Chapter 16 – Divulgence

A/N: Happy early Christmas/Holidays! And you know what that means – extra-long chapter (but truth be told, it was completely unplanned haha)! Also, I can't believe we are almost halfway through the story. I honestly never knew how rewarding writing fanfic could be. This story was originally supposed to be just 10 chapters but I realize that wouldn't have done this storyline justice. The amount of growth between when I started writing and now is surprisingly noticeable. So, once the fic is finished, I am considering going through and doing a re-write of the earlier chapters to keep the sentence structure and narrator tone consistent. Thoughts on this?

I was also graced with a new idea for another HP story (different pairing though). I've always been a niche sorta gal and believe the old magic/paganism influences should be explored further whether in this fandom or as a standalone, original story. Can you guess where I'll go next? 😊 - delphicpigeon

Draco stared hard at the chocolate-colored creature below him, its fur shining brightly in the warm light of the fire.

"Granger?" he asked the small mammal, a mix of caution and anticipation in his voice.

The otter looked up at him and gave a single nod, beady eyes watching him closely.

"Bloody hell…" he whispered, "This is incredible."

He crouched down, gulping loudly. If this creature was indeed Granger, he'd have to finally accept who she was. An exceptionally powerful, formidable, and highly dangerous goddess hybrid with shapeshifting abilities. And that was just her currently known abilities. There were still pages of texts they had yet to crack.

"I feel slightly mad talking to you." He hesitated, "I can tell this is not like a typical Animagis transformation. Could you provide some indication that you understand me?"

Draco felt foolish as the otter got on all fours and padded towards him in an almost serpentine fashion. She stopped in front of Draco's left knee, where his elbows rested and hands dangled between his legs. The otter peered up, warily watching his reaction. Cautiously, it lifted its tiny paw and rested it tenderly on the top of where his Dark Mark had previously resided.

Draco jerked back at the touch, losing his balance, and crashed to the floor rather ungracefully. His mind was whirling.

She WAS a bloody shapeshifter.

Draco drew his long legs towards his body and repositioned himself cross-legged in front of the diminutive form. She had dropped back to all fours and her whiskers were twitching nervously. He remained still as she tentatively stepped forward again, her coat reflecting strands of russet and brown. She stopped short, leaned back on her haunches, and held out her paws as if she were trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Which, as Draco would admit, was a dreadfully serious matter. Finding his voice, he looked hard into the animal's eyes.

"Can you turn back?" he croaked, "Or am I stuck with an otter?"

The otter dropped her paws in disappointment and closed her eyes. Draco had a split second to cover his eyes before another blinding burst of light illuminated the cottage's main floor. After the glow had waned, he opened his eyes to Granger kneeling in front of him. Startingly close to him. Their noses were nearly touching and he felt the ghost of her breath on his lips. Silver met amber. He inhaled sharply.

ARGHHHH!

Draco had not meant to yell out in surprise, but the dizzying nearness of a now-human Granger had been a bit distressing. The witch had just been a bloody otter! He had his hand clutching his chest, trying to catch his breath, when a giggle followed by a fit of laughter tumbled from Granger's direction. His head whipped up to scowl at her outburst.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded.

She continued laughing while attempting to stifle a snort, clearly enjoying Draco's discomfort.

"Hmpfh." He grunted out, while rising up from the floor.

"Oh, don't be such a child!" she giggled out, "I couldn't have said it better myself. This is incredible." A wide grin spreading across her face as she slowly repeated his words.

Draco sputtered. Sweet Salazar! He slowly rounded on her, gathering himself with all the Slytherin snark he could muster.

"Yes, well," he sniffed, "An otter isn't that impressive. They aren't exactly…", with a third blinding flash, Draco was forced to swallow his words.

Hermione had taken absolute pleasure in messing with Malfoy. He had once again doubted her abilities. It turned out she had not one, nor two, but four animal forms. A sleek greyhound with powerful legs. A playful, yet versatile otter. A massive and deadly hawk with strong wings. And…a hen. The hen form confused but amused her. A greyhound could run. The otter could slip into a watery getaway, while a hawk could take to the skies with deadly talons. Maybe, there was some reasoning behind the nondescript fowl. She shrugged internally.

The transformations themselves had been surprisingly painless but depleted her magic rather quickly. After focusing her on the transformation, like she had with the runic translation, the world had transformed. Cerridwen had whispered in her ear, explaining all the forms she could take. Hermione had initially been especially irked that Cerridwen had not revealed this information outright. However, Cerridwen had explained that due to the nature of Hermione's partially-bonded status, both as her vessel and with the 'Fallen Prince', it prevented her from complete connection to Hermione. In other words, Cerridwen could only speak to Hermione periodically, and even then, the link was weak. Cerridwen had not returned with Hermione's subsequent shifts, being present only for the otter, before slinking below the surface once again.

She was draped unceremoniously on the couch, watching Malfoy walk around the room as he struggled to absorb everything she had told him. He would stop and open his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut and resume walking laps around the lower level of the cottage.

"Malfoy," she called out gently, "Your constant pacing is making me dizzy. I'm exhausted and can't keep up with you. Please sit down."

He slowed to consider her request and gave a slight nod before slinking into the armchair across from her. He leaned forward, a solemn expression in place, placing his elbows on his knees while interlocking his fingers beneath his chin. Hermione gave him a tired smile. The transformations were more taxing than she originally thought. She was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Are you alright?" she heard Malfoy ask in a low voice.

"Yeah," her voice barely a whisper, the smile dropping from her face, "I've been pretty worn out lately and those transformations just took that last bit of my energy."

Her eyes closed and she was instantly asleep, not seeing the troubling shadow that crossed Malfoy's face.

Draco stared hard at her drooping form. She seemed to be wasting away in front of his eyes. Her normally tangled nest of rich brown curls were hanging limply down the side of the couch and small shadows were starting to form under her eyes. Her face had sharpened somewhat and he was startled to see just how delicate she looked. He had heard her mention being worn out more often than not and after watching her go through transformation after transformation, he knew he'd have to share his mother's words soon. Her warning rang in his head.

You shall be bond to the witch that acts as a vessel for the Dark Goddess. Without a secondary magical core to share that – the Granger witch will die.

He groaned inwardly. It had been weeks since Cerridwen had taken over Granger and he wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to contain that power on her own. Even worse was that he was hiding this information from her and that he also knew how to fix the dilemma. Unfortunately, his mind refused to decide whether it was absolutely horrified or secretly delighted that Granger's survival depended on him. One-third of the Golden Trio needed an ex-Death Eater as a bond mate. He had finally decided that he wasn't quite so appalled at the idea of being bonded to her. There were certainly worse witches to be magically stuck with for the remainder of his existence. She was clever, capable, and unendingly fascinating. He drew a deep breath, settling his thoughts for later consideration. He had had enough excitement for one day.

He stood up and walked over to her sleeping form. Her breathing was deep and even, but her face was twisted into a slight grimace. He briefly wondered if she was having a bad dream, considering everything she had been through recently. Dragging a thick blanket from the back of the couch, he gently placed over her, and threw another log onto the fading fire. Grabbing another blanket for himself, he cast a Cushioning Charm, and settled into his chair.

Recalling when she had watched over him during his recovery, he smiled softly. She had cared for him when he had given her no reason to. Glancing at her one last time for any changes and finding none, he summoned a book and read til sleep took him.

Hermione slept for nearly two days straight, waking only to eat a quick meal or relieve herself. The transformations had far more brutal to her magical reserves than she originally thought. Malfoy had been surprisingly silent and uncharacteristically sympathetic to her exhaustion. Leaving simple, but filling meals by her bedside and vanishing the dishes once she was done. He didn't attempt to engage her in any conversations or discussions when she was awake and Hermione was thankful for it. She barely had the energy to eat, let alone think. Finally, on the third day, she was able to stay awake. However, she didn't quite have the strength to remain upright and was content to sit either in her upstairs reading nook or downstairs by the fire. She had tried to resume text translations but quickly found the task too draining. Malfoy was out collecting more firewood and she didn't want to cause issues by wearing herself out again.

Looking around and spotting the seed tin, she summoned it over, and opened the cylinder to inspect the contents. She found cooking herbs like basil, rosemary, and oregano. A couple of fragrant herbs such as mint, lemon balm, and lavender. There were plenty of vegetables from several types of tomato, a couple squashes, many root and vine varieties, and even a handful of leafy greens. In a small packet at the very bottom of the tin were the flowers. In faded handwriting, Hermione learned the envelope contained hydrangeas, rambling roses, wisteria, violets, and a single iris bulb. She smiled gently into the cylinder and felt her eyes begin to water.

Her mother had adored irises. She always kept a vase of them at the Granger dentistry practice when they were in season and they had lined the front of their home for as long as Hermione could remember. Her smile dropped as she struggled to keep tears from falling. She felt like fate was taunting her. A single bulb of her mother's favorite flower. Would she even be able to get it to grow? Hermione hadn't exactly demonstrated a green thumb like her mother, especially if Herbology was any indicator. She wasn't necessarily bad at it but had relied on her photographic memory of the Herbology texts rather than her actual "gardening" abilities. The glimmer of an idea entered her mind and Hermione bit her lip, considering it.

If she could use her magic to translate ancient runic language and transform between several animals, how difficult would it be to use that same magic to coax the iris to life? She paused her line of thinking for any indication that Malfoy was approaching the cottage. Hearing nothing, she took a deep breath and cupped the iris bulb in her tenderly in her hands. It was just a small flower bulb, she argued with herself. It would hardly take any magic to encourage some young roots. After settling herself into a comfortable, upright position on the couch, she took a cleansing breath and focused her magic.

Then it all went dark.

Draco was gathering his final cuts of wood when he felt a shiver at the base of his spine. The feeling traveled up and seemed to ghost over his blemished arm like the briefest skim of a fingertip. He frowned as the sensation passed before something like a wordless warning slammed into his skull.

Granger.

He bolted towards the cottage, dropping the cut timbers he had so carefully selected. All he could think of was her. As the cottage came into view, he breathed a tiny sigh of relief at seeing the building intact. Nearly blasting the door off its hinges, he cast off his clock and searched furiously for her.

His breath caught violently in his throat as he caught sight of her limp form on the floor, slumped dangerously close to the popping embers of the fire.

Never a dull moment with this one, his internal monologue snarked. Seems neither of you can go extended periods of time without experiencing some sort of physical malady.

Her hair was strewn across the wooden floor. Her skin was ashen, and her slender arms were thrown carelessly around her. Draco observed a round bulb with a greenish spike sticking out inches from her outstretched fingers. He took a sharp breath and rushed to her side. Kneeling, he gently tilted her head towards him and watched for signs of life.

"Hey," he urged quietly, "I don't know what happened, but I need you to wake up now."

He slipped his hand under back of her neck, cradling her head. He searched her face for any movement and dropped his head against hers, their foreheads meeting.

"Breathe," he pleaded, his lips brushing lightly against the hollows of her cheek, "Hermione, please."

As if on cue, she took a great, heaving breath and her eyes fluttered open and he pulled back. She searched his eyes for a moment, unfocused and dreamy. They widened suddenly and she squirmed out of his arms.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, panic rising in her voice.

"What do you mean 'What am I doing here'?" he shouted, "I should ask you the same thing! I come back to find you basically dead on the floor and you ask ME what's going on?!".

She blinked up at him, understanding dawning on her face. She shuffled into a sitting position against the couch, wrapping her arms around her knees. She dropped her head and Draco could practically see the guilt rolling off her. Gryffindors were so transparent.

"Tell me what happened." he ordered, his patience waning.

She gave a muffled response, refusing to lift her head. He coughed in irritation. Obviously, she wasn't going to make this easy. He decided to use a different tactic.

"You are being incredibly rude, you know." He remarked, "I am attempting to assess your well-being and you are ignoring me."

He smirked victoriously when she lifted her head, her eyes watery and a look of indignation creasing her brows. He crossed his arms while she sniffed back a response. He looked pointedly at the bulb by her side, waiting for her eyes to follow his line of sight. When she finally caught on and observed the offending item, she let out a stuttered breath.

"Well?" he questioned.

"I can explain." She started.

"That's kind of the point Granger." He sneered, "You better explain quickly as to why I found you basically unconscious next to a plant bulb that has no business growing like that. Especially as there are no spells that can encourage life in that manner." He pointed to the roots that had sprouted from the bottom of the bulb.

She looked at the bulb then to him, a spark of fear dimming her eyes.

Interesting.

"I didn't think it would take that much magic. It's just a bulb. I thought maybe I could jumpstart the root growth. Honestly, I'm fine. You can stop worrying." She rushed out, her words strung together.

Draco nostrils flared in anger at her dismissive tone. She had just barely recovered from the strain of the transformations. He had panicked thinking she had been hurt or someone had broken through their wards.

How dare she make him worry!? He seethed inside. Since when did he began to feel responsible for her safety?

Draco stilled as cold realization washed over him.

He did want to protect her. He wanted her safe. And, most selfishly, he wanted to be the only one who could provide that.

Draco felt his logic crumble when that last thought entered his mind.

"Stop worrying!?" he exploded, "How can you be so incredibly thick-headed and a complete dunder? You barely survived the magical drain from saving me, translating those runes, and the shapeshifting! If you haven't noticed, you've been a ghost, sleeping days at a times and wasting away."

Draco was so caught up his anger that he didn't think about what would come out of his mouth next.

"Can't you see how magically draining these actions are? At this rate, you'll die from your connection to Cerridwen just like my mother warned." He yelled breathlessly.

Her head whipped up at his words, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"What do you mean 'just like your mother warned'?" she whispered, her words dangerously low, "And I suggest you start talking now."

Draco gulped, screaming internally at his massive cock up. This would not go over well. Deciding it would be best to get it all over in one go, he slowly backed out of her reach and quickly summarized the contents of his mother's letter.

"My mother figured out that Cerridwen was to be bound to you just before the bonding ceremony, and she attempted to inform me of the consequences of that bonding." He continued, "She also described, in the briefest of detail, the implications of being Cerridwen's consort."

Draco swallowed hard as he watched Granger stand slowly from the floor. Her hair was beginning to float freely around her, small sparks of gold and silver arching and splintering around her. This was definitely not going well at all.

"So help me Malfoy," she bristled, "Spit it out!"

"Without a complete bonding to your consort, which will provide a secondary magical core to stabilize the raw and volatile magic of Cerridwen, your magic will be consumed, and you will die." He finished, his voice barely audible.

She stood there for the briefest of moments, her face dropped into a "o" of surprise before she flew towards him. He had no time to anticipate her movements before she shoved him hard against the wall, a finger stabbing his chest.

"YOU KNEW THAT THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T THINK TO SHARE IT WITH ME!?" she shrieked in fury, "You didn't think I might want to know that I might die soon and the only person that could save me was YOU?"

Her tone was accusatory and it surprised Draco how it hurt to be on the receiving end of her rage and disappointment. It felt like his father all over again. At the same time, his resentment was growing at the audacity of her claims. He didn't choose to be her consort nor was it his fault that she was a vessel for goddess. He slapped away her finger.

"So what if I knew? We aren't bonded nor we will we be. Snape stopped the bonding ceremony on Imbolc." He maintained.

Abruptly, her wrath deflated at his words and she stepped back, her face pale at his words. Draco was baffled by her actions. He honestly couldn't keep up with her unpredictable mood swings and wished she would just focus on a singular emotion.

She was wringing her hands and avoiding eye contact with him. The last of the sparks disappeared from her hair before she finally looked up at him from underneath her lashes.

"That's not exactly true." She squeaked out, "I can't exactly bond with anyone else."

Now it was Draco's turn to be suspicious.

"What are you going on about Granger?" he hissed.

"Remember when I found you in the woods that day?" she began, a slight trembling to her voice, "There were some…conditions…to bringing you back."

He clenched his fists, digging his nails into the palms of his hands.

"Conditions?" he echoed, cold fury laced in his voice, "What did you do?"

She was visibly shaking now. Whether from whatever confessions she held or from fear, he didn't know nor did he care. He only cared about finding out what she had done to him and what it meant.

"I was so scared when I found you, cold and bleeding out. I couldn't let you die. I begged Cerridwen to help me and she agreed." She answered fast, "Cerridwen said I could transfer some of my magic, which is connected to hers, to you. But by doing that, it created a magical bond between us."

She fidgeted as he stood there, unblinking.

Draco wasn't sure what he expected Granger to say, but that certainly wasn't it. She had just admitted to giving him a fraction of her and Cerridwen's magic. Could that explain why he knew something had happened to her? Was that why she had been so exhausted lately? Sharing magic like that was an act so intimate and profound that few wizarding couples bonded their magic when they were married. Magically bonded pairs could not exist without each other. Their magic was amplified due to the shared connection, but they quickly perished upon their partner's death. Draco felt incredibly out of his depth. Not even his parents had bonded their magic together.

"How did you do it?" he asked quietly, "How did you bond us?"

She hesitated, toying with a strand of hair. The answer was clearly uncomfortable for her, which alarmed Draco even further. He stepped towards her and gripped both of her arms, shaking her slightly.

"What did you do?!" he demanded.

"A kiss." She mumbled, so sedate that Draco nearly missed the word.

A kiss? Now he had an answer for why her lips had struck him as familiar.

He roughly released her and backed away. He struggled as his thoughts screamed angrily. She had done it to save him. He gripped his head as his emotions and logic fought with each other. Was he truly mad because she had kissed him or because she had hidden it from him? Was it because he was bound to her in some form and deep down, he was actually grateful? Years and years of purist teachings assaulted him. He should be revolted and disgusted to be paired with a Muggleborn, goddess or not. Words echoed over and over in his head.

She gave her magic freely to you. She saved you and asked nothing in return. She needs you as much as you needed her. Despite years of tormenting her, she selflessly gave you a piece of herself so you had a chance.

He had been taught his entire life that Muggleborns stole Pureblood magic, but in a very strange turn of events, a Muggleborn had given him magic instead. That alone went against everything he had ever known. A strangled cry drew him out of his spiraling thoughts.

She was standing across from him, tears dropping from her eyes and her entire body trembling.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done it without your consent." She cried, "But you were dying. There was blood everywhere. I didn't know what else to do."

A forlorn expression danced across her eyes, clearly remembering the bloody scene. Draco could hear several emotions in her voice and he realized that they were both equally guilty. His secret predicted her death and hers had kept him from it. He bitterly recognized just how much he owed her. His mind flashed back to when she had placed her hand on his and stated she'd save him all over again. He shuddered slightly, finally grasping the depth of the gift she had given him. A gift one day he may have to return in full. Running his hands through his hair, he gestured to the couch.

"Sit down Granger," he started, releasing a sigh, "It seems we've both kept secrets from each other."

She obeyed silently, dropping on the couch, angrily wiping away tears. Draco produced a handkerchief from his pocket and levitated it over to her lap.

"Stop crying." He spoke softly, "This changes nothing. I am still grateful for you saving me that day. Although, knowing the whole story certainly makes it more…interesting."

She blew her nose and gave Draco a wary look.

"You aren't angry?" she asked, her sniffles lessening.

"As angry as I'd like to be," he sighed, "You saved my life and removed the Dark Mark, thus giving me a second chance in wizarding society. Also, I will admit hiding your tragic fate wasn't very gentlemanly of me. At this point, there is nothing that can be done. If you created the beginning of a bond between us, then so be it. Maybe this unexpected bond can prolong your demise and we can find an alternative solution."

She cocked her head at his words, considering his suggestion.

"Yes, maybe someone else would be willing to bond with me." She agreed sadly, "Once again, I am deeply sorry for my actions."

Draco simply nodded at her apology. Her agreement with an alternative bonding prompted a flare of jealousy, despite the words being his idea. He didn't like the idea of her bonding with someone else. He frowned, tossing the feeling aside as a consequence of the unintended bond.

Hermione wasn't sure how to fully process the conversation that had happened between them. A flurry of thoughts had bombarded her afterwards. Malfoy had been absolutely furious at her revelation then suddenly, he had just simply accepted her actions. She had honestly expected him to react much more violently when he found out she had kissed him and started a bonding process between them. Even more strange was his complete lack of acknowledgement of the kiss shared between them. He had quietly explained just how uncommon magical bond pairings were and she had been amazed at how subdued he had become. She supposed if the tables had been reversed, she would have reacted the same way. Hermione was nothing if not logical. She respected that Malfoy was taking the same approach to the whole situation. Although, she did feel some guilt at causing him to panic over her safety. She had also been astonished when he had confessed to what appeared to be a side effect of their fledgling bond.

"I guess I should mention that I have already observed a minor connection between us. I shrugged it off as wizard's intuition, but after what you have told me, I think it's safe to assume it's part of the bonding." He admitted, "I didn't just happen upon you earlier. I was out in the woods collecting wood when something told me you were in danger."

"Something told you?" She had asked, confused, "Like something spoke to you?"

He shook his head in response.

"Not actual words. Just a general feeling." He huffed, "It felt like fingers on my skin. Urging me to do something. I knew it had to do with you when it stopped on my scar."

Hermione couldn't deny his reasoning nor provide any explanation. She merely nodded in agreement. Overwhelmed by the intensity of the discussion and seeing that Malfoy wasn't speaking further, she quietly stood and ascended up the stairs. She threw herself onto the down comforter and quickly slipped into a dreamless sleep.