THE RITUAL.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1997 (close to midnight).

They were a tangle of bodies and limbs when they finally materialized into being. Hermione gasped in pain when someone's knee connected with her ribcage. Her arms flailed trying to regain some measure of balance but her elbow hit something and she heard Lucius yelp, a sound she will likely have a hard time trying to associate with him.

"Sorry!" she grunted as another limb connected with her body part. "Arghh!"

They ended up sitting half-right on the pavement a few minutes later, the rain patting continuously against the steel canopy above them. It was the most ungraceful side-long apparition Hermione had ever performed but considering the situation they were in, apparating smoothly was the least of her concerns. At least no one was splinched this time.

"Where are we?" Lucius asked, looking as disheveled as the rest of them. A few strands of his dyed hair were sticking out in different directions.

"Shaftesbury Avenue," she answered. "It's the first place that came to my mind. This is where my parents work." Was where my parents used to work, she amended in her mind.

"The dental clinic?" Harry said as he wiped the smudge from his eyeglasses. "Is there anyone in there right now?"

Hermione shook her head, her heart constricting at the thought of her parents. The space was likely already sold to someone else since she confunded her parents into closing the clinic a week before obliviating them. It was cruel but necessary.

Still, it was nearly midnight and they were on the run. A safe space to rethink their course of action was desperately needed.

They walked briskly in the direction of the clinic with Hermione leading the way while Harry watched their back. All of their wands were out—even Lucius' defective one—but concealed from the Muggles' view. Now and then, her eyes would dart across the street. Alert and cautious. Mad-Eye's words were like a chant inside her head, probably the only thing that was keeping her sanity intact.

Constant vigilance. Constant vigilance. Constant vigilance…

She should've practiced that mantra while they were in Knockturn Alley. Hermione kept internally scolding herself along the way. If only she had been a tad more careful, they would've avoided that encounter with Fenrir Greyback, and they would've returned safely back home without any complication. She would've been still there in the parlor while the soft jazz tones of Ella Fitzgerald's Summertime crooned in the background. Hermione remembered feeling completely gobsmacked when Lucius asked her to dance and she also remembered feeling some sort of disappointment when it was cut really short.

What did it mean though?

She could still feel her heart racing as his palms closed around hers and it kept beating erratically as he led her across the small open space. Lucius was a graceful dancer, something that Hermione wasn't entirely surprised to find out. She had seen Draco dance during the Yule Ball after all and it made her wonder if Lucius was the one who taught his son how to dance.

Hermione suddenly stopped, startled when Harry called her name. They had already reached the clinic—or where it used to be. Somehow, she already expected this. Shaftesbury Avenue was one of the busiest streets in the West End of London therefore most aspiring businessmen wouldn't hesitate to acquire the first vacant space they could find. The exterior paint wasn't stripped away yet but the signages were already removed. The only thing that was left that reminded Hermione of her parents' dental clinic was the small little vandal near the bottom of the wall.

She glanced around making sure no one was looking before discreetly flicking her wand in a quick motion. They heard the door unlock and Hermione ushered them inside lest any of the other shops nearby noticed them trespassing. They didn't need the Muggle police chasing after them as well.

The place seemed to be going through a renovation. There were buckets of paint on the side, a steel ladder, some unopened boxes, and a few construction tools scattered everywhere. The walls that separated the reception, the offices, and the other rooms were torn down except the loo. Everything was gone just like that.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and turned back to the door. Wards should take top priority now. She could mope about the loss when they were safely hidden away from the Death Eaters chasing them. She raised her hand and started chanting every protective ward she could remember.

"Are we going to stay here?" Ginny asked after a while and Hermione noticed the redhead was shivering. It was when she realized they left all of their coats back home. She flicked a simple warming charm on all of them, earning her a grateful smile from Ginny. That should at least keep them comfortable for the meantime.

"It is not prudent to stay here," Lucius said. "I gather we only have an hour or two at the most before they find us again."

"But how did they find us in the first place?" Harry asked, his green eyes flickering between Hermione and Lucius. "I thought you lost them?"

"I was so sure we lost them," Hermione frowned. "We apparated three times to three different locations and we even traveled back home the Muggle way so they wouldn't trace my magical signature."

"I'm afraid it is not your magical signature they managed to track," Lucius said, his voice low and somber for some reason.

"Yours?" It was Ginny who asked. The Malfoy patriarch nodded.

"That's impossible," Hermione shook her head. "You never used any magic when we went out."

"I didn't," Lucius reached for his left sleeve and tugged it up for them to see. All three of them gasped when they saw his Dark Mark faintly glowing a dark shade of green as the snake in the tattoo slithered through the holes in the skull. "They found us through this."

"You called them?" Hermione felt her heart drop as she backed away. How did he do it? She was with him all those times. And they were both under the vow! Something unpleasant coiled in the pit of her stomach. How could I be so stupid? Of course, he would find a way around it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. On instinct, she raised her wand in his direction and Lucius immediately put his hands up placatingly.

"I did not call them," he said in an annoyingly calm tone. The same tone her parents used on her when she was feeling upset, when they knew she was about to do another bout of accidental magic. It grated on her nerves. "How can I call them when I was with you the entire time? Hermione, let me explain."

"So you could lie your way around us again? I don't think so," she growled, fingers tightening more around her wand.

"It was not me!" he insisted, his voice breaking out of the calm tone he used. "But I am not going to explain anything until you lower your wand."

"I think we should hear what he has to say," Ginny stepped forward before Hermione could reply.

Her eyes then went to Ginny's bright blue ones. It was calm and resolute—the complete opposite of her tumultuous brown ones. It was a look Hermione had often seen when they were secretly practicing Defense Against the Dark Arts in the Room of Requirement almost two years ago. The kind of look that wouldn't take no for an answer.

Hermione sighed, lowering her wand but still keeping it pointed in Lucius' direction.

"Fine," she gritted. "Talk."

Lucius' shoulders dropped along with his hands. He took a deep breath before launching his explanation with a detached and precise tone.

"As you now know, the Dark Mark is not just a symbol of someone's loyalty to the Dark Lord," he began. "It also serves as something of a beacon or a compass so the Dark Lord could know where his followers are."

"So, all this time, he knew where we are?" Harry asked, horrified.

"Yes and no," Lucius replied. "The Dark Lord knew the general vicinity of my location but he could not pinpoint where I am exactly. And I think Hermione's wards in her home were also sufficient enough to block the Dark Lord out from ever finding our location. He might have sensed me when we went to the Ministry but I doubt he still has access to it when we apparated to Hermione's home."

Despite her anger, Hermione internally felt some form of self-satisfaction at his words. Her wards worked against Voldemort. That definitely counted for something. But then again, his fellow Death Eaters found them. Her preening mellowed a little at that.

"Then how did they find us?" she asked but her tone lacked the initial anger it once held.

"I am not certain," he said as his crystalline blue eyes flicked back to her. "But my guess is it took us too long to get back to your house when we traveled the Muggle way and all that time Fenrir Greyback had already alerted the Dark Lord. He may have sensed my general location and all Fenrir needed to do was to track my scent."

"But you said the wards were sufficient enough."

"Yes, sufficient enough to block the Dark Mark from signaling out to the Dark Lord but not enough to block out a werewolf's keen sense of smell. And Antonin was there. I'm sure he's the one who detected your wards and tore them down so easily. You were living in a Muggle area after all. Sensing a multitude of wards there isn't natural."

"Then there's no point in hiding anywhere if You-Know-Who can track us through your Dark Mark," Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you didn't think to tell us this?"

"I did not see any point in mentioning it before," Lucius shrugged casually. "The wards in both Grimmauld Place and Hermione's home held. We were not discovered."

"'Were' being the operative word," Hermione snapped, remembering their trip to the supermarket. "They could've ambushed us when we went grocery shopping and you didn't bother to mention it to me?!"

"It's not as if they would recognize us immediately."

"Greyback did!"

"Okay! Enough shouting!" Ginny stepped between them. "Look, until we found a way to remove that cursed Dark Mark, we'll be continuously chased by your charming friends."

"It cannot be removed. The Dark Mark is imbued with the Dark Lord's magic and it is now infused into my skin. Into my magic. The only way to render it useless is to kill him," then Lucius scrunched his nose in disgust. "Even then, I don't think this mark will completely disappear."

"You should've thought about that before pledging your allegiance to a sadistic, megalomaniac Dark Lord," Ginny sighed. "Maybe we should just cut your arm off."

"I don't think it would work that way, Gin," Harry shuddered beside Hermione. "That Dark Mark kinda sounds like a Horcrux too, if I'm being honest."

"Wait," Hermione held up a finger, immediately silencing Lucius' protests. Something about Harry's last remark prompted a memory, or rather, an information Hermione had read while she was doing some light reading about Ancient Runes. "I think I've read something about it. About magical marks."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Harry mused but Hermione deliberately ignored him and was already rummaging through her beaded bag.

"I first came across it during the summer before our third year," she pulled out a worn copy of Spellman's Syllabary and opened it to a certain page. "In ancient times, runic symbols were carved on objects to strengthen the magic holding over them. Runologists forbade the carving of the flesh because doing such would be irreversible."

"That doesn't sound so promising," Ginny remarked, glancing at Lucius pityingly.

"No, no," Hermione continued to flick to another page. "McGonagall once told me that nothing is of permanence, that everything can be changed. It's basic Transfiguration. I'm sure that mark can be removed or at the very least, be purged of the magic it contains."

She looked up and noticed Lucius was looking at her with an astonished expression. No one had ever looked at her like that and it was usually the other way around for her. Hiding the blush that covered her cheeks by ducking back into her book, Hermione continued with her findings.

"The Dark Mark isn't a runic symbol that's why it isn't bound by the rules of Runology therefore it can be expelled. I thought we could treat it like a cursed object but this mark is embedded in Lucius' flesh and has You-Know-Who's magic in it so a simple exorcising spell wouldn't work."

"Expelling the Dark Lord's magic would also remove mine," Lucius said.

Hermione nodded, refusing to look him directly in the eye. "Precisely."

"That would make you a squib then?" Ginny said, sounding far too cheerful. Lucius glared at her in return but didn't answer although Hermione could see a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Maybe," she shrugged. The thought of him turning into a squib completely quelled whatever annoyance she still felt for the older wizard. "No one has done it before so we don't know how it would turn out. Maybe his magic would grow back like hair or maybe it would completely disappear."

"Can we do it here now?" Harry asked. "What are the risks?"

Hermione pursed her lips in thought. "Other than Lucius turning into a squib, it's safe to say that we should be completely fine."

"I thank you for your concern over my well-being," Lucius snapped. "But need I remind you that your wards would never hold when performing such magic. They will be all over us before you finish the ritual."

"He's right," Ginny agreed. "We need a place where there's a high concentration of magic so it wouldn't be suspicious if we do it."

Lucius ran a hand all over his face in frustration. "Even if we ever find such place, what makes you think I will subject myself to such ritual? I am not going to be a squib!"

"You have no choice," Ginny sing-songed. "Unless you know a way to hold your magic while we remove You-Know-Who's?"

That's impossible, Hermione's mind supplied. Marsellus Wallace's A General Theory of Magic stated that a witch or wizard's magic wasn't a tangible thing. It can be contained, removed, and transferred through rituals, enchantments, and simple spells, but it can never be touched or held onto directly through physical actions. That was why You-Know-Who had to commit murder through the use of the Killing Curse to split his soul and tether it to another object. Killing through Muggle means wouldn't work because a person's essence wasn't a tangible thing as well hence the reason why we resort to magic.

Wait…

"That's it!" Hermione's head snapped up immediately, her curls bouncing along. All three looked at her with wide eyes. "That's how we keep Lucius' magic! We tether it to something!"

Harry's eyes widen immediately, and she knew that he understood where her mind was going. "Like a Horcrux?"

Hermione nodded. She moved her gaze to the main subject of their discussion. Lucius was still looking at her with that inscrutable expression of his and she fervently wished she knew Legilimency. Alas, she only knew the basics of Occlumency from Harry's secondhand teachings.

"For my magic to be successfully tethered, the object to be used should have a deeper connection to me," he finally said. "Using something as arbitrary as a metal ladder wouldn't work."

"Hm," Ginny hummed. "So that's why You-Know-Who chose those objects to transfer his soul to. I just thought he's being sentimental."

"Not out of sentiment no," Lucius gave the redhead a small smile. "But he is Salazar Slytherin's heir after all so perhaps you are half right."

"Okay," Harry stepped forward. "The way I see it, we have two complications. One, we have no place to perform that ritual. Two, unless Lucius here brought his childhood teddy bear with him, we have no object we could use to transfer his magic into."

"It does not have to be a teddy bear," the older wizard rolled his eyes. "During the early years, there was a Samhain tradition the Pureblood families used to do. When the head of the house was finally transferred to the youngest heir, the oldest—in most cases it's usually the grandfather—would offer his remaining mortality to the gods and his magic to the new heir for strength and protection of the young family."

"What? That's barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed, looking aghast. She couldn't imagine seeing her grandfather sacrifice his life just for the sake of power.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," Lucius said and Hermione bristled at that. There it was again, the subtle jab at her heritage. "It is an honorable and dignified way to die. Would you rather wait for Death by your deathbed, too sick to even speak or would you rather do it on your terms? And besides," he added before Hermione could open her mouth. "That tradition was banned anyway when Nobby Leach became the Minister."

He spat the name like it was acid on his tongue. Hermione understood his point but growing up in the Muggle world and only hearing about these kinds of things now, she couldn't help but immediately jump to conclusions. She wondered if that was how Minister Leach also viewed those ancient Pureblood traditions and came to the conclusion that it must be outlawed. If only some Purebloods took enough time to enlighten him on why such traditions should be kept instead of demanding his resignation immediately.

Hermione craved magic like a man trapped in a scorching desert. Magic was endless and boundless and she sometimes felt like the things she learned in Hogwarts were not enough and will never be enough. That was why every time Ron would casually mention things about magic that he had learned growing up in a magical family like he expected them to know about it as well, Hermione couldn't help the fit of jealousy to churn in the pit of her stomach. It was wholly unfair that most of these Pureblood families including the Weasleys took these things for granted while Hermione had to fight tooth, nail, and blood just to learn a scrap of knowledge they already knew since birth, knowledge Hermione will never know because it wasn't in a book but rather passed down from generation to generation.

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying anything else about the matter. They had more pressing things to do at the moment.

"What are you proposing then? That we attach your magic to someone you have a deeper connection with? Your wife isn't here and there's not a chance I'll hand over your son to you until you've fulfilled your end of our vow."

"Familial bonds aren't the only thing that has a deeper connection," he said. His piercing blue eyes not straying from hers.

It took a moment for Hermione to register what he was trying to say. "Me?" her voice rose a few octaves higher.

"What?!" Harry and Ginny said in unison.

"Our unbreakable vow can already be considered as a deeper connection," Lucius shrugged. "While under its conditions, our lives are irrevocably entwined in a way."

"You make it sound like a marriage vow," Harry pinched his lips like he was about to vomit.

"He does have a point though," Ginny conceded tiredly. "Well, as long as Hermione's alright with it…"

The three of them turned their heads in her direction and Hermione instinctively took a step back. She tried to think of something but for once, her so-called brilliant mind was coming up short. After a few seconds of opening and closing her mouth like a struggling fish out of the water, her shoulders slumped.

"As if I have a choice?" she sighed resignedly.

"The only thing left is to look for a secluded place but within a magical community," Ginny said. She turned to Lucius. "Do you happen to have another house as big as your Manor in Wiltshire?"

"We have a chateau in Tuscany?" he offered.

"Nevermind," Ginny grumbled.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said after a beat and this time, he was the subject of attention.

Hermione knew the reason why Harry suggested it in the first place. Godric's Hollow was where Headmaster Dumbledore used to live with his family before that unfortunate incident where his sister was accidentally killed during a three-way duel between the two brothers and Gellert Grindelwald. Godric's Hollow was also the place where Harry's parents lived until they were attacked and murdered by You-Know-Who because of the prophecy. That place held a lot of history for him so Hermione understood his eagerness to visit it. But she also knew that stepping into that place was just as dangerous so she was the first to raise her concern over the matter.

"Don't you think there's a possibility that You-Know-Who's keeping a watch on Godric's Hollow?" Hermione asked. "He might expect you to go back and visit your parents' graves once you're free to go wherever you like?"

"Is he?" Ginny asked Lucius.

"The Dark Lord never shared any of his plans for us unless it is important that we know of it."

"That's helpful," said Hermione sarcastically before turning to her friend. "Harry, I know you really want to go to Godric's Hollow, but look at how easily those Death Eaters found us just now. It just makes me feel more than ever that we ought to avoid the place where your parents are buried."

"It's not just that," Harry said, still avoiding looking at her. "Muriel said stuff about Dumbledore at the wedding—stuff that's also in that book Rita Skeeter wrote. I want to know the truth."

"Harry, you can't possibly believe everything Skeeter wrote?" Ginny said. "All that woman knows how to do is come up with lies just to sell the paper."

"Like how the Dumbledores lived in Godric's Hollow before? Was that a lie as well?" Harry said bitterly and Hermione noticed his fist was shaking. "He could have at least told me that. Was his sister buried there as well with my parents? He could have brought me there to visit just once or at the very least visit them himself on my behalf but he didn't. I had to learn it from a stranger after his death!"

Harry then looked up, his green eyes were like blades of grass dancing with the wind. Like a forest swept up in a hurricane.

"So you see why I need to go there, why I have to talk to Bathilda Bagshot. All my life I have only been told supposed truths I have to believe immediately without question. For once, I want to figure things out on my own."

"And figure out you shall," it was Lucius who spoke this time. "But not right now. We have more urgent things to do."

"Like removing that bloody Dark Mark that almost got us caught just now?" Harry snapped.

"Yes," Lucius answered firmly.

Harry gritted his teeth but looked away in acquiesce. An awkward silence enveloped the four of them before Hermione realized they were wasting time staring at nothing.

"If not Godric's Hollow, then where would we go?" she asked.

"The jokeshop!" Ginny jumped up. "It's the perfect place!"

"But that's in Diagon Alley, Gin. We just—"

Ginny shook her head and held up a finger to silence Hermione's protests. "Look, hear me out. That place is bursting with magic and it's right in the center of Diagon Alley. It wouldn't be suspicious if the neighbors felt a magical disturbance now and then coming from the shop. They might think that the twins were just working something out."

"But the shop is closed and Fred and George are out hiding," Hermione countered. "Not to mention that we couldn't apparate within Diagon Alley and the fact that Lucius and I were already spotted there. What if they suddenly found us again? We have no means of escaping."

"The neighbors have no idea that Fred and George are in hiding. The Ministry never released a reward for their capture, unlike Harry. As far as people are aware, the twins might have just taken a few days off. We could put up a sign by the door or something." Ginny answered. "And about that no-apparating thing…"

"We could use the floo," Lucius suggested. "Assuming that shop has a floo connection."

"It has," Ginny nodded. "In their office on the second floor."

"Wait, wait, wait," Hermione stepped in between the two. She jabbed Lucius in the chest with her index finger. "Are you serious? Using the floo? The Ministry monitors everything that goes through it! And what about us being seen there already?"

Lucius grabbed her hand and moved it away from him. The physical contact of their hands made her aware of how too close she was standing in front of him. Hermione removed her hand from his and took a few steps away.

"I think Ginevra here has a point," he said. "What motive do we have for returning there? No one would suspect a thing. And the floo was for easier access to the Leaky Cauldron in case we are stuck inside the shop. It doesn't matter if they notice us go through it. Once inside the pub, we can just easily exit back to the Muggle world and apparate away."

"But—"

Whatever concerns Hermione still had immediately vanished when the entire place suddenly trembled again as if it was being knocked over by a full-grown troll.

"Bloody hell!" Harry hissed. "It's not even an hour yet!"

"We need to go," Lucius turned to Hermione. "Unless you know a better place, we need to leave this instant."

Why did the decision have to come from her? She stood there, motionless. Her eyes kept flicking between Lucius, Ginny, and Harry, waiting for them to say something… or anything but time was fastly ticking away and she could feel her wards coming apart.

"Everyone grab something!" she shot her hands out and the rest quickly grabbed onto it. "Hold on tight. I'm going to apparate once the wards are down."

The entire room kept trembling as the Death Eaters tried to dismantle her wards and after a few agonizing seconds, it finally gave out, shaking the entire building as well. Hermione almost lost her footing if it weren't for Lucius' iron grip on her shoulders. Sucking a deep breath, she pictured the narrow alleyway near the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and apparated them there.


The void thrust them out across the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. The apparition was a bit smoother this time and Ginny merely staggered a few steps, her free hand touching the solid brick wall to her left to steady herself. The rain had stopped now but the pavement and the road were still wet.

"Everyone alright?" Harry asked and everyone gave their own version of assurances. "Let's hurry."

"Wait," Hermione stopped them. She pulled out her wand and made a swishing motion similar to a concealment charm and muttered an incantation Ginny could barely hear. Soon enough something glossy and flimsy enveloped them before dissolving into thin air.

"What was that?" she asked.

"It's a modified version of cave inimicum," Hermione explained as she transfigured the nearby trash bin into a set of robes, handing each one to them. "People can still see us but we would be less noticeable. It would also mask our scent so Greyback wouldn't be able to trace us."

"Good thinking, Hermione," Harry said and Hermione looked down, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink at the compliment.

The four of them made their way through Diagon Alley without any more complications. It was past midnight and most of the usual stragglers were already gone, leaving the area nearly deserted. They went inside the jokeshop through the back door where Fred and George usually receive their supply of materials. There were a few wards but Ginny knew how to dismantle them easily while Hermione erected her own set of protection wards for their safety.

The jokeshop looked exactly how Ginny last saw it. A few specks of dust had gathered on the counter but the rest were mostly clean. The fountain of love potions was still sitting by the corner, the pink liquid continuously flowing from the top all the way down to the bottom.

"Should we go upstairs?" Hermione asked.

"Let me go first," Ginny said. "Knowing Fred and George, they must've placed some surprises there."

She saw Harry and Hermione visibly gulp while Malfoy simply looked apprehensive.

True enough there were a handful of wards surrounding the office and a few concealed traps along the hallway. She successfully removed each one of them until they finally reached the office. It was mostly a small place that contained a shabby wooden desk, two sets of worn-out chairs, and a few unopened boxes of what might be a couple of materials for their latest experiments.

Harry and Hermione set to work immediately, moving everything to the side while Malfoy had started etching the runes needed for purging You-Know-Who's magic.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Ginny asked them.

"Normally, you would need a conduit to be able to transfer someone's magic—similar to a bonder for an unbreakable vow," Malfoy said as he finished the nine feet magical circle of runes. "But we are not just talking about simple magical transference here. There is another essence at play and we need to keep that from clinging on to Hermione when we begin tethering my magic to hers. That is the reason why we are forgoing the conduit."

Hermione stepped into the middle beside Malfoy while Spellman's book trailed behind her and made a few swishing motions. Some of the quills and papers on the desk were transfigured into tall candlesticks that floated around the circle.

"I think this is enough to contain everything," she said before placing the book on the nearby desk. She handed a piece of paper to Ginny. "This is the chant you'll need to recite during the ritual."

"Why does this look so… I don't know… old fashioned?" Ginny eyed the ritual circle skeptically. "Can't we just say the chant and get on with it?"

"Well, this is indeed a very old fashion method but also the one that works most efficiently," It was Malfoy who answered. "Arcane rituals are founded on energy forces derived from the basic elements. It was only later that witches and wizards have forgone these kinds of rituals and have moved on to simpler spells and enchantments though I am surprised that you know about this."

The last part was directed at Hermione who was busy going through her book. Her head immediately bobbed up looking a bit flustered and her eyes were slightly narrowed. Surprisingly enough for Ginny, there was no hint of derision in Malfoy's tone. It was just pure and simple curiosity. Even she wondered how her friend knew about something as esoteric as this.

"Why? Because I'm a Muggleborn?" Hermione retorted.

"Yes," he replied immediately but held up a hand. "Do not be offended, Hermione. As I said, this is an arcane ritual that has been lost to recent generations. Even people my age rarely practice this anymore so I do wonder how you came across it."

Hermione looked away and bit her lower lip. Ginny wondered what her friend was thinking.

"Does it matter?" Hermione said eventually and Ginny knew in an instant that her friend did something not-so-legal. If she were any other person, Ginny wouldn't have realized it but she had been friends and had been living with Hermione since she started her schooling in Hogwarts.

But clearly, Hermione didn't want to talk about it so Ginny stepped up to save her. "No, I guess it doesn't," she shrugged and the grateful, timid smile Hermione threw her way only proved Ginny's guess to be true.

"Are we all set?" Harry came into view, dusting off his hands on his trousers.

Hermione and Malfoy nodded while Ginny stepped out of the ritual circle, carefully avoiding the runic symbols carved on the floor. Fred and George would likely have a fit if they saw what they did here.

Ginny watched as the two of them cut both their palms open. Hermione squeezed her palm on top of the carvings on the floor, the thick, dark liquid squeezing between the crevices.

"What are you two doing?" Harry asked looking a bit green at the sight of Hermione pouring her blood on the floor.

"Her blood will be the foundation of the first ritual. The symbols on the floor are meant to keep the magic of the one that is attached to it," Malfoy said then turned to Ginny. "No matter what happens, you must finish the chant."

Ginny nodded, clutching the small piece of paper tightly to her chest.

"We should begin," Hermione said. "It's almost three in the morning."

Malfoy held out his bloodied hand and Hermione took it tentatively. The moment their hands touched, Ginny felt a small thrum of force coming from them.

"Magia gratis data. Ligatum ad terram," Malfoy recited, clear and resounding. "Purifica vas. Invocare voluntatem. Exaltate essential!"

She couldn't contain the gasp from escaping her lips when the older wizard's body emitted a faint blue light and watched as it slowly enveloped Hermione through their linked hands. The wind was picking up even though the windows were boarded tightly shut and the wards Hermione erected prevented any natural occurrence from exiting or entering the room.

"Now!" Hermione yelled.

Ginny quickly unfolded the small piece of paper and incanted the words as loud as she can. By now the wind was turning into a dark vortex and in the center of it were Hermione and Malfoy.

"That must be You-Know-Who's magic!" Harry howled on the other side.

The dark vortex was clearly fighting them and Ginny was tempted to discontinue because both Hermione and Malfoy were now kneeling on the floor, their robes were being torn by the harsh wind.

"We need to stop!" Harry screamed over the strong gust of wind.

But Ginny continued chanting even though she could barely hear her own voice. She continued chanting even as the room trembled with the force of the wind. And when she uttered the last syllable, there was a screeching noise that nearly took out her hearing and the wind immediately ceased and dissipated into nothing. She looked down to see Malfoy passing out and falling into Hermione's arms. Both of their robes and Malfoy's shirt were completely gone, leaving him half-naked while most of what was left of Hermione's clothes were barely holding on.

Harry rushed to their side and helped Hermione lift Malfoy and carry him towards the couch at the end of the room.

"It's gone," Hermione said. "The Dark Mark is gone."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. He pulled off his robe and draped it across her shoulder.

Ginny walked towards them and took a look at Malfoy's left arm. It was just as spotless as the other. There was no trace of the Dark Mark but there was also something else she noticed while the other two carried his unconscious form.

"What happened to his back?" she asked.

Harry and Hermione looked at her then back to Malfoy. Harry lifted his left side and checked. There on Malfoy's back were huge scars but all of them looked about years old now. Still, Ginny wondered who did those to him.

"Are those… whipping scars?" Hermione said, horrified. "Did he… did You-Know-Who do this?"

"I don't think so," Harry shook his head. "You-Know-Who… he's very fond of the Cruciatus curse. I think someone else did this considering most of the scars were already faded."

"Does he, you know, still have his magic?" Ginny asked. While it was fun to make Malfoy sweat a little, she really didn't want him to completely lose his magic even if he was an arrogant prick most of the time. She wasn't that cruel.

"I don't know," Hermione said, shooting a worried glance in Malfoy's direction. "We'll know once he wakes up."

"Do you think we should move someplace else?" Harry asked.

"I think we're perfectly fine here for now. All that ruckus we made and no one has come barging in yet," Hermione slumped down on the floor, her back resting on the couch beside Malfoy, looking like she was about to pass out as well. "It's riskier if we move him out in his condition."

"I can't believe that worked," Ginny sat beside Hermione while Harry dusted off his trousers and went to the middle of the room. With a flick of his wand, most of the pieces of furniture rearranged themselves back to the way they were before. The runic carvings and traces of Hermione's blood vanished as well as if they didn't just perform some ancient ritual minutes ago.

"I can't believe it either," Hermione said.

Ginny discreetly glanced behind her to make sure that Malfoy was actually unconscious before turning back to her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhilarated? Tired?" Hermione shrugged. "It's like winning a game of tug of war. It's a Muggle game where two teams pull the ends of the rope until one team fell over to their opponent's side."

"That sounds like fun," Ginny said noncommittally. In her mind, she was ruminating about how to bring up their earlier conversation.

"I know what you're thinking, Gin," Hermione yawned and rested her head against her friend's shoulder. "It was Professor Dumbledore who told me about the ritual. That day we went inside the Headmaster's office to get the book about Horcruxes, I decided to come back again on my own to get some more books. When I got inside the room, he was there in his portrait as if he was expecting me to return."

"Even in a portrait, he acts that way. All mysterious and stuff," Ginny snorted. "So, what? You just asked him how to do that ritual?"

"I didn't even know about that ritual until he told me. He pointed me to the bottom drawer of his desk. Said there's a book there that could help me help Harry fight You-Know-Who. McGonagall hasn't cleared his desk yet so most of his things were still there that time," Hermione paused and Ginny wondered if her friend had fallen asleep but Hermione then raised her palm, the one where the cut was made earlier. "It feels weird talking to a ghost of someone you used to know."

"I don't know," Ginny mumbled. "Dumbledore and I haven't really interacted that much apart from that diary incident. He feels like a stranger to me. I feel sad and angry when he died because I know how much he means to Harry."

"He told me to use the time-turner to save Sirius back in our third year," Hermione shared. "But other than that, Harry was the one who got to talk to him alone the most."

The two of them glanced in Harry's direction who was standing by the window, checking the street outside the shop.

"What happens next?" Ginny broke the silence.

"We move forward," Hermione yawned again and Ginny realized that her friend was fighting her exhaustion. "We find a safe place to stay and find a way to destroy that locket. Then when that's done, we'll look for more Horcruxes to destroy."

"And when there are no more Horcruxes to destroy?"

Their eyes met and Ginny noticed how her friend's determination shone through her eyes despite the fatigue. The light has Hermione on their side. For now, she felt hopeful that this war would end in their favor.

"We finish You-Know-Who for good."


AN: Blame google translate for the awful latin translations.