A/N- Thank you all for being patient about the amount of time that it has taken me to get this chapter published. My daughter had major foot surgery and the little free time that I do have has been directed her way. Her surgery was a success but is in a fair bit of pain, as to be expected. To everyone that continues to support this story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm pretty excited to write this chapter, for me, it symbolizes the beginning of the end. Enough for now, let's get started!
** Special thanks to SereniteRose for being my 1,000th reviewer. You da bomb, girlfriend! **
Chapter 38
March 19, 1996
Hermione couldn't help but feel just a little bit nervous. She wasn't worried about her grandfather hurting her or her mates, that would just be folly on his part. She knew that her grandfather was blind to the fact that she was deceiving him, but he still wasn't a fool. Hurting Harry or Draco certainly fell in the foolish category. What she was nervous about was Draco showing her grandfather a false memory of Dumbledore telling other Order members to follow Death Eaters, clearing her father's name.
Hermione had coached Draco, ruthlessly testing him for hours upon hours in the last three days. He was good at the skill when she started, her father had seen fit to train him in the art, but it wasn't good enough for Hermione to feel comfortable with her boyfriend lying to most evil wizard of their time. He had suffered her tutelage well and without complaint. Not trying to toot her own horn, but his skills had become even more honed.
Just in case, Hermione had also insisted that Harry train under her as well. While she hoped that Draco would be enough to prove the point they were going to make, there was always the distinct chance that he would look inside Harry's mind for the memory as well. He had been a little less enthused about the extra training, but he had capitulated with no complaining. He had also become more proficient, but he wasn't nearly good as Draco was. She chalked that up to experience. Draco had been taught from birth to mask his emotions whereas Harry had not.
Hermione had wished that she could come up with another option to the whole problem but her formidable mind had come up with nothing. She berated herself internally, but the fact remained that Draco was going to have to volunteer to have the Dark Lord enter his mind to prove Severus was innocent, so he could continue to gather information. It made her sick inside to willingly put her mate in danger, but she consoled herself with the thought that her grandfather wouldn't probe too hard since he feared angering Hermione.
The Gryffindor was employing all her Slytherin tactics today and not informing her father of their plan. She knew that without a doubt, Severus would kick, scream, and throw a fit for them to not follow through and tell them that he wasn't important enough to lose their alliance over. While moving her father out of the spotlight was a plus, Hermione could honestly say that his well-being wasn't the only motivator. They really did need the information that her father brought them and if her grandfather felt that he was a traitor and untrustworthy, he would no longer receive any information.
Hermione was in a beautiful set of witch's robes, a royal blue that made her eyes pop. Her long ebony curls were pulled up in an up-do that Draco had helped her with. She looked very elegant and poised, exactly the look they were going for when they faced her grandfather. Both Harry and Draco were dressed in robes as well, Draco in charcoal grey and Harry in bottle green. Hermione could hardly pull her eyes from them.
Draco held her hand while Harry had a hand on the small of her back as they led her through the corridors. While the boys received confused looks as to their dress, Hermione did not. She had remembered to put a set of school robes over her witch's robes, hiding the fact that they were going to be off school grounds. The boys could easily tell everyone that they were trying to impress her or some such rot.
They reached the griffin that guarded the Headmaster's office and it leapt out of the way before they could step up to the door. Hermione chuckled inwardly. Apparently, the Headmaster was eager to send them on their way, so he could discover what it was that the Dark Lord wanted his granddaughter to do. They allowed the stairs to descend and move them upwards towards the office door. Once they were in front of the door, Hermione took a deep breath and entered, Harry and Draco directly behind her. The Headmaster was seated before the fire, her father facing him in his own armchair. Both stood when the trio entered.
"Ahh, good evening Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Potter. I hope that this evening finds you in good spirits." Hermione was unsure as to why the Headmaster was being so formal, but she dismissed it from her mind. She dipped her head in greeting before turning to her father.
"We need to go, Dad, we don't want to be late. The quicker we go, the quicker we can return." Her father nodded but Dumbledore held his hand out, gesturing for them to wait a minute.
"I want to implore you, Hermione, to not be foolish. Do not act rashly just because you are sure that your grandfather won't cross you. He was powerful before he had you and he will continue to be so if you anger him and he kills you. Mr. Potter will be in the same room and it would only take one killing curse sent his way for him to win this war. The prophecy states that Harry is the one that must end him. Do not endanger his life needlessly." Hermione bowed her head for a moment. Even though it was a bold-faced lie, she reassured him.
"I don't plan to act rashly. Every move I make will completely calculated. I will not needlessly endanger our mission." Her father narrowed his eyes at her, catching her wording. He opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore cut him off.
"Very well, Hermione, we will have to take your word for it." She dipped her head once more at the Headmaster before she turned to the door. Her father huffed behind her, a rare show of emotion that showed her just how frustrated and frightened he was. She felt guilty at the heart attack that she was sure to give him that night, but she tried not to think about that. She needed to focus on what was to come. The Gryffindor couldn't help but notice that Draco looked distinctly guilty.
The four of them left the Headmaster's office and traversed the corridors quickly. There were very few students out since there were more patrols than normal. It was a Saturday night and she figured that most of the students were holed up in their common rooms at the moment. It would be later in the evening that they would attempt sneaking out.
After leaving the castle by way of the Entrance Hall, the four of them began their trek across the grounds. Even though it was nearing the end of March, it was still cold at night. Hermione was in robes with student robes over the top, but it was still cold enough outside that she couldn't hold back a shiver. Harry noticed and waved his wand over her, a warming charm making her warm and toasty all over. She flashed him a grateful smile as they neared the gate. Once they passed the barrier to the school, her father turned to meet their gazes.
"I ask you again, Hermione, do not be foolish. You made clear three days ago that you were going to step in because of the torture that my father inflicted upon me. I ask you not to do so. We can't take the chance." Hermione stepped forward and hugged her father around the waist. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and his lips pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I won't endanger our mission, Dad. I can't let this treatment stand though. Please trust me, I haven't messed it up yet." He sighed and released her, allowing her to step back. He shook his head at her as he spoke.
"You're going to be the death of me, sweet." Hermione chuckled softly at his words as she took his outstretched hand. Draco was on his other side and took his godfather's forearm while Harry grasped the professor's upper arm on the same side as Hermione. With a quick twist, they disappeared and reappeared in front of the gates of Malfoy Manor.
Hermione was surprised to find that while side-along apparition had bothered her to end when she first tried it, she had quickly become used to it. It didn't seem to phase her at all anymore and the same seemed to hold true for both of her boys. Hermione removed her school robes and shrunk them, handing them to Harry to hold in one of his robe pockets. He stuffed them in his inner pocket and fell into line behind her.
Severus led the way, striding purposefully down the gravel drive towards the house. Hermione fell in behind him, arms relaxed at her side, while both her boys flanked her. They reached the house and with a short knock, the door swung open to reveal Mipsy. She cowered as usual and Hermione ached for the abuse she must surely suffer in a house full of wizards that thought they were better than everyone and everything. The diminutive little elf pointed them in the direction of the ballroom and Hermione wanted to groan. Her grandfather was going to make a spectacle of the task he had for her.
Hermione let her father lead her as he had done on the other occasions she had visited. The ballroom was full of Death Eaters in fine dress and Hermione found herself glad that she and her boys had dressed appropriately. This also made Hermione wonder if this was a party or a meeting. The Death Eaters parted like the sea before them, all of them staring at Hermione, her father, and her two mates. Some were in obvious awe while others had clear looks of loathing on their faces.
They approached her grandfather and Severus gave him a deferential bow of the head before moving to stand behind him as he usually did. The Death Eaters fell in around them and Hermione was unsurprised to find that her grandfather waited until they were all gathered around before he spoke to Severus.
"You aren't to be trusted, Ssseverus. Get down there with your brothersss." It was clear that Severus hadn't been expecting that, but he was quick to obey nonetheless. Hermione watched the proceedings with emotionless eyes until she turned to meet her grandfather's gaze.
"Isssabella Rose, how lovely that we meet again." Hermione didn't react. She stared back at her grandfather with a cold gaze.
"What is the meaning of this? You dare to dishonor your blood?" Her grandfather reared back like she had slapped him. His eyes flashed, and she could see that he wanted to lash out, but he stayed his hand. He sneered her way.
"I sssee that he didn't inform you that the only reason he isss still alive is because he isss my blood. He passed information to the Order that I ssspecifically told him not to. That brandsss him a traitor." Hermione cocked her head to the side.
"Just what did he pass on to Dumbledore? I'm intrigued." Thinking that she was leaning his way, a satisfied look crossed his as spoke.
"He informed the old fool that we were going to attack Wessstminster Abbey and the London Bridge. The Order wasss there and did their best to stop usss." Hermione couldn't help but smirk. Her grandfather looked confused for half a second but quickly hid it.
"You have no idea how wrong you are." The anger in his eyes flashed again and when he spoke, it was low and menacing.
"You dare to question me, Isssabella?" Hermione laughed at him. Not an amused chuckle, but a full-on laugh. Death Eaters were staring in horror as she continued. She could see her father out of the corner of her eye and looked equal parts horrified and terrified. Her grandfather, forgetting himself in a fit of rage, raised his wand at her and shot a spell her way. She was unsure as to what it was, but it was clear that it would have taught her a lesson. She wandlessly cast a shield, deflecting his own curse back at him. Her wand appeared, and she quickly waved it towards her grandfather, employing the same curse that she had used on Moody when he had become too vocal about his opinions regarding her father. She made sure that she used her wand to not let on to the fact that she really didn't need it for anything anymore.
Her grandfather began to grasp his throat, pulling at the invisible force that was cutting off his air. Several Death Eaters stepped forward, wands in their hands, but did nothing. It appeared that they were too frightened to do what it took to save their lord. Nagini was curled at her master's feet and she moved to strike at Hermione. Severus began stepping forward and even though she didn't want to give away that she could understand and speak parseltongue, she knew that it was the only way to save herself and her father.
"Ssstop now, or I ssswear to Merlin that I will kill your massster." The whole room went silent and still, in complete shock that Hermione could understand the snake. Nagini went still and lowered her head in a show of submission. Hermione released the spell on her grandfather who instantly started gasping for breath. The snake slithered closer to her and Hermione could feel the curiosity in the snake's gaze. Hermione had a feeling that this snake was a horcrux, so she really didn't want to make friends, but it wouldn't do to make an enemy of the beast.
"Master'sss young can ssspeak to me. I thought that Massster was the only one." Hermione hissed back at the snake while her grandfather recovered.
"My magic wasss blocked as a small child and this was one of the talentsss that was suppressed. It's a relatively new ssskill." The snake wrapped itself around her feet and she could feel it's tongue flick against her ankles, making her fight the urge to laugh at how much it tickled.
"Young Missstress is ssstrong. A friend to the sssnakes." Hermione gave a slight nod at the snake before turning her attention back to her grandfather. He was no longer gasping for air and though his eyes were still flashing in anger, his wand was stowed away. Hermione slid hers back inside her robe pocket, thanking Merlin that even though she had held her wand, she had performed the spell wandlessly. It wouldn't do for her to get a notice for underage use of magic.
"If you attack me again, I won't release the spell. I have come to you in peace, I have joined your side, I want no part in leading. I came tonight because you had need of me for an assignment. Do not take me for weak. If you attack me or mine again, I will kill you." Her grandfather sneered her way but remained silent. The entire room was silent, none of them wanting to anger her further. Hermione took this as her opportunity to speak.
"While I understand your need to punish traitors, I would be the same way, my father in no traitor. He is constantly putting Dumbledore off your plans, I have witnessed it. In fact, the cause of the Order being at those attacks were in no way related to my father. I have proof." Hermione heard her father breathe in sharply and she knew for a fact that she would pay for this whole scenario when she returned home.
"Presssent your proof and if I find it true, your father will return to my ssside and be my sssecond-in-command once again." Hermione gestured for Draco to step forward. Even though she could see how nervous he was, he stepped forward with no fear. He was trusting her to keep him safe.
"Draco was wandering the corridors one night when he was unable to sleep. He didn't wish to wake Harry or I so he made his way to the kitchens to get a snack. Along the way, he found Dumbledore speaking with several Order members in an abandoned classroom, the door cracked with no silencing charms. I can only assume that they thought it was safe since it was far past curfew." Hermione took another deep breath before continuing.
"Dumbledore was telling them that he suspected that my father had turned his true loyalties our way and was withholding information. He couldn't prove it but assigned Moody to follow Nott and Kingsley Shacklebolt to follow Lestrange. The Order members that were there were all assigned a Death Eater. Once they discovered that there were indeed plans that Severus hadn't reported, they stepped in and tried to stop the plans. Draco will let you view his memory of the event. I had planned to inform you of this information today, but you have apparently already taken your anger out on my father when he had no idea as to what was happening." Her grandfather looked intrigued rather than angry now. He gestured for Draco to come forward and the blond met the gaze of her grandfather. Draco showed no fear and she could see his determination in his frame.
It took several minutes for her grandfather to view the memory and when he withdrew from Draco's mind, he looked up to meet Hermione's gaze. She arched a single brow at him before he turned to Severus.
"Doesss Dumbledore still trussst you or is ssspying for me pointlesss now?" Her father slid his expressionless mask on before answering.
"He took me aside after the attacks, the day after I last met with you in fact. He told me that he suspected my true loyalties were with you because I hadn't informed him of the attacks. I told him that you hadn't informed me of the attacks, that you had only spoke with Rodolphus and Thoros because you didn't want their plans to be foiled. While he was rather triumphant that he ended your plans of complete destruction, he also believed me. Like you said, he is an old fool." Her grandfather stared at her father for a long time and she could only assume that he was searching his mind for the memory. She hoped to Merlin that her father was more than adept at creating false memories on the fly. When he finally relented his stare, Voldemort gave a semblance of a welcoming smile even though it looked more like a grimace.
"Come ssstand at my ssside again, ssson." Severus was quick to comply, and she could tell that he was relieved. Her grandfather turned to his followers to speak.
"You will listen to Ssseverus as you did before. My granddaughter speaksss the truth." There were whispers throughout the room before someone from the back yelled out.
"You're going to let her show you disrespect, my Lord?" Hermione glanced from side to side to make sure that Harry and Draco were close enough to protect if someone hurled a curse their way. Nagini flicked her ankle with her tongue before moving closer to Harry and Draco.
"Don't worry, young Missstress, Nagini will protect your matesss." While she knew that her grandfather and Harry could understand her, she was quiet when she hissed back a thank you. Her grandfather went to his feet, now fully recovered from the spell she had used on him.
"My granddaughter doesss not ssserve me, she standsss by my ssside. I attacked her, and she protected herssself. She is the only person that will ever get away with that bold move. Consssider yourselvesss warned." Hermione finally favored her grandfather with a smile.
"Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way and my father is back where he should be, we should get down to business. My father informed me that you have a task that you would like me to do." The Dark Lord took his seat once more and Nagini slithered back over to curl around his feet protectively.
"I have you, Isssabella, Draco, Harry Potter, and all of the Ssslytherins in Hogwartsss backing me. While the Order is annoying, and we could continue to ssswat them down, I would much rather just take them out of commission. Severusss tells me that sssome of the members are leaning more towards our ssside since they have discovered your lineage. Black and the wolf for ssstarters, McGonagall as well. It would be nice to sssway them to our side and take out what'sss left of the resssistance."
Hermione wasn't sure what to say since her grandfather hadn't made his plans known, he had simply rambled about what he wanted to do. She had been sure that the mission wouldn't be something that she could break her cover doing but this sounded large scale. She clasped her hands together in front of her and cocked her head to the side to show her interest. Her grandfather took her actions to show that she was interested.
"I want you to kill Dumbledore."
Excited chatter broke out around the room and Hermione couldn't blame them. She was floored and had no idea how to respond. Harry and Draco both stepped forward and laid a hand on each hip, showing her silent support. Even her father, the master at showing no emotion, widened his eyes a little and his breath hitched. Hermione cocked her head to the side.
"Why me?" Her grandfather stood and made his way over to her, so he could reach out and cup her cheeks in his hands. Hermione wondered for a moment if he was going to try to strangle her but was happy to say that he just stroked her cheeks for a moment.
"I would assssk Severusss, but the fact remains that Dumbledore is ssstill more powerful than he isss. I can't lose my ssson to a lost cause. I am more than a match for Dumbledore but lack the ability to get to him. You are both clossse to him and powerful enough to take him down with little to no effort. I wasssn't trying to kill you when you had that spell on me, but the fact remainsss that no other wizard has even gotten that clossse to taking me down." Hermione forced herself to remain still while her grandfather continued to stroke her. Even though it made her skin crawl, she met his gaze and refused to flinch at the red color staring back at her.
"If I refuse?" He let his hands drop and made his way back to his seat. He didn't answer until he was seated once again.
"I told you when you joined my caussse that I would require nothing of you. You are free to refussse. I will do nothing in retribution. I would just like to point out that while most of my Death Eatersss hate you now, if you snuffed out the beacon of the light, they would revere you asss they do me. You could gain their favor and they would ssserve you happily, not because I tell them to."
Hermione wanted to curse. He was right and there was no other way to look at it. His plan of attack was brilliant. Her grandfather really did see Dumbledore as the only obstacle stopping him from ruling the world. Harry appeared to be on his side, Hermione and Severus were planted firmly behind his lines, all the Death Eaters would follow him to death. Sirius and Remus were rumored to support Harry and Hermione, not Dumbledore, same with McGonagall. He was quite sure that they would follow to the dark side if Hermione and Harry did. It was sad to say that that was probably true. Dumbledore truly was his only obstacle.
It also made sense to have her kill the Headmaster. Severus would instantly be a suspect and if he had an iron clad alibi, the Order would have to continue to trust him to spy. Hermione could pull it off to where nobody would know that she was the one behind it and she knew that that was what her grandfather was hoping. The Gryffindor also knew that what he had said about gathering support among the Death Eaters was true. They would never respect her until they had seen the contribution from her. That would only happen if she fulfilled her grandfather's request. While she wanted to tell the Dark Lord that she didn't care if his followers followed her willingly, she knew that that would blow her cover. As the granddaughter of the Dark Lord, she should want nothing more than to be respected and revered. Taking as deep a breath as she could without it being obvious, she spoke.
"Do you want me to keep my cover or do you want me to blow it?" Surprisingly, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I really don't care. Once Dumbledore isss dead, there won't be any reassson for you to hide your identity to the massesss. We'll take over the Ministry quickly without Dumbledore ssspeaking against usss at every turn. If McGonagall can bring herself to ssswitch sidesss, she can take over the school and run it as I sssee fit. However, if you want to ssstay anonymous for a little while afterwards, that isss acceptable as well. It would be nice to know what the remnantsss of the Order are planning."
Hermione knew that she had no choice but to accept. She would blow her cover if she didn't and he just told her that it could be however she wanted it to be. She doubted that he would care if the death was bloody or a poison if the outcome was the same. She felt both her boys' hands tighten marginally on her hips as she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and responded.
"I accept. I will return to school and come up with a plan and return to let you know the details." Her grandfather stood once again and raised his arms in the air. Hermione wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he looked but she refrained. He stepped forward and laid his hands on her shoulders, so he could turn her to face the crowd of Death Eaters behind them.
"The heir of my heir will bring the opposssition to it's kneesss and we will sweep in and take over the world." Even though Hermione could tell that the cheers were forced, there were plenty of cheers. Broad smiles graced the faces of those closest and looks of doubt from people further back. Hermione made sure to hold her head high and glare at anyone that dared to meet her eyes for too long. When the cheers died away, her grandfather announced to the room.
"Let the party commence. There isss celebrating to do." For a brief moment, Hermione was scared to death that it meant another revel, so she was relieved when music started and elves appeared with trays of food and drink. An actual party, while not something that Hermione really wanted to attend, was something that she could handle. The Dark Lord's hands tightened for a moment on her shoulders before leaning down to press a kiss to her shoulder. Hermione was repulsed at the inappropriate act but remained silent.
"Go meet your people, Isssabella." She gave a resolute nod before stepping forward and meeting the crowd at large.
Her boys followed behind her and they started to mingle around the room. They were first stopped by an older man that Draco introduced her by the name of Edward Greengrass.
"My pleasure to meet you, Miss Riddle. I've heard lots about you from my daughters Daphne and Astoria. They have only good things to say, of course." Hermione gave him a polite smile.
"Yes, I know both your daughters although Astoria is a few years younger. They're both lovely young girls." Hermione wanted to gag saying this, but she didn't. While she didn't personally like Daphne because of her history with Draco, the girl had never done anything malicious to Hermione. It had always been Pansy that had tormented her, and she attributed that to the fact that she had her eyes on Draco and that was how Draco treated her.
Hermione didn't linger long with the man before pushing onward. Next was Gregory Goyle, Sr. and Callum Crabbe. They welcomed her into the fold and told her that they hoped their boys were treating her well. Hermione relayed the story of the younger Greg Goyle standing up for her to Ronald and he seemed pleased. They were much more pleasant the Greengrass had been and she wasn't sure why.
She continued her rounds through the Death Eaters, snacking on hors d'oeuvres that the elves served her as she walked. Hermione lost track of everyone that she met and while she knew that most of them really didn't like her, there were those that seemed genuinely happy to see her there. Peregrine Parkinson stood out as one of the Death Eaters that didn't like her at all and she wasn't surprised in the least.
The biggest surprise of the evening was when she came face to face with Oliver Wood. He had been the quidditch captain Harry's third year and she had thought that he was planted firmly on their side of the war. That couldn't have been the case since he was in attendance and only those with Dark Marks were allowed. He bowed low over her hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles in a show of respect. When he stood up, there was genuine surprise in his gaze.
"Miss Riddle, imagine my surprise at seeing you here, being related to the Dark Lord no less." She arched a brow at him even though she wanted to curse him.
"Imagine my surprise at seeing you here when you played the perfectly loyal Gryffindor in school." Oliver chuckled darkly.
"Oh, at the time, I was exactly what I portrayed to be. My father was approached last year by Lucius Malfoy to join the Death Eaters. He was only vaguely interested when the Order crashed their meeting and tried to kill Malfoy. Instead of Malfoy being killed, my father was. Mad-Eye Moody had no remorse for what he had done, he told me that if my father was going to join, his death was justified. I joined the Death Eaters a week later to get revenge for what happened to my father."
Hermione couldn't believe his story. It was equal parts tragic and heartbreaking and Hermione almost teared up at the thought of Moody callously killing an innocent man, one that hadn't fully committed to the dark. The worst part was that she could see it all in her minds eye, she could hear the sneer in Moody's voice. Even though she felt sorrow at Oliver's story, she had a part to play and was going to play it to the best of her abilities.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Oliver. Hopefully you find the vengeance you seek." He bowed over her hand once more before stepping away and letting her continue with her mission of mingling.
Hermione was content to let Draco lead herself and Harry around, introducing them to those that he saw fit. He knew everyone in the room and it was in this moment that she realized that Draco had been raised to be a Death Eater. He had been groomed from birth to live in this world and he had been more than happy to throw it all away, so he could date her. It touched her even more than it had before because she realized that he would have been throwing away his entire life for her.
The trio had been mingling for almost two hours when Draco led her over to his father's side. Hermione had been surprised to see that Narcissa wasn't present, but Draco had assured her that she wasn't marked so she wasn't allowed at tonight's event. Lucius had bent low over her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles like many others before him had. When he stood, Hermione favored him with a genuine smile.
The Gryffindor was unsure as to why she liked Lucius so much. It was true that he had done horrid things to many people. He had abused Draco as a child. He had raped an untold number of women. This couldn't stop the genuine affection that she had for the man. The older Slytherin had been raised to be the monster that he had become. His father had done the same unspeakable things to Lucius that he had in turn done to Draco and he had followed every rule set before him to a tee. Until Mara.
Hermione couldn't explain how touched and heartbroken she was at the story that Lucius had told her of his young muggleborn love. He hadn't even been aware that he loved her until she was gone and to lose her in such a violent way that he witnessed himself had been the final action that warped him into what he was today. There were unspeakable things that she knew he had done but Hermione had compassion for why he did the things that he had done. She understood all too well about wanting to forget the pain.
It was clear that he loved Draco and would do whatever he could to keep him safe. He had thanked Hermione for keeping him unmarked and had turned his back on her grandfather for no other reason than he wanted Draco safe. She knew that the power in such a union with herself and Harry played a big part, but she wouldn't judge him for that. Hermione truly thought that even if she was just a lowly muggleborn, even though he wouldn't have liked it, Lucius would have stood behind Draco and his choices. His voice started her out of her thoughts and he smirked at her when she realized that he knew it.
"I'm happy to hear that you're well after your exciting weekend." Even though there were people around, there was nothing untoward that could come from the words he had spoken. It was clear that her father had told Lucius that they had indeed went after the horcrux and that she had been injured.
"It was some rough couple days, especially the inquisition I faced afterwards, but it was worth it." More code that irked her, but it was necessary.
"I'm happy to hear that you will be ridding us of Dumbledore and the problems that he poses to our way of life." She smirked at him this time.
"It will be my pleasure." Lucius turned to the boys and gave them both nods of respect.
"Draco, Potter, it's good to see you in my home. I hope to see you all here more often come summer." Again, his meaning was clear. He hoped that they would both feel comfortable enough to visit once the Dark Lord was gone. Hermione wasn't opposed to the idea. If she ended up marrying Draco and Harry, the Manor would probably end up being their place of residence since Draco was the Malfoy heir. Lucius once again turned to Hermione but kept his eyes to Harry as well.
"We should invite Sirius Black one day soon for dinner. It would be nice to have him onside and I know that Narcissa would love to reconnect with her cousin. There aren't many members of the Black family left anymore." Harry nodded in the affirmative.
"I think he would like that. He's been wanting to reconnect with his family for a year or so now, especially since the truth of his innocence came out." Hermione couldn't help but to ask the question that had been bugging her since she had heard Lucius' story.
"How has Narcissa taken the fact that Draco is now linked with two half-bloods?" There was nobody near them, so Lucius didn't mind speaking candidly.
"She isn't enamored with the fact, but she won't complain. Narcissa wants Draco to remain unmarked and if you can make that happen she won't ever have a bad word to say about either of you." Hermione gave him a thoughtful nod.
The Gryffindor had had several conversations with Lucius and not even one with Narcissa. She wondered if that bothered the older woman or if she was happy to sit back and let others handle the problems as they came. Vowing to get to know the woman alone once this war was over, Hermione smiled at Lucius.
"I understand. The last thing I want is for Draco's mother to be angry with him because of Harry and I." Lucius chuckled and was about to speak when Severus appeared behind her and broke in.
"I hate to break this up, but we really must get back to the castle. The last thing that we would want is for Albus to realize that you're all gone. It would be very hard to come up with an excuse dressed as you all are." Lucius reached out and took her hand once more, bowing low over it. When he released her, he held his hand out to Harry and he didn't hesitate to shake his hand. The older blond clapped his son on the shoulder and gave him a quick smile.
"Take care, Draco, and make sure that you do well in class." Draco, silent to this point, nodded at his father.
"Yes, father, I'll make you proud." Hermione was certain that there was a double meaning to that as well, but she couldn't be sure.
Her boys wrapped their arms around her waist and steered her to follow Severus. She could see the tension in her father's spine and she knew that she was in for a tongue lashing once they returned to the school. Her father led them back to her grandfather and where he was seated in his throne. Nagini lifted her head and tasted the air with her tongue.
"Missstress mussst come sssee me again." Hermione bent to pat the snake on the head, which then turned to a stroke.
"I'll return, Nagini. Thank you for protecting my matesss." The snake tasted her fingers before hissing back.
"Anything for Missstress." The Dark Lord rose from his throne and started forward until he was only inches from Hermione.
"How long have you been able to ssspeak to snakesss, sssweetling?" Hermione made sure that every barrier in her mind was erected as she let him gaze into her eyes.
"Since the block on my magic was destroyed. I came upon a snake in the Forbidden Forest and had a lovely conversation with her." Her grandfather smiled at her, clearly pleased with the development.
"Nobody can deny that you belong to me, Isssabella. I wish that I had passed the talent on to Ssseverus, but it just wasssn't meant to be. If you need any help planning your assssassination, go to your father for help. He had been inssstructed to help you in any way that he isss able." Hermione really wanted to tell him that he didn't need to be ordered to help her, he would have done it for her regardless. Instead, Hermione bowed her head for a moment and looked back up at him.
"Yes, grandfather. I'll make you both proud." His hand reached out and tugged on one of the errant curls that had escaped the hairstyle Draco had used on her.
"I'm already proud, sssweetling. You are a ssstunning witch and you will rule this world at my ssside once your mission isss complete." Hermione did her best to keep an innocent look on her face.
"I don't wish to rule, grandfather, I just want to keep my family and my mates safe." An odd look passed through her grandfather's eyes.
"Am I included in that array of people?" Hermione wanted to fucking puke on him, but she choked down the bile that threatened to come up and land on his bare feet.
"Of course, you are, silly. You're my grandfather." As fake as the words sounded to Hermione, her grandfather bought them hook, line, and sinker and seemed inordinately pleased.
"Do thessse two boys know how lucky they are to have won your affectionsss?" Hermione gave him a genuine smile now.
"They tell me they are every single day." She turned to make sure that her boys weren't listening in on the conversation. She was going to drop a ball in her grandfather's court that would make sure that they were never harmed on his order.
"I love them, grandfather. Merlin help the person that ever decides to hurt them. Bellatrix will look like child's play next time." Her grandfather threw back his head and laughed. Everyone in the room turned his way and stared incredulously until he got himself under control. He reached out and stroked the skin under her right eye.
"You are definitely mine, Isssabella Rossse. Viciousss and vindictive when it comesss to those that we care about. Your father is the same way." It scared her to think that she had anything in common with her evil grandfather, but she had to admit that he was right.
"I shall come see you when I have a plan. Father says that we must go now before Dumbledore realizes that we are all off school grounds." Her grandfather leaned forward and pressed a dry and scaly kiss to her forehead before stepping back.
"He'sss correct. I look forward to your plan, sssweetling. Until then…" He stepped away from her and Hermione let out a small breath of relief as he returned to his throne.
Severus held his arm out for Hermione to take so he could escort her out of the room. She wrapped her hand around his elbow and made sure that Draco and Harry were falling in behind her. The crowd of Death Eaters parted for them once again and Hermione let out a sigh of relief once they had left the ballroom and the doors were shut firmly behind them. Mipsy appeared and ushered them to the front door, bowing low as she did so.
Hermione shivered as they made their way up the gravel drive. She wanted to stop and ask Harry for her student robes, but her father made it clear that they weren't going to be stopping. Therefore, she cast a silent and wandless warming spell on herself, hoping that it would last long enough to get her back to the warmth of the school.
It would be clear to a deaf and blind man that Severus was angry with her. He refused to even look at her and was nearly dragging her through the gravel. She stumbled once, and she heard him snort in annoyance. Her heels didn't make anything easier and he should have realized that it wouldn't make her walk any faster.
Once the gates were closed behind them, he refused to release Hermione's hand. In fact, Harry and Draco had barely grasped ahold of him before he was twisting into the now familiar tube of apparition. Hermione didn't even fully have her balance before her father was pulling her through the gates of Hogwarts. The warming charm was already wearing off and she was shivering.
When he started off again before she had her footing, Hermione stumbled and fell to her knees. Since her father had her hand in a death grip, he ended up dragging her several feet before he stopped and scowled at her. Her robes were ruined, she was freezing cold, her ankle was surely sprained, and her knee was scraped. On top of everything else that had happened that night, Hermione was on the verge of tears. Her father, on the other hand, exploded.
"Get up! You don't get to play the damsel in distress and cry now!" Even though she hadn't been crying, now she couldn't help but let a few fall down her cheeks. She struggled to go to her feet and when she put a little weight on her right foot, she cried out in pain. Without waiting for her to say anything, Severus started off again. Once again, she fell to her knees when her ankle refused to bear her weight. Her father once again stopped and scowled at her.
"Quit milking this. You're fine. You are not going to get out of me being livid with you." Finally having enough, Harry stepped forward and in between Hermione and Severus.
"Let her go right now." Her father sneered at Harry.
"What makes you think I'm going to listen to you, Potter?" Hermione was trying to struggle to her feet. Draco stepped forward and started to help her while Harry stepped closer to Severus.
"You're going to let her go because no matter how mad you are at her, you're hurting her. There is something wrong with her ankle and she can't walk. If you want her to end up hating you, keep treating her like an abused puppy. Otherwise, let her the fuck go so I can carry her." Hermione didn't have to see her father's face to know that he was not only sneering but glaring as well. Rather abruptly, he released her hand and she fell into Draco who had still been trying to help her to her feet.
Draco was quick to scoop her off the ground and hold her close to his chest. Even though she hated showing weakness in moments like this, she burrowed into his chest and relished the warmth of him against her. She couldn't keep her teeth from chattering, catching the attention of Harry. Severus stalked off ahead of them and Harry withdrew her robes from his pocket, enlarged them, and tucked them around her before casting another warming charm on them. Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and nuzzled him as he carried her through the grounds. Harry reached over occasionally and stroked the skin of her neck, and finally at the castle steps, pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble free down Draco's arm. Draco came to a stop since her father was long gone. Harry pressed a soft kiss to the skin beneath her ear.
"I'm proud of you, Hermione. You were great back there and even though Professor Snape is angry at you now, I know he's proud of you too. Let him cool off and all will be well." Hermione reached behind her and clenched Harry's hair in her hand while she gripped Draco's neck tighter.
"I'm proud of you both. We accomplished what we set out to do and there were no casualties. Draco, you especially did wonderful with your memory." She felt him shrug.
"I was scared to death, but he didn't try very hard. He could have pushed a lot harder, but I think that he was scared to piss you off by that time." Hermione chuckled for a moment and Harry held the doors to the castle open. They passed through and found the castle completely empty, a welcome sight for the trio. When Hermione spoke again, her voice was quiet and laced with worry.
"What if he doesn't forgive me? We all know that he hates reckless behavior, that's why he doesn't like Gryffindors. What if what I just did was unforgivable?" Hermione's eyes watered at the possibility. She shook her head and tried to clear the thoughts out of her mind. Even if he hated for the rest of her life, it would be worth it. Keeping him safe had been the main motivator of her actions, she wouldn't deny that. The fact that he was also now secure in his place among her father's ranks was an added bonus. Harry reached out and stroked her neck softly.
"He's going to forgive you. You scared him tonight, that's why he's acting this way. He thought that he was going to lose you and it scared the holy fuck out of him." Hermione nodded against Draco's chest as they started to make their way through the corridors to the Headmaster's office. They didn't speak the rest of the way, but Hermione didn't mind. She needed a few minutes to compose herself before she met the judgement of the firing squad that her father had surely erected for her.
The griffin leapt out of the way as it had earlier that evening and the trio allowed the stairs to carry them up the stairs to the final door between them and the rest of those that had surely gathered to listen to her story. Harry opened the final door without knocking, the others were surely aware that they were on their way up there. When they walked through the door, Hermione was surprised at what she saw.
Not only were her father and Dumbledore present, so were Professor McGonagall, Remus, Sirius, Kingsley, Arthur, and Moody. She could only assume that the Headmaster had summoned them all because he suspected something about the horcruxes would be discussed. Even though the wizened wizard had thrown a fit about including them in the information at first, he now had no problems summoning them when he thought the subject might surface. When the group caught sight of the trio, Professor McGonagall gasped.
"What happened to Hermione?" Even though Draco was clearly not going to throw his godfather under the bus so to speak, Harry had no problems with it. The man already hated him, so Hermione was sure that he figured he had nothing else to lose.
"Her father was dragging her so fast across the grounds that she stumbled and fell. I'm pretty sure that she's sprained her ankle." Dumbledore held his hand up and gestured for them to wait. Remus stood and gestured for the trio to sit down on the free couch before the fire, Hermione in the middle. Once she was settled, her dirty robes now on display for the whole room, he knelt before her and lifted her robes to show a nasty scrape to her knee as well.
Remus gently removed her heel to reveal a swollen ankle, already purple. Hermione wasn't worried. Remus was quite adept at healing since he often had to heal himself after his transformations. He fixed her nasty scrape in a trice and then turned his wand to her ankle. Nobody spoke against her or Severus while Remus set about healing her; she was surprised to say the least. The Gryffindor felt her ankle mending, a quite uncomfortable feeling if there ever was one, and flashed the werewolf a grateful look when he turned her sideways across the couch, so she could lean against Harry and lay her foot across Draco's lap.
"You need to keep it elevated for the night. Take it easy for the next couple days but it should be fine by Tuesday as long as you don't re-injure it." She sent a grateful smile his way.
"Thanks, Remus, I really appreciate it." He tugged one of her curls before sitting back down next to Sirius. The Headmaster clapped his hands together a single time to gain the attention of everyone in the room.
"Severus has been silent as to how the meeting went. We would like the whole story." She met the gaze of both Harry and Draco and they both gestured for her to take the floor, the one thing that she was quite certain she didn't want to do. Her actions were sure to start a fight and that was the last thing that she wanted to deal with right now. After heaving a sigh, she began her story.
Her story took the better part of an hour and though she tried to keep it brief, it just didn't end up that way. There were gasps and angry outbursts through the whole thing but every time they started to try to argue with her, Hermione went silent and refused to speak until she could do so in silence. Once the whole story had been told, Hermione fell silent and gestured that someone else needed to take over the floor. To her surprise, Professor McGonagall stood and made her way over to Hermione, so she could pull her into a hug.
"You dear, sweet, brave girl. You put yourself on the line to protect your father and you also solidified your position at the same time. Bravo, a true Gryffindor at heart." Her father snorted behind her transfiguration professor, but he didn't speak. Sirius also made a show of getting up and bowing at her feet.
"Nobody has the balls you do, poppet. We could all take a lesson from you." The rest of the room gave a chuckle or two before Sirius went to his feet and took his seat by Remus' side once more. It was Moody that broke the silence now.
"Putting the psycho bastard in his place is one thing, agreeing to kill the Headmaster of your school is a completely different thing. Just what were you thinking, missy?" How did Hermione know that Moody would be the one to complain about her taking the task of killing Dumbledore? She signed and rubbed her temples in an attempt to dispel the pain that was starting to manifest there.
"If I hadn't taken the task, it would have ultimately blown my cover. I'm supposed to be playing the part of someone that wants to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, even if it's not in such a bloody manner. I'm still supposed to want Voldemort to win and if I don't agree to do whatever I can to help make that happen, it looks suspicious. I'm not sure what else you wanted me to do." Kingsley stepped in before the aged auror could dig himself a deeper hole.
"You did what you had to, Hermione, and it was commendable. Now we can all work together on finding a way out of this." Arthur sighed and raked a hand through his thinning red hair. Hermione wasn't sure what to make of the motion.
"What's wrong, Mr. Weasley?" He raised his head and gave her a tired smile.
"My family, that's all. We all know just who you are, but I've kept the recent information to myself. Molly and Ronald are still determined that you are evil, that you're going to sell out our side, or kill someone important. If this information comes to light, the two of them will never stop. Nothing I say seems to deter them. It's causing quite the rift in the family since the rest of my children all seem to back you one hundred percent. Once they find out that I had knowledge of plans like these, I'll be in the same boat as you are." Hermione truly felt bad for Arthur. While she had no idea what kind of advice to give him, she did want to say something to try and make him feel better.
"I'm sorry, Arthur. Maybe you should bow out and let us obliviate you. Then you really won't remember knowing any of this information and they won't hate you." Arthur lifted his head and graced her with a soft smile.
"No, Hermione, that won't be necessary. The pair of them should be able to use their common sense and let personal issues go when it comes to the war. I'm not going to choose the two of them over the other six members of my family. They'll either deal with it or they won't but that doesn't mean that it makes it any easier. If you don't mind, I'd really like to get back to the subject at hand" Hermione gave an understanding nod before turning back to everyone else.
"Obviously I'm not going to kill the Headmaster no matter how much he makes me want to at times. We need to hurry up the process of finding the horcruxes, so we can end this. If we work it right, we can use the murder of Dumbledore to lure my grandfather in for the final battle. I'm not sure if that will work but it will be worth a shot." Remus looked contemplative as he considered her words.
"That would actually be a great idea if we could make it work. That all depends on if we can find the other horcruxes." Harry spoke next.
"I actually think that his snake might be a horcrux. I could feel presence of dark magic when she wrapped around Draco and I to protect us. We're going to have to come up with a plan to kill that enormous fucking snake." Moody shook his head.
"I still can't believe you gave up the edge of nobody knowing that you can talk to snakes." Hermione's gaze turned hard and her voice was steel.
"It was either give up the secret or let the snake attack me and my father blow his cover. I think I made the right decision." Professor McGonagall stepped in before the auror could further the argument.
"Hermione made the right decision. Don't question her judgement since she's the one who was there and none of us were." Dumbledore finally put his input into the conversation.
"While there were things that could have been handled better, things are done now and there is no changing them. We need to come up with a plan that will satisfy our time constraints, among other things. Although, I think that now is far from the best time to do so." Remus rubbed his hands over his thighs and spoke quietly.
"Lets all take a few days and see what kind of ideas we can come up with on our own. We'll get together and brainstorm and go from there. It didn't sound like he was putting a ridiculous time constraint on Hermione, so we may have a few weeks before she needs to report back." Hermione was grateful for the werewolf's words. She was exhausted and even though her ankle was healed, it was still sore. Professor McGonagall stood and made a sweeping motion for everyone to stand.
"I agree with Remus. It's already past two a.m. and Hermione has been injured. I think that waiting a few days before we meet again is a wonderful idea. Let us all adjourn." The Headmaster stood and began ushering everyone towards the door. Sirius and Arthur headed towards the floo while Kingsley and Moody dashed for the door, obviously intent on making their way to the edge of the grounds so they could apparate. Remus left behind them, bound for his own quarters, McGonagall right behind him. Hermione let Draco and Harry pull her to her feet and this time it was Harry that swept her in his arms. She couldn't help a small giggle at his actions.
"My ankle is healed. Remus just told me to take it easy." Harry kissed her forehead while she wrapped her arms around his neck much the same way that she had to Draco.
"We thought that you were going to die. Indulge us." Hermione sighed and watched as Draco opened the door that led them down the stairs to the griffin. Harry was murmuring soft words in her ears when there was a shout from behind them. Severus had followed them down the stairs and was bearing down on them, anger clearly clouding his features.
"Don't you dare walk away from me." This time, it was Draco that turned and stepped between Hermione and Severus.
"You left us out there on the grounds because you were pissed off at her. You don't get to tell her to not walk away from you." Hermione leaned forward and laid a hand on Draco's shoulder, gesturing for him to not get in the middle of it. He shot her a look but, in the end, capitulated. He stepped back, and Harry set her on the ground.
"What do you need to say, father?" She had never called Severus father. She had begun their journey together calling him Professor Snape, then Severus, and finally Dad. He reached forward and took hold of her wrist, so he could drag her into one of the empty classrooms. Though her ankle was healed, it still stung when she put weight on it. She hissed slightly as he pulled her into the nearest classroom, quickly warding both of her mates out. Hermione adopted the same stance she used when she met her grandfather: head high and chin out, back ramrod straight, shoulders back, with her hands relaxed at her side. Her father sneered her way.
"You are a fucking idiot, Hermione. Do you know what could have happened today? Do you need me to tell you?" Hermione knew that he really didn't want an answer, he wanted to rage at her, so he could feel better about the risk that she had taken for him.
"You could have died. He could have discovered the lie in Draco's mind and he would have tortured all three of you. I'm no match for my father so I would have had to watch you die. I would have had to lose you all over again and you don't even care. You say that you love me, but you don't. You're selfish and you don't care who you hurt as long as you come out on top. How do you think I would have felt if I had to watch you be tortured and die? You don't give a fuck and I'm sick of it." Even though her father had a justified reason to be angry she couldn't just stand there and take it.
"You tell me that you trust me, and you know I can take care of myself. Even though I proved it tonight you tell me that I'm selfish even though I did everything that I did for you. I couldn't bear to watch you lose face in front of all your fellow Death Eaters, I couldn't bear to hear you be ridiculed and talked about behind your back, fuck, probably in front of your face. I did this for you and you've been nothing but ungrateful. I understand that you're angry and I understand that you're not going to get over it in one night, but you could at least give me the benefit of the doubt and trust that I prepared not only myself but Harry and Draco for this evening. You don't even acknowledge what we put into this, you only want to yell, scream, and hurt me. You dragged me how far after you had sprained my ankle? I just had to face the whole of that room and admit that my father didn't give enough of a shit about my welfare to make sure that I was alright, he just kept on going so he could guarantee himself a good seat at the meeting, so he could run me in to the ground. You've done nothing tonight to show me that you care about me except for trying to get yourself killed when Nagini came after me, which I had to save your arse from as well. I may be reckless, and I may represent everything you hate about Gryffindors but at least you can't doubt that I love you. I did all of that for you, the retaining information for the war was just an added benefit. After tonight, I'm convinced that if I don't walk the line you draw for me, I'll be cast aside like yesterday's rubbish. Fuck you, Severus." Hermione hadn't been prepared for what happened next.
Her father's hand, quick as lightning, snapped out and backhanded her across the cheek. It wasn't enough to turn her head or even to bring tears to her eyes, but she knew her sensitive skin and she knew that there was a handprint on her cheek. Her father's hand traveled to her long curls, so they could take a handful in his fist and force her to look at him.
"Don't you ever say that complete and utter bullshite to me again. You have no idea how I feel, and you have no idea what it was like for me watching you face you grandfather. You don't get to make me feel guilty for being angry. If you're going to act like spoiled teenage brat, I'm going to treat you like one. From here on out, you will sleep in Gryffindor Tower and you will not see those boys outside of curfew. I will no longer provide you with contraceptive potion, you will have to learn to abstain from your abnormal sex life with those two idiot boys. You will do as I say or so help me God you won't leave the house come summer." Hermione truly couldn't control the burst of magic that poured out of her and threw her father into the wall behind him. She knew that she would feel guilty when she had cooled off but at the moment you couldn't have paid her to care. She waited until her father had gained enough of his senses back to pay attention to her.
"You don't get to tell me what to do because legally Dumbledore is my guardian. Even if he forbade me from seeing my mates, it wouldn't matter. Nobody will keep me from them. I never said you didn't have a right to be angry, I said you were handling it the wrong way. At least I'm finally acting teenaged since I've never had the option before. To be honest, it feels pretty great. You can try to tell me what to do all you want but it won't work. I'll continue to do as I damn well please. You don't respect or trust me, why the fuck should I return the favor? For the record, I never asked you to make the contraceptive potion for me. I'll make due with the charm or make it myself, I don't need you to make it." Hermione knew she was going to regret her next words but now she didn't care.
"If my sex life is so abnormal and you're so embarrassed, feel free to renounce me. It's obvious that I'm not the daughter you wanted or imagined so just cut me loose. As for not leaving your house, I won't be at your house. I'll be at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Remus where they give a fuck about me. I never said that you had no right to be angry, but I can't deal with this shite. I'm done." She could see the pain cross her father's face, but she didn't care. He had struck her after she had put her life on the line for him and had shown her no respect or trust. She couldn't continue with this relationship if this was the way that it was going to go.
Even though her ankle was throbbing, Hermione spun on her heel and removed her father's wards. Once she was back out in the corridor, she couldn't hold back the sob that tore through her. Harry and Draco were instantly by her side and it was Harry that took her face in his hands. He saw the red mark on her face and fury lit him inside, somewhere down deep. Draco laid his hand over one of Harry's before he spoke.
"Did that motherfucker hit you?" Hermione couldn't stop the rush of tears at his words. She shook her head no even though it was completely clear that she was lying.
"It doesn't matter, I just want to go to our Room. We need to go now before he comes out here. He forbids me to sleep there with the two of you anymore." Harry didn't wait for any more words before he stalked off into the room she had just vacated. Only a minute passed before he returned and both he and Draco helped her to her feet once again. They didn't carry her but they both propped her between themselves and carefully led her through the corridors.
At her slower pace, it took quite a bit of time to reach the seventh floor from the second, but in the end, they made it. Hermione was not only emotional, she was exhausted beyond words as well. Both her boys seemed to realize this, and they used magic to change her out of her clothes and into a clean tank top and panties. She had really wanted a shower, but she just didn't see that in the cards for the night.
Hermione was in bed before she even realized what was happening. As much as she usually hated for other to take control of her life, she relished it today. She wanted nothing more than to hand over the reins to someone else and let them deal with all her problems while she slept. Both boys crawled in next to her and she sighed in complete happiness when Draco pulled her into his shoulder and chest while Harry snuggled up behind her, his arm thrown protectively around her waist.
As she drifted off to sleep, she could think of nothing more than what had occurred between herself and her father. She truly didn't understand why it had been taken to such an extreme tonight, but she had calmed enough to regret her part of it. It couldn't be one-sided; however, her father would have to want forgiveness as well. Hermione tried to avert her mind from the evenings contents; she needed her rest and it was quite plain that both her boys were going to make sure that she got it regardless of what she thought.
She smiled into Draco's chest, threaded her fingers through Harry's hand landing possessively on Draco's stomach and let her happy thoughts of her mates ease her into sleep. Hermione could only hope that there were no nightmares.
-O-
Severus was sipping his seventh glass of fire whiskey in his quarters; the fact that he was in his favorite armchair did nothing to help his current mood. He was still livid, angrier than he had ever been in his life, but he also knew that he had fucked up. He had fucked up big time and he wasn't sure that he could come back from the damage that he had done to the relationship between himself and his daughter.
Hermione couldn't possibly understand what it was like to be in his position and watch her almost get herself killed defending him, trying to make his life better. She couldn't even imagine one tenth of the pain that he had felt at tonight's revelations. However, that being said, none of his actions had been warranted and he regretted them all deeply.
He had known that she was hurt when he landed after apparition, yet he had continued to drag her for several feet afterwards, wanting to humiliate her and teach her a lesson. Severus had heard her cry out in pain when he forced her to her feet, but he hadn't cared a whit that she was hurt and freezing. At the moment it had felt justified, but not it just seemed like he was heartless prick.
Truthfully, he was a heartless prick. He had known what his actions were doing to her, he had known that she would rebel when he tried to control her actions regarding her mates, but that hadn't stopped him. He wanted nothing more than to regain control again by any means necessary and in the end, it had backfired in his face. Not that he blamed her. He hadn't been her parent her whole life and his one attempt at being one in the seven months since discovering his identity had been fueled by anger and fear. She had been right to tell him to fuck off and he didn't blame her for her actions.
Hermione had done nothing to warrant any of his actions against her; sure, he had every reason to be angry with her for going behind his back and concocting a plan, he had every right to be angry that she executed said plan without a single word. He even had the right to be angry that she didn't seem the least bit sorry, but he didn't have the right to react as he had.
Severus had struck his only daughter. When she had been born, despite pureblood upbringing depending on physical punishment, he had sworn to himself that he would never strike his daughter because he knew all too well what if felt like. His step-father had abused him without remorse and the pain and degradation that followed that treatment had stayed with Severus. He had told himself that he would never strike any children he had and tonight he had broken that promise. H would deserve it if she never spoke to him again.
He chugged back yet another drink of fire whiskey and poured himself another. He knew he would regret it in the morning, but he needed all the help he could get in forgetting the events of that evening. Severus had been terrified beyond measure that his daughter would be killed, she had come close in fact, and his heart had damn near stopped.
She hadn't been lying when she said that he had damn near blown his cover to save her when Nagini started after her. Severus had been fully aware of what such an action would do, and he hadn't cared a whit. He had been determined to save his little girl but, in the end, it hadn't been necessary because she had betrayed a secret that had given her an edge. Yes, it had been the smartest thing to do but if she had just listened to him in the first place, the revealing of secrets wouldn't have even been necessary.
Hermione had been foolish in her actions and she had been right. He hadn't trusted her in the slightest. While he was unhappy with her actions, she had done nothing to warrant his mistrust and that was what made the whole situation worse. He hadn't trusted her, and he should have. That didn't mean that he was happy with her actions, quite the opposite, but now he had nobody to blame but himself. She had put her trust in him clear back in first year after he had proven to them that he had been protecting the Philosopher's Stone. Even though she had done nothing to warrant his mistrust, he hadn't trusted her and this was where it had landed him.
Severus knew that he had to fix this between them but was totally unsure as to how. Obviously, it would require an apology, something that he could manage, but after that he was clueless. He hoped that she would clue him in and tell him what to do because he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to ask. Potter had never made him feel better for leaving his daughter in the company of himself and Draco. When he had stalked back in the classroom where Severus was still gathering his wits, Potter had leaned down over the top of him menacingly. His mouth had been close to his ear so even if someone else had been present they wouldn't have heard him.
"If you touch her ever again, I'll kill you and they won't find your body. It will kill me to watch her mourn you because she certainly will, but I'll manage. This is your final warning, Snape. You will welcome death once I'm done with you."
Severus was a dark wizard, there was no denying that. He found dark things or threats to be a turn on; that was part of his attraction to Alexandra. She loved receiving and inflicting pain during sex, not something that many light wizards or witches prided themselves on. To hear Harry threaten him as such made his heart soar. Even though it went against every bone in his body, he was willing to care for his little girl and remove the threat. While he had expected this behavior from Draco, another dark wizard like himself, Potter had taken him by surprise.
Even though he was on the receiving end of the threat, Severus felt reassured that the two boys would care for his daughter if anything ever happened to him. At this point, however, that wouldn't matter since she likely wasn't speaking to him anyways. Severus didn't blame her; he would have been just as angry, if not more so, if the shoe had been on the other foot.
Severus drank down his ninth glass of fire whiskey before he set the cup aside and staggered his way to the bed. He didn't even bother taking his clothing off, just his shoes and he kicked them off over the side of the bed. He was going to have a hangover the next morning, but Severus didn't care; he deserved whatever he ended up with and he hoped that Hermione would see him suffering so she would be more likely to forgive him.
While he wasn't sure that she would ever forgive him, he still held hope in his heart. She was his daughter and she had said hurtful things as well. Severus knew that she was tender hearted and the things she had said were probably weighing down her conscience now that she had cooled down. Even though it was Slytherin and morally wrong, he hoped that her guilt would urge her to forgive him as well. The last thing that he wanted was to lose his daughter to the disaster that had occurred tonight.
Severus flopped onto his bed and tried not to let the dizziness overtake him when he came to a stop. His thoughts were hazy as he laid his head on the pillow. He decided that come morning, he would summon Hermione to his classroom and grovel before her, begging for him to forgive her. Even though he had plenty to be righteously angry about, he had taken his reaction way to far and it had caused far more of a rift that he had expected. His eyes fell close as he decided on his course of action.
The only thing that kept him from reliving losing his daughter in his dreams was the fact that he remembered throughout the dreams that he was going to apologize and win his daughter back.
A/N- Errrr maaaaa gerrddddd, this is the longest chapter so far. I seriously wrote it all in one day while my daughter was in a drug-induced coma, lol. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Leave me your thoughts and let me know what you think, reviews make me smile so much.
For the record, I want to reiterate to everyone out there that I do not mean to portray child abuse. I was backhanded many times as a child, so I don't really look at Severus' actions as child abuse. That may offend some of you, but this is my story. Hope you all continue to read!
Next up, Harry gets a lead on the next horcrux.
Love,
Alicia