A/N- My laws, we're already on chapter 34. It seems like just yesterday that I wrote the prologue. Time flies, I suppose. I want to thank everyone out there that is reading and reviewing my story, following and favoriting as well. The support that y'all have shown me is just mind-blowing and I want to let everyone know that I appreciate it. Now, I'm hoping that this chapter flows easier than the last chapter did. It's another action scene, so hang tight with me. Lots going on this chapter. Enough for now, though, I really want to get started!
**Shout out to Sora Loves Rain for being my 900th reviewer. You da bomb. **
Disclaimer: I don't own a single thing in this story except for the personal twist I've put on the plot. Everything else in this story has been done before. I haven't made any money from any of my stories, this one included, but maybe someday.
Chapter 34
February 15, 1996
Harry stared up at the ceiling of the Room of Requirement waiting for his wand alarm to go off. He and Draco hadn't gotten to bed until late the night before, well after midnight, and he hadn't slept well. He had been laying there awake for over an hour, waiting for his blond counterpart to rise as well.
Yesterday had been a complete shit show. He should have known better than to push Hermione into doing something that she really didn't want to. He should have listened to his inner monologue when it said that she wasn't going to like them springing a gift on her when she had clearly said that she didn't want one. He and Draco were just so bloody happy to be able to spend the holiday with her that they had ignored their better sense.
The messy-haired Gryffindor felt terrible for what had taken place in Hogsmeade. He had known that Hermione wouldn't react favorably when they pulled the gift out to give to her, that was why the pair of them had waited until the bookstore to give it to her. They had hoped that she would just accept the gift and move on since the bookstore was in sight and they were willing to let her spend the afternoon tucked away in it, buying books to her little heart's content.
Looking back, that had been manipulative. That had been Draco's contribution to the plan and Harry should have known that she would have been angered by it. Surely, she had seen right through their plans, probably part of the reason why Hermione had been so angry. He couldn't blame her for that; if he had discovered that he had been manipulated like that, he would have been livid.
Harry was unsure as to why he reacted so completely out of context. Yes, he did get exasperated with her nagging and bossiness from time to time, but it wasn't even close to the point where he was unhappy. He should have never thrown those traits of hers in her face as if they were battery acid, harsh and harmful. He had no idea why he had thrown the fact that she had been upset about their past sexual history in her face either. While it could be tiring listening to her doubt herself, Harry was honest enough to know that her self-worth was so low because of her environment.
Ron had made fun of Hermione for years. He had called her names and made her feel as if she wasn't good enough for the simple fact that she was different than he was. Lavender and Parvati were Hermione's only room mates for five years now and they had never been nice to her. They constantly told Hermione that she wasn't pretty enough and that she would never find a man that wanted her because she was too smart. Draco had called her mudblood and told her that she was trash because her blood was unworthy and that she didn't belong in their world. All the other Slytherins had mirrored his actions.
Harry thought that maybe he was perhaps the worst of all. No, he hadn't believed any of the terrible things that the others had said about her, nor did he agree with things that had been done to her, but Harry had never stood up for her or told her that their peers were complete arseholes and lying to her. The first time that it had happened was when he had beat the fuck out of Ron and Harry wasn't even sure that that would have happened if it hadn't ended in Hermione being as injured as she was.
The truth of the matter was that Hermione deserved better than she had been dealt in life. She deserved to be happy, she deserved to know that there were people out there that genuinely liked her even though she was studious, and she deserved to know that she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Instead of telling her that, Harry had thrown her less-than-desirable traits in her face and made her feel worse about herself.
Harry and Draco had been wracked with guilt by the time they had returned to Hogwarts the day before. They both realized that they had overreacted and hurt their witch at the same time. Even though he knew that they deserved to be broken up with, the fact that she had followed through with it still stung.
Harry had been livid when he had been waiting in the Great Hall for the witch to return and Ron had been bragging to Seamus and Dean about landing Hermione in detention. Harry tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, show that he was paying attention to the twins, but it had been difficult when he had heard what happened. Seamus and Dean didn't look near as amused as Ron did and Harry was grateful. He had stood up and made his way over to former best friend and clapped a heavy hand down on his shoulder, so he could lean over and threaten Ron right in his ear where nobody else could hear him.
"You touch my witch again and they won't find your body."
Ron had looked terrified for a moment before he began laughing.
"She isn't your witch anymore, mate. You took care of that all by yourself."
Harry didn't stick around to listen anymore now that his threat had been delivered.
The wand alarm buzzing pulled him back to the present, so he could smack Draco with his pillow. It had seemed weird the night before to be sleeping in the same bed without Hermione there, but they hadn't wanted to split up. After Ron had told Seamus and Dean, the story had spread like wildfire. The Slytherins didn't seem very happy with either one of them now which was just odd. Normally they would have been thrilled that their prince was breaking away from a "mudblood" but since Hermione's parentage had been announced, they were clearly on her side of things.
While Neville hadn't judged either Harry or Draco for what was going on with Hermione, the twins had been a different story. After Hermione had officially told them that they were through, the twins and taken their arms roughly and pulled them into the same classroom that Hermione had healed them in. They hadn't been nice when they informed the two of them that if they didn't fix whatever was wrong with Hermione they would answer to them. Harry knew exactly what that meant. They wouldn't get beat up or anything like that, but they would be humiliated in front of the whole school by one or several of their pranks.
Harry and Draco had been quick to agree with the twins, neither one of them relishing the thought of what the twins were capable of. Ginny hadn't said anything about the situation, just gave them encouraging looks that told them they needed to find their witch and apologize. It had all been for naught, however, since she had left detention to go crawl in bed with Ginny. Harry idly wondered what Luna would think of that.
Draco was grumbling next to him as he pulled himself up out of the bed. He didn't say a word to Harry as he headed for the loo. Harry had learned long ago that the blond was most certainly not a morning person. Harry didn't consider himself to be one either, but he was much easier to talk to before breakfast and coffee than Draco.
Harry had showered the night before, so he rose from the bed and yawned widely before going to his wardrobe and finding clothes to change into. He had just pulled jeans on when a small pop behind him alerted him to Winky appearing. He didn't say anything, but the small elf started stammering.
"I is sorry, Master H-Harry but Missy Mione sent Winky for a sets of clothes." Harry was surprised. Hermione must not want to have to deal with them if she sent an elf after her belongings. Harry nodded at the elf, signaling that she was welcome to take Hermione whatever she needed. He was surprised when the elf didn't gather all her belongings, just an outfit. Maybe there was hope yet.
Harry finished dressing and waited impatiently as Draco finished his shower and went about dressing as well. Once they were both properly dressed, they set out of the Room and down the corridor to wait outside of Gryffindor Tower. The pair settled in against the wall to wait for Hermione, determined to speak with her before they left on their mission today.
They received several odd looks from their classmates and more than a couple unhappy stares from those that were close to Hermione. It seemed like ages had gone be before Hermione crawled out of the portrait hole behind Ginny, both looking freshly showered. Hermione looked up and caught sight of the pair of them and he re-evaluated his earlier thought.
Hermione looked like shite. It was clear that she was still exhausted, dark shadows marred the delicate alabaster skin of her cheeks. Her eyes seemed dull and tired even though her clothing showed that nothing was out of place. There were no signs of the furrows Lavender had left in her cheeks and Harry could only assume that her father had healed them for her. He was still surprised that she hadn't stayed in her father's quarters with him. Then again, she never did what anyone expected of her so maybe he should refrain from such a statement. He and Draco stepped forward to greet her properly, but Ginny stepped in front of Hermione, fierce look on her face.
"Why in the world would she want to see the two of you?" Harry was surprised at the vitriol in Ginny's voice, especially since he was sure that Hermione hadn't told her a thing. Maybe it was the fact that she had shared a bed with Hermione. Everyone knew that the girl was testy in the morning if she didn't get her sleep.
"We don't want to cause any problems, we just want to talk." Ginny didn't get a chance to answer because Hermione stepped forward and laid a soft hand on her arm.
"It's fine, Gin, thank you. I'm sorry to have been such a pain last night." Ginny threw her arms around Hermione and hugged her close for several seconds before pulling away.
"If you're sure. If they're idiots again, come find me and you can sleep with me again." Hermione smiled her friend's way and watched as the redhead ambled away in search of Luna. She turned her attention back to Harry and Draco and Harry could hear the exhaustion in her voice.
"I know my things are still in the Room, but I'll remove them tonight." Harry hadn't been expecting to hear that. He stepped forward and tried to take Hermione's hand, but she pulled away slightly, frown marring her features.
"'Mi, we don't want you to come get your things, we want to apologize to you and tell you what fucking arseholes we were. We didn't mean any of things that were said, we were upset because you didn't like the date we had set up for you." Hope flared in her eyes, but Harry could see that she tamped it back down.
"How am I supposed to trust that when I don't know what to believe anymore." Draco stepped forward and took her hand, beseeching her with his grey eyes that Hermione loved so much.
"Believe us now when we say that none of what was said on our part is true. While the bossiness and nagging get old sometimes, it also shows us that you care enough about us to want what's best for us. We don't want to be without you, you've become our world." Harry could see that she was starting to waver, so he continued.
"We want you to continue being just how you are, we can't imagine life without you. Just last night without you was dreadful." She looked down at her feet and Harry knew that she was going to capitulate. Even though he felt guilty for feeling triumphant since he knew that he deserved even worse for hurting her like he did, he couldn't help it. Hermione blew a breath loudly out of her mouth before raising her head to meet their eyes.
"I'm sorry too. I overreacted about the gift and I didn't handle it well. I should have done better. I didn't mean to say that it was a fake token of love, I swear I didn't. I know you both love me but sometimes I wonder if we aren't too volatile for each other." Draco stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her softly, almost as if he was scared that she would run away.
"We're all very opinionated and very strong in magic. It's bound to be volatile but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be together. We just have to learn how to work through our arguments and differences." Hermione snuggled into the blonde's shoulder and wrapped her hands around his upper arms. Harry stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, laying his chin on her shoulder. Harry couldn't hold back a chuckle when she spoke.
"You both forgive me?" Draco kissed the top of her head and Harry kissed the side before Draco answered for them.
"There is nothing to forgive. You didn't know that we would take your comment so seriously. The question is do you forgive us?" Harry watched as Hermione nuzzled Draco's chest and breathed in deeply, taking in his scent.
"I forgive you but it's going to take a little while to trust that you're telling me the truth." Harry nipped her throat softly.
"That's all we ask for, the chance to do so."
The trio stood there in each other's embrace for another minute or so before Harry pulled away and tugged Hermione away from Draco. He started to pull the other two down the corridor.
"We need to eat breakfast. We're meeting Dumbledore and Professor Snape right after." Hermione nodded and allowed herself to be pulled along. They were a few corridors away from the Great Hall when Draco spoke.
"What happened in Hogsmeade? We only know what Weasley is telling everyone." Hermione sighed next to him and launched into a long story about what was said between herself and Ron and Lavender. Both boys listened carefully as she detailed just what had occurred between the three Gryffindors. They had just taken their seats in the Great Hall, everyone watching them carefully, when she began telling them what had happened during her detention and how disappointed her father was in her.
Harry could tell how much Snape's words got to her, especially since her muggle parents had never told her that they were disappointed in her. He wasn't sure if their professor knew how much he had hurt her when he told her that he wasn't her father in the moment that he was angry, but he supposed that Snape would eventually figure it out.
Harry spooned up her usual breakfast before he spooned up his own, Hermione shaking her head at him with a small smirk on her face. The three ate quickly since they were due in the Headmaster's office in just thirty minutes. The rest of their table watched them carefully, mostly wanting to know if they had really broken up or if Ron Weasley was just full of complete shite. Harry didn't let the stares bother him.
They finished breakfast quickly, none of them willing to be late to Dumbledore's office. As they traversed the corridors, Harry couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen today. He supposed that only time would tell.
-O-
Hermione was unsure if she had done the right thing in forgiving her boys, but it was done now. Being honest with herself, she didn't want to be away from them. She wouldn't stand for disrespect, but it had been made clear that she didn't do so well when they were fighting. While she didn't have nightmares, she had tossed and turned all night long, keeping Ginny awake in the process. Hermione had apologized profusely but Ginny had simply waved her off telling her that it was completely understandable if she had been sleeping with both her boys for months now.
They had been more than supportive about her feelings regarding her father and for that she appreciated them more. She knew that her father was justified in his anger, but she wished that he could have been a little bit understanding. Things being what they were, she was going to do her best to help as much as she could today in hopes that she could make him proud again.
Hermione watched the griffin jump out of the way from guarding the Headmaster's office. Draco had her hand in his and started to pull her up the stairs when a familiar voice from behind them stopped her.
"Miss Granger, may I have a word?" Professor McGonagall was behind them and for the first time in her life, Hermione thought that the professor might be nervous. She allowed her professor to lead her to the far side of the corridor, so she could speak freely. She was sure that her boys could still hear their words, but she didn't care. Her professor turned to meet her gaze once they were far enough away from Harry and Draco.
"I want to apologize to you, Miss Granger. I should have investigated the situation further before I just assumed the worst of you. I should have known that you wouldn't resort to violence without a very good reason." Her professor heaved a sigh before she continued.
"I didn't realize the level of bullying that Miss Brown participated it. I should have done something about it when I knew it was occurring, but I didn't and that is my failure. You can't know how sorry I am that I didn't handle this situation before now." Hermione reached out and laid a soft hand on her professor's arm as she smiled at the older woman. While she had been angry the night before, now she could see that her professor was truly remorseful. If she could forgive her boys, she could forgive her professor.
"I understand, Professor. I've always respected you and while I was quite angry last night, it has faded. I forgive you." Her professor gave her a full-fledged smile.
"I wanted to let you know that I returned to Miss Brown and gave her two detentions with your father to be served after this little adventure that you're going to be going on today. One for bullying a fellow student and one for lying about it." Hermione didn't think that her words would have affected her professor as much as they had. She stepped forward and hugged McGonagall, keeping it light enough to not make the witch uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Professor. That means a lot to me. I hate to break this up, but I have to meet my father and Dumbledore for a meeting about five minutes ago." McGonagall's eyes flashed in anger, but she said nothing. She nodded for Hermione to continue her plan, but the Gryffindor couldn't help but wonder if McGonagall had somehow discovered their secret.
Her Head of House disappeared around the bend and Hermione allowed both of her boys to pull her up the staircase to the Headmaster's office. Her father was there waiting impatiently, though he seemed to be taking his bad temper out on the Headmaster. Dumbledore spoke, telling them all that he was most certainly the one in charge.
"I see that you were stopped outside my office by my Deputy. I hope all is well." Hermione gave him a perfunctory smile before she nodded.
"She simply wanted to apologize for a misunderstanding. I'm ready when you are." Hermione hadn't expected the Headmaster to grin at her when she gave her perfunctory explanation. Rather than continue questioning her, he held out two objects.
"These two objects are portkeys that will take us to the last known home of the Gaunt's, Tom's last relatives. I have no idea what to expect once we get there but I am quite sure that it will be dangerous, and we will all have to help each other. I want to bring the Sword of Gryffindor just in case there is a chance to destroy it on site. The less dark magic we bring into Hogwarts, the better." Hermione gave a nod that she understood, catching the same movement from her mate's as well. Her father still looked pissed as fuck, but she supposed that she couldn't blame him. He wanted nothing more than to keep herself and her mates safe and alive and this was throwing a wrench in that plan. Harry spoke as Dumbledore handed the three of them their portkey.
"Is there anything that you do know about the place we're going?" Dumbledore appeared to be contemplative, but Hermione was certain that it was for the show. He was as clueless as the rest of them but didn't want to appear that way.
"The last people to live in this house were Tom's grandfather and uncle. Neither were good men. Expect everything because we aren't entirely sure what to expect." Hermione took a deep breath and removed her robes, leaving them draped across the couch before the fire. Her boys followed suit, seeing that her theory was sound. It would be much easier to fight foes if they weren't caught up in robes.
Severus didn't look to be following their lead and Hermione couldn't even imagine the Headmaster without his sky-blue robes. Therefore, this only left the task of grasping the portkey and making sure that she had a tight hold, so she wouldn't lose grip mid-transportation. Hermione heaved a deep sigh, put the worst in the front of her mind, and let the portkey pull her across the country.
The familiar jerking behind her navel alerted her that she was engaged in an active portkey. She could feel Harry and Draco's fingers next to hers although they both seemed to be much more relaxed at this mode of transportation that she was. When they landed, Harry reached out a quick hand and caught her round the waist fast enough to keep her from landing on her arse. Hermione sighed angrily. Portkey travel would remain her least favorite way of traveling.
Her father and Dumbledore appeared next to them and they both landed gracefully which only made Hermione scowl more. How could she be one of the most powerful women in their world and not be able to stick the landing of a portkey? The Gryffindor was pulled from her thoughts by Dumbledore speaking.
"That little house off in the distance is where the Gaunts resided. Though I don't think that we will find anything too obvious on the outside of the house, we shouldn't let our guard down. Doing that could mean certain death." The Headmaster paused for effect before continuing.
"We aren't certain just what kind of protections the Dark Lord has installed here so let Severus and I focus on keeping the 'protections' busy. You three are tasked with finding the horcrux and destroying it if possible. Like I said, it would be best if we destroyed it before returning to school but if we have to just leave with it we will." Hermione nodded her agreement even though she felt that the Headmaster was being fucking stupid. She, Harry, and Draco were obviously far more powerful than her father and Dumbledore so to her it made more sense for them to do the protecting and the two elders to find and destroy the horcrux. She really hoped that it was a misguided sense of wanting to keep them safe that kept the Headmaster from suggesting that they find the horcrux.
They approached the shack slowly, making sure that there was nobody around and that there were no wards to be found around the property. Dumbledore had felt sure that there wouldn't be, but Hermione wasn't sure of anything when it came to her grandfather. She had to admit that she was wrong, however, when they reached the front door and hadn't come upon a single ward. When the door unlocked with only a simple unlocking spell, Hermione realized that her grandfather was trying to make the home look as though it wasn't anything special.
The sunlight poured through the windows and though it was the middle of February, Hermione was starting to warm standing in the bright rays. Fighting the drowsy feeling that wanted to pull her under once she was warm, Hermione forced her hand to raise her wand and scan her surroundings. She was a little surprised at what she found.
The shack had obviously been abandoned years ago, perhaps even decades. There was a thick layer of dust that covered every surface of the room and Hermione couldn't help but find it just a little sad that they had allowed the home to become so run-down. Hermione took a step forward while her father cast the "homenum revelio".
When the spell found nothing, Hermione wondered if her grandfather had simply told Lucius that he was sending extra protection just to be careful regarding those that knew of the shack's presence. There was obviously nobody else there, but she supposed that that didn't mean that there wasn't any danger. Her father stepped forward in front of her and shot her a warning glance, clearly telling her that she was to stay back unless she was needed.
The five of them searched the living room of the shack to no avail. Hermione couldn't help but admit that she was saddened by the fact that it wasn't going to be as easy as she had hoped, but she supposed that that was just life. Everything was great until the moment that Harry stepped into what appeared to be the kitchen. Her wand had been down at her side, the same as her father and the Headmaster. The second Harry's foot landed on the kitchen floor, an inhuman screech sounded from behind them and Hermione knew that they were fucked.
That screech couldn't belong to anything aside from a manticore.
The beasts were deadly with a human face, lions body, and tail of a scorpion, wings and small horns thrown in to make the situation complete. Ordinary magic didn't usually harm them, only physical strength and brutality was known to bring them down. Both her father and Dumbledore stepped forward to fight the beast, waving the three of them off to continue the search. While Hermione hated being waved on to leave her father, she understood that they needed to accomplish their goal.
Hermione turned in time to see Draco step foot in the kitchen. As soon as his foot stopped on the floor there was another inhuman scream through the air. She turned in dread to see that a minotaur had now entered the rickety living room of the shack with its bull head, horns blazing in front of her sharp and scary. Hermione knew that she wasn't going to be able to enter the kitchen without another unbeatable creature entering the fray. She turned to Harry and Draco and waved them on, thankful that the pair of them had the Sword of Gryffindor with them. Hermione just barely caught the sheer terror on her father's face as she turned to face the minotaur.
There were several legends about the minotaur and none of them involved beating the beast with magic. It was usually sheer power and physical perfection that won out against the savage beast. While Hermione knew that she was far from athletic, she would do everything in her power to make sure that they all went home unharmed.
Her father and the Headmaster were already engaged in a fight with the manticore and Hermione could admit that she wasn't jealous. Not many people could say that they had bested a manticore, so it made her nervous thinking about it. She couldn't ruminate long since the minotaur charged forward, intent on goring her. Hermione dodged and shot spells from her hand, pocketing her wand so it wouldn't end up broken in the fray, hoping to confuse it even though she was well-aware that she couldn't kill it with magic.
Hermione began an intricate dance with the minotaur, dodging its charges and shooting spells its way, mostly to buy Harry and Draco time in finding and destroying the horcrux. It was quite clear now that there was something hidden here since there were who knew who many dangerous beasts on site.
Hermione had just spun around after evading a particularly quick advance of the minotaur when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Dumbledore going down by means of the scorpion tail. Hermione realized that her father was now alone as he faced the manticore. The Gryffindor did her best to get to her father's side, so she could help him but, in the end, it wasn't needed.
Hermione watched as her father turned and transfigured his wand into a jagged dagger and side-stepped the manticore at the last second, thrusting the dagger into the neck of the beast. In a split second, the tail of the manticore came forward and ran her father through, right in the soft part of his shoulder. She began fighting mercilessly to his side, hoping that she could stem the bleeding and save him.
While the manticore bled out before her, Hermione knelt at her father's side, so she could put pressure on his shoulder. Deciding that it hadn't hit anything major, Hermione sighed in relief. She turned just in time to see the minotaur charge her way. The Gryffindor shot spell after spell at the beast, but nothing seemed to phase it. It was still rushing towards them and Hermione knew that there was no other way to save her father. She followed his lead she pulled out her wand and willed it to become a sharp dagger.
In a move that was surely reminiscent of the founder of her House, Hermione spun and jammed the tip of her dagger through the chin of the minotaur, blood spilling down her hand and up her sleeves. In the last fleeting movements of the beast, it reared its head and Hermione wasn't anticipating it. One of the horns on the minotaur's head caught her in the abdomen as it flung its head one last time. Intense pain radiated from the spot in her abdomen that had a minotaur horn buried in it but there was nothing that she could do about it. She could feel the beast's hot breath on her leg as it breathed its last breath, something that Hermione was not sad about.
Hermione was uncomfortable with the horn buried deep in her guts, so she moved herself off the horn as her father was scrambling to her side. She was trying to appear every bit of the warrior, but it was hard to ignore the crippling pain from her gore wound. Hermione placed a hand over her belly and watched her father scramble to her side.
"Hermione, Jesus fucking Christ, buggering Merlin, and sweet Nimue, are you alright?" Hermione grimaced when she felt the gush of blood over her hand but gave her father a weak smile anyways.
"Never better." Her father snorted before his face turned serious.
"We have to get you back, you could die from these wounds." Hermione knew that he was speaking the truth, her eyes were getting hazy and she was becoming lightheaded from the loss of blood. Her father scooted close to her and laid a hand on her belly trying to stem the flow of blood. He gazed down at her, expression serious.
"Why would you endanger yourself like that for me?" Hermione squeezed his hand with her slippery fingers, realizing belatedly that they were slippery with her blood.
"It was going to kill you and I couldn't stand for that. I wanted you to be proud of me again."
-O-
Draco knew that they were fucked the second that he set foot in the kitchen. A fucking manticore had appeared when Harry entered, and a gods-be-damned minotaur had shown up when he had. As much as he hated to leave his girlfriend and godfather to fight the beasts, he knew that he and Harry needed to find the horcrux, so this fight wouldn't be in vain.
Draco was quick to drag Harry off further into the house, trusting that the three left in the living room would keep each other safe. He spun Harry around to face him, so he could place his hands on the shoulders of his very best friend.
"You have to look for it. You felt the cup, use your senses to find this one. We need to get out there and help them as soon as possible." Harry nodded, clearly stressed about being put on the spot but not unwilling to try. He closed his eyes and Draco watched as he went into this own mind and did his best to locate the evil artifact. After several minutes that were filled with inhuman screams and shouts from the human counterparts, Harry opened his eyes.
"It's over here." He started for one of the cupboards on the floor and quickly dropped to his knees, slamming the door to the cupboard open without any further ado. It slammed against the cabinet next to it and Draco watched as his best friend rummaged around in the filth until he pulled a metal box out of the depths of the cabinet. Draco could feel the evil seeping out of the locked box.
Harry drew the Sword of Gryffindor after setting the box on the floor. He raised the Sword and let it fall on the box near the lock. Since it was a magical artifact, the box fell into several pieces revealing an ancient looking ring.
"That's it, I can tell." Harry's voice was certain, and Draco urged him to draw the Sword on the horcrux. Draco laid his hand on Harry's wrist, knowing that he needed to warn him.
"It's going to fight you, you have to be ready to strike at it anyways." Harry gave a resolute nod and Draco envied the level of bravery that his friend possessed. The Sorting Hat may have tried to place him in the snakes, but the lions house was where he truly belonged. Harry raised the Sword and focused on the ring, neither of them stupid enough to answer the call that seemed to be emanating through the room to put the ring on. Harry brought the Sword down on the jewelry and the ring let out an inhuman scream. The familiar black goo oozed out of the ring and started to speak.
"You will never be worthy of her love, she always chooses young Draco before you. You won't be able to defeat me, and you will always be known as the Boy-Who-Died. The world is going to pay for your failure. My granddaughter is playing a game with you and she will break your heart." Draco wanted to help his best friend, tell him that none of that rubbish was true, but Harry was doing better than all the others had done when they faced a horcrux. Draco had just opened his mouth to speak when they heard a human scream that sounded a lot like Hermione and then the dying wail of whatever it was that she had been fighting. Draco turned his attention back to Harry and motioned for him to finish it.
His friend didn't waste any time. He didn't even seem all too bothered by what the horcrux had said to him. The Gryffindor simply brought the Sword down once more on the ring and it cracked in half as it screamed out in pain. Neither boy waited for the inhuman screams of the horcrux to die before Harry bent and scooped it up to dump it in his pocket.
Both boys rushed into the living room to find that their girlfriend was on the floor in the arms of her father, bleeding from what appeared to be a gore wound in her abdomen. There was blood everywhere and Draco was unsure if the blood was from Hermione or from the wound on Severus' shoulder. Harry turned to find the Headmaster weakly getting to his feet, his legs unsteady with a hand to his head. Draco was instantly furious that they had been unable to keep Hermione safe but there was nothing for it now. Draco took charge since it seemed like nobody else was going to.
"Harry, turn the portkeys from before into portkeys again. You tap your wand on them and say 'Portus'. You're going to take the Headmaster back to the school and I'm going to take Severus and Hermione." Harry did as he was bid even though creating a port key was a seventh-year spell. Draco stepped forward and motioned for his godfather to grasp hold of the portkey while Draco stooped to scoop Hermione into his arms. The amount of blood made his system want to rebel, but he was determined to get them back to Madam Pomfrey before he threw up. He could only hope that his legs would hold up once they landed.
Draco watched Harry and the Headmaster disappear and he hoped that it took them straight to the Hospital Wing. He had never created a portkey before and though he understood the concept, he was hoping that they wouldn't appear in front of a bunch of Slytherins that would ask questions. Draco felt the spell take hold and they spun away.
When they landed, Draco realized that his portkey hadn't taken him where he had wanted it to go. While he had been aiming for the Hospital Wing, they landed in the corridor outside of the Hospital Wing. They hadn't been there for more than a minute gathering their bearings and getting their energy up to make their way into the Hospital Wing. Out of nowhere, Professor McGonagall appeared and began screeching.
"What the bloody fuck happened? Merlin's sake alive, they need to be in the Hospital Wing." He watched as his Transfiguration professor levitated the Headmaster up off the floor and floated him into the Hospital Wing. Draco carried Hermione the old-fashioned way, determined to feel her soft warmth in his arms. Harry looked to be more than willing to levitate Severus but the dark-haired Slytherin gave the young Gryffindor a look of loathing and dragged himself to his feet, so he could make his way into the Hospital Wing of his own accord.
-O-
Hermione couldn't remember hurting this much in a very long time, if ever. Her hands were slick with blood, turning sticky now that she had let it dry a little. The pain was immense but there was nothing that she could do about it until she saw Madam Pomfrey. While she was able to heal minor injuries on herself, she needed others for the major ones.
She was aware that Draco laid her on one of the beds and she could see Professor McGonagall pacing in the background. Her father was sitting up in the bed next to her, his worried eye catching hers as her whole body hitched in pain once more. Dumbledore was unconscious again across the way and Hermione wasn't sure just what had caused it. Madam Pomfrey's wand was sucking the blood away from her wound but it certainly didn't feel good.
"I can't heal a wound of this magnitude, I'm a school nurse. We need to transport her to St. Mungo's before she dies." Hermione felt her breath catch at the mediwitch's words. Harry stepped forward and held his hand out to Draco.
"If Madam Pomfrey can't heal her, we'll have to do it ourselves." Hermione was unsure that they could heal this level of injury on their own. Before, the injury hadn't been near as great since the potions her father had been feeding her had been beneficial in every way. She remained silent though, determined to let her boys try things as they liked. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and held her hands up.
"No, we're taking her to St. Mungo's. She's been gored by who knows what and she needs care." Harry held his hand up to their professor and calmed her as best he could.
"Professor, trust me, Draco and I can heal her. If we can't, we'll take her immediately." The Deputy Headmistress finally gave a nod and Harry and Draco stepped forward. They laid their hands on her belly, threading their fingers together over her wound.
The boys concentrated for several minutes, pouring every ounce of magic into healing their girlfriend. There were small gasps around them and she took that to be a good sign. When they finally sighed and stepped away from Hermione, she felt a thousand times better. The wound was closed and had stopped bleeding though it appeared to be knottier than she would have expected. Draco turned to Madam Pomfrey and grinned.
"I think she could benefit from your expertise in preventing scars." While Draco was proud of the fact that he had indeed cured Hermione's bleeding wound, he had done nothing for the scars left behind. The mediwitch stepped forward as everyone else watched from the sidelines almost as if they didn't want to admit that Hermione was much better. Madam Pomfrey stepped forward and Hermione gritted her teeth as the mediwitch's wand glazed over her. Not because the mediwitch was checking her over but because there were others out there that seemed to disbelieve her healing wholeheartedly. The mediwitch turned to McGonagall, probably because the witch wasn't quite sure what else to do. Harry finally stepped forward and spoke.
"She's great, Madam Pomfrey. Just fix her scars and you can take full responsibility for her healing." Even though Hermione was sure that that wasn't the motivating factor, the Deputy Headmistress decided to speak.
"I want to know what the fuck is going on and I mean now.' Her father snorted next to her and met her gaze. Draco took over and snorted his answer.
"Harry and I healed her. What else is there to say?" Professor McGonagall glared at him, but she turned her attention to Hermione.
"They'll give me the runaround. I want you to tell me what's going on, Miss Granger." Hermione sighed and nodded.
"I promise we'll tell you tomorrow. Right at this moment, I'm not feeling up to the long and completely insane conversation that would be involved in telling you." Her Head of House looked like she wanted to protest but thought better of it at the end. She nodded her assent and Hermione was just about to thank her when Harry spoke.
"We're telling Sirius and Remus too. I think a few others wouldn't go amiss. When this finally comes to an end, Hermione, Draco, Professor Snape, and I are going to look like we're evil. I want as many people as possible to know exactly what's going on so none of us end up in Azkaban." While Hermione had been sure that Dumbledore had been unconscious before, he wasn't now.
"We aren't going to tell a single person. When the end plays out, everyone will know that none of you are evil. We can not jeopardize the secret." Hermione couldn't help the fury that flared up within her. She picked up one of Madam Pomfrey's trays and hurtled it across the room towards the Headmaster. It hit a mere foot away from his face and Hermione could tell that she was breathing hard in her fury.
"We are going to tell Sirius, Remus, Arthur, Professor McGonagall, and Moody what is happening or I'm going to tell the world how many people you had to bribe for the Headmaster position at this school. I'm sure that once your secrets are spilled, nobody is going to want you teaching their children a thing." Hermione could see the reaction that her Head of House was having at her words, but she didn't care. McGonagall needed to know the truth. She deserved the truth. Dumbledore was silent for almost a minute before he spoke again.
"Very well. When this blows up in your face and someone leaks the information, the thousands of deaths that will follow will be on your hands, Miss Granger." Hermione snorted before she spoke. Just as she opened her mouth, her father spoke for the first time.
"Even if someone leaks the information, the blame of thousands of deaths will lie on the shoulders of my father, not my daughters. Keep a civil tongue in your head or you'll lose your spy for good." Professor McGonagall couldn't believe the things that she was hearing, and Hermione didn't blame her. She had always been somewhat meek but the situations that she found herself in lately were changing that. Madam Pomfrey took that moment to reappear with a vial in her hand and Hermione realized that she hadn't even noticed that the mediwitch had disappeared.
"Here's your potion, Miss Granger. I can't guarantee that it will rid you of the scar completely, but it will most certainly lessen it." Hermione didn't question the witch, just threw back the potion like it was a shot of her father's fire whiskey.
Harry and Draco were still on either side of her, their hands still bloody from where they had had to touch her wound to heal her. Her father was now being tended in the bed next to her and Hermione was happy to hear that the stinger of the scorpion hadn't pierced anything vital. Her father had to take an anti-poison potion and get the wound healed before the mediwitch was sending him on his way. He refused to leave, however, once he heard that Hermione wasn't going to be released until the following morning. Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes, threw her hands in the air, and stalked off in the direction of her office.
The Headmaster had taken a sleeping draught after being healed for his scorpion sting. He was currently asleep across the way and Hermione was happy that she wouldn't have to listen to him for the rest of the evening. She hated using blackmail to get what she wanted, but since the man was so resistant to letting others help Hermione simply did what she had to do. Both of her boys remained at her side and didn't appear to be leaving any time soon.
"Boys, you need a shower. Go back to the Room and shower and get a good night's sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a trying day." Both had a mutinous look of their face. Harry was the first speak.
"We'll go shower but we're coming straight back here. We aren't leaving you." She contemplated their words and understood. She wouldn't have left them if they had been caught in the Hospital Wing for something that only she could help with.
"Alright, go shower and I'll see you when you get back." They both smiled at her words and left together, probably heading to the Room of Requirement, so they could both shower at the same time. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and gave her favorite student a fond look.
"I look forward to your explanation, Miss Granger. I can admit that while I don't usually have favorites, you have been one of them since the day you entered Hogwarts. I hope that someday you will take my position. I'm happy that you're not dead." Hermione smiled at her Head of House softly.
"Thank you, Professor. Maybe one day I'll make you proud enough to take your position. We'll see what life throws our way." Her professor gave her an abrupt nod and turned on her heel to flee the Hospital Wing. Hermione wondered if she was so overcome with emotion that she just didn't want witnesses as to how scared she had been. She had just settled back into her pillow when her father spoke from his bed.
"Don't you ever do something so monumentally stupid as stepping in front of a minotaur for me again. Merlin, you almost died! How am I supposed to handle that?" Hermione picked at the threads on her hospital-issued blankets, refusing to meet his eyes as he spoke.
"I couldn't let it kill you and that's exactly what it would have done." Her father was breathing hard and Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he started throwing things next.
"You told me that you did it to make me proud. Explain." It was clear that explaining wasn't a request but a demand. If Hermione hadn't felt quite so exhausted she would have put up more of a fight. Instead, she sighed.
"I have never been told by a parent that they were disappointed in me. My muggle parents always told me that they were proud of me whether it was because I hexed a girl in my school bald or telling them about all the trouble that I got into a Hogwarts. I didn't like how it made me feel to know that you weren't proud of me. I jumped in front of you because I didn't want you to die but I also wanted you to be proud of me again." Hermione couldn't bear to look at her father after her confession. She knew that he was Slytherin to the core and that meant that he never displayed his emotions unless he was in a safe environment. Hermione had just revealed her emotions in an environment where just about anybody could overhear. While it didn't bother her, she was quite certain that it would bother him.
The next thing she realized, her father was sitting on the bed next to her, drawing her pale form into his embrace. Once she was wrapped in his arms, her face buried in his chest, so she could inhale his comforting scent, he sighed.
"I should have listened to you last night, sweet. If you had been fighting for no good reason, I would have been extremely disappointed. You didn't though, and I should have given you the chance to explain. You stood up for what was right, and I couldn't be prouder of that. I was bullied as a child and the fact that you stood up for yourself, even though it was in a less than desirable way, makes me very proud. I should have listened to you and I shouldn't have told you that I wasn't your father in that moment. I'm your father first and foremost, long before I'm your professor. Can you please forgive me?"
Hermione snuggled further into his embrace and considered her father's words. They were exactly what she had hoped to hear when she had entered her detention. Though a part of her wanted to be vindictive and punish her father for the pain that he had caused her, she didn't lash out. Instead, she smiled and nodded into his chest.
"I forgive you. Just tell me that you're proud of me even if you aren't." Her father chuckled above her and bent further to speak into her ear.
"I've never been more proud of you, daughter." Hermione couldn't hold back the contented sigh.
The pair stayed in each other's arms until her boys returned from their showers. They looked cleaner and smelled much better, so Hermione was happy to invite them into her bed once her father had gone back to his own. Hermione was sprawled across Harry's chest while Draco toyed with her curls behind her when the thought occurred to her.
"Did you find the horcrux?" Draco snorted.
"Yes, we found it and Harry destroyed it while you were being gored by a minotaur." Hermione heard her father snort as well, but she didn't give him the chance to speak.
"Tell me everything." Harry shook his head.
"Tomorrow. I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Tonight, needs to be more focused on healing." Hermione wanted to argue but found that her mate was right. Their relationship had gone through the ringer lately and they all needed time to trust one another again. Hermione nodded because that was all there was left to do.
Madam Pomfrey appeared out of nowhere and handed Hermione a vial that contained Dreamless Sleep, a potion that she usually avoided like the plague because of it's addictive tendencies. She tried to protest but both her boys and her father told her that she was going to take it whether it was done willingly or by them holding her down and forcing it down her throat. She finally agreed to take it of her own accord.
After the potion had been taken, Hermione settled into her bed and allowed her boys to take their spots on either side of her. There wasn't time for a conversation before the draught kicked in and took Hermione under the guise of sleep without a moment's hesitation.
A/N- Alrighty folks, I just finished this chapter after returned from Waynoka, OK. I love their sand dunes and if there are any native Oklahomans reading this story, hats off to you folks. Your state parks are the bomb. I hope to get started on the next chapter soon. Let me know your thoughts, they make me happy.
Completely off subject, but I just finished an amazing fic on . It's also a triad story between Hermione, Harry, and Draco. It's deliciously dark and dirty and though the plot is a little slow, it's a great story. The author is petalsoft and the story is called What a Witch Wants.
Next up, revelations to the some of the Order.
Love,
Alicia