Chapter Twenty-Three: Sectumsempra
Hermione laid with her head on Draco's chest, still breathing heavily after the...excercise they had just participated in. Draco had a dreamy stupid grin on his face as she snuggled up next to him with a yawn, but in the back of his mind he was thinking on the repercussions of the lust compulsion potion. While he had used the charm and Hermione had been on the potion since she could brew it, he knew that some family potions- like the one forced on Hermione through the treat- could circumvent the original potion or charm as a way to make sure that an heir was conceived. While the thought of Hermione and him having children had passed his mind on one occasion or another- okay who was he kidding he had thought, dreamt, and even missed full segments of class day dreaming about it on multiple occasions, more than he even dared think about, let alone say out loud- he didnt want a child brought into this world under these circumstances, let alone to burden Hermione with something such as a child when they were still so young. Besides, in his dreams, Harry was always a part of things as well. But with the way things had been recently, he didnt know if that was going to happen at all.
"I can hear your mind turning over shit Draco," Hermione's mumbled words coming from the spot on his bare chest popped him out of his reverie and he looked down at her, catching the glint in her violet blue eyes from the lone candle near the bed. He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the consequences that may come to pass. Hermione poked him in the side, startling him slightly. What startled him worse was when she sat up. He was about to protest over it but fell silent as she straddled his waist so she could look him directly in his eyes. Draco hissed quietly at the feel of her draped across him as she leaned down to stare at him. "What did I tell you before we started this?" She whispered to him, her voice taking on a slight husky sound as violet bored into silver. He cleared his throat before answering, not wanting her to think he was taking full advantage of where her body was placed. "You told me that," he cleared his throat again and he saw her head tilt slightly and a brow raise. He refused to notice the slight tilt of her lips. "Whatever happens we'll get through it together. But Ari... you could be-"
A slender finger was placed against his lips to stop his tirade. " Draco, I spent three days, alone, locked in my own shift lab, dealing with the compulsion to go out and screw the entire school to get rid of the lust coursing through my veins. The only thing that stopped me in the beginning- before the compulsion got too hard for me to contain- was the fact that I knew you and Harry, yes I thought of bringing Harry into this tonight too, and I would have had he not been near Ron and the revelations that we went through at the meeting went through the way they did. I knew that you and Harry were the one's I wanted to be with. Until the very end. And while yes at one time I would have been deeply upset had my studies been interrupted by something as frivolous as sexual encounters," Her smirk widened at Draco's laugh. "I no longer think that way. Would I like to continue my studies, do an apprenticeship, and gain a Mastery and a job? Yes. But if you think us having a child, even so young, will stop my ambition to beat you at top marks, gaining the Mastery- or three- that I've always wanted, and more... You really need to brush up on your knowledge of me."
Draco's eyes almost bugged out of his head at the mention of three masteries, but he still smiled. "You should have been a Slytherin with all that ambition you have Princess," he whispered, pulling a lock of her dark hair and hooking it behind her ear. She smiled down at him then. Leaning forward she brushed her lips against his and he couldnt hide the hiss of pleasure as her bare breasts brushed deliciously against his own bare chest. He could feel her smirk against his lips before she sat up fully, her hands braced against his chest as she did. "I plan on taking both of you as my soul bound Mates before the end of this war. I plan on being wed to you both, and eventually, I will bear the heirs to both the Potter and Malfoy lines. You are mine and I am yours."
His breath hitched at her words, thoughts flooding his brain with images of the three of them, together, bound to one another in magic and blood. The words slipped from his mouth before he could think on them, but as he heard them he knew they were the right thing to say. "You are mine and I am yours. I shall take no other but those of our bond, and shall not sully your Honor or besmirch your reputation by straying to another not of our triad. I shall live and die by your side. I shall be your sword in the Dark times, your counsel in peace times. I will watch over you and ours, the shield that guards his mates. I pledge my life and Honor to yours, on this night and all the nights to come. You are mine and I am yours, from this day, until the end of my days." A wave of magic swirled between them and around the room before exploding in a wash of bronze and silver sparks as his vow was heard and accepted by Magic itself.
Hermione smiled, her eyes shining as she watched the display of magic, knowing that their bond had just been fully solidified on his side. "You are mine and I am yours. I shall take no other but those of our bond, and shall not sully your Honor or besmirch your reputation by straying to another not of our triad. I shall live and die by your side. I shall be your sword in the Dark times, your counsel in peace times. I will watch over you and ours, the shield that guards her mates. I pledge my life and Honor to yours, on this night and all the nights to come. You are mine and I am yours, from this day, until the end of my days." She repeated the words, the magic filling the room again as she vowed her own bond to him, leaning forward to kiss his lips softly as the emerald and sapphire sparks of her bond floated around them, mixing with the bronze and silver of his sparks.
Neither of them, in their own little world, heard the door to her chambers open and the third of their bond step into the room.
~H~
Harry had been fighting the suggestion given to him by his once best mate the entire trip down the seventh floor corridor, his brain bringing up everything he knew about potions, charms, and defensive items and curses, but nothing had worked. He was getting closer to the two of them now, and he knew that this would be a battle of wills, much like it had been with Voldemort in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries when the bastard had tried to possess him. So he threw all of his will into fighting the growing demanded suggestion that he end the life of his lover and possibly the life of the one he loved.
As he reached the door their names were listed behind, he felt as if he had gotten a good handle on things, at least enough to try and tell them what was happening. He did not count on what would happen when he saw his target. When he opened the door, his breath caught. Seeing both Draco and Hermione, Starkers as the day they were born, brought about a flush heat of desire as well as a fresh wave of the compulsion. His breath hitched as it slammed into him and he groaned, hunching in on himself as he fought with all of his strength to fight the compulsion. He had to warn them before it was too late...
~A~
"Hermione... Draco..." Hermione suddenly found herself flipped into the mattress with a surprised squeak as Draco flipped her, covering her body with his own as he assumed a defensive stance, wandlessly and wordlessly summoning his wand from his trouser pocket on the floor, in an impressive display of magic. Hermione craned her neck over Draco's shoulder to see Harry standing in the doorway of her room, seemingly in agony as he hunched over, his hands on his head as he shook it back and forth, a vein in his temple pulsing erratically with the effort of whatever he was trying to hold back.
She felt Mi surge to the surface as they heard the boys erratic heartbeat, their necromantic magic picking up the subtle compulsion spell coursing through him. Her eyes widened as she saw Harry's wand in his hand, shaking almost violently as he tugged at his hair, refusing to let his hands come off his head, for fear his own will would be overridden by the sudden screaming demand that he make an example of his lover. "Guys... Ron... Compulsion... on candies... hes the one... been messing with my mind..." he groaned heavily, falling to one knee in the doorway. "Feels like... Imperius... Only worse. Cant hold back...anymore... Save Drake..." And with those last words both Draco and Hermione watched his eyes glaze over and his body slump. Hermione's quick mind got her in action before Draco, and she wandlessly sent out a patronus to her father as she let Mi take full control as they watched Harry become suddenly very rigid. Before Mi could react a spell was deflected off the shield Draco had erected just in time, but the spell rebounded so hard against the shield they watched it shatter before them.
Then it happened.
"Sectumsempra."
It was said in barely a whisper, and Hermione and Mi both saw the tears streaming down Harry's face as he launched the spell at Draco. She knew the spell was her fathers and she knew that the longer the intent was held the worse the effect would be on the victim. With a scream of Terror she watched as in slow motion the spell hit Draco square in the chest. Blood erupted from the sudden thousand cuts marring Draco's flawless skin, red soaking the white sheets and purple and black damask comforter. A sound ripped through Hermione's throat at the sight, but she honestly wouldnt have been able to tell you what the sound was later on when she was asked to give an account of the events that unfolded.
Violet eyes filled in with black as Hermione took control of Mi's powers, shoving her to the back of her mind as she did. Mi rammed against the mental shield she was now stuck behind, trying to stop the distraught girl from doing something she would regret. It was no use though, she couldnt get through to the girl. She watched in horror through Hermione's inner eye as the girl rose from the bed, her magic swirling around her like a cloak of darkness, hiding her pale alabaster skin from the boys gaze. She watched as the boys eyes, now sure that his task was finished, un glaze and refocus on the scene before him. She heard the blood curdling cry of agony and sorrow at seeing his lover bleeding to death on his best friends bed. But Hermione, now sick with rage and sorrow herself, showed no mercy for the one who attacked her bonded mate. She knew, deep down somewhere, that Harry too was her bonded, but she could feel through the string of magic binding them all together, that something was tainting him. Something that wasnt the compulsion magic. Thinking on instinct, Hermione sought out the sound of the boys heartbeat, locating it amongst the sound of her own and the slowing one of her lover. She grabbed hold of the sound and Mi watched the girl squeeze her hand at her side.
Harry suddenly gasped in pain as his heart suddenly faltered in its rhythmic beatings. Clutching his chest he stared up at Hermione, whose eyes were now completely consumed in black, not even the whites of her eyes visible. "Ari... please..." Hermione's head tilted to the side, as if she was listening to something only she could hear. Then she squeezed her fist tighter at her side and watched as Harry's laboring breaths suddenly stopped all together and the boy slumped forward, his glasses cracking as his face smacked into the cobbled stone of her bedroom floor. There was a bright flash of light and a blast of power that Harry didnt get to see or feel as the darkness swallowed his soul hole and everything went silent and dark.
~S~
When Severus and Aroura got their daughters patronus, they were already on their way to her rooms, having felt the shift in power from their daughter. They knew Theo, along with Ginerva and Luna who had joined them two floors ago as they made their way up to the Ravenclaw common room, were all trying to keep up behind them but he didnt care about them in that moment. He cared about the sinking feeling in his stomach, and the burning of the strands of the vow Albus made him take all those years ago to protect the Potter boy. What had happened to him? What had happened to Hermione and Draco?
His stride elongated in his haste to get to his daughters rooms faster.
~H~
Harry was confused as to where he was. Everywhere he looked was covered in white fog, but he was still able to figure out quickly that he was in a Quidittch pitch. The Hogwarts one if the hangings along the stadium were anything to go by. A throat clearing behind him made him whip around, wand drawn, only to find four things. Well five, as he quickly realized his wand was not in his hand. But that took a back seat as he caught sight of two men before him and... something... at their feet. A grin spread across his face as he caught sight of his Godfather, Sirius Black standing next to a man he didnt recognize who seemed to be holding a bundle of purple fabric in his arms. Both men were smiling at him. Sirius opened his arms and braced himself when his godson launched himself at him, almost toppling him even with him bracing himself.
"Sirius! Im so sorry!" Tears streamed down the boys face as he hugged his Godfather tightly. The man beside them smiled at the scene and then quickly began rocking the bundle and making quiet shushing noises at it when it began to fuss slightly. This caught Harry's attention and he turned to look at the man and the bundle he carried. He was shocked to see a small child in the mans arms, her blue silver eyes staring up at him under a shock of jet black curls. His gut tightened in sorrow as his brain caught up to who this might be. He had heard enough from Ginny and Luna about the potion that was used on the cherry tart that Hermione had eaten to know that there would most likely be a child conceived once the deed had been completed. Tears filled his eyes anew as he looked at the small girl. "Where is Hermione... she should be here if.. if..."
"She isnt here. She's trying to save you and young Draco's lives while my daughter and her bonded come to your rescue." The words were said quietly but they still lanced through Harry like a molten spear of agony. He looked up at the man, who had the same violet blue eyes of the love he couldnt have. The man smiled, serenely down at him. "She doesnt know it yet but this little one helped bring you back. Sounds strange I know, how can a small child who was just barely conceived do something such as that?" Harry nodded numbly as he stared at the little girl, who seemed to be a perfect combination of his lover and their best friend. He wiped tears from his cheeks and waved slightly at the little girl, who gurgled slightly in happiness and waved her little fist back at him. The man holding her smiled at him. "Here," he whispered, holding the little girl out for Harry to take. Harry looked at the man in shock, starting to protest but the man was having none of it. "Support her head, just like this now, there you go. Now curve your arm around the underside of the blanket, thats it, your doing well." Harry stared down at the small girl as she smiled a pink gum filled smile up at him, her eyes shining bright under the dark shadows of her lashes. He couldnt help but smile and bounce the little bundle in his arms gently. "Hello there little Princess," he whispered, using the endearment he had heard Draco call Hermione almost a million times now. Tears gathered in his eyes again as he saw the little girls eyes shine with wise intelligence that shouldnt have been in those eyes of one so young. A wet gasping shudder by his feet made him look down at the other... thing... that had originally taken a back seat when he realized that Sirius was before him once more.
"Oh, here, let me take care of this... thing," Sirius said as he picked up the towel that was under the creature, taking it with said towel. He started pulling the bundle back as if he was going to chuck it through one of the Quidditch hoops- which Harry belatedly realized the inner empty spaces of said rings were actually rippling in some unfelt wind as if there was a silvery fabric in each ring- but the Man put a hand on his shoulder. "Siri... he cant be brought through just yet. The rest of his soul isnt here yet. Just set him in the low stands for now." Sirius looked back at the man, seeming to weigh his options momentarily before sighing. "Oh alright, I wont chuck the bastard... yet."
Harry, who had been watching the exchange silently up until that moment, finally opened his mouth to say something, planning on asking what exactly that thing was, but something different came out instead. "Im sorry for sounding so rude, Hermione would kill me- again- If she knew I hadnt done this yet, but who exactly are you and why are you here with Sirius?"
The man smiled serenely back at him, seemingly taking no offense to the Gryffindor's rudeness. "My name is Jaccob. Jaccob Alwyn Nott. And I am here to help you get not only your uncle back, but help you defeat the man who has enslaved my daughter Aroura. You can call me JAN, or Jake if you like. But we should get down to business here soon, the longer your here the harder it will be on my Granddaughter to pull your soul back when the time is right. We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time."
~H~
Author's Note: I skimped in my time I was using to clean my house to push this out lmao. I feel bad for my husband cause he's watching our son at the moment so I could clean and Im squandering my time lmao. He understands though, cause I havent been able to keep up the way I wanted with this story due to schedule issues lately.
I basically just killed- ooh bad timing for that word- two birds with one stone. Dont worry though, that intelligent little girl sitting in Harry's arms as he processes the whole information Jaccob is about to unload on him, will make a return eventually, just not right now. I will say I dont think Harry will tell Hermione outright what her daughter's spirit did to help her save her mate and future dad this night.
I didnt get to have Jaccob say it here cause it just didnt work out the way I wanted but, Nott descendants from that family branch of the tree, their souls are always old souls because they share their soul with a necromancer. Rory, Lencey, Jaccob (now Theo) and Hermione are the ones who currently house the Original four necromancers that made the pact with the original Nott descendants so they are the oldest souls, but there are others that were born from Aro, Jan, Lencey, and Mi when they were alive that completed their lines. They are just more rare to come into the line of family as normally something happens to the original four to make them reincarnate before their... children if you will. I will probably have Harry explain this to Hermione, Theo, and Rory once he's returned to his body in the next chapter, but I didnt want people to be confused on how an unborn baby was able to send her soul energy out to save her mothers bonded mate. Because in the end Harry and Draco are both Mi and Hermione's mates. And the necromancer side of the family understands better than anyone what it feels like to lose their mate so when they find them they try at all costs to make sure they are always safe and whole and.. well, ALIVE.
The wedding vows are not mine, I just twisted two very well known vows from a well known book series (that fans are still waiting for book six on almost ten plus years later!) so credit goes to obvious author. Obvious Author is Obvious to those who know.
Alright I really gotta go now cause my husband is glaring over my shoulder as he sees me write this authors note and I can just feel his disapproval at my procastination to do house chores lmaoo
Enrini!
-Ash