A Curse of Ancients
C25: Aiding Draco
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.
A couple of weeks later Fabian and Hermione were doing some research in the library while Luna and Ginny did their homework, and while usually they would do this in the confines of their room, they knew they would be too easily distracted there, since almost everyone had taken up the habit of walking around in nothing but their underwear, except for Morgana and Andromeda, who were still exploring their relationship and thus still had retained somewhat of their modesty.
Mostly they were waiting for Draco to arrive, the blonde having asked to speak with them about his assignment, as they had come to call it. "What do you think he needs us for Fabe?" Hermione asked softly.
"I think he's getting close to restoring the Cabinet, but wants to be sure that everything is okay to transport people, and perhaps we can search for that Horcrux too. It would make sense for it to be hidden in the Room, and from what my baby sister has told me, there is no other place for it to be." He said with a smile.
Luna smiled at that. "Lady Ravenclaw has confirmed it when we last talked to her, but she has requested that we try and preserve the Diadem, because that is what he used."
Hermione smiled at the blonde. "He used Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem? That is so disrespectful. Now I'm glad he decided to end himself."
Fabian smiled at her and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Exactly my thoughts love, and I think I may have found something to make sure that it will turn out in our favor."
"And what would that be love, a way for Potter to miraculously survive?" She asked with a soft smile.
He nodded at her. "Lily told me something that actually got me thinking. When she sacrificed her life for him and the Horcrux was created, it made sure that the Prophecy of Potter and the Dark Lord can only be fulfilled in one way. Harry would always survive this and everything I have found about the nature of Horcruxes confirm this. When Voldemort kills Harry, undoubtedly with a Killing Curse, he will kill the piece of his soul inside of Harry, which will cause Harry to live and him to die once all of his Horcruxes are destroyed."
Hermione grinned at that. "So we won't have to do anything to make sure he survives. I like the sound of that. Because I still don't trust Potter to not screw us over once everything is said and done."
"Neither do we to be honest, because I've heard Harry talking to some of the boys about dealing with you two when the time came. It seems he only told you what you wanted to hear, I"m just not sure who is willing to follow him at this point, they're giving him the same treatment as they did last year." Ginny said softly.
Hermione smiled at that. "We expected that to be honest, and we'll deal with him in an appropriate manner, perhaps by having Lily be involved and hopefully talking some sense into him, and if that fails, she'll deal with him personally. She deserves that much, given the fact she gave her life for him only for him to throw everything in with the person that caused her death."
They smiled at her as Draco came walking up to them. "We'll let you three talk in peace. We'll see you two later." Luna said with a soft smile.
"We'll see you later Lu. I don't think we'll be very long, unless something untoward happens, which we don't expect." Fabian said with a smile.
The two girls smiled at them before taking their leave, leaving a slightly confused Draco to take a seat next to them. "They know I don't mind them being here, right?"
Fabian smiled at him. "They know, but they want to be kept out of as much possible, plausible deniability and all. We had little choice in being pulled into this war, but they do have that choice and I want to give them as normal an education as possible."
Draco smiled at that. "I get it. I'm sure if we had the choice none of us would've chosen this. Our lives were set from the day we were born just from being born in the time we were."
Fabian nodded at that. "I know, one set destiny was plenty in my case, but I can't argue with the results, since I get to marry my love at the end of the year."
Draco smiled at them. "I thought that was a new ring. When did you propose, and more importantly, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I proposed on Christmas day Draco, and we intended to tell you when we saw you again, but it slipped our minds. We didn't mean to keep this from you." Fabian said with a soft smile.
Draco merely smiled at them. "I know, I was only teasing you. It's been too long since I had the opportunity to do that, but in all seriousness, I know you are both very busy, so I'll get right to business, so to speak. I'm almost ready to start testing the Cabinet, but I want to be sure everything is ready before I do. Could you two check if it is completely repaired?"
"Of course Draco, we need to go to the Room of Requirement ourselves, so we can easily catch two birds with one stone today." Hermione said kindly.
Draco nodded and smiled at them. "Thank you, it means a lot to me that you two are willing to help me get this done."
Hermione smiled at him. "Why wouldn't we want to help you Draco? It is in everyone's best interest that we end this in our favor. We started the end of this war when we outed Dumbledore's lies and we will end this on our terms. We will reshape the Magical Community in a way that has never been seen before. After that we will deal with Potter, because Ginny told us that everything he said on the train were lies and still plans to take us down. We have the perfect plan to make it happen too."
Draco smiled as they stood and made their way to the seventh floor where the Room of Requirement waited for them.
…
Seeing the Vanishing Cabinet in the condition it was in made Hermione smile. "I think that with a few tweaks, we can have this in pristine condition again. Do you happen to know what the condition of its twin is?"
Draco nodded at her. "I do, and it is completely ready to go. It was in way better condition than this one and the Carrows worked on it tirelessly, and apparently it had an effect on this one."
Hermione nodded and started to examine it. "That's good news. It won't take long to get this as good as new again, but I will need complete quiet when I do. It'll help my focus."
"Then Draco and I will try and find that Horcrux in the meantime. Good luck babe." Fabian said as he pulled Draco along.
"That's the first time I've seen you willingly step away when there is an opportunity to learn something." Draco said with a soft smile as they wandered through the rows of items.
Fabian smiled at him. "There are a couple of things I've learned in my time spend with Hermione. First, it's better to let her do her thing when she says she needs her space. Secondly, most things aren't worth arguing over and lastly, I know for a fact that Hermione and Morgana are the most powerful witches in Britain. So I'm not at all worried about her and I know that she will make that Cabinet work to perfection."
Draco smiled at that. "The last one I knew, because even I can feel how powerful she is, but I've known you longer than today, and there is no way that you would pass up on learning something new."
"It's hardly anything new for me Draco. Hermione and I have spent most of our vacation pouring over rituals and spells that Morgana created. We had to in order to bring back Lily and Pandora." Fabian said with a soft smile.
"Yeah about that, why did you bring them back anyway?" Draco asked softly.
Fabian smiled at him. "Are you sure you want to know the answer to that Draco? You might learn more than you want to know."
"Just keep it chaste Fabe, remember our deal." Draco said with a smile.
He nodded at him. "We brought Pandora and Lily back for the sole reason of revenge against Dumbledore and Voldemort. Your mother and Lily were lovers once, and so were Bellatrix and Pandora, and before you start. Lily is not a mudblood, but rather a long lost daughter of the Lestranges. We knew that in order for our family to be as strong as possible, everyone needed to be happy, and let's just say that all three sisters have found that."
"I never knew. I should apologize to mother for jumping to conclusions. I said some things to father that I am not proud of now, but didn't have the heart to say to my mother." Draco said softly.
Fabian smiled at that. "I think she would appreciate that, although I will say I will not be held responsible for any consequences. You might also want to prepare yourself, she is a bit different from when you last saw her. I also think that you should let your mother see that you are okay. She worries a lot about you."
"Different how? What happened to her?" Draco asked softly.
"Nothing harmful, I promise you. All three of them lost quite a number of years in age because of an extra ritual Hermione performed when we brought Lily and Pandora back. If I am not mistaken they're twenty three now. So you might want to prepare for a more youthful version of your mother and Aunts." Fabian said kindly.
Draco smiled at that. "Why I don't understand the why, I'm happy that she has found happiness, but I wonder, does this include Aunt Andi?"
Again Fabian nodded. "Yes, because of some circumstances that I unfortunately can't tell you, simply because you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Chances are that you will see soon enough anyway."
Draco nodded and froze as they saw dark magic swirling from a box hidden between a couple of chairs. "Well, I think we found it. Do you have a way to transport it safely?"
Fabian nodded at him. "I have. Hermione gave me a pouch that will nullify any magic inside of it. We'll be safe." He said as he dropped the box into said pouch. "Now that we have that, I have a couple of questions for you, brother. I need to know exactly how far along he is. We have the Headmistress on our side already and she has agreed to aid us as long as she gets information."
Draco nodded at that. "From what I've heard, which honestly by all accounts is not a lot, he's preparing to invade near the end of the school year and is preparing to end Dumbledore, and he's getting close to being able to do that, since he wants to do it himself. Other than that I haven't heard much. Perhaps mother should contact my father, the Dark Lord is still very willing to share information with the family."
Fabian nodded at that as he felt a shift in the magic of the room. "It seems Hermione is done with the cabinet, she really has perfect timing in that sense. Shall we, brother?"
Draco nodded and led him back to the center of the room. "I'll be honest and say that it sometimes is very creepy how you two interact. That smile is something I had never seen on your face before."
"One day you'll know Draco, but with Hermione and me its mostly because of the combinations of our magic. Hers comes from the Old Religion and of course ours comes from the dragons, which when combined makes an odd combination of need and love." Fabian said with a soft smile.
Draco smiled at that. "I don't know how you do that though, to be engaged at our age. I admire you both so much for that."
"Don't forget that Hermione and I have been together for three years already and had a lot of time to get to know each other. I'm sure that when you meet the person you were meant to be with, you will know the same happiness." Fabian said with a smile.
"We'll see what happens. I've got plenty of time. First we have a war to win." Draco said with a soft smile.
Fabian smiled at him as they saw Hermione sitting primly on a chair, one of Morgana's tomes on her lap as she read. "That we do brother, that we do."
…
After a small detour to McGonagall's office to relay the information they had received, Fabian and Hermione stepped back into their room, smiling at the sight that greeted them. Everyone had thankfully dressed and was cuddled up with their significant other while carrying soft conversations, with the exception of Luna and Ginny, who were finishing up their homework in silence.
"Well if this isn't a sight for an idyllic family photo. I would've expected that everyone would've stayed in their underwear for most of the day." Hermione said with a smile as she and Fabian claimed the loveseat next to Dora and Fleur.
"We do know the meaning of decorum, Hermione. The fact that we choose to walk around in our underwear for most of the morning does not mean an orgy ensues every time you two walk out the door. We are merely enjoying the freedom we have now." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
They smiled at her. "Well that freedom might be a bit limited once everything is over. McGonagall seems pretty adamant on getting most of you as teachers once everything is over." Fabian said with a smile.
"We've been thinking about that too to be honest, because as much as we like our lives at the moment, it can become a bit dull, so if Minerva makes that offer, we shall see in what capacity she has need of us." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
Fabian smiled at him mother. "From what we've gathered, She intends to give all of you a position within the staff, as either an assistant, researcher or teacher, but she mentioned wanting to come by in a few weeks to talk about it, to apologize to Lily and Pandora and meet Morgana."
Lily smiled at him. "She doesn't have to apologize for things she had no part in, but I understand why she would want to apologize. She still feels guilty about what happened, and it will be good for her to get it out."
Fabian nodded at her. "I think it will help her move on, which in turn will be very beneficial for the school and our plans."
Everyone nodded at that. "We think so too, but tell me, how was Draco?" Narcissa asked sweetly.
"He's doing well Cissy, especially since Potter has kept at least part of his word and left him alone, so we were able to completely repair the Vanishing Cabinet and collect the Horcrux at the same time. He's also looking a lot healthier than he did earlier this year. He will probably be by in a few days. He doesn't want you to worry over him." Hermione said with a soft smile to the blonde.
Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief at that. "That's good to hear. I was worried about him."
"Where is the Horcrux now, if you don't mind my asking?" Bellatrix asked softly.
Fabian smiled at her. "It's safely inside the pouch Morgana gave us Mom. You're completely safe."
Bellatrix smiled at that. "I was not worried for myself Fabian. I was more worried for you, Draco and Hermione."
"Could you give me the pouch, Fabian? I can deal with that thing right now." Morgana said with a smile.
He nodded and floated the pouch to the raven haired witch. "Is it possible to only destroy the piece of his soul inside of it and keep the Diadem intact. It is one of the founder's artifacts."
"I know, I was a Ravenclaw myself, so I would never destroy an artifact belonging to my House's founder." She said with a smile as she levitated the box out of the bag and then floated the Diadem in front of her. "It's as beautiful as the last time I saw it. This used to be on display in the Tower as a reminder what our House was about. I'll purge it so it may be proudly displayed again. If the Headmistress chooses that of course."
"Oh I think she will, she has always been very much for that tradition, and would jump at the chance to bring it back." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
Morgana smiled at her and waved her hand over the Diadem, keeping all of her focus on it as they heard a hissing sound coming from it, followed by a short scream of pain as dark smoke was pulled from the Diadem and then disappeared. "It is done. Another piece of his soul is destroyed, and I have learned something interesting as well. It felt like even with a number of his Horcruxes destroyed, his soul remains unstable. That will be an advantage in the battle to come, because I don't think he is going to keep his word."
Hermione nodded at her mother. "We've come to expect that from either side to be honest. The only one we know that will always be honest with us is the Headmistress. We have a few plans in the works to deal with both Harry and Voldemort."
"What has Harry done now? I thought he was coming around." Lily said softly.
"We thought so too, but according to Gin he keeps telling everyone in Gryffindor Tower that he will deal with us when the time is right, and since he probably still smarts over the ease we dispatched of his best friend and Dumbledore, and he has more guts than brains, we'll be ready for him. We were actually hoping you would want to help us with that, a last ditch effort to make him see reason, so to speak." Fabian said with a smile.
Lily smiled at him. "He's no longer a son of mine. I have the little girl I always wanted in Ginny, and she is more like me than Harry could ever hope to be, but I'll help you two with trying to talk some sense into him, although I doubt it will help." Lily said with a soft smile to the redhead.
"We don't expect it to help, but it will look better on all of us if we try. Honestly I don't care if he makes it out of this alive at this point. He's screwed us over one too many times, and I've reached my limit of patience with him." Hermione said softly.
Lily smiled at her. "I can imagine, he is every bit his father in that sense, and I don't doubt that Sirius' influence didn't help. He is entitled and spoiled, and I honestly don't care what happens to him anymore, because I know he will not accept me and Cissy being together, and that is something I will not stand for anymore. We've waited too long to be together."
Both Fabian and Hermione smiled at that. "And we won't allow him to break up our home Lily. We have all fought for the happiness we now enjoy."
Lily only nodded as she cuddled back to Narcissa, the blonde wrapping a loving arm around her lover as they fell into a more easy conversation.
…
After dinner Hermione opted for an early night, since she had used a lot of magic to repair the Cabinet, and was exhausted, which did cause some worry with the women in the room. "Is she okay sweetie?" Narcissa asked softly.
He nodded at her. "She's just tired from repairing the Cabinet. She just wants this all to be done so we can start our lives properly, and honestly I can't blame her for it. I'm so done with looking over my shoulder every moment of the day."
Bellatrix smiled at him as she pulled him into her. "We all are sweetheart, and we will be free of those that want to hurt us. Our family will once again be the most powerful family in Magical Britain."
"I know we will, and I think we will finally rid ourselves of the outcast label everyone has always put on us. They will know never to fuck with us again." He said with a soft smile.
"Language, young man. There is no need to cuss in this situation." Narcissa said with her usual haughty look.
He smiled at her. "I seem to remember that there are times where you like my potty mouth, mother."
Narcissa blushed at that, much to the amusement of her lover. "You also seem to have quite the mouth when we're in bed, Cissa-flower. I've heard you say things in the last few months that I honestly didn't know were part of your vocabulary." Lily said with a teasing smile.
"You don't play fair Lily-flower. You know what I let you hear in the bedroom is only for you." Narcissa said softly.
Lily smiled and kissed the blonde soundly. "I know love, but you're so adorable when you're flustered. You are usually so unflappable that I sometimes think you're truly the Ice Princess, it has been such a breath of fresh air to see you so uninhibited."
Narcissa smiled at that. "I'm trying for you, my love. I know that it has been a long time that I have felt truly free and that the only times I've been able to let go have been the times I have shared with Fabian, but I truly am trying to be more free for you."
"That's all I can ask for, my Cissa. I never realized how much you would be affected by my death. I'm so sorry. I should have been stronger against Dumbledore's machinations." Lily said softly.
"You carry no fault in this, my love. We never knew how deep his treachery ran until Hermione and Fabian uncovered it. Please don't feel guilty about this, because while it is true I have mourned a long time for you, none of that matters now that we will be together until our last breath." Narcissa said as she pulled the redhead into her lap.
Lily smiled and kissed her softly. "I think we will retire as well. I have a feeling we have a long night ahead of us."
Everyone smiled and nodded as the two women retired to their bedroom, Morgana and Andromeda following not soon after after bidding everyone a good night, leaving only Bellatrix, Pandora and Fabian in the living room, and now that they were alone, Fabian wasted little time in cuddling up between his two mothers.
They both smiled at him and wrapped an arm around him. "Are you okay my Starling? It's been a while since we've had you between us like this." Pandora asked with a soft smile.
He smiled at her. "I've just missed being cuddled up between you two. It always calms me so much when I'm here. I can just be myself, not the Head of the family, not the man who is supposed to put a stop to a megalomaniac or a manipulative old goat, just Fabian, loving son."
Bellatrix and Pandora smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You can always be yourself with us sweetie, you know that. We have no expectations of you besides the ones you put on yourself. Is this because of what you and Hermione are planning?" Bellatrix asked softly.
He nodded at her. "A little bit, but it's mostly just the pressure of knowing it will come down to me and 'Mione to rebuild everything basically from the ground up."
"You and Hermione will always have help, sweetie. The family will back you up with everything you two want to do. No matter what it is." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
He smiled at them. "I know, and I know we can do it, but I am just not looking forward to that hassle of it all."
The two women smiled at him and both kissed him softly. "Is there anything we can do to help you relax, Starling?"
"No, I think I just need to go to bed early for once. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." He said softly.
They smiled at him as he walked off to his bedroom. "Do you think he is okay Bella?" Pandora asked softly.
"He'll be okay Panny. Like me he gets stuck in his head sometimes. He's worrying about things that won't be an issue. Hermione has plenty of ways to calm him down, and if she doesn't get it done, Luna most definitely will." Bellatrix said softly.
Pandora smiled at her. "Perhaps we should tell them the truth Bella. They deserve to know that they have always been siblings."
"Perhaps it is better to wait until everything is over, Panny. They have enough on their minds already, but I think deep inside they already know the truth. We'll tell them when everything has settled." Bellatrix said with a loving smile.
Pandora nodded at that. "Perhaps that's for the best. I just hope they will forgive us when we do tell them."
"They will. If there is one thing they have always shared, it is an unprecedented capability for understanding and forgiveness. I have a feeling that when we tell them, they will only have confirmation of something they have known for years. They won't be mad at us for not telling them, in fact, I think it will only make us all closer." Bellatrix said with a loving smile.
Pandora nodded and gave an adorable yelp as Bellatrix gathered her in her arms in bridal style and carried her lover to the bedroom as well.
…
In their bedroom, Fabian had just cuddled up to Hermione, the brunette curling into him as she woke. "You're here early. I figured that you would want some alone time with your mothers."
"Like you I'm really tired from everything running through my head, my love. I would rather have an early night in bed with my fiancee." He said softly.
She smiled and turned to face him. "You're too sweet love. What did I miss?"
"Well, apparently my teasing of my mother inspired Lily enough for them to retire early and I think that my Mom and Pandora will have a similar night as well. I think emotions across the family are spiking a little with everything going on."
Hermione smiled and kissed him softly. "I can imagine that. With everything being so close to over we're all making plans for the future and with that come a lot of emotions. We were plenty emotional when we started making plans for our own future. It only stands to reason that our family acts the same. You especially came from three of them."
He smiled at that. "Make that four, love. They didn't outright say it, but I could see it in their eyes. Pandora had a hand in my conception too, just as Mom had a hand in Luna's. We've suspected this for a long time, but it was the first time I could read it in their eyes."
Hermione smiled at that. "How do you feel about that love?" She asked softly.
"To be honest, I can understand why they kept it from us. It would've caused unnecessary pain to both Luna and me. It doesn't change anything. Luna and I have always been closer than most siblings anyway, even if you don't account for the Curse. It does explain why Luna was affected so early though." He said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled and kissed him as she pushed him to his back before straddling him. "That's the logical part of you talking. What does your heart say. You know you can tell me."
"I'm honestly still processing it, but my heart says it is true and that nothing needs to change because of it." He said honestly.
"See, in any other situation, I would believe you without question, but I've seen how you've interacted with Pandora in the last few weeks, and honestly, I see it goes as deep as what you share with your sister. So for once don't think about the implications, just feel it in your heart." She said softly.
He nodded and kissed her. "Not tonight though. I need some alone time with my beautiful fiancee without having to think about anything else than just us."
Hermione smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know the way your mind works baby. Please try to relax a little, because I will get Luna and Gaia involved if I have to."
He smiled at that. "There's no need for such drastic measures, baby. Just being here with you is relaxing me plenty already."
She smiled at him as she looked him in the eyes, practically seeing the wheels turning in his mind. "To help you relax even more, we're going to stay in bed all day tomorrow, and will only get out to eat, and we are not going to get dressed either."
"So we finally get to be lazy for once? I think I can live with that." He said with a soft smile.
"We most definitely are going to be very lazy, and there is nothing anyone can say about it too. We'll deal with anyone that comes knocking in an appropriate manner, although I doubt anyone will mind. I think given anything we've earned the right to be a bit lazy for once." She said softly.
He nodded and kissed her softly as they relaxed against each other, both of them quickly succumbing to a dreamless sleep, neither of them noticing the green dragon that cuddled up to them in the middle of the night.
