Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. No amount of wishing/ dreaming/ praying/ begging/ pleading/ grovelling is going to change that... unfortunately.

A/N Thank you so so so so so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited! It is much appreciated.

-In response to guest anon: I'm really glad you've enjoyed it so much! Your review really made me smile. Now, as to the fire... I mean it both literally and figuratively. Hermione and Charlie can manipulate the physical fire... but since Hermione is really skilled and Charlie is getting there, they can convert "inner fire" or emotions like love, protectiveness, and fury (not hate) into physical fire. Hermione needed the fire to try to heat the potion to the point of uselessness inside of her body... kind of like denaturing a protein... She had to wait to destroy it, so that she could be sure that she completely exterminated it and it didn't affect Draco anymore.

-In response to guest LinkisntZelda : Merci beaucoup! Ton commentaire m'a rendu heureuse! Tu es tres aimable.

Ton anglais n'est pas mauvaise, est comprehensible. Je suis desole, si mon francais est terrible, je l'ai etudie dans le lycee l'annee derniere.

In response to guest anon's second review/other readers that were anxiously awaiting this update: I AM SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. I started writing this chapter two days after the last update, but I had writer's block for the one day afterwards that I had time to write before being swamped with final projects. Then grad night was this weekend and didn't quite find time to finish and post this chapter until now, so yeah, sorry...

Alright so, this chapter is going to involve a bit of Marlene, Uncle Fili, Aunts Minnie and Poppy, and Uncle Frank and Aunt Allie. PS sorry for the long author's note and the long wait...

... At Hogwart's ...

Unknown to the general populace, Albus Dumbledore hated mornings, absolutely despised them. Among the few that knew, however, was the Hogwarts staff as there were many things one came to notice about others after being around them for so many years. The entirety of the staff knew that the earliest they could expect to see him during the holidays was noon, and that was only if there was some sort of emergency meeting he absolutely needed to attend or simply couldn't find a way to excuse himself from it or postpone it to later in the day. Usually, it frustrated a substantial portion of the Hogwarts staff. Today, however, this little fact would benefit three members of the staff very, very much.

In their personal rooms, two formidable witches and one rather talented half-goblin wizard were awakening in their beds with a rather frightful headache, along with a stream of forcibly, unwillingly forgotten memories. To say that they were not in a forgiving mood would have been a gross understatement. They wanted to murder one Albus Dumbledore, not that the others knew. It was six in the morning. They planned to wait until breakfast to talk to each other and subtly discover whether anyone else remembered, but, in all honesty, it was eating at them. Slowly, painfully consuming their patience and sanity. They needed to know..

They all exited their rooms at the same time. So busy and distracted were they, worrying about what excuse they would use to justify a visit to their friends' private rooms that they failed to notice each other's presence in the hallway, until they collided quite painfully in the middle of the hallway and fell back onto the floor groaning in pain. Damn it! So much for subtlety. They looked around warily, hoping that they hadn't woken any of the others, specifically that bastard Severus. That would definitely get them into trouble. With relief, they noted that nothing seemed to be stirring. Seeing everything remained quiet, they picked themselves off the stone floor.

"Memories?" Filius asked softly, eyeing the two witches in identical, differently colored bathrobes. He recognized them as their last Christmas gift from Lily.

They nodded sadly. In silent agreement, they walked into the nearest private chambers, which just so happened to be Minerva's. They settled heavily into the armchairs she had in her antechamber. They needed to talk, but they weren't quite ready for that yet. Everything they had believed for years had been a lie. They had been manipulated so perfectly, they felt violated... and oh so murderous. They wouldn't be able to discuss anything freely here, they knew.

Albus was quite the piece, and they remembered discovering it for themselves now. They remembered confronting him. They remembered the iciness that had formed between their once rather friendly acquaintance. They remembered now. They remembered, and they knew they had much to discuss. Three pairs of had a silent conversation and came to an accord: they needed to go away before a tiny accident happened to the white-bearded bastard that called himself headmaster. Minerva took a deep breath before speaking.

"I think we might need to actually take advantage of the two months of holidays we have left... How about we go to McGonagall Manor, until it's time to come back for the school year?" Minerva suggested with a soft smile.

"I think that's perfect... I'll leave Albus a note that I am leaving to Gringotts, you can send him a patronus once you're home that you'll be spending the rest of the Hols there with Poppy for some girl time, or whatever it is that you women do..." Filius mused.

"Perfect, we should leave everything here. I think a shopping day would do us some good... Besides, we need to prepare for all the upcoming birthdays!" Poppy squealed, making Filius and Minerva smile at her amused.

She always did this when she was upset. Shopping and helping others, she said, always helped soothe the nerves. Personally, Minerva and Filius much preferred hexing things, but they couldn't very well do that at the moment. They could do that once they were within the safety of the McGonagall wards.

"You do know that stores don't open until at least nine?" Minerva reminded Poppy.

"Well we can have breakfast at your place, and then we'll go shopping!" Poppy replied, beaming at her solution.

Minerva opened her mouth to retort, but Filius smoothly cut in. Those two could spend hours bickering and jesting with each other, and frankly he wasn't looking forward to waiting for them to be done. He bid them farewell and asked to meet at the Hog's Head in fifteen minutes.

...In Irun, Spain (near border of Spain and France)...

"Ugh did I get ran over by a truck?" Marlene asked herself, sitting up on her bed of the one room flat she had bought so many years ago after tragedy had struck and plagued her life.

For a long time, Marlene had been an utter mess, and, much to her shame, she had to admit she still was. For years, she had believed that her father had been tortured to death, her baby boy and her god-daughter had been slaughtered, and her husband had gone insane with the tragedy and become the murderer of innocent muggles, but now she wasn't so sure.

She remembered some things that just didn't add up, not to mention that now, when she thought of going back to England and facing the past, she wasn't revolted by the thought. She no longer felt repelled by the thought of returning to England. HOLY FLYING MANTICORE SHIT!! A repulsion charm, really?

She couldn't believe how stupid she had been! She had just believed everything and gone on her not-so-merry way! In her defense, it had been Peter who had told her, but still! She should have at least gone to see what had happened inside Lily's house. She shouldn't have just ran away when she heard they had all been killed inside, and that Sirius had disappeared after hearing the news. She should have gone to their funeral. She shouldn't have left, but by the time she had realized that Peter hadn't told her the complete truth, seeing as baby Harry had survived, it had been too late. She couldn't even begin to fathom returning to England. She didn't have anything to go back to. Harry wouldn't remember her anymore. He was already eleven, and going off to Hogwarts.

Now, however, she'd be damned if she didn't return to England. She had a rat to fry for lying to her and placing a repulsion charm on her. She had answers to find, and she knew just the witch who wouldn't give her any bullshit: Minerva McGonagall. She would arrange for everything to be set for her permanent departure to England tomorrow. She had stuff to pack, a sucky waitress job at a muggle cafe to quit, and a flat to put up on the market.

...back at McGonagall Manor...

7:13 AM

"Minnie, I wan't sure how to contact you, but our Mina used it nah so long ago... I didn' remember we coul' do tha'! Anyway, we needa talk... I'm at the Manor... floo call me, yeah?" Tom's voice rang out clearly from the glowing horse patronus.

Three pairs stared at it flabberghasted. They weren't the only ones, and he knew where Mia was! Maybe he knew where little Alex was too! The two witches looked at each other excitedly, nearly bouncing up and down in their joy. Filius looked at his two friends amused. He hadn't seen them so happy and full of life since they had last held their favorite students' children.

"Let's go then!" Poppy cried, pulling Filius and Minerva towards the floo.

As expected, Tom immediately answered their call, and was quite surprised to find all three of them together and at McGonagall Manor. They had a short twenty minute argument, consisting of the three demanding that Tom tell them everything there was to know immediately, and him refusing just as avidly. Filius finally realizing that they weren't getting anywhere suggested that Tom come over for dinner so that they could talk afterwards. Tom instantly agreed.

...McKinnon Manor...

8:30 AM

Tom looked on in disbelief as he saw his grandchildren stepping out of the floo, followed by a blonde, who had to be part veela, and then Sirius, Harry, and a gang of redheads, who could only be Weasleys. He stood there mouth agape as he took in Hermione's gradually darkening hair. It was almost brown, but it wasn't quite there yet. He didn't really have time to ponder why that would be, as he took in Hermione and Draco's pale faces, and slightly slumping postures. They were weak, but at least they must be much better off than an hour ago. He shuddered thinking back on how terrible he had looked, and how bad-off she must have been.

"Alright, we've had a change of plans. My timetable has moved up several months, but we'll deal with it. I don't have time to explain everything, but we need to organize ourselves," Hermione said authoritatively, turning to face the group gathered.

Hermione quickly thought through the list of things that had to be done. With all of the people she had available she could easily do more than one thing at a time. Okay, she had this under control. She could do this, and by the end of the day, tomorrow morning at the latest, she and Draco would be complete again.

With that thought in mind, like a general, she directed her troops. Fleur was sent to contact Viktor and try to have him visit. Bill was in charge of going to Gringotts and setting a meeting with Ragnok for her. If he was finding difficulties setting up the appointment, he was to pull the trump card that Hermione absolutely loathed and inform them that it was Princess Mia who was seeking the help of her goblin friends to settle some dues. Sirius was sent to get Remus, Tonks, and Andromeda to Gringotts in around an hour. Much to his annoyance he was warned not to remain as Padfoot once inside Gringotts.

To Charlie she gave one of the more delicate tasks: his father. She was sure that his health was perilously critical. With Aunt Poppy, she knew that they had a good chance of nursing him back to health and, hopefully, being a pesky problem for either the older She-Weasel or old Dumbles or both. She instructed to return with Arthur and to avoid giving him any strong impressions, which could easily push him over the then moved on to her favorite Weasleys: the twins. With much glee and a predatory smirk, she asked them to do some weasel infestation containment, only asking to leave them a bit battered and without wands.

Hermione's eyes bore into Percy's as she seemed to measure his worth. She nodded to herself, before asking him to contact Amy AKA Director Bones, Head of the DMLE, and inform her that Mia needed her to bring a scribe and two aurors of her trust and get to Gringotts in about two hours.

She nodded at them in dismissal, and they instantly sprang into action, scattering around the house, either preparing to leave or asking for the materials they needed to perform their tasks. Harry laughed out loud as the twins were ran over by a frantic Percy trying to make himself presentable. Draco just smirked at them all. With a faint smile she turned to Tom, asking him about his efforts to contact the three members of her "Hogwarts Family." The instant Tom told her that they had already left Hogwarts for the remainder of the holidays, she asked him to have them come over as soon as they could magically get here. When Tom left to floo call to then have Filius, Poppy and Minerva floo over, she informed Harry and Draco that they would be paying a short visit to Mungo's before leaving to Gringotts.

She closed her eyes and focused on a short message to the Longbottoms, asking to meet at St. Mungo's in twenty minutes. Hermione frowned as she was a rather grotesque amalgamation of creatures sprout from her bond. Once again she cursed the broken, faulty bond that was messing with her so much. Before she knew what was happening, she saw two projectiles launching themselves at her.

-O-

Hermione's POV

I groaned as I tried to pick myself off the ground. Some things just never changed, I thought amused. Before it was me who would tackle them to the ground, now it was them. Godric, it hurt like hell. I seriously doubted I'd be able to stand for a few minutes...

"That's what we're here for, Mia beautiful," the flowers sing-songed, growing and stretching towards me.

They swiftly pulled Aunty Poppy and Minnie off of me, gently mind you. Somehow, they knew I was too weak to stand on my own for long, so they cradled me as they formed a tall, sturdy, yet not uncomfortable chair for me. Uncle Fili and Dragon smirked at Papa Tommy, Aunt Minnie, Aunt Poppy, and Harry's incredulous I could help myself, I burst out in giggles. They just looked too funny!

"Isn't she too old for accidental magic?" Aunt Minnie and Papa Tommy breathed.

"It's not- she- but how?" Aunt Poppy stuttered.

"She's our princess and the natural-chosen elemental," Uncle Fili said proudly.

"I'm not the princess," I muttered childishly.

I could feel my plants plotting and I didn't like it one bit. I was just about to tell them not to do whatever they were plotting, when I felt them attacking my hair. Well, not attacking per se, but pretty much! Some of them had pinned themselves into my hair and others had intertwined themselves into a small tiara on my head.

"There, now you're a princess," they giggled. Bloody flowers!

I groaned frustrated, making everybody laugh. It wasn't funny, and this was getting us nowhere! I took a deep breath to calm myself. We needed to get back on track. I still needed to owl Skeeter and have her meet us at Gringotts around two...

"Alright, it's not that bloody funny! Anyways, Aunty Poppy, do you think you could give Dragon a quick check over before we leave to Longbottom Manor? I want to make sure he's alright to go?" I asked her sweetly. Draco narrowed his eyes at me, but I ignored him and asked an elf for parchment, a quill and ink.

"Why hello Rita,

I have a rather good, irresistible deal for you. I think it would be very worth your time. It will benefit you greatly. Meet me at Gringotts at 2 in the afternoon today. Ask to see Mia... I don't want to bug you any longer.

Until then,

You Know Who," I wrote with an evil smirk.

Rita was going to freak out when she received the letter. I couldn't wait to see her face, when she walked in for the meeting. I could have sooo much fun teasing her, but I would have to control myself. We would need her on our side willing and more than cooperative.

"Your turn, dearie," Aunt Poppy said, smiling softly at me.

I frowned at her, before lifting a challenging eyebrow. She paused slightly, probably not knowing how to approach me. Honestly, it's not like I was going to bite her head off... well I might bite her head off, but not literally.

"Draco's suffering of extreme physical exhaustion and his overall vitals seem weaker than the norm, but he said you were probably worse off than him, so I need to check, Mia," Aunt Poppy said softly.

She quickly closed the distance between us as if I were about to run away. Honestly, you run away one time, and the reputation just stays with you for the rest of your life. I glared at Draco's tired, teasing smile and then at her determined eyes, as she began ran the first diagnostic spells on me.

Honestly, was this really necessary? We were wasting time! Suddenly, Aunt Poppy's face contorted into a slight frown, which only deepened as she ran more and more spells. Then, tears started running down her cheeks. I looked at her lost, not knowing what the hell had happened.

I was about to open my mouth to ask her what was wrong, when she started sobbing, soon slumping onto the floor. I stared in shock, still clueless as to what had happened. I asked my plants to lower me onto the ground with her. With the little strength I could muster, I cradled her into my arms. I tried to comfort her, but I had no idea what to say. I didn't even know what the hell was going on. I took a deep breath before trying to verbally try to calm her.

"Aunt Poppy, please, don't cry... it'll be alright, I promise," I told her softly.

"You never...should've known... kill them all!" she growled between sobs.

We really didn't have time for this! What was it with everyone crying around me today? Was I releasing some kind of crying pheromone or something? I don't think my already strained psyche could take anymore of this overwhelming emotional mess.

"Uncle Fili, can you please try to calm her down? We need to go get Nev and Aunt Gusta and visit them," I asked, shifting Aunt Poppy to him.

I silently beckoned Harry to me. He understood what I wanted immediately and helped me up. We all followed Papa Tommy to the floo. Aunt Minnie wanted to stay behind with Aunt Poppy and Uncle Filius, but I knew that she would be of more help at Mungo's. With that settled, we, Draco, Harry, Papa Tommy, Aunt Minnie, and I, flooed to Mungo's fourteen minutes after having sent my patronus to Longbottom Manor.

-O-

Narrator's POV

at St. Mungo's

"'Mione, what are we doing here?" Nev asked crushing me in an on-the-verge-of-painful hug.

Hermione replied vaguely, only telling him that they needed to see his parents, not offering any further explanation. Neville gave her a frustrated look, while she just smiled innocently. He narrowed his eyes, and she batted her eyelashes. She smiled sweetly, and he...gave up. He knew she could go at this all day. He sighed, but gave her that look that told her she better tell him exactly what was going on later. She nodded before giving him a grateful kiss on the cheek, and asking a nurse for directions to the ward the Longbottoms were at.

Unknown to her, Papa Tommy, Draco, Neville and Harry had been carefully watching Hermione as she made her way to the permanent ward at St. Mungo's. She was dragging her feet ever so slightly, as if the only way she was moving was through force of will alone. Well to them it seemed so. No one else would really notice, but Draco knew she had to feel like shit. After all, he still felt rather ill, and Poppy Pomfrey had actually applied quite a few strengthening, vitality, and agility charms on him. They exchanged a wary glance before shrugging their shoulders. What were they supposed to do, if she was too stubborn to even tell them what was wrong with her? Besides, she sure as hell wouldn't let any of them carry her around.

They were so deep in worry that they didn't realize when they had walked over to Frank's and Alice's empty beds, but they all certainly noticed when Neville and Augusta were tackled and smothered in hugs and kisses by the two former aurors in question. Neville and Augusta began sobbing, when they heard Frank's and Alice's raspy voices repeating their names repeatedly. They couldn't begin to fathom how this has come to be, but they were forever and eternally grateful. Hermione and Draco exchanged a happy, relieved smile. It seemed that the magic from their first bonding saw it fit to bring back their minds as a whole entity and not just select memories and emotions. Thank Merlin!

"Excuse me miss, we'd like to have your best healers check over Frank and Alice Longbottom before they are released today," Hermione said, approaching one of the nurses who was out in the hallway.

The nurse was about to give a cutting retort about whether she needed to be admitted into the ward herself or if she was just undergoing a bout of delusion, but Hermione gave her a look that made it quite evident that bad things would happen to her if she dared do anything but oblige. Hermione grinned ferally as the nurse nodded vehemently, before scurrying off to find the two best healers she could find. She returned not ten minutes later with two male healers in tow.

Hermione smiled sweetly at them, thanking them for their swiftness. They smiled back charmingly and promptly checked the two Longbottoms over, leaving a dazed nurse in tow. Why had she been so scared of such a beautiful, sweet young woman earlier? They young nurse made a mental note to sleep some more and maybe down a calming draught. This whole Voldemort's back business was really making her too edgy. Not that she doubted he was back, of course she didn't, or else she wouldn't be so nervous in the first place! Yep, she definitely needed more sleep...

The nurse shook her head, clearing it, before catching up to the healers, who much to their amazement found that patients Frank and Alice Longbottom had completely recovered mentally. They were a bit worried about their slightly fragile physical condition after so many years locked up in the ward, but Hermione quickly put them at ease. Batting her eyelashes, in combination with pleading eyes, subtle, innocent touches, and telling them they had a certified healer at home had done wonders and left the two healers more than a little dazed. The nurse giggled and winked at Hermione before following them out.

Smiling, Hermione, turned to her godfather and Aunt Alice.

"Mia, is that you?" Frank asked cautiously, slowly approaching her.

She nodded tearfully, before catapulting into his open arms. He hugged her tightly to him. Caressing her brown hair. She looked up into his bright blue eyes, and he smiled, cradling her face. He passed her silently to Alice, who hugged her just as tightly, as Frank enveloped a confused Harry. Harry didn't remember Frank and Alice very well, but they remembered him. Draco was next, and then Minerva and Tom. It was quite the tearful reunion.

They flooed back to the Manor, hoping that everyone was back and Poppy would not hesitate putting Frank and Alice under her care. The second they made it through Hermione was on the receiving end of two pairs of arms and a river's worth of tears. Today really wasn't her day, she thought with a huff. She did not have time for this right now! Or ever, if she really thought about it. She hated this! A LOT!

"Aunt Poppy, Uncle Fili, please don't do this to me. I'm not- We don't have time. Aunt Poppy, you need to care for Uncle Frank and Aunt Allie. If you two want to talk once we settle all of this," Hermione said, motioning to the gathered Weasleys and Fleur sitting in the living room, "then we can, alright? But I really need you guys to calm down. Oh, and Uncle Fili, you're coming with me to Gringotts."

She started walking toward the gathered group. They all looked at her expectantly, hoping that she'd tell them what the hell was going on. Of course, that wasn't about to happen. They were still on a very tight schedule. Instead she just looked at each individual, and awaited their report.

"Viktor eez on holidays unteel next month. I azked 'eem to come. 'Ee should be here tomorrow around lunch time," Fleur reported, with a self-satisfied smile.

Bill was followed.

"Ragnok has cleared his schedule for as long as you need him, but he insisted that you and your party have dinner with him," Bill breathed, still amazed by the news.

Hermione raised an eyebrow towards Percy, who immediately flushed. They all hid their smiles, knowing that he wasn't supposed to come back.

"The director insisted that she could make it to Gringotts with the two aurors on her own," he said, still blushing.

They all burst out in a fit of giggles, knowing full well that Director Bones had probably been driven to the edge by the enthusiastic Weasley.

"They've probably gone mad by now, not being able to use magic, but they are well and truly contained," the twins announced, beaming with satisfaction, once Hermione's gaze reached them.

Hermione's eyes, then reached the second eldest Weasley brother and his zombie-fied father. Her heart tightened at the sight of his uncooperative facial muscles.

"Charlie, you should take Mr. Weasley to Madame Pomfrey... ask her to run a full diagnostic scan on him... more thorough than what she's used to, and tell her I expect he'll be needing a good flush..." Hermione said sadly.

Charlie only nodded, still shocked by his father's menial condition. None of his children knew exactly what had happened to him, and they were scared for their father. Sure, he never really stood up for them to their mother, but he was a kind, loving man. It hurt them to see him like that, but they weren't sure they wanted to know what was wrong with him. They were terrified that they would hear something they didn't want to hear. They would wait for Madame Pomfrey's diagnostic before worrying themselves into a catatonic, blubbering state. Maybe it was just something he ate...? They could hope.

Hermione smiled sadly at them all, before turning to Sirius and Remus, who like Percy were not supposed to be there.

"Tonks wanted to go get her mum on her own, and sent us two to occupy ourselves," Sirius admitted grinning.

"In other words, you two were annoying her and she sent you away before she hexed you?" she deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"I think she was a bit more descriptive of what she planned to do, but you got the idea more or less," Moony Remy grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes.

Hermione turned to Minerva, and suggested that they have everyone move into McGonnagall for a day or two, while she made alternate arrangements. Everyone looked at Hermione incredulously, not knowing what she was planning. Hermione face-palmed before giving them a simple, reasonable explanation, which would just suffice for everyone. They remained silent, not believing that they had not thought things through at all! How could they have not thought of keeping things under the wraps? No one could possibly know about Hermione's abilities! She was a bundle of brains, power, and invincibility in a pretty package, they all thought. Minerva, Tom, Filius, Remus, Draco, Sirius, and Poppy, however, were afraid, very much so. Their Hermione would be a temptation for both sides, and her efforts against Dumbledore put her in grave danger.

Hermione, oblivious to the worry of her extended family, asked the Weasleys plus Fleur to floo over to McGonagall Manor and start settling in. She was sure the house elves would require assistance, considering the amount of visitors they would be expecting. Once the Weasleys and Fleur had left Hermione outlined the plan once more, making sure everything was set.

"Alright, we're apparating to Gringotts and settling things, hopefully finding something that can clear Sirius, meeting with Rita Skeeter at two, and starting a hunt... hopefully, with help, finding everything by dinner with Ragnok," Hermione said in that commanding tone that Sirius and Remus admired so.

Without warning, Filius took Hermione's hand and apparated her onto the steps of Gringotts, before anybody could say anything or even react. Hermione looked down at him confused. He looked at her piercingly, his eyes full of sadness, leaving Hermione confused and unsettled. He took her hand and dragged her through the main lobby of Gringotts to a room in the back. Hermione was too dazed to pay any attention to the fluent Gobbledegook being exchanged by her Charms professor and all the other white-dressed goblins, who suspiciously resembled muggle doctors.

Suddenly, they turned on her, breaking her haze. Overwhelmed by both their proximity and the fear of the unknown situation she suddenly found herself in, she started having trouble trying to control herself. Her back rammed into the wall behind her, trying to back away from the group that seemed to be closing in on her, cutting off her breath, trying to ambush her.

Filius looked on with sad eyes as she cowered away from them hyperventilating. He knew he had scared her when he had so suddenly apparated them to and dragged her through Gringotts, but he hadn't expected her to start having a nervous meltdown. Although he really should have expected it, considering what Poppy had said she found when running all of those diagnostic spells: extreme physical abuse, malnutrition, continuous physical and magical straining, and a bound magical core to boot! He should have known that she would perceive this approach as a threat. Furthermore, he should have foreseen that in her weakened state, she would be much more volatile, vulnerable, and defensive.

They all tried different methods to calm her, but it wasn't until the ground started shaking rather violently that they realized that their attempts were not appreciated, at all. The goblins gathered exchanged frightened looks, trying to see if anyone had any ideas on how to stop her outburst. One suggested knocking her out, but they doubted that would help matters. The best they could do would be to remove what she perceived as a threat: themselves. Filius, of course refused to leave, but the second it was just both of them in the hallway, she slumped onto the floor and the panicky haze that had clouded her eyes faded.

"I'm so-sorry," she shuddered, once her mind had caught up with what had just happened.

Filius looked at her incredulously. She had nothing to apologize for, if anything, it had been he who had something to apologize for, and he told her so. She, much to his consternation, didn't seem to believe him. Before he could try to make her see reason, a pair of guards had arrived to escort their tywysoges (Welsh for Princess) to see Chief Ragnok.

...Ragnok's Office...

Everyone but Draco and Ragnok, he was a fierce warrior and leader after all, followed Hermione's movements warily as she entered the room, looking at her as if she were about to destroy everything with just a breath. Hermione visibly shrank into herself, almost as if trying to disappear, or at the very least not have to see them looking at her like that, as if she were a freak. She bent her head down in shame. How silly of her, she had forgotten! They had every right to look at her like that. She, being the freak she was, had nearly killed them! Why the hell weren't they running, trying to kill her, or at least dumping her on a deserted island where she could die off, she wondered.

Draco immediately recognized what his mate's expression, and easily guessed what she was thinking. He didn't like it one bit, not at all. He was absolutely incensed. How dare they make her feel like that. He could see purple rage gathering in an angry cloud around him. He could feel himself on the verge of snapping when it happened. As Hermione made to take the only empty seat beside Minerva, directly in front of Ragnok, she tensed, making Hermione flinch. He saw her put on a fake smile as she gracefully began to pace, as if that had been her intention all along.

No one was going to get away with doing that to her. No one, and so he didn't just snap. No, he exploded. His purple rage engulfed everyone, but Hermione, causing their bodies to tense in pain from the emotional overload. They were gasping for air, their muscles spasming, by the time Hermione had calmed him down (about twenty seconds of calling his name, ten seconds of shaking, until finally she had pressed a soft kiss on his lips).

Hermione hadn't meant to kiss him, but nothing else was working, and she didn't really know what was happening, so she acted on an impulse. The second he seemed to calm down, she meant to pull away, and, if possible, make it to the other side of the room. She seriously doubted anyone wanted to be near her at the moment, and she didn't blame them. Before she could move even an inch, Draco pulled her into his lap. She made to move, but a rather nasty glare from him quickly put an end to her efforts.

"Alright, now listen up because I will only say this once. I am not sorry. The pain you all just felt is a mere fraction of what she feels every time she's treated as if she were some sort of phenomenon, every time she is taken for granted or ignored, every time she is sneered at. The next time one of you arseholes makes her feel like shite, you can expect the same reaction from me, only worse," Draco growled, his silver eyes glowing an eerie, dangerous blue.

Draco felt Hermione shaking in his lap. He could tell she was just barely keeping herself together, so he drew her tightly into himself. She was so small. She fit into him so perfectly, snuggled comfortably into his chest. Her face found itself nuzzled into his neck as she took a deep, ragged breath. She didn't know the words to express how she felt at that moment, but she knew that he knew exactly how she was feeling. Words were superfluous. With a quick, inconspicuous kiss to his jaw, she turned to Ragnok, oblivious to the shamefaced others.

"Director Ragnok, thank you for having us on such a short notice," Hermione said politely.

Ragnok smiled jovially, "I was hoping to have this meeting some time ago; however, certain stipulations obliged us to await for you to contact us."

Hermione smiled ruefully, knowing full well about those ridiculous regulations on the goblins. Meddling in wizarding affairs indeed! She shook her head, before continuing with the matter at hand.

"Well then, Director Ragnok, my brother and I have come to listen to the last wishes of our parents, Lord James Charlus Potter and Lady Lily Potter."

"Tywysoges, I am not certain if you are aware... but we goblins have a knack for identifying a witch or wizard. I suspect foul play, but I am not certain. Would you be very adverse to a blood test for confirmation?" Ragnok asked courteously.

Hermione only nodded, extending her hand, her eyes unseeing as her mind raced back to the book she had only started and finished a couple days ago.

...FLASHBACK...

Hermione dove deep into her trunk, searching for the book, Mutata et Specie et Occultant Identitatis, that Draco had bought for her so long ago. She hadn't had a chance to read it before, but now she felt a strange compulsion to read it. She didn't know why, but she needed to read it.

She read avidly, unable to stop. She read and read for hours on end, not feeling the time pass. It was nearing four-thirty in the morning when she reached it. The thing she had been searching for without knowing:

"L' Omnes Concelamenta: The All-Concealer:

A complex mixture of runes, charms and transfiguration, this obscure ritual breaks an individuals ties to their blood and fate through the magic of the caster, and the strength and vitality of the caster binds the magic of the individual.

The incantation:

abscondet omnia. magicis, occultat sanguinem uitae pulchrum. fortitudinem meam vincula magicae, must be recited three times. Once as each stage of the ritual is performed. With the blood of the individual and the wand of the caster, the caster must draw first the rune for home and destroy on their chest, above the heart, then recite the incantation. The caster must then with a mixture of their blood, tears, and sweat draw the rune for prison on the individual's forehead, while reciting the incantation for the second time. The caster must then repeat the incantation, while waving the wand to and fro between individual and caster, the latter tying the former to themselves, while breaking the individual's ties to anyone else.

Of course, the effects of this ritual on someone who is one half of soul bound couple have been much debated, but given the rareness of such a couple, there is no way of obtaining any plausible conclusions..."

Hermione stopped reading at that point. She didn't know if that had been what Dumbledore had used on her and Draco, but if he had, then she didn't know what she would do. This would certainly complicate things...

...END FLASHBACK...

"I'm sorry, Tywysoges, but I can't get a read on you... at all. I don't know what has b-"

" abscondet omnia. magicis, occultat sanguinem uitae pulchrum. fortitudinem meam vincula magicae," Hermione and Draco whispered aghast.

"Sir, try me... please," Draco said hoarsely, extending his hand.

His eyes were laden with fear, as he looked into Hermione's wide eyes. What were they going to do now? What would happen if they couldn't be an official part of their families? How were they supposed to publically and politically destroy Dumbledore?

"Nothing?" Filius asked squeakily. "There is no solution for that particular ritual...it's permanent," Filius whispered.

"They don't know what effect it has on us Dragon... magic breaks fate, but we are fated to be, no magic is strong enough to keep us apart..." Hermione said softly, though with conviction.

"But-"

"Dragon, we can do this... Viktor and Skeeter will just have to meet a slightly changed me," Hermione said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked her, holding her gaze seriously. "I don't want you to regret it, Mia."

"You do know that we were going to have to go on to the second stage before the week was out or else we wouldn't have survived, right?" Hermione asked looking at him confused.

"I thought the bond would fix itself and you wouldn't be pressured into this..." Draco said, his voice vulnerable.

Draco looked away, suddenly finding a very interesting spot on the floor. He didn't want her to see how much it hurt him to have her do this without her being absolutely ready for it. He knew she felt everything was going too fast, and, honestly, it was. They still hadn't even gone out on a date, yet! It wasn't fair for her to take such a big step. The second stage was much more intimate than the first stage. Their bond would practically keep them glued to each other's sides. Their bond would be screaming at them to finalize it.

Hermione frowned. She thought he wanted to bond. Did he regret it? Well, if he did, now was the time. Technically, in a couple of days, they wouldn't be bonded anymore, and maybe the goblins or elves had a healing method of sorts that would allow them to survive long enough to take on separate paths. Sure they wouldn't live as long as they would be expected to, but he would be free, just as he wanted. Or maybe just one of them had to die. That would be better. He would have the long life he deserved, and she wouldn't taint the world with her freakishness.

"Draco... look at me," Hermione said softly, her voice firm and unwavering. Draco and Harry knew that tone. It was the tone of a determined and decided Hermione. "I need you to tell me, and don't lie. Do you want to? If you don't, maybe we can find a way to give you your life back, or maybe someone knows a way to give us a few years, so you can take your life back and find someone... to your liking," Hermione finished bravely.

Harry looked at Hermione heart-broken, and then turned to glare at Draco. Draco on the other hand was too busy gawking at Hermione. Hermione saw Draco's slack jaw and felt a pang in her chest. Did he really think she wouldn't give him a choice, she wondered. Had she been acting so selfishly that he was led to believe that he had a say in the matter?

"You don't have to be stuck with me, Dragon. I'll find a way to give you your life back, I swear it, Draco."

Hermione smiled sweetly, before pulling away from his warm, comforting, tantalizing, perfect body. She smile ruefully at her thoughts. She wasn't entitled to them anymore, now was she? It wasn't until she had began her pacing that he snapped out of his pained, disbelieving trance. She thought that he didn't want her? It wasn't the other way around, his mind yelled, not knowing whether to question his sanity or hers.

"Mia?" Draco finally choked.

"Draco, it'll be alright, really," Hermione said softly without turning to look at him.

Everyone in the room was at a loss of what the hell was going on between the two. Hermione looked at peace with whatever was going on. Draco looked shocked and horrified. Quickly that horror turned into broken-heartedness, and they were at an even bigger loss.

"You don't want me?" he choked out, his voice sharp, yet pained. .

Hermione's face paled. Her dead pained eyes turned to him, a pale silver. Draco gulped. Her eyes were... expressionless, blank, unseeing, and they scared the shit out of him. Her face lacked any emotion. It was as if she were in a trance, and it was starting to scare Harry as well. He had never seen her like this. She always had some sort of emotion on her face: calm, irritation, eagerness... but, now, there was nothing.

"I asked you to tell me the truth, but your answer was clear. You wish to have your life, so you will have it. I will not interfere as you pursue your happiness," was her hollow answer.

"Pursue my happiness?" Draco asked. She merely blinked. "Without you by my side?" he asked again. If it was possible, her complexion paled further. "How can I? How can you expect me to?"

Hermione's silver-white eyes flickered. She was barely holding on, she knew. He really knew exactly how to make her feel, both the good and the bad. Why couldn't he just let her stay numb and unfeeling, she wondered. He had practically told her he regretted ever bonding with her, and now he made it sound like he wanted her after all. She smiled wryly. She was, more likely than not, mistaken. The little hope her heart held was making her delusional, she was sure, but she didn't have anything else to lose. Her pride wouldn't be stopping her. Pride was not a commodity she could afford...ever, so nothing held her back from just giving it one last try.

"Draco, I won't hold your choice against you... Do you want to or not, just tell me, and don't lie. This isn't something that you can just dispose of later... you'll be stuck, forever."

At her words his now mercury eyes melted with relief, not that she noticed. She was still avidly trying desperately to avoid his gaze. She needed a clear head if she wanted to keep herself in check, and composure was not something that Draco inspired in Hermione, not at all.

"I love you, Mia," Draco breathed, and for a second her heart soared before plummeting, her stomach lurching, waiting for the but that was sure to come. "And I would be honored and the happiest man in the face of the earth if you would accept me and our bond."

Hermione's eyes widened comically, her mouth opening and closing, no sound coming out, as she grinned (well tried to). Finally, after a full thirty seconds of confusion for everyone but the couple, Hermione spoke. Well, she squeaked, but it was close enough.

"Yo-You really want me-us?"

"Of course, you silly girl!" Draco chuckled as he drew her into his lap again.

Hermione hadn't even noticed when she had started inching towards him again, and now she was in his lap, again. Draco grinned at the feeling of her so close. He should really work on making sure that they would always be one chair short wherever they went. Meanwhile Draco was plotting how to destroy chairs, Hermione was rearranging her list. Hermione grimaced a bit as she realized how much more her timeline would be cut short, again.

"Mia, would you be kind enough to explain what in the name of Merlin is going on?" Minerva finally huffed irritated.

"Well... you see... erm... well Dumbledore performed a risky, obscure ritual that removed my familial ties and bonded my magic and tied me to him and only him. The ritual is meant to change or destroy my fate. Normally, this would be impossible to reverse, but given... m-our status, it should be reversed easily enough, but not without Dumbledore becoming aware, so we're going to have to shift my plans around... A LOT," Hermione rambled, wringing her hands nervously.

A confused "what?" came from everyone but the two goblins in the room, that appeared gobsmacked and more than a bit in awe. Hermione and Draco appeared to be having a silent conversation. He knew that she didn't want to reveal what they were just yet because it would take too much time, but he just wanted to get it over with. Of course, in the end, Hermione won, not like Draco had ever stood a chance really.

"Anyways, explanations on that later. Let's just get started. Ragnok, I fear we will have to withhold on the will reading until tomorrow, but I do have other matters to attend to with you, if you are amiable," Hermione said, immediately taking command of the room.

"Of course, tywysoges," Ragnok grinned.

"Alright, well, in the time Harry and I spent at the Leaky Cauldron, we discovered the secret of how Voldemort survived that Halloween night so many years ago. He made horocruxes, which are soul vessels for a severed fragment of a soul. Harry, because Voldemort is the utter idiot he is, is connected to Voldemort and his horocruxes. We need to retrieve them, and then destroy them all at once, so he doesn't have a chance to stop us," Hermione informed them swiftly.

"What do you need goblin help for?" Ragnok asked, the disgust in his tone evident.

Goblins despised the malignant use of soul and blood magic. It was such a corrupt form of their magic for goblins were the first race to understand and expand on blood and soul magics. In the goblin culture matches made in heaven were revered, for they were a pure representation of their roots.

"We would need goblin warriors to help retrieve the abominations... and a containment chamber that can hold fiendfyre... or a goblin blade infused with basilisk venom or phoenix tears... also one of the horocruxes may be here..." Hermione mused.

Ragnok only nodded looking sick to his stomach. Harry looked a sickly green that was completely crashing with his eyes. Hermione's heart sank as she saw how distraught Harry looked. Without taking her eyes off of Harry, she asked Ragnok for a room with more privacy so she could find out where the vessels were.

... Harry's mind...

Hermione cursed inside Harry's head, as she lamented once more that she couldn't bring Harry or Draco in with her. They had insisted to stay outside, and try to provide her with some magical stamina so she wouldn't be too drained coming out. She knew they were right, of course, but she didn't want to be in He-who-feared-death's messed up head by herself. She got to the dark, solid, sickening barrier once more, and wasted no time flowing under it.

This time, she wasted no time exploring. She closed her eyes, and focused on the darkest cracks in his mind, the markings of where his soul split and became darker and darker. It was painful, moving towards that which repulsed her most, but she would just have to follow the branching, after all the events were connected. She'd reach the less pronounced division and then work her way up (or would it be down?) to Halloween 1981.

She promptly found the crevice she had been looking for, and with open eyes, jumped into the memory thread. First, was the faded one of the diary. Myrtle's death had been mere casualty, for she hadn't been the intended target, but Tommy dearest reveled in the "pest's demise". Following it, was the death of the devil's spawn procreator. Tom Riddle senior didn't even have time to be surprised by his "mini-me" when the flash of green reached him. A ring glowing black, soon found itself on the madman's finger. Then, it was his his uncle in the Gaunt shack. It was a bloody, maniacal death, which resulted in a sullied slytherin locket, a booby trapped shack, hiding the ring, and a trip to a cave that didn't seem all that unfamiliar to hide the locket. Then it turned into a pair of red-headed twins that looked a lot like Fred and George. Their deaths promptly went into the creation of a Hufflepuff cup soul vessel and Ravenclaw's diadem.

She would have to return back and go into an adjoined memory to find out their locations. She continued down the thread and saw the death of a nameless auror and the prompt conversion of a too large snake. It had to be either magical or magically enhanced. That thing looked positively lethal, but supposing it was magical or even magically enhanced, it would be the most connected to Harry, meaning that if they destroyed all the horocruxes Harry's includeed, it would end up dead as well because of the strain on the soul fragment.

Hermione had been so absorbed in the theoretical possibilities that she hadn't noticed she was approaching the vein she was particularly wishing to avoid. She could feel herself begin to shake as she followed down, and got closer and closer to that dreadful night. She really, really didn't want to relive it. She had enough with the stupid nightmares, and she had a feeling that it would be a hundred times worse, having to see it through his eyes.

...Voldemort's view of the event in 3rd person...

"Such a waste of such precious talent."

"Bad! Hurt Mummy! Me hurt you!" the tiny girl with fire red curly hair cried.

A sneer plastered itself into his face. He raised his wand against the impudent child, the curse of the tip of his tongue, but he faltered as a white and blue glow extended from her hair to the tips of her fingers glowing brighter, stronger, than the green before it. A powerful surge of wind pushed him into the wall. Gold and red glowing flames replaced the blue and white glow. Seconds later said flames rocketed directly into the pale figure with glowing red eyes, catching his robes ablaze.

"The bitch burned me! I'll show you," he hissed, his slitted eyes narrowing, raising his wand once more.

"No! Not brodah! You!" the tiny girl shouted as she held her baby brother's hand. The boy began wailing, crying out for help, while the girl appeared strong, confronting the red-eyed monstrous man.

"Avada Kedavra!" he hissed, a green beam leaving his wand as both children cried, "NO!" in unison.

The meshing on branches, roots, and vines that had catapulted through the window to shield the children sent the spell ricocheting back to him, causing his recently severed soul to fly through the room, searching for anything that could host its need for magic.

The last thing she saw before the memory ended was Voldy's soul making Harry's newly acquired scar glow black and then red. Hermione sunk to her knees. This had been a thousand times worse than her dreams. She could feel Voldemort's pleasure at having killed her mother. His desire to keep her for his own means, until she had burned him. His thirst for ending her brother.

It was horrific, and she wanted to end both of them, yet the other person was only a tall slim black blur in the periphery of Old Tommy Boy's sight. She knew it wasn't the rat, since the blur was too tall and slim, but, like in her dream, she hadn't been able to see who he was, but, boy was she going to find out...even if it wasn't how she expected. Definitely not how she expected it...

She had gone back and found that the Hufflepuff cup had been gifted to Bellatrix crazy bint Lestrange, and Hermione deduced that it was in Gringotts, based off of what she had told him before they started getting frisky, again. The diadem, on the other hand, found its way back to Hogwarts. It was in a room full of junk on the seventh floor in front of a tapestry with Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet.

Hermione felt herself grow heavy, and immediately knew that the two idiots that refused to accompany her, and "fuel" her journey were getting tired. She rolled her eyes before making her way out, eyes closed, looking for the exit. She certainly had no desires of seeing Voldy fuck Trixy or seeing him torture some unfortunate soul. If she had kept her eyes open, she would have seen some very interesting things regarding a certain dungeon bat.

...

"Bloody hell, 'Mione, how do you keep it up? I don't even think we were helping much!" Harry gasped the second Hermione made it out.

"Perseverance and an actual consciousness of magical outflow and speed of core regeneration," Hermione replied flippantly.

Draco wasn't sure as to whether Hermione was okay, or if she was putting up a strong front. He couldn't get a good read on her. It was like she was numb... or maybe she was just using Occlumency to not have to feel or think about anything. Draco frowned at the idea of her hurting and just pushing it all away, but he knew that he couldn't very well try to get her to cope with things right now. She wanted to get everything done now, and he wanted to restore their connection as soon as bloody possible, so emotional talks were definitely out of the question.

-O-

Hermione's POV

Once they had force fed me a pepper-up potion and a magical restorative broth, they had me withdraw my memories of what the horocruxes looked like and where they were, so that they could be projected from Ragnok's pensieve. Uncle Fili sputtered indignantly at the sight of the diadem, but otherwise the room was dead silent as the images flashed through. Once the images had all been shown twice, they all turned to look at me. I raised an eyebrow at them, revelling in their bashful blush. Guess I was going to direct this one too.

"Ragnok, the cup, as you saw, is in the Lestrange vault. Make sure you check for curses and the like. I'm sure the crazy bitch wouldn't actually just leave her precious master's cup in the hands of creatures she thinks are beneath snake should drop dead when we destroy all of the other ask for Kreacher, and see if he can take some people to the cave and get the locket... the cave probably has very tight security. I'll be going to the Riddle's house. It should be relatively simple to find the Gaunt shack from there... Harry you should probably come with me. We might need your parseltongue," I directed firmly, hoping that they wouldn't question why the hell I knew where Riddle Manor was. "Also if you could call for Dobby-"

There was a pop of apparition, and it seemed that that was all it took for my words to sink in. Fuck!

"Mistress Mia calls for Dobby?" Dobby piped at the same time that Sirius and Draco not so quietly asked why the fuck I would know where the Riddle Manor would be. Lovely, I grimaced.

"Dobby, do you think you and Winky would be willing to bond with Harry and I?" I asked sweetly, ignoring the glares that the males in the room gave me for my not so subtle evasion of the rather crudely-phrased question.

"Yous be letting Dobby and Winky bes bonded to yous and Mister Harry Potter sir?" Dobby asked with bright eyes.

I opened my mouth to assuade his doubts, but he was gone before I could, leaving me with the testosterone-crazed males and a very wary Aunt Minnie. Well, this was going to be an interesting conversation, not..

"So, Angel, oh so great one, I ask again: how the fuck do you know where Riddle Manor is?" Uncle Siri growled.

"I know a cousin of Tommy-boy's father," I replied primly.

"How do you know him or her?" Uncle Fili asked, his black beady eyes narrowing.

"I've been doing jobs for him since I turned seven."

"That's rather ambiguous, don't you think, Mia dear? Care to explain why you were working since such a young age, and what kind of jobs you've done for him?" Aunt Minnie said in a tone that brooked for no argument.

"And please do include a detailed assessment of his treatment of you," Ragnok added his tone commanding as well.

Shit, what was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to tell them that the man was a perv that only gave me jobs because I was a pretty face to look at? Or that he wanted to get some ass with brains to boot? Was I supposed to tell them about the crude remarks he began making once I started developing? Or that he paid me more than well for all the secretarial, gardening, and maid jobs I did for him as incentive to keep coming back, along with an invitation to take up permanent residence with him every time I finished? They weren't going to like it one bit...

"I needed the money, so I did some garden work at first, then some housework, and eventually some secretarial managing, and he paid me very well," I answered promptly.

"And his treatment of you?" Draco prompted.

"He was friendly and paid me well," I repeated.

That should have been enough, right? Not like they would need to know all of the unnecessary details. Hell, if Harry or Draco don't say that they didn't believe me or that they thought I was hiding something, then no one would think any more of it, and Harry has never paid close enough attention to me to even suspect that anything is off, and Draco although very, very good at reading me, without the bond, he shouldn't be able to see through my answers.

"So did he take you to Riddle Manor, or are you just expecting him to take you there when you ask?" Harry, Merlin bless his soul, asked.

"The latter. He'll take me there, and then we can ask Dobby to bring you along, once I'm sure that it's the right place and have an inkling for where the shack is," was my reply.

"I don't like it," Uncle Siri announced.

"And I don't care. We have to meet with Amelia, explain the situation to her, go out on the chase, and then be back here by two to meet with Skeeter, so we can destroy the vessels and listen to the will first thing tomorrow morning."

I was glad to see that that had efficiently cut off any possible brewing arguments, even if it didn't have any effect whatsoever on the glares, but a girl needed to learn to compromise, and as long as we weren't losing any more time, I was more than alright with what I was getting. Ragnok went off to assemble the goblin warrior teams that would be dispatched for the hunt: one for the vault, one for the cave, and another to accompany Harry and I to the shack. Uncle Fili dragged Aunt Minnie and Uncle Tommy back to McKinnon Manor, insisting that they wouldn't be needed until tomorrow morning, and that they would be much more useful helping Aunt Poppy or setting up McGonagall Manor for the upcoming days. Once Dobby and Winky had returned, they had been given the job of searching for the diadem in the hidden room at Hogwarts. We all agreed to have them bonded to the House of Potter once we had the will read, and then take them as our personal elves. After settling that, Sirius, Harry, Draco and I went to find Amy and her entourage.

-O-

Narrator's POV

"You want us to grant him a trial to prove that he betrayed the Potter's?" Rufus Scrimageur growled, once Hermione had finished explaining for the umteenth time.

"Amy are you sure he's an auror? I thought they all had to pass an intel test along with a score more?" Hermione quipped, on the edge of incinerating the impertinent auror's arse.

"They do, and he usually isn't this thick," Amelia sighed.

"Alright, let me explain again," Hermione said in an overly sweet voice. "Sirius Black never received a goddamned trial. You bunch of idiot's saw Pettigrew's sodding pinky on the floor, along with twelve dead muggles and an enraged Sirius Black with a wand in hand, and assumed that he had done it. You were all stupid enough to not even bother with checking his wand, force-feeding him some veritaserum, or even questioning him, so I think it's about bloody fucking time your shit department tried to make amends for your fucking incompetence. Don't think I don't know that the DMLE is supposed to be an independent subdivision of the Ministry of Magic! Instead you wankers, Head of the DMLE Scrimgeour, are too busy trying to keep the bribes coming in and your arse safe, so you just do whatever that idiot, gullible Fudge says!" Hermione roared, making everyone in the room flinch, especially Amelia.

As director of the DMLE, Amelia Bones had the ability to do just about anything with the department as long as she stayed within the budget the Head had outlined and didn't prod into the cases that the Head had locked. Interestingly enough, the Snape trial, the Potter murder investigation, the Longbottom break-in investigation, and the Black assault investigation had all been under this lock. Scrimageur, on the other hand, had shit his pants. The girl that had been explaining so calmly had finally snapped and become a fury.

"Er-uh-umma-ba-de-ah-" Scrimageur stammered, not quite able to get a grip on himself yet.

"Alright, let me explain what's going to happen. You are going to unlock every single bloody case that isn't available to Amelia. You are going to stop skiving off the department's money. You and Amy are both going to do a thorough screening of every god-damn person in your department and take new oaths. You are going to give them all a refresher on intense combat skills, and you are going to have your department on high alert. or else I will personally see to it that you are declared unfit to do your job, have Amelia take hold of your position, and have Fudge suckered into giving the DMLE full support, are we understood?" Hermione growled. "If you don't make use of your balls to do your job, then there's no reason for you to have them," Hermione added sweetly, making the men in the room gulp audibly.

"Y-you can't do that! You-you're threatening the authority!" Scrimageur persisted.

"You have authority? Really? Well you better make use of it, and clean up your act," Hermione hissed back sarcastically.

He didn't have a reply to that, and he couldn't very well report her. She wasn't of age, so he couldn't just stick her in a cell. Besides, with Amelia and Shacklebolt there, there would be an investigation, all of his dirty dealings would be uncovered, and his (ahem) benefactors wouldn't be happy, but if he went with this he would probably end up being under Dumbledore's shady thumb, and that wouldn't be any better. He had been Slytherin for a reason, if he had to be tossed around, he wanted something out of it.

"I refuse to be under Dumbledore's thumb and continue with shady business in the name of the greater good, at least Death Eaters and crooks have clear motives," Scrimageur sniffed.

At his words, Amy, Draco, Harry, Hermione and Sirius burst out laughing. A true Slytherin at work, well a Slytherin with some sense of morals. Shacklebolt, however, was relieved. He hadn't yet joined the Order of the Phoenix, but he had been asked to several times, actually. If the DMLE was going to shape up, then there would be no need to join the rather shady clandestine crime fighters. (A/N yes, I know Shacklebolt was already in the Order, but in my opinion he's so awesome and badass that I didn't want him to be a blind Dumbledore follower.)

"We do not expect you to follow Dumbledore like a little lost puppy, nor do we expect you to greedily gobble down the table scraps that anyone else offers you. That would defeat the purpose of the "whole man up and use your balls before she castrates you," talk don't you think?" Draco deadpanned, seriously wondering how stupid one man could be.

"Oh..." Rufus Scrimageur blushed as he stood up, making for the door.

He had taken more than enough embarrassment for a lifetime, thank you very much. Amelia was quick to follow him, seeing that she wanted to oversee just how much of an effect Hermione's words had had on the git.

"Miss Granger?" Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice brought Hermione's attention to the tall dark man looking at her curiously.

Hermione motioned the others to go back to the meeting room that Ragnok had left at their disposal. She smiled at the older man, and his eyes narrowed in speculation. There was something about this girl, something different and very very special.

"Hermione, please auror Shacklebolt," Hermione replied with a soft smile.

"Very well, Hermione, I prefer Kingsley. I just... you're a very strong, special girl, and that's a great thing, but it can also be... very dangerous. I just- If you ever need anything, or find yourself in a tight spot, send me a patronus, I'll only be an apparition pop away, alright?"

Hermione was confused as to why the older wizard was making such an offer, but she, more than anyone, knew how much a friend/ally/some help could go in a time of need. So she decided to leave it at that, and not look the horse in the mouth.

"Thank you Kingsley," Hermione smiled, watching the wizard walk away.

... time break...

Sirius had been left to talk with Kreacher, and Hermione had been able to slip away from Harry and Draco, or so she thought. In reality, they were just waiting the half hour it should take her to get to the man's place before slipping under the Potter heirloom and having Dobby pop them over.

For once, the winds would not be telling their chosen manipulator of their presence, they decided. They had been unable to interfere in their chosen's life, due to the restraint placed on her magic. They still could not fully aid her, but they could do enough. Her family would do the dirty work, all they had to do would be to not let their chosen know that they were there.

Just as Harry and Draco were about to leave, a somber-faced Sirius came back, locket in hand. He quickly explained that his brother, Draco's uncle, had died retrieving the locket, when he discovered it significance and had given Kreacher the task of destroying it. Harry and Draco stood motionless, shocked by the tale, before Dobby asked them if they would be needing him or not. Sirius agreed to accompany them disillusioned.

Dobby popped them over just in time before Hermione walked through the door, so they were able to slip inside unnoticed. The three invisible males bristled as they saw the unhidden lust that the man looked at their Hermione with. To them it seemed that his mind was running through all the naughty things he could do with and to her as he told her how lost he had been without her capable hands, the innuendo had not been lost on any of them.

Much to their horror, Hermione didn't seem scandalized by his behavior in the least! She merely smiled softly and ignored his advances. It was like she was used to his behavior. He asked her to clean his room, and she obliged with a nod. They watched horrified as he ogled their girl as she leaned over to fix something, or bent over to pick another thing up. They couldn't do anything but watch angrily, since he hadn't touched her. She would likely unleash the fires of hell, if she knew that they had followed her. They would have to wait, and wait they did.

They waited, and waited. His comments were getting more and more crude, as he got closer and closer for comfort. Hermione was used to this and didn't even bat an eyelash. She just smiled and carried on with the tasks that he gave her, waiting for him to bring up how rich he was now that he had inherited the Riddle fortune. It took him quite a while, but he brought it up soon enough.

"Beautiful, as you know, I haven't gone to Riddle Mansion since I inherited it. I know you're not staying with your parents, so you wouldn't have to ask for permission. Do you think you could help me get it up and running?" he purred softly, stepping even closer to Hermione.

His body was just a hair away from being pressed against hers, as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. She looked so beautiful, he thought. He knew she would be an eye-candy when he gave her the first job, but gods, she didn't do anything by half did she? He smirked, thinking about all the things she could be not doing by half with him. He hoped that she would actually say yes this time. Surely having her in his mansion for weeks, while she bent and leaned and got flushed and sweaty and wearing the clothes he had stocked for her in his closet, would be enough time to have her eventually at his full disposal. The thought made his body react very visibly. Hermione blushed deeply as she felt his reaction poke her stomach, but she wasn't going to back out now.

"That sounds lovely, Mr. Riddle, but I don't have any clothes on me. I couldn't possibly leave with you now," Hermione replied innocently. She knew full well about Mr. Riddle's little collection.

"I've asked you to call me Adam more times than I can count, sweet-tums," he chided her softly, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently, reveling in the silkiness of her skin. He could just imagine what she would feel like in other circumstances. "We can go now, if you want... I have some clothes that'll fit you nicely. I was hoping to give them to you for your birthday, actually. Think about it as an early birthday present, yeah?" he said softly, his hands running up and down her arms.

The four magicals in their room felt they were going to be sick. Hermione wanted to hurl him away from her body, just like all the other times he got close to her, but just like the other times she refrained. She refrained because she needed him. Instead she smiled brilliantly and pressed a lingering kiss on his cheek before sashaying out the front door and smiling enticingly as she leaned on his car provocatively. Hermione was shaking, trying to settle her stomach.

Adam Riddle was salivating at the sight. Draco was incensed. He didn't know who he wanted to kill: her for doing something so stupid and reckless, or him for being such a paedophilic shit. Harry and Sirius were gobsmacked. She was being sexy with that bastard of an arsehole to get what she wanted. Was she crazy, they asked themselves. She was playing with fire, no pun intended!

Riddle all but ran as he got the bags he had prepared for when she finally said yes. Oh yes, he knew it was only a matter of time before she agreed. He knew how much of a blessing he was for her, so much better than her relatives. How could she possibly resist her loving neighbor? And who was he to resist an angel in need?

Harry and Draco wouldn't be able to get into the car unnoticed, but Sirius would, so it was decided. There was no way in hell that Sirius was going to let her be alone with that man in such a confined space. Sirius would go in the car, and they would have Dobby pop them over as soon as they got there. Luckily, the bastard's car was a convertible 1969 Firebird, so he didn't have too much trouble getting into the back, and Hermione was unaware.

Under any other circumstances, she would have seen the shimmer of Sirius's disillusioned figure, but she was too busy prepping herself for the wandering hands that the drive practically ensured. She would fall asleep on the drive, or at least pretend to, but she really didn't think that would help matters at all.

She would have to play the grateful, adopted puppy, blond bimbo. She would have to blush and smile and giggle... or she could make the advances herself, and keep him distracted. She could smile and play with his hands, maybe even tickle them with her eyelashes... She'd have to flirt and maybe unbutton her dress a bit. The idea made her want to run far far away, but it was a lot better than having his hand running up her thighs and probably even into her panties.

She swiftly slipped into the passenger's side and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress. She bit her lips as she tried to fix her hair. Sirius could see the fearful anxiety in her eyes as she readied herself, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his lap, but just a second later the fear was gone and replaced by a coy, sultry look that completely took him aback.

Seconds later, Arse Riddle jumped into the car with too much enthusiasm for a man in his forties, his excitement still visible. Hermione smiled shyly at him, before lowering her eyes towards his length and blushed beautifully. A predatory smile graced his face, as he backed out of the driveway, his hand slipping towards the edge of her dress. Sirius watched amazed as she didn't even flinch. She blushed, and bit her lip, before innocently trailing a finger up and down his forearm. She smiled at him, asking for permission which he readily gave. She took his free hand in hers. With seductive innocence, she traced patterns onto his palm occasionally working her way up to his wrist and forearm. She could feel his muscles flexing under her ministrations. For a middle-aged man, he was very fit, but that didn't make her feel any less dirty.

By the time they had made it to the mansion, he had taken her hand and guided it to his upper thigh. Slowly guiding her to the area that repulsed her the most. Inside she felt like hyperventilating, emptying her insides, and then hyperventilating some more, all while showering and bathing in boiling hot water and scrubbing fiercely at her skin. Fortunately, they arrived at the Mansion before they got to that part of his anatomy. Hermione smiled at him and fawned over how big and beautiful the Mansion was. It really was nice, and with a bit of cleaning it up it would be breathtaking, not that Hermione or Adam had any cleaning in mind.

Hermione was distracted looking for the path of trees and any signs of magic so that she could find the Gaunt Shack. Sirius was busy trying scouting for Harry and Draco, since he had heard the pop that signalled Dobby's appearance. None of them noticed Adam's advance, until Hermione started struggling. He crashed his lips on hers. He pressed his body into hers as he aggressively shoved his tongue into her mouth and his hands went under her dress. Hermione started screaming into his mouth as her small fists pounded on his chest, trying to inflict some harm or just get far enough to run, but her squirming seemed to just excite him further.

Apparently he was done with games. Her flirting had driving him over the edge. He wouldn't be waiting any more. She was driving him crazy and it was only fair that she see what she did to him, whether she wanted to know or not. She was alone with him, or so he thought, and there was nothing she could do. She would be his to keep. His and no one elses. He had worked on her for years.

Hermione was panicking. He was too strong and she was still too small. She knew she needed to calm down lest she accidentally kill him. She wouldn't be able to live with the guilt or be able to cover it up, but she wasn't calming down. She couldn't think! He was ruthless in his assault, and she felt so, so vulnerable, more vulnerable than she had in a long, long time (since she had been told she was a witch). Lucky for her, Draco, Harry and Sirius reacted for her. Sirius pulled her away from Adam and the two boys attacked him.

Hermione shivered in Sirius's arms trying to come to her wits. She was shaken, but she knew there had been a risk, and she couldn't break down right now. She had more than enough time for that later, once she scrubbed herself raw. Right now, she couldn't let them kill him. They needed to obliviate him and send him into the alley next to the pub he frequented, so he could think he was mugged.

"S-stop! Please, we need to go! Dobby! Winky!" Hermione cried, running to stop Harry and Draco's flurry of limbs.

She got the plants nearby to drag him away from them and prop his unconscious body up. She didn't want to have to touch him. Harry, Sirius and Draco, meanwhile, looked at her wordlessly as she frantically removed all evidences of her having been with the bastard. She burned the bags of clothes then summoned a gust of wind to scatter them. She rinsed the inside of his car and then vaporized the water. She nodded to herself her face expressionless, wrangling her hands, the only sign that she wasn't as calm as she looked.

"Winky can you shrink his car and go with Dobby to drop him off at a pub near his house? He knows where it is," Hermione asked, her voice level.

"Miss should be letting Misters kill the pervy bad man!" Winky harrumphed.

"Please Winky, Dobby, not now," Hermione pleaded with the elves, who weren't happy at all.

They looked into her eyes, ready to make her see reason and get her to let them dispose of him, but they saw she was on an edge. They would find a way to dispose of him without upsetting their mistress. Maybe they should go to Lady Bonesy.

"Let's go. The shack should be that way," Hermione announced, walking towards a path that looked familiar.

Her arms were crossed protectively across her chest. She wished she could transfigure her dress into a full body suit or at least repair her dress, but she didn't even know where her wand was anymore. She would have to wait until Winky and/or Dobby came back, if they came back to see if they could find her wand. The three males trailing behind her were of course oblivious to her turmoil. They were too incensed to see anything other than their fury.

By the time they had made it to the heavily warded place that they imagined had to be where the shack was, the three of them had calmed down enough to recall that they had an important task to accomplish. Hermione, being as observant as usual, saw a snake trail, and decided to follow it. Soon enough, they reached a post with two dead, yet live-looking snakes on it. Harry was tasked with the job of gaining them access by asking for entrance in parseltongue. Apparently, that was all it took to bypass the securities.

Hermione could feel just about all the defenses drop. There was one more that she could still feel, but she, somehow, knew he had made it so that he and only he could get in without a hitch. Anyone else trying to get in would be either killed or gravely maimed at the attempt. Maybe the defense in place made it so only one person could go in at a time?

Without a second thought, she encaged Sirius, Harry and Draco in a cube of ice, as she allowed some roots to create a path for her to step on. She was definitely not touching anything in there. Her rather unconventional method, although uncomfortable for her in her sandals, actually allowed her to get through without difficulty. Unknown to her, Tommy Boy had used his uncle's blood to his advantage and warded the floor of the shack to exterminate anyone without Gaunt blood running through their veins at contact. Walking towards the feeling of malice and repulsion, she promptly found the ring. A vine handling and various levels of vegetation cocooning later, the gaunt ring lay harmlessly inside a plant vault that would not be "unlocked" until it was time to destroy the vessels.

It was with a sigh of relief that she made it back to where her cube of ice once stood. One look at the three wizards in front of her, told her that they were more than livid with her, but she honestly didn't give a single flying shit. She wanted her wand. She wanted to be clean. And-and She wanted her dad, more than anything right now. He would have made her feel strong and happy and safe and loved unconditionally and protected and gods she missed him!

"No time Hermione, no time. Many things to do, very little time," she muttered to herself.

There was no time for any of this. Nothing happened. She was fine. She needed to suck it up. If she couldn't find her damn wand, she could get another wand. She was not defenseless. As long as she either stayed calm or had no qualms about killing or maiming someone, then she was more than equipped. She had a weapon in her fire, the earth and plants fighting alongside her, and the air and water giving her their power. She was not vulnerable. She was not weak. She just needed to train and grow stronger. She still had time before getting to Hogwarts and she could continue her training there in the Shrieking Shack.

"Let's get back to Gringotts," she muttered, calling for Winky and leaving Sirius, Harry and Draco to find their own way back.

...

They had all of the horocruxes in a containment room, where Sirius would unleash some fiendfyre on them at the cue. Harry had called a dementor to the containment room next to the "horocrux containment facility." Hermione went over her list once again, to calm her nerves. Winky had popped her to the Goblin's hospital wing, where they had treated the small bruises that Riddle had caused, given her a mild calming draught, and repaired her dress. Much to Hermione's relief and delight, Winky had found Hermione's wand and given it to her once she had been treated.

Draco caught Hermione's eyes, and what he saw shocked him for a bit. There was an antsy, fearful yet determined edge in her eyes. Was she panicking about Harry, the bonding, or something else entirely, he wondered. If Lily had been alive she would have slapped all three wizards upside the head. They had completely forgotten about the Riddle incident, as they would call it from now on. Of course, Winky and Kippy would quickly solve that problem when they brought her mistress home, not that Harry, Sirius or Draco knew this. If they had even suspected, they would have been making escape plans to an unplottable island somewhere that had wards against angry house elves.

A quick nod from Hermione was the only warning Harry got before she burst through his barriers and dragged Draco along with her. Together, she and Draco rushed to the edge of the darkness, to the beginning of Voldemort's mind. Craftily, she slipped under the thick walls and before crossing completely through, she pulled Draco through. Draco went pale from the suffocating darkness.

Damn, Hermione thought, as she saw Draco get sicker and sicker with every second they spent in Voldy's mind. She knew they would have to act soon, lest Draco collapse on her, but she wanted to get to the crossroad between the snake and that Halloween night, to maximize the effect on the horocruxes. By the time they had made it there, she was supporting most of his weight. That ability of his could really be a pain in the arse sometimes, Hermione huffed internally.

"Dragon, we're here... Are you sure?" Hermione said softly, brushing a gray curl from his eyes.

"I love you, Mia. I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Draco replied, smiling as he weakly drew her into his body.

"I love you too," Hermione whispered, just before his lips grazed hers.

Like the first time they felt raw, pure magic flow between them, only this time it was a million fold stronger. It was coursing within, without, around and throughout them . It was so so so much. It was bordering on the edge of painful. Hermione felt as Draco's glamours faded one by one. Something deep within her was shaking violently, as if it were boiling or becoming superheated.

Draco pulled her tighter against him, deepening the kiss, and all she could feel was bliss. Then, just as she was losing herself in the warm, loving, earth-shattering kiss, it snapped. Something, the thing that had been rattling within her snapped. She could feel her power, her ties to the world. For the first time in forever, she felt grounded. She no longer felt lost. Another surge of pure magic and love pulsed through them and travelled outwards. If either of them had had their eyes open, they would have seen how brutally their love magic was attacking the madman's mind. Everything crumbled and turned to ash with the mere presence of something so pure.

In the outside world, a thick black cloud was exuding from Harry's scar. The dementor eyed it hungrily, waiting in anticipation of consuming the dark soul, but their chosen master had given his orders: wait until the soul piece was fully out and then feast on the soul piece and on it alone. It was a shame that he couldn't get to the souls in the objects next door. They were as dark as the one coming out of the chosen's forehead. It was rumored that dementors were foul creatures, feasting on people's souls. Well, it was true, but they revelled in sucking dark souls. They revelled in ending darkness, but they themselves had turned dark in order to not be negatively affected by their dark diet, hence the rather negative psychological effect they had on the humans around them.

Finally, the tainted soul piece was pushed out. He paid no attention to the other three humans as he delved into his meal. When he had finished his food, he took time to sense the three magicals. One he knew to be his chosen, one he sensed, much to his surprise, was his princess, and the other appeared to be her mate. Interesting, the dark, cloaked creature thought. He would have to inform his companions of this development. After over a decade of thinking their princess was dead, she returned to them and now had a mate. He thought it interesting that he hadn't sensed her before, but didn't give it too much importance. He had news to spread. With that jubilant thought, he left with a bow towards the three magicals, unable to see that all three of them were still unconscious.

In the next room, Sirius had already unleashed the fires of hell on the abominations. With much effort, he and the goblins were able to close the door before the horocruxes started fighting back and screaming out in agonizing anger as they were destroyed.

In Crouch Manor, the now home of Barty Crouch Junior, the Dark Lord and his snake were writhing in agony. Much in accordance to Hermione's prediction, Nagini the Snake perished as her insides imploded from the physical strain vessels. Snake-face, on the other hand, was fine as soon as his mind/soul had been consumed by the dementor for it had been the love that forced the horocrux out of Harry that had made it feel as if every fibre of his body had caught fire.

A/N Okay, so this is already really, really long, so I'm going to stop here. I had planned on putting it all together in one chapter, but there is just too much! The next chapter will have the Skeeter meeting, Marlene, Krum, and Hermione being Hermione. Oh, not to mention some pissed off female elves... well pissed off females in general.

BTW ummm less than half of the chapter is actually edited so I'm sorry for any annoyance or headaches caused by improper grammar and spelling errors... I should get back to editing this chapter once I have the next one written and revised, so yeah... sorry..