Chapter 7
Finding a Way Back Home
As horror movies go, Hermione felt like she was right in the center of one. Her father's screams had stopped hours ago, but she could still hear the echo of them in her head. Her stomach heaved as she imagined the scene that must be laid out before her. Her father and mother, both dead, lying at her feet, are was too much to bear. Her arms throbbed in pain, still unable to be moved. Up until recently, she was making herself feel better by giving herself the illusion that someone would come to save her. She couldn't have been missing for long, but at least Harry would have noticed she was missing, and Draco. The thought betrayed her, making the hopelessness sink in. "No one is going to find me," she told herself, believing she was alone.
A small voice surprised her though, coming from behind her. "Miss Hermione will be okay, Tinky will make sure of it. Tinky has food for Miss if Miss is hungry."
Hermione almost sobbed in relief, feeling better knowing that someone in the house cared. Her eyes, still blind, turned to where she had heard the voice, "Thank you Tinky, I would like that very much." Tears ran down her face as she tried to pull her vision back, wanting to see the little house-elf.
"Why is Miss crying?" Tinky asked, unable to stop herself. Hermione was about to answer when she heard banging and grunts of pain. Hermione tried to stand up, to get to the house-elf, but it was no use. Instead, she tried to comfort her, "It's ok Tinky, I don't mind. I-" she stopped, not sure how to finish the sentence. Wasn't it obvious why she was crying? Hermione was stuck in a prison being tortured. A harsh tone rose on her tongue, but she forced her anger back. It wasn't Tinky's fault that she was here. "I miss my friends."
A pair of small hands touched her face, forcing her to jerk back. "Tinky is sorry Miss; Tinky just wanted you to know where the food was. Tinky is not allowed to untie miss."
Hermione nodded, opening her mouth. Why she trusted this creature, she didn't know. Instead of brooding over the fact that she could be poisoned, Hermione accepted the food graciously. She ate quickly, trying to get back to asking questions, but Tinky seemed to want to avoid questions. Every time she would open her mouth to speak, the little elf would stick another piece of bread into her mouth.
Once the food was gone, Hermione smiled, "Thank you Tinky."
"You is very welcome Miss."
Hermione closed her eyes, though it made no difference, and tried to think. "Tinky, why am I here?"
No answer came from the little Elf and Hermione sighed. Being left alone seemed like a torture in itself. Her shoulders ached as she tried to get comfortable once again. It was a strange feeling, the feeling of helplessness. Hermione felt exhausted her chest and heart heavy. No matter how hard Harry looked, he may never find her.
As she sat there, unconsciousness swept over her, forcing her eyes shut. Perhaps her body would recover with a good night's rest.
Draco sat with his face in his hands, his ex-enemy patting him on the back. Hermione had been missing for three days and they had gotten nowhere. Draco, Harry, Jean, and even Ginny had sat down hours at a time and gone over each hiding spot, trying to find one that was still intact. Blaise had even come over once, to help them search. He had picked up one of the many folders scattered across the living room floor and leafed through it. Then, picking up another, he continued to search until Draco finally told him to give up for the night.
Each night, well past midnight, they would all trudge to their bedrooms, dread heavy in their hearts. All three boys had gone to crying during the day, each wanting to see Hermione. Eltanin had been the worst of the three. As of today, he was refusing to talk to Draco because he wouldn't bring Hermione back. Elt had asked Draco if Hermione was mad at them, but he quickly assured the little boy that she would be back soon. They didn't do anything wrong and she was just due for a long vacation.
Eltanin knew Draco was lying, but accepted the story anyway.
Tonight Draco had finally lost hope, completely clueless as to where Hermione was and how to get her back. "I don't know what else we can do," Draco said quietly, trying to keep calm.
Instead of arguing with him, Harry just shook his head, "I don't either. We've tried everything we could think of, and none of it worked."
Draco stood up, walked over to a small cabinet in the corner and pulled out some firewhiskey. He took down two glasses and went to sit them in front of Harry. "We must be missing something."
As he poured, Harry picked up a few folders again and started to leaf through them, obviously trying to find some sort of miracle. He searched for another fifteen minutes, slowly sipping the drink, as Draco watched him. The particular folder Harry was looking at was one of the ones Blaise had looked through. He had said that nothing was there, and Draco had double checked. He had found nothing also. Anger flooding his mind, he reached out to tear the folder from Harry's hands when Harry grabbed his wrist. He had broken out into a grin, looking between the current page he was on and the next.
Draco pulled back his arm and looked over Harry's shoulder, "What did you find?"
Harry opened the folder so that Draco could see more clearly and pointed at the page numbers in the bottom right corner of the page. Then, he flipped to the next page and Draco stared in astonishment. Page number six went straight to page ten. "You've got to be kidding me."
Harry shook his head, "No, I'll bet a thousand galleons this is the building we are looking for. Can you remember what is supposed to be here?"
Draco shook his head, looking between the two pages, "No I can't. The hideouts weren't put in here in any kind of order. It helped keep the order from deciphering where we could be hiding."
Harry nodded, standing up to walk into the kitchen. Draco followed him, his glass in his hand. "So all we have to do is figure out where this page went," Harry said hopefully. Draco frowned, his forehead wrinkling, "How in bloody hell are we going to do that?"
The folder fell onto the kitchen table as Harry leafed through the remaining papers. "I know you said there was no order, but there has to be some kind of pattern. If there was no pattern than a deatheater wouldn't be able to find the spots."
Draco nodded, seeing his point, "Ok, then I'll go and get some more folders so we can use them also."
Harry nodded, mirroring Draco, "Yeah, that would be gre-" but he cut off, looking up at the ceiling. Draco had heard it also. Just above their heads, a loud crash had shaken the entire kitchen. Draco looked at Harry with a puzzling look. Harry's face froze, looking up at where the sound had come from, "That's your room Draco."
Draco was out of the kitchen even before Harry had finished the sentence. Fear had settled in his heart when he hit the stairs, "Elt?"
The little boy answered, running out of the doorway, "its okay Daddy, I fixed everything."
The sunshine fell on Hermione's face, warming her entire body. The green fields that surrounded her stretched as far as she could see, the horizon only broken by the few hills that were off in the distance. Everything around her was so beautiful, frozen in the magnificence of mid-day.
As she looked around her, she felt a faint stir of alarm. There was no one with her, no one even near her. She was all alone, in this little paradise. Her heart clutched, knowing she should be thinking of someone. She couldn't seem to remember who it was though. The only thing she could think of was an image, a small, smiling face floated in front of her.
The face was clearly male, although not very old. His hair was short and blonde; and his cheeks were a rosy red. He had a huge smile spread across his face and he was saying something. Hermione couldn't tell what it was, but she knew she had to hear it. As she focused on the face, a sharp jab brought her back to the green grassy hills. "Ow," she said, looking around her. There was no one standing next to her, so how did she get poked. She felt it again, and she looked down, still finding nothing. Then she heard a voice, somewhere beyond the dream she was in.
"Miss Hermione must wake up."
Hermione stirred, her head pounding from the position she was stuck in. The ropes we still bound to her wrist and feet, and she struggled to get free, "Who is there?"
"Shhh, you must be quiet Miss. Master Eltanin sent me to get you," Willow's voice answered. The ropes that were so tightly bound began to loosen. Hermione started trying to move her arms and legs, but her hands were still unresponsive. "Willow, I can't move my arms."
She felt a small pair of hands touch her shoulder, and Hermione flinched from the pain. Then, the ropes fell away, finally letting Hermione move. She slowly tried to lift her arms again, but they feel limp at her side. Her legs, on the other hand, worked fine. "Willow, we have to get out of here," she whispered frantically, trying to stay calm. Tinky was sure to find them and alert the masked people. Although she still couldn't see, Hermione tried to find her small friend with her ears, focusing hard to find her.
"Willow will get you out of here."
"Who, in bloody hell, are you?" The male voice from the day before echoed around the room, causing Hermione to give a small shriek. Willow's breathing had become shallow and small, as though she were trying to shrink into the shadows. Footsteps pounded towards Hermione and she stood up, ready to defend Willow the best she could. "You have to go home Willow, now."
"You is not my master Miss, and my Master wants you home."
A fist collided with Hermione's lower jaw and she felt the darkness consume her again. Before she had completely lost all consciousness, she felt a pair of small hands grab her and pull her into the space of time between apparition points.
"What do you mean, you fixed everything?" Draco looked down at his son, appalled.
Eltanin just looked up at his father, his chin in the air, "I sent Willow to get Miss 'mione. You weren't doing anything to get her back, so I did."
Draco's brows furrowed in confusion until he saw Willow run to the doorway, "Master Malfoy, Miss needs you. She is hurt bad."
At some point, Harry had run up behind Draco and was standing at his shoulder, "Wait, Hermione is in there?"
All it took was for Harry to point out this fact for Draco to sprint into the bedroom. When he got through the doorway he saw her, crumpled on the floor in a heap. "Hermione?"
He ran to her, pushing her hair back from her face and going over her face. It was her, and Draco felt a huge weight lift from his chest. She was finally back. Then, her features set in.
There was a huge bruise on her right cheek, coloring her otherwise pale face. Harry came up behind him and assisted Draco in picking her up and laying her on the bed. Either man could have picked her up themselves, but they were too frightened of hurting her more.
Once she was lying on the soft pillows, Draco began to look over her injuries. Both of her shoulders were swollen and blue, there were bruises all along her torso, and one of her ankles looked as though it were sprained.
He and Harry worked over her, healing her up as much as they could. Once they were at her torso, Draco gently shifted her and tried to feel if any of her ribs were broken.
With a strangled cry, Hermione jolted awake and used her fist to push away Draco's face. Draco hissed and backed away, nursing his cheek, "Damn it Hermione."
She stopped thrashing and looked around, her eyes not focusing on anything, "Draco? Is it really you?"
Harry pulled her arms down and sighed, "It's us Hermione."
"Harry!" she threw her arms out, clumsily wrapping them around his neck. Her shoulders shook as she clung to him. He shushed her and patted her back gently, "It is going to be alright; you're home."
Draco stepped forward, sitting down behind her, "You're safe now."
When he touched her back, she let go of Harry and threw herself at him, tears staining his shirt. She didn't say anything, just sobbed into his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, thankful to have her near him again. As he smoothed out her hair, her chest heaved harder. Draco rested his cheek against the top of her head, "Don't cry love, it is all alright."
Hermione shook her head, still sobbing into his shirt, "Where is Eltanin?"
"I'm right here Miss Hermione."
Hermione slowly let go of Draco and reached her hand out, as though trying to feel for Elt. Draco looked at her strangely then looked over at Harry. His face was wrinkled with concern and confusion.
Eltanin climbed up onto the bed and into Hermione's lap, hugging her neck and wrapping his arms around her. She gently held him, her sobbing slowing to silent tears. "Next time you go on a trip, Miss Hermione, I want to go with you. I didn't like you being gone."
Hermione let out a laugh, which lit up her face slightly, "Okay."
"Hermione?" Draco looked up to see Ginny standing in the doorway, a less than modest night-gown hugging her frame. It seemed that she had hurried from bed. Her wand was resting in her right hand while the left was resting above her heart.
Harry rushed over to her, wrapping an arm around her before she could fall, "Eltanin brought her back."
Then Ginny grinned, rushing to Hermione's other side, "Thank you Elt."
Elt pulled his face out of Hermione's neck and nodded, "I missed her too much. I wanted her home." Ginny laughed and rubbed the boys back, a big grin on her face.
Draco had been quiet through all of this, not taking his eyes off Hermione. Her eyes were vacant, as though they couldn't quite focus. He looked over at Harry, who was still looking at Hermione with concern. "Hermione, what happened?"
Hermione shook her head, motioning towards Eltanin. The little boy didn't seem to notice though, as he was basking in the greatness of finding his favorite teacher.
Harry walked over to the bed, to stand beside the sitting Ginny, "What happened to your eyes?"
Draco put his arm around her waist and she relaxed into him. "I don't know what happened. I woke up and couldn't see." She shivered, tears falling from her eyes once again. Draco held her tighter, pulling her against him. Ginny held out her arms, "Come on Elt, why don't you sleep with Teddy and Albus tonight."
Elt shook his head, clutching at Hermione desperately, "No, I don't want to leave. What if she disappears?" Hermione shushed his and gently pulled his hands from her shirt, "I won't leave, I promise. I'll be right here when you wake up."
The blonde boy looked up at her suspiciously, but then his face cleared. He hopped off the bed and followed Ginny, "Ok, I believe you 'mione. I know you tell me the truth."
When they were gone, Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, "What was that about?" Draco shook his head, resting his cheek once again against her hair. She felt nice, solid against him. His mind was finally at ease to have her in his arms again. Hermione curled into him, sighing against his shoulder. "My mother and father are dead," she blurted. Her chest started to shake and she pulled her knees up to her chest. The quick breaths turned into sobs. She shook with such ferocity that Draco felt a sudden stir of alarm. Harry, his wand out, was muttering spells under his breath and waving around his wand. Even as small flashes of red and green light filtered from the wand to Hermione, she didn't stop.
Once his last spell was complete, Harry sat on the bed with Hermione between him and Draco. "How did they die?"
Hermione shook her head, pulling it from Draco's chest. When her eyes opened, she blinked and smiled, her gaze floating to Harry, "How did you know?"
Harry just shrugged, "It was a lucky guess. I figured it couldn't have been a very strong charm, but it wasn't a blinding charm because your eyes weren't milky."
Though tears still flowed freely from her eyes, Hermione was able to control her sobs as she sat up. "I didn't know what had happened to me. I kept trying to find some way to get free, but I was trapped there."
Harry stopped her, wrapping his hand around hers. She noticed how frail she felt compared to his strong grasp. The idea of being weak shook her, and she fought herself not to pull her hand away. She focused instead of Draco's arm resting around her waist. As of right now, he was what she needed to lean on. She took a long breath before continuing with her story, "I was tied to a chair with what I believed was muggle ropes. They didn't seem to do anything magical." Her lips pursed as she tried to recall the past few days, "I don't remember much. I remember the screams of my parents, and the really deep voice."
Harry looked at her oddly, "Deep voice?"
Hermione nodded, "There were two people who spoke to me, a man and a woman. It was strange though, because I recognized both voices, but I couldn't seem to place a face with a name." Hermione shuddered, remembering why they had kidnapped her in the first place, "They wanted Elt."
Draco stiffened beside her, his grip on her loosening. Hermione understood; she was still fighting the urge to check on the small boy. Harry was different though, he looked thoughtful, "Did they say why?"
Hermione shook her head, a small smile on her lips, "They weren't fans of the monologue."
Harry chuckled and pulled her into a hug, "I'm so glad you're okay. We've all been worried sick that something had happened to you. Ron's been out of his mind trying to find you."
Hermione pulled back, a frown on her face, "Why would he be trying to find me? As far as he was concerned, I didn't matter anymore."
Harry shook his head, "He was just being Ron. Look, he's been repeating to us how sorry he is; which means he will probably be doing the same to you. Go easy on him, okay? He's been through a lot." Harry's eyes shifted to Draco then back to Hermione. "I'm going to get some sleep, you should do the same."
Hermione could tell he wanted to move her to another room, but he was conflicted. Hermione could understand too, she didn't want to sleep alone tonight at all. If she was alone again, whoever had taken her in the first place could come back. Harry just wasn't sure if he approved of Hermione's newest relationship. If that's what I could call it, she thought to herself. Thought of Ron flooded back to her, how angry he had been. I wish I could just live my life the way I want to live it, her thought had turned vicious, so she backtracked and took a deep breath. "Go back to Ginny Harry, I'll be alright."
Harry nodded, turning reluctantly and leaving. Hermione's heart pounded as he walked out of the room, seemingly taking forever to close the door.
Once he was gone and they had privacy, Hermione rested her head on Draco's chest, smelling sun and soap on him. Her eyes grew heavy as she lay there, feeling safe. His arm was rigid against her back though, and he didn't seem to be breathing. Remorse suddenly fell over her as she realized the problem. He knew what she thought they were, and he didn't agree with it. He didn't want her to lay that close.
As slowly as she could, she tried lifting herself off of him and to the other side of the small bed. His arm tightened around her and she looked up, surprised to see him staring at her. "What's wrong? Are you hurting?"
Hermione shook her head, feeling tears in her eyes. She was ashamed to be caught crying over something this trivial when she should be mourning the loss of her parents. "I'm alright, I'm just trying to move."
His face fell, "Oh, why would you want to do that?"
Hermione was puzzled, didn't he want her to move. "I thought I was making you uncomfortable."
Draco laughed, clearly his face momentarily, "Why would you think that? Hermione, this," he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, "is what I want."
Hermione felt the sharp pain in her shoulder blades from her injuries, but ignored it. He felt so good, holding her close, that she didn't want him to let go. Instead, she curled closer, easing the pain in her back and making herself more comfortable in the process. "Then why are you upset?"
He looked down at her and grinned, "You sound like Eltanin, with your questions. There is nothing wrong, I'm just thinking. I'm trying to put the pieces together. You said that you recognized the voices, but you couldn't remember."
Hermione nodded, feeling her hair brush against his jaw. He drew in a breath and she smiled in spite of herself. Looking up at him, her eyes met his and she felt like time had evaporated. He gently ran his finger against the side of her face and she closed her eyes. His finger left a blazing trail along her skin, but it was not unpleasant. "Can we forget about it, just for tonight? I'm too tired to remember much. My mind keeps repressing what happened. It's a coping mechanism."
Draco nodded, smiling, "I know it is."
Hermione rested her head against his shoulder, feeling her eyes droop, "We'll be able to talk in the morning."
She felt him adjust, moving farther down on the bed, "That we will. Get some sleep now, you're safe."
The next morning, Hermione awoke to an empty bed. For a moment she still believed she was captured, but when she remembered the room at Grimmauld Place, her heart slowed. The nights events came flooding back to her, tears once again flooding her eyes. She pushed them back though, needing to see Eltanin again. She had to make sure the small boy was alright.
As she climbed out of the bed, Hermione was not surprised to see a pair of jeans and a scarlet t-shirt sitting at the food of her bed. She dressed, taking care to lift the shirt over her head. Her shoulders were still sore, which caused them to lack proper movement. A small hiss escaped her lips as she put her arms through the arm-holes and straightened out the creases. The pain was bearable, but not unnoticeable.
Smells from the kitchen wafted up to Hermione as she climbed down the staircase. Eggs and sausage were the most dominant smells, but they were fighting with the toast and tea. Her stomach grumbled at the smells as she opened the door leading in. "Ms. Hermione, you're awake. Daddy said I couldn't bother you because you were tired."
At the sight of the small boy, a smile burst onto Hermione's face. He was safe; she had made sure of that. Everything that she went through had been for him and it was worth it. "Yes Elt, I was very tired."
Eltanin nodded, accepting this, "Okay, as long as you didn't leave again."
Hermione went to sit at the table, but she was stopped by Harry. He looked stony faced, like he was trying to look impassive. Draco was standing beside him, but he looked more uncomfortable. Hermione was sure what was going on, so she just stopped and looked at them both. Draco looked her in the eyes, apprehension apparent. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, nervousness flooding her emotions.
"I told Harry it was alright, but he wants to make sure," Draco said lamely, before breaking off.
Hermione looked at Harry, realization suddenly hitting her. He didn't trust her. She agreed with him though, instead of being herself, it could have been someone polyjuiced. She nodded, allowing him to continue. "What is your question Harry?"
Harry nodded back at her, uncrossing his arms and resting them on her shoulders, "Who are the founders of Hogwarts?"
Draco looked at him as though he were insane, "Everyone knows that. How are you supposed to know it's really her."
Hermione grinned, looking Harry in the eye and reciting Hogwarts, a History.
"Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest wizards of the age. The four school houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.
They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them up to the castle to be educated."
Harry nodded in approval while Draco stared at her incredulously, "You have it memorized?"
Hermione laughed and Harry hugged her, "She never went anywhere without it. Even when we were in the wilderness searching, she still read it almost nightly."
Ginny came around the table then, setting down the most delicious looking breakfast Hermione had ever seen. She smiled up at Hermione and motioned for them to sit down, "I still think she has a copy sitting on her bedside table."
Hermione ignored them all to sit next to Eltanin, who was happily playing with his father's wand. Sparks were flying out of it as he banged it on the table, laughing each time it happened. "You're pretty good with that," Hermione stated, pushing herself up to the table. Eltanin nodded and grinned, standing in his chair, "I'm going to be a great wizard someday. I'll be able to cast spells and do magic, just like my daddy."
He thrust out the wand, causing the food to slide off the table and onto the floor. Draco turned around, looking at breakfast, which was now all over his shoes. Harry turned with him, a small smile on his face. Eltanin just looked mortified, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He sat down in his chair and started to cry, just as Draco came back around the table, his hand held out, "Give me that wand. I thought I told you not to play with it."
Eltanin scooted closer to Hermione, "It was just on the table. I only picked it up for a few second, honest."
Hermione wrapped her arm around his shoulders and grinned up at Draco, "Let him be, he didn't mean to."
She glanced at Draco's wand, which was now resting in his palm, and felt lost. She looked over to Harry, letting go of Eltanin and standing up, "Where is my wand?"
Harry sighed, going into the sitting room. It took him a few moments to return, but when he did, Hermione took a small intake of breath. There her wand lay, split in half. Memories of Godrics Hollow and the snake flooded back into her mind. At that moment in time, she hadn't been able to understand just how lost Harry was without his wand. Now, staring at the unfixable pieces of wood in Harry's hand, she understood.
Tears fell down her cheeks as she took the mutilated wand, resting the pieces in her hands. "I can't believe it."
"I tried to fix it," Harry said, surprising everyone. From the looks on Draco and Ginny's face, they hadn't known. Hermione though, just nodded.
Her wand was gone, and she was just going to have to accept that. Perhaps she would go to Diagon Alley, to get a new one. Although, it just won't work as well as her first one did. She'd been through a lot with that wand. So much training, so much fighting, so much death, and now her wand was dead too.
"Aunt Hermione, what happened?" Teddy's voice broke through her trance. She looked down at him and smiled, ruffling his hair. "I just broke my wand."
Teddy nodded, walking past her to the kitchen, "Hey Elt, you want to play a game. Uncle George gave it to me for my birthday. It's really fun."
Hermione laughed when she heard Eltanin stand, exiting the kitchen quickly. His voice rang down the hallway as he went, "What game is it?"
Ginny quickly followed them when Teddy exclaimed, "Exploding Snap."
Hermione laughed and shook her head, "You know, Teddy reminds me of someo-"
"Hermione?"
Ron was standing in the doorway, Jean at his side. He seemed to be in shock, which wasn't surprising to Hermione. The last time they had spoken, Ron had broadcasted how much he hated her.
On instinct, Hermione looked around to find Draco. She was afraid that they would start fighting, which she wouldn't be able to handle. "He went with Ginny," Harry whispered, gently prodding her in the back. Hermione nodded, looking back at Ron.
She was surprised to find Jean standing in front of her though. Hermione laughed and hugged her, not realizing just how much she had missed her best friend. "I'm so glad you're alright 'mione."
Hermione smiled, pulling back and wiping tears from her face, "Thank you for taking care of them."
Jean nodded, cupping Hermione's face with her palms, "Anything for you. Besides," she dropped her hands, "Eltanin is such a cute kid. I'd do it even if you were-Umff"
Jean had become muffled by Ron's rush at Hermione. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his shoulders relaxing into her. Hermione did the only think she could think to do, hug him back.
It took her a moment to realize that Ron wasn't just hugging her, he was crying. "Ron? It's alright. I'm fine."
Ron nodded into her hair, "I'm such a lousy friend."
Hermione shook her head, pulling him closer, "No you're not. It's my fault; I'm always starting the fights." Without thinking, she turned and kissed his cheek. She felt him grin and pull back, "What was that for."
Hermione let go, stepping back to allow some space between them, "You are a wonderful friend Ron, but sometimes you can be a real butthead. I'm no help though, always pushing you until you explode."
Ron nodded at her, making her laugh. She gently slapped him on the arm, "You're supposed to disagree with me."
Harry stood in between them, a laugh erupting from him, "Honestly you too."
Ron was about to say something else when he looked over Hermione's shoulder at the kitchen, "Bloody Hell, what happened here?"
Hermione turned and chuckled, "Elt got a hold of Draco's wand."
Harry pulled out his wand and cleaned up the mess, "Reminds me of Teddy. There have been moments since Draco started staying here that I actually feared for my life."
Ron nodded his agreement and Hermione looked confused. Harry elaborated for her, "I think Teddy and Elt are going to be the next Fred and George."
Hermione placed her hand over her mouth to muffled herself, "Minerva will love that."
"So are you all friends again?" A voice asked from behind them. Harry turned to pull his wife into his arms, "Yes dear."
Ginny straightened then, looking straight at Hermione, "Then we must go to Diagon Alley today. You need a new wand and I am in need of a new set of dress robes."
Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, who was silently agreeing with him. They did not understand shopping at all.
Hermione, on the other hand, had grown fond of the trips she spent with Ginny. They always had fun, pulling away and pressure, stress, or tension Hermione had been feeling. Mrs. Potter always knew when she needed to get away from the world, as she knew that this was exactly what she needed.
Harry shook his head at Ginny though, "I'm going with you then. It's not safe for you to go alone, especially with the recent kidnapping," he looked pointedly at Hermione.
Hermione, still not wanting to go out on her own, nodded, "I'd like that. Although, afterwards, we need to figure out where I was. I-" she cut off, the memory of her parents suddenly flooding back and going to the forefront of her mind. "Oh my god," she said, falling against the wall. She could hear it all over again, her mother's screams, her father trying to comfort her.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron's voice sounded far away and worried.
She felt someone stand her up straight and move her to the couch, "Hermione?"
"My parents," she said, sobs escaping her lips, "We have to find them. Oh no" Her head fell into her hands and she tried to get a grasp on what had happened.
She heard Harry's voice in her ears, "Go and get her some water."
Then she heard Ginny's voice, "No, I'll better."
It only took Ginny a few moments to find what she was looking for, because Hermione felt two small hands touch her cheeks, rubbing off the wetness. "Aunt Hermione, it's going to be okay. Mum said that we're going to go get you a new wand."
Though she still felt horrible, Hermione laughed. She held open her arms and the small boy crawled in her lap, still brushing tears from her cheeks, "You can cry though, if you want. Gran always says that you have to cry, or the garden won't grow. I don't know what that means, but it always makes me feel better."
Hermione heard Harry's laugh next to her ear, and she leaned into his shoulder. As Teddy continued talking about nonsense things, the tears gradually lessoned. At some point, Draco came into the room, Eltanin holding one hand and Albus holding the other. Hermione looked up at him and smiled weakly, hugging Teddy to her.
"I love you Aunt Hermione."
The room was filled with people, all there to make her feel better. If you had asked her a year ago whether Draco Malfoy would be standing in Harry Potter's living room because of Hermione Granger, she would have said they were crazy.
"I love you too Teddy," Hermione grinned, kissing the small boy on the cheek. He blushed and scrambled from her lap, going to stand next to his father. Harry laughed at the pink twinge to his cheeks and the way his hair had just gone deep red.
"What about me Miss 'mione?"
Hermione looked down to see Eltanin standing in front of her. She glanced behind the blond boy to Draco, who quirked an eyebrow. She pulled Elt into her lap and hugged him close, vowing never to let this boy go. Her heart clenched, just knowing that someone was after him, wanting to do God-knows-what with him.
As she rested her cheek against his head, she sighed in relief, "I love you Elt."
Ok, so you guys have every right to hate me, but I didn't actually lose the story this time. I've been trying to get this chapter right. I've probably rewritten it a million times. It's still really rough, and I'm not completely pleased with it, but I think you guys deserve it! Please be merciful with this chapter, it's not the best, but it gets me where I need to go. Now worries though, it's finally wrapping up. Probably like two more chapters and the epilogue, maybe 3. It depends how long my chapters are.
Hope you enjoyed it! And for my reviewers, I found out that I can respond to your reviews, so if you review this chapter, I'll give you cookies in the review! And a little note from me.
Always Remember to Love,
Until we Meet Again,
Ms. Darcy
