"…my blood…"
The Death Eaters released a collective gasp at the revelation. One by one they began speaking in hushed whispers amongst themselves. There came a great crescendo as their combined agitation grew considerably. Hermione dared not to move, her heart hammering in her chest in total fear. Across the table Narcissa Malfoy merely stared back, not making any effort to hide her disdain. The Dark Lord, still at the head of the great table seemed to watch the entire scene with great amusement.
Hermione…An eerily whispered voice suddenly invaded Hermione's head. Feeling as though fingers probed the very folds of her cerebrum, she flinched at the sensation. The voice was undeniable. It was Voldemort. Pain burned white hot in her skull as she could feel him pushing further. They are all like a pack of savages are they not? They look at you with piqued suspicion. This behavior is unacceptable at a gathering such as this. Clearly, they do not show you one ounce of respect. You should not have to earn their respect…you should demand it! Use the skills the blood of your mother has bestowed to you…gaze down upon the wastrel that is Lucius Malfoy. He does not trust you…and he deserves to be PUNISHED for it…and know this; it is only UNFORGIVABLE if you at first decide not to forgive yourself…
Hermione looked over at the eldest Malfoy, who watched her with a disapproving sneer. Despite everything that had been revealed that night, regardless of the affirmation coming directly from the Dark Lord's lips, she knew he still thought her to be utter filth; wholly unworthy to be seated at his overtly ostentatious banquet table. His proud face and chauvinist attitude lit a fire within her; she wanted to rip it clear off of his skull with her bare hands. Her heart beat madly at the mere sight of him. Saliva pooled in her mouth as she could feel her mind hunger to hurt the man.
Mentally she steeled herself and stoically stared back at him. Her cool exterior belied the tempest of fury that was building within as she repeated the dreadful word over and over in her mind…crucio…crucio…CRUCIO!
Body now completely rigid, Lucius immediately slammed hard on the floor. Jaw clenched so tight it looked as though it could crack; his breath came in short desperate spurts between his teeth. Appearing as though it were being actively electrocuted, his body was thrown into a violent seizure as Hermione kept repeating the curse rapid fire in her mind. Lucius thrashed about on the floor, his eyes looking as if they could burst free from their sockets at any moment. The other Death Eaters rose to their feet, pointing their wands wildly at one another desperately searching for whoever the caster was. The Dark Lord could only chuckle. A blood-curdling scream emanated from his throat as Hermione willed the torture curse to finally come to an end. Hermione was sweating, her breath almost as ragged as his. Narcissa fell to his side and eased Lucius into a sitting position, and the man heaved the contents of his stomach directly on the floor. The Dark Lord looked down at the two Malfoys and shook his head disapprovingly.
"I think she would like her wand back Lucius…it isn't polite to take things that do not belong to you." He hissed, gesturing with one of his long skeletal hands. Instantly, all pairs of eyes were upon the young Gryffindor sitting quietly at the table. Within all of those eyes was fear. Out from the shadows, Bellatrix grinned and approached Hermione, resting a hand on each of the girl's shoulders. Hermione tensed on contact; this was the closest she had been to a death eater since the battle in the department of Mysteries. She struggled to swallow a nagging lump in her throat as Bellatrix gave her shoulders a squeeze. Struggling now upon his weakened legs, Lucius placed the wand on the marble tabletop and gave it a frail push in Hermione's direction. Voldemort watched with great interest as Hermione pocketed her wand and still remained rigid in her chair, his most loyal Death Eater hovering over the young woman like a furious lioness protecting her defenseless cub. Bellatrix could only turn her nose up in disgust as Lucius resumed his seat.
In that moment Hermione thought back to the old days, the playful banter exchanged between Harry, Ron and her. Back to the days when Lord Voldemort was just a bogeyman, just a name they had been conditioned to hate. This bogeyman now stood proudly before her in the flesh, speaking to her as if she were his equal. None of this made any sense to her, nor did she think it would as time went on.
Voldemort began to pace before the great fireplace. "Things are becoming tense. The ministry expects something from us…something big. We have been lying low for a while now, but not without purpose. Lulling the boy into a false sense of security will leave him at his most vulnerable. I'm sure our new friend can agree, seeing as how she is so close to him."
Bellatrix, still standing behind her, gave her another reassuring squeeze on her shoulders, and Hermione blanched. This did not go unnoticed by the Dark Lord. "Hermione, my dear, you have only just arrived, I ask not that you swear fealty tonight. I only wished for you to know that you are not alone in this world…you and your lover…Fleur was it? Such a lovely name."
"How…?"
"These eyes can do more than see. Do not doubt for once how far I can reach…I know of how your friends have all but abandoned you…how they spit upon the ground you walk. How they turn their noses upward in repugnance at your relationship. Not believing for once that two women have just the same capacity for love, as do a man and a woman. They avoid you. Even after all that you've sacrificed for them over these many years." He held a corpse like arm aloft to silence the brunette. "But I do not ask you to join us tonight. In fact, after we all depart, you could go straight to the Order…warn them about us…tell them of all our plans. Stoke the ego of the Boy who Lived, and the Weasel who follows like a pitiable lapdog at his heels. Keep the oppressive Ministry upon its golden pedestal, built off of the blood, sweat and tears of the witches and wizards it swears to protect." A crocodilian smile grew on the Dark Lord's face. "But we all know the law is an ass…your lover's intense beauty is marred by her phylactery is it not? The Ministry, they brand her as if she were cattle to be sent out to pasture. The Ministry claims that what it does is in the best interests of the people…but is it really? They are quick to point the blame at us for our conquests, when they turn and spit upon their own. All of us seated here wish to see the damnable Ministry toppled…as it is part of our great goal to purge our world of the unworthy…and what better place to start…than its government?"
"I suppose you will eventually ask me to join the Death Eaters…" Deadpanned Hermione.
"Oh no, no, no. Wouldn't dream of it my dear…besides, you are not nearly ready. Only in your darkest hour…will you finally understand. You do not yet know the immense power that your blood has afforded you. You do not yet fully realize the dire situation of this world. Or the sheer number of traitors that walk amongst us…" Voldemort looked toward Wormtail, who was cowering in his seat at the far end of the great table. "Wormtail, would you kindly fetch our dinner guest?" The rodent-like man scampered off down a hallway only to return moments later with a writhing body wrapped in a sackcloth, levitated a few feet off the ground.
"Before you is one such traitor. Spewing lies upon the impressionable minds of young Hogwarts students. Lies pertaining to muggle acceptance, mating with muggles, among other lies of filth. She has even gone so far as write an editorial in defense of mudbloods in the recent Daily Prophet. And what's worse, she voiced a favorable opinion of the phylactery system. We have to stop this deceit from being spread, by stopping it at its source." At the word he swung his arm in a large arch, and at the same time the sack around the prisoner flew off, revealing their identity.
Charity Burbage, retired Professor of Muggle Studies, struggled wildly against her magical bonds.
"Please…please! I have done nothing! NOTHING! Let me go!" Tears poured from her bloodshot eyes, as she continued to wail. Fenrir Greyback stared at the woman while visibly salivating, his tongue flicking across his razor sharp canines. "Someone help me! Let me go! Please!" Her head moved frantically, scanning each of the faces for any sign of remorse. There was none. Then her frenzied eyes fell upon Hermione.
"Hermione? HERMIONE!"
The brunette simply stared blankly back at the floating body of her former teacher, unmoving.
Voldemort's thin lips curled into a pseudo-grin. "This woman dares to brand your beloved like a dog…she must be made an example of…"
"Help me! Please!" Professor Burbage screamed at Hermione, spit dribbling from her lips. "Do something Miss Granger!"
After an intense silence, Hermione frowned. "That's not my name…"
Voldemort's reptilian eyes flickered as he uttered the two most terrible words Hermione had ever heard, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The body crumpled onto the table with the sickening sound of flesh slapping onto hard marble.
"Nagini…" Whispered Voldemort. "…dinner…"
The meeting adjourned at the arrival of the great snake that slowly made its way across the grand table toward Charity Burbage's corpse. To Hermione's surprise the Dark Lord simply disapparated, not saying a single word to the young witch. The rest of the Death Eaters had followed suit, all visibly shaken by the evening's events. Now she was left alone in the company of Bellatrix, who was still watching her with an inscrutable expression. Hermione gently pushed her chair out from under the ornate table.
Bellatrix halted the young woman with a pale hand. "Hermione, wait, before you go, there is something you must see." Bellatrix reached into the top of her corset and produced a folded piece of paper. Delicately, she placed it into Hermione's open palm as if it were made of glass. Whatever it was, it was clearly of great value to the dark witch. Bellatrix watched eagerly as the young witch unfolded it with great care. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw that it was a photograph of two smiling young women, sitting together on a couch. On the left sat a pale woman with straight ebony hair, heavily lidded eyes, supple lips and a broad smile. She wore an elegant bodice with a long flowing skirt. To her right was a smaller woman with thick wavy auburn hair that came to rest just below her shoulders, prominent manicured eyebrows and a gracefully angled face. She donned a simple flower-patterned frock and it was clear to see that the brown haired woman was well along in pregnancy, as the gentle swell of her abdomen was scarcely concealed by the plain dress.
Bellatrix breathed a wistful sigh. "This is of myself and your mother, Helen, when my family summered at the Isle of Wight for my 28th birthday…shortly before she had died. August of 1979."
What Hermione found most extraordinary was that as she gazed down upon the aging photograph, she felt as if she were looking into a mirror. Helen's features were undoubtedly her own, even down to subtle mannerisms and smiles. Even Bellatrix took her by surprise, as the now manic dark witch was startlingly beautiful. The two friends in the photo each had an arm around the other's shoulder, every so often laughing joyously together at something that was happening around them. The Bellatrix in the photo rested a hand upon Helen's pregnant belly, and Helen tenderly covered Bellatrix' with her own. Their fingers intertwined seconds later. Hermione choked back a tear, and lightly touched the image of her mother's face with two of her fingers. "She is beautiful."
Bellatrix nodded sadly. "Such a terrible loss; pureblood perfection hastily ripped from our world…but here you are, the product of such flawlessness…so Helen's death was not in vain." The dark witch's dejected behavior throughout the evening greatly irked the young witch. She had almost seemed listless and oddly calm; completely unlike how Hermione had seen her in the past. Reaching over to return the photograph to Bellatrix she was caught off-guard when the older woman pressed the photo back into Hermione's hands. "No, it's yours. Keep it."
"Bellatrix…I…"
"Call me Bella."
"Thank you…Bella…" She cherished the gift against her chest, and allowed herself to be gathered into the arms of the hardened Death Eater. The fleeting embrace was at first odd to Hermione, for the strong arms now wrapped around her had once tortured a couple to madness, been held together by corroded iron manacles in the depths Azkaban and even murdered a man named Sirius Black, a man she now knew was her paternal Uncle. But these arms also felt warm, sincere and welcoming. Fingers ran through chestnut strands of hair and Hermione cherished the closeness, pressing herself deeper into the embrace.
When they pulled apart, Bellatrix' hands went straight to her own neck, removing her silken choker. Carefully she slid off the bird skull charm that adorned it and held it in her palm. Using her wand she muttered an incantation Hermione had never heard before, "Loquor Specialis Unus" The tarnished charm glowed gently in her palm. She then pulled off a silver band from her one of her skeletal fingers. "Loquor Specialis Duo".
"If anyone tries to hurt you, especially those ghastly Weasel children, clutch the band tightly in your fist and think of me. Speak softly to the ring, and I will hear you. And they will have to answer to me." She hissed.
Fingers trembling, the younger witch allowed Bellatrix to place the band on her left ring finger. "Bella…this is all so new to me…you don't seem anything like who you were back at the department of Mysteries. Frankly I'm still a bit suspicious of your intentions…whatever they may be. I am glad however to know a bit more about who I am…but I still don't know who you are."
The angular jawbones of the dark witch's face twitched, as she looked off in the distance. "Who I was…was lost long ago...when your mother left this earth." She turned and faced the young witch. "It is late. And now you must leave."
Promptly Hermione conjured the image of Fleur's bedroom, and disapparated.
Hermione arrived to darkness, save for the meager moonlight streaming in through Fleur's window. The bedroom was empty but she could hear muffled voices from outside of the door.
Poking her head through its frame she was greeted by an unexpected sight. Sprawled across the daybed lay Bill Weasley, half covered by blankets, but his freckled skin was marred with numerous gashes and cuts. He was dirty and bloodied. Fleur sat by his side and was holding up one of his muscular arms, tenderly bandaging it with what appeared to be a cut up strips of a cotton t-shirt. The third person in the room, sitting by Bill's outstretched legs, was someone whom Hermione had never seen before. A dark skinned woman with jet black hair was cleaning a particularly deep wound on Bill's torso. She too, was covered with cuts, and much to Hermione's horror, Fleur was sporting four angry deep slashes across her cheek. The brunette sprinted over to her lover's side taking the French witch by complete surprise.
"'Ermione! 'Zank God you're all right! We 'eard 'zere was an attack on 'Ogwarts tonight! I was so worried!" Hermione gathered her lover into a vice-like embrace, never wanting to let go of the French witch. After the night she had, she wanted to kiss Fleur senseless, then and there.
"Yes, yes my love, I'm alright. Managed to find a good hiding spot and laid low until the death eaters left." She lied. "But forget about me, what has happened to Bill?"
The other woman looked up from her ministrations and gave Hermione a forlorn look. "He…he transformed tonight." Her accent caught the young witch off guard. It was American.
Fleur nodded. "'Ermione, 'zis 'eez Karana…Bill's girlfriend."
"You can call me Kara. Fleur has told me much about you Hermione." Now in better light, Hermione could see that her elegant face was exotic as was her deep caramel skin. Sleek sable hair fell in even pleats around her almond shaped face. Feathers and beads were woven into a few braids that dotted her scalp. Her left nostril sported a blue ring through it, and she wore an ornate choker made of shells. She drew in a deep breath. "Bill and I had met Fleur outside a bar in London for drinks tonight. That was our first mistake; we should have never left our apartment. As Fleur may have told you, I suffer from lycanthropy too…and well…Bill gave me his last dose of Wolfsbane…seeing as I had run out."
Hermione immediately looked out the open windows. The full moon gazed back down upon them through the glass. "Oh no…"
"H-he thought he could resist it…maybe he had enough dregs left in the vial to help him get through the night…as you can see, he was wrong." Kara choked back a sob. "It all happened so fast, we managed to get him to a secluded field before the transformation was complete, and struggled to subdue him. Fleur managed to knock him out with a stone before he took any really big bites."
Hermione's mouth was held agape. "Why is he here on your couch of all places Fleur? Surely you would've had him at hospital!"
Fleur absently leaned into Hermione's tense body and sighed. "We did take 'im to 'ospital. We apparated to St. Mungo's…when we 'ad gotten 'zere, we were denied a doctor."
"Denied?"
Kara hissed. "They took one look at him, saw our phylacteries, and turned us away. We were told the healers that deal with people like us had already gone home for the night. But from what I could gather, there are not many of them anyway. Left with no options, we came back here. I'm hoping to get to an apothecary in the morning." She ran a hand through her raven hair. "I don't even know if I have enough to cover our next vial of Wolfsbane…"
"'Zee Ministry 'as increased 'zee costs of such potions as of late mon ange…for 'zee 'alf-'uman population especially."
"Did you try apparating elsewhere? Outside of the Ministry's jurisdiction perhaps?"
"In the wake of the recent Death Eater attacks on your school, the Ministry has closed its borders. No international apparation is allowed for the time being…we're stuck here in England. I can't even go home to America. Hmmph as if Death Eaters will be deterred by a simple travel embargo."
Hermione's blood was boiling now. This turbulent night had gone from bad to worse.
"This is insanity." Her head was buried into her hands. Fleur gently kissed her temple and Hermione looked up into her lover's eyes. "Fleur…may I speak to you…alone?"
Fleur gave a slow nod, her actions making it appear as though she was expecting the worst. "Oui. Kara 'eez 'zere anyzing else I can get for you?" Kara only shook her head.
"Go on…I'll give a holler if something happens."
Hermione walked into Fleur's bedroom and sat herself down upon the plush comforter. Immediately upon contact with the soft fabric, the sobs came in waves and racked her body. All of the energy and emotion she had held in for the past few hours exploded forth in a violent wail. Fleur rushed to her side and cradled the brunette in her arms. A film of tears covered Hermione's eyes as she gazed deeply into Fleur's blue ones. "Are you alright 'Ermione?"
"I'd be lying if I said I was completely unscathed." Came the weak response.
"Mon ange…" Fleur began, tenderly caressing the top of her lover's head with her fingers. "What else 'appened tonight to put you 'eento such a state? Was 'eet 'zee Death Eaters."
"They killed her!"
"Killed 'er? What are you talking about? I 'ad 'eard no one was 'urt 'een 'zee attack tonight!"
"…Ch-ch-charity B-b-burbage…He killed her right in front of my eyes!"
"'Ermy…I…"
"And I did nothing, Fleur, NOTHING!" She screamed. "I sat amongst them…as if I was one of them…I did nothing."
"Who! 'Zee Death Eaters?" Fleur was beginning to grow frustrated.
"Gods Fleur, so much has been revealed to me tonight…I don't even know where to begin!"
"'Ermione…please calm down…"
"Where to begin! First of all…my parents, as you know, they are not my own…my real mother…oh god my godmother…I'm gonna be sick." Hermione sprang to her feet and made for the bathroom, promptly emptying the meager contents of her stomach into the toilet with a violent retching noise.
Fleur looked at her with intense distress. "You found out who your birth mother 'eez! 'Zat 'eez…wonderful non?" Hermione washed her face at the sink. The sting of the cold water like a slap to the face.
Shaking her head in a despondent manner, Hermione returned to Fleur's side, pulling out the weathered birth certificate from her pocket. Fleur read it closely in the dim light.
"'Ermione Athena Gaunt. Daughter of 'Elen Clytemnestra Gaunt and Regulus Arcturus…Black! You are a Black!"
Hermione nodded. "But they never married…I am first a Gaunt…Fleur…I…I…" She choked on the words as if they were lodged excruciatingly against her windpipe. "I promise that…I won't try to stop you from leaving me…after you hear what it is I want to tell you…"
"'Ermione my love, 'zere 'eez nuzzing you could possibly tell me 'zat would make me 'zink for once about leaving. I love you…"
"Merlin Fleur, you have no idea how happy hearing you say those words makes me feel…" Mustering a weak smile amidst her streaming tears, she kissed the French witch lovingly. "It is as you suspected…I am not a muggle-born…but a pure-blood. A amalgam of two of the oldest English blood-lines runs through my very veins."
"'Zat 'eez…good non?" Said Fleur, a bit unsure.
"Being pure-blood? That is the least of my concerns. What is alarming is that my blood bestows upon me the great distinction…" She swallowed hard. "…of being the last living relative of Lord Voldemort himself. My birth mother…she was his maternal cousin. Helen's aunt Merope Gaunt, was Voldemort's mother." Fleur could only stare blankly back at Hermione, her expression completely unreadable. Stifling yet another inevitable wave of sobs Hermione continued. "I also learned the identity of my Godmother…Bellatrix Lestrange. The Death Eater who tortured Neville Longbottom's parents to madness…the killer of Sirius Black."
"All of 'zis…revealed to you 'een one night!"
Hermione weakly nodded. "The attack on Hogwarts tonight, it was a diversion, drawing away the Aurors so I could meet with Bellatrix in the shrieking shack. Everything was revealed to me there, but our meeting was cut short by the return of the Aurors." She paused for a moment, trying to gauge Fleur's reaction but was finding this to be rather difficult. The blonde witch sat still as stone listening intently on each word. Nothing in her demeanor indicated to Hermione yet that Fleur was going to leave her, so she continued. "We side-apparated to Malfoy Manor…that is where I finally met…Him."
"You-Know-Who?" The three words were spoken slowly and with great trepidation.
"Yes…and he confirmed Bella's story. Fleur, I sat amongst them, as if I were one of them. God…I…I even…oh God…"
"What 'Ermione…what did you do?" Fleur began to frown.
"…performed the cruciatus curse on Lucius Malfoy…oh God…" His pain-stricken face flashed through her memories and she winced. "I'd never done anything like that in my life before. And the worst part of all…it felt good."
Fleur leaned in close, in a very serious manner. "An Unforgivable curse!"
"Yes! It was exhilarating…such a rush unlike anything I've felt before. I felt powerful; like nothing could stop me! And…I did it without my wand…performed purely by telekinesis. He didn't know it was coming. He disgusted me…I wanted to kill him Fleur…kill him where he sat. Wipe the smug features from his face."
Fleur recoiled. "'Ermy…'eet frightens me to 'ear you speak like 'zis…"
"It frightens me too my love…"
Fleur leaned in closer, her tone of voice deathly serious. "Did you join 'zem 'Ermione? Did 'e mark you? Let me see your arm! Immédiatement!!"
Rolling up her sleeves Fleur sighed with heavy relief to see the supple skin of Hermione's arms were unmarred. Fleur leaned down and pressed her lips to it and at once gathered the brunette into her arms. "What scares me…is that a part of me wants to…" Fleur held her at arms length giving Hermione a dubious stare.
"'Ermione…why would you consider such a 'zing!"
Hermione turned her head, desperate to look anywhere but the blonde's pleading eyes. "They…they want to bring down the Ministry…and…so do I. The Order…they cave to the Ministry's every whim. The Death Eaters can offer us protection. With the Dark Lord…I am not sure how I feel about the ends…but the means…"
"'Zis 'eez not about 'zee phylacteries 'eez 'eet?"
"I'm sure they can help you regain your freedom! Like I said…it is only a part of me that feels this way. I'm starting to see how unforgiving this world is that we've saved so many times over. He let me go…not once forcing me to swear an oath…or even to denounce the muggles. It almost felt as if he…cared about me." Hermione looked to Fleur, a wave of relief that the French woman had not once left her side. "It has felt like the entire world is against us my love…and now finally I find some answers…and acceptance…"
"I am not 'appy about all 'zat you 'ave revealed to me tonight…But knowing 'zat you are safe and wiz me…'eez enough to make me 'appy…and I am not leaving you. I know you'll 'zink 'zis 'zrough…'zee Ministry 'eez taking 'zis quite far. You are 'een a position to end 'eet…whatever you so decide…I will stand by you…just please…please be safe…you are all I 'ave left."
The Gryffindor grew incensed, tightly grasping onto her lover's soft hands. "The Ministry…the Order…the Weasleys…any one that has brought you harm…I want to make them hurt. Forget about the war…I only want the world to be a better place for us. I would tear down the sky for you my love."
"Oh 'Ermione!" Fleur kissed her passionately. Hermione kissed her back with every ounce of her strength, almost as if this particular kiss they shared at this very moment would be their last. When they parted Fleur spied the silver band on Hermione's hand. "Where did you get 'zis ring 'Ermy?"
"Bella…she charmed it…I can use it to call her to me whenever I wish."
"You could turn 'er 'een! What 'eez she 'zinking, giving you somezing like 'zis!"
"I don't know! She trusts me! She's…family." Hermione sighed. "I don't know Fleur…she's different around me. She has offered us her protection. And having seen her duel before…I'm glad to have it. She can keep us safe."
Fleur heaved a sigh, and looked longingly into Hermione's eyes. Fleur's fingers squeezed the brunette's as her expression had returned once more to sadness. "While we are being honest wiz each uzzer, 'zere are a few 'zings I 'ave neglected to tell you about 'zis evening's events ma belle…we didn't just face prejudice at 'zee 'ospital tonight…'zee bar we 'ad gone to…'zey…would not seat us. Claiming 'zey did not want to risk an incident, wiz people like us." Fleur frowned. "I suppose I am just as torn as you…"
Absently Hermione reached over with a trembling hand and traced the deep crimson scars that marred the French woman's right cheek. Four large gashes extended from near the top of her eyebrow, down across the corner of her mouth. Her lip had been split in the corner. Fleur whimpered in pain at the contact and shied away. "'Zey are 'orrible aren't 'zey? I just wish I knew some of 'zee proper 'ealing spells…"
Hermione continued her gentle caresses and slowly began to sing a melodic incantation, "Vulnera…Sanetur…Vulnera…Sanetur…Vulnera…Sanetur…" Soft warmth spread from the younger witch's fingertips where they probed the broken flesh, and the wounds slowly began to close on their own accord. After a few more gentle touches, all but one of the scars had completely vanished. A small notch across the right side of Fleur's lips was the only reminder of the evening's events. "It's nearly gone…if we could get our hands on some Dittany…we might be able to get rid of the final wound on your lip sweetheart." As she spoke, Fleur's attention was turned toward her own reflection in a mirror on the far side of her bedroom.
A tidal wave of adoration and gratitude washed over the quarter-veela as tears surged forth. "You truly are an angel." They clung to one another; Hermione feeling an overwhelming need to protect her lover. Her strong arms wrapped tightly around Fleur's back as if to shield her from the entire world.
"They might be able to help Bill…I'm sure I can get some Wolfsbane from the Death Eaters…maybe even Dittany. I won't lie to you Fleur, I plan to go back to them…I…want to know my godmother better…want to know more about who I am…and how I can help to stop the Ministy."
"Shhh…I trust your judgment…I promise…just please be safe." Fleur breathed into the skin of Hermione's neck.
"Oh! Here…look!" Hermione reached into her pocket and produced the photograph, handing it over to Fleur, who promptly unfolded it. "Bella had given it to me…it's my mother, Helen Gaunt. Isn't she beautiful?" Hermione murmured with a smile, leaning her chin on Fleur's shoulder. They watched the two women in the photograph in silence for a few minutes.
A joyful grin grew on the French woman's face. "Oh 'Ermy…you look just like 'er! Look mon amie, you are 'een 'zis picture too!" A slender finger rested upon the subtle roundness of Helen's pregnant belly, making Hermione smile. "And 'zis 'eez Bellatrix Lestrange? 'Zee Death Eater?" Hermione nodded. "'Zey look so peaceful togezzer."
"Yes…even Bella is beautiful here. It is a shame she has done such terrible things. It's strange, around me, it is as if she is a completely different person altogether."
Fleur looked up from the photo into Hermione's eyes. "'Zis year will not be an easy one for us will 'eet mon ange?" Hermione shook her head sadly.
Sensing the desolation in her lover's voice, Hermione wished to change the subject. "We…we should continue this conversation later my love…Kara and Bill need us…we should go to them. See if I can remember anymore healing spells" Fleur agreed, returning the treasured photograph to Hermione who pocketed the paper treasure once more. The blonde stood up extending a hand and Hermione couldn't believe it. Despite everything, Fleur was still standing by her side. She would take a knife to the chest for this beautiful, loving woman. She loved Fleur Delacour with every ounce of her being.
Things, she knew, were about to get very, very complicated.
A/N: Snuck in a line from FFXIII in there. "...tear down the sky..." 3 Oerba Yun Fang, she's kick-ass!
A/N 2: Race day is getting closer, so might be a week or so before the next update. Send tons of love (if you want...not that I'm egotistical and crave attention or anything XD) and hope that yours truly doesn't die of Hypothermia during the race on the 20th. Brrr...it's getting cold out there!
A/N 3: Totally invented the spell Bella uses to basically turn the two pieces of jewelry into communication devices. If this spell actually does exist...please let me know!
til next time...ttfn tata for now!