Love, Lies, and a Secret.

Chapter 07: Half Truths

Hermione and Terry stared at him.

“What?” Harry asked sarcastically. “Don’t you know what to say?”

“Harry, let’s go.” Tonks grabbed his arm. She looked at Hermione and their eyes found each other. She could see despair in them. The young Auror shook her head lightly.

Harry shoved Tonks’ hand away from him. “No, I want to hear about this spell.”

Terry took a deep breath, put his arm around Hermione’s waist, and said firmly, “We don’t need to start a scene here, Harry.” He knew that the bartender was watching the exchange attentively.

Harry snorted, “And to think that I felt sorry for you, Hermione.” He laughed dryly. “What an idiot I was! Did you know that I was angry with Ron? And here you are-” He looked depreciatively at Terry. “…with him.” His eyes began to wander over her body. She was wearing a strapless top; very tighten pants and high heals. He knew she was dangerously sexy. His heart pounded in his chest, alternating between anger, disbelief and desire. Harry didn't know if he wanted to slap her or snog her senseless. He shook his head. “You look like a-”

“Don’t say anything you might regret later, Harry,” Tonks warned him.

Harry looked at Terry, and then at Hermione. “Let’s go, Tonks. We have work to do, after all.”

"Harry," Hermione said tentatively, "I-"

He held up a hand, making her stop. "Don't say anything. Right now, you're just making me sick," he said, before walking away.

The young witch wanted to cry. He had never spoken to her like that, with so much anger, hate. If she could only scream out the truth to him! Merlin, she still could feel the weight of his stare; his piercing eyes wandering over her body. She felt naked, dirty. Hermione took a deep breath, and then looked at Terry. He wrapped his arms around her, and whispered into her ear, “I’m really sorry Hermione, but you know that we can’t say anything.” He nuzzled against her hair. “Pierre is watching. We must be careful.”

Hermione let out a loud moan, and whispered back, “So let’s finish this as fast as we can.”

“You’re so sexy today, my girl,” Terry said, loud enough for Pierre, the bartender, to hear. “You make me think and want dirty things.”

“Are you hungry?” she purred, grabbing his bum.

“If we weren’t in public, I would do you right now,” he said slyly.

She looked at him, licking her lips.

“Er, excuse me,” Pierre interrupted them: "but I couldn't help but notice that you two need a more private place to... talk."

Hermione and Terry looked at each other, and then at Pierre. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

“Well, we have a place where you can talk more privately.” The man fixed his gaze on Terry. “But it will cost you, of course.”

“Money won’t be a problem.”

Pierre nodded. “Very well, if you could follow me to my office,” he said, indicating a door behind him.

“Sure,” Terry said. He and Hermione knew that Pierre was everything but an ordinary bartender.

~*~*~*~
Pierre’s office

“Well, let’s talk about business,” Pierre said, unceremoniously. His previously friendly voice was gone. He looked serious and somehow dangerous. “I have been noticing that you two have been frequenting my club for a while. You two seem very, er, open to…new things. I like it. It’s good for the business.” He paused a second and then continued, “I have to confess that I was a little worried when those two Aurors talked to you.”

Hermione and Terry remained silent.

“But,” he continued, “I was glad to see how well you dealt with the situation.” He smirked. “Not everyone can understand our needs.” He laughed loudly, showing his yellow rotten teeth. Hermione felt an urge to vomit. “Back to the business…you said money wouldn’t be a problem-”

“That’s right,” Terry confirmed.

“It’s twenty Galleons.” Terry did his best to not look shocked. Twenty Galleons! Bloody Hell! “And with ten more, you two can make use of ours products.” He paused for a minute before continuing, “Are we alright or is the price too high?”

“No, the price is fine,” said Terry, as he took the money from his pocket and gave it to Pierre.

After verifying if the amount of gold was correct, Pierre looked back at them. “Very well.” He then went to his desk, and took something from a drawer. It was a feather, a red feather.

“Here it is,” he said giving the feather to Terry. The former Ravenclaw looked at the man strangely.

“A-A Portkey?” Hermione blurted out. It was the first time she had spoken since they had entered Pierre’s office.

“Of course, my sweetheart.” Pierre’s gaze bored into her. “Is there a problem?”

"No, of course not," Terry spoke quickly for Hermione, grabbing her waist. "My honey was just surprised. And to tell you the truth, I was surprised myself. I thought you would give us the address and we would Apparate there.”

Pierre shook his head.

“Oh no, there’s no way to Apparate or Disapparate.” Hermione felt Terry tightening his grip. "And we wouldn’t want the Ministry to know about where we are, right? Tst, tst, tst… The Ministry is so… mmn… antiquated, don’t you think?" He clasped his hands together. "But why are we here talking about this? I’m sure you two are eager to have fun. Go, take the Portkey.” He looked at them. "I’m sure it will be a night you won’t forget."

Trying hard to hide their nervousness, Terry and Hermione took the feather, and almost instantly, they felt the familiar tug in their stomachs.

A few seconds later, they found themselves to be in a dark room.

"Where-” Hermione was asking when a strange voice interrupted her.

"Show the feather," the voice said and Terry raised the feather into the air. Then, a door magically appeared. "Do we open it?" Hermione whispered. She didn’t like this.

"What other options do we have?" Terry mumbled, before opening the door.

~*~*~*~
December 1979
St. Mungo’s
The waiting room

“James,” Sirius spoke after some time. He and James were waiting for news about Lily. James had originally insisted on stay with his wife while she was being examined, but the Healer pointedly told him that he should wait outside the room.

“Yes, Sirius?” James asked, absently. The only thing he wanted was to know was what was wrong with Lily. He couldn’t bear to think that he might lose her.

“I know it isn’t my place to ask, and I don’t want to interfere in your private life but-” Sirius shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “Are you cheating on Lily, James?”

James stared at Sirius, shocked. “W-What?”

“Are you cheating on Lily?”

“Of course not!” James hissed in outrage.

“James, you have been missing work for a while, and based on what I saw today, I know you aren’t spending this time at home.” Sirius bit his bottom lip. “Lily is a wonderful person. Be sure about what you are doing.”

“I’m not cheating on her, Sirius!” James took a deep breath. “You know how much I love her…you know what I did to be with her. I changed myself to be with her…” He closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. “I’m not cheating on Lily. It’s just….I have some issues I need to resolve and-”

“Mr. Potter,” a voice interrupted his explanation. James looked up and saw Lily’s Healer. “Your wife has woken up.”

James and Sirius stood up immediately. “How is she? What’s wrong with her? What happened?” James asked hurriedly. “I want to see her!”

“Calm down, Mr. Potter,” the Healer said. “Your wife is fine, nothing to worry about. However I would like to speak with you in particular, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” James promptly replied, and then looked at Sirius. “Mate-”

“James, I’m going home,” Sirius said, “if you need anything, just Floo. Give Lily a hug for me.” He paused a moment, and then continued, “We can finish our talk later.”

James nodded. “Thanks, Sirius.”

“See you, James,” Sirius said, and left.

“Now, are you going to tell me what’s wrong with my wife?” James inquired.

“Like I said, there is nothing wrong with Mrs. Potter,” the Healer calmly replied. “However, her stress levels are a little too high. The same can be said about her blood pressure. And with her condition-”

“Whoa, whoa!” James made her stop. “What condition?”

“Your wife is pregnant, Mr. Potter.”

James simply stared at her. “W-What did you say?”

“Your wife is pregnant,” the Healer replied, but then suddenly realised something, “Oh, you didn’t know. I’m really sorry for spoiling the surprise.”

James nodded absently, a goofy smile forming on his face. “How long?”

“Almost seven weeks, Mr. Potter.”

“Mmnn, it must have happened on Halloween Eve,” James muttered to himself. “I knew I liked Halloween for a reason.”

The Healer cleared her throat. “I would like to speak with you about your wife’s health.”

“Of course,” James sobered, shaking his head. “Is there something wrong with the pregnancy? You said something about stress.”

“Yes, you see, Mr. Potter, you wife seems a little too tense and it isn’t good for her and the baby. Her stress levels are really high and it may cause problems like the faint today.”

“And what can I do to help?”

“You must help her to control her stress. Muggleborns' pregnancies are never easy. Your wife is a witch but her body is still Muggle. The baby’s magic can bring her a little discomfort. Nothing serious, but it would be wise to take that into consideration.”

"I understand," he said, "but what can I do for her?"

 “Be supportive; don’t let her suffer strong emotions or shocking surprises, for example. The most important thing is, your wife must stay calm and relaxed. Then, everything will be alright.”

“I will do my best, Ma’am,” James said. “Now, can I see her?”

~*~*~*~
Lily’s room

When Lily saw James entering the room, she looked away. He pretended not to notice it and walked towards her bed.

“Lily, love,” he said as he sat by her side, taking her hand. “Why didn't you tell me?”

Still looking away, Lily let out a sob.

“Please, love, look at me,” James pleaded, gently. “Look at me, sweetheart.” She looked at him, teary eyed. “Why didn't you tell me?” he asked again.

“I was… I am so angry with you James,” she sobbed quietly.

“Lily-”

“You are always late…always tired a-and distant and I know you aren't going to work.” The tears began to fall uncontrollably. “P-Please, James-”

“Lily,” he whispered, as he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “I am not cheating on you. I swear to God…I’m not cheating. I would never…I love you so much….”

“So, what’s wrong, James? Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

James stood up from the bed and walked towards the window, his hands on his pockets, and his back to Lily. He took a deep breath before facing her again.

“It’s Mary.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m seeing Mary Adams… but not in the way you’re thinking!” he added quickly.

Lily did not reply; she really didn't know what to say.

“After Jane’s death… After Jane’s death things haven’t being easy for Mary. She was afraid and-”

“Has something happened to her?” Lily finally spoke, her tone of voice worried and shocked.

“No,” he lied. “However, she moved from London. I helped her with the new house and-” James sighed deeply. “I feel I have a debt with her, you know. It was me who brought Jane to the Order and-”

“Jane’s death wasn't your fault, James,” Lily said firmly, “but why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell-”

“You can’t tell him, Lil.”

“But James-”

“Promise me, Lily. She doesn’t want him to know. It’s her will.”

“Okay, James. I won’t tell anybody. However, I think he should know. They love each other.”

“No, Lily,” James said decisively, and Lily knew it was the end of the subject.

Lily’s heart was not so heavy anymore; the pain in her chest had gone away. She knew that James was telling the truth. James had never being able to lie to her. He used to say that it was the same with his mum and dad. Maybe the Potter men didn’t know how to lie to the women they loved. However, if Lily knew that James hadn’t lied to her, she also knew he hadn’t told her the whole truth. There was something else and she would find out what.

“But tell me about this little one,” James said, touching her belly, his eyes shining. “I’m going to be a daddy!”

She smiled at him. “Yes, Mr. Potter, you’re going to be a dad.” She put a hand on his face. “I’m so happy.”

“Me too, sweetheart. You just make me the happiest man alive,” he replied, “but Lil…the Healer also talked to me about your health, she said that you need to control your stress.”

“Yes, I know.” Lily sighed. “I’ll take care of myself, and this little one, love.”

“And you know what this means, don’t you?” James looked directly into her eyes. “No more Order business.”

“James-”

“No, Lily. We managed to fight Voldemort three times and get away alive. I don’t want to risk it again. You and our baby are more important than any war.”

Lily nodded, laughing lightly. “I love you, Mr. Potter.”

“I love you, Mrs. Potter.”

Yes, things were finally well in the Potter family.

~*~*~*~
September 2000
The Leaky Cauldron, London

“Harry, don’t you think you are drinking a little too much?” Tonks said slowly, trying to make Harry stop drinking. “I think it would be better if you stop for now.”

“No!” Harry slammed his fist onto the table, making Tonks start. “We already got the bad guy. Now I want to driiink. Another bottle, Tom!”

“Mr. Potter, I don’t think-”

“I’m THE bloody Harry Potter! I saved your arse; I saved everybody’s arses in the fucking war! I want another drink!” Harry cried groggily. “And don’t worry, I have the money!” He took out a fairly large amount of gold, and spread it out on the table.

Tom shook his head sadly, before placing another bottle of Firewhisky on the table.

“Harry-” Tonks tried again.

“D-Did you see her clothes?” Harry’s eyes were filled with sadness. "S-She never wore anything like that-" He stared at his drink. “She’s gorgeous.”

“Harry, what you saw-”

Harry looked up at Tonks. “She’s having an affair with Boot!” He shook his head. “She’s having an affair with Boot,” his voice was a pained whisper. “Do you think she sleeps with him?”

“Harry, sometimes, things aren’t what they seem…”

The young wizard didn’t seem to have heard her. “But she would have told me if she does.” He took a swig of his Firewhisky. “She tells me everything, you know? And I tell her everything. We’re best friends.” He closed his eyes briefly. “Friends… but she didn’t tell me about Boot. D-Do you think she loves him?”

“I think it’s time to stop!” Tonks said firmly. “You are too old for been babysat!” She took the drink from Harry’s hands.

“Hey!” he cried, indignantly.

“Harry, I really sorry about this but it’s for your own good.” Tonks raised her wand and cried, “Stupefy!” And Harry slumped against the table.

“What did you do?!” Tom exclaimed in shock.

“I had to, Tom,” Tonks replied. “I think this gold pays what he consummated,” she said looking at the Galleons on the table. “I’ll Side-Along him.” Tom nodded in understand. “Thanks, Tom, and sorry for everything.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Tonks.” The bartender looked sadly at Harry. “Give my best to Mr. Potter when he wakes up.”

~*~*~*~
Grimmauld Place

“Remus, wake up!” Remus Lupin felt someone shaking him lightly. “I need your help!” He opened his eyes tiredly and saw Tonks.

“Tonks?” he mumbled, sleepily.

“Get up, Remus!” she insisted again. “It’s Harry!”

Harry. That was the magic word.

“Harry?” Remus promptly stood up. “Has something happened to him?”

“Well, nothing serious…”

Remus raised an eyebrow at her.

“He’s in his old bedroom. Come on, I need your help with something!”

Still confused, Remus followed Tonks.

~*~*~*~
Harry’s old bedroom

“He’s Stupefied,” Remus said, as soon as he saw Harry spread in the bed. “...and smelly-”

“I know. It was me.” Remus looked shocked at her. “As you may have noticed...or smelled...he has been drinking...a lot. I really had to Stupefy him. Otherwise, I couldn't even manage to Side-Along him here.”

Remus nodded, understandably. “But why was he drinking? The mission didn't go well?”

“No, the mission went fine.” Tonks sighed. “He saw Hermione and Terry Boot.”

“Oh, I see...” Remus said. “How did that happen?” he asked and Tonks told him what had happened.

“And I’m guessing that Kingsley didn’t tell you anything about them being there,” Remus spoke after sometime.

“No, he didn’t. You know he never does. It's part of their work.”

“Yeah.” Remus nodded, and looked at Harry. “And what about Harry? Does he think that Hermione and Boot are lovers?”

“I don't know. I am not authorized to say anything to him. I can lose my job if I do. I will talk with Hermione, Boot and Moody tomorrow and find out what they think. Until then, I think it would be best if Harry stays here. This way he won't get the chance to meet Ron and tell him.”

“You're right. But why didn't you Ennervate him yet? You don’t need help with that, do you?”

“Of course not! But I need you to change his clothes before I Ennervate him.”

Remus looked at her in question.

“He can’t sleep with these Auror robes and I know he will be embarrassed if he finds out that I changed him.”

The werewolf seemed to have not understood her point.

“Merlin, Remus! I’m a woman! He’ll feel embarrassed if he knows that I saw him naked!”

“Oh, right!” Remus finally understood. “So let me change him. I know he left some old clothes here...” He went to the wardrobe and opened it.

Tonks smiled, shaking her head before leaving, and closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later...

“Calm down, Harry!” Tonks heard Remus cried through the door. “Expelliarmus! Accio Harry’s wand!”

Tonks quickly opened the door, and saw Remus holding two wands. Harry, still visibly drunk, was looking at him with both surprise and anger.

“I Ennervate him,” Remus simply said to Tonks, and then turned to Harry. “Sorry, Harry, but I don't think you'll need your wand right now!”

But Harry wasn't paying attention to Remus; his eyes were now focused on Tonks.

“You attacked me!” He pointed a finger at her. “You attacked me!” He began to look around. “Why am I here? Where's my drink?” he demanded.

Before Tonks could say anything, Remus shouted angrily, “Stop right there, Harry James!”

Harry looked to Remus in surprise; even Tonks seemed a little shocked. She had never seem Remus yelling at Harry before. “You aren't a little boy anymore! It’s not right for you to have such childish behaviour!” Remus turned to Tonks. “Love, there's still a bottle of Dreamless Sleep Potion downstairs. Could you please get it?”

Tonks nodded, and left.

“You know nothing, Remus!” Harry yelled at his former teacher.

“What do you want, Harry? Do you want to throw away two years of training and hard work because of one night?!”

“I did my job! We got the suspect!”

“That’s not the point! You were still on duty! Nothing justifies getting drunk!”

“She’s having an affair with Terry Boot!!”

“Is she?”

“I saw them! I saw the way they acted together! There's no denying it!”

Remus shook his head. “And what if they are having an affair? It’s their life, not yours.”

“But Hermione-”

“Hermione is an adult, a grown woman. This is her life, not yours!” Remus repeated

“But!”

“Ron is her boyfriend, Harry! Not you!”

Those words hit Harry very hard, and he let himself fall back on the bed. “I know,” he whispered, looking down at his hands. At that moment, Tonks returned to the room carrying a vial of the Dreamless Sleep Potion.

“Here it is,” she said giving the vial to Harry. “Drink it, Harry.”

“What is it?”

“Dreamless Sleep Potion.”

“I don’t want-”

Tonks took a deep breath. “I’m really tired, Harry. Drink it.”

Like an annoyed little boy, Harry took the vial and drank the potion. Seconds later, he was asleep.

“Thank Merlin,” muttered Tonks, as she and Remus took Harry's glasses off and adjusted him on the bed. “What did he say, Remus?”

“Nothing important. Just ramblings about Hermione and Terry. Tomorrow I will have a real talk with him. But right now, why don’t we go to bed?”

“Wonderful idea, Remus.” Tonks smiled, and they left the bedroom.

~*~*~*~
The next day

Harry Potter woke up feeling terrible. His head seemed about to explode, and the bad taste in his mouth was making him want to throw up.

He took a few moments to realise where he was. Slowly, the memories from the night before began to return to him.

Hermione…

How could she? He still couldn’t understand. He couldn’t accept it. Sighing heavily, he took his glasses from the bedside table, stood up from the bed and went to the wardrobe.

‘Thanks Merlin, I have some clothes here,’ he thought, opening it. Harry took out a pair of Muggle jeans, an old T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. “I need a shower,” he murmured.

~*~*~*

Even after the long shower, Harry's head was still spinning. He wasn’t sure if it was only because of the hangover or because of the thought of Hermione and Terry having an affair. The images of Hermione wearing those clothes, and Terry’s arms around her waist were almost haunting him. Harry really didn’t know what to do, or to think. Should he tell Ron about what he saw? Hermione would never speak with him again if he did and the thought of Hermione not talking with him made his heart sink even further.

Shaking his head slightly, Harry left the bathroom and went downstairs, thinking that, maybe, a strong coffee and some Hangover potion could solve his problems; his physical problems, at least.

*~*~*~

Harry was walking towards the kitchen when he heard voices coming from it. It sounded like Remus, Tonks and Kingsley.

‘Kingsley?’

Why was Kingsley there on a Sunday Morning? Did he hear about Harry's behavior the night before? Shit! Trying not to make a noise, the young wizard crept closer to the kitchen's door, trying overheard the conversation.

“I already told you… Harry and I only saw them last night in that club,” Tonks was saying. “I realised they might have been on a mission.”

‘A mission? What the hell was Tonks talking about?’

“What happened, Kingsley?” Harry heard Remus' voice.

“We have a situation.”

Silence.

“What happened?” Remus asked again.

“Longbottom contacted Alastor early this morning.”

‘Longbottom? Neville had spoken to Mad-Eye?’

“Granger and Boot were supposed to contact him last night but they never showed up.”

“And Susan?” Remus asked.

“They didn’t contact her either. Longbottom also went to Boot’s place to see if they were there but there was no one in the apartment.”

Silence.

“But-” Tonks was saying when Harry heard a familiar sound coming from the fireplace.

“Tonks! Lupin! Shacklebolt!” It was Moody. “We found Boot!”

“Good-”

“It’s bad, Tonks,” Moody's voice interrupted her. “He's in a really bad shape.” His voice was serious and tense.

“And Hermione, Alastor?” Remus asked.

“She's still missing.” A wave of despair invaded Harry's body.

‘Hermione's missing? And what mission they were talking about? What did Neville and Susan have to do with everything? Hell, what has everybody had been hiding from me?’

“What happened to Hermione?” Harry asked aloud, entering the kitchen.