A Curse Of Ancients
C3: The Heir Revealed
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.
Small A/N: The Prophecy in this chapter is different from the one in the first because Hermione will be there to hear it in full.
The following morning Fabian was woken up to a soft prodding in his ribs, making him groan and turn around, only to be met by the soft body of Luna. "Good morning Lu. Why are you waking me up so early?" He asked groggily.
She giggled and kissed him softly. "It's already nine 'o clock, my sweet. You have to go and get ready to pick up your girlfriend. Your mother asked me to wake you, since she didn't trust herself not to jump you again."
He groaned as he sat up and kissed her. "Then thank you for waking me, Luna. I don't think I would've made it to the Leaky Cauldron in time if you and Mum were all over me this early."
She smiled at him. "That's something for later, but I think I will see if Dora is up for some fun while you are away. A girl has needs, you know."
He smiled at her. "Yes, some very kinky needs at times. I think Dora will love to spend some time with you, or probably better phrased be used by you."
Luna smiled and kissed him. "I didn't know your cousin was such a submissive woman, but I think I will leave that to you, but now you will go and take a shower, otherwise you'll be late." She said with a mock stern look.
"Yes dear." He said teasingly.
She stuck her tongue out as she rolled out of bed while he made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
As he stepped under the spray, he could feel the nerves settling in a little. He really hoped that Hermione would at least be admitted through the wards of the house, because that would at least mean she was at least a pureblooded witch, everything else would hinge on how she would react to the Prophecy and whatever else his mother had been able to find out about her presumed heritage. He also didn't know what those things could be, but he knew that his mother would keep her word and that she would treat Hermione with respect, and more importantly as his girlfriend.
Since he was on a bit of a schedule, he quickly washed himself before drying himself with a quick spell, fixing his hair before he walked back into his bedroom to get dressed.
Figuring that his mother expected some level of class from him today, but also that Hermione expected things from him, he settled on a perfect mix between posh and casual, something he sometimes wore in school when they would go to Hogsmeade.
Once he was sure everything was perfect he made his way downstairs, smiling at the sight that he was met with when he walked into the living room. His mother and Andromeda were sitting primly on the couch with a few books opened up in front of them. "Good morning sweetie. I trust you and Luna slept okay?" Bellatrix asked with a sweet smile.
He nodded and went to give them a kiss. "We did. We actually fell asleep pretty quickly. Where is she anyway?"
Bellatrix smiled at him. "She's in the Potions Lab with Cissa. If we are to confirm Hermione's heritage today, we will need two potions. But we'll tell you both what they are for when you two get back. You might also want to know that we have already adopted Luna as our own. The Minister was surprisingly helpful this morning."
He smiled and hugged them. "Thank you. I know it will mean the world to Luna, as it does to me."
"We know, my sweet. But there will be plenty of time to talk about what this will mean later. We wouldn't want you to be late to pick up Hermione. That would reflect poorly not only on you, but on us as well."
He nodded and smiled at them. "I won't be late, but I should leave, because Hermione is probably the only woman more punctual than aunt Cissa, so chances are that she'll be there before me anyway."
Bellatrix smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek before he apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, even though he technically wasn't allowed to yet.
…
As he appeared in the alley next to the Leaky Cauldron, he took a moment to mentally prepare himself, and now more than before the nerves hit him.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the establishment, which thankfully was mostly empty, except for the bushy haired brunette sitting at the table with a cup of tea, who smiled up at him when she saw him. "Hey Fabe. It's good to see you again." She said as she stood to hug him.
He gathered her in his arms and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Hey 'Mione. It's good to see you again too.
She smiled at him as they took a seat. "So, what was so important that you couldn't tell me over a letter?" She asked softly.
He could see the unspoken question in her eyes. "Don't worry love, I am not going to break up with you, not now, not ever, but I can't say why I asked you to meet with me just yet, at least not here. Too many unfriendly ears may be listening, even if we can't see them. I promise to explain what I can when we get to the Manor."
She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I wasn't worried about you breaking up with me Fabian. You have made it pretty clear how you feel about me in the last two years, but I will admit that I am a bit nervous about meeting your family today."
"There will at least be one person you know very well, Hermione, but again it is not my story to tell, and if you can believe it, my mothers are anxious to meet you as well."
Hermione smiled at that. "If you are half as passionate in defending our relationship at your house as you are in defending it at school, I think I can imagine why they would be anxious."
"I'd say I'm as passionate at defending our relationship to my mother, but that is something you can ask her when you meet her. Shall we get going, because chances are that Saint Potter is going to grace us with his unwanted presence soon."
She nodded and followed him outside to the alley he had arrived in. "Aren't we going by Floo?"
He shook his head and smiled at her. "My Mum taught me how to apparate last Christmas break, and since my Mum got me an unregistered wand for this, there are no repercussions."
Hermione smiled at him. "So devious. I like it, and it will come in handy too."
"Unfortunately that wand stays at home during the school year. It was one of the conditions of me getting to use it." He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and apparating them to Black Manor.
As they appeared in the hallway he held her close as she swayed a little. "Are you okay love?" He asked softly.
She nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Now I know why side-along is such an unpleasant experience. I'll be alright in a minute."
"We've got plenty of time, Hermione. My mother and aunts have cleared their schedule today, just for you." He said with a soft smile.
"And how about tonight, my sweet? Who will be sharing your bed tonight?" She asked softly.
He smiled and gave her a soft kiss. "That completely depends on your reaction to the news you are about to receive, but there is a chance that it will be Luna. My mother and aunts have already been satisfied over the last two days."
Hermione smiled at him. "Since I told my parents that I needed some time to settle some things, I have all the time in the world, so perhaps if you and your mother are okay with it, I could stay with you for a while, catch up on all those moments we lost with the Umbitch watching our every move."
"I think she'll agree with that, especially since the first hurdle of her being okay with us dating has already been passed." He said with a soft smile.
"And what would that hurdle be?" She asked softly.
He smiled and kissed her softly. "You actually being here at this moment, since because of the wards around the manor, only purebloods who are accepted by our family can get admittance to our home. Muggleborns can never set foot on the grounds."
She looked shocked at that. "Does that mean what I think it does, Fabian?"
He nodded and pulled her close. "I believe it does, my love. My mother has found the information and is waiting for us to come and see her. I heard it a few days ago and it has been weighing on my shoulders right until the moment I saw you sitting in the Leaky Cauldron.
She smiled and rested her head against his. "It's okay. I've always felt something was off, and as long as this means we can still be together and are not related in some form, I can handle this, especially if I have you right next to me."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now, my love. I will be right beside you the entire time." He said lovingly.
"Then I will take this news in stride like Luna taught me." She said with her usual determination.
He smiled at her as he led her to the den where his mother was waiting for them. "I have to warn you though, my mother and my aunts can be a little… eccentric at times."
"I prepared for that, my love. I doubt it could be worse than Draco and Pansy." She said with a soft smile.
He only smiled as he pushed open the doors to the den, where by now Luna, Fleur and Nymphadora were sitting with Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa, along with two cauldrons that were set up on the table.
Bellatrix smiled at the sight of her son with his girlfriend. "Ah, the young Ms. Granger, welcome to our home. I trust my son has explained a few things already?" She asked with a smile.
Hermione nodded as they took only other available seat, which happened to be a loveseat. "Not a lot unfortunately, he said that you had most of the information, Ms. Black." She said politely.
Bellatrix smiled at the brunette. "I expected as much. Fabian also preferred to be left in the dark until you were here to hear them as well, but before we can tell you more, there is a small test we need to perform. As Fabian may have told you, the wards of our home only admit pureblooded witches and wizards, and while we understand that raises plenty of questions in and of itself, we will need a small drop of blood from you. My dear sister will then add that to the cauldron on the left. She will then add the contents of this vial to the cauldron to the right. If both potions turn the same color, we will answer every question you have. Is that agreeable?" She asked as she pulled out a small vial out of her corset.
Hermione nodded at her. "It is, I understand that I wouldn't even be able to be here right now if there wasn't really a reason to, so I am willing to do whatever I need to do today."
Bellatrix smiled and produced a silver dagger from a sheathe at her side. "Don't worry Ms. Granger, I will merely need a drop, if you would present me your left ring finger, please?"
Hermione did as she was told and winced slightly as Bellatrix pricked her finger with the dagger to gather a drop of blood. She then carefully handed the dagger over to Narcissa, as well as the vial of blood.
"You may watch the results if you want, Ms Granger. From what I understand from my nephew you prefer to see the answers rather than just hear them." Narcissa said with a smile.
Hermione nodded and together with Fabian walked up to the table with the cauldrons. "What I am about to do is a simple blood test. If the smoke coming from the cauldrons turns red we will tell you everything we know." Narcissa said as she let the drop of blood fall into the cauldron and let a drop of blood from the vial drip into the right.
There was a soft hiss from both cauldrons before red smoke rose from them both, to which Fabian smiled and hugged his girlfriend. "Let's take a seat love, because this could be a lengthy explanation."
Bellatrix smiled at them both as they sat down. "The blood that was in that vial was the blood of Morgana Le Fay, the fact that your blood had the reaction to it that it did is because you are her heir. A Prophecy was foretold long ago before her demise at the hands of Merlin that one day the her heir would be revealed. We have this Prophecy here and the only ones that have heard it are Fabian, Narcissa and myself."
Hermione had paled a little at that. "I am the heir to Morgana Le Fay's bloodline? That can't be." She said almost in a whisper.
"If I may Hermione, I felt something special in you the first time we met two years ago. This actually makes a lot of sense now that I've heard this." Fleur said with a kind smile.
Hermione smiled at the blonde. "Thank you Fleur, but I do want to know how this is possible. Shouldn't I have been born to pureblooded parents to let this happen? Who are my real parents?"
Bellatrix smiled at the bushy haired brunette. "The circumstances that surrounded Morgana's death were shrouded in mystery, but from what we have been able to confirm so far is that she cast a spell that preserved her bloodline until a suitable heir was found. Your parents are your real parents, but Morgana's magic chose you to be its heir."
Hermione nodded at that. "That makes sense if we're talking about such strong magic. Everything I have read about ancient magic is that it works in very mysterious ways."
Bellatrix smiled and produced a faintly glowing orb. "This is the Prophecy that was foretold about your bloodline. We only managed to acquire this because it also pertains to our family."
"I suspected that already. I know from Harry's Prophecy that they can only be taken by the ones that it pertains to." Hermione said with a kind smile as she took the Prophecy Orb from Bellatrix.
The lines of old will be born again in the ages of new.
What is perceived as mud will be revealed to be pure.
The Ancient Heiress will be joined to the Heir of the Darkest House, an Heir born of three.
Both Light and Dark will betray the Heirs when they come of age.
They will build an Army to combat their enemies in both Dark and Light.
Brought together by a Curse unbreakable, together neither Dark nor Light, they will sire children that will bring balance in a world divided.
Hermione carefully put the orb back on the table before she cuddled into Fabian's side. "I guess it is really true then? I really am the heir to Morgana Le Fay."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Yes, you are, and I hope you understand why I didn't say this in the Leaky Cauldron."
She nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I do understand. It could be disastrous if certain people found out about this. But what happens now? I can't go back and pretend to be plain Hermione Granger now that I know this."
"Whatever happens now is entirely up to you, dear. We can get the mill started on procuring your original birth certificate, because we are fairly certain that it has been tampered with, and that at least Dumbledore knows about your true heritage, which is probably why he worked so hard on getting you into the Order." Bellatrix said kindly.
She smiled at that. "I'll be honest and say that in recent years I have never really felt at home with the Grangers, which is probably the reason why I have never told them about my relationship with Fabian. They wouldn't understand what I really feel for him. I always felt more at home in the Magical World than I have in the Muggle World anyway, so now knowing this has made up my mind really, I can't go back to the Grangers. The only problem is that I have nowhere else to go, since I am no longer welcome at the Weasley's."
"We'd be happy to take you in, Hermione. If I am not mistaken you are almost of age and would not be directly in need of a guardian. You and Fabian can be together and you can learn everything about your heritage that you need to, and if you want we we would happily act as your guardians until you become of age." Bellatrix said with a kind smile.
She shared a look with Fabian, who only smiled at her. "I would be honored to stay here. It will certainly make the search for information easier, especially if Fabian is here to help me. His presence always seems to help me focus."
Everyone smiled at that. "Yes, Fabian has always had that ability." Luna said with a dreamy smile.
Hermione smiled at the blonde. "You of all people should know that, but may I ask why you are here today Luna?"
Luna smiled sadly at her. "Bellatrix adopted me into the family yesterday after my home got raided by the Death Eaters yesterday and my father got killed in the conflict. I had nowhere to go and Bellatrix offered me a home and a family."
Hermione gasped softly and quickly went to give the blonde a hug. "That's horrible, I'm sorry that happened to you, Luna."
The blonde smiled at her. "It's okay. Daddy and I were drifting apart because of the nature of the relationship I had with you and Fabian anyway, and while I will miss him terribly, being Fabian's sister will be worth it."
Hermione smiled at her. "I can understand. You two are so incredibly close that I can now admit that sometimes I am pretty jealous of you two, but the things we have done over the course of the year have helped me a lot in accepting your relationship. You two are really closer than most siblings."
Fabian and Luna both smiled at that. "That is because we have known each other our entire lives, my love. We were basically raised as siblings and that is why we are so close, and you reaped the benefits of that last year." He said softly.
She smiled and kissed him. "I didn't say that I haven't benefited from that, but I merely stated that there was a time that I was jealous of you two, mostly in the first year of our relationship."
Fabian merely kissed her as they sat down again, turning their attention back to the family again.
"There are a few more things we need to discuss before you two are free to do what you want today. First of, I understand that you know about the Curse that lies upon our family and I merely wondered what your views on it are." Bellatrix said with a kind smile.
"Fabian told me that if I wanted to be with him that there were times that he needed to sleep with all of you, and I have no problems with it anymore. I will admit it stung a little in the beginning, because honestly, who wants to share their boyfriend. Now however, after sharing the things Fabian and I did with Luna last year, I understand the pull of such a curse, but I am wondering if it is necessary for me to join in at some point?" She asked kindly.
Bellatrix smiled at her. "Yes, you will be required to as soon as you and Fabian are ready to take that step, because that is when the Curse will start to affect you too."
Hermione nodded at that. "Yes, and I remember Fabian telling me that not giving in to the urges that the Curse gives will lead to a loss of sanity."
"It will, which is why we have found ways to mitigate the effects while Fabian is at school, but is getting harder to do so." Narcissa said with a kind smile.
Hermione shared a look with her boyfriend, who again smiled at her. "Well, we might have an idea that Fabian and I have been talking about. We have done some research on the rules at Hogwarts concerning early graduation, and the rules state that if it can be proven that the student has mastered the seventh year material, they are allowed to take their N.E.W.T.S early, and since Fabian and I have been working on the seventh year material since last year, we are more than sure we can do this."
"Ah yes, the Graduation edict. That is something we are very familiar with. Bellatrix, Narcissa and I were also able to make use of this. If that is what you want to do, we'll help you with this." Andromeda said with a smile.
"Thank you aunt Andi. We'll let you know in a few days, after we have been able to research some things about Hermione's heritage and had the chance to talk about this." Fabian said with a smile.
The three women nodded at him. "That's fine sweetie. The library is yours to use of course. We understand you two have a lot to talk about."
Fabian and Hermione smiled at them before excusing themselves, making their way to the library as she intertwined their fingers.
…
As they took a seat in the library, Hermione crawled against him. "How long have you really known about this love?" She asked softly.
"What I said was the truth, my love. My mother showed me that Prophecy when I came home two days ago, and she shared her suspicions about you being Morgana's heir after I heard it. I suggested that inviting you here would be a sure-fire way to know if you were at least a pureblooded witch, because of the wards surrounding the home. You know I would never lie to you." He said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at him. "I know, but thank you for settling my fears. I really feared that you had always known this and only befriended me because of it, even though I know that you genuinely love me."
"I could never love someone as much or as strongly as I love you. Even Luna, who I have known her whole life and who I have loved in one form or another for more than a decade, I could never love as much as I love you." He said honestly.
She just kissed him softly, which she quickly sought to deepen. "I love you too Fabian, more than I ever thought I could love someone."
They made out for a little while before she rested her head back on his chest. "How are you feeling love? I can imagine it has been a lot that has been dumped on you today."
She smiled at him. "I'm okay. It actually makes a lot of sense in a weird way. I never felt at home in the Muggle World and ever since Professor McGonagall came to my house to reveal that I was a witch, everything made sense like the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and then I met you, and you turned everything I thought I knew about love on its side. I never thought about love or anything related to that before I saw you. All I cared about were my studies."
"I know you did, which is why I tried so hard to tried to equal you in them, as futile as it might have been. No one has ever been able to touch you academically."
"No except for you, my love. It is why I fell for you so hard, but it is also why it took me so long to actually admit the feelings I had for you." She said with a loving smile.
He smiled and kissed her. "I knew, that is why I tried to be your friend first. I knew there was something special about you that I couldn't put my finger on, but after hearing your Prophecy two days ago, I knew what it was. You heard what it said, we are destined to be together and reshape this community into something that it needs to be."
She smiled at that. "The Heir to the Darkest House. What you think that means. Is your family really so dark as everybody says they are?"
"No, we're not anymore. In the past, yes, when my grandparents headed the family. They were worse than my uncle Lucius ever has been when it came to their beliefs. They were responsible for shaping my mothers beliefs and that is one of the reasons she was such a staunch follower of the Dark Lord in the First War. The other was her husband, Rodolphus, who my aunts made sure did not survive his stint in Azkaban, as did Nymphadora's birth father, who did the stupidest thing you could ever do, drive a wedge between the three sisters. We are all kind of fanatic in protecting our own, unless someone in the family betrays us, like Sirius did. Our family has no ties to the Dark Lord anymore, nor do we have any to the Order, but both sides know that they will need us should they win, and that is why they leave us be. Being the most ancient Wizarding Family in Britain has its perks." He finished with a grin.
Hermione sighed happily as she cuddled against him. "Indeed it does, but I'll be honest and say that I can't wait to learn about my heritage, where do we even start?"
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Jupi."
The elf appeared and bowed. "What can Jupi do for you Master Black?"
"Could you get the books my mother set aside for us?" He asked kindly.
Jupi nodded and disappeared with a slight pop, returning soon after with a stack of books, all of them looking ancient, but well cared for. "So that's how you got that note in my room. I didn't know your family owned elves. You never told me about that. You know how I feel about that." Hermione said after Jupi had disappeared again.
"We don't own any of our elves. We pay them well for their services. Jupi has been my friend for a very long time and the only reason he calls me Master is because he chooses to." He said honestly.
Hermione smiled at that. "Thank you for being so honest with me."
"Like I would ever lie to you. You're my everything, 'Mione." He said softly.
She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you love. You mean everything to me too, but may I ask how many elves your family employs?"
"Besides Jupi, we have his wife Edi, his sister Tilly and Kreacher, who takes care of Grimmauld Place for us. He's a bit cantankerous at times so we let him stay there. So that's four in total." He said with a soft smile.
"While I still have issues with how some families treat their elves, I could see by his state of dress that your family cares for their elves, so I will let you keep your cuddling privileges for a little while longer." She said with a teasing wink.
He laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Like you would want to give up on cuddling with me."
"Yeah I suppose you're right, and it's not like denying you sex will matter much either since you will have to fuck the rest of your family too." She said with a soft smile.
"If I had a choice in the matter I would only be with you for the rest of my life, Hermione. I hope you know that." He said softly.
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I know, I was merely teasing, but before we sit here and tease each other for the rest of the day, how about we read some of those books. I want to know where I come from and what I can expect."
He nodded and floated the first book towards them, too comfortable with his girlfriend to actually get up and move.
There was a lot more information than Hermione thought there would be and decided to take it with one book a day, so that she could compartmentalize everything at her own pace, deciding to take the book she had started reading today, which was Morgana's family book, with her to her bedroom tonight, unless Bellatrix would allow them to share a bedroom.
She read that Morgana's end had come at the hands of Merlin, whose power dwarfed hers but with the help of loyal wizards managed to end her, all because she had spurned his advances when he was younger and she was exiled from Camelot because she refused to sit still and be pretty.
It made Hermione furious that her ancestor was treated like some piece of meat to just sit still and birth babies for noblemen. Everything she knew of Morgana was that she had been an extremely powerful witch, and now reading how she had met her end was unacceptable, especially since it had been done in such a cowardly way.
Fabian noticed the tensing of her muscles as he read alongside her. "It's a shame we can't make them pay anymore, instead we will make sure to create a world she would be proud of, I will be beside you the entire way, Hermione Le Fay." He said softly.
She smiled and kissed him. "I could get used to being called Le Fay. It sounds so sexy coming from your mouth, which reminds me of something I wanted to talk to you about. You know I always said that I wanted to wait with being intimate until I met your mother, but I have to honest with you and myself. It is getting harder to resist the urge to be intimate with you, I want to make love to you so badly that I get wet just by thinking about it."
"Is this your subtle way of telling me you are ready for us to be intimate, my love?" He asked softly.
She nodded and kissed him. "I am, I want all of you tonight. Do you think that your mother will be okay with that?"
He smiled at her. "She will, I would dare say she expects us to share a room. We'll ask her if that is okay during dinner to make sure, but I doubt she'll make a problem of it."
Hermione smiled at him as she cuddled into him. "Will Luna be okay though? I can take a guess on how much she needs you during this time."
He smiled at that, once again in awe of her selflessness. "She'll be okay my Princess. She understands that this is a private occasion for both of us, and she offered to go to Dora or my mother if she would start to feel the effects of the Curse, but what surprises me is that you would think of her first."
"That's because we have shared so much between the three of us, and after what happened to her yesterday I just know how much she will need you in the coming days. All I am saying is that I am okay if she would be there with us. It will also get me used to having someone else with us in the bed." She said with a smile.
"That might actually be a good thing, because the effects of the Curse will only get worse as the years go on, but we'll talk to Luna after dinner, maybe she has something to add to this." He said with a soft smile.
She nodded and cuddled into her boyfriend, feeling better knowing that she would not lose him to his family, but that she instead would gain a family out of their relationship, one that would always love her and accept her, unlike the Grangers and the Weasley's.
"We should also talk about going back to school as well. As much as I would want to skip the last two years, I can't leave Luna alone, and I know you don't want to leave Ginny to face the wrath of her brother alone either. It will also be a good opportunity to gather our own supporters, like your Prophecy said." He said with a loving smile.
"I agree, we should finish at least sixth year and see what happens after, and the prospect of building an army against both the Order and the Death Eaters sounds exciting." She said softly.
He just smiled and pressed a kiss to her neck as they relaxed against each other, both of them more than content to stay like this until it was time for dinner.
