A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Happy New Year! Thank you also to everyone who wished me well over the holidays. I hope you had a nice break - I did, but I am ready to get things back to normal. Speaking of, we will be back to our normal, every three day update schedule with this story now. Also 2019 related, have you checked out my tumblr (nauticalparamour)? I posted a list of my planned stories for 2019, and I think there might be some in there that will tickle your fancy. You can also catch sneak peeks, story updates and ask me questions there.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-one in a few days!
As the semester went by, Hermione could not shake the feeling that something was going to happen. The anticipation filled her stomach with dread with each passing day, like a rollercoaster making the slow climb up to the top. By the time they had gotten to May, she could feel herself teetering on the edge, waiting for the bottom to drop out from underneath her.
She had hoped that telling Harry about Theo would have brought them closer together, but he only pulled further away. Headmaster Dumbledore was always calling him to his office to discuss things, and he was cultivating a relationship with Professor Slughorn for an unknown purpose. His remaining time was spent stalking Malfoy even more than before, culminating in a duel in the girls' lavatory. Malfoy had been seriously hurt enough for Harry to realize that the Potions book he'd been relying on all year was far more dangerous than he'd initially suspected.
Hermione had helped him hide it away from himself, so that he'd never be tempted to use it again, even though she knew that he'd probably already memorized all of the spells. She tried to talk to him about what he'd been up to, but Harry had pulled away, silent.
Ron had broken up with Lavender after Valentine's Day, though the details were all still sketchy for Hermione. She got the impression that that was something he wasn't telling her about the breakup. She wouldn't ask, though, because she didn't want to encourage the sad puppy dog looks that he would give her, probably wondering why she didn't just fall into his arms now that he was available again. Hadn't he realized she hadn't spent a single night pining over him? Instead, she'd been pulled away into empty broom cupboards by a very possessive werewolf named Theo Nott.
Hermione and Theo had been passing the evening in their little room on the Seventh floor one evening close to the end of term, meant to be studying, but snogging instead, when they heard a great commotion in the corridor outside. Immediately grabbing her wand, Hermione wanted to run for the door, only to have Theo hold her back. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "You can't just run out into the unknown like that."
It was nice to have someone looking after her, devoted to her safety and wellbeing, but Hermione Granger never enjoyed being told what to do. "Well, we can't just sit here - we need to find out what's going on," she countered.
"Wait," Theo instructed, before pressing his ear against the door. If he had superior senses, he was certainly going to use them to his advantage, rather than just letting Hermione charge blindly out. "There are six or seven people."
Before they could discuss their plan of attack, Hermione was startled by the sound of someone knocking over a suit of armor followed by a woman's cackling. No matter how she tried, Hermione would never be able to forget that laugh. "Bellatrix," she whispered, staring wide-eyed at Theo.
He nodded at her grimly. "This must be what the Dark Lord had Draco working on," Theo said darkly.
"Well, we can't just let Death Eaters into the school," Hermione insisted firmly. "We have to go out there and stop them, and try to warn the others. Students are at risk, Theo."
Theo was about to agree with her, before a nauseated look came over his face. "Fenrir is here," he said, breathing out deeply. It had been months since he'd seen the creature that had changed him, but he was certainly unprepared to meet him again. Theo looked scared, the muscles in his jaw tense as he kept a tenuous hold on his self-control.
Hermione squeezed his hand, hoping to be reassuring. "Then it's even more reason for us to go out there," she whispered. "Think of what he could do to everyone, especially if there is no one here to hold him back."
Theo took a deep breath before nodding, agreeing to fight alongside her, even if it seemed foolish and certain to end in their deaths. He pulled her down for a searing kiss, before drawing his own wand, hand on the handle.
The commotion in the hallway intensified and Hermione could hear spells zinging off of the stone in the corridor. Her heart soared when she realized what it was. "The Order is here!" she told him, proudly. "Real aurors - we won't be on our own Theo." Bolstered by the knowledge that they would be in good company, Hermione turned the handle of the door for him, stepping out into the hallway.
Her eyes widened while she took in the scene. Malfoy was standing near the entrance to the Room of Requirement, watching as a handful of Death Eaters lead by Yaxley were fighting with the Order and some members of Dumbledore's Army. Hermione's heart clenched in her chest, wondering when they had shown up, and wondering how she'd missed the memo. Guilt flooded her body and she wondered if she'd been too distracted by Theo, and had been left out of crucial planning. Hermione Granger couldn't just sit by, even when she had a special person in her life.
Remus and Tonks were fighting side by side in tandem, moving together beautifully and so in sync. Hermione was reminded of Remus's off-hand comment about the young auror in his letter and wondered if Remus had a mate as well. Kingsley Shacklebolt was fighting tooth and nail against a reckless Thorfinn Rowle, who was casting Killing Curses at anything that moved, but winning. Bellatrix Lestrange was urgently pulling on Draco's sleeve, trying to get him to follow her somewhere.
Upon seeing Hermione and Theo run up into the fray, Malfoy locked eyes with Theo, staring at them in shock, his eyes dropping to where their hands were still joined. Again, Hermione could feel her belly twist in nervousness, wondering if Draco had known about Theo's entanglement with her and if she was pulling him away from his own friends.
Before they could really aid in the fighting, Malfoy was pulling something out of his pocket and throwing it on the ground. Hermione gasped when the corridor was filled with a thick black smoke. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, she thought to herself, miserably, knowing that this was certainly not going to help anyone. There was the sound of a body hitting the floor and Hermione prayed that Rowle hadn't been able to kill one of their number.
Blinking, she tried to peer through the darkness, but was unable to see anything at all. Holding onto Theo's hand like a lifeline, she was grateful that he hadn't let her go, knowing that she would be utterly adrift without him. Theo must have been able to see a little bit better than her, though, because he was wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her away from the squabble. "Draco is getting away," he whispered fervently. "We have to go after him before he does something stupid."
There was an urgency in his voice that made her heart clench for him. Theo didn't want to believe that his friend was beyond saving yet, and for Theo's sake, she hoped that he was right about Malfoy. Letting her feet follow his lead, Hermione blindly stumbled through the corridor hoping to find a bit of clean air.
She was thankful when the powder began to dissipate and she was able to see the floor in front of her again. Looking around, Hermione was certain that she wasn't familiar with this part of the castle. "Do you know which way we're going?" she asked Theo, hoping that he did.
He made a noise that did not inspire much hope for her. "It's a bit hard to follow their scent with the powder," he explained, pulling her along behind him.
Theo skidded to a stop when he turned the corner, causing Hermione to run into his back. "Theo?" she asked, timidly, wondering what it was that had made him stop so suddenly. Stepping out from behind him, her heart dropped when she saw that Fenrir Greyback was blocking their path.
"Hello pup," he said, giving Theo a feral grin. "I've been longing to chat with you again since this summer. And you've brought us a snack. How thoughtful."
"I can't say the same for you, Greyback," Theo growled out, barely having a handle on his anger. "If I never had to see your face again, I could die happy."
"Oh, don't be like that," Fenrir taunted him. "You know that your place is with us, with the Dark Lord. We can bring you to him tonight, with Malfoy, and you will be handsomely rewarded."
"I'm not going to go with you," Theo bit out, still standing between Fenrir and Hermione, hoping to shield her from the older werewolf.
"Is it because of the mudblood?" Greyback asked, cocking his head to one side. "Because we could bring her with. Maybe share her? Is she as good as she smells?" he asked, making an obscene gesture towards Hermione that had her gasping in indignation.
"Shut up about her," Theo snarled, grasping his wand tighter in his hand. "Don't even look at her."
At that, Fenrir's eyes were widening in surprise. "My little pup has found his mate," he said proudly, showing off glistening teeth. "Then, you should understand that you belong with me, with my pack more than ever, Nott. I could show you the way of our kind, somethings that you will never be able to learn from anyone else."
The words were lucrative, but the source meant that it was a non-starter. There was no way in hell that Hermione would consent to go with Greyback, and she knew that Theo would be even more resistant, even if he wanted to learn more. Turning his head to give her a panicked look, Theo shoved her away from him. "Go, Hermione," he instructed. "I will handle Greyback."
"But, Theo-"
"No," he commanded, giving her an imperious look that told her he would not be argued with in the slightest. "Go, now, and I will find you afterwards."
While it pained her to leave Theo's side, she knew that he was capable enough to handle himself in the school. Running away, she did so only with the knowledge that she was going to get Theo help. She ran back in the direction that she had come from, and was glad to see that the Death Eaters were in retreat, heading down the grand marble staircase, blasting things as they went. Bellatrix cackled all the way that she went, not at all bothered by the spells that went whizzing by her head.
Malfoy was tucked under Professor Snape's wing as they lead the charge, Harry hot on their heels. Hermione gasped, knowing that she needed to help her friend, but that Theo needed help, too.
"Remus!" she called when she made it to the bottom of the staircase. "Please, you've got to help me. Fenrir Greyback has a student trapped up in a corridor. It's Theo Nott, Remus, you have to help him, please," she begged, tugging on his sleeve.
The name Fenrir Greyback would have been enough to get Remus to pause, but the look in her eyes must have clinched it for him. "Is he..?" Remus trailed off, needing confirmation to a question that he already knew the answer to.
"Yes," Hermione said, nodding furiously. "He's mine." It was all the explanation that was needed between the two of them.
Remus gave her a hard, pitying look, but nodded anyway. "Go find Harry," he instructed, clapping her on the shoulder. "He needs your help."
Hermione didn't need to be told twice, running out onto the grounds and into the summer air. Harry was still chasing after the Death Eaters that left, but not landing anything. By the time that she reached his side, Harry was sobbing.
And Dumbledore was dead.