Hey all. soo I know you were all on the edge for this update so go ahead and reaaad! Thank you to all my lovely reviewers who I send hugs and cuddles to bc I love you all!
Disclaimer: Me own HP? I wish. If I did then I'd marry Draco Malfoy. For sure. Or Cedric. In the book he was gorgeous *sigh*
If the Dark Lord's plan succeeded, Potter wouldn't know what hit him. The Order had to be warned but Bellatrix was keeping a tight watch on him and he couldn't risk her finding out about his treachery. Securing his Death Eater mask on to his face and drawing his hood up, he exited his rooms in the West Wing of Malfoy Manor and made his way down the near empty corridor to the Library in the East Wing.
"Oh Sevie-pooooo! where might you be going this hour at night?" a crazed voice cackled behind him. He turned around his eyes narrowed into thin slits behind his mask as he looked at the dark figure who had been monitoring his activity for weeks now.
"I could ask you the same Bellatrix. Has your husband performed so incompetently that he can no longer keep you in his bedchamber? Or has he found himself with better company?" He sneered coldly.
Bellatrix merely threw her head back and laughed at the insult, a deranged glint in her pitch black eyes. Azkaban had made her more unbalanced than she had been in the First War, and even then Bellatrix had not been completely mentally there. Most likely a result of the disgusting inbreeding found in her family tree.
"Why Severus it seems your humor is as biting as usual. You know, I always believed you were so sour because you never could find someone willing to warm your bed. Not even that mudblood slut that you were so fond of," Bellatrix replied once again laughing maniacally.
He stiffened. He wanted to snap her neck for speaking about Lily that way but he had to keep his emotions in check. It wasn't hard for him to slip into the cold indifferent part of his mind that he had formed so long ago after he first became a double agent.
"Well Bellatrix, I have more important matters than our sex lives to attend to, so if you would excuse me," he scowled at her and turned around not waiting for a response and strode off hoping Bellatrix would leave him be. Of course he was not that fortunate.
"I'm sure you could use company to wherever you're going Severus, unless of course, you have something to hide?" Bellatrix asked with glee obviously hoping to catch him in some heinous crime against the Dark Lord and use it against him. Bellatrix resented his position at the Dark Lord's right side and would do anything to replace him. Severus would not grant her that satisfaction.
"By all means come along Lestrange, but I can not guarantee that you will be at all entertained by my endeavors, I'm merely researching qualities of some darker potions ingredients in hopes to make a break through on my latest experiment for our Lord. Not interesting to someone of your... tastes," Severus informed her coldly before continuing on his way. Bellatrix skipped beside him muttering inane things every once in a while as they made their way to the Library.
He needed to find some way to get rid of her so he could send out his patronus, or some way to contact someone in Hogwarts or the Order would most definitely be doomed.
***
Hermione looked across the Great Hall with satisfaction as the drills for the Final Battle tactics were being run. They had managed to magically expand the hall and recreate the battle situations on a smaller scale to make sure everything would go as smoothly as possible and their casualties were minimal. Ron watched everything from the head table with the map in front of him, calculating all the possible problems they could run into and how to minimize their damages.
When Hermione had first met the slightly shabby insecure redhead on the Hogwarts train her first year she had never imagined they'd be here now, Ron a confident military general who was deciding how they would confront Voldemort's forces. They really had come a long way. War really had a way of aging a person.
She wondered how different she was from her first year in Hogwarts. Was she still that bossy little know-it-all that no one liked until they took the time to get to know her? No, she most definitely wasn't the same, but she was also not completely different. And even though she was only 17 (though she was 18 if you were counting the time turner), she felt old. She knew it was an absolutely ridiculous notion- her being old- but in Hermione's eyes age was measured by experience as well as time, and she'd had enough drastic experiences to last a lifetime, that was certain.
She checked the silver watch for the time and smiled fondly; it had been a gift from Draco and Blaise before they had split up in preparation for the final battle. Silver with green emerald hands, typical of the Slytherins. And even though she hadn't wanted to accept the expensive gift, she had relented under their persuasive eyes. After all they both had plenty of money to spend so it wasn't much to them she reasoned. How she ached for them to keep her company.
It was almost 2 o' clock which meant it was time to check on Inky. She had yet to tell Harry and Ron about the Dementor, though Ginny was constantly pushing her to do so. Ginny said that since Inky listened to her orders, he (or she, Hermione wasn't certain how you could tell the gender of a Dementor) could be useful in the battle. wouldn't the Deatheaters be surprised if all of a sudden a Dementor was sucking out their souls rather than the souls of their enemies? And once they won the war most of the Deatheaters were likely to be sentenced to the Dementor's kiss regardless.
But the idea of watching someone receive the Dementor's kiss was enough to unsettle her stomach. She slipped out of the Great Hall, nodding to Harry who glanced at her from his place beside Ron as she tried to sneak away. Harry had become so intuitive it was unbelievable and it was a wonder he hadn't figured out any of her secrets or asked her why she kept sneaking out. He nodded back and asked no questions, his gaze focusing once more on the map.
Hermione entered her common room which felt empty without Draco and Blaise's presence, and then headed straight for her room to Inky. The oddest thing was that she didn't feel that cold chill that normally accompanied being near a Dementor any more around Inky, though Ginny assured her that she most definitely felt the same around Inky as every other Dementor. And Inky still made Draco and Blaise uncomfortable. Hermione had to wonder whether she was now immune to the feeling from all Dementor's or just Inky. Maybe it was because it was her blood that was used and it was her that Inky was bound to.
But she wasn't sure if she wanted to test the limits of that bond by letting Inky feed on someones soul. What if that was what freed Dementor's? Then would Inky be kind to his former master? She wasn't sure if she was willing to risk that. Much safer to keep Inky pure... or as pure as a Dementor could be.
Hermione sighed and vanished the bowl of chicken that Inky had left untouched. She guess it had been silly to believe a Dementor would like chicken. But then again, what would a Dementor like? Souls of course. Strawberries? Pizza? Chocolate?
Chocolate.... wait that wasn't such a bad idea! Remus ate chocolate to help his lycanthropy, and you ate chocolate to help bring back the happy memories after a Dementor attack... maybe a Dementor will like it? It was worth a shot.
She conjured up some chocolate and offered it to Inky in her palm. The Dementor just stood there- no floated ominously was the better description, and then leaned forward toward the chocolate, almost as if sniffing it, before sucking it into the dark hood.
Merlin's Beard! Dementors like chocolate. Why hadn't anyone discovered this before? Oh. No one really "lived" long enough to discover it most likely. Hermione wondered whether they preferred chocolate to souls... most likely not but it wouldn't hurt to have everyone carry chocolate to throw at Dementors during the battle. If it worked it could be an amazing advantage.
Just as she was about to conjure up more chocolate for Inky who was looking at her expectantly, a wispy silver form appeared through her wall in the shape of a doe. Snape's patronus, and Hermione never failed to see the irony in its shape.
The cold voice that came from it certainly didn't fit the graceful animal. "Voldemort knows Potter's Plan. He's got the Giants and plans to come through the forbidden forest. He also has a prisoner. Examine Ginny Weasley." The patronus disappeared.
Bloody Hell. Bloody freaking Hell. Merlin's Balls, and Fuck and every other foul word that she had heard from Ron or the twins' mouths. This was bad.
I'm an evil witch who gets a thrill from cliffys. I know. Bad author. Bad bad author. you should review and tell me how bad I am for not resisting temptation.