The Plight Of The Dusky Badger Chapter 6
It was a little after 9:00 p.m. when Hildie entered the darkened streets of Hogsmeade with Pansy and Astoria.
She wrapped her cloak around herself tighter as the cold wind whipped around them.
Turning to look at Pansy and Astoria she saw that they had their wands out and seemed like they had done something like this before.
Hildie felt a little out of place as she stood outside the Leaky Cauldron as the other girl's eyes swept around them looking for any signs of danger.
She was a Hufflepuff that now was going to be mated to the Slytherin Prince.
She knew that she would have to get used to the more dangerous ways of the snakes, but she hoped that she would always keep her badger kindness and compassion for others.
Which she realized was probably why she had taken to accepting her new Slytherin friends faster than others would.
Her kindness and sweet nature often overlooked the harsh realities of the War.
Her family had sent her to Canada when the War had started so she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.
And as she stood watching the two Slytherin girl's hard expressions, she knew that there was a lot she would never understand about what took place last year.
A large hand gently clasped her shoulder making her jump and let out a little shriek of surprise.
Pansy and Astoria giggled uncontrollably as Blaise and Theo came into view.
"My apologies for scaring you, sweet badger."
Blaise drawled as a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.
Hildie nodded as she looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Pansy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tsked at Blaise's teasing.
"Bugger off Blaise. You've practically petrified the poor girl. We need to be a little more careful around Draco's little mate."
Blaise gave them a sheepish look before Theo stepped forward and pointed to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Well, you all better have your bloody wits about you tonight because we're risking everything to break into the Department Of Mysteries. If anyone catches us I won't be surprised if we're expelled and thrown into Azkaban for our crimes."
He said in a serious tone before turning to Hildie with a softer expression.
"Alright little one. It's time for you to turn into a fluff ball so Blaise can carry you in his backpack. The purpose of this is to hide you so if something goes wrong, you will be safe."
Hildie nodded and seconds later a white badger with blue eyes stood where the human Hufflepuff was standing moments before.
She looked up at them all with concern evident in her blue orbs as they all stood with their wands drawn.
"May I?"
Blaise asked as he gently lifted her into his arms and stroked his fingers over her soft fur.
Hildie gave a nod and nuzzled against him before he slipped her carefully into his backpack.
Popping her head out and resting it on Blaise's shoulder, she watched as they entered the Leaky Cauldron and headed into the bathroom where a Ministry entrance was.
"This is going to suck."
Blaise said as Theo waved his wand and the toilet sucked them all inside.
Hildie gave a squeak as they landed onto the floor of the Ministry.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't bloody mean to land that rough."
Blaise said quietly as they brushed themselves off and looked around the lobby.
It was quiet at this hour and very few witches and wizards were still at work.
The only ones who stayed late every night were the Auror's and perhaps the Minister himself but everyone else had gone home to their families.
The Slytherin's tucked their wands away as they casually made their way down the hall and over to the large, locked double doors that led to the Department Of Mysteries.
"Well how are we going to get the bloody door unlocked?" Pansy said as she gestured to the large magical lock that went across the doors.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Blaise said as he turned to Theo who looked equally as puzzled.
Just as they were about to come up with a plan, a rustling sound was heard behind them and all of them pulled their wands out and stood in a defensive pose.
Hildie was surprised when Hermione and Ginny appeared out of thin air making her wonder how on earth they had done it.
"Bloody hell, ladies. Give us some warning next time or something." Blaise muttered as they all put their wands away.
"Sorry. We took the invisibility cloak just like you asked. This should help us keep hidden much easier."
Hermione said as she turned towards the door and raised an eyebrow.
"None of you know how to unlock do you?" She questioned with a smirk as they all shook their heads no.
"Well that's why Gryffindor's are better." Ginny said as she waved her wand and uttered a wandless unlocking spell that made the lock burst into a bright light before disappearing completely."
Hildie yelped and ducked into the backpack as all of the Slytherin's look at Ginny with a mixture of awe and wonder.
"How did you…" Theo stuttered but was silenced when Hermione waved a hand at him as they opened the doors and stepped inside the darkened room.
"We broke in years ago. It was easy." She said as they all drew close together the further they walked into the room.
Pansy made a face that they could barely see as they turned and walked down one of the long, dusty aisles.
"Of course you did…" She mumbled as Hermione led them over to a section that was illuminated by the glow of small wispy orbs in little jars.
"Alright, we're here. Now we have to find the one which holds the fairytale prophecy." Hermione said as they all started digging through the shelves.
Hildie jumped out of Blaise's backpack and onto one of the shelves as she carefully stepped around each jar searching for the one that would hold her future.
Suddenly there was a loud whoosh and they were all bathed in light that blinded them as they threw their arms up to cover their eyes.
When the light dimmed, they were all surprised to see Harry, Ron and Draco standing there.
Two looked confused and one looked proud.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Harry questioned as they all put their wands away and began to look ashamed. Some more than others.
"Hermione? Ginny?" Ron squeaked as the two girls stepped forward and smiled.
"So let me get this straight. You and Ginny told me that were going out to have a girl's night. But what you really ended up doing was having a girl's night with a bunch of Slytherin's and a badger at the Department of Mysteries?"
Harry drawled as he quirked an eyebrow at Hermione and Ginny who looked down slightly in embarrassment.
Blaise smirked as he held a shaking and very terrified Hildie in his arms.
"Well yeah, that's about it." He said as the boys turned their attention to the badger that he was holding.
Draco rushed over and took Hildie out of Blaise's arms and snuggled her close before placing a sweet kiss on her nose.
"Oh thank Godric you're alright. I was getting quite worried."
He whispered to her as she nodded and let out a little purr.
"Does anyone want to tell me what's really going on here? I knew Malfoy would be up to something seeing as how he wouldn't have readily agreed to meet with us but the rest of you need to do a little explaining."
Harry said as he placed his hands on his hips and gave them a no nonsense look.
"Well, you see Potter it all started when I became a badger. And then I found out that I was destined to be mated to Hildie who is also as you can see a badger. She's also the heir to the Hufflepuff house. I'm the Slytherin heir so we're destined to be together and bring joy to everyone, etc. etc."
Draco drawled as Harry shook his head and Ron's eyes bugged out to astronomical proportions.
"Right….Well…That still doesn't explain why you all broke into here."
Harry said as he scratched his head looking very confused.
Just as the words left his mouth, Hildie changed back into her human form and jumped out of Draco's arms to face the two Auror's with a shy look.
"I'm sorry Harry. It's all my fault. I asked them all to help me break into here so I could hear the prophecy for myself. I…just didn't know if I could accept my destiny without hearing it for myself."
She said quietly as her caramel hair fell in front of her eyes effectively hiding her from them all.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look with Draco who nodded in conformation before stepping up beside his mate and wrapping a gentle arm around her shoulders.
"Yes, it seems as my mate needs reassurance that only the prophecy can give her. We'll leave as soon as we hear it."
He said calmly as he rubbed soothing circles into his mate's tense shoulders.
Harry looked to Ron who gave a little shrug before turning back them with a tired smirk.
"Alright. You all can have the prophecy. It's technically Hildie's anyways since she's the heir. Now let's find this bloody thing so we can all go home and get some sleep."
The Slytherin's and Hildie shared a relieved smile before everyone took off in every direction to try and find the prophecy.
It was half past 11 when Pansy called out to the others as her voice filled with excitement.
"Hey! I found it! Hildie and Draco get over here!"
Draco grabbed Hildie's hand and led her to the center of the room while the others surrounded them in a circle.
Pansy gently handed Hildie the prophecy ball and stepped back into the outer circle as the badger princess looked at it with awe and wonder written all over her soft features.
Draco took her hand and threaded their fingers together and held on tight as Hildie dropped the glass ball and it shattered hard on the stone floor.
A blue mist burst out of it and swirled around them as the sound of a witch's voice spoke loud and clearly.
"It is said that hundreds of years ago, the battle of Covens raged as witches and wizards all over the earth fought for dominancy over the land. There were two that stood alone. Badger of the Forest had been injured and fated to death at the hands of their enemy. The Dragon of Darkness had saved her from her death and in return for his bravery, he was gifted the greatest treasure known to man. He transcended into a life of love and happiness as the Lady Badger's mate. She blessed him with many offspring, but their reign of peace and happiness was cut by the sharp knife of murderous intent. The Dragon was slain which ended the line of prosperous heirs. The Badger was thrown into grief and sadness but vowed to make a place within the walls of a castle where a new line of offspring would be given new life. The Badger died with her heart heavy and forever broken. It is said that one day, The Dragon heir will take his place as the rightful mate and protector of the Lady Badger once again. They will prosper and breed a new, stronger type of magic that will live on in their offspring and bring peace and happiness to the world once again."
As the mist faded and the room returned to its darkened state, Hildie felt her eyes water as tears began to cascade like rivers down her pale cheeks.
It was true.
Draco was destined to be her mate and they would start a new line of stronger badgers together.
Her mate looked down at her in concern as she cried.
"Love…" He whispered as his heart broke into a million shattered pieces.
Suddenly he was taken aback when she jumped into his arms and nuzzled his chest with a soft smile.
"Thank you…" She said with her voice being muffled by her mate's tight black t shirt.
Draco sighed in relief before picking her up and cradling her in his arms.
"Do you accept our bond?" He asked with a hopeful expression.
Before he could even finish, Hildie's soft lips pressed against his own as their magic sparked and danced around them giving him all the answers he needed.