Semper Fidelis

Chapter 15.4

There was silence for a moment.

"Did he... did he look surprised when he saw... when he saw Ms. Watson in the street?" Harry asked, his voice turning hoarse.

Rose's brows wrinkled in confusion. "No, of course not. They were friends. From what I gathered, they'd known each other for a long time. Mr. Ollivander asked how James and Eleanor were doing in school and asked Hermione about her work."

Harry breathed in sharply and he raked a shaking hand through his hair.

Ollivander knew.

Had he known what Hermione had done this whole time?

Had he known all along the reason she left?

Harry knew that Ollivander sold Buckbeak's wand to James. The boy had confirmed that. But what Harry had almost dismissed was the knowing look in Ollivander's eyes when he told Harry that the boy and the wand belonged to one another. Harry thought Mr. Ollivander said that because of James' temperament. But Mr. Ollivander's statement had taken a different meaning now. It sounded more personal, more familiar.

So he knew. He must have.

Ollivander knew all along that James was his son.

Harry closed his eyes and took shaky breaths in. He felt Ron's hand on his arm and when he opened his eyes, he was met with Ron's understanding look.

"Thank you, Ms. Green, you were very helpful," Remus whispered. "I think we're done with the questions for now. Can we keep in touch? We might need to ask more questions later and we'd also like to keep you updated on how this case is progressing."

"Yes! Absolutely!" Rose replied. She dug through her pockets and pulled out a business card bearing a hospital's name with her name and number. She handed the card to Remus who took it gently and put it in his pocket. "Please let me know if you find anything," she urged, her eyes turning watery again. "I haven't known Hermione for very long, but she is already one of my closest friends. Please, please find her. I can't... I can't even imagine what would happen to James if she's not found safe."

Remus nodded his head. "We promise to do the best we could, Ms. Green. Now do you need help getting anywhere? We need to lock this place down. We can't leave you here."

Rose stood from her seat. "I should get to work. Promise me you'll let me know when you find something?"

"Absolutely, Ms. Green. Ansel, please take Ms. Green to work. Meet us at the office later," Remus commanded. Ansel nodded his head and carefully ushered Rose down the entryway and out of the broken door. The rest of the Gryphons and Ron watched them depart silently.

Remus faced Harry. His captain's face was dark, perhaps even darker than before, as the realization that one of his oldest friends, literally in both ways, had kept a secret so big from him.

"Ollivander," Remus whispered. Harry gave a sharp nod of his head. "And Minerva. We need to question them both, Harry."

"I know," Harry said quietly.

"Which one first, captain?" Remus asked, his voice lifting at the end.

"Diagon Alley, then Hogwarts," Harry answered. "Ron, you might as well come with us since you should be there for when we question the boys. You can be present in official Ministry capacity." Remus and Ron nodded their heads. Harry turned to the other two Gryphons. "Draco, Tonks, lock up here. Make sure the wards are impenetrable. No one comes and goes from this house without our knowing. Once you're done, get some rest and meet us in the office later."

Once his orders were relayed, the occupants of the house were mobilized. Three loud pops were heard as the captain and his two friends apparated from the household. The remaining witch and wizard worked in tandem to cast the strongest wards around the house. Every window was sealed and the front door was magiced back into place. They exited the house and cast a glamour around it. The marks on the doorframe and now upright door were vanished. The pumpkins lining the steps returned to their original splendour. The house looked immaculate to anyone but a select few who knew exactly what went on inside. Two more pops were heard and the street was quiet again.