Chapter 13:
"Mon Dieu!"
Hermione darted her eyes to the couch where the exclamation came from and grinned. Her mother had fainted.
Of course she doesn't faint under the worst curses known to magic, she doesn't faint after 14 years of Azkaban, she doesn't faint from the sight of pain or blood, no, Bellatrix Lestrange, Death Eater extraordinaire, elite Dark Mistress, faints due to her daughter's reappearance.
"Oh dear. Father? Will she be alright?" Hermione glanced at her father's worried face.
"Well I'd assume so, but I've never seen her faint before," he said perplexed.
The twins were beaming like Cheshire cats in the background, and Hermione sensing this, turned on them and spoke menacingly, "This does not leave your minds or this room. Got it?"
They gulped, "Yes V." They had begun to see exactly why the Dark Lord wanted the Lestrange heir in His ranks. Her eyes blazed with cold fury, she was innately calm, but the kind of calm that foreshadowed the end of the world.
There was a shuffling on the couch and Hermione turned around to see her mother's eyes opening slightly. She walked quickly over to the couch and sat down next to it. Her mother's hand rose up to her daughter's cheek and caressed it, "You're back! I thought I was seeing things." Hermione smiled down at her mother.
"As did I when you fainted," she said cheekily.
"Well I'm not what I used to be," Bella said sadly. Rodolphus clasped her hand and helped her sit up on the couch. He motioned to the other two seats and couch for the twins and Hermione to side down.
Hermione looked at him questioningly after Bella's statement, suppressing her shock. She might be a little unhinged, but she was always strong … what is wrong?
"Father?"
She watched her mother and father glance at each other in silent communication before turning to the twins. "We take it you've been silent?"
They nodded together in agreement.
Rodolphus sighed, "Alright then. Veri, the Dark Lord has become even more obsessed with Potter and strengthening His own power. He has been waiting for you and young Malfoy to return from Asia to recommence His attacks. The two of you will head the new ranks. Per his orders, you are the up and coming along with the best trained. The Inner Circle is now led by Lucius, so the Malfoys are clearly wielding a lot of influence." Hermione raised an eyebrow over the change in power. Her parents had been the heads when she had left.
"What happened while I was gone?" She questioned warily.
"The Dark Lord was impatient for you to be home it seems. You made quite an impression at the ball. Quite the impression. He was more than happy that you were training, but considering his twisted nature, wanted you home. So He took it out on Bella and myself." His voice shook and he looked away. "He couldn't have you, so He took her." Hermione shot a horrified glance at her mother.
"Why?! Why would you do this? All you had to do was call me back! You know I would have come." She walked over to her mother and sat down beside her, hugging her, tears falling of their own accord for what her mother had gone through. "At least with me He would be somewhat gentle. He knows that I am a potential and He will want to woo me to his side. Oh, Mother."
"Hush darling. I did what I had to, just like I've done before. You needed all the training you could get to live through this war and I stand by what I did. Your father wasn't let off the hook either. The Dark Lord is a depraved man, no matter what you might think of his wooing practices." Her mother glanced down at her, her gaunt cheeks eerie and her eyes broken.
The twins were shifting warily at the intensely private scene in front of them. They really hadn't needed the mental pictures floating through their brains.
Hermione glanced back at them, her tears clearing and her check on her emotions back. She stood up. "Well this only stiffens my resolve that something must be done. Clearly the Dark Lord is insane, that's a given. However, Harry is the only one that can kill him, and Harry isn't much better off."
She glanced at Fred and George who nodded. "With Ginny by his side, he is weak. She keeps him off-balance and kills his self-esteem. We need to cut her out. Unfortunately, I think I'm the only one able to do so; which will make politics a whole lot of fun at Headquarters."
She glanced at her parents. "Now, I'm going to have to go the Dark Lord and get my Mark. I know that and accept it. I will play the part of Pureblood Princess." She looked out the window at the gardens, praying for peace, "He wants me. I can use that. I'm no easy slut from Slytherin House and He knows it. I'm unattainable. As long as I stay that way, with a few concessions, I can keep Him on a tight leash. Our problem will be the other Death Eaters. How many have you talked to?" She glanced questioningly over at her parents.
"We have Lucius. He is tired of taking orders, and the killing of other Purebloods does not sit well with him. Plus Our Lord killed Narcissa as a lesson to the other female wives, not to expect to be above the Dark Lord in their husband's loyalty. Narcissa was one of the only good things in Lucius' life," commented Bellatrix, looking forlorn.
"My brother is also on board, primarily due to you, daughter. We have most of the new recruits who have been shown the rougher parts and want out. We are slowly working our way through the middle ranks. That is hopefully where you will come in. Fred and George have been doing what they can; they have gotten a number of former classmates to consider." She looked over at the twins.
George picked up, "What we need is someone who can exemplify what we are trying to talk about. You'll be leading most of the middle ranks. You are in more of a position to mold them than anyone else."
Fred continued, "The biggest problem is keeping it all quiet from Our Lord. He is fairly overconfident now, but we all know not to underestimate Him. What we need to concentrate on is how to approach the Order. Our family seems to comprehend, but we have been compromising for thousands of years, we're used to it. Remus and Tonks are both supportive as well - they only want revenge upon Greyback."
Hermione paced the room, filing everything they said into her brain. "Ok, so what we need to ensure is that we aren't approaching any Death Eaters that will cause conflict with the Order, or vice versa. I think, however, that they are generally self-avoided, since people who support the Dark Lord fully are not going to support a quick end to this war."
She took a deep breath. "That is our goal. This war needs to end. We need to build bridges between the two worlds, not attempt for extremes. The Dark Lord's goal of complete annihilation of Muggleborns and Muggles is implausible at best. They will continue to crop up, magic obviously has its own agenda. What we need to do is offer more for the entire Magical world. Muggleborns need to be introduced into our traditions and customs." She looked up at a sound from George.
"Don't be an idealist V, you know that isn't all it will take."
She nodded and continued, "I know, they will bring their own traditions into it, but the basis should be magical. We have Muggle Studies classes, why not Magical Societal History, etc? Once this war is over, that is what we shall need to address." She waved her hands a little and rolled her neck.
"Right now, we need to make it clear to both parties that all we want is an end to the killing and peace. We need to assure them that their opinions will be taken into account and that it won't be an extremist government that rules after the war is over. For now that will have to be good enough."
She walked over to her parents, "Mother and Father, I would like to speak with Lucius. Perhaps we can host a dinner between the families or something to that affect." They nodded and she turned, "Fred and George, we need to broach this with your family. Right now, Molly is key. Death Eaters killed her husband, and she clearly sticks by her morals, turning her own daughter out. The Order will follow her in the end. If we can get her to understand, it will make everything easier."
She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "Bill and Charlie will also be big proponents for the younger crowd. Those that are opposed to Molly's outspoken ways may be more persuaded by Bill or Charlie's level heads. So Fred and George, I want you to be placing some of what we talked about in front of her. Ease it into conversation, see how she reacts. We will go from there." She ran her hand through her hair and sat down in her chair.
She glanced at the other four and noted their surprised but comprehending glazes. Her mother looked proud, her father grim, and the twins looked determined. "Alright, I think that's enough of me talking your ears off for the night. Fred and George, I'm going to stay here tonight. Simply tell anyone who asks, that I freaked out after waking up between you two and ran off to the library. None of them know me well enough to refute it." The two nodded, hugged her, and apparated away.
She walked over to her parents and hugged them tightly, whispering, "I missed you so much."
They hugged her back and let her sit between them on the couch. "We need to discuss the Dark Lord dear one. He will be going after you in both a military sense and a marital sense. He wants an heir. To Him it's the only way to stay strong. To make it worse, we aren't quite sure why, but He hasn't connected you with Hermione Granger; which means that he is gunning for her as well. He is frustrated that she disappeared after the divorce and hopes that she is dead, but has Dolohov out especially for her." Hermione rolled her eyes at that.
"Of course he wouldn't connect the two. The interesting thing will be to see if He knows of her return today. There is a spy in the Order and that is a wrench that could destroy us. I have a feeling I know who it is, but I need to prove it first. Has there been any strange activity from the Dark Lord and specific members?"
"Lucius will be the one who would know darling. We have attempted to stay under the radar lately. Also if the Order knows you're back at the same time as their Granger, they might start connecting dots, no?"
"V will act as though she has been back for at least a week. I was unpacking and acclimating will be the story. Voldemort will know that I only just returned; if He wants me as much as I think He does, He'll have spells awaiting my return. But if I explain that I wanted to instill a mysterious air about me, I think He may fall for it. I shall go to Him tonight. I have a feeling that an upfront approach will be best. It will offset His expectations and show Him that I won't be pushed around easily. This will give me a chance to get into his Headquarters and feel around. I can hopefully get the spy that way too."
She saw the worried looks on her parents' faces and reached out to their hands.
"I'll be fine I promise. I've learnt a few things and I can take care of myself. I want you two to rest and recover. I can help now and we'll soon be back in the Dark Lord's graces, just you wait." Her eyes flashed.
Her mother smiled and her father was reminded of another Lestrange female who had that same fervor in protecting her own family. "Alright dear one. We shall let you go get ready. Come and get me when you are ready to go to Him. I shall have to take you," said Rodolphus as he led her mother out of the sitting room and to their own bedchambers.
Hermione stood up quickly and walked to her own. As she entered the long vacant room, she glanced at the bed, remembering the night of the ball and her interlude with Draco. She shook her head wearily. She would deal with him when the time came. She would need to ensure that he didn't spill her secret to the Dark Lord, but also knew he was unready to hear about her plan.
She walked over to her armoire and pulled out an outfit that she had sent there earlier in the day. As she pulled off her robes and replaced them with the other outfit, she mentally relaxed and revved herself up for the strenuous night ahead. Once she had pulled up the last zipper she glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked like a full-out Dark Witch.
She had put on supple, soft, black leather pants and a matching soft leather bustier halter. In all honesty it reminded her of a 1940's swimsuit top, but it was comfortable and bared her toned stomach and curves. She left her matching collar on and put on black leather sandals that tied up her calves. The pants had slits up to her knees, so the sandal ties could be seen. They allowed for easier movement and she looked reminiscent of a modern warrior princess.
Two strips of braided leather adorned each bicep; both were ingrained with multiple protective and healing spells. She left her hair free, letting it flow down her back, the colors shimmering. She painted her eyes a smoky green and put blood red lipstick on her lips. She painted her nails blood red as well. Over top she put on a cloak of the same leather material.
The leather was clearly well made and expensive. It didn't shine or make a sound. It fit like a second skin and was duller, which allowed her to slip in and out of the shadows unnoticed. She placed her hood over her head and went to get her father from his room.
When he had slipped out and joined her in the hall in his full Death Eater regalia, he looked down at her cloak and said, "I don't want to know what you have on under that do I?"
"I highly doubt it Father."
"Indeed. Let's go then."
He grasped her hand in his left, while his right hand held his wand against the Mark. He tapped it twice and they apparated away. They landed in a large marble foyer. Rodolphus cursed under his breath.
Hermione glanced around and took in the opulence of the foyer and her father's cursing. "We're at Malfoy Manor, aren't we?"
"How did you .. yes we are." He looked over at her attempting to see her face under the cloak and led her up a large staircase.
"Well there are very few people who would recognize me, and I have a feeling you don't want Lucius knowing what I am about to do, considering it rather goes against your pride, no?"
"You, daughter, should have been in Slytherin."
"I was too smart for them." She grinned cheekily in the shadows of her cloak.
Then, she tapped her father's arm softly and motioned to the hallway before them. "Someone is coming."
"I'll assume they are coming to see why we are here, let me do the talking." He replied stiffly.
They continued to stroll down the hallway, waiting for the other person to make an appearance. Hermione was watching the corners closely and noticed a shadow slip in and meld with those of the wall up ahead. She smirked. As they passed the spot, she pulled her arm from her father's gently and said in a disguised voice, "No point in hiding Mr. Malfoy. I know where you are." Her father looked at her slightly shocked; he hadn't seen or heard anything at all.
Suddenly a figure lunged out of the darkness towards the pair. Hermione stepped in front of her father and stopped the black clothed figure mid motion with a punch to his arm joint and a short kick to his opposing hip joint. She muttered a quick binding spell in conjunction with the kick, stopping any form of retribution in its path. She looked down at the slightly shocked face of Draco Malfoy and grinned. She pulled her hood back and saw his eyes narrow in dislike.
"You," he spat.
"Me," she said calmly.
She looked back at her father who was watching the conversation with narrowed eyes and said, "Father, I believe Mr. Malfoy can take me to where I need to go. I shall be fine. Goodnight." She hoped he got her message that she would explain everything later. Right now she needed to concentrate on Malfoy and ensure that he would keep her secret.
Her father nodded shortly and stalked back to the apparition point.
She turned back to Malfoy. "So if I release you, are you going to attack me again?"
"Of course not, you bitch. Far be it for me to protect my home against intruders." He glared at her.
She waved her hand at his bindings and they fell away as she said, "Oh hush. You knew very well who I was, or you wouldn't have hidden."
"Yes and that leads to the question of why are you here? I had assumed we were no longer in contact." He sneered.
"I'm here for Our Lord." She watched his face closely.
His eyes flashed for a moment but he maintained the rest of his composure, "Ah and the whore comes to do her job." He stalked closer to her and grabbed both of her arms tightly and pinned her to him.
Ok, so he's a bit stronger than you are. He is jealous! That's a point towards my goal, now to work with it. "I only do what He bids me to Draco." She hoped his first name would catch his attention. "You know very well that you are my other half; but right now, neither of us can do anything about it. You deny it just as much as I do. If the war was over, things would be different. Right now though, right now, we have no choice. We are His pawns and I will do what I have to in order to win, just as you will." She stopped talking and hoped her words would sink in.
He gripped her arms a bit harder and leaned down closer to her face. "He does not know who you were, I suppose you want me to keep it that way?" It was the only thing he could say that would let her know he understood.
At her short nod he pulled back. He glanced down at her once more and the sight of her painted lips and face enraged him, purely because it was not for him to see, but another. He pulled her fiercely up to him and grabbed her lips in a bruising kiss. He let go after a minute, her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen and even redder. "You will be mine and no one else's. Just you wait." He shoved her away and stalked down the hallway.
"Follow me." He said shortly as he disappeared around a corner. She hurried after him, closing down her mind and pushing the memory away where she could think about it later.
When they reached a particularly opulent door he raised his fist to knock lightly, but she grabbed his hand and quickly muttered, "I have a feeling you're going to need a headache potion later. A cloth soaked in murtlap essence placed over your forehead will help the most. I apologize for what you may go through, but just know that I went through it every time you had another girl."
With that she knocked lightly on the door and waited to be allowed in.
Malfoy was looking at her curiously and suddenly winced. She then felt something attempting to broach her mind but stopped by the impenetrable walls.
The door was quickly opened and Wormtail stood looking at the two with an apprehensive gaze. He motioned Hermione into the room and closed the door quickly in Malfoy's face.
The room was a dark forest green. While it was a full suite of rooms, the one she had walked into was the sitting room. The fire crackled and just next to it, in a leather, high-back chair sat the Dark Lord. His face had grown more wrinkled and thin. The scaley tint was more noticeable and his height seemed slightly diminished. She was glad she had worn flats.
He caught her eyes and held them for what seemed like eternity before standing up and walking towards her. She bowed slightly, showing Him that she knew her place. He lifted her chin and turned her to help her with her cloak. She felt his hands against her skin and shivered in contempt, hoping he took it as lust. He handed the cloak to Wormtail and sent him away.
He drew her to a chair in front of His own and helped her sit. He then took His own seat and looked over at her. "I see that Asia did you good my dear. You look even more beautiful than before." His voice had lost the 's' sound, something she suspected was an affectation for his Death Eaters.
She hooded her eyes and pulled all of her geisha training to the front of her thoughts. "Thank you My Lord. You too are a sight for mine eyes, sore or not. The time was long but I thought of you frequently. That is why I have come the night of my return to speak with you." She forced a blush onto her cheeks.
He smiled at her, or at least what she thought was a smile. "I am glad you speak so plainly my dear. It is refreshing to not need to sort through the twisted lines of my followers. Do you want me to Mark you little one? I am sure you will find it quite pleasurable." He winked at her.
Did the Dark Lord just wink at me?! Dirty, old pervert! She bit back bile and murmured huskily, "My Lord, I believe your Dark Mark on my arm would be the perfect adornment for it. As well as a way to remember you by each day I am forced to go without your presence."
He had stood up and walked over to her at her last sentence. He was running his scaly hand over her bare shoulders and tracing the skin down her arms and just below the top on her stomach. She hated herself for allowing it and for causing Draco the pain he was likely in.
Malfoy! Get it together girl. You have a point to all of this. Don't get distracted.
She caught his hand in her own, pulling it away from her body. She looked up at him and said blushingly, "I'm unsure if I should allow such boldness, even to my Lord. I do not want you to think that I am below my Pureblood line, My Lord." She caressed his hand with her fingers, even as she said that damning statement, praying he wouldn't kill her for her audacity.
Instead she felt a spell wash over her. A purity spell, why that sneaky bastard.
She forced herself to think of pure thoughts and the fact that she was still a virgin. The light around her changed from its cast blue into a pure white. She smirked inwardly. It helps to know how the spell works. Since it reads your thoughts, looking for evidence of either physical or mental impurity, if skilled enough, you can get around it quite easily. But I doubt he knows that. And the know-it-all wins again!
She felt him stiffen as the light changed to pure white and saw his face turn into insane elation. He quickly withdrew his hands from her body and said, "You should maintain your purity at all costs. It is a rare and precious thing my dear." He took her hand and kissed it, turned it over and kissed the pulse, then ran his forked tongue up her forearm to a spot just below the elbow where he nipped lightly. She held herself steady and waited. Her own body was coursing with slight shocks of pain as he bestowed his affection on her, and she knew it was the results of her semi-bond with Malfoy.
Voldemort straightened up and held his wand to the bite mark on her arm. He muttered "Morsemordre" and she felt pain akin to Crucio course up her arm and through her body. She sat still, keeping the pain at bay and not showing a single emotion aside from desire and loyalty to the Man-Snake in front of her.
She saw his snake eyes widen in amazement at her ability to withstand the Marking and grinned slightly. Her ninja training had prepared her well with many courses on withstanding pain, increasing pain tolerance, and pain management. He looked down at her lustily and said, "Your strength impresses me little one. But I fear that my control shall slip if you sit there much longer and impress me tonight." He helped her stand up, keeping a hand on her nude waist. He grasped it firmly, saying, "Stay at Malfoy Manor tonight, have young Malfoy watch over you. I have plans for the two of you in the morning."
She smirked inwardly, He has no idea at the advantage he has just given 'young Malfoy.'
She looked up at him with admiration in her eyes and said softly, "Yes Milord, and here is something for you to remember me by." With that she ghosted her lips over his quickly and then walked to the door. She turned as she opened it and said huskily, "Until tomorrow My Lord." With that she slipped out the door and closed it softly behind her.
She placed her hand over her mouth to hold the bile in and attempted to sense out where Malfoy was. She quickly found him and sprinted in the direction of his room. Once she found his door she pounded on it, hoping that he wasn't asleep.
The door was thrown open and a disheveled, pissed off Malfoy appeared dressed in silken pajama bottoms alone. He saw her in the hall and dragged her into the room, slamming the door behind her. She glanced around and rushed into the bathroom. She spent another few minutes in there, throwing up the bile that had risen from her dealings with the Dark Lord and then cleaning out her mouth and body. Malfoy stood in the doorway watching her dispassionately.
As she straightened up from washing out her mouth she looked at him. "I'm sorry for that. I was supposed to tell you that Our Lord wants you to watch over me for the night and we have a meeting with Him in the morning."
"You really have his confidence in you? Why do you do this? It's treason." He raised an eyebrow at her.
She brushed past him quickly. "I do it so my mother doesn't have to. I do it to keep my parents safe. I do it to stay on top." She turned to him furiously, "Why do you continue to fight for the one who killed you own mother as a lesson?"
Her eyes flashed as he stopped in his tracks. "We do many things for different reasons Malfoy. The Weasley twins joined to keep their lives. They were ambushed in their shop and threatened with the rape and torturing of their family members if they didn't turn spies. What would you have done? We fight this war about blood, but that's not what it comes down to, is it? It's about our loved ones being safe. Can't you understand that?"
She turned away from him, transfigured her clothing into a silk, floor length nightgown and walked to the window. She pressed a hand against the pane and closed her eyes against the thoughts rushing through her mind.
Draco's own mind was reeling. He had joined the Death Eaters at sixteen, proud to be following in his family's footsteps. Before going to Asia he had been witness to countless revels and raids. The mass murdering and varied attacks made him question the Dark Lord's sanity, but assumed that there was a greater plan. However, after his time in Asia, he was forced to reexamine things.
His mother had been killed to teach others a lesson. If that could happen to the Dark Lord's right hand man, then there was no true loyalty. Now the only other person that he had come to care for was threatened. I admit it, I care for her. Gods I can't afford this, but who says we pick the best times to fall?
He stepped up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders lightly. "I understand that sometimes we have to let those we love do what they need to do, as we ourselves must do all we can." She turned to face him, her eyes looking up at him questioningly. He sighed, "We should head to bed; tomorrow will be a long day." He kissed her forehead and pulled her towards the bed.
She crawled in next to him and curled up in his arms, "I won't be like this every time, I promise. Just hold me tonight Draco. I don't think I'm going to be able to do this alone." Tears coursed down her cheeks and her body shook as pent up emotions coursed through her.
Draco wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest, "You won't have to. I won't say it often, but I don't think I can do it without you either."
Hermione's short breaths soon evened out and Draco's firm grip relaxed into that of contented sleep.