Hello! I hope you are all enjoying. I am excited to share this chapter with you!
There are five necessary components to a blood bond:
willing participants.
2. Two sliced palms - deep enough to bleed, but not enough to cause serious damage.
3. One experienced witch or wizard to bind the two together.
As Hermione stood before Professor Snape with Draco at her side, she began to feel anxiety bubble up inside of her empty belly. She thought as though she may expel her insides at any moment.
"Palms out," Snape commanded, brandishing his Ebony wand.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Draco had already had his palm held out before him with a disinterested expression taking over his face. Hermione was struck by how sudden this had been for her - how unfair that Draco had been given the time to mull the idea of being bound to someone over, and how it was simply sprung onto her at the last second.
As Hermione hesitated to offer her palm, she felt a cool and spider-like hand rest upon her shoulder.
"Remember, dear, we are not going to make you do anything against your will," Professor Dumbledore told her in a tone that was far warmer than his hand. "The binding process works only if both parties are willing."
Hermione gulped and turned her head to look at the old man. She took a small step back, forcing his hand to fall from her shoulder. "The bond," she began, her voice shaky, "is it permanent?"
"No," Snape chimed in with mild annoyance. "The bond can be broken."
"We will provide you with the knowledge you need to break the bond when you feel the time is right," Dumbledore added. "But understand that the time is not going to arrive in the near future. And it may not come until the war is over."
Hermione felt a wave of relief crash over her body. She wouldn't be bound to him forever. Then, in the same moment, she stiffened. Who knew how long the war could go on for?
"Really, Granger, do you think I would ever agree to being bound to you for life?" Draco drawled with venom dripping from his voice. "Really, I'd rather split my soul and die before I ever agreed to such a cruel punishment."
"You do realize I am doing you a favor, do you?" Hermione spat with fury filling her body. "That I don't have to do this? And what are the odds for you that anyone else in their right mind would ever agree to help you?"
"Enough," Snape interjected. "You'll have plenty of time to sort through your hormonal outrage after this process."
"Any other concerns, my dear?" Dumbledore asked, not reaching out to touch her this time. She was relieved.
"Yes, actually," Hermione had been mulling this over since it was brought up, "when you say I will need to spend a majority of my day near him," she shot glare filled with derision towards the blond to her side, "what exactly does that mean?"
"Well, it doesn't mean you cannot have time apart," Dumbledore began. "You both already have a majority of your classes together, and your time spent in each other's proximity in the evening should suffice."
"And what if we aren't near each other long enough?" Draco asked, and Hermione was surprised. This was the first time he had asked a genuine question; the first time he had spoken without ridicule towards her.
Professors Snape and Dumbledore shared a look that caused Hermione's stomach to flip. "You'll start to feel a tingle, and slowly it will turn into a burning sensation," Snape paused. "Trust me when I say, you won't want to be apart from each other long when that starts to happen."
Hermione had heard enough. Any more questions and she may talk herself out of this. "Alright, then. Let's get this over with. I have a day to get started."
Draco didn't speak, but he was also ready to put this behind them.
With that, Hermione and Draco laid out their palms before Snape. With a quick flick, Hermione hissed as she felt a heat filling her hand. She didn't look down for fear of getting queasy, but she knew she was bleeding. A ball of green light from the tip of Professor Snape's wand nearly blinded her as he spoke.
"Grab each other's hands," he directed.
Before Hermione could react, Draco slid his hand into her palm. It felt like the warmest, wettest handshake she'd ever had and she shivered. What was she doing here?
"Now," Snape began waving his wand over their hands as the green light dimmed and transitioned to a blue hue. Hermione looked at Draco's face and for a moment she admired him. He was handsome, she'd always known that, but in this light, in this moment, he was absolutely striking. The light bounced off the angles of his cheek bones, and the blue illuminated his grey eyes. All in the same moment, Hermione gulped and looked away. He hadn't even looked at her. "Do you, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, consent to be bound to one another for as long as this spell shall last?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said.
"Yes," Draco drawled, his hand squeezing hers. She was unsure whether this was a reflex or on purpose.
With that, Snape became his incantation. "Duae animae, duo corpora. Tenetur inter se. Tenetur custodire, tenetur confidere. Vinculum causat ignem in corpore et ardet in mente, si frangatur. Cum sanguine hae duae animae nunc una sunt."
The light turned from a blue hue to a blinding white light - ribbons of yellow spat out of the tip of Snape's wand, wrapping around their hands and arms like a tight coil. Hermione heard Draco hiss as the heat began searing where their wounds connected.
And just as quickly as it had begun, the process was over. Hermione pulled her hand swiftly out of Draco's and looked down to her palm. It has healed, but left a raised white scar cutting diagonally across the center of her hand.
"That will disappear once the bond is broken," Dumbledore assured her.
"So what now?" Hermione asked.
"Always with the questions. Weren't you here for the whole explanation of what you've agreed to?" Draco snapped as he wiped his hand on his shirt and turned away from her.
Dumbledore ignored the boy, so Hermione did as well. "We've already moved your items to your new quarters. I will be making the announcement in the Great Hall this morning."
Hermione nodded and suddenly felt out of place. She had no questions. She had no comments. She felt like she was in a fever dream, waiting to be woken up.
"Right, I've got a life to get back to, if you don't mind," Draco said as he already began to walk towards the exit. He didn't even look at her. She felt sick.
"As do I," Professor Snape purred as he followed in Draco's suit. Hermione was in a daze as she heard the door open and shut, and the reality of the situation began to settle in.
"You will still have access to the Gryffindor Common Room. You will still be able to be with your friends without him. You'll soon realize that this was but a small sacrifice, and not much will change, my dear," Dumbledore said as he rounded his desk and took a seat across from where she stood. "It is still early. I do apologize for interrupting your morning, Miss Granger."
Hermione nodded and shook herself out of her daze.
Dumbledore was dying. Draco would be "trying" to kill him. Snape would ultimately kill the Headmaster in the end. Hermione was bound to protect Draco.
Hermione was bound to protect Draco.
As Hermione walked out of Dumbledore's office, she felt a slight relief in his words that things would not change much.
Unfortunately, she would soon learn that her Headmaster, the Head of the Order of the Phoenix, had been very, very wrong about that.
Everything was going to change.
Please be kind and leave a review if you are enjoying :) Have a great day!