Chapter 7
Inspiration quote for this chapter: "Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge." —J. K. Rowling
000
On the Wednesday after Draco and Hermione's wedding, a meeting was called. Present there was an assortment of wizards…..young, old….some British, some not. A few of them rough and unkempt, many of them showing scars, these wizards congregated in one of the deserted buildings in Knockturn Alley. Sitting in a corner of the room, a veiled witch waited patiently until all had arrived. When everyone was present, she stood to address the group.
"As you are all aware, our dear Mr. Mackabee was good enough to volunteer to follow our newlyweds to Ireland this past weekend." All heads turned to said wizard when she asked, "Well? What information do you bring us? Did you hear or see anything worth noting?"
The tall wizard snorted. "I should say so. I got a bloody eyeful. Malfoy has a beautiful wife, I'll give him that."
Some chuckles could be heard throughout the room, but they stopped when the witch before them snarled in a fit of temper.
"You would dare to throw her beauty in my face? Crucio!"
The man began to scream in pain.
"Marietta…..stop this," the older wizard next to her said. "He meant no disrespect."
She deliberately waited a few seconds before lifting the curse. The man's wails of anguish had acted like a tonic to her. Darkly, she chuckled, "I'll let it go this time, Mackabee. Next time, I won't be so forgiving."
The young man slowly got up, rubbing his aching chest. Mumbling to himself, it sounded like he'd called the veiled figure standing in front of him a nasty name.
Marietta raised her wand to give the wizard another taste of her wrath, but a strong hand came down on her arm. "Enough. You're becoming as rabid as Bellatrix used to be. Save your rage for later."
Then the older man said to the group, "Your mistress has another assignment for you. The payment will be the same as before."
A voice from the side asked, "If it's someone as high profile as Potter was, then it's going to require more. His death cost me several of my best men."
Marietta leaned over to whisper to her companion. Straightening up, he said, "Agreed. Complete your assignment as ordered, and you shall have double your usual fee."
"Well, what is the job?" asked another wizard with an ugly scar running down the side of his face. "Who will we be offing this time?"
The older man hesitated. Then he said, "The new husband of the Mudblood must be destroyed."
The room erupted with the sound of grumbling and murmurs of unhappiness at that directive. A wizard bearing a familiar dark tattoo on his left arm cried out, "His father was one of us! This is a poor way of remembering him."
"Too true," acknowledged the wizard standing by Marietta. "Young Malfoy will be an unfortunate casualty. But it must be done."
"Why?" asked another wizard in the back. "Just because she says so?"
"Why yes," Marietta sneered, but her veil hid it. "It is because I say so."
With a flick of her finger, she wandlessly cast an imperio over the room. Only the man standing beside her was untouched by the spell. Raising her voice, she said, "You will watch. You will listen. Establish a time when the Malfoys are together outside the wards of the manor. Kill Draco Malfoy. You will act as if it's in retribution to something that happened during the war. Your revenge will be vicious; you will make it as painful as possible because she will be there, watching. Do not hurt the little boy. Bring him to me."
She felt a thrill of triumph when the men before her bowed deeply and as one reverently chanted, "Yes, my Lady."
Turning to the man beside her, she said, "Well, that takes care of that. I really must be off now. Crabbe, I assume you will handle the details?"
He nodded. "Leave it to me."
He watched as she apparated away. When he was sure she was gone, he lifted his wand and murmured, "Finite Incantatem." Then quickly using an unforgivable of his own, he placed the men back under an imperio, only this time, he would be their master.
"The heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy must be kept safe. Preserve his life; protect it as you would your own. Kill his filthy wife instead. Leave the child alone. Say nothing of this to your Mistress. Let her think her former instructions are being followed."
He waited for the men to absorb his command. Then he watched as they left the building.
"This madness has got to end," he muttered to himself.
No pureblood should ever die for a muggleborn.
Thinking of the former glory days before his world had been brought to its knees, he shook his head morosely. He'd wanted the death of Hermione's first husband. Harry Potter had been the reason his own son was dead. He had felt vindictive pleasure at seeing the number of avadas that had been cast against the Chosen One's body. Justice had been served. But this? Marietta had gone mad. There was no longer any reason or justification to her obsession with hurting the Granger chit. Why not just end her?
He knew Marietta would feel betrayed when she discovered what he'd done; quite reasonably, too, since that was exactly what he was doing, but he didn't care. He didn't need her anymore. He'd already gotten what he wanted. All it had taken was a bit of coin to have an inroads within the ministry. Thanks to Marietta using her own mother's influence, many former death eaters had been able to skirt around certain punishments. They no longer had to make reparations. Family fortunes had been retained. Some had even regained their seats in the Wizengamot, just like young Draco had done. More and more were coming out of hiding. It had been a calculated risk for him to join forces with the young Edgecombe, but it had paid off for the ones who had avoided Azkaban. However, killing Draco had never been part of his plan. His death served no purpose and would stick in everyone's craw. Besides, Crabbe never forgot a favor. Lucius had saved him from the Kiss by claiming his crimes as his own. Lucius had given up hope for himself, but at least he could save one of their number. Crabbe knew the best way to repay that debt would be to keep Draco safe.
Lucius, I did it for you, old friend, was his final thought before he, too, apparated away.
000
Marietta Edgecombe sighed in satisfaction after taking a sip of her tea. She loved being in her cottage. For one thing, she didn't have to wear that heavy veil. No one stared at her there. Not even herself. There were no mirrors inside her home, nothing reflective that would inadvertently give her a glimpse of her disfigured face. Here, she could pretend she was normal. She could pretend she was still beautiful. She played with the ends of her curly red-blond hair. At least it still looked the same. At school, she'd been prettier than Granger. Her curls had never frizzed like Hermione's had. But somehow, that had never bothered the muggleborn. That irritating cow had stuck her nose up in the air and acted like her being at Hogwarts was a gift to the wizarding world.
And her so smart and smug, Marietta sneered. Who asked her to answer every question?
But she had, always with an encyclopedic response that made her sound smarter than the professor teaching the class.
What a pathetic show-off.
And then she'd had the gall to show up at the Yule ball looking like she did.
Must have taken all the witches in her house to help her get that pretty. Waste of magic, if you ask me. Every Ravenclaw knew Viktor Krum had chatted up Marietta until little Miss Library had gotten his attention.
I wonder what she had to promise to get him to go out with her. Self-serving little slut.
Oh, yes. Hermione Granger might have fooled everyone else, but Marietta had seen right through her. Mudblood trash trying to set herself up as a Pureblood princess. But she was nothing….nothing!
And that nothing had the nerve to do this to me! she thought as she touched the bumps and ridges on her face. Marietta should have never let Cho talk her into joining the DA. She'd been cornered. Defy Umbridge and put her mum at risk? Or help her family?
Like I had a choice. I had to protect my mother. But did Miss Know-It-All even consider that? Oh, right. Hermione Granger can break rules and be ruthless to protect the ones she loves, but no one else is allowed to be as loyal to their loved ones.
Marietta's comfort was that she'd already gotten to Hermione once. Her fortress had not been impenetrable. Marietta had been able to knock her off her high horse, partly in thanks to the help she'd received from that jealous little gossip, Ginny Weasley. Marietta knew Ginny trusted her. Cho still did, too. It was easy to manipulate the feelings of emotional people. Especially when she clearly had a handicap. The pity card often came in handy. Too bad Hermione hadn't realized she'd made enemies with someone as clever as her. Marietta had bided her time. Started making the necessary connections. She'd found Durmstrang to be a great resource for henchmen to do her bidding and tell her lies. Marietta might not have been a good DA member, but she excelled in other things; namely, unforgivables, especially the imperio curse. She'd not liked using it on her mum, but she'd comforted herself that the ends justified the means. Partnering with Vincent Crabbe's father had turned out to be an unexpected goldmine. He'd hated Potter. Marietta had used that to her advantage. It had been time for Hermione to feel the loss of something. And the evidence of hostility carved into Harry's body? That had been for Hermione's benefit. Marietta grinned, the scars on her face twisting into a grotesque mask. She'd made sure her loathing for Hermione had been transferred into every curse that had hit Potter's body. Then she'd had the added pleasure of seeing Ginny when she'd been told the news. It had been a treat to see how Ginny had crumpled with grief when she'd found out Harry had been murdered. If only that vengeful harpy knew how much of a help she'd been to make that happen!
Marietta had not attended the funeral, but she had heard that Hermione had been distraught. If that interfering Slytherin had not been there, she might have even been suicidal.
That was something that kept Marietta puzzled. Why had Draco Malfoy befriended the Potters? He'd hated both of them at school. What changed his mind?
What is it about her that men can't resist?
Well, soon it wouldn't matter. Soon Granger would be a childless widow. Marietta couldn't wait to suck all the joy and love from her life.
Just like she did with mine.
000
When Draco, Hermione and James made it back to the Manor after enjoying the Florida sunshine for a week, they came back sweaty, dusty and sunburned. Narcissa choked back a snort at seeing her son sporting a safari bucket hat with a cartoon mouse embroidered on the front of it. James had on the mouse ear hat that Hermione had bought for him before they left and Hermione….Narcissa could no longer hold back her mirth. Hermione had on a Norwegian viking helmet, complete with horns and blonde braids attached.
"Who are you supposed to be?" she asked her daughter-in-law.
"Mummy's da fat lady in the opwa," giggled James. "De one who sings at the end."
Everyone laughed at that.
"Well, I don't need to ask. It looks like a good time was had by all," Narcissa commented as she scooped up James for a hug and kiss. She immediately scrunched up her nose at the odor of eau de perspiration on the little boy. "Oh, my. Baboo needs to give you a bath."
"I think we could all use one," said Hermione. "That place was hot."
"But beautiful," added Draco. "I can't get over the imagination of muggles. That's their magic."
Hermione smiled at her husband. Draco had been as much of a kid on the trip as had James. They'd gone to all the parks. She'd loved Epcot the best; James loved Magic Kingdom. Draco had liked it all, except for the 3-D bee show inside the huge Tree of Life within Animal Kingdom. He'd been sitting in his seat when a simulated bee's stinger came out and jabbed his back. He'd yelped like he'd been hexed and complained of a backache for the rest of the day. And the life-sized Disney characters had freaked him out a bit until Hermione told him it was just a costume and that a muggle was inside it. He'd commented that the Haunted Mansion reminded him of Theo's manor and he said he'd felt like avada'ing himself when their ride had temporarily broken down in It's a Small World and he'd been forced to hear the dolls singing that song over and over while repairs had been made. But even with that, they'd all had a good time. James loved swimming in the pool at their hotel and he especially loved the strawberry yogurt ice pops that were sold by the vendors within the different kingdoms. They'd played at the water parks and had bonded even more as a family.
The night before they were to leave, James gave them a surprise. As they were tucking him into bed, he'd grabbed Draco by the neck and pulled him down for a hug.
"I love you, Daddy," he murmured as he gave Draco a tight squeeze. When it dawned on him what he'd said, he stuttered, "Uh…Unca…." was all he got out before Draco silenced him with a kiss on his forehead. "It's okay, Jamie. You you did ask me if I wanted to be your new daddy. Do you remember that?"
James nodded. "Uh-huh."
"And what did I say?"
The little boy furrowed his brow in thought, exactly how his father used to do. "You…..you wanted to be?"
Draco smiled tenderly at James. "I did. I said I wanted it more than anything. But I'm leaving that up to you. You don't have to call me that if you don't want to."
The little boy looked at his mother. Putting his finger in his mouth, a sure sign of his uncertainty, he said, "Mummy…...cans I call him Daddy?"
Hermione glanced over at Draco. The look on his face melted her heart. He loved them both so much.
"If you want to…...of course you can, Sweetheart," she'd answered.
James had needed no further assurances. Still holding on to Draco, he murmured against his neck, "My daddy now."
Hermione sighed at the tender memory while she watched James bounce animatedly around the room. He was telling Narcissa all about their trip.
"And…..da lights at night, Baboo….dey's zoomed and zoomed all ova da place! And Daddy let's me wide on his showdahs, and I's saw evwee fing!"
Hermione saw Draco wink at her. They'd all enjoyed Epcot's illuminations fireworks show over the lake.
Narcissa beamed with joy to hear Draco being called Daddy by the little boy. "My goodness, that sounds quite exciting. Why don't you tell me more while you bathe?" Calling for Skippy, Narcissa asked the elf to draw James a bath. Hermione and Draco watched as the two of them went up the stairs, James still excitedly jabbering while his Baboo patiently listened.
"Your mum is a saint," said Hermione, chuckling.
Pulling off his hat, Draco threw it down on the sofa. Then he put his arms around his wife. "She loves James. She enjoys her time with him." He dipped his head down to reach Hermione's neck and began to leave kisses on it. "Almost as much as I enjoy my time with you," he whispered against her ear, making goosebumps appear on Hermione's skin. Then he suddenly stopped. Hermione let out a little whine of disappointment.
Draco began to chuckle. "Sorry….but this has got to go. These braids are getting in the way and I don't want to take the chance of impaling myself on those," said, jokingly referring to the horns on her headgear.
After he'd removed her helmet, he cupped the back of her head with his hands and claimed her lips.
Hermione hummed in pleasure at the feeling of Draco's mouth against hers.
"I've missed this, love," he said when he finally released them from their kiss.
"Missed what? The silence?" she joked.
"Being alone with you," he confessed.
They'd had to be careful around James, but thankfully his bed had not been next to theirs in their hotel suite; also, he was a heavy sleeper. It had given them time for themselves, even though it had come at a cost. There had been a few days when both had felt sleep deprived after their nocturnal adventures had kept them up the better part of the night.
Stroking the five o'clock shadow on Draco's face, she hinted, "While they're gone….we could get cleaned up, too."
Draco grinned. "You know, it would be wasteful to take two separate showers."
Hermione grinned back. "My feelings exactly."
000
Life had never been so good. Draco found himself waking up each morning with a smile on his face. Hermione was a cuddler and she never failed to have an arm around his waist and one of her legs sandwiched in between his. And he loved it. Draco had always been alone, so to have Hermione love and want him as much as she did….well, he didn't see how things could get any better than that. He often found himself whistling at work while brewing his potions; something he'd never done before. Hermione would wink at him on the days she helped at the shop and ask what had made him so happy. As if she didn't know.
They worked well together raising James. Draco usually deferred to Hermione if ever a difference of opinion came between them, but a couple of times he stood his ground. She hadn't liked it until he said, "There's no point in me trying to be a father for James if you won't let me be one. Trust me, 'Mione. I love him, too."
He had wondered if she would resent him for that, but surprisingly, the opposite had been true. A soft look came into her eyes and she nodded. "You're right. I…..I'm sorry, Draco. I do trust you. Completely."
After that, they seemed to reach an even deeper level of understanding between them. Draco was over the moon with joy every time James called him Daddy…..which was all the time, now. Theo was also delighted with it. He went around proudly proclaiming his 'favorite uncle' status with glee, since Draco had given up the title for a much better one. Hermione teasingly called Draco "Papa Bear" as a nickname. Theo would laugh every time he heard her say it and called them the Three Bears. Hermione would quip back that he was obviously Goldilocks, because he was always coming over to the manor uninvited, eating their food, while usually managing to break something while he was there.
But Theo didn't let her have the last word. He shot back that according to the tale, he was supposed to have the chance to try out her bed. Then he would wiggle his brows theatrically. Hermione always laughed at him; Draco would step in and tell his friend he made the ugliest Goldilocks imaginable and would he please go home and give them some peace. When they would finally be successful in shooing their irrepressible friend out the door, Hermione would whisper to her husband, "Only Papa Bear gets to share my bed."
Without fail, every time Hermione referred to him as a father, even in jest with that silly nickname, it would affect Draco. He would feel a sudden heat go through him every time she said it, her eyes lingering on him in a way Draco had become all too familiar with. She'd already admitted to him her hope to become pregnant quickly. Hermione knew how much Draco wanted a child of his own, and heaven help her, but she wanted it, too. Badly.
Night became the favorite part of Draco's day. He now knew what Hermione liked and never failed to please her. In return, she adored every part of his body. The Brightest Witch of their Age used all in her arsenal to seduce her already willing and eager husband. He told her after one of their many lovemaking sessions that he was awarding her an O for her skills. She'd grinned, pleased that she'd reduced Draco into a quivering, deliriously happy mass of flesh. The knowledge that they could be creating a baby made him want his wife even more. Draco figured it must be something instinctive, something hardwired into him, but he wanted to see Hermione round with his child. It kept him in a heightened state of arousal that Hermione had outwardly laughed at, but privately relished. They were both ravenous in their desire for the other.
So the days passed by, one blissful day following another as summer finally surrendered to autumn. The magic within the wards of Malfoy manor grew stronger, like supporting like. It was felt inside each inhabitant. Skippy acted like her name and skipped and pranced about, her little elf heart delighted with the harmony that had come to her family, James grew and without realizing it, began to take on the mannerisms of his new father; Narcissa doted on her family, and Draco and Hermione…...they had grown from newlyweds, to passionate lovers, to co-creators of not just one but two new lives, although that was something they had yet to discover.
Unknown to them, while all these changes had been occurring, they had been under surveillance. Their daily habits had been monitored. The restaurants where they ate, where they shopped and anywhere they frequented together as a family had been memorized. Finally, their unknown enemy felt confident they could predict where they would be on certain days at specific times. It was reported to their Mistress. She laughed, delighted at the progress.
A day was picked. A time was set.
000
AN: The idea of the bad guys spying on Draco and Hermione came from my beloved sis, Annamonk.
Marietta used the money from Crabbe to employ the Durmstrang goons. They are the magical equivalent of hired assassins. She keeps them under an imperio to better funnel her hate into their actions.
LupusNocte13 first called it regarding the identity of the bad guys, therefore the diadem of Ravenclaw is hers to wear! (Even if she is a Slytherin)
Oh, wait. The tiara was destroyed, wasn't it? Well, I have a Burger King crown in the back seat of my car…..will that do?
If not, maybe Hermione will let us borrow her helmet. LOL
Seriously, thank you to LupusNocte and everyone else for your guesses. I loved reading them!
