Chapter sixteen

                                    

                                          
Harry and Draco heard the knock. It was gentle. They froze. Draco stared at the door from his spot on the couch. They had managed to clean out every part of the cottage except for the parts that needed magic to fix. Harry turned from where he was standing by the mantel and stared at the door with a weary gaze. There was only one person who could find them, and Harry never suspected he would come looking. 
                          
They had been doing just fine on their own. The only person they had heard from was Neville, and that was only because Harry had reached out to him, personally. It was a one-time thing. No one should be knocking on their door. 
                          
The two were tense. Fear ran through them. This could be an attack. It could be the ministry. But how would the ministry have found them? It was never registered. They were unreachable, so why was someone at their door? Who was at their door? 
                          
They stayed silent, not knowing what to do. This was the first time in years that neither one had a plan. They were caught completely off guard. They had been living peacefully for almost four weeks. They had settled into their new life. Figured out a routine. They were happy. There was not a problem in their little secluded world that they could not solve. 
                          
But those two knocks, brought them harshly back to reality. Yes, they were safe. Yes, no one could find them. Or so they thought. No one could penetrate their little world. Until now. Because someone was at their door. Someone had found them. Someone was looking for them. 
                          
They drew their wands. If this was a life or death situation, they had to be ready to move. Neither one spoke about the fear that cursed through them every day. They had made a silent agreement not to talk about it. Now was not the time to start. Harry stepped away from the mantel. Draco stood from the couch. He peaked out the window as Harry approached the door. 
                          
Draco could see who was at the door. The man was leaning against the side of the cottage almost casually. He was relaxed. Draco turned to Harry and stepped away from the window. 
                          
"It's Lupin," he said. 
                          
Harry dropped his wand and opened the door. Of course, it made sense that Remus was the one to find them. He was the only other living person to know this place existed. 
                          
"Remus," he said as he watched the werewolf step away from the house. "What are you doing here?"
                          
"Just checking in," he said. 
                          
Harry stepped aside to let him in. 
                          
"Love what you've done with the place," Remus commented. 
                          
Harry hummed. Draco watched from a distance. Even though it was just Remus, he was still a bit on edge. 
                          
"Why are you here?" He asked. 
                          
Remus looked at him. "Your mother is worried about you." He turned to Harry. "As is everyone else. You two took off without warning. People care about you, you know."
                          
Harry felt overwhelming shame. "I know," he whispered. 
                          
Remus placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know why you did it." 
                          
He looked around the living room and into the kitchen. The whole was still there but the splintered chair had been cleaned up. He could only imagine what the bedroom looked like. 
                          
"I didn't think you knew about this place," he said. 
                          
Harry shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Sirius left it to me."
                          
Remus hummed. Sirius would do something like that. This place meant a lot to them when they had first found it. It was a secret haven that had been passed down for generations. Sirius would have wanted to keep the tradition. It was the only wizarding property to stay unregistered with the ministry for this long. That was why they had been so ecstatic to find it. Remus could only imagine it was the same reason Harry had chosen it.