CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
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: 11
Hogwarts – Monday 30th June 1997
"No, that's not possible," Hermione said, staring at the golden glow with a mixture of shock and fear. "It's not possible, I took three sips of the Contraception Potion every day and I didn't stop until I returned to Hogwarts after the holidays. I did everything that I was told to do."
She looked up and away from the golden glow to see Harry on the verge of fainting; he swayed on his feet and sat down on the bed adjacent to hers. She felt a slight amount of anger at Harry for his reaction, she was the one that was pregnant; she was the one that would be carrying a baby for nine to ten months, not him. He had no right to faint, if anything she should be the one fainting.
"The test is positive, Mrs. Weasley-Black," Madam Pomphrey spoke in a soft tone.
"No," she shook her head, "No, the test's wrong, do it again."
"When was your last period?"
Harry flushed bright red.
"That's irrelevant; my period has always been irregular, I've once gone three months without one."
"Mrs. Weasley-Black..."
"No, do it again."
Madam Pomphrey sighed before casting the charm, a golden glow once more appeared over her stomach, Hermione being in denial had Madam Pomphrey cast the charm a total of five times.
"That's five positives, 'Mione, you're pregnant." Harry spoke, looking like he had pulled himself together.
"No, I was on the potion, Professor Snape brewed it himself, they're always one hundred percent effective."
"It may be caused by your being a Blue Mage," he shrugged.
"Mr. Potter is correct, it is possible, you have very powerful magic in you, your bond with your mates, Messrs. Weasley, could have superseded the Contraception Potion," Madam Pomphrey explained.
"No," Hermione said. "It's not possible, I've read the journal of the previous Blue Mage, she never once mentioned children or her mates giving her children, nor did she mention that their magic and bond has the ability to overtake Contraception Potions rendering them useless."
"Whatever the reasons, Mrs. Weasley-Black, you have a child growing inside of you and it's imperative that you're in the best of health at all times, especially with the times ahead of us"
"Why didn't the potion work?" she asked looking helpless.
"That's a question I cannot answer."
Hermione stood up from the bed and walked past Harry and Madam Pomphrey without another word, she didn't remind them to keep it a secret, she knew Harry would never tell anyone, and Madam Pomphrey was bound by patient confidentially, especially since she was no longer a minor.
That morning she had received a note from Professor Dumbledore asking her to arrive at his office after the end of lunch, and given how long Hermione had been in the hospital wing, she assumed it was that time.
As she made her way down the halls and past the bustling crowds of students, she absentmindedly rested a protective hand against her stomach. She didn't notice that when she reached the gargoyle stones marking Dumbledore's office, the stairs appeared and she walked up them, nor did she notice someone open the door for her and she blindly walked through it and sat herself down in the chair opposite Dumbledore.
"You look as though something is troubling you, My Dear," Dumbledore said.
Hermione snapped her head up and then looked around, realising where she was in surprise. She turned her eyes back to Dumbledore and his blue eyes were twinkling at her knowingly.
She turned her head only just noticing Professor Snape sat beside her.
"What did you do?" she asked him in a quiet voice.
"You'll have to be more specific," he drawled.
"What did you give me?"
"A Contraception Potion, the purpose is to..."
"I know what the purpose is," she snapped, her shock and fear turning into anger. "What did you do to the potion?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied and her eyes narrowed further.
"I'm pregnant." She got no response from either Dumbledore or Snape. "But you already knew that, didn't you? It's why you've been cutting me slack in class, it's why whenever I felt the need to rush to the bathroom, you sent me without thought, without an issue, you knew I was pregnant, and the only way you could know that is if you knew the potion wouldn't work." She glared at him. "I will ask you one more time," her voice turned cold and dark. "What did you give me?"
He looked at Dumbledore who nodded, still looking at her with those damn twinkling eyes.
"It was not a Contraception Potion as I lead you to believe."
"You don't say," she snapped.
He ignored her outburst. "It was of the idea of Agents Comet and Jugulae that we keep you safe."
"And why would they care about my safety? I am nothing to them."
"They are closer to you than you think, and they do not want to see harm come to you."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What did you give me?"
"It means that it was their idea that I give you a Fertility Potion to help improve your chances of conceiving. Myself and Albus agreed."
"And what about what I want? What about Fred and George? You took that choice away from us; you are putting our child in danger. We're in the middle of a war, I am a target and so are my family. How am I supposed to protect them when I'm pregnant? How am I supposed to protect them when my magic is unstable, without endangering the life of our child? You shouldn't have done this. I'm too young to have a child; I only got married two months ago. We're in dangerous times."
"If you are pregnant you will be safe, you will go into hiding until the end of the war."
"Like hell I will! I will not abandon Harry, he needs me and you know he does," she protested.
"He needs you safe."
"No, he doesn't, he needs me by his side, protecting him, helping him. You expect Ronald to help him; he's an idiot, an idiot with a temper that will get them both killed. I will never forgive you for what you have done, either of you!" She stood up from her chair and turned to leave.
"Hermione?" She stopped, having never heard Dumbledore call her by her first name. "I asked you to come here because I need your help, Harry needs your help."
She clenched her fists and took calming breaths, her magic was already out of control due to the pregnancy; it wouldn't be good to add emotions into the mix.
She turned around. "What?"
He gestured to the seat; she narrowed her eyes but walked over to it and sat down.
"What do you know of Horcruxes?"
~000~000~000~
Hermione was waiting on the Astronomy Tower for Harry; she was pacing, back and forth, back and forth, a protective hand covering her stomach.
"You'll make a wonderful mother," Dumbledore's voice cut through her thoughts.
"You have no right to say that to me," she muttered. "Especially after what you're about to put Harry through."
"Hermione, what are you doing here?"
She looked up, seeing Harry stepping up the last step and walking over to them.
"We're going on a field trip with Dumbledore, Horcrux hunting, he believes he's found one. Let's go," she explained with a tight smile.
"Hermione, are you sure you should be going? You know, in your condition?" he said quietly, looking at Dumbledore in a sideways glance and not bothering to ask how she knew about the Horcruxes since he hadn't known long himself.
"He knows, he knew before I did," she bit out.
"How?" he asked shocked.
"I'll tell you later, I just want to get this over and done with." She took his hand and led him over to Dumbledore.
"Take my arm, Harry," Dumbledore instructed.
"Apparition? But you can't apparate in Hogwarts," he said confused.
"The perks of being Headmaster," Dumbledore winked.
Before Hermione knew it she felt the familiar tug in her stomach, followed by the feeling of being squeezed through a tube.
`~000~000~000~
The Cave
They landed on a large rock sat in the middle of a sea, the water crashing against the edge face and lapping over the sides dangerously, the wind was blowing wildly, as if knowing of the dangers ahead and it was trying to warn her, trying to get her to leave. She was glad she had the thought to tie her hair up out of her face.
"What are we doing here, Professor?" Harry shouted over the wind.
"The cave, Harry," he replied.
"What cave?"
Dumbledore lifted his hand and gestured to a point in front of them. They turned their heads and squinted their eyes and they could only just make out the shadows of a cave mouth.
"What's in there?"
"I believe a Horcrux."
"How are we supposed to get over there?" Hermione yelled to be heard, the wind was getting more violent and she could feel it trying to physically push her away. "I'm assuming we can't apparate."
"You are correct; this is where I need your help."
"And how am I supposed to help you, if you can't apparate, neither can I?"
"Actually, you'll find that you can, I have witnessed it."
She looked at him confused before understanding crashed into her when she felt the wind pushing against her harder, making her stumble back.
"You want me to do what I did when Fred and George were attacked?" He nodded. "But I can't; I haven't done it since that day and I've never taken anyone with me before, I don't know what would happen."
"You can bypass the wards protecting the entrance to the cave, you know how to do it; you have it in you."
She sighed realising that he wasn't going to let it go. When the wind pushed against her once more, once again more forcefully, she closed her eyes and focused her breathing, commanding the wind around her to do as she wished, she could hear it whistling loudly and when she opened her eyes it was too see Harry looking at her in awe, Dumbledore smiling knowingly and Hermione staring at a cave wall.
"Well done, Mrs. Weasley-Black," he praised, before taking out a knife.
"What the hell are you doing?" She eyed him carefully.
"Harry, do you see anything different about this wall?" Dumbledore gestured to the wall in front of them.
Harry titled his head to the side and raised his hand to touch the wall. "An illusion, it's an illusion, isn't it, Professor?"
"Yes, My Boy, it is, and it requires a blood sacrifice." He brought the knife up to his palm.
"Let me do it," Harry said quickly.
"No, Harry, your blood is much more important than mine," he said, before slicing his hand open and smearing his blood across the wall face. They watched as it glowed before the wall disappeared from view.
It was pitch black, they could hear the water running and the only thing they could see was a podium standing seemingly in the middle of nothing, a bright green light emitting from it.
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore sent a large ball of light into the air; it floated, lighting up the way. The podium was stood on a rock in the middle of the water, with no way to get to it.
"How are we supposed to get to it?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore looked to her expectantly.
She sighed. "I'll see what I can do," she frowned in thought.
She couldn't use wind since there wasn't enough open space and she didn't want to accidentally cause any damage that would have the potential to back fire on them, so she had to think of another way. She went through a list of elements in her head.
Wind was already out, fire would be useless, as would quintessence, which just left water and earth. She tilted her head to the side, water, there was water and there was a lot of it.
She bent down on one knee and held her hand over the water, she saw it rise up and gently caress her fingers before it dropped back down, and with that action she knew it would do what she was asking. She stood back up and took Harry's hand again, and he took a hold of Dumbledore's arm when she told him to.
"How are you going to get us over there?"
Her answer was to take a step forward.
"Hermione, no!" But his words fell on deaf ears when she just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
She tugged him forward and he expected to fall into the water, to drown, but he didn't. He looked down seeing that he was, in fact, standing on water and not floating above it, actually standing on it!
"Next time someone says that people treat you like you walk on water, you can say that you actually have," she grinned at him.
"You're crazy, brilliant, but crazy," he said with a laugh of disbelief and she neither denied it nor yelled at him for insulting her.
"Let's go," Dumbledore spoke and they all walked over to the podium, stepping up onto the rock that barely had enough room for them all.
Hermione turned away knowing what was about to happen and she didn't wish to see it.
"Harry, I must drink this poison, not matter how much I beg and plead, you must force me to keep drinking,"
"But..."
"No, you must make sure this task is done."
Harry looked over to Hermione and she gave a nod before looking away again. And it began, first she heard nothing, but then the begging started, followed by the pained cries, the screams, the pleading that Harry stop, but to his credit, Harry didn't. He did exactly as he was told to do for the first time in life.
Hermione pressed her hands over her ears, muffling the sounds and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, when she heard the sounds quieten she slowly opened her eyes and took her hands away from her ears, hearing only quiet cries, but her eyes were focused on the water; she could've sworn she saw something move.
"Water, water!" Dumbledore begged.
Hermione heard Harry's footsteps before a shout of 'Aquamenti', followed by another and another.
"It's not working!" he said panicked.
She saw movement again, she was sure of it. There was definitely something wrong. She turned around to see Harry about to disturb the water.
"Harry, don't!" she called out, but it was too late.
A hand reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist and it dragged him into the water.
"HARRY!" She yelled in panic and she noticed Dumbledore reaching for his wand.
He was weak; whatever he was going to do he would need strength for, meaning he had to wash the poison out of system. Without bringing herself anywhere near the edge of the rock, she raised her hand, water molecules raised into the air and they moved over to Dumbledore, he opened his mouth and the molecules turned back into liquid form when they touched his tongue.
Hermione immediately noticed a change in him. His was no longer sickly pale, his form had stopped shaking and he grabbed his wand, standing tall and strong. Hermione's attention quickly went back to the water, her eyes darting about and searching for Harry, and that's when she noticed the forms of Inferi, creatures she had only read about, beginning to climb the rock.
All of a sudden a flame was thrown from Dumbledore's wand and it quickly transformed into a whip made of flames, he waved it over his head and she noticed the Inferi retreating into the water in fear.
She knew what she had to do; she rested her hand against her stomach before taking a deep breath and running, diving off the edge of the rock and into the water.
The cold water was a shock to her system and she had to force herself not to gasp and breathe in the water, she summoned the air around her, bringing it to her, giving her the ability to breathe and it was one less thing she had to worry about.
She spun around searching for Harry, and she found him. He was being dragged further and further down, the fight in him was leaving; he was struggling to breathe, struggling to break free and she had to get to him before it was too late.
She propelled herself forward easily, the water not working against her, but with her upon her command.
She reached Harry in record time and summoned the air in the water around him, he took a deep inhale of oxygen and Hermione pulled her wand, casting an Incendio, scaring away the Inferi that had a strong hold on Harry. She grabbed his hand before pointing her wand, "Ascendio," she called.
The two of them were propelled upwards and out of the water, before they could land and injure themselves, Hermione summoned the air in the form of her tornado and it caught them both, bringing them back to the rock and landing on their feet gently.
Hermione looked to Dumbledore. "Let's get out of this bloody place."
He nodded in agreement.
Before she did anything else she raised her hand and scrunched up her face in concentration, suddenly the water was lapping over the edges of the rock they stood on and it shook violently, as thunder rumbled and echoed.
"What are you doing?" Harry yelled over the noise.
"Making sure no one can access this cave of terrors again!" she yelled back, just as the walls of the cave began to crumble, large portions of stone crashing into the water in an avalanche.
Hermione got them out of there before they could be hurt, she landed on the rock they had first arrived on and she watched in satisfaction as the cave was slowly no more, only water.
"You scare me sometimes," Harry admitted, looking at her both in awe and fright.
"Good, if I scare you, I scare Voldemort," she replied. "Let's get back."
She saw that Dumbledore was weaker than when they arrived, she didn't trust him to apparate without splinching himself, let alone both her and Harry and so she took them both back to the Astronomy Tower with her tornado.
Hogwarts
They landed and Harry sagged in relief.
"Well, that was eventful," he spoke. She snorted at him.
"Thank you for accompanying me," Dumbledore spoke tiredly.
"We have to get you to Madam Pomphrey," Harry spoke, only now realising just how weak Dumbledore was.
"No..."
They all turned their heads when they heard footsteps approaching.
"It's time," he spoke to Hermione, Harry looked confused. "You know what must be done."
She nodded solemnly. "Do everything Dumbledore tells you, Harry," Hermione warned, before she disappeared from view in her tornado.
"What's she talking about? What's going on?"
"Severus, Harry, speak only to Severus."
"What's happ..."
The footsteps grew closer.
"Hide yourself below, Harry, you must not be seen or heard by anyone without my permission. Whatever happens, it is imperative that you stay below." Harry just stared at him. "Harry, do as I say; trust me."
~000~000~000~
Hermione had sent a message to Sirius that he must bring as many Order members to Hogwarts as possible, since it had been breached by Death Eaters.
She received panicked yells from Sirius as she sent out messages to D.A. members and as she ran through the corridors, sealing all the entrances to the common rooms shut, protecting the vulnerable students.
She spread word through the portraits and ghosts about what was happening and just as she reached the third floor, she came across Bellatrix walking along the corridor and blowing out the glass of the windows.
Hermione felt anger fill her. How dare she be at Hogwarts? How dare she defile the castle that had been home to thousands of witches and wizards? That had protected them? That had magic flowing through the very foundations? How dare she harm something so beautiful and pure?
In her anger she was distracted and she only just dodged the familiar green light that Bellatrix sent in her direction.
How dare she try and harm her whilst she was pregnant?
"This is not a fight that you can win," Hermione said coldly, vaguely registering Sirius alerting her to the Order arriving and patrolling the castle for Death Eaters.
Bellatrix cackled madly. "A mere Mudblood is no match for me!" she spat.
Hermione didn't respond to the slur which only seemed to enrage Bellatrix further, she cast another Killing Curse which Hermione used her tornado to deflect. She heard a heart breaking scream and she closed her eyes, she knew that it had happened and she now had a job to do.
Without thought Hermione turned and ran, leaving behind the taunts of Bellatrix. She ran through the castle, searching, but she couldn't find him. It was when she ran into Sirius that she was hugged tightly and checked for injuries, that she asked him what she needed to know.
He pointed her in the direction of the entrance courtyard and she promised they would meet up at the hospital wing where most of the casualties were.
She didn't bother wasting time running, she used her tornado and appeared in the courtyard in a matter of seconds.
She found Harry and Snape duelling, as Bellatrix cackled and dragged Draco away by the arm, followed by several gleeful Death Eaters.
Hermione noticed the dark mark, the skull and snake floating in the sky in that hideous green colour that depicted the same green as the Killing Curse. It shouldn't be there!
Hermione's eyes cut to Draco, and as if feeling her stare, he looked over his shoulder and his eyes found hers. Without thought she summoned her tornado and disappeared from view. Draco knowing what was coming struggled to free his arm from Bellatrix; he broke free and stumbled backwards.
"Draco, what are you doing?" she asked, her head tilted to the side in a confused gesture and her eyes alight with glee at Dumbledore being dead.
"My task is done, I don't have to go with you," he said defiantly.
Bellatrix's eyes hardened. "What would The Dark Lord say about your disobedience?"
"I don't care about that mad man!" he spat out.
"You will not speak about your Master that way," she hissed.
"I have no Master, only family, family that has shown me nothing but kindness and love."
"Love is for the weak!"
"Actually, you're wrong," Hermione's voice chimed. They all spun around to see her smiling smugly. "I see you've finally finished the vanishing cabinet, took you long enough," she said to Draco.
"Cheeky witch, I should jinx you," he muttered.
"But you can't and you love me," she said sweetly.
"You're a blood traitor!" Bellatrix snarled, realising what the interaction between the two teens meant. She raised her wand and pointed it at Draco.
Hermione disappeared from view before reappearing in front of Draco; she took his arm and looked to the Death Eaters, who looked shocked at her ability to move freely on Hogwarts' grounds.
"That's right, Prats, I can leave Hogwarts' grounds, even through the wards. You should be afraid, very afraid," she smirked, before disappearing from view and taking Draco with her.