Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here
Summary: In their fifth year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had a baby girl. Now, dark secrets will be brought to the surface- Lord Voldemort has a task that Draco must complete- if he fails, his daughter and girlfriend will be killed.
What an excellent start to the sequel. Very glad you are all happy with it.
A few things:
In The Start of our Lives I said Hermione was fifteen. Let's change that to sixteen. Hermione was sixteen and Draco was fifteen.
I will try to make the characters actually STAY more in character. Of course, Draco and Hermione have changed but essentially I will make them more like the characters in the books. Hermione will no longer swear- I'm sure that J.K. Rowling's Hermione would think that saying 'hell' or 'damn' was not acceptable. So no more F-bombs from Hermione's part.
This will be based on the Half-Blood Prince but does not necessarily mean that it will end like it. We cool? We cool.
Chapter Two: Reunited
It was impossible for Hermione to be uninterested in reading a book- whenever she opened a textbook to re-read its contents or when she was researching in the library at Hogwarts, she would lose herself in her eagerness to learn knowledge. Knowledge. She thirsted for it and everyone knew it. Today, however, she found that she just couldn't bring herself to read The Secret Garden- a childhood favourite. There was a simple reason for it.
She was too tired.
It wasn't that she was just too tired from taking care of Mira to read- it was that she was also worried. Ever since The Daily Prophet had announced the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, there had been various 'accidents'. Deaths of important Ministry officials, the bridge collapsing in London, the hurricane in West County… Work of Death Eaters… She feared for her own safety and Mira's but knew that when they returned to Hogwarts everything would be okay.
Hermione didn't think that she had been this exhausted since her tumultuous time-turning third year. She didn't dare discuss her worries with Draco- he seemed to be avoiding her and spent most of his time with Mira. But occasionally at night, she would wake up and find that Draco wasn't next to her. She would go into a frenzied state of panic thinking the worst but it often turned out that Draco was in the kitchen getting a drink or in Mira's room tending to her.
She missed Hogwarts. She missed Harry and Ron so much it hurt. Ron had invited her to go to The Burrow but she wasn't sure if she would be allowed with Mira. She would argue with her mother. She had to go. She couldn't go an entire summer without seeing her best friends, her second family, with or without a baby.
At that moment, Crookshanks leapt up onto her lap and purred, digging his claws into Hermione's jeans. She stroked his soft ginger fur absentmindedly, thinking. Every summer her parents would let her stay at Ron's house at the end of the summer- but in his letter he asked her to come that very weekend. Hermione sighed and shook her head. There was no way her mother would let her go for that long. Perhaps she should write Ron back to inform him that she had responsibilities now and couldn't just go traipsing off around the countryside anymore whenever she pleased.
A wail sounded from upstairs. Rubbing her eyes in frustration, Hermione walked up to Mira's room. She was tempted to go into her bedroom and give Draco a good kick up the ass- once again, he was conveniently sleeping when Mira needed attending to.
"Morning, baby," Hermione said through her yawn.
After Mira was dressed and fed, Hermione went into her bedroom to find Draco curled up in a ball under a blanket on the bed. Even when he was sleeping he frowned. He looked so exhausted that Hermione decided to let him sleep in.
What Hermione didn't know was that ever since Draco's return from Malfoy Manor, he would lie awake in bed for hours into the night, unable to rid himself of the image of that terrible flat snake face or of his command. Hermione was too intent on taking care of Mira that she didn't notice that he had stopped eating. For the past week, Draco had been living on nothing but water and toast. He couldn't bring himself to eat anything else- it just made him feel nauseous. He couldn't bring himself to hold Mira for too much time because it just made him feel anxious and sick.
Draco had tried to reason with himself- would he rather his Headmaster be dead or his daughter? He knew the obvious answer but even so, he knew that he was no murderer. He also knew that Hermione would never forgive him if he actually went through with this. But he had to. What other choice did he have? Hermione and Mira were too important to lose. Maybe the rest of the world could do without them if it meant having Dumbledore the Saviour still around, but he couldn't.
Back down stairs, Hermione was greeted by her mother; who was making herself some coffee. Hermione sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen island and readjusted Mira in her arms.
"How are my girls?" Kate enquired with a grin. Hermione gave her a sleepy smile.
"Tired."
Hermione slid the piece of parchment Ron had sent to her over to her side of the table and re-read it again.
Hey Hermione,
How are you? I reckon you should come to my house this summer. I know you have the baby and Malfoy and everything, but wouldn't it be nice to just get away? Harry's coming soon- I want you both here. Send your answer back with Pigwigdeon. Hope your summer's going alright.
From Ron
Of course he couldn't write a proper letter. Hermione knew nothing more about him then she did the last time she saw him. Pigwigdeon, Ron's minute owl, was still fluttering like crazy in Hermione's laundry. Hermione just needed her mother's permission before she penned back a reply.
"Mum?" She started hesitantly. "Ron sent me a letter today."
Kate nodded. "Oh yes, your red-headed friend. How is he?"
"He's fine. Listen, I asked if I could come stay at his house this summer. Do you think that would be ok?"
Kate pursed her lips over her cup of coffee.
"Hermione, I know I let you stay with Ron last summer but it's different now, sweetheart. You have a baby, you have your responsibilities and you can't just go traipsing off around the countryside anymore whenever you please. Plus, Draco is here and I don't think he would like it if you went away."
Hermione already had her counter-argument ready to go.
"Ron said it was ok if I bring Mira and Draco with me. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny would love to have the baby around and this would be a really great chance for Draco to bond with my friends so we can all hang out together when we get back to Hogwarts and it won't be so awkward."
Ok, so Ron never said anything about Draco tagging along with Mira. In fact, he said wouldn't it be nice to just get away? But still, Hermione just couldn't leave them behind. She would miss them way too much.
Kate gave Hermione a searching look.
"When does he want you to go?"
Hermione scanned the letter and shrugged. "I guess soon. Before Harry's birthday. I don't want Harry to spend yet another birthday all by himself. He's turning sixteen, he deserves to have all his friends with him. I've told you about the family he lives with, they're really awful to him. Poor Harry, they never remember his birthday."
That ought to do it. Hermione knew she was hamming it up a bit with 'poor Harry' but she knew how much her mother hated people being alone on special occasions that deserved to be celebrated.
"When is Harry's birthday?"
Hermione grinned. "July 31st."
Kate gave Hermione another one of her looks before answering.
"I will let you go under the circumstances that you look after Mira when you are there and don't let anyone else do it for you. I want to know that your studying is up to date also. Don't forget that you are a prefect young lady; you need to make a better impression this year. I want you to help Mrs. Weasley with whatever you can because you will be placing a burden on her by bringing your family along with you. And please darling, make sure that Draco doesn't get left out. I know he and your friends aren't that close."
That was a major understatement.
Hermione nodded her head eagerly. "Thank you Mum! Thank you so much! You won't regret this!"
Kissing her mother on the cheek, she ran as carefully as she could with Mira in her arms back upstairs and into her bedroom.
"Draco, Draco guess what!"
She shook him awake with one arm. He frowned cutely and opened his eyes.
"What?" He said grumpily.
"Mum said that you, me and Mira can spend the rest of the summer at the Weasleys! Isn't that great?"
To be honest, Draco thought it wasn't. He sat up in bed and took Mira from Hermione's arms.
"Yeah, sounds marvelous," he said, his voice dripping with heavy sarcasm which she mistook for tiredness.
Draco really didn't want to spend an entire month at the Weasley's hovel but if Hermione wanted to go that bad, then he couldn't deny her of the privilege to spend as much time with her friends as she could before they went back to school where she wouldn't see them as often, due to the fact that she no longer lived in Gryffindor Tower. Professor Dumbledore had arranged for Draco and Hermione to share a room together with Mira at Hogwarts. Draco's stomach lurched at the kindness that Professor Dumbledore had given them.
"Right. Well…I guess it could be ok. But for now, I'm going back to sleep."
He handed Mira back to Hermione, slumped down onto the pillows, closed his eyes and thought no more.
xox
"Are we there yet?" Draco whined from the back of Mrs. Granger's car. Hermione swiveled around in the front seat.
"Nearly Draco, stop complaining."
Draco hated that he was forced to sit in the backseat with Mira, who had screamed for the first half of the car trip and was now fast asleep. He didn't like cars very much- brooms were a faster, easier and all-around better way to travel. He felt a bit sick but he reasoned that that might be from not consuming enough breakfast.
He noticed that there was mist obscuring the sky. Dementors. He leaned against the restraints of his seat belt so that he could look up at the sky that should've been blue. Voldemort was on the move.
A sign on the left hand side of the road read 'Ottery St. Catchpole, 5 km'. Hermione smiled with relief. She never realized just how far away Ron lived from her house. The last times she had stayed at the Burrow and at Grimmuald Place, the Weasleys had fetched her by Floo Powder. Today, Mr. Weasley had requested that they drove. The Floo Network was being watched and it was no longer safe. Not that Hermione told her mother that. Hermione never informed Kate about the dangerous happenings of the magical community. If she knew, she would pull her out of Hogwarts in a heartbeat.
"Turn left," Hermione commanded as she spotted a red chimney peeking out between the tops of the trees. "We're nearly there."
Hermione's heart soared at the sight of the crooked house that looked as though it was held up by magic. Cramped as it was, she really enjoyed staying there. Draco, on the other hand, was staring up out the window at the house (if you could really call it that) in absolute horror. Would he really have to live in his pigsty for over a month?
He had always made fun of Ron for being poor- taunted him about his family only sleeping in one room. So that part had been untrue. But Ron really was poor. He knew that he couldn't afford the things that Draco could, judging by the shabbiness of the Weasley family's robes and their second-hand school equipment- but looking out at the various chickens and the wellington boots and rusty cauldrons that lay littered on the front porch…for the first time in his life, Draco actually felt genuinely sorry for Ron.
A tall, thin balding man with vivid red hair stepped outside to greet them. Kate stepped out of the car, open-mouthed. Arthur Weasley rushed forward to greet Hermione's mother with much enthusiasm. Hermione remembered how much Mr. Weasley was fascinated by her muggle parents. Draco went to the trunk of the car to retrieve his and Hermione's belongings whilst Hermione unbuckled Mira out of her car seat.
"Hello, Hermione!"
Mr. Weasley smiled down at the small child stirring in her arms.
"Hello, Mr. Weasley, how are you?" Hermione asked politely as Draco heaved two heavy trunks across the yard.
"Very well, thank you. Ah, you must be Draco. Would you like a hand?"
Draco nodded his head. Mr. Weasley took Hermione's trunk and wheeled it for her inside the house.
"Ok, sweetheart," Kate began, turning to Hermione. "Remember everything I told you. You will be home for Christmas won't you?"
"Yes, mum," Hermione assured her what seemed like the thousandth time. "I will be."
"It always seems like I'm saying goodbye to you, darling," Kate said as she took Mira out of Hermione's arms and kissed her forehead, teary-eyed. "Goodbye my darling," she whispered to her granddaughter.
Once Kate had hugged and kissed both Draco and Hermione, she handed Mira back to her mother, got in the car and drove away. Hermione continued waving even after the car was out of sight.
When Draco and Hermione turned back around, they saw that Mr. Weasley was pointing his wand at the two of them. Draco took a step back with his hands in the air in mock-surrender but Hermione understood what was going on.
"It's really us, Mr. Weasley."
Mr. Weasley didn't back. He wasn't risking anything.
"What is the potion that Hermione Granger illegally brewed in her second year with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley?"
"Polyjuice Potion," Hermione answered confidently.
Draco raised his eyebrows at her. Hermione had illegally made Polyjuice Potion, a highly complicated brew in her second year? He really had to get to know her a little better.
Mr. Weasley nodded in satisfaction before rounding on Draco.
"What broomstick did Draco Malfoy receive in his second year at Hogwarts?"
"A Nimbus 2001," Draco replied, his eyebrows still raised. He turned to Hermione. "What the hell was that all about?"
"Ministry requirements," Mr. Weasley answered promptly as Hermione got her wand out of her jeans pocket and held it up to his face. Mr. Weasley squared his jaw and stared at her defiantly.
"What is your dearest ambition?"
"To find out how airplanes stay up."
Hermione nodded her hand and stowed her wand away again. "Excellent. So, can we go inside?"
Mr. Weasley gestured towards the open front door. Hermione went inside first with Mira, followed by Draco with his trunk, followed by Crookshanks, his bottle brush tail held jauntily high in the air.
Being back in the field of magic was wonderful to Hermione. The knot that had tied itself in her stomach ever since she, Draco and Mira had arrived at her muggle house was gone. They were safe here, there were protective enchantments surrounding the Burrow's boundaries. They were going to be fine. Although she knew that the shielding spells around Kate's house in the muggle world would have a hard time being penetrated by Death Eaters, Hermione was still quite worried about her mother being in a house all by herself.
As they all walked inside the dimly-lit kitchen, they heard a voice call out, "Are they here, Dad?"
It looked as though Ron Weasley had grown several inches since Hermione had last saw him. His freckled face broke out into a wide smile when he saw Hermione but faded slightly when he spotted Draco lounging behind her.
"It's good to see you, Ron!" Hermione cried before any heated words were exchanged. She gave Ron a meaningful one-armed hug.
"Why is he here?" He hissed in her ear.
"I couldn't just leave him behind," she whispered back before pulling away.
"How have you been?" she asked casually as Draco stepped up next to her.
"Good." Ron nodded at Draco who nodded coolly back. Behind them, Mr. Weasley was securing the door with several flicks of his wand.
"Everyone's safe?" Hermione whispered urgently. Ron smiled at her.
"We're all fine. Although, Mum's been a bit antsy as of late."
Hermione frowned. "Why?"
Ron didn't get a chance to reply because at that moment, Ginny Weasley walked into the room, a scowl heavily etched on her face, her long auburn mane of hair swinging heartily behind her.
"That bitch," Ginny spat bitterly at Ron.
"Language in front of the baby, Ginny," Hermione reprimanded her immediately. Ginny turned to face Hermione and her scowl eased.
"Oh, hi Hermione! I didn't realize you were here."
She took Mira out of Hermione's arms. "Look how big you've gotten, missy!"
Hermione turned to Ron. "Who's a B-word?"
"No one," Ron turned bright red and glared at his sister. "She is not a bitch."
"Oh, just because you're in love with her," Ginny snapped.
Ron turned a nasty shade of puce.
"I am not in love with her," he growled fiercely, fists clenched.
"Who are you talking about?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"Guess who my brother Bill is engaged to?" Ginny said with a grim smile. A long sheet of silvery blonde hair came blowing around the corner and next second a tall, slim, beautiful woman with an eerie glow about her swept into the room as if she were Supreme Ruler of the Universe.
"Uh…" Hermione began, not knowing what else to say. Wasn't this an unpleasant surprise?
"You remember Hermione Granger don't you, Ph- I mean, Fleur?" Ginny asked through gritted teeth. "She's the one who dated Viktor Krum during the Triwizard Tournament."
Ron's ears turned red at the mention of Viktor Krum but Fleur showed no signs of recognition towards Hermione. "Oh, of course I remember!" She said in an airy voice that clearly said that she had no idea who exactly Hermione was. She gave her Hermione a bouncy kiss on the cheek that burned.
Fleur then noticed the baby that Ginny was holding. "An' who iz this leetle one?"
"That's my daughter, Mira," Hermione said proudly. Fleur took one of Mira's dimpled hands.
"What a leetle darling," she said in her throaty voice.
Draco cleared his voice, startling everyone.
"Did you all forget I was here?" he asked bad-temperedly.
"Well I remember you!" Fleur said, pointing at him. "You are Draco Malfoy, are you not?"
Draco inclined his head. As greetings were exchanged between them, Ginny gestured for Ron to grab Hermione's trunk and bring it upstairs into Ginny's bedroom.
Once Ron had put it beside the camp bed and the crib that had been set up in Ginny's first-floor room, Ginny pointed to the door.
"Out, Ronald. Girl's only."
Ron opened his mouth to argue- he really didn't want to be left with Draco and Fleur- but Ginny had already shoved him out and slammed the door in his face.
Ginny sat cross-legged on her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest as Hermione settled Mira down into her crib.
"How has your summer been with Draco?"
Hermione contemplated her answer before saying it. "It's been hard. He's been…quite. He seems a bit withdrawn. He just looks so tired and worn all the time. I know I am from staying up all night with Mira. But he…I don't know. We haven't spent a lot of time with each other…if you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean, Hermione."
"Yes well, we don't talk as often as we did anymore. It's like our relationship is becoming strained because of how little we get to communicate with one another. By the time Mira goes to bed, we're both too tired to do anything."
Ginny smiled sympathetically. "That's what happens when you have a baby. You don't have as much time for each other as you did before. Don't worry, as Mira gets older you two will go make to how you were before."
"I hope so," Hermione sighed, putting her chin in his hands as she looked over to where Mira lay.
"It's good to have you back, Hermione."
Hermione smiled up at her best friend, her sister.
"It's good to have you too, Ginny."
A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Coming up; Harry arrives and a little mischief is brought about.
Review! xox