Chapter 21
November 1978
In all honesty Marlene wasn't sure she would ever be fighting on the front lines when she signed up for the Order. Sure, there had been several instances in which the Order had defended innocent civilians against the Death Eaters, but she had never been there to fight alongside her peers. At first it was because she was new to the Order, and Dumbledore had refused to put any of them in a fight without proper training. And as James and Sirius gained more experience through their Auror training, they were slowly being brought into more fights. It seemed as if Dumbledore was slowly drafting them all, one at a time. All except for her.
She was told that her healer experience made her far too valuable to be on the front lines. The Aurors in their group could always hide behind their jobs if they were injured and brought into St Mungos. But the rest of them were operating outside the scope of the law, so there was no way they could constantly all be going into the hospital without questions being asked. She knew it to be true as her job entailed her informing Aurors if she suspected anyone had come in due to foul play. And while she might have been able to sweep it under the rug, the same could not necessarily be said for the other healers she worked with.
It didn't help that she was still on rotation as a new Healer, and very rarely was on the fourth floor for Spell Damage related cases. She supposed she could eventually chose to specialize so she could work there, but it would be a while before she was allowed to choose to do so.
She wasn't exactly jealous that she wasn't able to join the fights. How could she be jealous when she saw her friends and family being brought in after each fight, looking battered and bruised? How could she be jealous when she prayed after each fight that her friends wouldn't be hurt, or worse, killed? They weren't in Hogwarts anymore when their opponents were casting jinxes or curses. They were casting spells for death and pain.
And she didn't know what she would do if she lost anyone she loved.
So when she was in Diagon Alley with Lily and James, doing some shopping for supplies, she really didn't intend on running into Death Eaters.
Marlene was just about to pay for a few items when she heard the screaming coming from outside. The shopkeeper looked terrified, and Marlene grabbed her wand as she ran outside. She could see a store a few buildings over on fire, as Bellatrix's laughter cut through the air.
She was horrified to see several other Death Eaters unidentifiable due to their masks, as they attacked everyone and anyone.
She saw a child on the ground, being hexed by one Death Eater, and a thirty something year old man attempting to fight back but failing.
She saw James brandishing his wand as he attempted to take on several Death Eaters at once, as Lily took on a few others.
She knew because she hadn't been brought in yet, she technically wasn't allowed to fight. But how could she leave as she saw those around her being hurt and injured? How could she leave with a good conscious, knowing blood would be shed, and innocent lives would be lost?
So in a moment she made up her wand and cast a disarming spell at one of the Death Eaters, alerting the rest of them to her presence.
She felt her heart pound as she cast spell after spell, thinking back to the training she had received and her Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Yet it was different fighting a friend in a training area than it was fighting a foe in the middle of a battle.
She took a deep breath as she blocked off spell after spell, while trying to still help the innocent people who were being harassed still.
And she was overwhelmed. She remembered wishing more of the Order and Aurors would show up, to even out the numbers, and remembered feeling relieved as she saw them show up.
And she remembered hearing Remus shout her name, in a panicked manner, just as she felt a sharp pain flow through her body, before she was enveloped by darkness.
When she awoke, she was no longer in Diagon Alley. Instead, she was in a bed, and she could see a very tired Remus sitting on a chair beside her bed.
"You're awake," he said, and she could hear the relief in his voice. He stood and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her face.
"Hi," she said softly as she sat up so she could lean into him.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded. "Marlene, you could have been seriously hurt!"
"What did you think I would do?" she questioned. "People were dying, Remus! You didn't hear their screams of pain and terror. How could I stand aside and let it happen all because Dumbledore hadn't cleared me for fighting yet? What kind of person does that make me, to watch as James and Lily and our friends fight while I stand aside?"
He sighed, wrapping an arm around her, "I know," he said softly. "I know you couldn't have just stood aside. But you have no idea just how terrifying it was to watch Bellatrix hit you with that spell. Marlene, I thought you were dead."
"It was Bellatrix?" she asked in surprise, as she stroked his face softly.
"Yes," he said, and the anger was apparent in his voice, "Sirius is furious that his cousin did that to you."
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "For causing you to worry."
And she was. The loss of his parents had been so hard on him, and she knew he would be devastated if he lost her too.
He sighed, "Don't be. You did what you thought was right. I've been selfishly trying to keep you safe, but we're at a war, whether I like it or not. I just don't want to lose you."
"And I don't want to lose you either," she told him. "I love you too much to live without you."
"And I love you," he told her softly. "Promise me you'll be careful, Marlene. Be safe and always be with someone who'll watch your back."
"I promise," she said, exhaustion dripping from her voice.
"Sleep," he told her softly, "I'll be beside you when you wake up."
She wanted to protest, but her eyes started to droop. So she lay back down on the bed, cuddled into Remus' chest as she drifted off to sleep.
When Draco mentioned having the tablet with the secret to entering Morgana's castle, Hermione wasn't sure what to feel.
She was excited because it felt like they had their first real lead in the time since they've started working on trying to break the curse.
She was nervous because of what the group might find at the ruins. Even if it didn't magically have the answer of how to break Morgana's curse, it still would have many artefacts and historically important items. The knowledge that would be flowing through the castle would be incredible.
And she was worried that they wouldn't find what they needed. Because if they went all that way, and still came back empty handed, then she had no idea what else they could do. If there was nothing at that castle, then what were the chances they would even find the anecdote to the curse? There could be nothing else in anymore books to help them.
So it was safe to say that there was quite a lot riding on the fact that they found just what they were looking for when they arrived at the castle.
Draco slipped a hand in hers, as if he could sense her worry and unease.
"It's going to be fine," he told her softly, as they stood in front of a seemingly empty hill range.
She could sense magic which felt like a repellant charm. Hermione wondered if simply knowing the word Tauroc would be enough to get them past all the security measures the castle held. For it to be undiscovered for nearly two millenniums was incredible.
She took a step forward, as she closed her eyes and began to think the word repeatedly, hoping magically for something to happen.
She heard Bill gasp as she opened her eyes and saw a castle materialize.
And it was nowhere near in ruins.
She took in a big breath of air as she saw the castle standing magnificently in front of her. It was nowhere near as big as Hogwarts was, but it was far more regal and appropriate of the time it had been built.
She opened the doors as she made her way inside and gasped. For a castle Morgana retreated to, it certainly wasn't lacking. Moving past the surrounding walls of the castle, she was greeted by the main hall, donned magnificently with red furniture and deep blue accents.
She could sense familiarity as she walked down the halls and as she made her way to the throne, she let a partially excited sound.
"It's beautiful," Draco breathed, as he joined her. "I never could have imagined anything like this."
"It's quite something, isn't it?" Bill asked as he looked around the room.
"It's glorious," Theo said, "And absolutely fitting of person of Morgana's standing. I expect no less from a witch as great as she was."
Hermione raised a brow at his statement, but didn't question it as she began moving to the castle, towards an old staircase. She made her way up them, hearing the others behind her. She felt the magic flowing through her, and as if she was being drawn up the stairs towards a room in particular.
As she reached the top, she entered what she perceived to be Morgana's private study.
"This is where she probably created the curse!" Bill said excitedly, "If there ever was a spot where the answers could be, it would probably be in here!"
"Let's look around," Draco suggested, "See what we can find."
She took the desk that was left in the room and she looked at it. She felt a little guilty, disrupting the study of a woman who had long since passed. But the sheer amount of knowledge that was in the room amazed her. If they weren't here to break a curse, then she would want to just sit here for hours reading and learning more about the woman.
Hermione looked at a few of the papers on the desk, finding a few unsent letters and such. She delicately placed them in her bag for later, if it turned out there was something useful in them. As she looked through the drawers, she was met with nothing but feathers and old parchment.
"Find anything useful?" Theo asked as he came up behind her.
"No," she said slightly disappointedly. "I really hoped there would have been something here."
"Well there's still so much of this room, let alone this castle, to tackle," he said, giving her a soft smile. "Even if we don't find it here, there's still so many places we can look."
She sighed, "I just really feel like it would be in this room, you know?"
"Don't give up just yet," he placed a hand on her arm, "If anyone is smart enough to crack this curse, it would be you, Granger. You always were brighter than the rest of us."
She blushed slightly, feeling a little unsure of what to make of his compliment.
"That she is," Draco said, agreeing as he came up to them. She slipped her hand in his, and he squeezed it reassuringly.
"How about you come tackle this bookshelf with me?" Draco suggested, as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Done," she grinned, feeling excited at the prospect of looking at Morgana's book collection. She followed him over, as her fingers glided over the shelves, reading the titles.
Some were books on standard healing potions, while others involved books of everyday magic.
She lifted a few of the books from the shelves to flip through them. She recognized many of the potions and spells, but could tell the versions she knew had been modified by the years and by necessity. She couldn't help but wonder just how much had changed over the centuries for the spells she knew today to take its shape. It was beyond brilliant to see rough notes for other spells she knew, as it dawned on her that Morgana and Merlin together probably came up with several well-known spells they knew today.
What must it have been like to live in that era and craft spells so beautifully? If it weren't for Arthur and his tendency to try and wipe out magic, then she would have been almost envious of the fact that she could not experience it.
"That's odd," She heard Draco say with a frown as he attempted to take a book from the self.
"What?" she asked, curiously.
"I can't seem to remove this book from the shelf," he said, in a confused voice, "It's almost as if it's stuck."
"You just don't have a lot of experience in a library, I see," she laughed, as she moved closer to him. She reached out and pulled out the book, almost effortlessly.
"How did you do that?" Draco asked, almost accusingly, "It was clearly stuck well in there."
"Maybe I'm just stronger than you," she said, giving him an innocent smile, "Don't worry, I still fancy you, even if you aren't as physically capable as I am."
Bill snorted at the comment, and she saw Theo attempting to hide his own smirk.
Draco shook his head but smiled nonetheless, "You know this means I can get you to do all the physical labour now right? My own fragile hand aren't up to the task."
She laughed, as she opened the book up and began sifting through it.
"Draco," she said with a gasp, "This is it."
"What?" he asked, looking down.
"This book," she said, turning the pages. "It's all about her curse; her research, the formation, and what the final spell was. There might also be the counter curse in here."
"Only it's in old English," he frowned, "Gaelic almost. Hell some of these runes I don't even recognize myself. We might have the key, but we have no idea what any of it means just yet."
"So we break the curse," Bill said determinedly. "We'll work through the book, trying to figure out what all of it means, and just how we need to go about breaking this curse."
"Agreed," Theo nodded, "And between the four of us, I think we're more than capable of deciphering few runes."
Hermione frowned. It was going to be far harder than that. Who even knew if the books would be enough to break the curse, or if it would have anything they even needed to break it? What if it talked all about how it was created, yet Morgana never created an anecdote to the curse? What if she never intended for it to break?
She heard kraa-ing, and looked outside for the source. Perched on a branch of a tree, she saw a raven sitting there, looking her in the eyes, as if it was trying to call to her. She made her way to the window and the raven made another sound, before flying away.
"Let's finish looking around here," Bill said, "And see if we can find anything else before we head out. Otherwise, it's not as if this castle is going anywhere. Let's refrain from telling the public about it just yet, so we can always come back if need be to find out if we missed anything. And in the meantime, we can work on trying to break this curse, and stopping it once and for all."
She nodded at that, as she gingerly placed the book in her bag. She gave the room one last look as they headed down the stairs and returned to the Ministry.
He stood at the window of Morgana's castle, feeling the magic in the grounds. For generations, they had been trying to find where her castle once stood, and it had been him who had finally found it.
It had been him who had spent years of his life, researching where the castle could be, and attempting to figure out how to get past the wards and the spells.
And if those idiots thought knowing a simple word was the sole reason they got in, then he would let them believe it.
It pained him; it really did. Because he loved Draco as if he was his own brother. Yet this was his birth right. His legacy. His throne. He would step forward and rule, as he finished what Morgana started all those years ago in wanting to restore their land to a proper owner.
The others were a mere unfortunate consequence. He would figure out just how they had gotten past the wards of the castle, but other than that, he would steer them as far away from breaking this curse as possible. For when the curse broke, it would be him at the helm of England, breaking it as its saviour. No one would take that away from him, no matter what they tried.
And as he stood at the window, he felt the raw magic manifest, as he saw darkness rising from the grounds and spreading across the land. It was time for the second wave to hit, and this time, he would manipulate how England perceived it.
He would cause fear and terror, and it would be magnificent.
Theo grinned to himself, well aware of just how much panic this would cause. And nothing anyone could do would stop him from reclaiming the birth right that belonged to him.