw the covers off her and left the comfortable bed.

The safe house wasn’t very large. Five rooms: two bedrooms, a toilet, sitting room, and a kitchen. Before going to sleep last night, Harry had wanted to check over the layout of the building. Harry… He was clearly upset about all of this and if she knew him like she thought she knew him, he was blaming himself for her being threatened.

Opening the door slowly, Ginny took in the scene in the sitting room. Paper was thrown everywhere. Harry and Tonks both sat in the middle of the chaos, writing rapidly.

“What happened here?” Ginny couldn’t help but ask as she walked into the room. Both Harry and Tonks jumped, shuffling more pages around. They turned towards the new noise.

“Wotcher, Ginny,” Tonks greeted from her seat, her eyes bleary as if she hadn’t slept in days. Harry, however, stood up to greet her. He walked in front of her, pulling her into a strong hug.

“Morning, Gin,” Harry whisper in her ear, his breath tickling her.

“Morning,” Ginny held him close to her. Though she kept her face steady last night, panic had set into her as the three inspectors had described their suspicions about the mad man’s letter. Harry was a welcomed comfort. His arms somehow made her feel safe.

She tried to pull away, but Harry kept her tightly to him. Yes, she was right about how much this upset him. He had told her more than once he was no good at using his words to explain himself, so he resorted to actions. This action showed he didn’t want her out of his sight.

“Luv,” Ginny made sure her tone showed she understood, but needed him to follow her orders. “You can let go now.”

He did, slowly. It seemed to pain him slightly, but Ginny couldn’t let him start to become too clingy. It would only allow him to panic more if something small happened. Harry finally let his arms fall to his sides. Then his eyes grew wide and he started to ramble, “Oh, you must be hungry. I can go make you something. Eggs, bacon, French toast — “

“No, I’m fine,” Ginny pressed a hand to his chest, stopping his rant. “What are you two up to?”

Tonks, who had pressed her nose back into her work, looked up. “The phone is sending us a game of hangman.”

Ginny’s eye brows knit together. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You know that game with the empty spaces and letters,” Tonks explained as if Ginny were six.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know what hangman is, but why is the phone sending it to you?”

Harry placed his arm around her waist and walked back towards his vacated seat. “It’s giving us some sort of clue on what this guy is planning,” he sat back down, pulling Ginny into his lap, something she would never protest. “Every so often he is sending us a hint.” Ginny looked down at all the scattered pages around her. She could see six sections of lines with various letters filled in.

“What do you have so far?” Ginny asked.

Harry grabbed a piece of paper from the arm of their chair and handed it to her. “This is the most recent.”

Ginny saw six different letter and number combinations spread throughout the page.

1 _ _ 1 21 A _ r _ _ H a _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ a r _ _ _ _ _ h _ o _

“Jesus,” Ginny muttered, her brain trying to make any sense of the various letters before her. “So, you currently have no idea what any of this should be spelling?”

“Not officially,” Tonks corrected, “but we think that the third word is ‘April’ and that the first word is actually a time.”

“A time?” Ginny asked, “how do you get that?”

“We’re thinking it must be some time in the afternoon,” Harry explained as he used the arm of the chair as a table, writing letter in the previous blank spaces. “Something like fifteen forty-one.”

“So, something is happening today… sometime after noon?”

“That’s right,” Tonks agreed.

“Do you know where?”

“That’s what we’re thinking the rest of it is,” Harry crossed out a G from the forth word. “Unfortunately, it’s kinda hard when we have literally no idea where it could be.”

Ginny could see the predicament. They were on a time clock, with no idea where in the world these letters would take them. Taking a deep breath, she hopped off Harry’s lap and sat on the floor with her back against his legs. “Someone hand me a piece of paper and pen.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trio worked in silence. About thirty minutes after Ginny had joined them, the mobile went off again adding a three and oddly enough an F, making the puzzle read.

13 _1 21 A _ r _ _ H a _ _ _ _ _ o _ F a r _ _ _ _ _ h _ o _

Writing below the enigma warned them that they needed to wait another thirty minutes for the next message. “Okay,” Ginny started tapping her pen against her leg. “We’re assuming it goes: on the twenty-first of April at thirteen something-one, yeah?”

Harry nodded. “And that the location is some sort of farm based off the fifth word.”

“But there are a lot of farms in the world,” Tonks complained, “Really it could be anywhere. Not to mention we only have about two and a something hours until the time is up. Not to mention we aren’t getting another clue for thirty minutes, and who knows if the hints will be helpful.

“Okay,” Ginny said, “we know we are looking for a farm that starts with ‘Ha’.”

Tonks let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, in some unknown village… There are so many unknowns.”

“But we assume we’re in England, right?” Ginny pressed, pulling out her phone and typing something into her search bar. “So, how many towns have eight letters with an O and a H in those select places?”

Harry thought about it for a moment. “She has a point, Tonks. We search towns in England that have eight letters and try to find one with an O and an H in the same spot as our hangman… there can’t be to many like that. Genius!” He leaned to kiss the top of Ginny’s head. “Not to mention we still have G, L, E unused from those written on the bodies.”

“Okay, I found a site that is used for crosswords, but it’s towns and villages in England. There are one-hundred and seventy-nine to sort, but I’m sure not all of them even have an O as the second to last letter, not to mention an H,” Ginny showed Harry her screen.

“Alright, Ginny you work on making a list of possible places. Tonks, maybe check out to American towns… We know that white snakeroot grows there naturally, so this farm could be there as well. I’ll try to figure out the fourth word.”

It was slow, meticulous work. They couldn’t risk missing one town that could be the possible answer. It took a little over a half an hour to go over all of America’s and England’s, but the end result was all too promising. Within that time the phone had given them the P and L in April, warning them the next clue would be sent at noon.

“Brighton!” Ginny waved her page around. “The only place between both countries is Brighton!” Both she and Tonks were on their feet in their excitement.

“Okay,” Harry stood up with the two women, taking one of the last blank pages from the table. If we go with Brighton we have something that looks like,” he took the page and wrote out their work.

13 _1 21 A p r i l H a _ _ _ _ _ o _ F a r m B r i g h t o n

“One word left,” Tonks muttered, pulling out her pocket watch to check the time, “With only an hour and a quarter left until one.”

“And twenty-five minutes until the next clue,” Harry added. “With our luck it will only contain letters we know.”

“Okay, while you guys figure this out, I need something to eat. I’ll make us some sandwiches,” Ginny placed a quick kiss on Harry’s lips and left the room.

“We can Google search farms in Brighton,” Tonks suggested, “There can’t be to many that start with ‘ha’.”

Harry, who had been trying many names while Tonks and Ginny searched locations, had placements that would make sense for the remaining letters. He looked down at some of his attempts and one of the lines held a light. “Hangleton,” Harry muttered looking towards his partner.

“Pardon?” Tonks asked not really paying attention to Harry, her focus on her own puzzle sheet.

“Hangleton,” Harry repeated, “it’s a neighborhood near Brighton.”

That seemed to catch Tonks’ attention. “Yeah? How do you know that?”

“It’s where Grindelwald was based out of…”

“You don’t think this guy may have been a fan, do you?” Tonks’ tone was cautious. She knew the story of Harry’s rise to police fame.

A chill ran down Harry’s spine. Oh Lord, he didn’t want to think about another Grindelwald. “No… no, I don’t want to assume that. They don’t work in the same manner, besides it’s just a possible name of the farm.”

Tonks had searched something on her phone. “Yup, there is a Hangleton Farm. We are over ten hours away. Fuck!”

“Call Moody. Have them send someone local to the location,” Harry told her. They needed to get someone there!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Waiting had never been Harry’s strong suit. He hated sitting around on his arse, letting others go out and deal with the issues. That’s why he dodged being stuck on desk duty like the plague. Tonks was similar in this regard. She wanted to be out there, fighting the good fight.

Ginny was the only thing keeping Harry sane. She distracted them with tales about growing up with six brothers. It wasn’t until she was telling them about the time George had put crickets into Percy’s pudding, that Harry’s phone rang.

He answered as quickly as his fumbling fingers would allow him. “Potter.”

“Your intel was good,” Moody’s gruff voice spoke kilometers away. “We found the farm and there were cows and a greenhouse filled with growing white snakeroot.”

“Holy shit,” Harry breathed. He placed Moody on speaker, so Tonks and Ginny could hear.

“Here’s the thing. We also found a dead man in the abandoned main house.”

“Do you have an ID?” Tonks asked, sitting on the edge of her cushion.

Moody remained quiet for a few seconds before, “Dean Thomas.”

“What!” The cottage filled with three voices all at once.

“Yes, however, his body wasn’t like the rest,” Harry could hear the toll in his boss’s voice. “Granger says he was strangled. She is going to run some more tests, but she doesn’t even know if this is the same guy.”

“I’m gonna be sick,” Ginny stood in a rush, hurrying to the toilet. Even through the shut door, Harry could hear retching.

“What the bloody hell!” Harry jumped from his seat and started pacing. “Do we think it was Bellatrix?”

“She was the last person he was seen with,” Moody grunted his agreement.

“But the note,” Tonks’ head rested in her hands. “It mentioned ‘bell of the ball’. I was so sure it was referencing Bellatrix.”

“Ah, yes. The body was posed in an interesting outfit when we found him. Our killer decided to place him in a bright yellow dress.”

“Bell of the ball,” Tonks muttered, “A famous football star wearing a ballgown.”

“That’s what we’re thinking,” Moody admitted. “There was also another letter pinned to his skirt. It mentioned you again, Potter, and an important red-head.”

“Fuck!” Harry’s hands balled into fists, as he continued to pace back and forth, practically wearing out the floorboards.

“Tonks, I want you to come back to London. You can — “

“I don’t get it,” Tonks interrupted, “We solved that damn riddle before the time listed.”

“Ah that,” Moody’s tone was hesitant. “At one-minute past one the greenhouse blew up.”

That made Harry freeze. “Like boom?”

“Yes, Potter,” Moody’s voice became its normal gruff self. “The entire building exploded. Three of our men were injured, but no casualties.”

“It was a warning and a trap all at the same time,” Tonks’ mouth was agape.

“It appears so, but we need to focus on this next note. Potter you stay with Weasley. Do you know any other red-heads? Someone who could be important to you?”

“I — I don’t know,” Harry couldn’t wrap his head around it all. “I mean I like all of the Weasleys and they’re all red-heads.”

“Okay, we will start there,” Moody’s voice became muffled as he spoke to someone on the other side of the phone. “I have Boot and Robards making a team as we speak. We will have someone check on all of the Weasleys.” He paused. “Tonks, I’m going to send someone from the local station to come pick you up, that way Potter will have a car if he needs it. I want you back here in London as soon as possible. They will use passphrase seven. Be ready. Potter, you keep an eye on Weasley.”

“Yes, sir,” Tonks and Harry said together. Moody’s end went dead and Tonks disconnected Harry’s phone.

“I’m going to do one more sweep around the area,” Tonks told her partner. “You may want to check on Ginny.”

Harry nodded and walked to the toilet door. It had gone silent on the other side. He knocked lightly. “Gin?”

No sound came from the loo, but the door opened slightly, a sign for Harry to enter. Ginny was sitting with her back against a porcelain tub, her eyes red raw. All the anger that had been fueling Harry, thirty seconds ago, faded at the sight of her. He grabbed a cup on the side of the sink, filling it with the tap water, then he crouched before her, cup outstretched.

“Thanks,” Ginny’s voice was low, scratchy.

Harry pushed her slightly to the side so he could sit next to her. He rested an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into him. “Are you okay?”

She snorted. “Yeah, everything is hunky dory.” She tilted her head so he could see her small smile, that faded slowly. “No… no, I’m not really okay. Someone I know has been killed and there is a threat to me, maybe possibly my family, too. It not — “

“I’m sorry,” Harry cut her off. “If you didn’t know me. If you weren’t with — “

“Oh, bollocks!” Ginny leaned away from him and slapped his arm. “I wouldn’t care if you were the most wanted man in all of Britain.” She leaned her body back onto his and pressed a kiss on the underside of his jaw. “Your worth it, you prat.”

“How can I be worth this?” Harry’s words had a mind of their own.

Ginny flicked the same spot she had just kissed. “Because love is one of the greatest powers, and for some reason I fell in love with you, Harry Potter. Hell, your spawn is currently growing inside me. If that doesn’t show that I like you at least a little, then I don’t know what would.”

Harry felt warmth spread through his chest. “And here I came in to comfort you,” he teased, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Ginny laughed, placing her head on his shoulder. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Moody has people going to see your family, making sure they know what’s going on.”

“And what about us? We’re just supposed to stay here?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, until Moody says otherwise.”

Ginny let out a long sigh. “Alright, well, if that’s the case, I’m going to go find somewhere more comfortable to sit.”

Harry stood and offered her a hand. “Would you like a cup of tea? Water?”

“Tea would be lovely. Why don’t we all have a cup in the sitting room. Is Tonks staying with us?”

They walked together, hands still joined, out of the loo. “No, she’s going back to London within the next few hours.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tonks left the small cottage four minutes after five, promising to keep them up to date on the case. Harry wasn’t used to be left behind. Typically, he was in the throes of the battle. Not that he planned it that way, but sitting back and letting others take the lead was a new feeling for him.

He and Ginny spent the day laying around the cottage, chatting, reading some of the books that remained on the ancient shelf. It was like they were on a holiday in those scarce moments they could forget they were hiding from a killer. Around nine that night, Harry’s phone rang. The caller ID claiming Terry Boot.

“Boot?” Harry answered, “What’s happening?”

“Detective Inspector, I have to report that all but one of the Weasleys are accounted for.” Boot’s words made Harry’s stomach free fall.

“Who?” Harry couldn’t stop the simple word from trembling.

“Fredrick Weasley, sir.”

Harry’s free hand combed violently though his hair. “For how long?”

“According to George Weasley… about fifteen hours.”

“Where was his last known location?” This drew Ginny’s attention, who had been pretending to be reading one of the large tomes they had found. Her eyes were wide with fear, as she stared.

“He apparently went on a breakfast date. Mr. Weasley claimed his brother was supposed to close the shop with him, but he never showed up. He didn’t think anything of it until we mentioned someone may be tracking them. He figured that Fredrick was just extending the date. Apparently, it happened a few times before.”

Harry couldn’t look at Ginny. “Have you already contacted the date? The restaurant where they went?”

“George Weasley said that his brother was going to the lady’s flat and he didn’t know the name of the woman.”

“Well, Jesus, Boot! What do you know?” Harry couldn’t stop himself from bursting. What was he supposed to tell Ginny? Her brother was missing and there were no leads?

“George Weasley gave us permission to search through Fredrick’s room. He had a note with an address on it. When we arrived… well, there was a tablet with a live broadcast on it… and well, Fredrick is tied to a chair.”

“Does he look hurt?”

“No, but he’s just sitting there, he’s awake but just staring at the wall.”

“Is there a mic on your end of the feed?”

“No, not as far as we can tell.”

Harry wanted to scream. They could see Fred, but had no idea how to get to him.

“Sir,” Boot pulled Harry’s focus back. “There is another person that comes into focus every so often. A woman with black hair. She never shows her face, but when she enters the picture, she makes Fredrick drink something then leaves. Sir, I think it may be milk.”
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