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This has been beta read by MadamKitten. She is the best!
Enjoy chapter 11
Chapter 11
"Come on Durashka!" Antonin yelled in frustration.
"I'm sorry! I'm trying!" Hermione shouted.
It had been three days since Draco had told them that Luna's father was dead. In that time, Hermione had tried to learn the Cruciatus curse. Antonin had been a patient teacher the first day, but when she didn't get any closer to holding the curse, he was very close to losing his mind.
"You have to learn the curse Hermione!" Antonin said while pulling at his dark hair.
Oh Merlin, he called me by my name, he's mad now, Hermione thought.
"I just can't do it, I'm distracted! I feel bad for Luna. It's not fair that Draco can attend her father's funeral, but I can't. I want to go, Luna's my friend! It's the only thing I can think about right now." Hermione sadly said.
For three days she had tried to visit Luna, but Rabastan insisted that it wasn't safe. He had kept her in Malfoy Manor the entire time, trying to get her mind off it, but it didn't work.
"Please Antonin, just let me attend! I'll go as Luciana. The won't notice me. Not even if there's anyone from the Order." Hermione said pleadingly.
"Nope, you're not allowed to go. Rabastans orders." Antonin said.
"Please Antonin! Rabastan Isn't even here right now! I'll be quick, I promise! He won't notice that I'm gone." Hermione said, and it was true. Rabastan was out with his brother on a mission, and would not be home until later tonight.
"Hermione, no!" he said.
"Please Antonin, she was the only one of my friends who wanted to visit me. Please, I promise you, as soon as I have paid my respect, then we will go back, and I will master the Cruciatus curse. Just please, let me go, you can go with me, be my bodyguard, then nothing will happen to me." Hermione said.
"Damn you Durashka! Quit complaining and go up and change. We will go there and then straight back, not a word to Rabastan. He will have my head on a platter if he knows about this!" Antonin said and groaned.
"Oh thank you Antonin! I'll be just a minute!" Hermione said and quickly ran up to her room to put on a black dress. She really wanted to visit Luna. Draco had already gone over there to help her, but she would be able to make it to the funeral.
"Done, are you ready?" Hermione said when she reappeared in the room.
"Not done, drink your polyjuice potion, you cannot go as Hermione." Antonin said.
"Oh! Right! I almost forgot!" Hermione said and blushed, before she quickly took a sip of the potion.
"Better now?" she asked after a couple of minutes.
"Yes. You look like a Malfoy now." he said, and took her arms, and apparated away.
When they landed they were in a huge field.
"You could have warned me before just apparating away!" Hermione said, and tried not to throw up.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Antonin grinned.
"Fuck you." Hermione said, and groaned.
"No thank you, then Rabastan would kill me. And you, my girl, are definitely not worth that." Antonin grinned, and pulled Hermione after him.
"Hey, I can walk on my own, thank you." Hermione said, and pulled her arm out of his reach. He just chuckled a bit, when she begun to sway a bit.
"Can you?" he grinned.
"Shut up, and help me please?" she said, and felt like she was spinning around.
"Here, take my arm." he said.
"Thank you, what a true gentleman you are." she said mockingly.
"Be careful Durashka, or we will go home right away." he threatened.
"Sorry, where are we? This does not look like where the Weasleys live, and I know they live close to Luna." Hermione said.
"Draco told me last night where the funeral was to be held. The Order has taken up residence in the Lovegood Estate, Luna's father, has to be buried out here. Luna wanted him to be buried next to her mother back at her home, but the Order kicked her out. They needed the Lovegood Estate to be a safe house apparently." Antonin sneered.
"Oh Merlin, poor, poor Luna. Why do they keep on doing that?" Hermione said, and felt her heart bleed a little by that. Poor Luna, oh she wished she was able to help her.
"The Order is a manipulating bunch of idiots, they take what they can, and give nothing back. Lunas father was on a mission for them when he got hit by a nasty curse. I don't know who hit him with it, but I do know that whatever curse hit him, got him very sick. His magic started to attack him, and it cost him his life in the end." Antonin said, as they started to move up a hill.
"I have never heard about a curse like that, and how do you know all of this?" Hermione asked and looked at him.
"Draco told me, and I have not heard about a curse like that either. It's strange, I know about a lot of curses, and have created a fair bit myself, but I have never heard about a curse that attack one's own magic. Draco has a theory about it, but you can talk with him about it later on. Look." Antonin pointed in front of her, and she could see Draco standing there by a lonely tree, with Luna by his side.
Hermione started to walk up to them, but stopped, when Antonin didn't follow.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked.
"No, you go, I'll cover you, we don't know if anyone from the Order will show up. Better to be prepared." he said, and pulled his wand.
"Fair enough." she said, and moved to stand by close to Draco.
"Hello Draco, Miss Lovegood." Hermione politely said.
"Luciana, what are you doing here?" Draco surprisingly said.
"I have come to pay my respect for your friend, is there no one else here but you two?" Hermione asked, while looking around.
"No one so far, the priest was here, but had to go, so we are just standing here saying goodbye." Draco whispered to Hermione.
"I know it's you Hermione, the Nargles told me you would come, and I'm glad you did." Luna said with sadness in her voice.
"Luna, I'm so, so sorry, I wish I could have been there for you" Hermione said and moved over, and pulled her into a hug. The blonde witch hugged her back, and the tears started to fall.
"I'm sorry too, I wanted to visit you, but I was told not to. No one wanted to go, and the Order was very insisting. They didn't want anyone to visit you, I don't know why. But every time I tried to ask Harry or Ron, they just kept on saying no, and that they couldn't. Then I tried to ask Ginny for help with my father when he got ill, I thought she and I were friends, but she wouldn't help me. Said she was busy. I don't think they like me anymore." she said and started to sob.
"I'm so sorry Luna." Hermione said and started to cry with her.
"You know, your friend doesn't have to stay down there, he is more than welcome to come over." Luna said.
"Antonin! Are you coming?" Hermione yelled. The Russian didn't answer, but started to walk over to them, all the while, he kept looking behind him.
"Luna, this is Antonin Dolohov, Antonin, this is my friend Luna Lovegood." Hermione said, introducing the two to each other. '
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Antonin said, and kissed her hand, like a pure gentleman.
"Same to you." Luna replied.
They stood there in silence for a while.
"I hate to break it Durashka, but we should be heading back now." Antonin said.
"You're right, Luna where are you staying now that the Order has taken your home?" Hermione asked.
"I don't have anywhere to go. I guess I'll rent a room somewhere. Perhaps The Three Broomsticks has a room I could stay in. They do have very good hot chocolate you know." Luna said.
"Absolutely not, you are coming home with me to the Manor." Draco said.
"What would your mother and father say to that?" Luna asked sadly.
"I'm sure they don't mind Luna, they took me in, I can't see why they would say no to you." Hermione said, and took Luna's hand, squeezing it.
"If you're sure I won't be a burden, then I suppose that would be alright." Luna said and looked at Draco.
"You won't." Draco said and moved over to the blond witch.
"Goodbye Daddy, I will see you and mother again someday." Luna said, and kissed her hand, before resting in on the tombstone.
"Come Luna, let's get you to the manor" Draco said, and apparated them away.
"Are you ready to go home?" Antonin asked Hermione.
"Yes, and I want to try to use the Cruciatus curse again. I'm ready this time." she said.
"Sure Durashka" he answered with a sigh. He took Hermione and apparated them back to Malfoy Manor.
They went into the sitting room, where Narcissa held a sobbing Luna in her arms.
"Where's Draco?" Hermione asked.
"You know boys and men, they are not comfortable around a women who cries. Draco never has been. He's with Lucius, they are preparing a room for Miss Lovegood." Narcissa said.
Hermione knew Luna was in good hands, so she went over to Antonin, and started to walk towards the room, where they had previously been. Antonin followed, and only made it through the door, and closed it, before Hermione screamed.
"CRUCIO!"
Antonin felt the familiar pain from the curse, and was amazed. It was very powerful, and he fell on the floor in pain.
Hermione could feel the power in the curse, and she poured all of her emotion into it. The hatred towards the Order, the way they kicked Luna out of her own home. She was mad, and she enjoyed the power she had over the other wizard.
"Hermione, enough!" she heard a familiar voice say, and she felt a hand on her wand arm. She lowered her arm, and felt the power rush through her. She turned around, and was pulled into Rabastan's chest.
"You're back." she sobbed, she was beyond angry and sad, and the tears just would not stop flowing.
"Antonin, are you okay?" Rabastan asked over Hermione's head.
"Just fine, next time, it's you who get to act like a test rabbit. That was a powerful Cruciatus curse, thank Salazar, that you are on our side." Antonin said towards Hermione.
"You're not mad at me?" Hermione asked, while looking at the other wizard.
"No, you had to learn, and you did." Antonin mumbled, as he tried to get up, but he gave up.
"Do you need help?" Rabastan said.
"Nope, I'm alright, just fancy a bit of a rest here on the cold floor." Antonin said.
"Do you need anything?" Hermione asked concerned evident in her voice.
"Just some peace would be nice." he said and closed his eyes.
"I'll see you in the morning." Rabastan said, and apparated Hermione back to their room.
"Are you sure he's alright?" she asked.
She saw Rabastan move over to take his robe of.
"You just hurt his ego a bit, he'll be fine." Rabastan said, and went over to her.
"Rab, I went out today, with Antonin. I know you said it wasn't safe, but I had to go." Hermione said.
"I know, I saw Miss Lovegood in the sitting room with Narcissa, and I figured you had something to do with it." he said.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked, looking at her hands in her lap.
"I am a bit upset, but you only did what you felt was right. I just don't want to see you get hurt or worse. I would lose it if something happened to you" he said, while taking her hands in his.
"You mean everything to me Hermione. I never thought I would get to know love like this, but now that I have, I'm terrified. I'm terrified of losing you." he said, and kissed one of her knuckles.
She felt new tears welling up in her eyes, but this time it was not because she felt sad, but because she felt loved.
"I love you Rabastan." she said, as she threw her arms around his neck.
"I love you too Hermione."
