Hello everyone! Sending my love to you all during this difficult time. I hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy, and at home. No time like a world-wide lockdown for some fanfiction, eh?

Exciting stats on this story! Last chapter, The Sapphire Princess reached 600 reviews and 725 favourites. Thank you so much.

This chapter also marks 100,000 words. Buckle in for a long one, friends. This will definitely be my longest story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


In hindsight, she should have reacted quicker.

As Dean's echo appeared out of Draco's wand, she watched what followed as if she wasn't there. As if she was back in her childhood home, watching a muggle film with her parents. Aware of the context, understanding the plotline, but unable to shape the narrative in any way.

Dean looked at them all in turn before his ghostly eyes landed on Draco. He sighed, and his voice rang out; the voice that now only existed in her memory or nightmares.

"I believe this is called karma."

Whatever breath she had been holding burst through her lips. And then, the world fell apart.

It started with a scream. No…a scream was inaccurate. A wail. An animalistic howl. Anger, pain, rage, all fighting for dominance.

Seamus slammed Draco to the ground.

In hindsight, she was thankful that Seamus had dropped his wand in shock. Otherwise Draco would've been dead in a half second.

Or maybe Seamus didn't want to kill him with magic. This was personal. Maybe Seamus wanted to destroy Draco with his fists.

At least, that's what it looked like, as the Irishman pounded Draco's face over and over and over and over…

No one tried to stop it.

Fred was still holding her up. The pain from the Cruciatus curse was coursing through her veins. In her haze, she could register that every time Seamus hit Draco, she felt the pressure on her own face. It didn't feel as potent or real as the curse had. Maybe because this was physical pain, the other had been magical.

Or maybe she wanted to hurt Draco herself, so she was ignoring the pain it caused her.

Dean Thomas. Draco had killed Dean. The image of her dead friend would never have appeared if that wand hadn't cast him down.

A part of her brain weakly hoped that perhaps it was mistake. That another man had shot Dean down, merely using Draco's wand.

But her rational side won out, and she knew it was true.

They had never known who had killed Dean. The Death Eater had been masked, as they always were. So many had died during that battle, on both sides, that somehow, it made the 'who' less relevant.

But now, it mattered more than ever.

Seamus laid into Draco, fists pounding. Still, no one else moved. Not Blaise, who stared on with an expression she couldn't recognize. Not Remus, who look uncertain, but whose feet stayed planted. Not her, as she watched the two men fight. Or one, really. Draco wasn't defending himself.

She could hear screaming, as if from a distant land, voices echoing through time and space. It didn't feel real. It didn't feel like it was really happening.

"Hermione," she heard a whisper beside her. Dazed, she met Fred's horrified eyes. "Your nose is bleeding."

She reached up and felt a small trickle of blood sliding down her face, over her lips.

She could taste the salt.

Fred's head snapped to the scene before them. Draco's face was so bloody, she could barely see the pale skin beneath. And she understood.

Fred did too.

"Stop!" he cried out, leaping forward to pull the raging Irishman from his victim.

"Let me fucking go, Fred!" Seamus screamed. Agonized.

"You're hurting her," Fred shouted back, trying desperately to grab Seamus' flailing arms. "Hermione! Look at Hermione!"

Seamus's eyes went to her for a moment, and his gaze followed the drop of blood now at her chin.

His arms went limp.

"Get him out of here," Seamus muttered, his body starting to shake. "I'm going to kill him. I'll bloody kill him."

"Seamus, we don't know what'll happen to 'Mione…"

"I know!" He screamed, standing up and backing away from the bloodied man at his feet. "So get him out of here before we find out!"

"I'll deal with the prick," she heard Blaise mutter, before he leant down and pulled Draco to his feet. He was still conscious, she noticed, as he spat blood on the floor.

It was crimson red on the tiles.

Blaise left no time for Seamus to change his mind, before dragging Draco from the room. He stumbled along, blood falling from his face at every moment. As they reached the doorway, he looked back at her for a moment.

She didn't know what he was trying to convey, what he wanted.

And well, in hindsight, she never had.


"I want him gone," Seamus snarled at the table, about an hour later.

Once Blaise had successfully locked Draco in a room upstairs, the Order had dispersed for a moment to breath. To comprehend. To try and understand that the game had changed. The rules were different.

Hermione had gone to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Staring at herself in the mirror, she watched blood fall from her nose for…what? Minutes? Hours? Days? Time stopped in that moment.

Crimson droplets fell in the sink, staining the porcelain.

Eventually, a knock on the door had roused her.

"Hermione," Remus had whispered, his voice frailer than she had ever heard it. "We're convening downstairs to discuss everything."

"Alright," she whispered back, eyes trained on the splatter-pattern of red over the white of the sink.

She finally raised her wand and destroyed the evidence.

Evidence of what? She wondered. Was it a crime to bleed?

No. But it was a crime to bleed for him.

Which led her to the present, knees pressed against her chest, sitting at the kitchen with the Order, debating the fate of Draco Malfoy.

"I swear to god, I'll kill him if I ever see him again," Seamus continued, his face ghost white.

Remus sighed. "Seamus, I understand how angry you must be…"

"And you're not?" Seamus retorted, his voice shaking. "The bastard's been living under our roof for over a month now. He's fought for us in missions, sat at our table for meals. And this whole time, he's the reason Dean's dead. He killed him."

"I understand, Seamus," Remus replied, softer this time. "Our loss of Dean was horrible."

Seamus shook his head. "No, your loss of Dean was horrible. Mine was cataclysmic."

Fred spoke up. "Mate, I get it. When the echo showed up, I wanted to hit him, too."

"I wanted to kill him, Fred. I would've if you hadn't stopped me."

"Which brings us back to our problem," Remus said quietly.

The older man's eyes met hers.

She sighed. "I don't know what to do about it."

Blaise, at her right side, nodded. "It's an impossible situation."

"How?" Seamus snarled. "If we kick him out before I kill him, he can't hurt Hermione."

"But the Death Eaters could use him against her," Blaise said. "Like earlier."

"So what then?" Seamus said. "We seal him inside a bubble? Slip him food every day so he doesn't die? All the while he gets away with it? He murdered my best friend, and he bloody gets away with it?"

"He's not going to get away with it," Tonks interjected, her hair bright red and her eyes not far off. "We're just saying that we can't physically hurt him, or allow the other side to, because of its effect on Hermione."

"There's got to be a way around it," Hermione whispered, her mind still blank. "My father died, and it didn't kill my mother, and they had the Le Fay 'other' connection. His death didn't kill her."

"Yes, she lived," Tonks said. "But we still don't know what it did to her."

The implication knocked the wind out of her.

"Is there any way to break this stupid connection?" Seamus snarled, colour returning to his face. "Hermione didn't rationally pick him, or consciously for that matter. Did you?"

His eyes snapped to hers quickly.

The only emotion she recognized in them was worry. The rest was a cloud of darkness.

"No, I had never even heard of the concept until today," she admitted, thoughts running away from her. She still could hardly believe, let alone understand the whole thing. She had chosen Draco as a soulmate? Life mate?

And even as the idea revolted her brain, the buzzing in her veins felt different.

Remus pursed his lips. "I'm not sure what we can do about it, to be honest. I hadn't known that the Le Fays chose partners like this, but I'm not surprised. We're dealing with old magic."

"Can't we break it?" Seamus repeated.

"Blood magic bonds are nearly impossible to break," Remus said, crossing his arms. "I mean, we can look into it, but the Le Fays aren't the only ones who do this…choose a mate like this."

"I hate that word," Hermione muttered, looking down.

"Fair," Remus conceded. "But the concept stands. Veelas do this, other magical creatures…it's not totally unheard of for wizards and witches to have a magical bond like this, especially in old wizarding folklore."

"Regardless," Blaise said. "We have time to figure that out. But first and foremost, what on earth are we going to do about Draco right now?"

"We can't set him loose," Neville interjected, after having pensively watched the conversation thus far. "He'd be captured in a second, and he can be used as a weapon against Hermione."

"He killed Dean," Seamus repeated, anger bubbling under his steady tone.

"And I hate him for it," Hermione spoke up, the words feeling strange against her tongue. "But I can't go through what happened at the manor again, Seamus. Please."

His eyes softened slightly. "I don't want you to."

"So we can't let him go," Hermione repeated, eyes on her clasped hands, sitting gently in her lap. "He'll have to stay here."

"Can't we send him to a safe house, or something?" Seamus said, sounding desperate. "I can't…I can't have him here."

Tonks shook her head. "We need him under our watch. He's too much of a liability to even allow out of Grimmauld Place at this point."

"We can lock him upstairs," Remus said. "One of us can be tasked with bringing up food. He'll be nowhere near you, Seamus. We won't allow it."

"It's not about whether or not I can see him," Seamus said, his voice finally cracking. "It's about knowing that he's a floor away, and that he's the reason Dean is gone. Have you all forgotten? Dean is gone."

"Of course we haven't, Seamus," Neville said. "Dean was your best friend, but we loved him too. We're not saying that Draco is getting a full pardon, or a pardon at all. We're just saying that we can't kill him or let him go. He'll be locked upstairs."

"I don't know what I'll do with him in the house."

"You wouldn't kill him," Neville said, sounding strangely assured.

"Bloody hell, Neville, I'm not going to let Dean's death go unavenged."

Neville paused a beat before responding. "You wouldn't hurt Hermione like that."

Silence.

Seamus look thunderstruck, as if the fullness of the situation finally hit him. His eyes slowly drifted to Hermione's.

There they waited, watching each other. She didn't know what to say. How to apologize. It wasn't her fault, but she felt it as such. She could only imagine how he felt. Draco had killed Dean. Draco was Hermione's Other. The pillars of his world had come crashing down, and there stood Draco Malfoy, controlling the battering ram.

She felt Seamus's pain as her own. Not as she had felt Draco's, through their bond.

No. This was just empathy. Simple, human connection and feeling.

A part of her missed the simplicity of it. The simplicity of before.

A tear fell from Seamus's eye, and he nodded slightly.

"If Malfoy has to stay here," his voice waivered slightly. "Can I leave?"

Hermione started, jaw dropping. "What?"

"To a different safe house, I mean," he continued. "Shell Cottage, or maybe Andromeda's. Just for a while. So I don't…slip up. So I can breathe. Heal, maybe. There are too many ghosts here for me now, and the ghost hunter as well."

Tonks nodded, her hair returned to her preferred bubblegum pink. "I think that's probably a wise decision for you, Seamus. Get some space from it all."

Hermione watched Seamus, his eyes growing more and more distant. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of him leaving. But she understood. Dean had lived under this roof with him. His and her relationship had started, happened, and finished at number 12 Grimmauld Place. And now, here was Draco, trapped in the attic.

Too many ghosts for any man to handle. And wasn't he just a man? In the same way she was just a woman. A fallible human who had reached his breaking point.

That simple empathy returned.

How she missed it sometimes. As she missed him sometimes.

But they were in a different war now, a different world. They had been for a while.


She knocked on his door and waited. How many times had she done this in a past life? Late night visits, early morning departures… a relationship in secret. A relationship never had.

He knew her knock. And when the door cracked open an inch, she pushed it the rest of the way open, before closing it behind her.

"I wanted to see you before you left."

Seamus sat on the bed opposite, eyeing her. "I thought you wouldn't come."

She frowned. "Of course I'd come."

He sighed, eyes wandering to an open suitcase at his feet. She saw clothes, books, shoes haphazardly thrown in. He was leaving quickly. He wanted to leave quickly.

"Where are you going?" she asked, quietly.

"Shell Cottage," he answered. "Bill…Bill and I always got on well. I thought the ocean would be nice too. Salty air to clear my head."

She nodded, lips pursed. What could she possibly say in this moment? Was there anything at all she could do to fix it?

As if he could read her mind, he shook his head. "You can't do anything, Hermione, though I appreciate the thought."

She felt like she was floundering, completely unsure of how to remain afloat. "How are you feeling?"

He laughed, an emotionless, dry laugh. "How am I feeling? I just found out that the man who killed my best friend is also my ex's lifetime magical partner and living in my home. How do you think I'm feeling?"

She winced at his honesty. Not that he didn't have the right to say it, but the circumstance they found themselves in were painful. Endlessly painful.

"Seamus," she started, guilt creeping into her voice. He shook his head.

"Don't, Hermione." His voice was softer now. "I know you didn't choose this. I know you didn't cause this. It's him. You know, I hated when he moved into this house, but I didn't think he would absolutely ruin my life, you know?"

Another dry emotionless laugh.

"I would've killed him, you know," he whispered. "When I saw Dean's echo come out of that wand, I don't know, it was as if something else took over. And all I felt was anger. All I saw was his stupid, pointy face and all that it had taken from me. I would've killed him without a second thought, the way he killed Dean without probably a single thought. But then I saw you and everything changed."

He sighed. "You looked so pale, and so…distant, like you were in a completely different world. And your nose was bleeding, and it looked like you barely noticed. And then I saw my hand, covered in his blood, and your face, covered in your own, and I snapped back. I couldn't hurt you, Hermione, Draco Malfoy be damned. And please god, let him be damned."

She smiled lifelessly. "I didn't really feel it really. You didn't hurt me."

"But I could have," he said, voice strong. "And that was enough for me. As much as I want to rip his useless limbs from his useless body, I can't hurt you. So I have to leave. There's too much here for me now. There's nothing for me here now."

She nodded. She understood.

He leaned down and zipped up the suitcase.

"I hope you find something for yourself there," Hermione said quietly.

He smiled, only the corners of his mouth lifting. "I hope I find peace."

"I hope so too, Seamus," she whispered.

He lifted the suitcase and began to leave. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she swore she could hear his heartbeat.

"Please, Hermione," he whispered, voice breaking slightly. "Try and break the bond. Try and…at least see him for what he is."

"I do," she whispered.

And she did.

He nodded. "That's all I ask." He walked past her to the door.

"I'll see you on the battlefield, Miss Le Fay. I'm always on your side."

She smiled slightly before saluting him. "As I'm on yours, Mr. Finnigan."

"We're still going to win this thing, 'Mione," he said. "And then, when there's an after, because there has to be an after…then I will see you there as well."

She smiled blankly as he left.

There had to be an after…didn't there?


"I swear to god, if Finnigan hadn't started punching the guy, I would have."

Hermione and Blaise were sitting on the top landing of Grimmauld Place, staring at the door opposite. Behind that door was Draco, tied up, nose healed, and awaiting his fate.

She sat there, trying to decide it.

"If anyone got to punch Draco, it was Seamus," she replied.

"How do you feel about him staying somewhere else?" Blaise asked her.

"Odd," she admitted, voice merely a whisper. "We've been staying here together for years, and now he's gone. I'll still see him, on missions, in battles, but everything is different now, you know?"

Blaise nodded. "I think it's better for the bloke."

"Me too."

"But speaking of blokes," Blaise continued, eyes drifting back to the closed door. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If Seamus had the right to punch him in the face, I have the right to do this," she said, her voice stronger than she felt.

"I must admit," Blaise said. "I was surprised."

"Surprised?" she raised an eyebrow. "Draco killed Dean, faked his desertion, infiltrated us, and almost brought me over to his side because he somehow figured out this whole 'other' business, and you're surprised?"

"Oh, I'm not surprised about that," Blaise responded. "Drake's a piece of shit, that's nothing new. I mean, I had hoped, and I thought…I digress. I'm surprised that he didn't."

She frowned. "Didn't what?"

"He didn't bring you over to his side," Blaise said. "He could've. He could've fulfilled whatever mission that he had been sent on easily, we all saw it coming, divination be damned. You were hypnotized walking across that room, 'Mione. But he didn't. He changed his mind. He saved you."

"Just because the bastard did one good thing doesn't negate all the awful things he did on the way."

"I'm not saying it does," Blaise shrugged. "I'm just saying I was surprised. When I realized what he had done, I thought it was over. But he surprised me. That's all that I'm saying."

Hermione pursed her lips, considering what Blaise had said.

Blaise sighed. "Regardless, it's time for us to get the full story."

Ignoring her pounding heartbeat, she nodded.

Both getting to their feet, Blaise gave her a quick hug.

"Get in there, Princess. Seamus can't ruin him physically, for obvious reasons, but I would pay real money to watch you ruin him with words."

She let a small smirk appear on her face. Blaise gave her a quick wink before retreating downstairs.

She turned and walked towards the door. No need to knock. She owed him no semblance of respect.

She pushed it open.

Hermione had known what was awaiting her, but the sight shook her, nonetheless. There he sat, tied to a chair, covered in blood. On her entrance, his eyes snapped up to meet hers.

They were grey now.

She took a deep breath and walked in, closing, locking, and silencing the door behind them.

This was for their ears only.

"Draco Malfoy," she said.

"Hermione Le Fay," he responded.

She watched him for a moment, as another meeting, another moment echoed through her mind. Another time, another room in Grimmauld Place with him bound up, and her trying to figure him out.

She knew he remembered it too.

"Look how far we've come to have nothing be different," he said, voice low.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, Draco. Everything is different."


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