A/N:
*To everyone who has reviewed, I can't say THANK YOU enough.
*Special thanks to helly, sakura, and D.
*I can't help but think I ought to thank D again, just because without her, the last oh, three chapters would not be accessible to anyone but me. I haven't told anyone to read her stories in a few days, so here goes: READ HER STORIES: SHE WRITES AS DRACODEW17. In my personal opinion, "Return to Eden" is the best story on FF.net, second best on schnoogle (after the Draco Series by Cassie Claire, to whom thanks in also owed). Another fabulous story that will have you in stitches is "Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing… Rat?" by Maya, found on schnoogle.
*I said that I'd make everything ok… is this better? Um, don't read this chapter or any of the ones to come if you are A) a die-hard D/Hm fan and you read nothing else and you kill people who don't stick to that original idea, because I'm still majorly unsure of the direction this story is going in… B) attached in any way, shape, or form to Ron or C) are not willing to give poor Sirena a chance (::cough:: D ::cough::)
CHAPTER EIGHT
*****************
Perfect Blue Buildings
*****************
…I got friends who care for me
You got an attitude of everything I ever wanted
I got an attitude of need
Help me stay awake…
It doesn't get much worse than this
In beds in little rooms in buildings in the middle
Of lives that are completely meaningless
Help me stay awake…
I'm falling…
~Counting Crows
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Tuesday, 6 January, 1997)
After a long pause, Sirena nodded and said, "So be it, Anastasia Spencer. You shall be Drained… pray that you do not survive, for you will die a far more painful death at my hands than you would through a Draining."
And she stood. And reached out her hand so quickly, it was almost impossible to see. A thin, silvery strand flew from her temple across the room.
Ron lunged to cover Hermione, to protect his dearest friend, but he feared he was too late to save her.
The sound of shattering glass rang about the room as Draco Malfoy came flying in through the window.
He saw Sirena Brown, a wisp of silvery thread just flying back into her temple. He saw her father standing, looking shocked. He saw a short, balding, rat-faced man standing beside Sirena, looking gleeful.
And he saw two bodies on the couch that they were staring at.
One was alive.
The other was not.
And she screamed.
Draco's wand tip pointed at Sirena Brown, whose deep, powerful eyes were blue once more. She laughed, and as she did so, something behind her eyes flickered. She gave Draco a pleading look and then her eyes returned to their normal coldness.
Draco's wand flew from his hand. It snapped in midair and Sirena Brown's expressive eyes took on a triumphant gleam.
Draco didn't pause to think. He just grabbed Hermione and threw her out of the broken window that he had come crashing through. And as he hurtled himself out as well, he heard Marcus Brown, Sirena's father, snap, "What are you waiting for, Sirena? Bring them back immediately!"
Draco picked up a stunned and shaken Hermione and forced her to stand.
"Run," he said, shortly. He grabbed her hand and they took off down the lawn.
They didn't hear Marcus Brown's howl of pain or Sirena's voice screaming, "Draco! Hermione!"
They got to the gate, where a breathless Calabria awaited them. She handed them a broom and Draco sat Hermione, who was trembling, on his broom, put his arm around her waist, and kicked off alongside his sister. They flew over the protective spells around the castle and away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wormtail grabbed Sirena around the waist and pulled her back into the mansion. She had been climbing out of the window, screaming for Draco and Hermione at the top of her lungs. He hit her sharply across the face with his heavy hand and she stopped screaming. She threw out a hand to cast a spell at him, but he knocked her down with another blow.
Marcus Brown recovered himself and stood. "That was somewhat excessive, Peter," he said, eyeing his younger daughter.
Wormtail sneered. "You like the Cruciatus Curse, then? `At's what she would have kept up had I not knocked her out."
Marcus sighed. "I know." He moved his arms slowly and stretched his legs. Even a few minutes under the Cruciatus curse was hard on his already exhausted body. Sirena knew this, he supposed, and that was why she did it. She was getting stronger.
He rubbed his eyes and Wormtail noticed uneasily how weary he looked.
"Take her upstairs, then, Peter. I'll contact My Lord."
Wormtail nodded and did as Marcus Brown bid him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Wednesday, 7 January, 1997)
It was hard to see her like this.
It was always hard for him to see someone grieving, and he was coming to realize that she was beyond grief. She was even beyond the real world now. And he felt that he could do nothing to help her.
In the beginning, she had screamed and yelled and told him that it was entirely his fault; that he had done this. And she had cried, racking sobs that shook her entire body. He supposed that some of it was his fault; not the actual killing, but taking her from the place of the murder before she was ready, without asking.
She beat her fists, her tiny delicate fists, against him, howling her despair for the entire world to hear. Nothing would or could console her.
He had taken her back to her parents' house. In hindsight, he realized that he shouldn't have. She had never been there before, only even met these people once before, and was in no condition to be with them now. But he had taken her there, grieving as she was, and carried her straight up to her bedroom.
Brie said he had done the right thing. But he wasn't sure. For perhaps the third time in his life, he was completely unsure that what he had done was right, for she seemed so lost, so gone.
She lay on the bed, shaking with pain and despair.
And so Draco Malfoy did the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.
He owled Harry Potter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry Potter, as it turned out, was still looking for her. He and Ginny had been searching everywhere they thought a kidnapper might take Hermione, although they honestly had no idea where that would be. Neither of them had ever been kidnapped before, exactly. Ginny was worried sick about both Hermione and her brother, but Harry was sure Ron could take care of himself, even if he was chasing a dead end.
They were in the midst of scanning a map of Diagon Alley in the Great Hall when the owl from Draco slammed into the window forcefully, demanding to be let in. It was the same owl as had delivered that fateful letter to Hermione to tell her of her parentage less than one month ago.
They let it in, hurriedly. The great owl snapped at Ginny yet again, but dropped the letter close to her. It took off scornfully with a flap of its powerful wings.
The letter was addressed to Harry, and he opened it.
"Potter~
I've found Hermione. Come to Claymore as soon as is possible; she's in quite a state. Broomstick is fastest, I suppose, since you cannot Apparate. Do not bring the Weasley girl: send her home to her mother. No, Potter, don't even think that you'll bring her along anyway; you want to send her home to her mother. Trust me, for once, Potter, I know what I'm saying. If you promise to keep it to yourself, whisper "Claros," at this parchment and it will tell you what it is not my place to say."
Harry immediately hissed "Claros," at the parchment and was rewarded with the picture of Sirena Brown's sitting room as Draco had seen it upon bursting in through the window. Hermione lay white and shaking, underneath a corpse. A perfectly unmarked corpse. He would have thought the body was just sleeping, but for the scream that sounded in his head: the sound that Draco had heard when his eyes met this horror.
Ron Weasley lay dead on the couch, shielding Hermione from whatever had attacked her. Whatever had tried to attack her, for Ron's bravery and loyalty had foiled its plan quite obviously.
Harry Potter began to shake as Hermione had.
Ron, his mind whispered. Ron is dead. His mind went completely blank, save the words ran through his head, over and over and over again. Ron…Ron is dead…
Somehow, he managed to turn back to Draco's letter.
"My regrets, Potter. Truly I send my honest regrets. He saved her, you know. His life for hers; and he will always be remembered as a hero. And I promise you, Potter: for Hermione, I will help you avenge him.
Come to Claymore, Potter. Don't bring Weasley's sister. Don't let her find out this way. Let her mother tell her, for God's sake. Earl Spencer has sent the Weasleys an owl as well.
~D. L. Malfoy."
Harry had ripped the letter to shreds before he knew what he was doing. He had to get to Hermione. She would know… she could… she was always the strong one. Oh, god… Ron…
Ginny was afraid when Harry began to cry. But she became terrified when he sent her to fetch Professor Dumbledore, who came at once. He looked grim and Ginny wondered what he knew that she didn't and what on earth was going on at all.
"Professor," Harry acknowledged his Headmaster with a quick bow of his head. "Would you see to Ginny, please?"
Professor Dumbledore, having received a similar owl from Draco only moments earlier, nodded, as Harry clutched the Firebolt Dumbledore had brought to him.
Harry looked at Ginny quickly and his eyes began to fog over again. He brushed at them angrily.
"Thanks, Professor." His voice was curt in his pain, but Dumbledore understood what he was going through and said nothing.
With that, Harry strode through the Great Hall doors and mounted his broom. He took off, flying faster than he ever had before in his life. Within seconds, Ginny could no longer see him.
Professor Dumbledore leaned in and said into Ginny's ear, "Don't worry, my dear. He just needs some time alone now, as you will. Let's pack you off to your parents, shall we? And I believe it would best for us all if we, hum… did not reopen Hogwarts on Monday, as we had planned. I hardly think four days will remedy this."
Ginny turned, confused, but then saw that Professor McGonagall stood behind her Headmaster and it was to her those last sentences were directed.
She furrowed her brow as McGonagall gazed sadly at her. For a fleeting moment, she thought that Hermione must be dead. Then, why was Professor Dumbledore so intent on getting her back to the Burrow? It didn't make sense. Hermione couldn't be dead… maybe they had caught the kidnapper. Yes! Yes, that must be it! But somehow, something inside her told her that no, the kidnapper had not been found…
I do wonder… what is going on?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The cold wind made his eyes stream, he told himself. In reality, he was shaking with sorrow, his eyes flowing by themselves. How can this be?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was sleeping now. It was better when she slept; she didn't cry as hard in her sleep as she did when she was awake. Charles and Rebecca Spencer, her parents, trusted the young Malfoy boy enough to heed his advice and not come near their daughter. In fact, they were so grateful to him for retrieving her as quickly as he did that they would have done anything he asked. He told them simply that a very dear friend of hers was killed before her eyes and that she would need some time to get over the death. They accepted that; though all they wanted to do, really, was hold her. This, after all, was their lost baby. They hadn't seen her in years and to have her underneath their roof, but be unable to see her was hard on both of them. It was even hard to keep from hovering about the doorway to her bedroom.
The eldest Spencer daughter, Victoria, was worried about her little sister, but she could not bear staying in that house any longer. Claymore was becoming a madhouse of activity with the arrival of Izzy's little friend Brie and her older brother, Draco, with Anna. Her parents had immediately gone into full action and hauled the three up to Anna's new room, where Anna still was. As a matter of fact, she hadn't left the confines of those walls in almost 24 hours. And that didn't help her parents, who were already worried about her. Anna being neurotic like that … it was just strange.
Victoria had no idea why she wouldn't come out. Her parents lurked around the door taking orders from the very handsome Draco Malfoy, while her sisters Izzy and Alex (and Draco's sister, Brie) went off by themselves. That left Victoria alone. And so she left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brett Palmer was in the sitting room of Campion House, his primary residence, when the doorbell rang. And then it rang again. On the third ring, he sighed and hauled himself from his chair. He strode to the door, wondering where on earth the servants had got to.
He was puzzled to see his stunningly beautiful girlfriend, looking exhausted, standing on his doorstep. The last he'd heard, all of her family had been anxiously awaiting news as to her sister, Anna, was had been kidnapped again.
"Oh, Brett! It's simply awful! The house has gone to pieces completely!" she sighed dramatically and fell into his arms.
"Victoria, love, what is going on? Have they found your sister?" he asked, enveloping her in his arms.
She twined arms around his neck and lay her head on his shoulder. "Yes, the Malfoys found her."
He pulled back to look at her. "Darling, that's wonderful! Your long-lost sister, safe at home!" Then seeing the look on her face, he said, kindly, "What's wrong, V?"
Victoria sighed exasperatedly. "There's something wrong with her, Brett. She came home with the Malfoys and then… she disappeared into her room! She hasn't even come out of her room yet, and she been home for almost 2 days! Mum and Daddy hover about like something's up, but I've no idea what's going on. The little ones are all banding together and I feel so lost! Lost and trapped. So I came here to get away."
Brett held his darling a few more minutes and then they went into the sitting room. "Love, why don't we go back to Claymore and I'll speak with your parents. I don't think they've realized they've kept you in the dark. They couldn't possibly have."
She sighed and let her head drop into her hands. "Perhaps that is best. But I don't know. I feel like I'm intruding on something. That if they'd wanted me to know, they would have told me."
Brett opened his mouth to say what was on his mind, but another young man came in, a cup of tea in one hand, a scone in the other.
"Hullo, lad! Victoria, darling!" He set the tea and scone down and Victoria rose from her seat to embrace him. She smiled up into his handsome face and he winked at her. She dropped back onto the sofa and he chose a seat next to Brett.
"Cal!" she said smiling. "I didn't know you were in town."
"Just got in this morning, love," he said, his rolling Scottish accent a pleasure to the ears. "Cousin Brett here was ever so kind to invite me up for the month."
He grinned at Brett. They weren't really cousins; Brett's mother was now married to Cal's uncle. Brett was fond of saying that they were only step-cousins…in-law. No relation, thank you very much. Aside from their almost-kin relationship, they were the best of friends, though Cal's main residence was in Edinburgh.
Victoria smiled at Brett as he turned to Cal. "Hey, Cal, we're headed to Claymore. Tag along?"
Cal raised an eyebrow. "Visit the infamous Claymore? I should be so lucky." He deserted his scone and tea and joined his "cousin" and Victoria on broomstick to her manor.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry arrived at Claymore quietly and Draco shuffled him to her room with the Spencers being any the wiser.
And though he came in search of comfort, he would find none here.
She slept still, but he could see the tear tracks down her cheeks. She was curled tightly around herself, arms cuddled to her chest as if to protect herself. She cried out for Ron, and in that moment, he knew that he could not help her; and she could do nothing for him. Even being together would not ease this pain. Perhaps what he needed was time alone.
And so he left her room as silently as he had entered it. And from the look on Draco's face, he knew that the blond boy understood. There was no one who could help Hermione now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived at Claymore, they were actually greeted by Rebecca Spencer.
"Hello, love, yes I got your note. Hello, Brett, and my! Cal! Lovely to see you, dear!" she smiled tiredly at the boys.
"Good afternoon, Countess," said Cal, his eyes twinkling. Cal was Muggle-born; however, both his parents had siblings that were wizards. He knew Rebecca Spencer as the wife of a Muggle socialite, the wife of Earl Spencer, as well as the mother of his favorite cousin's girlfriend.
She ushered them into the sitting room, where there was a fresh pot of tea brewing. They made polite conversation for a few minutes, and then Victoria looked anxiously at Brett, pleading silently with him to ask her mother what was going on with Anna.
"Countess?" asked Brett, who had also taken to address Victoria's mother by her Muggle titles. "Have you found Anastasia yet?"
Both Cal and Rebecca started.
"You've had leads as to Anastasia?" he asked as Rebecca simultaneously said, "Victoria hasn't told you?"
They looked at each other for a moment and then Cal said, "Please, do explain, Countess."
And so she explained.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She awoke to Draco sitting in an armchair, gazing out the window. She took a brief moment to appreciate the way his blond hair swept across his forehead gracefully and the way his gray eyes could seem warm and ice-cold at exactly the same time. She loved the way he could fold up inside a chair and still manage to look regal. He was so different from any other man she'd ever loved.
She'd loved her father, before he broke her heart by trying to force her to come back to the Muggle world.
She'd loved Harry, for his bravery, his loyalty, his friendship.
And she'd loved Ron… Ron… oh, God… Ron…
And she began to cry yet again.
The sound of soft crying drew Draco's attention away from the window that he wasn't really seeing. He looked at Hermione, huddled on the bed sobbing her little heart out and felt full of pity for her. He knew that once Potter was through grieving for his best friend, he would turn to rage. And as much as Draco wanted to loathe Sirena Brown for all the misery she had brought to him, there was something about that look in her eyes, that brief flickering of something when she had looked at him. He was bothered by whatever it had been. And if not only for that, he wanted to find her.
He wanted to find out what was behind her eyes. He wanted to know what had caused her to kill Ron Weasley. He wanted to know what it was that she wanted with Hermione Granger. And he was going to find her. He couldn't take too much more of this waiting-around-for-Hermione-to-resume-life. He needed to find Sirena Brown, and he needed to find her now.
And just as he stretched and stood, the door opened and Hermione's sister, Victoria, entered, two boys behind her.
He knew one of them was Brett Palmer, whose mother was a friend of the family's. Brett had attended Beauxbatons Academy, as had Victoria, who now stood behind him, fluttering her hands anxiously.
Behind both of them stood a taller boy, about two years older than Draco, with light brown hair and very light blue eyes that seemed the color of the clouds. His face was strong and his eyes every bit as intense as Draco's.
Suddenly, Draco relaxed. He could trust Victoria to look after Hermione while he was away.
"Victoria," he said lowly.
"Is she alright?" Victoria whispered fearfully. She gripped the hand of Palmer, who recognized and nodded to him.
"No, she's still a bit…" Draco paused. "…er…touch and go. But I've got a few things I need to take care of. I'd be obliged if you'd stay with her… have someone be with her at all times, just until I get back."
He looked searchingly into her eyes and she replied without even blinking, "Of course, of course, Draco. But please hurry."
He smiled wryly. There wasn't much in this world he wouldn't do for Hermione now, and being with her was important. He knew that as soon as he had found Sirena Brown and she answered his questions, Draco Lucius Malfoy would be back where he belonged: alongside his Hermione.
But "I'll do my best," was all he said, with a curt nod to the other two.
With one last sad look at the lump of Hermione on the bed, he left, cloak swishing behind him dramatically.
Victoria and Brett crept cautiously to her sister's bedside, but Hermione did not stir. She was too far gone into her pain.
Cal gazed at Hermione from a distance, not wanting to disturb the moment Victoria was having with her sister. He watched her curiously, knowing, for the first time, that someone else could feel as much pain as he once had. Because once, not so long ago, he had looked just as Anastasia Spencer did now.
He knew. And if anyone could help her, it was he alone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N:
Ha! Cliffhanger, once again! Ok, apologies for the lateness, (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry) and for those of you who are terribly confused, a quick recap of what's been going on in Long December.
Ahem.
CHAPTER ONE: saw Draco, returned from a term (semester) in America and realizing that he could no longer be prejudiced to others, having experienced it himself. Draco also made civilized conversation with the hated Hermione Granger, who hoped to soon escape her Muggle parents (who were trying to convince her to give up the wizarding world.) They made an uneasy sort of peace, but Hermione couldn't deny that Draco Malfoy simply took her breath away. Little did she know, the feelings were mutual.
CHAPTER TWO: found Hermione and Draco having a bit of a moment in the Great Hall and Harry being an absolute prick about it. Harry gets pissed at Draco, Draco does a little ass-kicking, and then Hermione body-binds ole Scarface and she and Draco go in to dinner. Ginny's all-grown-up and comes to Harry's rescue, seeing as it's winter holiday and there's almost no one around the castle. She frees Harry from the curse and realizes that not only was he being a prick about Hermione, but he'd also been an absolute fool over Ginny. They kiss, and Ron, Parvati, Lavendar, Lavendar's sister, Hermione and Draco all kind of walk in on them (well, they WERE kissing in the middle of the Great Hall, after all!)
CHAPTER THREE: contains Harry, Ron, and Draco making and uneasy truce, while Hermione and Draco get closer. Draco whines about the decoration when he is invited to the Gryffindor common room for a scintillating game of Spin the Bottle. Mayhem ensues (think Draco, Ron, kiss) and Lavendar and Parvati come out (as in yes, they are lesbians.) Hermione gets an owl from Pierce Oculin, a Ministry Official, stating that she is not really Hermione Granger, but, in fact, the daughter of the oldest wizarding family, the Spencers. The Spencer's daughter was kidnapped years ago and they think that somehow, Hermione may be their child. Hermione's Muggle parents receive a similar letter and freak out, because they never told Mione that she was adopted.
CHAPTER FOUR: Mione begins to deal with the letter from the Ministry, while Harry and Draco put aside their 'differences' and vow never to let Mione be hurt. We learn the depths of Draco's feelings for Hermione and Harry and Ginny become an official couple. All go to Hogsmeade for New Year's. While on a moonlit stroll, Draco explains some of the history of Mione's family which is as follows:
*Mione's grandfather (her father's father) was Minister of Magic before Fudge
*Her father is set to be next Minister of Magic
*Her mother was Muggle-born and the best of friends with Lily Evans
*Father: Charles Spencer, pecan-colored hair, green eyes
*Mother: Rebecca Spencer, honey-colored hair, amber eyes
*She has 3 sisters: Victoria, 19, pecan-colored long straight hair, amber eyes
Isabella, 10, honey-colored short curly hair, green eyes
Alexandra, 7, chocolate-colored chin-length straight hair, green eyes
We learn that Draco has a sister, Calabria. Draco and Mione cuddle and celebrate New Year's by spending a chaste night in the same bed.
CHAPTER FIVE: Hermione prepares to leave for the Ministry Inquest that would give her great insight into her family, etc. Draco offers to go with her, and she accepts. Hermione meets Helly, Draco's house-elf, who gives her more insight to the real Draco Malfoy. (We also find out that Draco's real true love is coffee) Ginny reassures Hermione that her parents will love her, while she worries not only about the Spencers, but her Muggle-parents as well. Draco talks about his family as well, and the relationships he has with them. They see Sirena Brown outside of a café in London.
CHAPTER SIX: We finally meet Charles and Rebecca Spencer and their three daughters, who are on their way to the Inquest. Paul and Anne Granger also prepare for the Inquest. The three daughters are described in more detail and we learn Hermione's birth name was Anastasia Colette. The three daughters read from a family history book about the origins of their names. Back in London, Draco forces Hermione to go back to the hotel without Sirena Brown noticing and explains to her that he thinks Sirena is following them. Mione dismisses his conspiracy theory, but Draco remains unsure. People begin to assemble at the Inquest: the Grangers arrive first, then the Malfoys, the Spencers, Dumbledore, Moody, an Unmentionable, and three Aurors. Draco and Hermione arrive late to the Inquest.
CHAPTER SEVEN: A mysterious woman kills Ministry officials to kidnap Hermione from the Inquest and Calabria and Draco team up to rescue her. We see the Inquest in a flashback: Pierce Oculin, the Ministry official, makes introductions. He then gives them the Official Ministry report on what happened, which doesn't explain much. Dumbledore then performs a blood-line spell on the Spencers to determine if Mione is their daughter, which she is. They all argue about the letter sent to the Ministry that led them to believe that Mione was a Spencer which said :
hermione spencer lost one undo darkness defeat evil
and a prophecy that the Aurors think is connected with Mione's kidnapping which says:
"Raised a witch, will undo dark
Raised apart, will fall
Second of a strong line
May conquer evil all
Born in year triumphant
Lost to darker landsMay return to walk the light
If dark one by her stands
The greatest witch to ever live
If she can break free
From he who holds her prisoner
In her heart is heThen Mione is kidnapped from the Inquest. All part ways, including the Malfoy children, who return to the hotel and try to figure out the true meaning of the prophecy before they proceed. They can only understand part of it and decide to wait until Hermione is recovered before attempting the rest of it. They reveal that Sirena Brown was the woman who kidnapped Hermione from the Inquest (Sirena is Lavendar's younger sister). Ron, after getting an owl from Calabria, goes to the Brown's manor to look for Mione and finds her in the dungeons. They make it out of the dungeons and up into the sitting room before they realize that they were set up. Sirena Brown, her father, Marcus, and Peter "Wormtail/Scabbers" Pettigrew. Sirena become Voldie's vessel, and she explains what a "Draining" is. Mione is adamant that she is not the Chosen One, and that she has no special powers. Sirena attempts to Drain Hermione, and at the same time, Ron lunges in front of Mione to protect her. Draco comes crashing in through the window at exactly the same moment.
HOPE THAT HELPS… SORRY AGAIN ABOUT THE DELAY IN UPDATING. NO IDEA WHEN I'LL BE ABLE TO POST CHAPTER NINE, THOUGH I PROMISE TO START WORKING ON IT. LOVE AND KISSES TO ALL REVIEWERS.
Another note: I'll post explanations to both Adam's Story and Sirena's Story ASAP, as well, since so many people have asked for them. Thanx for reading those, too! If you haven't read them yet, you ought to, cause they're really helpful.
