Warnings: sex, torture, death, underage death, mentions of rape, and mentions of underage sex. There are also mentions of threesomes and other fun sexy times. If any of this is not your cup of tea, I don't recommend you read this story. Otherwise, you've been warned!
Chapter One
"Oi! Stop that witch!"
Hermione raced past the dirty, hunched figures that filled Knockturn Alley. She clutched the little brown package to her chest. Her grip was unrelenting. She'd got it. She'd actually got it.
"Granger!"
Hermione cursed under her breath. She had kept her hood low over her head, but something had clearly given her away. The thunderous steps of the wizard chasing after her echoed across the alley.
No-one stopped her. No one even looked in her direction. She could be murdered in the middle of Knockturn Alley and no one would even bat an eye. Since the Dark Lord's rise six years ago, places of dark magic had only gotten darker. It was one of the main reasons the Order had shot down her mission. Going into Knockturn Alley was too dangerous. There were too many liabilities and the payout was too small.
"You don't even know what it bloody well is!" Ron shouted over the table at her. His cheeks were red and spittle flew from his mouth.
"It's important to Riddle! It could be a horcrux!" she insisted fiercely.
"Does he even have any more of those?" Ron scoffed. "If it's so bloody important, he'd have an army goin' in to collect it and not one measly Death Eater! Face it! You just want to go out and snog your stupid Death Eater!"
"That's hardly fair!" Hermione shouted back. Her hair crackled and the coils of her curls tightened with magic. "He has nothing to do with this! And I didn't ask for what happened! You know that. Don't you dare hold it over my head like that, Ronald Weasley." Ron glared, his eyes nearly glowed with impotent rage.
"Enough!" Kingsley shouted. "It's too high of a risk, Hermione. We'll let you know if we hear anything about the object."
"It'll be too late by then!"
"It's been decided!" the wizard snapped. He let out a harsh breath, slowly releasing the tension from his shoulders. "Don't you have research or something you can work on? Let us stick to the fieldwork, yeah?"
The Order was going to be furious when they found out she'd gone and stolen the item in transit herself. Then they would also be impressed and hopefully, take her back off the bloody bench. Her last mission had been months ago and it had gone to complete and utter shit. She would bear the consequences of that mission for the rest of her life.
The only thing to lessen the brunt of her own actions was helping the Order. As good as she was with books, she knew she was best using her intelligence in the field. But first, Hermione had to get back to Order Headquarters and to do that she'd have to outsmart the wizard biting at her heels.
Hermione turned the corner and flew through a door leading into the back of an apothecary. She quickly warded the door. A second later, someone was pounding against the wood.
"Open up, Granger!"
Hermione glared at the door. How did he know it was her?
"There's nowhere to go," he thundered. Hermione spun around and her eyes tracked over the empty storeroom. "The apothecary shut down," he explained as Hermione belatedly came to the same conclusion. "The only other exit is completely warded off. Give me the package and I'll let you go." His voice went soft towards the end. She knew he was telling the truth.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at the wooden door. She wasn't giving him the damn packaged. She checked the only other exit and sure enough, it was heavily warded. Her pursuer would surely get through before she could break down the second door.
She threw back her hood and cursed as she wound a hand into her wild curls. Her eyes caught on a leftover stash of potions and her mind raced.
"Hermione," the Death Eater on the other side of the door ground out slowly. "You can't stay there forever. Open up. Do not make me open this door myself."
Hermione dropped to her knees and quickly sifted through the box of old potions. She paused when she saw a very specific looking one with a mother-of-pearl sheen to it. Amortentia. Hermione smirked. She waved her wand over the bottle and less than a minute later, she was holding two identical-looking packages. She slipped the real one into her right pocket.
The ward she'd placed on the door was about to break. Before it completely shattered, Hermione waved her wand and threw the door open. Black robes greeted her. She looked up, straining her neck to see up into the face of the very tall, very irate dark wizard on the other side of the threshold. Thorfinn Rowle.
He narrowed his bright blue eyes at her. "What the hell do you think you're up to, sweetheart?"
Hermione's lips twisted into a snarl. "Trying to win a bloody war, what do you think?"
"Trying to piss me off?" She rolled her eyes. Thorfinn stepped closer and right into her personal space. He was massive. His frame completely dwarfed her own like it had when they were in school. She had grown since their final year together when she was a fourth-year, but he had grown as well. He'd also grown in muscle mass and the fact was not lost on her. "Hand over the package, little witch."
Hermione made a pained expression. "Thor, please."
One of his hands raised to twist into the curls at the back of her skull. He pulled her head back so their gazes met. Thorfinn leaned close and his breath ghosted over her lips. Hermione shivered and her lashes fluttered. "Don't make me ask again," he whispered darkly.
Hermione's heart raced inside her chest. If asked, she couldn't confidently say that it was entirely from fear. She swallowed. Her hand dipped into her left pocket and she slipped out the transfigured, brown paper parcel. She placed it in his open and waiting palm.
Hermione clutched his wrist when he moved to pull away. "Don't," she whispered frantically. "Don't give that to him, not under any circumstances." He stared deeply into her light brown eyes as they watered. "Please."
Thorfinn's hand moved from her hair to slowly cup the side of her face. His hands were so large that his fingers were still threaded through her curls even as his thumb trailed along her plump bottom lip. "Apparate away," he ordered, his voice was low and gruff as he did. "Before… before I change my mind."
He stared at her for a moment longer before he stepped back. Hermione crossed over the threshold and back onto the street. She gave Thorfinn a long, pleading look before she turned on her heel and disapparated with a loud crack!
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Thorfinn gasped for breath as the Dark Lord finally let up the cruciatus. The massive wizard twisted over onto his stomach, despite the pain in his broken ribs. He gagged onto the cold black tile of Malfoy Manor. His entire body shook as his muscles seized.
The sweet scent of lilacs, sugared apples, and petrichor teased him. The bottle of Amortentia lay broken and forgotten not far from him.
"Who?" Voldemort hissed in question. His temper filled the room with an arctic chill. The windows had fogged over and frost coated the edges. "Who did you give it to?"
Thorfinn shook his head. "No one, my Lord. I gave it to no one. The package I received for you is that one."
"Lies!" He raised his wand and Thorfinn screamed as another crucio hit him square in the back. The Dark Lord cut it off quicker than the last. "Tell me what really happened, Rowle. I will kill you faster if you do."
Thorfinn sucked in a laboured breath. He closed his eyes as black spots began to cloud his vision. He said nothing. Voldemort raised his wand again when a door opened. A shaking, rat-faced man was led in by Rodolphus Lestrange.
"A witness, my Lord." He bowed his head before throwing the whimpering wizard at the Dark Lord's feet.
"A witness?" Voldemort hissed in irritation. He slanted a dark look at Thorfinn who had opened his eyes and warily stared at the new addition to his interrogation. "Explain."
The man jumped and nodded. "I been seein' him, sir," he pointed to Thorfinn, "in the Alley today. He was with his little lady friend."
Voldemort raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Lady friend?" He glanced back at Thorfinn just in time to catch as the wizard closed his eyes and let his forehead drop to the cool tile. Voldemort's rage skyrocketed at the sight. He spun back toward the dirty witness at his feet and flicked his wand. With a whispered, "Legilimens," he plowed his way through the street urchin's mind.
He found the man's memory of early that day. Thorfinn stood in the entryway of some back entrance with a hand buried in a little witch's curls. They were leaning towards each other, nearly embracing. The wizard's thumb slowly caressed the witch's lip.
Voldemort pulled himself out of the wizard's mind so forcefully that the man collapsed. The street urchin's eyes were glazed, his mouth partially open. He was dead.
The Dark Lord spun toward Thorfinn, his black robes billowed out as he did. "Hermione Granger?" Voldemort hissed calmly. The room's temperature had dropped another five degrees. He stalked closer toward his prey. "Potter's little mudblood?" He could see Thorfinn's breath beginning to race. Voldemort nearly vibrated with rage. He flicked his wand and Thorfinn was thrown onto his back. The blonde wizard cried out at the pain from his broken bones. "Have you betrayed me, Rowle? For a filthy mudblood?"
"Never, my Lord," Thorfinn gasped out. Voldemort's lip curled. His fingers grasped the blond wizard's chin and forced him to meet his master's eyes. Voldemort didn't even bother to whisper the spell as he dove into the man's mind. He tore through it without a care or thought for Thorfinn's pain as he screamed. Voldemort's grip on his face was unrelenting as he searched like a bloodhound for his answers.
Finally, after what felt like hours but had in fact been mere seconds, Voldemort found the memories he was looking for. The little mudblood smiled up at him in the glowing memory, warm and golden. It was tinged with stupid, sappy emotions. She laughed prettily and Voldemort sneered.
He quickly noted the location of the memory and his interest doubled. The potions lab three months ago. The Order had attacked it and certain experimental potions had been released into the atmosphere. He'd been told the potions had no effect. He'd been told this by Thorfinn himself who had been exposed - him and the mudblood.
Voldemort narrowed his focus on the memories of that night. He'd been lied to - played for a fool. Hermione Granger giggled as the memory of her stripped bare. Her cheeks were flushed and curls in wild disarray. She moaned beneath him, her body moving against his own. A hot warmth suffused from his chest. Their skin glowed wherever they touched as the bonds formed between the two - forever binding. She screamed as she came and Voldemort quickly pulled back from the memory before he became absorbed once more.
He slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily. "She'd be dead," he slowly hissed as he stared out into the middle distance. "That's what you told me when you returned from the potions lab in Kent. You said that the potions we'd been making there had done nothing when accidentally released into the atmosphere." He spun around and headed towards his tall black chair at the top of the dais. He sat regally on his throne. Red eyes stared down at the broken, shivering wizard below him. "You said If they had worked, she'd be dead because there is nothing else I desire more," Voldemort smirked and rolled his eyes. "Clearly you lied."
Thorfinn opened his mouth. He gasped and coughed, but no words came forward.
"How long have you been protecting your mudblood, Rowle? How long have you been protecting the Order?" He was deceptively calm as he asked his questions. "Such a shame they give no care for your own protection, sending you here with that potion. Your witch was trying to get you killed, Rowle. She's a heartless little bitch." He paused as he considered this. "Perhaps I should have recruited her into my ranks instead."
Voldemort leaned forward. He steepled his fingers together and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Either way, I'm certainly going to go pay your pretty little wife a visit once you're dead." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "To give her my… condolences."
Thorfinn gasped, the sound wet. Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. "My Lord… please."
Voldemort stood and rolled his eyes. "Spare me." He waved his hand for his Death Eaters to take Rowle away. They would see to the traitor's torture. Voldemort had a mudblood to find.
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Hermione laughed as she danced and spun. The grass tickled the soles of her bare feet. Her skirts spun and twirled around her ankles. The bonfire roared at the centre of the circle. The witches danced and spun to the beat of the drums.
The full moon shone down upon them. Magic tingled along her skin. It sang within her blood and made her feel alive. The entire clearing was filled with the power of the solstice.
Hermione spun and spun again as the beat of the drums increased. The world blurred around her. Magic rose up from the ground and danced along her fingertips. The light spring breeze swept through the glen. The fire flickered and roared.
Hermione came to a stop as more dancers joined. She noticed the men drinking from their tankards, watching the witches dance for the gods. Her gaze turned to the door of the largest longhouse in their fief. The men had returned to the festivities, but their leader was still missing.
Without another thought, Hermione left the dance and slipped through the crowd. She passed by the gold and red banner of their fief as she entered the longhouse. A smouldering fire sat within the centre of the building. Surrounding it on three sides were three long tables. There were near to thirty chairs in total, each of them similar to one another in fashion. There was no differentiation in station or power. Each and every man was equal. Their chief wouldn't have it any other way.
Hermione smiled across the fire to where their chief sat at the other end of the longhouse. "Husband," she greeted softly as she stepped up onto the platform under the tables. She walked along the length of the longhouse as she slowly made her way to the man.
"Wife," he responded, just as softly. A smile could be seen under his blond beard. His long hair was partially pulled back and plaited with multiple braids.
"You're missing out on the festivities," she pointed out as she rounded the corner of the table. The one her husband sat at was the shorter of the three. Only the chief's family were allowed to sit along the smallest table that spanned the width of the longhouse. Only two chairs sat there. Hermione longed for there to be a third.
Her husband leaned an elbow onto the arm of his chair. He rested his chin in his hand as he smirked at her. "It appears I am. Are you here to rectify that problem for me, my love?"
Hermione smiled mischievously. She leaned back against the table for a moment before slipping up to sit on it. She slid sideways and dragged her skirt up to her thighs as she settled a leg on either side of him. "What if I am?"
His hands cupped her calves. He covered nearly the entire length of them, due to both her short stature and his incredible size. He was not a small man, her husband. Hermione was certain he was the largest man she'd ever seen - and Vikings did not often come in small packaging.
"Have you danced tonight, my sweet?" His long, calloused fingers traced up her calves to the back of her knees. He leisurely made his way to the tops of her thighs, pushing her skirts further up as he went.
"I have," Hermione replied breathlessly.
Her husband wrapped his arms around her hips and effortlessly picked her up. He placed her on his lap, staring into her eyes as if he were seeing straight into the beauty of her magical core. "Then let the gods bless us this Beltane."
Hermione smiled beautifully. She pressed her forehead against his and traced his lips with her fingers. "Blessed be," she whispered.
"Blessed be."
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It was beautiful. That was what Hermione's first thought had been when she'd opened the package and saw what was safely tucked away within. It was a massive piece of raw azurite. The blue looked purer than even the most vibrant oceans. Its centre was its darkest, the sparkling stone slowly turned lighter towards its edges. It looked like the night sky when she twisted it under the light of her room.
It was mesmerizing. It was raw magic. It definitely was not a horcrux.
There was a dark piece of twine wrapped intricately around it in a series of little knots. It looped along the sides and the back of the stone and knotted at the very top before giving way to a long loop. It was a necklace. A magical pendant of some sort?
It could be dark magic. Knowing Hermione's luck, it was probably dark magic. The young witch really wished she had thought of that before she'd put the stupid thing on. Rookie mistake, she thought to herself bitterly. Constant vigilance! Poor old Mad-Eye was probably cursing her from the grave.
She deserved to be cursed. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. And now, she couldn't get the stupid thing off and she also couldn't find any information on it. Her room was filled with books on azurite, amulets, magical pendants. There was nothing. Not that she could find at least.
Hermione sat at her vanity and softly touched the pendant, staring at it as it hung around her neck in the reflection of the circular mirror. Merlin, she hoped Thorfinn was okay. Her eyes teared and she turned away from the mirror. It'd been rather difficult to look into her own eyes after her betrayal of him. She hoped he'd heeded her advice and not given Voldemort the package. As much as she wished she could see the look on the Dark Lord's face when he opened the package and found a bottle of amortentia of all things, she hated to think Thorfinn would bear the brunt of that anger.
"Hermione, love?" her mother's voice called through the door as she softly knocked.
Hermione quickly dropped the pendant beneath her shirt and wiped her cheeks of any stray tears. "Come in!" She spun around on her seat and smiled up at her mother as the older woman opened the door.
Helena glanced around Hermione's messy room with an amused look on her face. "Aren't you supposed to be heading off soon?"
Hermione nodded. "I'll just take a minute to clean." She wriggled her fingers. "Magic."
Helena smiled indulgently. "Of course, I always forget. Well, hurry on up. I don't want your friends getting worried about you, not when they don't know where you are." Her mother raised an eyebrow pointedly.
It was a point of contention between Hermione and her parents that after she had moved them for their safety, she had refused to divulge their location to anyone. They had grown used to Ron and Harry coming round often but that all stopped when the threat had been made on her parents' lives. Hermione refused to apologize for it. The fewer people who knew, the safer they would be.
"I'll be down in a minute to say goodbye."
Helena stepped into the room. She gently cupped the side of her daughter's face. "Twenty-three," Helena sighed. "You should be off getting your master's degree just about now."
Hermione looked down. "This isn't exactly how I imagined my life either, mum."
"No, I know that, darling. Just… just promise me something?" Hermione looked up at her mother and raised her eyebrows. "If things ever get bad… if you think you need me, please just come home."
Hermione was already shaking her head before her mother finished her request. "You know I can't do that, mum. It's dangerous. You could-"
"-I nearly died bringing you into this world, Hermione," Helena cut her off, not unkindly. "I am willing to risk my life to keep you in it. You've put that charm on this house and we're safe here. No one knows about it or us. You would be safe here too. Just… if you need me, baby. I'm here."
Hermione smiled sadly. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "Okay."
"Good. Now clean up, don't you dare leave this room a mess."
She laughed wetly at her mother's comment and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Helena smiled and winked at her before leaving her daughter to pack. Hermione took a long breath to compose herself before she waved her wand and watched as all her things flew into her purse. She picked up the beaded bag and crossed the strap over her shoulder.
Hermione trotted down the steps and smiled at her parents. Hugs and kisses all around, she promised them she'd stay safe and be back again soon. "If not, I'll send an owl, as always."
"Good luck, love," Hugo wished his daughter, "on whatever it is you've been working so intently on the past few days."
Hermione kissed her dad on the cheek. "Thanks, dad. Love you!" she called over her shoulder as she headed out.
"Love you!" they chorused after her. Hugo and Helena stayed on the front steps and waved until Hermione was out of sight. The curly-haired witch continued walking, putting more distance between herself and her parents' new home.
She turned the corner at the end of the block and walked straight into a wall of muscle. The man hissed in pain. Hermione gasped and jumped back, her hand already on her wand. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Thor?"
He looked like crap. His right eye was swollen shut, his nose was broken and he was cradling his left arm. His bleeding lips quirked into a little half grin and he greeted her with a gruff, "Hey, sweetheart."
Hermione let out a pained sound. She wrapped an arm around his back and her other to his stomach. He hissed. She quickly pulled her hand away to find it stained red. "Shit."
"Gonna be needin' that necklace now, beautiful." He grunted and leaned onto her shoulder heavily.
"You need a bloody healer, Thor. Jesus Christ." Hermione looked around, but no one paid them any mind. The faint tingle along her skin alerted her to the use of his weak muggle repelling charm. She needed to get him out of here. They were way too close to her parents' hideout for her comfort, not to mention the fact she thought he might be dying. "Can you handle a side-along?"
He grunted.
Hermione took that as confirmation and shuffled him around the corner. "Anyone else with you? Follow you?" Thorfinn shook his head. He was limping and leaning far too much weight on her. Hermione's shoulders hunched and she pushed herself to support his broken body until they finally made it to the apparition point.
"Ready?" she whispered when they were safely tucked away inside the apparition point.
"Make it quick," he grumbled. His head dropped forward and he spat blood to the side. Hermione grimaced. She kept her arm wrapped tightly around his waist and raised her free hand to grab his own that was draped over her shoulder. She closed her eyes and a moment later, she apparated away.
Thorfinn screamed when they landed. He fell down onto one knee, dragging Hermione down with him. Hermione cursed and tried to keep him from fully collapsing. "Okay, babe," she murmured soothingly, "I got you. Come on." She pulled him to his feet, ignoring his cry of pain. "Just around the corner."
They hobbled around the side of a muggle building. There was a parking lot to the left before a row of blue doors set into a brick building. Hermione led him to the closest door and waved her wand. The door opened and she led him inside the motel room.
The room was small, just big enough for a double bed, dresser, and a door leading to a washroom. An old tele sat atop the dresser, though it didn't look like it was in working order.
Hermione helped Thorfinn to the bed before she closed the door and heavily warded it. No muggle would come looking, they would forget there was a room there entirely until she could get away to pay for the damn thing at the front desk. But she wouldn't do that until she knew Thorfinn was okay - she couldn't do it until she knew he was okay.
Hermione waved her wand, biting down her panic as she assessed the damage. His arm was broken in two places, his hand in three. She quickly mended the arm first.
"Fuck!" Thorfinn shouted when the bones snapped into place.
Hermione eyed him warily, knowing he got magically fiery when he was angry and especially when he was hurt. She opened her purse and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. She unscrewed the cap and handed it over. "Drink, there's more to come."
Thorfinn narrowed his one good eye at the unfamiliar alcohol before tipping it back and taking a long gulp. He breathed deeply and grunted. "Fuck, that's good shit." He hissed when she mended the breaks in his hand. He twisted his wrist experimentally, flexing his fingers as he did.
"It's muggle," Hermione explained as she turned his jaw to better inspect his broken nose. She waved her wand and his nose slid back into place before mending. She began working on his eye next and shot some spells at it that would reduce the swelling.
"I didn't come here for a nursemaid," Thorfinn told her darkly.
Hermione stilled, her wand poised over the broken clavicle she'd just found. Her eyes flickered up to his own. "I can't just let you bleed out."
He leaned close to her face as he growled, "Then maybe you shouldn't have thrown me to the bloody wolves."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. Her expression became pinched. "I wasn't the one that made you sign up with that monster. In fact, I'm fairly positive I begged you not to." Thorfinn's jaw clenched and he looked away. "Do you want my help or not?"
Thorfinn grunted and gave a jerky nod.
She sighed at his petulance. Better than fire and anger, she supposed. A flick of her wand later, Thorfinn was shirtless. Hermione gasped at the state of his torso. All along his left side was dark purple, blue, and black. He clearly had a number of cracked ribs. There was blood seeping from a deep gash along the right side of his abs.
"Lie back," she instructed.
Thorfinn shook his head. "Can't do that."
"Thor-"
"- Just deal with this first." He gestured to his front.
Hermione's heart raced in her chest. She really didn't want to know what had been done to his back. "It'll hurt more," she protested weakly.
Thorfinn's response was to take three long gulps of bourbon. "Go," he gritted out.
Hermione healed each broken rib with a single wave of her wand.
Thorfinn screamed between clenched teeth. The veins along his neck were visible as his entire body clenched and shook. His face had gone red. "Thor? Thor! Breathe, please breathe." She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "Come on, babe." Thorfinn sucked in a breath between clenched teeth. His eyes stared fiercely into her own. Her brown orbs willed him to calm back down. "That's it. Good." She kissed his cheek and moved onto the gash on his side.
Hermione fumbled through her purse for her essence of dittany, eventually just summoning the potion. Thorfinn was staring up at the ceiling and counting his breaths when she applied it. He hissed and looked down. The skin knitted together neatly as if it had never happened in the first place. He knew better. He could still feel the pain under the sealed skin, it would take a few days at least for his magic to heal him fully.
"How did you get away?" she asked quietly as she watched his skin knit itself back together. Thorfinn didn't respond. Hermione looked up at him. "Thorfinn?"
"Don't ask questions I can't answer." At her annoyed expression, he whispered, "Please." Someone had helped him escape. It annoyed her that he was protecting Death Eaters, but she supposed she should be grateful that someone was looking out for him where she couldn't.
"Do they know?" Hermione asked to change the topic. She slathered some ointment across the wound to help the healing process. "About us?" she clarified.
Thorfinn looked down at her work as he considered her question. "They do now."
Hermione pressed a large plaster to the wound in case the skin tore. "Now?" She raised her eyebrows. "They only just found out?"
He raised an eyebrow back. "Well, it's not like I was going to tell them when it happened. They'd have…" He hissed when she spread the bruise paste across his ribs and side.
"They'd have…?" she prompted.
"They'd have made me… use it against you. To capture you."
"Is that how you found me?" He nodded and she continued to slather the cream along his side. She swallowed. Hermione didn't know much about marriage bonds. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't find much either. Ministry regulated bonds were one thing, but whatever the hell had happened between Thorfinn and Hermione was definitely not ministry regulated. "Have you been keeping tabs on me?" she hesitantly questioned.
He eyed her for a long moment. Hermione refused to meet his gaze. "I can't, usually. Doesn't work under fidelus charms." She let out an obvious breath of relief. "You've been under house arrest?"
Hermione looked annoyed as she nodded. She glanced up at him and her lashes cast shadows across her cheeks. "Since it happened. I told Harry and a few others and… it wasn't great."
He snorted. "Can't imagine why not."
She glared at him for his sarcasm and turned away to collect her supplies. Thorfinn looked around at all the healing equipment that had appeared out of nowhere. "You keep all of this on you?"
"I like to be prepared," she replied simply, focused on her task. Thorfinn took a swig of bourbon. He didn't like that answer one bit. It meant she often got into sticky situations, which he knew. It didn't mean he liked it.
Instead of making a comment that he knew would get him hexed, he said, "Undetectable Extension Charms are illegal, angel."
Hermione paused and looked up at him. "Your point?"
He eyed her as he drank more bourbon and decided not to say anything more. The drink had a nice burn to it. He was pleasantly surprised muggles knew their alcohol so well. They definitely knew how to brew a good drink, that was for sure.
Hermione went back to her task and fixed his sprained ankle. His legs had otherwise been mercifully left alone. She rose to her full height and crossed her arms. "On your stomach," she commanded.
Thorfinn handed her the bottle of alcohol. She took a long gulp of the burning drink before setting it on the side table. He stood up, eyeing her warily before he turned around. He winced at the choked sob she let out. The coward he was, he was glad that he couldn't see her reaction. Thorfinn was fairly sure that if he saw her expression then, it'd ruin him. Without a word, he eased down onto the bed, pillowing his head under his hands.
Hermione choked back another sob. He could hear her sniffles despite her best efforts. He couldn't see it himself, but he imagined that his back was a right mess from Lucius Malfoy's lashings. He bit his tongue on the hiss that threatened to escape after the first drop of dittany. It didn't sting nearly as bad as getting the wounds had. The acrid smell the potion left behind filled the room. The room spun and he bit back the urge he had to vomit.
He breathed a sigh of relief when Hermione set the bottle aside. The smell from the dittany being used disappeared a moment later. Slowly, mindful of his many injuries, he rolled onto his back. Hermione's tearstained face came into view as she crawled across the bed toward him.
"Sh…" he soothed when she came closer. He raised his hands to her cheeks and wiped her tears away. "Don't cry, sweetheart."
"I'm sorry," she sobbed.
"It's not your fault," he claimed in spite of his earlier statement. He didn't truly blame her. He couldn't really, knowing what she was fighting for and why. He was the asshole that had joined the wrong side.
"It is!" she cried. "I told you, I told you not to give it to him. Why didn't you listen to me? Why don't you ever -?" He pulled her down so her face pressed into the crook of his neck. She cried as she moulded her body against his own.
He shushed her softly. His fingers stroked her curls. Thorfinn stared up at the stained ceiling and wondered the same thing as the little witch in his arms. Why didn't he ever just listen to her? He wanted to blame it on the fact that he was a stubborn bastard, he really did. She was always right. It bloody well burned how she was always right.
At the end of the day, it didn't matter who was right or wrong. It mattered the decisions he had made. He had to own up to his actions. He had to live with the consequences. Thorfinn knew he wasn't a good man. His marriage to the most radiant witch he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing had been an accident, he knew. It was the greatest accident of his life, but an accident nonetheless. He didn't deserve her.
He had to go back and try to destroy their world.
She had to go off and save it all. She would too, he was sure of it.
"I need that amulet," he whispered into the silence after she'd finally calmed down again.
Hermione shook her head. "No you don't," she whispered back. "Just walk away."
"Can't do that."
She pulled out of his embrace and he reluctantly let her go. Hermione gave him a questioning look as she leaned over him. Her curls fell over her shoulder and brushed his own. "You really believe in him that much? A man who did… this to his loyal followers?" She gestured to his entire body.
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Hermione…"
"Do you even know what it is? What he'll do with it?" She certainly didn't. Maybe he had a clue?
"What other options do I have?" he asked instead of answering her questions. He looked at her pleadingly. "I'm branded. I made my decision. There's no going back from this." He nodded toward his left arm currently curled around her hip.
Hermione turned to look down at the Dark Mark branded across her husband's arm. Her brows furrowed. "What if it wasn't there? If I got rid of it?"
Thorfinn didn't move. He didn't even allow himself to hope. "Can you?" he questioned reasonably. There wasn't a single ounce of emotion in his voice.
She moved her hand across her body so she could trace the outline of the mark. "I've been studying it since you took it." The extensive research had eventually led her to make the DA coins in her fifth year. She looked up at him. "I can block off an area, like an estate. He won't be able to reach you, summon you, or find you. You'd be safe."
"And trapped."
"Only until I get it off."
"Which you might not even be able to do," he reasoned.
Hermione leaned over him, an eyebrow raised. Her leg slipped over his hip and she straddled him lightly, mindful of his injuries. "Have you even met me?"
He smirked at her and she hated how charming she found him when he did that. "You're still that sweet, spiteful, little swot, aren't you?"
Hermione hummed and smiled. "Alliteration? Why, husband, if I didn't know any better I would say you were trying to seduce me."
"Dollface, if I were seducing you, your knickers would be wet." He leaned his head forward, grazing his lips against hers. "Tell me, sweetheart, you wet for me?"
Hermione smiled and her eyes glittered with mischief. "You can't even imagine how wet I'll be if you agree to let me help you."
Thorfinn shook his head and chuckled. "So Slytherin," he commented approvingly. She raised an eyebrow. Thorfinn sighed before nodding. "Fine, witch. Have it your way, but only as long as you also have your way with me too."
Hermione laughed and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Oh, I intend to." Thorfinn had enough time to smile predatorily before Hermione attacked him. Her fingers wound into his hair as she kissed him heatedly. Thorfinn moaned and rolled his hips beneath her. Merlin, he missed her. She tasted so good and the little mewls she made as he palmed her arse drove him crazy. Her curls fell around them like a curtain, bathing him in the scent of lilacs and sugared apples. Soft, fresh, and sweet.
Hermione ground herself against him and he hissed when her jeans also rubbed against one of his still-healing wounds. Hermione pulled back, her lips flushed and her eyes dazed. "Shit. Sorry-"
"-shut up," he grunted and pulled her back down. It had been too fucking long since he'd been with her. Months since the last time. And that was the only time since his seventh year. It had been years - bleeding years - since he'd been with his witch properly.
In a single moment, the wards came crashing down and the door flew open. Hermione gasped and sat up, her wand pointed and at the ready. Thorfinn pushed himself to sit up, his own wand pointing around her. A short, nondescript wizard leered at the two of them.
Hermione's brows drew together at the sight of the unknown man. Thorfinn cursed. He rolled Hermione onto her back and narrowed his eyes when a ward blocked his apparition. One look at Hermione and she knew what he'd tried and failed to do. He jumped to his feet. His mouth twisted in pain as a few of his lashings and the cut on his abdomen broke open. He kept his wand trained on the man, eyes fierce.
"Dickie," Thorfinn greeted coldly.
"Rowle," the man's higher-pitched voice greeted back. He smirked. "I told you I'd get you one day." He giggled then and Hermione shuddered.
"Who…?" she began to ask. Her eyes flickered to Thorfinn. "Thor?"
"Get your shit. We're going." Hermione waved her wand and everything flew back into her purse. She slipped the strap over her head and shoulder.
Dickie giggled louder. "Too late!"
The door was filled once more and four more Death Eaters filed into the room. The Lestrange brothers and the Carrow twins lined either side of the door to allow entrance for their Lord. Hermione was visibly shaking when Lord Voldemort entered the room. His red gaze swept across the room, taking in every minute detail.
"Good boy, Dickie." He pulled on a leash and a girl stumbled into the room. She was small and certainly wasn't older than thirteen. She had a collar around her neck. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, her hair long and tangled. "You're payment." Voldemort tugged on the leash. The girl fell into Dickie's excited grip.
Hermione stepped forward, her eyes blazing.
Thorfinn grabbed the back of her shirt to stop her. Her wand sparked.
"Thank you, thank you, my master," Dickie reverently replied. He stroked the girl's cheek. She cried and turned to Thorfinn and Hermione.
Hermione made to stop what was obviously happening but Thorfinn wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her back. "Thor," she hissed as she struggled against his grip.
"It's too late," he whispered.
Just as he said it, the girl gasped. Her eyes went wide. She clutched at her throat. Her skin quickly turned pale before going grey. Her veins darkened to a wicked black. The young girl's mouth opened in a silent scream. The blood vessels in her eyes popped. Her skin began to shrivel.
Hermione pressed a hand to her mouth.
The girl's empty and dry body fell to the ground.
"Mmmm…" Dickie hummed in delight. "Yummy." He rubbed his belly as if he'd just had a pork roast.
Voldemort's red eyes watched Hermione's revolted expression with amusement. He continued to watch her as he nodded to the door. "You're dismissed, Dickie."
Dickie giggled cheerfully. "Okay." He slipped out behind Voldemort, through the door, and disappeared as quickly as he'd come.
Voldemort raised one of his nonexistent eyebrows at both of them. "Why am I not surprised to find you here with your mudblood wife?"
"I came to collect the necklace for you, my Lord," Thorfinn responded slowly. He looked back and forth between the Lestrange brothers and the Carrow twins that bookended the Dark Lord. The anti-apparition ward was still in place. They needed to get the fuck out of that room.
"I have no doubt," Voldemort indulged. "And where is it? My amulet?"
"I don't have it," Hermione explained. Quickly, she added, "but I can get it."
Voldemort narrowed his eyes on her. He stepped over the body of the girl and closer toward the couple. "I'm sure you could." He looked to Thorfinn. "Although, it is Thorfinn that was originally tasked with bringing me my amulet." His eyes slowly trailed back to Hermione. "Perhaps we can keep you as collateral?" He eyed her as he slowly smirked. "I can think of a number of things I'd like to do to you while we… wait." His fingers brushed her cheek.
Hermione slapped his hand away. "Don't you touch me," she spat at him. Thorfinn's grip around her waist was bruising.
Voldemort's red eyes glowed eerily. His mouth twisted into a snarl. His hand shot out and grasped her neck tightly. Before either Hermione or Thorfinn could react, Voldemort was violently blasted away.
He slammed into the muggle tele and the dresser before falling forward. He groaned into the following stunned silence.
Hermione's heart was racing inside her chest. She could feel the warmth of the amulet against the skin of her sternum. She grabbed Thorfinn's hand at her waist. "Run," she whispered.
"What?"
The Death Eaters suddenly came alive and raced toward their master.
"Run!" Hermione hissed, only slightly louder. She booked it toward the door with Thorfinn on her heels. The second they made it past the barrier, she grabbed his arm and apparated away. A bright green Killing Curse flew past her ear just as they disappeared.
Hermione shook her head when they arrived in a side alley of Diagon Alley. She groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. Beyond a mild headache, she felt fine. No splinching. Her hand blindly reached out and she patted Thorfinn's firm chest. "You good, handsome?"
Thorfinn groaned and forced himself to stand from where he'd fallen to his knees. He waved his wand over his wounds, sealing them temporarily and siphoning the blood off his skin. "I need a shirt," he grumbled as he narrowed his eyes towards the mouth of the alley. "Diagon Alley?"
Hermione nodded as she fished around in her purse. She pulled out a white henley for him.
"We can't stay here," he ground out as he shrugged the shirt on. It was a little snug, but it would do.
"I know. We should go to the Order."
Thorfinn snorted. "Yeah, fuck that." He narrowed his eyes at her as he thought of the blast that had thrown the Dark Lord away like an annoying fly. "How the fuck did you do that?" She made a pained face and looked away. "Hermione…" She sighed and slipped the amulet from her shirt. His eyes widened. "Fuck."
"Tell me about it."
"You put it on?" She winced at his tone. "Are you mad?"
"It just… I don't know! It compelled me to do it or something."
Thorfinn wound his hands into his hair and groaned loudly. "We're so fucked!" he roared.
Hermione smacked his arm. "No, we're not! Now stop shouting. I'm going to the Order and we're going to get their protection. We'll hide you somewhere and I'll put up the wards so he can't track your mark. Okay?"
He glared at her but nodded.
Hermione crossed her arms. She nodded once back. "Good. Now tell what the hell that thing calling himself 'Dickie' was."
Thorfinn's eyes widened and he sighed heavily. "Oh, baby doll, if you can figure that one out, you'll be answering a lot of fucking questions I've had this past year and a half."
Hello! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter to my little Thormione story. I absolutely adore them as a couple and I hope you all enjoy my depiction of them. This story certainly has some fluff, but like any of my stories, it's also pretty plot heavy. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
xx