Hermione travelled home that night. The journey seemed longer than ever but when she finally arrived, her family was at a loss for words that she had returned. Her parents held her close, her mother helped her bathe and brushed her hair. She told her family about Draak, not revealing to them that he was Draco, the God of Love.
After days hidden away in her room, Queen Saskia grew concerned for her child. She suggested Hermione go out for a walk. Seeing the worry in her mother's eyes, Hermione went out to the market. While there, she overheard that the temple of Minerva needed more volunteers. Though she did not have the same depth of faith as her father, Hermione had to do something, anything, to see Draco again and explain. In desperate need of guidance and in hopes that her devotion would allow the Gods to have mercy on her, Hermione went to the temple of Minerva and offered her services.
Just as Draco had feared, word had spread to the Gods and Goddesses in Mount Olympus that Draco had not only revealed himself to a mortal but slept with one. He wasn't sure who did this but had guessed Sirius had something to do with it. Draco tried to defend himself, reminding them all of the mutual mortal women Albus had been with, but none would listen. Draco knew it was a long shot, but he had hoped someone would understand. Theo tried to talk to him, but Draco flew away. He worried for his friend and made it his mission to find allies for Draco, starting with the head God in charge.
Hermione worked there for a fortnight; starting and ending every day with prayers to the great Goddess. She hoped through devotion and offerings that Minerva could find a way to get her message to Draco. Every day, Minerva heard her plea. Once, she agreed with the Gods, that the two should be kept apart as it was best for the both of them. But she remembered how her overbearing ways pushed her daughter, Lily, away. Now, she only saw her dear daughter every six months. Minerva, like the Gods, could not and should not have control over this relationship. While some Gods like Albus needed watching over, Draco was so different. This was not lust, but love.
That night, Minerva made her way to the temple and saw Hermione praying.
Knowing they were alone; Minerva spoke out from the shadows. Her voice, soft and true, was carried in the wind like a whisper to Hermione. "Go to Narcissa and offer yourself to her mercy. Only then, will you soften her wrath and show her the love you hold in your heart for her son."
The following morning after breakfast with her family, Hermione journeyed to the temple of Narcissa. When she arrived there, Hermione found Narcissa waiting for her. She could see the storm behind Narcissa's blue eyes.
"Why are you in my temple?" Narcissa asked, her voice seething. She walked over to Hermione, circling her like a vulture. Her heels clicking against the marble floor, the sound echoing off the walls. "After everything you've done to my family; to me, to my son," she scoffed. "And all he did was do what men do, fall for a pretty face."
Narcissa stood in front of Hermione, moving strands of hair that framed her face. "You are not good enough for my son. You never loved him. If you did, you wouldn't have been so weak as to let your sisters get in your head."
Hermione took a sharp inhale at her words.
"Yes," Narcissa laughed darkly, "He told me everything. You've tried to make a fool of my son and-"
"No, it's not like that!" Hermione interjected.
"That's exactly what it was and don't you dare interrupt me!" Narcissa all but hissed. "Disgusting mortals, no sense of honour or virtue."
Hermione lowered her head, biting her tongue. She knew that this was between her and Draco, there was no need to bring his mother into it. But he would not come to her and she had no way of getting to him. This might be Hermione's only chance so she would have to appease the Goddess. "I have no excuse for what I've done, only that I'm sorry I did it. I've come here to be at your mercy, humble and in search of forgiveness from the great Narcissa. Only then do I hope you see the love I have for Draco."
Narcissa looked at Hermione with confusion. "Do you think it'll be that simple little mortal? After everything you've done?"
"I promise to do whatever I can to prove my love for Draco."
After a few moments, Narcissa informed Hermione that she'd have to complete several tasks, ones that test her in ways she hasn't before. "Would you honestly do anything for Draco?"
"I would do anything I can to earn your trust and win back my love."
Hermione stands from her bow, her face stained with tears. She looks Narcissa in the eye, "What's my first task?"
Narcissa took Hermione to a farming land not too far from the temple. When they arrived there, Hermione saw four hills twice her height with beans of different colours.
"The farmer of this land provides many tributes to my temple, sadly he's fallen on hard times." Narcissa put her hand into the hill, pulling it out to show Hermione. "He grows up to ten different beans at a time. Your task is to sort through these and separate them so only those that are alike are together." She placed the beans back into the large pile. "You must complete this task before sunset, any questions?"
Narcissa left and Hermione got right to work. She reached for a few handfuls of beans and sat down to organise them. When she first started, Hermione believed there to be only about six different beans but the longer she sorted, the more details she saw. The pink beans weren't just pink, some had orange spots or lines of red going through them. The beans she thought were just green now had black specks she thought were just dust. After noticing this, her six piles grew to nine.
Time had passed so quickly, that midday had come and gone, and Hermione had only just finished the first pile. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by a God, Theo. Since his friend had come home heartbroken, Theo made it a goal to figure out just who Hermione was. At first, she just seemed like every other mortal. Sure, she was pretty, but there was nothing special about her. But when he saw her go to Minerva's temple and then to Narcissa's, well this piqued Theo's interest. He stayed hidden, beyond Narcissa's ability, and watched over Hermione as she completed her task. He kept himself entertained, watching her runabout, but he noticed her look of defeat when she saw Ron's position in the sky.
Theo watched as Hermione threw her mass of curls in a ponytail and got started on the second hill of beans. He shouldn't interfere with her tasks, not if she wanted to prove herself to Narcissa but he felt inspired at her determination that he had to do something. Theo cupped his hands around his mouth and whistled into the sky.
The strain on Hermione's eyes was giving her a headache but she couldn't stop, time was running out. Hermione walked over to the second pile, now half done, and grabbed another handful. When she turned back, Hermione jumped in shock at the sight before her.
She was surrounded by small, bright blue creatures flying around. Their eyes were solid black, and their ears were larger than their heads. Hermione backed away from the swarm, worried that she'd be attacked but when none approached her, she realised that she was not the target. They were flying to and from the hills of mixed beans and… sorting them? Yes, they were sorting them for her with great speed and precision. Compared to the hours it took her to complete just one pile, they had sorted through all of the remaining beans in a matter of minutes.
They observed their work before flying away. One, though, remained and flew towards Hermione. She was still frozen in her place and it hovered in front of her.
"Um- thank you so much, little… blue uh, thing. You and your friends were very helpful. Who sent you?"
The creature reached out to touch her before turning its head towards a sound Hermione did not hear. It flew away and Hermione was finally able to pull herself from the spot she was stuck in. As she walked around the beans, examining them, she found not one bean out of place. She could not contain the laugh that escaped her. The task was complete, and the sun was setting.
Narcissa arrived and was immediately upset to see Hermione waiting for her. She inspected each pile of beans to find that there was not one out of place.
"I suppose that was too easy but the next won't be, I assure you. Meet me at my temple tomorrow morning."
Theo arrived at Narcissa's home later that day, passing Padma and Ron on his way there. They were both tired after a long day but excited about seeing sister and girlfriend later in the week. He landed just outside the home and folded his wings in. He knocked and was surprised, happy but surprised, to see Draco answering the door.
"Theo?" Draco's voice sounded like he ate sand.
"Heeeeey buuuuddy. How are you?"
Draco shrugged and opened the door wider for Theo to come in. When Theo walked in, he finally got a better look at Draco. His blonde hair was dishevelled, there were bags under his eyes, and he had a shadow of fuzz against his face that would put a sundial to shame. Theo had no idea a God could look so run down.
The pair talked for a while in the sitting room, eudemons having come and gone to provide them with nectar and fruits. Draco admitted to Theo that he was behind on work, after such a long break he was easing back into things. Though, something that he came to love so much recently after a lifetime has now become frustrating. He felt foolish for thinking he could have what mortals did, especially with a mortal. Draco felt that he was cursed to forever provide mortals with love and never to have it on his own. Theo, forever trying to lighten the mood, tries to tell Draco about all of the women he could have at his disposal. That they don't need love as it made one weak.
This triggered something in Draco, so he asked Theo if he'd ever been in love. Theo thought back to the Gods, Goddesses, and mortals he met in his time. Some passions were there, days he enjoyed spending with those people but never loved. Draco closed his eyes and began to get lost in the memories of Hermione. He told Theo, his voice like a whisper, that love goes far beyond passion and lust, beyond words can describe.
"To have it and lose it was worse than I could imagine." Draco looked down at his chest, the burn from the candle wax long gone but the pain, somehow, still there.
"Do you wish you never met her? Never fell in love?"
Draco took a while to respond but eventually admitted, "No. As sick as it may seem, I'm glad I went through it all. At least now I know I can love and… Maybe one day that I can find it again."
Embarrassed that he was that open and honest, Draco tried to shake off the heavy feeling in the room. Sitting up, Draco grabbed a grape and popped it in his mouth. "So, what were you up to today?"
Theo chuckled a bit to himself and gave a small smile. "Nothing much."
The next morning, Narcissa was waiting at the steps of her temple for Hermione. Upon her arrival, without saying a word, Narcissa turned and began walking as Hermione followed suit. The longer they walked, the more nauseous Hermione felt. It was not long before the pair stopped at the edge of the woods. At this point, Hermione felt like she may faint.
"This is the forest of the Gods," Narcissa looked down at Hermione and saw her face. "That feeling you're getting is something we put together, to keep mortals away from this land. Shake it off, you'll be fine."
Hermione took a deep breath; she didn't believe it for a minute.
"Your task for today is to take this satchel," Narcissa's once empty hand now handing Hermione the bag. "Go into the woods and fill it with the fur of the chimaera."
"The what?"
"The chimaera is a beast that the God Ron put together long ago. It has the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. I think that boy has too much time on his hands," she shrugged. "But to be fair, what else is one to do to occupy their thoughts doing the repetitive task of pulling the sun across the sky every day?"
"And you want me to go in there? To that- that beast?!"
Narcissa smiled darkly at Hermione. "If you want to prove yourself then yes, you will do just that. You will fill this satchel," she repeated, this time shoving the bag into Hermione's hands, "with the fur of the chimaera and return it to me before sunset."
Narcissa turned, leaving an almost heaving Hermione.
"Oh, and Hermione?" she said, turning back to look at her. "Do be careful, if they get a taste of your blood they won't be able to stop."
Hermione stood at the edge of the woods for some time, trying to collect herself. She could do this; she could push past the sick feeling and the nerves to complete the task. Hermione ventured into the forest and after many hours found a herd of chimaera. She watched them from a hidden spot and couldn't believe what she saw. It was just as Narcissa had described. They were larger than she had hoped, larger than any normal animal she had seen before. She noticed two fighting while the rest watched and jumped back when the pair collided. Pain shot through her arm and Hermione covered her mouth to hide a gasp. She looked down at her arm and noticed the blood staining her sleeve, having pricked it on a thorny branch. Hermione held her arm and slowly moved away from the hiding spot. She continued to observe the chimaera while she looked for a way to grab their fur.
After some time, Hermione found herself in a narrow pass. She smiled when she noticed that the fur from the chimaera caught onto the thorns of the branches. Hermione quickly collected the fur, filling the bag with it. With the bag now full, she quietly retraced her step to make her way out of the forest. It was growing dimmer in the thick of the woods, so Hermione knew that the sun was about to set. In the haste, Hermione pricked herself on a thorn again. Without thinking, she audibly yelped in pain and she heard her voice echo in the woods. A roar called out then another… and another. Hermione felt the tremble beneath her feet before she heard the hoofs slam against the ground. They were coming for her and they were coming fast.
In a panic, Hermione broke into a run, the sound of the stampede behind her was drained out by the sound of her heart beating in her ears. Was she even going in the right direction? Could she even outrun them? How far away were they and how keen were their senses? The questions swimming through her mind, adrenaline running through her body, it was an overload of senses. She began to see the clearing, the edge of the woods where she entered when her foot got caught over the raised root of a tree. Hermione fell face first, pain shooting up her knees and through her wrists. Panting, she turned herself on her back and came face to face with a chimaera.
It stood over her, teeth bared and growling at her presence. It sniffed around her, surely smelling the blood that stained her clothes. Hermione whispered a silent prayer and closed her eyes as the hot breath fanned her face.
"Cease!" a voice boomed around them.
Hermione opened her eyes, looked around and saw no one there. The chimaera over her backed away, revealing five more chimaeras behind it.
"Take her to the edge and nothing more," the voice called out again.
The chimaeras began walking, looking back at Hermione waiting for her to follow. With shaking legs, she did, keeping a fair distance between her and the beasts that led the way. They stopped just short of the edge of the forest, making a path for Hermione to walk through. As Hermione stepped out of the woods, she saw Narcissa approaching. Hermione bowed her head slightly and presented the filled satchel to the Goddess.
"Hmph, you made it out in one piece. Colour me surprised," she took the satchel from Hermione. "Well done, I suppose. But it's not over yet. Come back again tomorrow morning for your third task."
Hermione watched Narcissa as she walked away before departing to her home. She tried to make sense of the tests she was given, trying everything in her to figure out what they could mean or what they could be testing her on. She did not make any sense of things by the time she got home. Her family was in shock when she appeared before them, battered, and bruised from the trials of the day. Hermione's words of reassurance did little to calm her father, but her mother assisted her to her room to help her bathe. She was filled with many questions, questions that Hermione could not or would not answer.
Exhaustion hit her hard when Saskia braided her hair for bed. She almost missed the kiss good night that was placed atop her head. She fell asleep almost instantly, dreading yet hopeful of what tomorrow may bring.
Narcissa arrived home just as dinner was being served. She was surprised to find Lucius sitting with Draco at the dining table and greeted both her boys with a quick kiss before taking her seat with them.
"What are you doing here Lucius?" she asked happily.
"Well, I know your husband is away for a while and I wanted to see you," he said with a flirtatious smile.
"Is that all?"
"That, and word finally got to me about this one," his head tilting to Draco. "I had been so caught up with the latest war that it took this long." He turned to Draco. "Do you have anything to say for yourself boy?" Lucius' voice dripping in red, hot anger.
"What do you want me to say, father?" Draco asked with a sigh. He made no eye contact with his father, just pushed food around his plate.
Lucius shook his head and started on his meal. "Bedding them is one thing son, but this? This crosses the line."
"Other Gods have fallen in love with mortal women. Even a few Goddesses with mortal men. Why am I getting so much shite for doing the same?"
"And look at what became of those mortals! Left alone in the mortal realm with a broken heart and to raise their bastard demigod children."
Draco's insides twisted as he looked up, his father was such a hypocrite. "I'm a bastard child. So, I'm just… confused as to what you're saying right now."
"Come now, Draco. You're not-"
"Yes Narcissa, he is," Lucius interrupts then turns to Draco. "Yes, you're a bastard. But!" he paused for dramatic effect; one finger raised. "You are not a demigod. I, at least, had some respect for myself and my offspring."
Draco, at a loss of words, excused himself from the table and went to his room.
Later that night, after spending some time with Lucius, Narcissa knocked on Draco's door. Draco hesitantly asked his mother if she felt the same way as Lucius, how he fell for Hermione and if he had demigod children. Narcissa hesitated. It wasn't what she had planned for her son, to fall in love with a mortal. Especially not one that has caused her stress and hurt her son. But if a mortal was what he wanted, should she stand in his way? Should she tell Draco that Hermione came to her?
Narcissa looked down at the brokenness in her son and decided against it. She would not allow that mortal to hurt him again. She told Draco that she just wanted him to be happy. Narcissa hugged him as she promised that he'd get past the hurt that was done to him and find someone better that deserved him. Draco admitted that he thinks it's him that didn't deserve Hermione. He told his mother about his time with Hermione, how he lied to her and never told her who he was or what he did. Narcissa tried to interject, reminding Draco that Hermione tried to kill him.
"Can you really blame her?" Draco mumbled before turning around in his bed.
The following day, Hermione met with Narcissa for her third task. Hermione was tired from the previous events but was determined to complete whatever Narcissa had in store. Once again, the pair travelled together in silence until they came across a black river. Narcissa handed Hermione a crystal bottle.
"Walk north until you find the source of the river's water. Fill this bottle and return it to me before the sun sets".
Hermione hesitated as she reached out and grabbed the bottle. "That's it? That's all I need to do?"
Narcissa gave her a blank stare back, "Yes."
"You just want some water?"
"That's what I said," and she turned to walk away. "Don't disappoint me mortal" she called back.
Hermione looked at the glass bottle in her hand with confusion. After everything she had gone through yesterday, this was her third task?! She travelled north until about midday when she found the waterfall that fed into the black river.
Hermione made a few attempts to walk through the river but the closer she got to the waterfall, the harder the water pushed against her. She tried to climb the rocks near it but again failed as they were too wet. Hermione eyed the waterfall and saw a large rock next to it. It looked just close enough to reach out. So, she climbed up the rock and reached out as far as she could with the bottle in hand. Just as she was about to reach it, Hermione slipped and fell into the water. The current pushed her under and back. She fought her way to the surface, taking a large gap of air as she leaned on a large log. Hermione frantically looked around for the bottle that slipped her grasp. A glimmer blinded her briefly, when it went away she saw that it was the sunlight reflecting off the bottle caught in some moss. She let go of the log, allowing the water to push her further downstream. After grabbing a hold of the bottle, she made her way out of the water and laid out on the ground panting.
Hermione closed her eyes and prayed aloud to the Gods to let her finish this task. A sudden cry echoed in the trees surrounding her. She opened her eyes to find a bird flying above her. As it landed, she took in its large size and bright colours. The mix of yellow, orange, and red reminded her of the flames of fire; eyes large and a dark grey like ash. She sat up straight as she came face to face with a phoenix, the companion of Albus her father told her about when she was young. It bowed to her before grabbing the bottle and taking it to the peak of the waterfall, collecting water in the bottle. It flew back, placing the bottle next to Hermione, before flying away and disappearing. She looked down at the now filled bottle shimmering in the light and held it close to her body.
With today's task completed earlier than any other, Hermione made her way down to the black river. Exhaustion overcame her and Hermione had fallen asleep. Narcissa arrived to see a sleeping Hermione, the filled bottle next to her and bit down a scream.
She woke Hermione up abruptly and snatched the bottle from the ground before turning away. Hermione followed her and the pair walked back to the temple. The silence was nothing new to Hermione but the tension between the pair as they walked was thick. When they arrived, Narcissa sat on the steps of her temple and stared down at Hermione.
"I don't know how you managed to get the will of the Gods on your side but that's the only way you could have gotten through these tasks," Narcissa practically spat at her.
"I didn't-"
"Quiet!" Narcissa screamed, holding her hand up. "I once asked if you would do anything for Draco and I wonder how true that still is."
Not wanting to push, Hermione stayed quiet.
"This last task can only be completed by you and you alone. There is no other way." Narcissa opened her hands in front of her and a box appeared. "Because of your wicked ways and pain you've given my son, you have caused me great stress. This, in return, cost me my beauty. The mortals of this world will forever be in disarray unless you fix what you've done to me." Narcissa walked down the steps until she was in front of Hermione. "Take this box and go to the underworld, kingdom of James and Lily. Ask Queen Lily to fill this box with beauty so I may be restored to my former self. Only then may I give you my blessing to be with my son… if he would even still want you."
Hermione hesitantly took the box and asked if there was a deadline for this task. Narcissa said there wasn't, only that it needed to be completed in full, smirking. Hermione left to go home with the box. That night, while spending time with her family, her thoughts were consumed with the final task. It wasn't until she was saying good night to her parents, having laid down and settled in for the night, that she accepted there was only one way to get to the underworld and complete this task.
Hermione would have to die.
Draco awoke to a pillow hitting him against his head. He opened his eyes to find Theo looking down at him with a smile. After some pushing from Theo, Draco finally left the bed and got out of his mother's home. He made Draco promise that if he puts at least one couple together they'd go to the underworld and see Blaise. Draco, having not seen his other best friend in some time, agreed. Draco is lost in his thoughts as Theo rambled on. It took Draco some time to find the feeling again, his instinct of two souls that needed to be together. Draco remembered when he was younger, the stories his mother told him about mortals that once existed: the Androgynous.
These mortals were powerful beings with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. The mortals admired and even began to worship the Androgynous. This, in turn, upset the Gods. Albus in particular. The first thought was to strike down all the Androgynous with lighting but instead, he chose a far worse punishment. Lightning still struck the realm but instead of killing the Androgynous, it split them into two. It was painful and gruesome but to justify it, Albus told the Gods that with the flick of the wrist, the population of mortals practically doubled thus doubling tributes to their temples. The Gods celebrated but the mortals, how they suffered. Their souls, once whole, were now split. This pain ailed many in the lands as they searched until they found their other half. Some were lucky to be reunited with their soulmate but far too many didn't. Those that didn't either settled out of fear of being alone forever or chose to look for their soulmate until their dying breath. When Draco was born, his power to find and restore these connections granted to him, gave mortals hope. It was a lot of pressure; more than he thought he could handle.
When he found the couple today to put together, he knew he could see their hearts - no, their souls - reaching for one another. Something about how he saw the two of them, near but not interacting with each other. How mortals sometimes know without knowing. He drew his bow and took a deep inhale, his eyes focused on the brunette woman sitting by the water. With an exhale, he let the arrow go, and shot the woman in the heart. Pulling a second arrow out, he inhaled again and focused on the woman with jet black hair sitting on the bench reading a book. He let the arrow go and shot her. Draco and Theo waited for a moment, watching the two women. Then, like a spark to a flame, their eyes met. The brunette walked up to the woman with jet black hair and introduced herself.
Theo hugged Draco from the side and commended him on a job well done. Draco shrugged and the two went off to see Blaise. Theo and Draco land in the underworld as Blaise finished travelling a batch of soils across the river Acheron. He stopped the boat in the middle and the two land. Draco convinced Blaise to continue transporting souls and the three talked for some time as Blaise took the boat up and down the river.
Hermione awoke the next day to the kingdom in disarray. While she had been involved so deeply in her tasks, she missed the message that the day of darkness had arrived. As advised, the king and queen informed all its people to stay in their homes. Her parents kept them in a room together as her father led a prayer to the Gods before the time of darkness. While they were preoccupied, Hermione snuck away and went to her room.
She watched from her room as the sky grew darker and darker. Hermione rushed under her bed, finding the box she received yesterday from Narcissa. Kneeling at her bedside, she reached under her pillow to find the two danake her father had given her at the summit.
When complete darkness fell on the land, Hermione tucked the box under her arm and threw her legs over the railing, one after the other. With her free hand, she gripped the edge firmly and stood, thankful she could not see the ground below her. She closed her eyes and whispered Draco's name before letting go.