Draco stood next to Theo, the Gods and Goddesses all surrounding them, as they watched the meeting of Padma and Ron with Parvati and Lavender. Cheers roared and Draco couldn't help but smile. The sisters hugged and immediately started catching up on how much they've missed since they last spoke. Ron picked Lavender up and spun her around. Her laughter chimed through the realm. Seeing them together, Draco's thoughts went to Hermione. He spent so much time sulking, wasted so many days upset with her yet longing for her, he knew that he needed to step up. If he was going to have the love he gave to others, he needed to find her. He needed to talk to her. They could make it work, the love of a mortal and a God. Somehow, they'd figure it out.
Blaise watched the meeting from the hidden entrance of the Underworld. He tried to focus on the happy reunion but he couldn't help but feel the souls waiting for him at the river. One after another, he felt them adding up. Those unfortunate souls that saw this reunion as a bad omen and took their lives. It overwhelmed him as he saw the faces of them all flash by in his mind. Blaise knew there would be a pile up when he returned but he wanted to try and see something good, if even for a little while. Blaise closed his eyes tightly, one face after another came to him. As he tried to force it down, Blaise saw a familiar face. He saw the choice they made. And even though he shouldn't, he called out to it.
A voice cried out to Hermione as soon as she let go. She reached out midfall and it felt as if someone was guiding her hand to the railing. She dropped the danakes, grabbed the edge of the balcony, and hung there. Hermione rocked herself back and forth until the box was secure on the landing. With both hands free, she pulled herself up. Hermione was shaking as she felt the smooth stone beneath her. She had very little confidence in the jump when she started but now, Hermione hated that she might need to do it again. The sun slowly started to appear again, Hermione looked around scared she might see her father but found that she was alone.
The voice whispered out to her, "Do not do this for there is another way. I'll show you the path to the underworld. I will tell you what you need for the ferryman and barriers that await you on your task. Please calm yourself, dear mortal, and listen."
The voice told Hermione the path to the entrance of the Underworld. She took time to draw out a map for herself with the details provided. The voice told her to find the danakes she dropped to pay the ferryman and that she needed to bring Bath buns for a creature named Fluffy.
With the sun completely visible, Hermione heard cheering in the streets. She grabbed the parchment with the map and the box, placing them inside a satchel. She made her way down to the kitchens, finding Bath buns with the other baking. Leaving out the door from the kitchens, Hermione walked to the land directly under her balcony and on the ground were the two danakes.
She made her way back inside to find her parents, sisters, and brothers in law in the main hall. There were many voices to be heard in the streets for the passing of the eclipse, as many went to pay tribute to the Gods and Goddesses. Her family made their way out to pay tribute as well and Hermione used this as an excuse to go to the underworld. As her father led them to the temple of Albus, Hermione told them that she would be going to the temple of Minerva. Her parents allowed her to part and when she was out of sight, Hermione pulled the map from her satchel.
Following the path the voice told her, Hermione quickly found the opening in the side of the mountain. She was consumed in darkness for a while before a dim light showed from below. As Hermione walked down the stone steps, she saw hundreds of almost transparent bodies at the landing. Voices groaned, many cried out pleading to be taken across the river. Hermione kept her head down. doing everything she could to not make direct eye contact with the souls.
When she saw a hooded figure in a boat waiting, Hermione made her way down the steps and approached the figure, "I'm here to see Queen Lily on behalf of Narcissa." Holding out the two danakes for him, she dropped them in his outstretched hand.
Hermione looked up and came face to face with the ferryman. In her teachings, she was told that the ferryman was an old, almost skeletor God. But when he removed his hood, a tall man with a broad body and locs down to his shoulders stood before her.
He smirked at her. "Good, you're here."
"Your voice," she said, giving him a questioning look. "Are you the one that called out to me?"
"Yes, I was. And I'm glad I was able to reach you in time. What were you thinking? Are you crazy?! Do you want to end up like them?" he exclaimed, waving his hand behind her.
She did not turn around but the voices still wailed and left them without a moment of silence.
"Come, let us depart," Blaise held out a hand to help her in.
Hermione climbed into the boat and they journey down the Acheron River. She heard him speaking briefly in the background but Hermione can takes her eyes off the river they were passing through. It was filled with people but at the same time, it wasn't. The liquid was thicker than water and glowed softly. She could see the sorrow, those under reaching out to her for help. Her body moved without thought and she reached towards it.
Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed her by the arm. "Stop!" Hermione turned to see Blaise behind her. She pulled her hand back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't- I wasn't thinking," she rubbed her hands together before laying them on her lap.
Blaise continued to row, not looking at Hermione. "I've never had a mortal here before so I don't know what the river will do to you. Just, keep your hands and feet away from it. Just to be safe."
They arrived at the home of James and Lily. It stood higher than any temple Hermione had seen before and it made her wonder if this was how it was in Mount Olympus. Blaise helped her out of the boat and promised that he'd be waiting for her until she came back. Hermione thanked him with a soft smile and turned to the large building before her. The front door was ajar, with just enough space for her to slip through without making a sound.
She walked down the long hallway that got darker and darker until it reached a door with a faint, blue light at the end. She used this to guide her, her hands outstretched in front of her. After a few steps in, her hands felt something soft. Something like… fur. A low growl came from the softness and she felt vibrations under her hand. Two large eyes met her own. Then four more followed to the left and right. Hermione quickly backed up and kept going until she was at the front door again. The beast, no longer hidden by the darkness of the hall, came into full view.
Three large dog heads come out one after the other. This was Fluffy. This was Fluffy?! The head to her left sniffed at her, the head to the right looked at her with confusion, and the head in the middle looked at her with rage. She was frozen in place when the leftmost head pressed its cold, wet nose on her shoulder then down to her bag. It came back to her that she had several Bath buns in her satchel. Hermione reached in and pulled out the treat, throwing it to the side. Hoping she bought enough for the large creature, Hermione quickly made her way back down the hall while it was distracted.
When she reached the door, Hermione was happy to find it open. She walked in to see King James and Queen Lily sitting closely, very closely, together not aware of her presence. She cleared her throat to announce herself and the pair shot up, surprised to see a mortal in their domain.
With the wave of his hand, James fashioned himself a cloak and staff, banging it on the ground. Lily stood, dressing in a gown she fashioned from thin air, and stares at Hermione in confusion.
"My name is Hermione," she hoped her voice did not shake.
"Why have you come here, mortal, and how?" James asked, voice deep and drawn.
"I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you how but the why is for the Goddess Lily."
James quickly stood in front of Lily, blocking her from Hermione's view. "Are you threatening my queen, mortal?" his staff pointing directly at Hermione.
She pulled out the box Narcissa gave her and bowed slightly to the king and queen of the underworld. "Queen Lily, my task from Narcissa is to fill this box with some of your beauty. I mean you no harm."
Lily stepped around her husband, kissing him softly on the cheek. "Put that away now dear, she is a mortal for Albus' sake." Lily walked over to Hermione, lifting her chin gently. "Well, aren't you a gem. Come, sit with me."
Hermione let the goddess walk her over to a chair, more comfortable than Hermione would have thought for the dark, deadly underworld.
"Now, what I don't understand is why Narcissa went through the hassle of getting a mortal to come down for something she gets every few centuries. I'm due up soon enough, or she could come down here."
"I- Well, I fell in love with her son."
James scoffed. "You fell in love with love itself?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that. But anyway, I hurt him- betrayed him. And I shouldn't have. And the only way to prove that my heart is true, is to complete the tasks Narcissa has put before me."
James and Lily gave each other a look then James turned to Hermione. "And she told you to come down here?"
"Yes, and to fill this box with beauty. I don't even know what that means," she turned to Lily. "So I'm hoping you do."
"And you got down here without dying?" James questioned her but Hermione did not answer. "Do I need to fire someone?"
"Quiet now, James. None of that," Lily smiled at her husband. "It's love, mortal love. Such a delicate thing. She's willing to do this for him," Lily grabbed Hermione's hand, "and I want to help."
Lily grabbed the box from Hermione and turned to face away from her. A pink and purple glow came from Lily as her back arched. The lid of the box was shut and handed it back to Hermione. She noticed that the box was much heavier than before and tucked it away in her satchel. Hermione noticed that Lily looked weaker than before, and James rushed up to comfort his wife.
Hermione turned to leave but was stopped when she heard Lily's voice. "Be careful with that, dear Hermione. Wandering eyes can give a painful reality." With a nod, Hermione left, walking past a sleeping Fluffy on her way out.
On her journey back with Blaise, she thanked him for his help. Hermione looked at her reflection in the river of souls. She noticed how tired and worn she looked from the tasks over these past days. She was so close to seeing Draco again and she no longer looked like the woman she was when they were first together. They reached the end of the journey back and Hermione exited the boat. Hermione thanked Blaise again and began to make her way to the surface, wondering if this was truly her last task.
The anger Narcissa had at the Gods for helping Hermione was clear and she worried how much more Narcissa would put her through. Overcome with exhaustion, Hermione sat on the steps to and from the underworld for a moment. She looked down at all the souls loading to the boat and didn't know how much more her body could take. How close she was to looking like them, lack of life in their eyes. Head in her hands, Hermione was overcome with too many thoughts. If she was successful in this task, she didn't know how much more Narcissa would put her through and how she could take it physically and mentally.
Hermione felt the humming and pulsing coming from the box in her satchel. She pulled it out and noticed that it was almost overflowing with beauty. Not knowing how much longer she'd be under the thumb of Narcissa, Hermione opened the box. Hoping that only a fraction of the beauty from Lily would restore her to how she looked when she first met Draco. She lifted the lid and heard Blaise call out.
The once pink and purple mist that was overflowing from the box turned black and bubbled like tar. The black mist forced its way into her nose and mouth, choking her. Hermione's body tumbled down the steps before landing at the end of it.
Blaise tried to stop her, for the beauty traded and gifted from one Goddess to another was toxic to mortals. He reached her just as her body got to the bottom of the steps. Blaise could feel the separation of body and soul for the mortal, so he pushed a message out to Theo to find Draco and come quickly.
Blaise looked down at her. "Why would you do that? What were you thinking?!"
Hermione smiled at him with the last bit of strength she had and closed her eyes, letting the tired feeling take over her.
Draco and Theo were together when Draco got a weird feeling. Something was off, something wasn't right. He looked around, worried perhaps they had been seen by mortals but no. He didn't know what it was. Though he tried to guard them, his thoughts went to Hermione. It had almost been a month since they last saw each other and he wondered how she was doing, what she had been up to all this time.
Draco turned to see Theo in deep thought, looking as if someone was calling out to him. Draco did not understand how Theo received his messages from the Gods and Goddesses, only that he could. Theo swallowed hard before turning to Draco, his brows pulled together and chewing on his bottom lip.
"What's wrong, Theo?"
Theo hesitated. "We need to go to the underworld, to Blaise, quickly."
"Why?"
Theo grabbed his arm and pulled him, "We don't have time for questions. Let's just go, now!"
Draco yanked his arm from Theo's grasp. "No, Theo. What in the name of James is going on with you?"
Theo placed both hands on Draco's shoulders, looking at him with sorry filled eyes. "It's Hermione. She-" Theo stopped. He struggled to interpret the message from Blaise, it was rushed and jumbled.
"She's dead?" Draco whispered.
"I don't know. It was hard to understand but something is wrong. Let's just go, right now."
Draco rolled his shoulders, his wings fanned out and he took flight. Theo was lifted into the air by wings on his sandals. The pair flew as quickly as they could and made it down to the underworld. When they arrived, Draco rushed to his friend holding Hermione, her head on his lap.
"Who did this to her?" he asked his friend as he took Hermione's limp body into his arms.
"She did it to herself, mate. She was warned not to open the box but she did anyway." Blaise shrugged sadly. "I was loading the boat and couldn't get to her in time."
"What box?" Draco turned to see Theo walking over with a black box, and he knew it was his mother's. It was the box he'd seen her use many times over his life as she stored beauty in it that kept her sustained.
Draco looked down at Hermione, his eyes glassy. "Why did you do this, my love?" He moved the curl that kissed her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. "Can you not see that you're already the most beautiful woman in the realm?"
Draco held her closer, hiding his face in her curls. "I should have told you the truth from the beginning. I should have rearranged the stars in the sky to show you how much you mean to me. I should have trusted you, then you wouldn't have second guessed a single word I said to you."
She grew colder and colder in his arms, but he wouldn't let go. He heard his friends calling his name out, but he couldn't let go. He kissed her cheek and whispered so only she could hear him. "Don't leave me. Please, Hermione, don't leave me alone here. I only just found you. How am I supposed to survive without you?"
He squeezed her tightly, his tears falling to her skin. "Stay with me Hermione, I'm begging you. I love you. Please don't leave me."
Draco felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Draco pulled his head from the crook of her neck, blinking rapidly to clear his sight. Seeing Seamus, Draco shouted at him. "NO! You can't have her." He picked up her body and began walking away from him. "I won't let you!"
"It's almost time," Seamus called out to him, causing Draco to pause. "I don't like this anymore than you do but it has to be done. The essence will consume her completely in a few moments and her soul will leave her body for me to take."
Draco looked down at the body in his arms and focused closely on Hermione. When he saw her soul, it was barely holding on. He saw Lily's beauty working its way through her, swirling around her soul trying to grab hold of it. Killing her.
Draco laid her down on her back and held his hands over her. One over her core and the other over her mouth. Draco began to pull the beauty out of her body. It fought him, wanting to stay in the host and take her life but Draco was stronger.
Draco pulled the black mist from Hermione, the more he got the more her body fought. Theo and Blaise help held Hermione down. Thanatos told them that it was useless, to let it take her but Draco wouldn't listen. Hermione's body lifted with every pull, almost choking on the mist. He finally got the last of it from her and put it into the box. Theo and Blaise stopped holding her down and Draco held her again.
"Come back to me, Hermione. I love you, just come back to me," Draco told her desperately.
Seamus was about to speak again but Hermione took in a gasp of air. Then another and another until she was breathing on her own at a regular pace. Draco pulled back and looked into her brown eyes as they blinked open. The colour of her golden undertones returned to her soft cheeks.
"Draco?" her voice was dry and she licked her lips. She reached up, touching his face softly "You're here, you're really here. I'm so sor-" Hermione was cut off when his lips pressed against hers.
Draco helped Hermione stand and she leaned against him for support. Draco told Seamus to leave, resting his chin on Hermione's shoulder as he held her from behind.
Draco kissed Hermione quickly and told her to take the box back to his mother. He turned to thank Blaise for looking after her in the underworld and asked Theo to keep a distant eye on Hermione as she saw his mother. Draco promised the trio that he'd handle the rest.
Draco flew to Mount Olympus and arrived before Albus. He presented his case and convinced Albus to keep his mother from giving Hermione any more tasks. Draco asked for his blessing, given all that Hermione went through to prove herself, to let them be together.
Hermione reached the surface and went straight to the temple of Narcissa. She waited there alone for sometime and grew antsy for the goddess' arrival. People came and went for their normal daily or weekly tribute, the worry of the eclipse having dulled, but nothing more. After a while, Narcissa arrived and was shocked at Hermione's presence.
"Wh- How? Explain yourself!" Hermione had never seen the goddess so frazzled.
Hermione presented the box overflowing with beauty to Narcissa but she wouldn't take it.
"This is impossible," Narcissa shook her head in disbelief. "There's no way you could have completed this task and still be-" she stopped, trying to calm herself.
"I completed the task Narcissa. I've proved that my heart is true and I am worthy of Draco based on the tasks you put before me. Will you still deny us our right to be together?"
The sound of wings flapping in the air pulled Hermione and Narcissa's attention. Draco landed and ran over to Hermione, hugging her. He looked at his mother over Hermione's shoulder. "This was low, mother. I expected this from father but not from you." Pulling out of the hug but holding onto her hand, Draco looked to Hermione. "I have something I want you to see."
Hermione smiled at him, "Really, what is it?"
Draco smirked at her, "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"
Draco held Hermione in his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck and gasped when his wings lightly brushed against her as they unfolded. Her first thought was that he'd need a running start but the wings lifted them straight to the sky. She tucked her face into his neck and she felt vibrations as he laughed at her.
Yes, Hermione was afraid of heights.
When they landed, Hermione opened her eyes and pulled away from Draco. The structure mirrored that of the temples she saw back home but all the more grand. Light bounced off each surface of marble and gold, clouds surrounded it at the base. Hermione turned to Draco and gave him a questioning look. He smiled softly and nodded. She was in Mount Olympus.
They walk to the front doors and the sound of voices grew louder and louder. The room was filled with the Gods and Goddesses Hermione was told about in her youth. The ones her father prayed to. The ones, at one point, she didn't think existed. Draco introduced her to Albus, Theo, and Ron letting her know that these Gods helped her in the tasks. Blaise is there too, joking that he'd have to pull a double in the underworld but he couldn't miss a mortal in Mount Olympus.
Draco took Hermione and led her outside the room. He tucked a curl behind her ear, "I know what you've done to get back to me and I hate that my mother put you through all this."
Hermione shook her head, "No, don't apologise. I should be telling you how sorry I am."
Draco held her hands and kissed them. "I still love you, Hermione. I want to be with you. I hope you feel the same.
"I do, I just-" she took her hands from his and waved them around. "This isn't my world. There's no way I can stay here."
Draco thought to himself. "If there was a way, would you stay here and be with me?"
"I love you, with all my heart and soul. If there's a way for us to be together, I want that."
Draco took her hand and rushed over Albus and his mother in deep conversation. Draco told Albus that he wanted to marry Hermione, that they wanted to be together and asked if Albus could make it happen.
With the clap of his hands, Albus called all in attendance to attention. Silence followed and all eyes turned to them.
Albus walked around the couple as he spoke. "We are gathered here today to join these two together, for an eternity." He stopped behind Draco. "After an entire existence of undoing my work, of finding soul mates and joining them again as one, you have finally found your other half. May you never go without it again and continue to grant this blessing onto many mortals to come."
Albus was handed a goblet and it began to glow in his hands. "Hermione: Though your journey here was difficult and many barriers were thrown your way, you are now one with Draco and a goddess in your own right. Mortality will never cause you separation. The bonds made here today will be written in the stars so that all may know of your love. A love that will exist for an eternity."
He handed Hermione the goblet and she drank from it. She handed the goblet back to Albus and Draco picked her up, spinning her around before kissing her. Applause erupted from the crowd; the two were now wed.
Narcissa walked up to Draco and Hermione. After having a long discussion with Albus, she granted Draco and Hermione her blessing. She held out her hand to Hermione, ready to grant them with the blessing of many children. But when their palms touched, Narcissa felt an additional essence coming from within Hermione. She was with child. Narcissa felt ashamed at that moment, having put the mother of her future grandchild through the trials. Though she felt all this, Narcissa decided to not say. This was something they would be happier finding out alone. She sensed greatness from the newly found goddess and was thankful her son was finally happy.
Draco and Hermione didn't leave each other's side that night. After waiting for so long, after going through all the trials, they were happy to finally be together.
Forever and ever after.