a/n1:
Hey guys! Thank you to those who reviewed - I am always happy to hear what you liked, your ideas about the plot, etc! :)
viv-heart betaed this and I will tell you a secret: we`ll soon start a collaboration fic!
I couldn't update yesterday because my wifi and my laptop don't like each other, sorry ;) Now, on to the story!
Hermione stared at the letter in her hand. The picture of Pansy Parkinson having sore fingers from playing the harpsichord was so unrealistic she nearly laughed. Hermione doubted that she really impressed Cassius Parkinson. What she had heard about the man from Arthur Weasley matched the picture Pansy described. But Arthur had said that he was not just strict and hard to please but also against Muggleborns.
"Do you think she really means it?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"I don't know. I mean…it seems so. But Slytherins are known for their ability to lie through their teeth," Hermione answered.
They contemplated the letters in silence for a moment and then resumed their evening activities. Pansy's letter reminded Hermione that this fall she would go back to Hogwarts to finish her education which in turn reminded her that neither Ron nor Harry would come with her. They never truly cared for their exams like she did and if they passed the Auror test they would be accepted without the usually required NEWTs.
Hermione wondered whether Draco would come back before she remembered asking him to do so. The last three weeks had been so busy that she felt as if it were three months. Preparing a defence, hunting down the first protocol of Draco's testimony and those relevant to his case. Hermione wondered when she had really stopped to think and realised that she hadn't. Sitting down on her bed she tried to breathe normally, suddenly seeing black spots and feeling as if her heart was going to break out of her ribcage. When Hermione rose her hands to pull back her hair she noticed that they shook and put them under her legs to stop the shaking. Taking deep breaths she slowly moved to her night table and retrieved a Calming Draught from there. Hermione opened it with unsteady hands and downed it. She felt the potion's effect immediately. Her hands stopped shaking and her breathing normalised.
A panic attack. But what had caused it? She had only thought about her busy weeks and…that she hadn't remembered to bring her parents back from Australia! Luckily the Draught was still in her system otherwise she would have collapsed right there. She hadn't once thought about bringing her parents' memories back!
Laying back she took deep breaths, closed her eyes and thanks to the calming effect of the potion soon drifted off to sleep.
Hermione sat down slowly. She was going to discuss her innermost fears and feelings with a woman who had officially hated her since before she knew her. Nevertheless she knew she didn't have to fear the other witch's reaction, as Narcissa had been nothing if not kind to her since they started writing. They had prepared tea downstairs and opted for mugs instead of the smaller cups. They would need the warmth from them.
Hermione took a sip from her melissa-tea and wondered where she should start.
"When Dumbledore died I understood something with glaring clarity: we were at war and the Order couldn't afford to stand guard over my family anymore. I decided that I had to send them away. After weeks of research and testing I settled on a memory charm that would tell them that they were the childless Wilkins who had a very strong wish to leave for Australia as soon as possible. In my nightmare I saw their faces, how they went blank when I used the charm. That was the moment that told me clearly that I am no longer a child, not even a teen but an adult and basically an orphan." Silent tears were falling from her eyes and Hermione tried to compose herself. Narcissa took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I was fifteen when Andromeda returned home after staying with great-aunt Cassiopeia for a month, at least that was what we thought. She had stayed with Edward. Married him the day after they were out of school, in the muggle world and told us with cold defiance, but I saw the spark of desperate fear in her eyes. Andromeda knew she would be disinherited and I never understood why she chose the family dinner were that old hag Walburga would be as well," Narcissa's voice dropped to a whisper. "She cursed Andy, a really nasty one as well. Seeing my own sister cursed by our aunt opened my eyes, but I was weak and didn't do anything against it." Now it was Hermione that squeezed Narcissa's hand gently while the older woman cried silent tears. They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione continued her story.
"I went to the Burrow, where I had to act like nothing happened. It was incredibly hard but I managed, I always do. On our Horcrux hunt we had to break into the Ministry. I witnessed two trials and had to act like that unfairness was completely normal. I didn't dare to conjure a Patronus as to not give me away so I had to sit there, as close as possible to the toad and I couldn't do a thing. On our flight I splinched Ronald. I tried to get rid of Yaxley and wasn't concentrating enough. When we landed…there was so much blood and I couldn't do anything. My charms didn't help. It was only when Harry woke up that I remembered the Dittany in my bag and was able to heal him. But he needed bed rest and that doesn't exactly work on the run." Hermione chuckled drily and took another sip from her tea.
"Would you show me your Patronus?" Narcissa asked curiously. Hermione drew her wand and conjured her little otter that floated around them before vanishing through the window.
"It's beautiful," Narcissa whispered. "I never managed one, only a shield and even that wasn't really strong. Did you see Ronald splinched in your dream?" The older woman asked after taking a sip of her tea.
"Yes, I also felt the horror of not being able to heal my best friend again. We weren't able to destroy the locket and decided to always wear it, lest we lose it. It influenced our mood very negatively. Ron always had a short temper and with the locket and his still healing injury it got even worse. We constantly argued and…in late October he left us. He was jealous of the friendship between me and Harry. I was never able to forgive him for that. He looked so, so baleful when he left after the row. He wanted me to come with him, but I could never have abandoned Harry on this mission. It probably would have killed him," Hermione joked.
Narcissa chuckled. "That's what Lucius and I thought after seeing you in the Manor. You seemed to be their driving force. But I never knew that Mr. Weasley abandoned you. I understand completely that you can't forgive him. After all there were much more important things going on!" The blond said with a haughty sniff which made Hermione chuckle.
"I have to admit, that I cried for a week, whenever Harry wasn't paying attention. After that only occasionally.
On Christmas we visited Godric's Hollow, as you surely know. I found the grave of Ignatius Peverell and Harry kneeled at his parent's headstone. He looked so lost and so, I don't know, heartbroken. That look haunted me in my dreams ever since. I think for the first time I truly understood what it meant for Harry to have no parents, only his horrible aunt and uncle. It renewed my determination to fight Voldemort so that Harry could make peace with it. I really should have known that something was wrong with Mrs. Bagshot when she didn't utter a single word. When I found the corpse…" Hermione trailed of and swallowed hard.
"It stunk, she was half-decayed and something had eaten parts of her. I ran upstairs, but I was not fast enough and Nagini had already attacked Harry. Everything happened extremely fast and then we were in some forest I had been to once, Harry was bleeding from the bite wound and his wand was broken. I set up the wards while keeping an eye on him and then used Dittany to heal him. He wasn't unconscious but screaming and trashing. It was really hard to watch, but I didn't dare stun him or something. When he woke up and I had to tell him, that his wand had been destroyed…I felt horrible," when Hermione's voice broke Narcissa put her arm around the younger girl's shoulders.
"On Christmas your friend Luna Lovegood was brought in. She was tortured by Draco as you know, but after he knocked her out 'accidentally' Dolohov asked to be allowed to take her away. I don't have to explain what that would mean, do I?" Narcissa asked quietly and Hermione shook her head no.
"But Draco spoke up. You have to know that every Death Eater gets a 'present' when he gets his mark, but he never asked for one, claiming to not know what he wanted. There in front of the Dark Lord he spoke up, asking for Miss Lovegood. It was a risk, after all a higher ranking Death Eater had already asked for her, but the Dark – Voldemort was, probably, proud that Draco finally 'embraced' being a Death Eater and gave her to him. She was woken and told that she was now property of Draco Malfoy, it terrified her but…her mask of insanity and serenity is extremely good. I was only able to see it because I trained to see the tiniest hints of emotions. Miss Lovegood was allowed to stay in my son's room during his stay at the Manor and was returned to the dungeons afterwards. But no one ever touched or tortured her again, because she was his," Narcissa finished. Hermione looked at the other woman with surprise.
"I knew that he had saved her from more torture, but I didn't know the details. That was incredibly brave!" she exclaimed. Narcissa nodded, a smile on her face.
"Indeed. What happened after Harry woke up?"
"We apparated to the Forest of Dean where he took his time to heal. One night he took the first watch, claiming to not be able to sleep anyway. I gave him my wand, so he would be able to defend us if needed and went to sleep. Sometime in the night Harry saw a doe patronus and followed it out of the wards. He found the sword of Gryffindor in a pond in the forest, but the Horcrux tried to kill him, probably feeling the danger from it. Ron turned up, pulled Harry and the sword out of the pond and then destroyed the Horcrux.
When they came back to the camp Harry woke me and told me he had found someone. It turned out to be Ron. He smiled at me like nothing happened and didn't in the least understand, why I was so upset with him. Prattled on how he had been "splinched" and lost two fingernails which were re-growing by the time he came back to us. I was so incredibly angry and neither of the boys truly cared, brushing it off like nothing happened. They treated me like I should forgive and forget after how he left me, again! Since third year he shunned me for at least a month or so and ignored my existence completely every year. Only in fifth year we didn't have that big of a row, but he constantly ridiculed me for S.P.E.W.," Hermione explained. "I probably should have been used to it by then. But this time was worse and not being taken seriously didn't make it any better."
"Teenage boys can be really daft about feelings," Narcissa tried to console her. "I take it that that is the reason that you aren't a happy, engaged couple by now?"
Hermione nodded. "I kissed him in the Chamber of Secrets, but it felt like I was kissing my best friend and told him that. We hadn't time to dwell on it luckily, but I'm not sure whether he has truly understood or not."
"As far as I know the next thing you did were going to Mr. Lovegood's house, but we were never informed why," Narcissa asked without asking.
"Dumbledore gave me an annotated edition of the Tales of Beedle the Bard and there I found a symbol I didn't know. Harry remembered Mr. Lovegood wearing it at the wedding of Bill and Fleur and we decided to go ask him. We didn't know that Luna had been kidnapped and thought he was on the side of the Order. He told us about the Deathly Hallows. I am sure you know the legends?" Narcissa nodded. "Well, they are, apparently, true. Dumbledore was the master of the Elder Wand. Harry had inherited the Invisibility Cloak and the Gaunts, meaning the family of Tom Riddle's mother, had unknowingly owned the Resurrection Stone. We don't know whether or not Voldemort knew, but he turned the ring into a Horcrux. We can only speculate about him wanting to become Master of Death."
"Incredible. I fear I know the next happenings too well," Narcissa said sadly.
"Yes. Maybe you could tell me what happened afterwards at the Manor. Was Draco punished for not identifying us?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"I won't lie to you. Yes, he was. Badly. He was lucky that you saved Luna as well because otherwise they would have included her in the punishment. But we were all tortured. Bella especially, for allowing you to be taken with them. For throwing you away, out of the way of the chandelier. They didn't only use the Cruciatus of course, but other curses as well. Especially the Lestrange brothers, Dolohov and a few others were quite adept at inventing very, very cruel curses and Voldemort always liked trying them on his own Death Eaters," Narcissa's voice shook with tears and old pain.
"I am sorry that you had to go through this," Hermione said earnestly and squeezed the older witch's hand.
"Thank you. If you don't mind, would you tell me how you three survived? I know you had your bag with the undetectable extension charm, but you can't conjure lasting food," Narcissa inquired softly.
"We, well I, developed a hunting hex that worked like a muggle gun and when we were close to small muggle villages we sometimes went scouring the trashcans. One time I wasn't careful enough and got caught by the owner of the restaurant. He beat me up. It felt worse than being attacked by magic, because I wasn't able to fight back. I didn't want to draw attention to me by using magic," the young woman said with a little annoyance in her tone. "After that we tried to use other ways."
"That sounds truly terrible. Would you explain that hunting hex to me? It's fascinating!"
"Well, I based it of a stunning spell. The incantation is 'Neco venatione' translated 'I kill for the hunt', the wand movement is nearly the same and it is basically a stunner that kills but only if your intention is to hunt to fill your stomach."
"That means you can't misuse it like Avada Kedavra, very good!" Narcissa exclaimed.
Hermione nodded and re-filled her mug with tea. They fell into a comfortable silence, both of them reflecting on what they had heard today.
"Thank you for trusting me, Hermione," Narcissa finally said in a very small voice. "I know there are people out there who cannot believe that I truly changed or that my husband and son are trying to do the same. I understand their reasoning. I would understand if Lucius has to go back to Azkaban, but I am truly thankful that you fulfilled my wish for a second chance."
Hermione smiled. "Of course. Harry and Ron thought at first that I am being naïve, but I am convinced that I did the right thing in trusting you. And I think Draco and Lucius will come around as well. They are both pretty intelligent after all," the young woman answered with a wink. They both laughed.
Hermione gazed out of the window and saw the men in question being lectured by a very stern looking Andromeda. Their similarity was striking but Hermione saw the small difference between the men as well. Not only their age and their experiences, but the features of Narcissa in Draco. His eyes seemed softer and he had always had a bit more mischief in them. He was also trying very much to remedy his actions previous to the life debt and was always civil if not friendly to her.
So much had changed. They were grown up, much more experienced. They learned how fatal prejudice could be and were trying to avoid it. Some more than others, but especially those who had been in Hogwarts during the last year wanted to make sure something like that never happened again.
a/n2: Alright, as always I hope you liked it and hope you will tell me in the reviews. It only needs two words *nudge, nudge* ;) However, I wish you a great week and (if a bit late) Ramadan Kareem to those of you who participate! :)