Chapter 25 - Lovespell
"Whatever it takes" Lifehouse
Two weeks passed - two weeks in which Hermione found herself in tears a majority of the time over Ron's accusations and her response. She hadn't heard from, or written to him since their row in Hogsmeade, and she felt terrible about walking away from him and leaving things so unfinished. She'd talked to Ginny about it, but Ginny kept assuring her she had done the right thing.
"He was being an idiot, Hermione," she had said. "Just wait it out, he'll come to his senses."
"But don't you think I should approach him? I mean, I don't want to break it off, not in the slightest. I just want him to…to…" she stuttered, looking for the right word.
"Get his head on straight," Ginny filled in. "You're right, he needs to grow up. He's got to get over this ridiculous feeling that he's second best. He'll come around, Hermione; I know he will."
Aside from the guilt and the worry she felt from having no contact with Ron, Draco Malfoy's exuberant mood was driving her mad. He had managed to memorize her schedule, and was constantly badgering her at every chance he got.
"Hermione, it was only a matter of time. Look how angry he got at you when you didn't even do anything. He just assumed you were going to. He doesn't trust you, but the fact of the matter is you're better than him, and he knows it! You don't want someone who's going-"
"He only got that angry because you lied to him!" she screeched as she walked away from him. "You claimed you wanted to be friends. Friends don't sabotage relationships!"
"They do if it's for the other person's own good," Draco replied.
"Oh," Hermione groaned. "That's such a Slytherin thing to say! You'll do anything to get what you want. Get over it, Draco! I don't want anything to do with you, just-"
But Draco backed her against the wall, placing his hands on either side of her head so she couldn't escape. "Hermione, sooner or later, you will realize I'm a better choice. You've just got to give it a chance," he had muttered, moving his face unnaturally close to hers.
"Everything all right here?" muttered a voice. Hermione held her breath and looked over to see Professor Lansing standing outside his class room giving them an odd look. Draco backed away slowly, and Hermione turned and stepped away from him, her eyes wide with shock.
"Fine, Professor," Draco replied with a smile. He glanced at Hermione and she took off running in the other direction.
"He's starting to scare me," Hermione told Ginny later that evening. "He's dead set on this theory he has that suddenly I'll think he's a great guy and I'll be all over him, or something. He cornered me today, and backed me against a wall; if Lansing hadn't come around the corner, I think he would have tried to kiss me," she said with a shudder.
"That is creepy; don't go anywhere by yourself anymore. If you can't find me, wait, or drag Parvarti or Lavender with you. Hell, drag anyone with you," Ginny said, glancing over at the Slytherin table where Malfoy sat watching the pair of them. "Have you noticed he always eats alone now?"
"I have," Hermione said darkly. "It's just so strange, I still don't understand it. The infatuation was one thing, but this is borderline obsession," she whispered as Ginny nodded.
Harry had stayed away from flat out telling Ron to apologize to Hermione; he knew Ron was sorry, but couldn't admit to himself that his confidence was a major player in all their arguments. A majority of their time was spent in conversations about the same topic Ginny and Hermione had been discussing, neither of them coming up with an explanation either.
"It's not that I don't understand him fancying her," Harry said. "It's just odd, because he hated her for so long, and even stranger since I know for a fact his parents are still holding to their Pure-blood ideals, but it's not like she's undesirable," he explained weakly.
"I'm such a prat; I don't deserve her," was all Ron could say. Harry had tried to convince him that this wasn't true, but he wasn't having it. He was convinced he'd finally done it and drove Hermione away from him.
The Friday before Ron's nineteenth birthday arrived. He woke up depressed, same as he had every other morning since he and Hermione had their row. He had taken to lying in bed and examining the string around his finger, which still showed no sign of wear. He kept waiting for it to fall off, signaling the end of her commitment to him, but it stayed solid. Though this should have made him feel better, it almost made him feel worse; she was still committed to him even though he couldn't realize his own self worth.
Tired of wallowing in his own self pity, he proceeded downstairs to find a small note on the table. Harry had not gone into the office; instead, he had gone with Tim to investigate another poisoning. This time it was right outside the city limits. Ron frowned as he read the note; Harry's discussion of the past events had let him know they had no suspects, nor any leads. The poisonings were disturbing Harry greatly, Ron had noticed deep shadows under his eyes the last time they had talked about it in-depth.
Deciding he didn't want to linger around the empty house, Ron decided to take a walk. He had grabbed his cloak and stepped outside when, suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name from down the street. He turned to see Harry walking toward him, waving wildly.
"Didn't expect you to be back so soon," Ron said turning toward him. "I got your message, did you find anything?"
"No, nothing. But Kingsley sent me to set up an alarm on the water supply for this side of town and by Ottery St. Catchpole. Tim is going over to Surrey, Berkshire and Kent. We're going to set up a Caterwauling Charm on all the supplies," Harry explained.
"A what?"
"Remember when we Apparated to Hogsmeade, and that scream alerted the Death Eaters? We're going to set up one of those to sound an alarm at the Ministry office so we can Apparate directly to the place and hopefully catch them in the act."
"Good call," Ron said in an approving voice. "Good luck with that. I was just heading off for a walk, so-"
"Come with me," Harry suggested, interrupting Ron's train of thought.
"What?"
"Come with me, I'd like some help," he said again. "Or were you planning on something else?"
Ron considered for a moment, he hadn't planned on doing anything but walking. Perhaps this would help take his mind of his lingering depression. "All right, let's go then," he said finally, a small smile crossing his face.
Harry told Ron to Apparate next to the water treatment system in to Raynes Park. After Ron emerged from the crushing darkness, he and Harry walked toward the water treatment facility. Ron watched as Harry waved his wand and muttered a complex incantation, feeling slightly inadequate as he observed. When the spell was finished, a misty haze floated lightly above the closest access to the water supply before fading away.
"Whoever crosses that boundary to get to the water will set off the alarm," Harry explained, looking a little smug at over his abilities. "Hopefully that will give us enough time to get here and catch them."
"Won't the screaming tip them off?" Ron asked, remembering their alarm when they heard the noise as they Apparated into Hogsmeade less than a year ago.
"It's not set up to sound here, the person won't even know. But we'll hear an alarm at the Ministry," Harry explained. "Let's go, maybe we can stop by the Burrow before we come back."
Ron nodded, watching Harry disappear in a swirl of robes before turning on the spot into the darkness. He emerged right next to the Otter River and the Catchpole Water Treatment plant. He looked around for Harry, finally locating him and proceeding into the facility gates. Once inside, Ron wandered around looking at the brick walls and signs posted around where they stood. The depression he felt earlier was beginning to sink in on him again; Harry was much more advanced in his spell casting ability and defensive knowledge than Ron was. They'd always been pretty even on that level, but now Ron felt behind, and began to berate himself for not taking the opportunity to join the Auror office earlier.
"Ron," Harry called from a distance way. "Come over here; take a look at this with me." Ron followed the sound of Harry's voice to find him examining something that had been thrown over the edge of the brick wall that separated the facility from the river itself.
"What is that?" Ron asked curiously.
"I don't know," Harry muttered. He was staring over the brick wall at a silver canister on the ground. It lay on its side; a thick black paste seemed to be leaking from the opening. Ron looked at Harry who indicated they should hop over the wall to check it out.
When they landed, Harry knelt down next to the canister and prodded the substance with his wand. Ron had bent down to examine the substance as well, when he saw Harry reach for the paste coated canister.
"I wouldn't touch it," he warned. Harry glanced at him curiously, but Ron nodded toward the patch of grass where the paste had spilled. It was dying, shriveling up and there was a faint sizzling sound that they hadn't been able to hear before.
Harry nodded, and observed the paste curiously. It was thick and reminded him of toothpaste. "I don't think I want that on my skin. What the hell is this?" he asked curiously. He conjured a flask and used his wand to lift some of the black paste inside for sampling.
"You think it's the poison they've been using?" Ron asked.
"Maybe; But, whatever they've been using would have to be diluted in water. This doesn't look like it would dilute very easily," Harry said shaking the flask.
"Maybe it depends on the amount of water you mix it with," said Ron, standing up. Harry nodded before pulling his knapsack off his back, and beginning to dig through it. Ron stared into the water, looking for traces of the black substance. He had taken a step toward it when he heard a faint "pop" echo from above them.
His senses seemed to kick into high gear; clicking his fingers, he caught Harry's attention and motioned for them to hide behind a building just to their left. Harry dropped the canister back onto the ground and followed Ron behind the building. As soon as they were behind the structure, Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak and threw it over the two of them.
They watched, both of them holding their breath, as Ivan Travers and someone else they didn't recognize peered over the brick wall. Travers hopped down, followed by his companion and he picked up the canister, scooping the black paste back inside it with his wand.
"We have to get out of here; someone Apparated and they're around here, probably watching us," his companion was saying in a panicked voice.
"Shut up, Jugson, we've got to get this done," Travers hissed. He peered over the edge of the water, shaking the canister that held the black paste. "We're trying to keep the Aurors distracted so the Dark One can assume power."
Harry glanced at Ron under the cloak; his expression was hard as he glared at the two men. Harry motioned for him to take out his wand.
"Well, it didn't work the last time! Not only did they manage to save a majority of the Muggles, they figured out the poison ingredients almost immediately! I'm telling you, Amycus and Alecto don't know anything about poisons. This whole plan is insane! I say, since we're still inside the ministry, we just go for a straight attack. I don't-"
"We are following the orders of the Dark Lord's heir," Travers said, unscrewing the lid to the canister.
"Heir," the other man huffed. "If you ask me, I think that's a bloody lie."
Travers stepped closer to the water. "She's proven herself to me, and I want the mudbloods and the blood traitors dead; even if the Dark Lord is gone, I'm willing to continue the plans with her in the lead." He had reached the water's edge, and was peering into it, a quizzical look on his face.
Harry and Ron raised their wands at the same time; they both glanced at each other before shouting "Stupefy!"
Red streaks of light flew past Travers, but hit his companion square in the chest. Travers whipped out his wand and backed away from the edge of the water, his head turning furiously to try and figure out where the spells had come from. Harry took aim, again, and tried to stun him; but Travers had cast a shield charm wordlessly and the spell rebounded, causing him and Ron to duck to avoid the spell. As both of them stood, the cloak slipped and revealed their position. Travers swore loudly and raised his wand, Harry and Ron both mimicking the motion.
"Give it up, Travers," Harry said as they walked forward. Ron moved toward where the other man lay, quickly casting a spell to bind his hands and feet before raising his wand and training it on Travers again. "Two against one isn't very good odds, and we heard everything."
"If only things were that simple, Potter," the Death Eater hissed. "I still owe you for that Imperious Curse, by the way. I didn't think you had it in you." Harry glared, unafraid, as Ron moved beside him. Travers sneered and stepped back toward the water's edge and, to Harry and Ron's shock, dropped the open canister.
"NO!" Harry shouted. He threw himself forward to try and catch the bottle as it fell. He caught the edge of the canister, some of the black paste spilling on to his skin and burning terribly. But he managed to throw it to the side away from the water before any of the substance could make contact. As he wiped furiously at the paste that was burning his skin, he glanced up to see Travers turn on the spot.
"DESINO APPAREO!"
Harry looked over his shoulder to see Ron raising his wand high in the sky, shouting an unknown spell. Travers continued to spin in a circle, but did not vanish. Realizing what had been done, the Death Eater took aim at Ron, firing a stunning spell before taking off in a sprint toward the front gate of the facility.
"RON!" Harry shouted as he watched Ron's figure dodge the spell, and take off after Travers in a hard run.
Ron willed his legs to move faster as he followed in Travers' wake. He knew once the Death Eater was outside the gates, he would be able to Apparate and they would not have a chance to catch him. He drew closer and, knowing he had only moments, leapt forward and rugby tackled the man, both of them falling to the ground. Ron's wand flew out of his hand, but he kept hold of Travers who kicked at him furiously. Ron braced himself and held tight to Travers' legs, scrabbling for his wand with one hand. His fingers closed around it just as he heard Travers scream "PROPELLO!"
Ron reacted instinctively. "PROTEGO!" The spell hit the shield and threw the two men apart. Travers moved to stand, but Ron, from his position on the ground, raised his wand and shouted "EXPELLIARMUS!"
Travers' wand flew high into the air away from where he stood. He growled and ran toward where Ron lay, meaning to attack him, but suddenly slowed and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Ron looked up to see Harry standing next to him, his wand pointed at the Death Eater. Ron raised himself from the ground, brushing off the dirt from his jeans and watching Harry move forward. Harry waved his wand and bound Travers' hands together before turning back toward where Ron stood.
"Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!" Harry shouted. "You know how to do that?"
"What?" Ron asked trying to catch his breath.
"The Anti-Disapparation Jinx," Harry said. "I haven't learned that yet, didn't even think about it."
Ron shrugged. "George taught me the first week at the shop, said I needed to know it in case we ever had a shoplifter."
Harry laughed loudly. "Brilliant!"
Ron nodded, his own breathing beginning to slow. "Did you catch that flask?" he asked.
Harry nodded. "It's back over there by my bag. I'm going to take it, and these two, back to the office," Harry said as he prodded Travers forward with his wand. "Will you come?"
Ron sighed; he could still feel himself shaking. "Later, I'm going to go see my mum first," he replied, thinking of his family so close by.
"Send your blood-traitor family my regards," Travers muttered with a smirk.
Ron glared, but Harry just shook his head and pushed the man forward. "Really, well done mate; I'm going to tell Kingsley and Lansing about how much you helped. You should stop in," Harry said in an encouraging voice.
"I will, I just…I just want to talk to my parents first," Ron replied.
Harry nodded and moved outside the facility with Travers in tow. Ron watched as Harry grasped Travers firmly by the shoulder and gripped the other mans arm before Disapparating with a loud crack. Ron sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair before waving his wand to remove the jinx, and turning on the spot to Apparate outside the Burrow's gate.
Ron walked down the path, his mind racing with thoughts. As he approached, he noticed that there was no activity inside the house. "Mum?" he called when he entered through the front door. "Mom?" No voice called back; he waived is wand muttering "homenum revelio" thinking with a pang of longing of Hermione doing the same thing at Grimmauld Place so long ago. Once the spell had proven no one was in the house, Ron proceeded up the steps to his bedroom.
Inside, he lay down on his bed and stared around at the orange walls. The room felt slightly comforting to him as he tried to marshal his thoughts; he had done well, Harry wouldn't have captured the Death Eater had he not been with him. But still, he'd ended up on the ground and Harry eventually had to save him. He wanted to go down to the office to see what they had to offer him now, but at the same time was still struggling with his own thoughts. The spells he'd seen Harry use in the past few months were beyond anything he was experienced with, and they seemed to come so easily to him, where as nothing seemed to come easily to Ron.
"When you've figured out that you don't have to be anyone or anything but Ron Weasley, come find me and maybe we'll talk about really being in love…"
Ron groaned loudly as Hermione's parting words echoed in his head. He stood and kicked a book across the floor, realizing with a bitter laugh it was "12 Fail Safe Ways to Charm Witches". Ron then happened to look at his pillow and saw one of Hermione's night shirts folded up on his pillow. He picked it up and examined it, sighing heavily and thinking of the last time he was in this room. Hermione had been with him, sleeping next to him, her warm body was soothing and her curly hair tickled his nose as they slept. As though the room could sense his longing, he happened to find a strand of her hair tangled around a button on the shirt. He twirled it around his finger, remembering the soft feeling flowing over his hands as he ran them through her hair.
His own foolishness began to crash down upon him. He'd been so immature, so selfish; he'd spent so much time worrying about what everyone else thought of him, that he failed to see that the one person who really mattered wouldn't have loved him if he was anyone else. But why? He was nothing! Harry Potter's sidekick, partner to George Weasley's business, sixth son, hand-me-down clothes, used books, nothing ever new to his name…second best, always, eternally overshadowed…
In the midst of his rampant, self-depreciating thoughts, he heard a quiet thud as the front door to the Burrow shut. He descended the steps slowly. "Mom?"
"Ron?" his mother said as she saw him walking down the stairs. "Well, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?"
"I was in the area…I..." Ron replied quietly, watching as his mother picked up a glass and moved toward the sink. "Hey! Don't drink the water from the tap," he said, moving across the kitchen and turning off the faucet.
"What?" his mother asked curiously. "Why not?"
Ron sat her down at the table and explained what had happened earlier, how he came to be in the area, and why she shouldn't drink the water.
"Merlin's Beard, Ron! Well, it's a good thing you were with Harry. He could have been hurt or something worse if you hadn't been there," she said after he had finished his tale.
"Right. So, do you promise to not drink the tap water? Use a charm, or buy bottled water from the Muggle grocery store, please?" he asked.
"Yes, of course we will. But, what about you? Shouldn't you boys be doing the same thing?" she asked.
"We'll start, until this is over with at least," he replied.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Are you going to go down to the office? You ought to let Harry at least thank you again for helping out. I'm sure Kingsley and Gideon will be impressed as well," she encouraged.
"Yeah…I suppose, I don't know. Everything comes so easy for him. It was just dumb luck for me today, I can't do all that. I just…I'm not…I don't know," he said, sighing and laying his head down on the table.
Mrs. Weasley sighed again, and moved her hand to rub her youngest son's neck. "Ron, out of all my children, you have always been the most sensitive, and I'm not sure why," she mused.
"Gee…thanks, mum."
"Why is being sensitive a bad thing? I've always thought it's your most endearing characteristic. You care for people, you worry about their well-being, and you're loyal. There's nothing wrong with being sensitive. I'm sure that's one of the reasons Hermione loves you so much," she said.
Ron sighed, a guilt tugging at his insides at the mention of Hermione. "There is when I don't believe I can do anything right," he said.
"Why do you think that?" she asked curiously.
Ron shrugged. "I don't know. Bill's a curse-breaker; that takes talent. Charlie risks his life working with Dragons, that's brave. Percy, even if he did run out on us, he's always ambitious and he's got that Ministry job. Fred and George started the shop and it's brilliant. Ginny's being checked out by Quidditch teams, and…then there's me…" he finished with a sigh.
"And you've done your fare share of life risking, curse breaking, ambitious, brilliant and talented things as well, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Like what?"
"Like what? Where would you like me to start?" she asked with a light laugh. "You've been through more with Harry and Hermione than any of the others have. They're always talking about how you're so much braver than they could ever hope to be."
Ron lifted his head. "Really?"
"Yes, of course. Your father and I talk about it all the time as well. Ron, I know sometimes you feel over shadowed, but you are your own person. And I'm very proud of you for who you are," she said patting his shoulder.
"You always said Ginny was your favorite," he muttered.
"I always said Ginny was my favorite girl, seeing as I have only one. But, of course I don't have a favorite out of any of you," she said lightly. "I'm proud of you all for everything you do! Each one of you is unique to both your father and I, there isn't any comparison between you all."
Ron nodded. "Thanks mum. I needed to hear that."
Mrs. Weasley leant forward and hugged Ron tightly. "Is something wrong dear? You seem very upset," she asked in a concerned tone. "How's Hermione?"
Ron sighed. "Hermione would be better if I hadn't acted like an idiot two weeks ago," he admitted.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, apologize and make it up to her, that's all you can do now," she said with a smile. "Your ring is still on, so I don't think it will take much."
Ron nodded, and for the first time in his life he felt confident. He knew he needed to apologize, but he no longer felt that he was second best. He felt…free, like his own man. "Thanks mum. I'm going to go meet up with Harry, and then go to Hogwarts." With that he stood and headed toward the door. His mother waved to him from the window as he wandered to the end of the lane and Apparated back to London.
"Jugson, if you talk we'll go lenient on you," Lansing said with an exasperated sigh. "We already know from Harry over hearing you and Travers talking that the Carrows are involved somehow. Who is this heir, and what are the plans you were speaking about?"
The wizard named Jugson was bound to a chair in the office; Lansing, Kingsley and Harry all stood around him waiting for a response. "I'm not saying anything; I'm going to Azkaban anyway, if I talk she'll kill me," he said in a shaky voice.
"Who will kill you? Alecto?" Kingsley asked, but Jugson just shook his head.
Proudfoot stepped in the door and moved over to where Lansing was. "I can't get anything out of Travers, he's refusing to talk; what about this one?"
"Nothing," Kingsley said with a sigh. "Take them to Azkaban. Once we examine whatever is in this canister we should be able to get somewhere."
Proudfoot grabbed Jugson by the arm and hauled him toward the entrance to the office. Harry watched him go, sighing heavily. "We've got to figure this out, it's getting serious. I think they have a whole string of plans, and this heir talk is really bothering me."
"I agree, Harry. It's disturbing to say the least," Lansing replied.
Harry watched as Kingsley nodded slowly, his eyes fixed upon the empty chair where Jugson had sat. Lansing moved toward where Harry stood, reaching for the canister that held the black paste that he was holding. He opened it and sniffed, grimacing slightly at the odor.
"It's definitely some type of poison, but why it's so thick and what's in it I have no idea," he said shaking his head. "Harry, let's get to work on this and we'll see what we can figure out about it."
Harry nodded and began to withdraw his cauldron from his desk. They had just lit a fire and poured the substance in when suddenly Ron burst through the office door.
"Harry, can we-" he was saying, but stopped as soon as he realized there were others in the office. "Oh, sorry…I'll just talk with you at home then," he muttered beginning to retreat, but Lansing smiled and stopped him.
"Ron, nice work with that Anti-Disapparation Jinx," he said. "Harry told us about it; you helped catch two wanted men, and helped stop what I'm guessing would have been another mass poisoning. Thank you."
"Oh, well … I didn't really…I was just trying to help," Ron stuttered with a small smile.
"How're your parents? I haven't had a chance to talk with them in a few weeks," Lansing said as he motioned for Ron to follow him out the door and into the Atrium. Ron glanced back at Harry with a curious expression, but Harry just grinned broadly and waved to him as they wandered off.
The following morning, Harry and Ron were sitting in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place eating breakfast, both of their moods drastically different from the previous day. "Brilliant, that's brilliant," Harry was saying.
"Yeah, I'm just shocked," Ron was saying, he shook his head but he was unable to stop smiling. "George was all right with it, I talked to him last night."
Lansing had persuaded Ron to come and train with Harry two days a week for a position in the office. Ron had initially said that he didn't feel he was ready, but Lansing told him how much faith he had in him and offered him a significant increase in salary. Ron had left the ministry that evening feeling over joyed at his good luck and much more confident.
"Now all I have to do is talk to Hermione into forgiving me," he said with a sigh.
"She'll be all right, let's go," Harry said.
It was Saturday around one o'clock; Ginny had mentioned in one of her letters that there was another Hogsmeade trip planned for that weekend, so Ron knew Hermione would have some free time. Harry and Ron left Grimmauld Place and Apparated to Hogsmeade, hoping to catch Hermione and Ginny both before they went back to the castle. It wasn't long before they ran into Ginny and Luna just outside of Honeydukes.
"You should just come back to school, Harry," Ginny said with a grin as she hugged him tightly. "You're always here now."
"It's been two weeks," he replied, squeezing her tightly. "How are you, Luna?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I've got my flights planned for after school and I'm looking forward to traveling," she said in her dreamy tone.
"Flights?" Harry asked, glancing at Ginny.
"Yes, I'm going to be flying to the Ukraine with daddy to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and a few other animals. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but I would love to be back for your first game, Ginny," Luna replied.
"Well, I have to make the team first, you know," Ginny said smiling slightly.
"You'll make it, don't worry," Luna replied.
Ginny suddenly turned on Ron and glowered. "So, have you decided to finally apologize?"
"If you must know, yes, I have," he responded. "I'm sorry."
"Not to me, you git; to Hermione," she scoffed.
"I know I need to apologize to Hermione, but I'm sorry to you as well, because I know it pissed you off," Ron replied smirking. Ginny glowered, but lowered her defensive posture and finally smacked Ron on the arm.
"She was really hurt, you know, that you didn't believe her," she said.
"I know, it was stupid. Have you seen her?" Ron asked glancing around.
"We ran into her earlier, but she was headed back to the castle," Luna said. "She may already be there."
"Well, then that's where we go," Ron said. They waved goodbye to Luna, who was staying behind to assist Aberforth Dumbledore with a wrackspurt problem she claimed he was having, and headed up the hill.
Hermione was walking back; she was about half a mile away from the gates when the drawling, unwelcome voice of Draco Malfoy echoed in her ears.
"Hermione, wait up! I've been following you for the last mile," he called, she could hear him panting slightly as he approached.
She increased her pace, sighing in irritation. "Go away, Draco," she muttered.
"Now, that's no way to talk!" Draco said as he began to walk beside her. "I wanted to talk with you, but you wandered off too quickly."
"That's because, since you can't get the hint, I don't want to talk to you!"
"Is that anyway for the Head Girl to act? I need some attention; as I am a Prefect, I think you owe it to me to listen. Besides, you also owe me for breaking that glass and cutting my hand open," he said in a low voice, reaching out to seize her hand.
She pulled away and glared at him. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked. "What the hell do you want?"
Draco moved closer to her, she stepped back. "I think you need to get over this. Weasley isn't coming back; he's gotten pissed and given up on you. So, moving on from that-"
"I'm not moving on from that!" Hermione shouted. "We had a row, we're not breaking up; he just needed some time. We needed some time-"
"You've had time, now it's time to make the right decision. So, I would suggest we start planning to meet up for drinks, or we can study, but it's time we started to get to know each other better," Draco said as he took another step closer to her.
"You really don't get it do you?" Hermione asked incredulously. "I'm – not – interested! Even if I was single, you are far too pushy and relentless for me to even consider-"
"You don't have to consider, it's already done," Draco shouted, anger crossing his features. "We're a matched pair, that loser isn't man enough for you and –"
"Ron Weasley is twice the man you are! He's more intelligent, smarter, stronger, and a better wizard and person than you'll ever be!" Hermione shouted, turning away from him and walking away. She hadn't gotten far before Draco grasped her upper arm tightly.
"I said don't – touch – me!" Hermione yelled, losing her temper and bringing her other hand around to slap Draco across the face.
He caught her hand and glared at her before grabbing her other wrist and twisting it behind her back. "I think it's time you figured out the difference between men and boys. I also think that you're just playing hard-to-get, and it's time we stopped the games," he hissed venomously. He grasped both her wrists in one hand and pulled her wand from the pocket of her robes, tossing it to the side as he pushed her back off the path and into the brush.
"Draco, what the hell are you doing?" Hermione shouted, pushing against him with all her weight. She felt fear rush through her veins and she tried to twist out of his grasp. "Let me go…let me go, please," she said, her voice shaking as he pushed her further off the path.
"No," Draco hissed pressing himself against her. "You're going to give me a chance, and as soon as you do, you won't want to leave my side," he muttered before slamming his lips against hers forcefully.
Hermione struggled and pulled away from his kiss, which only seemed to anger him more, and he pressed his mouth to hers again. She whimpered slightly, trying to pull away from him, when suddenly another voice echoed over them.
"OI!" the voice shouted. Hermione felt Draco's lips pull away from hers and his grip loosen. Taking the only chance she might have, she kicked him hard in the shins and pushed him away when he relinquished his hold on her. Looking up to see the identity of her savior, she watched in shock as Ron caught Draco as he stumbled away from her; his eyes were livid.
"I thought I told you to leave her alone?" Ron hissed in a malicious voice. Draco stammered but Ron turned him and flung him onto the path away from where Hermione stood. She looked at Ron with wide eyes as he glared after Draco. Ginny suddenly burst into the clearing and ran to Hermione's side, gently pulling her back toward the path, where she received another shock when she saw Harry pulling Draco to his feet.
"What the hell is your problem?" Ron shouted as he emerged, following in Ginny and Hermione's wake.
"What are you doing here, Weasley?" Draco shouted, scrabbling for his wand. Ron grasped his wand arm and punched him hard in the face. Draco fell to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.
"Ron," Harry said in a warning voice as he held Ron back from Draco's cowering figure. "Just take it easy."
Ron shook his head, but took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Are you okay?" he asked looking over at where Hermione stood.
She nodded, and suddenly overwhelmed by what had just happened and the appearance of Ron, tears began to stream down her face. She wiped her mouth furiously on her sleeve, trying to erase any feeling she had of Draco's lips against hers, while she tried to marshal the emotions running through her head.
"She would have been fine, Weasley! She just needs-"
"She needs you to stay away from her!" Ron bellowed, moving closer to where Draco was kneeling. "I ought to kill you with my bare hands for what you just tried to do!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Draco shouted jumping to his feet.
This time Harry stepped in-between them, he nudged Ron toward Hermione and grasped Draco firmly by the arms and shunted him back down the hill.
Ron shook his head and stepped over toward where Hermione stood. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said. She looked up at him; his blue eyes were full of concern for her and a longing she hadn't seen in quite some time. Even though she felt an immense rush of joy over seeing him, the hurt he had caused her upon his last visit flooded through her veins as she stared back at him. "I need to shower," she muttered suddenly, turning and running toward the castle.
Ron watched her go, moving to follow, but Ginny stopped him. "Let her digest this for a minute, deal with that git, and then I'll let you into her room."
Ron nodded, and proceeded down the hill to where Harry stood talking with Draco.
"…don't know what the hell you're playing at, Malfoy!" Harry was saying, anger in his voice.
"I can't believe this, you and that prat showing up unannounced! She's still stuck on Weasley when she could be with someone like me," Draco whined as Ron approached.
"Draco, listen to yourself!" Harry said. "You can't obviously believe that. You just assaulted her."
"That was a mistake, I just lost control. I should have…I should have done something else," he stammered. "I should have…I just…" he started to groan, and leaned against his knees, his face becoming pallid and sweaty.
Harry and Ron stared at him curiously; Draco's eyes were slightly crazy, they seemed to be roaming in his head. "Is he going to make it?" Ron asked. "I didn't punch him that hard."
"Let's get him to the hospital wing," Harry said as he seized Draco by the arm. Ron grabbed the other arm and they pulled him along into the castle.
Thirty minutes later, they were sitting in the ward watching Madam Pomfrey administer several potions to Draco, who upon his initial arrival kept muttering about needing to see Hermione and collapsing as he fought against Harry and Ron's grip. Madam Pomfrey had managed to subdue him, and Draco was now sleeping fitfully, muttering and thrashing against the pillows he lay upon.
"It appears as though he's been continuously fed a type of potion that causes obsessive thoughts and feelings toward a person; though, I have no idea what type or how he would have ingested it for this long," she explained.
"How long?" Ron asked, suddenly curious.
"Well, judging from the state he's in now, I'd say he's going through withdrawal. He must have been taking it for months; it appears to be long acting so he'd only have to take it once a day to keep the feeling in his system," she said shaking her head.
Ron and Harry both glanced at each other curiously, both of them thinking the same thing. Who would be continuously providing Draco a potion to cause obsessive thoughts about Hermione?
"I'm going to keep him here, in the mean time I'm going to have Professor Slughorn search through his things to see if we can't find where he's been getting it," Madam Pomfrey explained as she strode back to her office to gather another antidote for Draco. Ron and Harry left, feeling slightly confused as to what had just happened. The climbed the stairs to the common room of Gryffindor tower and stood outside.
"Well, Ginny forgot to give us the password, so I guess we wait," Ron said with a sigh.
"It's 'phoenix flight'" said a voice behind them. They both turned to Seamus standing behind them grinning broadly. "What's up guys?"
They followed him through the portrait hole, talking briefly with Seamus about what they'd been up to since leaving Hogwarts and about the last Quidditch match. Ginny descended the steps and wandered over to where they stood.
"She's okay, she's just shaken up," she explained answering Ron and Harry's unspoken question. "She's done showering now, so you can go up there, Ron. The password is "crookshanks"."
Ron nodded and sighed heavily, mustering up his courage to talk to Hermione about both what happened today, and apologize for his stupidity on Valentine's Day.
He approached the top of the steps to where her room was, his stomach turning in knots as he stood outside. He closed his eyes, remembering what he had heard her shout as he, Harry and Ginny were racing up the hill to come to her aid. "Ron Weasley is twice the man you are! He's more intelligent, smarter, stronger, and a better wizard and person than you'll ever be!" His confidence surging, Ron muttered the password and knocked on the door before opening it slightly.
"Hermione?"
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. She was seated in front of her dresser, running a brush through her wet hair. She had put on a tank-top and a pair of jeans and was staring at her face in the mirror. As the door clicked shut, Ron watched her eyes flick up toward him and examine him in the mirror.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked, taking a tentative step toward her.
"You keep asking me that," she responded quietly. "What do you want my answer to be?"
Ron didn't say anything; he stopped about three feet from where she sat. She stood up from her chair and turned to face him, her brown eyes reflecting a thousand different emotions. Ron was vaguely reminded of the night he had returned to her and Harry; the image of her launching herself upon him and punching him caused him to smirk against his better judgment.
"Something amusing?" Hermione asked, a trace of anger in her voice.
"Are you going to punch me?"
"I'm considering it."
"I won't stop you; I just want to be prepared."
Hermione sighed and dropped her eyes to the floor. "You hurt me. I didn't do anything, Ron, and you accused me of something that would be impossible for me to do. It hurt," she explained in a quiet tone.
She used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear that strayed down her cheek. Ron longed to hold her, but he didn't know how she wanted to be approached after what had happened earlier. "I don't know what I was thinking, I'm so sorry. I know you wouldn't ever do anything like that to me."
"How do you know?" she asked, still staring at the floor.
"Because you love me," Ron replied, taking a step toward her.
She looked up, meeting his blue eyes and examining his expression. He felt his confidence slip a little as he waited for her to respond, trying to keep the words she had shouted earlier in the front of his mind.
"What if I stopped?" she muttered.
Ron inhaled sharply, watching her expression. He was never any good at reading emotions, but as he stared into her face, he saw the same longing he felt. She was testing him, to see if he'd really taken the time to examine his own feelings and come to the conclusion that she had: that he was all she wanted.
"Tell me to leave," he replied.
Hermione's eyes widened slightly. "What?"
"If you stopped loving me, tell me to leave. If you don't want me here, tell me to go," he said, taking another step toward her. His face was inches from hers, his hands shaking at his sides. Ron begged his expression not to betray him and reveal the fear he felt at her words.
As he watched, Hermione's eyes began to glisten with tears. She took a step closer to him, the skin of her bare arms brushing against his hands. "I don't want you to leave," she whispered.
Ron sighed lightly, relief flooding through his system. Feeling as though two could play at the testing game, he allowed his hands to trace lines up and down her arms, watching with a hint of satisfaction as her eyes fluttered at his touch. "Why?"
Hermione lifted her hands, wiping the tears from her face before pressing her palms against Ron's chest. "Because I love you…I-"
"Always have," he finished for her, leaning his forehead against hers with a sigh. She slid her hands up over his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ron smiled and tipped his head to press his lips to hers. As their mouths met, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against him and rememorizing the feel of her body aligned with his.
They kissed passionately, a perfect synchronization of lips and tongues moving together. After a few moments, Hermione broke away from the kiss and laid her head against Ron's chest, a small sob escaping her lips. He held her tightly, laying his head against hers and inhaling her scent. "Are you sure you're okay? We heard you yelling at him, and we came racing up the hill. I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner; I'm sorry I was such a prat, I don't know what I was thinking. I can't even…I don't even want to think about what he was going to do, I don't care if he wasn't in his right mind," Ron said, the rush of words coming out so fast she had to concentrate to catch it all.
"Not in his right mind?" she asked, leaning back to look at him.
"After you left, Harry and I were asking him what the hell was going on. He kept on about you needing to give him a chance, then suddenly he just went sort of limp, and he got all sweaty and paler than normal. Harry and I took him to the hospital wing. By the time we got him there he was mumbling and all sorts of strange things. Madam Pomfrey reckons he's been taking some kind of a potion to make him obsessed with you, but they're not sure how he got it," Ron explained as he stroked Hermione's hair.
"A potion? How long has he been taking it?" She asked incredulously.
"She wasn't sure, she guessed for months," he said with a shrug.
Hermione considered this, lowering her hands to grasp Ron's. "He gets a package every morning; I assumed it was from his parents."
"Every day? In the mornings?"
"He always makes a big deal out of it, and that gigantic owl of his is hard to ignore. Last week he started offering me candy that he'd been sent, but I didn't take any," she explained.
"Huh," Ron said, his brain kicking into high gear. Hermione yawned and shook her head slightly. "You're tired, come," he said taking her hand and pulling her toward her bed. She lay down on the pillows and covered herself up, glancing at him with her brown eyes.
"Please stay with me. I just want to take a nap right now," she whispered.
Ron smiled and lowered himself down on the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again. She snuggled against his broad chest, sighing as he began to stroke her hair.
"Hermione, I love you. I'm-"
Ron's apology was silenced when she pressed her lips to his. "You are forgiven; I missed you terribly," she whispered against his lips.
He smiled, kissing her once again before she laid her head back against his chest. "I missed you, too," he said, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of her warm body against his and her hair tickling his neck as she fell asleep.
The next few days passed in a flurry of activity. Ron and Hermione had made up from their row, and now appeared to be closer than ever, much to Ginny's and Harry's relief. That Monday, Ron was forced to return to London for work, but he promised Hermione he would visit when they had their next Hogsmeade weekend at the end of March.
"I'll write you, and if you need me for anything, just mention it and I'll be here," Ron assured her, kissing her lightly on the nose.
"Ron, I will be fine, but I'll keep that in mind if it gets drafty in my room," she teased with a smirk.
Harry had sent a message with Pigwidgeon to Lansing and Kingsley about what happened with Malfoy, they arrived at Hogwarts Monday afternoon to investigate. When the mail came that morning, they seized Draco's regular package to examine it.
"All mail to and from the Malfoys' residence is still being searched," Lansing commented. "I'll be having a talk with those responsible if there is something in here and they didn't catch it."
"Who is in charge of searching it?" Harry asked.
"A small department within Magical Law Enforcement," Kingsley said. "I just have a hard time believing his parents would slip him something that potent."
Professor Slughorn had brought a few of Malfoy's things to the ward, including a box of chocolate candies that his parents had sent to them.
"She sends it all the time, I like chocolate. It's just candy!" Draco argued as he watched Lansing and Slughorn search through his belongings. "Where's Hermione? Can I see her?" he kept asking.
After some examination of the various chocolates that Draco had been sent, it was determined that, over the course of the last seven months, Draco had unknowingly been continuously consuming the Amortentia potion within the chocolates.
"Whoever sent the items must have had access to something of Ms. Granger's; in order for the potion to work properly, when the charm is placed on it to cause attraction to a particular person, there has to be some sort of essence of the target around for it to work properly. Otherwise, whoever ate the chocolates would just become obsessed with the first person he or she saw," Slughorn explained as he broke the some of the chocolate apart, pouring the liquid center into a small flask.
"Is it possible that he consumed them right before he saw Ms. Granger, and subsequently became obsessed with her, and the more he consumed it the larger the obsession grew?" Lansing suggested.
"Possible, but quite unlikely," Slughorn said. "It seems that the obsession for Ms. Granger was in place as soon as he ate any of the chocolate."
"How do you know?" Lansing asked.
Slughorn lifted the flask and held it up to his nose before passing it to Harry. "What does that scent remind you of, Mr. Potter?"
Harry took the glass of liquid and breathed in deeply, noting the trace of vanilla and cinnamon within the mixture. "It reminds me of Hermione," he said, a tone of incredulity to his voice.
"And what do you typically smell when you are around the Amortentia potion?"
Harry blushed slightly and shuffled his feet. "A broomstick handle, treacle tart…"
"Ginny Weasley, perhaps?" Slughorn suggested, watching has Harry blushed brighter. "That's why whoever made this mixture had to have access to something of Ms. Granger's in order to make Mr. Malfoy here become that obsessed."
"Well, from the way Hermione's been acting, I highly doubt she had anything to do with it," Lansing said. "She's been trying to avoid him for weeks as he's pursued her. It's started to worry me a bit."
"So, are we thinking his parents, or someone at the office?" Kingsley asked.
"It could be either," Lansing commented. "I say we start with the Malfoys, get their take on the events, and go from there."
Kingsley nodded in agreement; he and Lansing began to gather up evidence and turned to discuss a few more things with McGonagall and Slughorn. Harry wandered out of the infirmary doors and ran straight into Ginny and Hermione who were lurking outside.
"So, is it true?" Hermione asked. "Was he taking a love potion?"
"It seems like it, but they don't think you had anything to do with it. Turns out there were always chocolates in his packages that were spiked with Amortentia," Harry explained in a low voice.
Ginny widened her eyes, "So then it's his parents doing it?" she asked in a shocked whisper.
"Not necessarily," Harry said. "All mail to and from Malfoy Manner is still being searched by the Ministry, so whoever did it could have switched out the chocolates during the search. Or they could have missed it and it did come from his parents, we're not sure."
Hermione shook her head. "If it's not his parents, and someone inside the Ministry did it… that makes two people inside the Ministry who are doing illegal potion trafficking."
Ginny glanced at Hermione curiously. "How do you figure?"
"Well, it could be the same person, but I've been doing some thinking about these poisonings, and you said that those vials were taken during the break in after Christmas, Harry. That had to be a Ministry employee, or a guest. I'm wondering if they could have used the snake's blood in the poison." Hermione asked thoughtfully.
"It's possible, but in every sample we've gotten, especially the sample from that canister we recovered when Ron and I got Travers, it's venom in the mix, not blood," Harry explained.
Ginny and Hermione fell silent, both of them looking slightly anxious as they considered the possibilities of someone within the Ministry performing these acts.
"Perhaps they're trying to keep you distracted by causing disruptions to everyone around you, Harry," Ginny suggested.
"But why don't they just come after me?" He asked.
"Because that's too obvious, and you're used to that. You're not used to people going after your friends directly instead of you, and you always said that was your biggest fear," she explained.
Harry considered her, this was a possibility he hadn't considered, which suddenly made him more concerned for Ginny's safety than he already was. Before he could think about it any further, the doors opened and Lansing and Kingsley exited the infirmary.
"Ready to be off, Potter?" Lansing asked as he shuffled a few papers. "Oh, hello girls," he said with a smile when he noticed Ginny and Hermione standing next to Harry. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, we were just telling Harry to be careful," Hermione said quickly.
"We'll keep an eye on him, you two take care of yourselves," Lansing said with a wink before he and Kingsley began to walk toward the front door. Hermione hugged Harry quickly, and asked him to say hello to Ron, before she turned to and walked into the Great Hall to resume breakfast.
Ginny considered Harry's apprehensive glance at her. "I'm sure it's nothing, my mind is just working overdrive, Harry," she assured him, patting his arm.
Harry nodded as he grasped her hand tightly. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and laying his head against hers, inhaling deeply. "Please, take care of yourself," he whispered.
"I always do," Ginny replied, squeezing him tightly. She lifted her head and looked up into his eyes, smiling encouragingly. Harry tipped his head and their lips met; she sensed he was trying to put a lot of unspoken emotions into the kiss, and she tried to respond accordingly.
Harry ran his fingers through her hair before he cupped her face and deepened the kiss. Ginny responded by leaning closer to him, her hands traveling up his chest to his shoulders. As their lips moved together, Harry tried to communicate to her how badly he wanted to stay with her at this moment, that he never wanted to leave her side. His tongue parted her lips, trying to communicate how much he loved her, how much he wanted her to be safe, and how badly he wanted her next to him always…
"Harry?" Lansing's voice called, his tone amused rather than reproachful. "Are you planning on letting Ms. Weasley go to class, or should we take her along with us?"
Harry slowed the pace of his breathing, planting a final kiss on Ginny's lips, her nose, and her forehead. He sighed deeply, "I'm coming, sorry," he called in response to Lansing's question.
Ginny smiled. "I'll see you soon; don't worry, Harry."
He grinned and hugged her tightly. "Next time can we find someplace to be alone?"
"I'll work on that," she whispered, kissing the spot on his neck that she knew gave him chills. She laughed out loud as he flinched and gripped her tightly, before forcing himself to pull away from her. He waved to her as he followed Lansing out the door, and she watched them walk away until they were no longer visible.
"I was quite concerned about the show you two were about to give the students," Lansing teased with a booming laugh as Harry caught up with him. Harry shook his head and blushed furiously, but grinned none the less.
Lansing went back to the office to file a report about the incident, but Kingsley and Harry decided to drop by Malfoy Manor to discuss what had happened.
"Ah, Minister," Lucius' cold, drawling voice greeted. "To what do I owe this… unexpected pleasure of your visit?"
"Harry and I are here about your son, Lucius," Kingsley explained as he stepped inside.
"My son?" Lucius asked curiously. Narcissa entered the room and her eyes widened at Harry's presence, he noticed she looked scared to death.
"Has something happened to Draco?" Narcissa asked quietly.
"Nothing long lasting, but I do have a few questions about the packages he's been receiving," Kingsley started. He explained in detail how Draco had apologized to Hermione on the train to Hogwarts, and since that time had begun to harass her frequently, culminating in the events of the past weekend when he tried to assault her.
"It seems as though the chocolates were filled with Amortentia," Kingsley explained. "The subject of the love potion was Ms. Granger, which is why Draco developed the unhealthy obsession."
Narcissa's eyes were wide and livid; beside her, Lucius was silent. "So, what you are saying is that someone has been feeding Draco a love potion, to cause him to fall in love with that mu….uh…. muggle-born girl?" Narcissa asked, stumbling to cover the insult she almost let slip.
"Yes, might I ask to go through your potion cabinets?" Kingsley said.
"Surely you can't think we had anything to do with this!" Lucius asked incredulously.
"The circumstances are suspicious; are you denying me access to your stores?" Kingsley asked.
"No, not at all; Search away," Lucius said, standing and escorting Kingsley to the other room, still sputtering his exclamations that they, in no way, would have ever wanted Draco to become involved with Hermione.
Harry sat in the sitting room with Narcissa, both of them very uncomfortable with the others company. To break up the silence, Harry finally spoke.
"Mrs. Malfoy," he started quietly. "I … I need to thank you-"
"Don't!" she hissed. "Don't… thank me, Potter. I would appreciate it if that information could stay between the two of us," she said, in a cold, formal tone.
Harry nodded, now even more uncomfortable with where he sat. Much to his relief, it wasn't long before Lucius returned with Kingsley.
"Thank you for being cooperative," Kingsley said. "We'll be looking into the people who are in charge of searching your mail; I'll let you know when we find something," Kingsley explained.
"I should hope so," Lucius responded with a sneer. He opened the door and allowed Harry and Kingsley to exit, shutting it quickly behind them.
"Can you believe this?" he spat at Narcissa. "Draco… going after to that mudblood! I can't… If they don't find out who did this-"
"Lucius," Narcissa whispered. "I need to go out for a while."
Lucius' eyes narrowed. "You're not going to go visit her, are you? We've managed to lay low, both sides leaving us alone. We said we were through, and that no matter what happened, we were going to stay uninvolved! It could cause us tremendous problems if we go back."
"I have to go, I have to know why," she explained grabbing her cloak and peering out the door to make sure Kingsley and Potter had gone. She glanced back at her husband, his expression was worried. She sighed and shook her head, shutting the door behind her and walking to the end of the lane, disappearing with a resounding "crack!"
"Hermione says 'Hello'," Harry told Ron when he arrived at home that evening. Kreacher had made stew and Ron sat at the table, going over some of Harry's books.
"I'm really nervous," he said, looking apprehensively at a picture of a wizard casting a spell that resulted in a ring of fire surround him. "I … I don't think I'm ready for this, Harry."
"You'll be fine! Tim is great, and you'll be in training with me, so it'll be just like class," Harry assured him. He sat down and began to help himself to the stew when George wandered in, looking cheerful and full of good news.
"Evening, boys!" He greeted as he hung up his cloak.
"What's gotten you in such a good mood?" Ron asked curiously, a small smirk crossing his face.
"Well, Angelina has successfully moved into the apartment above the shop, so she'll be helping us out from now on, Ron," he explained as he sat down at the table.
"You've shagged her, haven't you?" Ron blurted out, dropping his spoon and splattering the table with stew.
"Gracious, Ronald," George said in an over-dramatic tone of voice. "Such scandalous words, now really, I think that we should keep our private lives to ourselves."
"Oh, come off it!" Ron shouted while Harry laughed. "You did, didn't you?"
George smirked, but shook his head and helped himself to the stew. They ate in silence, both Ron and Harry sniggering as George sat opposite them looking rather smug.
"I actually do need to talk to you two," he said after they were finished with the main course and had moved onto dessert. "It's been great being here, it really has. I can't thank you enough, Harry, for letting me stay. It's made getting the shop back up so much easier for Ron and me."
"'S'no problem," Harry said as he swallowed a large bite. "I'm glad to help."
George nodded. "But, Angelina and I did some talking, and we've actually decided to move in together, that's one of the reasons she moved above the shop. So, I'll probably be moving out at the end of this week, if you don't mind."
Ron and Harry glanced at each other. "Does mum know?" Ron asked.
"Not yet," George said. "But I'll tell her after it's done. I'm sure she'll be more worried about the fact that you two will be alone than the fact that I'm living with a girl."
"We'll miss you," Harry said. "But that's good for you and Angelina both."
George nodded. "Well, I figured we'd make the most of the last week at least," he said with a grin. "We can head to the pub on Friday for a few drinks, celebrate my becoming a man and –"
"So you did shag her!" Ron said with an excited expression. He and Harry laughed loudly when, for the first time that they could remember, George began to blush furiously.
"Shut up," he said, shaking his head as Ron and Harry sniggered. "Let's play some snap; I can educate you boys on the finer points of impressing a woman…. Though, Harry, you're not allowed to try any of this on my sister."
"I'm going to kill him, this is not the kind of attitude I expected from someone who was so loyal to my father's regime. Dropping that canister, abandoning our plans. I expect more loyalty than this!"
The tall woman with dark hair screeched and threw over a table which had been covered in bottles. The others who sat with her in the dilapidated house flinched in shock, not knowing what or how to respond.
"My Lady," Amycus said in a low voice. "Travers never had the spine for this sort of thing; they's too much about appearances. It's time we-"
"Appearances count for something," Rodolphus Lestrange responded. "If we're going to maintain a silent threat, we need to have appearances on our side."
"I say to hell with the silent threat!" Amycus roared. "I say we attack, they won't see it coming. The sooner we continue the Dark Lord's plans, the better!"
"No," the tall dark woman said. "My father ordered subtly, he was patient, he waited until the right time. And we will do the same thing," she explained, examining the long Yew wand she had been given from him when he obtained the Elder Wand.
The door to the room where they all sat suddenly opened, and a tall, pale, figure with white-blonde hair strode into the room, looking apprehensive.
"Narcissa," the dark woman said. "Nice of you to grace us with your presence."
"Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Why involve my son? He's been through enough. And you gave him a love potion! To fall for a mudblood! What was that supposed to do? How does that fit into the plans?"
"It seemed prudent to me to separate the trio of heroes, the easiest way to do that would be to disrupt their love lives. Draco was an easy target, simply a means to an end," she explained with a shrug, turning her dark eyes on Narcissa's figure.
"We agreed not to disclose you, we agreed we would take the fall and be silent. We did not agree to this!" Narcissa yelled, losing control of her temper.
"You are partly the reason my father is dead," the dark woman responded in a threatening tone. "I think I can involve you, or your son, in any way I see fit."
"No, you can't! I'll not stand for it any longer. You might be the Dark Lord's child, but his power and abilities are dead and you-"
Narcissa was thrown against the wall violently, gasping for air. The dark woman walked toward her, wand held to her throat. "His blood runs through my veins. He taught me secrets he never shared with another human. And I have his wand, the twin of Potter's; his power lives on through me," she hissed.
Stepping back, she aimed her wand at Narcissa and with a smirk, she cried "CRUCIO!"
Narcissa screamed and writhed upon the floor, the others standing around watching in awe at the power they could feel emanating from her as she cast the unforgivable curse. After five minutes of torture, the woman lifted the spell. Narcissa lay panting and sobbing on the ground.
"It seems prudent to me, for the time being, to let our plans rest," the woman said to the room at large. "The ministry is still trying to undo the Mudblood regulation laws; until those laws are overturned, I suggest we lay low and work on building our ranks back up. The time will come when we can announce ourselves and our goals, and at that time, we will continue the plans my father laid in place. Harry Potter, and the others who assisted in his defeat, will pay dearly for what they robbed me of, I don't care if it takes a year or ten; they will pay."
She turned back to Narcissa, who was just getting to her feet. "Does anyone else have any issues with our plans?" No one responded; the heads of the fifteen people, some Death Eaters, others new to the cause, nodded in agreement. "Very good. I will continue to provide you with residence in this neutral state. Do not, I repeat, do not come back to England unless you are summoned. When the time is right, we will continue with the plans. In the mean time, you are all to work on duplicating the poison and perfecting it. I want the muggles who ingest it to show themselves for the filthy, stupid animals they are, and the mudbloods and blood-traitors who oppose us will suffer the same consequences. When we become active again, it will be stronger and with a better purpose, and finally my father's dream will be fulfilled."
She raised her wand high in the air, creating an image of a snake and spider crawling amongst a skull. "To the Dark Lord!"
"To the Dark Lord!" the room cried in response.
A/N: Long chapter, no? Please leave your feedback! thanks for the continued support with the story, writing is my dream and I hope some day to take my own work of fiction public =)