A/N:Much alphabet love to WordsmithMusings3

TW NOTIFICATION: Mentions of child abuse(non-graphic)

Chapter Seven:

Time passed by in a wave of research and new routines.

On the fifth day, Draco received a letter from his mother. It was addressed to somewhere in France but had rerouted to Grimmauld. His eagle owl nipped playfully at his fingers while he read, his face turning grim.

"Kingsley told her I was helping the Ministry with something classified in Europe!" He began to pace, voice rising. "She's angry with me because I left without telling her. She wants to know how long I'll be gone! How did this help?! I would never do this—he practically made my mother have a panic attack."

Draco had written her back that he didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he would be home soon. "Even if we're still bonded, I won't stay away from her for more than a month, Granger."

While Sirius had soured at the idea, his anger at Draco's parents coming through, Hermione had wholeheartedly agreed. He was the only one of them left with immediate family, her parents still in Australia, living as Wendell and Monica Wilkins. Their memories were unable to be replaced due to her irreversible spellwork, oblivious to the fact they even had a daughter. Sirius still had Harry, but he was their assigned Auror and could see them anytime.

Sirius and Draco had a small squabble until Hermione voiced she agreed with Draco. Hermione sympathised with him; she knew the guilt that came with having parents that needed them. It earned her twin surprise looks and an end to the fight.

Draco also wrote a note for Harry to take to Mrs Zabini to look in on his mother. At the very least, it gave him some peace of mind before he threw himself into his work.

They spent their days reading and discussing new possibilities. Hermione, Sirius, and Draco had tried counter-spells and curses, but nothing worked. Draco was currently brewing a potion that was said to reverse bonds.

"It's only been tried with Unbreakable Bonds," Draco had told her after they agreed to try the potion. "I'm not sure how it'll react with ours."

But the potion didn't work, and as the days went on, they became desperate, trying anything with the smallest of opportunities. Hermione had thought perhaps once Sirius got a new wand, it would help. They could channel everyone's magic. So she had pressed Harry, aided by Draco, asking him every morning when he showed up if he'd spoken to Kingsley yet.

Finally, after four days since Kingsley's visit, Harry came through.

"There are rules to follow, however," Harry said. "Some are Kingsley's. One is mine."

Hermione perked up as Harry spoke, ignoring the smirk on Draco's face from the corner of her eye.

"First, do your best to keep the bond hidden. Sirius, could you transform? We'd like to see what happens to the bond in your Animagus form."

They waited for Sirius to transform, and the room burst into laughter. The bond had turned into a collar and leash, still glowing a pale blue. Sirius let out a huff, his jowls flapping slightly in annoyance; Hermione thought it was adorable.

Harry cleared his throat, though a grin still remained on his face. "Second, Hermione and Draco, you'll wear these." He held out two plain silver rings. "They're from the joke shop, prototypes, so we'll have to tell Fred and George how they work, but they'll get the job done."

"And what are they?" Hermione asked, picking one ring up and inspecting it. It was normal enough, nothing engraved, no ornament of any kind—just a simple band of metal.

"Glamour rings—they reverse your features."

Draco slipped his down his right ring finger, and instantly his features morphed. His legs shrunk a few inches—though he was still quite tall—and his hair became dark. It was such a startling change that Hermione couldn't help the gasp that left her mouth.

Draco's now brown eyes glanced up to her, and he frowned. "Let's see yours then."

The metal was cool against Hermione's finger, and she was impressed how the band moulded to her finger. Instantly she became taller, nearly the same height as Draco, and her hair fell straight down her back. She grabbed a piece of it, surprised it was still brown, though filled with more red than her usual gold tones. When she looked up at Harry, both he and Draco jumped.

"Merlin, Hermione," Harry muttered. "Your eyes are bright blue!"

Instinctively she reached a hand up to her eye, and Draco wrinkled his nose. "I don't like it. Your regular eyes are much better." And then, as if he realised he had said that, his cheeks coloured faint pink, and he turned away. "You look weird with blue eyes."

Hermione frowned and crossed her arms. "Well, you don't look particularly good with brown eyes either!"

"Alright, alright," Harry interrupted. "You may want to wait to get into an argument until you hear the next rule."

Hermione huffed but gestured for Harry to continue. Draco continued to face the opposite direction.

"Rule three, you and Draco will need to hold hands to keep your bond from showing. Now that we know Sirius can pass for a pet dog—I know, sorry." Harry chuckled when Sirius growled. "Under no circumstances are you to let go of the other's hand, understood?"

Hermione hesitated a moment but nodded. It was just holding hands, that was all. And whatever would keep people from finding out her mistake, she would do. Draco waited until Hermione nodded but agreed too.

"Under no circumstances are you allowed to leave this house without me or permission from Kingsley. Due to the whole flying situation—which I'm going to ask you about later—where you go, I go."

"Alright and final rule—my rule," Harry said, slipping on his ring to accompany them glamoured the same. His mop of black hair became curled and strawberry blonde, and his green eyes turned a light shade of brown. "I don't care if the bond shows, I don't care if Sirius transforms back to human. If we get into danger, fuck all the rules."

They had all Apparated and entered Diagon with ease, and Hermione took a moment to enjoy not having people come up to her every time she was out. She knew they meant well, but she hated the adoration, hated that her life was put on display for all to see. Harry was used to it; it'd been happening to him since he was eleven. Ron had enjoyed it for a bit, but even he had reached his limit. Hermione had hated her celebrity status from the start—her entire life felt like a fish tank.

Draco's hand felt stiff in hers as they walked like he were holding a flower and was afraid to crush it. Hermione squeezed his hand but kept her eyes ahead of her. She was glad for it because when Draco gripped her hand tighter, her face flushed.

Flourish & Blotts was their first stop, and thankfully it had gone smoothly. Hermione purchased a handful of books that could help their research, and Draco had asked if she wanted to peruse the Muggle section for more books like The Duke and I. He laughed loudly when her face turned bright red.

Harry had to yell at them to be quiet and behave so as not to draw unwanted attention. Hermione felt like a scolded student who was only guilty by association.

Diagon had become a bit busy while they were in Flourish and Blotts, and they weaved gently through the crowd of people. For the first time since they'd left the house, Hermione was glad for Draco's steady grip on her hand and the pull of Sirius on the leash. Their group allowed people to give them wide space as they passed, some pointing and looking oddly at the glowing collar.

"Can we make a quick stop into the Apothecary?" Draco called back to Harry, who looked at his watch and frowned.

"Fine, but quick."

They stepped through the doors, the musty scent of herbs and potion ingredients hitting them instantly.

"No animals allowed, please!" The shopkeeper called from behind the register as she rang out other customers. Draco sighed, and they all stepped back out into the busy alley. He listed off the ingredients he needed to Harry, and he went back inside to purchase the items.

Hermione and Draco stood awkwardly against the building, Sirius at their feet, as other shoppers walked by. Moments passed in silence as Hermione people watched, still in awe that no one recognised her. By now, she would've been swimming in autograph and picture requests.

"It's funny," Draco muttered beside her and voiced her thoughts. "Normally, I'd be knee-deep in glares and muttered curses."

His words gave Hermione pause as she looked at him. He kept his dark gaze on the people as they walked by, and Hermione frowned. Their situations were so different, yet so similar. Instead of glares and curses, she would be hounded with handshakes, words of praise, requests to sign all manner of things. Still stifling and overwhelming, but in a much different way.

Hermione squeezed his hand in reassurance, and just as Draco looked over with a questioning brow, an elderly woman walked up to them.

"Oh my, what an adorable dog!" she reached down and patted Sirius' head. "And what an interesting collar! It looks so cute on you!" It startled Hermione so much that she couldn't help the small chuckle that left her lips. The old woman glanced up at them and smiled. "And you two look so well together! Ah young love, how sweet."

She tittered off with one final pat for Sirius, and Hermione's face turned hot.

"It's just because we're holding hands and our features are changed," Draco said, his grip on her fingers slackening. "If I were myself, if she knew who we were, she wouldn't be saying those things. She wouldn't have even approached us."

"Unless it was for my autograph." Hermione chuckled at Draco's dark glare. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Malfoy."

Thankfully Harry exited the store shortly after and saved them from any more couple comments. They continued on to their final destination; Ollivanders. Draco's hand had become comfortable in Hermione's as they continued on the path down the alley, their fingers twined together. His hands were large, dwarfing hers, but it felt natural— comfortable—to hold it.

"I meant what I said earlier, you know," Draco called back to her as they wove through a crowd of people.

"About what?"

"Your eyes. The blue doesn't suit you, but your eyes have a hint of gold with the brown—"

"Malfoy's really like gold, don't they?" Hermione quipped.

Draco laughed openly, the deep sound tampered by the chattering voices around them.

Hermione flushed when he looked back at her over his shoulder, his hand squeezing hers, and grinned.

She was thankful that Draco's eyes had returned forward as he manoeuvred across the rest of the alley. The longer Hermione thought about his grin, the hotter her face turned. Her brain was actively working to rid herself of any and all thoughts. By the time they stepped through and into Ollivanders, she finally managed to control her senses.

Harry locked the door behind them, pulling the shade down on the window and flipping the open sign to closed. Muttering could be heard toward the back.

"You can transform now, Sirius," Harry whispered, pulling a robe from his bag. "Ollivander knows you're alive."

Hermione glanced away for modesty as Sirius transformed into his human form and donned the garment. Harry met her eyes and whispered. "He doesn't know about the bond or that it's you and Draco. If he asks, tell him you're an Auror assigned to looking after Black, and the rope is precautionary. The less he knows, the better."

Hermione nodded, and the muttering approached them. Ollivander crept around a stack of wand boxes, his red-rimmed eyes bouncing from person to person. He talked to himself under his breath so faintly Hermione couldn't make out the words.

"Sirius Black," his raspy voice forced out. "I wondered when you'd be showing up."

"How could you, if he was dead?" Draco called out. Hermione tugged on his hand; Draco looked at her and realised his mistake.

Ollivander took them in with his far-off eyes, the mutterings continued. "Not dead. Just...gone. Not dead. Just existing. He's lucky, this one." Ollivander peered down his spectacles to Sirius. "Mister Black, I've been waiting a long time to find your wand. The other one was bad, not right. Not for you. Now, let's see..."

And then he was off, climbing a nearby ladder and pulling out a slender box. It was as if decades of energy poured into him; his pace quickened. He handed the ebony wand to Sirius, and the nearby teacup shattered instantly.

"Not that one!" Ollivander called as he disappeared to the back of the shop. He brought up a small collection, Sirius testing each one. Some made things explode, and some did nothing at all. Finally, the last box sat in Ollivanders hands, and he held the wand gently in his fingers.

"I wonder..." He said, staring Sirius down. "Yes. Yes, I thought perhaps, but now I'm certain."

It was engraved with roses and vines, the pattern wrapping from base to tip. Hermione could feel it happen—the moment the wand chose him—as it pressed against Sirius' fingers. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with, like a zap of electricity, a spark, static. A small breeze swept across the room.

"Yes, of course. It's the only possibility. " Ollivander muttered beneath his breath, and his shaking hands snatched the wand away from Sirius' grip. He inspected it, glancing between Sirius, Hermione and Draco. "This wand," Ollivander began, his gravelly voice just above a whisper. "Is made from vine wood."

Hermione's heart jumped.

"And the core...unicorn hair."

Ollivander offered the wand back to Sirius, who tentatively took it. "And? What does that mean?"

"It means," Ollivander took in a shaky breath. "That your bond goes deeper than some glowing shackles. It means there is something more tying you together, a life bond or some curse, perhaps? Maybe. But I do find it odd that the wand you hold in your hands, Mister Black, was made from the same wood as Miss Granger's, and hair from the same unicorn as Mister Malfoy's."

Hermione was stunned into silence, as were her companions.

Ollivander smiled with his yellowed teeth. "Your glamors work well on those who cannot See. I know people by their magic; it's individual—unique to each person. I could close my eyes and identify you by your magical signature alone."

Harry gave an irritated sigh, and Draco's grip tightened on her hand. It was the only thing keeping her grounded as her thoughts raced. What could that mean? Why did Sirius' wand change? Why was it made with aspects from both her and Draco's wands?

Too many questions, and too few answers. It drove Hermione mad.

They paid for the wand and left the store immediately, Ollivanders wide eyes watching them eerily. Sirius handed Harry his robe and new wand, transforming back into a dog. Draco and Hermione still kept a steady hold of each other's hands as they walked back through the Leaky. It helped keep Hermione's thoughts from racing away—like the anchor of a boat trapped in a tsunami.

When they Apparated back to Grimmauld, it felt odd to finally untangle her fingers; she had enjoyed the reassuring pressure of his grip.

Harry plopped down at the table, dropping his head into his hands and groaning. He slid the ring from his finger, returning to his normal features, and chucked it into the rubbish bin. "Kingsley doesn't need to know about Ollivander. He may be a bit mental, but he won't blab to anyone."

Hermione and Draco agreed as they took their rings off as well. She glanced up as Draco's hair became pale again, and his eyes lightened back to grey. It was funny. Now that Draco's eyes changed back, she noticed they were different to Sirius'. Draco had flecks of sapphire blue woven throughout the silver, where Sirius had streaks of obsidian.

"Much better," Draco whispered to her as he stared into her gaze. It caused a shiver to run down her spine.

Sirius shook himself as he transformed back and gratefully accepted the robe again. He hovered over the wand as Harry handed it to him, but slowly took it. He spun it through his fingers while he contemplated.

Hermione didn't know the answer to her previous questions, nor did she have the material here to find out what any of it could mean.

"Harry," she said as she sat down across from her friend. "I want to go to Hogwarts."

Harry took off his glasses and chucked them onto the table, rubbing at his eyes. "Why, Hermione? Why?"

Guilt panged in her chest, but Hermione needed this. She knew Harry was under pressure with work, with Kingsley. But she needed the library.

"Flourish and Blotts won't have what I need. I need access to the Restricted Section."

"Kinglsey won't like this," Harry stated, his voice defeated as if he already knew he'd lost. "Too many people are getting involved."

Hermione crossed her arms and huffed. "Well, tell him he doesn't have a choice. Either he gives us permission and sets it up, or I'm going to steal your invisibility cloak and sneak in there myself. I want to go tomorrow." She paused for another retort, but the room fell silent.

Harry let out a long sigh and stood. "Fine, I know there's no point arguing with you. I'll set it up. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home to my husband."

The Floo roared to life as he left, Hermione, Sirius, and Draco silent and tired from the morning's activities.

"May I see it?" Hermione asked as Sirius fiddled with his wand again. He passed it to her without a word, and her fingers grazed over the roses. She took out her own wand, the colour's identical, though the carvings differed. "What was your old wand?"

"Cypress and dragon-heartstring. As old as the Black family line, or so I was told."

Hermione's eyes flashed to his as she handed the wand back. "You didn't choose yours?"

"Of course not," Sirius chuckled. "Wands were always passed down, and if it didn't work for you, that was your fault, not the wands."

Draco sniffed. "Not me. I was allowed new everything. I wouldn't let my father force me to use a wand that wasn't mine."

Sirius eyed him with interest. "Well, bully for you, Malfoy. I didn't have such loving parents."

"Why not just get a new wand after you came of age?" Hermione asked. "Why keep it?"

"I wanted to. I had planned to originally, but with what was happening, I just never found the time. I was always on the move, always looking over my shoulder." Sirius gave a soft sigh. "Over the years, I had managed to tune the wand toward me. Work through obstacles. I'm not sure what a new wand would have brought me.

"And then Azkaban happened and... well when I got out and stole my wand back, I felt... I'm not sure. A part of me felt attached to it; it had grown with me at Hogwarts, learned with me."

He held up his new wand and gazed at it. "But what I felt when I held this wand... It was something powerful."

"I could feel it," Hermione said. "I could feel both of your magical energies."

Draco gave her an odd look. Like he was concerned. "I did too... But that isn't normal, Granger. Sure, you can feel the magic in the air, but we shouldn't be able to feel each other's cores."

Another thing she wanted to look into at Hogwarts. She knew that, of course. It was the first time she had ever felt someone's very centre. The origin of someone's magic—and she knew that wasn't normal.

Hermione continued to think about it while they bathed, barely even giving any notice to their nakedness. A list compiled in her brain of all the things she wanted to look into and what possible books they could be in. She was on limited time, and they needed to figure this out soon.

The day had been long, and Hermione climbed into bed, her head collapsing to the soft pillow. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, but her mind still raced. She couldn't stop it once she started—a bad habit she'd had all her life.

She tossed and turned for over an hour, trying everything she could to shut off her brain. If she weren't shackled to two people right now, she'd be at a desk writing this all down.

Draco breathed deeply beside her, his pale hair glowing beneath the moonlight that streamed through the window. Normally Draco took just as long as her to fall asleep, but today must have been just as hard for him. Her hand rested beside his, and she reached out a finger to graze the back of his hand. The memory of today, how Draco's hand felt in hers, caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. It did nothing to quell her racing mind—if anything, it made it worse.

Sighing, Hermione pulled her hand away and turned to face Sirius. His breath wasn't as even as Draco's; it was erratic and sharp. Hermione instinctively grabbed Sirius' hand as he twitched, a small whine escaping his lips.

"Sirius," Hermione whispered, tugging on his arm. "Hey, you're alright. It's just a nightmare."

Sirius stirred in his sleep, hair sweeping across his face. Hermione reached her free hand over, careful not to tug on Draco's too much. Her fingertips grazed across Sirius' forehead, the skin warm. She pushed away the black locks and trailed her hand down his cheek, stilling his movements.

Just as she was about to pull away, Sirius grabbed her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her palm. Electricity shot through Hermione, the rough stubble of Sirius' face running along her wrist. Sirius sighed and let go. Hermione curled her hand to her chest, heart leaping to her throat.

"Thank you for waking me," Sirius muttered. His thumb tapped against his bare chest, the sound thumping gently. "That was my first nightmare since leaving the Veil."

"What was it about?"

Sirius stopped tapping his thumb while he thought. His dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. "My childhood was not a happy one, as I'm sure you know."

Hermione nodded gently, surprised Sirius was actually telling her. She had expected to push her off, tell her she didn't need to worry about it.

"When I received my Hogwarts letter, my parents were thrilled. I was already unruly, a troubled child, as they liked to say. They hoped that when I finally made it into Slytherin, something in me would change. Little did they know." He chuckled, and so did Hermione. "Anyway, when you receive this wand, it's a whole thing, party, ceremony—the works."

Sirius grabbed his new wand from the side table. "When my father placed it in my hand, it jumped from my grasp and flew across the room as if someone had cast an Expelliarmus." His knuckles turned white as his grip tightened. "They tried again, and it did the same thing. I was a laughing stock—had made my parents a laughing stock. My mother had Kreacher whip me with a wooden switch and tied my wand to my hand.

"I guess at some point, it worked because by the time school came, the wand was finally staying without sticking spells and a plethora of tape." He set the wand back on the table and rubbed his eyes. "It was odd hearing all these stories from my classmates about how their wand chose them, what it had felt like. And then I was placed in Gryffindor, and the rest is history."

Tears welled in Hermione's eyes as she stared at Sirius. Her brave and broken Gryffindor. She squeezed his hand where it was wedged between them and rested her head against his shoulder. Nothing more could be offered, no words could change anything. Today he'd experienced what his parents had taken from him, what they'd ruined for him.

"Tell me something," Sirius muttered into her hair. "Your scars... It was Bellatrix, wasn't it?"

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes."

"Tell me."

Her story poured from her lips. She shared more than she ever had with Ron, even more than Harry. She told Sirius how scared she'd been, how she had begged Bellatrix not to kill her and soiled herself. And that an audience made of the entire Malfoy Family only made it worse.

It wasn't something she told anyone. Ever. But once the words started, she couldn't stop. Sirius didn't speak, didn't interrupt her as she rambled on. Instead, he simply held her hand, squeezing gently as Draco once had. She felt safe with Sirius; he listened, he understood.

She was surprised to feel a tender hand on her cheek, wiping away stray tears. "You are so unbelievably brave, Hermione. I have no idea how you managed to get through it all. You shouldn't have had to, but I am so proud of your strength."

Something in Hermione clawed at those words, hoarding them inside her like a dragon's treasure. She hadn't felt brave or strong since that day. She had felt like a fake Gryffindor. But hearing Sirius words eased a small part of her heart.

When sleep finally claimed Hermione, she and Sirius had their heads tucked together, hands clasped and resting on his chest. And at some point, Draco snaked his arm around her waist and curled around her.

For the first time since being bound, both sets of ropes disappeared.