''She will physically heal perfectly, except maybe for one or two scars. Within three weeks, she should be out.''
''Thank you, Angelina, we really appreciate it. Is there anything else?'' Asked Harry Potter to George Weasley's wife, the head healer of St Mungos.
''Well... there seem to be a weird pattern on her shoulder...'' She hesitated handing a picture to the wizard. ''But that's not the weirdest thing.''
''What could be any weirder than that?'' Asked Ronald who took the photo from his friend's hands. On it, you could see Hermione's naked shoulder and back, where a bizarre pattern was inked.
''Malfoy has the same, at the exact same spot.'' When I verified any other wound on his extern body, that's the first thing I notice.
''Bloody hell,'' whispered Harry. ''It looks like a rune.''
''That's exactly what it is,'' said Angelina. ''The signification of it would explain why we are unable to detach their hands from one another.''
''Can't believe they are both in a coma and actually holding hands,'' grumbled Ronald in his beard, the icy feeling of jealousy stinging.
''The rune,'' continued Angelina,'' is really ancient. It means soul. From what we gathered, Hermione tried a spell months ago and that must come from it.''
''Other than that, what does it do?'' Questionned Harry, ignoring his surprise and Ron's reaction. (''What?! Are you bloody kidding me?!'')
''Well, the spell can only work on a soul mates.''
''NO. THAT'S A HELL TO THE NO. NO WAY.'' Cut Ron angrier than ever.
''Ronald – '' warned Harry with all his patience wearing thin – scratch that – unexistent.
''HARRY YOU MUST SAY SOMETH-'' He was silenced by a charm coming from his friend, and petrified.
''Let. .'' Said Potter, his jaw tightening a little bit more after each word.
''Thank you,'' she flipped the pages of her document. '' So yeah, basically it requires two soul mate to work. It marks them with the rune, and after that, they are bound forever to hear each other's thoughts. Our theory is that Malfoy's soul felt Hermione's drifting away and went searching for it.''
''How is that even possible?'' Asked Harry, his jaw dropping to the floor. In the corner of the room, Ronald eye's were moving from left to right, in an attempt to communicate his fury at the thought that Hermione Granger, is long time best friend, was the soul mate of Draco Ferret Malfoy.
''Asks the boy who survived the killing curse,'' responded Angelina in a smirk.
''Point taken.'' he sighed in defeat, ''Okay, but what happens now?''
Angelina looked over at her two patient, sound asleep, their fingers intertwined. If you looked closely enough, you could see strings of light linking the two hands and roaming the hands of the soul mates. The healer sighed, ''We wait for their souls to come back.''
XX
''Granger?'' Asked Draco Malfoy in awe. ''Where are we?'' He asked.
''I-I don't know.''
''Well that's a first.'' He said ironically.
''Oh, shut it, Draco.''
It was an empty space. They were walking in thin air, their environment completely white. Without noticing, they both searched for each other's hands. Intertwining his finger with hers, he lead the way into the emptiness.
''This is strange,'' she whispered. ''I think Harry already spoke to me about this place,'' she continued.
He didn't cut her because he could see she was lost in her thoughts.
''Only, it appeared as King's Cross station to him. With Dumbledore. I think it's a place where souls in need of light come, waiting for something.''
''What, and be precised this time, exactly are we waiting for?''
''Draco, what did you see in the door, when we escaped?''
Her question was so sudden, he stopped walking, still holding her hand. Somehow, it reassured him.
''You saw yourself, didn't you?'' She whispered searching his stormy grey eyes.
He silently nodded.
''I-I believe you are here in search of something, Draco. Something you never had. And you probably hate yourself for it, because you've pushed it away so many times. Maybe that's why...''
''That you're here?'' He finished, unsure. ''Is that why the spell worked? Because you're going to help me find it?''
She nodded slowly. ''It's where light meets dark. The spell needed perfect balance. I needed you, and that you needed me.''
''W-What did you see?'' He asked. He was afraid. What could Hermione Granger possibly feared the most?
''Myself,'' she couldn't lock eyes with him. She was too ashamed. It could have happened so many times during war. ''The thing I fear the most is loneliness, Draco.''
Draco raised their joined hands up to their faces. He opened his hand, and his opened palm slowly collided with Hermione's.
''Maybe you're the strength I've always needed.'' He whispered looking down to her.
He knew that by then, their relationship would never be the same.
''Maybe you're the strength I've always wanted,'' she repeated, meaning it from the bottom of her heart.
XX
''They are awake!'' Yelled Angelina popping into the Burrow. The Weasleys and Harry apparated back to St Mungos.
XX
''So basically, you're saying that McLaggen captured you?''
She nodded. Hermione Granger's room, shared with Malfoy's bed, was full of people curious to know how it had happened.
''I knew it was coming, eventually. It just didn't know when. I had spotted the similarities between my case and Draco's. The girl he abducted, they all looked like me. That's why I wanted to meet him. He only had to know about this. But he must've told Zabini that he had an appointment with me, and that's why I was abducted before I could even have the chance to meet him.''
''How come I never noticed before?'' Muttered Draco to himself, tightening his grip on Hermione's hand, she squeezed his hand back.
''It come to my realisation when he abducted the last one before me. They were all muggleborn or muggle. Harmony, Esmeralda, Rachel, Marianna, Isabelle, Oanna, Nabila and ...''
''Ember,'' finished Draco. ''H.E.R.M.I.O.N.E.''
''Not that I like being selfish or anything, (Draco smiled at the thought of her words. Could Hermione Granger ever be selfish?) but I figured it had something to do with me. So I started my own personal case. Who would want me so badly; they would kidnapped girls looking like me and use them as tools to pretend they were me? It had to be a psychopath.
I first noticed him when he came to work with a cut on his arms, plus a piece of his hair had been pulled off violently. He said it was just a fight in the street he had stopped. But a fight in the street, in the magic world, the wounds would have been different. So he had had to fight physically someone, up close and personal.
McLaggen has been incredibly obsessed with me since Hogwarts. Sometimes he was even following me at work. He just didn't have the courage to ask me out, to face me, and so he forced his way on these girls. One night, I followed him using Harry's invisible cape –
'' I knew it ! I bloody knew it!'' Whispered Harry to himself.
''What I discovered left me disgusted. But I had arrived too late: he had already killed the girl. It was Marianna. That's when I knew I had very little time. A psychopath always needs to accomplish every step of a scheme to feel like they've mastered their crime.
But before I could contact Azkaban, Zabini played an important part. At first, I didn't know it was him. But I knew he had to be an auror because no one stopped McLaggen from kidnapping me – furthermore – everything concerning my case was erased from the ministry's magical data.
He must have manipulated McLaggen into kidnapping me, for real. Zabini would cover him up, even pay for it. McLaggen could do whatever he was pleased to do, on me. It didn't take much persuasion. I knew I couldn't tell anybody.
It seems to have happened within a week or two, but this took a total of 4 months. During that time, I had the time to try the spell. I knew that once I would cast it, there was no turning back. I also knew that Malfoy (she raised their linked hands as proof of his participation in the case) would have to find me, since he was currently working on the psychopath's case.
So I started to prepare a trail of clues he could follow to find me.''
She took a deep breath after her explanation.
''But Hermione, how did you know that casting the spell on Malfoy would actually work? With no me, or Ronald?'' Asked Harry, confused. ''We've known you for the longest!''
''Technically not true, Potter.'' Responded Malfoy.
''Because,'' cut Hermione,'' This couldn't be just fortuity. It was destiny. It was our shot at catching the culprit. The spell needed balance. Perfect balance. And who could possibly hate me more than myself? ''
All eyes turned to Malfoy, the young man slowly turned red under all the attention.
''I don't hate her,'' he grumbled under his breath. ''I used to, not the same.''
''Why did Zabini killed Cormac?'' Asked Ronald.
Hermione's lips formed a sad smile. Cormac had been a friend during Hogwarts. Now his memory had turned into a murderer, and a rapist.
''I believe it came a time where his conscience couldn't take it anymore. He had murdered, raped and tortured eight women before me, but being with me was probably not what he expected. He must've thought I would fall in love with him, with everything he had done to impress me, killing those women. But I was utterly disgusted. I would bit him, spit on him and I even – er – tried to hurt his ... well, you know... ''
There was a silence followed by a hushed ''ooh''.
''I wish you did.'' Muttered Harry.
''He's gross.'' Responded Ron.
''Not a loss, really.'' Said Ginny.
''Who cares about his genitals anyway.'' Added George.
Hermione's eyes lit up, her friends were being so compassionate.
''So. Moving on.'' She nervously flattened the sheets of her bed, even though they were already perfectly placed. She straightened herself as well. ''I believe that Zabini put him under the Imperio curse to pursue his goal.''
''McLaggen was in Berjow & Beurk when I went to fetch the Map. He was not under the Imperio. He was probably looking for an object to keep him from being under the Imperio. But Zabini came and charmed him. '' He continued, suddenly seeing everything under another angle. ''I found a piece of paper, on my wall of clues. It was telling me to be careful about whom I trusted. It must've have been one of those moments where McLaggen was not cursed. He must've have came during the attack at the Ministry and used it as a distraction to enter my office and make it look like someone was looking was something, whereas he was trying to warn me.''
Hermione nodded in comprehension.
''So...I guess that's it.'' Finished Draco for the witch still holding his hand and himself. He was really uncomfortable in the situation. All Hermione's relative were there – well, she considered the Weasley's her family and her own family were not granted access be in St Mungos – and he was observed like a beast in a circus.
''What are you going to do about the charm, Hermione?'' Asked Ginny wiggling her brows up and down and pointing at Malfoy with her eyes, a mimic the latter caught.
''Well, since both Draco and I – ''
''Can't believe they are on first name basis,'' muttered Ronald, still angry at the thought of Malfoy being Hermione's savior and soul mate. But Ginny elbowed him in the ribs.
''- are connected for what seems to be forever, we decided to experience to limit of this bond. He could be really useful if we were to work together. In order to achieve the maximum of power of the spell, we decided to take a little vacation – on our own.''
Ronald didn't even have to time to protest that his brother, George, silenced him with a spell. Exasperated, Ronald sat in the corner of the room.