Disclosure Hp belongs to JKR. The storyline, new character development, new events, and new characters are my intellectual property. Glorioux

A very short chapter, an attempt to correct and catch up with the initial numbering.

Regrets, Friends, and Foes

Broken Heart and Scrolls

Grimauld was dark. Moony and Tonks were no longer there since they had leased a small cottage; now, the place was mostly being used for the Order's meetings.

Hermione sat on the large sofa in the drawing room. It was absolutely dark. The moment Bill left the room, she ran for the Floo and came here. Rushing, she forgot her shoes so her feet were cold.

She wasn't weak and had dealt with disappointments for a long time. She was used to be the Mudblood, the 'this and that', all derogatory epithets. It was so ironic; she, who grew up with such privileges. Her parents, dentists by choice, came from well to do rich families. They had taught her the value of people, and not because of their blood nor their money. And in her wish to be witch, she had turned into a second-class citizen, always taking the drags. However, hearing Bill scream her name in disgusted surprise, right after giving herself to him, it stung painfully, the worst ever.

Bill, how could she have believed him? What a fool she had been. What was she going to do? He must have been under some kind of spell, but she shouldn't have done it. Why had she not waited for Viktor as she'd wished just some hours before?

Sobs wracked her body, never before had she felt lonelier than this. The worst part was that she missed him terribly and could no longer be without him. She craved him, with her body and her soul. And to make it all worse, the bite in her neck was throbbing, double misery.

A thought crossed her mind, the library, yes; she wanted to look for a book on the habits of werewolves. Maybe better, go to the Lupin's home, wake up Remus and talk to him? And wake Moony up, nah, she didn't need that; foolish she might have been earlier, but not crazy; she remembered Moony's behavior.

She got up and walked up to the library, when she heard the Floo; oh no, someone was coming. She pulled out her wand and hid behind a wall.

"Hermione, Hermione, are you here? Come out, it is only us, Harry and Ron," she had heard them, and, casting a large 'Lumox,' ran straight into Harry's arms.

"Come on Hermione, don't cry, everything will be fine." Ron stood by them looking very uptight. He was afraid to touch her and incur Bill's wrath.

"No, it won't, I have ruined my life. I hope I am not tied to Bill; I don't know enough about werewolves."

Harry put his finger over her lips to tell her something important.

"What is it? Harry, tell me," Hermione asked. Something told her that she was about to hear something she would not like.

Ron was of her same opinion, he, also, didn't want to hear it. As for Harry, he appeared to be, equally upset.

"Hermione, excuse me for asking, did you, you know, with Bill?" He felt his face burning, "It is important, trust me. Maybe there is nothing we can do about it."

Hermione blushed bright red; she was seventeen, not a little child, nearly eighteen. "Yes, we did, and it wasn't smart from my part." Tears fell down non-stop.

"I knew it, what a fuckwit, I will kill him," Ron, angrily, punched and kicked the wall; no wonder, he was having a jealousy attack.

"Ron, shut up, you aren't helping. You might as well know. A Ministry's owl delivered this for you. Arthur has never seen one like it, but he said it is from the Registry Department." Harry passed her a gold color slender tube, "Yes, it isn't just colored gold, it is pure gold, most unusual," Harry affirmed again.

"You read it, I don't want to." She return the tube back to Harry.

"We couldn't get it open, Arthur tried. We were afraid it was something dangerous, but it isn't. It is for you or Bill." At those words, Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She had heard of similar deliveries.

With shaky fingers she twisted the tube toped with a dark stone, probably quartz. She extracted out a very delicate paper; it appeared to be very old-fashioned high quality vellum, written in gold leaf letters. Her worse fears were confirmed, she was Mrs. William Weasley, as of a few hours ago. Harry shook the tube and out came out a smaller scroll and a key.

"Mr. and Mrs. William Weasley, congratulations on your Golden Bonding, on this date; enclosed you will find the key to the vault you now own. This type of bonding is so rare that only comes once or twice in a century, if at all. You can still have a hand fasting, as great as you wish, the more the merrier, and this office will pay all the expenses." Harry stopped reading to pat her hand before continuing reading.

"The babies will have magical powers rarely seen. You will be blessed with great fortune, and this small token from the Ministry of Magic will help you start your life in the best way possible. In the past, every other couple has been so blessed with good fortune, that the gift was returned for the next couple. It was not always the case, and you are under no obligation to do so. We are explaining why you might find in your vault an unusual amount of gold, which vastly exceeds the prescribed sum of 25,000 Gold Galleons around 20 times; a mandate from above. Prosper and multiply." Ron whistled.

"Wow, a rich Wesley. Way to go Bill." He was smiling, for a second, his fraternal love and pride, prevailed over his negative feelings.

"As I was reading, ahem," Harry continued reading the scroll, "your vault may be full, and your children be many, and certainly, all will be powerful wizards and witches. Your children will be our gain, the gain of the Wizarding World. Congratulations on your special day, The Ministry."

"So you are married and maybe you are rich?" smiled Harry.

"No she is not, we will find a way." Ron said with conviction, quickly reverting to his former stance. Harry shook his head in frustration.

"Ron, please, read the bottom of the bonding certificate, the small lettering, written with exclamation marks...There is no dissolution from a golden bonding until one of the partners shall pass."

Hermione leaned her head and rested it upon Harry's shoulder, he held her close to him, and she cried. Ron sat on the ground near her feet and leaned his head on the sofa. The three fell asleep.

Maybe a couple hours have passed when Harry woke up, his neck hurting. He quickly woke his two friends up.

"I was thinking that Voldemort must be terminated. He is escalating considering today's attacks. Let's see what I have here," he pulled three tiny rucksacks out his pocket. "I already packed up the bags and we are ready. We should get some food and be on the way. I have all we need: books, the potions package, and whatever else."

He looked at her, "Hermione is this okay? It should give you time to figure out what to do. I talked to Viktor, he thinks there might a way to dissolve it, giving that Bill is a werewolf," added Harry.

A Regretful Heart Breaker

The three agreed for early next morning. Meanwhile, things were quiet at the Burrow. They were all going to bed. Nothing much could be done, so Bill went to his room with Charlie on tow.

"Mate, I am leaving at dawn, I need to go and find her, I did a great wrong, "and he told him about the evening, and how he forgot the magic while he was half-sleep. Charlie kept shaking his head, mostly in disbelief.

He talked about the coin, and Charlie reminded him when his mother sent it to him. Bill didn't know how to feel about Molly; and right then, he just wanted to find his witch.

"Bill sleep some, I will get ready, and we can both go together to look. You shouldn't go alone, don't worry, we will find her." Albeit he didn't sound too convinced. He felt awful for Bill, what a terrible day.

Viktor had come back after going to check at the hotel and waited for a while. He stayed hoping there were any Hermione's news, but, after a while, he left. He went back home to research on golden bondings. The witch was his; and he had been waiting for her for over two years now to be old enough. No way, that he would give her back to Bill; at least not without a fight. There was more than one reason why.

At Voldie's HQ's

"My Lord, something weird is going on, we were unable to get Potter. He was neither injured nor dead, he was there, and some of us actually saw him." Death Eater informed him.

Voldemort had his eyes closed and his hands clenched; he was a wild, nasty, beast ready to pounce.

"The second attack was even less productive than the first. It was as if unseen forces were there. There were some strange large birds, looked like crows, but very large. They attacked us. " Bella cowed to her Lord.

"Hmm." The Dark Lord made small noises as if he were trying to remember something.

Meanwhile Bella continued rambling, rather upset. "The Weasley boy's wedding didn't happen, and the French family left with the bride. Our insider said the Mudblood is now bonded to the groom. A Golden Bonding at that, I thought those were a myth." She pouted.

Fenrir, hearing her last comment, laughed, "The pup turned down the Veela witch; good, very good for him. No self-respectable wolf would marry a large bird. This bodes well for him, but mating a Mudblood, hmm, it is disgusting, no accounting for taste."

But not for the first time, Fenrir thought of Hermione. That witch reminds me of the one I lost long ago; but again, no, no, that is impossible. The witch I am thinking of, is long gone and possibly dead. I should know, I looked for her until not long ago. Besides the young witch is a Mudblood, or is she? Hmm, I wish I could get closer to her and smell her properly. Yes if, if...if so, things will change very fast. The need to check if there were chances made his lips turn up.

Bella noticed and wondered, did Fenrir have the same suspicions that started when she first saw the Mudblood? Maybe, just maybe.

Others might not share Voldemort's ideas, but he was very interested with this new development. A Golden Bonding, so they were real. "So this means that the Mudblood will no longer help Potter, excellent, a wolf won't let his mate out of his sight. Very good for us, yes a Golden Bonding, powerful children, we need to get them to join us. Imagine having magic like that on our side. Bring them over, I want the couple here with me. They will take a place of honor. Fenrir the job is yours; the sooner the better, and make sure nothing happens to them. Don't dare to bite them or convert them further. I have a plan."

Voldemort smirked and his eyes gleamed. Oh yes, he had a plan.

Fenrir also had a plan of his own; however, he waited to be away from the boss to think it through. He had heard before of such bonding; he should know since his father was the child of such union. His grandfather was the one who had made the large Greyback fortune. Besides there was a matter close to his hardened heart, the matter of the young witch, and who she might be. And if he were right, he would stop at nothing to be happy. His eyes glowed with interest. Yes I need to turn Bill entirely and bring him into the pack. His pups would rule the land, just as the Greybacks did once upon a time. Wolf packs roaming the land, and keeping the wizarding world in their place, no more discrimination for the underclasses. Oh, yes. Let them think I agree with them. A plan was forming in his mind. And even if he did not win this time around, he had time.

A/N I guess everyone wants a piece of the action, isn't the real world just like it. Who will win? We wait and read.