Reunited, is it supposed to feel so good?
Promises are made, gifts and new friends are discussed. A meeting is set up and attended. Fathers question sons. A kink is revealed about Thorfinn's best friends. Enjoy!
A/N: Y'all, I am so sorry! The whole little kink twist came out of nowhere. How my muse decided that, I have NO clue but it's best to roll with a muse.
"Much as I enjoyed kissing you, I can't stay. If I'm not back at the castle in twenty minutes, Harry will be sending out search parties all over again. I know you sent me that package. How did you know where my parents live? Who they are? Are they in danger?" Hermione questioned Rowle. He was silent, stroking a hand down her face, kissing a trail from her ear to her shoulder blade.
She sighed impatiently and looked at Yaxley. He shrugged and suggested. "Professor Snape? I know he hung back and spoke to him a couple of times."
"He saw some letters your parents had sent about your progress reports, laying on the desk. You know how sharp his eyesight is, Cory. He doesn't need to be close to read the name and address off an envelope." Tony told her.
"Are they in danger? If they are, I need to hide them!" she said urgently. Rowle now had his face completely hidden in her hair. "What IS IT with my hair?! Harry, Neville and Ginny love it. Ron hates it. Malfoy constantly asks me how many rats are living in it now! Parkinson slaps him upside the head and drags me off to brush and style it! Now you can't stay away from it!" she accused Rowle. They could hear a muffled chuckling from under her hair. Cory and Tony were also sniggering. They remembered the new memories of these two constantly fighting and amusing them. It seemed as though that trend was going to continue. It seemed also that she had gained new memories herself, from her mentions of Malfoy and Parkinson.
"Seriously, Rowle, Yaxley, Dolohov. I really need to get back to the castle. Listen, tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend. I'll be coming in with Harry and Ron. Maybe I can ditch them at the bookstore. I'll meet with you tomorrow and we can talk, really sit down and talk." She wheedled Rowle. He looked at her suspiciously as he finally gave in and unstuck her hands from the wall.
She reached up and unclasped a second necklace she was wearing. She seemed extremely reluctant to even have it off. "This necklace was a gift from my mother and father the day Professor McGonagall showed up with my Hogwarts letter. I had a full year to practice spells and memorize my textbooks. I had a late birthday. I just missed the deadline." She explained to them. "I didn't actually start Hogwarts until just before my twelfth birthday."
It explained a lot about her, knowing that. Yaxley understood, having just squeaked in with his birthday! One more day and he'd have been another late starter. "Anyway," she resumed her tale. "This necklace is very, very special to me. This will LITERALLY be the only time this necklace has ever come off." She held it out, with a trembling hand, to Rowle. "Hang onto it until tomorrow. That's my promise that I'll be back." He took the necklace, fastened the clasp and put it around his own neck. Something caught Hermione's eye. Knowing what she'd seen, he smiled, leaned against the wall and bent forward, lowering his hood the rest of the way. Sure enough, she reached out and touched the old faded unicorn fasteners. "You still wear them?"
"They never come out of my hair." He breathed softly. He took her hand firmly in his and began walking her out of the alley, towards Hogwarts. Cory and Tony walked ahead, giving them some privacy.
"So, you and I, huh?" Hermione gazed up at him. He pulled her close, admiring the way the robe wrapped around her.
"Yes, you and I." he looked down at her.
"So, exactly how bad did I mess up your future?" she worried at a cracked fingernail.
"You didn't mess it up, you've made it better." He told her, pulling the cracked nail away from her teeth.
"Better? How? You and I were bitter enemies, Rowle. We hated each other! You know what your future was before all this happened! How did I make it better?" she crossed her arms defensively. He pulled her to a stop.
"Before your little trip, I was married to a woman I hated, simply because it had been 'arranged' since we were children and our parents wouldn't let us break the contract! She was sleeping with all my teammates and I was screwing every fan girl who looked twice at me! Sure, I was famous and everyone knew what a big hotshot player I was but I WAS NOT HAPPY! Quidditch had become my refuge! I never went home unless I HAD to! She came to all my games but we were NEVER photographed together! Did you never wonder why that was?" by now they had reached the gate. There was a section of wall just behind them before the surrounding woods took over covering the fence.
Hermione was staring at him, stunned by his words. "You're, you're joking, right? You were married to Becky Selwyn! Everyone thought the two of you were crazy about one another. You were never in the same pictures but still-?" she stammered in confusion.
Thorfinn smiled bitterly, remembering his life before this little witch went and changed it. "We put on a good show, Becky and I, but that's all it ever was Granger, a show! Behind closed doors, we hated each other. We had a few good hookups while we were here but that's all those were, hookups! That's not a good enough basis for marrying someone and we knew that. We tried to explain to our parents but they wouldn't listen! So there you have it, Granger. Yes. You made my life BETTER with your little trip to the past."
Hermione looked down and blinked but before she could say another word, they heard yelling. "Hermione! Hermione! Where are you, Hermione?" Harry, Ron and Ginny could be heard in the distance calling out for her. She clapped her hands over her face, groaning. "Thirty minutes, Harry, it's only been thirty minutes! Argh! I'm never going to hear the end of this!" she snuck a look at Thorfinn. "About tomorrow-?"
Quick as a flash, he had her pinned against the wall. "Granger, you said you would meet us tomorrow! You don't show up and I WILL come looking for you, friends or no friends." He threatened, snarling into her ear. "If I have to, I will come ALL THE WAY up here!" Cory and Tony were peering in the gate. They could see figures moving around. It was quite a bit more than three. She was right. Potter had indeed called a search party to look for her!
"No. No, that's not what I was going to say! I will be there tomorrow! I promised you, didn't I? I even gave you a necklace to hold for me! What I was going to say was, I might not be alone? If I can't ditch them tomorrow, I might be meeting you with ALL my friends in tow." She nodded in the direction of the yelling voices, growing louder. "Harry might not want to trail into the bookstore with me. Then again, he has been known to wander around in there while I browse the shelves. This soon after I'm back, more than likely you'll not see me alone tomorrow." Thorfinn was now looking towards the sounds of her friends yelling.
"I don't care if they're there or not, so long as you are there! If it comes right down to it, I'll buy bloody lunch for the lot of them while you and I talk. I'll be waiting for you!" Thorfinn leaned down and kissed her. Losing themselves in the kiss, she didn't notice him lifting her up against the wall.
Cory grinned mischievously at Tony. "Watch this." He hissed at him. He lit his wand and waved it until he was sure the searching students had seen it. Tony clapped his hand over his face as he realized what Cory was doing. An excited cry told him the light had been spotted and reported. Running feet could be heard stampeding towards the gate. As soon as the first faces appeared around the wall, a cry was heard.
"Hermione! What the bloody hell-?" Ron Weasley yelled. His face was rapidly turning red.
"Hermione! Are you al-?" Harry cut off his words midsentence as he smiled. Ginny Weasley giggled into her hands, her eyes shining.
"Well, well, Granger, you certainly like the Quidditch players!" Draco Malfoy drawled as he grinned. Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass groaned as they both slapped him upside the head. He winced as he ducked away from their swatting hands.
"Oh. My. Merlin! Granger! Please tell us you DID NOT go into Hogsmeade like that! You know better than to go anywhere without letting us fix your hair!" they shrieked together. Hermione had jerked away from Thorfinn at the first shout. He was laughing into her hair by the time the two girls spoke. Hermione's face was blood red. One look at Cory Yaxley's mischievous grin let her know who to thank for her friends finding her in the arms of Thorfinn Rowle!
"Harry, I was, um, just coming to find you! I had to make an emergency run to Hogsmeade, no time to let anyone know! I, uh, I ran into them outside the bookstore!" she blurted out. 'This was NOT how she'd wanted them to find out about Thorfinn!'
"No worries, Hermione. If you wanted to see him this bad, I'd have walked down with you." Harry told her, chuckling.
Thorfinn had lowered her to her feet once more. He straightened up the robe she wore, only now seeing what she had on under it. He smiled and ducked, whispering to her. "I like what you're wearing, darling. Dress like that again tomorrow." He pressed a brief kiss against her ear. Hermione gasped at him and frowned sternly. He grinned, unrepentantly, as he stepped back. He nodded at Potter. "We have a lunch date tomorrow, at the Three Broomsticks. You lot are welcome to join us, if you wish."
He, Cory and Tony waved as they turned back to Hogsmeade. The group watched until they were out of sight. Then they all turned as one to look at Hermione. "Um, surprise?" she spoke weakly. Harry was laughing as the girls squealed excitedly, already planning her hair, makeup and outfit. As they dragged her back to the castle, she looked pleadingly over her shoulder. "SAVE ME!" she mouthed silently. Harry held his hands up. He'd quickly learned not to get in the way of those girls, especially Ginny, once they decided that Hermione needed a makeover! Ron was raging quietly, muttering under his breath at the memory of Hermione and the Slytherin, making out in broad daylight! He couldn't complain too much as Draco was right there at their side, also a Slytherin. Harry yelled to Neville and Hannah, letting them know Hermione was back. They came running and Harry filled them in, laughing at how embarrassed Hermione had been, getting caught kissing Rowle.
They all trooped into the castle, heading in various directions. Hermione had not yet had a chance to discover why they were hanging with the Slytherins but she knew it had to be another ripple effect from her trip. She and Ginny went up to her room and she changed into more comfortable clothes. Ginny's brows raised as she looked at the outfit Hermione had worn. "We definitely need to find another outfit like that for tomorrow! He couldn't keep his hands off of you!" she smirked happily at Hermione. Hermione just rolled her eyes. But she was smiling at the thought of seeing him again.
They got ready to go to dinner and met the boys at the foot of the stairway. As usual, Ron was plastered to Lavender. Before her blast to the past, she'd cried herself to sleep on more than one occasion. Knowing that he was off somewhere with Lavender, she'd muffle her sobs to keep the other girls from knowing how much it hurt her. Now, seeing the two of them together didn't even faze her. They walked out of the room and headed for the Great Hall. In the lobby, they were met by Draco, Theo, Blaise, Pansy and Daphne.
As usual, Draco grinned as he teased her about her hair. "Oi, Granger, how many rats today? Fifty?" then he grinned wickedly. "Did Rowle find them all?"
Pansy and Daphne rolled their eyes and once again slapped him upside the head. "Shut it, Malfoy, before we shut it for you!" they chorused. He laughed but shut up. They all walked into the Great Hall.
She looked towards the Head table and smiled as she met the eyes of Professor Snape. She was pleased when he shot her a small, barely visible grin in return. She looked further down the table and quickly guarded her thoughts as she met the eyes of Professor Dumbledore.
Try as she might, she still couldn't get the thought out of her head that he was leading Harry down a dangerous path. Worse, he was blocking Harry from telling her anything. It was almost as if he was trying to isolate Harry from everyone who could help him! She wished there was some way she could find out what was going on. Harry kept assuring her that everything was ok. He was receiving 'special training' but he couldn't tell her what kind of training. She had assumed he meant Occlumency until he revealed that he was again studying that with Professor Snape. Now she was really worried. He hadn't done all that well with Professor Snape the first time around! She knew her jaunt had changed quite a few things, Thorfinn being the main one, but even she knew she hadn't changed the animosity between Harry and Professor Snape.
After dinner, she sent Harry and the others back to the common room, telling them she needed to look something up. At first Harry balked and she was getting upset with him until she realized why. The library was the last place she'd been when she disappeared! He was afraid it would happen again. She hugged him tightly. "Harry. That was just a fluke, unfortunate but just a fluke. Besides I have questions and you have answers. We'll be talking when I get back, Harry Potter!" she finally got a laugh out of him as she teased him.
Minutes later, she was knocking on the door of Professor Snape's office. As he bid her to enter, she steeled herself to just calmly ask how Harry's lessons were going or whether she needed to help Harry practice more. All of those thoughts flew out of her head when she saw him though. She ran into his arms and hung on tightly. "Father!" was all she said. He hadn't been behind his desk where he normally sat. He'd been leaning against the front of it, almost as if he'd been expecting her. "Sophia." He greeted her. They made quite a vision, the tall stern teacher comforting one of his students. They were startled by another knock. The door opened, revealing Professor Dumbledore. His sharp eyes caught sight of them. "Ah, Miss Granger. I trust there are no harmful effects from your little journey. I was just coming to speak to Severus about it. Lemon drop?" at her quiet refusal, he turned away to set himself in a chair in front of Snape's desk. Snape squeezed her shoulder gently before allowing her to turn and face the Headmaster. She was grateful he had given her a moment to compose herself.
"Miss Granger, if you would be so kind, please let Potter know we meet again tomorrow night and please make sure he is keeping up with his practice." Snape answered her unspoken question without being asked and added his own request to it. She nodded. 'Let the old coot interrupt them this time, there would be more opportunities to talk to him later.'
She went back to Gryffindor Tower and found Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Lavender and Parvati all waiting for her. "Well, what happened, Hermione? Where were you for so long? What were you doing?" Harry asked. She walked over and sat on the coffee table, directly in the center of the group of students.
"I was in the past. Why I went there, I still don't know. I had nothing to change and no unfinished business. In order to be able to come back, however, I had to change something." She said.
"That something being Thorfinn Rowle? We all remember how you were constantly at loggerheads with him." Parvati teased. "But now I also remember you being more relaxed, more willing to sit and talk with Lavender about clothes and me about makeup." Lavender, in Ron's lap, was nodding in agreement.
"Yes. Harry, do you remember how you told me you were pulled into Tom Riddle's memory? That's kind of what happened to me. I was looking at a yearbook of our first year. Specifically at a picture of Rowle and Becky Selwyn, remembering all the times I ratted him out and all the times he got back at me, thinking how much I hated him! Next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor behind them, he's a fourth year and I'm a first year again."
They all gasped. THAT was why they all had new memories of her! "I knew I wouldn't be able to leave without changing SOMETHING. I already knew all of our lessons by heart and I couldn't be myself or risk running into my other self. So Rowle took me to Professor Snape. He came up with a name and cover story for me. By the way, I was a member of Slytherin House. Do any of you recall a student by the name of Sophia Snape?" they were all boggle eyed as they nodded.
They all remembered the sassy little black haired girl who hung out with Thorfinn Rowle all the time. The same one who clashed with Hermione Granger more than once before they seemed to come to peace. THAT had been Hermione also?! Then they all recalled how the girl had taken sick on Halloween night and vanished as quickly as she'd shown up. At that time, it was said she'd had to go to St Mungos for a few days, then had returned to Beauxbatons academy from there. Come to think of it, there hadn't been a Sophia when Beauxbatons had come to Hogwarts THEIR fourth year! Hermione watched and waited as they connected all the dots she'd given them so far.
"I decided that, since I was stuck there for a while, I might as well have fun. I hadn't done anything our first year except study all the time and alienate anyone who tried to befriend me, except for Harry and Ron. I mostly got on their nerves. Professor Snape told me I needed to be as unHermione Granger like as possible if I was going to get through it without cracking. He also told me to have at least one person, besides him, that I could talk to. That was where Rowle came back into the story. I started deliberately flunking Potions, to the point that I was able to convince Rowle I needed a tutor. I also decided that I was going try and make friends with him and some of the other Slytherins, which apparently worked out better than I thought." She thought for a moment. "After that, I got the bright idea to try and change myself. Open up, be more approachable, less of an attention hog in class, etc."
"You certainly did that. We woke up every few days, it seemed like, with more new memories of you. Lavender and I almost jumped for joy when we realized that we can have girl talk and get you into the conversation now." Parvati said with a wide smile.
"I get to tell you how to dress and they can back me up now, instead of backing away like they've had to do in the past!" Ginny added.
"All right, alright. I don't have fashion sense. I'm glad I'll have all of you to help me and keep me from embarrassing myself, fashion wise. Happy now?" Hermione admitted as she rolled her eyes again.
"So, you and Rowle. I suspected it as soon as I saw that diary and his jersey. You do realize that's like the same jersey he wears during his games, right? That's the official Bats design for this season. They change them every year." Ginny told her.
It seemed that Rowle was determined to put his claim on her. Still, she knew herself too well. She might or might not wear the jersey but she would definitely use the diary!
"Me and Rowle. What can I say? I seriously didn't think that getting close to him then would have such a long term effect on him. I was there for such a short amount of time. I figured he might miss me for a month or two, then go right back to chasing every skirt he saw." Hermione seemed honestly puzzled about Rowle's feelings for her. "But it doesn't change anything. I'll take the jersey and diary back tomorrow and let him have this necklace back, too. He is married, after all. He said so himself. He and Becky weren't able to get out of the betrothal contract."
Parvati was looking at her strangely. "Hermione, he isn't married. She's married to some McNair guy that she got caught with in her seventh year. He's one of several eligible bachelors among the Quidditch league! He, Yaxley and Dolohov are the top three on the list!"
"You're joking! Why is he after ME then? Shouldn't he be courting a pureblood witch? Surely he doesn't want to dirty up his bloodline with me! Can't have a Muggleborn messing up all that grand history." she snapped as she began chewing on her cracked fingernail again.
"Actually, he's the first pureblood son of his line." It was Neville who hesitantly spoke up. "I'm part of a Sacred Twenty Eight family. Rowle's family isn't counted because it's littered with half-bloods and Muggleborns all the way back to Norway. His father is a half-blood who married a pureblood witch. His grandmother is a Muggleborn witch, Hermione. Rowle is probably the last one who would accuse you of 'dirtying up' his bloodline."
"But surely that's even more reason for him to go after a pureblood witch!" Hermione protested.
Parvati and Lavender exchanged glances and stood up. They sat on either side of her and draped an arm around her. "Hermione, sweetie, listen to me. Yes, Rowle has every reason to go after a pureblood witch. But he also has the right to decide, for himself, who he wants to court and right now that someone is you. Why do you think he sent you that necklace? That's a betrothal gift, dear." Parvati told her gently.
Hermione's mouth opened silently as her hand raised to touch the necklace she was wearing. "This? It's a betrothal gift? Are you sure?"
Lavender smiled at her. "Hermione, an eligible bachelor sent you jewelry. Any time an unmarried wizard sends jewelry to an unmarried witch, it's automatically counted as a betrothal gift. What did you think that meant?"
"Honestly, I had it on before I realized exactly who had sent it. Ask Ginny." Hermione nodded towards the young redhead.
Ginny nodded. "I told her she needed to read the note first. She barely glanced at it!"
Hermione dropped her head into her hands. "All right! I should have read the note first. So, by accepting this," she touched the necklace. "I've just accepted a betrothal from Rowle. Is that what you're telling me?"
"Yes, you're now betrothed to Thorfinn Rowle. Since he didn't give you any kind of warning, I'm guessing only he can break the bond." Parvati said, giving her a small side hug.
"Ach, that sneaky SLYTHERIN! How dare he do this! Without even asking me? Just wait till I get my hands on him tomorrow! I'll strangle him!" Hermione seethed angrily. It thrilled her that he actually wanted to marry her but angered her that he didn't even ask before sending her a gift for that purpose!
"All right." Harry said. "Let me get this right. You went to the library to find a book that would what?"
Hermione hesitated before she answered. Ginny was staring at her pleadingly. It hadn't been all that long ago when she was crazy about Harry. But Harry had since been getting closer and closer to Luna. Especially since he and Luna had been the only ones who could see the Thestrals until the fateful night they lost Sirius Black. Luna was good for Harry. Her dreamy personality kept Harry from going off the deep end. Her descriptions of animals nobody had ever seen before gave him a bit of whimsy and cheered him up faster than anything. He was slowly learning to smile more. After everything life had thrown at him for the past five years, he needed someone like Luna in his arms.
"I was just doing some extra research for a paper. You know me, I always have to add a bit extra onto every one of my assignments." She fibbed. Ginny gave a small sigh of relief. She wasn't yet prepared to see how her brother reacted to her liking a Slytherin.
"So, that brings me to my question, Harry Potter. When did you lot start getting chummy with the Slytherins? Last time I checked, you were stalking Draco Malfoy, accusing him of being a Death Eater!" Hermione looked at him, narrow eyed.
Harry ducked his head. "Well, it began while you were gone. I don't know. We just started ignoring their insults one day and after a while it just seemed ridiculous to keep fighting them. Besides, I confronted him and he admitted it. He showed me the Mark. He said he'd had no choice. It was the Mark or his mother's death. I couldn't fault him for that, Hermione. Now-." He sighed.
"Now we need to figure out a way to bring him and his mother through the war alive and free." Hermione said matter of factly. Harry looked at her admiringly. This, her quick thinking and planning, this was why she was so important to him. He'd never be able to jump to that conclusion, that quickly! He thought about what Dumbledore had been showing him and telling him about. He needed her to help him but the Headmaster wouldn't let him tell her! He hated keeping secrets from her! Next time they met, secret or not, he was letting Dumbledore know that he was going to tell Hermione. He couldn't do this task without her.
Soon after that meeting, they all went to bed. Hermione was almost too excited to sleep. On a wild impulse, she decided to wear Rowle's jersey over her sleep shorts. It was big enough to almost make an extremely short dress on her. She also decided to try out her new diary. She wrote her name, the date and her birthday on the inside cover. To her surprise, words began to appear on the first page.
"I was wondering when you were going to write in here. Are you wearing my jersey yet? Did you like the necklace?" it could only be Thorfinn, writing in another book. She smiled. "Yes, I'm wearing your jersey. The necklace is beautiful but YOU have some explaining to do tomorrow, Mr. Rowle!"
"I'll explain anything you want me to. Just don't stand me up tomorrow. Cory and Tony are already looking forward to watching us fight again, just to let you know." She had to laugh. Cory and Tony did seem to laugh quite often around her and Thorfinn.
"I'm so glad I didn't mess up your Quidditch career! That would have killed me. You are an insanely talented player, you know that?" she wrote instead. "Glad you think so, sweetheart. Reckon there's any way you, and Potter of course, could watch me play sometime?" he wrote back.
"I don't know. Maybe. Give me a few days and I'll see if I can figure something out." She wrote. "Still got my necklace?"
"Yes. Hope you don't mind. I put an Unbreakable charm on it. I like the unicorn, it suits you." He replied back. "Yes, well, at that time, I was really into unicorns. You might recall the ones you're currently wearing."
"Yes, I take a lot of teasing over them but I still leave them in. They were a special gift from a special young girl. She counted on me to protect her." Thorfinn wrote.
"You did a great job protecting her, right down to punishing the friends who made her cry." She had to laugh. She remembered all the times, right until he graduated, that he would still stick Harry and Ron to the wall if they made her cry.
"It's late, baby girl, go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." He wrote a final entry. She told him good night, then closed the diary. She felt so happy at having a way to communicate with him from the castle.
The next morning, she was rudely awakened by Ginny, Parvati and Lavender bursting into her room. She vowed to change the password and this time she WOULDN'T tell Ginny what it was! The girls bustled around excitedly, pulling out dress after dress before declaring her wardrobe hopeless. Being nearly the same size as Hermione, Parvati raced off and came back with a low cut fire engine red mini dress that Ginny and Lavender declared perfect! Knowing Pansy and Daphne would be itching to get their hands on Hermione's hair, they stuck with merely finding her outfit and doing her makeup. Parvati also had a pair of stiletto heels that went with the dress. Hermione took one look at them and asked the three girls if they truly wanted to see her fall down the stairs and kill herself! They laughed and teased her as they put both a Stabilizing charm and an Anti-Trip charm on them.
They bet her that Rowle wouldn't last five minutes without dragging her out of sight somewhere. Finally, they had done as much as they could. It was time to let Pansy and Daphne work their magic on her hair. Picking up the travel robe, she carried it over her arm as they came out of her room.
They could have heard a pin drop in the common room as ALL the Gryffindor boys' jaws dropped at the sight of Hermione! She hadn't had this much male attention since fourth year and attending the Yule Ball with Victor Krum. She kept her head ducked as they walked across the room and left. At the bottom of the stairs, Pansy and Daphne were pacing impatiently. They looked up and gasped at the beautiful sight Hermione made coming down the stairs.
"Blimey, Granger, if THAT outfit is what you're wearing, is there any need for the rest of us to go? He won't even know anyone else is there!" Pansy exclaimed, smiling widely. She and Daphne quickly pulled her into the next room and arranged her hair into a simple French braid, letting the spectacular dress have all the attention. They also speculated as to how long Rowle would last after seeing Hermione dressed up like this.
Finally everyone was ready to go. Hermione, embarrassed about all the attention she was receiving, had donned the travel robe over her clothes. Harry and Luna walked hand in hand beside her. Just behind her, Theo Nott had joined the group for once and was walking beside Ginny. Ginny was practically dancing in delight every time he talked to her.
In the hallway, they met Professor Snape. Knowing that he had protected Hermione, in the past, made it possible for Harry to, for once, stay silent as the stern man spoke. He didn't look at anyone besides Hermione and his words were for her alone.
"Be careful where you go, Miss Granger. Death Eaters have been spotted in and around Hogsmeade. We've had a couple of incidents lately, young women kidnapped. All Muggleborns. Your father would want you to stay near your friends." He raised a brow at her meaningfully.
"My father could rest assured. I have no intentions of leaving the company of my friends at any point today. Thank you for telling me." She smiled gently at him. He nodded and whirled around, his robe swirling around his knees and walked away, satisfied that she had caught his meaning.
They walked down to the village, wondering who the Death Eaters were. Harry and Draco were quietly consulting as to whether or not they needed to keep up the appearance of enemies or not. Hermione had a slightly sick feeling that she knew exactly who the Death Eaters were. She wondered why he was warning her about Thorfinn, Cory and Tony, though. Unless, it had all been a trick and they were waiting to catch her unaware and away from Harry and the others! She resolved then not to even try to ditch the rest of them. It shouldn't be any surprise as she'd already warned him it might not work. Besides he'd also offered to buy lunch for all of them, just so long as she appeared with them. She would wait and see how serious he was then. They all approached the bookstore and went in.
He was standing near the back, looking at Potions books. He turned to watch her and froze, his eyes wide. As she stopped in front of him, he rubbed his hand over her hair. "Granger." He greeted her softly, pulling her close. As the rest of them spread out over the store, they kept their eyes on Hermione and Thorfinn. He didn't attempt to leave with her but neither did he let her step away from him. He seemed happy and content to just stand quietly by her side, arm wrapped around her, as she browsed through the newest books on sale.
As lunch time approached, he asked her where they wanted to eat, the Hogs Head or the Three Broomsticks. After much consultation, the Three Broomsticks was decided on. Thorfinn smiled as she told him, letting out a small chuckle. "Cory and Tony will greatly thank you." As if on cue, his best friends walked into the bookstore.
"Granger, nice to see you again!" Cory exclaimed, as if it hadn't been just yesterday that he'd last seen her. Tony nodded. She'd noticed, unless he was really curious, that Tony didn't speak as often as Cory did.
"Oi, mates, you'll never guess where we're about to treat them to lunch." Thorfinn told them.
"Merlin, please don't tell me Madam Puddifoot's! Please don't make us go in there, Granger!" Cory begged dramatically. Tony looked horrified by the sheer thought. Hermione burst out laughing. 'These two were such hams!'
"No. I don't like that place too much myself. We're going to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. I trust that's more to your liking?" as if it was up to them to approve the venue.
Both Cory and Tony sucked in their breath and widened their eyes. Then devilish grins appeared on both their faces. "Good choice, Granger." For some reason, they were really happy about that choice. It made her slightly uneasy, remembering Snape's warning. She let everyone know where they were going and then led the way out of the shop.
Madam Rosmerta was surprised to see such a large group but welcome group of customers. She was even more surprised when Rowle opened a tab for the group, telling her to charge all food and drinks to him. He pulled Hermione over to a booth away from the door but clearly visible to Harry across the room. He put her on the inside and she watched warily as his friends took the other seat.
"All right, Granger. How the bloody hell did you end up in the past and do you realize you drove Thorfinn insane here every time you changed something then?" Cory demanded quietly. Hermione wasn't sure how to answer that. He was showing a remarkable resemblance to his father again with the intensity of his question.
"I'm still not sure WHY I ended up in the past. I had no unfinished business and no conscious need to change anything. I say it like that because Professor Snape thinks my subconscience might have played a part in the whole thing. I was looking at a picture of Rowle and Selwyn, remembering ratting him out all the time, fighting with him and purely hating him! He says my subconscience might have wanted to change that! Most of the people who seem to have been affected were Slytherins or Gryffindors that I wasn't on good terms with. I think he's right. Deep down, I must have wanted to change what happened with Rowle. That would explain why he's the one most affected by my actions. That's really all I can say. I'm just glad I didn't affect his Quidditch career. He said what I did actually made his life better. I'm reserving judgment on that for now." Hermione leaned forward, locking eyes with Cory. 'Time for him to answer a question.'
"You and I had a chat the day I left the past. Do you remember that chat?" he stared back calmly as he nodded. "You said something would happen if HE ever made it back, a sacrifice would be made. Did it happen, that sacrifice?" He nodded as he let his left hand fall backward on the table. With a wave of his hand, the Dark Mark clearly showed up on his left forearm. With another wave, he had glamoured it out of sight. It was an impressive show of wandless magic.
"Tony and Thorfinn as well." She didn't even need to ask. She already knew. Cory nodded again, waiting for her reaction. "Your reasons?" she asked.
"Lifelong use of the Cruciatus curse as a punishment and the threat of having my younger brothers Marked if I DIDN'T take the Mark. Same thing with Anthony, except his siblings are a brother and a sister. Thorfinn was slightly different. He was threatened with having his mother and grandmother killed right in front of him, unless he took the Mark." Cory told her.
Her eyes widened as she looked at Thorfinn. "The Dark Lord threatened your mother and grandmother?"
He shook his head no. "I wish. No, it was my own father who threatened them. Pretty sure he'd love nothing more to kill my mother, anyway. Just to get more heirs. She couldn't have any more children after she had me." He said matter of factly.
"So none of you took it willingly. You all had to be coerced into taking the Mark. That will help." Cory frowned at her, confused. Hermione smiled at him. "I'm trying to come up with a plan to bring Draco and his mother through the war alive and free. You three have just been added in. What, you didn't think I was going to save Thorfinn and throw his friends under the bus, did you?"
"Actually, it surprises me that you're willing to help any of us, even Thorfinn." He replied.
Beside him, Tony suddenly stiffened as the bell over the door jingled. Three Death Eaters strode boldly into the pub. "Heads up." Tony exclaimed quietly.
Hermione watched as Tony leaned into Cory and seemed to relax against him. Cory laid an arm across his shoulder and tilted his head towards him. The three newcomers made a beeline to their table. "Cory, Tony, Thorfinn. I've received no report today. So, this is Granger." Hermione froze as Corban Yaxley, Antonin Dolohov and Ivar Rowle all looked at her speculatively. "Yes, I remember her. The Department of Mysteries, Granger?" Past them, across the room, she could clearly see the panic on Harry's face. Thorfinn wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tightly against him.
"This is Granger. There was no report because nobody bothered to let us know she was back. We didn't realize she was until we saw her moments ago and detained her for questioning." Cory lied smoothly. If Hermione hadn't known him just well enough to realize he was tense, she actually would have believed that lie. Ivar was frowning at his son.
"Thorfinn, what's this? They are strictly for bedding, nothing else! Remember your bloodline!" he snarled in a deep, gravelly voice. Thorfinn glared back at his father aggressively. Antonin, in the meantime, was frowning at his son, practically laying in his best friend's lap. Hermione noted that Corban Yaxley's lips were twitching, almost as if he were suppressing a smile or laughter. Cory propped his chin on top of Tony's head and wrapped both arms around him, gazing challengingly at the elder Dolohov.
"I'm assuming, since you didn't immediately transport her to headquarters, you have a plan laid for her, Thorfinn?" Yaxley asked. Thorfinn looked at him.
"I've given her a betrothal gift. She's accepted. Anything that hurts me will hurt her. Any kind of aggression towards me, be it words or actions, will be considered an act of war. Potter won't move against us because it will hurt her. He's neutralized and I'll keep him that way unless the Dark Lord still wants to kill him." Thorfinn replied. He gazed mockingly at his father as he brushed Hermione's hair back, revealing the necklace. Ivar stiffened in anger and snarled. Yaxley threw an arm in front of him.
"Good boy, Thorfinn. Keep up the good work." With that Yaxley turned and left, taking a furious Dolohov and a fuming Rowle with him. All three boys slumped in relief.
"I don't know about the rest of you but I could do with a stiff drink!" Cory muttered. Tony's head popped up as Madam Rosmerta walked past. He cut his eyes at Cory and pointed after her. Cory grinned wickedly. "Tony, go get us some drinks. I'll brush up my smooth talking charm. Meet you at Rosmerta." Tony softly chuckled as he disappeared into the crowd. Cory looked at Thorfinn. "Catch you later. Stick close to her and her friends until they go back." Thorfinn nodded, laughing as he watched his friend weave his way over to the pub owner.
"Are Cory and Tony-?" Hermione began.
"No. Tony just likes to taunt his dad into thinking that. Cory helps him make the right impression. That's why HIS dad was almost about to cackle out loud. He's caught Cory more times than I can count with, hmm, unsuitable women. Since Tony stays at Cory's more than his own home, he has also caught Tony with unsuitable women at least a dozen times." Thor said, still chuckling. Tony had now joined Cory and Rosmerta.
"What are they doing?" Hermione asked.
"They are trying to pull off a stunt that has been in the making for seven years and counting." Thorfinn laughed.
"And that is-?" Hermione was eager to find out what was amusing him so much.
"That is, charming Madam Rosmerta into a threesome with the two of them. They've been after her since they both turned seventeen. As yet, they've never succeeded." He continued to laugh softly. Hermione face palmed. 'She hadn't really needed to know that!'