Chapter 7
Harry immediately panicked when he learnt that his husband's rooms were now vacant. He just went back to Grimmauld Place to take a bath and change clothes when he noticed that the room Sev was admitted in was empty.
He tried to ask some of the healers where the patient went, but they all refused to answer, stating that the information is highly confidential and that they were sworn with an oath by the medical guardian who signed the papers for his husband's discharge.
After learning that piece of information, he immediately went to the Burrow. He hoped that the Ferret failed upon getting custody and that Hermione remained as his husband's guardian.
Harry knocked on the door and prayed that his husband and child were inside. Hermione answered the door since Ron was getting ready upstairs. Ron was going to the Auror Department later on to personally give his resignation letter to Kingsley as to fulfill his promise to his wife and daughter to spend time with them.
The same cannot be said for Harry. Throughout waiting for his husband on the past days at St. Mungo's, he had only managed to file for a leave. After being scolded by his family and his own husband, he still hadn't really grasped how maintaining as an Auror affects his relationship with Severus and his children.
In his mind, the only problem was that he had forgotten their anniversary and that he slept with someone else when he got intoxicated that night. He's aware about what he's done and it disgusts him. Hence, he vows to never repeat the same mistakes again. What he doesn't understand was that his family is hurting and that they cannot bear being neglected and being set aside anymore.
All he needs to do is to woo them back, and to never to do those things again. He guesses that he can manage making time for them, even just at least a day in every week. He cannot risk giving away too much time away from work since he might miss out something on the Auror Department.
Kingsley had told him at his first day that he can be promoted as high as Head Auror if he really wanted to. At first, he was reluctant, he had a family after all. He doesn't want to trade anything, even his time upon capturing dark wizards if it means that he'll give up Severus and Jamie from his life. They're too precious and important for him to lose.
But then, after a meeting alongside some Unspeakables and the Head Auror, he had realized that it was his duty to get rid of all the pests and remaining rogue death eaters. He was the Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. It was his destiny, the continuation of his fate in the prophecy.
Severus had been pleading for him to let him go when he last saw him at St. Mungo's. He admits that seeing his husband crying out to him made him panic. That hasn't happened before in their marriage. He has never seen those beautiful black orbs glisten with pain and hurt ever since the Battle of Hogwarts years ago.
Harry can swear that something is off about everything but at the same time he feels sated. Like he was just fulfilling something, like a goal that he never he knew he had. It's almost as if everything in his life has found it's meaning.
The funny thing is that it's contradicting. Ever since he had proposed and married Severus, he knew where he was really meant to be. It only strengthened when Jamie was born. Seeing his child for the first time made him cry, thanking Lady Magic that he had found Severus and that they were gifted with a little angel.
He wasn't supposed to hurt the ones he loves. He wasn't supposed to neglect and cause them pain. Everything would be fine as long as he's doing his job as an Auror, would it? It would keep them safe from danger, after all.
Harry went inside the Burrow, sitting at a chair while Hermione prepares tea. She explains that Molly had taken Rose with her to see her great aunt Muriel while all of the others were at either at their work or somewhere else.
There was a pregnant pause in between them before Harry tentatively asks why Sev's room were vacant when he got there. He looked away from her assessing gaze as he tried to ask her if she knows where Sev was transferred since she was his medical guardian.
His wishes of reuniting with his family however were crushed when Hermione told her about how she was replaced and sent home by the healer in charge.
"C-could you repeat that, Hermione?"
"Severus was discharged earlier from St. Mungo's when you went home. When I first learnt about it, I thought that I was gonna be the one to sign the papers, but then I saw Draco with the head healer. Unfortunately, with him replacing me as his medical guardian, I had no say in where he was taken to stay. I'm so sorry, Harry." Hermione said with remorse.
"Oh..b-but but you know where he had taken Sev and Jamie, right?"
"Unfortunately, no. They placed a secrecy ward around the room after I left. I guess they didn't want anyone to know where Severus has been taken to recuperate,"
"Are you sure you don't have any idea at all?"
"I have a few guesses. He mentioned that he'll bring Severus to Malfoy Manor, but I'm not sure about that. All of the other Weasleys assume that since that's the place he'll be most likely to be brought to." she stated as she sat down on a chair alongside their tea.
"T-that's brilliant!" Harry stood up abruptly from his seat, making Hermione almost drop the teacup she was holding.
"What's brilliant, mate?" Ron asked as he went down the flight of stairs with an envelope in his hands.
"I'm going to Malfoy Manor, Hermione told me that Sev and Jamie might be in there."
“Harry, you can’t just go in there uninvited! You’ll violate the agreement regarding what Draco signed up. He’s Severus’ medical guardian now. Aren’t you scared about what he can do to you? Or maybe the possibility that they may not be there?”
"I have to go there, Hermione. It's my only lead to where my family can be."
"I hate to break it to you, but she's right, mate. Besides, Draco may file trespassing against you. Can't you have a talk with the ferret first, you know, to personally ask him if you can visit? It will be better than to rush to Malfoy Manor uninvited." Ron shrugged before giving his wife the letter for her to review.
"But I wa-" Harry stopped talking when he noticed that it's already three in the afternoon. All intent of going to the Malfoy Manor to possibly see his husband and child went out of the window. He needs to go home and change so he can do his Auror duties.
"You were saying something, Harry?" the said Gryffindor shook his head and looked at his best friends with confusion.
"What?"
"You were saying something earlier, remember?"
"I was?" Ron and Hermione looked at each other with worry etched on their faces. Something's definitely wrong here.
"Yes, about trespassing in Malfoy Manor," Harry's eyebrows scrunched up, was he really saying something?
"Oh yeah, I'll do that later. I need to go back to the Auror Department, I'll go there after I finish my shift." He said, quickly making his way to the floo, not even caring to say goodbye to his best friends.
Hermione handed the letter back to his husband and sat back to her chair earlier. Ron took a seat across her and poured himself a cup of tea before talking.
"Something's off with Harry," the redhead stated, thinking of how his best mate seemed to space out, forgetting how he was defending why he should go to Malfoy Manor to check if Severus and Jamie were there.
"I know. Did you hear how he shrugged off the topic like he doesn't care for his family at all! For Merlin's sake, it's like he cares more about his job rather than Severus and Jamie! If this keeps up, I wouldn't even blame Severus if he filed a divorce against Harry,"
"If he filed? I thought Severus already filed one?" Ron took a sip of his tea, idly wondering if he can somehow punch Harry in face, just to see if it will help awaken him to what's happening to his family. It's true that he didn't like Severus even for a bit, but that was before he actually knew the person behind the professor persona he put up during the war. Now, he thinks that the man deserved better than Harry, even if he is his best mate.
"Oh, he did? I still can't blame him. Harry is being a jerk, so much different from what he was back in the day. Remember when he used to ditch us just to stay with Severus and Jamie?" Her lips turned into a smile as she recalled how much Harry had been a devoted father and husband, always doting and showering his family with his love and attention.
"Yes, I remember." He agreed, wistfully wishing that Harry would somehow change to be the man he used to be.
"Can you do me a favor, Ron?" Hermione asked warily as her hand moved to lightly squeeze his hand.
"Anything," the redhead looked at his wife with assurance, assuming that whatever she will say will most likely help their best friend.
"I would like you to follow Harry back to the Auror Department." There was a pregnant pause in between them before Ron answered back,
"Follow him?"
"Yes, follow him. I thought that since you were going there to give your resignation letter, might as well check on Harry. That is, if you'll be okay with it?" He gave a small smile, indicating that he'll do it for the sake of their best friend.
"I'm more than okay with it 'mione, besides, I think there's something about the way Harry acts in regards of his job. It's almost as if he has an obsession or something, I just can't tell what it is." Ron spent a few more minutes with his wife before giving her a kiss and to wait for him to get home. He told her that he'll also be stopping by at Hogsmeade to buy Rose some fizzing whizbees and chocolate frogs at Honeydukes since she agreed to accompany her grandmother.
Hermione gave her husband her goodbyes before watching him use the floo to get to the Auror Department. She just hopes that Harry will awaken in time before Severus finally bursts and cut off his ties with him.