Author's Note:
'This is a contest entry for the Dracolov challenge! If you would like to enter you must e-mail Dracolov, her e-mail is in her profile. The last day to enter is 12/1/04. Please R & R (read and review) and thank you for reading my story.
Disclaimer:
I don't own any of the orginial Harry Potter character because I am not that creative...but I wish i was...I only own the plot and my characters.
chapter 16: The Ties That Bind
All eyes were now on Madame Maxine, a position she loved, and having commanded all their attention, she began to speak concisely to them.
"I have been doing research on the Priory for many years but never really believing that they were real, I just thought that it was just a concidence until you all arrived her today." she started but was stopped by Hermione.
"Concidence?"
"Qui, I came across a name many years ago that sparked my interest but after endless research I couldn't find anything tangible and that's when I went to see Albus."
"A name?" Now it was Draco's turn to jump in. "Which one was it?"
"Well, it all began in back in Monsieur Potter's first year at Hogwarts with the Sorcerer's Stone. Once the story came out and the creator of the stone passed, his name was everywhere and that's when it occurred to me. Nicholas Flamel."
"Are you telling us that Nicholas Flamel was connected to the Priory?" Hermione scoffed with the misguided belief that she knew all there was about him from her research in their first year.
"Yes, he was believed to be one of the leaders of the Priory back in the 15th century and he was the original translator of Abraham's Law and to the mortal community, speculated to have the formula for the Philosopher's Stone. He had very distinct and noteable connections to the mortal and magical realms so I felt compelled to know more." she answered.
"Why isn't this written anywhere?" Hermione asked.
"It is but not in connection with the stone." Draco shook his head knowing that he knew this but never connected it to his first year.
"But why isn't it?" she pressed further.
"Because the stone was strongly tied to muggle religious themes which holds little credence here." Dumbledore spoke softly. "Nicholas was reported to be a pure soul and for that reason, God, gave him the formula for eternal life. When asked what he himself thought, he believed that all things were tied to God which made him an outcast here to all but a few."
"So why did he leave the Priory?" Harry's turn.
"Because he wanted to combine the two worlds as he believed God had intended it."
"And the Priory wanted no part of that unless God was replaced by magic." Tara reasoned.
"Yes. He lived in solitude until he felt the threat to the stone was too great, at which time, he gave me the stone to guard but after the attempts by Voldemort to access the stone, he knew that it would never be safe. The ills of men, as he put it, and destroyed it and the formula," the headmaster finished.
"Did he ever tell you about body switching?" Sapphire inquired.
"No, that had to come from somewhere else. Isn't that right, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Salazar." Draco replied with his head bowed. It seems that the truth always has a way of rearing its ugly head.
"You knew?" Hermione gawked at him.
"Well...I suspected that my father had..."
"All this time you knew what they were after?" She began to pace frantically.
"Hermione, I don't think.." Sapphire started to say but quickly abandoned the thought with the next movement by her.
-
meanwhile back at the Ministry of Magic
"Mum, you have to understand that Ginny's not been the same since Harry...well, since he didn't feel the same for her." Ron sat down as this could take awhile, "then after Hermione broke off our relationship, she went crazy. She began to talk of how anything muggle related had been infected and how they didn't feel things like we do. I was consumed by guilt and then she suggested..."
"Guilt? Why would you feel guilt?" Molly looked at him quizzically.
"Because of something I got myself involved in. It was a misunderstanding really but I couldn't deal with it and when she found out about it..well, let's just say, she wasn't pleased."
"What exactly?"
"A relationship that I found myself in." He started to fidget uncontrollably.
"With who?"
"It started out as someone to talk to and then he told me about his situation and..."
"He?" Bloody hell, here we go... "Are you a puffer, Ronald?"
"No, it's not like that. She's different...now."
"She? Didn't you just say that it was a he?" Her head was spinning with confusion.
"She was a he but now she's a she and we comforted one another but then Hermione walked in and saw..."
"Wait, Hermione knew?" Molly was growing angry now but Arthur just had his mouth hanging open with all the new information.
"I ran after her to explain but all I got out was to please not say anything and then she left. I didn't know what to think so I went to Ginny."
"And she went nutters?" Molly questioned.
"I thought so but come to find out, it had more to do with Harry. She was planning on changing him."
"Changing?"
"Some ritual, I guess. It all just got out of hand and then I was told that Snape was..."
"Snape? What's he got to do with this?" Arthur finally could speak.
"Well, he's the..."
"She?" Arthur said the words as Molly fell to the floor. Ron could only look at his father but the answer was written all over his face causing Arthur to fall back in his chair knowing that this was all going to destroy them all.
-
"Ok, so first things first. We have to find Draco, Hermione, Harry and Tara. I need to be back in my body for the ritual and we need the Hermione and Harry subdued so they can't stop it. Then we can use Hermione to convince Draco to comply with the ritual. Anything I'm leaving out?" Parisa made a little check list in her mind as she left the question floating in the air.
"Yeah, what are we supposed to do about Harry?" Ginny shot back.
"Oh yeah, well...what do you want? I mean are you still thinking that he will around or do we have to call upon Flint?"
"Maybe Hermione can help there too?" She proposed.
"Possibly but it would be risky. He'd still be able to leave you if we kill her, so how do we keep him in the dark?"
"And what about Ron?"
"The Ministry's power will be gone with the completion of the ritual, he may know the truth but there won't be anyone to tell."
"How will that work?" Ginny asked.
"In theory, we will consummate the ceremony, conceive the heir and then take over the muggle world by exposing the power of the Priory."
"Sounds like another war to me."
"So?"
"That's not what I was picturing. Won't there be casualities? And what if something goes wrong?"
"Like what?"
"What if we're killed?"
"I'll be protected."
"But what about me?" Ginny was starting to see a real problem surfacing.
"You'll be with me of course," Parisa replied but not too convincingly.
"Sure..." Ginny retorted skeptically.
"Now would I lie to you?" Parisa laughed and Ginny felt chills run through her, would she?
-
Hermione leaped over Harry and Tara landing on top of Draco, grabbing him by the hair and yelling at him without any regard to the others in the room. "Raincheck my arse, how could you try to shag me knowing that your father was the cause of all this?"
"I didn't know it. I only suspected it after reading the interrogation of Flint by Weasley." He tried explain while struggling to control her.
"Bullshit, lies...it's just more lies. I can't believe that I fell for it, fell for your stupid charm. I should...Avada..."
"Hermione...NO!"
Regaining her senses somewhat, she rolled off Draco and just sat on the floor of the office with her head in her hands. What is wrong with me, she asked herself but couldn't bear the answer.
"May I have a minute alone with her?" Draco requested to the rest of the group. Looking for any excuse to distance themselves from the situation, they all agreed eagerly and left. Draco bent down and raised her to her feet.
"I didn't lie to you, I just didn't know everything. After all these years of wanting revenge and planning for it every waking minute, I didn't know what I wanted. I only knew what my body was wanting. I know you want me to say that I care for you but I'm not the only one who has secrets. Remember Ron?"
"That was different."
"How? Because it you and not me?"
"You still hated them. I wasn't going to give you anything to use against them." Hermione defended herself firmly.
"And I wasn't going to give you anything to use against me or my family." Draco replied seeing that she was beginning to calm down as the logic pentrated her senses.
"This is all just too much information too quickly. I can't figure out what I feel anymore," she confessed.
"It's not one sided you know." He offered but she didn't understand at first.
"What?"
"Tara...I mean Ginny, said that the feelings were one sided but it's not."
"But you hate everything mortal."
"Maybe I'm starting to see the hypocrisy of it all. What if Flamel was right, everything is because of the God? Where do I fit?" It was he turn to confess what had been plaguing him for the last few hours.
"What if he's wrong?" Did I just ask that, Hermione questioned.
"How could this be wrong?" Draco responded with an urgent and forbodding kiss. As Hermione succumbed to the fire in her belly, she knew without a doubt the answer but feared the consquences to come...
Author's Notes:
First I would like to explain that everything written in this about Nicholas Flamel and the Priory of Sion is absolutely true...I did extensive research on the internet about the Priory of Sion and came across his name and the connection to the Sorceror's Stone...JK must have done her own research and found the connection too...but that was the inspiration for this fic...I couldn't explain that until now but I thought I would let you know because it's not made up by me but actual documented history...crazy, huh?
Welcome to my new readers...Lady Malfoy and anyone out there reading but not reviewing...Thanks and hugs of great appreciation to the returning reviewers: Harrena Potter, Lillian-is-fickle, slyswn28, Obbsessive, sugar n spice 522 and Felicity 2. Special thanks to Dracolov for sponsoring this contest and don't forget to vote on Dangerous Liaisons if I can ever get the link up...if you go to my profile and link into my fiction press profile the link is there but I can't get it updated on my profile here or in these author's notes...the system keeps deleting it...go figure..but I would love the votes if you don't mind the effort.
Lady Malfoy...I would love to explain anything to you that you are finding confusing...just email me if you'd like something explained...and Hermione and Draco are getting closer but this fic moves at its own pace.
Kim...did that help clear things up more?
Harrena..you're welcome for the answers..if you have any other questions just email me.
Sugar and spice 522...I look forward to seeing more when you get them updated.
Finally, if anyone would like the link to Dangerous Liaisons emailed to you...just let me know and I will if that's easier for you. Enjoy reading and just keep reviewing, reviewing, reviewing...and a few votes would be excellent...
