Chapter 4: Shell Cottage
There was a distinct buzzing sound in her ears, and she could tell that a bright light was being shown on her, regardless that her eyes were pressed closed. Murmured female whispers in the background meant that at least two people were in the room with her, and neither were Harry or Ron. What was the last thing she remembered?
Her eyes flew open as she sat straight up. Greyback, she remembered Greyback. Harry had said the taboo and it had brought the snatchers to their camp. They'd run for it, but anti apparition wards had kept them from getting away. Once she'd realized that there was no escape from the snatchers, especially with Greyback chasing after her, Hermione had turned her wand on Harry and hit him with a stinging jinx to hide his identity.
Greyback had grabbed her around the waist shortly after. Sniffing her, she could taste his foul breath as he laughed about her 'pup'. Threatening her in whispers about how he was going to rip it from her womb to bite and raise for himself. Clutching the tiny bump, a sense of relief flushed over her that her baby was still fluttering inside her, giving small nudges where her hands laid.
Where was she now though? She vaguely remembered something about Malfoy Manor being said, but everything happened in such a blur she couldn't be certain. Pain, she remembered pain. Silver eyes watching her, a cursed blade breaking her skin, a cackling voice, then there was darkness. Her breaths were coming in fast and shallow, as she slowly came back into consciousness and out of the nightmare.
"'Ermione, 'ow do you veel?" One of the voices asked. Hermione took a few slow blinks looking at the flowing silvery haired witch. Wearing a floral apron and blue eyes filled with concern, it took a minute for Hermione to register who was standing in front of her.
"Fleur? What are you doing here? Where's Greyback?" She asked, grabbing the blanket and pulling it up her chest, trying to conceal her protruding stomach.
"I suppose 'e would be at ze Chateau Malfoy,"
An airy voice said, "I wouldn't worry about Greyback, Hermione, I am sure you-know-who is keeping him occupied. "Hermione turned to see, on the other side of her bed, a bruised and bloodied Luna Lovegood. Her long white-blonde hair was a matted mess, but her grey blue eyes sparkled.
The rest of the events came rushing back to her at the mention of the manor. Bellatrix torturing her, using a dagger to carve into her arm. Looking down, Hermione saw her left arm was heavily bandaged and in a sling.
She didn't remember much, but what stood out was the pain. There had been never-ending pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would have been. She could remember Bellatrix questioning her, especially worried about the possibility of Hermione entering her vault.
Merlin's beard. There was something in her vault!
"I need to speak to Harry and Ron, right now." Hermione demanded, looking at the two witches.
"'Ermione, we need to talk about ze babe. You're very far along in pregnancy." Hermione winced at Fleur's words. Of course, Fleur would have noticed that she was pregnant while they were healing her.
A slight panic began to rise in Hermione's chest, "is he alright? Nothing's wrong with him, is there?" Hermione gripped her hands over her midsection again. Luna still had an airy look on her face as she reached out a hand to rub reassuring circles on her bicep.
"Your baby is fine. Draco must have used his spell on you to protect him." Luna replied, moving her hand to rub against where Hermione's baby rested. "How do you know it's a boy?" She asked, giving Hermione a dreamy look.
"Oh. I, uh, I don't. The, er…person who was checking on the baby never was able to confirm before they stopped seeing me. I'm just guessing," she said to the blonde witches.
"'Ermione, neither of ze boys have asked anything about your pregnancy. So, I'm assuming zey are…unaware?" Fleur asked, and Hermione blushed, shaking her head for a reply. "Is it safe to say neither iz ze father?" Again, Hermione shook her head.
Sighing, Fleur stood up from the chair she had been occupying and floated to the window. "You can't tell them either, if they knew…we have to end the war. I can't be benched right now, no matter what." Hermione whispered out into the air, looking down at her hands fidgeting with the blanket.
"When are you due?" Luna asked, as she kept rubbing small circles against the bulge. "We don't know much about pregnancy healing beyond being able to check the baby's vitals and magical signature. With what we could tell, you can't be far off from delivery."
"The end of next month," Hermione whispered the answer, but Fleur heard her perfectly clear.
"And vat, you don't think being in ze last month of pregnancy iz reason enough to stay out of trouble! You vere just tortured, and if it hadn't been for vatever shield charm was placed on you, your child would be dead, 'Ermione!" Fleur exclaimed, turning in a fury towards the bed. "Ze war efforts can continue without you being out zere! I cannot believe the father iz agreeable to you running around zis vay!"
"The father doesn't know about the baby…it's not safe to tell him…" was the only answer Hermione could muster for the furious French witch.
Before Hermione could open her mouth again, Fleur held up her hand. "Je ne peux pas écouter ça. I don't vant to know anymore. You'll have the baby 'ere. You're done with ze fighting, you'll stay 'ere until ze babe is born. We'll make arrangements to put you both into a safe house and vait out the var. If it's as dangerous as you are implying, then you need to keep his identity to yourself. Quel désordre!"
In a flurry, Fleur moved towards the door before she paused with her hand hovering over the handle. "Your secret is safe with me, but your friends do deserve to know about your condition." A click and she was out the door.
A silence fell over the room as Hermione sat with Luna. She was stunned at Fleur's willingness to not mention her pregnancy to the boys, but also irritated that she thought she could command Hermione to stay out. "You aren't going to stay, are you?" Luna asked, reaching out to hold onto Hermione.
"I can't, I have to do more to fight for the world he deserves to grow up in." Hermione said, watching as Luna nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes. I think you're right. Everything will be fine, let me go tell Harry and Ron that you're awake. You'll want to tell them what you remembered." The younger witch said, giving Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze before walking out.
Watching the door close, Hermione found her resolve. She wouldn't tell the boys about her pregnancy just yet. She would wait until after they'd found a way into the Lestrange vault. She just had to find out why the thought of her being in there would have made Bellatrix so nervous. Yes, after they broke into Gringotts, she'd come back to Shell Cottage.
ooo
As they were busy packing their trunks for the return trip to Hogwarts, Draco stood up from being bent over his own. "Did you ever figure out what Pippa was off doing to make your father ban her from leaving the estate?" Draco asked, looking over where the small house elf was standing looking out the window twisting her hands.
"No idea, but I wasn't going to correct old Thoros and tell him she wasn't coming to Hogwarts. Whatever she was doing she obviously didn't want him to know about." Theo replied, pulling out another pair of tiny, knitted booties out of his trunk. "Though, do you think there's healers to look after house elves? I'm afraid she's cracked."
Ever since the incident at Malfoy Manor involving Hermione and the dimwitted duo, Draco had been staying with him. Luckily, his presence at home hadn't been missed and they'd been able to take refuge at the Nott Estate while Thoros was gone. With the freedom to speak openly, Theo told Draco everything that he'd kept a secret from his boyfriend. Everything from sixth year, how he'd run into Hermione outside the library, then working on the charms project, and how they'd grown closer.
Draco didn't ask for details, but Theo could tell that the relationship bothered Draco. Draco had been pining after Hermione ever since she'd walked into the Yule Ball during their fourth year. Or at least that's when he'd become vocal about his lusting after her. Theo had heard him moan her name more than once during their throes of passion, even though Theo never said anything about it. It had bothered him the first few times, but he'd accepted Draco's attraction to the frizzy haired Gryffindor.
Knowing that Draco wanted her, but she had been with him kept Theo's eyes to the ground. Thoros would torture him if he knew he was in a homosexual relationship. If Thoros had even an inkling about Theo and Hermione, his father would have killed him without a thought. Probably slitting his throat at the dinner table, just like his mother. Better no heir than a Blood traitor who liked boys.
"Oh, uh yeah…I'd think so. Gunter," Draco called out. With a soft 'pop' his personal elf appeared, giving his master a low bow and greeting him. "Uh, yeah, can you bring us and our trunks to Kings Cross? The Nott elves aren't permitted to leave the grounds, so you'll have to bring Theo as well."
"Of course, Master Draco. Gunter will bring the masters to the station. Gunter will not fail another command." The elf said as he snapped his fingers to help both boys finish packing. Another snap and the trunks disappeared.
Theo walked over to where Pippa was still in the window. "Pippa, I'm going to get going now. Do you think you'll be okay here until the summer holiday when I return?" Another sob broke free from her as her little shoulders shuddered and she nodded her head.
"I could give you clothes and you could be freed, then you wouldn't have to stay here with him. You could go wherever you needed to be." Theo offered again, already knowing the response.
She turned, glaring at him, tears heavy in her large eyes. "Master Theo will not be so naughty and say such things! Pippa needs to be a Nott elf, not an elf with no family. The Nott family needs Pippa."
Sighing, Theo nodded his head. Ever since his nanny elf, Evie, Theo had tried to protect Pippa in any way he could. Though through the years, she had, time and time again, refused to allow him to free her. Especially now. It had been since Theo had taken the dark mark, but Pippa had been more attentive than ever before. "Pippa, you could be safer being free than stuck in this house with that monster," Theo pleaded with her.
"Master Theo will not give Pippa clothes. The Nott family needs Pippa," she told him as she pulled out another pair of tiny knitted pale green booties and matching hat, handing them to Theo. "The Nott family needs Pippa," she repeated before turning back towards the window and wistfully looking out at the grounds.
"Uh, sure thing, Pippa." Theo said, with the booties and hat still in hand he turned back to where Draco and Gunter stood waiting for him. Theo shoved the booties in his pocket, because he knew how she'd react if he didn't accept them. He'd never seen her so disconsolate.
"Ready whenever you are." Draco said, addressing Gunter who gave a nod and they popped out of existence and to the platform.
ooo
"Draco, bring him in here," Pansy instructed as Draco carried a second year Gryffindor into the second-floor girl's bathroom. The boy was limp and unconscious in his arms, just coming from detention with the Carrows. "Do you know what curse they used on him?" She asked, tucking her short black hair behind her ears before digging through her medical bag. She adjusted her thin emerald horn-rimmed glasses on her nose as she turned back to where Draco was standing.
"Conjunctivitis jinx, he wouldn't break eye contact with them, so they blinded him. Then they let Crabbe and Goyle have a go at him after that so he couldn't see them to try and defend himself." Draco said lying the body on the makeshift cot Pansy had set up in the stall.
"Broken ribs, punctured lung, fuck, they must have done something because he even has an obstructed bowel. Draco, you're going to have to hold him still, I can't stun him until I've fixed some of this damage." Pansy instructed him as she began waving her wand over the small boy. "Where did you find him?" She asked, her face contorted as she concentrated on removing one of the ribs from his lung.
"He was lying outside the hospital wing, probably didn't realize that Pomfrey gets locked inside every night."
"Yes, well that's why she's training me, isn't it? I suppose it's a good thing that Snape gave her the list of healer hopefuls after fifth year. Between me, Parvati, and Hannah we see more students than Poppy does." Pansy said, "I can't believe the Carrows put a bloody limit on how many students can be seen in the hospital wing. Sadistic fucks, the pair, they sent Harper in for a bloody pepper up potion three times just to fuck with her."
The three hopeful seventh year aspiring healers had worked out a system between them. Pansy, since she was a Slytherin and her father a death eater, took the overnight shift. If she was caught out after hours, it was unlikely that she would be punished for breaking curfew. Part of the agreement, though, was that the other two student healers wouldn't tell anyone that Pansy was involved in the illicit healing.
If word got out that she was going against her father, the results could quickly turn deadly for the Slytherin girl. Therefore, Hannah and Parvati were the faces of the student's healing efforts. Theo had charmed a set of four notebooks to be shared between the girls and Madam Pomfrey to keep a written record of the injuries they each treated.
The system was efficient, and the Slytherins that helped Draco, Theo, and Blaise had been able to keep low profiles. "Draco, pay attention, if you can't hold him then go and send Blaise to me." Pansy snapped as Draco's hold slipped on the younger student as he thrashed about. "I'm almost done and then we can stun him."
Just as she was finishing up wrapping the boy's chest, Theo came bursting into the room. "Pansy, she's bleeding out!" He shouted, clutching a little Ravenclaw in his arms. "Her father works for the Ministry; he made an enemy." Theo explained as Pansy turned towards him and the girl.
"Shit, alright," she said, tapping her charm bracelet. The bracelet was charmed to alert the other healers if there was an emergency situation that required more than one set of hands. "Draco, get him back to Gryffindor tower." She said dismissing him as she turned back to her newest patient. Draco placed a disillusionment charm on the boy before levitating him out of the bathroom, hovering slightly behind him.
If Draco were to get caught walking the halls carrying someone, it wouldn't be a good look. Now that the boy was stabilized, it was safer for both of them if Draco didn't carry him.
"Draco," the blonde froze, turning back to face the new headmaster. Snape was walking towards him, his long-crooked nose pointed up in the air and the firelight making his greasy hair glisten. The long black robes he wore swallowed his godfather in the darkness, making it so that Draco hadn't even noticed his approach until he was right on top of him. "Where are you going?" He asked, his eyes flickering behind Draco where the boy was still floating.
"Just clearing my head, sir." Draco replied, with a small nod of his head trying to show respect to the man. "The dungeons were a bit too…enthusiastic…" Draco finished as he remembered how gleeful some of the other students had been. They'd caught Longbottom's crew sneaking around the castle and had gotten into an altercation that the junior death eaters had won.
"I see. Perhaps, wandering alone near Gryffindor tower tonight is not the best place to…clear your head." Snap replied, his eyes steady on Draco.
Fuck, what was he supposed to do with this kid?
"Of course, sir," he said smoothly, "I'll head back towards the dungeons now." A nod and snape swept away again, leaving Draco staring after him. It was only a moment before Draco could hear a groan from the boy behind him. Moving into an alcove, Draco turned so that the kid could see him as he was coming too. Taking the disillusionment off him so that Draco could see the kid.
"Where…where am I?" The croaking voice said, as the boy blinked his eyes. As he noticed Draco standing before him, his gaze went wide before narrowing. "Malfoy, what do you want with me? Didn't your goons do enough?" The boy spat the words, wincing from the movement.
His hands found his bandaged ribs and at the feel of the material, his eyes snapped back to Draco. Holding out a glass of water and a pain potion Draco scowled at the boy, the young Gryffindor still didn't make a move to take what Draco was offering him. "Why are you helping me?" He asked instead.
Shrugging his shoulders was the only response Draco was willing to give. He's not a bad person, really, he's not. Family placed him on this side of the war, it's not as if he was given a choice on who he wanted to be. "I need to get you back to Gryffindor tower. It'll be easier on us both if you take the potion and I don't have to carry you." He told the boy, again gesturing towards the water and potion in his hands.
"You're a Death Eater. I can't trust you," the boy spat at him. Draco shrugged, but his jaw clenched at the words.
"Well, good luck then." Setting both the water and potion down on the ground, Draco moved out of the alcove. Going to stand behind a suit of armor, Draco waited for the boy.
Hisses of pain could be heard from where he was hidden as he tried to move. Pansy had healed his ribs, but they'd still be sore. Not to mention she'd discovered his knee had been dislocated, even with magic it would be painful to walk on tonight. Just when Draco was debating going back to help the boy, he heard the top of the vial open. The clinking of glasses being set back down on the stone floor sounded, then shortly after the sandy curls of the boy's hair stuck out.
Looking both ways, he slipped from the alcove and with a limp made his way back towards the portrait Draco had been trying to deliver him to. "Ruddy Gryffindors, all of them have a death wish." He muttered following in the shadows behind the boy until he was safely in his common room. His mind wandered back to a certain Gryffindor Princess as he slipped into a hidden passage that made getting to the dungeon short work.
The remainder of the Easter holiday and the little over a month that they'd been back at school had included a lot of both Draco and Theo trying to figure out where she was hiding. Theo had told him all about how she'd led him to believe that she would be fleeing the country with her parents. They knew that her parents were no longer in England and nowhere to be found since Draco and Theo had both been personally assigned as part of the team to abduct the Granger family and lure Potter out of hiding.
The house hadn't even been listed for sale, just abandoned with no forwarding address. The dental practice that her parents owned had been sold to their partner with no word on where or what they were doing. Bank accounts had been cleared, and the rental property that they owned had been sold to some rental company.
There was no activity on any of their credit cards or passports, it was as if Emilia, Sebastian, and Hermione Granger had just disappeared from the face of the planet. Draco had questioned Theo checking so hard for Granger when they'd first been given the assignment. He had his own personal motives for wanting to make sure the little witch stayed alive, but now after the Easter holiday, Draco understood better than ever before.
"Draco?" He heard Theo's voice calling out to him, so he turned and waited on his boyfriend. They stepped into an abandoned classroom where they embraced each other tightly. Theo's silent sobs racked through his body as Draco just wrapped his arm tighter around his love.
"Look at what they are doing to students who haven't done anything. They will kill her if they find her before we can, but first they'll use her as an example, make her beg for death. We're no closer today than we were when we first started." Draco couldn't hold back his own tears that flooded his eyes at his lover's words.
He wasn't exaggerating. When they'd been called from school to go out on missions, he'd heard the depraved things that Dolohov had said he would like to do if he ever got his hands on 'Potter's Mudblood'. Greyback had eyed Theo and growled at him whenever they had been forced to be paired with the werewolf. Rabastan Lestrange had snarled about that 'mudblood bint' ever since their failed mission at the Department of Mysteries where Hermione had apparently given the younger Lestrange brother a baby head when she smashed time turner sand all over him.
Even if it was just the two of them laying out their plans and wishes on what to do with Granger if they ever found her, it would be bad enough. But Bellatrix now had a personal vendetta against the little witch as well. Draco had seen the set up that his aunt had started putting together. She called it her little 'playroom', cut outs of Granger hung on the wall. He'd seen her walking in there with her carving knives, licking the blade as she ran her bony fingers over the images on the walls.
The real icing on the depraved cake was Umbridge seemed to have her own vendetta against the swot. After her escape and the confirmation that Granger was still in England, the woman had employed a variety of werewolves, vampires, and hags just to seek her out. She hadn't even put that much effort into finding Potter, and he was still listed as undesirable number one.
No, if Granger were found by anyone besides him or Theo, she would not be granted a merciful death. She'd single handedly made too many personal enemies besides those who wanted her dead for her blood status.
"We'll find her. How hard could it be to find one witch?" Draco asked as Theo made eye contact with him laughing out loud.
"Any witch besides Granger would be easy to find." Theo said, shaking his head. "We have the cottage to hide her in, no one will find…" his sentence was interrupted by the sounds of running feet outside the door. "What do you think is happening?" Theo asked as they released each other and put their masks back on. Any evidence of tears or emotions were brushed away before opening the door.
"Malfoy, Nott, where have you two been?" Goyle asked, rushing towards them.
"Out," Draco snapped at the large teen. "What is all this, what's going on?" He asked using his authoritative tone.
"It's Potter, he's been spotted in Hogsmeade."
Draco and Theo exchanged looks, masking anything that might give them away to the boy in front of them. If Potter was in Hogsmeade, that could only mean one thing.
A/N: Hello! Yes, I realize that this update isn't coming when I promised. Life, sigh. Oh, and the fact that I can't get other plot bunnies out of my head. So, because of that, I'm tossing an update schedule out the window and will update as I'm inspired. Is that irritating? Yes, probably, but that also means that I'll have new content of different stories coming out and it'll be good reads instead of something forced to meet a deadline.
So, I'll be throwing up a new Dreomione called Grief Group here soon. It's a much shorter project, but I've been working on it for a while and it's heavy (I mean, the title alone gives you an idea of how sad it will be.) Plus, I'm working on a few fest pieces...both Dreomiones... Oh, and I have in my head wanted a Hermione being a Victoria Secret Angel for, oh gosh, a while. And guess who finally came up with a story line to fit it! This girl!
And an infidelity piece, an age-gap muggle AU story, an American Hermione AU being a 6th year transfer student, a Theomione, a pure blood Hermione, a Dreomione with a LOT of Ron Bashing... So yeah, expect some new content because yes, all those have been at the very least started with an outline or a few chapters written that I've been sitting on.
Just going to share with the world everything because my heart is that big!
Happy Saturday! Chapter 5 is about half written and it's got my heart strings being PULLED. So, I'd assume an update will be in the near future.