A/N: Sorry this is a week later than promised lol. We'll still be on the every other week schedule for the moment, but I am working hard on this story for WIPtember! Huge thank you to my alphabet WordsmithMusings, and a grateful shoutout to FirewhiskySoul for helping me come up with ideas with the second half of this story.
Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven
Hermione smoothed down her curls for the hundredth time.
She could feel the eye roll Draco gave her as they waited for Harry's arrival, occupying the same room as they had two days ago. But now, a different nervousness settled around them.
Butterflies spread through her stomach, heart pounding and limbs tingling. Hermione could stand in front of the entire Wizengamot to defend her childhood bully, but the thought of having tea with Narcissa Malfoy made her want to crawl out of her skin.
"It's just my mother, Granger," Draco said as he appraised her attire. Perhaps she'd gone a bit overboard wearing a dress. Was there enough time to change? Could she convince both men to go back upstairs for just a moment—
"Your mother," Sirius started as he snuffed his cigarette. "Is the most intimidating woman I've ever met. Including Hermione."
Draco furrowed his brow and glared at Sirius, opening his mouth to retort.
"Please, you two," Hermione interrupted. "This will be hard enough without someone having a black eye."
"And it certainly won't be me..." Sirius muttered.
Draco crossed his arms and sat back in the chair to sulk. Beside him, Hermione rubbed her temple and sighed. Between being together 24/7, only having three feet of space to move independently, tensions were becoming high. Not to mention the small issue of someone having to die for it to be broken...
The fireplace exploded in a flash of bright green flame. Harry stepped through the Floo a moment later, brushing dust off his Auror uniform. The one he absolutely hated and only wore for the Wizengamot. It seemed Hermione wasn't the only one trying to look their best.
"Ready?" Harry asked. His hands fidgeted with his sleeves, and he shifted from one foot to the other.
Hermione nodded even though her pulse thrummed in her ears.
They all stood, and Sirius inspected Harry's attire, picking off a piece of soot from his shoulder. "Someone looking to impress the Malfoy matriarch?"
Harry slapped his hand away, and a faint flush covered his cheeks. "Blaise wouldn't let me leave until I put on 'something suitable.' This is the best I have except for a Muggle tuxedo and dress robes."
"Of course that's all you have," Draco scoffed and straightened the sleeves of his shirt. "You still won't buy proper clothes. Always the orphan, Potter?"
"Can we just get this over with? I'm already exhausted." Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes, stopping their spat before it began. Draco seemed particularly easy to irritate today.
Harry nodded and checked the Floo, ensuring it was properly set up to direct them to Malfoy Manor. With a deep breath, he stepped through first, disappearing again into the green flames.
Hermione's stomach rolled as they all took a handful of powder, following Harry. They stumbled into a room that Hermione had always been eager to see.
"Why did we arrive in the Library?" Hermione asked, casting a quick Scourgify to her clothes. The faint black smudge of soot disappeared instantly, leaving only the pale purple colour of her frock.
Draco grimaced. "I didn't think you'd want to see the main hall."
The main hall. The foyer. She'd been so nervous seeing Narcissa, Hermione hadn't even given a thought to the foyer. But Draco had.
"Well-" Hermione swallowed and scratched at the faint scar on her forearm. "-thank you for that."
Sirius reached out and slid his thumb over her cheek, tucking a stray curl behind it. "We've got you, kitten."
"I want to look around before we leave," Draco told her. "There are books here Hogwarts could only dream of possessing."
Hermione's finger's itched to run along every spine as they walked to the door. For a moment, she forgot why they were here as she awed over the twenty-foot tall shelves and perfect sorting system.
"Mother."
The greeting had Hermione's gaze darting instantly to the open Library doors. Narcissa stood on the threshold, cane in hand. Lucius's cane.
She looked frail, hair thin and cheeks shallow. But her eyes were still sharp as she inspected the group before her. Her eyes landed on the faintly glowing ropes and her brows furrowed. She continued to take in everyone's attire. When Narcissa got to Sirius, the only indication of emotion was a slight widening of her eyes.
"We'll have tea in the drawing-room," Narcissa stated, her gaze snapping to Draco. It seemed like she wanted to say more, but then she turned on her heel, walking briskly down the hall. Hermione was surprised she could walk so fast for being so sick.
Harry let out a loud breath, looking deflated.
"Scared, Potter?" Draco smirked.
Harry glared and stood straight at the challenge. "You wish."
Draco led them down the hall, Hermione's heart thumping in time with Narcissa's cane ahead of them. Just down the hall, her arse. Draco wove them through several halls until they finally arrived at a surprisingly sunny room. Hermione had always assumed Malfoy Manor was dark and dreary, but this room was warm and inviting. Soft shades of blue, green, and grey adorned patterned settees and chairs that were arranged around a table. It was set for tea and covered with a white silk tablecloth.
Narcissa stopped next to a large wingback chair and turned to them. She sat down and gestured to the settee directly across from her. "I suppose you can't sit very far apart, can you?"
"Unfortunately not," Draco replied as he ushered them forward and sat. Hermione awkwardly slid next to him, Sirius doing the same on her right side. Narcissa stared at her, squashed between Draco and Sirius. There was something akin to interest in her Black grey eyes.
"How is dear Blaise, Harry?" Narcissa asked, turning fully to Harry as he sat in the chair next to her. "His mother was here, you know, while my son was off on—oh, what was it..." She trailed off, furrowing her brow and tilting her head to Draco. "Ministry business, was it?"
Draco shifted beside Hermione and cleared his throat. For all his big talk of his mother being harmless, Draco seemed to be quite uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
"Blaise is fine, but before we talk about anything, here—" Harry sat forward and pulled a folded paper from his robes, handing it to her just as the sound of a small pop sounded to their right.
A house-elf dressed in an oversized Weird Sisters' t-shirt shuffled forward, her fingers flicking out to levitate cups and the kettle, pouring and serving the tea to everyone.
Narcissa took the paper from Harry's hand, ignoring the teacup as it floated beside her. She opened it, eyes scanning the words. Hermione assumed it was a contract so they could discuss everything. It was one contract she knew for certain would never break. Narcissa would never leak any of this to the public.
Hermione sipped her tea in silence, barely tasting what she was sure to be expensive tea due to her nerves. She watched as the house-elf walked to her mistress's side, waiting for further instruction. The paper in Narcissa's hand turned slightly, and Hermione glanced up to find Narcissa looking between her and her elf.
"Unfortunately, my son freed our elves by giving them his old t-shirts," Narcissa pointedly said. Her fingers laced together as she tilted her head at Draco, who only sipped his tea in response, avoiding his mother's gaze.
Hermione was both amazed and confused. She would never have suspected Draco Malfoy of owning band t-shirts or giving them to free his elves. It was a bit ludicrous.
"What's your name?" Hermione asked her.
"Tivy, Miss," she replied.
Despite the company and where she was, Hermione couldn't help but be herself. "And do you like your masters, Tivy?"
"Tivy has served the Malfoy family since Master Draco was a little thing, Miss," Tivy replied. "And Mistress Narcissa is very kind. Tivy gets every Sunday off."
Hermione nodded. She was glad to hear it. Narcissa stared her down with sharp eyes, her lips pressing to a thin line as she returned to the paper.
Beside Hermione, Sirius set his empty teacup down and pulled his pack of cigarettes from his leather jacket. "Mind if I smoke in here, Cissy?"
The air seemed to freeze. Like everyone was waiting for Narcissa to explode. But instead, she slowly waved her hand as she read on, indicating for Sirius to go ahead. Sirius snapped his fingers and conjured a small flame on his thumb, burning the end of a cigarette and settling back on the settee. Tivy pointed just above him, and the cigarette smoke filtered out of the room, leaving clean air behind it.
Sirius inclined his head and raised his burning cigarette in thanks. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Tivy, a quill and ink, please," Narcissa said as she finished reading. "I agree to the terms."
Tivy retrieved the requested items, and Narcissa signed her name at the bottom, dipping the tip of her wand in ink and pressing it to the paper to seal it with her magic.
Harry refolded the contract and placed it back into his robes. "Thank you. Now you're all free to discuss the situation."
Narcissa finally took her teacup and sipped slowly, looking between Draco, Hermione, and Sirius. "And what, exactly, is the situation?"
Draco glanced at Hermione and nodded. Last night they all discussed a plan of action for his mother, just like they had with the Wizengamot. There was no need to tell her everything—certainly not someone having to die. She didn't need the extra worry.
"Draco helped me bring Sirius out of the Veil by brewing a potion and performing a ritual that required his blood," Hermione began, her voice wavering slightly. "Except the ritual didn't go quite as planned—"
"Causing the shackles?" Narcissa interrupted.
Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded, curls falling over her shoulder.
"And for all your reading, Draco. You never looked into the possibility? Perhaps all those sleepless nights were for nought."
Draco sat straight at Narcissa's words, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Hermione glanced at him in astonishment while Narcissa smirked, her lips curling like Draco's. That must be where he got it from.
Sirius barked a laugh beside Hermione and snuffed his cigarette out in his teacup. Tivy wrinkled her nose.
"I'm glad to see you haven't changed much, Cissa. Always were my favourite."
Narcissa turned to him fully for the first time, taking him in. "Sirius. It is good to see you, Bellatrix..."
Sirius held up a hand, stopping her. "She's gone. There's nothing more to be said. I heard how it ended; I heard what you did for Harry. As I said, you always were my favourite."
At Bellatrix's name, Hermione's fingers instinctively moved to cover her faint scar. Draco settled his fingers over her's looking down at her in concern. She glanced across to Narcissa to find her glaring at their familiar contact, and Hermione pulled from his touch.
"When will you come to live here?" Narcissa asked sharply.
"Live here?" Draco asked in confusion. "What do you mean, mother?"
"Obviously, you would all be much more comfortable here, and I can keep a better eye on you. We can even hire help to look into this."
"We're doing our best." Hermione sat up straighter, the need to defend them overpowering her nerves. "I'm not sure someone else would understand what it is we need to do. And Grimmauld is comfortable."
Narcissa looked at her like she was a simpleton. "Miss Granger, I'm aware of your brilliant mind, but you've all been tethered together like this for weeks. Since you've been unable to undo your mistake, I can only assume something is lacking."
"If there is something lacking, I'm not sure a third-party would understand what is needed to find it," Hermione couldn't stop the irritation welling inside of her.
"So you refuse to let me help, is that correct?"
"No one can help. No one can fix this except for us!"
Narcissa grabbed her cane from where it rested against the arm of her chair and stood. The teacup rattled atop the table as she tossed it down. "How do I know this isn't all for show? It seems quite convenient that you would bind yourself to Draco. Is it the Malfoy money you're after? I know how much the Ministry would love to get their hands on it."
"Mother, stop," Draco stood, placing himself between Narcissa and Hermione. "Hermione didn't do this on purpose."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "Oh, Hermione, now, is it? Well, how glad I am that you've worked it out. Do you plan to be stuck like this forever? Shackled to my cousin and a mu—"
"Don't you dare call her that!" Draco yelled, pulling Hermione and Sirius to their feet. "We're leaving. It was obviously a mistake to come here."
Draco ushered them out, Hermione and Sirius unable to do anything but follow as their bonds pulled. Harry stood and moved to go with them.
"Draco, wait!" Narcissa called behind them. Suddenly, the sound of shattering china echoed from the room. Draco stopped short and turned back, looking back into the open room.
"Mistress!"
Narcissa laid on the ground, crumpled and unconscious, surrounded by pieces of white porcelain. Tivy shook her, calling out for her to wake up and flicking her fingers to clear away the debris.
Draco ran back, yanking Hermione and causing her to stumble.
"I've got you," Sirius said as he grabbed her waist, helping her run after Draco. Harry rushed around them and knelt at her side, pulling out his bag and sticking in his arm to the elbow.
"Flip her on her back, Tivy," Harry said as he rummaged around. "Careful."
"What is it? What's wrong?" Draco asked as he dropped to his knees beside her. Narcissa's face was deathly pale, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.
Harry pulled a vial free; Hermione instantly recognised it as a healing draught. "I'm not sure," he told Draco as he tipped the dark blue liquid into Narcissa's mouth. His emergency medical field training coming in handy as his natural leadership instincts took over. "She needs to go to St Mungo's—now. Tivy, can you take her?"
Tivy nodded, gripping onto Narcissa's shirt and Apparating them on the spot. Harry stood and pulled out his wand, summoning his stag Patronus to send Kingsley an emergency message.
"I'm coming too," Draco told him as the glowing white stag disappeared. "You won't stop me."
Harry pocketed his wand and considered. After a moment, he nodded. "Sirius, transform. Hermione, Draco, hold hands. I don't have any glamour rings, so the best we can do is Notice-Me-Nots."
He quickly cast them over Draco and Hermione as Sirius became his large dog form. Hermione watched in amazement and pride at Harry's leadership and clear-headedness.
But the feeling was short-lived as Draco twined their fingers together. "Ready, Granger?"
Hermione swallowed and placed her hand on Sirius's shaggy head, bracing herself for Draco to Apparate them to St Mungo's. With a lurching feeling, Hermione spun and stumbled onto pure white linoleum.
Harry dropped beside them a moment later, ushering them forward. The charms worked perfectly; no one paid them any mind until they arrived at the counter.
"Excuse me," Harry said. "We're here to—"
"Merlin, you're Harry Potter!" The receptionist exclaimed. A few eyes turned in their direction as she stared at them all. "And you're Hermione Granger, and you're—"
She swallowed as she stared up at Draco's sneering face. Hermione tugged on his hand and narrowed her eyes, silently telling him to relax.
Harry quickly shushed her, "We're here to see Narcissa Malfoy, her house-elf Tivy just brought her. And I would appreciate some discretion, please."
The receptionist nodded, still stunned as she flicked her wand and summoned a packet of paper. Hermione glimpsed Narcissa's name scrawled at the top.
"She's in critical care right now. The healers are looking after her, and they'll let you know when she's stable."
Harry nodded and glanced at the full lobby, people beginning to take notice of them. The charms no longer did their job. Hermione's skin began to crawl at their stares. She usually received a few looks here and there at the Ministry, but mostly everyone was so used to her constant presence that no one batted an eye at seeing her anymore. And she barely went to Diagon without some sort of guise if she could help it.
"Is there somewhere private we can wait?" Hermione asked, glancing down at the woman's name tag. "Please, Tina."
Tina opened and closed her mouth a few times, eyes widening in shock. Slowly she nodded, standing from her chair and rounding the desk, gesturing for them to follow her. Hermione sighed in relief as Tina led them down a hall to a small room that seemed to be a break room for the Healers. A coffee and tea bar set against the back wall, tables and chairs settled in the centre of the room.
"I'll let the Healer's know where you are when Mrs Malfoy is ready," Tina told them, her voice wavering slightly as she looked at Draco.
"Thank you," Harry said, walking straight to the coffee pot.
Tina stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment—staring directly at Hermione and Draco's interlocked fingers—before nodding and closing the door. Draco pulled Hermione forward, dropping into the closest chair and sighing. His free hand rubbed at his temple.
Hermione couldn't help but worry for Narcissa, at least for Draco's sake.
"This is all my fault," Draco muttered. "I shouldn't have yelled at her."
Hermione squeezed his hand as it rested across the table. "It's not your fault. She was already sick. The healers will take care of her."
Harry brewed them coffee, the aroma of a cheap brew filling the room. He poured a serving into a foam cereal bowl and set it on the ground for Sirius. "No changing back while we're here. Someone could walk in at any moment."
He set two cups beside Draco and Hermione. "And you two. No letting go of those hands. Same rules apply as Diagon."
"Yes, we know your fucking rules, Potter!" Draco spat, shoving his chair back. Hermione's arm yanked across the table, and Draco reached forward to stop his coffee cup from tipping.
The air turned tense, and Draco sighed, holding his left hand up in submission and running it through his hair. He looked down at the floor and rubbed his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm just—"
"You're upset," Hermione said softly. "It's okay to be upset. We will help you and help her."
Draco glanced up, his eyes glassy and bloodshot as if he were holding back tears. "Thank you."
They sat in silence for a time, sipping their coffee. Eventually, Harry snagged the nearby Prophet, fishing through to the Sports Column and pulling out its page. He handed the rest to Draco, who glanced over the articles and scoffed at each one.
Hermione read the back of the newspaper while Draco read the inside. Just as she was about to finish a very interesting piece on the various Homestead uses of dandelion root. Draco snapped the paper and sat up straight in alarm.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Hermione moved closer to see, "What is it?"
Draco pointed to a small article on the inside page, the title, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, where are they now? in bold.
Hermione's stomach rolled.
There seem to be two very important people missing from our sight these days, dear readers. It began.
Some time ago, we speculated why Draco Malfoy began visiting the Ministry so suddenly and regularly. Then, after only two short weeks, he stopped. After losing his presence, Hermione Granger, the Golden Girl herself, stopped showing up to work.
Other Ministry employees found it odd; she has not missed a single day of work in the last five years, let alone weeks. So, is it a coincidence that these two have disappeared from public sight at the same exact time? And where, exactly, have they gone?
Hermione chewed on the tip of her thumb. "Harry, Kingsley needs to see this. He needs to stop it. At least thirty people saw Draco and I together in the lobby just now, and Tina took a very long look at our hands."
Harry glanced over the article, grimacing deeper with each word. He tore out the paper and stuck it in his pocket. "I swear once you break this bond, I'm taking a month-long vacation."
What must everyone be thinking? She stared at Draco's long fingers wrapped in her own; the Malfoy signet ring glinted on his pinky, digging into her hand. Hermione worried her bottom lip and sunk into her chair.
He squeezed her hand gently, and Hermione darted her eyes up. Draco's gaze was soft, his grey eyes tinged with concern. She gave him a tentative smile; she supposed there was no need to worry over it for now. Kingsley and Harry would get it sorted. Hermione had enough on her plate as it was.
The door to the break room swung open softly, and an older man who looked like he needed a good sleep entered. He barely paid any mind to Harry and Hermione—or the fact that there was a dog with a glowing leash lying on the floor—as he turned to Draco.
"Are you Mrs Malfoy's son?"
Draco stood from the chair, pulling Hermione with him. "How is she?"
"Well..." the Healer sighed. "She's stable, but...there are complications."
Draco gripped Hermione's hand harder, and Hermione moved closer to him. Emotion was hard for him to express; she could see that now. But she could be his rock.
"What kind of complications?" Hermione asked.
The Healer looked down at his clipboard. "Her immune system has shut down, she barely has any muscle mass or fat, her heart stopped twice, she had a seizure on arrival, and her magical core is—well. To be frank, she barely has any magical signature."
Draco's body shook beside Hermione, and she pressed further against him. "Can we see her?"
"She's in a magical coma right now, but yes, follow me." Together they walked down a series of hallways, leading to a private room. The window was enchanted to show the peaceful English countryside, rolling plains and hills spread before them.
Narcissa laid in a bed covered with white linen, enchanted medical equipment floated around her, giving her doses of medicine to keep her stable. Against the sterile environment, she looked even frailer than she had earlier that day. Tivy stood on the far side of her bed, sniffling quietly.
Draco walked forward, Hermione and Sirius right behind him. He reached out and gripped Narcissa's hand, sucking in a sharp gasp when he touched her skin.
"She's ice-cold," Draco said. "Will she—is she—" He cut himself off, voice thick.
"We aren't sure what's causing this," the Healer said. "There seems to be something taking her magic, and that in turn is causing her body to fail. We're giving her our strongest replenishing potions, but there's only so much we can do. Apparently, she's built up quite the tolerance to them."
Hermione furrowed her brow as the Healer went on. There was something eerily familiar about what was happening. "Tolerance?"
"Her blood work shows high levels of Magic Replenishing potion. My only thought is she knew what's been wrong and was taking the potions to combat the symptoms. But eventually, she had to increase her dosage."
Hermione looked down at Narcissa, noticing the familiar creases of Muggle makeup beneath her eyes, a slight change in skin complexion between her face and neck. The veins in her throat and chest were dark purple, thrumming erratically at her pulse point.
Something was taking her magic. The need for replenishing potion. Translucent skin and dark veins. Sudden fragility. And it all began after Lucius was sent to Azkaban.
"I know what's wrong," Hermione said quietly and turned to Harry. "I need to go to my office. Now."