In the morning, Viktor eased out of bed to start the shower. Hermione woke when the warmth at her side went away. She pulled the covers up only to find them snatched away from her by her laughing, naked husband. Scooping her up like a child, he carried her into the bath. He let her down in the warm water of the shower.
"Is now the later you referred to last night, love? Your shampoo and soap are there. I'll join you in a minute." He tossed her a flannel as he located and retrieved towels.
When he entered the shower seconds later, she asked him, "How did you know my soap and shampoo? Did Ginny tell you?"
He lathered her back as he replied, "No, love, I remembered your scent well enough that I found both items after only a day-long search. I kept both with me in hopes that you would return to me. They're the things that kept me going when everything looked bleak."
"I did the same thing, Viktor. Your sandalwood soap was my secret solace when I was alone. What did you mean when you said the Wild Magic had gone through the chateau?" She turned to face him as she asked.
She was now lathering his chest. His rueful smile tugged at her heart.
"When I broke through your hymen last night, our magic connected and joined, sending a surge of power through the chateau. We probably lit every candle in the place." He stilled her hands and kissed her.
When he released her, she looked into his face to see if he was teasing her. The shrug of his shoulders told her he was telling her true. She blushed bright pink at the thought.
"They'll all know exactly what went on? Merlin, how will I ever face them all?" Then she began to giggle.
They were both soon laughing and giggling. He washed her hair, and she scrubbed his back and then washed his hair, which had gotten much longer than it had been her fourth year.
He now wore it tied back away from his face. Once they were wrapped in towels and back in the bedroom, he sat her down at the vanity and began to comb the tangles out of her hair. He used a Drying Spell on it and braided it into a French braid at the back of her head. He took one of the leather strips from his dresser and tied the end of the braid.
"We'll have to face them eventually, love. Better sooner than later, don't you think?"
He began pulling on clothes after hanging his towel up. She agreed readily and dressed in a white shirt underneath a rose-coloured jumper and dark jeans. Viktor had opted for a rust-coloured turtleneck and black pants. He took her hands in his and kissed the palms.
"Are you ready, my love?" he teased.
She pertly answered him, "As ready as I'll ever be. I feel complete with you by my side."
He cancelled the spells on the door and the room before they emerged. They walked down the hallway to the staircase and saw everyone waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. Hand in hand, they descended to greet their friends.
Draco Malfoy's amused voice broke the silence. "You two certainly proved that soul-mates do exist. The whole chateau lit up like Oxford Street at Christmas and scared her parents half to death. Molly and Arthur had to explain what Wild Magic was. That was entertaining, to say the least. Can we all go have breakfast now?" Draco was teasing them.
That broke the awkward silence and everyone started laughing. Breakfast was a relaxed affair after that. There were trestle tables set up in what had at one time been the ballroom of the chateau, and the seating was open. The groups had not started to mingle, quite yet.
The Quidditch players were still sitting mostly together with their families. The Weasleys, Harry, Dora Lupin, and Dumbledore's Army formed another group. The bride and groom's parents were sitting with Minerva and Moody, along with some of the teachers from Hogwarts who had fled the new regime. Viktor and Hermione sat at that table after serving themselves from the buffet. Tea and coffee appeared on the table as they sat down. Hermione sat down next to Minerva and Viktor took the seat across from her, next to Moody. Moody looked from one to the other and laughed.
"Never thought I'd see another occurrence of Wild Magic, takes a strong, sure connection to your mate to produce it. It blends your magic, too, makes you both more powerful. You two are going to be the envy of these youngsters. They want the kind of love you've found. Will you do the honours when the older folks renew their vows, Viktor? Min was kind of hoping you would." Moody was blushing, Hermione noticed.
Just then, a Patronus appeared in the midst of them. Kingsley Shacklebolt's lynx spoke urgently.
"They are planning something big. Remus and I got out just as a contingent of about twelve of them Apparated into Diagon Alley. Snape had half the young Slytherins with him. We hit them with Tracking Spells. Remus heard them say they were regrouping at Lestrange Castle for the 'entertainment' tonight. We will be waiting for your instructions."
Viktor immediately turned to Draco for information.
The younger man answered readily, "It sits on the cliffs between Ilfracombe and Lynton. It is virtually impenetrable from the land side. However, there are caves underneath the castle with a vast network of passageways. There is an entrance to those caves closer to Lynton. There is a boat landing in the caves directly beneath the castle, but it shouldn't be guarded. They think no one knows about it. Aunt Bella took me down there when I was small to terrorise me. She left me down there for hours, so I explored."
Viktor's questions were short and to the point. "How many would we need to take the castle? And can it be secured after we take it?"
Draco thought for a minute before answering, "Fifteen to take the castle. Five more to set up wards in the caves and on the land side. We need to go in through the kitchens and up the servants' stairs to secure the upper floors first, then work our way down to the ballroom. The topmost floors are storage.
"There won't be anyone up there. Ground floor and two floors of living quarters and two floors of storage areas, plus the basement and kitchens. The castle is shaped like an H. The ballroom is in the central bar of the H, on the first floor. If we split up after securing the upper floors, we can take a group up from the ground floor to the first floor and a group down from the second floor.
"We cut off their escape routes by having the outside windows warded before we enter the ballroom. Probably an Anti-Disapparation Charm would be a good idea. Or a Stasis Charm, in case someone has a Portkey handy."
Viktor looked at the group and began to call names. "Bill, Charlie, Harry, Draco, Zograf, Vulchanov, Volkov, Arthur, Neville, Flitwick, Papa, Poliakoff, Dora, Moody, Hermione, Minerva, Luna... we will wait for Kingsley and Remus, but tonight we are going after Lestrange and anyone else who is there. Are you all up to this?"
Everyone answered in the affirmative. Viktor sent off a Patronus message to Kingsley that everyone would meet at dark. His next step was to summon everyone he had named into the solarium for a quick strategy meeting.
Hermione made a suggestion that was immediately adopted. "We need to have a couple of extra people, in case there are captives or injured. They should be evacuated as soon as possible."
Viktor agreed. "Done. Bring Molly and Poppy with us. Are you writing this all down?"
"Quick Quotes Quill, Viktor. I'll have it make copies for everyone, spelled to be unreadable by anyone with a Dark Mark, except Draco. I think I need to see about removing his Mark when we get back," she replied.
Draco sent a questioning look her way, but she shook her head, mouthing the words "Later, I promise."
Viktor was deciding which of them would secure the caves, who would secure the outside, and who would go into the house to fight. Moody, Dora, Neville, Flitwick, and Luna would secure the caves before going outside to secure the exits from the ballroom. They would keep Molly and Poppy Pomfrey with them in case they were needed.
Everyone else would be going into the castle. Draco borrowed the Quick Quotes Quill to sketch out a plan of the castle, as well as a diagram of the caves.
Hermione had a question for him, though, "Draco, any house-elves we need to worry about? How would we secure them?"
Draco answered her immediately. "The house-elves were part of Aunt Bella's dowry. On her death, they devolved to the last living Black relative: me. That's it! We don't need to take a huge force in, Viktor. When we get to the beach at Lynton, I'll call for Toddy. Give him instructions about securing the upper floors and find out who is in the castle. He can secure the escape routes and sequester everyone in the ballroom."
"That is good to know, Draco. Perhaps we should go to your former home and call for the house-elf before we go. Malfoy Manor is not very far away from Lestrange Castle, is it?" Viktor commented.
"That would be sensible. I know Toddy; but if another house-elf shows up there might be problems. It is mid-morning now. The sun goes down around three; their entertainment will probably commence around eight. It shouldn't take more than an hour to secure the caves and the outside of the castle. If we call Toddy from the Manor at five, then we have three hours to secure everything. If I act like I am hurt, Toddy will be more likely to respond favourably," Draco mused.
"We should go just after dark, Draco. That gives us more time in case the house-elves are not responsive. We need to be at the Manor as soon as we can." Hermione was adamant about that.
Viktor agreed. The Portkeys were to be activated just as the sun went down on the west coast of Devon. All twenty of the Order fighters on notice would go to Malfoy Manor to wait on the outcome of the house-elf summoning.
Luna was to wait with Draco, acting as if she were tending to his injuries.
During the wait until dark, several things happened. Hermione and Minerva were looking over the plans of the Lestrange castle when Minerva patted Hermione's hand and spoke quietly. "Alastor thinks your Viktor is a fine young man. I'm so very glad the two of you were able to save your parents. You deserve to have a long happy life together. I saw how much he cared for you back then in the year of the Tournament. I hoped you'd find a way to make it work, and you did."
"I knew then that he was the only wizard I'd ever love, Professor. I may have been young, but I knew my heart was given irrevocably," Hermione said to the older witch.
"I'm no longer your teacher, Hermione, call me Minerva. It looks like our husbands are going to be friends." She nodded to where Moody and Viktor had their heads together over a map.
Hermione laughed, saying, "They look like they are having fun, don't they? If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you married?"
"We married just after he finished Auror training in '46. He had just turned twenty-one; I was still only twenty. Not much different from the ages you are now. How old is Viktor? I know your twenty-first birthday was in September. Therefore, that makes him twenty-four now. Not so far off of what we were, Hermione.
"We were dealing with the aftermath of a Muggle War back then, it made life hard. You two have to deal with an existing wizard war now. One that has been going on for three and a half years. Christmas is coming. We need to do something to keep people's spirits up. Molly, Poppy, Rolanda, and I want you to join our group to plan how to accomplish that."
"I think the younger women need to be consulted, too, Minerva. Fleur, Ginny, Luna, and the rest of them should have a say. Viktor says the weddings may have a beneficial effect. The solstice is next week; maybe we should have the weddings then."
"That is a very good idea. Molly won't like it, though. She still thinks of you all as her children. After next week, there may just be only two of her brood unmarried. Charlie hasn't found a girl he likes yet. Then, there is Ronald. The less said there, the better, don't you think."
"I think Charlie is the one who might surprise us all, Minerva. He may be quiet, but he is smarter than Percy is. I don't doubt he has a girl in Romania. If I know Charlie, she is Muggle-born if not actually a Muggle. And your Alastor knows about her, too.
"He and Charlie were always thick as thieves at the meetings at Grimmauld Place, remember. Charlie would leave right after the meetings to Floo back to Romania. He wouldn't even stay for dinner. I always thought that was weird for a Weasley male to leave before the food. It had to have been because he was going home to her."
"I remember. That hadn't even registered before, but you're right. He was always the quietest of the boys, the most secretive. I hope he brings her here. That would thrill Molly and make up for Ronald's defection."
"Minerva, I think she is here. Look. He is over talking to that young woman with the little girl. The child's hair may be brown, but she looks like Molly, doesn't she? She looks to be around five. That would fit, you know. That would have been the Triwizard year.
"Do you remember how antsy Charlie was when he brought the dragons? Moreover, the instant the first task was over, he had the dragons caged and gone. He was going home to her because she was pregnant." Hermione had surmised everything from just looking at Charlie with the young woman.
"You may just be right, Hermione. Why would he want to keep it from his parents, though? Do you really think Molly would create a scene because he married a Romanian girl?" Minerva was surprised at how quickly Hermione had extrapolated a theory.
"And what if he hadn't married her, Minerva? Think what Molly would say then, especially if there was a child involved. I am going over there. My curiosity is getting the better of me." Hermione got up from the table and headed for Charlie Weasley. She briefly thought she should probably get Viktor to go with her. When he appeared at her side before she had gotten halfway across the room, she wondered if he was simply following where she was heading.
"Not exactly, love. You're heading for Charlie and Oksana. What you were talking to Minerva about is almost true, but there is more to it than that. Her family had not wanted her to marry him. When the Tournament officials decided on dragons as the first task, Oksana's family hid her away while Charlie was gone.
"He did not know she was pregnant until earlier this year, when the Death Eaters killed her family. He is trying to figure out a way to tell his parents they have another granddaughter and he isn't married to her mother. Come, I think we might be able to help Charlie with his dilemma." Viktor started towards Charlie again.
She caught his arm and asked, "The Wild Magic connected our thoughts somehow, didn't it, Viktor? That's why you knew what I was talking to Minerva about."
"We'll talk about that later. Let's get Charlie sussed out first. You will like Oksana; she is Muggle-born like you." He held out his hand and she took it.
Charlie had seen them approaching. He met Viktor with a questioning look. "I take it that Alastor talked to you about the situation?" He looked from Viktor to Hermione and back again.
Hermione answered him, "Why don't we all sit down and talk for a bit? I want to meet your Oksana, Charlie." She smiled at him and nodded to the dark haired young woman.
Charlie lost the slightly harried look he had been wearing and asked, "Can we go somewhere my parents won't bother us? I really need to get this all squared away before I tell Mum and Dad."
Viktor ushered them all into the small salon he used for an office. The picture he had moved the day before still hung slightly askew. Hermione straightened it while the others found seats.
She noticed Charlie's careful treatment of Oksana and his obvious adoration of Zorah. Oksana looked at Charlie as if he was the centre of her world.
Viktor waved Hermione into his chair behind the desk as he retrieved the straight back chair Draco had used the previous day. "Now, Charlie, what can we do for you?"
"For starters, tell me how to explain to my Mum about Oksana and Zorah. We were supposed to be married just after I got back from the Triwizard Tournament. But when I returned she was gone, locked away by her idiot father because he didn't want any more magic in the family. They told me she was dead. I kept the license I had applied for. I hadn't known about Zorah..."
"This will be no problem, Charlie. The Romanian Minister owes me several favours. We will simply send him the license after it is filled in as if the ceremony occurred the day after you got back from the tournament. The actual ceremony will be performed today in this office by my father; he is authorized to perform the ceremonies in Bulgaria. Romania and the Ukraine. Now about telling Molly and Arthur..."
Hermione had been listening to the conversation but making friends with Zorah. The child was delighted when Hermione had Transfigured a crystal paperweight into a small rabbit.
Hermione spoke up, to give her opinion, "You need to tell them what you just told us. The part about her family telling you that Oksana had died. They do not need to know the rest. The fact that her father hid her from you for these past years will make Molly more willing to accept them both. Molly will take one close look at this little one and fall irrevocably in love. Zorah looks remarkably like her grandmum, Charlie."
Charlie looked at his daughter closely and, slowly, a huge grin appeared on his face. He laughed aloud as he saw the advantage of the child's resemblance to his mother.
"Hermione, you are brilliant, so brilliant it is scary. Viktor, you had best appreciate what you have. She is as good as a sister to me. Now, I need to introduce you both to Zorah. Zorah, this is your Unchi Viktor and your Matusa Hermione. Give them both a hug, sweetheart."
The little girl gave them a big smile and threw her arms around Hermione's neck. "Matusa Hermionly!"
Everyone laughed at her mispronunciation. Viktor and Hermione exchanged an amused glance that said they both remembered his mispronunciation of her name that first year they met.
Viktor stood up and went out the door, only to return with his father. Anton Krum was an older version of his son, but more gregarious.
Viktor explained the problem to Anton, who took charge of the licence and scratched in a date on the piece of parchment. He then quickly performed the bonding ceremony, ending with a blessing for the couple. He accepted a kiss on the cheek from his daughter-in-law as payment for the favour. They all laughed as Zorah claimed a kiss as well from the older man.
The five adults left the office in search of Molly and Arthur Weasley. Hermione found them upstairs playing with Victoire, Bill and Fleur's little girl. Charlie had taken Oksana and Zorah to meet Bill and Fleur. Draco had sidetracked Anton and Viktor.
Zorah had slipped away from her parents and followed her new idol up the stairs. She stood in the doorway for a moment before running to Hermione and again exclaiming, "Matusa Hermionly!"
Arthur took one look at the child's face and shot Hermione a shocked glance. Hermione could hear Oksana and Charlie coming up the stairs, looking for their daughter.
"In here, Charlie, I think now would be a great time to introduce the women in your life to your parents!" Hermione chuckled as she slipped out of the room. She closed the door and set a Silencing Spell on it before descending to the floor below.
She arrived back on the ground floor to find Viktor talking to Draco. Draco was requesting a favour from Viktor.
"I need you to perform the ceremony for us before we go this evening. Percy says he has the license forms. I really need Luna to be my wife before this raid. If something happens to me, I want her and my child to inherit. Please." Draco looked at Hermione and quickly ceased talking.
She immediately understood the problem, so she spoke the words she had promised to tell him earlier, "Draco, go get Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Moody. We are going to remove your Dark Mark now."
Viktor spun around and stared at her. She walked past him up the stairs to their bedroom. Out of her backpack, she retrieved the two phials she would need to nullify the Dark Lord's tattooing. She ran back down the stairs, phials in hand.
She sent a thought to Viktor, "We need five powerful witches or wizards to complete this. I have the necessary items. We can perform their marriage right after."
He sent back to her, "You do continually surprise me, love."
When she arrived at the foot of the stairs, Draco was holding Luna's hand tightly. Harry, Ginny, and Moody stood next to Viktor. She looked at the French doors across the room and the fountain outside.
"Follow me. This must be done in sunlight," she snapped.
When everyone was outside, she marked a pentagram on the ground and encircled it with stones from the fountain. Her words galvanised Alastor to furious action. "Moody, I need it to be high summer inside this circle. Give me focused sunlight and summer vegetation, please."
The grizzled wizard nodded once and set to work. He traced the circle and banished the winter from the interior. He conjured a cone of sunlight focused on the centre of the pentagram, and then he sat on the edge of the fountain.
"You have your Healing Circle, missy. Are you done with me? I'd like to stay and watch," Moody said.
"Thank you, yes, you may stay and watch and give my thanks to your wife as well. You must Apparate into the circle, everyone. Draco in the middle, Luna at the apex of the pentagram Harry to her right, Ginny to her left, I will take the spot next to Harry and Viktor will take the space next to Ginny. One at a time, please." Hermione smiled.
As they appeared in the healing circle, Hermione began to build the wall of protection they would need. Viktor's voice joined hers seconds before the others' voices joined in. The shielding grew until it encased the whole area.
Viktor's voice broke the silence, "Draco, bare your arm. Hold it in front of you with the mark upwards."
Hermione passed the smallest phial of golden liquid to Luna, telling her the words to say when she put a single drop on Draco's Dark Mark.
"Then pass the phial to Ginny, she will repeat you actions as will each of us, in turn. You, Draco will renounce your fealty to the Dark Lord to each of us in turn beginning with Luna. I will hand you a phial and you will catch your tears in it. Three tears, Draco.
"Shake the phial to mix the tears with the ash. Then pour the contents over your Mark. We will be chanting the Spell of Redemption. You must hold your arm up high so that the sunlight can reach it. This will be painful, Draco, but not, I think, as painful as receiving that Mark was.
"Alastor, if you wish, you can ask the others to come and chant the Spell of Redemption with us. Draco deserves all of our voices raised in supplication."
The old wizard chuckled and answered her, "Aye, lassie, I'll do just that. Min will bring them to sing the boy back into the fold."
Hermione nodded to Luna to begin.
The younger woman's soft voice began the first spell, "With this potion, I banish evil from your soul."
Draco answered her back, "I, Draco Malfoy, do hereby renounce my fealty to the Dark Lord."
The rest repeated Luna's words after pouring one drop of Felix Felicis onto Draco's Mark. Draco voiced his renunciation to each.
Draco was in pain now, the Dark Mark writhing and moving under his skin. He managed to catch three tears in the other phial and shook it up to mix the ash into the tears. He poured the phial over his Dark Mark and it smoked evilly. Draco held his arm up to the sunlight as they began the Spell of Redemption.
"In summer and sunlight, we forever banish the Dark,
We seek to heal and cleanse him of this Mark.
By renouncing the evil wizard's blight,
He redeems himself to the path of the Light.
Walks away from the errors of the past,
With tears and Phoenix ashes, his life is recast."
Everyone from the chateau had come outside and was chanting. Draco coughed once and fell to the ground. Hermione hurriedly removed the protection spells and Luna cradled Draco's head in her lap as he gasped from the residual pain.
Harry looked at Draco's arm and saw the Dark Mark had vanished. He heard a sound and looked to see Luna crying huge tears onto Draco's arm. She was rocking back and forth, sobbing. Draco sat up and put his arms around her. He gathered her close to his chest, murmuring, "Hush, hush, it isn't good for the baby. Hush, love."
Harry still had the almost empty phial of Felix Felicis; he palmed it and gave it to Draco. Harry helped Draco and Luna to their feet as Viktor called for everyone's attention.
"Everyone who wants to witness the marriage of Draco Malfoy to Luna Lovegood, please form a circle around us. Harry and Hermione will perform this marriage." Viktor knew, somehow, that they should be the ones who performed that ceremony.
Hermione still stood in the pentagram with Harry, Draco, and Luna. She began the short ritual, which Harry finished. Everyone was adding blessings to the binding and Draco looked ecstatic. Luna was still teary-eyed but hugged both Harry and Hermione tightly.
Viktor ordered the newlyweds upstairs to rest before the raid that afternoon. Percy was filling out the correct paperwork on the marriage.
Once back inside the chateau, Viktor turned to his wife and asked, "How did you know the way to remove his Mark? That surely cannot have come from a book."
"I stole it. After Snape killed Dumbledore, Minerva sent Luna and me to clean out his rooms. Luna concentrated on clothes and personal items. I was instructed to look for books and parchments. There were quite a few with new spells and re-written spells.
"This was marked with Draco's name in Dumbledore's handwriting. I have brewing Felix Felicis for months now. We should have enough for everyone when it comes to a final battle, Viktor. The last phial was Phoenix ashes. Mixed with his tears it completed the cycle and purged the last of the Dark from him.
"I think it also removes the Dark Lord's way of keeping track of his followers. If I had known about this five years ago, we might have saved Karkaroff. I know he wasn't particularly likeable, but he had changed sides. He was also very good to you when you were at school," she replied.
"You're right, he had a good heart. The new Headmaster at Durmstrang has continued Karkaroff's policy of teaching ways to defeat the Dark Arts rather than the Dark Arts themselves.
"Are you telling me Snape had stolen the phial Dumbledore had intended for Draco? Could he have only been saving it for Draco, or do you think he intended to use it for himself?" Viktor had seen both scenarios she had worried over for the last three years.
"Oh, Viktor, I just don't know. I really think, back then, he would have used it on Draco to fulfil Dumbledore's instructions to save him. Now, I don't know. I heard from the house-elves at Hogwarts that he tore apart his old rooms looking for something when he took over as Headmaster that year we were looking for the Horcruxes.
"Did anyone write down what Bellatrix said about him when she was captured? I'd like to see that transcript, if I could," she replied, sounding frustrated.
"Fleur wrote everything Bellatrix said down. She kept a transcript. Love, we have been taking down his followers, one or two at a time for over a year: Goyle, Crabbe, Dolohov, Rodolphus and several more. The younger Lestrange brother, Rabastan, is not nearly as devious or smart as Rodolphus was. But a lot of those we fight tonight are your old classmates; will that be a problem for you?" Viktor asked.
"That was another lifetime, Viktor. They are simply the enemy now. I'll have no problem fighting them," she answered him resolutely.