All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.
Beta: Roman's Sundial
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Ritual Knot
Hermione Granger – Present Day
April 7, 2000
Hermione was shaking when she walked up to the door of Dolores Umbridge's office. She was not shaking in fear, but rather rage. The hatred that she had for this woman was beyond words, but she had no choice but to enter the office and do what was required of her. "Enter," came a voice that Hermione had hoped she would never hear again. Taking a very large breath, Hermione entered the office and closed the door behind her.
"I received your letter," Hermione said, trying with all her might to stay calm and polite for Draco's sake. "You wished to see me in regards to my fiancé's release?"
"Ah, yes, Ms. Granger. I've received your application for a hurried trial for Mr. Malfoy."
"That is correct; it is my right as his fiancée to apply on his behalf."
"See, that's just it, dear; I do not believe that you truly are his fiancé."
"I can provide witnesses who were at the ceremony-"
"People lie. No, I would much rather see your engagement ring."
"Sure," said Hermione smiling, extending her left hand to Umbridge. The short plump witch came around her desk and muttered a spell as she pointed to Hermione's ring. Within seconds, the name Draco Malfoy could be seen hovering above the ring. "I believe everything is in order, then," said Hermione, pulling her hand free from Umbridge. "I suppose Draco's hearing will be this month?"
"That is how these applications work," said Umbridge. "I just require one more tiny thing from you."
"Which is what?"
"Your ritual knot, please."
"My what?"
"Your ritual knot," Umbridge repeated, her smile growing wide. "Surely you have one since you conducted the engagement ritual with Mr. Malfoy?"
"O-of course," Hermione stammered. "But it's at Mrs. Malfoy's Manor."
"Really? But it is always the females who keep it; it is tradition!"
"Yes well, I don't have it," Hermione said, thinking quickly. "I am a muggle-born as you know, these things aren't as important to me as they are to the Malfoys."
"I see. Well, I shall require it in order to process this application."
"Of course. I shall fetch it for you and return in the morning," responded Hermione, hoping that Narcissa could find a way to mimic one.
"I would much rather it today, Ms. Granger. I will accompany you to Malfoy Manor."
"Th-that really isn't necessary," Hermione stammered.
"On the contrary; I believe it is. Come along now, Dear, we shall use side-along apparition to get there."
"But Malfoy Manor is under the Fidelius Charm," said Hermione, incredibly thankful that this was true. "You won't be able to enter the Mansion but I can, I can run in and-"
"Be quiet you annoying girl!" Umbridge snapped at her. "Anytime someone is imprisoned, it is the Ministry's responsibility to search their primary residence. It just so happens that I was the one responsible to search the Manor, so Mrs. Malfoy has already given me access."
"But Draco's primary access was with me, not at the Manor."
"If I didn't know any better, Ms. Granger, I would say that you are trying to prevent me from inspecting your ritual knot."
"That's not it at all, Ms. Umbridge; I'm just concerned that protocols are not being followed properly."
"You may file a report if you aren't pleased."
"Don't worry, I will be." Umbridge gave Hermione a murderous look, but said nothing as she exited her office. Reluctantly, Hermione followed her and allowed her to side-apparate her to Malfoy Manor. When they arrived, Narcissa was waiting for them by the front door.
"How did you know that you had guests, Mrs. Malfoy?" asked Umbridge skeptically, probably assuming that Hermione had somehow tipped her off.
"I have enchantments around the manor that inform me when someone has arrived; one can never be too safe."
"No, they cannot," replied Hermione. "I apologise for this intrusion, Mrs. Umbridge had insisted."
"Of course I did! It is my responsibility to ensure that protocols are followed properly."
"Indeed it is; how may I help you, Dolores?"
"Ms. Granger claims to be engaged to your pureblood son."
"That is true."
Umbridge frowned briefly when Narcissa admitted to it, but continued her interrogation. "But she does not have her ritual knot."
"No, she does not. As you just pointed out, my family is of pure blood, not hers, therefore, I have the ritual knot kept safely here at the manor."
"You shall show it to me," demanded Umbridge.
"Very well," replied Narcissa. Umbridge started to follow Narcissa into the house, but Narcissa turned and stopped her. "I do not recall inviting you in, Dolores."
"I cannot allow you to transfigure something else into a knot while my back is turned; do you take me for a fool?"
"The term I would use is ignorant; a proper witch does not enter someone's dwelling without their permission. You may, however, follow me to my husband's study while I retrieve the ritual knot." Without a word, Umbridge and Hermione followed Narcissa into the house and towards the doors of the forbidden study. Narcissa gave them both a look that indicated they were not to enter the study, and she returned momentarily with a black marble box. Without a word, she handed the box to Umbridge, who greedily opened it. Inside, was what looked like a thick, black, velvet ribbon, folded over and over again to make a 3D triangle, and had the Malfoy crest at the centre.
"This cannot be!" said Umbridge, flabbergasted.
"Why can't it? Ms. Granger and my son are engaged; in front of you is the ritual knot that has tied them together. Surely, even you can see that it is the Malfoy crest in the centre."
Hermione smiled wickedly at Umbridge. "Shall we be receiving Draco's new hearing date this week, then?" The anger on Umbridge's face was a good enough answer for Hermione. "I shall look for your owl, then."
"You may see yourself out, Dolores," said Narcissa, pointing towards the door. Without a word, Umbridge turned on her heel and stormed out of Malfoy Manor.
"She's gone," said Hermione, peering out of the window and watching Umbridge disapparate.
"Draco will have a trial soon, then?" Narcissa asked her.
"Oh yes; Umbridge must follow suit with protocol now, she has no other option."
"Good."
"Mrs. Malfoy, how did you create the knot so quickly? Did you assume that she would come looking for one?"
Narcissa looked towards the kitchen. "I think I would like a cup of tea."
Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day
April 7, 2000
Narcissa slowly walked to Lucius' study and returned the ritual knot neatly into its box, then headed towards the kitchen. She could have conjured up the tea of course, but she needed some time to think. As she grabbed the kettle and cup, she realized that she should probably get a cup for Hermione as well. Though she has never done so before, Hermione is a big reason her son would be released from Azkaban, and it was the least that Narcissa could do. She walked back to Hermione with the tray in her hand and set it down in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione look at the second cup confusedly, but then decided to take it and fix herself a cup of tea as well. The women sat in silent for awhile; it seemed as though Hermione – although very persistent – was also very patient. Finally, after Narcissa had finished almost two thirds of her tea, she spoke. "Were you aware that Lucius had a brother?"
"No, I was not," said Hermione, quickly setting her cup down and eager to listen.
"Adonis Malfoy is the eldest by quite a few years." Realizing that Hermione was going to be a patient listener, Narcissa continued. "As I am sure you know, it is very common for pureblood families to promise their children to another pureblood family, preferably from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, at a young age. There were no eligible witches from the Sacred Twenty-Eight when Adonis was born, and so instead he was promised to a young girl from the Brown family."
"I know the Brown family; they have a daughter named Lavender that was in my year at Hogwarts."
"Then you probably know that they go back more than twenty generations of purebloods, which is quite acceptable for someone from the Sacred Twenty-Eight to marry."
"So Adonis Malfoy married a Brown?"
"Adonis Malfoy was promised to a Brown – Isabelle Brown."
"Is that why his knot is still intact, then, because he never went through with the marriage?"
Narcissa nodded. "Do you know how the ritual knot works?"
"I think so," replied Hermione. "The wizard and witch are promised to one another in a ceremony, where the fabric magically loops around their arms and then folds itself up into a neat triangle, with the wizard's crest sewn upon it."
"That is correct, but there is more to it. The ritual also magically binds the witch and wizard to one another. In other words, should the witch or wizard wed someone other than the one they are promised to, or have a child with another, they will die."
"Die?!"
"Yes; purebloods take marriage alliances quite seriously. It is important to ensure the bloodline stays pure and that there is an heir to continue it."
"So, did Adonis die then?" guessed Hermione, ignoring the way Narcissa looked at her when she said pure.
"No; had he or his promised died, the knot would disappear."
"What happened, then? I've read that if someone married their promised, then the knot would disappear."
Narcissa nodded. "Once married, the knot magically entwines itself between the pair and disappears into their soul. Adonis and Isabelle never wed."
"Why not?"
"As I said, most purebloods go through with these engagements as soon as possible to ensure the marriage occurs; I, for one, was seven years old when I had my ritual with Lucius. Isabelle had only been five, Adonis nine, when they had theirs. It turned out, however, that despite all their generations of pureblood status, Isabelle never received her Hogwarts letter."
"Isabelle was a squib?" Hermione asked, shocked.
"It is incredibly rare for a family with that many generations of purebloods to produce one, but it is not impossible. That is why most families fight for a descendant from the Sacred Twenty-Eight."
"So, the marriage was called off, then?"
"No; nothing, except death, can end an engagement."
"I don't understand what happened, then."
"Well, Adonis could not marry a squib, could he? He now teaches Charms at Durmstrang School."
"And Isabelle?"
"Who knows; out living the life of a muggle. One thing is for certain, though; neither have had a child and married someone else, otherwise the knot would have vanished and the guilty party would be dead."
"What if the knot was destroyed?"
"The knot cannot be destroyed, and whoever attempted to do so would also die."
"Oh." Hermione thought for awhile. "You're not like them," she said finally.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Like most purebloods, I mean. You're nice and kind."
Narcissa frowned. "Do not think you know me, Ms. Granger."
"But I'm starting to. You've helped me stay out of trouble with Umbridge…"
"For the sake of my son!"
"You helped Harry! You lied to Voldemort when he asked you if Harry was dead!"
"I am a mother and needed to ensure that my son was alive. Although I do not identify with the majority of the Death Eaters, I am not who you think I am. My tea is done and I shall retire to bed; you may see yourself out."
Harry Potter – Present Day
April 9, 2000
"I'm sorry that I couldn't wake you before your birthday," Harry said to George, as they entered Harry's flat.
"Don't worry about it, mate; I don't make a fuss over it anymore, not since…"
"Right." Harry knew that he was referring to the death of Fred, and he saved him the trouble of bringing it up.
"So fill me in, what's been going on?"
"Well, Grindelwald is at full strength; there's attacks breaking out everywhere. We've recovered a few people who had been put under the spell, though, instead of being dead like we originally thought. Remus and Tonks, for instance."
"No way! Did you wake them yet?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid I can only do it slowly as the mirror is in the Department of Mysteries and I'm only allowed in there under special circumstances."
"Surely Kingsley can-"
But Harry cut him off. "Kingsley isn't the man he used to be. Anyway, you're the second I've woken up so far; Ginny was the first."
"Ginny? She was put under?"
"By Grindelwald himself. But I much rather Abracadabra versus Avada Kedavra."
"Of course. So, I assume there has been killings?"
Harry nodded. "Plenty; he attacked St. Mungo's and we lost many people there."
"Blimey," said George, shaking his head in disgust. "Did we lose anyone?" he asked, partially frightened of the answer.
"Just before the fight at St. Mungo's, we lost Essa."
"No!"
"It was quite tragic," Harry replied, not sure what else to say.
"Well, I'm eager to get back in and fight. Is headquarters still at Grimmauld Place?"
"Yeah, we are going there next, only, I wanted to ask you something first."
"Of course."
"Were you awake in the Veil? Like, could you hear others in there?"
"I'm afraid not; it would have been nice, though, because then I could've figured out who else was still alive. But it was as if I was still asleep." Harry nodded, but the look on his face showed disappointment. "Any particular reason?" George asked him.
"I'm able to get you all out of there by bringing your body to the Veil. Sirius fell through the Veil; I know he's alive! But because I don't have his body, I have no idea on how to wake him up," Harry confided in George.
George placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I wish I could help you, mate, really. After everything you've done for me…"
"Don't worry about it," said Harry, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get going to Grimmauld Place, then. I'm sure Molly is dying to see you, and of course Angelina."
Sirius Black – The Past
August 12, 1978
Sirius walked towards the raised platform where his mother was expecting him. "What are you wearing?" she shrieked, as if she only just saw him now. She tapped her wand on his shoulder relentlessly, and his dress robes changed to a deep black velour with a large "Black" crest in the centre of his back. "Now, do NOT mess this up, Sirius, unless you intend to visit your friends in a coffin." Without a word, Sirius climbed the platform and looked out into the crowd in front of him. Apart from his uncle Abraxas, there was not a friendly face in the crowd. Frowning, he turned and watched his father stand on the platform behind him, then gestured to a man who was standing at the back of the room. It was customary for the wizard's father to perform the ceremony, and so Sirius assumed that his father was signaling the start of the engagement. Finally, a slim, medium height witch appeared in robes of deep burgundy, wearing a dark veil over her face. Sirius watched as climbed onto the platform and stood to face him, with her head down.
"There's no need to look away," Sirius whispered jokingly to her. "I can't see your face with that ugly veil you've got on." The witch never replied, nor did she move, but Sirius did feel a nasty blow on his left shin from his father giving him a nice kick. Sirius rolled his eyes, but remained silent as his parents wanted.
"Good evening honored guests," said Sirius' father, Orion, to the crowd of on-lookers. "Today we unite the House of Black with the House of Dartmouth. Iris of House Dartmouth has been promised to Sirius of House Black, and today we ensure that this promise is binding." Orion grabbed Sirius' right arm and held it out in front of him.
"Short and sweet, father," said Sirius quietly. "I see that we both want to hurry this along, then."
"Shut up, Sirius!" he whispered. "Ms. Dartmouth," he said politely, nodding to the witch. She held out her right arm and connected it with Sirius, like someone would do if they were making an Unbreakable Vow. Orion Black raised his wand and began to speak, and as he did so, a black velvet ribbon began to encircle around the attached arms. "Let it be known that from today onwards, Sirius of House Black and Iris of House Dartmouth are to be promised to wed and will join their bloodlines. Iris shall be a Lady of House Black and will provide the House of Black with an heir. Let this be witnessed in front of everyone present." Once Orion finished speaking, the velvet ribbon hovered over the pair and twisted itself into a 3D triangle, then fell neatly into Iris' arms, the "Black" crest visible at the centre.
"Really? That's it?" Sirius asked his father, knowing that the ceremony usually was much more longer than that. He watched Iris walk away and so he did the same, but came across his mother once more. "All done; can I go now?"
"I shall owl you when it is time for the wedding, and you ARE to attend, Sirius."
"Yeah, yeah," he said, turning to leave.
"You will give me the boy once you have him, Sirius," she told him.
"What boy?" he asked, confused.
"Your heir! It is the sole purpose of this engagement! I will not allow you to raise him; he will be raised properly in the House of Black."
"Whatever you say, Mother!" and with that, Sirius took off and headed towards the Potter mansion, the only place that had ever been a home to him.
Author's Notes: Hello wonderful people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the ritual knot is going to come up quite a bit for more than one character so I thought it was important to explain it in detail.
Not much to say today; For Ginny fans, the next chapter is the start of something big for her, so stay tuned for that!
Hope you all have a great day and thanks as always!