Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Any recognizable characters (besides Healer Kaylee my recurring OC), places, or items are the work of the wonderful and fabulous JK Rowling. Any of the text that is bold or italicized when Hermione is teaching a class is directly copied from Harry Potter Wikia.
This chapter is unbeta-d, so forgive my mistakes.
Pairings: Hermione/Severus, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Draco, Neville/Luna
OC's: See profile
Chapter Word Count: 2,434
Story Word Count: 52,253
~Enjoy
WARNING: CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL READERS. (THIS IS BELLATRIX LESTRANGE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT)
Chapter Twenty-Four
DAY ONE - SATURDAY
Harry exited the floo into the Burrows living room and turned around to catch Ginny as she came through. Normally Ginny was fairly sturdy while using magical means of travel, having grown up around it, but they had a secret that was throwing her balance and equilibrium out of funk. "Oh, Harry and Ginny are here!" Percy called, peeking his head into the living room to see who'd come through the floo. "Come on guys, we can't hold Ron back from the food any longer."
"Are we the last ones?" Ginny asked.
"No, Hermione and Severus still haven't arrived." Percy replied, leaving them to follow him into the kitchen. Just as Harry pushed Ginny's chair in for her, Severus came in through the door. The dour man ignored the greetings and zeroed in on Harry.
"You!"
Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Me?"
"You will tell me what you and Weasley have been meeting my wife about for all of these months right now."
"Where's Hermione at Severus?" Molly asked, "we thought you were coming together."
Severus held his hand up to silence Molly as he approached Harry. He lowered his hand to grab onto Harrys shirt. "Tell me what you've been meeting my wife about now!" Severus demanded.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, "and you realize that this could be considered as an assault on an Auror?"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT OR WHO YOU ARE!" Severus boomed in his face, "YOU WILL TELL ME THIS INSTANT WHY MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS JUST ABDUCTED BY BELLATRIX LESTRANGE IN THE MIDDLE OF DIAGON ALLEY!"
"Bellatrx is dead Severus," Arthur started to say through the deafening silence, "Molly kill-."
"Potter knows what I'm talking about." Severus growled, shaking Harry. "Tell me what you know damn it."
"Severus, that is enough!" Arthur said, standing up. "It had to have been someone using poly-."
"It's true." Harry and Ron replied at the same time.
"What?" Ginny said.
"Bellatrix Lestrange made a Horcrux to please Voldemort. That's how that little boy died while drawing in a journal." Ginny paled. "That's how Voldemort came back. We broke into Gringotts to get the one he'd given to Bellatrix for safe keeping. The attack at the ministry with the toxic fumes was done by her and an accomplice. The accomplice is an estranged family member of the little boy, Frank Travers."
"That's what you three have been hiding?" Ginny said, standing up, and slapping Harry across the face. Severus took a step back so he didn't get hit by the fiery redhead. He'd spent enough time around Lily growing up that he knew once the hand swung, anybody within distance could be hit. "You told me it was nothing to worry about. How long have you three known about her being alive again? How could you not tell me after what happened in the Chamber of Secrets?"
"It's because of what happened in the Chamber that I didn't tell you."
Molly stood up. "You're telling me that the incident in my daughters first year was due to Voldemort having horcruxes? Why were we not told?"
"Dumbledore didn't want it to get out that he'd made horcruxes. He didn't want even a rumor to get to the faithful death eaters that their lord wasn't dead." Severus said. "I told him that he should have told you that way you could ensure Ginny got the proper care, but he refused to speak a word." Severus answered, knowing Potter wouldn't know the answer.
"If you knew why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't know until Ginny's third year. And would you have believed me if I had known and told you?"
Ron stood up, stopping his parents from whatever denial they had been about to make. "We're getting off track here. Hermione was abducted?"
"Yes." Severus choked out.
"The minister and Kingsley have instructed me to do what I can, but that we can't allow this knowledge to get out to the general public. The day she moved back in with you we decided we were going to let the family know today. Because the people in this room are the only ones I can trust with information." Harry said.
Severus slumped into an unoccupied chair. "You should have told me earlier, I should not have been kept from this."
"It was Hermione's choice. None of this happened until after she found out the two of you are expecting a child. She didn't want to tell you because she was worried that you would stop her from helping."
"Damn right I would have! Especially now with her being so advanced in the pregnancy."
Drip… drip… drip… Consciousness returned to Hermione slowly and with it, the realization that she was tied to a chair. She felt stiff, as if she'd been sitting in the same position for a while. Trying to move as little as possible, she tensed and loosened her muscles to see if she were injured in any way. Carefully she cracked her eyes opened and looked around. She was in a room big enough, and dark enough that she couldn't see the walls. The last thing she remembered was standing outside of the Apothecary as Severus went in to order a few potions ingredients. Someone had come up behind her and held a knife to her neck, and then…
"Well well well, is the filthy little mudblood finally awake?" A husky voice came from the shadows around her.
"In case you haven't read it in the paper I'm not a mudblood. Aunty." There was a swishing noise when suddenly the lights turned on, causing Hermione to close her eyes. She had to blink several times before she could take a look around. "Where am I?"
"Crucio!" Bellatrix sneered, but quickly released the spell. "I don't recall permitting you to speak."
"I don't recall having to ask your permission." Hermione replied.
"Crucio!" The crazed witch replied, holding the curse a few seconds longer. "You might not want to be quite so brazen with your tongue, wouldn't want you to go into labor. Might have to cut the baby out of you."
Hermione leaned as far forward as she could with the ropes around her and gave Bellatrix a frosty glare. "I will not allow you to harm my child."
A figure stepped out of the shadows that caused Hermione's eyes to widen. "I believe you mean our child."
"Severus?!"
DAY TWO - SUNDAY
Harry walked quickly through the corridors towards the ministers office, Kingsley Shacklebolt walking slowly behind him. As soon as he arrived, he knocked several times, ignoring the secretary telling him he had to have an appointment. "What is this about Harry?"
"I can't speak about it until we're with the minister."
"Is this about you-." Kingsley started to ask but was interrupted by the opening of the door.
"Aurors Potter and Shacklebolt, why don't you come in." Minister Jergens said, motioning the two of them into his office.
As soon as the door was closed and the wards were up Harry started speaking. "Bellatrix has finally made her move, Hermione was abducted in Diagon Alley." Kingsley dropped the glass of whiskey Patrick had given him.
"What?"
"The papers think that it was a look-a-like thanks to the link we have in the Prophet."
"You know the position that I'm in, I can't allow the public to know that Bellatrix Lestrange is back. If I alert the Aurors you, as well as I, know that it will get leaked."
Harry slammed his hands on the minister's desk. "This isn't just planning anymore. Hermione has been abducted, and she only has a month left on her pregnancy."
Kingsley put a hand on his arm and pulled him back. "Both Auror Potter and I are going to need to take emergency leave until Mrs. Snape is returned."
The minister pulled a folder out of his top drawer, opened it, and stamped on the two pages inside. "I've had the paperwork prepared for the two of you to take leave since the attack and the realization of what's going on."
"You know that Severus Snape was a spy, and will likely fight back in kind should Bellatrix attempt to use any dark curses on his wife." Harry pointed out.
"I trust the two of you will be able to keep this under wraps, even so, you know how to erase everything that shows up under priori incantantem." Kingsley nodded, and began to pull Harry towards the door.
"We'll keep you updated."
"Darling, I can't pretend to be in love with you anymore."
"I know you're not Severus." Hermione replied to the impostor, positive that it was the same person who'd been polyjuiced the night before. Due to the Polyjuice the person was identical to her husband, but they held themselves differently, and didn't have the permanent odor of potions.
"Of course I'm your husband." He replied, reaching a hand forward and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You don't smell of potions, nor are you wearing his wedding band."
The hand was pulled away from her face, before the intimidating figure slapped her hard. She pulled hard against the ropes around her wrists, but found it was futile. Bellatrix stepped back into her view, and swung her hand across her face too. "You stupid whore! You're ruining our fun!"
"What's your big plan here?" Hermione asked when the stinging in her face subsided some.
"Mudbloods don't get to ask questions." The person disguised as Severus sneered.
"I am not a mudblood." She stated firmly. "I am a pureblood. My father is Rodolphus Lestrange and my mother is Meissa Lestrange nee Black."
"Your mother was a husband stealing squib, she was blasted off of the family tree."
"The current Lord Black restored her into the family, since she clearly had enough magic in her blood to have a magical child. He also removed the sister who stole my mothers betrothed."
A look of shock passed Bellatrix's face before it quickly disappeared. "You're the reason all of this has happened. You helped that rotten half-blood and ginger blood traitor destroy my master. You.. you are the reason for all of the bad that's happened to our cause."
Hermione spat the blood out of her mouth at the witches shoes. "Your cause was doomed to fail as soon as you decided to follow a half-blooded bastard whose own parents didn't love him."
Bellatrix began to raise her wand when the man who was still under the effects of Polyjuice coughed. "We don't want to kill her too soon ma'am. You'd be upset if you couldn't have your fun." The eerie green light disappeared.
"Crucio!" The witch sneered, though she released the spell quickly before turning on her heel and storming from the building, door slamming behind her. 'Severus' doused all but one of the lights with his wand, before turning and following his mistress out.
The Weasleys, Potters, Snape, and Kingsley were sitting around the table in the burrow when the floo flared to life in the other room. "Ginny will you go see who that is?" Molly asked before turning back to the plans they were making to search muggle London where there had been a string of murders that the Police hadn't been able to solve.
Ginny, who was beginning to feel slightly nauseous stood without a fight and barely made it to the door when someone she never expected to see in her childhood home stepped through the entryway. "Malfoy?"
Draco, however, moved past her and walked straight up to Ron. "I saw the papers. Are you alright? You haven't responded to my owls and when you weren't at your flat I started to get worried."
"Draco, why are-?" Whatever Ron had been about to say was cut off when Draco leaned down and kissed him in front of his entire family.
"Life is too short to hide when people are in love. I love you Ronald Weasley, and it's time your family knew. I'm rather fond of Granger and I want her found as much as you do, especially as she's married to my godfather."
Ron was in a daze for a moment before he remembered where they were, and who they were with. He turned to look at his parents, who had smiles on their faces. "Mum, dad.. I'd like you to meet my boyfriend.. Draco Malfoy."
Draco, who could see that everybody was stunned to silence at their admissions, and display, snapped them out of it. "So what are we doing to get her back?" He asked, giving his godfather a careful look. "My father told me I could assure you that if needed, the entirety of the Malfoy vaults can be used to aid in Hermione's recovery."
All of the light from the windows above her head was gone. From the distance, she heard a door open and a scuffling sound approaching. Bellatrix entered the light from the single orb above Hermione's chair dragging a struggling person who had a cloth bag over their head. "I brought you a treat you mudblood, since you didn't fall for my trick."
She dragged the person in front of her chair, and pulled the bag off of her head, causing her to yell. "MUM!"
Meissa had ropes around her ankles and her hands were tied behind her back. There was a strip of cloth tied around her head that kept her from speaking, though from the muffled yells Hermione could hear that she was trying. Bellatrix kicked her onto her stomach and yanked her head up by her hair. She looked Hermione into the eyes as she pulled her knife from seemingly nowhere. "I thought you'd like to watch the life leave her eyes." She said calmly, before slitting Meissa's throat from ear to ear.
"YOU MONSTER!" Hermione screamed as Bellatrix positioned her mothers head so that she was facing her daughter, before calmly walking away. "MUM!" Hermione cried out as she watched the spreading pool of blood coming from her birth mother, who was convulsing on the floor in front of her. As the sound of the door closing sounded Hermione started crying. "I'm so sorry that it took me so long to accept you. I'm so sorry you're going to die because of me when you're innocent in all of this." Hermione babbled through her tears until the convulsions stopped and she heard the gurgling sound end. She stared in shock as the now familiar eyes turned glassy, and a tear trailed down her face.