A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so pleased that so many of you were happy to see this story again - I'm thrilled to be writing it again. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirteen and be on the lookout for chapter fourteen next week!
It seemed that after Narcissa's wedding, Hermione had passed some sort of test in the blonde woman's eyes. Or perhaps it was that Bellatrix had vouched for Hermione Nott. But whatever has caused it, she was suddenly receiving invitations to spend time with Narcissa and her friends.
Honestly, trading gossip over tea in artfully decorated conservatories was the last way that Hermione wanted to spend her days, but Theo had practically shoved her out the door.
The more time that she spent with Narcissa, the more she found herself dreading the invitations. Narcissa was obsessed with the child that grew in Hermione, especially as the pregnancy became more and more obvious. It made her uncomfortable to see the longing looks the younger witch would give her, hands pressed together to stop from reaching out to touch her bump. Hermione was glad for that, she didn't want anyone but Theo touching her that way.
"Do you have everything prepared for the birth?" Narcissa asked, one snowy December morning, twirling her spoon in her teacup, careful not to make a single clank.
"Yes," Hermione said, her lips forming a tight line. "We have a healer on call who will be ready to come to our townhouse the minute I go into labor. Though, she doesn't think that it will happen any time soon."
It seemed that it was entirely gauche to go into St. Mungo's to deliver a child, to Hermione's surprise. Something about having all those healers there, ready to help should something go wrong, seemed so comforting to her. But a pureblood would never submit to such torture, Theo explained. It wasn't nearly private enough and everyone would know you were there, and everyone would know about the arrival of the baby before you'd have time to take the perfect photos for the newspaper announcement. That was simply unacceptable to the image obsessed purebloods.
"I'll have to get the name of your healer," Narcissa said, with an indulgent smile on her face, tucking a piece of corn silk blonde hair behind her ear. "For when I have children. I cannot wait to give Lucius heirs — several of them."
"Please don't put me off of my breakfast, Narcissa," Bellatrix said, giving a fake gag.
"I think it's wonderful," Amalia Greengrass answered, giving her friend some doe eyes. "You and Lucius will make the most beautiful babies, I can already imagine."
Hermione nearly couldn't stop her smirk at the thought of ferrety Draco Malfoy being considered a beautiful baby.
"Salazar, can we talk about something else for once in our miserable lives beside babies?" Bellatrix complained, dropping her head to the table.
Narcissa frowned at her sister. "Bella, you have to know that babies can't be far off for you, too. I'm sure that Rodolphus would want children to carry on the family name. A pair of sons — wouldn't that be lovely?"
Bellatrix made a noise to suggest that she didn't think that would be lovely. "Rodolphus couldn't care less if I never open my legs up to him ever again," she said with a sneer at her younger sister's naivety.
"Bella! What would father think if he could hear you now?" Narcissa asked, sounding utterly scandalized.
"He should have known better before he sold me off to that brute!" Bellatrix practically shouted.
For a moment, Hermione felt utterly sorry for the other witch. She couldn't imagine the life that Bellatrix lived. She had always wondered what the Lestranges' marriage was like, but what she'd seen so far was just sad. They hated each other — Bellatrix half in love with the Dark Lord and Rodolphus cheating with anyone with a pair of legs and a pulse. Now that she and Bellatrix were becoming friends, she realized that it did hurt her, even if Bellatrix tried to pretend as though she weren't affected.
It made Hermione feel better about her marriage. Even though she hadn't really had a choice of husband, at least she and Theo got along with one another.
Amalia looked embarrassed, not wanting to be privy to what was a family argument, but lacked the grace to change the conversation.
"Let's talk about something else," Bellatrix said with an exaggerated grin. "Hermione, did I tell you that MacMillian has another mudblood tart for a secretary, even after the last one...disappeared."
There was practically an admission that the Death Eaters were responsible for the previous witch's demise. Hermione felt her stomach twist and turn in discomfort. She forced a sneer on her face. "Merlin, really? Well he certainly has a type."
"Well, I've told Lord Voldemort about it and he agrees that we really need to do something about it," she explained, taking a minute to look at all the witches at the table, before leaning in. "This Whimple mudblood is going to get a nasty little surprise."
Hermione felt her heart leap to her throat when she heard her alias on Bellatrix's lips. They really knew more about her than she'd figured.
Narcissa was scolding her sister once again. "Bella! You shouldn't be talking about such things in mixed company," she said, her eyes obviously lingering on Hermione.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about her," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "Hermione is one of us, even if it isn't official yet. I'd bet that Theo will be a Death Eater in a year's time."
Again, Hermione could feel her stomach twist when she thought of poor Theo. Did he share Bellatrix's assessment? He'd been lucky enough to avoid the mark the first time around. Would he happily take it now? He'd promised to do whatever he could to take down the Death Eaters...was sacrificing himself really necessary.
Hermione leaned forward, sitting on the edge of her seat. "What are you going to do to her? The mudblood?" she asked, leaning forward, breathless.
"See, look!" Bellatrix cackled. "She's practically salivating over it. I bet that she'd make a better Death Eater than her husband, just like me."
"Oh please tell me," Hermione begged. "I don't get to do anything fun now that I am so far along. You must let me live vicariously through your exploits."
Despite Narcissa's continued protests, Bellatrix eagerly explained to Hermione what fate awaited Dahlia Whimple. "MacMillian has already rented a room at a pub in the Alley for Monday afternoon. He'll try to take her there for a rendezvous…but we will be waiting for them. We've already paid off the owner. And then the world will have one less mudblood and one less blood traitor."
"Good," Narcissa agreed. "I couldn't believe that the Ministry would employ such a philanderer, let alone a blood traitor." It seemed that she was still very much a part of the group, even if she didn't want to talk about it in polite company.
Amalia joined in then, talking about witches who would sleep with married men. Hermione wanted to tell them that Dahlia had never slept with MacMillian, despite his numerous attempts, but knew that there was no point. It would only cause too many questions.
Hermione sat there, itching to get home so she could talk to Theo as soon as possible, knowing that they were only talking about her impending death. Finally, after an age, she was released from the clutches of the three witches and able to go about her day as she pleased.
Theo was waiting for her at home, drinking a coffee and staring out into the back garden, watching the snow fall in big, fat flakes before eventually melting once they reached the grass. The paper lay open on his lap, but untouched.
"Good afternoon, Hermione," he said, his eyes still staring out the glass, transfixed. "How are you?"
"Miserable," she answered, before sitting down heavily, longing for her old sense of gravity. She pressed a hand to her stomach and suppressed a smile when she felt the baby kick against her eagerly.
He turned to face her then, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Only a few more weeks to go, though."
"It's not the baby," she explained. "It's just...something Bellatrix said at brunch. That she thought you'd be a Death Eater before the year was out, and it got me thinking…just about all the sacrifices we are making. Is it really going to be worth it."
"Of course," Theo answered resolutely. "If it means that he is killed, then the world will be a better place and we will have done the right thing."
Hermione let her head drop to rest on his shoulder. "Is Bellatrix right?" They hadn't talked about what his involvement with the Death Eaters would be, but it made sense that he would join. But, even questioning it was bordering on dangerous territory.
Theo was quiet for a few seconds, and Hermione almost thought he wasn't going to answer. "Yes," he agreed. "Lucius is recruiting me. It is only a matter of time before the offer is made, and I can't really refuse."
She bit her lip, not liking how soon he would be joining. "Would your father be happy, do you think?"
That was dangerous territory. They generally agreed not to talk about the future. It was too risky for them to be left thinking on their old lives as it was certain to cause cracks in their cover story. But she couldn't help how curious she was about Theo's relationship with his father. Alfred seemed to be the reason her husband was so against Voldemort in the first place, but he never really elaborated on it.
"Probably," Theo answered. "But he also probably would have expected me to find some way to fuck it up. This iteration of my father will probably be furious."
Hermione could agree with that, and she felt like the less time she had to worry about Alfred the better. Sighing, she remembered she couldn't stay out for the rest of the weekend. "That's not all. Bellatrix told me about the Death Eaters plans for Dahlia...they are going to ambush me and MacMillian on Monday and kill us."
"What are you planning?" Theo asked, unable to hide his concern for her.
"Well, there's only one thing I really can do, isn't there? I'll just have to go to the Ministry tonight and get the plans," Hermione explained. "I obviously can't go in on Monday."
"Do you think you can find the plans?" he asked.
"Yes, I will find them one way or another. I'll have to break into the office, but I don't think it will be too much trouble," she added, not wanting Theo to worry.
He stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm obviously coming with you, Hermione," he scolded. "Don't think you can go fighting your way through the Ministry on your own."
"It wouldn't be the first time," she quipped, taking his hand and letting him help her up from the couch.
Still, she was grateful for the help. It was good to know that someone would have her back. Breaking into the Ministry was going to be risky, but it was necessary if they wanted to get the property records of the Gaunt family home, something she thought was key to getting the ring horcrux. And, she'd put in far too much effort as Dahlia Whimple to let it all go to waste.
Heading upstairs, they prepared for their trip. Hermione drank the polyjuice potion, the taste no longer even bothering her. She did hate to watch as her bump smoothed away into nothingness, but she would never take the potion if it was unsafe for her baby. Pulling Dahlia's hair back, she changed into comfortable clothing.
Theo had his own stash of muggle hair for polyjuice and the next time she looked at him, he was transformed into a short man with sandy blond hair and an impressive looking mustache. Well, it was the seventies, she supposed.
Night fell early now, but she was glad for it. It meant that no one was likely to see them slipping into phone booth together to access the Ministries Atrium. It took some confunding, but they were eventually able to get in.
The grand room was cavernous and empty, all the floos silent for the night as they crept down the hallway towards the elevators to take them to her office. They didn't see anyone along the way, but Hermione could still hear her heart beating so loudly she was certain it would echo.
"Department of Magical Property," the perky female voice announced loudly when the elevator doors closed behind them, ready to take them to their destination. That did echo loudly, the cage of the elevator clanging about as they moved along.
"Merlin, could that be any louder?" Hermione whispered to Theo. "I'm sure the whole building heard us."
"We are just lucky we haven't come by anyone yet," Theo said. "Keep your eyes open for any sign of movement."
Finally, they arrived at the Department doors and Hermione slipped out her key from her pocket and into the door. A thundering shriek filled the hallway, making her jump in fright.
"Shit, shit, shit," she whispered to herself, fumbling with her wand. "How could I forget that Anderson sets a caterwauling charm before the weekend?"
It took her nearly a minute before she was able to get the persistent bleating to stop, wasting their valuable time. She could hear the rumble of footsteps coming towards them when it stopped, and she wanted to cry, wondering how she could have been so careless.
"Just go, get what you need," Theo insisted, his hand tightening on his wand. "I will deal with whoever comes, okay?"
Hermione did not need to be told twice, and she slipped inside the office. She knew exactly which filing cabinet held what she wanted and made a beeline for it. Grabbing the handle, she tried yanking it open, only to be stopped by locking charms once again. Knowing that they had no time to waste, she set about undoing the charms one by one with an efficiency she'd honed while at school.
She was sure in the grand scheme of things, it only took her about a minute, but she felt like she was fumbling around and wished she had more time to prepare. Cursing Bellatrix and her little plans, Hermione squeaked with triumph when the drawer finally clicked open.
Digging through the folders, she easily found the records belonging to the Gaunt family, and dropped them in to her beaded bag, not caring where they fell. She could find them later, once she was in the safety of her own home.
About to leave, Hermione stopped short when she walked by Director MacMillian's office on the way out. Biting her lip, she knew that the Death Eaters wouldn't hesitate to kill him, even when Dahlia fell off the face of the Earth. Grabbing a piece of parchment and a self inking quill off of her desk, she quickly scribbled a note of warning and shoved it underneath his door, hoping that he would take the hint.
Knowing that she and Theo needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, she headed for the door, replacing the caterwauling charm on the way out, hoping that no one would be the wiser about their weekend visitor.
Theo was waiting for her, looking a bit pale. She realized the reason why when she practically tripped over the body that was lying in front of him. "What did you do?" she hissed, feeling that this was not a part of the plan.
"I couldn't just stun him," he explained. "And the Ministry would be able to reverse any memory charm I could have placed on him. I had to do it."
Hermione swallowed, thinking that there could have been other options than murdering a security guard, before pushing it down. Theo was right — they had to be ruthless if it meant taking down Voldemort. The means justified the ends, or at least that was what she was going to tell herself.
Biting her lower lip, she looked at the man, trying not to imagine what sort of life he might have had. "Well we can't just leave him here," she said eventually. "They would know that we visited this Department."
Theo nodded, trying to look anywhere other than at the body. "Let's take him to the Department of Mysteries," he suggested. "People are always trying to get in there."
Feeling like that was their best bet, Hermione used a levitating charm and carried the body to the elevator. The journey down to the Department of mysteries was silent and short. Hermione got out when they arrived, before unceremoniously dumping the security guard in front of the hall of prophecies.
Rejoining Theo in the elevator, she took took his hand and held it tightly. They didn't speak all the way back to the apparition point.
When they were back in the safety of their townhome, Theo poured himself a glass of firewhiskey. "Please tell me you got the files we need," he begged, looking for something to assuage his guilt.
Hermione nodded eagerly, before pulling them out of her bag and spreading them out on the parlor table. There weren't actually that many documents — it seemed that after their initial build, the Gaunts had never expanded, or even seemed to make improvements to their property. But, none of that mattered. This has everything they needed to track down their house.
"Yes, it's perfect," Hermione said with a grin. "I almost wish I would have just stole them from the start. We could even go later this week before they realize anything has been taken."
"No," Theo refused. "No more work, no more missions until the baby is born. I won't risk it. I won't risk you. Tonight was a colossally stupid idea... we can't just rush into things. It's too sloppy."
Hermione blushed, thoroughly chastised. She was embarrassed by how much worse it could have gone if they hadn't had some lucky breaks. She knew Theo was right.
The ring could wait. For now.