A.N. Howdy folks! So I am currently very distracted from writing by the state of the world, but I was able to find time to work on this story in between all my worrying. Everybody stay safe out there! As always, your feedback and support for this story means the entire world to me, and I am so blessed to have you all with me on this journey. Also a shoutout goes to Rotehexe who is always there when I need her. The next two chapters are pretty angsty but chapter 24 is a pure fluff piece!
As always, a special thanks to krankykittie, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, kisses and chocolate, Sincere J. Moon, and a guest for reviewing chapter 21. Also, an extra special thanks to Amanita Nightshade who wrote me my 200th review. Its absolutely insane to me that this story has even 200 views, much less reviews, so thank you all so much for your support!
"Okay. Don't panic." The words were empty, as they were more for her than for Regulus. She'd known this day would come, realistically. It had always been part of her plan for Regulus to go to the cave, this time with her to help.
"Bit late for that if I'm being honest. If that bastard hurts my elf…" Regulus didn't need to finish the statement. Both of them already knew what the end would be; it was what had gotten him killed the first time. Elven loyalty trumped any wizard magic. Hermione sat in the overstuffed armchair that had grown into her comfy spot in the room during the course of her friendship and training with Regulus. Many hours had been spent sitting in this exact seat memorizing pureblood lines and how to properly stir your tea so as to not make any unwanted noise. All of that seemed meaningless now.
"What do we do now?" That was the crux of the issue. Of course, logistically, she knew that they had to go to the cave and retrieve the locket, but it was all so real so suddenly.
"Send Kreacher to him. We need to be sure that he suspects nothing. When Kreacher returns we…" Hermione's eyes grew large for a moment as her lazy stare became a fixed and focused gaze on Regulus. "You'll need to go into hiding. In my time…that is the first-time round, you died."
"So I need to die…" Regulus drawled, the corners of his lips turning up in a sarcastic sneer. Uncomfortable laughter began to bubble up from his throat until he was choking on it. Hermione didn't know what to do other than sit in horror and wait for him to calm. This was the first time she'd seen Regulus lose his carefully composed demeanor, and it was terrible to watch the man who had become her friend break down.
"No. No. I won't let you die! We'll get you out of this. I came back to save people Regulus. You are one of those people." Hermione's impassioned voice echoed through the room as she stood and walked up to him. His sad laughter had broken up by now, as his cheeks turned red and splotchy.
"You won't let me die?" He asked her, his voice small and broken.
"I won't let you." Hermione promised, knowing how empty her words must have sounded. That was not a promise she could make.
"At least…at least tell me what I'm getting myself into." Regulus pleaded, his grey eyes reminding her too much of Sirius in that moment. Forcing herself to look away, she twiddled her thumbs nervously.
"Some things are better off remaining unknown."
The cave was just as horrible when they arrived as Harry had described it. Dampness and the wreak of death were the first things she experienced before even opening her eyes. The oppressive atmosphere of the salted air assaulted her senses as she and Regulus let go of the disoriented elf. Hermione wished that there had been another option other than Kreacher, but Harry had never shared the exact location of the cave, only that Professor Dumbledore had taken them there.
"Just as shit as I expected." Regulus spoke candidly, sending Kreacher away with strict instructions to rest and heal. It was touching really, to see how much he cared for the curmudgeonly elf. Hermione approached the large stone door that guarded the entrance to the cave before holding out her arm. Regulus yelled as she set the small knife she carried in her pocket against her forearm. As the blood ran down her arm, she held it over the basin and as it filled, the stone began to move away. When the door seemed satisfied, Hermione reached into her beaded bag and pulled out a blood replenishing potion and some essence of dittany. The potion tasted like metal as it slid down her throat, and it took all of her strength not to throw it back up. The effect was almost instant as the light-headedness and nausea she had been dealing with began to fade.
"What the fuck?" Regulus finally spoke, alternating his stare between Hermione with her fully-healed arm and the basin full of her blood.
"Its meant to weaken you. Don't suppose your Dark Lord ever thought anyone would be carrying a blood replenishing potion." Hermione sat down briefly on a nearby rock, closing her eyes and taking long, deep breaths. "Give me a sec while the potion does its work."
"Any other fucking surprises you're planning for me you crazy bint? Tell me what we're in store for!" He had a point, but Hermione knew that if she told Regulus what was next, he would try to convince her not to do it, or to let him do it.
"The next obstacle is getting across the lake." Hermione warned without explanation, pulling out her wand as they entered the mouth of the cave that was cut into the rock. She hoped that if she didn't give him the details, he'd simply go with her. It was a gamble, but in the end, her hypothesis proved right as Regulus moved into the cave behind her with only a few mumblings of malcontent.
Waving her wand, she cast a quick lighting spell. The light provided by her Lumos was still barely a drop in the seemingly never-ending darkness. Regulus followed closely behind her, his own light crossing with hers. "Only one of us can cross the water. There is an army of inferi underneath the surface, and if we disturb the water, they'll attack." She paused for a moment before turning back to face him. She could see the distress in his eyes as she moved her wand from her right hand to her left. "That's how you died…the first time around."
Bitter silence followed her declaration, as the cave seemed to swallow every source of light or sound. It was an oppressive atmosphere, choking her as they crept further and further into the space. The darkness around them seemed to emanate with evil, and Hermione was certain that the locket was there. Reaching out her hand as Harry had described Dumbledore doing, a cold flood of relief overtook her as the feeling of cold metal in her palm informed her that the boat had appeared.
"Regulus…this is very important. No matter what I do, what I say, how much I beg…you need to stay here. If you don't stay here, we'll both die." Hermione's eyes were serious and dark as she looked at him. He seemed to want to argue, his grey eyes wide as he processed what she'd said.
Regulus stared at her for another moment before speaking, "Let me do it." His voice was insistent, but Hermione simply shook her head and gathered her curls in a messy bun on top of her head.
"This is my mission Reg. If I…whatever happens, get the locket." She didn't hear whatever his response was, his voice overtaken by the sound of the waters at the edge of the lake as the boat approached her. It bobbed a bit as she stepped into it, and Hermione took a deep breath, trying desperately to remember what Harry had told her about that night.
The ride to the small island was quick, the island itself seemed as if it had been designed to hold a menacing object of pure evil. The basin in the middle, exactly as Harry had described it, was filled with a clear liquid that seemed to glisten strangely in her wandlight, like a mirror that was slightly skewed.
With one last look back into the darkness where she'd come from, she hoped that there would be no complications. This potion couldn't possibly hurt her more than life already had. Finding the shell Harry had described to her took a little bit of her time, as everything had been disturbed by Regulus's first visit that time. However, after looking behind the basin, she was able to find the small cup-like shell. She stared at her reflection for a moment, looking at the skewed image of herself that showed back and took a deep breath before dipping the tip of the shell into the liquid.
Her first sip sank in her stomach as if it had gone straight through her, causing her throat to burn. It was like a centralized cruciatus curse, spreading slowly from her lips, down her throat, and coursing into her insides. Biting back the agony that began to riddle her, she took her second sip…then her third. By the fourth, she was starting to hear the voices.
"You'll never be good enough." McGonagall's distinctive Scottish brogue whispered in the back of her mind, the sound echoing against seemingly every surface of the cave.
"Why did you leave us Hermione?" Ron and Ginny's voices spoke in unison, as visions of the friends she had left behind faded behind her.
"I had to…" She began to argue, choking on her words as she forced down another sip. This time, the images that appeared were her parents.
"It was the easiest thing we've ever done." Her mum began, the pain of seeing her burning Hermione's chest nearly as much as the potion she was taking. "To forget you."
Her dad didn't speak, simply turning his back on her. She never did get to say goodbye to them, not really anyway. They existed in this time, but they weren't hers. They couldn't be hers.
As she struggled through the fifth and sixth drinks, she became faintly aware of the screams ripping from her throat. The pain was no longer localized to her stomach, spreading throughout her body until the only thing keeping her upright was her deathly grip on the side of the basin and the lean of her body.
Two more looked like they'd do it, and Hermione raised the shell to her lips for her seventh drink. That was when Harry appeared before her.
"You let me die Hermione." His voice accused, and she sobbed from the pain of hearing it. The last time she'd heard his voice had been the day he'd died, and she'd nearly forgotten its sound. "I went on that mission and I died. Where were you? You could've helped! I hate you!"
That last declaration broke something inside her, and she crumbled to the ground, unable to protect herself from the buckling of her knees. It was all her fault…Harry's death. She could've stopped him…she could've done something. Despair chewed away at her resolve as a voice in her head whispered sweet nothings about how refreshing the water of the lake looked. A deep breath was a struggle to catch as she fought against the Not Harry vision and the horrific and throbbing pain that emanated from her core. Pushing her palms against the stone pebbles that made up the shore, she struggled to her feet.
"I couldn't save you then, but I will do it now." Hermione insisted, throwing herself against the basin, filling the shell with the last of the liquid. Swallowing the last drop, Hermione grabbed the locket from the bottom of the bowl and shoved it into her beaded bag, somehow pushing aside her misery and agony for long enough to summon the boat's chain back to her hand. Not Harry's eyes fixed on hers for a second before he evaporated like a mist into the darkness that oppressively hung around her.
All she could think of was water, and how thirsty she was. Crawling like a dog towards the edge of the lake, her fingers stilled just before they touched the surface. A light so bright that it nearly blinded her suddenly filled the space, illuminating the dark creatures waiting just below the surface for her to summon them.
"Hermione…" Regulus's voice called out, and she was brought back from the edge of insanity. Pulling the metal chain of the boat, she boarded it shakily, nearly toppling over as she attempted to get in. Somehow managing not to send herself plunging into the water's dark and certain death, the boat steered itself back towards the shore. Vaguely aware of her approach, Hermione focused on her breathing, willing the pain to go away.
Her chest tightened, making air nearly impossible to breathe. When the boat bumped against the shore, Hermione tried to stand, almost falling over the side and into the freezing water. Regulus steadied her, the warmth of his hands burning against her skin…. when had she gotten so cold.
"Reg…." Hermione began, passing out into Regulus's arms. Her body convulsed from the potion as he held her, summoning Kreacher with a panicked insistence. The plan had been for them to apparate to her home, but Regulus was nearly certain that he would splinch them both in this state. The elf popped into the cave a moment later, concern for his master appearing on his grimacing face. Seemingly relieved that it was not Regulus in trouble, Kreacher sneered at Hermione's spasming form before placing one hand on her arm and the other on Regulus's.
"Take us to the study of Grimmauld Place." Kreacher nodded his head obediently before closing his eyes. The uncomfortable tug of side-along apparition filled his stomach as Regulus held onto Hermione with a grip so strong his knuckles were turning white. They stayed in the study for only a few moments so Regulus could grab his bag and then they went to their planned meet up location.
Remus Lupin's flat was minimalistic at best, with rickety furniture barely filling the space. The werewolf was clearly unsurprised to see them when they arrived until he caught sight of Hermione.
"What happened to her?" Remus ordered, motioning to Regulus to lay her down on the couch. It was old and the floral pattern was nearly entirely faded, but there was no other option so he obliged. When they had her laying down, Regulus finally responded.
"I don't fucking know. We were in this cave and she…I lost sight of her and then she just started screaming. For a moment…for a moment she stopped and I thought…" Regulus's voice broke briefly, causing him to clear his throat. "The things she was saying Lupin…whatever it was that the Dark Lord had planned is a fate worse than death. By the time she made her way back to me, she collapsed in my arms." Both men looked worriedly back towards Hermione before returning their eye contact. "Whatever the Dark Lord did, you're not meant to survive it."
"She can't stay here." Remus finally broke, running between his bathroom, bedroom and kitchen to grab her water, pain potion, and a blanket. There was an urgency in his step, and his tall frame seemed to vibrate slightly with the speed at which he flitted around the rooms.
"Like hell she can't!" Regulus began, cut off by Remus lifting his hand in warning. Regulus was by no means a weak wizard, but he was still very wary of the werewolf that he had become a co-conspirator with. Hermione trusted him though, and he needed that to be good enough.
"The moon is tonight. I can't look after her. I may not like you, but I trust that you are just as worried about her as I am. Where was Hermione planning to hide you? Did she say before…well before whatever this is happened?" The blood drained from Regulus's face as he shrank away from the werewolf. As far as he'd come in his tolerance, a small part of him still worried that Remus Lupin was a monster.
"She said…no, she never said." It was true, and no matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldn't think of where else to take her. Lucius's house was too dangerous. He couldn't be seen entering Godric's Hollow…he couldn't be seen at all for that matter. "I'm supposed to be dead; at least, that's what people are supposed to think. I can't take her to her home or to Grimmauld Place. Surely there must be somewhere we can hide." There was a flicker of some indiscernible emotion on Remus's face before he grabbed a handful of floo powder.
"Do you trust me?" The wolf asked, and Regulus knew that it was a serious question. He had no choice, he realized as he looked at Hermione's unconscious form. Her convulsions seemed to have calmed slightly, but her skin was still too pale and icy to the touch.
"Do I have a fucking choice?" Regulus responded desperately, which earned a sad grimace from the werewolf. The taller man tossed the green powder in the fire and began to lift Hermione, offering for Regulus to carry the left half of her body. Between the two of them, even the dead weight of Hermione's blacked out form was light, and they made their way to the floo.
"Where are we going?" Regulus demanded to know, pushing against Hermione's shoulder to readjust his grip.
"93 Diagon Alley." The green flames surrounded them as they disappeared, reappearing in a dimly lit room that Regulus had never seen before. The brown carpet under their feet crunched slightly, as if it had been singed by the floo one time too many. A red velvet couch sat empty right across from the fireplace, and Regulus and Remus laid Hermione down against its plush surface. A blue knit blanket which had been thrown over the side arm of the sofa seemed perfect to shake off Hermione's chill, and Regulus quickly wrapped her tightly in it.
"Where are we?" Regulus insisted, the dim Victorian lamp attached to the far wall of the room barely providing any light. Pictures decorated the walls, although he couldn't quite make out their contents with the level of light in the room.
"We're in…" Remus began, cut off suddenly by the shock of a bright light being turned on. No, not a light, a lumos.
"Remus, care to explain what the fuck you and my little brother are doing with an unconscious woman in my flat?"
