Wednesday, February 25th, 2004
Hermione's day at work had exhausted her. By the time she got home, it was barely 4 p.m. and she was ready for bed. Draco and Theo dragged her upstairs for a nap.
A couple hours later, she woke up in bed with Draco and Theo who were talking quietly over her. She smiled up at the two wizards.
"Everything okay?" She asked sleepily.
Draco smiled at her, "Everything is fine, sweetheart. We just got an owl from Pansy asking if it was okay for her and Blaise to come see us today."
"Oh. Okay. So, what's the problem?"
"We just wanted to make sure you're okay with that, beautiful. We know you never got along with any snakes in school."
Hermione giggled, "And yet here I am." She gestured to the three of them. "Thank you for wanting my input but I have no issues with your friends coming over. As long as they're respectful to all four of you and no longer holding the old beliefs, of course."
"Blaise and Pansy never held those beliefs. Even before." Theo explained.
"Then I'll be happy to have them over and meet them under better circumstances."
Theo and Draco covered Hermione's face and next with kisses, causing her to laugh and push the two men off of her. "So, when are they coming?"
"I'll send them an owl and they'll floo right over."
"Wait… when did they get married? Are they even able to come over?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Apparently the ministry only makes the couples hide away for the first month of their honeymoon now." Draco shrugged. "I don't know what the hell they're doing."
Draco jumped out of bed to go write the letter and Hermione rolled over to cuddle into Theo. She sighed; he was so warm in the morning.
Theo kissed her forehead. "How about a shower, beautiful?"
She eyed him with a smirk. "You know if we take a shower together, we will not just be getting clean."
"That's the point." He rolled out of bed and grabbed her hand. "Come on."
Hermione followed him into the bathroom, intent on jumping into the shower since they were waiting for company. Theo wouldn't let that happen. He backed her up into the counter across from the door and kissed her hard.
She moaned low in her throat and heat pooled in her lower belly as Theo ran his tongue ring along her lip.
"I love that piercing." She sighed and Theo chuckled.
He stripped the shirt she stole from Draco off of her and threw it across the room before lifting her to sit on the counter. Theo stepped closer until their chests pressed together. "I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too, Theo."
His hands traced down her sides, stopping to play gently with her nipples before continuing down over her belly to the apex of her thighs. She was soaked and aching for him already.
Theo ran a light finger around her clit, barely touching the bundle of nerves. Her head tipped back as he firmed his touch with each pass.
"Please…" Hermione sighed, trying to arch her hips to press into his hand. Theo had her legs spread wide across the counter, making it hard to move.
"What is it, beautiful?" He whispered, running his lips over her neck. "Tell me what you need."
"You." The word was a plea and Theo smirked.
"You know you have me, Hermione. Every part of me."
She pressed her lips firmly to his and nipped his lip. "Please fuck me. I want your cock."
Theo's eyes darkened and Hermione swore he growled slightly. He pulled her down off the counter and turned her around. "Put your hands on the counter, beautiful."
She planted her hands next to the sink and leaned forward slightly. Theo ran a hand from the base of her neck, down her back and to her ass before placing a few soft kisses along her spine.
"Fuck, you're incredible. You know that right? I can hardly keep my hands off you."
Hermione whimpered, watching Theo in the mirror.
"Just look at you. Absolutely gorgeous. Perfect breasts, perfect curves, wild hair and your eyes are so expressive." He kissed her back again before shucking his sleep pants and entering her in one slow thrust.
Hermione tipped her head forward, her eyes closing shut as pleasure threaded through her. She pushed her hips back and then felt a slight slap on the right side of her ass. Her eyes opened in shock and then she raised an eyebrow at the smirking brunette.
"Keep your eyes open."
"You're learning too much from Sirius." Hermione said with a giggle that turned into a moan as he thrust harder into.
"If that blush on your chest is any indication, you like it."
"I do."
He slapped her lightly again and she ground against him. She watched Theo in the mirror, watching the way the muscles in his abdomen rippled as the hard muscles in his arms flexed as he gripped her hips.
His eyes were bright, and he was biting his bottom lip. It made Hermione clench onto him. He was such a gorgeous man and seeing his face twisted in pleasure pushed all of her buttons. She looked down again as his thrusts picked up and the pleasure tightened in her core. She lost herself in each strong movement that brought her closer and closer to the edge.
Hermione opened her eyes and instead of seeing just her and Theo in the mirror, she could see Draco in the door, leaning up against the frame.
One hand gripped the wood and the other gripped his cock. He stroked himself hard and fast as he watched Theo fuck Hermione.
Hermione groaned as her eyes caught his. There was something about having one of her husbands watching while she fucked another one that took her from zero to orgasm in twenty seconds.
Theo angled his hips and his cock brushed against a spot deep inside of her.
Hermione came hard, throwing her head back. One of Theo's hands wrapped her curls around his fist as he thrust hard one more time and buried himself inside of her, groaning her name as he came.
The slight pain from the tugging just made her orgasm all the better and Hermione collapsed against the sink, sighing as her body relaxed.
She heard Draco mumble a cleansing spell. He then walked over and kissed them both.
"I love watching you two. I absolutely want to watch you again." He kissed Theo hard, "I want to watch her come on your tongue."
Hermione shivered.
Draco's eyes met hers, the gray dark, "And then I want you to suck his cock while you bounce on mine." He seemed to contemplate this. "Or maybe we'll both suck his cock while you fuck yourself on mine." He kissed Hermione hard.
Draco shrugged as he turned around and walked towards the door. "So much time and so many options. But not right now. Pansy and Blaise are on their way." He grinned at both of them and left.
Hermione caught Theo's eye and she giggled. "Maybe we should have waited for Draco."
"Oh no, beautiful. We didn't need to wait. But we should definitely let him catch us later."
They laughed and made their way to the shower.
—
Hermione and Theo finally made it downstairs after she threatened to put him in a body bind if he didn't let her dress. They were laughing as they made it down the stairs and into the living room.
Draco was sitting on the couch with Blaise and Pansy. Pansy was sitting with her back rigid and her hands sitting primly on her lap. Her black hair was no longer cut in the blunt style it was in school, instead it fell down her back like a waterfall. She looked extremely uncomfortable.
Blaise on the other hand looked almost as relaxed as Draco did. One foot was resting on the opposite knee as he leaned forward to talk to Draco. He had changed only slightly since Hogwarts, his frame filling out to become almost as broad as Draco. His hair, which she remembered had been cut short during school, had grown out and was shaved short on the sides, leaving curls to fall across his forehead.
"Theo!" Blaise exclaimed as he stood up to grab his friend in a tight hug. "Been too long, my friend."
"It has. Hi, Pansy." He said, peaking around Blaise to see the dark-haired woman. "You remember Hermione Granger."
"Who wouldn't." Blaise picked up her hand and kissed the back, "You look absolutely beautiful."
Theo tugged her hand to pull her away and glared at Blaise, "You have your own wife. Hands off mine."
Blaise laughed, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"Don't worry about him, sweetheart." Draco said, sounding bored. "He's a flirt and an asshole. I don't know how Pansy puts up with him."
Hermione looked at Pansy and waved slightly. "It's nice to see you again, Pansy."
The Slytherin's eyes widened, and her posture relaxed slightly. "Nice to see you too, Granger."
Hermione got the distinct feeling that Pansy thought they were going to be treated badly.
Draco summoned Kreacher and asked for some tea to be brought and then Hermione and Theo took their spots beside the blond.
"Where's Sirius and Remus?" Hermione asked Draco.
"They're in the kitchen. They stepped away to let us spend some time with these two."
Hermione nodded, that was sweet of them. And probably best to not overwhelm their guests.
"How is all of this," Blaise waved his hand around, "Going anyways?"
Hermione laughed, everyone seemed to not know how to classify them. "We're doing great." She responded before smiling and her two husbands beside her. "How are you two dealing with the forced match?"
Pansy shrugged, "We always grew up knowing our marriages would be arranged. We just thought it'd be by our parents and not the ministry."
Hermione side-eyed her husbands, "Is that why you three were so damn calm? You two and Sirius barely blinked an eye. Although Remus didn't either."
Theo nodded, "We had a little freak out before you were brought into the room, but yes. Draco and I thought we'd have an arranged marriage. At least with us marrying the same woman, we could stay together too."
Hermione smiled softly at the two men; she was really happy about that as well. The thought of this marriage law disrupting loving relationships hadn't even crossed her mind, though, as she wasn't with anyone at the time and Harry and Ginny had just sped up their wedding plans. Some people didn't have the ability to. Especially people in non-heterosexual relationships, which the ministry didn't seem to take into account.
How many relationships were already destroyed because of this? Hermione couldn't even fathom being pulled away from the men she loved. This wasn't right.
Hermione noticed Pansy staring at her and looked towards the dark-haired woman. "Sorry. Were you saying something?"
"I was just going to ask about the bite mark." She asked, almost shyly.
Hermione smiled and touched the mark lightly. "With Remus being a werewolf, it threw some extra complications in our way."
Pansy cocked her head, "How so?"
"Well… the separation clause mostly. The night of the full moon, Remus and Sirius were out of the house for the night. They weren't even that far. But the separation was excruciating for us." Hermione grimaced when she thought of that night. "We didn't want to have to go through that again, so Remus bit me so I would be his mate."
"Didn't it hurt?" She asked.
Hermione blushed. "Not exactly."
Pansy's eyes widened and she changed the subject. "Wouldn't it hurt you to be away from Draco and Theo? Not like they can be in the room with a changed werewolf."
The brunette witch stayed quiet. It was up to Theo and Draco if they wanted to tell their friends that they were bit by Remus too. To her surprise, it was Draco that spoke. "Remus bit us as well. Kind of a pack bond instead of mating like with Hermione, but it allows us to be in the room with him."
Blaise laughed, "You going to start eating raw steak now too, Malfoy?"
Draco shook his head. "Doesn't quite work like that." The blond shrugged, "We just wanted to make it easier on Hermione. The separation was really awful."
Pansy shuddered, "I didn't know it was supposed to hurt. Although, Blaise and I haven't tested it. We were told it would only be slightly uncomfortable but not in a physical pain way."
Hermione cocked her head. "Luna and Neville said they were told the same thing. I think it's just different because there's four bonds. I'm not sure, I haven't been able to deep dive into bonding magic."
"Maybe you should talk to the WMI office. They should be able to explain what's happening." Pansy said, shrugging her thin shoulders.
"I'll go visit them when I'm at work tomorrow." Hermione said.
Draco, Theo and Hermione spoke with Pansy and Blaise for a while longer before the couple told them they had to go. Draco and Theo hugged both of them and Hermione said goodbye as they went through the floo.
Hermione stood in the middle of the living room and smiled at the two men who were grinning at her.
"Thank you for being so okay with this, sweetheart. I really did miss those two."
"Draco, you can invite them over whenever you want. I like them."
Theo wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "It means a lot to us. We can all mesh together some way, right?"
"This isn't Hogwarts. There's no division between houses with petty rivalries. We're just people." Hermione cupped Theo's cheek and kissed him.
Draco growled slightly. "I believe we were making plans before Pansy and Blaise got here?"
Hermione grinned at both men and backed away towards the entrance to the sitting room. She reached her hands for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. The lace bra she was wearing left nearly nothing to the imagination.
Smirking, she threw her shirt at the two men and ran out of the room.
She could hear them running close behind her.
Sunday, February 29th, 2004
When Hermione woke up that Sunday in the mid-morning, her only plans were to spend time with her husbands. They wanted to give another try going out again but were planning on going to Hogsmeade instead of Diagon.
The little village outside of the gates of Hogwarts wasn't nearly as busy but held a bookstore and a sweetshop which were two places they absolutely wanted to go to. They could barely keep sweets in the house between Draco's sweet tooth and Remus' addiction to chocolate.
However, when the group made their way to the kitchen to have a meal before they left, an owl was waiting for them.
Hermione huffed and glared at the owl briefly before letting it in and taking the letter that was addressed to her. Remus and Draco started getting their meal together while Hermione sat at the table to open the letter.
Dear Hermione,
Your father and I have talked, and we've decided it's time for us to meet with you. I think it's important for us to sit down together.
Please come by today. We miss you.
Mum and Dad.
Hermione felt tears burn the back of her eyes. She'd been hoping she would hear from her parents every day since she received their first letter after the marriage.
Sirius leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "What's this, kitten? Not another bad letter?"
The young witch smiled and shook her head. She reached up to rub the tears from her eyes. "Not at all, Sirius. It's from my parents."
Draco and Remus stopped what they were doing with a clang of the dishes and came over to the table.
"What happened?" Remus asked.
"My parents want me to go see them."
"That's fantastic, sweetheart."
"When do they want to meet?" Theo asked.
"Today." Hermione took a deep breath. "I need to go see them."
Sirius smiled at her. "Would you like all of us to go with you?"
Hermione thought for a moment. Her parents were just reaching out to her. She didn't want to freak them out to the point they'd refuse to see her again. She let out a shaky breath. "I think I should go alone."
The four men started to argue, and Hermione shook her head. "No, no, listen. My parents are finally starting to come around. I need to speak with them alone right now. If I bring all of you, my parents will lose their minds."
"Well then at least take one of us." Remus crossed his arms. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go alone."
"Remus, I'm only going to their place. Their fireplace is attached to the floo network. I'll leave from the sitting room and end up directly in their living room. It's the same as going to Harry and Ginny's."
Theo took her hand, "If you think it's safe, then it's safe."
Remus and Sirius seemed to glare at Theo, "I don't think you can make that determination, Theo." Remus said.
"Hermione is an experienced witch and a war heroine. She is capable of taking care of herself and determining the safety of a situation."
Remus and Sirius didn't look happy about it, Theo was standing next to her, supporting her and Draco was contemplative.
Draco smiled softly, "Hermione can make her own decisions and you know this, Remus. Sirius, you know she could kick any of our asses." He kissed her on her cheek, "But I do want to request something at least, if I could?"
Hermione nodded and Draco took out his wand and tapped it on her ring "Avenseguim." He whispered and slipped the ring off her hand.
"I'm going to keep this until you come back. This is something that the auror office does for witches and wizards that go on dangerous missions."
"But that's my ring." Hermione pouted slightly. She hadn't taken the ring off since Christmas.
"Well, sweetheart, you're our wife and we want you back."
Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're all being dramatic. But I love you all." They were sweet as hell. "I'm so nervous. I hope I can have you all meet them soon."
"I can't wait to meet them either." Sirius said grinning. "I want to know which one of them turned you into a little swot."
She rolled her eyes, and her husbands escorted her to the floo. She kissed them all and called out her parents address while throwing in the powder and stepping through the flames.
Within seconds, Hermione found herself standing in her parents living room. It was just as cozy and comfortable as she remembered it. She missed it. Sirius wanted to know which one of her parents turned her into a swot, the answer was both of them. A large portion of the living room walls were filled with bookshelves. Rows and rows of books about every subject imaginable and even more were scattered across the other rooms that were mostly fiction.
The comfortable blue couch that sat in front of the fireplace was empty, so was her father's favorite armchair.
"Mum? Dad?" Hermione called, walking further into the house. She knew her parents generally had tea in the back garden. She made her way through the living room and into the kitchen.
The house was completely quiet, so when there was sound behind her, Hermione turned around with a smile, thinking her parents were actually upstairs and finally heard her.
She was wrong.
Hermione saw a flash of red and suddenly, everything went dark.
—
Draco kept casting tempus charms.
He was starting to get antsy. Hermione had been gone for nearly eight hours. She was cutting it a little close and Draco could feel the tugging in his stomach.
Theo rested his hand on Draco's fidgeting leg. "Draco, you're being jittery. It'll be fine."
Draco sighed, "I know, love."
Theo cuddled up next to him and Draco wrapped an arm around the brunette man.
But the time kept passing and suddenly it was minutes before the pain was going to start.
An owl tapped its beak on the window and Draco shot up, hoping it was Hermione saying she was on her way. He grabbed the scroll off the owl and opened it frantically.
His heart stopped.
"Theo…" his voice was shaky. "Get Sirius and Remus."
Theo stood up, confused, "What's wro-"
"Just get them!" Draco hollered. Theo ran off and Draco read the note again.
If you want to see your pretty little wife, you'll get together 2.5 million galleons in an extended and lightened bag and bring it to your wife's parents' house.
You have four days. After that, we can't guarantee she'll be alive.
Draco felt sick. He practically threw the letter at the three other men when they came into the room.
The blond tried to console Theo as Remus and Sirius nearly howled in anger.
The first cramps started pulsing through Draco's midsection and saw the others grimace in pain. "We need to get Harry right now." The writing was vague, a quick quill most likely. They'd need the whole auror office.
And they were going to get it.
Monday March 1st, 2004
Hermione slowly came into consciousness. Her eyes were slow to open, feeling like they were weighed down by bricks. The first thought that crossed her mind was pain.
Excruciating pain crossed her abdomen, a twisting and grinding pain that took her breath. Hermione gasped before coughs wracked her body. The air was thick with dust, smelling musty and unpleasant, and catching in her throat
She finally pried her eyes open, and confusion filled her. She was sitting on the floor of a room. It didn't feel like Grimmauld, it didn't look like any place she ever knew. It was hot, so hot that Hermione felt sweat trickle down her back.
As she looked around, she realized how dilapidated the room was. The walls were plain wood planks, some sort of unfinished attic or shed. Some of the planks were broken and pink insulation was falling out of the walls. Piles of cardboard boxes sat all around, water damaged, and dust filled. She heard scuttling around the room and was almost positive there was some sort of creature roaming around.
Hermione tried to sit up straight and get up but realized as she tried to move that her arms were tied behind her back. As she wiggled her arms, pulling at her binds, she realized that although she couldn't move, her arms were not physically tied with anything.
Panic tightened her chest. She was confused, she had no idea where she was and the pain wracking through her body was making her dizzy and nauseated. Her lungs squeezed and the air barely trickled through.
She tipped her head back against the wall, trying to remember how she calmed down from the last panic attack. She tried to remember the feeling of Sirius' strong arms around her.
Draco. Remus. Theo.
Their scents.
Their voices.
The panic gripped tighter. All four of them would be experiencing the same excruciating pain that was currently firing through every nerve in her belly. A sob escaped her mouth, tears finally falling down her face and dripping off her jaw.
She tried wiping her eyes on her shoulders, but it didn't make it better due to the heavy dust that had settled on her.
Hermione heard a creaking from the other side of the room. The floorboards or stairs. Something. She froze, staring into the darkness of the room.
"Hello?" Hermione said quietly.
"Oh, you're awake." A voice said, happily.
Hermione recognized the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint it. "Who are you? Why am I here?"
"Aw, I'm hurt." The voice was bright, happy. "It's okay, you must be hurting so bad at this point. That was my idea."
Out of the darkness walked Joanna Toadsworth.
"You." Hermione said on a groan as a cramp clenched her belly.
Joanna giggled. "Surprise." She came closer, pushing a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. Hermione tried to pull away from her, but movement turned the pain into fire. "Oh, stay put, hun. You really shouldn't move too much."
Joanna's typically smooth dark hair was knotted, and her lipstick was smudged. She looked unhinged.
"Where am I?"
Another giggle, "Don't worry about that. You just need to sit and be a good girl until we get our money and then you can go back to your husbands."
Hermione tried to wrap her head around what was happening. She was kidnapped. By the hyperactive secretary in the WMI office. Her husbands were… safe?
"Where are they? Did you hurt them?"
"No, no, sweetie. Your handsome men are perfectly fine." She crouched next to Hermione. "I know you have questions, but you should really just relax."
"I'm not going to relax." Hermione spat angrily, her body clenching with another wave of pain. "What do you mean money? Why are you doing this? What's wrong with you?"
Joanna sat cross-legged next to her and rolled her eyes. "Fine." As Joanna spoke, the bright cheery voice dropped off and an almost Australian accent came through on her soft voice. "I was born in Australia, but I have family in England. You might know my cousins, Alecto and Amycus Carrow?" She looked to Hermione for an answer but all the young witch could do was grimace.
"Anyway, after the fall of the Dark Lord and the death of my cousins, I didn't have a purpose." She pouted prettily, "But then I found someone, and we got married and I thought my life was absolutely perfect. My Greg was unhappy with the despicable Muggleborns and Muggles still running around like everything was better."
Joanna's eyes were widening and going wild, "It was not okay. They were out there running around and multiplying like rats. It had to stop."
The dark-haired woman sighed, "So my Greg tracked down an old friend and we came up with this plan. Trap you, get money and all our dreams will come true."
"You may actually know my husband." Joanna said with a dreamy smile. "Four years ago, I married Gregory Goyle."
Hermione felt sick.
Death Eaters.
The grin that crossed Joanna's lips was cruel and almost unhinged. It reminded her of Bellatrix and Hermione hoped that she wasn't dealing with the 2.0 version.
She didn't have that sort of luck.
Joanna bounced up with a grin, "But for right now, I get to have all the fun." She pulled her wand out her pocket, pointed it at Hermione and gleefully yelled "Crucio!"
Tuesday March 2nd, 2004
Remus Lupin was not a patient man. At least not when it came to his missing mate.
He was frantic and so were the other members of his pack. He could feel the stress permeating every interaction.
Not to mention the bond pain.
Starting two days before, when their wife had officially been gone for 9 hours, the pain started. Cramping pain wracked all four of them, becoming more and more severe until even the wolf inside of him was reacting.
Moony was a caged animal. The wild parts of him that Remus worked so hard on keeping caged up were rattling the bars of that cage. It wanted out. It wanted to track their mate. It wanted to rip and tear into whatever person was stupid enough to harm a hair on Hermione's head.
They had tried to find her. Sunday when they received the owl, they immediately went to Hermione's parents' house. Remus tracked his wife's subtle vanilla and peach scent to the entrance of the kitchen before it disappeared. There were scents that nearly covered it.
Cloyingly sweet flowers, spicy cloves and sharp body odor. Remus didn't recognize the person. It always got muddied when there was more than one person around but if he knew them, he could pick out their individual scent.
Remus covered his eyes with his hands, trying to block out the headache that came with lack of sleep and no food. He found that the pain and the horror of Hermione being gone, didn't allow him to indulge in either of those.
Sirius looked haggard. His usual olive skin tone was pasty and dark circles bruised under his eyes. It hurt Remus to see his closest friend and one of his lovers look in such a state. It reminded him too much of how Sirius had looked after escaping Azkaban.
Theo and Draco were keeping themselves as together as they could. Draco's usually soft, styled hair was greasy and mussed from constantly running his hands through it. He wouldn't accept comfort from Theo or anyone.
Remus had tried to command them as their alpha to relax and take care of them, but the grief and pain was too strong. It didn't allow the commands to sink in. He could feel them, but it felt like they were floating just out of reach. The grief, anger and pain blocking that connection.
Draco growled in frustration as he tore up another letter from his father. He was trying to get as much help as possible from the older Malfoy, but he had shrugged them off. His only demand being that they don't touch the Malfoy vault for the ransom.
The younger Malfoy had scoffed at that, stating that if he wanted to drain every last knut out of that vault, he would. And they were about to do it.
Sirius and Draco had wanted to go to Gringotts immediately, the Black heir already working on the charmed bag to put the ransom in but Harry stopped them. He begged them to reconsider and allow the auror office to do their job.
They had all been so frantic that it wasn't until that morning that they remembered the ring. Draco had charmed Hermione's ring so they could find her if anything happened. Theo had been the one to remember, flooing the auror office and demanding that they send Harry immediately.
When Harry showed up, he looked almost as frantic as they did. His eyes were bloodshot, and clothes disheveled.
Theo handed him the ring and Harry had barely said a word before leaving again, leaving the four men staring again at the walls.
Nothing was going to make this better. Not until they had their wife back. Hermione glued them together and her absence was like an aching hole torn into their chests.
Remus sat as a stronger wave of pain filtered through him. He gasped and clenched his fists, growling as his whole body tensed up. He could hear the groans of Sirius and the swearing of Draco and Theo behind him.
What could have been minutes or hours later, the floo roared to life. Harry stumbled out along with four other aurors. He was grinning but stopped as he saw the state of his friends.
"What is going on?" Harry asked, running over to Sirius.
Sirius gasped, "Marriage Bond. We've been away from Hermione for too long."
"You mean she'll be like this too?"
Draco nodded sadly. "Find her, Potter. Please."
Remus didn't think he'd heard Draco say please before. At least not in a serious conversation.
Harry nodded. "I was just coming to tell you that the ring worked and we're heading to her now."
"I want to go!" Remus demanded, trying to sit up. Like hell he'd let his wife stay wherever she was for another moment.
The young man that reminded Remus so much of his best friend shook his head. "This is official auror business and you can't go."
Draco began to speak and Harry cut him off. "You, Theo and Hermione are off work for the next three weeks. Stay put. I'll find her."
All four men tried to stand up, refusing to allow Harry to leave without them.
Remus saw Harry shoot a look at the aurors and then a small whispered apology crossed his mouth. Suddenly, there were wands pointing at all four of them and red flashes were the last thing he saw.
Wednesday March 3rd, 2004
Hermione was pretty sure she was dying.
She tried to be as level headed as possible and not lean towards dramatics even in the worst situations. But this… this was more than she had ever dealt with. The longest she had ever dealt with something this bad.
She didn't know how long had passed. A day? Maybe two? There was nothing to break up the excruciating pain shooting through her body. She just plain hurt. The wracks of pain from the bond and the lightning strikes of nerves firing from the crucios. It mixed with the hunger pangs terribly as her captors had yet to feed her or even give her water.
Her mouth felt like she had been chewing on cotton. She didn't even have enough moisture to wet her dry, painfully cracking lips.
With nothing to grip behind her, no tangible ropes that were binding her, she had scratched her wrists bloody during her more frantic attempts to get free. She could feel the dry blood caked onto her skin. It felt disgusting.
They hadn't even let her up to use the washroom. Not that it mattered after the second day as she wasn't consuming anything. She had embarrassingly emptied her bladder sometime during the first crucio. Her clothing was stiff with dried sweat and urine and Hermione was starting to lose hope that she would ever come out of this. She was going to die in this hot, humid, decrepit old attic and never see her husbands again.
What would happen when she died? Would the bonds break or would they have to deal with this pain forever? Even a few days was enough to drive someone crazy. She was praying they or someone would find her but also figured that there was probably no hope.
Joanna had taunted over and over again that the house they were in was unplotable and even on another continent. Her eyes burned as if she was going to cry, but her body couldn't produce tears to spill down her cheeks.
When the floor on the other side of the room creaked again, signaling someone's arrival upstairs, Hermione cringed into the wall. She tried to make herself as small as possible, bringing her knees up to her chest and pressing her back hard against the wall.
This time it was a man that she didn't recognize. He had a large scar across his broad cheek. Brown eyes that looked too small for his skull sat beneath a heavy brow which was made more prominent by a bald head. When he smirked at her, his teeth were jagged and rotten. He looked unwashed, his robes ragged and dirty and a grubby beard covering half his face.
"Pretty pretty Mudblood. Is Joanna treating you well?" He cooed before cackling maniacally. "It smells like piss and sadness up here. You're no better than the rats scurrying around."
He came closer and Hermione flinched away, the movement just causing more pain.
"Ah yes, the bond magic. Brilliant little add on, wasn't it? By the time we let your husbands know you were missing, the pain was already starting in all of you. Perfect timing, wasn't it?" He chuckled. "Joanna was smart to add that in. She just had to imperuse the officiant and she could add anything she needed. She's a good girl. A perfect witch to provide assistance to the new dark lord."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Hermione forced her lips to move. The longer she got him to talk, the longer he wouldn't hurt her. Maybe. Fear was trickling up her back.
"So, she speaks! I'm so happy." He grinned broadly. "Conversations get so boring by yourself after a while. Well, little mudblood, an introduction. My name is Walden Macnair. And I am going to be the next dark lord."
Hermione would have laughed if she had it in her.
"See, once Voldemort fell, we found out some things about our supposed leader. First off, he was a half-blood, hardly any better than mudbloods in my opinion. So, I figured… no wonder he failed. He wasn't strong enough to wipe out the pestilence that has plagued the earth and the Wizarding populations for hundreds of years. He didn't have the pureblood drive to force all the rats from their burrows and make the decisions necessary to finally rule. But I do." His voice was raising unnecessarily, and Hermione wished she could cringe away more.
"The only problem, dear mudblood, is the one thing that makes the world go 'round. Do you know what that is?"
Hermione wondered why he was even asking her a question. He wouldn't let her speak anyways.
"Money, Mudblood. We need money. Now I know that's a stupid muggle saying but it is true. After the second war, the damn ministry decided I was no longer fit to be an employee. See, they had learned where my loyalties were held. So now I have no money and I need it for my new followers. Money to reward and punish them. Money for better accommodation than this shit hole in a desert."
Hermione realized then why she felt like she was constantly boiling to death. Her brain was sluggish, and she couldn't quite put things together to tell her where she was, but she knew it. The information was just stuck behind pain, hunger and thirst.
Macnair was babbling some more but Hermione caught very little of it. Her vision was getting spotted. Black dots taking up the majority of her sight and blocking large sections of the rundown attic.
She suddenly felt her head whip to the side and a burning pain covered the side of her face from cheekbone to jaw. Her eyes shot open. "Mudblood bitch!" Macnair was crouched in front of her, screaming. She nearly gagged from his rancid breath. "Don't you dare lose consciousness now. No. I still have things to tell you."
He stood up and the grin that crossed his face was pure malice. Evil. "Aren't you wondering where dear Mum and Dad are? Don't you want to know why they weren't at their hovel when you arrived?"
Hermione felt a shock of anger up her spine. It caused enough adrenaline to clear her head. "What did you do to them? Where are my parents?!"
"Dead."
Macnair answered the question so blandly. Like she asked him what the weather was outside, and he told her it was hot.
Nothing crossed his face but put glee at that pain that crossed over hers. She had protected her parents as best she could during the second war. Wiping their memories and hiding them in Australia so that they wouldn't be tortured because of her. And now they were dead. Because this ex-Death Eater wanted money for some fucked up plan to try to take over Wizarding Britain. Again.
"I'm going to kill you." Hermione whispered low. Hoping she would get the chance. She never wanted to cast a killing curse, never thought she could. But the rage burning through her veins told her that yes, she could in fact cast it successfully.
Macnair grinned again, "No. No you aren't, Mudblood." He stroked a finger across her bruised cheek. "You're going to stay alive until your husbands bring us the money we need. And then you will be the first of the mudbloods and half-bloods married to a pureblood to die."
Pain gripped her insides as Macnair laughed as he made his way out of the attic.
She was well and truly fucked.
—
Hermione slipped in and out of consciousness for the next while. She jolted every time her head tipped forward. For a few moments, she could almost ignore how horrible she felt and how much pain was thrumming through her body. Her head was pounding, the pain and sound waking her and making her try to reach for her head.
It took a few moments, but then she realized that the noise she was hearing wasn't in her head. The noise was coming from downstairs along with screaming, shouts and the sounds of spells going off.
Hermione forced her eyes open and tried to focus on the voices. She was afraid to hope that someone had come for her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to ignore the pain still flowing through her body.
Suddenly, she could move her hands. Her shoulders ached as she brought her hands in front of her. The scratches looked terrible, the skin torn, oozing and violently red. Her arms hurt from being held in that position for so long, but she'd take more pain on top of what she was feeling. Anything to not be as vulnerable as she had been for the past who knows how many days.
She clumsily rose to her feet; her knees unsteady and her balance off. It felt like she was learning to walk again. She determinedly put one foot in front of the other, refusing to be completely defenseless when whatever was happening downstairs made it to her.
The shouts and movement still hadn't stopped.
On the floor, in front of the dilapidated wall, was a piece of wood that had broken off the wall. Hermione picked it up and held it like a baseball bat. Her makeshift weapon was about the length of her arm and splintered on one side.
It didn't make her feel too much better. She was a witch and though her wandless magic wasn't bad, the energy drains from being in so much pain made it impossible to do the simplest of spells.
The other side of the room was still pitch black. Some sort of spell or something stopped her from being able to see the stairs. All she could hear was a slight creaking, so she stood at the ready. She was ready to bash whoever came up to her across the head. Hermione didn't have much coordination and she didn't have her magic, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.
She tried to stand tall, even though the cramps were compelling her to bend over to cover her belly. She couldn't listen. If she listened, she'd probably die.
Hermione saw a brief movement and then someone stepped out of the shadows in front of her. Her arms were already pulled back, ready to swing with whatever strength she had left. Which was a pathetic amount.
But she stopped mid-swing.
When the bespectacled face of her best friend appeared from the darkness, Hermione couldn't do anything. She froze. Her fingers went numb causing the weapon to slip out of her fingers.
Harry took a step towards her, his hands outstretched in front of him. It wasn't until he said her name softly that she finally unfroze, her knees giving out below her.
She sunk towards the ground and would have fallen if not for the dark-haired man catching her.
"Merlin, Hermione." He brushed her hair back from her face. "I'm so so so sorry it took us so long to find you."
Hermione couldn't speak. If she opened her mouth, she would cry, and she didn't know if she'd stop. She shook her head and clutched onto his auror robes.
"Listen, I have a portkey that is going to take us direct to St. Mungo's. Sirius, Remus, Draco and Theo are already there."
When she looked at him wide eyed, he shook his head. "They're okay. But they were in a lot of pain, so I stunned them and brought them there to be kept asleep until we brought you home. They were fighting hard to come with us, but I knew they were in no shape to fight."
Hermione nodded; he did the right thing. But she needed to see them so badly. The pain was only increasing and whether it actually was or it was just in her head, she didn't know.
Harry cast a Patronus, the glow filling the dilapidated room and then he pulled what looked like a cola can out of his pocket. He took her hand and pressed both of their fingers to it.
The tug behind her belly button felt like it was pulling on the cramped muscles, and she nearly screamed. As the portkey dropped them to the floor, she fell to her hands and knees to vomit.
Nothing came up, but the dry heaves made everything worse. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen and sat there on the floor, on her knees, her forehead nearly touching the clean tile.
Suddenly, cool hands were on her face, hair and back. Spells were being muttered. Hermione felt one spell clean her body, while another vanished her clothes and replaced them with a scratchy gown.
She tried to stand up to go to her husbands but one of the Medi-witches grabbed her arm. "Ms. Granger, we need you to stay here."
She tried to mumble that she needed to see Remus, Sirius, Draco and Theo but no words would come out. Harry seemed to know, though.
"Hermione needs to see her husbands immediately." Auror voiced Harry was in control. "She's currently experiencing the side effects of a very strong anti-separation spell and she needs to touch each of them to counteract it."
The medi-witch nodded and her and Harry helped Hermione up. They practically needed to carry her. Before too long they came to a door and the medi-witch spelled it open.
Hermione could feel the cramps lessen slightly but it wasn't taking care of everything. As she walked into the room, her eyes immediately went to the large bed in the middle. All four men were sleeping peacefully.
"Miss Granger, please touch each of them and then we can continue your treatments in here, okay?" The medi-witch smiled softly.
Hermione nodded and slowly stepped towards the bed. Theo was laying closest to the door, so she reached out and touched his cheek. She felt warmth radiating through her palm and soothing the ache through her body.
Reaching over Theo, she placed her hand on Draco's arm, the only part of him she could reach. The same thing happened; this time stronger.
She was able to walk to the other side of the bed easier. She reached out and stroked her fingers over Sirius' forehead before touching Remus' arm.
Hermione sighed in relief as the pain in her stomach and her head subsided quickly. There was still a small ache, but Hermione knew that was from hunger and thirst.
She told the medi-witch such and the medi-witch summoned a few nutrition potions laced bottles of water. She told her to take small sips as her stomach wasn't going to be able to handle much. Hermione felt better and better as she drank the water and the medi-witch cast healing charms on her.
The only one that didn't work completely was to heal her wrists. They looked way less angry and were no longer oozing but the scratches from her attempted escape were very much still there.
"Hm. Ms. Granger, I'm thinking that these are going to take longer to heal."
Hermione shrugged. "That's fine."
The medi-witch hummed again and looked closer at the torn skin. "Were you bound?"
The young witch swallowed thickly and nodded.
"I saw this happen during the second war. The wounds cut deeper and take longer to heal because they're impacted by your own magic. You scratch yourself with your own nails and as you are physically damaging yourself, your magic is magically damaging you, stopping any healing charms from working properly."
Hermione stared at the medi-witch dumbly, she had never heard of this happening. "So, your magic attacks you while you're trying to escape? That doesn't make sense."
The medi-witch shrugged. "It's like it's trying to help you, but its method harms you as well. Kind of like getting a fever when you're sick. Your body increases your temperature to destroy the virus but at the same time, fevers can be very dangerous to the body."
Hermione couldn't help being fascinated. She knew she should focus on the fact that she was just kidnapped for a number of days, but she also knew that she needed the support to go down that path.
Harry had left after bringing Hermione to this room. She couldn't do this alone. She needed the comfort her husbands would provide.
In a bid to distract herself, she asked the medi-witch more questions and the medi-which answered them patiently. But before too long, she was given a kind smile and told to go to sleep. "I will wake all four of you tomorrow at the same time. I've done all I can do, you need rest."
Hermione did feel way better. Most of the scrapes, bruises and cuts were healed, besides her wrists. The nutrition potion may not have filled her belly like food did, but the water did help stave off the hunger for the time being. Her head no longer ached and the muscle spasms in her belly hadn't come back since she touched all four men.
The medi-witch eyed the bed and then extended it again, this time in the middle, putting space between Draco and Remus for Hermione to slip into.
Hermione thanked the other witch and made her way into the spot the witch made for her and carefully got herself situated. Though they were all medically sleeping, she didn't want to wake them. She just needed a good night's sleep before she faced everything.
The curly haired witch laid her head down on the pillow and was out in seconds.