We're going completely soundtrack this week, folks.
Songs - Lívstræðrir by John Lunn and Eivør (from The Last Kingdom), Wicked Games by Ramin Djawadi (from Westworld), and Man in Black by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli (from The Witcher).
Chapter Twenty-Three: An Ancient Bond
Draco was standing near the edge of the Manor's lake under a wooden arch that had been decorated with simple greenery and tasteful pockets of snowdrop, rocking nervously on his feet. It was bit dreary for an outdoor wedding, and the downpour would have been enough to drive anyone inside, but no one had complained when he stormed outside, angrily flicking his wand to build a temporary shield that would keep everyone warm and dry. They all knew how important it was to him that he be able to make the day special for Hermione and had simply followed him into the gloom, adding their own magic to the shield without so much as a prompt.
The day should have been perfect, it certainly shouldn't have been this rushed, and Draco hated that he couldn't give Hermione something more joyful (and pleasant in terms of weather), but he knew it was necessary. Binding themselves together using his family's vows would provide her a level of protection that no other ceremony could duplicate. And hopefully, when the time came, it would be enough.
Even though the world around him seemed to be falling apart, and at the moment being drowned from above, he was happy that the moment was finally here. His heart had been beating furiously all day, especially since his mother had kicked him out of the garden home early that morning, but now that he found himself staring down an empty, candle-lit pathway, waiting anxiously for his bride, the pounding in his chest had suddenly gone into overdrive. He didn't know why he was so nervous; he knew how much Hermione loved him, and yet, he still felt like he was dangerously close to passing out. And was he imagining things, or had he gone a little too crazy with the damn warming charm? Fuck, he thought as he tugged impatiently at his collar.
"Relax," Theo said, slapping his friend's back. "She hasn't run away from you yet."
"Very helpful," Draco replied sarcastically, dropping his hand to his side. "Any second now, she's going to realize what an arse I am and decide she's better off alone."
Theo rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be so dramatic," he scoffed.
"I am not dramatic," Draco muttered under his breath, suddenly wishing he had thought to place a silencing charm around his best man.
"Draco," Theo chuckled as he moved back into position opposite Ginny, who was finding their whole interaction quite entertaining, "you are the most dramatic person that I've ever met."
"You. Are. Not. Helping," Draco replied, clenching his teeth together.
Ginny sniggered, hiding her face behind her small bouquet when Draco's head swiveled in her direction. "Your tie is crooked," she told him after a moment, looking over at Theo with an amused look on her face.
Draco's eyes widened, and he hastily looked down, groaning when he realized it was just fine. "You're not helping either, Weasley," he snapped, ignoring the laughs that followed.
We really should have just done this without them.
Taking a deep breath, Draco risked a glance at his parents, who were standing slightly to the side in front of the arch. His father was standing somewhat rigidly with one arm resting on his favorite decorative cane and the other bent slightly across his body, his hand resting near the bottom of his ribcage. When he felt Draco's gaze on him, he bowed his head slightly, and Draco returned the gesture knowing it was the only bit of fatherly support he was going to get. His mother, on the other hand, was doing her best to keep her composure, but there was no hiding the glassiness in her eyes or the sweet smile on her lips. She was happy for her son.
"Steady yourself, mate," Draco heard Theo say, his eyes snapping back to the end of the path before he could return his mother's smile.
The air left his lungs when he finally caught sight of Hermione. She was walking alongside Harry, her arm locked around his for support, and even though her eyes were cast downward, Draco was convinced that she had never looked quite as ethereal as she did at that very moment. She was dressed in a long, sleeveless, flowy white gown, the fabric of which perfectly accentuated her growing baby bump. Her hair was down, her soft curls shimmering under the strategically placed lights, and even with her head still tipped forward, he could that see her lips were spread into a shy smile. There was no pretense, no veil, no ridiculous beauty charms, nothing that Hermione had deemed barbaric, and it was perfect. He couldn't look away, and when she finally looked up and locked eyes with him, his legs nearly buckled underneath of him.
As she approached, his heartbeat quickened, so much so that he thought it might leap right out of his chest. Only this time it wasn't nerves or anxiety or even the anticipation of this very moment; it was pure excitement. She really wanted to do this. She really wanted to marry him. And he still couldn't believe how lucky he was that she did.
Hermione kept her eyes on Draco as she made her way down the rest of the aisle, trying to ignore the part of her that was screaming at her to just sprint as quickly as she could towards him. They had been separated since Narcissa had roused her out of bed earlier that day, and although she had enjoyed the pampering that had followed, it was the longest her and Draco had been apart since he had left the hospital, and it hadn't done any wonders for her nerves. Seeing him now, seeing him dressed in that ridiculously sexy suit with his perfectly tousled platinum blonde hair and annoyingly handsome smile, made her feel a little weak in the knees.
And honestly, if it weren't for Harry's position at her side, she might just have made a fool of herself by crumbling to the ground.
She tried not to look around at the others as she walked, but when she passed by Lucius, she couldn't help but glance in his direction, curious to see if was still as supportive as he had been leading up to this day. And although she couldn't be sure that there was anything to glean from his face other than his general approval, she could have sworn there was a strange gleam in his eyes, a flicker of adoration that she had never seen there before, and in that moment she realized just how much he looked like his son.
The thought was all she needed to return her attention to Draco, and she caught his eyes once more, the intensity in his gaze threatening to consume her as she took the final few steps toward him. It wasn't until Harry released her arm and stepped to the side that she realized she had been holding her breath, and she finally exhaled, relaxing under the shadow of the man she was about to bind herself to for the rest of her life.
"Hi," she said a bit awkwardly, cringing slightly at how ridiculous the word sounded coming out of her mouth.
"Fuck," Draco breathed, clearly unbothered, his eyes busy trying to memorize every inch of her. "You're beautiful."
"It's just the dress," she replied quickly, echoing the same words she had said to him during the banquet when he had tried to convince her otherwise.
"No, it's definitely you," he told her, shaking his head in disbelief. "You are incredible, and you need to start believing that."
Hermione blushed a deep red. "Okay," she told him, surprising even herself with her ready agreement. "But fuck, have you seen yourself?" she added attempting to shift the focus onto him without filtering the words through her brain. "You're– just look at you."
What the fuck was that, Hermione? she asked herself when she realized what she had just said out loud.
Draco chuckled softly, noting the way her lips had pinched together in self-annoyance, and brought a hand to the side of her face to comfort her.
Sorry, she mouthed as she pressed her check against the palm of his hand.
Don't be, he mouthed back.
From behind the podium, Harry awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, uhh, care to get started?" he asked, holding back a snigger. "Or should we just stand here until the two of you are done making calf eyes at each other?"
"Just waiting on you, Potter," Draco retorted, too enamored with the witch in front of him to feel any sort of embarrassment. He brushed his thumb across Hermione's cheek and gave her a loving smile before dropping his hand.
"Alright then," Harry said, opening the old book sitting in front of him to the page that Lucius had marked with a small piece of green velvet cloth.
Slytherins, he groaned inwardly, pushing the cloth to the side so that he could located the start the Malfoy binding ceremony that he was now responsible for officiating.
He took a deep breath, using the moment to look around at the small group that had come together for the ceremony before turning back to the words on the page.
"Those who have assembled here today and noble ancestors who watch from behind the veil, we welcome you here to bear witness to the binding of these two souls," he began, his finger tracing softly down the worn paper as he read. "You have come here to offer your blessings and share in this sacred bond, one that will unite Draco and Hermione in both commitment and love in this life and the next," Harry paused to take another deep breath, his eyes wandering to Ginny, whose eyes were flickering between the couple as if she was worried that she might miss an important emotional reaction.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger, have you come here freely and without reservation to bind yourselves to each other?" Harry asked, smiling softly as he looked between the couple.
"Yes," Hermione and Draco replied in unison, reaching out for each other's hands.
"Will you honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation in their voices.
A quiet sob penetrated the air, but neither Hermione nor Draco could find the strength to look away from one another to locate the source. Harry, on the other hand, stole a quick glance at his wife and had to hold back a chuckle when he noticed the obvious glassiness in her eyes.
"Are you now ready to embark upon this ancient and sacred bond?" Harry prompted.
"Yes." Their voices were quieter now, but not because they were scared; rather, neither of them could trust that their voices would hold if they spoke any louder.
Harry had been instructed to ignore the other more archaic questions that were listed on the page, not that he needed any more convincing, and so he turned to nod at Lucius, who then stepped forward to initiate the formal bonding process.
"Vinculum incipere," the elder Malfoy muttered, moving his wand over the couple's clasped hands.
Almost immediately, a ring of light appeared around Draco and Hermione's clasped hands, pulsing excitedly as if it could sense the anticipation in the air. The bright circle began to spin slowly, and despite the fact that it shouldn't have come as a shock to either of them, Draco having seen his fair of bonding ceremonies growing up and Hermione having been given an extremely thorough play-by-play the day prior, they both tightened their hold on each other in surprise.
Lucius smiled, the cool steel of his eyes warming ever so slightly as he studied the ring now joining the couple together, before he sheathed his wand and moved back next to his wife. Narcissa, who had, like the others, been entranced by the appearance of the bonding light, leaned into her husband slightly as he re-settled, smiling to herself when she felt him wrap an arm around her waist.
"Marriage is the most sacred of bonds," Harry continued, readjusting his glasses as he spoke. "It is the merging of two souls, of two separate lives, into one. It is an inseverable union through which you must be honest and true with each other in this life and the next. And today, you begin your journey of life shared, forever bound together by the vows of this rite."
"Draco, if you will, repeat after me," Harry said, smiling as he looked up from the book in his hands. "I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, bind myself to you, Hermione Jean Granger–"
"I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, bind myself to you, Hermione Jean Granger–" Draco repeated, trying to hold his voice steady despite the longing burning in her eyes.
"–to learn and grow with, to respect you in everything as an equal partner–
"–to learn and grow with, to respect you in everything as an equal partner–"
"–in the foreknowledge of joy and pain, strength and weariness–"
"–in the foreknowledge of joy and pain, strength and weariness–"
"–direction and doubt, for all the risings and settings of the sun."
"–direction and doubt, for all the risings and settings of the sun."
"Hermione, please repeat after me," Harry said, now turning to look at her as he recited the same passage. "I, Hermione Jean Granger, bind myself to you, Draco Lucius Malfoy–"
"I, Hermione Jean Granger, bind myself to you, Draco Lucius Malfoy–" she began, her gaze focused solely on the man in front of her.
"–to learn and grow with, to respect you in everything as an equal partner–"
"–to learn and grow with, to respect you in everything as an equal partner–"
" – in the foreknowledge of joy and pain, strength and weariness – "
"–in the foreknowledge of joy and pain, strength and weariness–"
"–direction and doubt, for all the risings and settings of the sun."
"–direction and doubt, for all the risings and settings of the sun."
Hermione sucked in a breath as the light around their hands began spinning a little faster, and Draco smiled at her as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Now, please grab hold of your partner's right wrist and repeat the following words as one," Harry said, watching the couple with a strange gleam in his eyes as they re-situated their hands. "You are the blood of my blood, and bone of my bone–"
"You are the blood of my blood, and bone of my bone," Draco and Hermione said together, tears welling in their eyes as the felt the magic of their bond grow with each word spoken.
"–I give you my body, that we two might be one–"
"–I give you my body, that we two might be one–"
"–I give you my spirit, 'til our life shall be done."
"–I give you my spirit, 'til our life shall be done," they finished in unison, clinging so tightly to one another that if it weren't for the distraction of the ceremony they might have caused each other pain.
The light was now spinning so quickly that it was difficult to make out the shapes of their hands, and Draco and Hermione inhaled sharply as small sparks began to rain down on the ground near their feat.
Harry too was startled by the sudden change in the bonding circle, and it took a not-so-subtle throat clearing from Theo before he came back to himself, remembering that he needed to say the final blessing for the bonding to be complete. "May the merging of your bloodlines bless you with a powerful and everlasting bond. May you delight in each other's love for all your years unto passing. Plant your roots together in the Earth yet play in the gardens of life as children and friends. Share the great mysteries of life and let your spirit be as free as the falcon's flight. Grow old and wise together and share a happy home. From this day forward, you are forever changed."
As soon as the last word left Harry's mouth, the light around Draco and Hermione's hands exploded outward, fragmenting into thousands of tiny glowing spheres. The light hung there, decorating the air around them with a sparkle that mirrored that of the stars in a clear night's sky, illuminating the shocked faces of everyone standing around the couple.
"Uhh, Potter?" Draco whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He was pretty damn sure this part hadn't happened at any bonding ceremony he'd ever been to, and despite the complete and utter awe he felt taking in the beauty of it all, something didn't feel right to him. "What the–"
But he was interrupted when a tendril of light suddenly shot through him, sending an electric shock through his entire body which nearly knocking him off his feet. A tingling exploded inside of him, starting in his chest and extending outward to his fingertips where it only seemed to intensify. He lifted a hand in front of his face, leaving his other wrapped tightly around Hermione's wrist, and gasped inaudibly when he caught sight of his fingers. They were glowing – fucking glowing – as if they were the last remaining embers of a fire, and for a second, he swore he could see something actually coursing through the veins in his hand. Confused, he looked over at Hermione, hoping he had been the only one hit by the light, but found her busy studying the glow emanating from her own fingers.
Fuck, he thought, and worry flooded very corner of his brain. What the fuck is going on?
"Hermione?" he prompted nervously.
"What is this?" she asked in response, her mouth parted in disbelief as she flipped her hand around in front of her face.
Draco shook his head. "I have no fucking idea."
"It– it feels–" but she didn't have the words. She couldn't explain the strange combination of discomfort and delight that was settling into her bones, her body simultaneously fighting to reject and accept the energy that was now coursing through her veins.
"Weirdly nice?" Draco offered, unable to think of anything else to describe what was happening to them.
Hermione nodded in agreement, her bewilderment matching his own.
Draco cast his eyes toward Harry, who was standing perfectly still, his eyes flickering nervously between the couple and his wand now clutched tightly in his hand.
But before he could reassure him that they were fine, before he had a chance to look at anyone else, the light shot out of their bodies, causing both them to cry out in surprise, and began to spin around them more furiously than it had around their hands during the ceremony, blocking their view of everything and everyone around them.
The spinning light sent more sparks into the air, and a strange static settled in around them causing the hair on their heads to raise slightly. Hermione looked frantically over at Draco, her eyes wide with disbelief and confusion. None of it made any sense. The bonding light was supposed to collapse into two sets of rings not explode into whatever madness this was, and neither of them had any idea what to say or do. But then, almost faster than either of them could comprehend what was happening, the spinning around them intensified further, lifting them both off the ground.
"Draco," Hermione managed finally, her voice faltering as she tightened her grip on his hand. She couldn't think of any rational explanation for what was happening, and the fact that they were floating in the air, surrounded by the light that was supposed to have done nothing of the sort, terrified her.
Draco could hear shouting coming from somewhere outside of the circle but ignored it as he focused all of his attention on the woman across from him, all of the color drained from her face as she moved a hand protectively over her swollen belly. He was scared, more frightened than he could ever remember being, but a sudden desire to be closer to Hermione, to feel her entire body against his, washed over him, and despite the chaos surrounding them, he pulled her to him and wrapped her tightly in his arms.
"I don't think it's going to hurt us," he told her suddenly, convinced it was the truth but unable to explain exactly how. "I won't let you go," he promised, bending forward to kiss her.
When their lips met, another jet of light entered them, the shock of which was enough to make them gasp into each other's mouth, but not enough to make them pull away from each other.
Hermione couldn't think, she could barely focus on anything but Draco, her body dizzy with an odd combination of disorientation and longing. Whatever was happening to them, it was making her feel things she had only felt with him when they were alone, igniting heat deep inside of her that only erupted to the surface when he was inside of her, and the way Draco was pushing his body against hers, his hips moving slowly against her, assured her that she wasn't alone. And for a fleeting moment, she forgot to care about the madness surrounding them, about the constant fear they had been living in knowing that someone wanted to hurt her, and even about whatever the light was doing to them at that very moment.
Somehow, after what seemed like an hour, Draco managed to pull himself away and rested his forehead against Hermione's, his breathing heavy as he tried to digest everything that was happening around them. He could hear the raggedness in Hermione's breath, and he brought a hand to the side of her face in attempt to calm her. He was caught in his own thoughts, so lost in the feeling of her body against his, that he didn't even notice that the swirling light around them had slowed until their feet were once again on the ground. It was only when the light disappeared completely, his eyes blinking rapidly at the sudden loss, that he realized it was over.
"Are you hurt?" Draco asked, both of his hands now resting on either side of Hermione's face.
"I– no. No, I'm alright," she replied, her hands shaking as Draco pulled her against him once more, tucking her head underneath his chin.
They stood there for a few moments, willing their heartbeats to calm, before remembering that they had an audience, that people might want to know what was going on.
"What – and I mean this in the most calm and collected way possible – the fuck was that?" Theo said as Draco's eyes landed on him, his wand raised in the air as if he was ready for an attack.
"No idea," Draco replied, shrugging a bit too nonchalantly for the situation. "We're fine by the way, thank you for asking," he added, giving his friend a weak smile.
Theo snorted, but nodded and lowered his wand, seemingly convinced that there was no immediate danger.
"But it– the light– the bond, it attacked you," Harry said, stepping toward the couple with his wand still raised, apparently not as sure as Theo.
"I wouldn't say that it attacked us," Hermione told him, wrapping her hand around Draco's and stepping away from his embrace. "It– well, I don't know what it did exactly, but it didn't harm us. We're okay."
Ginny, who had been standing behind Harry, placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, signaling for him to lower his wand. He complied, but kept it tightly grasped in his hand at his side.
Feeling safer now that his friend's wands were no longer pointing at him, Draco turned back toward Hermione, trying to find the words to explain what it had felt. "It was strange. At first it just felt like a current was running through my body, but then it felt like…" but he didn't really know how to explain the part that came after either.
"Like when you're together… intimately," Lucius offered, his brow furrowed as he studied the couple from his position a few strides away.
Draco turned toward his father. "Yes, but how–?"
"Le lien," Narcissa murmured, her eyes wide as she looked frantically toward at her husband. "But it can't– I thought it was just a story."
"As did I," Lucius replied, his voice quiet as he brought a hand to his chin.
"What do you mean?" Draco demanded, looking wildly between his parents. "You know what the hell that was?"
"Not exactly," Lucius tried to explain, dropping his hand back to his side. "The line that Harry read about the merging of two bloodlines – my great grandfather used to tell me stories about its origins in our family's vows."
"What. Fucking. Stories," Draco growled, his anger threatening to boil over. "What did you do?"
"Draco," Narcissa said quietly, her hand over her heart. "Let him explain."
Draco took a deep breath, relaxing as he felt Hermione's thumb moving across the top of his hand, before nodding at his father, signaling for him to continue.
"According to your great-great grandfather," Lucius began, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder in thanks, "our family was promised le lien after coming to the aid of William the Conqueror during his successful campaign into England. A gift of sorts for helping a Norman king claim the English throne."
"A bond?" Draco asked, translating the words to English.
Lucius nodded. "Yes," he said, his excitement obvious. "But not just any bond. Le lien was very specific."
Draco opened his mouth to demand that his father tell them just how specific, and fast before he lost it, but Hermione was speaking before he had the chance.
"Wait," she muttered, dropping Draco's hand and taking a step toward his father. "William the Conqueror was a descendent of Rollo, wasn't he?"
Her question seemed to catch Draco off guard, but Lucius smiled, clearly impressed. "Yes," he said simply. "William was Rollo's great-great-great grandson."
Hermione gasped. "But Rollo was…" Oh god, no.
"A Viking, yes," Lucius supplied.
Hermione nearly choked, her heart beating so fast that she felt like it might jump out of her chest.
No, she thought. This doesn't make any sense.
"For fuck's sake," Theo said, throwing his hands in the air. "What is it with you people and the goddamn Vikings?"
Lucius lifted an eyebrow at Theo's words, but remained quiet, his gaze still fixed on Hermione as if he was waiting for something.
On the other side of Draco, Harry began to shake his head. "I don't understand," he said angrily, his arm now wrapped tightly around Ginny's waist. "What does that have to do with anything that just happened?"
"Everything," Lucius said, his voice calm, but his eyes now sparkling with excitement. "My great grandfather used to tell me that our family was promised a bond with the original Norse mage bloodline, the same bloodline that helped William win his war, and that the Malfoy vows had been enchanted to facilitate the bond."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Vikings…. Norse mages… there's no way this is a coincidence.
"You mean to tell us that in a thousand years," Draco asked, his eyes fixed angrily on his father, "this bond never took? That today, of all days, it decided to fucking take?"
"I'm afraid you're missing the point," Lucius responded, his eyes flickering back to Hermione as she nervously chewed at the inside of her cheek. "The bond requires the correct two bloodlines," he said, pausing so that his words could resonate. "The bond was never solidified because, until today, a Malfoy had never married a member of the correct bloodline."
"But that would mean–" Hermione began, still not sure she could believe it. "No, I'm Muggle-born."
"Apparently not," Lucius replied, lifting his eyebrows slightly. "My dear, how well do you know your family history?"
"Father," Draco warned, moving an arm protectively around Hermione.
"I– my parents were– they're Muggles," Hermione said softly, her voice shaking slightly as she spoke.
"Are you absolutely certain that no one else in your family could perform magic?" Narcissa asked suddenly, moving to place a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"There was no one," Hermione whispered, unable to look anywhere but the ground. "It was just me."
Rodolphus told Draco someone was coming for me. What if…
"How can you be sure what just happened has anything to do with this bond?" Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts. "How do we know that you're telling the truth? That you didn't curse them?"
"My dear boy, do you really think I'd curse my own son?" Lucius asked, unable to hide his irritation.
Harry muttered something under his breath, but Ginny elbowed him hard in the ribs, quickly silencing him.
"Hermione, darling," Narcissa prompted, smartly deciding that there was too much history between the men in the room to allow their conversation to continue. "How do you feel now? Can you sense anything new?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't feel–" she began but stopped abruptly when she realized that wasn't quite true.
There was something there, something at the edge of her mind that had never been there before, and she reached out for it, her innate curiosity silencing that part of her that still didn't want to believe. She threw her consciousness to its limit and felt her mind brush against something flexible and pliant, and before she knew what she was doing, she was pushing against it, her desire to see what was on the other side overriding her fear. The barrier gave way, and she didn't even need to see the color drain from Draco's eyes to know where she was.
Holy shit.
Language, Granger, Draco quipped silently, recovering surprisingly quickly for someone whose mind had just been invaded. Of course, you can get past my defenses, he mused, outwardly rolling his eyes. It's not like I haven't spent a lifetime trying to keep people from getting in here or anything.
I'm not people, Hermione retorted, relishing in the comfort she felt being surrounded by Draco's thoughts. But this is fucking insane.
You're the one in my head, he told her, holding back a chuckle. How did you even get in here?
There appears to be some sort of bridge between our minds, Hermione explained.
Interesting.
Curious, Draco began searching for the connection, and when he found it hiding in the back of his mind, he dove through it, sucking in a breath when he found himself surrounded by a flood of Hermione's thoughts.
"I take that as a yes," Narcissa said, smiling, her hands clasped together below her chin as she looked between the couple who were exhibiting mirrored looks of shock.
Draco, what the hell does this mean? Hermione asked, too afraid to say it out loud for everyone else to hear.
I think it means that we fulfilled the bond.
"Okay, this," Theo said, pointing between Hermione and Draco, "is going to need to stop. There are other people here who'd very much like to know what's going on."
Hermione reluctantly pulled back from their connection, shivering at the loss of Draco's consciousness, and smiled weakly.
"It seems that our minds are connected somehow," she told everyone. "We can communicate… telepathically."
"Salazar, is anything ever going to be normal with you two?" Theo jeered, twirling his wand around his fingers before putting it back in his pocket.
"Why have I never been warned about this?" Draco asked, turning toward his father, his anger suddenly bubbling back to the surface. "Why have you never told me about the bond?"
Lucius sighed. "I never believed the stories," he admitted, his voice honest and warm as he looked at his son. "Your great-great grandfather wasn't exactly sane near the end of his life. I thought they were just the ravings of an old man."
"Clearly, they were not," Draco muttered, throwing his head back in annoyance.
"Apparently, you weren't the only one who was kept in the dark," Hermione whispered, fidgeting with the fabric of her gown.
"So, you're descended from some Norse mage," Ginny said, giving her friend a reassuring smile. "William the Conqueror lived a thousand years ago – it's totally possible that the magic in your family was lost a long time ago and that you're the first in generations to possess the ability again. It doesn't mean that your parents were hiding anything from you."
Narcissa nodded. "Yes," she agreed, "It's not common, but squib bloodlines have been known to produce magical offspring."
Hermione knew they were trying to comfort her, but their words didn't ease the sick feeling in her stomach. It was all just too much. Had her parents known? Had they known who she really was?
"There is no way this is a coincidence," Harry announced, attempting to flatten the hair on top of his head.
Draco shook his head. "No," he said, his voice cracking as he looked over at his friend. "The curse Rodolphus used, his taunts that someone was looking for Hermione," he paused, cringing at the memory. "No, I agree."
Breathe, Hermione tried to tell herself. Just breathe.
Sensing her panic, Draco reached out for her with his mind, surrounding her with his consciousness in an attempt to keep her calm. I've got you, he told her, grabbing her hand. I'm not going anywhere.
"You think whoever taught Rodolphus how to use the curse, knows something about her heritage?" Hermione heard Ginny ask, relaxing when she realized that Draco wasn't going to sever their connection.
"Probably," Lucius said. "If any of the Norse mage bloodlines still exist, it would make sense that the surviving descendants would want to find each other."
"You say that like they want to invite her to a tea party," Theo said, his irritation obvious. "After what happened to Draco, I think it's pretty fucking clear that the intentions of whoever is looking for her are definitely not friendly."
Lucius opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly went rigid, his eyes glazing over as a sense of warning flooded his veins, and he wasn't the only one. Narcissa, Draco, and Hermione were similarly frozen in their tracks.
"Someone just breached the wards," Lucius said simply, his eyes falling on his son before whipping out his wand. "Whoever it is, they're powerful."
Harry looked at Draco hoping it was just a mistake, but Draco gave him a look that he had only seen a few times before, and he quickly swallowed whatever he was going to say.
"The wards are gone," Draco whispered, dropping his wand out of the pocket in his sleeve as a shiver traveled down his spine.
"Fuck," Harry breathed.
Lucius turned around and began muttering a series of incantations, his wand moving wildly in front of him as he began to build a new shield around the group's position in the garden. Theo, recognizing the spells, quickly pulled out his wand and joined him, while Harry turned to Ginny, quickly whispering in her ear before hurrying over to add his own set of protections.
"Mother," Draco shouted, his voice firm, "get Hermione and Ginny out of here."
Narcissa nodded, her lips pursed as her hand already closed around the Portkey that Draco had given her for this very moment.
"No!" Hermione yelled, her body now trembling with fear. "I'm not leaving you!"
You can't make me go, she projected into their connection.
"Hermione," Draco began, his face pale. "Please," he begged, moving a hand to the swell of her stomach. "I can't–"
"Get her out of here!" Lucius shouted, threads of platinum hair falling over his face as he risked a glance behind him, his body already positioned for battle. "This shield won't keep whoever this is out for long."
"Granger," Theo said, running over, his black robes flying behind him. "Draco can't protect himself if he's worried about protecting both you and the baby. You have to go."
As much as it hurt, as much as she didn't want to leave, she knew that they were right. Tears began to stream down her face as she looked up at Draco, terrified that this time he wouldn't survive.
"I love you," she told him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I love you too," he replied, wanting nothing more than to hold her tight and kiss her.
But a sudden explosion near where his father was standing rang out into the air, lurching Draco back to reality, and he quickly pulled away from her.
"Go!" he yelled as he raced toward the noise.
As he ran away, a powerful ripple traveled through the air and the shield around them crumbled. And before Hermione could blink, before she could do something stupid, Ginny was beside her, pushing her toward Narcissa who was holding out a candle stick for each of them to grab on to.
"Portkey," Narcissa said quickly. "It will take us to a safe house."
The two women nodded in understanding and placed their hands around the object. As they were lurched away, the last thing Hermione saw was the four men battling against a single foe. She choked back tears as they were spun away to safety, and when they finally landed, she crumbled forward and vomited on the floor.
a/n: I did promise you that big things would be happening in this chapter, didn't I? And before anyone yanks out their pitchfork over my handling of Hermione's heritage here, I just want to remind everyone that things are not always as they appear. I promise there is a method to my madness!
I rushed this one out a bit, so apologies for any glaring grammatical errors - I'll be back to clean this chapter up later today. The next update might take a full week, but I will try to get it out sooner if I can. All of your reviews keep me motivated, so keep them coming!
The wedding vows in this chapter are a combination of lots of different things, including the 'blood of my blood' bit, which is Celtic in origin, and the lines "Noble ancestors…" and "Plant your roots together in the Earth…" which are pulled from an Asatru (a religion that involves worship of ancient Germanic spirits and Gods) ceremony. I'm absolute shit when it comes to writing any sort of declaration of love, so I borrowed quite a bit here.