Lucius bowed low when the Dark Lord took the goblet from his hands. "Drink,
my Lord, and regain your strength." Voldemort's thin lips peeled back from
his teeth in a ghastly excuse for a grin.
"Malfoy," he started, his voice high pitched, but raspy, with a chill that sent shivers down Lucius' spine.
"Yes, milord?" the proud man asked. Voldemort was the only man Lucius had ever bowed to in his life.
"I have a job for you," he continued. "I will have my revenge on Harry Potter and Dumbledore before the end of the school term. I will need my strength back."
"Speak, and all shall be done," Lucius said.
Voldemort's red eyes narrowed as he criticized Lucius. "You have twelve days to make me strong. If you fail, I shall take your body as my own."
"Of course, milord." Lucius bowed again and left the dark wizard, the very embodiment of evil, in his sitting room. He went to the dungeons beneath his mansion to his potions set. "Severus thinks he's so great," Lucius mumbled to himself as he poured more of the potion he had made for his master. There was a cloud of smoke and a flash of red light. "I'd like to see him make this," he grinned, bringing it up to Voldemort.
Lucius presented another goblet to the pale, tall man. His white fingers gripped the goblet, like a spider encircling it's prey. As he drank, he could feel the blood pump throughout his body. "I may not need to use your body after all, Lucius," Voldemort sneered.
*****
Hermione and Harry walked out of the front doors after classes were dismissed that afternoon. After a visit with Hagrid, they went on to have a picnic at the edge of the lake.
"I can't believe we're going to be leaving Hogwarts soon," Hermione started, glancing back at the towering school.
"Yeah, it's going to be pretty strange, but I'm sure we'll get used to it."
"I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's kind of scary, you know? Knowing that I'll be in the real wizarding world, and still clueless," she explained.
Harry grinned, "I can't imagine you being clueless, Hermione."
"Well, what about you? Have you thought about what you want to do?" she asked.
"I might try to play Quidditch, but beyond that, I'm not sure."
A warm, inviting silence feel between the two as they watched the sun set and Hermione moved closer to Harry. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder as they gazed at the sky. Motion to his left caught Harry's eye.
"Hermione," he whispered.
"Hmmm?"
"Look..." Hermione turned her head and saw Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall walking hand in hand in the twilight. "I guess we weren't the only ones who thought about this, huh?" They turned away to give them their privacy as Dumbledore pulled her in for a kiss.
"They look so happy together. I feel sorry for them. Sixty years of hiding everything," she said softly. "You should take note, Harry... if you ever feel you need to break my heart to protect me, I'll kill you," she grinned.
"I'd never be able to bring myself to do it, Hermione," he replied softly. He sighed and spoke again. "I want to you to know that I will always love you, and I want to know that you will always love me, no matter what."
"Of course, Harry. I... I'd had a crush on you for so long, but I wouldn't even let myself think about it. I'd always thought you'd seen me as a friend. Then, when we went back to 1945, I realized it wasn't a crush. I do love you, Harry, and I always will."
"Then marry me," Harry replied softly in her ear.
Hermione looked back at him in shock.
"All it takes is one word, Hermione. Will you?" he asked, his green eyes sparkling in the starlight. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small box. Inside was a thin gold ring with a sparkling diamond.
"You... you planned... yes, yes, of course, Harry," she replied, her shock slowly melting away. Harry slipped the ring onto her finger before reaching up to kiss her gently. When they pulled apart, Dumbledore and McGonagall had found their way over to them.
"Good evening, Professors," Harry grinned.
"Harry, Hermione. How are you doing tonight?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye that seemed to be ten times brighter than it had been since 1945.
"Just fine, sir. Just pondering the future," he replied.
"Graduation can be a little scary, but life will never be bad as long as the one you love is by your side," Minerva said softly. Harry and Hermione smiled at each other.
"Congratulations, to you both," Dumbledore said before the elder couple walked away.
"How does he do that?" Harry asked, thinking about the Time Turner and now the engagement.
"Maybe he just recognizes the scene," Hermione shrugged. She leaned forward and kissed him again. "Come on, we're pushing curfew," she smiled.
"Awww... and I thought Ron and I had nearly cured your obsession with following the rules," he grinned as he stood and helped her to her feet. Harry put everything back into the picnic basket and the two of them walked back to Gryffindor Tower hand in hand.
"Malfoy," he started, his voice high pitched, but raspy, with a chill that sent shivers down Lucius' spine.
"Yes, milord?" the proud man asked. Voldemort was the only man Lucius had ever bowed to in his life.
"I have a job for you," he continued. "I will have my revenge on Harry Potter and Dumbledore before the end of the school term. I will need my strength back."
"Speak, and all shall be done," Lucius said.
Voldemort's red eyes narrowed as he criticized Lucius. "You have twelve days to make me strong. If you fail, I shall take your body as my own."
"Of course, milord." Lucius bowed again and left the dark wizard, the very embodiment of evil, in his sitting room. He went to the dungeons beneath his mansion to his potions set. "Severus thinks he's so great," Lucius mumbled to himself as he poured more of the potion he had made for his master. There was a cloud of smoke and a flash of red light. "I'd like to see him make this," he grinned, bringing it up to Voldemort.
Lucius presented another goblet to the pale, tall man. His white fingers gripped the goblet, like a spider encircling it's prey. As he drank, he could feel the blood pump throughout his body. "I may not need to use your body after all, Lucius," Voldemort sneered.
*****
Hermione and Harry walked out of the front doors after classes were dismissed that afternoon. After a visit with Hagrid, they went on to have a picnic at the edge of the lake.
"I can't believe we're going to be leaving Hogwarts soon," Hermione started, glancing back at the towering school.
"Yeah, it's going to be pretty strange, but I'm sure we'll get used to it."
"I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's kind of scary, you know? Knowing that I'll be in the real wizarding world, and still clueless," she explained.
Harry grinned, "I can't imagine you being clueless, Hermione."
"Well, what about you? Have you thought about what you want to do?" she asked.
"I might try to play Quidditch, but beyond that, I'm not sure."
A warm, inviting silence feel between the two as they watched the sun set and Hermione moved closer to Harry. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder as they gazed at the sky. Motion to his left caught Harry's eye.
"Hermione," he whispered.
"Hmmm?"
"Look..." Hermione turned her head and saw Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall walking hand in hand in the twilight. "I guess we weren't the only ones who thought about this, huh?" They turned away to give them their privacy as Dumbledore pulled her in for a kiss.
"They look so happy together. I feel sorry for them. Sixty years of hiding everything," she said softly. "You should take note, Harry... if you ever feel you need to break my heart to protect me, I'll kill you," she grinned.
"I'd never be able to bring myself to do it, Hermione," he replied softly. He sighed and spoke again. "I want to you to know that I will always love you, and I want to know that you will always love me, no matter what."
"Of course, Harry. I... I'd had a crush on you for so long, but I wouldn't even let myself think about it. I'd always thought you'd seen me as a friend. Then, when we went back to 1945, I realized it wasn't a crush. I do love you, Harry, and I always will."
"Then marry me," Harry replied softly in her ear.
Hermione looked back at him in shock.
"All it takes is one word, Hermione. Will you?" he asked, his green eyes sparkling in the starlight. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small box. Inside was a thin gold ring with a sparkling diamond.
"You... you planned... yes, yes, of course, Harry," she replied, her shock slowly melting away. Harry slipped the ring onto her finger before reaching up to kiss her gently. When they pulled apart, Dumbledore and McGonagall had found their way over to them.
"Good evening, Professors," Harry grinned.
"Harry, Hermione. How are you doing tonight?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye that seemed to be ten times brighter than it had been since 1945.
"Just fine, sir. Just pondering the future," he replied.
"Graduation can be a little scary, but life will never be bad as long as the one you love is by your side," Minerva said softly. Harry and Hermione smiled at each other.
"Congratulations, to you both," Dumbledore said before the elder couple walked away.
"How does he do that?" Harry asked, thinking about the Time Turner and now the engagement.
"Maybe he just recognizes the scene," Hermione shrugged. She leaned forward and kissed him again. "Come on, we're pushing curfew," she smiled.
"Awww... and I thought Ron and I had nearly cured your obsession with following the rules," he grinned as he stood and helped her to her feet. Harry put everything back into the picnic basket and the two of them walked back to Gryffindor Tower hand in hand.