A/N- I've gotten a lot of comments that Hermione is going to be more powerful than Harry now and that he should be trained too. Don't forget that Harry finished his training a long time ago. If Hermione seems more powerful than Harry right now it's just because her strength is so new. I got the same comments that Harry was too strong when he finished his goblin training in my last fic. Review! –Phoenix
The reunited pair woke up the next morning, feeling happier than they had in months. Neither of them was wearing any clothes and was completely wrapped in their sheets. Hermione's head was on Harry's chest and Harry was running his hand through her hair which had come out of its braid. Everything was perfect.
"I love you, Harry," Hermione whispered softly.
"I love you too, Mione," Harry whispered back. "Are you sorry that we didn't wait until we got married?"
To Harry's confusion, Hermione flinched slightly, but when she looked up at him her face showed nothing but smiles. "I don't regret last night. I have never felt so complete."
Harry's smile got even bigger (if that was possible) and he kissed Hermione full on the lips. "How do you feel?"
Hermione shrugged and stretched. "A little sore, but I don't know if that's from my test yesterday or last night. Either way, I'm a pretty content hybrid."
Harry frowned slightly. "You aren't a hybrid," he objected.
"Yes I am," Hermione chuckled. "I'm half-elf now. Physically, I'm more of an elf than human, but I still have my human mortality and my magical core hasn't really changed. I'm more in-tune with elf-magic, but other than that my magic has stayed the same."
"If you're up for it, would you like to spar?" Harry asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Goblin style versus elf style?"
Hermione grinned at the challenge. "Cuamin linduva yassen megrille (my bow shall sing with your sword)," she said.
Harry groaned playfully. "Should I expect you to randomly speak in elf from now on? Because if you are, I'm going to need a dictionary."
The two laughed and got out of bed to quickly shower. When they were dressed, Harry in his workout clothes and Hermione in her training clothes that she wore during her time with the elves, they went downstairs for breakfast. They hadn't eaten the night before and they were starving.
When they entered the dining room, Hermione was immediately greeted by a swarm of house-elves. She greeted them in elf-tongue, something that the house-elves weren't entirely fluent in. She asked each of them how they were doing and answered some basic questions about her time with true elves. The house-elves were so excited to talk to their champion that they weren't as formal as they would usually be.
After every elf had been given a hug, Hermione and Harry ate breakfast by themselves, side by side. Before the others joined them, they grabbed their weapons and went down to the training ring.
"So, what are the rules that you spar by?" Hermione asked as she secured her hair in a braid.
Harry unsheathed his sword and grinned. "Well, Neville and I go as long as we can without hurting each other."
Hermione rolled her eyes playfully. "That attitude would not bode well with the elves. With them, you duel until you can't anymore. I can't tell you how many times I had a broken leg before I stopped dueling."
"Sounds brutal," Harry said. "You got hurt that much? Wouldn't your body develop a resistance to healing magic after a while?"
"Not with elf healing," Hermione responded. "Elf magic comes from the essence of nature. The strongest elf magic is done in a place that isn't polluted by humans. Even here, I can feel the magic singing to me," she said happily. She fiddled with the earring in her ear and smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised if my connection to the elves dwindles in London though," she laughed.
"Why do you only have one earring?" Harry asked out of curiosity. "You never seemed like the earring type."
Hermione shrugged. "The earring is my mark as a warrior. My Lady Mother did it herself. It's also spelled so that I can speak to My Lady Mother through Elear and summon the elves' aid if needed. They all swore to fight with us when the time comes."
"The Death Eaters won't know what hit them," Harry said with a smile. "Alright, how about the first to disarm the other wins? No magic, just skill."
"Sounds good."
Faster than Harry's eyes could follow, Hermione had her blade unsheathed and was coming at him. Their swords met and Harry was shocked to find that Hermione wasn't buckling under his strength like she would have in the past. The lock lasted for only a second when Hermione pushed Harry back and did a sweep kick to knock him off his feet.
With a grunt, Harry landed on his back, a little winded. He rolled out of the way before Hermione could press her sword to his throat. Using his legs, he kicked out, catching Hermione in the stomach and quickly got to his feet.
They continued to duel, each going on the offensive and the defensive. Harry was grinning out of excitement the whole time. Dueling with Neville was great, but Hermione dueled with so much grace and ferocity that honestly, he was a little turned on.
After ten minutes of fighting, neither one of them showed any evidence of slowing down. Both of them sported a few cuts, but neither of them really noticed. It wasn't until Harry got a cut on his leg and stumbled that Hermione disarmed him and pointed her own blade at his throat.
"Gotcha," Hermione said cheerfully. "Who knew that the mighty Harry Potter would crumble after a little cut to his leg," she teased.
Harry gave her a look of mock indignation. "You cut down to the muscle," he objected. "Is that what qualifies as a 'little cut' these days?"
Hermione laughed and sheathed her sword before she knelt down next to him. She then murmured, "Tanka harwar (heal)," and put her glowing hand on Harry's leg.
Harry watched in amazement and relief as the muscle in his leg was healed. It took Hermione less than a minute and by the time she was done, Harry was only sporting what looked like a nasty cut.
"Elf magic is intense," Harry commented. "You will be an amazing healer, Love," he said fondly.
Hermione smiled sadly and helped Harry to his feet. "School starts soon, how about a trip to Diagon Alley?"
"Sure," Harry said rather reluctantly. "We haven't been going in public that much lately…we didn't want to deal with the drama of the Battle of Blood."
"You can't hide at Potter Manor forever," Hermione said gently. "By the way, are there any Death Eaters at Black Manor that I need to take care of?"
Harry nodded. "We couldn't drain any of them without you, so we just left them there. Malfoy is there too," he said dryly.
"Great," Hermione muttered. "How about this then, why don't we go to Black Manor and take care of a few of those Death Eaters? Then we can go shopping. I need some new clothes now that my body has changed and there's the fact that I don't have any school supplies."
They started walking back towards Potter Manor. "Let's talk with the rest of the gang first," Harry suggested as he took Hermione's hand in his own. "You're awfully eager to get right to work."
"We're in a war," Hermione stated simply. "I also have an idea on how to maybe save Malfoy from being a Death Eater, if it isn't too late."
Shifting into Ashes and Beauty, the pair flew back towards Potter Manor, taking time to enjoy each other's company. After a flight that should have taken less than a minute, but actually took fifteen, the pair landed and shifted back. Hand in hand, they walked into Potter Manor and went to the dining room where they were sure they would find the rest of their friends.
"Blimey, what happened to you two?" Neville asked when they walked in. "You both look like you've been running through thorn bushes."
They looked at each other's appearance and laughed when they saw that they were both sweaty and had small cuts all over their bodies.
"We dueled," Harry said as he sat down next to Hermione and took a glass of juice. "Hermione kicked my arse. She actually cut my leg down almost to the bone and then healed it within minutes."
"That seems a bit excessive," Luna said with a frown.
"I duel with all my might," Hermione answered. "And now that I'm back, so can you. You won't have to worry about hurting each other too badly because I can heal you right up."
"I still don't like it," Luna murmured to Neville.
Harry took a sip from his glass and cleared his throat. "Hermione thinks that she can save Malfoy from being a Death Eater if it isn't too late. She would like to take care of a few Death Eaters then go to Diagon Alley to do some shopping for school supplies and clothes."
Neville groaned half-heartedly. "I hate being in public these days. By the way, Hermione, are you going to cast a glamour charm on yourself whenever we aren't home from now on?"
Hermione's hand immediately went to her ear with the earring. "Couldn't even if I wanted to," she answered plainly. "Elves aren't affected by wizard magic as much as other humans. It's like how it takes more than one stunner to subdue Hagrid. My appearance won't accept the glamour charm. I'm just going to have to get used to being stared at in the wizarding world. In the muggle world I'll have to wear a hat and contacts."
The group ate their breakfast quickly and Harry and Hermione changed before they portkeyed to Black Manor. After Hermione pleasantly greeted most of the Black elves, they went down to the dungeon.
The Death Eaters who had been captured all those months ago couldn't really complain about being ill-treated. They were fed well, and they were given the opportunity to stay clean. The worst thing about prison was that they couldn't use their magic.
Hermione made quick work of five Death Eaters, scanning their minds for anything useful. Becoming half-elf apparently didn't affect her mind magics at all. She found out that Voldemort was currently stationed at Malfoy Manor, that Slytherins who were just about to enter their seventh year were receiving the Dark Mark if they supported him (surprisingly there were a couple who didn't), and she found out that despite Dumbledore being alive, there were plans to take over the Ministry.
It took less than three hours for Hermione to scan the five Death Eaters and for the four Heirs to strip them of their magic. The now powerless Death Eaters were scattered all over Britain with no idea of what happened to them and no way to hurt anyone ever again.
Saving the best for last, they had Malfoy taken to the interrogation room. He was even paler than he was when Hermione had saved him and he was too scared to insult them as he would have usually done.
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked in a pitiful voice.
"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug. He turned to Hermione. "All yours, Love."
Malfoy struggled against his chains as Hermione stepped forward. "Please don't kill me," he begged.
Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled up Malfoy's left sleeve. She let out a breath when she saw that he hadn't been marked yet.
"We're not going to kill," she assured him. "But, we are going to find out if you are really as big a prick as you appear, or if you are tainted."
"Tainted?" Luna echoed. "How could he be tainted?"
Hermione turned to face her friends. "Malfoy has grown up in a home that has been polluted by dark magic for his whole life. His father is…was a Death Eater and I wouldn't be surprised if he kept some pretty dark items in his home…like the diary. Babies are highly susceptible to being corrupted by dark magic if they had regular exposure their whole lives. If Malfoy was corrupted, I might be able to cleanse him."
"But what about those who were good but grew up in dark homes, like Sirius?" Harry asked.
"I don't think his family regularly practiced dark magic," Hermione said. "And if they did, it wasn't to the same degree as what Malfoy was exposed to. Having a horcrux in the house with an infant is dangerous."
Malfoy listened to them talk about him and he felt his heart beat faster and faster. Corrupted? By dark magic? It seemed impossible.
Hermione looked at Malfoy with an indifferent expression on her face. "I don't care for you," she told him bluntly. "But, I can't do nothing while someone might be corrupted. If you had already taken the Dark Mark, then I wouldn't have been able to help you. But, seeing as we most likely took you before you had the chance, I can help you."
She took out a small dagger from her boot and used it to give Malfoy a shallow cut right above his heart. Malfoy whimpered and Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. She wiped the blood off of her blade and slit her palm. She then put her palm on the cut on Malfoy's chest.
"Kshonnarim, wanya (mass dispel)," she said firmly. Her palm glowed gold and started to draw out the dark magic.
Malfoy whimpered as a dark mist came out of the shallow wound on his chest and dispelled. It took a minute for the dark magic to completely exit Malfoy's body and once it did the Slytherin boy slumped in his seat.
The effect was immediate. Malfoy's pale complexion seemed to get a little darker as did his hair. The group stared in astonishment as Malfoy took in a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. The gray eyes which the Malfoy Heir used to have were now blue.
"What…happened?" Malfoy rasped. "I feel…different."
Hermione nodded and healed both Malfoy's and hers cuts. "You were consumed by dark magic," she told him. "That can pollute your thoughts and hamper your magical core. How do you feel different?"
Malfoy shook his head weakly. "I-I feel like…like I was just let out of something cramped. L-l-like my magic can finally stretch…"
"I figured that's what would happen," Hermione said. "Malfoy, I'm going to cast a spell and see what your spirit is actually like. If your spirit was corrupted by the dark magic, then we can try and help you. But, if not and you really are that big of a prick, then we're going to have to strip you of your magic just like the others." She looked to her friends and after they gave her nods of agreement she put her hand on Malfoy's head and said, "Elea i'dolen (reveal)." Her hand glowed a gray light and Hermione held it steady.
The spell, like all elf-magic, called on the natural essence of the world. This spell would reveal the nature of the person. Hermione's hand continued to glow gray and when it didn't change after a few moments, she took her palm away, smiling slightly.
"He isn't good or evil," she told her friends. "He's gray. He'll fight for what's right, but he won't follow any of this 'greater good' crap."
Harry glared at Malfoy, not so quick to trust him. "Love, he could easily sway," he said.
Malfoy looked at Harry and took in a few shallow breaths. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?" he asked hoarsely. "Are you lot going to kill me?"
"We don't kill if we can avoid it," Neville answered. "None of us were particularly happy about the lives that we took when we took you prisoner. Your dad was one of them."
It was risky, but Neville wasn't one to beat around the bush. He wanted to see straight out what Malfoy's reaction to his father's death would be.
Malfoy's eyes widened in shock and they froze like that for a minute before he let out a sigh and hung his head low. "He…he didn't hurt anyone did he?" he asked softly.
That shocked them. Malfoy had always seemed so quick to laugh at other's pain or displeasure. But, was that the dark magic talking, or Malfoy?
"Nothing serious," Luna answered calmly. "You don't seem too brokenhearted about it," she observed.
Malfoy looked up and they were all surprised to see that there were tears in his eyes. "He was my father, of course I'm sad," he sniffed. "But, I've seen what he can do, what he's done. Did you know that in order to receive the Dark Mark, you have to commit a murder in front of the Dark Lord?"
The four Heirs nodded, they had learned this a while ago and they were planning on using it to exploit those Death Eaters who were still hiding.
"My father told me the story," Malfoy continued. "He took a little muggle girl. He tortured her in front of the Dark Lord. Tortured her just enough so that her little heart wouldn't give out. And when she couldn't scream anymore, he killed her. He told me this story when I was five…the same age as that little girl…and he was proud of it." More tears were running down Malfoy's face. "He was proud of what he had done. Yes, I'm sorry that my father is dead, but I'm not sorry that that monster is dead."
He looked at each of them, with defiant eyes, daring them to call him insincere. Harry and Neville still looked doubtful while Hermione and Luna looked thoughtful.
"We're going to talk about it," Harry told Malfoy, doing his best to hide the hostility from his voice.
They left the room and Harry immediately began pacing. Out of all of them, he was the most unwilling to trust Malfoy.
"I don't trust him," he said as he continued to pace. "The whole 'corrupted' thing is too convenient for my tastes. I don't trust him."
"Do you trust me?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"Of course," he said instantly. "But, what if you're wrong?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hello? Brightest witch of my age."
Luna giggled at Hermione's joke, but the boys were still skeptical. "I have an idea to see if Malfoy is being honest with us. If he's being honest, then I think we should give him a chance." At her friends' agreeing nods, she walked over to Harry. "May I use your griffin wand?" she asked.
"Sure," Harry said in confusion as he handed her his wand.
Luna took the wand with a smile. "Your core is a griffin feather," she said happily. "You can't lie in a griffin's presence."
Hermione's eyes widened as she followed Luna's logic. "If Malfoy holds onto Harry's wand, he'll be unable to lie."
"No way," Harry said immediately. "I don't want that git touching my wand."
"It'll be fine," Hermione assured Harry. "If he tries anything funny, then we'll take him down immediately. You need to accept that Malfoy's treatment of us for the past years of school might not have been his fault."
Harry scowled, but he didn't push it.
Taking his silence as agreement, Luna and Hermione reentered the room with their fiancés right behind. Malfoy stared at them with scared eyes and Harry found himself pitying the bound Slytherin.
Luna walked around to Malfoy's back. "We're going to put a wand in your hand," she said calmly. "If you even try to cast a spell, you'll be hexed before the magic even reaches the wand. Understand?" At Malfoy's affirmative nod, Luna put the griffin wand in his hand.
"Now we're going to ask you some questions," Hermione said. "Don't let go of that wand or we'll start all over. Do you support Voldemort's cause?"
Malfoy flinched at the use of Voldemort's name, but his answer was steady. "No. I can't support someone who feels pleasure at the murder of a five-year-old girl. The entire idea that I'm supposed to be better than others because my mother and father are like second-cousins is bizarre. But, I don't like the Light crap that Dumbledore spews all the time. I mean seriously, how can you win a war with stunners?"
That brought a laugh out of Neville and a reluctant chuckle from Harry.
"How do your fellow Slytherins feel?" Hermione asked.
Malfoy scoffed. "Most of them support…the Dark Lord. Crabbe and Goyle are too stupid to do anything else. But, some Slytherins just support what's in their own best interests, Blaise for example."
"Do you think that they would fight against Voldemort?" Neville asked. "Because that psychopath roaming free around the world hardly seems like something that would be in their best interests."
"They might," Malfoy said hesitantly. "If they felt that they would be on the winning side."
"And what about you?" Harry asked sharply. "Would you fight against Voldemort?"
Unable to lie, Malfoy said, "If I wouldn't be killed. It wouldn't matter the side so long as I can live a nice long life. Do you feel that you'll be on the winning side? Or are you going to try to kill Voldemort with a stinging hex?"
Harry glared at him. "I'll kill him with the AK if I need to. But, I am going to kill him. Because no one will be safe while he's still alive."
Malfoy nodded in understanding. "And what makes you think that you'll be able to defeat him?"
Harry frowned for a moment before exhaling and decided to take the chance. "Because I am Godric Gryffindor's Spiritual Heir. I am destined to defeat Voldemort. I have been trained by a goblin and have earned the goblin name of Lightscar. You can either join us, or you can be taken care of like the other Death Eaters."
Malfoy remained silent for a moment. His eyes darted between Harry and the others as he weighed his options. After a moment of consideration, he let out a breath and nodded. "I'll join you," he said.
"Excellent," Luna said cheerfully. "But, we'll need an assurance."
"The Unbreakable Vow?" asked Malfoy fearfully.
Luna's eyes narrowed, much like they did when she was Storm. "We would never ask for that," she hissed. "Instead, we're just going to cast a couple spells so if you do switch sides, you won't be able to betray us."
Malfoy hesitated for a moment. "What type of spells?" he asked warily.
"Nothing that we wouldn't do if you had said no," Hermione assured him.
After Malfoy gave his consent, Harry, Hermione, and Luna each cast a spell that came from the race that they had been trained by. Harry cast a goblin loyalty spell that would prevent Malfoy from betraying them and trying to cause them harm. Luna cast a fairy spell that would let her know if Malfoy had switched sides. And, Hermione cast an elf spell that would clear Malfoy's mind of everything to do with them if Luna's spell went off.
The three different types of magic threatened to overwhelm Malfoy for a moment. When the initial casting passed, Malfoy was left feeling a little feverish, but otherwise unharmed.
Neville dug his hands in his robes and pulled out an herb. He then held it on front of Malfoy's mouth. "Open up," he said. "This will help your body accept the foreign magics so you won't feel like crap."
Malfoy did as instructed and opened his mouth. Neville put the herb on his tongue and instructed Malfoy to let the herb sit on his tongue and let the juices flow into his mouth. When his mouth was full of the bitter juice, Malfoy swallowed and he immediately felt better. The feverish magic seemed to mold with his own and his body stopped fighting it.
"Better?" Neville asked.
"Much, thanks," Malfoy replied with a dry smile. "Can I be untied now?"
Harry stepped forward and took his wand back before he waved his hand and banished the chains using goblin magic. He then stepped back to let Hermione heal Malfoy's wrists. Malfoy stood up and stretched his limbs and gave the four a shy, but grateful, smile.
"So, what happens now?" he asked. "If I go home, then the Dark Lord will force me to take his mark."
"First off, you need to call Voldemort by his name, we don't say 'Dark Lord' or 'You-know-who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. It's ridiculous to fear a name. We either call him Voldemort or Tom. And as for where you go, I suppose I can take you in as my ward in the House of Black," Harry said. "That way your mother will not be able to take you to your home where Voldemort is waiting."
Malfoy nodded. "I love my mother, but she does whatever the strong family members tell her to. Now that Father is dead, I suppose that she's going to follow V-V-Voldemort's and Aunt Bellatrix's orders. Wait," Malfoy said suddenly, panicked. "What happened to Severus?"
"He was going to let Dumbledore kill you," Hermione told him gently. "In order to avoid being killed by his Unbreakable Vow."
"No," Malfoy moaned. "That can't be true. Severus always treated me so well…it couldn't have been a lie."
"I'm sorry," Hermione said awkwardly. "He dueled with Dumbledore in order to not go against his vow, but when he lost he seemed pleased. Don't you remember Snape not coming to your aid when you were trying to kill Dumbledore?"
Malfoy shook his head desperately. "I don't remember attacking Dumbledore at all! How could Severus do this to me?"
"Snape is Dumbledore's man," Neville said sympathetically. "He may be a Death Eater, but Dumbledore is the one pulling the strings."
Malfoy was silent for a moment before he looked up at Harry with hard, now blue, eyes. "I want to stop V-V-Voldemort, but Dumbledore needs to be stopped too. Can I help?"
Harry nodded. "We need to start gathering more allies. Would you like to be a ward of the House of Black?"
"Yes," Malfoy said with a nod as he stepped up to face Harry. "Thank you. Maybe now, we can start off on a new foot. I'm Draco," he said as he extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"I'm Harry," Harry responded as he gripped Draco's hand and shook it firmly. "Welcome to the Gray."
A/N- I love it when Draco becomes an ally. Review! -Phoenix