Note: So, I don't wanna talk about the comments here so I left a note on the reviews section itself.

On this chapter we get to see the beginning of the friendship between Chiara and Hermione, which I have to say is my absolute favorite so far.

Hope you enjoy it!

(Strong - London Grammar)


(…)

February 13th, 2006

Ministry of Magic

Hermione looks at the clock on the wall. It's 10.30pm. She should be home, resting. Her body is begging her to lie down, but her mind is working fast.

She made a decision. Another one that she hopes she won't regret later.

It's been months now and she still hasn't found a clue in her search for the samples that Asmodeus hid. It annoys her. These samples could be anywhere. Literally anywhere. Being a wizard in this case is perfect. Hermione knows of many cases where magical artifacts were hidden so throughly that even those who hid them couldn't find the objects after a while.

And, with this in mind, she concluded that going out there and searching aimlessly is just setting herself up for failure. Hermione already went to all the places that Asmodeus could have any connection with. She even took the Invisibility Cloak and searched his house from top to bottom.

Nothing.

She closes her eyes. Even if it kills her, she needs to change her relationship with him. In a way, Asmo needs to trust her again, not much, a little bit might be enough for her to discover where he's hiding the samples.

Hermione knows exactly what she needs to do.

She wets her lips. Some ten minutes ago she sent him an owl - she's lacking the energy to send out a Patronus - asking him to come because she wanted to talk in private…

And he knocks on her door.

"Come in!"

He enters the office with an odd expression, as if doubting her intentions.

"Hey." He says, sitting down on the couch and putting one of his ankles on his opposite knee. "Still working?" He makes a face. "You should rest."

Hermione wants to snort at his words, but she only crosses her arms. "We need to talk."

"I'm listening."

"Well," She looks down, pretending to be embarrassed, knowing that Asmodeus is watching her closely. "It's not easy saying this, but… can you forgive me, Asmo?"

He frowns, his whole face contorted into an expression of surprise. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before saying, "Forgive you?"

"I cheated on you, but I never apologized for it. It wasn't right. And I'm sorry." It's not a complete lie. It wasn't fair to him when she first cheated.

Asmodeus looks down, setting his jaw. "Indeed." He whispers. Hermione can feel his animosity going away and she hopes this will work out the way she wants. "I- well, you know how much I always liked you, Hermione." He looks up at her again. "It wasn't nice seeing you with D'Angelo that night-" He chokes a bit. She grits her teeth. "And I know I didn't deal very well with the situation, but…" He shrugs. "I forgive you. I hope you can forgive me too for-"

"You don't need to apologize. You did nothing wrong." Hermione gulps, swallowing her own pride. She can tell that her words are exactly what he wants to hear the moment he cocks his head and opens a small smile, his eyes glinting with a new found interest.

"Well, you have no idea how glad I am to hear this."

"Again, I'm sorry it took me this long to apologize." She says in a low voice, faking some shyness. Come on… ask me. She locks her eyes to his and opens a tiny, apologetic smile. Come on…

"Did… something happen?"

She wants to pat herself on the back. Her father was a monster to her, but he surely taught Hermione how to manipulate people.

"Oh, well," Hermione sighs, "I don't wanna bore you with-"

"No, come on, tell me. I wanna know." And he indeed moves a bit forward on the couch.

Hermione sighs, rubbing one hand on her face, faking some awkwardness.

"Thing is… I should have listened to you. D'Angelo is not a good man, and definitely not the one for me." She wets her lips, her eyes on him while she moves a bit forward.

Asmodeus raises one eyebrow. "Oh?" She sees him swallowing hard. "Are you two… over?"

Hermione nods. "Turns out some attraction doesn't mean we're in love, right? It was fun, though." She says, knowing that Asmodeus won't believe her so easily if she doesn't show the least bit of affection towards Harry.

"It surprises me to hear this, Hermione. But I don't think you're telling me the truth." He squints. She knew he wouldn't. "The way you talked about him made it pretty clear-"

"I'm sure he killed Lucius." She says, going for the next step of her little plan. Asmodeus widens his eyes.

"I told you that many months ago and you refused the idea."

"I was blind, Asmo. Thinking with my hormones." She stands from the chair, oh, shit, her body hurts. "But it was obvious and I'm sure now." She moves from behind her table, walking and stopping right in front of Asmodeus. She takes his hand in hers. Her whole body rejects the contact, making her nauseous, but she pushes through it. "And I want to make him pay for it." She says in almost a whisper, leaning, her face now close to his.

Asmo opens a slow smile, his eyes on her lips. So easy.

"You do?" He's already breathing a little harder, excited to know that Hermione plans to send Harry to Azkaban.

"Of course I do. And I think I know how." She's leaning even closer now- Asmodeus seizes her by the waist, making her sit on his lap. Hermione uses all her training not to make a face and punch him. Instead, she chuckles, her arms going around his neck.

"How?"

She can see that he believes her now. Just like she knew he would.

Hermione leans to speak into his ear to hide her face. "I'll use this intimacy we share and give him Veritaserum. Force a confession out of him." Asmodeus squeezes her waist. She sets her jaw. "And then it'll be easy to send him to his death."

"Fuck, Hermione. That's amazing. He deserves to pay."

"But I'm still planning a few things. No one can know about this, Asmo." She says slowly.

"I won't tell."

"Good. And then," She closes her eyes, hating herself but kissing his neck, "Maybe we can try again, what do you think?" She pulls back, her face schooled into a cold expression.

He squints. "Maybe." He says in a strange way.

Hermione opens a smile, leaning to him, her lips an inch away from his. "Wonderful." She says. "Baby steps." She sighs. "After all, we're getting married, aren't we?"

"If you're sending D'Angelo to his death, you could… cancel the wedding."

"But I want to marry you."

He tilts his head, "You do?"

Hermione nods, and before he can see the lie in her eyes, she kisses him.

It's awful. Wrong on so many levels. Harry flashes through her mind and she pulls away, her chest hurting because of this.

Then she stands from his lap, smiling. He has a look on his face that tells her this worked. She got him where she wanted. Back to trusting her. Even if just a little bit.

Asmodeus stands from the couch, seeking her hand and holding it, playing with the engagement ring that she only takes off when she's with Harry. "I would like that, Hermione. Baby steps, then."

"Yes."

Asmodeus kisses her cheek before he walks away. She watches him go.

Hermione sits down back on her chair. She feels terrible. Dirty. The worst person ever. Sobbing and rubbing a hand on her mouth to erase Asmodeus' kiss, she tries calming down.

She did this for a motive. And she has to hang on to it. Having Asmodeus on her side is her best shot at finding the samples after she betrays Harry.

Be strong, Hermione. Be strong.


February 14th, 2006

Hermione's house

It was a long day and someone is knocking on her door. Hermione sets down the glass of wine and frowns. She's not expecting a visit.

As she walks slowly to her front door she considers who it might be. Harry and all her close friends can apparate inside. She stops in front of the door, and, prepared to face whoever is on the other side, she opens it.

It's Chiara.

Hermione rolls her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Wow, Riddle. No need to be this happy to see me. Can I come in?"

"No-"

But Chiara is already walking inside.

Raising an eyebrow, Hermione makes a face and closes the door, resigned.

"A cat!" Chiara exclaims. "Crookshanks, I bet." The woman crouches to pet the orange cat and Hermione crosses her arms.

"How do you know his name?"

Crookshanks is not acting very friendly towards Chiara and she gives up on him, shrugging. "I just know." She gives Hermione a look.

"I thought you were already back in Italy."

"Well, I was and then I decided that we need to have a talk. You and I." She moves her finger, motioning between them.

"Oh, is that so?" Hermione walks past Chiara, going to fetch her glass of wine, taking a sip and breathing deeply. "Do you want some wine?" She asks.

Chiara narrows her eyes. "Sure, let me just check if you're not going to poison me."

Hermione chuckles. "Be my guest." She motions to the bottle of wine and waits while Chiara indeed performs a simple spell to check. "Well, since you're here and I get the feeling that there's no way of sending you away without this conversation, please, sit." Chiara pours herself some wine and sits in front of Hermione's couch, facing her.

"You look tired." Chiara says.

"I am." She says sincerely. The binding obedience is surely eating away all her strength. And she has to brew more potions.

"Look, I'm sorry about the way I behaved this morning." Chiara says, taking a sip.

"Why?" Hermione tilts her head. "You did nothing wrong. Asmo was being a dick." She doesn't mention the kiss she purposely gave Harry to provoke her.

Chiara seems surprised by her words. And she blinks a few times. "Why are you marrying that awful guy?"

Hermione lets out a strangled sound. "That's a very good question." She says without caring. She's too tired to care.

Chiara crosses her legs, one over the other while she tries reading Hermione. "I have to say, Riddle, we started off with the wrong foot. That day when I saw you in Rome, I acted… like a bitch."

Hermione snorts. "It's fine. Maybe I wasn't the nicest either. But I'm curious, why this sudden change of heart?"

Chiara makes a face and then she sighs. "I love Harry." Hermione presses her lips together. "Regardless what you may think, he's my best friend. We had a talk in Rome that… helped me move on in a way. I mean, don't get me wrong, Riddle, if he was emotionally available I would be on his bed right now." Hermione clicks her tongue and drinks some more wine to shut her mouth. "But well, I cheated on him and there's nothing I can do to change that. I completely understand and agree with the way he dealt with things. Mostly because I know that I wouldn't accept him anymore if I'd caught him doing it with another woman a few months before our wedding."

Hermione perks up on the couch. She was not expecting this kind of honesty from Chiara. "Why you cheated on him?"

Chiara sighs, closing her eyes. "I was afraid." She says in a low voice. "Scared of becoming the wife of such a powerful man. I didn't want to be just Harry D'Angelo's wife."

"I hardly doubt that would be the case, Ferri. You're just as powerful, with as many accomplishments as him."

Chiara opens a tiny smile. "Well, thank you. And I know. But even so, it was irrational, you know? And now, deep down, I wonder… what if I didn't want to marry him?" She whispers. Then she shakes her head before Hermione can say a thing. "But well, that's not relevant. So, I asked Matteo what you wanted after you left on that night."

Hermione raises an eyebrow. "I made a deal with him." She says. Again, too tired to care.

"I thought so. Matteo didn't want to tell me specifics, but he said it was to save Harry."

"Indeed."

There's a silence then.

"You see, how can I be a bitch with the woman that obviously also loves Harry? That wants to save him?" She shrugs. "I can't. And to be honest, you're kind of… nice."

Hermione burst out in a sincere laugh and Chiara laughs with her. "Wow, I was not expecting that."

"Me neither!" They laugh a bit more, drinking the wine.

"Well, Ferri, you're not that bad, to be honest. You're kind of nice too."

Chiara smiles. "Look at us, Riddle, being pals and such."

Hermione shakes her head. "Who would have thought?"

Another comfortable silence settles.

Chiara observes Crookshanks and Hermione tries coming to terms with the fact that Harry will be very happy with his ex-fiancee.

"Matteo said you're not telling Harry. About the deal or about what's going to happen. Which I have no idea of." She widens her eyes to make a point. "Mostly because Matteo said that he made a Vow with you and you're the only one who can talk about this."

"Ah, so, that's why you're here. You want to know everything."

"Can you blame me?" She takes a sip. "Wouldn't you want to know?"

"I would." Hermione nods.

"And I have a feeling that the reason why you're marrying Pettigrew has something to do with this deal. With protecting Harry. That's the only explanation I can find. You don't strike me as someone who wouldn't defy her father to be with Harry."

"Maybe you're right."

"I know I am. But Harry has no idea of this, Riddle. And I also bet that you not wanting him to know about your plans is because you're going to break his heart, isn't it?"

Hermione squints, moving her glass of wine, watching the liquid inside. How much should she tell Chiara? Does she know who Harry truly is? Has he told her? Of course he did. They were going to marry. But… what if he didn't? It's not Hermione's place to tell. If she thinks about it, Chiara doesn't act as someone who knows the truth.

"What I can tell you is that… I'll betray Harry's trust in a way-" She chokes. "He won't forgive me. Never. But I'm doing it so the suspicions around him can vanish. To give him a clean slate."

Chiara makes a face. "I can feel that there's a huge part of this story that I don't know." She leans forward. "I hate to admit it, but… he loves you. Like, a fucking lot." Hermione closes her eyes.

"I know. I feel the same way."

"Are you sure there isn't another way? This will wreck him. Harry takes trust very seriously."

Hermione doesn't try stopping her tears. "There isn't."

Chiara presses her lips together, looking down, thinking. Hermione wipes away her tears, trying to find some energy inside her.

"Look, Hermione." She widens her eyes at Chiara. "I- I want Harry to be happy-"

"Me too."

"I don't know what's going to happen, but, regardless, if there's any way for us to change this, to set things right differently, you can count on me."

Hermione blinks many times, surprised. And also… relieved. Chiara is indeed a great friend. She opens a sad smile.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Chiara." She says in a low voice. "But, honestly, there's nothing else to do. I think the only thing you can do is be by his side when it happens."

"Cazzo." Chiara stands to fetch some more wine. "It annoys me, not knowing everything."

"Maybe I'll tell you someday." Hermione says.

Chiara turns to her. "I want to know why you're not considering your own feelings in all of this."

She opens her mouth, again surprised. She had the wrong idea about Chiara. Totally wrong. "Harry's life is in danger. Mine isn't. I think it's a pretty good reason to let my feelings on the side."

Chiara puts one hand on her waist, frowning. "Tell him everything, Hermione."

"I can't."

"You can."

She shakes her head. "No."

Making an outraged sound, Chiara walks from one side to the other, thinking. "I think he'll forgive you-"

"I don't want him to."

"Why?"

"I don't deserve his forgiveness, or his love."

"And because you think like this you're going to marry Asmodeus Pettigrew? Fuck, don't do that! I can see from miles away that this guy is bad news."

"I can handle him."

"And is that what you want for your life? To handle your husband? A loveless marriage?"

Hermione clicks her tongue. "I want a whole lot of other things, but that's how it is."

"You have to give yourself more value, Hermione."

She raises an eyebrow. "Fuck, Chiara, it's all connected. You're right, I'll marry Pettigrew to protect Harry, I'll betray Harry also to protect him. All I'm doing is to save his ass because I love him, because when I'm with him I-" She chokes, her voice breaking. "I'm glad that I have the power and the means to save his life. I don't care about what it'll cost me." Hermione closes her eyes, tired. "I'll move on eventually. We all will." She whispers.

Again, to her surprise, Chiara sits down by her side, taking her hands in hers. "Look at me." She says and Hermione does. "I'll help you through it. I understand and I think you're just… incredibly brave. You won't be alone in this, okay?"

She purses her lips, trying not to cry. "Okay." She whispers.

Chiara winks. "Good. Now, let's drink more wine."


March 29th, 2006

Ministry of Magic

"Tom Riddle." Matteo D'Angelo says, stopping a few steps from them, his cane resting in front of him, both his hands atop it.

Hermione wets her lips. Matteo looks calm.

"Matteo D'Angelo." Her father says. "I was waiting for you."

Matteo slightly narrows his eyes. "Indeed. Took me a few more days than expected, but I'm here now." Hermione sees with the corner of her eye Sirius and a few other counselors entering the Atrium. Ginny and Ron are already there, watching the interaction. "You do remember Chiara Ferri, don't you? My Head Auror." He motions to Chiara.

"Of course he does, Ministro. Even if Minister Riddle wasn't the most welcoming when-"

"Who do you think you are to talk like this to my father, Ferri?" Hermione cuts her.

"Ah." Matteo intervenes before Chiara can say a thing. "Your daughter, Hermione Riddle, isn't it?"

"Exactly." Her father says, "Also my Head Auror. The best."

One year ago Hermione would puff out her chest at this remark. Today she feels like vomiting. Chiara snorts at the words.

"Regardless," Matteo says, "I think we have a lot to talk about, Riddle."

Her father opens a sneer. "Do we? I thought you were here just to watch your grandson's execution."

Hermione tries not moving at the words. She shares a brief glance with Chiara. Both worried.

But Matteo chuckles. "Of course not. I've come to watch while your daughter sets him free from whichever cell he's in right now."

It's her father's turn to snort a chuckle. "You're acting very confident, Ministro. Your grandson confessed that he murdered one of my counselors. You really think he's walking free? You must be delusional, then."

Matteo moves a wrist and a thick file appears in his hand. "I have many reasons to believe that, Minister. Now, do you want me to expose them right here in front of everyone or shall we have this conversation in private?"

For the first time Hermione sees her father falter, unsure, his eyes on the file in Matteo's hand. It takes him countless breathes to finally move. His eyes go over everyone in the Atrium. They're all watching. Then he looks back at Matteo.

"I don't think you have anything in there, D'Angelo. But I'll humor you. Follow me to my office." He says in a steady voice, Matteo gives him a nod in approval. "Hermione… entertain Miss Ferri." He gives Chiara a nasty look.

"I would like to be there with my Ministro if that's-"

"No need, Chiara. Stay with Miss Riddle." Matteo says.

And without another word, both men walk to the elevators.

Hermione crosses her arms, watching.

This is a huge moment.

This is it.

What she planned all along. And she has to admit to herself that she's incredibly nervous, shaking a bit. Matteo needs to play his cards right, he needs to free Harry.

Chiara stops by her side, close. "It'll work." She says in a whisper.

"It has to." She turns to look at Chiara. "Come, let's drink something."

"You read my mind."

But before they can walk to the elevators, Ginny and Ron come to them. Hermione takes a deep breath.

"Chiara." Ginny says, "Nice to see you."

"Hey, Gin." They share a half hug. "Ron, I'm glad you recovered well."

"It's nice seeing you." Ron says, "Although it's not the best occasion."

"Indeed." Chiara says, crossing her arms. "But I'm confident Matteo will set Harry free."

"I highly doubt that." Hermione says to keep playing her part.

"Wouldn't you want that, Hermione? For Harry to die?" Ginny spats. Her words hurt like hell.

But Chiara defends Hermione, "Hey, now. Head Riddle was doing her job." Her tone is serious. "Sometimes as Head Aurors we have responsibilities that others might not understand." Ginny squints, her eyes on Hermione, who is trying to keep a straight face. "I know Head Riddle appreciated Harry as her Auror and she's also very disturbed by what happened. But, we like it or not, reality is that Harry killed a man." Chiara emphasizes her words. "Regardless, it's in Matteo's hands now and I'm sure he'll deal with it."

"You do know what Hermione did, right?" Ginny asks.

Hermione is having a hard time dealing with this kind of attitude. She feels bad as it is, Ginny doesn't need to keep rubbing it in her face.

"I know." Chiara says. "And we need to talk about it. Come on, Riddle, let's talk in your office. By the way, guys, you should try to understand your friend instead of judging her like this." She opens a smile. "See you later."

And not waiting, Chiara walks to the elevators, Hermione follows, catching up. "Was that necessary?" She asks.

"Of course. I told you I was going to be by your side. You shouldn't have to deal with all your friends hating you on top of everything."

Hermione sighs. "Thank you." She whispers when they enter the elevator.

Chiara waves a hand. "I want to know how it was." And she looks at Hermione. "You look well. Is the contract over?" Hermione nods. "Good. One less thing to deal with."

"Indeed."

And they share a small smile.


February 21st, 2006

Hermione's house

She thought there was no way of getting worse from the shitty normal that she'd settled into. But well, now that all her muscles are sore and her throat is hurting like a bitch, she knows that things can get worse. Insanely worse.

Sitting on her bed and holding her head with both hands, Hermione knows that her time is coming to an end. She needs to fulfill the binding obedience.

Grunting, she reaches out for the last vial of potion that she brewed just two days ago. It's getting harder and harder to even hold herself together. Every spell takes a toll on her, apparating also takes a lot and she's avoiding any other complex magic.

The situation is becoming unbearable.

But she feels such despair when she thinks that for this to be over she needs to-

She lost it when they went to see Crouch Jr.

Hermione has no idea if Harry can feel her weakness in a way, but how hesitant he was with letting her move around or put herself in some kind of danger was indication enough for her to suspect.

It's because of the bond. Because we're fucking soulmates.

Hermione knows it's not something he feels clearly. If it were, Harry would have already questioned her about it. And on that night in particular she had taken three potions, one of them an illegal drug capable of boosting someone's magic. It's not easy to come by these, but since she's Head Auror…

Shit, I'm committing more crimes than I can keep track of.

She'll probably need a whole lot more of these. Maybe she can stall until after they visit Greyback and Dolohov.

She makes a face. She can tell she's getting sick. They don't have this much time. If things go like they did the last time she defied the binding obedience, she'll take a while to recover from what will surely feel like a terrible flu. And then, a few weeks later, she'll be sick again. It will take her longer to get better. Then, again. And again.

Until she can't take it anymore.

So, the only thing she can do is… speed things up. Her betrayal will come before she planned, and Hermione has no idea if she's actually prepared to go through with it. Her heart aches just to imagine. But her mind says that she needs to do it.

Freeing herself from the binding obedience is fundamental. Getting all her magic, energy and power back is the only way of really getting a chance at finding the samples.

She needs to be healthy to face Asmodeus.

She needs to feel whole to go against her father if needed.

But, what matters the most to her is… once she's free from this, she'll have the liberty to tell Harry anything she wants. She'll be able to betray her father without him suspecting a thing-

She sighs. Not that she's actually going to have this conversation with Harry.

No.

Because the contract will only end after her betrayal. And he won't listen to her then.

Regardless, it'll be a small victory. An important one.

Hermione makes a face while she walks around her room. She opens one drawer and takes out the bullet Harry took for her. It had vanished from her office on the day after the statue was destroyed and the Muggle murdered. But then it suddenly appeared on her counter.

If she had the strength to, she would perform a tracking spell to discover who did this.

She squeezes the bullet in her palm. She misses Harry. They haven't talked since the night they went to Crouch's. And maybe she's crazy but… she feels that these collateral effects of the binding obedience are getting worse without him close by. And she can only conclude that it has something to do with the bond they share.

If it wasn't for the inevitable betrayal, she would have reached out to him already. She feels awful about pressuring him since she knows he's a Potter… and also bad because he still resists telling her the truth.

Hermione makes a face.

She'll keep her distance.

They don't have much time now and it'll be easier for him if… he believes that she doesn't love him. If he believes that she doesn't want him.

She feels some tears wetting her face.

"Maybe I can stall a bit longer." She convinces herself.

And with that in mind she goes to her attic to brew more potions.


March 29th, 2006

Ministry of Magic

"Cazzo, it was brutal." Chiara says when Hermione finishes telling her what happened on the night she gave Harry the Veritaserum.

Hermione closes her eyes. "I think it was the first time he saw me like the Riddle he expected to meet when he first arrived here."

"Probably." Chiara says, taking a sip on her Butterbeer. "These beers have a strange taste." She makes a face and Hermione chuckles.

"Yeah, I don't like them very much either, but I don't feel like drinking something stronger now, I'm way too nervous."

"Relax." Chiara drinks some more.

"What if my father doesn't-"

"He will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Your father doesn't consider Harry's life that important to have his reputation tarnished. He'll walk free."

Hermione sighs. "They've been talking for almost thirty minutes now."

"They could be there the whole day. Matteo likes to talk and he wins you out because you just want him to stop." Hermione snorts a laugh when Chiara drinks again and makes another ugly face. "I'm willing to bet that Matteo will win Harry his freedom and find a way for him to keep working here." She gives Hermione a pointed look. "Have you thought about it? About how things are going to be once he steps out of that cell?"

Hermione presses her lips together. "I'm trying not to. But he'll want my head, for sure."

"For sure." Chiara agrees. "I'm here to keep things real for you, Hermione. Harry can be the sweetest guy ever, but he's also very dangerous."

"I'm aware."

"I'll try to keep you on the loop on what he's thinking-"

"I don't know about that-"

"Don't give me that now, Riddle!" Chiara's voice goes a tone higher and Hermione makes a face. "You need to know what he might be planning! What if he kills you? Then what? Fuck, Harry would never forgive himself. No, no, no. I'm here to help and you'll accept my help!"

Hermione opens and closes her mouth. "Fine." She says between her teeth. "But what if he finds out that you're sharing his secrets with me? It'll fuck everything up and-"

Chiara snorts. "Don't worry about that! He's never going to suspect it. Us becoming friends is actually the best twist ever, no one is expecting this." Hermione agrees in a way. "We can still be bitches to each other in front of the others."

They laugh.

After a while Hermione says, "On the first time I went downstairs to talk with him, he…" She trails, Chiara waits, "he asked for a kiss." She says in a low voice.

"Well, what you expected? You're soulmates." Chiara rolls her eyes. "It annoys me."

"Sorry." Hermione mocks her in a way and Chiara flips her off.

"But did you? Kiss him?"

"Yes."

Chiara shakes her head, not believing. "I swear, Hermione… why?"

"Because… he's an excellent kisser." She echoes Chiara's words from their first meeting in Rome.

Chiara spits out the beer she was drinking when she laughs. "He is!"

They share another laugh and Hermione feels better, lighter. Hopeful in a way.

"So," Chiara says after a while, "What are the next steps?"

Hermione takes a deep breath, "Well, first we need to see if Matteo is actually getting Harry out." Chiara makes a face at her. "Then, with Harry free and out of danger, the binding obedience gone, I'll be able to focus on finding the samples."

"Right, by the way, where is this fucker?" She's talking about Asmodeus.

"I have no idea. You know I'm treating him better and all that shit, but he's keeping a fair distance, even after I betrayed Harry, so, I'll need to seek him out."

"Please, whatever you do, don't let that man touch you."

"I'll try my best. But don't worry. I'm more than capable of protecting myself now that the contract is over and all my magic and energy are back." They share a look of understanding. "I also need to find a man… Moritz. Have you heard about him?"

"Why do you wanna find him?"

"I think he knows who's the responsible for the attack at the Fair."

Chiara makes a strange face. "To be honest, I do know him. He's been causing us trouble in Rome since the end of last year."

Hermione opens her mouth, "Shit, are you serious? Is he under your custody?"

"No, we lost him on a mission a few weeks ago. I think he fled from Italy. We have no clue where he is now. But I'm sure he's traveling through Europe."

"What kind of trouble was he causing?"

"He was selling extremely illegal stuff to the Mafias. Some I've never seen before in my life."

"He caused us many problems in the past. He's originally from here, he was an employee."

Chiara makes a face, "What a good choice of employee. Alchemist, right?"

"Yeah. I had him. I was going to send him to Azkaban but my father stopped the whole operation and…" She trails, shrugging. "Moritz escaped. I think some spells used are being linked to his drugs. I was able to catch some vials of his production, but nothing much, just the normal stuff." Hermione frowns, Chiara is pressing her lips together, with a strange face- "What's wrong?"

She sighs. "Well, please don't hate me for this." She takes a huge gulp on her Butterbeer. Hermione waits. "I was the one who destroyed the statue."

Hermione has no reaction. For a second she just looks at Chiara, not really understanding what she just heard. Then she moves a bit forward on her chair… "What?" She says louder than expected.

Chiara widens her eyes. "Hermione!" She raises a hand. "I'm sorry, okay?" She moves her hands in front of her, "Let me explain!"

"Please, do!" She's a bit angry now.

"We got hold of one of Moritz's vials and I thought I should test it out, see what the powder could do and stuff." She looks down, "I was very pissed that Harry was still here and I mean… it was easy getting inside-"

"The Ministry has the best wards in-"

"Well, apparently not. I got inside and just walked over to that fucking statue and used a simple Bombarda. But with the effects of the powder, it was a thousand times stronger and from what I know now, it was impossible to put the thing back together, as if the spell could last forever."

Hermione clicks her tongue. "I have to say that I'm glad I finally know who did it. And also glad that I was right about one of Moritz's substances being used in it."

"Are you mad at me?" Chiara pouts, joking. "Please, don't send me to jail."

Hermione laughs despite everything. "I should." She sighs. "And no, I'm not mad. To be honest I'm very intrigued now." She frowns. "On that night a Muggle was murdered inside his cell around 2am. Did you see anyone else inside when you were here?"

"No," She shakes her head. "I was all alone. And I mean, after I destroyed the statue I ran away like a madwoman. It was around 4am or so."

"Shit. Who killed Dursley, then?"

"Obviously someone who knew that he would spill the truth. The responsible for the attack."

Hermione closes her eyes. "I just can't see it. I don't know who it was."

"We need to find Moritz, then."

"Yes. Find the samples and find Moritz…"

"…try to stall your wedding and not get accidentally murdered by Harry."

Both raise their eyebrows, agreeing. They clink their glasses and take sips on their Butterbeers.

And a memo comes flying into the room from under the door. Hermione's heart beats faster. She takes the memo and Chiara moves forward in her chair, curious.

She's shaking when she opens it. Then, she exhales heavily. "My father wants us in his office."


February 24th, 2006

St. Mungo's

She's still trembling a bit, weak, but the symptoms from the flu are going away slowly. Hermione is alone inside a private little room where the healer just examined her. As she already knew, the man was very surprised when he realized there was nothing physically wrong with Hermione, but he gave her a strong potion, nonetheless. He wouldn't be mad to deny it to a Riddle.

Hermione observes her left hand. The same hand that holds the engagement ring Asmodeus gave her and the bond she shares with Harry.

The symptoms are going away because of the bond. She's sure.

Her heart still aches with the notion that Harry went to her house. That he cooked for her. Took care of her. He went there to set things right between them and she just… she lacks the strength to end things with him. When she looks into his eyes, when she kisses him, when they touch… it's all so perfect that she forgets what she has to do. She forgets how she'll betray him and never again feel his love.

He healed me, without even trying.

She blinks a few times. Hermione knows he left with Chiara pissed about the way she was treating Asmodeus. But she had to. After going through that awful conversation with Asmo just to gain his trust back, she couldn't treat him with coldness in front of Harry.

He left with Chiara.

It cuts her open.

They were acting very lovingly.

She shakes her head, she'll have to get used to it, that's how things are going to be…

It saddens her. Everything. She wished she had met Harry before. She wished they could have had a real chance of living their love. She wished she had another father. She wished she could tell Harry how much she wants to be with him, tell him everything she's willing to forfeit for him.

She knows he thinks she doesn't care enough.

She can tell by the way he looks at her sometimes when he silently questions her brief kisses and hugs with Asmodeus. Then when he angrily asks why she's marrying him.

And also when he looks at her in a way that shows how eager he is to live what they share regardless the consequences.

She loves him even more because of it.

Hermione looks up when Draco enters the room.

"Hey." He sits by her side. "How you feeling?"

"Like shit."

He chuckles. "That seems about right, indeed." He exhales heavily. "Luna and Gin are inside the room with Ron. He's a bit confused but well, which is a huge relief."

"Thank fuck." She whispers.

"Hermione." She looks up at him. "Someone is trying to kill you." He states and she nods, exhaling.

"It seems so."

"Any ideas?"

"None." She closes her eyes.

"Do you want me to investigate it for you? Off the records?"

She opens her eyes, observing Draco. "It's too dangerous."

He shrugs. "It always is. If you say the word I'll do it."

She opens a tiny smile. "Thanks, Draco. You're an amazing friend."

"Hey, if it wasn't for you in Hogwarts, I-" He makes a face, "I don't think I would be here today, so, it's the least I can do."

"You don't owe me this for the rest of your life, you know that, right? I never asked anything in return-"

"I know, but even so, I want to."

She nods, a bit emotional.

She might lose all her friends when she betrays Harry.

They all expect noble attitudes from her, honesty. Because that's the way she does things, regardless her father and his wishes, and that's what she expects of them as friends and Aurors.

The only exception was the Longbottoms. And she knows how awkward things were for months with them… now she's not sure she's ever recovering their trust.

"I'll let you know, okay?"

He nods. "Come, you should see Ron."

She agrees and they exit the room, her legs already feeling stronger. She's not coughing anymore, not sneezing or feeling like she'll run out of breath if she walks to the end of the corridor.

And when she finally enters the room, she cries. Ron is lying there, all bruised and visibly weak, but with a smile on his face when he sees her.

"Ron." Her voice is a whine and she walks to his bed, her hands closing around his. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." He says, his voice low, hoarse. "A bit of a headache, but fine. I'll be fine, Hermione."

She chokes, crying a bit harder, relieved. "I'm sorry." She says and he makes a face. "So sorry."

"It was not your fault."

Hermione is aware that the others are leaving, giving them a few minutes of privacy.

"But it should have been me," She shakes her head, "what if something worse-"

"I'm fine. Hey, look at me. It'll take more than a little bomb to kill me."

She snorts a teary chuckle and leans to him. They hug tightly.

"You look better." He says when they separate and she sits on the chair by his side.

"I feel better."

He raises one eyebrow. "Maybe Harry's visit was everything you needed." Hermione widens her eyes, freezing inside. She opens and closes her mouth and Ron laughs. "You don't need to justify yourself to me, Hermione, I'm your best friend."

She looks down, blushing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, sure." He squints. "Maybe the concrete hit my head too hard."

They share a chuckle. "Maybe."


February 26th, 2006

Hermione's house

She tried her best to complete her long run, but her body wasn't capable of going through with it and now it's like she's ill all over again.

Fuck.

Hermione lies down on the floor right there on her small foyer. She's exhausted. And she makes a face at her own stupidity. She shouldn't have gone out for a run-

Someone knocks on her door. She grunts. "Who is it?" She yells.

"The most gorgeous woman you'll ever meet!" She rolls her eyes at Chiara's voice.

With great effort she moves her wrist to open the door, the magic actually taking less of her than standing from the floor to open it.

Chiara opens the door and stops right there, a hand on her waist. "What the hell?" She's looking at Hermione on the floor, completely spent.

"I lack the force to stand." She gulps, her entire body is hurting.

Closing the door, Chiara sits by her side on the floor. "We have a lot to talk about."

Hermione makes a face. "Is that so?" The way Chiara and Harry left St. Mungo's flashes through her mind and she can feel the jealousy inside her burning like hot lava. "I'm not sure I want to talk with you right now."

"Oh, come on. I think since Harry met you he's unable to desire another woman." Hermione sighs. "Just swallow your jealousy, we need to have this conversation."

"Fine." She says through gritted teeth.

"Harry told me everything." Chiara blurts out. Hermione feels her heart beating like crazy.

"What do you mean?"

"You know who he is, don't you? You found out by yourself." Chiara squints, seeing in Hermione's face that she's right. "He told me everything after we left the Hospital that day. He told me about your Traditional, about Lucius Malfoy, your investigation and what he's really doing here in London."

Hermione just closes her eyes. He told Chiara, but not me. "What do you want me to say, then?"

"I want you to tell me everything, Hermione! You two are soulmates!" Chiara snorts, irritated. "This changes-"

"It changes nothing."

"It does!" She says firmly. "Maybe Harry doesn't fully understand the concept, but I bet you do and you're ignoring all the implications of it!"

"And are you an expert?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Chiara shakes her head. "Hermione, you can't do this to him. It will destroy both of you."

Hermione is fed up with Chiara saying what she can or can't do.

"Chiara, since you know everything now, let me just explain to you, very clearly, how utterly fucked up the situation is. When Harry first arrived here, my father, a man who's obsessed with old and ancient magic, binded me to him in a contract that doesn't allow me to betray him. He wanted me to get close to Harry and find out his secrets, discover if he posed a threat to him. When I discovered Harry had killed Lucius, I could have ended this contract and be done with it, but I was already in love and… We had already shared the Perfect Harmony." She sighs. "Then I found out that he's a Potter." She widens her eyes to Chiara. "And when I was going to end things with Asmodeus because I wanted to be with Harry, I discovered that Asmo already knew he's a Potter and he has such solid proof that-" Hermione chokes.

Chiara has her eyes so wide they might pop out, but she doesn't say a thing, her attention on what Hermione is telling her.

"Just so I couldn't say he was forcing me, Asmodeus gave me a choice. I could say no to his proposal but then he would take this proof to my father, or I could say yes and he would Vow that this information would never leak from him." She bites her lower lip. "I have to marry him to protect Harry's identity. Not just that but I have to give something on Harry to my father or else this binding obedience contract is going to kill me." She motions to herself on the floor. "As you can see, I'm already going through some stuff."

Chiara opens and closes her mouth. "How are you going to do it?" She asks in a low voice, her face contorted into a resigned expression.

"I'm giving him Veritaserum."

"Dio mio." Chiara covers her face with both hands.

"I'll arrest him for the murder of Lucius Malfoy. And if I'm the one who puts him inside that cell, then I can control what happens to him."

"And what's Matteo's role in all of this?"

"He's the one getting Harry out. I gave him a lot of things that my father doesn't want Society knowing. This in exchange of Harry's freedom."

Chiara sighs and lies down by Hermione's side, both looking at the ceiling. "I'm glad you're his soulmate." She whispers. "Just seeing how ready you are to risk everything to save him is… fuck, it's insane and also very…"

"Right. It feels right."

"He'll get a clean slate for sure after this. And your father won't be so eager to put Harry away again. He'll dread Matteo's reaction."

"Exactly."

"But… Hermione, Harry came here to kill the Riddles. Your family. Are you even considering this or not?"

"Well, I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest. I can't have this looming over my head now."

"What I said to you that day continues to be true. You can count on me. We'll get over this."

"Why are you being so nice?" Hermione asks with a broken voice.

Chiara clicks her tongue. "Harry's like family to me, and if you're his soulmate, then you're like family to me too."

Hermione inevitably begins to cry. "I don't deserve it-"

"Stop, for the love of God, woman! Accept the help! Stop thinking you're not worthy! You are."

She shuts her mouth, letting the tears fall freely. Chiara just stays there, examining her perfect nails.

"I used to read a lot about soulmates when I was a child." Chiara breaks the silence. "The concept always fascinated me and I used to spend hours dreaming about the day when I would find mine." Hermione makes a face. "I always thought it was Harry." She whispers. "But to be honest, when I cheated on him I… well, let's just say that soulmates don't do that. Not when they have a choice."

Hermione gulps. "What truly means to be a soulmate, anyway?"

"It's much like the concept of the Traditional. To have the same ideals, the same actions, to function in Harmony. You're very similar and drawn to each other even when you're not aware of it. It's to respect and love the other with the uttermost devotion... it's almost impossible to stay away. Impossible to live without the other. It's a powerful connection. No one really knows if all of us have a soulmate. To be honest, I think the affinity between two people creates this, from the moment these two realize they're good together, you know? Your full and true happiness lives with that other person. That's why I'm saying this will ruin both of you. You'll want to be together, but you'll keep denying it, resisting to the brink."

"But… I have many friends that didn't share the Perfect Harmony and live happily-"

"Yes. And that's fine. It's just… the concept of soulmates is very strong, it's Destiny. From what I read, it's like you two have been choosing each other over and over again in many lives, even against all odds." She looks at Hermione. "It's a pretty rare encounter."

Sighing, Hermione says in a low voice, "If I had a choice… I would choose to run away with him. Marry. Just the two of us and nothing else."

"I'm so sorry about this whole thing." Chiara says in a whisper. "It shouldn't be this way."

"Chiara," Hermione covers her face, wanting to ignore her own next words, "Will you take care of him? Please?"

"Of course I will." She says firmly. "Things will work out in the end, Hermione. I'm sure."

Hermione only nods, crying a bit more.

"You can't tell him. I want you to Vow to me that you won't."

Chiara grunts. "I thought you would forget this little detail." Hermione opens a tiny smile. "Fine, I'll Vow to it, mostly because I feel that you should be the one who tells him, not me or anyone else."

Hermione extends her hand and Chiara takes it. In a beat she can feel the power of the Vow taking over her. She makes a face. "There's a thing I want to give you."

"Oh? Already giving me gifts? I know I'm such a good friend." Chiara jokes. "My birthday is in June, by the way."

Hermione snorts. "It's a coin. So we can communicate without being traced or intercepted."

"A coin? Odd, but I'll take it."

"I just can't walk or perform a spell right now, but I'll give it to you later."

And they continue to talk.

Hermione opens up about the consequences of the binding obedience and Chiara offers to help her find better potions to handle this.

It's unexpected but everything Hermione needed.

A friend she can be completely honest with.


March 5th, 2006

Somewhere in Muggle London

"Marry me." Harry says and she can't believe what her ears are hearing. It must be a joke.

But, no. His face is pretty serious and he has an expression that surely mixes anxiousness and excitement. This is very unexpected and, fuck, YES. She opens her mouth, her whole being wants to say the word, but she closes it, I can't.

"Harry." She whispers his name. "No." Her voice breaks.

Harry is silently crying. "Hermione." He takes her hand. "Why? Why you keep rejecting me? We love each other."

She shakes her head. "I said that nothing would change my mind, Harry-"

"Fuck that, Hermione, honestly! Look at me." He pleads and she turns to face him. "Marry me."

"Stop." She says, crying, her voice breaking again. Shit, this is too hard. "Please, stop."

She can see how much he's suffering and all she wants is to tell him everything and-

"If you- if you don't wanna marry me, if you're going to marry that jerk, then really… what are we doing? How do you think this is going to go? What's your plan? Am I supposed to be your lover on the side for the rest of our lives?" Harry asks.

She feels awful because of his words. Words that tell the truth in the most grotesque way.

"We have no future, Harry." Her voice is low.

He releases her hand and she wants to take his back, she wants to hug him, she wants to- "Because that's the choice you're making!"

"It's not that simple!" And I can't explain!

"Why? Don't want to go against your father? Against the man who tortured you?" He scoffs. "Are you marrying Pettigrew to please that monster? Is that it? Are you that weak, Hermione?"

She knew it would come to this, she knew there was no other way, and it's partially her fault, she shouldn't have indulged in them. The dates and all the loving words and opening up to each other-

Hermione needs to end everything.

Now.

Or else she won't do it.

"Don't talk about things you have no idea of, D'Angelo." She feels bad about using this card, but it's the only way of forcing him to listen. "And don't you dare calling me weak again. Ever." Hearing this from him is hurtful. He has no idea how strong she's trying to be just for him, for them. Does he really think she wouldn't be with him if she could? Does he doubt her that much? Doubt what she feels? She opens the door, decided. "I'll make it easier for us. This is over. We're done."

She walks out so fast that she's almost running, and not even reaching the alley, she apparates to her house, not giving a damn.

Immediately she raises her wand to change the wards, she can't let Harry in or else…

Or else she'll succumb. Entirely.

She'll tell him everything and things are going to be so messy, it-

She lowers her shaking arms when she's done with the change of the ward and on the next second she hears him on the front door:

"Come on, Hermione! We need to talk!"

She takes a deep breath and checks if all locks are in place. Hermione is crying and feeling weak, tired. She took a potion for this night out, but even so, apparating and changing the wards were enough to almost drain her.

It's impossible to go on like this.

Harry keeps yelling outside, banging on the door and she takes the tulip he gave her, the book resting on her couch. Hermione walks slowly and sits down, her back on the front door, listening to him.

Enough. She finally did it, she ended things and now there's no going back. It pains her to imagine that they shared their last kiss tonight, their last embrace…

"You're the love of my life, Hermione."

She widens her eyes, crying some more and putting up a silencing bubble around herself.

"And you are mine, Harry." She says, sobbing.

"I never knew I-" He chokes, "Never knew I could be this happy. You make me happy."

"Me too." She whines.

"I just wished I was enough for you. Enough for you to fight for us."

Her chest hurts and she clutches to the tulip. "I wanted to. I'm so sorry."

"Please, open up. Please. Let's talk about this." He knocks again. "Please."

She can't. She needs to go through with her plans, she needs to save him, make sure that he'll stay alive, no matter what.

The pain suffocates her.

It's over.

She tries controlling her sobs.

"I wanna marry you." He says, "I wanna have kids with you. Build a family with you."

"Oh, Harry." It's hard to breathe. "I want all those things too. But it's impossible. Impossible." She whispers the last words, breaking inside, one of her hands over her barren womb.

"I want to grow old with you." Harry slams the door.

Hermione closes her eyes, crying hard.

"I just-" He says. "I just want you to be happy. And I hope… Pettigrew can do that."

She hears him taking a step back, still hesitant but surely resigned. A sudden despair invades her. She knew what had to happen, but now that it's a reality she feels lost.

This can't be it.

They can't be over.

She screams when she's sure he's gone.

With a yell of rage at the injustice of it all, she stands from the floor and accio the bullet Harry took for her to her hand.

She knows this will take a lot out of her but she doesn't care. She has to keep showing him her love even if she can't say it anymore, even if he thinks she doesn't want to be with him, even if he thinks that she's choosing Pettigrew.

Taking a deep breath and feeling the anger and the pain inside her, she levitates the red tulip and the bullet in front of her. Closing her eyes, Hermione uses her raw magic. She transforms the rusty bullet into a thread of gold, shinny just like the happiness she feels when she's with Harry and then, she opens up the red tulip, petal by petal, the dark core showing itself.

And with a grunt, screaming, she clasps her hands together and the magic is done.

Hermione opens her eyes, exhausted, breathing hard, still crying.

But it's there. The necklace she imagined in her mind. The bullet and the tulip fused together.

The demonstration of their love for her to carry all the time.

With shaky hands Hermione puts it on, feeling the weight of the black stone. The black core that will always be like this while her love for him burns inside her. She squeezes the stone, kissing it gently.

The bullet and the day he saved her life. The day they began.

The tulip and the day they ended.


March 29th, 2006

Ministry of Magic

Hermione holds Chiara by the arm before they exit her office. "Wait."

"What?"

Without answering she goes to her shelf and moves one book, the whole thing opens outward and Hermione magically opens a safe. She takes Harry's wand from inside.

"I want to be sure of something. It'll take a minute." Hermione says and Chiara crosses her arms, watching her.

With closed eyes, Hermione holds Harry's wand and performs a spell to be sure of what she's imagining… She should have done this sooner, but her mind was so full and her grief so strong that-

She wants to track every spell he used with the wand.

She opens her eyes, gasping.

"So?" Chiara asks, raising one eyebrow.

"He never casted a killing curse with this wand. And we all know that was the way Lucius died." Hermione gulps. "He did it wandless." She whispers. Chiara widens her eyes.

"That's… very unlikely, Hermione."

Hermione lets out a small chuckle. "But true. This is perfect." Chiara frowns. "If my father is still resisting the idea of freeing Harry, I can use this. There's no way Harry's execution will be accepted if he didn't cast the killing curse."

"But he confessed to it. Under Veritaserum."

"So? Things were crazy that night, it was impossible to see a thing, people were dueling everywhere…" She bites her lower lip, thinking. "Can you lie under Veritaserum?" She asks Chiara.

"No." She shakes her head.

"I can." Hermione states. "And it's very simple. You see, you tell what you believe is the truth. So, lets imagine someone gives it to me and asks, 'Hermione, do you love Asmodeus?' all I have to do is believe that I do love him, but I don't have to actually love him. Do you understand?"

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"I'll say to my father that there's no trace of a killing curse in Harry's wand, and he'll say the same thing you did, 'he confessed under Veritaserum' and I'll be like, 'maybe Harry only believes he killed Lucius…'"

Chiara opens her mouth. "Well, that's actually brilliant. Harry never said which spell he used, did he?"

Hermione shakes her head. "He didn't. I can claim that he believed he'd killed Lucius but is obviously mistaken."

"Perfect. Let's go, then, the mystery is killing me."

Chiara moves to the door, but Hermione stops her again.

"Wait. We need a plan, right now. We need to think what to do if my father decides that he's sending Harry to his death regardless everything."

Chiara raises an eyebrow. "We'll save him. No matter what."

Hermione nods. "I was thinking the same. But then what?"

"Then we go to Italy and start a war, how about that?"

"You can't be serious." Hermione says, a bit scared.

"Very. Do you see another way?"

Hermione crosses her arms, closing her eyes. "Fuck, no."

"Then, that's it, let's go."

And this time Chiara opens the door.

Taking Harry's wand, Hermione heads out.

She dreads what might happen inside her father's office, but she hopes for the best.

(…)