A/N- I'm back again I hope that everyone is still enjoying the story. I'm loving your support, thank you, and keep it up. For everyone out there reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting, you're my freaking hero. The bomb dot com. Ok, I'll stop now before I completely humiliate myself. But seriously, thanks. Maybe this time I can produce a chapter that doesn't number over 9,000 words. Onward now, the next chapter is rolling around in my brain and I just can't focus on anything else.
**Shout out to pgoodrichboggs for being my 700th reviewer. You da bomb. **
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about this story. The characters belong to J.K.R. and the plot line has been done before. I love to play in my own little world of Harry Potter. I haven't made a single knut off this story or any of my others.
Chapter 27
January 1, 1996
Hermione knew that she was on the edge of sleep. Sunlight was warming the skin of her cheeks, and her belly was rumbling slightly. She hadn't been able to eat her dinner the night before, so it was only natural that when her anxiety had lessened considerably, her hunger would surface. Suddenly she remembered exactly why she had had anxiety. Her eyes flew open, her head swiveling from side to side to make sure that both of her boys were next to her and healthy.
What she saw warmed her heart. Both boys were sitting next to her, leaning against the headboard with a plate of food held in their hands. Both were shoveling the food into their mouths as if it had been days since their last meal. There was a dribble of syrup down Harry's chin and several pieces of egg in Draco's lap. Any other time she would have been appalled at their manners, but after she had been scared that they were going to die, it was a sight for sore eyes.
Both boys gave her a grin when they realized that she was staring. Draco reached out and rubbed the top of her thigh. It was clear that they realized that she was upset but weren't sure what to do to make her feel better. Harry swept messy curls back from her face behind her shoulder, his hand lingering on her neck. It was just so bloody normal that she couldn't help it. She burst into tears.
Not delicate, feminine tears that most women wanted you to believe that they cried. Hermione cried fat tears that were coupled with wrenching sobs, her nose running like a faucet and her pale skin turning red and blotchy. It was not attractive in the least, and it wasn't sweet to witness. Hermione didn't care. She never claimed to be anything but what she was.
Both boys set their plates to the side and put their arms around her carefully. For the first few minutes, they simply held her while she tried to get herself under control. After her sobs had lessened, Draco had pulled her further into his arms, so Harry could begin to aggressively massage her shoulders. Both boys had learned quickly that all her stress was carried in her shoulders so whenever she got stressed out one of them would knead the muscles there. After several minutes, Hermione sniffled for the last time and waved her hand before her face, clearing away the snot that had accumulated. Both boys gave her her space.
"I was so fucking scared that you two were going to die, that I wouldn't be able to heal you. Dumbledore was in bad shape too, tell me what the fuck happened. Dad said that you had breathed in water." Harry gave a shrug.
"Honestly, my memory of the evening is kind of spotty. After the inferi appeared, I don't remember much." Hermione couldn't help but gasp slightly but remained silent. Harry turned to Draco and raised an eye brow.
"This is your story, mate. I remember you pulling me from the water, but that's about it." Draco gave Harry a nod before he turned back to Hermione.
"Dumbledore took us to a cliff. He levitated us over the rocks at the bottom until we were at the base. I had to offer blood to one of the walls to let us, a blood sacrifice meant to weaken your enemy. I wasn't too happy about doing it, but Dumbledore pointed out that he needed to save his strength to get us out of there and it was entirely possible that if Harry's blood was used, Voldy could trace it since that was how he brought himself back.
Once we were inside there was a lake with an island in the middle. We used a boat to get to the island and we found that there was a basin on the island filled with a potion. None of us knew what it did, but Dumbledore made Harry promise to make him drink all of it and made me promise to make sure that Harry followed through. After he drank all the potion, Harry reached in and pulled out a locket." Draco paused when Kreacher appeared in the library with a plate of food for Hermione. She could only assume that Sirius had sent him since she knew that the elf would never willingly serve her food.
Hermione dug in with gusto. She wasn't usually one to enjoy a full English breakfast, but today it was hitting the spot. The Gryffindor gestured with her fork for her mate to continue. Both boys smirked at her obvious enjoyment of her food before Draco continued.
"Dumbledore was begging for water, he was delirious by that point. I'm not sure if the spell didn't work, but Harry went to the lake and scooped up water with the goblet that he had used to feed the Headmaster the potion. He quieted after drinking the water, but we realized that there were dead bodies climbing out of the water. They all went for Harry. I jumped in and we both fought them without magic as best we could. However, it didn't end up being enough.
We were both dragged underwater, kicking and screaming. I looked over and saw that Harry had his eyes closed and had quit fighting. Out of nowhere, an orange blaze lit up the sky above the water. All the inferi rushed to the surface, leaving us alone. I caught Harry and pulled him up to the surface. Dumbledore had finally recovered enough to fight the inferi. After they were all dead, he grabbed ahold of both of us and apparated us here. I faintly remember getting here, but when I caught sight of you next to me on the bed, I knew that I was safe and fell asleep even though it was hard to breathe."
Hermione couldn't believe just how close to death both of her boys had been. She really wanted to burst into tears again but decided to distract herself before she could make a fool out of herself again. She set the plate of her breakfast aside and took a deep breath.
"Please tell me that that trip wasn't for nothing, that you managed to bring home the horcrux." Harry seemed to realize that the question was aimed at him and shuffled around so he could squeeze his hand into his pocket. He pulled it out and clutched in his fingers was a silver locket. He handed it to Hermione, but when she touched it she didn't feel a thing. At the very least she had thought she would feel the presence of magic. Hermione turned to Harry.
"Does this locket make your scar hurt? Can you feel his soul inside there?" Harry shook his head.
"No, I instantly knew last night that it was a fake. I remember how the diary felt, how touching it just felt wrong. This locket feels nothing like that. It just feels normal." Draco raked a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated at what their words meant.
"So, this means that we almost died for nothing. For a fake horcrux. Bloody fucking brilliant." Hermione was examining the locket, but Harry answered him.
"It looks that way, mate. Welcome to my life. Nothing goes right and when it does, you almost die. It's great fun." Draco snorted.
They continued to bicker in the background, but Hermione tuned them out. She couldn't quite help but think that this locket looked so familiar. Who had found the real horcrux and replaced it with the fake? How long had the fake been down in that cave? She had hoped that finding a horcrux would answer some of their questions, not raise more. It surprised her when her thumb caught on a tiny latch behind one of the stones. The locket opened, and a yellowed piece of parchment fell out into her lap.
"Sweet Merlin, I found a note. Whoever stole the original horcrux left us a note." Both boys fell silent, urging her to open in and read. The parchment was old, but not so old that it ripped when she carefully unfolded it. Once it was fully open, it wasn't any bigger that a muggle notecard. Hermione cleared her throat, so she could read.
"To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B."
Neither of the boys spoke once she had finished. Hermione was slightly surprised to be honest. She was getting ready to speak when her father's voice came from behind them.
"Was that found in the horcrux?" All three teens whirled around realized that Severus and Sirius had both entered the room without them being aware. Hermione flamed with shame at the fact that they had been caught so easily unawares. Harry was the one that spoke, surprising since she knew that her father still intimidated him.
"Yes, sir. Hermione popped it open and found a note from the person who really took the horcrux." Severus and Sirius took seats against the bed, serious looks on their faces. Hermione had a feeling that this was about to get deeper, so she heaved a sigh, surprised to only find a twinge of pain. Not gone by any means but lessened considerably. She wondered if it had something to do with linking her magic with the boys' when she healed them. The Gryffindor was pulled from her thoughts by her father speaking.
"We need to know what happened last night. Dumbledore hasn't been back to tell us and neither one of you were in any condition to tell us last night. I don't think my daughter would have allowed us to question you even if you had been capable of answering." Hermione felt another light flush at his words. She recalled how she had threatened Madam Pomfrey and was horrified. The mediwitch would probably never forgive her. Before Draco could speak, Hermione cut in.
"You want us to say everything? I mean, they went to retrieve a…." Hermione trailed off and left the statement open. Her father twitched his lips slightly, as if he wanted to smile but refrained at the last moment, so he didn't lose his reputation for being an unfeeling bastard.
"I took it upon myself to inform both Black and the wolf as to what your true mission was. Remus is a werewolf; therefore, his mind is automatically protected from legilimency attacks. When you try to peer into his mind, all you see and hear is static. Sirius informed me that he was taught to shield his mind as a child, his parents insisted on it. I tested him last night before I divulged your mission and found that while he is no expert, his shields are more than adequate. I don't foresee him going before the Dark Lord as you three will, therefore his level of expertise doesn't need to be as high." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She went to her knees on the bed, so she could lean forward and hug her father. He seemed surprised, but she didn't let go.
"Thank you, Daddy. I love those two like they're my uncles and it was killing me to keep a secret this big from them. I don't know how you've been a spy for so long, the secret-keeping is enough to drive me mad." Her father chuckled as he helped her back onto the bed.
"That's because you're a Gryffindor and you like to carry your heart on your sleeve. We Slytherins don't mind keeping secrets if it is to our advantage. Trust me, staying alive was most certainly an advantage worth keeping secrets for." She gave him a grin before she nodded to Draco.
Her Slytherin mate retold the story that he had told her, perhaps in a little more detail than he had told her. She knew that he left out those little details so as not to worry her more than she was, but it irritated her still. However, she would do it to him in a heartbeat if she could, so she decided not to make it into an argument. Both Severus and Sirius listened closely, asking questions in the appropriate spots.
When Draco finally fell silent, both men looked contemplative. Hermione was anxious on what their take was on the fake locket situation but didn't want to rush them. She left them to think while she turned her attention back to the letter. It was Harry that broke the silence.
"If you told both Remus and Sirius, where is Remus? Didn't he want to know what happened?" Sirius cracked a grin.
"Of course, he did, Prongslet. He offered to keep the Weasleys out of the library, so we could have this conversation without being interrupted. We'll fill him in, I promise." Severus spoke next, holding out his hand to Hermione for the parchment she held.
"Let me see the note." She happily handed it over, anxious to see what her father and Sirius could gather from it. Both men scanned it and she didn't realize that anything was amiss until she realized that Sirius had gone deathly pale. She didn't understand why so she leaned forward to lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Sirius are you alright?" He didn't answer her, instead muttered under his breath.
"It can't be, it just can't." Hermione looked to her father and realized that he looked somewhat pale himself.
"Someone tell me what the fuck is wrong." Both boys laid hands on her shoulders, to help keep her calm she was sure. Harry looked especially worried but remained silent. When Sirius spoke, his voice trembled.
"Regulas Arcturus Black. R.A.B." Hermione felt her blood rush to her head, roaring in her ears. Was it possible? Draco looked confused, but it was Harry that asked the question.
"Who is Regulas Black?" Sirius finally looked up from the parchment to meet Harry's eyes.
"My little brother." Severus spoke then.
"My best friend."
None of them spoke, but it was clear that all their minds were on just how it was that a Death Eater, a young one at that, had gotten his hands on the real horcrux. Hermione did her best to recall every detail she had learned about the Slytherin from what she had read in the Black library. He was a seeker for the Slytherin team, he was revered as the perfect child while Sirius had been cast out for not fitting the mould that his parents had cast for him. Became a Death Eater after he had turned sixteen and had been assumed dead on the Dark Lord's orders when he went missing in 1979. Was it possible that he had died in the endeavor of taking the horcrux? Harry, Draco, and Dumbledore had certainly come close. Not to mention that someone would have had to have gone with him, so they could get the real horcrux out. Suddenly, it hit Hermione like a ton of bricks.
"Sirius, call Kreacher." He gave her a confused look but complied.
"Kreacher." The elf appeared before them, bowing as low as he could.
"The ungrateful master calls?" Sirius gritted his teeth but turned to Hermione.
"Kreacher, we need you to tell us what happened to Regulas when you went to the cave and got the locket." Both boys looked dumbfounded and Sirius stared at her blankly. Severus, however, understood almost immediately.
"Kreacher will not answer the half-bloods questions. Master Regulas was a true wizard not…" He was cut off by Sirius' words.
"You will answer every single one of her questions, Kreacher. To the fullest extent that you are capable." The small elf bunched up his hands but turned to Hermione and began to speak.
"Master Regulas had pledged his lifes and service to the filthy half blood that wanted to rules the world. Kreacher was called to his side one day and hims told me that I's was going to go with the Dark Lord, that hims needed an elfs help with something. Master Regulas ordered me to return to him before I left. The Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave where hims placed a spell on a stone. It filled with a clear liquid, Kreacher thought it was water. The bad Lord ordered Kreacher to drink it. Kreacher did but it burned, it hurts him. The half blood put a locket in the bottoms of the stone and refilled the liquid, then apparated away, leaving Kreacher there by himself." The elf had begun to cry at this point, and Hermione knew that the ending wasn't going to be a good one.
"Kreacher returned to Master Regulas and hims was angry that Kreacher was in pain, almost dead. He helped Kreacher get better, nursed him for days. When Kreacher was better, he ordered Kreacher to take him to where the bad lord had taken him. He had a locket with hims in his pocket. Kreacher was scared but took Master Regulas like he had asked. When wes got there, Master told Kreacher that no matter what happened, I's was to get the locket out of the stone and go home with it, destroying it before anyone ever found it. I's promised but begged for Master to return with me.
Master drank all that liquid and hims was begging Kreacher for water. Kreacher was getting the locket out of the stone when Master went to the water's edge. Dead bodies camed after him and pulled hims under. Kreacher went to help his master, but it was no use. My magics wouldn't work in the cave. I felt the bond with Master Regulas break and Kreacher knew that he had failed to save his master. Kreacher left the cave and returned home. I's tried every ways possible to kill the locket, but Kreacher failed!" The elf began to wail before he ran over to the fire place and grabbed the poker, so he could start hitting himself with it. Hermione leapt from the bed as quickly as she could without causing herself undue pain, so she could take the poker from the elf. Everyone else in the room was silent, almost as if they didn't realize that the elf was harming himself. Hermione's words were harsh.
"Enough, Kreacher! Stop hurting yourself." To her complete surprise, the elf listened to her. He was still crying, massive tears tracking down his cheeks, but that she could deal with. She held out her hand for the fake locket that Harry still had clutched in his hands. Even though he still seemed to be dazed, Harry complied and tossed her the locket. Hermione held it in her hand in front of Kreacher's face, making sure that he had fixed his eyes on the locket.
"This is the locket that Master Regulas left in the stone. Harry and Draco retrieved it last night. Do you know where the locket you brought home is?" Kreacher shook his head.
"My mistress founds it and put it in her jewelry box. Kreacher could never get it again. When the woman Weasel was cleaning out Mistress' things, she taked it and put it in a bin. Kreacher tried to take it backs, but she found him and yelled at hims." Hermione turned to Sirius.
"Didn't Molly put all the things she cleaned out up in the attic?" He gave a shaky nod, obviously still is disbelief at the elf's revelation. She turned back to Kreacher after a moment.
"Kreacher, I have a favor to ask of you. We want to destroy the locket that Master Regulas sent you home with. Will you help us find it? Sirius thinks that it was maybe put in the attic. It's imperative that we find it." The elf quit crying and looked at her with shiny eyes still wet from tears.
"Oh yes, Mistress, yes, Kreacher will helps you." She smiled at him, aware that he had just called her mistress rather than filthy half blood. Both were better than filthy mudblood, she supposed. Knowing that it would mean the world to the little elf, she leaned forward and placed the fake locket horcrux around the elf's neck.
"You followed your master's orders and you're going to help us destroy the locket. You deserve to wear this for Master Regulas." The elf burst into tears again, but this time they were tears of happiness. Kreacher threw himself at her legs and hugged them tightly, smearing snot and tears on her night dress.
"Thank you, Mistress, thank you!" Hermione knelt carefully and pulled the elf into a hug. Her legs were already covered, what was another hug?
"You're welcome. Kreacher, please go begin looking for the locket. I'm going to shower and then we'll be up to help you shortly." He nodded enthusiastically, excited to finally obey his master's final orders. With a crack, the elf was gone. Hermione turned to see everyone in the room staring at her.
"What? It made him happy and now he's going to find the real horcrux for us. Quit looking at me as if I've grown wings." Harry and Draco were quick to comply, only after sending her smiles. Severus shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Sirius chuckled sadly.
"I think that elf will follow you to the depths of hell now. Good job, Poppet." Hermione could see just how upset Sirius was. She went to his side and hugged him carefully, quite sure that she wasn't going to hurt herself.
"This means that your brother was a hero, Sirius. I know you two didn't get on well, that he stood by the pureblood ideologies, but you should be proud of him. He likely knew that he was going to meet death in that cave and he went anyways to do his part to bring down the Dark Lord. Remember the good that he did, not the bad." Sirius sniffled just loud enough for her to hear but nodded his agreement. When his arms loosened around her she pulled back and smiled at him before moving to her father. Severus looked upset, but not to the level that Sirius seemed to be. She hugged her father again and whispered in his ear.
"Your friend was just like you. You both made mistakes but realized that you could make up for them. You've both done your part in bringing down the evil that you once embraced. You're both good men." Her father snorted softly but said nothing. He held her tight for several minutes before he released her and straightened, the soft gooey side of him gone for the moment. It was all business then.
"I think that all three teens need to shower. You all smell terribly, Hermione of elf snot, and Harry and Draco of rancid lake water. Off with you all, go shower." Hermione giggled softly at his words, knowing they were his way of bringing his normal persona back to front and center. Since she had hugged the two men, she moved to hug both boys. Both pulled away from her, however, grimaces on their faces. It was Draco that spoke.
"We love you, Princess, but you have elf snot all over you. Not a chance that you're going to hug us." She rolled her eyes at his words.
Since they wouldn't hug her, Hermione left them all in the library, heading up to her bedroom. She hadn't been there since the day that she had been attacked by Dolohov, but now that she felt just a little bit better, she felt that she would be moving back in there tonight. She still had ten potions that she had to take every day, some of them more than once, but she could manage that on her own now. Not to mention, she was sure that her father would appreciate being able to sleep in his own bed.
Hermione had informed him more than once that he didn't need to stay in the library with them, but he always waved her words away, making it clear that she wasn't going to dissuade him from staying. While everyone else said that he stayed to make sure that there was no fooling around, Hermione had a feeling that he stayed because he had been scared to death that she would die and if he was able to make sure that she was indeed alive at any given time, it made him feel better. Therefore, she remained quiet and let her father sleep where he pleased.
Hermione hadn't had a proper shower since she had been injured. She had had to make due with cleansing charms cast by her father, Remus, or Sirius. While they did clean her, she still felt disgusting. Nothing beat a good old-fashioned shower. The Gryffindor gathered her robe and toiletries quickly, making sure that she would get in the shower first. There was nobody in line, so she slipped in quietly.
Her shower didn't take long. She reveled for a short period under the hot water, allowing it to help loosen her tense muscles. She wondered if her father had a potion for tense muscles. Muggles had a pill for them, it would stand to reason that there would be a potion. All was well until she got out from under the water and caught a glimpse of her scar in the mirror. It had faded even more since she had last gathered the courage to look at it. It was still ugly, still marred her pale skin, and she still hated it, but it didn't seem as earthshattering as it had when she had first discovered its existence. Harry and Draco swore that they didn't mind, but she just couldn't quite believe them. It was horrid. She would have to come up with a way to discover exactly how her mates felt about her now that she was scarred.
Hermione threw her robe on quickly, shutting down the thoughts about her scar. She hurried across the hall back to her room, so she could find something comfortable to wear. The Gryffindor searched her wardrobe and rather than wear jeans as she normally would, she put on a pair of yoga pants with a long-sleeved shirt. She waved her hand over her hair, drying it completely so she could run her brush through it. Once her curls were brushed and laying in ringlets down her back, she took a deep breath and headed back down to the library.
Harry and Draco were both still gone, showering in other bathrooms in the house she was sure. Her father, Sirius, and Remus, were now in the library together, the former of the two filling in the werewolf on what they had discovered. She took a seat in the armchair across from the three of the, gingerly, since quick movements still caused her pain. She listened into their conversation until Remus knew everything that they did.
Just when they were about to speak, both Harry and Draco barreled into the library, laughing at each other as they both fell to the ground. Hermione giggled softly, happy to see them alive, well, and enjoying themselves. It was clear that they had been racing and they had ended up in a heap on the floor. The three men in the room just shook their heads in amusement as the two teens pulled themselves up off the floor only to grin at each other like mad. Hermione stood carefully, sweeping the room with her gaze.
"Everyone ready to go to the attic and help Kreacher?" Draco groaned.
"I just showered, Princess, Kreacher wants to find it. How terrible would he feel if one of us were to find it?" Sirius, Remus, and Harry all stepped back leaving Draco to his fate. Severus didn't back up, but he crossed his arms and smirked, obviously ready to enjoy the show. Hermione's hands went to her hips and her hair started to spark.
"How would you feel, Draco Lucius Malfoy, if you were nothing more than a servant to be treated like trash? You wouldn't feel very fucking good. I'm telling you right now, if I ever do decide to marry a selfish, pompous arse like you, you will pay every single one of your elves and you will like it. I refuse to support slavery." Draco seemed confused at first but rallied quickly.
"Our elves aren't slaves, they're doing what they love to do and that is take care of us. Just because you don't understand about the wizarding way of life and the customs, doesn't mean you get to come in and try to change everything." Hermione couldn't believe that he had said that to her. Everyone else in the room remained silent, waiting to see just what she was going to do. While she wanted to hex her mate until he was blue in the face, she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had won. She blinked back the tears that had pricked her eyes and met his gaze coolly.
"You, and by you, I mean most wizards, take innocent little creatures that love to take care of people, and bind them to you magically so they have no choice but to serve you. Most wizards demand that their elves take care of their households and their families, never once asking the elves what they want to do. If they do something wrong, they are either abused by their owners or made to injure themselves. They don't receive wages, they don't receive days off. I think that our idea of slavery are two completely different things, Draco. Wizards treat elves like they're the scum on their shoes, just like how my grandfather thinks of muggleborns. Just like what he thought of me before he realized just who my father was. Therefore, I will always identify with elves. You think that I'm treated fairly at school by my classmates, or by some of the teachers? All because I'm perceived as a lower life form. So, fuck you, I'll always campaign for better treatment of elves and anyone else that is perceived for being less than everyone else for no other reason than something they can't control. If you don't want me fucking up your wizarding traditions with my ignorance, find you another witch to marry. Feel free to stay here and stay clean, I'll be going to help Kreacher scour the attic." Hermione didn't bother to look at anyone else once she had finished.
It was rather belatedly that she realized that she had no idea where the attic was. She really wasn't sure where everyone else would go so she did the only thing that she could do.
"Kreacher?" The elf popped into existence before her, bowing low. Hermione wanted to laugh at the cobwebs and dust bunnies that were hanging from his ears, but she didn't. She really didn't want to offend the elf.
"What can Kreacher do for Mistress?" She held out her hand to him.
"Will you take me to the attic Kreacher? I want to help you, but I have no idea how to get there." The elf's eyes shined for a moment and Hermione sincerely prayed that he wouldn't burst into tears.
"Mistress wants to help Kreacher?" She gave him a resolute nod.
"Absolutely." His eyes threatened to spill over, but they didn't. He reached out and took her hand, popping back out of the room.
-O-
Harry wanted to shake his head at his friend's stupidity. Hermione was extremely laid back, you could joke about almost anything and it wouldn't bother her, but that did not stretch to the discussion of how elves were treated. For the most part, Harry agreed with her. He thought that the way most of the elves were treated was despicable. However, he would be more than amenable to having elves if they were treated properly.
Once Hermione had popped out of existence in the library, hand held tightly in Kreacher's, Harry heaved a deep sigh. He knew that she was angry now, but when she cooled down, she would be able to deal with the situation better. If there was one thing that was sure to get Hermione hot and bothered in a hurry, it was the mistreatment of elves.
Draco just stood there, completely flummoxed as to what had just happened. All three of the men were hiding grins behind their hands, none of them interested in helping the young Slytherin. Since the boy was as good as his brother, Harry stepped forward and laid a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco turned to him, voice monotone.
"Did she just break up with me?" Harry snorted.
"No, she basically told you exactly how she felt about elves, werewolves, and muggleborns. You then told her that she was ignorant when it came to wizarding customs, and she told you to get your shit together. Hermione is the most laid-back witch I know, but you don't insult house elves, goblins, or werewolves. Not unless you want her to hex you. I made that mistake only once when I told her that knitting hats for the house elves at Hogwarts was ridiculous, that they were treated great. I picked myself up off my arse, told her that she was right as you would do for any female, and never spoke of it again. Life has been pretty grand since then." Draco bristled slightly.
"You're telling me that I have to give into her every time she does this, that what I want doesn't matter." Harry held up his hands, so Draco didn't think that he was taking sides.
"I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that you should pay attention to what just happened before your eyes. Kreacher is a Black family elf. He must obey Sirius since he's the head of his house. He might obey you since your mother was a Black. He holds purity of blood above everything, he calls Professor Snape, Hermione, and I half blood filth. He calls Remus a half breed. With a simple act of kindness, Kreacher is calling Hermione Mistress and bowing to her every whim. She made him stop hurting himself and she respected that he wanted to finish what Regulas ordered him to do. His loyalties changed just like that with a simple act of kindness. I'm not sure if she could order him to kill Sirius, but she could most certainly get him to betray him. You think that your elves would be any different? Dobby did everything in his power to warn me of your father's actions in our second year, against his wishes, because I treated him like a person." Sirius stepped forward.
"Trust me, I don't like the little blighter, but I only ever saw that level of devotion in his eyes when he spoke to or about my brother. I guarantee you, that elf would die for her. That's the kind of loyalty that wizards want from their elves, but rarely achieve. I grew up with the same ideals as you did, Draco, make no mistake. It was around sixteen that I was burned from the Black family tapestry and kicked out of the family after almost losing my life because I refused to take part in it any longer." Draco gave a slow nod and finally slumped.
"Merlin, she's going to make me grovel before she forgives me, isn't she?" Harry shook his head.
"Nah, she's pretty forgiving. If you apologize to her, if you're sincere, she won't make you grovel. She's not about having power over someone. Well, except Moldyshorts." Sirius and Remus snickered again. Professor Snape stepped forward and laid a hand on his godson's shoulder.
"Just swallow your pride and go up there and look. You'll get dirty, but it will make her happy. The rest will follow." The Head of Slytherin turned to the rest of them.
"I'm going to go check on Albus and let him know of these developments. I can only imagine that he'll want to be a part of destroying it once it's found." Sirius and Remus took their seats again, both opening books before speaking.
"We're going to stay down here and let the two young kids go up and make nice with the witch. If she starts hexing, then it isn't our bollocks that are in danger." Remus shoved him good-naturedly.
"Hey, I'm a slavering monster. You really think she could get the drop on me?" Sirius and Severus both laughed.
"You're a little lap dog since you take your wolfsbane. She would eat you alive." All three men snorted in humor. Harry gestured for Draco to follow him, only for the duo to turn back and meet Sirius' eyes.
"Mind telling us where the attic is? I doubt that Kreacher would give us a ride like he did Hermione." Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Fourth floor, fifth door on the left will take you to the staircase that goes to the attic Happy hunting."
Harry pulled Draco out the door and they made their way to the staircase. Four flights of stairs didn't phase them and when they found the doorway to the stairs, neither hesitated to bound up said stairs even though they creaked terribly under their weight. They reached the door at the top of the stairs and flung open the door to be met with a cloud of dust. Hermione was in the corner clear on the other end of the enormous room while Kreacher was searching through boxes several feet from them. Kreacher started when he realized that they had entered the room.
"Master Draco and the filthy half-blood! What is yous doing in the Black family attic, snooping through our secrets?" Harry rolled his eyes and watched as Hermione made her way over to glare at the pair of them. Harry didn't get a chance to speak because Draco stepped forward and took Hermione's hand.
"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to insult you, though I know that's what I did. Harry explained, and Sirius, well hell, and Severus too. If you marry me, you can do whatever you want with our elves if you don't free them. They really would be lost without us since they truly are bonded to the Malfoy line." Hermione cocked her head to the side, gauging his sincerity. When she spoke, it wasn't what he was expecting.
"If we were married and the child I had was Harry's, would the elves still be bound to the child since it wasn't your blood?" Draco was struck silent for a moment. He was unsure of the answer.
"I'm really not sure. However, if you win the elves over like you have Kreacher, they won't care who the children belong to, as long as they belong to you." She gave him a glittering smile and Harry couldn't have been happier. Draco had given her the correct answer. He watched as Hermione floated into Draco's arms and allowed him to kiss her softly. Harry didn't give them long before he interrupted them.
"We need to get back to searching. Professor Snape went to get Dumbledore if he was able. I think he'd feel better if the horcrux was destroyed as quickly as possible." Hermione snapped back to business and stepped away from Draco.
"We've searched the whole north side of the attic. Kreacher has started on the east and I'm working on the south. Kreacher says that the fake locket looks exactly like the real one so keep your eyes peeled." Harry really wanted to salute her but decided that the last thing that he wanted was to fight with Hermione over something supremely unimportant.
Harry went to the west side of the room while Draco moved to help Kreacher with the east. The trio and the elf worked in companionable silence for well over an hour. He was already tired and filthy, his breathing a little more labored then usual. He attributed this to the fact that he had breathed in quite a bit of lake water recently, but he didn't say anything. Harry hadn't been expecting Kreacher to yell out of nowhere.
"Kreacher found it, he found Master Regulas' locket!" All three of them dropped whatever junk it was that they were going through at the moment to rush to Kreacher's side. Hermione dropped to her knees and let the elf lay it in her hands. Harry felt his scar prickle at the proximity, but he refrained from touching it.
"That's the real thing. I can just feel the evil energy exuding from it." Hermione smiled at the elf and hugged him close.
"Thank you, Kreacher. Now we can finally destroy it. Would you like to watch?" The elf nodded his head enthusiastically. She left it in Kreacher's hands.
"You carry it down. Regulas left you with the task of seeing it destroyed, it's only fair that you carry it to it's destruction." Kreacher held it reverently before him. He was almost to the door when he suddenly turned back to face Hermione.
"You is the granddaughter of the bad Lord. Why does Mistress wish to harms her family?" Hermione dropped to her knees again in front of Kreacher, so she could meet his eyes.
"I am his granddaughter, I am also more powerful than he is. For this reason, he fears me. I won't abide by him trying to take over the world by death and destruction. He would have fared much better to become a politician than a megalomaniac. I can't let him survive if he insists on killing and torturing innocent people." Kreacher cocked his head.
"Young Miss should takes his place. Yous wouldn't kill and torture good mens you would rule and makes the world a happy place." Hermione smiled at the elf before she spoke.
"I don't want to rule the wizarding world, I want everyone to be happy and make their own decisions." Kreacher didn't dispute her words but nodded her way before turning and leading them back down the stairs.
This had the potential of being a long night.
-O-
Severus brushed the soot from his robes as he stepped out into the Headmaster's office. He hadn't expected to find anyone there, Dumbledore was reportedly in the Hospital Wing after all, but he barely kept from starting when he looked over and saw the old man sitting in his chair as if nothing had happened. He glanced up imperiously at the Headmaster before he took a seat in front of his desk.
"You know you shouldn't be out of the Hospital Wing. Are you trying to fool everyone into thinking that you're omniscient?" Dumbledore chuckled lightly at his words.
"No, I'm only trying to keep a level of normality for the students. The less they know, they better." Severus had to give him that one. It was very true that the less the students knew the safer they would be. Severus kept up eye contact with the Headmaster before he spoke.
"The horcrux you found was a fake. The original horcrux was found by Regulas Black and given to the house elf Kreacher to destroy." The Headmaster's eyes flashed momentarily.
"Does the elf still have it in his possession?" Severus shrugged.
"I wouldn't say that it was in his possession, but he and our unwitting trio are in search of it right now. I think it would be in our best interest to make our way back to Grimmauld Place with the Sword of Gryffindor." Dumbledore gave him a slight nod before he rose from his chair. He moved to the wall and pulled the portrait of Phineas Nigellus away from the wall. He withdrew the Sword of Gryffindor and tucked it into his robes. Severus noticed that he swayed slightly.
"Are you alright, Headmaster? You don't seem to be completely well." Dumbledore sighed.
"I'm not as young as I used to be. I will be fine, I just need a little bit of time for me to heal completely." Severus decided that he would take the Headmaster's word for it and motioned for him to join him. The pair made their way to the floo and Severus let Albus lead. Once he disappeared into the floo, Severus stepped forward, so he could follow.
When he stepped out of the floo, he found himself in Grimmauld Place's library once more. Sirius and Remus weren't present, but all three of the teens were there, as well as Kreacher. All three stiffened at the sight of the Headmaster, but Severus acted like he didn't notice.
"It looks as if we're all here. I trust that you found the real horcrux?" Hermione nodded at him.
"Yes, Kreacher found it. He has it now and I want him to stay with us until it is destroyed. We owe him that." Severus wanted to roll his eyes at his daughter and her nobility, but he didn't dare. He had already seen her lose her temper with Draco, the last thing he wanted was to add himself to that list. Therefore, he nodded his agreement, so Hermione turned to Kreacher.
"It's time, Kreacher. Put it on the floor in front of us. You'll get to see it destroyed along with us." Severus had just assumed that Albus would destroy the horcrux, but he didn't even seem to be able to stand up straight without leaning on something. Severus stepped closer to him and spoke softly.
"Are you capable of destroying this horcrux?" The Headmaster cast him a sidelong glance.
"No, not at this time. I was hoping that you would take the honor, Severus." He shot a look at the Headmaster, contempt clear in his gaze. When he spoke, it was with finality.
"This will be the one and only horcrux that I destroy." Albus nodded his way and drew the Sword of Gryffindor out of his robes. Severus stiffened.
"I won't be able to wield the Sword. I'm a Slytherin." Albus swatted his worried away with a wave of his hand.
"Every single one of us has the traits of all four houses in us at one point in time. I know for a fact that you were almost a lion yourself, Severus. Don't think that the Sword is prejudiced." Severus refused to rise to the bait, therefore reaching forward and grasping the Sword in his hand.
Hermione was huddled in one corner, Harry and Draco on each side of her. Her hands were clasped in theirs and he felt an odd sense of jealousy. He should have been the one comforting her, not those boys. He tamped down the feeling as he turned his attention to the locket. He didn't give anyone a warning, he swung the Sword and brought it down as hard as he could on the cursed piece of jewelry.
Black smoke emerged from the locket, a large body that he supposed was meant to be the Dark Lord. The effect wasn't all that frightening, but he guessed that maybe to the right person it would have been. Severus had seen more than his fair share of heinous acts. He thought that he was out of the woods, he had grasped the Sword in his hands once more and was prepared to swing it, when the black figure began to speak.
"You will never win the love of your daughter, she will continue to play on your emotions and use you. Once her need of you is gone, she will kill you herself. No woman will ever want you, none would have you after the heinous crimes you've committed against humanity. Your daughter can't stand to look at you, she hates you as she rightly should." The words continued, but Severus dropped the Sword. The words hit too close to home, imitating his most secret fears. It was when he hit his knees that he realized that his daughter was on her knees next to him.
"Daddy, don't listen to it. It's lying to you, I would never do that. I love you, you're my father. I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't in my life." While Severus doubted everything in his current frame of mind, he did his best to pull away from the situation at hand.
Hermione would never play with his heart, she would never lie to him. In fact, she had never lied to him in the five years that he had known him even when she knew that it would result in her being in trouble. He touched back into reality and stood on his own two feet before he grasped the Sword again. With a mighty swing, Severus brought the Sword down on the locket and it screamed a painful scream as it finally died.
What was left didn't surprise him. A locket, opened before him, blackened with the inside broken out where it could never be used again. Severus rose to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster. His daughter was right there under his arm, helping him. Once he was on his feet, she wrapped her arms around his middle and held him close.
"Don't believe any of those things. I love you, Daddy and I don't know what I would do without you. My parents loved me, and I loved them, but they weren't my true parents. I only have you left, and I need you to live, I need you to be there for me when I fight with my boys, when I need you to walk me down the aisle. I need you to be a grandfather to whatever children I might have." Severus wrapped his arms around her tightly, not caring one whit what anyone in the room thought about him hugging his daughter. She held him just as tightly, warming his heart even more.
When he finally released her, he realized that none of the other people in the room seemed to be looking down on him. They weren't judging him. He was more surprised than he would admit, but that was for another day. Once he had his faculties amongst him again, he turned to the Headmaster.
"I would say that the horcrux is dead. Are you planning to stay for dinner, Headmaster?" Dumbledore shook his head, twinkling the whole time.
"No, I must get back to the castle. The students will notice if I miss too many meals." Severus inclined his head to show that he agreed.
The three teens and Severus watched as the Headmaster flooed away from the library, back to Hogwarts. He hadn't been gone more than a few moments when the door swung open to reveal Sirius and Remus. The werewolf was the one who spoke.
"Is it gone?" Harry nodded.
"Professor Snape killed it, but it put up a fight. I think we need to keep that in mind for the next time that we need to destroy one. They're brutal." Both men nodded before Sirius spoke.
"I'm sure this is just what you wanted to hear, but Molly is finished with dinner. She said that since everyone has been up and around today she won't be sending out trays to anyone. I'm sure that Kreacher would do it if I told him to, but it would make an argument for us later." Severus sighed as he beckoned for the three teens to follow him.
"Let's go to dinner."
-O-
Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist while she let Harry wrap an arm around her shoulders. Since Draco had never been anywhere in this house aside from Harry's shower and the attic, he let the Gryffindor lead the way. He really wasn't looking forward to the meal since he was sure to catch shit from the woman Weasel.
They twisted and turned through the corridors until they reached what seemed to be the basement. When they entered the kitchen, Draco was met with several whoops and hollers from the twins and Ginny. Luna gave him a happy greeting as well, but it was much more circumspect. The fact that it made him feel like he fit in just a little bit made him grateful. Sirius, Remus, and Severus all spoke to him, but the rest of the family was mostly quiet. The eldest brother Bill was friendly when spoken to, but mostly kept to himself. Draco didn't take offense, he seemed to keep his distance from everyone at the table.
The one who surprised him the most was the patriarch of the Weasley family. Arthur made small talk with him and discussed his studies, going just a few steps further than expected to make him feel comfortable. Other members of the Order came and went through the meal, none of them deigning to speak to him even though he was seated between two of the most prominent figures with the organization. He really didn't care what they said about him, but he didn't want them to speak ill of Harry and Hermione.
The meal ended quickly, and Draco couldn't deny that the food was better than what his family house elves provided. Hermione shot him a look that said that she completely understood. Even though Draco hated to admit it, he could understand why the Weasley family ate so heartily. Once the meal ended, the adults seemed to stay at the table to discuss who only knew what. None of them were asked to stay since none of them were technically members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Draco let both Gryffindors lead him from the kitchen to Merlin only knew where. He figured that they might go back to the library for a little while, but they made their way up the staircase until they reached the third floor. Harry turned them and led them to door with feminine script on the door. It was rather belated when he realized that they were at Hermione's bedroom. The trio entered and once the door was closed and locked behind them, Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
"That was intense. I thought it was bad before Draco got here." Draco quirked an eyebrow at her.
"That was way better than I expected. Besides, we're up here now, nobody will bother us. We'll just relax together." Hermione gave him and Harry a soft smile before she went to her wardrobe to pull out a nightgown. Draco had a stroke of genius about how to relax Hermione. She wouldn't be able to do anything since most everything still caused her pain, but together he and Harry could lessen her stress. He cast a glance to Harry who was already looking at him. It seemed that their minds were in accordance.
Hermione had fished a nightgown from her wardrobe and had stripped off her stretchy pants and shirt. Draco stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent that he associated with her. He felt Harry come around the front of her and press a soft kiss to her mouth. He didn't deepen the kiss, which he wasn't sure why not, but he wasn't complaining. Draco let his hands trail softly over her breasts, thumbs brushing over her nipples until they hardened under his ministrations.
Hermione moaned while Harry pressed kisses down the column of her throat. Her knees threatened to buckle, Draco grinned into her neck when he felt her lock them. Harry pulled away from her neck and dropped to his knees before her. He didn't give her a chance to protest, his friend hooked his fingers underneath the edges of her knickers and pulled them down her legs. He leaned his face into the slit between her legs and inhaled deeply.
"You smell like home, 'Mi." Hermione was practically keening under Draco's fingers, plucking at her peaks and tweaking them roughly. Harry lifted one of her legs over his shoulder, so he could bury his face in her cunt. Draco knew the second that his tongue connected with her nub, a moan escaped her parted lips, her eyes slid shut, and she rested her head back on Draco's shoulder. Draco pinched her nipple roughly, rewarding him with a gasp and her eyes flying open.
"Keep those green eyes open, Princess. Watch him lick your pussy, watch him make you come all over his face." Draco continued his assault on her breasts while he watched Harry lick her.
It didn't take long for Harry to bring her to orgasm, but then it rarely did. Hermione was astonishingly responsive. Her hands buried in Harry's hair, pulling some of it out he was sure, and her moans filled the room. She couldn't form coherent words, but she was panting as she came down. Harry continued to lick her, cleaning her liquid desire from her folds. When he finally stopped, Hermione was boneless against him. Harry stood and kissed her again, this time sharing her essence with her. When he pulled away, she grimaced.
"I wish I could do the same for you both, I want to so badly, but…" Draco shushed her.
"We know you can't. We wanted to make you feel better." She nodded but pulled both of them to the bed. She guided them to sit side by side on the edge and waved her hand over their lower halves. Draco found himself naked just as Harry was beside him. Her tiny hands snaked out and took both of them in her hands.
"I can't suck them, but I can do this."
Her hand made his cock look huge. He threw his head back as she began to stroke him, first slowly, but then picking up speed. His girlfriend had discovered that he enjoyed it even more if she rotated her wrist at the head of his cock. Harry mirrored his position almost exactly, but Draco didn't pay too much attention to that.
It didn't seem like much time had passed when he exploded all over her hand, but it had been almost ten minutes. Truthfully, it was embarrassing. Hermione almost managed to make him blow his load much sooner than he wanted to. Harry wasn't far behind him. Draco was even surprised that she had been able to stroke them both at the same time and bring them to completion. To his complete and utter delight, she bent down and licked a line of his seed off her hand before turning and doing the same with Harry. Draco loved it when she swallowed his cum or licked him clean. He didn't have a good reason for it, but it was how he felt just the same.
Draco scooted up the bed, so he could burrow into one of the pillows there. He held his arms open, so Hermione could crawl up bed and join him. She snuggled into his side and very carefully shifted so she could rest her head on his shoulder. Harry snuggled up behind her, his arm thrown possessively around her waist, his hand resting on Draco's stomach. Where he thought that that would have bothered him before, it felt right now.
Draco had no homosexual thoughts whatsoever, but even he could admit that he wasn't uncomfortable with innocent touches from Harry like the one occurring now. He loved that they were all three so comfortable with each other. He sighed happily as he fell asleep with his two mates.
Life felt right when he was with them.
A/N- Holy shit, another long ass chapter. It really wasn't supposed to be this long, it just kind of grew until what you see is what you get. I hope you enjoyed it, especially the moments with Kreacher since those were my favorite! Leave me your thoughts, they make me smile.
**The note found in the fake locket was taken directly from The Half-Blood Prince. **
Next chapter, everyone returns to Hogwarts and the Slytherins stir the pot.
Love,
Alicia