As Hermione shifted through a stack of old Nocturnus journals, her eyes straining with the effort of poring over barely legible text, she almost felt like they were back at the Manor again, and she and Draco had only just wed.
Except for the fact that, according to Kingsley, the Manor was almost beyond repair. The only reason it even still stood, after the firestorm it had faced three nights prior, was because of the ancient magic in the foundation of the building itself.
She'd tried not to dwell too long on the thought.
The night she and Draco had been joined at the bonding ceremony, on the grounds. The day they had explored the magic of the bonds in the throne room. His high end potions laboratory in the basement.
Every time Hermione had seen Narcissa ever since, the woman's eyes had been red-rimmed but dry. The four elves that had remained at the Manor had abandoned their reparation efforts when their hard work had been obliterated, and had come to the villa instead.
Hermione was only thankful they'd had the foresight to recognise the insidious magic of Avance's fire traps and escape the Manor before they'd been caught inside.
She could tell Draco had been trying to put on a brave face, but watching his home go up in flames—while trapped inside—couldn't have been easy.
Harry had been by for a visit the night before, with Daphne, Blaise, and Theo, as well as a few others, and Draco had been jovial enough. But Harry had admitted privately that he'd struggled with the aftermath of it as well.
They'd known Avance was sneaky, and that they weren't above utilising Muggle methods and hidden traps. But somehow their expectation was that if anything, Draco and Harry might have faced a spellfight. The only good thing about the fact was that no one had seen Draco use the affiliation.
Whether they'd been able to detect the magic remained to be seen.
Hugo released a loud sigh, loosening his tie as he rolled out his neck. "The menial things these people droned on about, I swear to Merlin."
"Dry, isn't it," she returned with a grimace. "I haven't seen anything about a shift in allegiance yet, have you?"
"No," he murmured, distracted, "but I'm looking for the command."
"The command?" Hermione asked sharply, glancing up. "Would that be connected?"
"I don't know." He fell silent for a moment, jotting several notes on a sheet of parchment. "But look at it like this—Ben told us that when Draco wanted to prove Cynthia's loyalty, he had to command her to swear it right?"
"Right," Hermione said, not entirely certain where he was going with the thought.
He hummed, tapping his quill on the table. "Maybe what Cosette's been doing—in forcing her drivel on our Nocturnus—is similar. So if the Lunae Ortus can learn to do the same—"
"Hugo," Hermione breathed, her eyes wide. "That's brilliant."
She considered the idea, mulling it over in her head while she stared blankly at the table in front of her. "If Draco could use his own command to overrule Cosette's, do you think it would be powerful enough to sway the stolen allegiances?"
Humming, Hugo flipped several pages in his journal before offering a grimace. "It's difficult to say. Remember, the allegiance shifted to Cosette when she stole the affiliation, right? But you and the Lunae Ortus have regained and strengthened your respective affiliation powers, and that didn't passively trigger anything." He hesitated, dragging a hand along the stubble on his jaw. "I'd like to think so, because he's the proper Lunae Ortus, but…"
"But it's a risky gamble," Hermione breathed. They shared a tense glance. "Because if Draco reveals himself and it doesn't pay off, Cosette and Elias will know he's alive."
"I've given this a lot of thought," Hugo said, "and about the fact that the allegiances were stolen, but they haven't been reclaimed by the development of the Lunae Ortus' affiliation once more. Remember, none of this is so cut and dry that it's occurred before and we can simply find this scenario in these journals. I can come up with only two options. And remembering our discussion the other day on the Elder Wand..." Hermione waited, her eyes flitting down to her journal. "Either the shift was spurred by the theft of the affiliation—or something incredibly strange has happened in the matter of your affiliation."
"What do you mean by strange?"
"I mean…" Hugo broke off again, uneasy. "The power that my father and Cosette have split was the Lunae Ortus' magic. Yours was derived from his through the bond—and I have to believe that the lunar power he has now was essentially obtained in the same way. The strength of your bond is so powerful and complex that the magic is acting of its own accord." His eyes flitted to meet hers. "And I can only imagine what it's capable of."
As she considered his words, Hermione's gaze drifted to the wall above the mantle in the sitting room, where Hugo had mounted his great-grandfather's sword. When Draco had explained the significance to her after the fact, it had been sobering.
Belatedly, she responded. "What do you think it means?"
With a one-shouldered shrug, Hugo followed her gaze to the sword perched symbolically. "I don't know for certain, of course. But I think the magical connection between the two of you is rare."
The idea of it rolled around in the back of her mind, refusing to settle into place or make sense. If none of this would have happened, Hermione never would have had anything to do with Draco Malfoy. She cast Hugo a glance, almost apologetic, and his face softened as if he understood.
"I didn't see it coming either, if it helps," he said. "Remember? I told Draco I thought he shouldn't pick you because of your blood status. Merlin, how short-sighted was I?"
She chuckled, a little incredulous at the memory. "And now look how far we've come."
"Right," Hugo drawled with a snicker. "Stuck in a Spanish villa while we desperately search for an answer to all of our problems."
"And how's that coming?" Draco's sharp voice caught them both off guard as he strode into the sitting room, sinking into the sofa behind Hermione where she perched on the floor. He dropped his hands to her shoulders, giving a brief squeeze.
Hermione cast him a smile, even as Hugo's words continued to niggle at her. "We aren't certain yet, but Hugo's got an idea that you might be able to use the command to override the shift in loyalty."
Hugo lifted his brows in acquiescence. "You've got the affiliation back, after all, and you are their proper leader. It's just a matter of being sure it's actually going to work, before you reveal your presence to thousands of people who could otherwise turn on you."
The three of them shared a tense grimace.
At last Draco offered a stiff nod, reaching for one of the journals. "Then let's see what we can find."
They fell into silence but for the ruffling of pages.
"You've been acting strangely since this afternoon."
As Draco eyed Hermione from across the room, closing the door behind him, she offered a thin, halfhearted smile that didn't reach her eyes. Blinking away whatever haze had overtaken her, she said, "Just a lot on my mind."
He took a seat across from her on the bed, letting one leg hang over the edge. Her eyes lifted to meet his, uncertainty hanging in her stare.
"Anything we need to discuss?"
He couldn't help the fact that his palms grew clammy, his shoulders tense, every time he couldn't read her. After everything they'd been through, a part of him still wondered whether she'd come to regret it all.
She held his gaze for another moment before glancing towards the quilt, her head dropping into a soft tilt. "Why did you select me? Out of all those women."
A weight settled in his chest, stomach churning as he stared at her. Draco raked through his memories, back months ago to the day she had appeared in the throne room, presenting herself before him.
"Merlin, that feels like so long ago," he said.
Hermione's eyes found his once more but the indecision remained in the lines of her face.
Shaking his head, Draco said, "It made the most sense. You're obviously brilliant."
"That isn't a good answer," she breathed, something unreadable settling on her face. "Draco you hated me. Why would you possibly think out of hundreds of women that I was the best choice?"
The fact that he didn't know why she was asking these questions hung like a shadow in the back of his mind as he replayed the events that had led him before the council, proclaiming her as his Lunae Amor.
"I don't know." Pursing his lips, he took her hand into his. "I felt like I needed to justify it at the time. You were the smartest, the bravest… you weren't like all the others. I thought you'd be the most strategic partner." With a vague shrug, they sat in silence for a long moment. The words felt delicate as they left his lips. "After I met with you, I felt like you were the only option that made any sense. I can't explain it."
Hermione didn't speak for long enough that alarm bells flared, his magic crackling in his veins. A shiver lingered along his spine that had no connection with the pervasive heat that crept into the villa most days.
The only reassurance she offered was the gentle squeeze to his hand.
Draco clenched his jaw. "Why do you ask?"
For a moment he thought she might not even answer, but another half-smile finally graced her lips. "Something Hugo said today, I suppose. He thinks there's some sort of unusual connection between our magic. Because of the way I was able to gain the affiliation, and how you've recovered yours. He thinks there's some sort of magical bond between us—beyond the standard Lunae Bonds, of course."
Draco's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "He does?"
Hermione nodded. She disentangled their fingers, plastering her palm flat against his as she drew silver magic into her veins.
"Dagomir mentioned something like that because of the way you've bent the affiliation to serve your will," Draco admitted, his heart leaping at the flash in her eyes. "He thinks I was meant to choose you."
A breath hitched in her throat. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," he whispered, twisting her shimmering hand palm up and trailing the fingers of his own marked hand along the flesh of hers. His magic flared to life along his spine at the feel of her affiliation twining with his.
Hermione swallowed, a puff of air chasing from her lips as she dropped her gaze to their hands. "I can't make sense of this. Why you chose me—why I felt like I needed to be there that day. And…" She blew out another sharp breath. "Why I feel like you're the piece I've been missing."
Draco froze, his fingers tightening around hers. Raw magic pulsed at the tips of his fingers and he breathed, "I don't think these are questions with easy answers. So much of this magic is still unknown."
He withdrew his hand, letting his magic expand between them, and he felt her magic nudge against his in return. The feel of it left him raw and exposed, the very depths of him laid bare before her in a way he'd never experienced.
Focused on the magic swirling into the air of the room, Hermione curled her fingers shut into a loose fist, her eyes seeking his. Draco felt like the breath had been sucked from his, his magic lurching towards her at the motion. His eyes flew open in surprise.
"What did you just—"
A twist of her wrist sent his magic flaring free into the space around them. His lips parted, the implications swirling around his hazy brain, overcome with the feel of her magic.
With a breath held in his chest, Draco jerked his wrist back, feeling her magic draw into him at the motion.
Hermione whispered, "Holy shit."
Silver magic hung dense in the air, brightening the room but for the darkness of her eyes grounding him. He dragged his fingers along her upturned palm, the feel of his magic grazing hers so sensitive he nearly recoiled from the intensity.
Worrying her bottom lip, Hermione rose from the bed and crossed the room, her eyes tight on his. Her shimmering fingers tapped an anxious rhythm against her leg, and without warning Draco felt his magic wrenched from within him; the lights flickered and turned off.
"What the fuck," he choked, "did you just use my magic?"
A quiet, incredulous laugh chased from her lips; he could just make out her silhouette in the failing dusk light through the window shades. She said, her lips curling, "Try it."
Narrowing his focus, Draco stared at her where she lingered by the door and imagined drawing her magic free. The shades on the window twisted, allowing moonlight into the room. A slow grin spread across his face, the feel of it overwhelming and heady.
His magic danced free from within him, twisting through the room and tangling with hers as if of its own volition. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
Wonder shone in Hermione's eyes as she crossed the room, watching the flares of magic break free. Both of his palms shone with the lunar magic but it was as if the deep spring of it had transcended the constraints their mortal bodies provided.
The essence of her played against his skin and before he could marvel at the feel of it she pressed up on her toes, her lips brushing against his.
An eruption of magic shot through him and in that moment Draco wouldn't have been able to differentiate which way was up. He swallowed her gasp, deepening the kiss, feeling every part of her chasing through his core.
His magic was so awake, so stimulated that a groan slipped free of his throat when she wound a hand into his hair, her magic pulsing against the back of his head.
Distractedly, he pulled her shirt off with one hand, dragging the other down her bare back to hitch her closer. A whimper broke from her lips at the feel of the contact.
Draco's mind reeled.
Flashes of magic burst beyond his closed eyelids as he hitched her up, slamming her against the wall with less finesse than he'd intended, grasping a handful of her arse as her legs coiled around his waist. The fingers of his other hand faltered as he released the closure of her jeans, and he could feel the quake to her hands as she tugged his shirt over his head.
"Draco," she gasped, the word muffled as she kissed him again, deeper, pressing herself against his bare chest.
He couldn't tell where his magic ended and hers began, lunar magic bright and celebratory between them.
Something deep and primal seized at him as a growl chased from within him; he broke from her mouth, dragging his teeth along the curve of her jaw and sucking her earlobe between his lips. He purred into her ear, "My Amor."
She released a moan, the sound of it shooting straight to his groin as she fumbled with his trousers, shoving a hand into his pants without warning. As she dragged her fingers along his hardening length, he huffed a heavy breath, tossing her into the bed.
Magic swirled around the room in clumsy discordance, as if it sought to break free into the world beyond.
A slow grin stretched across his face as he gazed upon her. His heart raced an unsteady rhythm, breaths heaving from his chest. He kicked off his jeans before pulling Hermione's down her legs, tossing them to the floor.
His cock throbbed as he gazed at her in her bra and knickers, her magic teasing his and spurring him onwards. Draco felt halfway in a haze as he released the clasp of her bra and dragged her knickers free, leaving her fully bared to him. He threw his shorts to the pile.
A smirk curled his lips, her eyes dark as she reached for him, dragging him down onto the bed and kissing him again.
Merlin and Morgana, he could feel her magic racing through him.
Hermione's tongue teased against his like her magic nudged his in his own veins. The feel of her fingers as they curled around his cock might have been enough to break him apart. As he slid his fingers between her legs, Draco felt as if he could simply implode from the overwhelming feel of it all.
Every touch flared through him, emotion and feeling racing between them as if they weren't wholly separate beings.
He breathed, "Hermione," against her lips as she grabbed hold of him without warning and positioned him at her entrance. A grin spread into his cheeks as he slid into her.
And if he thought he'd known pleasure before, he'd been wrong. A low groan chased his lips at the crashing of sensation, and he found himself thrusting into her, harder, faster, her cries urging him on as she dragged her nails along the muscles of his back.
The feel of Hermione clenching his cock was almost more than he could take, magic and adrenaline a dull roar behind his ears. Pure and unadulterated awareness of her swept through him, wave after wave, as with each thrust he neared close to the edge.
Draco lost track of everything but the onslaught of her, pleasure and delirium spurring him on. Her nonsensical exultations whispered against his ear tugged at something deep within him. Finally he felt her tense around him and he broke, pleasure crashing over him and coursing through his veins with the darkening of his vision.
He froze above her, harsh exhales breaking free and a sheen of sweat at his temples.
Clouds of magic hung in the room, his or hers he didn't even know.
For all he could tell, it wasn't separate anymore.
Draco collapsed alongside Hermione, and despite the soft, sated smile on her lips, her eyes were glassy. She gazed up at the ceiling, tugging the thin sheet up over them, and he realised gentle shivers racked her body.
He pressed a lingering kiss to her temple as he wrapped his arms around her, and murmured only a quiet, "What."
She released a soft giggle, twisting her fingers in the air. Thin streams of magic broke from her fingertips. "I don't know."
He couldn't begin to explain or rationalise what had happened—how their magic had escaped and entwined—or why he could still feel her as if they weren't quite separate.
Silently, she dragged his magic free from his palm, experimenting with the way his magic reacted to her, and Draco could only watch in awe.
She used his magic to pour two glasses of water from the bedside carafe, and Draco wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't felt the flare of his own magic. "Stop that," he said, a wry grin spreading across his lips even as he accepted one of the glasses as they floated past him.
As she sipped from her water she didn't respond, but when she set down the glass she shifted towards him. He caught another glimpse of her eyes, shiny with moisture before her face vanished into his bare chest.
"All I know," she said, the words soft and muffled against his skin, "is that I'm yours and you're mine." She drew back only far enough to blink up at him, a tear breaking free. "And I'll follow you anywhere."
Draco clenched his jaw, drawing her closer as he felt his affiliation start to settle at last. And before the last of the shimmering magic dissipated, he drifted into slumber.
When they emerged for breakfast the next morning, it was nearly half nine. Draco stifled a wide yawn, his entire body fatigued from magical exertion.
Hermione walked a little clumsily at his side, a sleepy smile on her lips as she took a seat at the breakfast table by his side. It wasn't until Draco was halfway through spreading marmalade on a slice of rye that he looked up at their companions.
Hugo sat tall in his seat, his brows high and expression stoic. Colour flared in Madeline's cheeks as she gazed into the sitting room beyond. And Dagomir scowled at the table, a stern furrow in his brow as his eggs sat untouched.
A frown slipped onto Draco's face. "What's wrong?"
Although he clenched his jaw into a hard line, a snicker escaped Hugo's throat. Dagomir fired him a look. Hugo clicked his tongue and asked, "Good night?"
Madeline clapped a hand over her mouth, just barely stifling a high release of mirth.
Draco froze, casting Hermione a sidelong glance; her eyes were startled wide. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, offering the table a grimace.
Dragging a hand along the back of his neck, he muttered, "Sorry."
Hermione's face shone red.
"Some interesting…" Hugo cleared his throat, making a face, "magic coming from your room last night." He snickered, ignoring Dagomir's low snarl, and added, "But hey—at least your mother stayed at her sister's."
"Thank Merlin for that," Draco clipped, and the tension broke.
A bit of a giggle finally slipped from Hermione, and she exchanged a bashful glance with Madeline.
Dagomir took a swig of pumpkin juice with an uneasy effort at a grin before he rose and departed the room with a bit of an awkward bow.
A full-on snort escaped Hugo as the man left the room. His eyes widened as he drawled, "Anyways. Now that you're both up and refreshed."
Draco fought a smirk at Hermione's obvious embarrassment, even as he caught Hugo's eye. He took a large bite of his toast, wondering whether they'd noticed the multiple rounds that had followed the night before.
The adviser proffered forth one of the old journals, flipping it open to a marked page with a quiet, "You're going to want to take a look at this."
Author's Note: Thanks as always for reading, friends! We're coming into the home stretch here and I almost can't believe it. See you in five days!
Alpha hugs and squishes to Kyonomiko.