Newest chapter folks. I've actually finished this story now (yay!), so there should be a fair amount of updates. Please tell me what you guys think, this story has taken me years to complete, so I'm interested in what you think of it. Please review. And most of all, enjoy. Istalindar.
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Hermione and Charlie stepped back through the fireplace into the empty back room, and he pulled her into a hug.
"What did they say to turn you into a harpy?" He asked jokingly. She glared and he sobered. "No, seriously." She relented.
"They knew I was there." She said quietly. Charlie frowned, and tipped her chin up with one finger so he could look her in the eye.
"What?" He asked, shocked.
"They've known since after Christmas that I was at Malfoy Manor, and they decided to do nothing." Hermione elaborated. She bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm mad at, I understand their actions. By doing what they did, biding their time, they got me out and didn't risk Draco."
"Not too much." Charlie muttered. Hermione smiled.
"If they'd rushed the manor Lucius would have known that Draco told them. Draco would be as good as dead."
"All the same-"
"I turned into a harpy because they were insensitive enough to tell me they knew. That is about it, actually. Yes, I feel betrayed because they didn't storm the place, but I understand why not."
"Emotion versus reason." Charlie said. Hermione grinned.
"You understand me already." He shrugged with a grin.
"Shall we go break the news?" He asked. "We have to leave in two hours as it is."
"Is that it?" Hermione asked, surprised. Charlie nodded.
"Two in the afternoon. It's non-negotiable because of how they've arranged the keys to prevent tracing, so no one can work out where we're going to be."
"Wow." Hermione said quietly. "This is fast." Charlie nodded.
"I know. And I'm sorry." She shook her head with a smile.
"No, it's okay. The faster I'm out of here the safer everyone will be." She offered her arm. "Shall we?" Charlie laughed.
"We're going to have to work on this marriage, I can tell." He commented. Hermione laughed.
"Already?"
"I'm gonna need to know the best way to stop you turning into a harpy." Charlie answered with a smirk. "Or I might feed you to the dragons."
"I might feed you." Hermione retorted, and Charlie winked at her before leading her into the kitchen to face his, their family.
"Huh?" Hermione rolled her eyes at her husband's youngest brother.
"I'm sorry, what?" Harry added. Hermione sighed, inwardly wincing at the hurt look in Harry's eyes. And now she knew what Lucius meant when he said she had thought loudly when she'd commented on Lucius and Draco looking handsome and how annoying it was: for an occlumence, Harry was thinking very loudly. And it was repetitive, pointless, and whiny.
"Harry, could you think a little quieter?" She snapped finally. "You're giving me a headache." She shook her head. "In an hour and a half I am leaving with Charlie, my husband, to go back to his dragon research. I'm sorry, but it's to protect everyone."
"We can take care of ourselves." Harry retorted. Hermione glared, the remnants of her pissy mood at Hogwarts regrouping for another attack.
"Harry, you are not everyone. By everyone I mean everyone who lives in this house. Possibly excluding the ghoul." Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
"What do you mean, think quieter?" Ron asked. Hermione look at him blankly, deciding not to answer that.
"You could hear what I was thinking?" Harry asked. He sounded whiny again, and this time it was out loud.
"Harry, Lucius Malfoy could probably hear you thinking." She retorted. "Look, I'm sorry, like I've said, that I didn't get to spend more time with you. Take comfort in the fact that I'm safe and well and-"
"Married to my brother. That's just weird."
"But now she's your sister." Ginny said, appearing at Hermione's side. "Hows that for weirdness? Anyway, Hermione. We need to get you some clothes so you have something more to wear in Romania than my brothers boxers." She smiled and towed Hermione away quickly.
"Thank you so much." Hermione muttered. "They were driving me mad."
"Charlie said you were going to sprout wings and eat their hearts if I didn't get you out of there." Ginny said wryly. "For the record? Harpy is not a sexy nickname. Does sound like Hermy though, so it might just work." Ginny grinned.
"Thank you." Hermione said sarcastically. "So much."
"Anytime." Ginny laughed and ushered Hermione into her room. "Now, I'm going to assume you need everything so I'm going to double everything. Then we can resize as necessary, you can stock up on toiletries and we can gossip as we go and we'll be done by two." Hermione stared at Ginny, who grinned.
"I'm becoming super efficient." Ginny explained.
"Yeah." Hermione agreed.
&
They were done by half one, which gave Hermione a chance to wander out to orchard to watch her two best friends play quidditch. She kept twisting the thin gold band around her finger as she stood and watched. Being married was very sudden. And while she liked Charlie, it was only platonically. Yes, he was handsome, and yes, he was lovely and funny and it appeared he could also calm her down when she was on the verge of hexing people, but she didn't love him. Didn't even like like him. She'd always thought that when she got married, if she got married, it would because she was desperately in love with the man she said her vows to, that she would say every word as fervently as though her life depended on it.
She didn't imagine that she'd be married for convenience, even if it was to save her. She wasn't ungrateful, just a little put-off by the coldness of it.
"Hermione." Ron flew down to greet her, having finally spotted her. "How long have you been here?"
"About five minutes." She answered with a smile. "You're keeping has improved loads." Ron grinned.
"Yeah, well, I was rubbish at school." Hermione frowned and Ron rolled his eyes. "I forgot, I'm on the Gryffindor team as keeper. I was so rubbish Malfoy made up a song about me."
"How charming." Hermione said dryly. Ron nodded.
"Tell me about it. Harry's captain now, which everyone saw coming a mile off, and he's as bossy as Oliver was." Hermione grinned.
"Is that possible?"
"Ron, are we gonna play or what?" Harry barked from above them. Hermione nodded.
"It's possible." She conceded. Ron frowned.
"Hermione, he's as pleased as I am that you're back, it's just…well, he still likes you. Loves you even, and now you're married to Charlie, and god knows what happened when you were gone though I know none of it was what you wanted, he's feeling a little jealous, I guess." Ron winced, expecting an explosion.
"He's welcome to swap places with me if he wants." Hermione said levelly. "I appreciate it, Ron, that you're talking to me and all, and how well you've taken my marriage to Charlie, but Harry's gonna have to come to terms with this in his own way, I think." Ron nodded.
"You're right."
"It's just a shame I doubt he'll be able to do it before I leave in fifteen minutes." Hermione said, checking her watch. Ron winced.
"Really? That soon?"
"Pre-set portkeys." Hermione explained. "Non-negotiable time."
"Joy." Ron commented. He looked up at where Harry was circling aimlessly. "Harry! Get down here, Hermione's leaving in fifteen minutes!" Harry flew down and dismounted.
"What?" He asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I leave at two." She said simply.
"With Charlie." Harry said coldly.
"With Charlie." Hermione replied. "I'm going in to say by and thanks to everyone."
"I'll come with." Ron said instantly. "Not to say bye and thanks to everyone but-"
"I get it. Thanks Ron." Hermione said quickly. She kissed him on the cheek. "Can you give us a minute?" He nodded and headed inside, leaving Hermione and Harry alone.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked. "We could visit."
"I don't think so." Hermione said. "We're going to a new site, apparently. Charlie hasn't said that much." Harry nodded, and there was an awkward pause. "Harry, I'm sorry." He shrugged.
"It's not your fault." He answered blankly.
"Then stop blaming me." Hermione replied vehemently. He looked at her, shocked. "I'm sorry, Harry, I really am. I care about you, a lot, but I'm not in love with you anymore…a year changed a lot."
"Did you fall in love with Lucius?" Harry sneered. "Replaced me?" Hermione looked at him steadily, and his eyes widened. "Oh my god, you did!"
"He put me under thrall." Hermione explained patiently. "It's not a real feeling, but it doesn't make it any less strong."
"He made you a thrall?" Harry said. "Isn't that a bit pointless?"
"You know about thralls, right Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded.
"We were taught them in sixth year." Harry said.
"So what happens if the thrall's master abandons them, cuts them off?"
"They fade and die."
"Yeah, they do. And that's what Lucius did. And I'm very lucky I lived through that, Harry, but it changes you, stops you trusting any sort of feeling like that at all. That's why I'm not in love with you anymore, Harry, because I don't even know if I can love anymore." She was being melodramatic now, she knew, but she wanted to well and truly put Harry off.
"So you don't love Charlie." Harry said. Hermione shook her head. "So why did you marry him?"
"Because he can keep me safe." Hermione said. "Come on, I have to go inside." She turned and headed in, and after a moment, Harry followed.
"Oh, have you got everything?" Inside, Molly was fussing around the kitchen. "I can't believe you're leaving so soon!"
"I'd be leaving today anyway, mum, you know that." Charlie said tiredly, glancing at Hermione. She sent him an amused glance and he hid a smile.
"Yes, but Hermione! She's only been back a few hours and she's leaving again. What about her parents?" Hermione frowned, that was a point.
"Tell them I'm safe, but I can't see or speak to them." She said. "Tell them in person, don't write to them. It'll be too noticable."
"I'll do it." Harry said. "I'll phone them." Hermione nodded.
"Send them my love." He nodded.
"Will do."
"Hermione." Charlie said softly. "Ready?" Hermione nodded, and quickly hugged everyone one last time. Then, on three, she laid her hand against the plastic water bottle portkey and was tugged away from the Burrow.
&
They appeared on a large plateau around halfway up a mountain. When Hermione looked down at she could see was cloud.
"We're high up." She commented, holding her cloak tighter around her.
"Yep." Charlie grinned, and she could already see the excitement in his eyes. "Let's go check in, see what's to do." Hermione nodded, and let him lead her to a tent off to the side, flying a very small, very subtle Ministry banner.
They were greeted outside by a tall, sunburnt man with very little hair and a rather rough, 'I haven't seen civilisation in over two years' appearance.
"Hermione, this is Joseph Landerthal, call him Joe."
"Charlie." Joe grinned, and the pair hugged. Joe looked to Hermione and frowned. "Charlie, we said no guests."
"Joe, meet my wife, Hermione." Hermione held out her hand to shake only to realise that Joe had no right hand. She quickly swapped, blushing. Joe laughed as they shook.
"Smooth transition there, little lady." He said. "And congratulations, Charlie never mentioned a fiancee." Hermione shrugged.
"Likes to keep me to himself." She said with a bright smile. Joe smiled back.
"Know anything about dragons?" Joe asked, gesturing for them to come into the tents.
"No practical experience." Hermione said, glancing at Charlie. "So nothing, really."
"I like her Charlie." Joe proclaimed. "Right attitude to dragon studies. I imagine you've been coaching her."
"You only pretend to be a know-it-all about dragons once around Charlie." Hermione said with a smile, taking Charlie's hand. "And after that you let him have the floor." Charlie grinned, kissing her on the side of the head. Hermione smiled.
As far as married couples go, she thought they were pulling this off quite well.
"Down to business." Joe said, settling himself in a chair and gesturing for them to do the same. "Charlie, your tent is at the edge of the encampment, as you like it." He addressed Hermione. "Hope you're not afraid of heights." He smiled. "The dragons are due to come in in two days, but you know what they're like. There's also evidence of some smaller dragons, so we'll see how that pans out. We've got the usual crew, Paul and Mary, Diane, Susie, Jack, Daniel and Luke, plus us, of course. Susie, Jack and Luke arrive tomorrow, Paul, Mary and Diane are already here, and Daniel is tied up at the Ministry so we can't get hold of him until next week."
"He'll miss the arrival." Charlie commented. "That's his favourite part."
"And we're gonna hear about it." Joe said darkly.
"What kind of dragons have we got?" Charlie asked, ignoring Joe's comment. "This isn't within any of the usual nesting or resting grounds."
"We don't know, Charlie." Joe said. Charlie's eyebrows skyrocketed. "It's a funny thing, no-one's seen these dragons before, and this is the only place in the world that they hang out. We're here to watch and record as subtly as humanly possible, we have no idea about the temperaments or anything else of these dragons." Joe glanced at Hermione. "This might not have been the ideal first dragon trip to take her on." Charlie shrugged.
"She's smart. And I trust her." Joe nodded.
"Then that's enough. Right, I'll let you go get unpacked, and you can explain all the protocols to her while you sort yourself out." They all stood, and Joe beamed at Hermione. "Welcome to the team."