A/N Hello, everyone. It's been a while since I've had a real A/N (I think). I am really excited about next chapter. I mean, I'm excited about this chapter, too, but next chapter has some great stuff. It's gonna be awesome. I really want to tell you guys but then it'll ruin the surprise and then it's no fun. Okay, moving on, this week is Thanksgiving week and I don't know how many of you celebrate it but Thursday will yield a very special surprise for you all. It's very exciting, this week is going to be great.
We've got some good stuff in this chapter so I hope you all enjoy and I will have another update posted tomorrow.
"Hello, Hermione. What brings you here today?" The Dark Lord asked as Hermione entered the library in her island home.
"I believe I have a solution to separating your soul from Nagini without killing her." Hermione closed the door, sitting across from the Dark Lord. He straightened in his seat, eyes resting intently on her. He had almost fully regained his former appearance, his skin was less transparent and darker, his eyes were dark and shining, framed by black eyelashes. His hair was short but dark brown, almost black and his nose was no longer flat against his face. His figure was more solid and filled rather than he wraithlike form he had when they had first met.
"Wonderful. When can we do it?"
"If you aren't busy I can do it now. She's the last one, right?"
"Yes. Except for Potter, but there is nothing we can do about that right now." He spoke in Parseltongue to Nagini, and Hermione watched as the snake slithered onto the table between her and the Dark Lord. Nagini coiled on the table, looking at Hermione with intelligent eyes. Hermione reached out and stroked Nagini's head, the snake's tongue tickling her arm.
"Are you both ready?"
"Yes, whenever you're ready, Hermione." The Dark Lord shifted nervously. He had faith in Hermione's abilities but Nagini was his familiar and he didn't want her to die.
Hermione took a steadying breath, nervous herself. She didn't have Bellatrix or Kyndet with her and she had never done it without one of them here to be her tether. The magic wasn't unfamiliar, just different. She could do this. Hermione reached out with her magic, familiarizing herself with the feeling of the Dark Lord's magic before searching through Nagini's for the same magic. She closed her eyes in concentration, part of her magic in the Dark Lord's and part of it searching through Nagini's. Droplets of sweat formed on her brow as she sifted through it for the soul fragment. Their magic was so similar and she was having trouble discerning which was which. She inhaled through her nose, twisting the ring on her finger to keep her grounded. The Dark Lord remained silent, watching with concern but not wanting to break Hermione's concentration. He could feel a strange sensation in his magic, not unpleasant, but unfamiliar.
Hermione exhaled, finding the soul fragment in Nagini's magic. She wrapped her magic around it, cutting it off from Nagini's magic and bringing it back to the Dark Lord's. Nagini hissed in discomfort but didn't strike Hermione, instead, she repositioned her coils. Hermione reintroduced the fragment back into the Dark Lord's magic slowly, not wanting to shock his system by introducing it all at once. She could feel it pulling away, trying to reunite with its host. She held it back, her jaw clenching with the effort as it trickled out. Her head was spinning and she could hear every sound in the room, could feel the gentle draft from the window. The last of the soul fragment slipped through her magic and she gave a sigh of relief, slouching in her seat.
"I hope I never have to do that again," she mumbled, opening her eyes. There were faint trails of colors around the room and her eyes followed them.
"Thank you, Hermione. Are you alright?" The Dark Lord watched Hermione's eyes wander the room, a faint look of shock on her face.
"I think so. I'm just seeing these weird ribbons of color. I think-I think it's magic," Hermione murmured, eyes settling on the Dark Lord. She caught faint traces of dark blue-almost gray-around him, the color reminiscent of the ocean at sunrise.
"Magic."
"Yes."
"Interesting." The Dark Lord tapped his finger against his chin, eyes scanning Hermione's.
"Yours is blue-grey. It isn't wrapped around you like I pictured when Kyndet told me about it, it's more like ribbons or threads. It's weird."
"You couldn't see it before?"
"No. I could feel it and sometimes I could manipulate it but that's it."
"Perhaps Kyndet will have an answer as to why you can suddenly see magic. You should get some rest. Thank you, Hermione. I don't know what we would do without you," The Dark Lord said, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"My Lord, I plan on proposing to Bella for Christmas. Do you know if there are any rituals for soulmates?"
"I have not come across anything in any of my research. I will see what I can discover for you but I imagine most of the rituals will be during the wedding ceremony. Congratulations." The Dark Lord smiled gently at Hermione.
"Thank you."
"Enjoy the rest of your day, Hermione." The Dark Lord left the library, Nagini wrapped around his arm. Hermione watched him go, standing from her chair and stretching. She felt slightly dizzy and didn't want to Apparate home in her current state. She wandered her home slowly, bracing herself on the wall as she walked. The walls were warm despite the cold air outside. The Death Eaters that passed her nodded at her respectfully. She could see the strands of magic around them, the colors making her head swim. Deciding she needed to rest, she entered the room she had shared with Bellatrix after the attack on the bridge. The darkness of the room soothed her head, and she laid down on the bed, closing her eyes. She sighed, sinking into the soft mattress.
Andromeda studied Aurion, the elf allowing her to examine his physiology. He stood still as she circled around him, poking different parts of his chest and back. He was well muscled but thin. His limbs were long and but fairly substantial. His skin was sun-kissed and his hair was a pale blond, almost white. His eyes were bright green, the color of the grass in the spring. The top of Andromeda's head reached just past his shoulder but not quite to his chin. He looked to be no older than 25, despite having to be several centuries old.
"How have you lived so long?" Andromeda asked, studying his face closely.
"Morgan's magic has allowed me to continue existing past my normal lifespan."
"What is your normal lifespan?" Andromeda took his chin in her hand, turning his head to each side.
"Only two or three centuries. I have been alive for over millennia." If Aurion was bothered by Andromeda's manipulation of his body, he didn't show it.
"Weren't you bored?"
"There is no shortage of information in any of Morgan's libraries and I still have the dragons, sometimes. There are times where I felt lonely. It was difficult, but it was also worth it to see Morgan's heir."
"What about magic? You can obviously use it. How did you learn?" Andromeda stepped away from Aurion, glancing over him thoroughly before sitting.
"When elves learn magic they learn it from nature. When we come of age, we are sent into the forest and cannot return until we can lower the barrier surrounding our settlement. Once we learn that, we learn a little bit of each magic from our elders. We can decide to learn one type of magic or we can learn multiple. I chose to specialize in healing and protection magics." Aurion sat in the chair across from Andromeda.
"Why?"
"It was what I was best at and I could never see myself using any other type of magic."
"Can you teach me?"
"I can try. It will not be easy. Humans learn magic in different ways than elves and I am not sure if it will translate."
"I'll do my best."
"Excellent. What would you like to learn first?"
"What's the first thing you learned?"
Aurion began explaining his technique, going slowly and carefully so Andromeda understood. She listened attentively, following Aurion's instructions as best as she could. She tried not to grow frustrated at the difficulty and Aurion did his best to reassure her and correct her technique. They didn't have anything to practice on so it was difficult to tell if she could actually do it, but the motions were right.