A/N- I know I said before that I wanted to draw this out and make this story last but it's summertime now and that's the most insane time for my family, therefore, I'm going to try to get a new chapter out every week. I hope to only to only take a few weeks off before the next story begins but I have no idea if that is accurate. I've never finished a story in the summertime before, ha-ha. To everyone that has remained loyal and continued to read and review, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You keep me writing even when I'm sure that I want to give it up.
Disclaimer: I don't own a darn thing, in fact, I could credit every aspect of this story to another author aside from the personal twist that I've put on the plot.
Chapter 44
April 19, 1996
Harry heaved a sigh as the bell rang to head to Herbology. Breakfast had been full of excited chatter by most of the Gryffindor table since it was the last day of classes before Easter break. The students would be taking the Express back to King's Cross the following morning and most everyone was excited.
That did not apply, however, to those that belonged to the D.A. None of them were silent but they were more muted than the other students. Their meeting with the Defense Association had taken place three days ago and it had gone better than he had originally thought that it would.
*Flashback*
The end of the meeting was upon them, and Harry knew that they had to tell everyone involved what was going to be happening on Easter. Harry knew that Hermione was extremely nervous since she couldn't tell them the whole plan and had to hope that they wouldn't lose hope in her once they saw her shoot Dumbledore down. He and Draco had done their best to dispel her fears, but he also knew that they hadn't been successful.
Remus was in attendance, he usually was these days, and he had assured Hermione that he would be more than happy to handle the more difficult questions if they made her uncomfortable. Harry also knew that Hermione had prepared a parchment for everyone to sign to ensure that nobody would go blabbing their secrets before Easter. Remus was unaware of this part, but Harry really didn't think that he would object.
"Everyone gather around, we have something important that we want to talk to you about." All the students stopped their casting and moved closer to the front of the room where Harry was standing by himself. Hermione and Draco moved to his side, Remus standing slightly off to the side, silently showing his support. Everyone waited eagerly for Harry to begin. Rather than take the burden from Hermione, he allowed her to step forward and do what she was determined to do on her own. She smoothed her skirt nervously before squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin.
"What I'm about to tell you is highly confidential information. I'm passing around a parchment that everyone needs to sigh. It's cursed so that if you talk about what you hear here tonight, your tongue will be permanently stuck to the roof of your mouth. You will no longer have the ability to speak. If you aren't willing to sign, please feel free to leave. Nobody will look at you any differently if that is your choice."
To his complete and utter surprise, the parchment made its way around the room and every single person in there signed it. There were a few people that were reluctant to put their names down but, in the end, they decided that they didn't want to be left out of whatever was going on. Once the parchment was back in Hermione's hands and she had made sure that every single person had signed it, she tucked it away in her robes and met their gazes once more.
"There is no easy way to say this. The Order of the Phoenix has been able to lay a trap for Lord Voldemort. He and most of his Death Eaters will be arriving during Easter dinner to take over the school and then later the Ministry. His followers outnumber the Order and even the aurors so we're turning to you for help. We will be allowing those fifth year and above to fight with us if you so choose. This in no way means that you're required to stay behind and fight, I don't want anyone to think that. This right here is giving you the option. You don't have to answer right now but we do need to know your answer by the 19th." The room was silently in shock for the next minute. Terry Boot was the first to recover.
"How do you know that You-Know-Who is going to be here for sure? Surely, he's not stupid enough to believe lies. I heard he can read people's minds." Hermione nodded his way.
"Yes, he can read minds. However, the person that has laid the trap can keep him out of their mind without him even realizing it. He trusts this person implicitly. I really can't go into details but know that every word I just told you is the truth." Harry could tell that the questions were only going to keep coming and it would put Hermione in a precarious position, so he stepped forward again.
"I know that you all have questions, but we can't answer them. If you don't want to fight, the only thing required of you is to go home and keep your mouths shut. I, for one, won't be on the Express, I'll be biding my time, so I can take that snake bastard down." Draco stepped forward next.
"I'm with these two, I'll be putting my wand to good use and fighting those that want to tell me that I can't be with Hermione and Harry because of their blood."
The twins instantly stepped forward and made sure to declare that they would be fighting also, Neville next. Since Ginny and Luna were too young to fight, they remained silent, but Harry knew that both would be helping Madam Pomfrey at the very least. Dean and Seamus were the next to declare that they were ready to fight, Ron, Lavender, and Parvati following suit. All the Gryffindors had committed themselves to the fight before Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw started.
Harry barely held back a grin when everyone in the room looked surprised when Theo stepped forward and declared that he would be fighting along with them. It was well-known that his father was a Death Eater and would cut Theo down if he saw him acting as anything but a proper pureblood scion.
There were still several people that hadn't committed themselves to fighting but Harry could take that. They still had several days to think about it and the Order would accept whatever decision they made. Even though the D.A. was comprised of witches and wizards that were underaged, they were well-trained thanks to Harry and he had every confidence that they would even out the odds in the coming battle.
*End of Flashback*
Harry took Hermione's hand while Draco wrapped an arm around her waist, both guiding her out of the castle to Herbology. It was the last day of classes so there would only be exams today, something that kept Hermione's mind off the coming battle. She was scared to death that she would fail her tests and end up kicked out of Hogwarts. Completely ridiculous, but it did no good to tell her that that just wasn't possible.
The trio entered Greenhouse 3 and took their usual seats. Neville, Dean, and Seamus were seated at the table next to them with Ron, Lavender, and Parvati behind them. Harry still couldn't believe that all three of them had signed the parchment they had passed around during the D.A. meeting, especially after seeing the reaction Ron had when they had told him the night they met with the twins, Neville, Ginny, and Luna. They hadn't caused a scene though, just stepped forward and pledged their wands to the fight. As much as he didn't like the three of them, he could respect them for their decision.
Professor Sprout was in fine form, magically passing out their exams. Hermione was taking deep, calming breaths, trying to ready herself for the exam he was sure. He smiled her way, shaking his head softly at how ridiculous she was. Draco was doing the same thing, only smirking rather than smiling. Professor Sprout called for them to start so Harry bent to this exam and did his best.
Herbology was by far his least favorite class so he struggled with spending time to study it. Hermione wouldn't hear of ignoring the subject, however, so Harry felt that he was pretty well-prepared for the exam. He noticed that Hermione finished long before he did and was rechecking her answers, adding in who knew what. Draco had also just finished when Harry answered his last question. Where Draco did like Hermione and went through the exam again to make sure that his answers were correct, Harry didn't. He turned it in, knowing that if he went over it, he would begin to doubt his answers and would probably end up doing worse.
Hermione ended up being the last person to turn her exam in and Harry could only shake his head again in exasperation. She had went through her finished exam four times, making sure that all her answers were correct and fully answered. Draco was leaned over and was whispering something to her once her exam had floated to the Professor's desk. Harry couldn't hear him, but he was well aware that his best friend was scolding her for worrying about a simple exam so much.
The trio rose from their seats when the bell rang and started back for the castle. They had Charms next and Harry felt much better about that exam. Where he had absolutely no interest in Herbology, he did enjoy Charms. Not as much as Defense, mind you, but it was his second favorite class.
There was still a slight chill to the air as they walked across the grounds, spring well and truly in the air. The sun was shining today and there were birds chirping somewhere in the distance. It was a day that Harry would have loved to spend on a broom, up in the air, but he was stuck in the castle taking his exams. Hermione and Draco looked just as sad to be heading back inside.
They found the Charms classroom quickly, taking their usual seats there as well. Harry couldn't help but wonder just why it was that all the students sat at tables for at least two in Hogwarts whereas in his muggle school they were seated individually. He was pulled from his inner thoughts by Professor Flitwick passing out their exams and wasting no time in telling them that they were able to begin.
Harry breezed through this exam, easily answered all the questions. He wasn't worried when he turned it in, confident in his answers. Hermione and Draco were still working diligently on their exams, so Harry pulled out his Defense text to study for that exam. It was to take place after lunch, their last class before the holiday started.
He was lost in the world of stunning spells and the like when the bell rang, and Professor Flitwick dismissed them with a flourish of his wand. They gathered their bags and started for the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione was quietly despairing to the pair of them.
"I know that I got questions four, eight, nineteen, and twenty-six wrong, I'm going to fail it." Draco couldn't stop from rolling his eyes, so Harry decided to field the situation.
"'Mi, I know for a fact that you didn't fail that test. All those questions were answers that I know that I got right, and you are the one who helped me study. If I got them right, you got them right." She calmed slightly at his words before shooting him a smile.
"I know you think I'm being ridiculous, both of you do, but I can't help but worry that I'm going to fail everything, I'll be told that I can't be a witch anymore, and I'll be sent off to live in the muggle world alone. Irrational fears, I know, but I can't help it." Draco leaned over and kissed the side of her head.
"That will never happen, Princess. If by some freak accident that you failed everything and got kicked out of the wizarding world, Harry and I would follow you to the muggle word. You wouldn't be alone. Not to mention your father would be along for the ride too." She grinned at the blond and Harry knew that the crisis had been averted. Maybe Hermione wouldn't stress out so badly for their last exam of the day.
The trio entered the Great Hall together and made their way to the Gryffindor table. They had eaten lunch and dinner with the Slytherins the day before, so Harry was more than happy to be back at their usual table. The snakes didn't bother him so much anymore, but he was far more comfortable with the lions surrounding him.
They settled into their usual seats and Harry grabbed the roast chicken and potatoes, so he could serve some to not only himself but Hermione as well. He knew that it irritated her when they served her plate, but they continued to do it anyway. She was always the one taking care of them and this was one way that they could care for her. Even though she hated it, she allowed the practice to continue. They had just started to dig into their meal when Fred leaned over and waved his wand around them, assuring them that nobody else could hear their conversation. George leaned over now to open the conversation.
"We thought about what you asked of us, 'Mi, and I think that we can help you out. We want your opinions before we take it to the meeting tonight." Harry groaned inwardly.
There was a meeting after dinner with the whole of the Order and some of the students involved. It was purely to go over their strategy and hammer out any problems before the day was upon them. Harry was looking forward to it as much as he would have been looking forward to fucking Lavender again. Not at all. It was going to consist of Dumbledore grandstanding and trying to take the credit for their hard work and he was sure that McGonagall was going to put him in his place. He would much rather spend the evening in the arms of Hermione while Draco fucked her from behind. Hermione, though, was apparently of a different opinion since she nodded her agreement. Fred continued.
"We have made what we can a portable swamp. It's basically sludge that if you step in it, you get stuck there. For this fight, however, we've modified it. We've thinned it out a little, so it won't be as noticeable to those that aren't looking for it. Not only would they be stuck and unable to move, we also created a spell that when cast at the swamp, it would be like muggle electricity hitting them. Probably not enough to kill them, but enough to make them drop their wands. Once the wands are in the swamp there won't be any getting picked up. We would have to make sure that our side was aware of what stepping in it would mean so they would be careful. Truthfully, though, we think we should only set it off in one area. Much bigger of an area and we could all end up paying the same price as the Death Eaters."
Harry thought the idea was brilliant; the more Death Eaters they could relieve of their wands, the more they wouldn't have to worry about. Hermione looked a little leery, probably scared that one of their side would get caught in it, lose their wands, and then get hit with something deadly by someone outside of the swamp. He had the same fears, but they would have to reiterate to their side that staying out of the swamp was a matter of life and death. Hermione finally nodded reluctantly.
"I'm not sure what to think about this. It could be a great boon to our side if our people weren't caught up in it and hit while defenseless by Death Eaters not in the swamp. It makes me nervous, but I think this could help us out a lot. I say we bring it up at the meeting." Harry reached out and rubbed her thigh, knowing that she hated making decisions like this that could lead to their friends and family getting hurt. The twins beamed at her, smiles wide on their faces.
"We'll make sure that everyone knows. Maybe we can come up with some sort of bracelet or something that would keep the electricity from flowing through them, that way they could keep their wands if they got stuck. We'll start working on it this afternoon, we've already finished all our exams." Now Hermione grinned at them, much happier with this idea.
"That would be wonderful. I'm just scared of someone on our side getting hurt." Harry kissed the side of her head.
"We know, 'Mi, and we love you for it." The twins both nodded before turning back to their food. Hermione wandlessly canceled the silencing charm so they could all go back to their meals.
The rest of lunch passed by without incident. The younger students were loud enough to cover the fact that most of the upper year lions were quiet as church mice. Harry could see that there were worried faces throughout the Great Hall, but he could also see determination and a will to fight and win. If they didn't win this battle, they would all go down fighting. This thought should have frightened him, but it didn't. If anything, it made him feel better. He wasn't sure that he wanted to go through life without Hermione and Draco at his side. He was certain that they felt the same way.
The bell rang, dismissing them from lunch to make their way to their next class. Defense Against the Dark Arts with Remus was sure to be an interesting exam since the werewolf had refused to tell them what their exam would consist of. They traversed the six floors of the castle to their friend's classroom only to find that all the desks were shoved to the side of the room, leaving a large empty spot in the middle. Remus was waiting for them inside, smiling softly at their obvious confusion.
"Come in, everyone, put your bags on the desks at the end of the room. This isn't going to be a conventional exam by any means. In fact, we're going to be dueling. For the duration of this year, we've focused on protective and offensive spells. Now, we're going to put them into use and see where you stand against your peers. You won't fail if you're beat, don't worry about that. You'll be graded on your spells and their strengths, if they're cast correctly, and the reaction time you have when spells are sent your way."
Harry was thrilled. He loved practical classes and the fact that Remus had made their exam practical as well was awesome. He was quick to lay his bag out on the desks that Remus indicated, just as the rest of the class was. Only Hermione seemed to be disappointed at the thought of no written exam.
Remus quickly paired them up and told them that they would be fighting in front of the class. The winners of these pairs would be paired with the other winners, so on and so forth until there was only one person left standing. Hermione looked less than thrilled with this and Harry had a feeling that it was because she was going to have to temper her power, so she didn't flatten the whole class. All she wanted was to be able to practice at full power but there wasn't a chance that she could do that unless it was against her father. Harry knew that he and Draco had faster reflexes than she did, were extremely powerful, but she had ten times the power that they did. If she ever landed a curse, it would obliterate them.
The first round found Harry pitted against Goyle, Draco against Dean, and Hermione against Lavender. Lavender looked terrified at the pairing, clearly not wanting to face off against Hermione. Several pairs went before Draco and Dean were called to the middle of the room. Their duel was fast and furious, both casting spells and shields left and right. It was clear to Harry, however, that Draco was just toying with him. When he finally decided to end it, he had disarmed Dean and had him flat on his back in seconds.
Pansy fought Parvati next before Harry and Goyle were called forward. Harry really did try to give the Slytherin a chance; nobody wanted to tell their parents that they had failed an exam. His spells were sloppy, however, and the Gryffindor just didn't see them getting any better. He didn't give him even half as long as Draco gave Dean before he disarmed him and turned him into a kitten. The crowd went wild behind him, but Harry chalked it up to the fact that it was because he was the Boy-Who-Lived.
Daphne faced Theo next, Theo winning within minutes of their duel beginning. Hermione clapped enthusiastically for her brother until her name came up next. Harry could see that she was confident in going up against Lavender in a duel. They bowed to each other and when Remus called for them to start, they both went on the offensive.
Hermione wasn't really trying, of that Harry was one hundred percent sure. Her spells were lazy, her shields weak, and she always waited a moment too long to cast. Lavender was growing more confident at the fact that Hermione hadn't knocked her on her arse yet. Her spells were getting bolder and she couldn't help but gloat just a little bit.
"What's wrong, Granger, can beat me up but you can't win against me in a duel?" Harry only shook his head at the stupidity of the blond girl. Hermione narrowed her eyes before she casually flicked her wand, hitting Lavender's shield with a stunning spell that was strong enough to make her shield flicker and disappear. Hermione quickly cast another stunner her way, nailing Lavender right in the face. Hermione didn't wait for Remus to say anything, she strode over to the fallen Gryffindor and woke her up. Hermione was positively glaring.
"I was allowing you to show that you could duel, allowing you to get a good grade. Now everyone saw just how simple it was for me to beat you. Thanks for a passing grade." Hermione made her way back over to himself and Draco, the class silent around them. Remus waited for Lavender to stand and go back to Ron and Parvati before he spoke.
"Hermione was the winner and that was our last pair. All those that didn't win, please go take your seats at the end of the room. The rest of you, I'll pair you up on the board."
Harry started rubbing Hermione's shoulders, kneading the knots that always managed to appear when she was stressed. Draco had hold of her hand and was rubbing her knuckles with his thumb, the combination making their girl melt into Harry. When Remus stepped back from the board, Harry felt an irrational sense of rage. Not because he was paired with Theo or because Draco was paired with Seamus, but because Hermione was paired with Ron. That was the last person that she had any business being paired with. Hermione's breath hitched against him and he couldn't help but to tighten his hold on her shoulders. She turned and kissed his hand, still gripping her shoulders tight.
"Don't worry about me, I'll kick his arse. He has it coming." Harry did his best not to worry. She had threatened to kill her grandfather and the Gryffindor truly believed that she could have. Ron was nothing compared to Voldemort, especially when she knew that he was coming at her.
Draco faced Seamus first, taking his time to let the Irish boy show what he had. After several minutes, Draco grew tired of toying with him and simply stunned him. Once he revived him, Seamus congratulated him and told him that he had done well. To say that Draco was gob smacked would have been an understatement. Blaise and Faye were next, Blaise beating her after several minutes. Harry was called to compete next, giving Theo a genuine bow.
The pair went at each other for several minutes with neither of them giving an inch. Harry knew that he could beat him, he had done so several times in their D.A. meetings, but he didn't want to humiliate his mate's brother. He was a decent guy and she wouldn't want him to look bad. After ten minutes of going back and forth, Harry ended it by stunning Theo just a second before he could cast his shield. The crowd went wild, for both apparently since the Slytherins were cheering too. Theo was revived in just moments and grinned openly at Harry before telling him job well done.
Hermione was called to the center of the room to face off against Ron. Harry thought that the look on his face was more menacing than usual, but he kept telling himself that it was just in his head, that Ron wouldn't dare try anything in front of a professor, even one that was considered friends with his family. When Remus called for them to begin, it was clear that Hermione was toying with him.
The redhead was throwing everything he had into all his spells. Harry couldn't help but worry that one of his spells would get through and hurt Hermione. If that happened, he wasn't sure that he could keep control of himself and not kill the rat bastard. It was quite clear that the rest of the room knew exactly what had happened between the pair dueling because they were all sitting on the edges of their seats just waiting for something to happen.
When it did happen, Harry could tell that it was on purpose. There was no way that Hermione had shielded that slow on purpose. Since Ron was casting cutting curses her way, one slipped past and caught her on the top of her shoulder, blood blossoming on her white oxford. Harry knew that it was deeper cut than she had planned on getting but now the real Hermione had been unleashed. This was what she had been waiting for. She had let him get the first curse through so when she destroyed him, it would look as if he had started it.
"That's for what you did to Lavender, you crazy bitch." Hermione didn't say a word, she simply grinned at her ex-best friend and cast a blasting curse strong enough to destroy his shield. Once his shield was down, Hermione cast a cutting curse of her own that slashed across his chest, opening his oxford wide, blood spilling down his abdomen. With a silent expelliarmus, his wand was in her hand and the room went wild.
Lavender rushed to Ron's side, her face a picture of worry while Remus looked horrified and surprised all at the same time. Harry and Draco went to Hermione's side, so they could inspect the wound on her shoulder. Even though there was a large amount of blood making its way down her torso, Ron was bleeding more. Both boys were trying to convince her to for go the rest of the class when the redhead went to his feet and stalked over to her, hand held out.
"My wand." Hermione grinned at him.
"That's for what you did to me, you sick rapist wannabe." The whole room went completely silent at his words, but nobody stepped in, not even Remus. When the silence stretched to almost two minutes, Remus stepped forward to make the peace.
"Mr. Weasley, you're free to go to the Hospital Wing for treatment. Miss Granger are you able to continue or do you need the Hospital Wing as well?" Both boys were hissing at her to go get treated but she ignored them.
"I'm more than ready to continue, Professor." Harry couldn't believe that she had ignored them. He reached out and grabbed a hank of her hair to yank on it, exposing her throat to him. His words in her ear were harsh.
"I'm beating your arse tonight. You should have gone to the Hospital Wing to be treated. How dare you ignore us?" Harry could instantly see that he had pushed her too far.
Hermione was the most submissive witch he had ever met in bed. She loved for them to have their way with her in whatever way they decided was the best. There were no complaints, not even when they drove her to tears because they had denied her for so long. This did not hold true for their life outside of the bedroom, however. Hermione was very much in control of her own life and her own destiny. Harry couldn't even admit surprise when she shrugged him off her and glared at him.
"I dare because I can. I don't recall you being my father and I don't recall telling you that you would be making decisions for me. I may let you have control in the bedroom but that extends no further. I'm in charge of my own life. If you can't handle that, find someone else who can. For the record, I may let you spank me, but you will never beat me." Harry could see the fury in her eyes and he couldn't blame her. He had taken it a step too far and the only way to fix it would be to apologize and hope that she accepted it. Before that could happen, however, she was called forward for the next duel, her against Blaise.
The duel was fast and furious, and Harry could tell that her responses were just a tiny bit slower due to her wound. It was several minutes before she ended Blaise with a well-placed disarming spell. He grinned at her, clearly thrilled that he had made it as far as he had. Harry and Draco were called up next, the last pair to go before the final.
Their duel was something that had happened several times in the past. They were usually the ones to demonstrate in the D.A. since neither wanted to imagine casting spells at Hermione. This duel lasted almost twenty minutes before Draco was tripped up by one of his shoelaces that had come untied. Harry used the moment to his advantage and disarmed his best friend, both grinning widely at each other. The class was clapping like crazy, so Remus waited until they had settled before he announced the final pair.
"The final pair will be Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Whoever wins will be awarded no homework for the first week back to school."
Harry wasn't quite sure how this was going to play out. He really didn't want to fight Hermione, but he also really wanted to have no homework for a week. He knew that she could beat him within minutes if she really wanted to, so he really had no idea what to do. He had just finally decided to let her win since she was angry with him when Remus called for them to begin. To his great surprise, Hermione dropped her wand on the ground and turned to Remus.
"I withdraw. If you need to fail me, do it." Harry couldn't believe that she had just handed the victory to him. His confusion must have shown on his face because she narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm very angry with you. The last thing that should happen is for me to turn my wand on you. That's just a recipe for disaster. Congratulations." She didn't give him a chance to speak before she made her way to her bag, picked it up and slung it over her shoulder, and left. Harry met eyes with Draco as Remus started to speak.
"Harry Potter is our winner, thus winning a week of no homework when we return from the holidays. Class dismissed." Harry and Draco wasted no time in gathering their things, so they could follow Hermione out of the classroom and to the Hospital Wing. Draco spoke first.
"Were you serious about beating her arse?" Harry could tell that the blond didn't agree with beating, which he really didn't either, but wanted to convey exactly what happened.
"No, I would never beat her black and blue. I was going to spank her and not let her come, I would never hurt her seriously. I love her for Merlin's sake." Draco visibly relaxed at his words.
"You need to tell her that. Yeah, I'm mad that she didn't go straight to the Hospital Wing, but we can't threaten her like that. She's very much in control of her own destiny, her own future, we can't tell her that we control her everyday life if we hope to continue to control her sex life." Harry raked a hand through his hair and nodded.
"I know, I fucked up. I don't want to control her life, but I want her to be safe and get treatment. I didn't go about conveying that in the best of ways."
The pair were silent for the rest of the way to the Hospital Wing. Once they reached the doors, they could hear shouting and it was in that moment that Harry knew exactly why Hermione hadn't wanted to go to the Hospital Wing at the same time as the Weasel.
"You're such a hypocrite, Hermione. You tell me that you aren't a whore, that you deserve to be treated better, but you're currently shagging two men at the same time. That's the very definition of a whore." Harry could tell that Hermione had let her temper get away with her since she was shouting back.
"You would know what a whore was, wouldn't you? You're with Lavender after all. Maybe you should ask her what she and Parvati did with Harry when they weren't even dating? Maybe ask her about all the other blokes she's fucked. I may not be perfect but don't point a finger at me with a term that you've already invited into your bed." Ron threw a bed pan across the room in her direction. Madam Pomfrey was trying to calm them down, trying to get them to stop arguing, but she was failing miserably.
"At least Lavender isn't a frigid bitch. You never would have kept me satisfied, I'm not sure why I even wanted between your thighs. You won't ever find a man that will take you seriously since you've started this shit with those two wastes of space. I hope they knock you up and then realize the mistake they've made and leave you high and dry. You deserve to be all by yourself. You deserve to be miserable." All the glass breaking in the infirmary was what brought Harry and Draco out of their stupor at the door. Hermione had obviously lost control of her magic and she was clearly struggling to keep it from hurting other people. Both boys rushed in, Draco to Hermione's side and Harry to Ron. His wand appeared in his hand, the stunning spell leaving his wand without a second thought. If he had spoken just one more word who knew what Hermione would have done.
Madam Pomfrey was watching from the doorway to her office, terrified expression on her face. Lavender watched on from Ron's side helplessly. Harry turned to see Hermione was stiff as a board, eyes wild, and having no part in Draco comforting her. Knowing that it would have to be a joint effort, he joined Draco at her side. His hands cupped her cheeks while Draco carded his fingers through her hair.
"'Mi, everything is going to be fine. You didn't hurt anyone, and the windows can be replaced. I'll pay for them myself. Don't let yourself lose control, Ronald Weasley isn't worth that." Her breathing slowed, and she finally turned to meet his eyes. He could tell the exact moment when she realized what she had done.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to lose control, I didn't mean to let him get the better of me. That's why I didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing, I knew that he would poke and prod at me until I lost it." Harry leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry too, baby. I never meant that I was going to beat you. I just wanted you to be safe and get treatment as soon as possible. I never thought about what would happen if you went to the Hospital Wing with him. Please forgive me." Hermione nodded, face falling, as she leaned into Draco's side.
"I'm going to be in so much trouble. I broke all the windows and I was terrible to Madam Pomfrey." Harry kissed her softly before he chuckled.
"Madam Pomfrey saw him egging you on, saw him throwing things at you. The glass can be repaired, watch." Harry swept his wand around the room, casting a spell to fix everything in the room. After several seconds, the windows were all back to normal. Lavender was still hovering at Ron's side but remained silent. Madam Pomfrey stepped forward, her features soft.
"I know you didn't mean any harm, Miss Granger. This incident need not leave the Hospital Wing. I should have done more to stop Mr. Weasley from antagonizing you." Even though Harry silently agreed with her, he remained quiet.
The mediwitch moved forward to heal Hermione, Harry and Draco moving back to let her have as much room as she needed. Minutes later, Madam Pomfrey stepped back with a smile.
"You're as good as new. The scar potion will keep you from scarring permanently as long as you take it again in the morning." Harry watched as Hermione grinned at the mediwitch.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I appreciate it. Should I go tell the Professor McGonagall what happened here? It would make it easier on you." The mediwitch smiled this time and then shooed them towards the door.
"I'm telling nobody what happened here, so I see no need for you to tell anyone either. If Mr. Weasley says something, it will be a clear case of his word against mine." Even though Hermione disagreed with this idea in general, she wasn't about to get Madam Pomfrey in trouble. Therefore, she would keep their secret and let Ron bluster about it if that's what made him feel better. There was nobody else present for the fireworks between them, meaning that it truly would be a clear-cut case of his word against hers.
Harry threaded his fingers with Hermione's and started to pull her towards the Great Hall for dinner. He couldn't quite believe it but their free period between Defense and dinner was almost over. It hadn't seemed like that long that they were in the Hospital Wing. Once they were in the corridor, they walked three-wide, Hermione planted firmly in the middle of them. Harry had to make sure that they were alright.
"You're sure that you know I would never seriously hurt you? You know I don't really want to control your life and your decisions?" Hermione squeezed his hand softly.
"I know you don't want to hurt me. I also know that I don't mind getting spanked but it's not okay to threaten me with a beating because I didn't do what you wanted. You can only punish me with my permission and when you act like that you won't ever have my permission." Harry nodded his head.
"I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't make myself very clear in the way that I wanted to. Please forgive me." Hermione smiled at him before wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him close.
"Of course, I forgive you. Just so you know, you owe me a hundred back rubs if I just failed that exam because I was too angry to fight you." Harry and Draco both burst out in laughter.
"I'll give you those hundred back rubs and more even if you didn't fail." She looked very pleased with herself, so Harry didn't comment any further. Their argument had ended on a high note; there was no need to make the situation worse.
The trio entered the Great Hall for dinner, Harry leading the way to the Gryffindor table. They took their usual seats and he wasn't surprised to hear that their duels were the highlight of the conversations. It seemed that nobody was surprised to hear that Harry, Hermione, and Draco had all made it to the top of the tier, having to fight each other. What nobody understood was why Hermione hadn't fought against Harry.
Truthfully, when he thought about it, Harry was glad that Hermione had bowed out of the duel. He knew that he was powerful, even more so with their triad magic fueling him, but he was well-aware that Hermione was ten times more powerful than he was. She could have easily blasted him into pieces if she had been angry enough. Honestly, he wasn't sure that she hadn't been that angry at him when they had been called to duel one another.
Hermione served herself dinner, much to Harry and Draco's irritation. However, considering how their afternoon had gone, they weren't about to say a word about it. Harry was starved so he waited no time whatsoever before he started inhaling the food on his plate. Draco was just as bad as he was, just a touch bit slower. They did employ manners, thank goodness, they never wanted to be as disgusting as Ronald Weasley in that manner.
Dinner passed by quickly, with little to no interference from other students. Some of them wanted to comment on the fact that Hermione had won a duel against her ex-best friend but for the most part, everyone seemed to realize that it was a sore subject between all of them and left it well enough alone.
Once the trio finally excused themselves from dinner, they knew that their meeting time was upon them. They gathered their things, citing that they were tired from all the dueling that the day had to offer. It was quite clear that nobody believed them but there wasn't a single soul that called them out on their lie.
The twins joined them, being of age, while the rest of their friends nodded their encouragement. Harry was surprised to see that nobody was willing to call them out on what they were really doing, especially since they weren't allowed in the planning stages of the attack. The Gryffindor decided to just be grateful for what he was getting.
The five of them made their way to the Room of Requirement, the Headmaster's office being far too small for the meeting of this magnitude. They were the first to arrive, of course, since they were the ones in charge of opening the room. Neither of the twins said a thing when Draco paced the corridor before the door revealed itself to them. These were secrets that they hadn't been privy to before, so Harry was surprised that they remained quiet.
The five of them didn't speak, they simply sat in their bean bags and waited for the others to arrive. The Headmaster was the first, his face in awe of the room that Draco had created. Sirius and Remus were next, followed closely by Professor McGonagall and Snape. The Weasleys showed up together, Bill and Charlie with them, Kingsley following closely behind. There were several other members that Hermione didn't recall ever meeting before Moody showed up, bringing up the rear. The Headmaster held up his hands, bringing the room to silence.
"We're here to do the final planning for the battle taking place in two days' time. I want to go over the schedule and then assign people to where I think they're going to be needed." He paused briefly while he waited for others to argue wit him. When no arguments were forthcoming, he continued.
"First, a wand oath that what you hear today will not be told, written, or portrayed to another person without my permission. If you aren't willing to give this oath, this meeting is at a close for you." Every single member stepped forward without a second thought. It made Hermione just a little sick to consider just how much trust the Headmaster generated. Those that knew him for what he was even cast their votes in the circle though she suspected that it was because they were supporting herself, Harry, and Draco rather than the Headmaster. Once the oaths had all been made, everyone took their seats in the bean bags the Room had provided. The Headmaster alone remained standing.
"I want to point out that there are certain things that we can't tell everyone. I can't tell everyone how we planted the idea for this plan occur. Please know that if we told everyone, there would be a chance that it was leaked and if it made its way back to Tom's ears, our informant would be ruined, and we would never have a chance like this again." One of the lower-level Order members spoke.
"Are you sure that we can trust whoever put this plan in motion? I would hate to get stuck in a battle that Voldemort was ready for and all of us be slaughtered." Harry could see that Hermione tensed at her words but a soft hand to her thigh calmed her. The Headmaster's tone brooked no argument.
"I trust this person one hundred percent. It's not just their life that would be in danger if this fell through. Those important to this person would surely die as well." Harry felt Hermione's magic swell outward at the Headmaster's words. He knew that it was in response to the old man saying that he and Draco would die. Draco started running his hands down her spine while Harry held her hand. He leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"We're not going to die, don't get upset." She gave him a slight smile as she nodded. The Headmaster continued.
"I want you to know that this person is going to make an attack on my person. I will be faking death, so Severus can summon Tom. I will lower the wards before the attack, making it look like I am indeed dead. Once Tom and his followers have arrived, Tom is going to announce that Severus is the new Headmaster. Minerva is then going to send a patronus to the Kingsley at the Ministry, demanding help since Tom will be there trying to take over and hurting students. Once they arrive, the fight will begin. I want Order members hidden in classrooms outside the Great Hall. There will be certain students from years five and up staying behind to help in this endeavor. Fourth years and under have no choice in the matter, they will not be joining in this battle." The Headmaster paused and conjured a glass that he filled with water, so he could take a drink.
"Harry, Draco, and Hermione are going to have to be the ones to take down Tom. We only have one shot at this and the prophecy demands that Harry be the one to deal the final blow. His magic will be stronger due to their triad strengthening it. The one thing remaining to do before this can happen is to kill Tom's familiar, the snake." He and Draco had talked about it and knew that Hermione would be saddened to kill the snake that genuinely seemed to like her. Therefore, it was Draco that spoke next.
"I think that myself or Severus should be the one to take care of the snake. We've both destroyed objects such as the snake before and Harry will be far too worried about facing the snake-faced bastard. If Severus feels that he can't because of the part he must play when the Dark Lord arrives, I'm more than willing to take the job upon myself." Dumbledore cocked his head to the side and appeared thoughtful.
"I think that plan will work. The two of you may discuss who wants the honor of destroying the dark creature." Hermione spoke up next to him, indignant.
"The snake isn't dark. She was just a snake. Voldemort put dark magic inside her. Nobody should look at killing an innocent animal as an honor." The room was quiet until Molly spoke up.
"That snake would have no problems eating you the second it saw you. He commands it to do his dirty work." Hermione merely cocked an eye brow at the older woman.
"You would be surprised." She refused to say anymore on the matter, so Dumbledore began again.
"I'm willing to take ideas if anyone has any on how to make sure we win this fight." Fred spoke next.
"Hermione said something to us when this first became a plan that it would be nice if George and I could come up with something to help. We have a product called a portable swamp that we have tweaked that I think could help us." The twins both stood and demonstrated their swamp, explaining exactly what it would do. Everyone seemed impressed with their creativity and their ability to adapt their product on short notice. Harry was happy to hear them explain that they had indeed figured out a way to create bracelets that would protect their people from the electricity that would travel through the swamp, but that they needed help refining the runes and mass producing them. Hermione and Draco instantly volunteered, the smiles on the twin's faces blinding. The Headmaster gave an approving nod.
"I think this is a wonderful idea. If you need further help with the bracelets, I'm sure that Minerva and Remus would be able to help."
The plans went on for another two hours, the Headmaster assigning people to rooms for waiting, what each person focus in the battle should be. He did reiterate that Lucius Malfoy wasn't to be harmed, much to the displeasure of those present. They were all skeptical when he told them that he had been informing on Voldemort for months, but they remained quiet.
When everyone finally left, Harry felt Hermione sag in relief against himself and Draco. They left the Room as well, allowing Harry to pace the corridor once more so their room would appear. Once inside, Hermione was quick to strip off her clothes and make her way to the bathroom. Both he and Draco watched her go, enjoying the sight of her bare arse swaying in time with her steps.
Both boys followed her example and stripped as well. Hermione still hadn't emerged from the loo, so they rested on the bed comfortably, hands behind their heads. Draco was the first to speak and it was the first time that Harry could see his friend was scared.
"Do you think we can pull this off?" Harry was terrified as well but he refused to let his fears rule him. He refused to be anything but optimistic.
"I know we can. And we will, we just have to do our best. Everyone knows that Hermione is more powerful than Moldyshorts. We just have to play it smart." There wasn't time for either of them to speak again before Hermione came out of the loo and headed for the bed. She climbed in between them and laid there silent for a few moments.
"We're going to make this work. There is no other option. I don't want to spend my last two nights before this battle worried about the outcome. I want you both to make me forget." Harry needed no further encouragement, and it appeared that Draco didn't either.
Harry caught her mouth in a rough kiss, not asking for entrance but demanding it. Hermione gave in with no fight, submitting to him without question. Draco slid up behind her and began nipping her neck and then switching it to hot, open-mouthed kisses. The Gryffindor knew the exact moment that his friends hand slid down and began pumping in and out of their girl from behind. His fingers were working the soft spot inside her so Harry slithered his hand lower to tweak her nub.
Hermione was panting now, gasping into Harry's mouth with every push and pull of Draco's fingers. Harry knew that tonight wasn't going to be slow and meaningful, it was going to be fast, furious, and passionate. He tore his mouth away from hers, so he could lower it to her perfect tits. Catching a tip in his mouth, he gave it a rough tug before suckling. Hermione was pumping her hips in time with Draco's hand, urging Harry to stroke just a little faster, a little harder.
They were more than happy to comply with her unspoken request. When she came, Harry knew that it was explosive. Her liquid desire flooded not only Draco's hand but Harry's as well. She had just started to come down when her eyes flew open again. Draco was still nipping her shoulder lightly, making Harry aware that he was now fingering her arse.
It didn't take long to prepare her. Harry loved watching her face as Draco slid home inside her tight ring, making a shaky whimper escape her lips. Once he was fully seated inside her, Harry hitched one of her legs over his hips, so he could bury himself in her sweet cunt. It was impossibly tight, but it felt like home. She shuddered around them, making it hard for Harry to concentrate on not blowing his load like he had his first time having sex.
Harry and Draco got in a rhythm, both pulling out of her at the same time and plunging back in. Her head was thrown back against Draco's shoulder, one hand reached behind her and tangled in Draco's blond hair while her other was gripping Harry's shoulder, digging her nails in and marking him. He could feel her arousal running down his balls and he reveled in it.
It didn't take long for their witch to scream her release. The second her pussy tightened down and began spasming around them, Harry couldn't hold back his own release any longer. He went as deep as he could so that when he exploded inside her, it reached her cervix. Draco clamped his teeth down on her shoulder when he followed the two of them in release.
Hermione was boneless between them, her eyes closed with a soft smile on her face. Even though she looked completely sated, Harry wasn't sure that she wouldn't start worrying as soon as she caught her breath. He slid out of her warm sheath, feeling Draco following his example. Harry caught her face in his hands, making her open her eyes.
"How do you feel? Distracted?" She hummed her affirmative response. Harry was more than willing to eat her out, give her another mind-blowing orgasm but he didn't want to exhaust her. Since she was clearly almost asleep already, he made sure to keep that on the menu for the following night. He kissed her forehead while Draco kissed her neck, smiling to themselves as she slipped off to sleep.
Harry cast a cleansing charm on himself and gentle one on Hermione, so she wouldn't wake up a total mess. Draco followed suit, drawing the duvet up over the three of them. The night was silent for at least ten minutes when Draco finally spoke.
"We're going to end that rat bastard, so we can fuck her like that the rest of our lives." Harry chuckled as he pulled her close, feeling Draco snuggle up behind her.
"Fuck yes we are."
-O-
Albus wasn't quite sure how he was going to pull off keeping his job with everything in this fight relying on Hermione Granger. He knew that she wasn't going to back down from his leaving his position unless it was an extremely good reason.
Somehow, he needed to "redeem" himself in her eyes. Maybe if he stepped in and fought Tom in their places. Surely, she would appreciate the fact that neither of her mates would be in danger then. Of course, there was a very real possibility that Tom would take him down. The Dark Lord was half his age and just as powerful, if not more so. It was a gamble but it merited thought. The end could be either very good for him or very bad.
Albus finished the elf wine in his glass, pondering the situation. Even he had to admit that the girl's plan was a good one. Sure, there were many ways that could cause it to end in disaster, but what good plan didn't. It was the best they had, and they were just going to have to do their best with it. He made his way up the stairs to his private quarters. He undressed quickly before sliding under his blankets.
He would consider the situation more closely in the morning when he wasn't exhausted. He had to find a way to fix what young Hermione had destroyed. Albus could only hope that it worked.
A/N- There she is, kids, another chapter down. For some reason, I really struggled getting this written. Nothing too exciting regarding the plot but who doesn't love a little bit of Ron getting his ass kicked by badass Hermione? Anyways, leave me your thoughts, they make me smile.
Next chapter, the battle begins.
Love,
Alicia