A/N: Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! They keep us motivated! It's so good to experience the story along with you. A Guest reviewer asked a really good question—did our Golden Trio already know about Draco's Death Eater status? The simple answer is no. Like a lot of things in this story—for instance, Hogsmeade's very own brothel—we veered from canon. Nobody (particularly Harry) ever saw the Mark. Draco only ever confided in Theo and kept it concealed with a glamour charm. Everything was all hunch and hearsay on Harry's part. Jhuffy, you called it! Things will definitely be rather dark from here, on. This is the final stretch! We reckon since we already surpassed the forty chapters we estimated, now we'll probably be to around fifty.
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Draco watched in terrified rage as the other Death Eaters stepped outside into the cold night with Hermione, Harry, and Ron in their clutches. He quickly thanked the Heavens that as a Malfoy he could beat them into his childhood home, bypassing the wards at the gate. He quickly lowered the rest of the protective enchantments around Honey's Lounge as an enraged Theodore Nott rounded the corner to the spiral staircase, shouting "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you smarmy git!", tears threatening his eyes. Before he set one foot on the stairs, a crack rang through the air and Draco was gone.
Theo silently stormed down the stairs in disbelief, hoping that Draco would reappear and take him along. He spun around slowly three times before his emotions bested him. He frantically kicked the mahogany spindles that caged the stairs. Breaking one of the intricately-carved pieces of wood into splinters. Pain radiating up his leg, he sought more and he began heatedly attacking an antique grandfather clock that was just beyond his reach. The man that was usually calm, calculated and collected, shattered.
Two women emerged to the sounds of his devastated cries and destruction. Honey had an arm wrapped tightly around the other woman; each went still at the sight beneath them. Matti came to her senses and sprung from her friend's grip, sprinting down the stairs to Theo, who was now helplessly throwing books from shelves and tossing furniture across the room like die. Honoria plopped down on the stair she was occupying, running her hands through her hair in distress. She had really been beginning to adore the trio—especially Ron.
Matti placed a soft hand upon Theo's shoulder, which seemingly soothed the savage beast inside of him. She circled around his body, grazing her hand from its high perch on his shoulder, down his arm to grasp his hand. Her opposite lovingly cupped his cheek as her gaze finally aligned with his.
"It is going to be all right, love. She'll get through this. It's 'Ermione." she said.
"I failed. We were supposed to keep her safe." he whispered almost inaudibly, sliding from her hands to the floor. Staring blankly into the wall, he felt the familiar crimson trickle from his left nostril and tasted the harsh metallic notes of his blood.
XXX
Draco's feet connected with the cool granite floor of his bedroom in Malfoy Manor. He hadn't been there in weeks; since the day he and Theo intercepted Hermione at Xenophilius Lovegood's. He glanced about the room, noting it looked untouched in his absence save for the house-elves who regularly came to dust about and shine the floor. He hastily directed himself to the ebony door on the wall beside him, muttering to light the room he entered; a dressing room of sorts. He rifled through the neat rows of black robes, suits and shined shoes, dressing quicker than he thought possible.
As he stepped into the corridor that bordered his bedroom, he carefully closed the door behind him. In focusing on the heavy piece of wood latching shut, he almost knocked straight into his mother.
"I thought it was you!" she whispered tearfully, taking her son eagerly into her arms.
"We haven't time, Mother." he hissed through the darkness, "They have her."
Narcissa Malfoy visibly stiffened at his words. Calculating their next move, she grabbed Draco's hand tightly in her own and silently began pulling him along. They wound their way through the large Manor, not stopping until the arrived in the expansive—and currently empty—Drawing Room.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Raids. They—They didn't get out in time." he said, fumbling with the button of his suit jacket.
"Who collected them?"
"The Lestranges and Macnair."
"Bella?"
"No."
His mother said nothing, but she looked deep in thought.
When they heard footsteps nearing the room, Narcissa moved to stand between her son and the unwelcome visitors to their home. Expecting Death Eaters, they instead were greeted by filthy Snatchers and two new prisoners. Draco quickly recognized Dean Thomas from school and what he had assumed was a Gringotts Goblin. The Snatcher known as Scabior stepped forward, and shuddering Draco now noticed Fenrir Greyback silently blending amongst the group.
"We reckon this one might know something about Harry Potter." Scabior announced, gesturing at Dean.
"And what evidence would lead you to that conclusion?" Lady Malfoy asked feigning boredom, reclaiming her aristocratic air.
"He's about the same age, yeah?" he reasoned, "Traveling with the likes of a goblin, too. Ought to be a Gryffindor to do that."
"Do you think wasting my time to be wise?" Narcissa spat, suddenly resembling her terrifying sister. Draco immediately cursed letting Bellatrix Lestrange cross his mind because it had seemed to almost summon her.
"Put them in the dungeons with the others." Bellatrix drawled from the shadows. Draco cringed and his heart began to race, wondering where Hermione and the others were. He watched as his schoolmate and the goblin were escorted to join a detained Luna Lovegood and Garrick Ollivander.
"Rodolphus has contacted me with some very interesting news. It seems we'll have some promising guests this evening." she giggled. "Now go fetch them from the gates!" Bellatrix shrieked at the group of Snatchers, "My husband and his capable group have another lead to follow up on tonight and must hurry."
The Snatchers left the room quickly, one of them grumbling about getting extra payment for this. The room was empty once more except for the three people bearing Black blood. Bellatrix began twirling around the room. She really was mad as they come. His mother remained still, staring to the doorway. Draco's heart lurched at the sight of the Snatchers reentering the room moments later with two more familiar faces and a dinged-up, almost recognizable one. However, he managed to sigh in relief to see Greyback gone. One loon down, he thought.
The three Gryffindors were brought forward to the two Malfoys and Bellatrix. Draco sneered past them at the Snatchers fighting over the contents of Hermione's beaded bag.
"I think these look quite promising indeed, if I do say so myself, ma'am." Scabior said, a smile growing on his lips.
Bellatrix ignored him completely as she stepped forward to stare into each of the imprisoned faces.
"Draco!" she hissed, "We must be completely sure before we summon the Dark Lord. Is this the Potter boy? And his friends?"
Draco pushed past his mother who seemed to be staring curiously at Hermione's gleaming finger. He approached nervously, trying to develop a plan.
"I'm not sure." he mumbled, moving past each of their faces.
"What?" Bellatrix challenged.
"I can't be sure. You said it yourself—we must be absolutely positive…What's wrong with your face?" he asked at Harry.
"Er, fight over at the…brothel for my favorite girl." he lied.
Draco withheld a snicker over the ludicrousness of Harry's story.
"There you go. Are we going to wait for his face to heal to see if he's Harry Potter? Although if we're being honest I don't think Potter would have a favorite girl; most of us had taken him for homosexual. He and Weasley are rather close."
Ron and Harry tensed at Draco's condescension, but held their tongues, as reacting would most definitely expose them. Draco's gaze hovered longingly over Hermione when a ragged voice rang out from the wall behind her.
"We reckon that's the Granger girl. Seen her in the Prophet. And your husband," he gestured to Bellatrix, "told us that this one was almost definitely a Weasley."
Bellatrix grinned at the Snatcher as if to thank him for the information, when her face turned dangerous.
"Where did you get that!?" she asked, her voice growing shrill.
"It was in her bag. Finders, keepers, yeah?" he twitched nervously.
Before the man could say another word, Bellatrix cracked. Green light beamed from her wand into his chest, sending him crumbling to the floor. The Sword of Gryffindor clattered to the ground beside him. The other Snatchers dropped Hermione's beaded bag and took the opportunity to flee, also dropping Hermione and Ron's wands in the process. Narcissa summoned the bag and wands to her waiting hand and eyed them curiously. Her eyes darted between the bits of wood and the witch and wizard to which they belonged as if weighing the option of returning them then to their rightful owners. No, she thought, the time it took for her to toss the wands would be more than enough time for her sister to react, possibly killing all six of the room's innocent occupants. There had to be another way.
Bellatrix motioned for Draco to retrieve the Sword. He hesitantly obliged, placing it safely in his mother's arms—who then placed the Sword stealthily back into Hermione's bag, claiming she didn't want to drop something. The room was now empty spare the Golden Trio, Draco, his mother, and an unhinged Bellatrix.
"Draco, take the two boys down to visit with our other guests. I want to have some play time with the girl." Bellatrix commanded. Draco's body somehow tensed even more, not wanting to leave his witch alone, but his mother pushed him along reassuringly. He circled the men and raised his wand, muttering, "Let's go." he said. When Harry and Ron failed to move, he grasped Ron by the neck and prodded Harrys neck with his Hawthorn wand. They were finally moving.
The three men descended the stairs to the dungeons. Reaching the door at the bottom, Draco opened it, forcing the two inside. They were greeted by Luna, Dean, Mr Ollivander, and the goblin called Griphook.
"I haven't much time," Draco whispered from the doorway, " but just trust me, I'll get you out of here. All of you."
"Why should we trust anything you say?" Ron scoffed. Draco rolled his eyes, slammed the door and locked it. He caught a glimpse of Luna's smiling face as he turned to run back up the stairs.
Reaching the Drawing Room once more, he found a horrifying sight. Bellatrix Lestrange had his witch pinned to the floor, yelling and spitting in her face, asking how she had gotten into her vault at Gringotts and if she had taken anything else. This confirmed his prior suspicions that his aunt was in possession of one of Voldemort's precious Horcruxes. Grasping his wand tightly and attempting not to look at Hermione, he moved to his mother's side.
"Draco, I will lead. Only act after I do." she whispered. Bellatrix was so absorbed into Hermione sobbing that she was none the wiser. Draco nodded, fully trusting his mother, but his curiosity was piqued when he glanced down to see a Vinewood wand in her hand in the place of her own.
Bellatrix stepped off of Hermione, apparently growing bored with her cries and lack of a pleasing answer to any of her imposed questions. Draco began looking desperately to his mother from the corner of his eyes. She was unmoving—save for her lips—staring blankly at Granger lying in a pile on the floor. It seemed Narcissa was chanting something in a whisper under her breath as Hermione turned to look at the mother and son.
Draco knew his aunt. Her favorite toy was the Cruciatus Curse. Quickly he did the math in his head…his mother was numbing Hermione. She had used the same old spell on Draco when he was a boy and his father would lash him for things such as speaking out of turn or asking about Muggles. He would often have to act the part of agonized because his mother grew so talented with the spell. It didn't help the pain that would come afterwards to the welts, but the initial sting was almost completely removed. He assumed it would work similarly in this situation.
"Just trust me." he mouthed to his lovers terrified eyes. Her gaze drifted to Narcissa and as Bellatrix screamed "CRUCIO!" with glee, Hermione only felt a light lick of flames nipping at her skin. Her core felt untarnished and as she stared at the Malfoys, she realized what was happening and quickly screamed in feigned agony. She did not have to exhaust much effort because she was utterly terrified of what was to come.
Draco watched helplessly as Bellatrix cast the Unforgivable over and over. He wanted to intervene. He didn't care about what his mother had planned anymore. The only thing restraining him at this point was the promise he had made to Hermione Malfoy's widowed husband over a year before.
Despite knowing Hermione was numbed, Draco was still being torn apart inside. Tiring once more of the reactions she was provoking, a devious smile spread across his aunt's features. His blood ran ice cold. Bellatrix slowly procured a dagger from her black robes and held it casually before her mouth, nibbling on the tip in a way that he had watched Hermione once nibble away at Sugar Quills while she studied. He couldn't take it anymore.
"ENOUGH!" he bellowed, rushing forward, wand aimed at Bellatrix.
She stood cackling over Draco having the sheer audacity to tell her what to do. If he had not been blood, he would have already been dead on the floor. As it was, the same Black blood ran through his veins as the monster terrorizing the crumpled girl beside him. He reached for Hermione and pulled her up into his embrace, whispering sweet words of sorrow.
That's when Bellatrix saw it; a moonstone ring glowing on Hermione Granger's left ring finger. Draco put his guard down for only a moment, losing what control he had in the situation to place a handful of chaste kisses over Hermione's shocked face and smooth her hair. She dazedly flinched away at each touch. He heard his aunt's laughter turn malevolent and returned his attention to her. Angling his love away from harm, he watched as the dagger toppled from Bellatrix's fingertips to the floor, her wand taking it's place once more. He shut his eyes in defeat as he viewed her pulling it back, preparing to launch death upon him.
He waited to hear the words and they never came.
A witch screamed; only it wasn't a spell and it was not his aunt. This voice was far from deranged—dangerously protective. His mother. He opened his eyes to the sight of an unknown curse blasting through Bellatrix Lestrange. Her body looked as if it had turned to stone and with another fierce slash of her wand, he watched as his aunt's form exploded, the dust falling to their feet.
Narcissa Malfoy had killed her sister to save her only son and the love of his life. She rushed forward to the pair grabbing Draco first, by the face, as Hermione slunked away to the floor.
"I told you to wait!" she scolded, "but I'm so proud of you." she finished, her expression softening. Narcissa then turned to Hermione and quickly dropped, wrapping her arms around the young witch as if saving her from breaking.
"I am so sorry." she whispered, stroking Hermione's hair motherly, "Did the protection hold?"
Hermione stuttered a nod, looking up to Draco's mother with disbelieving eyes. "Thank you." she said.
Narcissa responded by squeezing her lightly once more. Harry and Ron appeared from the stairs, freed from the dungeons that had contained them by Dobby the house-elf. They had obviously expected a scene very different than what they found.
"Hermione!" Harry gasped, he and Ron rushing forward to their friend.
"I'm okay, I'm okay…" she dismissed.
"We need to get you all out of here before more trouble comes." Narcissa warned, handing Hermione and Ron their wands.
"Mother and I will stay here and clear things up. Casting Priori Incantatem will check out for us nicely." Draco instructed, reaching his own wand out to Harry. "Take this. You need a wand more than I do, Chosen One… Don't break it." He then stood and walked to his aunt's ashes, extracting her crooked wand from the pile. With a sneer, he dusted the evil filth from the wood and carried it back to the group. "You might need this too. The Cup is in her vault. I know it is."
"HARRY, BEHIND YOU!" Hermione shouted abruptly.
Peter Pettigrew had suddenly reverted to his rat-like human body from his vermin form just behind Harry. Before Harry could react, Peter quickly grabbed onto him with the magical silver hand that had been gifted to him by his Master. Thinking fast, Harry managed to mutter through his rapidly closing breath. "You can't kill me, Wormtail. You owe me. I saved your life!" he gasped.
Wormtail paused at this realization and slowly began to pry against the hand attempting to crush the young Potter's throat. Seeing as it was finally safe to act on Pettigrew without the chance of hurting Harry in the process, Hermione and Draco both cast Stupefy simultaneously at the older man, sending him back into the wall unconscious. They watched as the hand creepily remained awake, reaching up and choking the life from Peter for his betrayal as he lie slumped in the corner.
"Malfoy, we can't leave you wandless in this place." Harry said cringing, massaging the pain from his quickly bruising throat.
"Well, you have to. You escaped and took it, thanks to that oaf." he said, pointing at Peter. "Just levitate him down the stairs, will you? Make it look as if you accosted him."
"Mister Weasley, will you please fetch Hermione's purse from over there?" Narcissa pointed. "She needs to rest. Take good care of her." She turned to face Hermione, "Have one of them make you a good ginger tea. It should help."
Hermione nodded and Draco turned to face her, watching as without warning she threw her arms around Harry, fresh sobs wracking her body. Draco wished she instead was seeking comfort in his arms, but he understood her anger toward him.
It's going to be alright, he thought, I'm sorry for everything. He tried to think back to only hours before when she told him it would never be over between them. That moment felt like a distant memory that didn't quite belong to them anymore.
"You four need to get going." he urged, choking down threatening tears by sending a grateful smile toward Dobby. Draco reached for his witch one final time, but she pulled away unable to look at him. The trio of Gryffindors linked with the house-elf and disappeared into the air.
Draco watched as his mother summoned an elf herself and instructed it to clean the floor of the dust that currently tarnished it.
"Why did you give her the ring already, Draco?" Narcissa sighed, almost frustrated, "I thought I said when everything was over."
"It just seemed perfect." Draco said, "I think it's ruined now though. I wanted to promise her a future."
His mother shook her head. "I don't think its over. You had her best interest. Do you know why my sister cared for that ring so much?" she asked simply.
"No, I just assumed it was because Hermione had it."
"That stone is very precious. Did you notice that it was glowing?"
"It's…glowed since I gave it to Hermione. I thought it was just the light. Is it not supposed to?"
"Draco, do you know much of the magic surrounding that ring? I must have told you as a child at the very least, five times."
He shook his head.
"It's magic promotes fertility. Its how you were conceived. And because it was given to me, my sister blamed her loss of it as the cause for never bearing a child. It can only be passed down once a generation and in order for it to work, it must be presented by it's rightful owner and worn at conception."
"And?" he asked dumbly.
"If it's worn during…relations…you will definitely conceive."
Draco's eyes fell to his hands as he sorted out this new information. "Wait, I just gave it to her today. We hadn't had sex."
"Well…regardless of when it happened, Hermione is pregnant. When it's owner is with child, the ring glows. Its quite fortunate she was wearing it too because it's magic protects the mother and child. Congratulations, my son." she said, cupping his face and leaving the room.
Draco felt bounds of conflicting feelings. He loved Hermione and already knew she would (hopefully still) bear his heir one day…but this was already a horrible time to have to worry about her safety—let alone their unborn child's. Now that the heir in question was confirmed, he only hoped she would one day take him back so they could be a family.
He smiled still at the thought of the memories he cherished of Hermione pregnant from the future.
Let's get this war over with, he thought, hope growing in his chest as he prepared for his inevitable punishment from the Dark Lord.
XXX
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dobby landed on the beach outside of Shell Cottage. The three friends picked themselves up from the ground, not used to apparition with an elf. They walked with haste toward the cottage. Exhausted from the nights events, they were eager for sleep.
The next morning the cottage inhabitants woke early. Harry was eager to talk to Griphook about gaining access to the Lestrange vault. Ron went to check on Dean. Hermione spent the morning in the loo. She had been vomiting for what had felt like hours.
"How are you feeling?" Luna asked dreamily from the door she had failed to knock on. "I brought you ginger tea."
"Like utter shite. Thank you, Luna. I never want to recover from being cursed with an Unforgivable again."
"You think this is from a curse?" the blonde giggled.
"Sorry?" Hermione grimaced, feeling another wave of nausea hit her.
"Drink this. It will help with the morning sickness."
"Morning sickness? Luna I am not pregnant." Hermione scoffed, but a numbing wave of fresh panicked self-doubt flooded her body. She was late, but wrote it off as stress-induced.
"Of course you're pregnant!" Luna announced bewilderedly, "The Womsprites are all around you."
Hermione's jaw hung loosely over her teacup as she stared at her strange friend in disbelief.
"L-Luna…can you do the charm? So I can confirm for myself."
"Of course! And I can see the worry lurking in your eyes. The baby was protected from it all. She'll be okay. She's still quite young you know."
"She?" Hermione whispered.
As if she hadnt heard her friend, Luna did the necessary charm and the glow that hovered over Hermione's small abdomen confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Upon seeing it, Hermione ducked back to the toilet and vomited. This sure complicated things.
"Is that yours?" Luna asked, gesturing to the moonstone ring sitting alone by the washbasin.
"Sort of. I don't know that I want to wear it anymore." Hermione said sadly.
"Hermione Granger!" Luna yelled suddenly very serious, "You put that ring back on this instant! It's moonstone! They're very magical and rare. It's how I was conceived actually, and why I'm called Luna." She picked the ring up and played it back on Hermione's finger, "It will protect your baby. And either way, Draco Malfoy is a good person. It wasn't entirely awful at the Manor. He and his mum protected us. You ought to give him another chance."
Hermione stared down at her empty finger, feeling much better thanks to the tea.
"I'll leave you to it. I promised to help Fleur prepare breakfast." Luna said, "But Hermione…he really does love you, you know."