I own nothing.
Chapter 38.
"Severus." Dumbledore walked towards the dark man, as the others waited with baited breath. Snape said something quietly to the Headmaster, who closed his eyes for a moment, his head bowing. In that moment, he looked as if he had lived every one of his one hundred years.
Slowly, unwillingly, he turned towards the crowd, his eyes seeking out Hermione's.
It was a bucket of ice water down her spine, a knife to her heart and the ground dissapearing from beneath her all at once.
She began backing away from everyone, shaking her head in denile, for she knew what he was about to say, and it couldn't possibly be true.
"I am so terribly sorry my child." He said simply, the other order members were aghast.
"They were supposed to be protected, they weren't ment to die for me." Hermione gasped out, her breathing becoming shallow, a stabbing pain starting in her lungs as she fought to remain calm.
There must have been some mistake.
She turned to Snape, the one person she catagorically knew would not lie to her. He looked pained, and shook his head apologetically.
"How?" She asked, her voice cracking. He didn't answer.
She cleared her thoat, and tried again, "How?" she said, her voice stronger this time, resonating power.
"It was a death eater attack, Bellatrix and a few others...there was nothing that could be done for them, by the time we got there...it was too late. I'm sorry Hermione." Snape said.
She was numb, to shocked to even react to his using her first name.
"It's not your fault." She replied numbly, unaware that she was shaking, or that tears were falling silently down her cheeks.
It was the truth, she didn't blame him, not in the slightest. She knew where the blame lay, and that was souley with herself.
She closed her eyes, calling for her fire bird, dessparatley needing some light.
Aeval appeared abover her, landing next to her as her knees gave out. He wouldn't let anybody but Charlie close, for which she was glad. Charlie lifted her gently, and carried her away.
Away from the sympathetic, horrified faces, away from her family, her friends, away from her pain.
They went to the room of requirement, Aeval guarding them closley the whole time.
Charlie set hermione on the bed, and went to start the shower. He helped her change from her damp bathing suit, before stripping himself, getting under the spray with her.
He washed her tenderly, as if she were a glass doll that might break. Hermione could only follow Charlie's instructions mindlessly, still numb.
He pulled her from the water, magically drying both their hair and body's, then pulled her back into the bedroom, where he dressed them both in fresh pajamas.
"Are you hungry sweetness?" He asked softly, she just shook her head, but told him to order something for himself, he had after all missed breakfast...the food fight seemed like days ago, not hours.
Aeval had not left their side once, he waited with them, while they ate, Charlie coaxing Hermione to eat bits and pieces here and there. While Charlie pulled her to bed, steering her to rest against his chest, Aeval waited.
And finally, when the damn broke, and the tears fell, Aeval watched, protecting the sobbing girl in her lover's arms. He watched her pain, and how it caused her other half pain. He watched, he waited, and when the tears finally subsided, he sang.
He sung them both to sleep, only stopping when their brething calmed, and then he watched once more, settling in to keep watching, over his mistress and her other half, untill he was no longer needed.
Mean while, in the Great Hall.
The room was silent, in a state of shock. The order had just watched Charlie carry that poor, broken girl away.
They had all shuffled blindley into the great hall, and sat at the singular, long wooden table at it's center.
Some, like Sirius and Severus had conjured drinks, amber liquid in chrystal cut tumblers.
Others were just staring in horror into space, there were tears runing down the faces of Dora and Fleur.
None of them could belive it, that hermione was to lose yet another set of parents.
It had caused each and every one of them near physicall pain to watch that girls heart break. To see her world shatter into a million pieces, the light extinguish from her eyes, snuffing her hope along with it.
They had all come to love her, as a daughter, sister, friend, confident, and they all hurt with her know.
"Was it bad?" Asked a tear stained Ginny, her voice flat, full of morbid curiosity.
Some of the others looked like they wanted to protest, but none of them did, all instead turning to Snape, who was cradeling a cut glass of fire wiskey in his pale hands.
Severus Snape was not weak, he had been a spy for nearly twenty years, and had witnessed atrocitys that most people couldn't dream of. So when he turned to the others, and they saw the tortured expression on his face, no words were required.
It had been bad.
"That poor girl, what else..." Molly weasly sniffed, she had been crying also, for the girl she had come to love as a daughter.
"She doesn't deserve this." Harry agreed, his voice choked, unshed tears in his eyes, "She the kindest soul i've ever met, she'd do anything, be anything...and she really bloody does not deserve this." He finished, an angry bitterness in his voice, that was echoed in the faces of those around him.
"She'll blame herself." harry continued, ignoring the outraged cries from those about him.
Fleur and Ginny cought eachother's eyes, knowing that he was right, knowing how Hermione had already suffered with issues of self worth, how she had blamed herself for her parents sufferings. They feared that this would be yet another cruel blow to her frigile self.
"She will." he persisted, "Between the change, and her beeing adopted...not to mention that she nearly killed Bellatrix in a duel a few weeks ago...She will blame herself."
The room as silent, knowing he was right.
The awful truth settled about them, Hermione had been unable to kill Bellatrix, a worthless murderer, an evil creture, and as a consaquense, a reward for her humanity, she had lost her only remaining family, the people who had raised her.
Life was playing a cruel game with this girl, on that they all agreed.
Hermione woke the next morning in Charlie's embrace, after a night of fitfull sleep, and unplesant dreams.
Her head was banging, and there was a blinding pain behind her eyes from the light coming from the floor to ceeling windows in their room. Her mouth was also dry, from all the crying she decided.
She shifted her gaze to the man lying beside her, only to meet ocean blue staring back.
"Morning Sweetness." he murmured gently, he didn't ask if she was ok, knowing the answer, and that it wouldn't help.
"Thank you Char." She rasped quietly, her eyes filled with the love and grattude that she coudn't express at the moment.
Charlie shook his head, "I love you mya." he said, an explination and a reassurance.
"Love you too Char." She whispered, sincerity pouring off of every word.
They both sat up, Charlie using his wand to conjure a glass, and fill it with water, before handing it to Hermione, who nodded her thanks before drinking deeply.
She looked about the room as she drank, noticing for the first time that Aeval was still with them. He had taken up perch on top of the grand piano, and was watching with a mournfull expression in his fiery eyes.
When his gaze met hers, he let out one long, low mournful note, that revebarated about the room. It was a balm to her aches and pains, hot liquid down her throat and a soft surface beneath her feet, It was comfort in it's purest form.
"Thank you, Aeval." Hermione and Charlie said together. The fire bird just bowed his head to them, and went back to watching.
"I think he'll look after us until we're ok." Charlie said, Hermione nodded her agreement, a small smile tugging her lips at the 'us' ad 'we'.
She didn't refute it either, by know it was clear to all that hey were two halved of a whole. Even Aeval recognised it, and behaved accordingly.
"Do you want to go to breakfast this morning, love?" Charlie asked gently, pushing her heavy curls from her face as he spoke.
She nodded. "I think i'd better. It will only be harder if i wait..." She sounded unsure but determind. Charlie nodded, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, then getting out of bed.
Hermione soon followed, heading to the bathroom. She looked at her face in the mirror, even pale with grief, her eyes red rimmed and blood shot, she was heart shatteringly beutiful. She was disgusted by herself.
Turning away from the mirror, she washed her face with cold water, the headed to change.
Should she ware black? Would that be a hollow sentiment? Would the others ware black? Questions swirled dizzyingly about her head, making her nausious.
She decided against the black, not seeing the point, it wouldn't bring her parents back, nor would it change how she felt.
She pulled on a a set of cream underwear, and a soft pair of silk lounge pants, ones that Fleur had gotten her for her Birthday. They were cream, and floated about her form in a calming way. She also pulled on a pale pastel blouse. It was loose and cool, she tucked it into her trousers and felt... acceptable.
She left her hair down, and left her chain and pendant visible for a change wanting it close. Finally, pulling soft leather sandal onto her feet, and taking Charlies hand, she let out a breath, and headed to breakfast, Aeval flying beside them.
They walked in silence through the cool stone walled corridors. Hermione grasping Charlies had as if it were the only thing teathering to the earth.
When they reached the entrance hall, they both stopped.
"Are you sure sweetness?" Charlie asked her, giving her the chance to change her mind.
"Just, stay close?" She asked, ashamed of the quaver in her voice. Charlie pulled her into a hug, his lager body surrounding her petite one. She breathed him in, savouring his soothing scent.
"Always." He murmered into her hair, before pulling back, taking her hand once more.
Aeval sang a calming note for them, and they both looked at him, nodding appreciativly. The fire bird came to rest on Hermione's shoulder, the opposite side to Charlie, so that she was surrounded by support.
Walking the short distance from the double doors to the wooden tables was one of the hardest thinds she had ever done in her short life.
It was more than facing sympathy that she felt she didn't diserve. It was truley admitting to herself that they had gone.
She kept her eyes down, her curls covering her face from view, and held on to Charlie's hand for dear life, also taking comfort from her fire birds soothing wight on the left shoulder.
They sat next to eachother, Charlie stradling the bench so that hermione could nestle between his legs, and lean into his chest. He did everything with one hand, keeping the other on the small of her back, rubbing soothing circles.
Conversation continued around them, not excluding them, but not activly questioning them either.
Hermione nibbled on some toast, an drank a mug of tea, but found that that was all that her stomach would tollarate, and Charlie didn't push her, just held her close, and rested his chin on the top of her head, as she burrowed into his embrace.
They stayed like this for a long time, earning tearful looks from the others. Mrs Weasley had actually had to leave the hall, they heared her breaking into sobbs in the entrance hall, Arthur went to comfort her.
Hermione just tried to tune it all out, focusing insted on charlie's steady heart beat against her ear, her fingers tracing his tattoo, on the under side of his fore arm, his other hand traced it's matching counterpart along her spine.
It was Fleur who finally spoke, bridging the gap between the order, and hermione and charlie who were in their own world.
"Ermione?" She asked tentativley.
Hermione didn't move her head, but lifed her eyes to meet her fellow Veela's.
"Je desole, Cheri." She whispered. Hermione smiled at her sadly.
"Merci, Fleur." She murmered back, knowing that things would get better.
The weeks that came were difficult, hermione saw her parents everywhere, their memory birned on painfully. She cried many times, but there was always someone ther to hold her. Normally Charlie, who only left her side whenit was absolutley neccesary, but if not then anther of her friends...family.
Aeval stayed with Hermione and Charlie day and night for two whole weeks, watching, protecting and comforting. He waited until he was sure, until he was no longer needed, before he left them again.
Things had gotten worse, if that were possible, before they got better. She had been called into Dubledore's office, she clung to Charlie's arm, fearing what bad news there could possibly be left to impart.
"Good morning my dear. How are you?" Dumbledore had asked, no sparkle in his priecingly blue eyes as he watched her over the top of his half moon spectacals.
"I'll be fine, sir." Was the reply she chose, knowing it was the one everyone wanted to hear.
It was the reply she gave to everyone bur Charlie, who always knew, and always understood.
"Yes my dear, I belive you will." Dumbledore smiled sadly.
"You are here this morning, to finalise the details. I know you will not be pleased, but will understand when I say that a funeral, would be far too dangerous."
Hermione had nodded to this, having understood from the begining that this was another thing that she would have to deprive her parents of, a proper goodbye.
"I went to their safe house myself, and... collected their personal belongings, which are now in your room. You have also inherited all their worldy possesions, and of course their buisness. But that is beeing taken care of, until you are ready."
Hermione nodded, not realiy caring about the buisness, she was thinking of the way Dumbledore had paused.
"It was bad wasn't it?" She asked, not needing an answer, Dumbledore's expression said it all.
Charlie tightened his grip on her hand, and she lened into him as Aeval gave a long piercing cry. It was unlike anyting they had heared from him before, not calming, comfort or even ager. This was a reflection of Hermione's inner turmoil, pure agony.
Dumbledore had flinched at the noise, understanding it's meaning. Charlie had lifted her into his lap, tears pricking at his eyes.
Hermione herself seemed to be beyond tears.
She was horrified, at what her parents had suffered, no doubt unimaginable pain of torture before...look at the Longbottoms. She felt sick.
From the inner pocet of his robes Dumbledore pulled a black velvet pouch.
"Everything else is in your room, but i thought you might like..." He trailed of, his voice shaking slightly.
Hermione held out her hand for the pouch, unsurprised to see the tremour in her fingers.
She pulled the golden cord, opening the expensive fabric, revealing her parent's wedding bands. Silent tears streamed down her face, and she turned to her headmaster, and smiled.
"Thank you, sir." She whispered, he had mearly nodded, there were no words.
She was brought back to the presant from her musing.
She was sitting at the grand piano in the room of requirement, she had been mindlessly playing The River Waltz, from The Painted Vail for the last few minutes, it's melodic lilt, and minor key, floating about her, mirroring her meloncholly frame of mind.
It had been three days since her meeting with Dumbledore, and she had been thinking about her parent's wedding bands ever since.
She had finally come to a decision.
Getting to her feet, she walked from the piano to her bedside table, retreaving the black velvet pouch. She went over to where Charlie was sitting, he had been listening to her play.
She tipped the rings onto her palm, as she sat next to her lover.
"Would you...would you ware this Char? Like i do with my promise rings..." She asked, her voice quiet.
It had taken some thought, but she had finaly come to the realisation that this is what her parents would have wanted.
"My parents only met you the once, but they liked you, they knew I loved you..." She broke of, her voice wavering.
Charlie cupped her cheek, halting her speech.
"If you're sure, then I would be honoured." He whispered gently, kissing her lips softly, chastley.
Hermione took what had been her Father's wedding band, and slid it onto the fourth finger of Charlie's right hand, just as she had done with her promis ring when they had become engaged.
She slipped her Mother's wedding band onto her right hand also, sliding her promis rings off to place it on her finger first, then sliding the promise rings back on, next to their new neighbour.
Hermione looked at Charlie's hand, and smiled softly, reaching to kiss it tenderly. Looking up she saw that glint of adoaration in her Dragon Tamers eyes, one that made her want to hold him and never let go.
They made love for the first time again that night. Both of them had been changed by the past few days, but it had strangthened them. Changed them for the better, even if they didn't know it yet.