Story Notes

Hi everyone, happy Sunday! Here we are then, the next installment of Bring me to Life. No warnings are needed on this one….. I hope you like it.

Many, many, many thanks to champagneandliterature for the wonderful alpha/beta work, it is very much appreciated.

Bring me to Life - chapter 11

Hermione groaned when the alarm woke her the next morning. She opened her eyes a crack, frowning as she peered up at Draco in the offensively bright sunlight. "Morning, sleepyhead!" he said, moving across to press a kiss to her lips.

She yawned as he pulled away and left the bed to answer a frantic tapping at the bedroom window. Her head was pounding, and she winced as she remembered exactly how much she'd had to drink the previous night. Harry merely stirred on her other side, pulled the pillow over his head, then mumbled something incomprehensible before falling straight back to sleep.

As Draco opened the window, a tiny owl hurtled into the room. It catapulted madly around, hooting at the top of its voice. "What in the name of…. Come here, you lunatic creature!"

Hermione opened her eyes again and stared at the small bird in surprise. "That's Pigwidgeon!" she gasped, sitting up with a wince of pain. "Hey, Pig, remember me?" It seemed that the owl did indeed remember her because he flew into Hermione like a feathery rocket and rubbed his soft head against her cheek. "He's Ron's owl."

Draco huffed as his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. "That figures, even Weasley's bloody pets are annoying. What the hell does it want?"

"I don't know." Hermione blinked against the still painfully bright light. "There's a pouch on his leg, have a look."

With great difficulty, Draco untied the pouch from the hyperactive owl and opened it up. "There's a note in here from Theo and Daph, they've borrowed this owl because they don't have one of their own. Theo's sent some of his newly improved hangover potion." Draco rolled his eyes as he uncorked one of the vials and passed it to her. "We're to gloss over the complete illegality of the recipe, we just need to focus on the fact that it works."

Hermione closed her eyes. She was feeling so bad that she genuinely didn't mind what the potion contained. She trusted Theo, and with a full day's work ahead of her, she just wanted to feel better. She took the vial, downed the potion inside, and then passed it back as Draco handed her a second vial. "Peppa up. Also, a highly illegal, modified blend. Daphne advises you and Harry to avoid any illicit substance tests at work today, although she says you won't be smoking at the ears with this version."

Hermione nodded as she drank, then choked alarmingly on the potion's intense heat. Once she had recovered, she sipped the water Draco gave her and sighed in relief. She was starting to feel better already. "Clearly, it works," Draco said, smiling as he touched her forehead to check her temperature.

Pigwidgeon paused in flying laps around the bedroom to land squarely on Harry's head. Unhappy with Harry's lack of response, he prodded his ear with a sharp toe and hooted loudly. Harry groaned, and Hermione giggled. "You're looking a much healthier color now," Draco confirmed. "I'm going to make breakfast while you shower, then we can all get to work on time. Let me get these potions into Harry, then I'll kick Theo up the arse for sending them to an Auror in the first place."

Draco glared at Pigwidgeon, who had taken off to circle the room like a feathery missile again. "Theo and Daphne obviously trust you not to report them. It's kind of them to send these, please don't tell them off." Hermione waited for Draco's muttered confirmation then made her way to the bathroom for a long hot shower.

When she came out again, Pigwidgeon had left through the open window, and Harry and Draco were sitting in bed talking. She got dressed in the now peaceful, owl-free room and left them alone, heading downstairs to make breakfast herself.

When she was done, there was still no sign of the boys. She cast a stasis charm over their food to keep it warm and headed back upstairs to find them wrapped up in a passionate kiss. She paused in the doorway, watching with a smile until Draco turned his head and her cheeks heated into a blush. "I… Uh…. Breakfast is ready."

"I was going to make that," Draco said, checking the alarm clock and frowning, "we, uh, we lost track of time. Sorry."

Hermione smiled. "No problem at all. You can do it next time. Are you coming now, or shall I refresh its stasis charm?"

"Nah, we'll come," Harry said as he stretched. "Thanks, 'Mione. Listen, I'm sorry for being dramatic last night. I wasn't expecting you all to come out looking for me. I figured Draco would know where I was if I didn't come straight home, and it would be the two of you at most."

"I couldn't reach Draco on the phone, so I panicked," Hermione admitted. "But, and here's the thing, last time you went out upset like that, I had nobody else to go to for help. So, I sat downstairs, had a huge panic attack, and thought the world was going to end. This time I had people that I could call. I couldn't get through to you, Draco, but I went to Neville instead, and then Pansy roped Theo and Daphne in. Ron was already there, and I knew Blaise and Ginny were at the end of the phone, plus we could have called Dean or Seamus if need be. I'm sorry you had a terrible night, Harry, really I am. I also don't mean to sound unsympathetic here, but for me, it was like a revelation in how far I've come recently."

"Well, that's brilliant." Harry said, laughing at her enthusiasm. "I'm thrilled you're feeling better. I've still got a little way to go, I really need to get a grip on these overwhelming feelings that I get sometimes. I knew what I was doing this time as well. It was like I was watching myself do it, and I knew I shouldn't be doing it, but was I unable to stop myself. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"No!" Draco exclaimed at precisely the same time.

"Really?" Hermione glanced at Draco as they left the bedroom, and he frowned, looking entirely baffled by the concept of not being in control of his own actions.

As she pondered his reaction, Hermione suddenly understood. Draco's impeccable self control was made possible by the Occlumency guard that she saw so often in his eyes. Draco was always entirely in control, but he was also entirely guarded. He could present whatever face he chose to the world, and nobody would know his inner feelings unless he wanted them to.

Neither she nor Harry possessed that ability.

"If you couldn't Occlude, not even slightly, do you think you would feel and behave differently to the way you do now?" she asked gently, and Draco's answering frown told her all that she needed to know. "Neither myself nor Harry can use Occlumency, in fact, Harry can't close his mind to anything at all. That's one of the reasons why the dementors love him so much. He's a riot of strong feelings with no filter on them. As I understand it, that's one of the reasons you're paired together in the Auror department too. Harry's moral compass balances you out, and your skills with mind magic keep you both out of trouble. Not everyone can Occlude like you can, Draco."

"Not everyone had Severus Snape as their personal tutor for mind magic, though, did they? Anyone can learn Occlumency with the right teacher," Draco argued.

Hermione shook her head. "I disagree. Snape tried to teach Harry back in school, but he couldn't." She left Draco to digest this information as they all stepped into the kitchen.

"You are an angel 'Mione," Harry announced, sitting down and tucking hungrily into his scrambled eggs on toast.

The tapping of another post owl on the window caught their attention. "That's Medusa, Pansy's owl," Draco said as he got up to open the window, "what's going on now?!"

"Medusa?!" Harry laughed as Draco untied the letter from the graceful bird's leg.

"Yes. She's the only jet black owl I've ever seen. Pansy charmed her feathers green when we were in our third year, and look, there's still a hint of it there now." Draco passed the note to Harry and stretched out Medusa's wing. Sure enough, her feathers shone iridescent green and black. "I don't think I've had a post owl in months. What is it with all of our friends sending them today?"

Hermione fed Medusa some of her breakfast as Harry stared at the letter looking stunned. "What? What is it?"

Wordlessly he passed the note to her, and she read out loud.

Draco… ! Guess what…

No, you'll never guess.

I'll tell you.

WE'RE ENGAGED! Nev asked me last night. Apparently, he's had the ring for ages (It was his Mothers engagement ring… can you IMAGINE how important that is to him?!), but apparently, me poking you in the chest and telling you off for looking like you were going to punch him made him get down on one knee and do it last night!

I'm going to be Pansy Longbottom. I LOOOOOOOOOVE it! LOOK at the ring. LOOK AT IT! Isn't it A...MA….ZING?!

Thank you, Mr. Grumpy Pants. If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have happened. Not last night anyway. I love you.

AND I LOVE MY NEW HUSBAND TO BE!

Have a good day.

Much love,

Pansy Longbottom.

"Wow!" Hermione laughed and passed the note and it's accompanying photograph of Pansy's fingers to Draco. "That's a happy letter!"

Harry just laughed. "Good old Neville. That's a lovely ring too. I'd never have predicted this one in a million years but, good for them."

"Good for them indeed," Draco said, smiling as he hunted around for a pen to write a return note of congratulations. "I'd say their relationship is just about as unpredictable as ours is. Wouldn't you?"

The next two workdays passed by in a blur of research. Hermione and Blaise poured over every book they could find in their office and then widened their search to take in the entire D.O.M., as they looked for suitable spells or rituals.

Flourish and Blotts also failed to produce anything of note, and by six pm on Friday, Hermione finally accepted that Blaise was right. They were unlikely to find the spell they needed in any official spell books because the magic they needed to call upon for this ritual was just too dark for the Ministry to approve it.

"We need to look elsewhere," Blaise said, snapping the final book shut with a sigh. "We could search in here forever and still not find what we want."

Hermione sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. "I agree," she said after a moment of pondering what else they could do. "I don't want to accept that we're straying into dark magic territory, but we are, and you're right. We won't find that sort of spell in the official books."

"It's very dark, that's the problem. We need to look in darker places for the spells." Blaise sighed. "I did try to move away from all of that, and I know you've never been involved in it, but we're not going to find anything that meets our needs if we only look at lawful and light magic."

"Where do you suggest we look then?" Hermione stretched the kinks out of her neck and stood up. "Grimmauld has a library that's got some crazily dark books in it, a lot of them Harry and I have never actually opened, that could be a good place to start."

"Yep," Blaise agreed. "There's also Malfoy Manor, although a lot of their stuff was seized after the war, except for the... Has Draco mentioned that yet?"

"Mentioned what?" Hermione frowned. This wasn't the first time someone had referred to something hidden at Malfoy Manor, and she felt frustrated that she hadn't been let in on the secret yet.

"Never mind. Would you be open to looking in some of the bookshops in Knockturn Alley as well? It's more about who you know down there, though, so there are a few shopkeepers that might be worth talking to," Blaise said, clenching his fingers and looking mildly uncomfortable with the idea himself.

"I don't know anyone in Knockturn at all, so I won't be much help with that, I'm afraid," Hermione admitted as she pulled her jacket on. "I'm happy to look, though. Do you know anyone who might be able to help?"

"Not on close enough terms unfortunately, but a lot of the shopkeepers know Draco well. He'd probably be able to get the right info."

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Don't you think they'd be nervous about talking to him? Everyone knows he's an Auror now, don't they?"

Blaise sighed, "Yeah, probably. I bet Theo could do it. He sources a lot of highly illegal stuff that Draco turns a blind eye to in Knockturn, and he's on good terms with most of the shopkeepers. I'm modeling for Pansy tomorrow, but I could see him this evening before taking Ginny out, and fill him in. If I get him and Daph to take a vow of secrecy, they could probably trek down there tomorrow and do some research for us."

Hermione nodded as she shook her hair loose from its neat but uncomfortable bun. "Sounds good. As long as they don't mind helping, and we're not getting them in any trouble. I'll look in the library at Grimmauld tonight and see what books I can find there too."

"Perfect." Blaise halted in the Room of Spinning Doors and caught her arm, looking at her seriously. "Don't look at any dark books without Draco being there, please Hermione. A lot of this is potentially very dangerous magic and no offense, but you're not well versed in the Dark Arts. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Hermione nodded in agreement as the seriousness of the magic they were exploring washed over her alarmingly. "Okay. I promise."

It turned out that Blaise was right to be concerned. A lot of the books in Grimmauld Place's library were downright horrifying.

Harry cast an Auror level curse shield over each one of them before they began their research. Still, one of the books Hermione opened hit her with a compulsion spell of such strength that she turned her wand on Harry, accused him of being a mudblood and therefore not welcome in a pureblood household, and then hurled a violent hex at him.

Harry caught her wand in a perfect Expelliarmus as Draco immobilized her. Harry ended the compulsion spell with a Finite Incantatum leaving Hermione panting in shock and staring at him with wide, horrified eyes.

"That's a bit rich coming from a fellow muggleborn," Draco quipped, and the tension of the moment was broken. "Oh come on, relax, shield that book and put it back, let's move on," he said, already plucking the next book off the shelf. "Wow! Okay, maybe not this one. Although a spell to make your opponent's arms drop off might be useful in a duel!"

Despite spending so much of the weekend looking through dark spellbooks, they still found nothing that would meet their current needs, and by midday Sunday Hermione was growing more frustrated by the moment.

"We need a break," Harry announced after lunch. He put his knife and fork down and sat back in his chair. "And, we need to go and see Remus. Specifically, I need to go and see Remus. I've been putting off seeing him for months because of how I've been feeling, I didn't really want him to know how much I've been struggling lately, but it doesn't feel right to attempt this without at least telling him what we're trying to do."

Draco nodded. "Didn't you say he had a jacket or something we could use in the ritual too?"

"Yeah. He still has Sirius' leather jacket. I told him to keep it after the veil…. you know….. It could be just what we need to tether the magic to. But even aside from that, Remus was Sirius's best friend, and that's before we go into the fact that they've been in love with each other all their lives. I think having Remus involved somehow would help. I'm going to pop by Lupin Cottage now. He might not be in, but I can't sit here any longer, I need to get out of the house."

"Go on then, and we could pop to Theo's and see if he and Daph managed to pick up any information in Knockturn yesterday," Draco suggested, turning to Hermione with a smile. "Seriously, love, we need to get out too. We've been researching this all bloody weekend."

Reluctantly she agreed, and after a quick freshen up, she followed Draco into the floo. They tumbled out at the other end into a quaint country cottage. Hermione had never been to Theo and Daphne's before, and somehow she had been expecting them to have a flat similar to Neville and Pansy's, but this little house was as different from an over shop apartment as it was possible to find.

"Anyone home?" Draco called, but there was no answer. "They're probably outside," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the back door and into the sunny garden.

After so long pouring over books in the dimly lit library, it was nice to get out in the fresh air. Hermione pushed up her sleeves, exposing her arms to the sun, and looked around the beautiful cottage garden.

Draco strolled down the path, around a corner, and into a neatly kept vegetable patch. "Hello?" he called, "you two had better not be shagging in the studio."

"Draco! Hermione!" Daphne stood up from the row of seeds she was planting, wiped her dirty hands on her jeans, and smiled. "How lovely to see you. I didn't know you were coming over." She hugged them both in turn, "excuse the state of me. It's a garden day."

"So I see," Hermione smiled warmly. "That's quite okay. You have a beautiful garden."

"Thank you." Daphne looked around it proudly. "Theo's in the studio if you want him, but... you're not here officially, are you Draco?"

Draco sighed, "no, Daph. Why? What's he up to in there that he shouldn't be?"

"If you're here unofficially, then it's nothing at all." Daphne smiled sweetly as she opened a creaky wooden door that was half-hidden by years worth of tumbling ivy and led them inside. "Hey sweetie," she said, as Theo looked up from a bubbling cauldron in alarm.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said, holding up his hands in surrender as Theo glanced shiftily at an array of ingredients laid out on the workbench. "As if I would anyway!"

"Sorry, mate." Theo pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and hopped off his stool to greet them. "I take it you want to know how we got on yesterday? Daphne pointed her wand at the kettle and lit the stove beneath it, then leaned against the bench beside Theo. "We did good. Didn't we, Daph?"

"We did," she confirmed. "But, oh my word, do you know what you're getting yourself into here, Hermione?"

"Not really, no," Hermione admitted as she bit her lip in concern. "I mean, people keep telling me it's dark magic, but no one's found a spell or a ritual yet, so I honestly have no idea of specifics."

"Hmmm, I'll make tea, but if you want something stronger once you know what's going to happen, just let me know."

"Okay..." Hermione stifled her concern as she wandered around the studio. Her jaw dropped as she started to look at Theo's artwork. A pile of large canvas portraits was stacked against a wall, and each one of them was in a rather familiar looking style. There was an abstract seascape and several woodland scenes propped up, too, although these were clearly still in the drying process, and a number of sculptures were also dotted around the room. Every single piece he had made was exquisite.

"Wow, Theo, these are amazing!" she said, flipping through the portraits and pausing to admire each one. "I had no idea you were so good. You should be famous!"

Theo chuckled. "Thanks. I do okay with selling it."

"Theo doesn't sell anything under his own name," Daphne said with a small smile, "because people get upset by his surname and suddenly change their mind about buying the art. Have you heard of the artist called Natrix Flint?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded slowly, her eyes widening as realization dawned on her, "Oh my Gods! That's you? But?! I knew that name was an alias, but no one knows who he…. Really? That's you?" Theo nodded as Draco watched her, clearly amused by her inarticulate stuttering. "Oh! Just…. wow!"

Hermione looked at the paintings and sculptures again, feeling even more impressed now that she knew who he really was. "Why did you choose that name?"

Theo shrugged, "Natrix is Latin for grass-snake. I just put Slytherin and Greengrass together, and Flint was my Mother's maiden name. I sell a lot of my stuff in the muggle world too, and my customers mostly think I'm a reclusive French artist."

Hermione's stunned surprise was broken by the whistle of the kettle and a simultaneous flash of brilliant silver from the potion Theo was brewing. Daphne busied herself making tea while Theo started bottling the unidentified liquid into glass vials. "Here, Malfoy, give us a hand."

Draco picked up a ladle and dipped it into the cauldron, then paused, "If this potion is what I think it is, I'm officially not doing this."

"Imagine it's something else then, and you'll be fine." Theo grinned cheekily. "This is to help you out anyway. Did you really think I'd get the kind of information you wanted for free in Knockturn?"

"You traded this potion for intel?"

"Course I did. I got us a damn good deal too. Now quit whining and get bottling, will you? This has to be airtight before it cools or it's buggered."

Draco sighed, rolled his eyes, and started ladelling the mirror-like potion into vials. "What did you find out then? Thanks, Daph."

Daphne smiled as she put cups down in front of them all and took the ladle from Draco's hand. "Come on. I'll do this. That way, you're not involved, are you?" she smiled gently as Draco frowned but didn't object further.

"What potion is it?" Hermione's curiosity wouldn't hold back any longer.

"Disillusionment Draught," Theo admitted. "The proper stuff made with Demiguise hair and tears. One dose makes you completely invisible for a full hour. It sells like gold dust on the black market, for obvious reasons. It's horrendously hard to brew correctly, and not many people are willing to try. Therefore it has a very high trade value."

Hermione nodded, feeling overwhelmed by what they were getting involved in once more. "But you're willing to make it?"

"Darling, my father invented it." Theo's blue eyes were twinkling as Hermione's jaw dropped yet again. "It was a happy accident on his part a few years back, he was trying to adapt Delirium Draught to harness its painkilling properties, but he came up with this by chance instead. It caused the Aurors a good few problems during the last war, and now it's very highly coveted by some of Knockturn Alley's less, uh… scrupulous dealers."

"And I'm standing here watching you make it." Draco rolled his eyes yet again. "You realize I should arrest you on the spot for this? And probably myself too for standing by?"

"Yep," Theo grinned. "But you won't. Cos' you love me. And because you want my info."

"Dammit, Nott!" Draco swore, sipping his tea. "Come on then, spill the bloody beans. It had better be worth it. What do we have to do?"

Hermione didn't think her eyes could grow any wider as she listened to what Theo said. Blaise had been right. This kind of blood magic and life hook spell was about as dark as it was possible to get, and even the books in the Blood Magic Room of the D.O.M. had barely acknowledged its existence. By the time Theo had finished explaining the ritual they would have to perform, Hermione's hand was over her mouth, and she was staring at Daphne in horror.

"Draco!" She gasped, "we can't possibly do this. It's far too risky! How would we even go about it?"

"Well," Theo surmised, fixing Draco with an appraising gaze, "you'll need the blood ritual kit that's hidden at Malfoy Manor. To the best of my knowledge, that's traceable through the Gaunt family line right back to Salazar Slytherin himself, and I doubt there's anything more powerful for blood magic in the entire Wizarding World. You, mate, need to get the intention of the spell spot on too. You'll be leading the ritual because you've got Black family blood in your veins, and I know for a fact that Blaise won't take the lead in anything this dark. Miss the intention by a hair's breadth and its curtains. For Sirius and for you."

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Daphne asked as Hermione just stared blankly at her for a long moment. "I did warn you that this ritual was a bit crazy!"

"Is this really the only way?" Draco asked, and Theo nodded as he put the last stopper into the vial he was holding.

"Yes. You can do it though mate, you're perfectly capable. Just, you know, mind your intention. If you get it right, you're laughing."

"Okay, fine." Draco ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply.

"You do know my father isn't going to let you do this?" Daphne asked, and Hermione and Draco both turned to look at her in confusion.

"Your father?" Hermione asked, "no offense, but what's he got to do with anything?"

Daphne smiled. "Gareth Greengrass, the head Unspeakable, is my dad, and I'm telling you now, he won't go for this. He's never been a fan of the Dark Arts or of blood magic rituals. You'll have to slip him a decoy while you do this. When you're successful, fudge over how you did it too, or you'll probably all get the sack."

"No one can know about the ritual kit at the manor either," Draco sighed dramatically. "If anyone finds out we've still got that, I'll be back in Azkaban in a heartbeat, and my Father will never be released."

Theo nodded, "that figures." He finished writing on the vials and put his pen down. "Do you want a hand working the details out, and with the actual ritual itself?"

"Maybe. I'll have to speak to Blaise and Harry about it all first. Harry's going to go mental at this, you know?" Draco said, tipping his head back to the ceiling and running his fingers through his hair yet again.

Theo grinned as he reached up and batted Draco's hand down. "That bloody hair is more famous than you are, and you'll be bald if you keep this up. Leave it alone! I can only imagine what Potter will say. I reckon Blaise will try to back out when he sees what's involved too. You know I won't falter if you want help, and Daph can keep her Dad off the trail if need be."

"I'd also be there if any of you happened to need a healer too," Daphne said quietly as she examined the finished vials on the workbench.

There was a pause while Draco stared at Theo and a whole unspoken conversation seemed to pass between them both. "Hermione?" Draco asked, turning to study her carefully.

Looking into Daphne's blue eyes and finding her cool, female presence reassuring, Hermione nodded. "It's more than fine with me," she said.

Draco nodded and turned back to Theo. "Yes, please. I'll need to clear it with Harry and Blaise, but as far as I'm concerned, you're both in."

"You're saying pretty much the same things that Remus said to me earlier, Hermione," Harry admitted as they all sat at the table at Grimmauld Place with a bottle of wine later that night. "He told me to not even try it. He told me off for even considering using that kind of magic. He shouted at me for being irresponsible and told me he'll have no part in a ritual that risky. Still, he did give me the jacket and then finally, finally admit that he has feelings for Sirius." Harry took a drink from his glass and laughed, "I don't know who was more surprised, me that he actually admitted it, or him that everyone else already knew."

"For fuck's sake! Why would you go your whole life not being with someone you love just because, well, what was their reason for not being together? Surely it wasn't because they didn't want to admit they were gay?" Theo asked, looking at Harry incredulously.

"I think maybe that was the reason." Harry shrugged as Theo rolled his eyes.

"Mad."

Blaise nodded his agreement. "Yes. Totally mad. So, are we really going to do this? When I started work on this project, I had no idea it would end up this dark. If I'd known, I would probably have halted research there and then."

"I'm fine with doing it now I've got my head around it," Draco said with a shrug.

"Me too," Theo agreed, topping off their glasses as Daphne nodded. "What about you, Hermione, Blaise? it's decision time."

Blaise sighed dramatically. "If you two weren't with me, there's no way I'd touch this. Since you are, and you both seem confident, then well, I'm in."

"Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry traced the pattern on his wineglass with his finger before he answered. "I want Sirius back. I've done plenty of stupid, ill-advised shit before. This is just a different version of it, isn't it? I've been in from the start."

"Which leaves it all up to you, gorgeous girl," Draco said, taking Hermione's hand and kissing her lips. "If you object to it that strongly, we won't do anything at all."

Hermione sighed. She had been thinking about the problem for the entire weekend. "I think we have to try doing it, and we know that there's no other way. Harry wants Sirius back. Hell, I want Sirius back. I don't like it one little bit, just so you all know. But yes," she took a deep breath, "I'm in." She tipped her glass up, almost draining it in one and staring Harry in the eye. "Bring it on. Let's do this."