Chapter 6: Love and Labour

It was the fifth time that Pippa had spilled master's wine on the table. Her hands were shaking as her magic ached for her to leave the manor and go to her Missy. The baby's magic was reaching out, already recognizing that familial bond between the elf and the newest Nott Heir. She felt the snake whip make contact with her cheek, causing her skin to split open and blood to drip down her chin.

"Bloody worthless elf! Clean this mess!" Thoros spat as he lashed out with his wand, causing Pippa to fall to the ground in a crumpled mess of screams.

After he lifted his spell, Pippa rolled her to her side, waving a hand over her face to seal the wound before moving back towards the dinner table. As she went to wave her hand to rid the pristine white tablecloth of the bright red stain, another wave of magic rolled through her as a contraction ripped through her Missy, her body preparing for the baby's entrance into the world. Pippa trembled as her magic worked against itself. The need to go to and care for the baby and her Missy during labor was so overwhelmingly strong, but the force keeping her at the Estate because of the master's order was stronger.

She crumpled to the ground whaling in agony from the torment in her magic and her heart. Pippa loved her sweet young master and her Missy. Pippa's dark eyes watered as she feared for the baby and her Missy, knowing that the younger master wouldn't know how to find them and even if he did, how to help.

"What did you just say, elf?" Master asked, standing over Pippa with his wand pointed between her eyes. "Repeat yourself," he commanded, and Pippa was helpless to stop the words spilling from her lips.

"Pippa must go to Missy; Pippa must help Missy deliver the new Nott Heir being born tonight." The secret spilled from her mouth against her will, Master's eye's widening in shock for a moment at what he'd just learned. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at the monster that was her master. His growl had her cowering into a ball on the floor when his cold eyes flickered to his arm with that thing on it.

"You are to tell no one of this supposed heir and the entire estate is to be blocked to anyone wishing to gain entrance, including Master Theo." He looked at his arm again, as Pippa scrambled backwards, attempting to put any distance between herself and the evil man hovering above her. "I will deal with you later," he spat, turning on the spot and disappearing with a crack.

Pippa felt the pull of magic again as the baby's energy reached towards her, letting her know that she was needed. Unable to disobey the master's orders, Pippa wept into her uniform as she snapped her fingers, setting the wards that would keep her beloved Master Theo from coming back home.

ooo

Hermione dropped the charred broom on the floor and looked over to where Draco and Goyle were slumped against the stone wall, their faces void of any emotion in the aftermath of what had just occurred. They'd all almost died, with Draco and Goyle coming the closest to it. Crabbe hadn't been able to control the Fiendfyre that he'd cast. When the fire burst from the wand, Draco had moved to get to Hermione, but before he could reach her, Goyle had grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him away from the fire, while Harry and Ron had taken Hermione's hand and ran in the other direction. The fiery basilisk had swallowed everything in its path, with Crabbe being one of its first victims. Even with its caster gone, the basilisk continued to gain speed and power, consuming everything; every little trinket, potion, and forgotten texts that the room had collected over the years, destroyed.

Thankfully, the Gryffindors had passed a collection of brooms as they ran, they all three mounted their own and took off into the air. As soon as they cleared the peak of the junk, Hermione spotted Draco and Goyle climbing for their lives not too far from the Gryffindors, but the fire was closing in on them. Luckily Harry and Ron had both been agreeable when she'd said they needed to turn back to save them, because there was no way she was going to just let the other boys die. The screams as Crabbe died in the flames would forever be embedded into her memory, and the thought of that being Draco's fate was too much for her.

As she was not a skilled flier like the boys were, she rode solo while Ron and Goyle were together on a broom and Harry and Draco on the other. They'd made it through the door just as the basilisk's jaw snapped at the ends of their broom and caused them to burn. Hermione had slammed the door shut with a wave of her wand, sealing the Fiendfyre inside.

The diadem had been destroyed, as Harry had dropped it into the flames during their escape, and now all they had left was Nagini, only one more Horcrux. "We have to kill the snake." Hermione stood up, grimacing as she clutched her side while looking up at Harry and Ron who were leaning against their own burden brooms taking in deep breaths of the clean air. Turning and looking down at Draco, his face was pale, and his eyes were dilated with his entire body trembling. She knew he was in shock, and she could feel her heart breaking, knowing that she was about to leave him here. Their kiss had been so brief and unexpected, yet she still craved more of him. Now wasn't the time though, she had a mission to complete and anything else was going to have to wait.

"Yeah, alright, but what are we going to do with these two? Can't just leave them free to do whatever they want, can we?" Ron said, nodding his head towards the two Slytherins crumpled on the floor. "We could bind them?" He suggested, stepping forward and raising his wand to cast a full body-bind on them.

"Ronald Weasley, you leave them be." Hermione slapped his wand down and had to rub her lower back as it began aching again. "They just watched one of their friends die and if you bind them, they will certainly be killed. We have bigger things to worry about than what these two are going to do once they come back to their senses. We need to get going." She didn't want to draw any suspicion towards her protectively standing over Draco, but she wouldn't risk his life. Theo would never forgive her; she'd never forgive herself for that either.

Luckily, Ron and Harry both accepted her words without any argument as the trio took off running down the corridor towards the stairway.

"Harry, you're going to have to find Voldemort." Hermione shouted to be heard over the battle raging on around them as she looked over her shoulder and saw Draco standing and looking at her retreating back before he began to run towards her. Shit, she had to get away from him and finish this. Hermione was about eight days past her due date, and she knew logically that she shouldn't be here and that she should be going with Draco to find safety, to find Theo.

Only, she couldn't. They were so close to making Voldemort mortal and then he would be able to be killed. Her thoughts were on her son, still safely nestled in her womb, clearly waiting to come into a world that was not ravaged with war and Death Eaters.

Hermione knew that her son's paternal grandfather would be the biggest threat to their lives if Voldemort did not fall today. She could feel his little feet nudging her from the inside, as if encouraging her to keep pushing forward. She had to fight for a world where he could grow up safely and thrive, surrounded by the love his parents and Draco would shower him in, but first Hermione had to fight for it.

Turning the corner, she slowed just long enough to see Draco standing still trying to pull away from Goyle, who was attempting to take Draco the opposite way. She saw his face turning red as he argued with the larger boy, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. The blasts from the battle were shaking the entire castle and the sounds were deafening, but she knew he was going to come after her, even if he had no excuse to give Goyle.

She clutched her cramping side as she ran past where Fred and Percy Weasley were in a fierce duel with Pius Thicknesse. Fred's laughter rang through the halls at something Percy had said when a blast from outside the castle cut it short. She turned towards the sound just in to see as Fred, his red hair still visible, was buried under a wall that had collapsed inward. Hermione's eyes widened in horror as she looked down at the freckled face of Fred, the laugh lines still etched in his face, but his hazel eyes were lifeless. Oh no, her eyes traveled to where Ron had also stopped running and saw as the realization of the situation crossed his face.

"FRED!" Ron screamed as he ran forwards and kneeling next to Percy, who was sifting through the debris that laid on top of Fred's body. She looked up and saw that the now demolished wall had cut off the corridor where she knew Draco was now stranded on the other side.

"HERMIONE!" She heard him yelling out, tears pricking at her eyes knowing that it wouldn't be wise to answer him but couldn't let him go on worrying if she'd been crushed or not. She ran to where the rock was piled high, blocking the hall, and looked through the cracks. There on the other side was his silver eyes, looking panicked until they landed on her face. "I'm alright," she told him, unable to reach her hand out to him. "Go, find Theo. You have to protect each other; I'll find you as soon as I can."

"No, I'm coming to get you, stay put." He told her, but she shook her head, stepping away from the mess.

"I'm sorry, Draco, truly."

"Granger don't…Granger…GRANGER! HERMIONE!" She could hear him yelling still as she turned to look at her friends. Ron knelt with Percy clutching Fred's lifeless form and Harry slumped against the wall holding his head, his eyes strained shut.

"He's in the boathouse," Harry said. She rushed forwards as the raven haired boy fell to his knees clutching his head, his messy hair sticking in every direction. "He has the snake with him. We've got to go." Harry whispered to her before his eyes flickered to where Percy and Ron were.

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and moved towards Ron who was still rocking back and forth, his grief consuming him. She reached out a hand and gently touched his shoulder, "Ron, are you coming with us? We'll understand–" she started to say, but his blue eyes flashed in rage, causing the rest of her words to die on her tongue.

"We have to finish this," he said, standing up after releasing Fred while Percy stayed where he was, holding his younger brother in his arms. Rubbing his eyes, a look of sheer determination and a hardness crossed Ron's face as his emotions shifted. "Let's go. We have to kill that fucking snake." And as if propelled forward by pure hatred for those who had taken his brother from him, Ron moved to where Harry was crouched on the ground and held out his hand. "We'll do this together, for Fred."

"For Fred," Harry and Hermione murmured in unison as Harry took Ron's hand and stood.

Rushing through the castle, the trio kept close together, as they passed their classmates and members of The Order that were clashing against the Death Eaters. Every so often, one of them would shoot out a perfectly timed shield charm for the light or a hex at the dark side. They weren't able to ever stop and engage in duels of their own, but they did do what they could to help their friends and comrades.

As they entered the courtyard, Hermione saw the looming figure of Greyback fighting with his bare hands, attacking students, flinging their limp bodies to the ground. As he snuck up behind Lavender, who was facing off against a masked Death Eater beside Hannah Abbott, he grabbed the blonde Gryffindor and tossed her to the ground. Hermione blasted Greyback off Lavender, just as the werewolf pounced and bit down on her old dorm mate's shoulder. She sent up a silent prayer as she continued past as she couldn't stop to see if Lavender had survived, Hermione could only hope that she did.

Hermione had to abruptly stop as she clutched her side in pain just before having to jump out of the way, falling to the ground in the process, as a giant stomped on the spot where she'd just been. Another shooting pain crossed the band of her stomach making her throw back her head and cry out with a low throaty moan. This was the most intense cramp that she'd felt, and it had been happening on and off since they'd entered Hogwarts earlier in the night. Harry and Ron reached out to hold her up and looked her over for injuries, mistaking her groans of pain for her having maybe hurt herself. She shook her head, "I'm fine," she insisted. "Just pulled something, I think. We have to get to the boat house."

She whimpered in pain again as her friends released her. Standing on a low wall near the stairs that would take them where they needed to go, Hermione took one last look around the courtyard taking in the hell on Earth raining down around her.

"MIA!" She heard his voice calling out to her. The boys had already begun their descent down the rickety staircase towards the boat house, but she was frozen. As if in slow motion, she turned to see Theo facing off in a duel against the giant Viking Death Eater, Thorfinn Rowle. Even though she couldn't see his face and his hair was dirty and sticking in every direction instead of being perfectly styled, Hermione still knew it was her love. She'd recognize his dueling style anywhere, everything from the way his body twisted and turned to the spells he was rapid fire shooting towards his giant opponent, she knew it was him. That Theo was standing between her and another Death Eater, publicly outing himself as a Blood-traitor. What was he thinking?

"Mione, we've got to move!" Harry yelled over the sound of the battle as he doubled back, grabbing her arm to pull her away from where Theo was. Before she moved, she raised her wand and shot off a full body-bind, just clipping Rowle's shoulder as he dropped his shield to shoot off a curse towards her love. Rowle's limbs snapped together, and he fell backwards, crashing to the ground. She watched with a heavy heart as Theo turned towards her, just in time to see Harry pulling her away.

'I love you,' she mouthed at him before she turned and followed her friends around the broken wall and away from Theo. As she raced after Harry, she swore she heard Theo's voice calling 'Mia!' one more time over the sound of the raging battle.

ooo

Theo watched in horror as Hermione darted around behind the broken wall after Potter and Weasley. "MIA!" He shouted, stepping forwards, his wand gripped in his hand moving to go after her. She was running off to save the world, with those idiots that claimed to be her friends. Theo knew that she wasn't choosing Potter and Weasley over him, but the fate of the world, willing to sacrifice herself if that's what it took to win.

Theo felt the salt from his sweat and the dirt from his hair stinging his eyes as he began to run in the directions she'd just gone. If she thought he was just going to stand by and let her go, she was sorely mistaken.

"Theodore!" Hearing his name broke his concentration for a moment away from his love. The familiar voice yelling it through the courtyard had brought his awareness back to his surroundings just in time to see a giant running towards him. He was able to jump out of the way of where the giant was stepping down and avoided being crushed. Bloody things were getting between where he was and where he needed to go, and the person calling for him was of little importance to him anymore. He stepped forwards to continue after Hermione when he felt a familiar slicing hex cutting open his forearm before he turned to face the man who had called his name, realizing it would be stupid to continue to ignore the monster.

"Hello, father."

"Did I just see you step between Rowle and Potter's Mudblood slut?" Thoros Nott sneered, stepping forward with his wand raised, vanishing his silver mask so that Theo was looking into the cold eyes that haunted his childhood.

"Yes, you–" Theo didn't even get the sentence out before he was throwing up a shield and diving for cover behind a boulder. A flash of green light erupted from his father's wand hitting a sixth year Gryffindor in the back, Theo recognized the boy as one of the Muggleborns he'd helped a few times in years past when the kid had been picked on. The boy hadn't even been at Hogwarts this year, and Theo couldn't figure out how this boy had gotten into the castle in the first place. His eyes widened in horror watching as the sandy haired student collapsed into a heap on the ground.

"Come out little boy!" His father's voice called out, as Theo dodged behind collapsed walls and fallen giants, not able to take any more time to mourn the loss of life. "You thought you could help a mudblood and I wouldn't notice! Thought I wouldn't see what she mouthed to you?"

"I half hoped you would!" Theo called out as another slicing hex caught his shoulder that wasn't completely covered by the dead troll, he now found himself crouched behind. "Fuck, you're a bastard," Theo muttered as he rolled under a giant's club that had fallen to the ground, trying to protect himself best he could.

"THEO!" Draco's voice rang out over the battle.

Theo shifted and looked out from his hiding spot just in time to see his father turning his wand on the blonde, with a shouted "CRUCIO!"

"DRACO!" Theo cried, scrambling from his hiding spot, rushing forwards as he waved his wand, sending a protego forward. His boyfriend's cries lessened, but his father's crucio continued to wreak havoc on Draco's lean body, causing it to thrash on the ground.

"A mudblood and a little fairy boy!" His father's voice boomed as he let out a cruel laugh. "Lucius will be so disappointed that I had to kill his queer son. No matter, that little Parkinson bint should do nicely in providing us with suitable heirs, don't you think? First, I'll make you watch as I kill little Malfoy, and then I'll finish you. My greatest disappointment, sullying my noble bloodline with mudbloods and fairies. Not any longer."

"NO!" Theo shouted, turning his wand on his father with such force the man was thrown off his feet and against a stone wall. The sound of his head cracking against the structure pierced through the air and could be heard just before his body slumped into a heap.

Even with the blood trickling down his temple and eyes rolled back, Theo didn't trust it would be so easy to rid the world of this monster. Stepping towards Thoros' motionless body, Theo knew what he had to do, something that should have been done a long time ago.

Just as he was passing Draco's prone body on the ground, his lover's hand reached out, grasping his ankle. Theo looked down with watery eyes at the man stopping him. "Don't, Theo. He's not worth your soul," Draco's voice rasped out as the weak and injured blonde waved his borrowed wand, binding Theo's unconscious father.

"Draco…Hermione, she's…"

"We'll find her." Draco stated with conviction as he reached for Theo's hand. Along with Theo's help, Draco was able to stand on his shaking legs, heavily leaning on Theo for support. Theo wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist to make sure that Draco wasn't going to fall as the pair began their slow trek towards the wall Hermione had disappeared behind.

But before they could move in the direction Theo had seen her last, the Dark Lord was calling out, again.

ooo

Hermione sat away from the castle, her head in her hands, her body shaking as another pain pinched her side. Snape was dead, Ron was with his family mourning Fred, and Harry was headed for Dumbledore's office to use the pensieve and view memories their old Potions Professor had just given him.

Voldemort had called for a cease-fire and Hermione knew the hour before his Death Eaters were back attacking Hogwarts would go by much too quickly. Hermione was sitting alone in the courtyard, semi hidden in the shadows and away from view trying to center herself. Her eyes drifted up, and a sob caught in her throat as she watched Oliver Wood pass her holding a dead Colin Creevy in his arms. His sandy blonde hair falling into eyes, an arm dangling limp towards the ground made her heart clench.

Another pain shot through her, causing Hermione to double over and make a sound all while trying to catch her breath. "You alright, Granger?" She heard Wood's thick Scottish accent call out to her as he noticed the girl for the first time. Waving her hand and a tight smile as her response, he only gave her a nod before continuing on into the great hall with the deceased boy. There were too many bodies and too many people severely injured for him to pay too much attention to someone who otherwise seemed fine.

When the pressure between her legs became too uncomfortable to sit any longer, Hermione stood to walk the grounds. Thinking that whatever was happening might pass if she were able to find someplace comfortable to relax, Hermione began her slow walk with no true destination in mind. She had less than an hour to get this taken care of before Death Eaters would be back, and worst-case scenario, she'd need somewhere safe to ride this out if she couldn't get her body to settle down.

The Shrieking Shack, she realized, while not ideal, was probably her best choice. It was not where someone could easily stumble upon her while she figured out her next move. Also, if nothing else, she'd be able to apparate to a forest somewhere from the shack since it was in Hogsmeade and not on Hogwarts property. The wards that had been set to keep Remus in when he was transformed would have been weakened over time, plus a transformed werewolf didn't have the ability to apparate, so any anti-apparition wards wouldn't have been used. Hopefully.

She thanked Godric that somehow, Dobby had been able to get her beaded bag back when they'd fled Malfoy Manor and that she had it with her now. After leaving Shell Cottage, Hermione had made sure that she was fully prepared with everything her, and the boys might need if they ended up on the run again.

As she neared the Whomping Willow, Hermione doubled over clutching her abdomen as another wave of pain radiated through her body. A low and loud moan ripped from her throat as she heard a rustling coming from the nearby brush. "Granger?" A familiar feminine voice that Hermione couldn't place called out.

An audible 'pop' sounded as a rush of water soaked through the jeans she was wearing. Oh shit, she thought as the realization hit her. In no time at all, another wave of pain, even more intense than before ripped through her body, causing her to let out a loud cry in agony as she began trembling.

"Granger, what the fuck are you doing out here!?" The voice called out again, but Hermione couldn't see who was speaking to her as she kept her eyes tightly closed, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"The baby…" Hermione groaned, as she felt a tingle of magic wash over her. "Shrieking Shack…"

"Fuck…" she heard the voice say again as another contraction rolled through her making her give another low throaty moan.

"Hermione, it's Pansy, Pansy Parkinson." The voice explained, Hermione nodded her head as she cried out again. "You're in labor and this baby is coming quickly. Do you know somewhere safe I can take you to deliver?"

"Shrieking Shack…" Hermione groaned out again as more of her amniotic fluid rushed out of her. "Whomping Willow, secret passage." She said, unable to make complete sentences anymore.

"The Shrieking Shack, are you bloody joking?" Hermione let out another sob, and she heard Pansy's sigh. "Alright, I guess let's go have a baby, in the Shrieking Shack, of all bloody places." Pansy said, just as another contraction came over Hermione and brought her to her knees.

A/N: AND HELLO CLIFF HANGER!

Welcome to the end of chapter 6! Now, this story does have a time jump to where my plot bunny starts, so there is only two more chapters from my DH re-write!

The next two chapters are going to be split into two parts, first will be Theo and Draco in chapter 7 and chapter 8 will let us see Hermione and Pansy and what they are doing during that same time.

If you aren't already, go ahead and follow me on Twitter (my handle is sarahfhickman) to see what I'm working on! Could be either this story, one of my other WIP (If Only and Grief Group) or if I'm working one of the many fests I'm signed up for!

See you soon(ish)