AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews for the last chapter. I'm glad to see so many people liking Draco and Hermione's relationship. I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter as well. :) It looks like we're still on track to wrap this story up February 1rst. Wish me luck. ;D

Major Beta love to DarkNorseLady.

12. Malfoy Manor Pt 2


The month passed quickly, and before she knew it, Hermione was waking up in the hedge maze the morning after the next full moon. After getting redressed, she spent several minutes just sitting, wrapped in a blanket she'd brought along, enjoying the crisp autumn air. After deciding next month she'd bring a book, she packed her bag and made her way back out of the maze.

She had no sooner exited the maze that she was pushed against the side of the hedges. When her eyes focused on her attacker, she had to suppress the urge to roll them. "What do you want Farkas?"

He smiled and leaned in closer to her. "How's your stay here been? I hear you've made friend's with that crazed black-haired witch. She's come to the Dark Lord asking if she can play with you a bit." He chuckled when she tensed. "Lucky for you, the Dark Lord left that up to me, and I don't want any unnecessary damages coming to my future mate."

"I'd choose death before submitting to you," her snarl, and move to bite him, showed how close to the surface her wolfish instincts still were.

"Careful my little mate," he roughly slammed her back against the hedge, "or that can be arranged. Can you imagine how it'd break poor Remus if I were to send him your broken body?" He smiled when she let out a small sob.

The next thing she knew, Farkas was on the ground writhing in pain, and a little over a yard away was Lucius with a sneer on his face, and his wand pointed at the werewolf.

"I believe it's time for you to leave," he ordered when he stopped the curse.

Farkas growled, but complied after turning to Hermione, "you're already mine, there is no use in fighting it."

Lucius stared at the still shaken girl for several seconds before clearing his throat. "I thought you could use an escort back to your room."

She silently nodded and followed him back toward the manor.

"Is she happy?" they were nearly to the manor door when he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione questioned.

Lucius cleared his throat and stopped walking. He turned to Hermione who had also stopped moving forward. "Is Calia happy? With your father I mean."

"Oh yes," her face lit up thinking about her parents. "She's very happy. Her and papa are perfect together. They're true mates, you know."

"True mates?"

"It's a wolf thing," she smiled, "it means that neither of them could ever find someone more compatible with them than the other."

"So she didn't have a choice?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head, "no, you always have a choice, but when presented with someone who you know is perfect for you, why would you choose anyone else?"

He nodded in agreement, "Is Lupin your true mate?"

"Yes," she looked wistful, "not every wolf finds theirs. Remus and I were fortunate. I'm even luckier that he pulled his head out of his arse and gave us a chance."

Lucius snorted, "you sound like her." He shook his head chuckling, "you remind me so much of your mother it's uncanny."

"That's what I've been told. Papa used to say I'd inherited the best traits from both of them, and my attitude from my mother." She laughed again.

"Well, Mrs. Lupin," Lucius offered her his arm, "I think it's time I escort you back to your room. You'll want to rest up before Draco returns home."

Taking his arm, she smiled brightly, "Thank you, Uncle Lucius."


It was Draco who met her at the entrance of the maze following her November transformation. True to her plan, and partially because she was nervous about running into Farkas again, Hermione had spent nearly two hours bundled up reading after waking up. Upon seeing Draco, she had a bright smile on her face, until she caught his somber look.

"What's wrong?" she took a moment to look him up and down, reassuring herself that he wasn't hurt.

"Potter, Lovegood, and Weasley were taken prisoner this morning. They're in the manor-" before he could finish the thought Hermione was already making her way toward the large house.

"Hermione, wait!" he called. She paused and turned toward him. "There is more you should know; it was your father who brought them here."

She shook her head. "No, that's impossible. H-he can't me helping the Dark Lord."

Her cousin moved to hug her, "I'm sorry Hermione, I needed to let you know before you went inside and saw him."

"He's in there?" she pulled away from Draco and turned to run, stopped only by his hand on her wrist.

"Yes, they're waiting for you and me to confirm the identities." he drug his free hand down his face, "I don't know what to do. I can't lie to them, but I also can't confirm it's him." Draco let out a small whine, "they'll kill him, Hermione."

"Follow my lead," she gave him a shaky smile, "It'll all be ok."


The first thing she noticed when she entered the Malfoy's drawing room was her papa and Liam standing in the far corner. She barely recognized the man before her. His normal rich brown hair hung limp and dull, and his face was scruffier than she remembered.

Not thinking about where she was, Hermione rushed forward. "Papa!"

He turned, and his face lit up seeing the girl coming toward him. That turned into a menacing growl when he watched her stop in her tracks, unable to move any further forward.

"Ah, Ah, Ah," Bellatrix cackled, "There is already one mongrel in this house. I think it's time for the other two to leave." Hermione shot her a glare causing her to laugh even louder. "Daddy wouldn't want to watch me crucio his pup, now would he?"

Fenrir growled and moved forward, only stopping when Liam placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He acknowledged that the beta wolf was right and turned to leave, but stopped to look back to Hermione, "I'm sorry, little one. You'll be home soon. I love you."

She fought back the tears as she nodded and watched her papa leave the room, before turning to take in the remainder of the room. The three Malfoys stood near the entrance she had walked through, with Bellatrix to their right. To their left stood Rabastan and Rodolphus with their wands trained on a dark-skinned young man and a Gringotts Goblin. Finally in the center of the room, and behind where Hermione had just been standing, stood Harry, Luna, and Ron. The latter two were bloody-faced, but Harry looked worse. His face was swollen to the point where it was difficult to be sure it was him.

"Now that that's taken care of," Bellatrix smirked at Hermione before turning to Draco. "Nephew, come here. I need you to confirm that this is Potter."

Draco stepped forward and spent several minutes just looking at Harry, before moving to briefly look at Luna and Ron. "I-I can't be sure. It might be, but they look different than I remember. Perhaps Hermione would be better to ask."

She stepped forward before prompted and looked at Harry for a long minute before turning to look at her uncle. "It's not them" she shook her head, "They're obviously decoys who have been polyjuiced. He doesn't smell like Harry."

Lucius considered that for a moment before turning to Bellatrix, "we should wait just in case she's telling the truth. They've been here for nearly thirty minutes, surely another half hour wouldn't hurt."

Bellatrix turned a feral grin on the small group and nodded, "That'll give me the perfect opportunity to question the girl about how she came to possess something that was in my vault." Lifting her wand, she began to crucio the blonde girl.

Hearing her screams echoing, Hermione moved to try to intervene before she felt strong arms wrap around her middle. Turning, she found herself looking into the grey eyes of Lucius.

"Draco, Narcissa. Take Hermione into the other room."

Hermione was too preoccupied with Luna's sobs to catch the look passed between Lucius and Narcissa.


"It's time," Narcissa whispered as she tried to calm the hysterical girl. "Hermione, listen to me. It's time to make your escape. You need to get you, Draco and the others out of here."

Hermione took a deep breath before nodding her head. "How am I going to do it? The wards will let me and Draco apparate, but I can't take that many people at a time."

"The elves," Draco spoke for the first time, "They can take everyone."

Narcissa nodded, "but first here, Hermione take this." She held out her wand. The younger witch tentatively took it. "Ok, I need you to stupefy me, so it looks like you escaped."

"Mother, you can come with us. It won't be safe for you to stay behind."

She shook her head, "I can't leave your father. I made an oath to stay with him through everything, and that's what I intend to do." she turned toward her niece, "surely you understand."

Hermione nodded. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "Ok, Draco, be ready to catch her. Stupefy," she whispered the spell and watched as her cousin gently lowered his mother to the floor of the entrance hall.

"Mazzy," she called a moment later. Instantly there was a small elf nervously wringing her hands in front of them.

"Yes Missy Hermy," the elf squeaked, "how may Mazzy be helping you?"

"Please get the elves together and make your way into the drawing room. I need you to gather all of the prisoners and get them out of here."

"Where are we going to go?" Draco looked at her skeptically.

Hermione worried her lip for a moment before an idea came to her. "The oldest Weasley son, Bill, had a lovely little cottage in Cornwall. It was an Order safe house. Let's go there. Mazzy, tell the elves to take everyone to Shell Cottage." The elf nodded and left as quickly as she appeared.

Moments later there was a commotion in the next room as the elves began apparating in. Draco and Hermione entered the drawing room to find it in complete chaos. Two of the elves had gotten the goblin and the other boy out and had just apparated back into the fray; the other two were locked in a battle with the Death Eaters in the room.

Thinking quickly, Hermione shouted expelliarmus at Bellatrix and grinned when the witches wand was in her hand. From behind her, she could hear her cousin doing the same to the Lestrange men.

Her momentary distraction was all that Bellatrix needed to rush forward and throw her to the ground, knocking both wands from her hand. That left both women to roll around the floor, punching and clawing at one another.

The commotion in the center of the room gave Draco the perfect opportunity to not only pick up the two wands from the floor but take the prisoner's wands from his father as well. It also gave the elves time to get the three remaining prisoners and Draco away from the manor.

Time seemed to slow as Hermione continued to try to push the crazed woman off of her. At one point Bellatrix managed to hit the younger witch's head off of the stone floor, causing her to feel groggy.

Just as Hermione was beginning to lose consciousness, she felt the other woman being lifted off of her, and Mazzy's bright blue eyes came into view. "Hold on Missy Hermy. Mazzy gots you now."