Hi and welcome back :) I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 10

It took them several months to come up with a plan they both thought was valid. Summer holidays had come and gone, and by now even Harry understood that Ginny had a problem with his and Hermione's living situation. Hermione offered to move out, but Harry was having none of it. He went as far as to strictly forbid her from it, for fear that her wish to serve him would still make her do it. He told her in no uncertain terms that he needed her with him and so Hermione wasn't left a choice other than to stay living with Harry. Not that it was a huge burden on her.

Hermione and Daphne decided to get the Weasley twins to help them, their inventiveness and passion for tinkering together with their knack for unconformity would make them the ideal people put some of their ideas in practise. Hermione also spent some time at her parents home, but she never could stay for longer than two or maybe three days. Her need to go back to her Master's side was too great to ignore for longer than that. She knew in that she had changed in the last few months, but she couldn't really seem to get herself to care. She liked feeling satisfied with herself, and while some of that came from her job and her new project with Daphne, not to mention the friendship she thought was slowly developing between them, she knew that she also felt happy and satisfied with herself because she accepted serving Harry as a major part of her life.

It wasn't even that much. As her Master insisted on cooking himself, she usually only got to prepare the kitchen for him and do the dishes afterwards, though sometimes he would do that himself as well. She cleaned up the living room regularly, though she suspected her Master left it a little untidy on purpose, to give her something to do, as it stopped her from fighting him for the right to cook. Sometimes she would read him out of a book in the evening, or help him with some research unrelated to the slave curse. Other than that, she served him by doing her job and through working with Daphne, because she knew that her and Daphne's goals where what he wanted as well.

There were of course downsides as well. Hermione knew she couldn't pursue a romantic relationship. Not that she didn't have the time to do so, but it would cause too much conflict with her obligations to her Master for her to fall in love with someone. As the only man she had truly thought of that way was dead by her hand, Hermione didn't necessarily see that as a bad thing. However, it also meant that her dream of having children of her own would not be fulfilled. Or her parents dream of grand children, that she knew they had. Sometimes, lying awake in her bed, she thought of those things, and tears started to form in her eyes. She was not unhappy with her life, but sometimes she felt lonely. It is not easy being the only one with a certain... problem. Harry knew, of course, but he couldn't understand. Not fully. Ron in his last moments had been the only one who could have, but he wasn't there.

"When will you start searching for a job and building up a new life?" Ginny asked without warning one evening after dinner. Harry had asked Hermione to leave the house to him and Ginny and she had promptly gotten an invitation to the Greengrass family for dinner. So it was just him and her. For the last half year they had had problems, some but by far not all of them due to his living with Hermione.

"I am not finished with my research yet." Harry said. It was true. He had finished in Hogwarts, but there was one more option for him to find something. It would take some time to get into there, but the library of the Department of Mysteries could be accessed by others, he knew that much. He would have to ask Hermione's help. He understood that Daphne's little sister Astoria had recently started as some kind of secretary in the Department, so maybe she could shed some light on how to get access. Sadly, Hogwarts had taken him longer than he thought, so he could kind of get were Ginny's impatience was coming from.

"You said that for half a year. What are you researching. You can't still be on the fence about that DADA Mastery. Harry, if something takes you this long to decide for, then maybe it's just not the thing you want to do?"

Harry didn't like lying to Ginny. But what else could he do? Telling her about Hermione was not really an option to his mind, he wanted to spare Hermione that kind of embarrassment, just as he wanted to spare Ginny the knowledge he had about her brother.

"Please, Ginny, I know and understand that you are impatient. But, please give me a bit more time." He begged with her.

Ginny sighed and looked at him seriously, her eyes fixing on his. "Tell me honestly, this has something to do with Hermione, doesn't it?"

Harry gulped and looked at her shocked, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her so he just said nothing.

Ginny nodded. "What is it with her? Some remainder from the war? Is that why you don't want her to move out either? If she has a problem, why doesn't she at least help you?"

"It's... complicated." Harry said, cringing when he head his own words. "She needs my help, but she cannot help herself. I know it sounds weird, but please, Ginny, believe me."

"I do." Ginny answered, which in all honesty was slightly surprising to Harry. She had grown out of her quick temper a lot over the last year. "But please, can you just tell me what it is, so I can truly understand? I promise I will be there for both of you, no matter what, just please, don't have secrets from me?"

Harry's heart broke as he continued to look into Ginny's brown eyes. His decision had been made not to tell her but it was then that he understood that their relationship would end. Slowly he answered. "I'm sorry, Ginny, but I can't tell you. It's... it's not my secret to tell."

Ginny looked back to him sadly, but nodded understanding. "Harry, I love you, I truly do. But I cannot be second best after Hermione Granger, for whom you don't even have romantic feelings. I understand that she is basically your sister, but there's the thing, she isn't really. I'm so sorry, Harry. I know you probably have the best, noble reasons. I just can't do it. I wish so much I could." She leaned over the table and gave him a kiss on the lips, before stroking over them with her thumb. Tears welled up in her eyes, just like in his own, Harry noticed.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I really wanted this to work."

As tears ran down her cheek, Ginny smiled "I know. Don't be sorry. We both must do what is right for us. You... you must stand by your sister. If we wouldn't be in this situation, I would be proud on you for that." She smiled another teary smile. "Good bye, Harry Potter. We had a nice time."

Daphne was confused when she couldn't find Hermione the day after she had dinner with her family. She started to be worried, when she couldn't find her three days in a row. On the fourth day, one of her co-workers walked up to her, when Daphne was on her way to her office. "Ms. Granger is out. She called in this morning that she had to take her holidays early. Some kind of family problem."

Daphne felt her eyes widen in surprise. She would have thought that Hermione would at least send her some kind of message. Or was it so serious. Daphne started to worry again, as she walked back to her own place of work. She looked up as she heard a soft 'hoot' coming from her desk. She had an owl waiting for her. She quickly took the letter and, recognising Hermione's handwriting, she tore it open and began to read quickly.

Dear Daphne,

I can't come to work right now due to a private matter of great importance. I'm sorry, I'm not sure when I will be back. I might have to find a new place to live as well after this. You'll have to work without me for a while. I'm really sorry.

Hermione

That didn't sound very good at all. Daphne always had the feeling that Hermione and Potter were closer than she was with Astoria, and that was quite the feat. Why would he throw her out of his home while she was having problems with her family. Or was this about Potter. Daphne had taken more of a liking to Hermione than she had expected to. In fact, ever since Tracey's family had fled to America when the war heated up, Hermione had been the only one Daphne saw as a friend. She still had contact with Tracey, of course, through letters and she had even visited her once, but it wasn't the same.

It was the evening of the next day, when Daphne apparated to the shore, about where Hermione's home should be. Some strong control she had over her emotions, Daphne thought, held out a full day before becoming to worried. She wasn't even sure Hermione saw her as a friend. She, after all, had Potter and the Weasley family. Still, Daphne approached the house. It was a nice house. She knew it was Potter's so she begrudgingly had to give him some style points for that. She was just about to knock, when she heard voices from inside.

"Please, Harry, just let me move out and stop that crusade of yours, then you can get back together with Ginny." Hermione shouted, tears evident in her voice.

Potter's voice just as loud. "We've been over this Hermione, stop blaming yourself for Ginny breaking up with me. She just wouldn't have been the type to accept the place you have in my heart, even if she had known about everything. Just stop blaming yourself. I made a decision," Daphne cringed when she heard Potter's voice grew colder, "I thought you were not supposed to question those." Daphne was confused. Was Potter out of his mind? She had known Hermione for less than a year, and she already knew that she would not like being talked to like that.

But then, to Daphne's shock she heard Hermione reply in a much calmer voice, that still carried enough for Daphne to hear. "I know I'm not, Master." Master? Master? What was going on here. Hermione continued. "But..."

Potter interrupted her. "No, no buts Hermione. You will stay living here, stop objecting or asking for me to throw you out. Tomorrow you will go back to work. I know how much you like it there, I don't want you to lose your job because you think you have to take care of me. I will be fine. Clear?"

Daphne gulped as she waited for Hermione's answer. Hermione stayed silent for a while, then she Daphne could hear "Yes, Master."

Instead of knocking like she had wanted to, Daphne quickly apparated away, a million questions on her mind.

The next day, Daphne didn't wait for her lunch break to go visit Hermione's office. She knocked and heard her friends voice from inside. "Come in."

Daphne opened the door and Hermione said. "Daphne, it's you. Nice to see you. Sorry that I couldn't make the last few meetings." Hermione smiled, but Daphne noticed that her eyes weren't involved in the smile. Daphne turned around to put a silencing charm on the door. Hermione seemed mildly surprised, but didn't comment. It wasn't unusual for Daphne to do this when she wanted to discuss plans that couldn't come out.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sorry for worrying you."

Daphne shook her head violently. "No, Hermione, I mean it. Are you alright? Do you need to move out? You can live with me and my family for a while." Daphne quickly offered.

Hermione eyes fell down to her table. "Thank you, but I can't. I have to stay with Harry."

"Did you two have a fight?" Daphne pressed on.

"What? No, of course not." Hermione said without looking up. "How do you get that idea."

Daphne reached over the table to grab Hermione's hand with her own. "Hermione, I know we haven't been friends for long, and maybe you are not yet at the point where you call me your friend." Hermione looked up with wide eyes, as if to try to contradict her and Daphne smiled. "Or maybe you are. But you can trust me. If Potter is giving you any problems, you can tell me."

Hermione's eyes darkened, and Daphne knew she had said the wrong thing. "Harry isn't giving me any problems." She insisted.

"Then why did you think you have to find a new place to live."

"I... I..." Daphne knew she was close. Hermione eyes had started to tear up and her hand was slightly shaking inside Daphne's.

Hermione seemed to collect herself. "Thank you, Daphne, but I can't talk about that."

"Hermione..."

"No, just forgot that I told you about it. I have to stay with Harry. Please leave it at that." Hermione seemed to become angry.

"Have to, but not want to?"

Hermione looked at her, Daphne could recognise the shock in her face for a brief moment, before she caught herself. "It doesn't mater."

"Because he said you had to stay with him?"

"How would you know what he did or didn't say?"

Daphne looked down guiltily for a moment, but then her resolve hardened and she looked back up into Hermione's eyes. "I was worried, so I came by your place yesterday and heard you shouting. I heard how Potter treated you. He basically ordered you to stay living with him and come to work today."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and she started shaking harder than before. "Hermione, what is going on between the two of you?"

"You have to leave now. Nothing is going on between us. You misheard."

"I didn't mishear, Hermione."

"Then you misunderstood."

"I didn't."

"You did. Harry treats me as well as I could wish for."

But Hermione was still shaking. Daphne looked at her for a long time. Then she quietly asked "Don't you mean 'Master'?"

That got her the desired effect of Hermione breaking down. Not that she enjoyed that, but she knew it was necessary to find out how to help her. What she hadn't expected was that Hermione would after few sobs suddenly fall to the floor, hitting her head hard on the desk, before starting to shake violently.

Daphne ran around the desk and kneeled down beside her friend, cursing herself for not being more careful. But of course, she knew everything best. She had to get her friend to break down. "Hermione, Hermione, what is wrong?" she tried and was admittedly surprised when Hermione's eyes focused on her before she started babbling.

"I failed him. I failed him again. I am useless. Useless..."

"You are not useless, Hermione..."

"I am, I am... I failed Harry again... I failed him... He is unhappy because of me... I made him unhappy... It's my fault... mine... betrayed his secrets... my fault... all my fault... bad... failure... useless"

Hermione became incoherent. Daphne needed to decide what to do. She couldn't help Hermione. It seemed she was on some kind of guilt trip, for something that had happened to Potter. Judging from what she overheard yesterday, she would have thought something about Ginny Weasley. But that would only explain the first part of Hermione's string of expressions. What was that about betraying his secrets? Had Potter had a secret and Hermione had told Weasley and that's why they broke up? No, that doesn't make sense. Then Daphne jerked as she finally understood. It was about herself. That's why she broke down after Daphne mentioned the word Master. She wasn't supposed to know. She knew a secret of Potter and she wasn't supposed to know. Her eyes grew wide. This was her fault.

Daphne became panicked. What could she do? She drew her wand and cast a calming charm on Hermione. Her babbling seemed to lessen a bit so Daphne tried a stronger one. It had some effect on her shaking. Maybe if she could be calmed down enough, Daphne could make her sleep and bring her... somewhere. St Mungo's? Daphne wasn't sure. This didn't seem to be a physical problem to her. The only other idea she could come up with was Potter, and as she didn't understand the situation yet, so she wasn't too keen on that either. Finally she decided to bring her to her home under sleeping charms, and go talk to Potter. Her sister had the day off, so she could care for Hermione for a while.

Thirty minutes later she stood in front of the same door she hadn't knocked on yesterday. This time however, she did knock. It took a while, but finally Potter opened. He seemed surprised and said "Ms. Greengrass, Good Morning. I'm sorry, Hermione is at work today."

"She isn't" Daphne answered calmly.

Potter's eyes widened a little, before narrowing dangerously. "What do you mean?" There was an unspoken threat in his voice, and Daphne couldn't fully suppress a sliver of fear starting up inside her.

"She... broke down this morning." Daphne thought herself a good judge of people but this time, that wasn't needed. A blind man could have seen the worry in Potter's eyes. "She is asleep at my family's home."

Potter looked at her. "What do you mean, broke down?"

"She fell to the floor and started shaking, as if she had a seizure, then she started babbling. Something about failing you, causing you unhappiness, betraying you..."

With a jerk Potter jumped up. That had happened before, Daphne concluded. "Bring me to her." It was not a command, though it was phrased as one. He was actually begging with her. The mighty Harry Potter, begging. "Please. I need to tell her that everything is alright. She won't calm down before."

"So this happened before?" At the urgency in Potter's eyes, Daphne shook her head. "Sit down. She woke up from the sleeping charm I put on her, I admit, probably due to a nightmare, but my sister gave her some dreamless sleep potion. She will be fine for a few hours."

Potter looked at her for a long time, then reluctantly, as it seemed, sat down. "Now, tell me what's wrong with her?"

Potter looked up. "No. Sorry, that is her secret."

"Funny, when she thought I knew what it was, she said it was yours." Daphne said.

"What do you mean?" Potter asked.

Daphne ignored the question for now. She wanted to know more about Potter before trusting him with anything about Hermione. Though until now, he said all the right things. "I know you are combing top to bottom through every library you can get your hands on. You are not researching for DADA. You are looking for something. There is something wrong with her and you are trying to fix it, aren't you?"

Potter didn't move, but his silence told her all she needed to know. "You spend so much time on it that your girlfriend even broke up with you?"

He raised his eyebrows. "How do you know?"

Daphne ignored the question ones more. "That's why Hermione feels responsible?"

He looked at her for a long time, then he nodded.

"So tell me what is wrong with her?"

"No, maybe if she agrees, and she wants you to know, she will tell you. But I won't."

Daphne sighed. "Potter, I suspect we are on the same side here. She is the only friend I found ever since the Davis family fled the country. I don't want to lose her. I'll help you with your research or whatever. I just want to know so I can help her."

Potter looked at her for a long time. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry, but I don't trust you."

"And I don't trust you, so I can't let you to her before you tell me what is wrong with her?"

Potter's eyes widened once more. He seemed to think. As if to buy himself more time, he asked "You seem to know a lot. How is that?"

Daphne sighed. "I was worried for her and came here yesterday. I heard you shout."

"That's why you don't trust me with her?" Potter concluded.

Daphne nodded. "Would you?"

"What did you hear?"

"Enough." Daphne said stubbornly. Potter narrowed his eyes again, but Daphne didn't cave. "Tell me what's wrong with her."

Potter looked back to her impassively. Ten seconds... twenty seconds... Daphne grew impatient. She knew she needed Potter to help Hermione. And she nearly had him. She just hoped the next bit of information would not cause the same reaction as it had in her friend. "I heard her call you 'Master'."

To her relieve a look of distaste crossed Potter's face at the word. He sighed. "During the war... near the end... Hermione was hit with a very... complicated and weird curse. It... it made her my slave."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "Yours?"

"Since the end of the war we found out that it enslaves the victim to the most powerful magical user in proximity. That was me."

"Ok, what do you mean when you say she is your slave? I mean, she seems normal enough to me when she is not, you know..."

"Breaking down or calling me her Master?"

"Yes." Daphne confirmed.

"Well, she has to obey my orders. As you probably heard yesterday." Daphne remembered her surprise when Hermione had accepted the way Potter had talked to her. "Even if she doesn't want to. Her personality and everything was mostly left untouched by the curse. As far as I can understand from her behaviour and could find out in books, the spell just infuses the slavery as addition into the core of the victims existence. They know they are a slave and they can't do anything about it, even if they might not like it. It's hard to completely understand. I assume Hermione is the only one who could, but I am not sure that she actually does."

"Try to explain what you know." Daphne said calmly.

"She has to obey orders. Even if she isn't ordered around, she still has a need to serve me and keep me happy. She puts me before anything else in her life. She also has some ideas of how she should behave around me or treat me."

"Calling you Master for example." Daphne suggested.

"For example. She also has to kneel in my presence to show her subservience. If she doesn't at least from time to time, she feels she is being disrespectful. If that continues she starts feeling bad. Thinking of herself as a bad slave and so on. We tried, ye me ordering her to call me Harry and behave like she always had around me. It led to about the same situation she is in now."

Daphne nodded. She could kind of understand why Potter hadn't wanted to tell. If that got out, no one would hire Hermione, her being basically nothing more but Potter's puppet in their eyes. From a political point of view it was also a problem, Daphne thought idly. The brightest Muggleborn of her generation reduced to a slave of at least a Half-blood. Daphne shuddered at the thought of what ideas this might give some of the pureblood hardliners in the Wizengamot. From that point of view, she also understood why Potter and probably Hermione agreed to tell no one about the spell or its effects.

"So yesterday..." Daphne started.

"I tried to get her to stop trying to sacrifice herself for me. I have to do this, I have to find a way to free her. You understand? I knew it would put a strain on my relationship with Ginny, but it was my decision. She tried for days to convince me to kick her out and then explain everything to Ginny and forget about her. She was becoming more and more hysteric. I didn't know how to calm her down. I thought if she went to work and could meet with you, she would feel better. That's why I put my foot down yesterday evening."

"Well, I guess the breakdown was more my fault than yours, Potter. I was worried after what I heard. I pestered her. She refused to tell me anything, so I let it slip that I heard her call you Master. I never imagined that her reaction to knowing her secret, which she sees as yours, would be that."

Potter looked at her for a long time. "Daphne, this can't come out."

"I won't say a word to anyone. Hermione is my friend. Trust me. I wouldn't hurt her. And if that is not enough for you, all my political goals would become much more difficult to reach if this became public knowledge."

Potter stood up again. "Can you bring me to her now?"

"To do what? She will be asleep for a few hours."

"I just want to be there for her."

Daphne looked at him. "Alright, in a moment. What do you want to tell her once she wakes up."

"Tell her that it wasn't her fault, I guess. And so on." Potter scratched the back of his head.

Daphne looked at him with a frown. "Because that worked so well over the last three days?"

Potter looked at her sullenly. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Yes. You want her to feel better. Tell her that you need her help. That she can't move out because it would make it harder for her to serve you. That she is a good slave."

Potter looked at her in disgust. "I know you don't like it, me neither, but it's what she needs to hear right now, if I understood your explanation correctly."

Potter stood there for more than a minute, looking down at Daphne who was feeling quite small just sitting there, but who also couldn't really summon the strength to get up and in his face. Finally he sighed. "Ok, let's try it your way. But only as a temporary solution."

I hope you enjoyed reading :) I assume most of you saw a conflict about Ginny coming, seeing that it was hinted at last chapter. The 11th chapter will be the last full chapter while the 12th will be shorter and will close the story.