Chapter Twenty-Six

A few fairly uninteresting days passed following Hermione's return to Tonks' family home. Still feeling a bit strange, she didn't even bother to argue with Kingsley when he insisted that she spent most of the time in his bed resting. She liked it in there. It felt secure even when he wasn't laying there with her. While the fever hadn't returned, she couldn't ignore the odd feeling she continued to have inside her head. She tried not to think too much about it. Maybe she was just being a hypochondriac for no good reason. At the very least it gave her something she could focus on.

There was a pervading sense throughout the Order that something big was coming. No one could articulate why exactly they felt it, but they did. Even Hermione did snuggled up against Kingsley's firm chest. Something was going to happen quite soon that would either change their lives entirely or kill them all. It really could be either one. She was at the point where she didn't care which it was.

Waiting around with no clear purpose was maddening. After nearly a week of rest, she declared herself fit for rejoining the rest of the world. Or at least the small circle inside the house she hadn't yet been allowed out of. Sneaking out would get infinitely more difficult in future with Kingsley's sharp eye on her. He wasn't about to let her run away and disappear for three days again.

Feeling more like herself made the waiting even more difficult. With very little to occupy her mind, she was anxious to rush out in the world to see what was happening. That wasn't allowed. She was one of the most visible targets. If she was captured, there was a real concern that the war would never end in their favor.

Patrols were sent out regularly to see what was happening in the world. No matter how much she begged, Hermione was never allowed to be part of one. She tried to argue that she wasn't a child and had proven herself more capable than most of the cowards being sent out instead, but her arguments fell on deaf ears. Some of them thought she had behaved too recklessly in recent weeks to be fully trusted. One of the arseholes even dared to throw in her face that she was responsible for revealing the secret of their safe house to an enemy. Every day they expected a horde of Death Eaters to descend upon them to murder them in their beds. A watch was set up around the estate. They wouldn't be caught unaware.

She hated to admit that at least a few of them had a valid point. No, she hadn't been acting like herself for a long time. That was one of the side-effects of war. It was impossible to go through one without coming out at least a little changed. She knew she had become far more impulsive than was wise. Her anger and her bitterness at what she experienced shaped her personality. Never again would she be the girl she once was. That Hermione Granger died right along with her best friends.

Even if she had been allowed to go on a patrol, it wouldn't have mattered. The world had grown quiet. No one said it out loud or plainly, but the overwhelming belief in their society was that the war had ended and Voldemort was the victor. It wasn't an illogical assumption. Most of the world didn't know how vulnerable he was with nearly all of his horcruxes destroyed.

While the rest of the world lived in ignorance, there were frequent discussions on what they could do to bring along the end just a little bit faster. Unfortunately for Hermione's nerves, no one had a good plan for killing the snake. It was all they ever talked about in meetings. She supposed at least the asinine ideas were their way of attempting to not give up in the face of tremendous odds. More than once she chastised herself for not being so forgiving or kind. Weren't they all just trying their best to survive in a world that wanted them dead?

Two entire weeks passed since she blurted out her theory to Kingsley that Thorfinn was going to try to kill the snake himself. Since then there had been no proof that he tried. She also noticed that no mention was made of him in the Daily Prophet either. If he was found to be a traitor to his side, he would've been made an example out of. His execution would've been plastered all over the publication for days. She thought it was a small comfort that despite reading every edition beginning to end, she had yet to see his name. Maybe he had given up. She wouldn't blame him.

It was nearly midnight. Unable to sleep with her mind full of thoughts she couldn't control, she had taken to pacing the empty formal reception room. No one bothered her when she was inside there. When she couldn't bear hearing another moment of whinging or crying, she would go there and wait until she was in a better mood. Sometimes she would be stuck in there for hours.

A loud knock on the front door surprised her out of her spiraling thoughts. It was weird that anyone would go to the formal entrance at all let alone knock. Most Order members just let themselves in through the kitchen door. She was probably the closest one to the front door. Ignoring all of the warning signs and thoughts shouting in her head to be careful, she didn't even bother to look outside before pulling the massive door open.

Thorfinn stood at the door covered in blood. His clothes were ripped in several places. He cradled his right arm with his left. It looked broken. When he saw her, he nearly sighed in relief. Had he always been that pale?

"It's dead. I killed the snake."

His announcement robbed him of the last of his strength. As he started to fall to the ground, she tried to catch his large frame. All she succeeded in doing was cushioning his fall. He let out a final groan before passing out cold right on top of her.

"Help!"

Her shrill scream brought most of the house's inhabitants to the entrance hall. From the moment the first person saw the bloody, half-dead Death Eater collapsed on top of Hermione, chaos took over. There were half a dozen arguments about what needed to be done. Fear that he was just the start of a barrage of more enemy combatants was prevalent.

"He's bleeding. Look, that's a bite."

No one seemed to care what Hermione said. Over and over again they screamed that he should be tossed out into the night to die. Having him underneath the same roof as them was too dangerous. There was a time when she might have agreed with them, but that night she was protective of the blond wizard. If what he said was true about the snake, they should all be kissing his feet and thanking him for what he did.

Kingsley was the one to make the final decision of what was to be done with him. Despite not being the owner of the house nor the official Head of the Order, he was perhaps the most universally respected among them. A born leader, they followed him almost without question.

"Take him upstairs. Until we know for certain if he's telling the truth, he stays here."

A stretcher was conjured instantly. The wizard's bloody body was easily levitated with magic. He was taken up to the small bedroom where Hermione used to sleep until she started sharing Kingsley's bed every night. A trail of fresh blood led the way up the stairs. Sick at the sight, she made certain to clear up every drop she could see with a strong scourgify.

Though she had no formal Healer training, Hermione was the one to insist on checking over his body for wounds. Maybe there was a small part of her that cared whether he lived or died. The source of the blood was easy to find when she cut his shirt off with her wand. On his right shoulder near the disgusting scar she gave him the night they moved Harry to the Burrow, there was a deep snake bite.

The wound was horrific, absolutely disgusting. Just looking at it made her sick. When Harry was bit on Christmas Day, the wound hadn't been that deep or that awful. A little bit of dittany healed it up easily. An entire bottle of dittany spilled into Thorfinn's wound didn't make any effect. Blood continued to spill out of him at a distressing speed. Soon he would be out of it completely. Why was his wound so much worse than Harry's? Had the snake used its venom with Thorfinn but only its teeth with Harry?

"Remember when my dad was bit?"

She looked up to see a concerned Fred on the other side of the narrow bed. When did he get there? Though he wasn't one of the ones screaming that he be tossed outside and forgotten, she didn't remember him being there.

"He nearly died. The Healers weren't sure what to do. It was only after hourly blood replenishing potions and an eventual antidote that he lived. He needs more blood soon or he's not going to make it."

Someone pushed a glass vial into her hand. Careful to read the label to be certain it wasn't one of the ones calling for his head slipping her a poison, she relaxed a little when she saw that it was to replenish his blood. Giving an unconscious person a potion was a nearly impossible task, but somehow she was able to make it down his throat. Within just moments some of the color returned to his face. It was only temporary though.

"He needs an antidote. Where can we get that?"

"He's a Death Eater. He shouldn't even be inside the house."

"I agree. We should just let him die. What use is he?"

The arguments about what to do next continued until Hermione could take it no more. She stood up to her full height and shouted that everyone who wasn't interested in keeping the man on the bed alive could leave the room immediately. One by one they filed out into the corridor. Fred promised to bring her some more blood replenishing potions as he closed the door behind him.

"If you keep yelling at everyone like that, they're going to start to think you fancy me."

She spun around towards the bed at the sound of his voice. Weak and very quiet, she was amazed that he was awake at all. After the wound she saw, she wouldn't have been surprised if he just died right there. Unsure how to respond to his teasing, she just crossed the small room to sit on the edge of the bed. He reached out his left hand to grab hers.

"Thank you for not leaving me outside and letting me die."

"That would've been wrong. You deserve better than that."

"Death Eater lover."

The cheeky words he uttered under his breath actually made her smile. Strange the effect a simple joke could have on her during such a stressful moment.

"If it helps, you're not the only one. I caught a glimpse of Hestia Jones just now. You should ask her about the night I met her in the Three Broomsticks a few years ago. I'm sure she hasn't forgotten."

His eyebrow waggle forced an amused snort out of her mouth.

"Really? Hestia? I had no idea."

"She'll try to deny it, but don't listen. She wanted me."

Hermione's soft chuckle encouraged him to laugh too. As soon as he tried, he hissed in pain. Despite the blood replenishing potions helping him stay awake, it was evident he was far from healed.

"Thorfinn, what happened?"

"I was impulsive."

"Now that doesn't sound like you at all."

His smile at her terrible attempt at a sarcastic joke was small, but at least existent.

"There was a meeting called at Malfoy Manor. The Dark Lord doesn't like to leave much these days. I don't know why. Before everyone arrived for the meeting, I saw the damned snake. I've always hated it. Seen it eat too many people to be comfortable around it."

He shuddered which brought on another hiss. Some of the blood from his wound trickled down his bare chest. She wiped at it with a soft cloth. If they didn't get him an antidote, he would be dead before sunrise.

"Snape brought the Dark Lord the Sorting Hat. I don't know why. Some kind of research. No one tells me. I saw it sitting on Malfoy's dining table and I got curious. When I tried to pick it up, it felt heavy. I didn't remember it feeling heavy when I was eleven."

"No, it wasn't."

"I put my hand inside and felt something metal. I didn't think. Just pulled it out. It was… I think I found the Sword of Gryffindor."

Hermione remembered Harry talking about being down in the Chamber of Secrets and Fawkes the phoenix dropping the Sorting Hat. Inside he found the Sword of Gryffindor. Later, Professor Dumbledore explained that only a true Gryffindor could pull the sword out of the hat. She couldn't help but smirk. Some of her earlier observations about Thorfinn seemed to be true.

"You were mis-Sorted. You should've been a Gryffindor."

"It wanted to put me in Gryffindor but I begged it for Slytherin. I thought that might make my father happy. He wouldn't have been pleased if I'd gone to Gryffindor."

His entire life could've changed if he hadn't been afraid of his father. It was odd how seemingly small choices could have such a lasting impact on the rest of their lives. If he let the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor, maybe he would've made better friends who could've kept him away from the Death Eaters. It was just more proof that he'd lived a wasted life.

"I remembered what you said about needing the sword to kill the snake. By then the snake was on the dining table but I didn't realize it. I looked in its eyes. Maybe it could tell what I wanted to do. The damned thing struck and bit my shoulder. I've never felt anything more painful. As I screamed out in pain, it released me and moved like it was going to bite me again. I just reacted. With the sword in my hand, I sliced its head off."

She would've given anything to be able to witness the murder of Voldemort's precious pet snake by one of his own most trusted Death Eaters. It had to have been spectacular. Far better than her sitting around just waiting to die like she had been at any rate. If everything he said to her was true, and she didn't have any reason to doubt him, it was amazing he survived at all.

"How did you get out of Malfoy Manor?"

"It was chaotic. There were only a few of us in the dining room. When I realized the snake was dead, I dropped the sword and ran. No one stopped me because I don't think they knew what I had just done. This was the first place I thought of. When I got outside the gates, I Apparated here. I'm surprised I didn't splinch myself."

"So am I."

Hermione wasn't sure what to say next. Part of her was still in a bit of shock. When she told Kingsley she suspected Thorfinn was going to try to kill the snake, she never imagined he would be successful. She assumed that she would hear about him being dead long before she learned the snake was dead. Feeling helpless in her current position, she stood up from the bed and poked her head out into the corridor.

"Will someone bring me a fucking antidote?"

The shrill sound of her screams continued to echo in the relatively silent house as she made her way back to the bed. Thorfinn's color was whiter than even just a few minutes earlier. Telling her the story was taking a lot out of him. She uncorked another of the glass vials of blood replenishing potion she'd been given and pressed it against his lips. More of the potion made it in his mouth with his cooperation. Immediately she noticed a difference. She could keep him alive for a few days with the potions maybe, but it wouldn't last forever. The snake's venom was coursing through his veins.

"Now it looks like it's your turn to take care of me when I'm sick like I did with you. Are you feeling better?"

She brushed off his question. It wasn't important. Even with the tiny throb of pain in the base of her brain she wasn't on the verge of dying like he was. Her condition wasn't what was important.

"Why were you so stupid to go after the snake? It could've killed you. It might still yet."

"I would think that was obvious, Princess. For you. I did it for you."

Hearing his confession out loud wasn't a surprise, but the way it made her feel was. As grateful as she was that he made her job that much easier, she also couldn't ignore that she hated him too. Why couldn't he just be like all of the other Death Eaters and be some mindless, homicidal lunatic? She wasn't comfortable with him having real, complicated emotions. Thorfinn grabbed her hand again.

"I know you told me not to say it until this was all over, but I can't wait. Hermione… I'm in love with you. I killed the snake because unless you ran away with me, it was the only chance we had for a future together. I want to marry you and have a family with you and spend the rest of my life proving to you I can be a good man. I love you."

The sound of a throat clearing near the bedroom door kept her from having to respond to his declaration. Kingsley walked into the bedroom right in the middle of Thorfinn's speech. Based on the expression on his face, he didn't like what he heard. It was rarely a good sign when he clenched his jaw.

"Hermione, may I speak to you in private?"

Before she got up from the bed for a second time, she smiled at Thorfinn. She wanted him to feel at ease, like nothing was wrong. It wasn't necessary that he know despite surviving the vicious snake bite so far, he was in real danger of having an avada sent straight to his chest.

"I'll be right back."

She followed Kingsley into his bedroom. When the door was shut and they were finally alone, she leaned up to brush her lips against his. He needed the reminder that she cared about him, not the Death Eater across the corridor. It seemed to help. He exhaled a deep breath.

"Some of the Order members have gone out to try to verify if it's true. It looks like it might be. Looks like the snake really is dead."

"Good. He told me what happened and I didn't think he was lying."

"He said a lot just now."

The petulance in his tone might have been adorable if the situation was a little less serious. Did Kingsley really worry that she might have actual feelings for Thorfinn? It was laughable. Maybe if the war hadn't happened and she bumped into him in a pub, but it happened. There could be no future with him. The thought made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't keep up the charade that she actually cared about him for that long.

"I told you it wasn't just sex with Thorfinn. I convinced him that I cared about him and wanted to have a future with him."

"And do you?"

"Of course not. I've been using him."

She kissed him again to make her point a little further. If there was one wizard she could imagine having a future with any time in the future, it was the one whose arms snaked around her back in that exact moment, not the half-dead one in the other bedroom.

"It would be easy to just let Rowle die. I sent an owl to Severus asking for his help getting an antidote, but we don't have to give him one."

"He might still be useful just a little bit longer. I don't want him dead just yet."

There could be no further misunderstanding about her true feelings. Having to worry about Kingsley fearing that she wanted to be with Thorfinn was too much. She had enough on her plate. Taking the wizard's hand, she led him to the bed they had been sharing. Nothing beyond sleeping had taken place inside it yet. Perhaps it was finally time to change that.

Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed with a mischievous grin on her face. When her hands reached for the buttons on the front of Kingsley's shirt, he mirrored her grin. For just a few minutes, she wanted to forget what was happening outside that room. His hands gripped the bottom of her jumper. In a quick tug, he had it over her head and then in a puddle on the floor. Though still covered up for the most part, she suddenly felt very exposed. Was she making a mistake? Emotions were heightened in periods of high stress.

Deciding she didn't care, she pulled Kingsley's arm until he was on the bed with her. From there, it all progressed quite quickly. For weeks they had been on the verge of going further, but each time one of them stopped. The timing never seemed to be right. She didn't want to stop and he'd already proven he was all in. It didn't take long for the rest of their clothing to land in a heap on the floor with her jumper.

Everything happened so quickly. In the future she very much hoped they would have plenty of opportunities to take their time enjoying the sensations and learning more about their partner's desires and bodies. A sense of desperation took over both of their better senses that night. Waiting was no longer an option. Kingsley's hands gripped the bottom of her thighs but there was no need. She was certain she'd never wanted anyone as much as she wanted him.

Neither of them wished to advertise what was happening behind that closed door. At the first thrust, she had to bite gently down on Kingsley's shoulder to keep from screaming out loud. While a part of her felt the tiniest bit guilty because Thorfinn was just a short distance down the corridor expecting her to return any moment to whisper her own promises about the future with him, it felt amazing. Fast and furious and not at all gentle, she knew that Kingsley was staking his claim on her body, but she didn't mind. She made her own in a few places on his skin with her teeth.

"When this fucking war is over, you and I are spending at least a week naked in bed."

Kingsley watched her as she pulled her clothes back on with the grin that made her want to stay right there with him regardless of what was happening just outside the bedroom door. There would be no argument from her about his plans. When she felt like she was presentable enough to emerge from the room, she leaned down to kiss him where he still lay on the bed.

"Then I can't wait until this fucking war is over."

At the door she turned her head to look at him one more time before she left. His wink gave her the necessary strength she needed to step out into the corridor and become someone else. Until she was able to return to his bedroom and close the door behind her, she had a part to play. She had a part and a Death Eater to keep alive. None of them knew what sort of asset he might continue to be as the war progressed.

Just outside the bedroom that had become Thorfinn's she stopped to take a deep breath. Though she hadn't technically been gone that long, everything changed. Would he be able to tell she wasn't the same?

The sound of the door opening jarred him out of a sound sleep. It wasn't any surprise based on the injury he had that his body needed its rest. When their eyes met across the room, she pushed aside everything else that was in her mind to greet him with a bright smile.

"Sorry that took so long. Everything has to be argued to death in this house."

She picked up another vial of blood replenishing potion to uncork it. Potions were foul, disgusting concoctions but most witches and wizards grew up swallowing them with minimal complaints. As Thorfinn finished off the potion keeping him alive for at least another hour, Hermione pressed her lips against his forehead.

"I missed you when you were gone. Kept thinking every creak in the floor was someone about to sneak in to murder me."

It was a joke, but they both knew there could be some truth to it too. There were those who would rather toss him out into the cold to bleed to death than offer him any help. Killing Voldemort's snake wasn't enough to earn the trust and respect of some of her fellow Order members. Nothing would ever be enough for them.

"No one is going to murder you while I'm here. I've let everyone in this house know that if they want to hurt you, they have to come through me first."

"And that scared them away. I wouldn't want you as an enemy."

Thorfinn reached for her hand. She allowed him to take it as she sat on the edge of the bed again. For a little while longer she could pretend she was right where she wanted to be.