Posted on: 24/04/2014 at 19:19 GMT/UTC/Zulu.
AN: Thank you to all my reviewers angel897, Crapes, OCD ADD Goldfish, Lamia of the Dark, PurpleBullet, takara410 and LadyBookworm80 and those who have favourited or followed this story. This will get better I promise. I hope I haven't scared anyone away.
As this was finished early and I left you on a cliffhanger I thought I'd post it early.
Next chapter should be up on or by: 02/05/2014.
Warnings: Minor description of battle scenes, blood, gore and gigantic spiders with big pincers.
The Marriage Curse
Before the Dawn
Harry sat back in the chair feeling completely useless. Ron fidgeted next him as the office filled with members of the Order.
"Professor Dumbledore." Harry tried.
Dumbledore was talking to Kingsley however and didn't appear to hear him. Professor McGonagall was busy transfiguring the curtains into sets of Death Eater robes and sheets of parchment into masks. Harry doubted she'd grant his request anyway.
The floo flared green again and the Malfoys stepped through. Several conversations halted in surprise. They looked around and chose a corner to stand in out of the way.
Harry sighed and stood up to pace over to the window. Ron joined him.
"We'll sneak after them mate." Ron said. "They can't stop us."
"You think so do you?" Molly Weasley's voice came from behind them.
Ron and Harry started and whipped around.
"Evening Mum." Ron tried.
Molly wasn't impressed. "I know you're both worried about Hermione but you are also both underage and would be a liability rather than an asset."
"What about Harry?" Ron said going red. "He's fought You-Know-Who loads of times before and he's really good at Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Yeah. Exactly." Harry said. "I want to help. It should be me facing him not Hermione."
"You're not going Harry." Professor Dumbledore said.
Harry opened his mouth to protest.
"That's my final word." Dumbledore said firmly.
Harry shut his mouth and crossed his arms.
"You can wait with me in the Entrance Hall." Molly said. "That way we'll be the first to know what's happening when they come back."
"Okay." Harry said glumly.
"Ah Molly. I need the twins. They've invented something that will prove very useful tonight. Would you mind fetching them? I believe they're in Gryffindor Tower." Dumbledore said.
Fred and George were delighted to be included in Dumbledore's plan.
"Since we'll all be disguised as Death Eaters to maximise the enemy's confusion we'll need a way to tell each other apart from them." Dumbledore said.
"That's where these come in." George said.
He held up two bottles of potions. One was red flecked with gold the other was blue.
"The blue one enables you to see a red and gold glow around whoever has taken the red one. It lasts for two hours." Fred said.
"We were going to put them both in the Slytherin's pumpkin juice at breakfast." George added in an aside to his brothers and Harry.
They laughed.
"This is a much better use for it though." Fred said. "Bring her back safe."
"We will." Kingsley said.
The potions were handed out and everyone drank them. Order Members began to pull on Death Eater robes and put masks on. It was well past curfew so they didn't expect to meet any students on their way out.
The Floo flared green. Hagrid's head appeared in it.
"Professor Dumbledore sir. I've talked ta Aragog an' I know where they are. He isn't unable ta stop his offspring from goin' huntin' though so you'd best 'urry along. I'll meet you at the edge of the forest."
"Right lets get going. Has everyone got their portkey? Remember to keep it attached and touching your skin because they're all linked." Kingsley said.
Everyone checked or went to Dumbledore's desk to get one. The portkeys were simple lengths of twine. The Order members wound them around wrists or ankles or tied them round their necks like necklaces. When everyone had one and they were sure they were secure they all left the office.
The four boys and Molly Weasley stopped at the entrance hall as the Order headed for the forest. They vanished quickly into the darkness becoming shadows in wandlight.
"I don't see why we can't go. We're of age." Fred said.
"I've already got two sons out there." Molly said. "I don't need to be worrying about any more of my boys and you're only just of age."
"Alright Mum." George said.
They sat down on the stairs leading to the drive. Harry and Ron joined them. Molly stood behind them. None of them said anything else.
Hermione ran. She wasn't sure where she was heading nor did she care so long as she stayed out of the way of the monstrous spiders and the Death Eaters. She had seen one Acromantula bite through a Death Eater's neck and wrap him in web for later as casually as she'd pick up a milk bottle at the supermarket.
Hermione jumped a lunging claw, dodged around a tree and ran right into someone. They both staggered. The Death Eater grabbed her left arm as they regained their balance and Hermione didn't think she acted. She punched him in the face as hard as she could and he howled with pain as his mask shattered and pieces of it dug into his face. Splinters stuck in her hand as she snatched his wand but she didn't care. It didn't matter now. She wanted her wand back.
"Accio wand!" She gasped out dodging another Acromantula.
Her wand flew to her and she caught it. She slipped the other one into her robes. Two more spiders came at her together.
"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Hermione cried aiming for the underbelly as she'd seen Harry do last year in the tournament. She hit one and it fell, entangling the other, which she missed.
Then a pincer seized her right thigh from behind and she shrieked in agony as the spider picked her up. She knew it was lifting her towards it's jaws to bite through her spine.
She leant back as far as she could, pointed her wand over her head and screamed "Reducto!"
The Acromantula screeched in pain and dropped her. Hermione landed heavily on something hard and sharp. She felt something crack as pain seared her side. Broken rib her brain noted in a detached manner. She looked up at the creature above her which was flailing at it's eyes and spraying black ichor everywhere.
She thought she heard more people joining the battle but she couldn't be sure. There were definitely several shouts of confusion. A red jet of light knocked the spider above her sideways and it collapsed. Hermione could feel liquid rising up her throat and the taste of blood filled her mouth. That was bad. Her rib must have pierced her lung. The blood was rapidly filling her mouth.
Another spider towered over her. Hermione rolled to her uninjured side, spat the blood out and gasped out "Stupefy." The unconscious spider collapsed on her wounded leg and she blacked out from the pain.
Lucius found her trapped under the spider and blasted it aside. He feared that she was dead at first. Blood coated her lips and face and she was very pale. Then he detected shallow breathing and sighed in relief. He picked her up carefully feeling ribs shift as he did.
He untied his portkey from around his wrist and looped it around both their necks. Then he activated it. This set off a chain reaction and the rest of the Order disappeared from the battlefield leaving the Death Eaters to deal with the Acromantula. They reappeared at the gates of Hogwarts and he strode straight through. He ignored questions from the others as he headed for the castle. Hermione stirred in his arms and groaned. He sped up. He could feel her blood soaking through his clothing and had no idea how much she had left to lose. Not much judging by her pallor.
He strode straight past Potter and the Weasleys on the way to hospital wing. They ran to catch him up.
"Is she alive?" Potter called out.
He didn't have time to answer. He got to the hospital wing calling for Madame Pomfrey and sat down with Hermione on the first available bed.
"Hermione!" The Weasley boy exclaimed looking horrified at the state she was in.
"Everyone out!" Madame Pomfrey said as she hurried up to the bed drawing the curtains with a flick of her wand.
They moved away. The curtains closed around the bed blocking Hermione from their sight.
Hermione was aware of movement and the sound of someone's heartbeat she tried to open her eyes but her eyelids felt as though they had lead weights attached to them. She was aware of pain but it was distant. Breathing was difficult and felt strange, as though she breathed through mud. Maybe she was drowning. Voices surrounded her and whoever was carrying her stopped moving.
Footsteps and voices moved around her. She was... where was she?
Her memory was foggy but she remembered... Death Eaters and Voldemort! Panic engulfed her and she began to struggle against the person holding her. Her wounds protested but she ignored them. She had to get away! Someone else tried to stop her moving.
She struggled against them both and then she felt the brief soft press of lips against her own. What?! She froze in surprise and her mind began to pay attention to other things. She could smell an antiseptic scent. Like her parents dentistry or... the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts and a male scent. He smelt nice whoever he was. Someone had rescued her. She didn't remember a rescue but she had blacked out or at least she thought she had. She relaxed.
Whoever was holding her relaxed slightly too. Hermione realised that their hands were pressed tight to her wounds trying to prevent blood loss. She managed to open her eyes. The world was blurry but she was just about able to make out the worried face of Lucius Malfoy. She sighed and laid her head back against his shoulder closing her eyes.
She felt magic steal through her body. Her chest filled with warmth and breathing became far easier although it still hurt. Lucius moved his hands from her wounds. They hurt more without the pressure on them. She groaned. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.
He said something and someone replied but she couldn't make out the words.
She felt Lucius lift her up slightly. Someone else raised her head. A goblet was pressed against her lips. She drank. The taste of whatever it was was tainted by the iron tang of her blood. Another goblet was pressed to her lips when she finished drinking from the first. She wanted to protest but then recognised the taste of Dreamless Sleep. Warmth stole through her entire body from the potion. She felt incredibly tired and snuggled closer to Lucius, ignoring the pain that caused, and drifted off.
Hermione began to panic and struggle against him. Poppy's hands joined his trying to keep her still. She struggled harder. Not knowing what else to do her kissed her. She stilled.
Poppy raised an eyebrow at him but he was focused on Hermione and missed it. He kept his hands tightly pressed to Hermione's wounds. She stirred and blinked up at him for a moment then sighed and laid her head against his shoulder again closing her eyes.
Poppy spoke several spells and Hermione's breathing became easier. The blood flow stopped and he moved his hands away from her wounds. Poppy performed a cleaning spell on them. Hermione groaned and he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.
"Shh, little lioness. You're safe now."
"Help me give her some potions." She instructed. "Just move her upright so she doesn't choke."
Lucius watched carefully as she supported Hermione's head and helped her drink the potions. He exchanged a worried glance with her. Hermione leant back against him and snuggled close before falling asleep. He couldn't help smiling slightly despite the situation.
"Set her down on the bed. I've done the preliminary work but there's a lot to repair. Tell Albus to bring Fawkes. She has a lot of venom in her blood and I don't have an Acromantula antivenin so I'll need phoenix tears." Poppy said.
Lucius laid Hermione down carefully and stepped back. He went through the curtains around the bed and found the entire Order on the other side along with all the Weasleys, Neville Longbottom and the rest of his new clan.
Molly Weasley was assisting the injured Order members. Most injuries were minor. There were a few breaks and a couple of wounds from Acromantula claws but nothing life threatening.
"Is she alright?" Harry asked.
"No but Poppy is doing her best. Where's Albus?" Lucius asked.
"Here." Albus said casting aside his Death Eater disguise and standing up.
"Poppy needs tears from Fawkes. Hermione has a lot of Acromantula venom in her system and she doesn't have the antidote." Lucius said.
Albus nodded and strode away. Ten minutes later he and Fawkes reappeared in a flash of flame. They went behind the curtains to aid Madame Pomfrey.
"What happened to you?" Narcissa asked as she guided him to sit down on a bed.
Lucius realised he was covered in blood and had managed to spread it so he looked worse than he was. He took the Death Eater robes off and sat down.
"I'm not badly injured. A few cuts and bruises. The blood is Hermione's." He said.
Narcissa wordlessly vanished it. Then she healed his injuries.
"Who did we lose?" Kingsley's deep voice asked.
Lucius noticed two sheet covered forms across from them now.
"Hermione's parents." Harry said.
"What happened to them?" Lucius asked.
"The Dark Lord and Bellatrix." Severus Snape's voice came from the door.
He was carrying a basket crammed with potions. He was limping and looked haggard. He didn't seem to notice the non-order related students as he spoke.
"Voldemort is gone for now. The Death Eaters lost about five members to the Acromantula. I should assist Poppy." He said.
"Let me fix that leg first." Molly Weasley said firmly.
Severus didn't fight her. He nodded and sat down. As soon as he was fixed up he took his potions and disappeared behind the curtain. As he did Albus reappeared with Fawkes.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ron asked immediately.
"Poppy and Severus will do their best but she's in a very bad way." Albus said.
"But Fawkes..." Harry said.
"There was far more venom in her system than was in yours after the Tournament Harry. It did a lot of damage and she's lost a lot of blood." Albus said gently.
"Could she die?" Ginny asked in a small voice.
"Yes." Albus sighed.
Molly gave a cry of distress. Arthur put his arms around her and she leant against him.
"Don't give up hope. She's not dead yet." Luna said. "Hermione's strong. She'll fight."
"Yeah she will." Ron said.
There was silence for a while.
"Does she know about her parents?" Fred asked in a subdued voice.
"Yeah." Harry said. "They killed them in front of her."
Molly gave a cry of horror. "Poor Hermione." She said.
"I'm going to kill Bellatrix Lestrange one day." Neville said determinedly.
Several people looked at him in surprise.
"Not if I get there first." Ginny said. "If she thinks she can hurt our Hermione and get away with it she's got another think coming."
"I think that's enough of that sort of talk." Arthur said.
They lapsed into silence again.
Dumbledore paced. Professor McGonagall sat still tight lipped and quiet.
Sirius turned into Padfoot and left for a while. He returned with Crookshanks trotting along beside him.
Sirius became human again and sat next to Harry on the bed. Crookshanks jumped onto Sirius' lap and curled up.
"Hey Crooks." Harry murmured as he reached out and scratched behind his ears.
The ward fell silent. No one wanted to be the first to break it.
It seemed hours later that Madame Pomfrey and Snape pulled back the curtains and turned their attentions to the group that had gathered.
They treated the more severely wounded Order members first before they'd answer any questions.
Harry and the Weasley's were nearly ready to burst.
"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked when the last person had been treated.
"I won't lie. I don't know. We've done all we can but she's badly injured and she's lost a lot of blood. It's going to be touch and go. If she makes it till morning her chances of survival are good." Madame Pomfrey said but she looked grim.
"What are the chances she won't make it till morning?" Ron asked.
"Fifty fifty." Madame Pomfrey said.
Molly gave a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand.
Arthur squeezed her shoulder. "That bad?"
"Yes." Poppy said.
"Can we stay?" Harry asked. "I want to be here if-" His voice caught and he couldn't continue.
"Yes you can all stay but do try to keep the noise level down." Madame Pomfrey said.
She went to her office to write up reports and came back half an hour later to join them all.
Ron and Harry moved to sit by Hermione as soon as they were allowed. Crookshanks jumped onto the bed and stalked up to the pillow. He curled up above Hermione's head and put a possessive paw on her forehead.
"Luna can you see what will happen?" Ginny asked, sitting up straight, as she suddenly remembered Luna's gift.
Luna looked dejected. "I'm sorry. There are too many possibilities. It could go either way." She said.
"Oh." Ginny said. "So we wait then."
"I really am sorry." Luna said.
"Not your fault. Real seers can't see everything." Ron said.
There was a slightly amused edge to his voice. Harry knew he was thinking of Trelawney and snorted.
"I'm not a seer. Not really." Luna said. "Sometimes I just know things. It's like there are lines stretching out and I can follow them. They're not always there and sometimes like now there are far too many of them. The future isn't set in stone and we can always change it."
"Wise words." Professor McGonagall said with a faint smile at her.
Luna smiled back.
Time drew out interminably. Harry and Ron alternated between sitting at Hermione's side holding her hand and pacing.
Madame Pomfrey checked her at regular intervals. She didn't say anything but she didn't seem too worried either which was a good sign.
Lucius and Severus kept a close watch on her as well. Molly and Arthur drew chairs up to the end of her bed.
The others settled on beds close by. Nobody spoke much and when they did they whispered.
Harry found himself falling asleep and stood and stretched. He was cold and he shivered. He stole a spare blanket off one of the beds and put it around his shoulders like a cloak as he paced.
House elves appeared with coffee and hot chocolate around one in the morning. Harry was glad of the caffeine although he'd never had coffee before and thought it could do with a lot more cream and sugar next time.
Minerva eventually turned into her animagus form at about half two in the morning and joined Crookshanks on the pillow. Padfoot had taken the foot of the bed. Crookshanks blinked awake when her weight caused the pillow to dip, yawned, and looked at her for a minute. After deciding she wasn't a threat he went back to sleep; his paw still on Hermione's forehead.
Tabby went to sleep too. It was a light sleep though as Harry discovered when he came back after pacing for a bit and accidentally jostled the bed a bit. She opened her eyes slightly and gazed at him for a moment; looked at Hermione and then put her head back on her paws and closed her eyes.
Fred and George went to sleep about three on the bed to the immediate left of Hermione's curled up together like two spoons. They had started off sitting side by side leaning against each other and keeled over as they fell asleep. Bill and Charlie had moved them so they wouldn't fall off the bed and left them. As they moved them the twins shifted and snuggled up.
Harry made a mental note to tease them about it to within a half inch of their lives when Hermione was better. He eventually fell asleep in his chair with his head and arms resting on Hermione's bed. Ron fell asleep next to him in the same manner holding Hermione's hand.
Lucius fell asleep with his head on the other side of her bed holding her right hand with his left and Narcissa's in his right. Narcissa managed to stay awake curled up in her chair next to him.
Poppy smiled at the sight when she next checked Hermione and cast a reinforcement charm on the bed as it was now supporting the weight of four people, two cats and a large dog.
"That looks rather crowded." Albus said quietly with a chuckle.
"Yes it does." Poppy said in a low voice. "She's out of the woods now but I don't have the heart to wake them."
"Let them sleep. I think I'll take one of the beds here if you don't mind." Albus said.
"Go ahead. I'm sure everyone else will end up sleeping here." Poppy said.
Albus took one of the beds to the right of Hermione. Poppy told those still awake, who hadn't heard her, that Hermione was past the worst and would likely be fine now.
Luna sighed in relief and went back to Ravenclaw tower. Most of the Order went home but Hermione's clan stayed, taking beds in the wing, and so did the Weasleys, Tonks, Remus and Neville.
When Poppy checked Hermione again at half five in the morning everyone was asleep. She cast a spell to alert her if anything went wrong with Hermione and retreated to her room.
Please review. Constructive crit is welcome. Flames will be used to scare Acromantula.
I'm ending it here because it's turned into a mammoth chapter. I'm sorry that I'm not very good at Hagrid's speech. If anyone can improve that bit please let me know. :)