Hey guys. Here's another update for you, I hope you enjoy it. Just a small note: I've been wrong on a slightly technical note (thank you CareBearErin for pointing it out), in that occlumency is blocking someone from your mind, and legilimency is going into someone's mind. So when Draco went into Hermione's mind it was legilimency, not occlumency. I've not corrected myself in past chapters, but I've made an effort to correct myself in this one and the future chapters, though I may have missed a few. I haven't really distinguished between the two the way JKR does, but you guys know what I'm talking about in the story, right? Any more technical things I've gotten wrong please tell me, it's good to know people are paying enough attention to spot them!
Hope you enjoy this next bit, it's flowing well so far, so hopefully updates will be pretty regular. Enjoy. Istalindar
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Term ended for the summer, and Draco returned triumphant as the highest scoring student in their year. He'd been picked as Head Boy for Seventh Year, too. A Ravenclaw girl had gotten Head Girl, Hermione didn't catch her name, though she did mutter bitterly about how that position should have been hers.
Draco came to see her only once, his visit as brief as his last. There was a dark revel in three weeks, held at Malfoy Manor in honour of the Dark Lord. Everyone would be there, and that's where Draco would get Hermione out. He had it all planned, though when Hermione asked how he shook his head and didn't answer, leaving her to trust in him.
In the meantime she spent a lot of thought trying to work out how she'd appear to be a thrall when it was obvious to anyone who looked her in the eye that she wasn't one. There weren't even any spells she could ask Draco to perform to make her look thrallish. She just had to keep her head down and play the pathetic castoff and hope people bought it, and that no one wanted to look her in the eye and gloat.
It was the only plan she had, so it had to work.
The day of the revel she was presented with a black dress, very plain with a black bodice and skirt, and lace sleeves. There was jet jewelery to go with it and she had one of the House-Elves put her hair up and do her makeup, and then she was ready. She was incredibly nervous, she had no idea how this was going to work. The revel would be full of people, which theoretically should make it easier for her to escape, but as Voldemort's pet, the Dark Lord at least would probably be keeping an eye on her. She just didn't know, and the only thing she could do was trust Draco. And hope for the best.
Lucius escorted her to the revel, and she didn't meet his gaze, she just whined a little about how he never came to see her anymore. He snorted but didn't answer, contempt coming off him in waves. Hermione tightened the walls around her mind, playing images of their past together for him to see so he thought she was still enthralled.
He brought her to the revel, the ballroom of the manor filled with people in black dancing, talking or just people-watching. Hermione didn't see Draco and didn't look for him. Lucius brought her before Voldemort and she knelt, murmuring the usual pledges of loyalty, and accepting his hand to sit at his feet. She kept her eyes down and her mind blank. This was crunch time, when it really mattered. If she was ever going to succeed at something, this had to be it.
Or she and Draco would be dead.
As the night wore on Hermione was called upon to dance with Voldemort and Lucius, though she was mostly left to her own devices. Once she saw Draco and met his gaze, but he looked swiftly away, revealing nothing to her.
She had to trust him.
It was hard to stop from worrying constantly though, about what would happen, how she'd escape, where she'd go. But she had to stop thinking about it, or else Lucius or Voldemort or some other random accomplished legilimens in the crowd would pick up on it and they'd be screwed. She focused hard on blocking her mind from everyone else, using the techniques she'd learnt from Draco's occlumency diaries that he'd lent her.
She had to trust him.
Eventually she couldn't stand it anymore, her mind whirling and becoming hard to keep a fast grip on, so she escaped to the garden. She suspected that Lucius might have picked up on her guarded mind and that he might be trying to confuse her so she let her guard down, but once she was in the garden, away from the music and the whirling black of all the dancers, her mind cleared and she could reset all the boundaries.
A soft step on the gravel made her whirl, and she saw Draco standing there, his black robes making him seem even paler, and the moonlight lending no warmth to his appearance.
"Draco." She said quietly.
"The deatheaters have gone down to perform the rituals." He said quietly. "I've been assigned to look after you." She nodded and he moved quickly to her side. "This will turn into a portkey in a minute." He said, pressing a silver necklace into her hand. From the chain hung a hammered silver snake. "And here." He closed her hand around her wand, and she revelled in the feeling of having it back. "The portkey will take you to the Weasley house." He explained quickly. "Its warded that no one but the Weasleys and Potter can get in by Portkey, so you'll have to walk in from the edge of the property. When you're there, make sure you speak to Dumbledore. He knows what's going on. Then get out, my father will probably follow you there. Make sure they move as well. If my father comes, stun him. Break his wand and send him back here using the spell 'remurno', it'll send him back here as long as it's linked to something from the house, the snake necklace will do it." He smiled. "I promised I'd get you out."
"Thank you." She whispered. He nodded and kissed her forehead. "For everything." She rose up to kiss him but their lips barely touched before she felt the jerk of the Portkey and she was suddenly spinning and tumbling through space.
And then she was there.
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She landed unsteadily and her legs gave, making her collapse into a heap on the muddy ground. Clearly it had been raining more here than at the Manor. She clambered to her feet with the help of a nearby fence and hobbled down the hill towards the precarious building she recognised as the Burrow. She was halfway down when a crack made her spin, clinging to the fence. Lucius stood there, looking cold and beautiful and absolutely furious.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded. "Hermione, get back here."
"No." She said quietly, and quickly raised her wand. "Stupefy!" He was flung backwards and when she cautiously approached him, he was out cold. She snapped his wand as per Draco's instructions and bound to two pieces together with the ruby and silver bracelet he'd given to her for her birthday. Then she raised her wand again. "Remurno." At first she thought she'd gotten it wrong, because his body stayed. Then it wavered and vanished and she sighed in relief. "Good riddance." She muttered, turning back down the hill and half walking, half running down it towards the house. The sooner she was inside, the safer she'd be.
Her legs were practically gone by the time she splashed into the muddy courtyard in front of the house, and she collapsed against the door, banging on it with both fists and yelling. It was nearly four in the morning, it was logical for them all to be asleep but none of them were that deep sleepers…they couldn't be, not with George and Fred in the house.
The door was finally opened by Arthur Weasley, who stared at Hermione, confused.
"Mr Weasley, it's me." She gasped. "Hermione. You have to let me in I don't know how long it'll be before they come for me." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house, dropping her onto a chair and shutting and warding the door.
"Hermione?" He asked, turning to her and folding his arms.
"Mr Weasley, please listen. I was kidnapped from King's Cross the day we came home from Hogwarts a year ago. I was taken to Malfoy Manor where I was kept under Lucius Malfoy's surveillance. I was made into a toy near enough for Voldemort's amusement and Draco helped me escape. You have to believe me."
"It's a far fetched story." Arthur said, his tone not convinced. She sighed.
"When Ron was four the twins transfigured his teddy bear into a spider because he snapped their broom and he's been afraid of them ever since. They also tried to make him make an unbreakable vow but when you caught them you tanned their backsides and they swear it's not been the same since. A couple years ago-"
"Enough." Arthur held up his hand. "I believe you. "It's simply that you look rather well kept."
"You should have seen me two months ago." She muttered. "Mr Weasley, Draco sent me here, and told me to get in touch with Dumbledore as soon as I got here, apparently he knows I'm here." Arthur nodded.
"Fine. I'll contact Dumbledore and we'll see what he says. Until then, stay right there."
"Arthur?" Hermione and Arthur looked up to see Molly at the base of the stairs. "What's going on?"
"Hermione's back." Arthur said crisply. "I'm about to contact Dumbledore. Apparently he knows she's here."
"Oh, you dear dear child." Molly cried, rushing forward and crushing Hermione into her arms. Hermione relaxed, relishing in the feeling of being home again.
"Molly, watch her. I'm going to contact Dumbledore. Don't forget that she could be a spy." Arthur warned.
"Arthur, it's Hermione." Molly argued reasonably.
"She's been away for a year, Molly." Arthur reminded her. "A lot can happen in that time. Watch her, please." Molly nodded, and Arthur disappeared into the back room, and after a few moments Hermione heard him speaking into the fire.
"Mum?" Hermione and Molly looked up to see Charlie and Bill on the stairs, woken by the noise. "What's going on?"
"Hermione's back." Molly exclaimed, and quickly dropped her voice when her eldest sons shushed her. "Dad's telling Dumbledore." Bill and Charlie quickly came downstairs and hugged Hermione tightly.
"Hun, where have you been?" Bill asked, hugging her tightly then holding her at arms length to look at her.
"Wild party." Charlie commented, also looking at her.
"A Dark Revel at the Malfoy's." Hermione said quietly. "Draco got me out in the middle of it."
"Draco?" Charlie asked. "As in Draco Malfoy?" He sounded unbelieving.
"He's a wild card." Hermione said quietly, remembering what she had said to Draco. "He never declared one way or the other."
"Makes him dangerous." Bill commented quietly. "Unpredictable." Hermione nodded. "What does he want in exchange?" Bill questioned. Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Yet." Charlie addeed. She nodded.
"Yet."
"Hermione, Dumbledore said he's been expecting you and that he's pleased you arrived safely. He wants to see you for a moment though, you can floo through and back again." Hermione nodded, rising slowly to her feet and wavering a little.
"Are you alright?" Charlie asked. She nodded.
"Fine." She smiled and walked into the other room, where she saw Dumbledore's face in the fireplace.
"Miss Granger, I'm glad to see you well. Come through, if you would." One glowing hand reached out from the fireplace and Hermione hesitantly took it, and suddenly she was pulled through, standing in Dumbledore's office in beside the Headmaster. Without speaking he took her head in his hands and stared hard into her eyes. She stared back.
"Draco was right." Dumbledore said quietly, releasing her. "He did manage to lift the thrall." Hermione felt awkward. Exactly how much had Draco said about lifting the thrall? This could get extremely embarrassing. "You needn't worry," he added cheerfully, "He said nothing about the raising except that it had been done. I will send you back to the Weasley's now, you need some sleep and, I think, to see your friends. We will talk again later at a more hospitable hour." She nodded, and he tossed floo powder into the flames, making them flare green. He nudged her gently forward.
"The Burrow." She said clearly, glancing once more at the headmaster before stepping through and coming out in the room she had left barely two minutes ago. Arthur, Molly, Charlie and Bill were waiting for her.
"She can stay in my room." Charlie volunteered. "She needs rest. I'll sleep on the couch." Arthur nodded.
"Fine. She can see the others in the morning, there's no need to wake them now." Everyone agreed, and headed up the stairs for their respective beds. Charlie led her to his room and dug out boxers and a t-shirt for her.
"I promise you they're clean." He said with a smile. Hermione smiled but looked away. This was strange, and the implications of what she'd done, what Draco had done, suddenly hit her and she sank onto the bed in a rustle of silk. Charlie was in front of her instantly. "Hermione? What is it? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She said, laying her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "Just…it just kinda hit me just then. That I'm free." She smiled, but Charlie still seemed confused.
"That should be a good thing though." Charlie said. "Right?" She nodded.
"It is." She agreed. "But…he's never going to let me go, Charlie. They're going to hunt me because I got away, because I tricked them. They can't let that slide. And if they ever find out that Draco helped me, that he freed me from being a thrall and that he got me out of the revel and sent me here, they'll kill him."
"Draco really helped you? You mean it?" Charlie asked incredulously. "That rat-faced Malfoy brat?"
"He's not eleven anymore, Charlie." She said with a smile. "He grew up, suprisingly enough." Charlie shook his head.
"I'm not so sure, but I'll let it slide." He decided. "But about you being a thrall? You are aware that thralls are extremely difficult to cast off, right?" She nodded.
"I read all about them afterwards." She said. "But Draco managed it. It helped that we were both legilimens, it meant he could get into my head and get rid of it."
"You're both legilimens?" Charlie sat back a little, looking wary. "Since when?"
"Lucius taught us. Him years ago, me before Christmas." Hermione said. "Relax, Charlie. It's not something I use regularly."
"But Malfoy used it to get into your head." Charlie said. "And you didn't say he could."
"At that point I was dying, Charlie." Hermione said gently. "I wasn't saying anything. All I could think of was Lucius."
"The thrall."
"Yeah." Hermione confirmed. Charlie was silent for a few moments.
"You should get some sleep." He said, rising and pulling her to her feet as well. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day, I think. Between seeing your friends again and going back to Hogwarts to see Dumbledore and who knows what else, you're going to need your sleep." Hermione nodded.
"Thanks, Charlie." She said. He smiled and slipped out of the room, leaving her to get changed. Before she went to bed she fished the snake necklace out of the secret pocket in the bodice of the dress and clipped it around her neck.
She never wanted to forget for an instant what Draco had done for her.
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She was dreaming again, running round and round the Manor, confronted by the black snakes at every turn. She tripped on one as she passed the stairs and suddenly she was sliding down the stairs, and she landed in a pit full of them, crawling over her and hissing in her ears. And suddenly they weren't snakes anymore, but the creatures Voldemort had shown her. She felt a scream building, and she fought to keep it down, to not give them the satisfaction of making her scream, but she couldn't keep it down, so she screamed.
And woke to see Charlie leaning over her, Bill hovering in the doorway.
"Hermione!" He exclaimed, tapping her face gently to get her attention, to bring her back to the real world. "It's okay. You're safe." She nodded, still gasping for breath, and Charlie pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "It's okay, Hermione." Once she'd quietened, Charlie released her, pulling back.
"I'm fine." She said with a weak smile. "Just a bad dream." Charlie nodded.
"It's over." He said, and she knew he wasn't just talking about the dream. "And now you're safe and you can relax." She nodded. "Do you want to come down for breakfast? Mum's expecting you, I think she believes they starved you." Hermione laughed wryly.
"That was the least of my problems." She swung her legs out of bed, and Charlie took her hand, leading her down the stairs behind Bill. When they reached the bottom Hermione hesitated. She could hear everyone, including Ron and Harry.
Harry, her boyfriend.
Oh god.
She hadn't even thought of that, and the fact that they were supposedly in love with each other. And she had been, a year ago. She could only hope he'd moved on too.
Bill caught her hesitation and took her hand, leading her down the last steps. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they paused. The twins saw them first and whistled.
"My oh my." Fred crowed. "That is called incest."
"Ugh." Ginny grimaced and threw a piece of toast at him, which caught him in the nose. "Don't be foul."
"Someone had a guest last night." George said, ignoring his brother's folly. "The question is who." Ginny finally looked up at the girl between her brothers and dropped her knife, which landed with a clatter on her plate and slid to the floor, flicking jam everywhere. She jumped to her feet and ran to Hermione, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Oh god." She whispered, tears running past her smile. "You came back." Hermione smiled and hugged her back.
"Of course." Hermione said. "I had some help, but of course I came back." Ginny smiled.
"Gin, what's the deal?" Hermione watched Harry walk into the dining room from the kitchen with a plate full of food, but then he saw her, met her gaze, and the plate slipped from his fingers, smashing all over the floor.
"Merlin, Harry!" Ron explained, coming up behind him. "What's your problem?" Ginny released Hermione and stepped to the side so her brother could see, and Ron promptly proceeded to drop his plate too.
"Hermione?" Ron whispered. Suddenly Harry was in front of her, touching her face with hesitant fingers.
"You're back." Harry said softly. Hermione bit her lip and nodded, and Harry crushed her into a hug, kissing the side of her head fiercely. "You're back…where have you been?" Hermione was about to answer, but Arthur stepped into the dining room, looking down at the mess the boys had made.
"Hermione, Dumbledore wants to see you now if you're ready." Hermione nodded, stepping out of Harry's grasp and turning to Ron.
"Hey there." She said with a broken smile, blinking back tears. She'd missed Ron and Harry so much. Ron pulled her into a tight hug, then let her go.
"You have to go see Dumbledore." Ron said. "You can tell us later." Hermione nodded, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do; how was she going to explain to Harry and Ron that Draco was responsible for her escape and for the fact she wasn't a thrall anymore?
"Come on Hermione." Arthur said gently, and she nodded, stepping gingerly over the mess of food and broken glass into the kitchen. Behind her she could hear Ron and Harry confronting Bill and Charlie about when she had gotten there, but couldn't turn back as Arthur had a gentle but unrelenting pressure on her back driving her towards the fireplace. He handed her the floo and she stepped into the large fireplace, throwing the powder at her feet and disappearing in a flare of green flame.
She stepped out in Dumbledore's office, where the Headmaster waited along with Professor McGonagall and Snape. McGonagall leapt to her feet with a gasp and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. Hermione hugged her back awkwardly until the Scottish woman released her.
"As I have said, Hermione returned to the Weasley's safely last night." Dumbledore said. Snape nodded to her. "Miss Granger, painful as this may be, I need you to recount your experiences from the time you were kidnapped a year ago." Hermione nodded, and sank into a chair. "Take your time, we need to know as much as we can." Hermione took a deep breath.
"It's okay, professor, I can do this." She assured him. She closed her eyes, and began.
It was harder than she thought. She cried a little when she remembered the pain she experienced in the dungeons, and looked apologetically at Snape when she explained how Lucius had discovered Snape was a white hat during the occlumency lesson. She cringed and fidgetted when she described the creatures she saw at her first meeting with Voldemort, flinching when she remembered how he killed Madeleine. She reluctantly told how she had Lucius became 'lovers', but recovered when she recounted Draco and her confrontation, when he discovered she was Lucius' thrall. She skimmed over how he managed to lift the thrall, focusing instead on how she worked after that to find her freedom and refine her legilimency. As soon as she said that, she felt a tickling in her mind, extremely subtle, and she slammed walls up against it so hard and fast that she saw Snape blanche. When he met her gaze she shrugged, unrepentent, and returned to her story. Snape exchanged a look with Dumbledore.
Her year had changed her. She'd grown up, very quickly, and it was possible she'd learnt more from the Malfoys, any of them, than she'd like to admit.
Hermione continued her story, including Draco's brief visit at the beginning of the summer and how he'd assured her everything was ready, and then she was talking about the Revel, and Dumbledore was questioning her closely about everyone she'd seen, what they'd done, what they'd spoken about. She felt bad when she had to tell him that eventually she had left the room to get away from it all and the insistent ache in her head, the chaos that swirled in her brain. She explained Draco's gift of the portkey and her arrival at the Burrow, and Dumbledore started nodded as she reached the part of the story that he knew about. When she was finished she took a deep breath, swallowing.
"That is remarkable." Dumbledore said finally. "You've survived better than I could have hoped."
"That's thanks to Draco, sir." She admitted. "I was dying before Easter, quite literally. I didn't move, I didn't eat, I didn't do anything. He brought me out of that." Dumbledore nodded.
"We know about the part he played, both in raising the thrall and in rescuing you." Dumbledore announced. "He came to me after Christmas, explaining."
"You knew I was there?" Hermione demanded, rising to her feet. "You knew?"
"There was nothing we could do." Snape said.
"Bullshit." Hermione spat.
"Think, Hermione." Snape urged. "If we stormed the Manor, all we would have done is condemn Draco and all that would be left of you is a thrall. This way everyone was safe."
"And if I hadn't gotten out tonight? If I'd been caught?" Hermione pressed.
"Then we would have thought up a new plan, and yes, we might have stormed the manor." Dumbledore said calmly. Hermione sat numbly, feeling betrayed. All that time she'd suffered, she'd worked, and they knew she was there.
"Hermione." McGonagall leant forward and took Hermione's hand, but Hermione shot her such a look that the professor sat back again. "We were keeping an eye on you. We would have known if it got too much for you to handle."
"Of course." Hermione said, that now-familiar feeling of resignation setting in. She sat back in her chair, looking at her three teachers. "So what now?"
"You need a place to go. The Weasleys can be moved to a safehouse but I would bet that there is barely anywhere on this planet where you'll be safe."
"We haven't dominated space travel yet sir." Hermione said dryly. Snape shot her a look, which she returned evenly. She was tired, annoyed, wearing ridiculous boxer shorts, and her teachers, the people she trusted to help, had betrayed her. She wasn't bothered if she pissed Snape off.
"However." Dumbledore ploughed on, ignoring her sarcasm. "There is another option." He turned to the fire and called for Charlie, who stepped through a few seconds later, brushing soot from his hair. "Charlie."
"Dumbledore." Charlie smiled, looking around the circle. "McGonagall. Snape." He focused on Hermione, immediately taking in her pissy mood. "Hermione." He moved to stand beside her, his tall presence beside her calming her down. "How can I help?"
"Charlie, I am aware that you are leaving Romania for another destination this afternoon." Dumbledore said. Charlie glanced briefly at the others in the room before returning his gaze to Dumbledore.
"Yes, but the location is top secret." He replied. Dumbledore nodded.
"I know. What I'm asking is that you take Hermione with you." Hermione looked up at Charlie and saw him frown, clearly thinking.
"Sir, that would mean-"
"Yes it would. It can of course be annulled should this situation pass, but," Dumbledore paused.
"It's never going to pass." Charlie finished. "Not until Voldemort falls and Lucius goes with him. Alright. I'll take her with me. It'll kill at least two birds with one stone."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, irritated by the cryptic conversation they were having.
"Where I'm going is top secret, for reasons I'll explain to you later. Researchers going to this location can only take spouses, girlfriends and the like aren't allowed."
"But we're not even…are you suggesting that we-"
"Hermione will you marry me?" Charlie asked with a grin. Hermione stared, then she looked back at Dumbledore.
"You can't do this." Hermione said flatly. "No offence to you Charlie," she flashed him a smile, "But if you marry me not only do you load yourself on a fairly permanent basis with a hunted person, but also if, by some wicked trick of fate you meet your soulmate and decide to get married and busy, there's going to be the small issue of your current wife in the way. And then of course you'll divorce me, and she'll want to know why we were married in the first place if you'll get rid of me so easily. Then you'll either have to lie to your soulmate, which I hear is a bad idea, or tell her the truth. Once she knows who knows who she'll tell, the game will be out and I'll be back to being hunted and/or dead. Making the whole exercise pointless." Hermione shrugged. "Nice plan though." Charlie chuckled.
"They did make you mad, didn't they?" He asked. Hermione glared.
"Yes." She ground out. Charlie smiled.
"Okay. Firstly, I've been aware since early this morning that this plan was in the works, so I've been thinking about it. Secondly, I know all the people going and despite the fact that at least three are female, they aren't my type. Namely because one is married and the other is gay, and the third just doesn't like me that much. Thirdly, you need somewhere far away and obscure to hide out, as well as a new name to protect you from location spells. I can give you both of those things, Hermione, and the great thing is, we get on, so you wouldn't even drive me mad."
"Charlie, I can't work with dragons." Hermione argued. "I know nothing about them!"
"You'll learn." Charlie shrugged. "Being there with them is the best education you could get. Frankly, you could have memorised every piece of literature ever written on dragons and I'd still say you know nothing until you get out there. And you're smart, so I can trust you not to do anything stupid." He grinned, taking her hand. "So, will you marry me?" Hermione sighed, knowing she was beaten.
"Alright." She said. She met his gaze. "I'll marry you."
"Marvelous." Dumbledore beamed. She glared at him.
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