The two sat in a slightly more comfortable silence — there was still some tension — until the sun faded and Hydrus said he had to get Harry home. "Call me tonight and I'll tell you everything I legally can," he said as he gave her a soft kiss and stood with his hand held in hers.
"Alright, after the kids go to bed," she agreed, and returned his kiss as she stood with him. "Though it might be late, Hermione has new information after all." That caused them both to smile at the thought of what the night would bring for the Grangers.
Hydrus chuckled. "Call when you can," he said, "I'll be up until you do."
Just as they turned to leave, Hydrus spotted a beetle on the bushes. He gave Grace a soft hug and whispered for her to be quiet a minute and then said louder, "These are lovely rose bushes. However did you get them to bloom so well?" He turned away from the bug and called a jar from his pocketspace. He took off the lid and cast a notice-me-not charm on the jar, placing the lid in one hand and jar in the other. He thanked Merlin that he kept these jars for potion ingredients. "And these over here, I've never seen such wonderful roses. What are they called?" he turned to where Skeeter was poised.
"I'm not sure," Grace said, going along with him, though there was a curious note to her tone, "Emma is the gardener of the family." She watched as her boyfriend leaned over the bush and then quickly clapped his hands close to each other. She heard the clinking of glass and metal, but it wasn't until he lifted the spell that she could see a jar that now contained a rather strange looking beetle, with curly antennas and bizarre marking around its face.
"Hello, Ms. Skeeter," Hydrus drawled, drawing Grace's attention. He was about to put her in his pocketspace, when he realized there might not be any air in there. So he waved his wand and turned her into a button, still in the jar, and then threw her in. "I have to go," he said suddenly, giving the nanny another quick kiss and turning to the house. He wasn't sure if this was the first time Skeeter had followed him or Harry. He needed to get home to and find out, he didn't know if he'd question her or try and locate where she lived. He'd talk to the guys and see what they thought.
"Wait a minute," Grace said grabbing his hand and pulled him around to face her. "What was that? Why did you catch that bug only to turn it into a button? Is this something about the secrets you can't tell me?" she asked worriedly, her eye darted across his face looking for some clue as to his change in demeanor.
"That is no bug, it's a witch. I can't explain right now, but I promise, I'll tell you everything about that insect as soon as I take care of her, but right now I have to get Harry home." He was still worried he might compromise the Grangers. His paranoia getting the best of him, but this bitchbug had been a spy so he wanted to get behind the safety of the wards. He still remembered all the times he felt he was being watched, now he might have caught the culprit and he wanted to find out why, though if her past was any indication, she was out for a juicy story.
"It sounds important, like you're worried for your lives," she said as she followed him down the path.
"Well, maybe not our lives, but yeah, I'm concerned about this bug spilling some of my secrets. I'll tell you more tonight. Only wait for me to call you, because I don't know how long I'll be," he said as he went over the many possible ways he would find out what Rita has been up to.
They made it to the back door and Grace said she'd get Harry. So Hydrus went to the living room where the Grangers were reading the book-readers. They looked up when he came in and stood when they saw the worry etched on his face.
"Did she take it bad?" Emma asked, hoping not. Grace was a good friend as well as a nanny, so she was hoping that the couple would work out.
"No, something else came up and we have to go. Sorry to put this on you and run, but it's rather important that I get Harry home. If you have any questions then Grace has my phone number. You can call me any time," Hydrus answered. He softened his face to ease their worry.
Harry came down the stairs and Hermione and Grace were behind him. "Do we hafta go?" the five year old asked.
"Yeah, you can come back another time, I promise, but we have to get home." He lifted the small boy on to his hip. "I'm about to do something we consider rude, and I apologize for that. It's rather imperative that we get home as quickly as possible," the immortal said as he turned to the owners of the house. "I'm going to take Harry home by disappearing right in front of you. Harry, say good-bye to everyone."
"Bye, Mione," he said and waved. "Bye, everyone." Knowing what was coming next he wrapped his little arms around his uncle's neck, put his head on the broad shoulder and made sure his legs were tight around the adult's waist.
"Bye, Harry," Hermione said, her eyes brightened about seeing more magic. The adults waved and said their good-byes, they were also curious to see it. Hydrus spun on his heel and with a loud crack was gone. The man and child reappeared in the living room of their home. Sirius and Remus both stood with wand in hand.
"What happened? Did Grace break up with you?" Sirius asked, seeing the look on the immortal's face. He and Remus put their wands away.
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