A/N: Mwahahaha! I love how shocked you all were at the last chapter and I can't wait to see what you make of this one *rubs hands together wearing an evil grin*

xx-Kitten

Bewitch, Ensnare

By Kittneshift17

Chapter Nine

Hermione held her breath as she watched Harry and Draco drink the tea she'd spiked with Calming Draught. She thanked the stars Snape was such an accomplished brewer and that the potion was a simple one, only having taken twenty minutes to brew. Both boys drooped almost immediately and Hermione used her wand to keep them for dropping their teacups as their eyelids descended. Ginny dropped off few seconds later and Luna fought the effects for a moment before drifting to sleep in her father's arms.

"We need to know how old they are," Molly said softly, looking forlornly at the four children. "Draco's got a small bump on his head, too. We need to make sure none of them were injured in the blast."

She began casting diagnostic spells over Ginny.

"Ten," she whispered after a moment. "My girl, ten years old again."

"We'll find a way to fix it, Molly," Hermione promised, squeezing the woman's hand. She was trembling too much to continue and Hermione checked over Luna.

"She's got a sprained wrist from falling. And according to this physically she's eight years old again, Mr Lovegood," Hermione said. She watched Snape sneak Calming Draught into the tea Molly and Xenophilius were both drinking while they regarded their children despondently.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione whispered staring at the small boy where he sat, his head pillowed on his arms and resting on the table. He clutched one of Draco's hands.

When she waved her wand over him she had to cover her mouth with her hand. Four. According to the charm he was physically four years old. Tears filled her eyes once more at the very idea of him so young; so small; so helpless. His health check came back clean, a quill noting down his height, age and weight. She performed it again on Draco. The charm indicated he was just a month older than Harry – just like he already had been. Also four years old. Molly had been right. He had a bump on his head and a twisted ankle, too.

She flicked her wand to heal both injuries, noting that Snape was peering over her shoulder and reading the measurements for the boy. He frowned slightly as though they bothered him. She supposed, given that he was Draco's godfather and now in charge of his care, it was a bit problematic that the boy was so young once more.

"May I test you too, Snape?" Hermione asked quietly, turning her wand slowly in his direction.

He eyed her coolly for a long moment and Hermione felt a prod against her mind as he tried to read it. She allowed him entrance, showing him that she only wanted to ascertain his age and his health after what had happened to him. He looked slightly uncomfortable, as though the idea that she cared at all seemed to bother him, but he nodded his consent. Hermione cast the charm once more, blinking when she stared at the number. Snape's eyes darted to it as well, his brow furrowing ever so slightly.

Twenty-six.

He was now, technically only three years older than her, rather than nineteen. Hermione's frown deepened when she noted that it said he had a concussion, a sprained ankle and a hairline fracture in his wrist.

"You're hurt," she whispered. "Let me…"

She flicked her wand and his jaw clenched as the fracture in his wrist healed itself. He didn't cry out, but Hermione suspected it had hurt.

"You've got a concussion, too," Hermione said. "You're going to have to stay awake awhile, supervised."

"We need to get these kids to bed," Xenophilius said. "I should…. I'll take Luna home. Thank you, for bringing her home safely. I don't know what I would've done without my Luna."

His eyes were dry for the time being, but he looked tired.

"Get some rest, Mr Lovegood. If you notice any changes to her condition, you know where to find us," Hermione said kindly, helping him to his feet when he tottered slightly under Luna's slim weight, the Calming Draught perhaps a little strong.

"Thank you," he whispered to her once more before moving to the fireplace and Flooing home.

"He's right. I should get these kids to bed," Molly said.

"I can take Harry and Draco home, Molly," Hermione told her. "It'll be no trouble."

"Home?" Molly asked, looking dead on her feet. "There's…. this is Harry's home."

Hermione smiled kindly.

"You know you don't have the bed-space anymore, Molly. Harry's bed at our flat will fit the pair of them just fine. It has so far, anyway," Hermione explained the woman.

"But… they're just children. You're too young, Hermione. They need a mother. They need care."

"I assure you, I know what I'm doing," Hermione whispered, her heart clenching as she slanted a glance at Snape. "Professor Snape is Draco's godfather, so it'll be up to him how Draco is 'raised', this time around, depending on how badly their memories are affected. And I promised Harry I'd look after him."

"Hermione, darling, you've never raised a child. You don't know what you're doing. Especially a magical child. If he loses his memory and reverts to being four mentally as well as physically he could lose control of his magic or hurt himself. He needs proper meals and a schedule and… and… care."

Hermione smiled tightly.

"I know that, Molly," Hermione assured her. "I'm very aware of the commitment and the requirements of being a mother to a magical child. I can assure you that I'm fully prepared for whatever outcome there is as a result of this accident."

"You would… throw your life away to raise him? Your career?" Molly asked, frowning at her.

"It's not like I need the money," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I can get by quite comfortably without working another day in my life, should it be required. I only work currently because of the changes I was trying to make within the Ministry and because I go mental without something to engage my brain. I hardly think the rights of magical creatures will be a priority at the Ministry after what happened tonight. My department will likely be shut down as everything I've worked for the past three years gets overturned and repealed while they scramble to restore order.

"For all I know, they might even sack me. The Ball tonight was meant to raise awareness about the Pixies and Cherubs because they've been suffering in recent years. The death toll during the war and the lack of a population boom following it have left them all greatly diminished in their powers and their use within our world. I was the one who pushed to have something done about all this. When they start looking for someone to blame, they'll probably point the finger at me."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders helplessly. She made to rake a hand through her curls before realising her hair was still in the up-do she'd worn to the ball. Cursing silently she flicked her wand to remove all the pins and undo it all. A soft sigh left her at the feel of her hair falling free to cascade about her shoulder and down her back once more.

"You don't have any of the things Harry will need, Hermione," Molly protested, obviously not liking the idea of letting someone so young and unattached raise a child. Hermione would be willing to put money on the idea that she was put out over the idea that Hermione wasn't married and therefore – in her opinion – shouldn't be raising a child.

"Clothes? Books? Toys? I'll get some tomorrow, when we have more chance to figure out how much of their memories are gone. With his mother dead and Lucius in prison, Draco's in the same boat. And you heard Harry, Draco's the love of his life. He's unlikely to forget him."

"You want to raise both of them?" Molly's eyes widened.

"Draco is mine to raise. I'm his godfather," Snape spoke up from the corner of the room where he'd retreated to clean up the cauldron and work station.

"You know less about raising children than she does," Molly protested. "You might've managed to scare the life out of them all at Hogwarts and to keep them alive well enough in a classroom, but you've no idea how to raise a four year old boy. For heaven's sake, Severus, you've been in hiding for three years. What sort of life would that be for a child?"

"Do you imagine yourself taking on the role and raising two more sons, Molly?" Severus asked in a silken voice, turning slowly to face the woman. "You're not as young or as lively as you used to be, witch. You'll be sixty-three this year, won't you? Hardly the age to be running after rambunctious four year olds."

"I run after my grandchildren, thank you very much!" Molly puffed up indignantly.

Hermione sighed.

"All the more reason not to burden yourself with two more, Molly," Hermione told her. "I assure you that I don't doubt your ability to raise them and I do not doubt I will call on your expertise as often as I need it. But I need to do this."

She moved forward to card her fingers through Harry's messy hair.

"He's so little," she whispered, her eyes filling all over again. "So little and so precious. He… he said he wasn't sure he even wanted me to find a way to undo the De-Aging if it meant he might have a better childhood this time. I… could give him that. Merlin, this time last week I was talking to both of them about their eventual need for someone to mother an heir for each of them. I need to take care of him. Of both of them."

Molly looked startled.

"You were… I didn't realise that you were… that way inclined… with both of them… I, Ron came home ranting about you and Harry, and of course the papers… I never expected that they had the right of it."

"They don't," Hermione held her hand up. "Ron was drunk and ranting about the same things he's ranted over since the Horcrux Hunt. He never got over the notion that I must have been shagging Harry while he was gone. I wasn't. I've never slept with Harry. Or Draco. I've only had sex once, as a matter of fact, so I'd appreciate it very much if you would refrain from jumping to the conclusion that I must be a harlot just because I entertained the notion of helping two of my closest friends carry on their family names and their bloodlines when they asked, given that they can't do so with each other."

Hermione caught the way Snape's eyes widened ever so slightly at her frank manner when she mentioned the number of times she'd been intimate and indeed, Molly looked taken aback by the admittance and the discussion about sex.

"Needless to say, I've read – widely – on the subject of magical conception and raising magical children. Two small wizards with remnants of memory on how to act like adults instead of clueless children shouldn't be quite as difficult. I appreciate your concern, but I will not budge on this subject, Molly. I will come to you if I need your help, but at least let me try."

Molly looked a little gobsmacked at the notion that she wasn't a virgin.

"When I saw that thing around your neck, I wondered," she murmured quietly, eyeing Hermione closely despite the Calming Draught in her system. "I've never seen it up close, so I'd no idea if you'd activated it or not."

Hermione glanced down at the Tenebris Sanctus hanging around your neck.

"I hardly see how my sex life and my lack of virginity affects my ability to raise Harry and Draco," Hermione sniffed, her cheeks turning pink.

Molly shook her head.

"How did you plan to give them children, love?" Molly asked.

"I… well, that's a little… inappropriate. But I imagined conception would take place… the usual way. They both suggested a certain interest…"

Molly held up her hand.

"That's not what I meant," she said. "I meant, how did you plan to conceive at all when you've got that thing activated?"

Hermione looked at the Dark artefact hanging around her neck again.

"What do you mean? I know it's classed as a Dark object because of the blood aspect and the effect it can be used to when wielded against others but it's not really all that…."

Molly shook her head once more and Hermione trailed off, staring at her in confusion.

"The reason they're no longer popular isn't because of the danger they pose. I know all about them, love," Molly said, fishing one of her own from within the neck of her night-gown. It was older than Hermione's, and bore a different pattern, but it too glowed a brilliant shade of white – containing her innocence.

"I had no idea you had one," Hermione whispered.

"They fell out of fashion when women grew more interested in sleeping around and less interested in pledging themselves to one man for the rest of their lives. Not to mention when a little known side effect of their activation was discovered. I don't presume to know who gave that to you, Hermione dear, but you'd better find him. If you ever want to have children, you'll need him to conceive them. The Tenebris Sanctus draws part of its power from the pledge it represents, that you will conceive life only with the man who deflowered you. They were popular back in the days when Sex Magic was performed in group rituals and rights. They ensured that any couples partaking in the rituals wouldn't have to worry themselves over accidentally raising children not their own. Husbands were fond of their uses for that reason.

"In theory the idea had merit. You see the appeal. The innocence contained within them allowed women with sexual experience to partake in rituals that called for Virgin sacrifices. The Powers that Be recognise any whose innocence is contained within one as still being virginal because the Virgin's Power resides in the orb. The drawback they later discovered was that those women who used them were magically bound to procreate only with the man who took their virginity. Another appeal, you would assume, preventing pregnancy during such rituals to men not their spouses. But death does not release you from the oath. Do you imagine that there are so many women within our world who willingly for-went having children? Minerva, for example, desperately wanted children. However her first husband – to whom she gifted her virginity and stored it inside a Tenebris Sanctus - died shortly after they were married. His death did not release her from her oath and she was left without a means to conceive once he was dead.

"If you wished to conceive life with any but the man who deflowered you and caused you to activate the artefact, you're in for a nasty surprise, dear. They don't demand fidelity, of course – it would have stood in the way of the rituals they were designed to assist - but they do prevent you from falling pregnant to any but whomever deflowered you. Unless you find him and wish to procreate with him – assuming he is still alive - you will never be able to have children, Hermione."

Hermione's heart was in her throat, her face paling at the news. She didn't dare look at Snape.