Sleepy Hollow AU/Fusion

Title comes from 'Joan of Arc' by Leonard Cohen.

I wrote this in October of 2017, as part of my Halloween prompts, for sleepygrimm. It is crossposted on ao3.

I've taken some... liberties with the Sleepy Hollow lore and canon. This is decidedly based upon the Tim Burton Film and not the TV show. :)

Also the centaur's name is Mogar, which I adapted from the head-centaur's name from Harry Potter lore. I didn't want to make any of those centaurs the ghostly killer, so I made a somewhat original one.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy! There is mentioned, referenced and actual character death typical of the Sleepy Hollow canon, but Draco, Hermione, and Teddy are all safe, so not to worry about that!

Hermione sat straight up in the bed, coming face to face with Draco. She yelped and he reached for her, his hands closing tightly around hers.

"I saw a ghost…" she whispered.

"I know," he replied.

"It was a ghost. A ghost murdered those people…"

"I know ."

"Magor" she murmured. "The Headless Centaur!"

"I know, Granger. We told you as much."

"But I thought… I thought it was… a jealous landowner, or a cuckolded farmer… I didn't know it was actually a paranormal entity, Draco…" Her eyes widened. "We have to go find the grave."

"What?" He frowned, glancing back at Teddy Lupin, who had pulled a chair up in the corner. "What are you on about, woman?"

"We have to go find the grave. If we find the grave, perhaps… there will be evidence there… clues! As to who summoned Magor!"

"Shhh! Detective Granger! Don't speak his name!" Teddy hissed. "He comes if you speak his name!"

"Fear in a name only places more fear on the being itself!" she exclaimed. "And ghosts have no power over the living. Unless someone gives it to them. I will find the one giving him the power and I will end this once and for all."

"Well, lucky for you, Granger. I know exactly where the old bugger is buried… but if we want to get there as soon as possible, we're going to have to fly."

She felt the color drain completely from her face. "Can't we just… run very quickly?" She wouldn't admit to her voice squeaking, but it definitely was.

Draco reached out to take her hand. "Come along, Ms. Fancy Detective sent by the Ministry…"

"We could apparate!" she said.

"Nice try. But my father's placed an enchantment over the wood to prevent apparition.. For everyone's protection."

She sighed. "I'm going to again suggest that we just run very quickly…"

"You can ride on my broom."

"This doesn't help my fear in the slightest, Malfoy."

"You could ride with me, Detective…" Teddy offered.

Sighing once more, Hermione turned back to Draco. "Let's just be quick about it."

The ride to the grave was more terrifying than seeing the ghostly spectre had been. And Hermione didn't say that lightly.

Her knees wobbled as she dismounted. She thought she might very well lose her lunch, but she was able to compose herself while Draco and Teddy looked on.

"Where's the grave?" Hermione asked, looking around.

"Just over this hillock…" Draco pointed due north. "I wasn't going to drop us down on top of it…"

They climbed the hillock, spotting the disturbed earth just over the other side.

Hermione frowned, kneeling down and inspecting the hole before them. "It's empty."

Draco snorted. "Quite. I daresay, it's a good thing my father requested a detective from the Ministry, or we'd never have this mystery solved."

She shot him a look which blatantly requested his silence. "I mean… this isn't a spectre we're dealing with, but a reanimated corpse. That is something else entirely, Draco."

"Is it? Because to me, that sounds as if it's more of a bother than a spectre, Detective Granger…" Teddy said slowly.

"A spectre cannot be contained nor controlled, only released. A reanimated corpse? That's another matter. There's a way to control a corpse. And it's with the head." Hermione pushed up to stand, wiping her hands on her lap.

"So we find the head and we find who's been controlling Magor?" asked Draco.

She nodded curtly. "And stop them, send the bugger back to hell where he belongs and I can be headed back to the Ministry well before the New Year."

Draco pressed his lips together worriedly, but softened his expression before anyone could notice.

Or at least, he thought he had.

There was very little that escaped Detective Granger's notice, as he was soon to discover.

They touched back down at Malfoy Manor and Hermione gathered her things, along with her assistant, Teddy, and traipsed back to the boarding house where she was residing.

"Draco was certainly quiet…" she said as they walked.

Teddy shrugged. "He's never spoken so much as two words to me before today, so I couldn't say one way or the other."

Hermione exhaled and sped up her pace. "I have some thinking to do."

Once she had them all here in front of her, it was a simple game of did they or didn't they.

There were scraps of parchment lying all around her. Names scribbled on each, with motives on the back.

Most of the townspeople went into the bin as definite 'no's'.

But there were some that niggled at her for one reason or another.

One was the Malfoy patriarch, Lucius. He had reason to enlist the specific talents of the Horseman, but there was no evidence to suggest that he had.

In addition, his wife had passed on years before, with her sister stepping in as a sort of surrogate female authority figure for Draco. There was something strange going on there, but Hermione wasn't sure that it was malicious in the slightest.

Now Draco. Draco had motive as well.

Based upon the others who had died at the hands - or sword rather - of the horseman, both Lucius and Draco had definite intent.

The Lupins had both passed right before she arrived. One of the only women to have been cut down was Nymphadora Lupin.

Teddy's mother and father were an odd sort. From what she could tell, Remus was a werewolf, and Nymphadora (known simply as Tonks to those close to her) was the deputy auror of the small settlement of Sleepy Hollow.

Call her crazy, but Hermione thought that this likely had more to do with Tonks' position than Remus'. Killing a peaceful werewolf who wasn't even a part of a pack made no sense to her. Especially since they'd been living here for over a decade with no problems at all.

The village barrister was also dead, his daughter - Draco's intended - along with him. And with the town judge.

A potions master was also cut down. As well as a Mediwitch. Even though both of those looked accidental. As if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

All of these top positions being literally cut down from their posts and no one was talking? This reeked of conspiracy. And she suspected Dark Magic involvement. With so many dead members of the small town's law enforcement troupe, she had to suspect Dark Magic.

And the Malfoys came from a long line of Dark Magic users.

"Detective Granger?" Teddy's head appeared in the doorway. "The Cent- Magor approaches. We must take shelter in the chapel, ma'am."

Her heart leapt into her throat as she nodded. She left the scraps of paper on the floor, she could remember who her two main suspects were just fine on her own.

She didn't want it to be Draco, but it made a lot of sense. He'd been increasingly kind to her. Possibly trying to blind her with his handsome smile and quick wit. But she needed her proof, didn't she? She needed proof. He was innocent until proven guilty.

Swallowing her nerves, she entered the chapel with Teddy. "Keep a lookout on everyone, alright? Tell me if anyone is doing something out of the ordinary…"

He nodded. "Will do, Detective."

So they split up, walking round the chapel and people-watching without being too conspicuous about it.

For the most part, everyone was reacting the way they ought to be.

Lucius was pacing at the front of the church, his eyes on the windows.

Draco was seated in a pew, his legs crossed, looking very… calm.

But then, that wasn't out of the ordinary for Draco. He internalized a great many things, Hermione had noticed.

Or, he was a crazed psychopath who wasn't surprised by anything because he was controlling the monster wreaking havoc.

Hermione stifled a shiver and went back to people watching.

Bellatrix Black was seated next to Draco, looking very prim and proper, but there was something in her eyes…

Hermione had never liked the look of Bellatrix's eyes. But she assumed it was likely displaced malice in regards to Hermione's interest in Draco. But there it was again, fixated upon Lucius as he paced in front of the window.

Did this woman know something Hermione didn't know? That perhaps Lucius was behind all of this? Maybe she needed to talk to the older woman once more.

It was at that moment that the thundering of hooves bore down on the chapel. The occupants fell into a terrified frenzy, running from the windows and cowering beneath pews.

Draco himself leapt to the floor in a crouch, reaching for his wand and holding it at the ready.

The window broke behind Lucius, and he was forcefully dragged from the building.

Hermione cried out, leaping over to the window where he'd been standing. She got there just in time to see the elder Malfoy beheaded by the Centaur, who took the head with him as he ran away.

The screams behind her were overwhelming, and as she turned to survey the scene, to perhaps pick out the culprit from the crowd, her eyes fell upon Draco, who was still crouched on the floor, mumbling spells under his breath as his wand glowed.

He locked eyes with her before standing and making for the exit.

Hermione's heart sank.

It was Draco controlling the monster.

"You think it's Draco?" Teddy asked, trying and failing to keep in step beside her. "Draco's controlling the corpse? Draco's doing the killing? That makes no sense, Detective. What reason would he have to kill his own father?"

"His inheritance?" Hermione said.

"He'd have gotten that eventually no matter how the elder Malfoy died… or when," said Teddy. "I don't think it's Draco, ma'am."

"I don't want it to be Draco any more than you do, Teddy. But you saw as well as I did, Draco performing incantations on the floor of the chapel while his father was dragged to his death."

Teddy set his jaw and nodded.

Hermione stalked off towards the boarding house, determined to pack her things and be done with this horrible place as soon as was possible.

"And what was Bellatrix Black up to, ma'am? While her dead sister's husband was being dragged to his own death?"

"I didn't notice…" Hermione said slowly. "I was concentrating on Draco."

"I wasn't. I was concentrating on Black. And what I saw, was a maniacal grin on her face when Lucius was dragged through."

Hermione stopped walking, spinning around to face him. "Maniacal you say?"

"Aye…downright evil, it was. And she was out of the chapel before the Centaur was gone. Likely because she damn well knew it wouldn't go after her. Because she was controllin' the thing."

Frowning, Hermione shook her head. "Draco could have been performing protection enchantments…"

"Right, and then he ran off after her. Which means…"

"Which means he's probably in a world of trouble right about now."

Teddy shot her a relieved look that she'd finally come around to reason. Hermione would have scolded him for his cheekiness, but there was no time. They had to go help Draco.

They arrived at Malfoy Manor, frantically searching the house, but finding no one.

Hermione approached Bellatrix's quarters and hacked her way through the protection spells and wards to get inside.

Once there, it was easy to find the old skull amongst her belongings.

She had to swallow her courage and pride to ride on the back of Teddy's broom. Honestly, she was on her way to fight a whole load of dark magic, why on earth was she more scared of falling off a broom?

With the skull in a bag on her hip, they descended upon the Centaur's Grave.

Just in time too, it appeared. Bellatrix was attempting to toss Draco inside, but he wasn't giving up without a fight.

And Hermione and Teddy landing on top of her didn't help her cause either.

Hermione dodged Bellatrix's curses and grasped Draco's shirt, pulling him back just as he was about to topple into the open grave.

"Thanks, Granger. Nice of you two to drop in…" he quipped dryly.

Rolling her eyes, she allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Finally realized it wasn't me controlling it?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in a faux quizzical manner.

"I'm sorry about that. And about your father…"

"Ehhh…" Draco shrugged. "Good riddance to the latter, and I don't really blame you for the former…"

She patted her bag. "Found the skull in her room."

There was no more banter, however. The sound of thunderous hooves approached and the Headless Centaur was soon upon them.

"There he is," Bellatrix screeched. "Draco Malfoy, have his head, Magor!"

"If I lose my head tonight, promise you'll still love me in the morning, Granger…" Draco whispered.

Hermione didn't have time to react, she simply reached into her bag and produced the skull. "Magor! Here!"

Tossing it underhandedly, it landed directly upon the Centaur's shoulders. And as muscle and flesh attached themselves to the face, Hermione grabbed Teddy's arm and pulled him between herself and Draco.

Magor turned towards Bellatrix, who was trying to sneak off in the woods. He caught up to her quickly and scooped her up in his arms, running towards his grave with a feral cry.

The ground in the grave opened up and Hermione could hear screams and cries of the dead within.

Mogar the -no-longer-headless-centaur disappeared into the grave, with a screeching Bellatrix in tow.

The ground sealed itself with a loud crack soon after.

Which left the three of them in darkness and relative silence, save their collective heavy breathing.

"You enormous knobhead…" Hermione turned and swatted Draco's arm.

"Ouch?" Draco rubbed the spot she'd swatted. "What was that for, you daft woman?"

"For that thoughtless joke you made seconds before that thing was upon you…"

Teddy chuckled and summoned his broom.

"Thoughtless? I merely wanted to secure your favor before I was beheaded. I know what a wonderful woman you are and I didn't want to lose you through something as silly as certain death."

Hermione blushed and pressed her lips together. "Do you really think that, or are you having me on?"

Draco raised his eyebrows and leaned in, pressing his lips fully to hers. "Satisfied?"

"Not nearly…" she teased, but hopped on the back of Teddy's broom nonetheless.

"It's going to be slow going with both of you on here with me…" Teddy interjected. "So if you could put your courtship on hold until we land again, I would be forever obliged…"

Leave me something nice in the comments if you liked it! *hearts*