A/N: Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and reviews!
Thank you all for your unending patience with me.
I will be posting pictures of some notable things from this chapter on Tumblr, so you can see what I was thinking of when I wrote about them. If you are interested.
I also posted Hermione's note to Harry from the previous chapter and excerpts from Sigurd's Journal. We will be seeing Sigurd's journal in the coming chapters but not all of it. Since I have many of them already written out, I've been posting them almost daily on Tumblr.
23
Previously:
Snape pulled Narcissa up out of the chair and sat, wrapping his hands around her trim waist and guided her to sit on his lap. He held her there, caressing her back as she silently wept. He knew what she meant. He understood her depression. But all he could do was be there for her and hold her and promise her he would never leave her because no one went through what she had. If she needed to fall apart, he would be her constant. He, himself, had hung off that cliff, holding on to the crumbling remains of earth with his own fingertips for far too long. Depression was a battle of the mind and those who trod the depths that they had, battled an enemy far greater than any other. And they would climb that impossible mountain together, one day at a time, through sheer force of will.
**HGHG**
Hermione looked around them and huffed. The labyrinth seemed to go on forever. They had searched for any openings and had come up empty-handed. Even the point me spell that had done so well for Harry during the Tri-Wizard Tournament failed them. The only good thing about the whole situation was that the endless hedges seemed to fascinate Bast; to the point where he just stared at the hedges while reaching out his little hand to pluck at the leaves, babbling at the leafy vegetation.
Draco began sending cutting jinxes onto the greenery, growling as the shrubbery stayed unblemished. Draco took it as the taunt that it was. The audacity of the hedgerow to not even be destructible. How rude!
Hermione just sighed and sat on the ground and pulled out a water bottle from her beaded bag, wishing that the monotony would finally end. How were they supposed to save Sigurd before his magic ran out if it took them a million years just to get past the first hurdle of the maze? She was frustrated.
"There has to be a way in," Lucius said, rubbing his forefinger on his bottom lip, deep in thought. "Magic doesn't seem to work against the hedges…" he mumbled.
Abraxas slid down the hedge to sit next to Hermione and leaned back against the greenery. Bast was over the moon at this new development, laughing his high baby laugh every time he grabbed a new shiny leaf. Hermione watched him with a soft smile on her face.
How could Bast be inherently bad with his childlike innocence still intact? Once Abraxas sat, Bast began wiggling, trying without much success to get out of Abraxas' grip.
"Let him run," Hermione murmured, sweeping the dark hair out of Bast's eyes. "It's not like he can go anywhere. And if by some miracle he finds a way through the hedges, we will just follow him."
Abraxas shrugged and loosened the wrap, letting the toddler free. Bast giggled as he jumped near the hedge, catching onto the waxy green leaves and ripping them free. He jumped and jumped, laughing freely each time his little fist closed around the foliage.
On his last jump, Draco caught him around the waist and lifted him up, much to the toddler's delight. The wide green vegetation had no chance, as Bast used both of his hands to rip and tear. Draco laughed with him, snuggling his face into the happy baby's neck.
"He's so good with him," Hermione murmured, a tender smile on her lips.
"He always wanted a brother or a sister," Lucius said as he sat down next to her. The three of them watched Draco and Bast play, resting for a few moments before continuing on.
"I just don't get it. There has to be something we are missing, something that we should know."
"Okay, well we seem to be in a labyrinth," Abraxas said. "There are two different kinds of labyrinths. The first is that there is only one path that leads to the center but there tends to be 'traps' or puzzles along the way. The second is the confusing maze with branches of pathways that could lead to a multitude of dead ends. I have a feeling that this is the second. If it were the first, we would just continue to walk the path until we found the center. This path is a straight shot, no curves or turns that would indicate a circular or square concentric."
"It could just be massive, and we haven't hit any turns yet. We can assume that we are not in a circular pattern but that doesn't mean we aren't walking a square."
"True, true," Abraxas mumbled in thought.
"Hey guys, you might want to come and look at this," Draco said. He held Bast tightly against his chest with one arm, refusing to let the child close to the hedges. With his other, he held a curtain of low hanging ivy to the side.
It only took a heartbeat or two for the sitting trio to join Draco, all four adults ignoring the sulking toddler who was still trying to grab the leaves.
In front of them was a tiny door that was nestled amongst the branches of the hedge. To Hermione, it looked like one of those fake doors that some people sculpted and attached to trees, claiming fairies used them. It was adorable.
"What is it?" Draco asked.
"A door," Lucius snarked. Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't quite help the smirk that formed in spite of herself.
"Obviously," Draco said impatiently, still pinning Bast against his body and holding up the ivy curtain. "But what do we do with it? What is its function?"
Hermione bent down so that she was eye level with the tiny door and tapped on it. After all, one never knew what they would find in the world of magic.
After a moment of silence, Hermione huffed a chuckle and stood back up. She shrugged at Abraxas and Lucius who had already grown bored of the tiny find.
A disproportionately loud creaking emanated from the tiny door as it inched open. It was not an entryway, no room lay behind it, but flush against the stone was a tiny bronze plaque.
Ask and it shall be given; Seek and ye shall find; knock and the door will be opened for you. *
Lucius laughed, startling the toddler out of his tantrum. Bast watched him with wide eyes, now completely still in Draco's arms.
Lucius threw his arms wide and with a smile asked in a booming voice that reverberated off of the hedges, "How do we get to the center of the labyrinth?"
To their immense surprise, the hedges parted in front of them. The greenery moved and slithered with purpose, creating an archway for them to pass through.
"I can't believe it was so simple," Draco muttered, anger tinting the incredulity in his voice.
"This isn't over," Abraxas warned, a worried frown pulled his eyebrows together. "The maze just proved that it is not a concentric pattern. It will get much more difficult before we reach the center."
**HGHG**
Harry burst into the Malfoy kitchens. A silvery cloak was thrown over his shoulder haphazardly.
"You," He said, pointing to a small trembling female elf.
She pointed silently at herself, her eyes wide and afraid.
"Emmy, right?" Harry asked before sighing and running his hand through his hair. "Hermione told me to find you so that you could take me to Sigurd's chamber, whatever that means."
Understanding flooded the small elf's eyes. She patted her wet hands on the tiny apron and pulled at the strings before hanging it on a small hook in the corner where other such things were.
"Come," she said, beckoning to Harry as she passed him and walked the halls, leading him up to the observation room.
**HGHG**
Hermione stood on the edge of a field filled with the most beautiful purple flowers. Abraxas, Lucius, and Draco stood behind her. Bast's tiny hand was snuggly nestled in Lucius' larger one. He stood as tall as his three-year-old boy could and tried hard to emulate the air that Lucius naturally affected.
Hermione turned back to them and smiled, biting her lips in an effort to hold in her amusement. Give the kid blond hair and grey eyes and he would be just like Draco was as a child. A boy emulating his father.
She glanced up at Abraxas and her breath caught as she noticed his intense gaze sweep over her, his eyes slightly crinkling at the corners with his smirk. This was not the time. Hermione looked up at the sky and tried to push Abraxas and his come-hither eyes to the back of her mind.
"Mummy, look!" Bast said as he pointed to the flowers that began opening, showing them the dew that had gathered on its petals. They tipped their heads, inviting the thirsty to come drink and Hermione recognized the compulsion drawing her to the tiny cups.
Draco walked up beside her and slid his hand into hers, squeezing lightly. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back before dropping their combined hands to his chest, settling over his heart.
Far across the meadow, Hermione could see the archway that indicated where they should go to continue on in their quest. She studied the meadow, searching for a pathway, knowing that she was not going to find one. Still, she was disappointed.
"What would the world be like, if we didn't know better than to lightly step into a field of flowers," Abraxas muttered, waving his wand over the petals of the closest flower. He separated a small droplet and raised it to his nose. "colorless, odorless… I bloody bet its tasteless too, if it is what I think it is… Bottoms up,"
Abraxas let the droplet settle on his tongue.
"Well?" Lucius said, a curious tilt to his head. They all now had a suspicion of what it was gathered on the petals. "Why did you lock those memories in a trunk in Gringotts instead of telling me what was coming?"
"Yes, Lucius," Abraxas said with a twist of his lips, answering the question that went unasked instead of the one he was accused with. "it is Veritaserum but since I've only imbued one drop, I'm not fully under its effects. If you have an issue or problem to resolve with me, do it once we are home, and not when we are struggling to get through this bloody maze!"
"You realize we have to walk through the flowers, right? That the Veritaserum will touch our skin, get on our hands?" Hermione said to them.
Lucius raised his right brow and looked down his nose at her as if what she said was at the height of stupidity.
"It's a good thing we have all decided to be honest with each other, isn't it Hermione Dear?" He drawled, obviously thinking of the time she had flipped her shit because they were hiding their problems from her. A problem that was never properly resolved.
Draco sighed and pulled her forward into the flowers and the others followed at a slower pace. Lucius scooped Bast into his arms and in one swift motion, swung the boy up onto his shoulders and winced when the small hands tangled in his long blond hair.
"I'm curious too, Abraxas," Hermione said over her shoulder. "Why did you wait so long to tell Lucius about me? Why not tell him everything when you wanted to betroth him to me?"
"Do we really have to do this now?" Abraxas muttered, the muscle in his jaw flexing in time with his rapid heartbeat.
"No," Hermione said. "But if we are talking about it anyway, why don't we talk about it now?"
"I didn't tell Lucius about you because I didn't want him to yearn for you the same way I did, the same way Sigurd did, the same way many others of our family did. I knew you were going to born in his lifetime and though he would be older than you, I thought that he should have the chance that none of the rest of us had. But in the end, he cocked it all up and lost you anyway." Abraxas savagely said.
Lucius met his hard stare with his own and said, "The only thing I knew was that I was betrothed. Spoken for. And I was forbidden from girls. I wasn't allowed to look around or fall in love or anything else. Maybe if I knew what I was supposed to save myself for, I would have done a better job of it,"
"Personally," Draco said in a light tone. "I am glad you and my mother had me. I would have missed out on everything."
"Or you could have been my son," Hermione said.
"Ew," Draco whispered. "I don't even want to imagine that,"
Hermione chuckled. She couldn't see it, but she imagined both Abraxas and Lucius rolling their eyes, pretending that it wasn't funny.
"You know, Hermione, you are taking all of this rather well," Lucius murmured.
"All of what? The labyrinth? It's not like we have a choice."
"No, us. Marrying the four of us,"
"Am I supposed to freak out over it? Over something I don't want to change?"
"I thought you would. You didn't even watch all of the memories in the room. You are very trusting of us,"
"Am I though? I know you and Draco died for me. Abraxas has been trying to protect me since I was young. Sigurd defied the natural order to be with me. What woman in their right mind would throw that all away?"
"I'm glad you feel that way," Lucius murmured, wrapping his free arm that wasn't holding onto Bast around her waist and pulling her close to lay a kiss on her temple.
"You weren't always so convinced of marrying us. What changed?" Abraxas wondered.
"We have been through so much these past several weeks. I can barely believe that so much happened in such a short time. I can't believe the war is over. I don't feel like it is, you know. I feel anxious as if there is a catch. I keep expecting someone to run in and tell me it wasn't Voldemort that we killed after all…"
"I destroyed his body myself," Lucius said. "And you know that he is still alive in a way. Bast has Tom Riddle in his head and I think he always will. I also don't think that he will be the same person. From what I know of Tom's childhood, it was unbearable. Bast is one of the happiest children I've ever met."
"That's Luna's genes. If he is anything like her, we will be blessed to have him in our lives."
"I don't know much about his mother, but I grew up with Rabastan. I would say he favors his father."
"I guess we will have to wait and see how he grows."
"I guess," Lucius mumbled, letting her go and continuing to walk across the field as a group.
"What do you like about us?" Draco asked Hermione, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Well, Draco, I like how sweet you are. I never thought you capable of it before. We were never friends at school because you were such a prat. I like that you hold my hand whenever you can. You make it so easy to love you. I love that with you I know I am loved and wanted." Hermione said, a light pink blush staining her cheeks.
"And me?" Abraxas said an eyebrow raised to his hairline.
"You are strong, capable, a take charge kind of man. With you, I never have to worry about saving you or telling you what everything means. I love how you will do whatever it takes for me no matter what even if you try to control me sometimes. But at least you know that I will never be controlled. You make me feel desired and sexy. The way you look at me…" She trailed off thinking about the heated look she had seen not a few minutes prior. "And Lucius with you, it's all fire and passion. We fight just as passionately as we make love. It is explosive, and it makes me feel alive!"
"And Sigurd?" Draco asked.
"He found a way to come to me across a thousand years. The depth of that commitment… I never thought I could be so cherished as I feel with all of you."
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are blessed that you feel the way you do. I can't imagine a world in which we weren't yours." Abraxas declared just as they finally reached the edge of the field, leaving the Veritaserum filled flowers behind.
"To be honest," Hermione sang happily, "It could have been so much worse than merely Veritaserum."
"True," Abraxas allowed. They had been working through their problems for a while now and though they argued and fought, there were no more debilitating secrets between them. Even still, the group gave a collective sigh of relief when they reached the other side and walked through the next archway.
Abraxas couldn't hide his grin when he pulled Bast off of Lucius and the tiny fists refused to let go of the satiny strands of Lucius' immaculate hair. With an air of unconcerned languor, Abraxas wrapped the bright material around them both, pinning the squirming toddler still.
Bast was getting grumpy and whiny and Abraxas knew from his experience with Lucius, even as a grown man, that the boy was in need of sleep. He smirked, knowing Lucius would glower if he knew that Abraxas compared him to a toddler in need of a nap.
They were under a path of blooming cherry trees. Light pink blossoms floated lazily to the ground like snowflakes. Hermione looked along the dark brick that flowed under the flowering wood and it seemed to go on forever, but they followed it quietly, reverently, refusing to sully the moment with something as inane as words.
The long slender branches danced in a nonexistent breeze and the sweet scent of the blooms swirled around them. Piles of pinkish white petals littered the brick and as they stepped upon the tiny things, the smell began to grow musty.
Hermione looked behind them, only once, and saw to her horror that every step on the fallen buds they took; they left a path of severe decay. Where once the petals were bright, now they lay brown and curling, turning black in the matter of seconds. They left a trail of death in their wake.
She turned back around and focused on the small ball of light at the end of the tunnel. They would get through this, they had to.
The tunnel opened up into a large orchard with magnificent trees. They were large and green, in full summer leaf and heavy with its fruit. Bemused, Hermione walked up to one of the trees and plucked the tightly rolled scroll that grew there.
Slowly, she unrolled it, casting off the tiny green vine that encircled it. She stared at the tiny offering unsure what to do with it.
"What does it say?" Abraxas asked.
"Incendio," Hermione muttered. The parchment caught fire and she dropped it, startled.
"That bad?" Draco asked.
"No," Hermione shook her head. "That is what it said. Incendio. It was a spell."
She reached up and plucked another, unfurling this one as fast as she could.
"And this one?" Abraxas said curiously.
"Accio,"
Draco, Lucius, and Abraxas converged on the trees, plucking one spell off after another.
"Wingardium Leviosa,"
"Lumos,"
"Depulso,"
"Aguamenti,"
"Alohamora,"
"I bet there is a spell on here that no one knows," Lucius muttered.
"And we wouldn't either," Hermione said reasonably. "There is nothing on these parchments to tell us how it should be used, what it is for, wand movements, pronunciation, nothing…"
Abraxas sighed and backed away from the trees, letting the unopened scrolls fall to the ground. "She is right. We were drawn in and we would stay until all the scrolls could be plucked and read and while we did that, more would grow. We would be here forever."
Draco winked at Hermione and shoved a handful of the tiny scrolls into his robe pocket. Something for them to go through later. Who knew, they might get lucky.
Abraxas kissed the top of Bast's head and wrapped his arm around Hermione, pulling her close. "I suppose we should move on before we linger any longer. Merlin knows we can't afford to waste any time."
**HGHG**
Harry looked around Sigurd's chamber in awe. There were many depictions of not only Hermione's childhood, but his as well. Well, those that Hermione was in anyway. But it was amazing to him to see their friendship chronicled in such a way.
In front of him lay the famous enclosure, the one that must have housed Sigurd for all this time. The lid was back on, but it wasn't sealed, and a short row of memories sat benignly on top. A pensive sat behind them.
He dumped them in, one at a time, and took a deep breath before lowering his face into the swirling silver.
Memories flashed past, one after the other, and Harry watched enthralled. Hermione as she brought back the Malfoys, Sigurd's awakening, Hermione's first foray using the magical door and Hecate, the price of using the door, Sigurd's price for receiving Bellatrix's name and Hecate's help in keeping Hermione alive through the war, and the last memory was Hermione laying out her plan for him, in front of her mirror.
By the time Harry pulled his face out of the memories, his lips were pressed into a long thin line.
"Fuck…" He groaned, knowing he was wholly going to regret getting involved. Not that he would ever abandon Hermione. Because he wouldn't. Not after everything. No matter what she asked of him.
**HGHG**
The next archway led them to a stairway; one leading up and the other down. Forward was no longer an option, Hermione noted as she stared down the bare cliff face that went miles down, a waterfall flowing fiercely over the opposite edge.
First, she looked at the stairs going up. Trees bracketed the wooden steps that were sunk into the earth. The stairs down on the other hand were solid stone, thick and sturdy, with a sheen of water coating them.
"Up or down?" Draco murmured.
"Normally I would say up," Abraxas said. "But I don't like the feeling of it. It feels as if the very trees are against us. I don't know about you all, but I have this feeling of being watched."
"I agree with Abraxas," Lucius muttered. "the wood feels sinister."
"Down it is," Hermione agreed as she took the first step onto the thick stone. Collectively they all held their breaths, waiting for the other shoe to drop. When nothing happened, they all began to take the stairs down, one step at a time. By the time they reached the bottom, they were so tightly wound that anything could set them off.
The most beautiful woman that Hermione had ever seen was sitting on a rock next to the waterfall-fed pool. She was humming twisting her long blonde hair into an elaborate chignon at the back of her neck. She paid the group no mind, even as Lucius cleared his throat rather loudly.
"Excuse me," Draco said and visibly started as the woman's black eyes flicked to his. Her red lips parted, her eyelids lowering so that her long black lashes could sweep her ivory and cream cheeks.
"How can I help you?" she murmured softly, her voice a melody.
"We are looking for the center of the labyrinth. There is a door that will take us to a room with many doors. Are we going the right way?"
"I'm Helen," the girl sang.
"Hi," Draco said awkwardly.
"Helen, can you help us find the center of the labyrinth?" Hermione asked.
The girl went from sweet and beautiful to a vicious ugly fury in seconds. Her dark eyes narrowed on Hermione and her slender fingers began to elongate in terrifying claws. Her teeth sharpened, and she hissed.
"Oh shit," Draco uttered, taking a step back. It startled the woman and as she looked back at him, she halted her transformation. Uncertain if she wanted to lure the handsome men to their deaths or destroy the competition, her transformation gained ground before retreating over and over.
"What is she?" Hermione asked. Abraxas stepped in front of Hermione so that the woman could no longer see her. It did the trick because the woman turned back into the beautiful blond. Her smile turned predatory and she pinned her gaze on Lucius.
"A succubus or a relative of the Veela, who knows," Abraxas answered.
"Wonderful," Hermione muttered sarcastically.
"I think she will leave us alone if we ignore her," Lucius added walking up behind Hermione and settling his large hand on her lower back. She couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. His hand was hot through her robes and she longed to lean into him and let his hands explore.
"Can you help me tie the ribbons for my hair?" Helen's voice called out to the men. Hermione looked back at Draco to see if he was affected and noticed that his face sported a green tinge.
"Not your kind of woman?" Hermione teased.
"Ha ha," Draco said without a stitch of humor, still looking as if he was going to lose his stomach at any moment.
"Ignore that beast," Lucius murmured to Draco. "I have a feeling that if you give her any attention at all she will try to ensnare you."
"I don't think she can," Abraxas disagreed. "Not with the bonds we share with Hermione, not including the fact that all three of us are in love with her. I don't think the magic of whatever that woman is could come between that,"
"Well either way," Hermione said. "I don't think we should tempt fate and give her the chance to try."
"Seconded," Draco said, passing the group and taking the lead forward on the stone path.
They followed the path for what seemed like miles, the stone winding with the river, the scenery unchanging as they went. Bast was snoring quietly against Abraxas' chest and Lucius was walking next to Hermione, his fingers caressing the skin of her wrist.
Hermione's new mantra became 'not the time, not the time' as butterflies took flight in her stomach.
They walked and walked, talking about nothing, and bored as hell.
"I think there is something wrong," Hermione finally said.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked.
"I swear we have been here before."
"How can you possibly tell?" Lucius asked curiously. It all looked the same and therein lied the crux of the problem.
"We've been walking for a long time, but nothing has changed. I feel like we aren't moving at all."
Abraxas walked up to the nearest tree and raised his wand, "Flagrate," and a fiery 'x' appeared on the trunk, branding the mark into the bark. "Only time will tell," He murmured as he walked back to their little group.
No matter how long they walked, no matter how fast they ran, no matter how far they should have been, they stayed next to the tree that Abraxas had marked.
"Bloody fucking hell," Hermione groaned.
"Lovely," Lucius mumbled to himself. "All we needed was a fucking time loop,"
"How are we going to get out of this?" Abraxas wondered out loud. "Any suggestions?"
"I guess we could always ask the labyrinth. That's what we did last time," Draco said.
"Try it,"
"How do we get to the center of the labyrinth?"
Crickets were the only sound they heard, which was hilarious because, until that very moment, there were no crickets.
"I think we took the wrong stairs," Hermione said. "up until that moment, leafy arches have guided us to the center. I haven't seen an arch since we passed out of the scroll orchard."
"We can't go forward but maybe we can go back?" Lucius said.
They turned around to back the way they came and after several minutes, dread settled over them like a heavy mantle. They were still getting nowhere.
"This is just bloody wonderful," Lucius growled.
"We will think of something," Hermione murmured, as she chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip.
"We have to," Abraxas muttered. "If we want to save Sigurd."
"There is no other option!"
Bast woke from his nap and began wiggling and whining. Abraxas freed the toddler, knowing that the boy was stuck just as surely as they were.
He began giggling as a horde of butterflies flew over his head and he reached up trying to capture one of the beautiful bugs. They were too aware of him, flying just out of his reach.
The butterflies split and like a heard of stampeding antelope around the group.
"Its so beautiful," Hermione whispered a small smile on her face. They stood still as the butterflies streamed past them.
Bast was all legs and energy as he chased the tiny fliers, walking backward as he tried to capture one in the cage he made with his hands.
"You can't catch them, Bast," Hermione said. "You will destroy their delicate wings and then they wouldn't be able to fly anymore. If they can't fly, they can't get food."
"Pretty flies," he said, ignoring Hermione's warning.
"Bast," Lucius said sternly, "listen to your Mummy!"
Bast gave them the most disgusted, angry look that a toddler could create and looked away defiantly, jumping in the air this time to catch a butterfly.
"Bastillion Lestrange!" Abraxas roared and Bast stood still, eyes wide. No one ever spoke to him that way. No one here anyway.
"Sowwy (Sorry)," Bast said breathlessly.
"No one is going to hurt you, Bast, but you have to listen to us. We have rules for a good reason and if we tell you no, you need to listen. Like a good boy," Abraxas said, laying his hand on Bast's shoulder as the boy nodded solemnly.
"Look!" Draco said pointing to the tree that Abraxas marked, far in the distance.
"How?" Hermione wondered.
"The butterflies," Lucius said. "We need to stay with them!"
The small group continued going back the way they came, staying in the center of the butterfly swarm and all of them smiled in relief when the sound of a waterfall met their ears.
"Finally," Draco murmured, slipping his hand in Hermione's. Bast, who grew bored with the butterflies, copied him, sliding his tiny hand in Hermione's other. Hermione turned and gave the little boy a bright smile, getting one in return. He was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up, she just knew it.
When the butterflies left them, they were in the opening of a glade, a small waterfall fell lazily over moss covered rocks. Behind the waterfall sat another leafy arch, identical to the ones they had been following.
Looking around, Hermione knew that they couldn't go around, they couldn't climb the dangerous rocks to avoid the water. It was way too dangerous for Bast.
Abraxas raised his wand and froze the pond but the second his entire weight was on the ice, it melted as if it had never been. Next, Lucius tried to fly across, using the same spell Voldemort taught his Death Eaters, but the second his feet cleared the ground, the magic failed and he was right back where he started.
"We are going to have to swim," Draco said, already pulling off his robe.
"Give them here," Hermione said pulling out the beaded bag she carried while unbuttoning her own robe. Thankfully, they had anticipated something along these lines and had prepared accordingly, each of them wearing shorts and a tee.
Hermione lifted Bast into her arms and sung him onto her back so that he could loop his arms around her neck.
"No," Abraxas said, frowning at Hermione. He was the only one who left his robe on.
"I'll have you know I am a very strong swimmer."
"That may be, but we don't even know if this is water."
"You are drenched Brax, is it not water?" she asked.
"It seems to be water," he grumbled. "I am a strong swimmer too. Why don't you let me take the boy?"
"We will be fine. If it makes you feel better, you can swim next to us."
"I really think it would be better-"
"Brax," Hermione said as she lifted her hand to his cheek. "It is a tiny pool; how hard could it be?"
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, unable to take his eyes off of her scantily clad body but also not wanting to give in. They were still in the labyrinth. Anything could happen.
Draco waded in the chilly pool first and propelled himself to the center, treading water easily. "Seems fine to me,"
And then he went under, pulled from the depths.
"DRACO!" Hermione screamed as Lucius dove in.
Abraxas held Hermione with Bast between them, keeping them on shore.
Bubbles rose to the surface in a constant stream and the longer they waited, the fewer bubbles that came up. Hermione was beside herself and her fear was infectious. Bast was screaming bloody murder.
Finally, Lucius's head broke the surface and he towed the unconscious man in his arms toward the arch, which was the closer of the two shores.
"Is he breathing?" Hermione yelled, trying to be heard over Bast's screams of terror.
"Anapneo," Lucius muttered, pointing his wand at Draco's throat, clearing it of the water that Draco sucked in.
Draco sputtered and coughed, and Lucius turned him on his side, helping him to breathe.
Hermione's shaking hands covered her face and Abraxas was murmuring soothing words to both of the people in his arms. Several minutes passed before Bast calmed down enough to stop screaming but now he had the hiccups, and he buried his face into the back of Hermione's neck.
"Now what do we do?" she whispered.
"We are going to have to take a chance on those rocks," Abraxas replied.
"Bast, you are going to have to let go of Mummy. You can ride on my back, okay?" Abraxas said but Bast shook his head violently, gripping his hands tighter around Hermione's neck, nearly choking her.
"It's better this way, isn't it? You can spot me."
Abraxas stood still, thinking hard, before leaning forward to talk to his son.
"Bast, I am going to put a charm on you so that you don't fall off Mummy's back. It's a sticking charm and it will feel weird. Don't panic. I will be right behind you okay?"
Bast nodded and bit his lower lip, much the same way Hermione had earlier.
"Lean back," he murmured, supporting the boy while flourishing his wand at the skin of his tummy, nonverbally casting the spell. He pushed Bast back onto Hermione and held the little arms away from Hermione so that he knew his spell worked. "You need to hold tight anyway to Mummy. I don't know if the spell will hold. Can you do that? Hold on to Mummy?"
Bast nodded seriously, interlocking his fingers after sliding them around Hermione's neck.
"Alright," Abraxas said grimly, sending a nod to Lucius and Draco who were watching from the opposite shore.
Hermione sought for fingerholds, struggling against the damp moss, Abraxas right behind her, supporting her sometimes with his own body. Several times, she slid and Bast closed his eyes tightly scrunching his face in fear, but the little boy didn't make a sound.
Finally, they reached the other side and Hermione choked on a sob when Lucius' hands reached out to her and pulled her to safety.
"Merlin," she said shakily as Abraxas climbed onto the shelf. Draco stood and muttered the incantation for the counter charm cradling Bast in his arms.
"I'll take that wrap," He held a hand out to Abraxas who had never disrobed. Abraxas nodded and untied the knot at his waist and wrapped it around Draco and Bast. "Why didn't you use the wrap around Hermione and Bast too?" Draco asked.
Abraxas clenched his teeth. "I didn't think of it,"
Hermione let out a tiny chuckle. "Even you are not infallible,"
"Not even I," he muttered bad-temperedly.
Together, they walked through the arch and sighed happily as they saw a large walnut and iron door, in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
"Thank Merlin," said Hermione.
**HGHG**
Sigurd sat at the wooden table, bound by dark tendrils that tightened, renewing their grip as the parasitic entity drew magic from his very being. He could feel himself weakening, feel the stream of magic leave him as if a dam had been newly destroyed. He would have felt better about things, about this, if it didn't feel as if any moment would be his last. He hoped that Hermione would get to him in time because he didn't think he could hold out for much longer.
Hecate opened the door and stepped into her dark dominion, tutting at him as if he were an errant child bent on stealing the last pasty before dinner.
"I warned you," She cackled. "Five years! Five years is all I asked of you. And you couldn't even do that. What were five years compared to the thousand you waited?"
"Because her time is now, and I know that if we are parted, I will lose her. She has others, my kinsmen, and they would not be sad to have one less brother fighting for her affections. If I wait any longer, all my waiting will have been in vain."
"You think your young bride so flighty, do you? You seem to lack faith."
"If I didn't have faith in her, I wouldn't be here now. She is the only thing I have faith in and she has never let me down."
"There is always a first time, Love," Hecate said gently. "You and I are much the same, so full of love and life. Emrys was my Hermione and I trusted him like no other. But I was not his chosen one. He did not love me the way I loved him. Your Hermione has three other mates, what is the price of losing one when she could lose them all."
"What are you saying?"
"Do you think the room would be satisfied with your magic alone? It is a cold, greedy thing. If it takes you, sucks out your magic to leave you nothing but a husk, what do you think it will do then? Do you think it will be satisfied when there is so much power in its grasp? Hermione alone makes it salivate. Can you not feel the excitement every time she enters the room?"
"Thanks to you, they are no longer in the room."
"But they will come back. For you."
* Ask and it shall be given; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door will be opened is paraphrased from the Bible- Matthew 7:7.
