A Curse of Ancients
C24: Weekend Talks
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
When Hermione woke up that Saturday she had to smile at the sight that greeted her. Her fiancee was lying face down with his arm almost possessively draped over her while his leg stuck out of the bed, and apparently he was still out like a light.
A wicked idea formed and she looked to Gaia's bed, where their sweetling had just woken up. She motioned the dragon closer while also pressing a finger to her lips to keep quiet.
Gaia trotted up to her and extended her neck to get her morning scritches. "Could you give Daddy a lick under his foot sweetie? Daddy is a bit ticklish there." Hermione asked softly.
Gaia grinned and nodded as she trotted over to the other side of the bed, doing what her mother asked of her.
Fabian jerked upright with bleary eyes, only to be met by his fiancee who had tears of laughter in her eyes, and even Gaia let out some girlish giggles. "Well that's one way of giving me a good morning, sweetie. I presume Mommy put you up to this?"
Gaia nodded and flew up for her morning scratches from him, and since he could never stay mad at his little sweetling, he hugged her to his body.
He smiled at her and shot Hermione a playful glare. "Sorry love, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up. You rarely sleep on your stomach after all."
"And it is exactly for this reason that I do. Luna especially is very adept at waking me in unorthodox ways when I sleep on my stomach, but having said that, employing our sweetling for that is definitely a new one." He said with a yawn.
Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you love, and I promise to not do this every time I wake up to find you sleeping on your stomach."
He smiled and kissed her properly. "It is much appreciated, my love."
She smiled and cuddled into him, both of them more than content to bask in each other's warmth for a little while longer before the madness of the day would take them all over the Castle.
"Are you okay love?" He asked softly.
She nodded and kissed his cheek. "I'm fine love. I'm just enjoying the closeness for a moment longer."
He smiled at her. "I figured, but didn't want to assume anything. Sometimes you are still a mystery to me, Princess, even after three years together."
"You are as much a mystery to me, my love. Thankfully we have a very long time to learn everything there is to know about each other, my Prince." She said softly.
He smiled and kissed her softly. "We should probably get going love. We have an appointment with McGonagall to keep, and I doubt she would appreciate us being late for that, no matter how much she favors us."
Hermione nodded and smiled at him as they got out of bed. "No I don't think that would help our cause much. What we are going to tell her will probably shock her enough already."
He nodded at that. "It will, but I have a feeling that she will understand why we did what we did. She was surprisingly understanding when we told her about Pandora and Lily."
Hermione nodded. "I know, but this might be a bit too far, although I doubt she will be cross with us once she hears our explanation."
He smiled and kissed her cheek as he made his way into the living room, since he knew she wanted privacy for her make-up routine.
Since it was a Saturday, most of the family was very casually dressed, and in the case of Dora and Fleur only dressed in underwear, both witches still not entirely awake. "What's this cousin? Rough night?"
Dora smiled and nodded. "We couldn't sleep last night and we figured with everything that was shared over the last weeks, no one would have an issue with this. We wanted to see you at least for a bit before you and Hermione go off all day."
He smiled and pecked the two witches on their cheek. "That's sweet of you Dora."
They smiled at him. "There is also something I would like to discuss with you in private when you get back, if that's okay?" Fleur asked softly.
"Of course Fleur. You can always come and talk to me." He said with a soft smile.
The blonde smiled at him as Hermione came out of the bedroom, quirking an eyebrow at the French witch and her wife. "Let me guess, rough night?"
Fleur nodded and smiled at the brunette. "Very. I received some news that worries me, and why I need to talk to your fiancee in private today."
"Once we are back from the other necessary talks, you can have him to yourself for a bit Fleur." Hermione said with a wink.
Fleur smiled at her. "Trust me that it's going to be a very chaste talk, Hermione. It is actually something serious for once."
Hermione smiled at the blonde as she moved to give her a hug. "Serious talks don't have to be chaste Fleur. Just let whatever will happen, happen." She whispered in the Veela's ear.
Fleur smiled at her and nodded, even though she knew that what she needed to talk about with Fabian had little chance of becoming intimate.
…
After a quick breakfast Fabian and Hermione made their way to the Headmistress's office, both of them feeling a bit nervous about the outcome of their talk today.
To their surprise the Headmistress was already waiting for them near the stairs of her office, a smile on her face as she saw them walk up. "Good morning you two. I hope you had a good holiday?"
They nodded at her. "We did Headmistress, a bit eventful, but good none the less. I trust you had a good holiday too?" Hermione asked with a smile.
McGonagall nodded and smiled as she motioned them to follow her up the stairs. "I must admit that I am a bit surprised that you two wanted to talk to me so soon after the start of term. Did something else happen over the course of the holiday?"
Hermione nodded as they took a seat. "There is a lot we need to tell you, and we need to ask you to keep an open mind. It may sound shocking at first, but I give you my word that it is all for the best."
Minerva nodded at her. "I will keep any and all questions until you two are done with your explanations."
Hermione smiled at her and shared a look with Fabian, who only smiled at her. "We'll start with the hardest one I suppose. Over the break we met with Lord Voldemort, mainly to see if there isn't an easier way of ending this conflict now that Dumbledore is out of the picture, and we were quite surprised that there seems to be a way that we can end this conflict without bloodshed, but we will need to have some leeway to accomplish it. Draco is repairing a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement to let a select group of Death Eaters into Hogwarts. We learned that the only person he needs is Harry, and we are working on a way to make sure Harry survives, because despite what he has done to me, I don't want him dead. We have also learned the true purpose of this War, and I have to admit that we agree with his reasons. He wants to create a society where someone's worth is actually measured by someone's magical ability rather than their blood status, but this cannot be a reality while Dumbledore lives, because even without his magic he holds great sway in our community. We have also learned that he is seeking a way for a permanent death. We have been given the assurance that the Death Eaters will keep injuries to the students and staff to a minimum."
Minerva nodded at her but kept quiet for a moment, thinking of a way she could properly respond to this. "While I don't understand why you would meet with the most dangerous wizard of our time. I know you rarely do anything without thinking it through completely. I admire your want to end this all without bloodshed, but I will admit that it is a bit hard to accept that everything we were led to believe was wrong."
Hermione smiled at that. "I understand that. We had the same feeling going into that meeting, but he told us that what he felt was right in the First War was not the same as what he felt now. He has no desire to rule, but believes his Prophecy needs to be fulfilled, and that will require either of them to die, and we will not let Harry die, and we told him as much when he tried to sneak into our cabin under his cloak. I still don't trust him of course, and I doubt we will ever be the friends we were again, but he has agreed to leave our family be for the remainder of the year."
Minerva nodded and smiled at that. "I'm glad for that. Despite everything I know Harry is still a kind young man who only wants this all to be over. I agree that his methods were largely inspired by Dumbledore and I will work with him to make him see the error of that. That I promise you."
"That's good news. He will listen to you to mend his ways. We will try to talk to him as well to make sure he survives, because even with every assurance we were given, we do not trust Voldemort to actually give up so easily. In the end it will be easier if he dies so Harry can live and help us build a new society." Fabian said with a kind smile.
Minerva smiled at him. "I am sure he will. I know both you of are far wiser than the majority of the students, and you both know I trust you both to do what is best for everyone. Just let me know in time what you need of me and I will do everything in my power to assist you in whatever way you need me to."
They nodded and smiled at her. "We will, and we will keep you informed of everything we might hear in the meantime." Fabian said with a soft smile.
"There are two other things we need to inform you about, but I promise you they are not nearly as life changing at the first one was. As you know we brought back Pandora and Lily over the break, but we brought back another person which might be a bit of a shock. Due to some things that happened while I was preparing the ritual, Morgana's spirit appeared to me and told me the truth of where she was. She is still alive and is currently here at Hogwarts in our room. It is because of her help that I didn't exhaust myself performing the rituals to bring Pandora and Lily back." Hermione said with a smile.
Minerva gasped softly at that. "Morgana Le Fay is living in the school at this moment? May I ask why you have brought her here?"
Hermione smiled at her. "We thought it would be easier, since she is Andromeda's intended. She's had visions of them together before she died and because of the Curse we thought it would be easier to have everyone here."
Minerva nodded at that. "I would like to meet her if that is okay, and of course offer my apologies to Lily and Pandora."
"I think we can arrange that next weekend. My mother has had nothing but praise for you in the last few weeks, so I think she'll be very excited to meet you as well." Hermione said with a smile.
Minerva smiled at her favorite student. "I'm honored that you would mention me to your mother, Hermione."
Hermione smiled at that. "Like me she is very curious and wants to know everything about my life so far, so of course you have come up quite a bit."
Minerva smiled at that. "Still, I am incredibly honored, but you mentioned that you had another thing to discuss with me."
"Indeed we have Headmistress. We want you to be the first to know that we will not be returning to Hogwarts next year. We both feel that we have learned all that we can from Hogwarts and if our plan succeeds, we will have our hands full in overhauling the Ministry." Fabian said with a smile.
Minerva smiled at that. "I had expected that to be honest, and I hope you both know that if you would ever want a position here at Hogwarts, once everything has settled and you feel ready for it of course, it will be open for you."
They smiled and nodded at that. "We'll keep it in mind Headmistress, although I doubt it will happen in the next couple of years." Hermione said with a smile.
Minerva smiled at that. "The offer will always stand, and for the rest of your family too of course. I have honestly always wanted Bellatrix and Lily as teachers and I think everyone will have valuable insights to offer to the school, as I know you two will as well."
Fabian and Hermione smiled at her. "We'll pass along the message, and I think you'll have an answer by next week."
McGonagall smiled at them. "I look forward to it, but I'll let you two enjoy the rest of your weekend. I am sure you have a lot to do with everything coming up."
They nodded at her. "We do, but we want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. We know you are very busy cleaning up Dumbledore's messes."
Minerva nodded at them. "I am, but thankfully most of the staff is working with me to repair a lot of that damage among the student body."
Fabian and Hermione smiled at her before they took their leave, leaving the Headmistress to her duties.
…
When they walked back into their room after lunch, Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll wait in the bedroom while you talk to Fleur, my love. We still have things to talk about."
"I know, and I'll see you in a bit love." He said softly.
She smiled and flashed him a wink as she made her way to the bedroom, a swing in her hips that she knew was always hard for him to not focus on.
"Shall we Fleur?" He asked with a soft smile.
The blonde smiled and nodded as she followed him to hers and Dora's bedroom, knowing they would have privacy there.
As they took a seat Fabian smiled at the nerves the usually unflappable witch exuded. "You don't have to be nervous Fleur. You know that I only want to help you."
Fleur smiled at him. "I know, but I'm thinking of a way to say this. This might be the hardest thing I ever had to do."
He smiled and pulled the blonde into his arms. "It doesn't matter how you say it, my flower. You don't have to be afraid of my reaction."
She smiled and relaxed against him. "Okay here goes. I got a letter from Gabrielle yesterday and she wrote me that my mother has become unbearable and has threatened to kick her out, which would leave her homeless while still going to school. My mother firmly believes that I have corrupted my sister because she came out as a lesbian as well, so I want to ask you, as our Head of Family, would you consider taking in Gabrielle so she can continue her education here?"
"If she becomes a ward of the Black family, you do know that she will be hit by the Curse. Is that something you would want to put her through?" He asked softly.
Fleur sighed softly at that. "I would of course want to keep her out of that if I had the chance, but I care about her health, safety and happiness more."
He nodded at that. "Then I will gladly take your sister into the fold, my flower. As long as you are completely okay with it."
"I am, and to be honest, she's had a bit of a crush on you ever since the Tournament, and has been quite jealous that she didn't get a taste." Fleur said with a smile.
Fabian smiled at her. "I'm sure that will sort itself out once she arrives, but if you don't mind me asking, how do you plan on getting her here?"
"I was planning on writing her that you approve and plan from there. I think our earliest opportunity will be Easter break, so we have a few months to plan." She said with a soft smile.
He smiled and nodded at her. "We have, but I must ask you to not let anything of the Curse be known in your letters. I promise that once it is safe, you may tell her, and I can't help but ask this as well, what if your mother kicks Gabrielle out before that time?"
"I still have an apartment in France for just this. I've long had the feeling that Gabby leaned towards women, and I knew my mother's views on it. So I kept that apartment should she ever need it, and now I am very thankful that I did."
"I can understand that, and I am sure she will be welcomed into the family with open arms." He said with a soft smile.
Fleur smiled at him. "I have no doubts about that. You have been so welcoming to me after all."
He smiled and gave her a hug. "How couldn't we. You've made Dora happier than I have seen her in years, and I think you are also her first actual relationship."
"I know, we've talked at length about her past conquests, and speaking of talking, I believe your fiancee is waiting for you, and I wouldn't want her to think that I'm seducing you again." She said with a soft smile.
He smiled at her. "Hermione knew it was something important because you wanted to talk to me alone. She knows that things might escalate, but you're right, Hermione and I have a lot to talk about. Shall I send your wife in?"
Fleur blushed and nodded at him. "Yes please, I am sure Dora and I will find something productive to do."
"I'm sure you will, I know both of you are very creative." He said with a wink before pressing a kiss to her cheek and then making his way out of the room. "Dora, your wife is waiting for you." He said with a soft smile.
Dora grinned and kissed his cheek softly before making her way into the bedroom. "Do remember Silencing spells sweetie. We wouldn't want to have a repeat of what happened a couple of days ago." Narcissa said with a soft smile as she looked up from the Prophet.
He smiled at that. "It would be easier to take that seriously if your lover wasn't teasing your nipples, mother, but we will, although I doubt we will go that far. We just need to talk."
Narcissa smiled at her son. "Such keen eyesight. I see you are channeling your inner Bella again."
He just smiled at her before entering the bedroom, smiling when he saw his fiancee sitting completely naked on the bed surrounded by books.
"I see you wasted little time in making yourself comfortable again, my love. Room for one more in the library?" He asked with a soft smile.
She smiled at him. "I do have a strict dress code, so if you are willing to adhere to that, you are more than welcome to join me." She said sultrily.
He nodded and flicked his hand to send his clothes to a nearby chair. "When have I ever had trouble getting naked with you, my love?"
"I know, but unlike other times, we will need to try and restrain ourselves a little. We really need to talk, and I have found we have our best conversations while we are in bed with each other, us being naked is just to give us another layer of comfort." She said with a soft smile.
Fabian just smiled as he got onto the bed, being very mindful of the books scattered about, since he knew that his lover had a strict system of organizing that was not to be messed with.
She crawled onto his lap and kissed him softly. "Did you have a good talk with Fleur, love?"
He nodded and rested his head against hers. "She asked me if it was possible to make her sister a ward of our House. Apparently Gabrielle recently came out as a lesbian and their mother is less than pleased, having threatened to kick her out like she did with Fleur. Of course I told her that as long as Gabrielle understands what it means to become a ward of the House of Black, I have no issues with it."
Hermione smiled at that. "That's one of the things I love about you, your gigantic heart."
He smiled at that. "Thank you love. I just can't sit by if someone I love is in pain, and Fleur clearly felt that when she told me about this."
"She told me that she and her sister have always been very close, and of her suspicions that her sister might prefer the fairer sex as well, so I knew this was a possibility at some point." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Fabian nodded and kissed her. "So did I to be honest, but I didn't think it would happen so soon."
Hermione smiled and kissed him softly. "You know as well as I do that nothing ever goes the way we expect or plan it. The past few years have made that painfully clear at times."
He only nodded as he let his eyes drift to the book she was reading. "What are you reading love?"
"I'm doing some research in Morgana's spellbook and others from her personal collection. That will help us end this war on our terms. Something tells me Voldemort wants to push the issue quicker than we think. It won't hurt to be prepared." She said softly.
"I love how prepared you always are, my love, but I think in this case we should let everything go how it should. It might be dangerous if we meddle with a foretold Prophecy." He said with a soft smile.
Hermione nodded at that. "I know, but I can't help but prepare for everything."
"I know love, but you don't have to take the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore, not while you have your family around to help you." He said softly.
She smiled and waved her hand to send the books to the bookcase again before pushing him down to the bed and resting her head on his chest, claiming one of his legs with her own. "I know, and I am trying to change that part of myself. It's so hard though."
He smiled and wrapped and arm around her. "I know love, I know and I can sense that you're tired. How about we take a nap before we talk?"
She nodded and kissed him as she relaxed against him, the two lovers quickly falling asleep entangled in each other.
…
A few hours later Hermione felt a lot better, and she had to smile at the sight of her lover smiling down on her as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Are you feeling better love?" He asked softly.
She nodded and kissed him. "Loads better. I think everything was just overwhelming me a bit, but as always you have settled my ever active mind."
He smiled at her. "Only here to help my love. Did you still want to talk?"
She nodded and repositioned herself a little. "Of course. There are a lot of things we need to talk about, and we can't just keep pushing those in front of us, however, I don't think we will get a lot of talking done in bed, so I was hoping you would join me for a nice hot bath."
"I think we've both deserved it Princess. It has been an eventful day so far, and we haven't really done that much all things considered." He said with a soft smile.
She smiled and nodded as she flicked her hand towards the bathroom to get the tub filled for them.
Fabian scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. "You're such a gentleman, my love. I can't wait to see how that will show itself when we are no longer in school."
He smiled at that. "I'm not sure if you will like my public persona, my love. Mother has taught me everything I need to know to survive, and I have a feeling that she will ask you to start those lessons too, and honestly, I don't think it could hurt."
Hermione smiled and kissed him softly as he set her back down on her feet. "I have been debating with myself on asking Cissa if she could teach me everything about being a proper pureblood wife for you."
"I think she would be delighted to teach you that and so much more, although I am very sure that you will be anything but a proper pureblood wife, since I refuse to ever see you as a birthing machine for an heir and then basically armcandy for the rest of your life." He said with a soft smile as the smell of lavender assaulted his nose, which made him smile again.
Hermione smiled at him as they settled in the bath. "I didn't expect you to my love, I wasn't afraid of that, although I am very sure I would make amazing armcandy for you. But seriously, I just want to make sure that I am never in the position to even potentially embarrass the family. Both of us have a name to uphold after all." She said with a soft smile.
"Indeed we do, but that does raise a question. How do you want to do this once we get married? Name wise I mean." He asked with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at that, having expected this question. "I think they way we made it appear in the Ministry would work best. I wouldn't want to put aside my mother's heritage, but I do want your last name. So I think Le Fay – Black has a very nice ring to it, but we could keep it to Mrs. Black for outsiders in non-official situations."
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her neck. "You know what it does to me when I hear you call yourself Mrs. Black? It sends a very pleasurable shiver down my spine."
Hermione smiled and relaxed into him. "Since I will probably become Mrs. Black this summer, I will try it out to get used to it." She said with a wink.
He smiled at that. "If you want, I could start calling you Mrs. Black in private if you want. If that would help."
"Let's wait with that love. I love the nicknames you have for me, but now that we are on the topic of family, have you given any more thought about us starting our own family?" She asked with a soft smile.
"I have, and what we talked about with the Headmistress made up my mind. Since we won't be returning next year, we can start seriously trying after we have dealt with Voldemort and Potter, because I still have a feeling that he is going to be an issue down the line."
Hermione nodded at him. "I know, but we'll deal with him when the time is right. It's not like either of us will be running for Minister, at least not at this point in our lives."
He nodded and smiled at her. "Perhaps when our children go to school we can start thinking about it, granted that we will still be needed in that capacity by that time."
"Is it bad that I already feel bad for McGonagall for the headaches we are going to give her when our children go to school, not to mention Fleur and Dora's children, or even Luna and Ginny's future children." Hermione said with a soft smile.
He laughed lightly at that. "I feel the same already, although I doubt they will cause much issues at school, because mother will be a very defining factor in their behavior, and she does not tolerate any behavior that might be seen as improper. Why do you think I've been such a gentleman in school. Her scoldings are worse than anything she can think of for a night where she wants to dominate."
Hermione smiled at that. "They will still be of our genes love. They will be very strong willed whichever way you turn it, and while I have no doubt on Cissy's abilities, they will at the very least bend some rules in their favor, and I suspect that we will be called to McGonagall's office more than once during their first year."
"We'll deal with that when we get there. It's at least a decade off and we have plenty to look forward to until then. Diapers and a lot of sleepless nights for one." He said with a soft smile.
"Not to mention nine months of a hormonal Le Fay. Are you sure you will want to put yourself through that?" Hermione asked softly.
"For you, my love. I will walk through the pits of hell itself." He said in a similar tone.
Hermione blushed at that. "That is probably what it will feel like, because unfortunately, we can't ask Morgana what it might be like."
"No, but we can ask Mum, she carried a child of combined Black genes and they made sure I was going to be a boy. From what I have been able to gather, it was one hell of a pregnancy." He said softly.
Hermione smiled at that. "Could we choose the gender too?" She asked softly.
He nodded at that. "If we chose to. I am sure there are rituals in both our family book and in Morgana's book, but would you really want that? There is already so much that we influence, why have the one surprise we can have be influenced too?"
"I'm not saying that we should, I was merely wondering if it would be possible. There are theories that I am working on that might help with the Curse in the coming years. Nothing substantial yet, but it is something I will research in the coming months." She said softly.
He smiled at that and pressed a kiss to her neck. "If I can be very honest, I would do anything to be rid of this Curse at long last, so if you need help with anything, I will gladly help you."
Hermione smiled and craned her head to kiss him. "I will let you know love. There are many tomes I have to go through to find information on my theories, but may I suggest we get out before we start looking like McGonagall and Dumbledore."
He pulled a face as he waved his hand to drain the tub as they stood to dry themselves with magic, and after getting dressed, they made their way back to the living room, to spend at least a little time with the rest of their family.
