Chapter 17 Of Swords and Infirmaries
Hermione fell asleep holding both Harry's and Professor McGonagall's hands after answering many questions from Xenophilius. Andromeda had slept for a few hours and was now back up at work with Ted going around clearing bedpans, refilling pitchers of water, and handing out blankets or asking after people to see if they were hungry. Remus' injuries were now (finally!) closed. He had been quite shaken up by his run-in with Grayback. The werewolf who had turned him was getting revenge for his powdered silver injured nose. It took three whole bottles of essence of dittany to heal the deepest part of the cuts. From there it was just episkeys til kingdom come. Ted had to force Tonks to stay in bed, lest she exhausted herself and endangered her pregnancy.
Harry was shaking his head in his sleep. He moaned as if in pain. This made Andromeda approach him and do diagnostic spells. She had been doing that every half hour. His core had gone from 5% -a number that she had never seen before, which only allowed him to keep his vital organs functioning- to 10% and then to 15%. Currently, it was up to 30%; maybe that was why he was waking up. The diagnostic reflected that other than magical exhaustion, Harry's muscles were all too hurt. The vital energy he gave to the elves, but especially to Hermione, took everything out of him. The elves had been coming every fifteen minutes. They had taken the sword and placed it in their nesting room after they had to restrain the goblin that wanted to take it and leave.
FLASHBACK
As soon as McGonagall was placed on a bed her hold on to the sword of Gryffindor finally loosened and it fell with a clang. The injured goblin they had brought in ran to take it, but Hermione was faster and when she saw his intentions, she took it and turned around with the sword pointing at him.
"You better not be doing what I think you are doing!" she said in a warning tone.
"The Sword of Gryffindor should stay in Gringotts. It was forged by my people!" the goblin backed away as Hermione advanced toward him.
"The Sword of Gryffindor presents itself to any worthy Gryffindor! That tells me that no one can own it!" Hermione replied. Dudley was next to her ready to tackle the goblin.
"It is a goblin heirloom!" the goblin growled baring his scary teeth.
"It's Godric Gryffindor's heirloom! Only his heirs could claim ownership and I highly doubt that you can prevent it from vanishing wherever it is kept and showing up for a Gryffindor in trouble," Hermione wished for Kreacher to appear, and he popped in front of her, ready to fight.
"Is Mistress alright?" Kreacher frowned at the goblin.
"Yes, Kreacher. Please take Mr.?" Hermione stared at the goblin.
"Bonesmasher!" he snapped at her with disgust.
"Please take Mr. Bonesmasher to the camp down at the beach. He is not welcome inside this house. When you are done, please bring me writing supplies so I can send a note to Queen Anord to thank her for her help and ask her to receive Mr. Bonesmasher back in Gringotts as soon as possible," Hermione turned to Dudley. "Follow me, Dudley. I will show you to your room."
Dudley's jaw was hanging, but he nodded. Have I just been promoted? Wow. "Of course. Thank you."
Kreacher vanished with the goblin and made sure to add magic to keep him inside the tent until his queen replied and took him home. "You are not to leave this tent until you queen sends instructions. We will feed you, although you do not deserve that."
With a snap of Kreacher's bony fingers, all of Dudley's belongings (that were not many) vanished.
Bonesmasher yelled, "I wouldn't want to see those humans again, anyway!"
"You watch your tone! Those humans saved your life, and they are the only reason you are still alive!" Kreacher spat at the goblin and left.
END FLASHBACK
Xenophilius discretely took the bandages with the Horcruxes' remains and left the Infirmary to find the sword of Gryffindor as soon as the sun started to come out. If Luna's stories about Mr. Potter were right, this sword was covered in basilisk venom at some time. In one of his travels, he had met a very interesting old wizard who told him that the sword of Gryffindor was always strengthened by things it encountered that were equally as strong or stronger than the blade. If he was right, all the Horcruxes that Lord Black told him about could be destroyed with the sword. He needed to test if the remains reacted to the sword.
Mr. Lovegood went down to the beach. If something went wrong, he didn't want the He placed the bandages on top of a log that had washed ashore and pulled out the sword from the hilt that the elves had put it in. As soon as it came out, the goo started to bubble in a way that made it seem like it was trying to run away from the sword. Could it be that the Horcrux was still alive? It made him feel useless, pathetic, and weak. It whispered that he was a horrible father, that Luna would be better off if he had been the one to die instead of her mother. Had those poor teens put up with all this darkness for months? Had Mr. Potter been carrying that vitriolic, self-hating shadow his entire life? The poor kid!
Xenophilius didn't want to wait and see if the Horcrux was dead. He would instead make sure that it was. He lifted the heavy sword over his head only for the goo to screech and form a sort of face.
"WAIT!"
Xenophilius remembered everything his daughter told him. Do not engage with dark spirits. Do not reply. Do not make eye contact. But the wraith had other ideas.
"I am the Dark Lord. It is in my power to grant you anything your heart desires. What do you want, Xenophilius? Money? Fame? Success?"
Xeno frowned deeply. "There is nothing you can offer me to make me help you. My daughter's peace of mind and safety has no price and you damaged that along with her sense of self and her confidence. You may have damaged it permanently and I could never forgive that."
"I can make her my queen! Beside me! Exulted above everyone in my ranks! We can destroy The Prophet! You would be the biggest publication in the UK!" the goo exclaimed in a panic.
"The Prophet is destroying itself and I would never sully my Luna with the likes of you!"
"What about Pandora? I could bring her back to you!" the wraith offered in desperation.
Xenophilius went red with rage. No one got to talk about his wife, "You bigoted, twisted, narcissistic, sadistic madman! BEGONE!" Xenophilius brought down the sword with all his strength. The goo screeched louder than before, and it turned into ashes that a gust of ocean breeze blew away. Xeno could feel the air was clean again as the ocean breeze blew the ashes away.
Voldemort sneered as he flew through the door to the Great Hall. It was exhilarating to take over the school that limited his ambitions and censored his curiosity. He would have been better off at Durmstrang. They would have appreciated his interest in the occult and in alternative sources of power. Hopefully, the runes that were set off in Malfoy Manor were a false alarm. Voldemort thought it was probably one of his prisoners trying to escape.
Wherever Potter was, he had no way of knowing Voldemort would take over at Hogwarts. He had made sure to tell only Bella. She would rather die than betray him. He had sent some of his soldiers back. Bellatrix was to lead them. Inside the Great Hall, he found a bound and gagged Hagrid. The oaf was covered in blood. Nobody knew whose blood that was but there was a lot of it. Voldemort snapped his fingers and the gag vanished.
"Rubeus Hagrid... What are you doing here still?" Voldemort asked with distaste.
"I had to take care of my kids," Hagrid's voice was coarse. He had managed to bury 7 students and Fang before he was immobilized. He would not have these monsters desecrating their bodies with dark magic or Merlin knew what other ritual.
Voldemort frowned in confusion, "What kids?"
Hagrid's face turned to one of pure fury, "I had to bury my kids that your forces murdered!" he yelled and lunged at Voldemort, breaking the chain holding him back by an iron belt on his waist.
Voldemort was not expecting any physical confrontation and right as he was about to raise his wand to blast the giant away, he felt a piercing blinding pain in his core and his wand fell off his hand. Hagrid punched Voldemort twice, once in his stomach, making him double over. Then, he lifted the man by the neck of his weird robes and he uppercut Voldemort's jaw. That's when the Dark Lord's minions managed to stun him. They had been too shocked at the fact that Hagrid was strong enough to break steel chains and that he went the physical route. The blow to Voldemort's jaw broke the bone and shattered several teeth. Voldemort was knocked out cold. One piece of his soul was gone.
Harry groaned and his eyes shot open. This immediately awakened Hermione from her awkward sleeping position. However, she noticed she felt no pain from the position.
"Harry?" Hermione asked with concern as she noticed his grimace.
"It's gone..." he whispered as he rubbed his scab-covered lightning-shaped scar with a shaky finger.
"The Horcrux in your scar?" Hermione asked as she blinked repeatedly to adjust to the light. It was morning at last.
Harry shook his head, "No... I mean... Yes? This is confusing. Hermione... I felt it die just now. It hurt me."
Hermione frowned, "I am not following."
"I think it was still alive somewhere-" Harry trailed off.
Hermione nodded, "When you were healing the goblins, your scar split open and bled a weird black goo. Luna dabbed it away with some bandages."
Harry's eyes widened. "Is she okay?" He remembered her flying away from him.
"Yes. Neville caught her."
"I think it was trying to find an easy host to take over, but someone killed it before it could," Harry frowned.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
Before Harry could reply, Xenophilius stepped through the door to the Infirmary. "I killed it, Ms. Granger. I asked the elves for the sword, and they gave it to me when I explained what I wanted to do with it, Mr. Potter."
"Thank you, Mr. Lovegood, but please never go on your own to do something like that again," Harry grunted as he tried to sit up. "Your safety is important. Luna needs you."
Xenophlius smiled at the teen strangely but nodded. It felt good to hear that Harry Potter actually lived up to what Luna told him. He was a kind, responsible, protective, loving young man.
Andromeda rushed inside and pushed Harry back down. "None of that, Harry. You need to rest. No leaving this bed at all today."
"But Andromeda I need the loo!" Harry complained.
"And I have bedpans!" Andromeda replied without missing a beat.
"Oh, hell NO! I don't want anyone dealing with my... that. Please, Andy, I can walk to the bathroom."
"No. You really can't. Your magic levels are still too low. The moment your feet hit the ground your knees will buckle, and you will fall face first. We may still be able to lessen your scar and you don't need a new one."
"How about if I carry him?" Dudley came into the Infirmary to check on his cousin and was glad to see him well or as well as could be expected for the circumstances.
"Yes, thank you, Dudley," Harry answered with a blush. Being carried was much better than peeing on a pan while lying down. "Once I am done, we all need to talk about what happened because all I remember is flashes since we brought everyone home."
"Of course. Mr. Lovegood, please tell me everything you did in great detail," Hermione requested as Harry was carried out to the bathroom.
Harry knew she would tell him everything. His chest hurt bad, and from the bandages he could feel, he was sure that he had broken at least a couple of ribs. Breathing hurt a bit. When he got to the bathroom, Dudley hesitated to put him down.
"Okay, so... how do you want to do this?" Dudley asked.
"Put me down."
"You heard the doctor, Harry," Dudley said in a warning tone.
"Listen, Dudley... I know we have come a long way in our relationship, but I am NOT about to have you hold my –you know– as I pee. We are not there yet. We will never be there," Harry whisper shouted.
"I don't want to touch you there, mate! What the fuck?!" Dudley whispered back, horrified.
"Then what are we going to do?"
"I will hold you up by your armpits while you do your thing."
"Ugh. Fine. Only because I am about to pee on both of us."
Dudley put Harry down slowly, making sure his cousin's feet didn't get any pressure from his weight. He turned his face away and closed his eyes. "Go ahead."
"Fine. Don't look!"
"You couldn't pay me to look, mate!" Dudley replied, red all over his face.
"And it vanished? For good?" Hermione asked taking notes.
"Yes. It wailed horribly. It tried to barter with me so I wouldn't destroy it. I don't understand how the two of you didn't go mental. It offered me money, power, anything I wanted... After making me feel like the worst father and person," Xenophilius responded.
"Well, truth be told, it was more interested in destroying our self-esteem than anything else," Hermione shrugged. She felt Professor McGonagall squeeze her hand softly. "Andromeda! She squeezed my hand!"
Andromeda rushed to them. She did several diagnostic spells. "She's coming back to us! Her core is finally upwards of 70%"
Minerva's bloodshot eyes flew open, and she immediately reached around trying to find her wand.
Hermione grabbed her hands. The professor was far away. "Professor... It's okay. You are safe."
"My dear... Are you okay? Is Harry okay? Where are all my kids?"
Hermione proceeded to update the professor on everything they knew.
A couple of beds over, Sirius woke up with a wince. Blasted bruised ribs! Memories from the day before came to him like an avalanche. Seeing Remus' abdomen being slashed open was one of the worst moments in Sirius' life. To think Remus did it to save him was heavy on his heart, "Andy... Where's Remus? How is he?"
"He is as stable as could be for the circumstances. I put him in stasis for his muscles to heal. Tonks is with him. She insisted on having him moved to their room."
Sirius nodded, "Narcissa!" he groaned. His cousin could now get up and walk around for short periods, because –unlike her stubborn son- she had obeyed her sister and stayed on strict bed rest. She put on a robe and came to his bed, shaking like a leaf.
Minerva stared at her with hatred, but she said nothing and looked away. For all his many flaws and shortcomings, Albus Dumbledore had at some point been a true friend to her. Now she knew that Snape killed Albus because of the Unbreakable Vow he had with Narcissa, and the information didn't sit right with her. Coddling parents were the culprits of much of the degeneration of Magical Britain. Hermione offered her some tea that the elves appeared on a side table, so she turned to her student and took slow sips.
"Yes?" Narcissa approached her cousin.
"The Manor is still standing, despite our best efforts. Bellatrix lost an arm, thank Merlin! Pettigrew was killed by a fit that Voldemort threw when he read Harry's letter. Mulciber was killed as was Smythe, a newer recruit. We barely made it out, as you know. There was significant structural damage, so we hope it is beyond fixing. We sent as many elves as we could ahead of us."
"Thank you so much. You have gone above and beyond to help us," Narcissa replied with a small smile.
"Not that you deserve anything," Minerva whispered in a thick Scottish accent while side-eyeing her former student.
Narcissa narrowed her eyes at the professor but said nothing. The silence turned deafening until a loud scream pierced it and Andromeda ran to the bed encircled by curtains. Poor Daphne Greengrass was awake and no longer under the effects of the pain-relievers that she was given. Andromeda checked her and began administering potions.
"Mother! Someone help me get closer, please!" Draco begged. The screaming went quiet as the healer placed new silencing charms.
"Draco. No. She is not fit to be seen. I forbid it," his mother admonished. She had gone to check on Daphne and was horrified to find her looking more like a torn punching bag than the beautiful girl she remembered. Her ivory skin was a collection of bruises and hematomas. There were cuts and lashes and when she did the diagnostic spells that she knew she hoped she hadn't done them.
"She needs me!" Draco yelled with his eyes full of tears.
"She needs your aunt. Stop freaking out. She can hear you in there," Narcissa admonished.
Draco felt a bit dumb. Of course, she can hear me! "Daph! I am here! I am outside. I am not going anywhere! You are safe here!"
Inside the curtains, Daphne felt one of the ropes of concern wrapped around her heart loosen. Draco and Narcissa were here, and they sounded alright. She closed her eyes once more as the myriad of potions handed to her by the Healer began to take hold of her body and started fixing the damage that could be fixed.
Longwei, who had been patched up relatively easily, ran in with his sword ahead of him when he heard horrible screams from the infirmary. "What was that?"
"That was Daphne," Hermione winced. She had caught a glimpse of the girl as she was brought in, and it had scarred her. No one deserved that. HER FAMILY! "Dobby..."
"Poor soul," Longwei replied. "I am patrolling right outside if you need me."
The elf popped in. "Here, Mistress." Dobby handed her writing supplies.
"Longwei?"
"Yes?" he popped his head back into the infirmary.
"Can you please go check on the goblin? Make sure he is still there and that he has been fed?"
"Right! I knew I was forgetting something," Longwei nodded.
"The elves need relieving. They should get some rest," Hermione said with a slight frown.
"Of course. Should I tell them that their resting is Master's orders?" Longwei asked.
"If they are too stubborn, yes," Hermione nodded.
"If they are too stubborn, I will tell them it's Mistress' orders," Longwei winked and left a spluttering Hermione behind.
Dudley came back carrying Harry. The green-eyed young man saw the professor was awake and he motioned for Dudley to place him on her bed. Without waiting for anything, Harry hugged his professor gently. He smelled her and his face broke into a smile as he realized that this was the closest to the smell of a mother he ever had in his memory. His eyes teared up. He loosened his hold as he felt her wince.
"Harry, you need to let go. I must check Minerva," Nymph came into the Infirmary to support her mother. Remus was still unconscious. It was a good thing that he was a werewolf because he would have died of his injuries otherwise. Harry was carried to his own bed by Dudley.
Minerva frowned, "Nymphadora, I am fine. I just need some rest."
"Minerva, you took 4 stunning spells to the chest. You are not fine. We don't even know how you are alive," Tonks replied with a frown. Everyone noticed she didn't tell the professor off for using her name.
Harry and Hermione shared a look of disbelief. "Professor!"
Dudley helped Harry back to his own bed and poured him a glass of water.
"I will be fine. If I was going to die from it, I would be stone cold already," Minerva chuckled and groaned as the action hurt her chest. "I had to run into the kitchens to order the elves to hide after the fourth one and I am still here."
"You are only proving my point that you are not okay!" Tonks whisper shouted. She closed the curtains around the professor's bed to examine her properly. Her whole chest, abdomen, and upper arms were a symphony of purple tones. Tonks couldn't really believe the professor was alive and well. She erected privacy wards on the curtains.
"Hermione, what can I do?" Dudley asked, looking around helplessly. He couldn't do much for the people here who were injured.
"Please go check on the students downstairs. Make sure they have taken their potions and have been eating and hydrating. Once you are done with that, please do some fishing. Check the pantry and let me know how much food we have. Consider the number of people we are now and try to do the math of how many days what we have will last us."
"Yes, I will do all that. I am just not good at calculating food," Dudley blushed. If that pantry was managed by him, they would have run out of food already.
"I am. My parents own a bakery and I usually help during breaks," Lavender stepped closer to Harry's bed. "If you show me to the pantry, I can do an inventory."
"That would be so helpful, Lavender. Thank you," Hermione smiled. "If you need writing supplies, ask Dobby or Kreacher."
"Please follow me."
"Who are you?"
"Dudley Dursley, Harry's non-magical cousin," Dudley offered her his hand to shake.
"Lavender Brown," she shook his hand with a tentative smile and followed him out.
Harry looked at Hermione strangely. Since he woke up, he was acutely aware of everything about her. They had always been in particular synchrony, but this went beyond that. He could only see flashes of the night before. Hermione looked around to see everyone else in their own hushed conversations, so she drew the curtains closed around Harry's bed. He raised a brow at her but said nothing.
"We need to talk," Hermione said once she placed wards and silencing charms. The wand she used got very warm, but she paid it no mind. After all, it wasn't hers and she thought it probably just wasn't a good match to her core.
"This can't be good," Harry sighed. "Are you mad at me?"
Hermione climbed onto the bed and moved his fringe away from his vanishing scar. She kissed his forehead. "No... Harry, did you try to heal my core on purpose?"
Harry who had a goofy smile on his face from her kiss, frowned. "Wait a minute. Why would I need to heal your core?"
Hermione paled. Damn it! I need more sleep!
"Hermione Jean Granger... What the hell happened to your core and why am I only hearing about it now?!" Harry growled the last word.
Hermione took a deep breath, "Please forgive me. I didn't want you to worry about yet another thing or to think this was your fault, Harry. We have no idea what happened to it. Not really. Andromeda said it was chipped, but we had no way of knowing how or why. Then, I started thinking and Madam Pomfrey did tell me that I had internal scarring from Dolohov's curse... You know... From the Department of Mysteries... But I thought she meant my muscles and organs, not my core. She was about to tell me and..." Hermione trailed off and her eyes widened.
"And what?" Harry asked.
"And Dumbledore took her away for some sort of emergency."
"It's always that motherfucker!" Harry gritted through his teeth. "Then what?"
"Then, I had my potions and went to sleep... and only now am I remembering this... Harry, I think they did something to my memories while I was sleeping."
Harry frowned in confusion, "I thought you said memory charms can't be undone."
Hermione's eyes looked around quickly as she tried to recall her reading up on the topic, "All the literature I have read on it says that they can't be undone. I don't understand this." She tried not to panic as she remembered the Wilkins.
Harry knew what went through her mind when her eyes grew full of concern. He held Hermione's hand and squeezed it, "Did Andromeda find a trustworthy mind healer? We will need help here, a lot of help."
"I will ask her. Harry, your magic... I... I couldn't do anything to stop it. I didn't even have a chance to try. When I did realize you had linked with both the elves and me, it was too late. I have never seen anything like it. I have never even read of anything like that."
"What do you mean?" Harry frowned patting the bed so she would get comfortable.
"You recharged the elves in seconds. They were floating off the bed almost straight away. Then your magic got into me... I can't explain this well, but my core kind of knew –somehow– that your magic was going to heal me. It didn't even try to stop your magic from taking over. It pulled you in faster, I think. It was like a plant on cracked soil when someone pours water over it," Hermione laid her head on his chest and sighed as she remembered the overwhelming feeling of being completely safe, healthy, and loved.
Harry's arms wrapped around her, slowly, since they felt heavy like lead. He blinked rapidly as his heart did somersaults. "I really do... love you."
"What?" Hermione lifted her head.
Harry lost himself in her eyes, "You said you felt safe, healthy, and loved."
"I didn't say a word, Harry... I just thought that," Hermione's eyes were wide again.
"I can't have read your mind," Harry frowned.
"Let's try to see if it was a fluke," Hermione's eyes sparkled like every time she had a new theory. She concentrated and thought of a reply: I really love you too.
Harry's eyebrows shot up and his eyes flickered to her lips. "Do you think you can read my mind too?" He thought, I really want to kiss you, right now.
Hermione's heart was racing. She heard him loud and clear. She placed her hand on his jaw softly and pulled him in. Their eyes shuttered close and their lips met in the softest, lightest kiss. They stayed still, trying to wrap their minds around the fact that this was really happening. Harry's left arm pulled her waist closer to his right side. His right hand pulled her by the nape of her neck, kneading her muscles slowly.
Harry could have jumped for joy. Her lips were soft, warm, so inviting, and so addictive. When her hand started to play with his hair, he couldn't stop himself from moaning. This made Hermione feel a thrill all over her body, and Harry –somehow– felt it too. Hermione teased the seam of his lips with her tongue, and he could have died right then and there as he yielded to her. Had he ever known that kissing Hermione could feel like this, he would have done this long ago. As he lost himself in the kiss, outside, the spell that was hovering over the bed indicating his magic levels, raised up quickly to reach 100%
Neither teen noticed, but as they kept on kissing, their chests lit up, as did other balls of light that went up and down their bodies. The scar on Hermione's chest healed and got fainter than ever before. Years of abuse and malnourishment gave way inside Harry's body as his magic merged with Hermione's in a way that no one, at least no one alive, had seen before. As his magic had done to her body, now her strengthened magic from her healed core did to his. It was a slow wave of pure bliss that touched every single one of his nerves. It was like a reverse cruciatus. He felt as if Hermione was kissing every inch of him, holding him, giving him the kind of peace and well-being that he had only ever associated with Hermione's presence. His arms no longer felt heavy. He felt strong and ready to do anything.
Both teens felt better than they had ever felt before. Their lips slowed down as their magic settled their core's hold on one another. Their foreheads stayed together as both teens sighed and opened their eyes slowly only to marvel at the sheer love and happiness in each other's eyes. Then, they stared in awe at the light show that was happening all around them. As they came down from their high, they realized that several people were screaming their names outside the curtains in desperation, trying to break the wards.
"What is this?" Hermione reached out her delicate fingers to touch a gold rune that hovered over Harry's shoulder.
"I don't know. But let's take down the wards before they start throwing blasting curses at us," Harry smiled.
Hermione took the wand she had borrowed from the many wands that Daiyu brought, and she prepared to take down the wards.
Harry pulled her back in for a deep kiss and thought, Will you be my girlfriend?
Hermione smiled brightly, "Of course!" she returned the kiss with equal passion. They shared a smile full of promises before Hermione took down the spells only to throw the wand away as it burnt to a crisp. The simple wand couldn't handle so much raw magical power. Harry checked her hand with a small frown. The wand was burnt and split open in half, but Hermione's hand was perfectly fine. Harry wished for the curtains to open, and they did, making several people fall forward and almost land on Harry's bed.
Sirius was looking at him in disbelief from his bed. Chyou and Luna barely managed to stop themselves from landing over Harry. Both girls looked shocked. Luna a bit less so than Chyou as she scanned them with a slight smile. Professor McGonagall's face was one of utter disbelief. The Tonks' family stared with mouths agape.
"Is something wrong?" Harry asked surprising himself at his deeper voice.
Hermione turned to him and licked her lips. Somehow, he could feel she liked his new voice very much.
Andromeda did the core performance spell for both teens as she felt Harry's had to be wrong. People couldn't bounce back from almost magicless to whatever had happened here, "What did you do?"
Harry and Hermione blushed scarlet.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" the Healer insisted.
"We kissed," Harry grinned.
"YES! Finally! That's my pup!" Sirius raised a triumphant fist despite his confusion at what had happened.
"Sirius!" Andromeda snapped.
"Why did everything move?" Hermione asked noticing the beds seemed to have been pushed away from Harry's bed.
"How about you tell us that? Something you did pushed us all away. There were ridiculous strong winds, some strange music, and a freaking light show inside the perimeter of your curtains. If you hadn't warded it, who knows if we would have been able to survive," Andromeda said all this in a panicky tone. Can things ever be normal here for once?
Harry and Hermione shared a look, Music? We didn't hear anything... Although we were sort of preoccupied. The teens snorted and blushed.
"What did you just do?" Chyou asked them with a frown.
"They were mind-speaking," Luna replied with a serene smile.
"Mind-speaking is not a thing, Luna," Chyou frowned deeper.
"I see auras. Their magics have become one. That is why they can mind-speak," Luna insisted. "Right, daddy?"
Xenophilius could only nod from his shocked stance by the door.
Hermione looked at Luna strangely. So, that's why she's always speaking about things no one else sees.
Harry nodded. I told you she was perfectly sane.
Luna chuckled, "I am as sane as you are."
"How did you know what I thought?" Harry asked, perplexed.
"I didn't. I can't really read you or hear you like Hermione, but I get an echo of your emotions and thoughts if I try hard," Luna smiled. "I must tell Neville. He will lose it!" she skipped away, pulling her father behind her.
"I am at a loss..." Andromeda blinked as she checked everything she knew how to check for. "It's as if you have never suffered any deprivation or abuse or side effects from curses. Your scars are mostly healed! I have never seen anything like this. Your cores are... This reading cannot be right," Andromeda turned to Minerva who was aghast.
"Professor McGonagall, am I right to think that... it is much higher, right?" Andromeda asked. Higher than Dumbledore's remained unsaid.
The professor blinked, "Yes. It is almost twice as high... That hasn't happened since-"
"Merlin!" Sirius gasped.
"What?!" Harry asked looking around in concern.
"It hasn't happened since Merlin," Sirius added with a groan as he sat up taller.
"This," Andromeda pointed at a ruler that was above Harry's bed. "Is a measuring chart for magical ability. The highest ever recorded was Merlin's at 713. Morgana's magic was said to have been at 700."
"Dumbledore's was recorded at his prime at 313, I don't know what it was by his death. It was probably around 400," Minerva said with a shaky voice. "My own, was 278 decades ago," the professor cast the spell on herself and a 370 shone in emerald green over her head.
Harry and Hermione shared a look of disbelief as they looked up at the numbers above. "613" glittered in gold above his head and "600" twinkled in ruby above Hermione's head.
"This has to be wrong!" Hermione looked up with a frown. "Please cast it again."
Andromeda did the spell. The result was the same. Minerva did the spell as well. Nothing changed.
The teens looked at each other. Even without reading each other's minds, they had only one question. "What is Tom Riddle's magic ability according to this?"
"If he hadn't done the Horcruxes... He would probably would have been around 300 years ago. Now, heaven knows. That is why he was always scared of Dumbledore. Riddle knew that Dumbledore was, objectively more powerful."
"Did you burn this wand?" Chyou picked up the blackened halves.
"Not on purpose. I just took it to lower the wards. It was the same one I had used to place them," Hermione blushed.
"It couldn't take it," Ollivander said as he came in. "Sorry, Lord Potter, Ms. Granger. I heard the screaming and since I felt strong enough to walk, I thought I'd come and see if Ms. Granger's wand survived the trip."
"It didn't, sir. What do you mean it couldn't take it?" Hermione asked. "I am glad to see you doing better, sir."
"Thank you, dear. If that number is right, no regular cores will survive more than a couple of castings. You need a staff. Both of you do," Ollivander approached them.
"A staff?" Hermione blinked trying to wrap her mind around what had happened.
"Like the one Merlin used?" Chyou asked with a gasp.
"Yes," Ollivander smiled.
"Did Morgana also have one?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, but she didn't use it much according to the records we have of her casting. She was raised by fairies and believed more in her connection with nature and the elements. Her magic is reported to be overwhelming and gigantic. She did a lot of wandless magic and magic by touch, especially healing magic. Merlin's magic was famous for its preciseness and links to the stars and the planets. He could do wandless or in his case staffless magic, but he didn't do it often."
"Mr. Ollivander, can you make staffs, then?" Hermione asked.
"I would need help... And finding the right materials could be difficult. But I will try my best," Ollivander replied.
"Sorry, but other than size... what is the difference between a wand and a staff?" Harry asked.
"Oh! There are many differences, Lord Potter. Staffs are -as a general rule- taller. People with average magic ability could hold a staff for a whole hour trying their best and no magic would come out of it. Their cores would have to be strong enough to distribute their magic through the staff and then outward."
"But they are made of wood, right?" Harry asked.
"They can be, but only of very particular woods for people as strong as you. Staffs are usually the height of the person who holds them, carved on a single piece of wood, and capped with a single gem. Sometimes they are carved with runes or other symbols. Staffs don't have a core. They taper off at the end. The main difference, though, is that staffs are FAR more powerful," Ollivander smiled. "As soon as Gregorovitch is here, I could start working on building you one. I was working on wands, but I don't think they will be able to handle your magic now. I will need each of my wandless people to come to see me. The shipment arrived late last night, and I have been working on some basic models."
"We will," Hermione nodded.
"Sir, my mother wanted to speak with you. She collected many wands from Malfoy Manor, but we are not sure they are safe to use," Chyou said with a frown.
"Ah! Wonderful, my dear. Please take me to her so I can check them," Ollivander offered his arm to Chyou who took it and lead him to her parents' bedroom.
Dobby was dancing in the kitchen as he flipped ten pancakes simultaneously. His master's magic was amazing. Dobby had never felt so energized, so ready to do anything. Kreacher came inside the kitchen eating a bowl of seaweed and tofu. His back was no longer hunched. It was straight and he had grown several inches. His arms were more muscular than skinny as were his legs.
"Kreacher, did you leave the goblin alone?"
"No, Mr. Trainer is guarding him. Sent me here to eat," Kreacher replied as he finished his meal. "Let me help you with this."
"Maki is on her way if you want to go rest," Dobby offered with a smile as he placed pancakes on top of pancakes on a large plate and poured more batter on the griddle.
"I will go talk to Queen Anord about her goblin, then."
"If you are leaving the island, you should talk to Master and Mistress about the Greengrass family. Miss Daphne will need them to recover," Dobby suggested. His English improved significantly with this new magic infusion. "Mistress was going to write a letter."
Kreacher nodded and vanished.
Harry realized he felt stronger, and he looked down at his body. He was significantly more muscular, and his legs felt longer. He looked at Hermione and saw similar changes. Her hair was longer and in voluminous waves. Her eyes looked even more striking than before. More golden specks were all around the irises. Her skin seemed to glow from within. He could feel his love for her, but with this strange connection, he could also feel her love for him. It was the headiest most addictive feeling on Earth. He felt like he could accomplish anything. He felt no foreign presence in his mind at all. He did feel Hermione, but her presence wasn't foreign or unwelcome. It was warm and familiar; it was equally comfortable and comforting.
Being able to feel what his girlfriend –it felt so good to be able to call her that– was feeling was such an intense and overwhelming sensation. But it was overwhelming in the best of ways. Growing up in the environment he did, he never really knew love like the other kids did. His aunt and uncle doted on Dudley and Harry grew up thinking he wasn't worthy of love. But then the hurricane that was Hermione came into his life and fixed his glasses. Just that small act was enough for Harry's heart to want to reach out to the cute stranger. She had only just met him and displayed her concern for him right away. No one had ever done something like that. He would have become friends with Hermione much faster if he hadn't been worried about displeasing Ron. The way things had ended with the redhead had helped Harry understand that Hermione was his first true friend. Ron always had ulterior motives.
Hermione sat on a chair by his bed writing to Lady Greengrass. He was supposed to be looking over her shoulder and checking what she wrote, but he found himself utterly distracted by an errant curl that escaped her messy bun and caressed the side of her neck.
"Focus," she whispered.
Right! You can read my mind. Sorry, Harry blushed.
Don't apologize. I love to hear you. Always. "I'm done. What do you think?" Hermione asked, handing him the letter.
Lady Greengrass,
Pardon my bluntness, and excuse me if I scare you. Your daughter is alive. My name is Hermione Granger. I don't know if you were informed that Daphne was kidnapped from Hogwarts. We rescued her from Malfoy Manor. The elf bringing this letter to you, Dobby, can bring you to us. You can trust him implicitly. He is the Head of Elves of the Potter family and a trusted friend of Lord Potter. As soon as you do a fealty oath to Lord Harry James Potter, witnessed by Dobby, you and your daughter will be brought here.
Please refrain from bringing too much. This location is furnished and spacious. All we could take and would appreciate -if you can bring with you- are more beds because our numbers have increased with the students that we rescued last night. Lord Potter doesn't want you to worry about the transfer of funds you promised. We can have your Account Manager brought to you to finalize the transaction. Our priority is that you get here as soon as possible so you can be there for Daphne. She really needs you.
Hermione Granger
Harry nodded. "I think you did a much better job than I could have." He moved to kiss her cheek but refrained.
Hermione noticed. "What was that? Why did you stop?"
I didn't know if you would be okay with me kissing you out of the blue... Harry shrugged.
Those are boyfriend perks, Hermione replied with a smirk. That means you are very entitled to touch me and kiss me. Let's just keep it PG. We should keep the hot and heavy stuff to strictly in private.
Harry swallowed hard, What hot and heavy stuff?!
Hermione gave him an innocent peck with a naughty smile, You will see.
Harry licked his lips, Teasing me like that is very mean.
I haven't even started the good teasing, Hermione dragged her hand slowly up his thigh and squeezed gently. Then, she got up and walked away.
Minx! Harry complained.
I may be a minx, but I am your minx, love! Hermione laughed in his mind.
He could get used to this. His heart started beating faster. She called me love. Fuck yes! This is awesome! He thought he would get a response to this, but apparently, he could control what he wanted her to hear and what he didn't. Thank Merlin for that! Some of his teenage thoughts could lead to embarrassment or heaven forbid make her run away.
Mykew Gregorovitch had been keeping a close eye on what was happening in England. He couldn't help but worry about his first love. Garrick had touched their tattoo. His own had activated but it didn't show a location for Garrick. He was probably somewhere under a Fidelius. Did he need help? Was he trying to find him? When an elf called Kreacher came into his studio, in Schwerin, with a letter from Harry Potter himself, Mykew was shocked. Attached to that letter was one from Garrick. He was convinced to join Garrick wherever he was. He used their code words from the previous war. Mykew knew that if Garrick could trust Harry Potter so could he. Gregorocitch asked Kreacher to help him pack as he signed the contract that had been enclosed to hire him as a wandmaker. Everything was minimized and pocketed, and just as he was about to ask a question to the elf, the front door was blasted away, and a hooded figure came in. Kreacher threw them back. The hooded person's head hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Mykew had never seen such a powerful elf.
"We need to go before his backup comes to find him," Kreacher whispered, offering his hand to the old man.
Gregorovitch nodded, "Danke schön, Kreacher... Thank you for saving my life. I am sure whoever it was he was sent by Him." [Thank you very much]
"Gerne," Kreacher smirked, making Mykew blink, perplexed. The wandmaker took the elf's hand and they vanished. [With pleasure]
Lady Greengrass was wearing out the rugs in her hotel room. Astoria was distraught. She couldn't stop crying. The only silence that could be had was when exhaustion claimed her and made her sleep for a couple of hours. They were informed by their contact at the Ministry that Daphne had been taken by Lucius Malfoy. What should have been a relief, considering the families were once friendly and even considered formally betrothing their heir and heiress at a young age, at this point of the war and knowing all that Malfoy had done, was terrifying. Had she been beaten? Had she been raped? Were they torturing her? These questions went repeatedly in her head.
Three knocks on her door made her jump, "Frau Schwartz!" [Ms. Schwartz]
Registering under her maiden name proved to be a good idea. That and staying within non-magical communities. "Ja?" [Yes?]
"Besucher!" [Visitor!]
Lady Greengrass saw through the peephole. A very wrinkled old man stood next to the bell boy. "Wer ist es?" [Who is it?]
"Dobby!"
Lady Greengrass sighed in relief and Astoria ran to grab their reduced bags.
"Bitte, komm rein," she replied opening the door. Her wand was hidden by her long sleeves. [Please, come in] The bell boy left, and Dobby came in. He handed her Hermione's letter. She read it as fast as she could and fell to her knees. They had saved her daughter. Astoria began crying anew, except now it was in relief, for the first time in days.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes, Dobby. Please, take me to my daughter."
"The fealty oath, please," Dobby nodded at the letter.
"Of course!"
Both mother and daughter did the oath and Dobby went back to his elf form, he offered his hands and popped them both away. This move would take five pops.
In the Infirmary, now that Daphne was in stasis with IV potions and fluids, Draco was allowed to be moved to a bed next to hers. There was only enough space left between the hospital beds for Andromeda to reach all over. Draco had never been so shocked or felt more hatred in his life than when he saw what his father and his friends did to Daph. His girlfriend had almost been killed. She had been beaten, raped, and tortured. Narcissa had eaten quickly when Maki brought her food and went back to hold the girl's hand. Draco refused any food until Luna brought him a sandwich and stared at him until he got uncomfortable enough that he ate it all.
Luna made it a point not to look at Daphne. She couldn't. It was too painful. That could have been her if Sirius Black hadn't rescued them. Now that she had her father here and Neville, she had no reason to be anything but grateful. She left the room with the plate and the empty glass. There wasn't much she could do for Draco, but she could make sure he was eating and would be ready to be there for Daphne. Daphne moaned in pain in intervals. Even while in her state of sedation, muscles and ligaments coming back together was very painful. Draco stopped counting how many tears were falling. He wished there was something he could do to feel the pain instead of her.
Lady Greengrass was hoping wherever they were wasn't too horrible for Astoria's sake, but all that mattered now was Daphne. She wasn't prepared to arrive at a tropical island paradise. Dobby popped them once more to the Infirmary door where Harry and Hermione greeted them. Dobby looked in awe at his stronger, taller, and gold sparkling Master and Mistress and felt his exhaustion vanish as Hermione smiled at him, thanked him, and dismissed him.
"Lady Greengrass, Astoria," Harry semi-bowed. "Welcome to Isle of Potter."
"Thank you. Where is my Daphne?" Lady Greengrass eyes were terrified. Astoria was paler than a sheet and her hands were shaking.
"She's in here. In our Infirmary. Under the care of Healer Andromeda Tonks," Harry replied but raised a hand in a stop motion when the two women stepped forward.
"Lady Greengrass, please. Before you go in, here is a list of what happened to your daughter from her diagnostic," Hermione handed her a file. Lady Greengrass' face turned desperate and grief-stricken as she read. "I know you want to see her, but she doesn't look like the daughter you remember."
Astoria covered her face with her hands after reading the first two findings and burst into tears once more. Harry stood there awkwardly. If it had been someone else, he would maybe give them a hug.
"Healer Tonks is excellent at her work, and she is doing her best. However, as you can see, the damage was quite extensive. Right now, she is in stasis with IV potions and fluids. Our elves have placed elven runes on her bed, and we are working on further healing runes that would work well with those and her treatment," Hermione offered the mother and daughter a calming draught.
The young girl took it without a word. The mother shook her head.
"Please, Lady Greengrass. At least take half of it. Daphne will need you and as much as I hate to tell you this... You cannot afford to break down now," Harry said in a begging tone.
Lady Greengrass took a deep breath and drank half the vial. She stretched herself to her full height and her expression changed. "I am ready."
No, you are not, Harry and Hermione shared that thought.
"Lady Malfoy and her son are guarding Daphne," Hermione said. Before they freaked out, she added, "They took a fealty oath and risked their lives to get out of Lucius' grip. You can trust them."
"Thank you. Please, no more delays, I need to see my daughter."
"Come on in," Harry opened the door.
Lady Greengrass walked on shaky legs pulling Astoria behind her. With the afternoon sun setting outside, she could tell the shaded outline of Draco and Narcissa's profiles. Healer Tonks approached her.
"Is my sister going to be okay?" Astoria asked, her voice small. She wasn't sure she wanted to see Daph like this.
"We are doing the best we can, Ms. Greengrass. Lady Greengrass, come," Andromeda pulled the curtain enough for them to come in.
Hermione and Harry stayed a couple of feet away in case they were needed. Lady Greengrass' howls of raw pain that followed proved them right. Harry was barely able to catch her by the elbows when she collapsed. Astoria ripped Narcissa's hand from her sister's, slapped the woman, and then she went to Draco and pushed his bed away from Daphne's making his hand separate from her sister's as well.
"YOU LET THIS HAPPEN TO HER!" Astoria punched his nose, breaking it. What she had said was so devastating to Draco that he didn't even try to block her. Blood ran freely down his face and neck.
Hermione jumped toward her and pulled her arms back. "STOP! This is not helping anything or anyone! Draco was here, recovering when she was kidnapped!"
"Let go of me! You promised she wouldn't get hurt! You had to kill your father! This is YOUR fault!" Astoria struggled to break free, but Hermione was stronger.
Harry lifted Lady Greengrass and sat her on the chair that Narcissa had vacated as she ran to her son. Healer Tonks was already pressing bandages to gather the blood. She did the spell to fix his nose. Lady Greengrass took hold of her daughter's hand and bawled over it.
"Ms. Greengrass, I understand you are very upset right now, but you have no right to attack any of my patients!" Andromeda said with a stern tone of voice.
"Shut up! You don't understand! Your sister isn't halfway dead!" Astoria growled at the Healer.
"No, she isn't anymore, but she was," Healer Tonks looked at Narcissa pointedly. Astoria blushed but she didn't apologize. She wouldn't. Andromeda sighed, "Longwei!"
The door opened and in three long strides, the soldier was there. "At your service!"
"Escort Ms. Greengrass somewhere quiet where she can calm herself down before she is barred from this Infirmary for good," Healer Tonks indicated.
"Don't you fucking put your hands on me!" Astoria pointed her wand at Longwei.
Longwei frowned and whispered to Astoria, narrowing his eyes, "Listen, child. You need to dial down the attitude and the tone. I am not above throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you away like the petulant, disrespectful, and ungrateful brat that you are behaving as right now. However, I will excuse you just this once for your sister's sake and levitate you instead."
Astoria was petrified and taken away. They could hear her attempts to scream with sealed lips as Longwei took her to the Library.
"How long will she be in stasis?" Lady Greengrass asked.
"For as long as needed to heal her most complicated injuries. Before I put her under, she was in too much pain and couldn't take the potions properly. That is why I had to place an IV," Andromeda replied.
"Where is your assistant healer?"Lady Greengrass asked.
"There is no assistant healer. My husband and daughter have been helping me. We are short in people but not in resources," Andromeda replied with a frown.
"Am I hired?"
"Beg your pardon?" Andromeda blinked, perplexed.
"I trained as a Healer under Head-Healer Walter Strum before I got married. I stopped working when I got pregnant with Daphne. I never went back to work, but I have done my best to keep myself up to date," Lady Greengrass said in a monotone. "I have a Mastery in Healing and a Mastery in Potions."
Healer Strum was one of the pickiest mentors in the United Kingdom. "Harry... Is she?" Andromeda asked, relief all over her face. "You wouldn't be able to treat your daughter, though."
Lady Greengrass nodded, resigned, "I know."
"The only reason I have treated family is because I don't have anyone to help me," Andromeda replied when she noticed the strange tone Lady Greengrass used.
Harry cleared his throat, "With all due respect, Lady Greengrass, you are hired if Andromeda tests you and approves. I am not discounting what you said... However, I have my inner circle of people I trust, and I would feel better knowing Andromeda has vetted you according to what she needs," Harry said in as neutral a tone as he could manage.
"I understand... Lord Potter, I apologize for Astoria. Ever since her father died, there is no calming her down. She has been crying all day, every day," Lady Greengrass blushed. "Who do I need to speak to about setting up the beds I brought?"
"Dobby!" Hermione called.
"Mistress?" Dobby bowed low.
"Please take Lady Greengrass' beds and make sure to put them to good use. Come see me later so we can redistribute the rooms to the new number of guests we have," Hermione smiled at Dobby who took the tiny beds from Lady Greengrass and vanished.
"Lord Potter, please have my account manager brought here so I can sign the paperwork to transfer the funds," Lady Greengrass looked exhausted.
"Yes, of course. Is he expecting to be picked up?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I will schedule it and let you know. Do you want something to eat? Perhaps some tea? We can give you a bed next to your daughter if you prefer," Harry offered.
"I am not hungry. I'd appreciate some tea and a bed near my daughter," Lady Greengrass replied with a slight smile. "Thank you, Lord Potter. House of Greengrass owes your people a life debt."
Harry nodded. He didn't know what to do with that last tidbit. Hermione looked at him and nodded. I'll explain later, love, she thought. "I will see to your tea."
At Hogwarts' Infirmary, Riddle lay on a bed trying to recover, but potions and draughts were doing very little. Who could have destroyed one of his Horcruxes? How? Why did it hurt so much? It had never hurt so badly. Just as he was about to call one of his lackeys to tend to his teeth, Bellatrix was brought on a stretcher. She was unconscious and missing an arm. Riddle felt an up to now foreign sensation deep in his gut. He felt rage for someone else. He felt despair for someone's pain. Someone had hurt his Bellatrix.
"Where is her arm?! Who did this to her?!" he roared at the men.
"It was blasted away, my Lord... Potter's minions," Goyle grunted as an imperiused and quite hurt Madam Pomfrey began working on Bellatrix with horrified eyes.
Riddle's hands began to shake. He looked down at them in confusion. His Bellatrix? No. He had no feelings for the woman. Did he? He hated Potter by principle, but now... He wanted revenge. Sometime in the last year, Riddle realized just now, he had developed some sort of affection for Bella. In the back of his mind, he tried not to panic. Feelings were bad. Really bad. They were disgusting and a sign of not being as evolved as he felt he was. Not to mention, they were a liability and a weakness that his enemies would pray upon. Madam Pomfrey did the routine tests on female patients and suddenly a sheen over Bellatrix's lower belly stopped all motion in the room.
"She is pregnant," Madam Pomfrey said slowly.
Time stood still for Voldemort. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't process what he had just heard. This was much too quick. Conceiving at their age was supposed to take longer. Bellatrix had been taking fertility potions and doing unspeakable rituals to do this. He had no idea about that. He was going to be a... father. The word felt strange and uncomfortable. Hours seemed to go by in a few seconds. His thought process was interrupted by a cough. He looked at Goyle with a smirk.
"Congratulations My Lord! An heir! How wonderful," Goyle tried to smile naturally, but it came out as a grimace. Deep down he was repulsed by the thought of anyone with such a blood mix from their parents.
"Is the fetus alright?" He asked with a frown.
"Agitated, but alive."
"Make sure it stays that way. I want her and the fetus as healthy as can be," Riddle stared at the Healer with shock still evident in his features. She nodded. "Goyle, let everyone know that Bella is out of commission for the foreseeable future. I want her safe and sound. Do not tell the others she is pregnant."
"Sir? Isn't that more dangerous?"
"Do not question me. I want an oath of secrecy. Both of you. NOW."
Goyle and the other recruit did the oath and left quietly.
Voldemort took a glass of wine he summoned from the kitchens and raised it up to Bellatrix. "The future is here, Bella. You have done me a great service. I will take care of you."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy. Over 10K words so you forgive me, lol. Don't get used to it, though. This one took longer than usual because the muses seemed to be far away. I hope you are all safe and healthy wherever you are. Thank you for the compliments and nice comments. Thank you for the messages as well. Many of you have been here for quite some time now and I really appreciate your company on this journey, not to mention, your patience. -Lux-