I know it's been forever since I updated last, but I have put my fan fictions on my list of priorities to work on this month. So I will be updating a bunch in the next few weeks.
At least, that is the plan…
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
Lady of the Woods: Chapter 20
Hermione Galadhrim was tired of hiding. Of pretending to be someone she was not and if she was honest with herself she was glad that Harry had finally figured out something was different. If he was six years too late.
"Harry–" she started, but stopped at the sound of footsteps hurrying toward them. "This isn't the place to discuss this. I'll tell you everything, but not here. Not now."
Harry opened his mouth to protest when Snape's slimy voice cut in. "I couldn't agree more, Miss Granger."
The boys snapped their attention to the Professor their eyes turning from curious to horrified at the Head of Slytherin's presence. Hermione would have been amused by their reaction if Malfoy hadn't begun to groan in his sleep. She turned her eyes back to the blonde in her lap and placed a hand on his face, stroking his forehead until he calmed again.
"Professor, I can explain." Harry stepped toward Snape his hands out in defense.
"No need, Potter. The present states of things paint quite a picture." Harry winced at the sight of the destroyed bathroom and Malfoy's limp form. Snape's eyes were hard and unyielding as his gaze bore down on the boys. "And I will be sure to paint that picture to the Headmaster to make sure the responsible parties receive ample punishment."
"Hey! That's not fair. I didn't have anything to do with this." Ron finally stopped gaping at Hermione's action toward Malfoy.
Snape snapped his gaze to the redhead, causing his anger to wilt against the weight of it. "Then why are you here, Mr. Weasley? If you were not part of the destruction of school property and the harming of another student? My student." The older wizard snarled.
"But he's fine," Ron argued. "See, Hermione fixed him all up. The how is a bit fuzzy, but see–" He bent down to poke at Malfoy's healed chest. "–it's like nothing happened."
Hermione's glower was so strong that Ron fell back into the water that had spilled out of the busted pipes and onto the bathroom floor. "Barmy, Hermione. Don't look at me like that. It's not like I did it." He gave a nervous chuckle and eyed Harry. "Right?"
"No, you didn't Ron. I did and Snape is right. I should pay for my actions." Harry glared up at the Potions Professor, who was positively glowing with smug satisfaction. "But first," Harry suddenly spun around and pointed his wand back at Hermione's kneeling form. "I demand to know who this thing is and where is our Hermione?"
Thing? Hermione balked. She was certainly not a thing and the fact that Harry called her one stung a bit. But before she could interject her opinion Snape jumped in once more.
"You can demand all you like, Potter, but you will have to take it up with your friend. My only concern is for my student who is knocked out cold on a wet bathroom floor. Now if you would kindly get out of my way. I will see to it that Mr. Malfoy gets the attention he needs."
Snape bent down to where Malfoy was lying, his black billowy cloak not even getting wet from the water. He must have some kind of charm on his clothing, Hermione thought. Reluctantly, she let the professor take Malfoy from her arms, the loss of his warm body against her legs made her shiver.
As Snape turned for the door, Hermione hurried to stand up and called after him, "Snape."
He paused in his stride not turning back, "What is it now, Miss Granger?"
"You will keep him safe, won't you?" Hermione ignored the curiosity and astonishment coming from her friends, her mind too focused on the wellbeing of her intended. Wait. When had she started thinking of him as her intended again? She shook the thought from her mind as Snape spun around to look at her.
"You can rest assure, unlike others, I will keep my godson safe."
Hermione glared at the professor as she stalked out of the bathroom, his implications not lost on her. She would keep Malfoy safe. That was the whole point of their arrangement.
"Hermione? If that is your name, start talking" Hermione moved her attention back to her friend, whose suspicious faces were really starting to grate on her nerves.
Her eyes narrowed and she marched toward the doorway, calling out over her shoulder. "Follow me."
The young elf didn't wait for them to follow her. She knew they would if they wanted answers and if she had learned anything from the last six years with them was that they always wanted answers.
"Wait up!" Ron ran up beside her, his breath coming in pants as he tried to keep up. "Have you always been so fast?"
Hermione stopped in her tracks and glanced back toward the bathroom that wasn't even visible anymore and Harry trotting up the hallway to catch up. She must be really out of it if she forgot to slow down to a normal human speed. If the boys weren't already suspicious of her, that little display of her abilities would have confirmed it.
Instead of making an excuse, Hermione looked Ron square in the eye, "Yes, Ron. I have always been that fast. If you are going to let that spook you, you might want to sit out of this meeting." She started back toward the Room of Requirements, making a conscious effort to slow down, the boys trailing behind her.
"That's hardly fair, 'Mione," Ron grumbled. "I don't really even know what is going on. You can't expect me to not ask questions when you're being so…different."
"Different? I've been the same as I've always been. You've just been too dense to notice." Hermione smirked to herself, a trait she had no doubt picked up from spending too much time with Malfoy.
"So you've been snogging Malfoy for the last six years?" Harry spoke up now, his anger at her betrayal clear in his voice.
She frowned at that, slowing down as they approached the door that materialized in front of them. It would have been easier if she had known about Malfoy back when she had first started Hogwarts, she would have had time to wrap her mind around the idea. Started the wooing process earlier. It probably would have saved her years of bullying and torment from Malfoy and his flunkies. Though, he would have had to keep her secret in public, so maybe it wouldn't have.
Not answering Harry's question, she pulled open the door to the Room of Requirements. "Come on, there is a lot to cover and not a lot of time."
The Room of Requirements had morphed itself into the Gryffindor common room, including the roaring fireplace with the couch they loved to frequent after a long day of class. Ron and Harry didn't hesitate to plop down onto the couch, but Hermione stood by the fireplace her eyes on the fire within.
Where to begin? She had already gone over everything with Malfoy and Ginny, repeating herself was getting a bit tiring, but she knew that Harry and Ron would want more answers than she had given them. They deserved more than just vagueness. They'd been with her for such a long time and while they had their problems, their overprotectiveness of late being one of them, she still loved them like brothers and wanted them to be part of her life, for as long as she was able.
"Hermione?"
Harry's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "I'm not going to ease you into this because frankly I don't have the time or the patience. So I'm going to be frank with you."
"Okay." Ron drawled out, his head doing that little tilting thing he does when he was becoming confused.
"I'm not a muggle-born. I'm not technically even a witch, though I can do magic. I really don't even need a wand." She tossed her wand to the ground and called a book from one of the shelves to her. The book flew to her in an instant and beBefore the boys could jump in saying that there were plenty that could do wandless magic, she dropped her glamour. Her ears pointed and the iridescent glow colored her skin.
She waited for the gasp of surprise or an outcry of rage, but Ron and Harry did neither. They sat on the couch mouths agape a sort of dazed look on their face. After a moment, they looked to each other before they started speaking at once.
"So you're an elf?"
"How long have you been an elf?"
"When were you going to tell us?"
"Does the Headmaster know?"
"Why are you pretending to be a muggle-born then?"
Ignoring the other questions, she answered the last one. "Isn't that obvious, Harry?"
"Voldemort." He stated firmly. "He's why you are hiding. But why here? At Hogwarts?"
"Obviously, it is the safest place to be right now." Hermione stared over their heads her eyes seeing more than what was before her. "Though, that might not be the case for very long."
"So what does Malfoy have to do with all this? Elf or not, he still tormented you for years and suddenly now you are shagging?" Harry's anger returned with vigor. "Does he know what you are? He has to otherwise he'd never touch you."
Eyes snapping to Harry, Hermione's own anger began to build. The implication was clearly there. Malfoy would never be with a filthy mudblood. She wished it wasn't true. That Malfoy would want her no matter what blood ran under her skin, but it was hopeful thinking and she wasn't entirely certain it would ever be true.
"Yes, Malfoy knows who I am. Ginny knows too."
"What?" Ron's face began to turn red, "Ginny I would understand, but Malfoy? You told him before me? Before Harry? Do you care about that prick more than us? Someone who has made your life a living hell from day one and he gets to know first?"
Hermione sighed. She knew this was going to happen. "It wasn't like that Ronald."
"The what was it like, 'Mione? Because I'm having a bloody hard time believing you care more about that smarmy ferret than your own best friends!"
"I was hardly choosing him over you. Some things are just more complicated than picking a side. You don't know what is going on in my life right now. You don't know who my mother is and what my being an elf requires of me. I wish it was all black and white. He's on the bad side and we're the good side, but it doesn't work that way. Life doesn't work that way."
Hermione whirled away from them, taking in deep calming breaths. Her emotions were getting away from her and she could feel her magic pulsating just under her skin, begging to be released. With everything else going on the last thing she needed was to accidently obliterate her best friends.
"You're right, Hermione." Harry's voice was calm and sure. "We don't know what is going on. In fact, I'm not even sure we know who you are anymore. Come on, Ron, we don't have any friends here."
The moment Harry and Ron stood from their seats Hermione let her magic loose and threw them back onto the couch. Ignoring the shock and outrage on their face, Hermione let all of her pent up feelings come pouring out of her mouth.
"Melodramatic much? If you would have sat down and shut up for five minutes I would have told you what I had been keeping from you, but nooo, the boy-who-lived couldn't see passed his own prejudice to let me explain." Hermione glowered at the two boys who seemed to shrink into the couch with every word she spoke. "You just want to point fingers and judge before getting the full story. In my book, you are no better than those blood puritists you love to bash so much."
"Hey now, that's not–" Harry began, but Hermione cut him off.
"I'm still talking!" Hermione's magic pressed down on the boys causing them enough discomfort to do the smart thing for once and just listen. "Yes, I'm an elf. Yes, Ginny knows already, because Merlin forbid I have someone to talk to besides the two of you! And yes, occasionally I have snogged Malfoy and you know what? I liked it and I might even be able to love him, which would be a good thing since I have to bloody fucking marry him over break!"
Hermione collapsed into the chair next to the couch, fighting to catch her breath. It felt good to let it all out. It would have felt even better if she hadn't just announced what she herself hadn't wanted to admit. She was toeing a fine line between like and love with Malfoy and she was dangerously close to falling over the edge. An edge she knew there was no coming back from. When elves loved they loved for eternity, 'death do us part' has never been part of the equation and with Malfoy joined to her forever, an unrequited love could turn very lonely fast.
"Marry?" Ron dared to mutter. "Malfoy? Bloody hell."
Hermione watched their faces as they tried to process the new information. It was a lot to take in and she hadn't even told them she was royalty yet. Not that she thought it would matter to them.
"Hermione?" Harry inched up from the couch, cautious of making her mad again. "Why do you have to marry Malfoy? I mean, he's a wizard and you're an elf, it's not exactly an obvious match."
The young elf blew out a breath. This part would definitely make them blow a gasket.
"That's because my mother is Lady Galadhrim." Hermione sped through the rest before they could question her more. "She had a vision that Malfoy was going to kill Dumbledore–"
"I knew it!" Harry jumped up, unable to contain himself. "I knew he was up to no good! Didn't I say so on the train? Didn't I? And you kept telling me it was nothing and I was imaging things!"
"Yes Harry, you were right. Now sit down I'm not done yet." Hermione gave him a little poke with her magic causing Harry to fall back onto the couch. "Before you go getting a big head about it, he is being forced to do it or Voldemort will kill him and his family. So you were partly right."
"But what does that have to do with you having to marry the ferret? That's not going to do anything but make you miserable." Ron paused for a moment and then looking down at the ground quickly added, "My lady."
"Dear Merlin, Ronald. I'm still Hermione. You can look at me in the eye. I'm not going to smite you. To answer your question. An elven marriage, even one to a human, breaks all bonds with their world and makes them part of ours. In result, we are taking away some of the Voldemort's favorite playthings and saving Dumbledore in the process."
"But why does it have to be you? Why couldn't another elf marry Malfoy?" Hermione smiled at the brunette. She could tell he was trying to be helpful and look passed his prejudices.
"I've asked that very same question."
"And? Why not then?" Ron finally looked her in the face. "Is there some rule saying you have to be the one? Or that it won't work otherwise? Why does it have to be you?"
Hermione found herself saying the very words she knew her mother would have told her. "Because that is what was seen and so that is how it must be."
"Bollocks!" Harry shouted, jumping to his feet again. "When have we ever let anyone else decide our fate? You have always been the one to scoff at prophecies. Are you going to let one rule your life? The Hermione I know wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do. If you are still our Hermione, like you say you are, you wouldn't either."
"Yeah, 'Mione." Ron planted himself by Harry's side showing a united front. "Let someone else marry the ferret. It'll still get him out of the way and save Dumbledore's life."
Logically, it made sense to let someone else marry Malfoy. For them to fulfill the vision. It didn't have to be her. But the thought of someone else with Malfoy. Of someone else kissing him, fighting with him, feeling his warm body pressed above theirs. Even though, she had been vying for that very solution hours ago, when someone else suggested it, the very thought of it made her sick to her stomach.
She didn't want someone else to marry him. For him to smile up at them underneath the hair that kept falling in his face. Or for them to know what he was like when no one else is watching. She liked being the only one to have seen that side of him and she wanted it to stay that way.
"I can't." She whispered finally.
"Right there's our 'Mione!" Ron hauled Hermione out of her chair and led her toward the door. "Let's go tell Dumbledore that there will be no wedding for you, they will just have to find somebody else."
"No. Ronald." She pulled her arm out of his, firmly planting her feet in the carpet. "I meant, I can't let someone else marry him."
"What? But you just said." The ginger shook his head. "I don't understand. You hate him. Look what he just did in the Great Hall. He humiliated you. You want to live with that for the rest of your life?"
"I mean, I don't want anyone else to marry him." Hermione took a deep breath and let it out. "Yes, he is mean and cruel at times. He can be such a child and has let his family brainwash him into being a prejudice pig, but he is also funny. Engaging. Smarter than he looks and when I'm with him. Without all the house and blood politics in the way." Hermione felt her eyes fill with tears and a small smile inch onto her face. "I'm happy. Really happy."
"But you guys fight all the time." Harry interjected.
"So what? Who wants someone to agree with them all the time? I want what I have with him. What I can have with him. To put it simply, I can't let anyone else marry him because I want to marry him."
Hermione held her breath waiting for the boys' reaction when a throat cleared near the door. All three sets of eyes jerked to the door at the voice of the very person she had just declared her she wanted to marry.
"Well, that was enlightening."