A/N: Ok, I've updated rather quickly as promised and in this chapter I'm involving the other characters a bit, because believe me they will be important in the future. Thank you to my friend Kitty, to all who've favorited the story and put it on your alerts and to those who reviewed. And to answer said reviews...
AuntieL: Don't worry I don't plan on forgetting about this fic or leaving it in to gather dust.
Gryff-Slytherin: You have a very good point about the title for the therapist. I went with Dr. because I'm not exactly sure if in the cannon Wizarding World there is such a thing as a magical psychologist or a healer that specializes in something of the sort. They're going to call her Harper from now on, so we can all pretend that instead of Dr. it said Healer H. Isley.
Chapter Nine: Free Falling into Legal Matters
The next morning found Draco and Hermione being woken up abruptly by Galatea and by who they assumed was her husband. They brought in several alarm clocks and all of them rang at the exact same time, waking up the famous pair. Galatea and her husband smiled at Draco and Hermione's annoyed faces.
"Wake up sleepyheads."
"Téa, why on Earth are you waking us up with alarm clocks."-Hermione asked.
"Because it's easier to wake you up with them and it's slightly fun." She said with a smile on her face.
"You're evil, you know that."—Draco countered.
"Only slightly. And I'd like you to meet my husband, Axel."
They grumpily said hello and Galatea informed them that breakfast was served and that they should again dress in clothing that was appropriate for physical activity and to leave their wands in their room.. Slowly but surely, Hermione got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom to take care of her morning hygiene and bladder needs. Draco stayed in bed sleeping but was then awoken by a deep thud coming from the bathroom. He got up and rushed to see if Hermione was all right. When he opened the door, he found Hermione showering calmly and he couldn't help but stare at her nude body. To him, she was perfect. He was entranced by the color of her skin and by her curvature. He was brought out of his reverie when Hermione said: "Is there any particular reason why you are boring holes onto my skin?"
"Because you are beautiful and sexy and I want to ravish you right now. I just can't."
He really couldn't. Though he felt his desire for her coursing throughout his body, he was unable to move. His first thoughts involved stepping into the shower behind Hermione and making passionate love to her and because they had been placed under a spell to control their desires, it seemed like his feet had been cemented on the floor.
"Anyway, are you all right? I heard a loud thud. I'm assuming you're all right since you look fine, but I'm asking nonetheless."
"Yes, I'm fine. The soap fell."
"Ok, well I'll just be outside the door." And because he meant it, he was finally able to move.
The couple managed to get dressed without more interruptions from their hormones and met Galatea, her husband and a few others at the breakfast table. As they sat, Hermione noticed a sight she thought she would never see: Luna Lovegood and Ronald Weasley were sitting together, hands together and reading a book together. Ron was even eating in a civilized manner. Sometimes it irked Hermione that her soon to be ex-husband hid who he truly was from her for no apparent reason at all. Nevertheless, she let it go and served herself some food. Once they were all done with breakfast, most of the other couples went on to do whatever they chose, but Galatea and Axel took Draco and Hermione to a rustic Quidditch pitch that was behind the building.
"Alright you two. Today we are going to exercise a very important part of the bond and what we'll be doing is a type of trust exercise. Now you have to promise you won't freak out at this."-Axel said. "Hermione please sit behind Téa on her broom and Draco please fly up on this broom by yourself."
Everyone did as Axel instructed and once in the air, Galatea told them what they would be doing. She was going to fly relatively high in the sky and would then drop Hermione from the broom.
"Are you mad?"-Draco yelled.
"No. You are going to have to catch her before she hits the ground. That's the exercise…Hermione has to trust that you are going to catch her and you have to work with the instincts of the bond, trust them and catch her before she plummets to her death and essentially kills both of you."
"So you are mad!"—he said.
Galatea ignored his yelling and flew higher up with Hermione clinging on to her for dear life. Once she felt she was high enough and as Draco was rising on his broom, she dropped Hermione.
Hermione could see her life flashing before her eyes but she didn't dare scream because deep in her heart she knew that Draco would not let her fall to her death.
Draco felt fear rising up inside him but he also felt a deeper instinct to catch his love. His reaction was instantaneous; he dove to where Hermione's body was free falling and caught her in a second. When he did he felt automatic relief that she was safe in his arms…nevertheless both his and Hermione's hearts were racing from the whole ordeal and the two cuddled for a moment, letting the last remnants of fear passed. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and she hid her face in the crook of his neck. At that same moment, Galatea and Axel shared a smile. Galatea and Draco flew back down to the ground.
"Okay, Hermione now it's your turn."-Axel announced.
Hermione cocked her head out of its comfortable hiding space and said: "My turn to what?"
"Your turn to save Draco, of course. He can't be the only one to do it. Sometimes men need saving too."-Galatea answered.
"You have got to be kidding me! I knew Draco was going to catch me because he wouldn't ever let me fall with his seeker reflexes, but me? I can barely fly a broom!"
At that, Draco looked into her eyes and spoke: "Hermione, pet, I know you're going to catch me. There's no way you would ever let me fall, so please get on this broom by yourself and save me when I am dropped. Ok?" Hermione simply nodded, her eyes wide with fright.
And so Draco got on a broom behind Axel and Hermione nervously flew her broom, waiting for Draco to be dropped. She could see Axel and Draco having a conversation and she hoped it was how nothing bad would happen. Then, from his altitude, Axel yelled: "There's nothing for you to worry about Hermione, your bond shouldn't let anything bad happen." And just when she was about to answer him back, Axel dropped Draco.
Hermione panicked on the inside and rushed to him and tried to grab hold of his falling body and she managed to momentarily grab his hand in hers. Just as she had grabbed him, his hand slipped and he was falling again. Hermione screamed: "DRACO!" And just like that, his body stopped falling and suspended mid-air. She then went down to get him.
" Estas bien querido? Te heriste? Are you ok?"-she asked quickly, in worry.
"I'm fine Hermione. I'm fine, you caught me."-He reassured her.
A small amount of time passed when Galatea and Axel ushered the pair into the longue so that they could explain what the bond had to do with what had just happened and so the pair could rest for a bit. The lounge was bright and sunny: it had big white windows all around and the walls were painting a fresh mint green. The furniture and décor of the room all revolved around a color scheme of the mint green featured on the walls, a nice sunny yellow and a neutral white. All in all as Draco and Hermione entered the lounge and sat on one of the wicker loveseats, they felt a bit more at peace and Hermione finally became calm after almost letting Draco fall. Axel and Galatea sat opposite them on wicker chairs and before they could ask the ever charming Axel spoke.
"There are things you have to learn about this bond and what we did today was to not only help heal it, but for you to learn to the extents that it will go. You already know that this bond has literally split each one of your souls in half and that one of those halves has gone to your significant other. What you saw today was the bond's unique way of preserving those severed halves. Draco, you caught Hermione instantly, without a shred of doubt, not only because you are trained in sport but because you conquered your fear. Hermione you on the other hand, still clung to some of your fear and so the bond used your fear to save Draco. You didn't mean to let him go and it was completely accidental that he slipped out of your hands but in the split second after where I'm sure, your heart felt like it was being ripped from your chest cavity and you screamed out his name, the bond used both the manifestation of your despair and your raw magic to stop him from falling."
"So whenever he's in danger I'll be able to save him?"
"No, not always just when you are within close proximity. I'm afraid that we have yet to meet a couple strong enough to be able to save each other from miles and miles away. Nevertheless, the fact that Hermione was able to save Draco in this manner proves to both of us that you are in the process of healing properly. I think we might speed up your process a bit if things keep going like this. You two should consider yourselves lucky; rapid healing means that the love behind the bond is very strong and very true."-Galatea said and when she finished she looked at her husband with a loving smile.
Hermione observed the pair and noticed how lovely they looked together. Galatea looked like a version of Snow White with her fair skin, dark ringlets and astonishing eyes and Axel was for the most part her opposite. He towered over her and had a lovely olive skin tone that went perfectly with his onyx eyes. The only trait that the pair seemed to share was black, curly locks and it made them seem like they were two halves of the same whole. Téa and Axel shared a loving kiss and Hermione swore she could almost see a halo around them.
"Is that what we look like when we kiss?"-Draco asked, beating her to the punch.
They looked at Draco and Hermione and smiled. Téa shook her head and said: "No. When you kiss it is quite different but nonetheless very magical. I can see a small rainbow surrounding you two and you look very much in love... not that Axel and I don't look in love, it's just…different. All couples have different styles."
"And what is our style?"-Hermione inquired
"If we could use one word it would be fire."-Axel told her. Téa just nodded her head. "Very temperamental, very passionate and very beautiful."
As the two couples relaxed in the lounge, Ileana entered the building. She came in using the flue network and she dusted herself off as she came out of the study's fireplace. When she did she was happily surprised to find her fiancé sitting on a Slytherin green couch reading Crime and Punishment. He looked at her over his book and arched his eyebrow. "Hello there, Ilia."
"Hi Blaise."-she went over to him and gave him a small kiss. "Doing a bit of light reading?"
"Oh you know I love these muggle Russian authors. They always keep me entertained."
"That I do. Have you seen my clients anywhere, sweetheart?"
"I have. Red and Loony are in one of the workshops painting, I believe…those two have taken to developing new skills. And on my way in here, I noticed Draco and Hermione were in the lounge."
"Thanks. I have big news."
Blaise got up and wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Would any of them be that you're taking a break from your busy working schedule to spend sometime with your enthusiastic fiancé?"
She smiled. "No, unfortunately. I promise though, I will take a break this week."
He let go of her and went back to his book. "You say that every week."
"Well this time I mean it, Blaise. I don't mean to be such a workaholic but I'm trying to keep innocent people out of prison."-Ileana told him.
She knew he was right, but she had to focus on keeping his friends out of Azkaban because if they went…soon enough investigations would go on and all of the pledged would be sent there for no good reason at all. Slightly hurt that her fiancé was losing patience with her (she could tell not only by his demeanor but because the small flame on her wrist got smaller when he was upset), she found Ron and Luna in the workshop. It was a sight she hoped she would never find again. Luna was behind a canvas drawing with a small piece of charcoal and Ron lay nude in a Victorian chaise lounge posing for her. Ron noticed her first and when he did, his face turned red and he quickly covered his crotch. Luna noticed her but wasn't fazed by it at all and said: "Yes?"
"Could you two join me in the lounge? I've got some things to tell you but I'd rather say it once in the presence of all four parties."
"Of course Ileana. Let me just make sure that Ronald gets dressed and we'll meet you there."
"Ok."-she said and she left. When the heck was the last time she and Blaise had done something like that? Huh, close to never-she thought. Things were definitely getting carried away with the amount of work she was piling on herself.
She arrived at the lounge and saw Draco and Hermione cuddled up on the loveseat, napping. She gently shook them up: "Hey guys. I've got some good news."
Draco opened his eyes and rapidly Hermione happily assaulted his senses. The first thing he saw was a curtain of her curls, the first thing he smelled was the scent of her skin, the first thing he heard was a tiny moan from her lips, the first thing he touched was her hand and the first thing he tasted was her skin on his lips as he kissed her neck. At that moment he thought that if he could wake up with this assault every single time he woke up for the rest of his life, he would die a happy man. He was brought out of his reverie by Ileana's voice.
"I have good news."
They both woke up properly at those words and sat up to hear what their lawyer had to say. Ron and Luna stumbled in at that very moment. Ron still had a bit of redness to his cheeks.
"Alright now that we're all here I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I filed an appeal and none of you are going to be sent to Azkaban before the trial. The trial is the bad news. According to old law, the bond is reason to grant divorce so there's no problem there. The problem is the bond being illegal thing. I'm trying to work an angle for you, which would be that you did this unknowing of its legal consequences, which of course isn't a lie. And after that I just have to help prove that this bond isn't as harmful as it was once thought of and for that I am going to expose myself as having done this type of bond."
"You can't be serious Ileana!"-Hermione said. "If you expose yourself then it'll be a conflict of interest."
"Well yes, but someone, other than yourselves, has to prove that the bond isn't dangerous . So unless we can get someone else from the society to expose themselves in front of most of the Ministry, I'm going to have to be the one to do it."
"No you won't. Axel and I will be more than happy to serve as your testimonial witnesses, if you will"-Galatea said as she appeared with a pop from essentially nowhere.
"Where on Earth did you come from?"-Said Ron
"I have eyes and ears all over this place and I can apparate in and out of here so when I heard I popped up here. I'm not letting you take the fall for this Ilia. Axel and I are the experts on this and for goodness sake the way we look is enough to tell those fuddy duddies that the pledge is perfectly healthy."
"I knew you were older than you appear. You seem in your thirties but you're much older, aren't you?"-Luna mentioned to which Galatea nodded.
"All right, well then it's settled. Your trial will be in January which I'm happy to report will be after my wedding and after my honeymoon."-she blushed.
She said her good-byes and was about to leave from the study's fireplace but Blaise, who had still been reading, stopped her. He got up from his chair, wrapped his arms around her, dipper her and gave her a kiss. "Cara, you are overworked and neglected. Do me a favor and stay here with me. Just until tomorrow. Besides, this way you get to know your clients more."
She smiled at him and nodded, dropping her things and cuddling with him on one of the couches.
Unbeknownst to all of them, someone in the society knew what was going on and planned to tell the press right this very second. This person used a secret fireplace and flued to the Ministry to find Rita Skeeter and tell her all.
