CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Summary: Hermione's secret is discovered by The Order of the Phoenix. Before Harry is rescued, she needs to be first. But from who? With the help of Sirius she learns to put the past behind her, and with the help of two Weasleys, they show her a happy future. But Hermione isn't who she thinks she is, what she discovers will change her life for good. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling. Non-canon events are my own ideas. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic.
Page count: 8
Malfoy Manor – Friday 8th April 1996
Hermione landed on her feet and she found her voice. With her eyes shut tightly, she let out an ear piercing scream and pulled against the grip the two assailants had on her.
She heard glass shattering, thunder and lightning clashed over head as rain started pouring. Screams of fright hit her ears, almost drowned out by the thunderstorm, as well as her own screams echoing. She felt the air around her swirl and suddenly the assailants' grip left her body and she could move freely.
She took several deep breaths before opening her eyes.
Glass covered the cold marble floor, windows had been blown out and the chandelier that once hung above now lay broken on the ground. Rain poured around her and thudded against the floor, thunder clashed and lightning flashed overhead. A quick scan with her eyes showed approximately fifty Death Eaters all pushed against the deep blue walls, they were flailing around trying to move, but powerful gusts of wind were swarming the room, keeping them in place.
She was panting heavily, trying to calm herself down; logically she knew that whoever had taken her wouldn't hurt her. One, they couldn't; she was too powerful and had the advantage. Two, they were afraid of the consequences, more so after witnessing what she could do if she was frightened, and finally, three, they obviously wanted something from her.
She continued to peruse the large room, a more accurate name would be hall. It looked to be a large ballroom, at the front was a large dark green throne and sat on it was someone Hermione never wanted to see.
Lord Voldemort.
She tried to look at him impassively, but couldn't. She was horrified by what she saw.
His pale and wax like face looked positively gleeful with a terrifying smile on his face, it looked even worse with the lack of a nose, instead with two slits reminding her of a snake. His long, skeletal fingers were twined together, before pulling apart and his hands applauded, as a tinkling sound left his mouth sending shivers down her spine, even as rain still poured from seemingly nowhere.
"It is true, The Blue Mage is in our presence, what an honour," he said, his voice carrying over the clashes of thunder. "One can never trust The Ministry and their judgement, as I'm sure you're aware."
Hermione didn't speak, just glared at him.
"You will show The Dark Lord respect!"
Hermione's eyes flickered over to the sneer that came from Bellatrix Lestrange, she was stood by the throne and had her wand pointed in Hermione's direction.
Unfortunately for Bellatrix, she forgot about the consequences that came with threatening a Blue Mage, and Hermione's magic was well aware of the horrific things she had done. Hermione's magic wanted her to be punished.
A powerful bolt of lightning shot across the room hitting Bellatrix square in the chest, she gave a deafening scream as her wand clattered to the floor and her body was thrown across the room, slamming against the wall and hitting the ground.
Hermione instantly felt guilt fill her and that was enough for her to gain control and stop the thunder and lightning storm. The Death Eaters that had been pinned against the wall by the wind all slumped to the ground. One got to his feet and moved over to Bellatrix.
Hermione could vaguely see the large burn hole in her dress, the skin underneath black where she had been struck by the lightning bolt. Hermione watched as an incantation was muttered by the Death Eater.
"She is still alive, My Lord," the nameless, faceless Death Eater spoke.
"Of course she is," Voldemort spoke without a care in the world and still looking at Hermione. "The Blue Mage cannot control if her magic needs to defend her or punish those that have wronged, but she does not kill, it is not in her nature," he stated as a matter of fact. "Dear Bella made a mistake in threatening Miss. Black, as a result her magic honed in on her and she was punished."
"Are you not going to punish the Mudblood, My Lord?" another Death Eater asked in evident confusion.
"Miss. Black is a Pureblood," he spoke with a hiss. "And why would I punish The Blue Mage, she is only doing what she was born to do. Such power, such potential, magnificent," he sounded slightly awed and it made Hermione feel ill.
She wanted to get out of there; she had to get to her father. Her hand reached up to tug on her necklace but she found nothing, it was gone.
Panic filled her and her eyes darted around the room until they finally landed on the necklace. It was, rather unfortunately, on the floor in front of Voldemort, it must've fallen off during her arrival.
"I wonder what else you are capable of, what I have seen so far is beyond impressive."
Hermione found her voice; she was surprised at how calm she sounded when she knew she was anything but.
"Compliments will get you nowhere; I won't be showing you anything that I am capable of."
"Why not?" he asked, almost childishly with a slight pout to his mouth. It was so disturbing she felt herself having to fight back the shiver than ran down her spine.
"I know why I'm here."
"I have been told many a thing about you, Miss. Black, one would be your intelligence. It seems you are referred to by more than one as 'The Brightest Witch of the Age'. Such intelligence, such power, such talent, it should not be wasted. I can offer you a chance to rule the word, by my side."
She grimaced at the thought.
"I was born to protect, not to rule."
"Are the two not the same?"
"No, when you rule, you punish, you frighten and you lord yourself over others, making them bow down to you. When you protect, you get nothing in return, the only payment you need is knowing that you saved someone's life and that they will be fine. Most of the time, people don't even know you're the reason they're safe."
"So why not rule, they may fear you, but you will reward them for their loyalty with protection."
"That's not the way it works. You shouldn't have to sell your soul for protection. I will not join you or your cause. You are not my mate, and for that I cannot be by your side, as well as the fact that everything you do goes against my responsibility to protect the innocent."
"So you will fight against me?"
"No," she replied without thought. "As much as I love Harry and I agree with The Order, I cannot fight for them either. I must stay neutral in this war, there are consequences involved for The Blue Mage actively choosing a side and they are unknown, I am not willing to pay the price. I will stay neutral. Now, I must be getting back to my father, I imagine you have just brought down the wrath of the House of Black on you for abducting me, not a smart thing to do," she chided.
She lifted up her arm and willed for the air around her to bring her necklace to her. The necklace that was in front of Voldemort slowly lifted off the ground and it floated over to her. She gripped it in her hand and saw the clasp was broken. She could only contact Sirius if she was wearing it and it was undamaged.
She sighed and tucked the necklace into her pocket.
From the corner of her eye she noticed five Death Eaters surrounding her, slowly making their way towards her and she rolled her eyes.
She looked at the water that had flooded the ballroom and slowly she lifted her hands up from her sides. As she did, the water in the room began sloshing about and it lifted off the ground and like a tidal wave, it moved over to her and swirled around her, almost like a tornado made of water.
She heard gasps and she could only just make out the figures of the Death Eaters through the water barrier she had created around herself. She then willed the water to protect her, and it did. The water shot out in five different directions, heading straight for the Death Eaters that had been approaching her. The jet of water slammed into them with such a force they were thrown across the room, landing on the floor and sliding across it until their backs hit the walls behind them.
Voldemort was now on his feet and looking positively impressed.
"Magnificent, just magnificent," he spoke aloud.
Hermione turned on her heel and headed for the only exit in the room, two large wooden doors, similar to the great hall at Hogwarts. They opened for her and she stepped through them, walking down a corridor filled with portraits that whispered as she walked past, but she ignored them and continued her fast pace, not wanting to give the Death Eaters time to catch up to her.
She left the corridor and ended up in a large room with dark walls and flooring, and a total of four corridors. She sighed, which way should she go?
"Hermione?"
She quickly turned around and came face to face with Malfoy. She sighed in relief.
"Bloody hell, don't do that to me, do you have any idea how on edge my magic is right now?" It didn't take a genius to figure out where she was, once she saw him she knew she was at Malfoy Manor.
"Sorry," he said shrugging. "What are you doing here?" he asked her confused.
"He had me abducted."
Malfoy paled immediately. "He's here?" he whispered fearfully.
"Yes, he is and he asked me to join him, of course I turned him down. Bellatrix will need healing, she threatened me and my magic punished her, a few other Death Eaters are likely injured too, now if you don't mind, I want to get home, which way?"
He looked around him, his eyes scanning the corridors.
"This way," he led her down the second corridor, then another two, followed by taking two lefts and a right and finally another corridor, bringing them out into a large entrance hall, with light walls and flooring, a grand staircase behind her and a large crystal chandelier above.
"Bloody mazes," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Go through those doors, it will take you to the gardens. If you follow the gravelled path for ten minutes, you'll be free of the wards."
"Thanks, I'll guess I'll see you at school, if I were you I'd stay out of sight." She headed for the doors, which once more magically opened for her as her approach neared.
"By the way," she turned around to see him looking at her expectantly. "A little excessive, don't you think?" She gestured around her, indicating that she was talking about the entire manor, before she left out the door, leaving behind a chuckling Malfoy in the background.
~000~000~000~
12 Grimmauld Place
Hermione made her way up the steps of the house before opening the door and stepping inside. She was expecting a little noise, but not shouting and yells. She closed the door and quickly made her towards the noise, entering the room everyone was stood in.
Remus and Snape looked to be arguing, Dumbledore and McGonagall were whispering to each other. Harry, Fred and George were arguing with Ron and Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley watched quietly from a corner in the room as they hugged each other and Sirius was practically doubled over on the floor, gripping at his hair.
She quickly rushed forward, straight past everyone who didn't notice her arrival and she kneeled down in front of him. She took his head in her hands and forced him to look at her.
"I'm okay, they didn't hurt me, I escaped," she said softly.
His eyes that had been unfocused suddenly zeroed in on her and then they widened, before he grabbed her and pulled her to him tightly, muttering under his breath.
"Why the fuck didn't you answer me?"
"My necklace fell off and when I found it the clasp had been broken, I can't contact you if the necklace is damaged or I'm not wearing it. I got out of there as quickly as I could, though I injured a few Death Eaters in the process."
"That's my girl," he said proudly, his fear and panic retreating now that he knew she was safe and she was home. "By the way, you're grounded."
"What? Why?"
"Because I said so."
She grumbled and he chuckled at her.
They pulled away from each other and they stood, Sirius looked far calmer now and watched those around him in confusion, he hadn't noticed all the sound in his panicked state.
Hermione walked over to Remus and touched his shoulder. He whipped around, ready to engage another in a battle of words, but when he saw it was her and she was uninjured, he sighed in relief. He hugged her tightly, ignoring Snape, who walked back over to Dumbledore and McGonagall with a smug smirk on her face.
"What took you so long?"
She shrugged. "You know me, I don't like to leave things unfinished." He chuckled at her, he pulled away and walked over to Sirius, clapping him on the shoulder in comfort and Hermione walked over to the arguing teens.
She put her hands one of Fred's and George's shoulders. The immediately stopped arguing and turned their heads. They practically pounced on her, pulling her to them and trapping her between them immediately, hugging her tightly and giving Mrs. Weasley a run for her galleons with their 'Momma Bear' hug.
"You're back," they whispered, sounding relieved and she felt the way the tension melted from their bodies as she hugged them back.
"I am and I'm fine, I promise. I have no injuries, but I did leave a few behind."
They chuckled. "That's our girl," they said proudly.
They pulled away from her, Hermione could tell Harry wanted to hug her, but she couldn't so instead she took his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She could tell he was upset but he seemed better with the contact she did give him. Mrs. Weasley looked at her sadly. She ignored Ron and Ginny.
"We have been waiting for your return, Miss. Black," Dumbledore spoke, his eyes twinkling.
"Not too long I hope," Hermione replied.
"Fortunately for us, no, not too long a wait. What did he want?"
"As we expected, for me to join him. He wanted me to rule by his side as his Queen of Darkness." Fred and George each wrapped an arm around her protectively and pulled her into them slightly. "He didn't seem happy with my answer."
Dumbledore chuckled. "I imagine he wouldn't be. You are an invaluable asset to either side."
"I am not choosing sides, not yet at least, I can't risk the consequences."
"I understand, Miss. Black. I am curious, how did you escape?"
"When I arrived my magic took over. When I screamed I shattered all the glass in the room, a thunder and lightning storm was conjured and there were approximately fifty Death Eaters, maybe more. They were flung against the walls of the room with the wind I conjured to hold them in place. Bellatrix threatened me and my magic punished her, she was struck by a lightning bolt, she's still alive. He didn't even seem concerned; he was more preoccupied with staring at me. When I told him I wanted to leave and he had brought the wrath of the House of Black upon himself, I noticed five Death Eaters making their way towards me. I used the water that had flooded the room to protect me. I created a barrier around myself and then used it against the Death Eaters. I simply walked out of the room and I ran into Draco Malfoy."
"Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked surprised.
"I was lost; he found me and took me to the entrance hall. He told me how to get off the grounds."
"And why would he do that?" Harry asked frowning.
"He's family. He's not a bad person, Harry, he's just scared. He's got Him currently living in his home, he daren't leave his own room. He's confined in his own home. He's confided in me at school, he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps, he doesn't want to be a Death Eater," she said, her voice softening as she thought of the scenario Draco was forced to reside in.
"He's lying," Ron spoke coldly.
Hermione turned her attention to him.
"No, he's not. I've spent a lot of time with Draco since returning from Christmas break, he's not a bad person, he's actually quite sweet. He only acts the way he does out of fear and expectations. He's still a pompous arsehole, but he's actually kind and shy."
"You're a traitor!" he shouted. The twins pulled their wands and held Hermione tighter.
Hermione chuckled. "Coming from you, Ronald, that's rich." She then removed herself from the twin's hold and walked over to Sirius. She removed her necklace and handed it to him.
"It'll need repairing."
"I'll get right on it, Kitten."
She kissed his cheek and then left the room. The twins gave a glare to Ron and left the room too, following after her.
"I told you he would let no harm come to her," Snape broke the silence with his smug tone.
"It seems he didn't get the chance to protect her, what with him being stuck to a wall for the majority of the time," Sirius snapped, before he stormed out of the room, being sure to slam every door possible in the process.
"Children," McGonagall tutted with a shake of her head.
~000~000~000~
Snape left Grimmauld and apparated to the cabin. He quickly made his way through the wards and into the cabin. It was obvious the occupant hadn't been there long themselves, the fire seemed to have been lit moments before, the cabin not yet filled with warmth but soon would be.
"How did it go?" Snape asked, picking up the tumbler on the table and sitting down. He noticed there were three and not two.
"She was quite remarkable, never once showed fear, struck down that crazy cow, Bellatrix, without even lifting a finger. Shattered all the glass in the room, the chandelier found a new home on the floor and the idiot followers found a new home stuck against the wall, myself included."
"She mentioned that." Snape nodded.
"It was something else entirely; I've never felt something so powerful, not even from The Dark Lord himself."
Snape looked up as another cloaked figure entered the cabin. He wore the same robes as Agent Comet, his voice slightly deeper and he was taller.
He picked up the final tumbler and sat down. "Severus," he greeted.
"Agent Jugulae," Severus returned the greeting with a slight nod.
"As I was saying, it was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. I could move my arms, but the rest of my body was unresponsive. Whenever I attempted to move away from the wall, I was pushed further into it, I'll likely have some bruises to show for it."
"Proud?" Comet asked amused.
"Without a doubt," Jugulae nodded.
"Moving on," Snape drawled. "What are his next plans?"
"We are unsure at the moment. He is interested in her, more than ever; he wants her by his side as his Queen," Comet answered.
"I suspect Miss, Black would have something to say about that."
The two agents chuckled. "She did," they confirmed.
"As we were saying, he will stop at nothing to get her."
"That is troublesome," Snape spoke thoughtfully.
"We'll continue to observe him; we'll try and wheedle information out of him for now," Jugulae spoke.
"You don't have long, school is back in session in less than a week and before we know it, it'll be summer and she'll be a target once again and vulnerable to attack."
"We'll get on it immediately," Comet spoke.