Harry didn't know what to expect when he rushed into the room of "Helena Thomas." However, he certainly wasn't expecting to see a red-eyed Draco, holding an unmoving black-haired child and Hermione, similarly lifeless, lying in a hospital bed, being watched other by Katie Bell. It was the first time he'd seen his best friend in months, and she looked so helpless and small, so unlike the bogeyman that Dumbledore had tried to convince him she was.
"Close the door," Draco ordered, his voice raspy, as if he hadn't spoken for hours. He cradled the small baby even closer to his chest, as if he were protecting him.
Harry did as he was told, feeling a bit stunned when he realized that Draco viewed him as a threat to Hermione. Standing awkwardly for a few seconds, he stared at the brunette on the hospital bed, shocked by how pale she looked. Finally, he moved, walking to Hermione's side. He grabbed her hand, which was warm, and looked to Katie. "What's happened to her? Is that her child?" he asked, knowing that his former housemate would give him the answers he sought.
"Aren't you going to ask me if it's mine first, Potter?" Draco asked, bitterly.
"I know it's not yours. It's Voldemort's," he said simply, neutrally. Harry watched as Katie flinched visibly as he said the name. It would appear that she had not known the father of the child. He sat next to Draco on the visitor's couch, wanting to get a better look at the child. He wasn't going to hold an infant accountable for his father's actions.
"His name is Evan Salazar," Draco told him, as if it would scare him away. "Hermione picked it." Part of him was surprised that Hermione would choose to honor the founder of Slytherin house, but he decided he would ask her about it later.
Harry gave a tentative smile, a finger reaching up to touch the soft skin of the baby's cheek. "Evan for her 'brother'," he said, remembering all the things he'd viewed in when Hermione was in the Diary.
The way Draco reacted was unexpected. He pulled back from Harry, as though he'd been burned. "You knew? You knew how the Order was treating her and you didn't do anything?" he asked, horror, disgust in his voice. "You should leave, it was wrong of me to ask you here." Draco was so shocked. Hermione had truly been betrayed by her best friends. He didn't think Saint Potter had it in him, but the proof was right in front of him. It would be okay, he thought to himself stubbornly, because Hermione had new friends now. Him, and Theo and he was sure that Astoria would grow to like her once they met.
"What do you mean 'how they were treating her'?" Harry asked, sounding truly perplexed. "I mean, I knew about the Diary, but that's all."
Draco asked him to elaborate, warily. His grey eyes slid over Harry's face, looking for any hint of deception.
Harry ran his fingers through his messy hair. "I didn't know Dumbledore was going to put Ron and Hermione in the Diary until he had already done it. Ron was only in it for a few hours, so I hardly noticed he was gone," Harry explained slowly. He wet his lips. "Hermione was in there for two weeks. Dumbledore would sometimes ask me to watch particular moments, as if to show me Hermione's character. I was surprised how easily she fit in."
"They were keeping her locked in her room. They only let her out to research for your cause, and the only person who ever talked to her was Professor Snape," Draco revealed, gauging Harry's reactions. "They wouldn't even let her keep clothes in her room," Draco told him, angry - angry that Harry hadn't figured this out himself. He was truly offended on Hermione's behalf. "And she stayed like that for two months. Until they told her she wasn't allowed to return to Hogwarts."
Harry looked dumbfounded, shaking his head. "I wish I had known. I would have helped her," he pleaded, wanting the blond to believe him. Harry stared at the girl on the bed. She was so still. Immediately, he could feel anger boiling up in his chest when he thought about how he'd just left Hermione behind and alone. To face all of that on her own.
Just as he was about to ask Katie what was wrong with her, the door slammed open. Harry knew the distinctive red hair immediately, and stood, his fingers tight around his wand. "Ron, what are you doing here?" he demanded.
The boy held up a piece of metal, shining in the light. "I still have my coin as well, Harry. And I am not too stupid to decode the message. Who else could Helena Thomas be?" he asked with a smirk. Ron didn't even look at Hermione who was lying in the bed, or notice Katie standing by his ex-friend; his eyes instead settled on Draco, holding the dark-haired child. "So it's true. The slut let the filthy ferret get her pregnant, and she birthed him spawn."
Before Draco had time to react, Ron had his wand drawn, pointed at Evan. "Let's do the world a favor and rid the Earth of this scum," he said with a laugh, looking at Harry's direction, as if he expected the other boy to agree with him.
"Ron, listen to yourself!" Harry cried out, wondering just what had happened to the boy he'd met on the train all those years ago. "He's just a baby. Please don't do anything rash." When Ron didn't waver, the boy who lived reluctantly stepped between Draco and Ron, his own wand raised in their defense.
He could see Ron's face contort in anger. "Diffindo maxima!" Ron shouted in a rage.
Harry barely had time to deflect the spell from the group. Before Ron had time to use another spell, Draco shouted at Harry to grab onto his arm. Harry turned around, grabbing Draco's hand, who was holding Evan and holding onto Hermione's hand. Katie was holding onto Draco's other arm. They disappeared then, with Malfoy apparating all of them away.
Draco had never felt pain like his, except for the Cruciatus curse. He had never tried side-along apparition with three adults and a child, and it felt like his body was being stretched in every which way, but he knew that he couldn't let go or lose focus lest someone end up splinched. Finally, the spinning stopped, and they were in the library of Malfoy Manor, where he knew the Floo would be open.
When they had all regained their breath, Draco told Harry to carry Hermione and the he would take Evan. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he shouted clearly "Lestrange Home!"
Voldemort was sitting by himself in the study, staring listlessly at the fire crackling in the hearth. He had an open book in his lap, but he couldn't bring himself to read the words on the page. All he could think about was Hermione and Evan. He had been overcome with pain when they had fallen...ill, but he looked at Severus's memories of the event. He would have to reward Draco later, he thought mildly, glad that the boy had jumped into action.
It was weird feeling like this. He felt so worried and guilty that he physically hurt. But even worse was the feeling of helplessness, knowing that he couldn't just storm into St. Mungo's and demand assistance for his wife and child.
When he heard the commotion, he didn't want to get his hopes up. However, he heard Snape order whoever it was to take 'her' upstairs, he knew that Hermione was back. His heart thudded against his rib cage, while he waited for Snape to come get him. He wanted Hermione to be settled in before he shocked her with his new looks.
It didn't take long, but to Voldemort, it seemed like years. Severus finally came to "escort" Voldemort up the stairs to Hermione's room where she was resting with their son. Severus warned him that she had two visitors, with wary eyes. Voldemort inwardly cringed, wondering who it could possibly be. He hoped he wouldn't need to hurt anyone in front of Hermione and their child.
When he entered, he almost didn't recognize the young man that was sitting next to Hermione. It took some time, but as soon as the man uttered "Voldemort?" he knew he was staring into the eyes of Harry Potter. They kept their eyes locked, and Voldemort could feel his wand arm itching to react, not wanting to be caught unaware by the younger man. He was supremely surprised that the boy didn't immediately start attacking him. The Dark Lord wondered just why Harry Potter would be here at all.
Then he noticed that blonde girl that Severus was standing close to. Severus cleared his throat, awkwardly. "My Lord, this is Katie Bell, she is the healer from St. Mungo's."
Katie Bell seemed shocked that the man who had just entered the room was Lord Voldemort. He didn't look anything like she expected. He was so handsome, with dark eyes that you couldn't look away from and dark brown hair with just the hint of curl. He had gorgeous cheekbones and she couldn't believe that this was famed mass murderer Lord Voldemort.
"What has happened to her?" he asked, unable to tear his eyes from Hermione's prone form. Evan was tucked into the bassinet beside her bed, seeming so tiny. What was immediately clear to him was that neither one of them was moving - never a good sign. He could feel his stomach lurch in anticipation.
"Well, Evan and Hermione's souls are under great torment. I believe Evan contained part of a horcrux within him, and Hermione was soul-bound to you, so it's as if a part of them has been ripped away," Katie postulated, having heard the whole story from Draco. "They will stay this way until either the restorative potion drinker - you - feels true remorse for his actions, or until their souls are repaired by themselves," Katie told him calmly, unsure of how he would take the unwelcome news.
Voldemort sat down on the edge of the bed, taking Hermione's hand in his He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked supremely beautiful in sleep. Her warning that something would go terribly wrong with the potion was ringing in his ears, but he never realized it could be for the pair of them. "Yes, but why is she here? Why was she not kept at St. Mungo's, and word sent to me?" he questioned, having expected her to come back when she was well.
"We ran into a big issue," Draco said calmly. "Weaselbee showed up. He tried to kill Evan. He wanted to rid the earth of my spawn."
"He sounded like a right Death Eater, talking about ridding the world of scum, as if killing a baby wasn't totally repugnant," Harry said, unthinking of who his audience was. Suddenly, his green eyes widened in shock when he remembered that it was Voldemort in the room, and that at one point, Voldemort had tried to do just that - kill him. He winced, hoping that Voldemort wouldn't try to kill him now, seeing as Harry had put himself in a uniquely vulnerable position.
It was hard to think of him as Voldemort when he looked so different from the man who'd been resurrected in the graveyard three years prior. Instead, he looked at the man who was an older version of the Tom Riddle he had met in the Chamber of Secrets - uncommonly handsome and normal. Harry looked around the room. "May I speak with you, alone?" he asked, tentatively, knowing that he would do anything for Hermione.
"Potter, not the most wise request you have ever made," Draco bit out. He wasn't sure why he was trying to protect the foolish boy. He supposed it was just because he knew Hermione would be upset if Voldemort killed Harry Potter in the same room as her.
"Leave us." Voldemort commanded, waiting for Draco, Severus and Katie to leave the room.
As soon as they had left, Harry locked eyes with Voldemort and wouldn't let go. "Please, I know you think it won't work, but you have to try to feel remorse. This sounds crazy, but I believe that you can feel sorry for your actions," Harry begged, knowing in his heart that it was the only way that Hermione would ever get better.
"Why do you care so much? You washed your hands of Hermione many months ago," Voldemort questioned with a sneer. Harry was struck suddenly by how much Voldemort cared for Hermione. Her words from her earlier letter ran through his mind, where she told him that she'd managed to change the man by giving him love. Perhaps she hadn't been off the mark.
"No, never! If I would have known how Dumbledore was treating her, I never would have left her there. I would have taken her away, put her up somewhere safe. Maybe Paris, she could've attended Beauxbatons for her final year," Harry countered, wishing that he would get the chance to explain it to Hermione herself.
He rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to come up with the best way to convince the other man. "At first I was confused at how she could have had feelings for you, and I interpreted it as a betrayal," Harry hung his head in shame. He took a deep, shuddering breath. "Now, I know that I don't care who Hermione has feelings for, as long as she is being taken care of. I don't understand your relationship with her, and I won't try to, but please, she is my best friend, my sister. I need her in my life. Please try." The boy had tears in his eyes, and he was choking over words.
Still, Harry's pleas helped make up his mind. Although he thought it was fruitless - he had never felt true remorse in his life - he would try. "Let me be alone with her," Voldemort told Harry, trying to let the boy - his mortal enemy - know that he would try.
Once Harry had left the room, he looked down at Hermione, pushing some of her tousled hair back out of her face. "You tried to tell me that love doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong. I feel pretty weak right now though," he started, with a sigh. This was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated.
"Hermione, I am truly regretful that I didn't listen to your advice about the blood magic. I should have listened to you - all magic comes at a price. I just didn't know that another's sacrifice could become my sacrifice. Truthfully, I didn't know that I would care so much about your sacrifice," he revealed. There was no sound at all in the room, making the scene seem surreal in some way.
"I need you to come back to me, Hermione. I promise that I will change the way I run things. Once I get rid of Dumbledore, I will - no, we will totally reform education. I will appoint you as Mistress of Education." He smiled at the thought of that. "No, I don't think you would like that very much. Perhaps, once I instate Snape as Headmaster of Hogwarts, you and I could teach there. I might like that very much. No knowledge would be off limits to the students."
It was a dream that he'd had one before.
Voldemort sighed. Not only was he supremely sad, but he was also starting to feel an intense pain in where he supposed his heart was. It was an ache so deep, he could feel it all the way to his toes. "Please, Hermione. Come back to me. I love you." At this point, Voldemort had to hold back real tears, partially from the raw emotion he was feeling, and partly from the physical pain. It felt like his inside was molten metal, as his eight pieces of soul were forged back together.
He heard Evan first.
It was a whimper so quiet, that he thought he imagined it. But then it became a full on wail - not a wail of pain, but of one needing attention. Voldemort looked into the bassinet and saw his child with crocodile tears in his eyes, holding his arms out as if he wanted to be picked up. So he did just that, holding the small boy to his chest, smiling as he settled the babe against his chest, feeling his heartbeat working in tandem with the boy's.
When he looked back at Hermione, her eyes were just beginning to flutter open. His heart leapt in joy, unbelieving that it could really have been that simple. It had been incredibly painful, but what was a few moments of pain when it meant returning the two people he loved the most to him?
She let out a tiny groan, her eyes opening fully, darting around her room, until they settled on him. She looked confused at first, but he soon saw realization dawn on her face. "Tom? Oh, Tom!" she smiled broadly, throwing her arms around him. "I am so glad that you are okay," she whispered into his ear, genuinely.
He wasted no time in uniting their lips together in a passionate kiss, taken aback by how perfect they felt together. He then leaned fully into the hug, so that he could whisper into her ear. "I love you." It was a phrase that he was unaccustomed to saying, but he made a promise to himself in that moment that Hermione would never doubt it coming from his lips.