Author's Note: I updated this chapter to answer the question left in the review. Six months for the challenge. Thank you for your support and the reviews! -Maybenotahufflepuff
Thorfinn looked over at the little witch and could see that she was tired, and sore. This was enough for today then. Quickly but politely he said goodbye to the other couple and steered her to the floo. Her slight pout showed she knew what he was doing but he just kissed her forehead and stepped into the floo with her, not wanting her to be jerked around anymore than needed.
As they made it to her room, he summoned the vial of potion and began unzipping her dress.
"Little witch. You don't have to be so tough. Your shoulder looks like it took a bludger." It was a rainbow of colours bruises turned into as they heal. The stasis spells were on the bones but healing spells had been used on the tissue and she had refused a pain potion, preferring wine. No one had suggested canceling dinner once she had turned from the trussed up wizard she had left in an unnamed valley and asked what time it was. Then she had apparated home and by the time they got there, was in the shower. Mumbling about shoes and disappointing people she had fixed her hair and charmed the bags under her eyes. It made him wonder how often she did this. Brushed something aside to meet an expectation. He didn't like it.
"I'm fine." He huffed at her tired response and ran his fingers over her scalp a few times, she liked it, and sure enough her body slumped against his chest a little bit more.
"I am fine and you stepped in when I was flagging. Thank you." She whispered but he heard her sincerity and closed his eyes for a moment. He could have a freak out but needed to get her in bed and as comfortable as she could be.
Summoning a sleep shirt of hers, he left her underwear on and passed her wand to her. She did the usual nighttime clean up spells and now was hanging onto his shirt. He scooped her up and laid her on her bed then dealt with his own garments and cleanup.
Sliding in beside her, he handed her the vial and watched her take a breath and then swallow. She winced and he couldn't help but do the same in sympathy. That potion was useful but disgusting.
Then she sagged onto his chest and he scoffed at her again. She was laying on her bad shoulder. Rearranging them both carefully he let himself relax into the bed. Slowly he ran his hand up and down her back. Occasionally feeling her shudder at the potions effects.
"That was insane." He just blurted it out. Unable to stop thinking about the duel.
"That's what I thought too, while it was happening. It reminded me of him." Her voice was quiet but not sleepy.
"Dolohov?" He asked and felt her nod against him. They could think on that later.
"You are stunning, watching you cast and move." He admitted and was glad she couldn't see his thoughts. Most of them were rather sexually oriented.
"Mmmm. Thank you." She answered and he laughed lightly. The witches manners came out when she was relaxed.
"Thanks for being there too. Letting me do it." She sounded less tired all of the sudden and he shrugged. Not knowing what to say. It wasn't easy, but he did understand. Maybe if he didn't know so much about what she could do, and how much it meant to her, being able to do it herself, it would be harder.
"Not interested in auditioning for the position he referenced?" She reacted as he thought she would, with violence, and pinched his side.
"I doubt he would want me now." She answered after a moment and Thorfinn could hear the sly tone to her voice. He nodded and smiled into the darkness of her room.
"Watching you get hit." He eventually said, needing to say something about it. She shifted and then he could see the faint light shine on her eyes and knew she was looking at him.
"I'm sorry. If it was you, I would have been upset." She sounded thoughtful, like she hadn't considered it that way. Unsure how to express his feelings, he just leaned forward and kissed her softly. She sighed gently into the kiss and moulded into him. He didn't deepen it and tucked her against him again.
"Tomorrow?" She asked with a wiggle against his hip. He didn't grin but wanted to.
"It would be now if you didn't have an injury. Go to sleep little witch, I'll ravish you tomorrow." He began stroking his hand up and down her back again. She relaxed when he did things like this and revelled in how it felt to have her body slowly relax against him as she began to fall asleep.
So much had happened today. It would have been overwhelming but it had ended like this. The two of them together in bed. Sometimes he thought back to what she had said in her bathroom that night. Just you and me together. Even after busy or bad days. When he felt like she was just too much, too good to be true, he played that conversation in his mind. How she looked at him when she wasn't hiding anything. The touch of her finger on his cheek or in his hair.
If he lay with his head in her lap while she read or something then she would card her fingers through it. Those were moments. Not sexual ones but ones where either of them just talked about what was on their minds.
Two days ago she had asked him if there was something he wanted. Like an achievement or field of study. He had thought about it and didn't have an answer. He had enjoyed the broom process even more than her and had decided privately that he would try it again, alone, and see if he could do the detailed magics. He had built a few clocks when he was younger and wanted to try that again too. He was better at magic now and more focused. It helped that they had mentors or whatever. People they could ask about magic or even develop what they wanted.
Those were thoughts for tomorrow. Tonight he would hold his witch and try and make sure that the potion didn't keep her up all night.
It was usual for her to have no idea what would happen when she arrived at the cabin and even that by the end of the day she would be surprised by what they did do. Right now she stared at her mentor and blinked. They were going on a field trip, to work. To build a warding scheme in an ancestral home. Today.
Focusing on her magics and her body, she tried to keep still and not let her excitement make her erratic. He nodded in recognition of her efforts. Then she caught Finn's eye and he smiled at her. Following Dolohov back out of the cabin, she didn't ask any questions. Even though she had a hundred.
The February snow was frozen and seemed a bit sad on the ground around them. When they reached the ward line he surprised her again by offering his hand to her. She took it, and held on securely to the warm hand as it pulled her into compression and darkness.
When she looked up from the ground after steadying herself she was surprised, to put it mildly. This was Kingsley's house. His horribly warded family home. Looking up at Dolohov, she smiled and then waited for him instead of walking directly to the gates and letting herself in.
He indicated that she let them in and she did so with no fanfare or extra movements. As they walked up the drive he looked around and she realised she was watching him work, professionally, for the first time.
Kings was waiting for them at the front door and winked at her before greeting the wizard and ignoring her. As was supposed to happen, she assumed. Traditionally you needed a masters leave to address their apprentice and she smiled slightly at the courtesy being offered her master. It was his due.
After spending four hours watching her mentor and her friend discuss and plan the warding scheme, her mind was whirling. So much was different and hard to ascertain when you were setting up wards for someone else. She knew Harry well enough that she could predict most of his wants and needs. Luna could articulate easily exactly what she wanted. Kingsley knew what he didn't want and having been an Auror was sure about the security.
It was the other small things that the wards could do and when Dolohov caught her eye she could see the question. She nodded minutely, she could go over the things he might like or at least want to know were options without him. Then he moved on to the current warding set up and how they would take it down when the new array was ready. The decision of fourteen stones was interesting, how the choice was made and the stone types and placement.
When Dolohov met her eyes while they stood at the door, she just indicated it was up to him. He looked at her for a moment and then a slight tilt indicated she was dismissed for the day and she nodded before standing with Kingsley and watching the dark Russian walk away.
"Kitten. It's good to see you. Tell me what I don't know. It was clear that he wasn't impressed with my level of understanding. It's a bit uncomfortable." He was watching the cloak as it turned toward the gate and disappeared.
"He does have that effect on people. It's a skill and while I've learned to use Narcissa Malfoy as someone I can emulate in certain situations, I can't decide if it's the eyes or his posture." Her tone was even and serious. His gaze met hers and then he laughed at the mischief there.
"Before we start the lecture, I'm sure it will be as informative as I could wish, how about tea? Coffee?" He ushered her into the small dining room and gestured her to sit. Then his elf popped in with both tea and coffee as well and a plate of sandwiches. Tarts followed quickly and she was looking forward to the lemon currant one that she particularly enjoyed. One used to appear on her desk every now and then.
"It's going okay then?" He asked her and she knew he meant her apprenticeship. Her nod was enthusiastic and she swallowed her food before responding.
"So good. It's so much more than I could have imagined. He is much more open with me now." She broke off at the blatant look of disbelief and then laughed.
"Here, not so much. Not with words really at all. Just in what he lets me see of his thoughts. He was always teaching me but now there's a little bit more of his own thoughts and he is much more tolerant of me. Just Hermione." She meant it and he could see that. The grin began to grow.
"My blasted secretary has been chastising me for worrying about you. She's been eating young man and that's more than I can say for you. Our Hermione wouldn't stay in a bad situation, that Stevens is a charms master and applied for dispensation, I tell you young man." His mimicry of his elderly secretary was bang on. The woman loved them all but felt that they needed to be guided by some opinions. Hers, naturally.
Kings was always good for several laughs, when he had time. Eventually she stood there an hour and a half later. Shaking his head still, as he had been off and on for the last forty minutes. That's how long her interactive lecture had been.
"I didn't know they could do that kitten. You have yours tied to magical signatures? Well thank you for the trust you have placed in me. Let him know what I've decided and then I'll wait to hear when you will come for the first steps. Hopefully those warding stones work, I didn't know they could be done wrong and accepted into a set." He winced and she just smiled at him.
"He will know when they are arrayed. If not then I'm not sure how long it will take him to make a set. It took me ages but he is much better." She just shrugged her uncertainty and he caught her eye.
"You made a set of rune stones for wards?" Hermione blushed a little bit at the climbing tone of his voice. Then deciding that brazen was better she just met his gaze.
"To his satisfaction." Then she wilted slightly. "One did fail though. I had to redo it." He patted her shoulder in the way that meant only she could consider this a problem. It had been a frequent gesture at the Ministry.
"Luna." Hermione's voice was firm. Whatever was going on, this was enough. She had seen her friend several times but not for long periods that were private. It had been the lack of enthusiasm for seeing her alone that had finally tipped her hand. She was worried and had decided that if her friend needed time alone she could tell her face to face. If she was okay and would commit to regular contact then Hermione didn't see how she could force her friend into anything. Those were firm requirements, her physical and emotional well-being as well as a schedule of private meetings.
"You know that I will not make you speak. I can't. You are my sister and you don't want to do this to us." Hermione finally just blurted her feelings out. Scared that her friend wouldn't respond. She could find her but it seemed important that Luna decide to come to her. Having already appeared onto a cliff, thankfully not at the edge, she knew she had already chased her friend enough.
"I just want to know you are okay. Whatever it is, I promise that if you tell me, I won't be upset. I'll side with you, you know I will." She didn't sound so strident now, but as if they were just speaking.
"It's not the same, not seeing you. We've always seen each other. Wanted to see each other. I can't think of anything I've done so I'm pretty sure that's not it. Is it him? If it is, whatever it is, I love you." Hermione heard her voice crack and knew her friend would have heard it too. Then she felt badly. Whatever had upset Luna, she didn't need Hermione's issues as extra weight.
"Can we go to your bed?" Luna's voice was closer than she had expected and she nodded.
"Of course. Together?" She wasn't sure if Luna would want to apparate solo. Sometimes she preferred to be her passenger. A cold hand that she couldn't see, crept into hers and she didn't jump. Okay. Even if she couldn't see the blond, this was enough. With that she spun them home.
Waiting for her friend to make herself visible, she was becoming more concerned when it didn't happen. Wondering what she could do, to make her feel more secure. She decided on two things. Turning, she sealed the floo and apparition wards. Then she cast homenum revelio. Nothing showed and as if she was coming into focus, Luna stood beside her.
Hermione summoned a blanket and sat her on the couch. Then she gestured to her to wait and went to the kitchen. Returning with a tray floating behind her, she pulled her friend out of the chair and carefully led her up the stairs and into her room. Then, just so Luna knew that she was serious, she warded them in, letting it flash so her friend could see the complexity.
"First you will drink some hot chocolate and I know you don't like whiskey very much but there is more than usual in it. Please drink it and then you can have a wine or some of that elvish brandy if you want. More chocolate if you don't." She was chattering but Luna didn't mind and found it comforting, she knew so let herself go on. "Were you far enough from the cliff edge on purpose? You never cease to surprise me. Those waves were huge." Luna looked up then and Hermione felt her insides calm and tighten in different ways.
Her beautiful blond friend was physically okay but emotionally far from it. Chastising herself for not reacting sooner, she looked away for a moment and then forced herself to meet her friends eyes squarely. Waiting. Watching her quickly swallow the rest of her mug, even though it was quite warm still.
"I can't do it. Not all the time. So I do it for him and then hide." She blurted it out as she usually would, once she had decided to speak. Hermione relaxed a bit. This wasn't as bad as she had thought. More would have been required if she was panicked or grieving.
"Pretend?" Hermione guessed and Luna nodded. She did the same in understanding.
"Then you can't do it. If you can't Luna, then it can't be done. You told me before that you didn't want to hide from life anymore. That things you had to hide from couldn't stay, in their current form." It was what her friend had needed. Sometimes they needed validation, permission even. To feel or be a bit selfish. With emotional situations anyways. Her friend lay down on her bed and Hermione arranged herself into the comfortable and familiar corresponding position.
"I will miss it. The smile that's not totally broken. It will go if I stop." Hermione just listened. "Forty three times I have invited him in and it is with the same disbelief that he accepts. I must lead in everything between us. I can not. He does not want me." Hermione knew they were getting to it now. The root. "I am ready. I am grown and do not need him. I want him though and it hurts." The tears were falling, she could see them rushing down from her friends upturned cheek. Wandlessly Hermione spelled the witches hair and the pillow beneath her with a water repellent charm. No need for feeling soggy too.
For minutes Hermione just held her friends hand tightly and let her cry it out. Luna didn't cry often, usually it was Hermione that actually shed tears but this was what her friend did and it helped.
"He sees me. It feels like more parts of me than even you or Daddy did." Hermione nodded and waited a moment to see if she wanted to continue.
"Is he the only one?" It wasn't important whether or not he actually was but whether Luna felt like he was.
"Yes." It was breathed out but didn't sound uncertain.
"Okay. Do you want to wallow or plan?" Usually their problems resulted in one of those two courses of action.
"Plan I think. Can we count unicorns while we do." Hermione was unable to answer immediately as she would like. Luna caught on.
"I'll ask. Can I leave you here or would you prefer I use the coins?" She didn't think he would let her go without seeing her but she didn't want to make this harder for Luna.
"You better go or he will worry. Both of them." Hermione nodded and grabbed her coat from the floor where she had thrown it. Looking at her friend she asked her question.
"Your wards are fine. Better than I'm sure." Hermione grinned at the more normal Luna before her and ran down the stairs. Adjusting her wards so she and Luna could apparate through them, she spun.
This time she wasn't so uncertain though it was seven at night. It was a legitimate reason for coming.
The door opened at her arrival and she smiled at Yaxley who scanned her before gesturing her in. Seating herself in her usual place she grimaced at interrupting the dinner before them. Dolohov gestured her uncertainty away and then she felt him scan her. It was a full one and she waited. It didn't really matter. She was fine but a bit wound up.
"Eat this and tell." He handed her a roll with roast beef and horseradish on it and she smiled her thanks. Rounding up Luna for dinner hadn't really planned out and she had forgotten about eating. She would need some provisions.
"I found Luna. Had to apparate to her. Knowing I might she moved away from the cliff edge. She always thinks of things like that. Anyways she wants to go count unicorns while we plan her way out of this mess. I'm worried but not alarmed." She didn't want to make it sound like more than it was.
"Is the mess?" Yaxley didn't use any descriptive words but she knew that he had observed the two. A nod and he looked a bit grim before looking at Dolohov. She couldn't imagine them gossiping about Luna or her but knew they did. Maybe it was discussing and not what she thought of as old biddies gossiping but they both liked to always be in the know.
"Two nights. Coins." He didn't look upset when he gave her leave to go and she smiled thankfully. This was the second time she had requested it for personal reasons.
Yaxley had stood and left the table, now he returned with what she knew was a charmed box. It looked about a foot square and about three inches deep. It she knew it could for more than it's size indicated. She peered in and there was dinner, and what looked like far more than that. She could see a stack of crepes and wondered why he had them made for a moment.
"Thank you." She genuinely smiled her gratefulness at the wizard and he grinned tolerantly at her.
"Tell Thorfinn I'll see him at ten tomorrow." He said instead of reply and Dolohov gave her a nod.
Out in the dark she smiled gently and held onto the box of culinary goodness. There were thermoses too and she wondered what he had packed.
This time the door didn't open for her and she heard Finn's call to come in and found them bent over the chessboard in the middle of the dining room table. He turned and smiled at her before moving to stand. She gestured to him to stay seated and spoke.
"I'm just stopping for a sec. I'm going for two nights and Yaxley says ten tomorrow." She didn't want to say anything else in front of the other wizard and he didn't give much away either. She was grateful.
"Kiss me then witch. Be careful." He met her eyes and she saw the concern and other things there. She smiled softly and kissed him, it was odd that he was below her and she laughed lightly before their lips met. With a smile and a sincere goodnight to them both, she left.
