Chapter Twenty-One: The Long Night

It had been three days since Valentine's Day. Three days that Hermione had been under the influence of the cherry tartlet Lust Compulsion. Severus had informed Rory as soon as he had gotten back to his labs, sending patroni to both Potter and Draco to let them know that he had to stay away from the fourth floor classroom they knew about. Rory had sent the family grimoire and sent a message to the Malfoy family as well so they could send theirs. He knew technically it was neither of their family magicks, but he still had wanted to check the books to see if there was something about an antidote to other familys compulsions. So far not so good.

He had visited his daughter a couple of times, never entering the room and using Patroni to converse from behind the classroom door that he had transfigured into a one way plexiglass mirror, this way he could check on her until Rory could come and cover it. He had seen after the second day that chains had been conjured into the room, most likely from Mi, who had severed her tie for Hermione to be able to use her magicks as well. Now he sat at the desk in his office, a defeated look upon his face. He had gone over every grimoire the Malfoy family had, and theirs was extensive due to them always marrying into other pureblood families. None of them matched the list of ingredients for the lust potion. Due to process of elimination due to the list of grimoires he had compared to the list of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight", he realized that there was only three missing. The Gaunt Family, which thanks to Potter, he knew wouldnt be it, as that was the line the Dark Lord hailed from (thank you Albus and your daunting teachings through memory). There was also the Shacklebolt family, but he doubted that Kingsley would send his daughter a lust compulsion potion. The man was still severely upset over the events of his daughters previous demise, besides, the Auror deeply cared about his daughter and her friends. He had seen the two of them interacting like old friends at past Order meetings and he had visited her a couple of times, under the pretense of working her case, just so she would have someone to chat with when the boys werent able to be there in the hospital. That only left one family...

The Prewett Family.

He growled, knowing that his first thought had been right. The moment he had seen the thrice damned tartlet, he had known it was Molly's. He'd had enough of them shoved on him over the years. And what was worse, his daughter was suffering because of the Mother Weasle once again. You would think the water ferret would have learned by now not to mess with his family. Shaking his head he made his way back to the fourth floor corridoor, his heart heavy as he told his daughter the news that, unless he could get a hold of a Prewett family Grimoire, there would be no hope for her.

He had just caught sight of the door, and the female red and silvery blonde heads of his daughters friends, when his arm began to sear with pain. Gasping out at the suddeness of it, he didnt catch the cry of pain on the other side of the door. He did catch both Luna and Ginerva's exclaimations though.

They were both being summoned.

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Hermione cried out at the searing pain in her neck. Knowing it was the mark of the Augery she was forced to wear she shambled to her feet, ignoring the cries from her female friends. Calling upon all of her Occlumency skill to hide away from the compulsion of the potion, she staggered over to the table, the chains she wore just long enough to reach the table and the robes that had been sent to her. She turned to look at her friends. "I need one of you to come in here and release your chains on me." The voice that left her lips was hollow, absolutely no emotions were heard when just moments before she had been panting, whining, and thrashing, her voice thick with the husky tone of absolute lust. It was shocking to the two friends. Well, it was to Ginny at least. If it was to Luna she didnt really show it.

Luna opened the door, closing it quickly behind her. "He's going to take advantage of your state Ari," Luna whispered to her in that dreamy tone she always had. Hermione just nodded. She knew this, but she was already thinking of a plan. Damn, this was the clearest her head had been in the last three days. She should have employed the occlumency then. "We know that most family compulsion potions were meant to help concieve an heir quickly Mi," Ginny said as she too came into the room. "If he takes advantage of the potion coursing through your system, it will help with the implantation of the egg thats sitting there waiting for fertlization..." Ginny trailed off, not sure how to put things into words for once. She was always very blunt when it came to anything, and she had read the Prewett and Weasley family grimoires years ago, her mother had insisted on it. It was tradition she knew about the family magicks.

"Ive been taking a contraceptive potion since I came to Hogwarts Ginny, I'll be fine." Hermione's terse retort came as she slid on the robes, making quick work of her school clothes now that he had her magic back and could use it apropriately, the cuffs having been magical suppression cuffs specifically attuned to her so she couldnt leave the room. She transfigured her clothes into a beautiful medevial gown in bottle green, the sleeves split open on both sides only to reattatch at the cuffs on her wrist, held together by burished bronze buttons. Gold filigree scrawled out and around the edges of the dress and brass buckles adorned the corset like bodice of the dress before flairing out into a simple straight skirt. "I know your out there Dad," she projected to his mind through the apprentice link they had forged. "You can come in, Im ready and fully occluded." She felt her father's mind brush against hers for the first time in two days. He had been trying to keep her appraised through the link of what he had found on the tartlet and the grimoires, but soon Hermione's mind had almost completely been taken over by the compulsion, starting out as a whispered suggestion to fufill the need ending more as a demand as the hours went on, causing her unbearable pain both mentally and physically as the lust side of the hybrid potion took full effect in her system, causing her body to spasm and rock of its own accord, trying to find some kind of sexual release, not realizing that she had refused it what it wanted by banishing the boys from even coming down the corridoor. Draco and her brother had been sending messages through Luna and Ginny since, and Harry had only sent the one. That Dumbledore had asked for his assistance in a matter and he was continually sorry for everything that had transpired over the holidays, much like what he had said when he had found them in the abandoned classroom three days ago. Not a memory she really wanted to think of at the time, seeing as the miss in concentration had caused her to sprout both feathers and pointed ears. Draco was now betting she was a griffin because of it and had laughed himself silly for hours afterwards. Harry had just been stunned.

"Depending on whose family magicks it is... it may even supercede the contraceptive potion..." Hermione paused as she reached for her mask, silver and heavy in her hands and etched with sapphire filigree in the shapes of skeletal bodies, two crux serpentines symbols of dark alchemy on either cheek and ancient slavic runes ineterspersed throughout the mask. The masks shape itself was much like a medevial plague doctors mask, except instead of a beak she had ears in the shape of a wolfs. It was an interesting design difference but a little sharp. She had almost cut her finger on the tips of the pointed ears.

She sighed as Ginny's words sunk in. Depending on whose family magicks it was, she wouldnt be surprised that an heir would indeed be concieved, but she also knew from the journals that if she was meant to be soul bonded to someone in her death state, no child would quicken in her womb until she lay with her bonded one. It was actually something she had brought up with Draco in the past couple of months as he had helped her get used to being touched for love and not for... the other. So here was hoping... She gasped as something came to her mind, something that made so much sense it made her burst into pain filled laughter for a moment. She knew her mother had kept a journal, as Lencey and Hermione's grandfather had demanded she do it, just like Lencey had told her she should. She had a hunch she needed to get her hands on her mothers journal when this was over. She had a very sneaking suspicion she was not the only Snape child...

She shook her head as she turned to the door, stowing away her mask in her cloak that she wrapped now around her robes to hide them and her dress. "I'll deal with it when the time comes Ginerva. Tell the boys I'been summoned. So has father. We will return once we are able." With a curt nod, Hermione swept out of the door, billowing robes following in her wake much like her father, who had already begun his descent of the stairs and to the secret passage he used during the times he was called while at the school. Hermione followed, following the map he was sending her through their link to the appiration point at the gates of the school. Once on the grounds and in the shadows of the forest, she donned her mask, feeling it click into place with a weightless and sticking charm the moment it touched her skin. Well... that explained away THAT bit of curiousity she had had after the department of mysteries last year...

She met her father at the gates and while he took his wand and placed it against his left arm, she took the index finger of her right hand, placed it against the burning mark she no longer felt due in part to the occlumency, and with a twist and a crack of disapparation, both were gone.

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Rory was seething as she barreled into the drawing room of Malfoy Manor for the meeting she had been summoned to. She had just recieved Severus's message after spending the past three days looking for another horcrux. The cup of Hufflepuff was currently tucked away in the bowels of Nott Manor, awaiting the others. Harry had been pretty thorough in leaving the notes he made with them that night in October when she had been incapacitated, and for that she was greatful. She had a list of ideas to go off of thanks to her children and her daughters bonded mates. But if Voldemort kept calling her in for these stupid excusions to fuflill his voyeristic breeding kink she was going to just flat out avada the bastard and damn the consequences.

She stopped short as she reached the middle of the throne/drawing room and stepped into a kneeling position, noticing only one person out of the group was Not kneeling, and she had a good idea who it was. She didnt recognise the mask, but it was unmistakably her daughters courage and defiance to stand when all others were kneeling. She sighed audibly and minutely shook her head at her daughter.

Hermione stood there, the sneer on her face very much like her fathers as she looked at all the death eaters sitting there groveling and kneeling before the despot they served. She had refused to bow last time and she refused to bow now. She didnt care what the snake did to her, she would not bow to him like he was The King of Britain and she a small stain on his shoe. She could feel him looking at her with slight irritation, but he seemed to think better of doing anything about it in the present moment. Instead he stood from his throne and approached them. "Rise my faithful, for today we are in for celebration!" The masses rose and tittered about like bleating sheep. Hermione rolled her eyes at them behind her mask. The only ones she knew werent speaking were her parents, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. She had noticed the lovely lady Malfoy immediately upon her arrival. She may have been wearing a black cloak and a mask filigreed with beautiful swans in black, most likely the colour was meant as a mention to her house and family name before she took the Malfoy name, but Hermione found it slightly fitting, seeing the black swan on Narcissas mask. For in truth, while she didnt know the woman intimately, she always thought of the woman as a graceful black swan, the most beautiful of swans in a sea of ordinary white ones. She had recognized the graceful posture, it immediately stood out from the other roughians she stood around. Lucius was easy to pick out as well as he had lifted the hood of his cloak and there was no mistaking the silver blonde hair that both son and father shared. She'd be able to pick it out of anywhere, just like she could Draco's.

"Tonight, we celebrate the release of some of our faithful! Please welcome back your brothers from their short stay in Azkaban!" The doors were flung open and everyone turned to look as four men made their way into the room to stand before the Dark Lord. But Hermione was no longer paying attention to any of that. She was listening to the link between her parents. Her mother seemed to forget that she was also linked with them. They seemed to be arguing about where she had been and Aroura didnt want to mention it in the despots presence, even through the link.

Hermione's heart momentarily stopped when two of the newest escapee's decided to siddle up next to her in the line up. One of them she knew immediately, and a phantom pain began to throb in her chest. Dolohov... great. She turned her gaze to the other and had to quickly check her gasp. It was Theo's supposed Father! She tracked his gaze and saw him staring at her mother. Intently. And then his gaze shifted to her father and the deep, possessive growl that left his lips actually caused her to shudder.

"My faithful," Voledmorts words cut through the low buzz of conversation in the room. Hermione turned her piercing gaze towards the snake man. "It is time to celebrate the return of our brothers," the smile on his face was severely creepy. "And the making of another." Oh she didnt like that... the way he said it, and his gaze held on both her and her mother. Crap. Luna was right. Granted she figured that it might happen, but she was hoping she was going to actually get away with it and not have to finally do anything with Draco under the influence. It seemed that that hope was burning up quickly though.

"Antonin," Dolohov walked forward and knelt in front of his lord. "Your ill is mine Master," he said reverently. The Dark Lord smiled again. "You currently have no heirs, do you not?" Dolohov's head shot up at the words heir, his features showing confusion. "I do not my Lord. My Lady wife passed due to sickness early in our marriage and my heir was taken beyond the veil with her." Voldemort nodded. "Would you like to try for another Antonin?" Hermione sighed audibly. Here it went. She could feel the side of her that was still trying to be the innocent Bookworm Gryffindor of old, was already receeding to the stonehenge in her mind, leaving behind the side of her that was the Necromancer that shared a mind with Mi, the actual Necro part of her Necromancer powers. She could even feel Mi pushing the other half of her mind into stonehenge. She took a deep breath as the Despots eyes turned to her. "Ariadne, darling. Remove your mask for us and show Dolohov what he has to look forward to."

Rolling her eyes behind the mask she walked up to Dolohov and went to remove her mask. Her fathers voice stopped her though. "My Lord, if I may interject." Hermione heard Theo's Dad growl again. Severus ignored him as he stepped out of the line before them. "My Lord Dolohov should not be allowed to mate with my daughter." Gasps were heard throughout the hall, including from Theo's dad, who's head snapped to look at her. She ignored him. She didnt need legilimency to know this man was dangerous to her. She had herd from both Theo and Aroura that Nott Sr. was not the happiest of people when his wife was used as a breeder. In fact Theo had almost lost his life before he drew his first breath because Nott Sr was so disgusted by his own wife; he had been forced to fuck her by Voldemort himself, right after her father had. She knew Voldemort had done it to punish Nott Sr. for neglecting his duties to one of his superiors, but it was also meant to humiliate the man in front of his peers. It was the only other time that she knew of that her parents had ever interacted outside of the tryst her mother had mentioned while she had been pregnant with her.

The conversation between her father and Voldemort had continued while she had been wool gathering. Voldemort was looking at Dolohov with something akin to fury and appraisal. Her father had removed his mask, most likely at the Dark Lords insistence, and was glaring daggers at Dolohov. She decided to intervene. Time to put the plan in order.

"Mating with that sack of... unwashed flesh and bones," Hermione curled her lip as she went to remove her mask while shse spoke, letting her distain for all to see. "Wont get you what you want. According to the Necromantic family history lessons Ive been taught by my other half, an heir can only be achieved for one of the undead by their bonded mate." Gasps abounded throughout the room at her insolence and she didnt miss the two angry hisses from beside her and behind her. Nor did she miss the two choked gasps from her parents. She smirked and turned to her mother, speaking into her mind even while she spoke aloud.

Mentally, "You need to have a serious sit down with ALL the family journals Mum." While aloud she said, "Aro not tell you that little detail Rory? Mi was nice enough to inform me of such things after I came back from the Marking. She knew we'd be put to the test."

Silence followed her words for a moment before an excruciating pain struck her in the side. Mi pushed to the front of her conciousness to stop the sensations from shutting her down before they could finish the plan and as her eyes filled with black and turned toward the caster, she smirked, her hands twitching slightly as the tremors of the Cruciatus ran through her body. Her eyes locked with Nott Sr who was pointing his wand at her, beads of sweat beginning to form across his forehead as he increased the pressure on the spell. In all honesty, Hermione should be unconcious. The spell was indeed strong, but the adrenaline rushing through her as Mi tried to control the electrical currents coursing through her body as she stood there under scrutiny made for an impressive visage.

"I refuse to believe the words out of your filthy Mudblood Mouth!" Nott Sr. screamed at her, his eyes filled with the insanity of Azkaban. Mi just lifted a brow at him. "You sound better with your mouth closed Nott," she gritted out before waving a hand and disarming him. His wand flew into her hands right as her knees buckled. Her father grabbed her about the waist before she hit the floor. Her breathing was heavily laboured, but she turned her gaze to the despot. "Heirs can only be made by the bonded pair of a necromancer and their bonded mate. We are dark CREATURES, not humans. We do not go about letting any old cock fill our cunts and make heirs to our legacies. Our bonded are based off the magical compatibility of the human to our undead magics. Once the bonded is found and formed, no other seed will quicken in a female necromancers womb. So all attempts to make one happen will be futile and a waste of a Necromancers limited fertile years." The last bit was a slight bit of a lie, as Necromancers were fertile their entire exsistence, but Voldemort didnt need to know that part.

The snake faced derranged man in front of them stared at the necromancer before him. He was beyond furious at this point due to the insubordination going on in front of him, but at the same time he wa intruiged. The words the Necromancer, and he could tell that it was the necromancer in full form instead of the girl just by the dark energy she used to refute the cruciatus curse from Nott. While he didnt think she could refute one of his spells, he knew that no one would touch her if she did not want. This one was more powerful than Aro, he could tell. Aro had never been able to refute a cruciatus. But at the same time he wondered... was Aro truly fully bonded to Aroura, or were they still two seperate beings, unlike her daughter and her own necromancer. He turned to look at the girl again.

"So what you are saying is that my efforts to make my army are going to be hindered by you wanting to choose your own partners?" The anger slipped into his voice as he spoke, though it mattered little to him, as apparntly he already had one bonded pair. It would be nice to have more than one breeding his army though...

"Not at all Sir," Mi shook her head. "Our bonded are chosen for us at our conception. We can spend many lifetimes looking for our bonded, but once they are found, the connection is instantanious. And once the connection is formed, the fertile Necro will have a good decade to procreate, sometimes a little more depending on the age of the necro, befor their fertile years are finished and they become mentors to their offspring instead. As it is, both the necromancers in your employ have indeed found their bonded, although I know not who Ariadne's is yet, as he is at the school, and there are many within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts." Voldemorts hairless brow muscles raised at this information. He turned to look at Severus and Aroura, before turning to look back at the girl. A slow smile appeared on his lips.

"I will take this under consideration for the time. For now, celebrations will resume. Severus," The Potions Master didnt even flinch as his name was spat at him. "You will continue to breed with your bonded. If the girl is correct, your seed will quicken In Aroura's womb once more, and I can begin preperations for my army. In the mean time," he clapped his hands and Mi turned to see Pettigrew at the door, opening it and pulling on a rope that was connected to at least twenty naked and blindfolded men and women. Muggles all by the looks of them. All of different ages, though none of them children thankfully. "We must celebrate. And to start the proceedings, we will begin with a punishment for an agrieved infraction." Voldemort turned to look at Mi once again.

"Your brother Nott has struck out against one of our own without given leave to do so. He knows what the consequences are. The struck shall be the one to mete out the punishment." Mi raised a brow at the despot. "Are there any restrictions on what I am allowed Sir?" She asked, deliberately not calling him Lord again. Voldemort shook his head. "So if I wanted to fully end his exsistence I would be allowed leave to do so?" A nod this time, causing Mi to give a feral grin. She turned toward the man, who now looked like he was going to shit himself in fear. He dropped to the ground before the Dark lord and tried to grovel but Voldemort just ignored him and turned to nod at the necromancer.

Mi sneered at the man on his knees before the Dark Lord. "hylja í karbónít." The words were whispered as she leaned over and touched the man who had abused her mother and caused her first death. A strange sludge like fluid bubbled up from beneath the mans feet and encased him quickly, keeping him in the kneeling position, cementing into a block quickly though an imprinted outline of the kneeling man showed on either side of the block of carbonite. She smirked as she turned and bowed low at the waist to her mother. "My apologies on your new status as a Widow Aroura." She said to the crowd as much as her mother. She knew neither of them would know the spell she just used, though by the light laughing in her fathers eyes, he caught the translation and knew, somehow, that it was Hermione who had created the spell. It was based off a muggle movie as it was. Star something... Mi wasnt completely on the up and up of Muggle Movie trivia, but Severus seemed to be.

She turned back to the carbonite encased man and flicked her wrist, sending a silent reducto at the block. It exploded into shards. In the back of her mind she could see Hermione, in their minds eye, nodding with approval. She had no love Lost for Nott Sr. The man had abused her mother and brother for years for something her mother couldnt control. She didnt feel bad for this death.

"Severus, Aroura," the Gobsmacked Necromancer and smirking Potions Master turned to look at their Master. "You are excused from tonights festivities. Take your brilliant daughter back to Hogwarts and help her to find her Bonded. I want to know who it is by the next meeting." Severus and Aroura nodded, bowing to the Dark Lord before turning to make their exsit. Hermione, who was bleeding back into her own body's conciousness, her black eyes receeding into violet blue, turned without bowing and made to leave. Voldemorts next words stopped her though. "Ariadne." She turned. "I heard about the incident with the Lust Potion. You may want to find that Bonded before your mind slips into insanity. It wont bode well for my most fertile Necromancer to go insane before she fulfills my demands for an army." Hermione stood ramrod stiff, before tilting her head slightly and leaving the room.

Once she had reached her parents she slumped to her knees, her body trembling with the aftershocks she had been holding back in front of the others. Rory and Severus knelt beside her then. "Ari, are you alright?" Severus whispered. Hermione nodded. "I just need to get back to Hogwarts and be near Harry and Draco. I'll heal better with both of them near."

"But what about the Lust Compulsion?" Rory asked, still not wanting to comprehend what news her daughter had brought to her attention. Hermione just shook her head. "I'll just have to fulfill it and hope the contraceptive Ive been brewing since second year is strong enough. I refuse to give Voldemort what he wants." Hermione looked up at her parents then and they saw the determined resolve in her violet blue eyes. "I guess I get to have my first foray into the world of sex, but at least this time its with people I care about."

Neither parent could say anything to that. They knew at this point there was no way to counteract the lust compulsion. They would just have to go through with it and deal with any consequences.

It was going to be a long night...

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Authors Note: Well... this went... decidedly different from what I originally planned. Damned Muse is hiding away now as If Im going to be mad that I skimped out on the sex scene I had in my head. Though I did finally get to do the Star Wars Carbonite reference I wanted to do a few chapters ago so There ya go JonseyTime! Hahahahah! I told you Id find somewhere to put in the reference just for you!

I did avoid the one scene Ive painted myself into a corner on mostly because its almost four am in the morning, my toddler is dozing in his high chair and in need of sleep (as am I), and I wanted to get this out there. I havent been able to take the time to write like I want lately and I think its making me slightly depressed lol. Things may be looking slightly up though as this build gig my Husband is doing will be finished by the end of the week and he doesnt plan to do another one. Monday is also his birthday so I will be spending that entire day just with him. But I do plan to make some time to flesh out a sex scene cause I cant really avoid it at this point, but things are going to pick up soon and a mystery person will suddenly be revealed, someone who has been slightly on the sidelines, making Dumbledores life hell at the school, much like Canon Draco did in HBP. Obviously its not Draco here, but it will culminate to Hermione having to make a choice by the end of the term. One that could possibly ruin things between her and Harry if the bond doesnt take...

Does anyone want to guess at the animagi forms of Draco Theo and Hermione? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

Until next time!

Enrini

Ash

Oh! Almost forgot! The translation: hylja í karbónít = Encase in Carbonite