A/N: Hi loves! You are getting this early as I have plans tomorrow night. We're so close to the end now... I can't wait!
I didn't celebrate when this fic turned a year (I should have, bad author *slaps hand*), but brownlark42 has been with me through it all. So thank you, thank you, thank you to her for all her dedication and hard work into making this story a reality.
A second huge, ginormous thank you to all the readers who have stuck with me from the beginning! I can't believe this story has gotten so much support from the fandom and I want to say how thankful and honored I am that you all spend part of your life reading this. So thank you, thank you, thank you!
I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at crochetawayhpff.
Hermione stretched, feeling her body ache as it had every morning since the Cruciatus Curse she endured under Bellatrix Lestrange. It was December, months later, and she was still feeling the pain. She would be lucky if the aches and shakes went away within the year. Some things were permanent, even in the wizarding world.
Upon finding Hermione unresponsive, Draco had immediately brought his mother to Baerston Keep to help heal her. Hermione was inordinately thankful. They couldn't go to St Mungo's, and neither Harry nor Draco knew enough about the Cruciatus to know what to do. Hermione made sure Harry stayed hidden while Mrs Malfoy was there. Hermione was relatively confident that she wouldn't report her whereabouts to the Dark Lord, but she didn't have the same feeling of safety for Harry.
Hermione didn't know why she was being pursued, but the wanted poster wasn't going away. The poster didn't specify whether she'd be taken dead or alive. She shook her head, knowing it was pointless to try to figure out the Dark Lord's motives. He was insane. She was just glad they had successfully hidden Harry from Mrs Malfoy.
She rolled out of bed and stretched again, trying to work all the kinks out of her back muscles as she walked to the bathroom. Hermione needed to be top of her game today. They had been planning for weeks, but today was finally the day they would go to Godric's Hollow. Hermione still thought it was a terrible idea. But who was she to deny Harry the right to see his parents' home?
So they were all going. She was thankful that Draco had agreed to come. It wasn't that she didn't trust Harry, but she feared the Dark Lord might have left a booby trap in the place. She wasn't completely convinced that Harry had come up with this idea on his own. What if the Dark Lord had left hints, compulsions, or false desires in Harry's mind, pulling him toward Godric's Hollow? She wanted to ask Harry about his new interest in Godric's Hollow, but she was afraid it would alienate him. Neither of them could afford that. Harry was so raw emotionally lately, and she made every effort to choke down her emotions so she could be there for Harry.
Padding into the shower, Hermione tried to think of things they might need in Godric's Hollow. Certainly, the invisibility cloak, if only just for Harry. Her stash of healing potions. Her beaded bag, in case they had to flee suddenly. Maybe some Peruvian Darkness Powder as well. She mulled over the small amount of information she had found about Godric's Hollow and what they would find there. It was similar to Hogsmeade in that it was a very magical village, but it wasn't entirely magical because Muggles lived there. So any magic they found would be hidden. Would it be like Diagon Alley? Hermione didn't know, and she wasn't able to find any information out about it. She'd asked Draco, but given his family's aversion to Muggles, he'd never been there. She turned the water up as hot as she could stand it and let it cascade over her aching muscles. It helped, a little.
She was glad Harry had conceded to going there at night. If Harry, in his typical heedless way, would have walked into the village in broad daylight with his wand blazing. Everyone would have known Harry Potter had arrived. With the bounty on his head, that wasn't something they could afford.
Not only that, but they still had Horcruxes to destroy. Lupin had called her via Floo yesterday to tell her he had finally retrieved the locket. Hermione was risking leaving the Keep this afternoon so that she could get it from him. Draco had delivered the cup weeks ago. She should have destroyed it then, but the cup had a similar enchantment as the diadem. She'd locked the cup up in the library, so it wouldn't affect her like the diadem had. Unfortunately, this also meant that she couldn't go into the library without hearing the cup's insidious whispering. Just thinking about it made Hermione shiver even as she lathered her hair with shampoo and let the steamy water relax her muscles. It seemed as if the cup was stronger than the diadem.
She wondered why that would be. Did that mean the cup was made into a Horcrux before the diadem? Or after? Or was the death used for the cup more meaningful to the Dark Lord than the one used for the diadem? Despite the horror of Horcruxes and how they were made, Hermione couldn't help being a little fascinated. If it was possible to have a - safe, objective, academic - conversation with the Dark Lord about Horcruxes and the magic involved, she would. She shook her head. She shouldn't think like that. Horcruxes represented real people and real lives; they could never simply be objects of study. She worried that the cup was skewing her thoughts, morally desensitizing her. Could it be reaching her even from the library? She didn't know. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. The only thing that was certain was that she needed to get rid of the cup sooner than later.
After Godric's Hollow. When they all came back, alive, and safe, then she would destroy both the cup and the locket. She hoped she was strong enough to destroy them together.
She turned off the water, toweled herself dry, and rewrapped the bandage on her arm. She didn't really need it now. The wound was as healed, but her psyche still reeled. It was easier if she didn't have to look at it. She knew that Draco was worried about her and how she was dealing—or not dealing—with Bellatrix's attack.
She knew that someday soon she'd have to engage with the trauma, but right now she couldn't afford to break down. Not when they were so close. She had to be there for Harry. She was all he had, and she was determined to be there for him. She would help him finish this. Then maybe it would be okay to break down. Then she could wail and whine over yet another war scar. She'd deserve it then. Right now, there was work to be done.
She trotted down the stairs to the kitchen and found Harry sipping at a teacup.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry mumbled.
"Didn't sleep well?" Hermione asked as she took in the dark circles under his eyes. That was something else she had to do. Get that Horcrux out of Harry before he collapsed from exhaustion.
Harry shook his head, refusing to meet her eyes.
"It's alright Harry. We're getting close now. I can feel it," Hermione reassured him as she poured for herself.
"What have we got to do today?" Harry asked.
"I have to go out for a bit this afternoon. Draco will come by this evening and the three of us will go to Godric's Hollow. You'll stay under the invisibility cloak, and Draco and I will be disguised."
Harry nodded, "Sounds like a good plan."
"Do you know what you're looking for there?" Hermione ventured. She felt like she had to ask, even though she didn't necessarily want to know.
Harry shook his head, avoiding her eyes.
Hermione sighed. She knew that this was because the Dark Lord had made the suggestion in Harry's mind. She also knew that he was aware of it, which meant they were walking into a trap. She only hoped that whatever happened, Draco's disguise would keep him hidden from the Dark Lord. She did not want to contemplate the consequences if the Dark Lord recognized Draco and knew he working against him.
The meeting with Remus was uneventful. He handed her the locket, made a sullen comment, and apparated away. She knew Remus loathed being a pack Alpha, but she was thankful he was doing it. Immensely thankful. It kept the heat off of Draco, who had been short-tempered since the beginning of autumn. Hermione wished he would focus more on all the progress they had made. They had two of the last four Horcruxes in their possession. They were so incredibly close to being able to end this.
Even the short amount she touched the necklace before tucking it away in her beaded bag, made her feel slimy and like she needed a shower. It must be at least the same as the cup in strength, perhaps stronger. She couldn't wait to lock it in the library with the cup. She struggled to settle her nerves as she Apparated back to the Keep. It wouldn't do to get jumpy now. Harry needed her to stay calm and collected. It was going to be difficult enough to buffer Draco and Harry's suppressed hostility. She didn't need to add her own emotions into the mix.
She secured the necklace in the library and put up new wards, then went to prepare for the evening. Draco would be by shortly, but she tried to focus on the task in front of her. It had been a few weeks since she'd seen Draco and she was excited, but also knew it wasn't the time for sex. No matter how much she wanted it. They had a job to do tonight.
It would be no small effort to get Harry to Godric's Hollow and do everything they could to protect him while he was there. Despite that, she was the most nervous about springing the trap the Dark Lord had set for them. What would he have there for them? It was a populated village, so hopefully nothing like an erumpent or a dragon, but she couldn't totally rule out the possibility. She would just have to be prepared for any kind of threat.
Hermione sat back in a chair and let her mind play through different scenarios and situations that they might encounter. At one, she sat up with a grimace. She hadn't thought about broomsticks. She hated getting on a broom. If it was their only way out, then it might be necessary. There could be anti-apparition wards, they had no hope of access to a Floo, and she couldn't risk an illegal portkey. Brooms would have to be their secondary mode of transport. She sighed and took one last look at everything in her beaded bag before tying it to a belt loop of her denims and sticking it in her pocket.
Harry was in the kitchen, eating again because he was a teenage boy. Hermione found him here often.
"Hi, Harry," she greeted and took a slice of apple from his plate, popping it into her mouth.
He nodded at her but continued eating. So she rolled her eyes.
"We should pack brooms tonight," Hermione stated.
"Will you get on a broom?" Harry asked.
"To zip around in the sky like a maniac? For fun? No. If it's life or death? Yes. Besides I trust you or Draco to keep me safe on a broom." She didn't miss Harry's stoney face when she mentioned Draco.
"Do we really need him to come with us?" Harry asked.
"No, we don't. But I'd like him to. If nothing else, it'll be a third wand should we run into trouble," Hermione commented lightly. She forced herself to stay neutral and tactful, despite her impression that Harry hadn't given this trip much forethought. He'd told her a few days earlier that if she wouldn't go with him, he'd go by himself. She couldn't risk him going rogue with so many Horcruxes still unaccounted for. Hermione knew that it would be a suicide mission if she didn't go with him.
"Fine," Harry grumbled.
"Let's get your Firebolt packed. Draco will be here soon, so maybe he'll have another broom or two lying around here."
"Like you'd ever get on a broom by yourself," Harry scoffed as he stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. Hermione ignored him.
The first part of the journey was surprisingly easy. They arrived at Godric's Hollow without incident and walked down the main street with no interruption. Things became unsettling — but not exactly dangerous — when they were lured into a home by a creepy old woman, Bathilda Bagshot, according to Harry. Still, Hermione and Draco stood side by side with their wands at the ready, as Harry followed the woman up the stairs. The house had the small, cramped quality of a decades-old packrat nest. There was barely any room to walk, and every surface was covered with an assortment of parchment, newspapers, books, and scrolls, all topped with a thick layer of brown dust. Hermione had peaked into the kitchen, where there were piles upon piles of sticky, used dishes towering in the sink and on the counters. It certainly explained the smell.
Hermione wasn't going to let Harry out of her sight, but Draco held her back.
"This is the trap," Draco muttered into her ear as they watched Harry disappear to the upper floor of the house.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Bagshot hasn't said a word. And she smells weird. Like a reptile," Draco wrinkled his nose.
"Nagini?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe. I can't be sure tho—"
Just then they heard Harry shout. Hermione tore off after him, racing up the stairs, two at a time. She arrived in an attic like area to see Bathilda Bagshot's body crumple to the floor and a giant snake explode out of her face.
"Fuck," Harry grunted as he dived to the side to escape the snake as it twisted toward him.
"Bombarda!" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand at the slithering reptile.
It dodged the spell and went for Harry again.
"That's Nagini!" Draco shouted.
"We have to kill her," Hermione told Harry. "Confringo!" she shouted, tearing the snake away from Harry once more.
"How?" Harry shouted. "Fiendfyre?"
"I don't think I have time for that," Hermione grunted rolling out of the way of the serpent's bobbing head.
"Slicing hex," Draco suggested as he threw Nagini against the far wall. She coiled, recovering quickly, and weaved back toward them.
"I don't know if that would destroy the Horcrux," Hermione panted, as she dodged a strike from her venomous fangs.
"Dammit, Hermione! What will work?" Harry asked.
"I don't know!" Hermione shouted back. Why the hell was Harry expecting her to have all the answers?
"Wait! Let me try something," Harry grunted as he rolled out of the way of the viper. "Cover me!"
Hermione edged toward Harry as he began hissing in Parseltongue. Hermione didn't know what he was saying, but the eerie snake-like hissing made her shiver.
And then Nagini stopped moving. She just swayed unsteadily in front of Harry.
"I've got her." Harry said very quietly, very calmly, "I'm going to throw the killing curse, you two try the slicing hexes. She might lunge when I break concentration."
Hermione waved Draco forward, making sure they were all clear of each other's wands.
"Harry on two, Draco on three," Hermione said softly, but clearly. "One, two—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry screamed. The serpent writhed and surged forward in the same instant Harry pointed his wand.
"Three!"
"DIFFINDO!" Hermione and Draco shouted as one. Two bolts of bright blue magic and one bolt of green descended on the Nagini at once, just behind her head. It was enough. The head was severed, and the body continued to writhe, throwing spurting blood everywhere.
A thick, oily substance poured out of the snake's body. Hermione cringed at the snake's scream before it evaporated.
"Four down, three to go," Harry sighed as he began siphoning blood off of himself.
Hermione nodded tiredly, "We should get out of here. No telling what sort of wards and charms the Dark Lord has left on this place."
The following day Hermione dragged Draco and Harry out to the island on the loch again. She had two more Horcruxes to destroy, and then it would just be Harry left. She thought she had a solution for removing the Horcrux from Harry, but she wanted to get these two pieces out of the Keep at first.
"Can you do two at once?" Harry asked as she set them both on the ground and stepped away.
"I don't see why not," Hermione shrugged. She actually didn't know, but she wanted to kill two birds with one stone. They could bail if it didn't work. Fiendfyre was powerful, but it couldn't cross water. It would extinguish itself once everything on the island had burnt out.
"Regardless, be ready to flee if I tell you to," Hermione told them both, ignoring their doubtful expressions.
She stepped back from the two objects. "Ignis pe Fende," she intoned as she swung her wand arm in a large circle. Then she drew her wand from the bottom of the circle straight up the middle and with a flick of her wrist, her a fiery phoenix flew out and hit the cup. Another quick wrist motion and a flaming lion engulfed the necklace.
Hermione thought she was prepared for this. She should have been, but she almost swayed when that pernicious voice started up.
"You can't do anything right… you're a failure… never good enough… for anyone…" the cold voice made the hair stand up on the back of Hermione's neck.
She concentrated her magic, pushing more of it through her wand as the flames flared higher and the heat radiating against her face. The rage-beasts grew more ferocious.
"Nobody loves you… swot… bookworm… mudblood…" a second voice emerged, higher and colder than the first. The two voices weaved together, so Hermione felt like she was surrounded by the vicious words, overlapping and amplifying. She closed her eyes and felt her wand arm start to falter. Sweat beaded and slid down her skin.
She had almost dropped her arm entirely when she felt Draco's hand on her shoulder. How she knew it was Draco and not Harry, she didn't know. But she did. It was Draco. She felt a rush through her body as he directed his magic into her. It twined and twirled around her own before being pushed out of her wand and directed at the Fiendfyre.
Dual shrieks sounded around the loch, echoing across the water. The greasy, black mist dissipated.
"Mergit Ignis!" Hermione shouted and for once, it worked the first time. The rage-beasts turned around and dissolved back into the tip of her wand. As always, ending with the wolf that padded slowly toward her.
"Merlin, 'Mione," Harry breathed.
"That was… incredible," Draco commented and dropped his hand from her shoulder.
Hermione nodded tiredly, then promptly sat on the ground, too exhausted to hold herself up. Now she knew. Destroying more than one Horcrux at a time was dangerously draining. She wouldn't be able to work on Harry's today. Maybe not even tomorrow.
"Dammit, Potter," Draco growled.
Hermione sighed. The three of them were in the library. It was almost Christmas and snow flew hard and fast outside the Keep. The fireplace was roaring, keeping the library warm and comfortable. But Hermione was frustrated. They had been at this most of the day, and she wasn't having any success in removing the Horcrux from Harry.
"You have to hold still, Harry," Hermione said for the tenth time that day. Hermione had destroyed the two Horcruxes a week ago, and she was finally feeling well enough to try to extract the one hiding in Harry's head. And it was in his head. She had determined that it was right behind his lightning bolt scar.
"It tickles," Harry muttered.
"Oh, get over it Potter," Draco drawled. "You would think you'd want that piece of the Dark Lord out of your head."
"I do," Harry said angrily.
"Then hold still!" Draco shouted.
"Enough," Hermione said quietly. "Let's start again. Harry hold still. Don't move no matter what you feel, or I'll have Draco bind you."
"He'd like that, the kinky bastard," Harry muttered and Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Shut it, Potter."
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached out with her magic. She could feel Draco's magic behind her, it was blue, feeling warm and comforting, like coming home. She made herself ignore him and reached out further. There he was. Harry's magic was red and bright, like a party, but also disjointed. There was a cacophony in his magic that wasn't in Hermione's or Draco's.
That was the Horcrux. Hermione had to isolate the Horcrux and say an incantation to lift it out of Harry and place it in an old dagger Draco had found. They hoped the symbolism would draw the Horcrux in.
The problem was isolating the Horcrux. It moved around and hid behind Harry's magic. It didn't want to be found. But Hermione was persistent. At least this time Harry was holding still. It was easier if he didn't move. His magic was a part of his physical body and if he moved his body, then his magic also moved. Just moving a limb jostled his magic around.
Hermione chased the blob of darkness. She was stalking it down like a panther stalks its prey. Keeping it on the move and slowly cornering it.
Finally, she had it. She surrounded it with her own magic, ensuring that she had the entire thing enclosed. It wouldn't do to leave fragments of it in Harry. Small split pieces would be harder to find and isolate when she repeated the process. She circled her magic around the Horcrux three times. When she was sure had it completely contained, she whispered the incantation and began to pull back from Harry.
She was there. She could feel it. She was so close. Hermione exhaled slowly and pulled harder.
"OW!" Harry gasped in pain, and Hermione squeezed her eyes to keep them shut to keep her focus on the Horcrux.. It was no use; it slipped away from her grasp and snapped back into Harry.
"Fuck," she muttered.
"This isn't going to work is it?" Draco asked.
"No, I can make it work," Hermione insisted opening her eyes.
"It's okay, 'Mione," Harry shrugged and rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. "I've lived with it for this long. I need a break anyway. My head is throbbing."
"But…" Hermione trailed off. How was she supposed to tell Harry that keeping the Horcrux in him likely meant his death?
"I understand," Harry told her. He reached forward and grasped her hands. "Truly I do. The Horcrux in me has to go. So, I have to go."
Hermione wiped a treacherous tear from her right eye.
"You don't have to be so strong all the time, you know?" Harry said and wrapped his arms around Hermione as she began to cry into his shoulder. How would she survive without Harry?
"I'm the last Horcrux left," Harry said and pulled back from her. "I think it's almost time."
"New Year's Eve," Draco said.
"What?" Hermione asked. She wiped her face. She could cry later when she was alone.
"That's when we should attack. We have about two weeks to get ready, to warn the Order. All of the Death Eaters will be in attendance that night."
"It's a plan," Harry agreed.
Hermione huddled under the comforter of her bed, crying softly to herself as she had since trying to remove Harry's Horcrux. She felt like she had completely failed her two best friends. She couldn't get the Horcrux out of Harry. She let Ron die. She didn't even try to stop Greyback.
"Stop it," Draco said from the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. She sat up and wiped her face. She didn't want him to see how weak she was. Would he leave her? If he knew what a failure she was?
"Stop it," Draco said again. He shut the door behind him and strode across the room, kicking off his boots as he went.
"What?" Hermione asked and furrowed her brow.
"Harry Floo called me," he said by way of explanation. He shrugged off his shirt and trousers at the foot of the bed.
"What?" Hermione said again. Why would Harry Floo call Draco?
"He hears you, you know. You aren't as quiet or as sneaky as you think you are," Draco said and crawled into bed in only his pants. He pulled her to him as he leaned his back against the headboard. Hermione laid her head on his chest.
"Oh." Her cheeks burned red. She couldn't believe Harry heard her. That was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She was trying to protect Harry. Another way she'd failed apparently.
"And I can feel you through the Mate bond," Draco said at last, kissing the top of her head.
"Oh, gods," Hermione sobbed into his chest. He could feel her. He could feel her anger, depression, and anguish. He knew what a failure she was. And now she was blubbering on his chest. She was disgusting.
"Oh, Hermione, love," Draco tightened his arms around her and ran his hand over her head and shoulders.
"My love, shhh Mate," Draco soothed. "I don't hate you. I don't loathe you. I'm not disgusted by you. Not one bit."
Hermione tried to get herself together. She didn't want to be the person who cried at everything. What was wrong with her?
"It's grief. It's natural," Draco told her. "And who knows what effect destroying those Horcruxes has had on you."
"I'm a failure," Hermione finally choked out. "How could you… I fail at everything."
Draco laughed, deep full belly laughs. "Oh, gods, you are the least likely person to fail at anything."
"No, but this afternoon—"
"You couldn't move a Horcrux. You tried to do something that has probably never been attempted before. You can't consider yourself a failure for that. Maybe it's not even possible?" He shrugged and Hermione felt the motion with her head. She refused to look up at him and kept her face buried in his chest. She couldn't logically argue his point. There was no direct evidence that it was possible to move a Horcrux once it has been placed, especially from a living thing. Research was limited, and it had all centered on the mutual destruction of the Horcrux and the object that housed it.
"What about Ron? I couldn't save him. I couldn't stop Greyback," she whispered.
"Ron is not your fault. That fault lies with Greyback alone," Draco muttered into her hair.
"What about all the amazing things you have done in the last few months?" Draco continued. He held up a hand and began ticking them off.
"You walked into my home and greeted my mother as well as any pure-blood princess. You sassed the Dark Lord. You held your own with my pack and Alpha. You boss Lupin around like he's your personal employee. You risked Snape's temper and not just learned, but mastered Fiendfyre. You've destroyed four Horcruxes. You are fucking amazing."
She pulled back and looked him in the face. He was smirking at her.
"And you had the extreme good fortune to choose me as your Mate. Then you had the even better luck of falling in love with me," he breathed and leaned down, covering her mouth with his own.
Hermione sighed into his kiss. She was very lucky to have found him.