A/N: This will be bloody. You have been warned. -Lux-
Chapter 30: Of Consummation and Allies in Trouble
It took two whole days for the Grangers to be less prone to massive headaches that spiked their blood pressure anytime a memory came to them. In that time, there was a flurry of activity on the island. People were working overtime to allow Harry and Hermione to focus on the Grangers. Ruki was making sure they were left alone and that anyone who wanted to talk to them came to her first. She would sort out what she could, and if she couldn't, she would ask Sirius and Remus who could at any point act in loco parentis for Harry as per his instructions.
While they were recovering, Luna had come to introduce herself. The Grangers didn't know what to think of the girl. She was clearly a sweet person, and she seemed to care deeply about their daughter and… her boyfriend. They refused to call him her husband until that insanity was explained to them. She was intent on doing some weird magical thing to help them but said that Harry and Neville were against it. She offered to do some acupuncture on them to help with the headaches, but they refused. Luna was their daughter's age, or at least close to it, so they didn't want to risk an inexperienced practitioner. They did accept Daiyu's offering for the same treatment, but Daiyu had been practicing longer than Luna had been alive. Her acupuncture sessions had helped lessen the pain significantly.
Hermione walked into the Infirmary holding hands with Harry. Both looked like they had just come back from training. They had done some spells to be fresher but would shower after the talk. Andromeda had cleared her parents for difficult conversation but warned them to be patient. Andi found them particularly hardheaded and suspicious of everything and everyone, which was to be expected when your brain has been whisked inside your head one way and then it did what it could to force its flow back the other way.
Hermione was nervous, but Harry kept her anchored and made her feel supported. Her parents had asked her to bring him as well. Harry summoned a chair and helped Hermione sit down. Her parents shared a look at that. At least he's a gentleman, both thought. The teens were a bit pale. Harry stood behind his wife. He really didn't want to be here, but Hermione needed him. He felt that this was one of those husbandly duties no one had taught him about. He took a deep breath in preparation for the third degree he was sure would follow.
"Where are your wedding bands?" Emma asked, staring at their hands.
Before either teen could reply, Daniel scoffed, "Too busy with the war to get my daughter something special, are you?"
Hermione covered her face with her hands and willed patience into her body. Her parents had decided to be contrarians for this whole conversation. They would look at a summer cloud and call it black if it annoyed her and her husband or made them act out in anger.
Harry took a slow, deep breath, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Hermione and I don't have rings because we haven't had a ceremony-"
"You went to a Register Office? You risked being attacked to do this madness?" Emma asked, trying not to sound as upset as she felt.
"No, ma'am... You didn't let me finish. We haven't had a ceremony yet. Our marriage isn't a… traditional one," Harry grimaced. He instantly knew that had been a bad choice of word.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?" Daniel frowned deeper.
"Is this some sort of cult? Do you have multiple wives? Were you married by an Elton John impersonator? Is your marriage even legally binding?" Emma asked, perplexed.
Harry blinked. He wasn't good with so many questions at a time, "Whoa… Let's see, Mrs. Granger. No. This is not a cult. I have never been married before, and I have no clue whether it is even possible for wizards to have multiple wives or witches to have multiple husbands," Harry looked at Hermione questioningly. She shook her head vehemently in the negative. "It's not a thing."
"Who married you then?" Emma asked.
"We were married by magic," the teens replied in unison.
"What does that even mean or entail?" Daniel asked, perplexed. "You say that as if that is any sort of explanation for us."
"I will tell you all we know, but please don't interrupt me," Hermione said. "This has even been confusing to us. We didn't seek for it to happen, and it wasn't like we chose this. It just happened. Like I just happened to one day do accidental magic, alright?"
Her parents nodded, but they narrowed their eyes a bit.
"We have a bond of Hecate. Hecate is a Greek goddess of boundaries, crossroads, the Moon, ghosts, witchcraft… and necromancy."
"Necromancy?" Harry whispered. He hadn't read about that.
Hermione stared at him to shut him up. Sorry, he mouthed.
"You need to tell them how it happened," Harry said and looked away. He could feel the punches coming already. Vernon was huge, but he was slow. Harry knew he could outrun him. Mr. Granger was fit, and he looked like he could really do some damage.
"When we got to the island, we were both quite sick and tired… Dobby did his best to heal us, but we needed help beyond his skills. When we managed to get Andromeda to the island, she did diagnostic spells and found out what was wrong with us both. As part of that analysis, she discovered that something was very wrong with my core. I don't know if you remember, but… In my fifth year, I was hit with a curse at the Department of Mysteries," Hermione tapped where her scar used to be, and her parents nodded. "It did more damage than we originally knew," Hermione explained in as neutral a tone as she could.
"Yes, and why were you there?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.
"Where?" Hermione blinked.
"The Department of Mysteries!" her mother snapped.
Hermione knew what they were doing. They were trying to vilify Harry and his impact on her life. She held Harry's hand tightly.
"To help your boyfriend save his godfather, who has apparently resuscitated all on his own, so that tells me he didn't even need your help to begin with!" Daniel exclaimed.
Harry took a step forward, "S-Sir, please…" His eyes filled with tears that he refused to shed, "W-When Hermione was struck by that c-curse… there were a few seconds I thought she was d-dead…" he took in a slow shaky breath. "Time stopped. Nothing mattered to me anymore. I wasn't even protecting myself while a vicious fight was happening around me…. I've… I've never been that scared in my life. I know it was my fault. Everything that has gone wrong in her life since she met me is my fault. I know that. I understand you hate my guts. I would too, if I were you… but please let us finish."
Daniel was so upset that a vein in his neck was palpitating. Emma reached out and squeezed his hand to calm him down a bit. "Fine," Daniel said.
"For witches and wizards, our magical cores are our life force. Our magic comes from it. When we are hurt, our cores can heal us to a certain extent, but when our cores are damaged… a lot can go wrong. My core was chipped. We didn't know much over than that. The house elves here… They have helped us so much. They are part of our family. They have saved our lives more than once… I… When they went on a mission to save Draco's girlfriend, Daphne, they got really hurt. Kreacher, one of the elves, mentioned that, in the old days, some wizards and witches would share their magic and wish for the elves to be healed, which would help."
"And did you?" Daniel asked, concerned.
Hermione nodded, closing her eyes. She knew what was coming.
"While this core of yours was chipped?! What were you thinking?!" Daniel threw his arms up in a giving-up gesture.
"Yes, I know, daddy, but nothing happened. I recharged and helped the elves heal… Everything was well, but Andromeda warned me I couldn't do it anymore until we knew how to fix my core if it was even possible. Then, the elves needed recharging at some point after that. Harry volunteered because I was in no condition to do it… When I was explaining what he should do, I was holding the elves' hands. Then, he placed his hand over theirs. I told him he needed to find his core and push his magic and healing thoughts toward the elves. I hadn't let go yet, and he started pushing… You see… His magic healed the elves, but it also healed m-me… my core. I… I couldn't do anything to stop it… It's as if my b-body knew his m-magic was going to h-heal me, and it didn't even t-try to avoid it... I can't explain it better... Harry-" Hermione broke down. Seeing him so dead for helping her had been terrifying.
"Hermione?" Emma reached out to hold her hand. Hermione held on for dear life. She had missed her parents so much. Harry placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to be supportive and remind her he was right there and very much alive.
Harry took a deep breath, "I began healing the three of them, and then once the elves were recharged, Luna moved them away, but I didn't even notice that, so I kept pushing. I was in some sort of trance. I only stopped because my magic knew there was nothing left to heal or fix somehow. My exhaustion caught up with me, and they told me I fell and looked pretty… well, dead."
"Neville and Luna helped us get to the Infirmary. Andromeda was furious at what happened. You see… I… I hadn't told Harry about my core. I didn't want to worry him. He had too much to deal with at the time…. When he healed me, his magical core was so depleted he was close to losing his magic completely, permanently. His body was too exhausted, and mine was too shocked. Luna had to drag me here. My body didn't know what to do with so much energy and power… so much life force."
Harry smiled a bit at that. "Apparently, the elves I helped wanted to return some magic to me, but the healer said it was a bad idea. Magical cores are quite delicate, and when they are at the level mine was… Well, any attempt at fixing them could be worse than plainly leaving them alone and taking some time to rest and eat well, so it replenishes naturally... Hermione noticed I wasn't breathing well. There was this thing inside of me."
"Thing?" Emma asked with a frown.
"Thing as in?" Daniel asked too.
"Tom Riddle, the terrorist we are trying to defeat, made something called Horcruxes," Hermione explained.
"Ah… That's the soul bits thing, yes?" Daniel asked.
Hermione gaped at Daniel, "Where did you-?"
"His godfather told us," Daniel shrugged.
"Anyhow, when I connected with Hermione, the Horcrux couldn't stay inside me," Harry explained, thinking he needed to give Padfoot a piece of his mind.
"Why?" her parents asked in unison.
"Horcruxes are the darkest of dark magic. They cannot survive in the presence of… love," Harry looked at Hermione with such adoration that Emma couldn't help but feel relieved despite the craziness that was being told to them.
"Where was I?" Hermione continued, noticing her father looked ready to throttle Harry. "Yes… Um… Harry's heart stopped. Andi couldn't restart it with magic because of the core vulnerability issue… So, she made Dudley do that movie thing where they hit the person in the chest really hard to restart their heart."
"The precordial thump worked?" Emma blinked. It was rare that it did.
"That's what it's called?" Harry asked, grimacing at the rude awakening he had that day.
Daniel nodded. That had to hurt like a bitch. Good, he thought.
"Thank Merlin, it worked," Hermione smiled at Harry.
"When I woke up, I just knew it was gone. The Horcrux, I mean… I also felt different. I felt lighter, happier, and better than I ever remember feeling. Somehow, I was hyper-aware of Hermione. She did some wards and closed the curtains around my Infirmary bed so we could talk without anyone eavesdropping. While we were talking, I heard Hermione say she felt loved when my magic healed her, so I said I really did love her… But you see, I wasn't hearing her… She never said it… She thought it, and I could hear her in my mind," Harry continued slowly. He was fully aware he sounded ready for Bedlam.
"Wait. Are you-? Do you mean you can hear each other's thoughts?" Emma blinked, not knowing how to feel about that.
"Yeah. We started trying to communicate in our minds and found out we could do so fluently, and then…" Hermione trailed off and blushed.
"Then what?" Daniel asked.
Harry replied, "We… Um… We kissed."
Daniel grumbled, but whatever he said wasn't clear. To Harry, it sounded something like I should kill this little shit.
"But you must understand… When we kissed, we could feel what the other was feeling, not just what each of us felt. It was wonderful… and overwhelming. We… We didn't even notice what was happening around us until we stopped kissing. Golden runes were floating close to us. Some I had seen in class or in the library… but others I had never seen before. We are still trying to figure them out," Hermione explained.
"I asked Hermione to be my girlfriend, and she agreed," Harry smiled at her with bright eyes. Emma was happy to see this was real love when Hermione stared at Harry with the exact same expression. Her husband… not so much.
"Anyway, everyone outside was freaking out and screaming our names, trying to come past the wards. We lowered them with a borrowed wand… Mine got lost in a mission, and when I did the spells, the wand burnt. That is why we now have staffs. Staffs are better at channeling magic like ours… We were told there was some sort of light show and music and that the beds in here were pushed far from us, but we were unaware of that. Luna was the first one who knew we could mind-speak."
"Luna is a seer and an empath," Harry explained. "She can see-"
"Visions of the present and the future," Hermione finished.
"And she can also do chakra manipulation and hypnosis," Harry added.
"Acupuncture too," Hermione added. "And she reads auras."
"She looks like a defenseless kid, but she's a kick-ass witch, pardon the expression," Harry said.
"And that's it?" Daniel asked, after a few minutes of awkward silence, crossing his arms.
"What?"
"You said you loved each other, you kissed, and presto, you are married?" Emma was a bit shocked. "Is that how all marriages go in your world?"
"No. When we kissed, our magics reached out and bonded with each other… We didn't know we were married until Dobby came to ask me to bond some orphan elves to Potter House."
"Orphan elves?"
"Bond them how?"
"House elves like Ruki, Dobby, and Kreacher need a family to… serve," Harry replied.
"Serve?" Emma's nose wrinkled.
"Yes, mom. I know. It sounds like slavery. Harry and I have struggled with that too, but learning about elves' nature and history has helped. They need to bond with a wizard or witch because our magic feeds their magic. We have come to understand that it is a symbiotic relationship. The stronger the wizard or witch, the stronger the elf bound to their service."
"So, for them… being free is the worst possible outcome. Hermione wanted to convince them that it was what they should strive for. Dobby was… freed, but he had to find employment at Hogwarts to get magical sustenance. However, it wasn't as good as it could be. He decided all he wanted was a master that would treat him well. That's when it occurred to him to go to my parents' graves to ask for their permission to bond to House of Potter, and that's how he found us and saved our lives. When elves don't have a family to draw magic from, their core depends on magical plants and herbs, and if they cannot find this sustenance, their magic weakens and weakens, and they… well, they die," Harry explained. "To them, being free is very dishonorable, but it is also life-threatening."
The Grangers blinked, perplexed.
"Anyhow, when Dobby asked me about bonding the orphan elves… I told him he should talk to Harry; you know… The Master of the House… The Potter Heir. In magical families, blood is very important for bonding. Dobby was very puzzled and embarrassed and said he just assumed that I would oversee domestic staff as I was the Mistress of the House. I told him that I wasn't because we weren't married, and he corrected me. This detail is important because elves don't do that. They would never correct their masters. Particularly elves like Dobby, whose previous masters would order them to punish themselves with physical harm… they would never risk correcting them. Dobby's previous master would have him iron his hands for being disrespectful, for example," Hermione grimaced.
"Who the hell would do that?" Daniel frowned severely.
"It's barbaric! Poor Dobby!" Emma looked really sad for the elf.
"Draco's father."
"He was a special kind of sick bastard, wasn't he?"
"Yes, he- How do you know that?" Hermione asked, a bit shocked. She couldn't imagine Draco being comfortable enough to discuss his dad with them.
Emma replied, "Draco told us what his father did to his girlfriend and how she passed from her injuries."
I guess I was wrong. I need to thank him for being vulnerable. It must have been hard; Hermione made a mental note to do just that. All he said was that he was honest and that it went okay.
He has grown so much, Harry replied. I really am proud of him.
So am I, Hermione replied.
"You were saying?" Daniel looked at them strangely. They seemed to be having a conversation that he and his wife couldn't hear. That is the mind-speaking thing. Ugh. I don't like this at all.
"Dobby corrected me and said we were indeed married and that Hecate had blessed our bond. We are soulmates. There wasn't a ceremony or papers that we signed, but we are recognized by magic as married. As such, I am now Lady Potter. We haven't had a chance to finalize things at Gringotts, but the queen of goblins addresses me as Lady Potter. That tells me we don't need to do much else."
Daniel and Emma shared a look. That's what Ruki the elf was going to call their daughter, Lady Potter, not Hermione.
"Since then, we have been trying to understand this bond and what it means. The new skills we have, our changed appearance, the stronger magic we have… everything."
"Changed appearance?" Emma blinked. "You do look different, but just older…"
Better was left unsaid. Emma had tried for years to get her daughter to mind her appearance more, but she refused.
"Stronger magic?" Daniel frowned.
"When we bonded… Our bodies changed… We grew taller and stronger in minutes. Our scars mostly vanished. Anything that was ill or injured almost completely healed."
"Wands cannot really contain or direct our magic properly anymore, so two wandmakers joined forces to build us a sturdier tool," Harry blushed. "You saw my staff in Australia. Hermione has one too."
"Do you remember Albus Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.
"Your headmaster, yes? He had died?"
"Yes. He was known as the strongest sorcerer in England. Riddle was afraid of him because, objectively, Dumbledore was stronger. His magical ability was around 400. Professor McGonagall's ability is currently 370, and she is amazing... Our magical ability was measured at 613 for Harry and 600 for me," Hermione said.
"That is not normal, right?"
"Nope. For you to have an idea, the greatest wizard and witch of all time, Merlin and Morgana, measured at 713 and 700. Those are the highest numbers recorded. Ever," Harry replied.
Daniel and Emma shared a long stare.
"Does that mean you can kill me with a stare?" Daniel asked with a frown.
Harry blinked, not knowing if it was dark humor, "No, sir."
"Good."
"Daddy, no," Hermione warned.
"What?" Daniel rolled his eyes.
"I know what you are doing. Don't."
"Oh, so I am supposed to accept your life choices and your decisions, but you won't let me do the bare minimum?"
"No. If the bare minimum to you is to punch Harry into a bloody pulp, I will vehemently disagree," Hermione frowned.
"Hermione, it's okay… Honestly. I told him he could do it," Harry shrugged.
"Harry!" Hermione turned to him.
"You heard the man!" Daniel exclaimed triumphantly. Something about his smirk reminded him of the Dursleys.
Harry looked down and started to disassociate. He had no hope of ever being accepted, let alone loved by her family, and the worst part was that he knew he deserved it. He had brought this upon himself… Him and his saving people thing. He needed to leave. Slowly he pulled away emotionally and started lifting walls so Hermione couldn't tell what was happening to him. Her having a relationship with her parents was essential… Him was optional.
"Daniel, you are acting like a child!" Emma turned to her husband with an annoyed grimace.
"He's sleeping with my baby!" Daniel snapped back.
Harry blushed bright red, "Sir, we are not-"
"Harry, don't. I am an adult in the Wizarding World. They don't have to know what we do-"
Harry tried to put himself in Daniel's shoes, "Love, you will not keep them at arms' length… The whole point of finding them was so you could have… a family again. If I was a father, I would probably act the same way and be very upset at the punk that married my daughter."
"Damn right, you would be!" Daniel nodded.
"Did you just agree with your new nemesis?" Emma blinked, suddenly amused.
"Shhh!" Daniel hushed his wife.
Without missing a beat, Emma slapped the back of his head, "Did you just shush me?! Your wife?!"
"Ouch! No, dear," Daniel rubbed the hurt spot.
"That's what I thought," Emma narrowed her eyes at him.
"Look, this is a very uncomfortable topic for us," Harry said. "If it makes you feel better, though, I can do a wizard's oath that our marriage hasn't been… um… consummated if that makes you feel better."
"What's a wizard's oath?"
"He would swear on his magic that what he is saying is the truth," Hermione explained.
"And if it isn't?"
"He loses his magic altogether," Hermione replied, scared.
"I like those stakes," Daniel replied, smirking.
"Daddy!" Hermione exclaimed.
Love, we have nothing to hide. Don't make him think that we do, Harry's voice was in her mind.
Fine, but I don't like this; you would think they don't know me, Hermione replied. I love you for wanting to calm them down, though.
"It's okay, love," Harry took a deep breath and focused on his core. "I swear on my magic that my soul bond marriage to Hermione Potter nee Granger has not been consummated, nor will it be until we are ready and have been married in a proper ceremony."
Harry sparkled golden.
Hermione's eyes widened, Harry!
What? He asked in her mind. It's for the best, love. That ought to calm them down significantly. Now they must accept -at least- that I am not a rake, and I am serious about you and us. Pick a date; I will marry you today if you want me to, Harry replied in his mind.
Oh, you are devious, Hermione chuckled.
"Do a spell, Harry," Hermione requested.
Harry was so happy that without even thinking to reach for his staff, he created both their patronuses with his hand. The stag galloped around the Infirmary while the otter held on with one fist up in the air as if they were running in triumph. They ran out of the curtained area and left through the window.
"What is that? Those are cute!" Emma gushed.
"You can do two patronuses at once?!" Poppy peered through the curtains.
"Well… Um, now I can. When Hermione and I bonded, we started to be able to produce both our patronus and each other's patronus. Mine is the stag, and Hermione's is the otter."
"What is a patronus?"
"It's a nifty advanced spell that pushes dementors away and protects the caster. A variation of that can be used to send messages," Poppy replied. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's time for your medication," she motioned toward the Grangers, handing them two colorful vials, "and your nutritional potions," she handed Harry a large vial with a sludge that looked like thickened sewer water.
"Ugh. I thought we were done with those," Harry groaned and grimaced.
"Why are you getting that?" Daniel frowned.
"I… Um…" Harry didn't know what to say, or rather how much to say.
"Oh, Lord Potter, for crying out loud… these people are your family now," Poppy chided him.
"Yes, but they don't need to know that…"
"Is this because of your relatives?" Emma asked as tactfully as she could.
"Yes… Wait, what?" Harry blushed and looked at her in shock.
"Dudley told us."
"Oh," Harry looked away, taking the potion in one big gulp. He wished he could leave. This was getting too uncomfortable.
"Lord Potter,"
"Harry, Ruki, please," Harry complained.
"Your mirror has been vibrating, sir," Ruki handed him a compact. She looked concerned.
Harry opened it, confused. "Hello?"
In the mirror, all he could see was a close-up of a chest armor piece and blood, "Help!" a voice whisper shouted.
"Queen Anord?"
"We need help! They have killed too many of our Irish branch. If they get us too, you are on your own until the end of the war!" Anord added.
"Where are you?"
"The address is in the message thingy! You can't miss it… There's smoke everywhere. Bring everyone you can!"
The connection ended abruptly with the sound of an explosion and grunts. Hermione hugged her parents. "I love you, and I am so glad you are here. Let's go, Harry!"
"You should stay with your parents, love," Harry said at Daniel's scornful look.
"If you are going, I am going," Hermione replied, her arms crossed.
"Hermione, listen to your husband," Daniel said with a frown. Emma turned to her father with a frown but said nothing because this was one for her daughter.
Hermione turned to face Mr. Granger, hands on her hips, "Excuse you!? The husband you wanted to beat up!?" Hermione turned to her father, "Either I should have never married him, or I should listen to him when it is convenient to you. I understand that you have a lot to be upset at me for, but all Harry has done is try to keep me safe. Now that I have you here, you are not about to freaking cause a rift between us."
"If it's fragile, let it break," Daniel whispered. He noticed that Harry had left while Hermione told him all that, and he wanted to keep his daughter here. Maybe he would leave without her.
"What the bloody hell did you just say to me?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"If it's fragile, let it break," Daniel repeated with a frown.
Emma looked at him as if trying to determine his wish to die. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Listen to me, Daddy. I love Harry. He loves me. We are not going to split up, no matter what you do. I am sorry that my bad decision has caused you so much pain and stress, and I have apologized ad nauseam, but I am NOT going to abandon MY husband or our allies just to appease YOU."
"To appease me?! We are talking about your safety! Your survival! Stop acting like I am making a big deal out of nothing!"
"Whether you like it or not, father, I am a married woman now. My husband is my family. My loyalty lies with him."
"We are your family too!" Daniel exclaimed. "You don't get to keep leaving us behind when we are inconvenient! You already cut us loose once. You are doing it again now. We are supposed to just believe we are safe here surrounded by creatures and magic we don't understand or can't protect ourselves from!"
"Hermione-" Emma began. She was going to warn her daughter that Harry had left, but she was ignored by the irate teen.
"Yes, you are my family. You and mom will always be my family. And you will be here, safe and sound, while we go help the queen of goblins and her army. This is something we must do to keep this island safe, as the goblins are our main and strongest allies, and if they go down, things will get MUCH worse for us," Hermione said all this with exasperation.
"Didn't you say we were safe here? Now you tell us that safety is conditional upon some creatures far away winning in battle. Make it make sense!" Daniel snapped, internally glad that she was falling for the drama and hadn't noticed Harry had left.
"ARGH! This island has been owned by Harry's family for hundreds of years. It has very strong magical protections. Our stay here was supposed to be temporary. We want to go home, back to England. If we don't help the goblins, there won't be an England to return to!"
"Please, surely you are exaggerating!" Daniel exclaimed.
"For the love of Merlin! Why are you so stubborn? Since you won't believe me, let me put it in terms you can understand. We went to Buckingham Palace with General Xu and Lord Chang and met Queen Elizabeth. She was moved to a safer location, as was her family. INTERPOL added the Death Eaters to their most wanted list. Harry put up a hefty reward, and some Death Eaters have been captured, but not enough of them! We also met with the Security Service, The Queen's Guard, and the Chief of Defense Staff… MI6 is participating, and the CIA is keeping tabs on things. This war is not contained to Magical England anymore! Everything is at stake!"
Daniel gaped, "The Chief of Defense?"
"Yes, even the freaking US Navy has helped us in our missions! Shit has been hitting the fan for a while now!"
"Hermione," her mother tried to warn her again but was interrupted by her husband.
"I want to enlist," Daniel said.
"Absolutely not!" Emma and Hermione replied.
"If the Army is a part of this, I want to enlist! I am a veteran. I know war. I know military strategy. I can help!" he insisted.
"Daniel, we haven't even recovered yet, and you want to go have another brush with death?!" Emma asked, incensed.
"This resistance can use me! I would much rather be fighting for you and keeping you safe here than have you fighting a bloody war!"
"That is NOT your choice to make! I have friends who have been kidnapped, raped, beaten, tortured, murdered, and even desecrated after death in horrible rituals, and not you nor anyone else will not prevent me from avenging them!" Hermione yelled.
"And that is precisely why you shouldn't be on the battlefield! Your feelings are too involved! You can't think straight with such emotional turmoil!" her father yelled back.
"Is that your way of telling me I shouldn't do something because I am an emotional female?!" Hermione was aghast. "You could have just asked if I am on my period, daddy! Which, in case you need to know even more deeply personal information, on top of my sex life or lack thereof, I haven't had my period for months because of how malnourished I fucking was!"
Daniel struggled to reply both from the shock and from his inability to come up with something that wouldn't get him deeper into trouble.
"Hermione," Emma tried once more.
"I don't have time for this. When we return, if we return alive and conscious, we can continue this conversation, but until then, be glad that you don't have to face the carnage that we will. Harry-"
Hermione turned to find that Harry wasn't there anymore. She turned to her father, who had a small smirk on his face. Her mother sighed; she had tried to warn her.
"If Harry leaves me behind and something happens to him, I will never forgive you!" Hermione dashed out the door feeling cold as she felt how Harry had closed his end of the connection.
The bracelets that Harry had asked Lavender to give everyone had a special gem. McGonagall, Fleur, Tonks, and Luna had helped him with the spellcasting on all the stones. Harry had Mr. Ollivander, and Mr. Gregorovitch split a large emerald from the Potter family collection. Once each small piece was full of useful spells, Harry asked Lavender to get one for everyone. Hermione was an exception because, as they had a bond, it felt unnecessary. He had also asked the wandmakers to make her something sturdier using a Lady Potter goblin-forged bracelet. Harry apparated to the beach and tapped his bracelet. All elves and humans that had received one, except for Hermione, ran toward him.
"People, we have a mission. Queen Anord needs help," Harry said. "Those of you willing and able, put on your armor and gather your shields and weapons. We leave in 5 minutes. If you are hurt or not entirely healed, please stay and help in the Infirmary when we come back," he added. "Chances are we will need a lot of help. General, walk with me."
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked the few remaining people who were running around the house gathering weapons, shields, or potion kits.
"He already left," a soldier informed her as he ran out the door.
Hermione felt her stomach drop. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! She reached for their connection but crashed against a metaphorical wall. "Lavender! Where are we going?"
Lavender grimaced as she closed her armor with a spell, "I am going to battle. You are not. Harry's orders. Sorry!"
"What?! He ordered you to leave me behind?! He can't do that! We-" Hermione couldn't continue as a hand came from behind her head to cover her mouth and nose with a wet handkerchief. She had been so incensed she didn't even see it coming until it was too late. She struggled a bit, but it was futile.
"He ordered us to keep you safe. Sorry," Dudley felt horrible about doing this, but soon enough, chloroform had her resting with Morpheus. He lifted her up in his arms.
"What the hell was that?!" Lavender scolded Dudley.
"Chloroform. It's a muggle thing. Harry told me to get her unconscious. I wasn't about to hit her head."
"You could have just asked someone to put her to sleep with a spell! That's barbaric! How long does that last? Is it even safe?"
"20 minutes to around 2 hours, but-"
"Lav, we are leaving!" Mr. Brown called her from the porch.
"You better not be anywhere near her when she wakes up! If something happens to Harry, she will skin you alive!" Lavender warned Dudley and ran to the agreed point where Kreacher was ready to pop her and her father away.
Dudley took a deep breath. He was very aware of the fact that his life was on the line. Perhaps she would take pity and kill him quickly. He ensured Hermione was safely in his hold and walked to the Infirmary. Inside, her parents were joyous that she hadn't left. They did not like the method, but she was safe and was with them. They at least had to thank Harry for that. As soon as Andromeda had Hermione fastened to a bed, because she just knew Hermione would wake up and choose violence, Dudley bolted. He went to the beach. If he was to die today, he would like to have the beautiful scenery be one of the last things he saw. All he had to do was wait.
Anord was tired. There were too many of them. Just as she was about to lose any hope, she felt more than saw Harry Potter run toward her while crouching down. The general reached them closely after. The battle had stopped for a while. Too many hurt. Too many injured.
"Your Majesty," Harry handed her a blood-replenishing potion seeing the amount of blood on her.
"Thank Diaresi you are here!" the queen said as she uncapped the vial and drank the potion.
Harry lifted his left wrist to his mouth, "Soldiers, offensive formation number four."
After a few seconds of looking at his watch, the general lifted his own wrist, "Fire in three, two, one, go!"
Bullets and arrows began to come at the enemy from all sides. Offensive formation number four was designed to choke the enemy in the center of the formation. The fighting resumed while the healing squad began to arrive and see to the injuries of the many bloodied goblins. Harry began applying dittany to the queen's cuts while she did her best to heal herself as well.
"Explosives ready," the general whispered into the bracelet, "In three, two, one, go!"
The blasts rattled the forest. Whole tree trunks flew from the explosions. Sharp wooden spikes pierced their enemies. They had been prepared with full body armor. Once the explosions stopped, all hand-to-hand battles recommenced.
"Where is Hermione?" the queen asked, noticing that she couldn't feel her magic.
"Home," Harry replied.
"Is she okay?" Anord asked. "I am so sorry about her parents."
"She needed to be there. Her parents needed her more!"
"What!? They are alive!?"
"Yes, we found them," Harry smiled briefly.
"Oh no! I feel so horrible! I am so sorry I scared you! I owe her an apology!"
"It was not your fault. Ted found them in a muggle mental facility," Harry coughed as he inhaled some smoke blown their way.
"ANORD! Show your face! Come pick up the Irish branch leader's head!" Griphook yelled, raising the severed head above the stone that was protecting him.
"Griphook… That coward! I will have his head!" Anord grabbed her weapons and her shield. She bared her teeth and growled.
"I will cover your back, Your Majesty! Let's go!" Harry replied, tightening his hold on his staff.
Back on the island, Hermione woke up a bit confused. Her confusion quickly morphed into fury when she realized what had happened. Her parents tried to talk to her when they noticed she was awake. She focused her magic and burned the ties off. Even the windows rattled. She summoned her staff and magnified her voice.
"DUDLEY DURSLEY! GET YOUR ASS HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Hermione, please calm down, honey," Daniel tried to appease her.
"Accio Dudley Dursley!" Hermione whispered.
"Harry did what was best for you," Emma added.
Hermione canceled the spell, "Of course, he did what was best for me! That's all he ever does, whether you want to believe it or not! It just so happens that, right now, what is best for me can get him captured or killed out there!"
"You are going after him?"
"Abso-bloody-lutely. He needs me."
"We need you too," Daniel argued.
"Andromeda, please show them Harry's master memory vials… The ones we showed to Jing. Maybe then they will understand."
Andi just nodded slowly. The burst of power Hermione had just thrown around the island was mighty. "How will you find him?"
Dudley almost crashed against the wall by her head, "I'm sorry, Hermione! Please, I didn't want to-"
Hermione's voice was icy and furious, "No. Don't apologize. You were following orders. I understand. Tell me where he is and come with me. Go get changed."
"But Hermione, he didn't tell me-"
"Lady Potter," Dharma landed on the windowsill. "I can tell you where he is."
The Grangers looked at the bird as if trying to determine their own sanity. The bird could speak?
"Thank you, Dharma. Let's go."
The bird perched on Hermione's shoulder, and Dudley ran to his room. His cousin's wife hot on his heel.
When you work for the enemy, you need to be very stealthy. In his long career as a double agent, Severus Snape had learned that all Death Eaters slept with one eye open, be it metaphorically or literally. He had been given unprecedented access to the Dark Lord's quarters because Riddle was still sick, and Snape needed to provide various medications in dosages that only he knew. Many of the draughts he created himself from scratch combined different ingredients and techniques. He had considered so many times to overdose him with a deathly ingredient, but he knew he would be killed before Riddle hit the ground.
When he heard that Bellatrix was pregnant, Severus had to leave the room as soon as possible to throw up. Not only was the notion of the two of them doing it nauseating, but also, he was positive that she had done terrible rituals to accomplish it. He would think those rituals unnecessary as he thought he was the greatest wizard since Merlin. When Severus saw Potter and Granger grab the Elder Wand, he knew that the greatest wizard on Earth was someone else. As annoying as it was to him to see his nemesis' face in Lily's son, he was certain Harry Potter was much better than the alternative dystopian nightmare from hell that they were living in now with monsters reproducing. Ugh.
The pregnancy was, in Severus' eyes, cursed. It had to be. While it was true that witches could commonly get pregnant well into their sixties, and Bellatrix was in her forties, she had never been able to conceive during her long marriage to Rodolphus. They had tried for years but then gave up. Another marriage could have considered adoption, but not the Lestranges. They were blood purists, and it upset them to no end that their genetics wouldn't pass on to any heirs.
Bellatrix's chest moved with her breathing. Her eyes were closed. Next to her, Riddle moaned softly in pain in his sleep. He had been doing that since he faced the Chang's pet. Severus crouched next to Lestrange, hoping to Merlin that the draught he gave Bellatrix and the powder he had added to Riddle's potions had worked as intended.
"Revela tenebras," he whispered, doing the complicated hand motion.
Severus had to cover his mouth to quieten his gasp. He focused on the results to save this memory. He was sure he would eventually need to hand it over. Bellatrix had done something called Vita ad Vitam. If Severus remembered correctly, that ritual involved human sacrifices. Yes, sacrifices as in plural. It wasn't just anyone who would do either. Severus left the room in his bat form through the window and flew to the Library. He rushed to the forbidden section. Using a spell to search, he paced the hallways between the bookcases. An opened book levitated toward him.
"Vida ad Vitam:
This medieval dark spell was used by traditional families to save and or sire an heir or heiress in times of war as the ultimate act of revenge. With this ritual, a life is exchanged for a life. However, Hades, God of the Underworld, judges the parents and demands a number of lives sacrificed that will cover the βάρος of the parents' acts. The number of sacrifices can go from none to 7. Rare cases have called for 13. The rituals are long, complex, sadomasochist, and cannibalistic in nature."
βάρος meant weight… But the weight of what? Their actions? Their souls… if any? Their endless karmic point deficit? Snape frowned deeply. How many people had perished because of this ritual? Whatever Bellatrix was carrying wasn't… right. Bellatrix was a powerful witch, yet this pregnancy was hitting her like she was a muggle. She was having severe symptoms; the risk of miscarriage was always there. He kept reading.
"Vida ad Vitam is not to be used lightly. The baby resulting from this ritual can be perfectly healthy. However, in cases when parents try to hide their wrongdoing to try to have a healthy heir, the result can be quite monstrous. This spans from birth defects to loss of magic or to outright chaos inside the child. This chaos will suppress the magical ability of the child, fester and infest the child. The child will become an Obscurial, and it is believed that the more lives were sacrificed to create the child, the more severe the Obscurus parasite. As such, those children tend to grow up with one aim only: the destruction of everything that tried to keep their parents away from their goals, whatever those may be."
Severus closed his eyes. He wished he could just AK himself. A world with a Riddle-Lestrange Obscurial wasn't a world worth surviving. The tome did say the baby could be perfectly healthy… but the alternative was too grim, not to mention too dangerous. Perhaps if the baby was delivered and raised by a good family, it would grow up normal and good. But the odds weren't good. The stakes were the highest they could be. Maybe it was born, and nothing happened… but it could also unleash all legions of hell on Earth. If Riddle and Lestrange were independently unhinged, each in their own morally reprehensively, ethically corrupt, and illegal way… Combining their genetics was the worst possible idea.
While Severus believed that eugenics was immoral and just plain wrong, he saw some merits in cases like this. He could imagine a child that resulted from those two without the crazy, vindictive blood lust, but had their magical potential and their duelist skills. The child could grow up to be the next Head of Aurors or maybe even of the DMLE. However, in this case, instead of improving the gene pool, it was getting cross-contaminated with all the worst possible traits. People like Riddle and Lestrange should be forcefully sterilized if they couldn't be killed.
The darkness and the cold were going to end them faster than all the torture and the hunger. When you are suspended by shackles on your wrists with your hands above your head, your arms will eventually pop out. While this is certainly painful, it is not life-threatening. Three people were in this position since they were brought here. There were two women and a man. Torches were lit up. A pregnant woman dressed in black with crazy hair sang to herself as she dragged her blade through the man's belly to clean his blood off it. The man screamed in agony when she took out a dropper and emptied it on the still-bleeding cuts. The women tied to either side of him could smell it. It was alcohol. One of the women, barely more than a sack of bones at this point, screamed for help.
"NO! Stop! Please! You are killing him! HELP! HELP! Someone please help us!"
"You say that as if it is going to make her stop!" An old woman next to her groaned. "It will only encourage her!"
The man's attacker kept cutting him slowly. He fainted from the pain, but this didn't stop her or slowed her down. The torturer knew what she was doing. She would cut just enough that it would hurt horribly but that he wouldn't bleed out. The alcohol was both for her pleasure at watching them writhe and to avoid any cuts from getting infected. Her Lord needed them alive.
"Aren't you one of them?! Shouldn't you be able to do something?!" the woman half complained and half begged the tied witch.
"I don't have a wand, you idiot! She's deranged! Don't you see! She's right next to you, but she can't hear you! Or rather, she won't!"
"Zip it, bitch!" the attacker turned her face toward the old lady and backhanded her. Her pupils were blown out. Her expression was terrifying.
Augusta Longbottom grimaced with pain, but she had never been one to obey anyone. Hell could freeze over before she listened to the piece of shit that was -a disgustingly round with pregnancy- Bellatrix Lestrange, "How about you make me shut up, you Death Eater scum!"
"Do you really think you will bend and not break at your age, you biddy? I shattered your son and his bitch, and they were in their prime!" Bellatrix cackled.
"Biddy?! You called ME a biddy?! Fuck you! My family can be traced for hundreds of years! You aren't worth half a drop of my blood! You inbred disgusting whore! You and your bastard will die soon! You mark my words!" Augusta bellowed.
"Don't threaten my baby!" Bellatrix pouted and placed her hand over her belly protectively. "I may have to call his daddy here, and you don't want that…"
"Child?! That abomination you are carrying shouldn't even be born!"
Bella pulled out her long whip, and the sound of it cutting through skin and muscle made the other tied woman grimace. To her shock, the old woman growled through firmly ground teeth, but she didn't scream.
"My child will be ten times stronger than yours! I will have My Lord come here and show you the power my baby will inherit!" Bellatrix smirked.
"Go right ahead and call him, bitch! I do not fear that half-blood arsehole! Bring him here!"
"How dare you?! CRUCIO!"
Augusta ground her teeth. She would grind every single one of them down to her gums before she let Lestrange have the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Bellatrix was so focused on hurting Augusta as much as possible that she never saw it coming.
"Exinanire utero!" the spell was whispered from a darkened corner of the room. [Empty the womb]
The dark purple spell hit Bellatrix's belly from the side, and she gasped and doubled over in pain, blood immediately dripping down her legs. She fell to her knees and howled as labor was forced upon her. Her muscles contorted and spasmed, forced to push the contents of her womb out. Augusta cackled with delight. Whoever did the spell knew exactly what they were doing and meant it. They did the world a mercy. No one should exist that combines the characteristics of He Who Must Not Be Named and Bellatrix Lestrange. It had to be against the laws of nature. Augusta was sure that what was done to achieve this pregnancy was probably illegal and immoral and included very dark magic.
The bloodied man, who regained consciousness as the women yelled, and the other woman watched in horror as a late-term abortion happened before their eyes. It wasn't that they weren't glad to see their torturer in pain after all she had done to them, but the baby wasn't to blame for any of that. The old woman next to them called it an abomination; perhaps she knew something they didn't.
"FINALLY!" Augusta celebrated. "Who's there? Show yourself! Let me thank you properly!"
But there was no reply, nor were there any steps walking away in the dark.
In his room, Riddle sat up suddenly. A pang in his core shocked him awake. Was this from the blasted thing that tried to kill him too? Snape's remedies had worked as much as they could, but Tom knew he wasn't back up to his full capacity, and he probably would never be again. Maybe once he killed Harry Potter, he would feel better. He turned to the side, but the bed was empty. He apparated to the Infirmary where Bellatrix often spent the day. She wasn't there.
"Roberts, where is Bellatrix?"
"Playing with the toys you gave her, sir," Roberts kept his expression and tone neutral as he organized potions.
"Where is Severus?"
"He said he needed to do something urgent," Robert replied. He feared where this conversation was going.
"Where?!"
"He didn't say, My Lord."
"Did he leave Hogwarts?"
"I don't know, sir."
"You should know! CRUCIO!" Tom frowned. "He better not have escaped this island! If he did, I will feed you to Nagini!"
"Sir," an elf appeared, shaky on his fragile feet. His body was covered in bruises, and one eye had been gauged out. "Nagini is being gone."
"Gone where?! Hunting?!" Tom felt a block of lead in his stomach.
"No, sir. She be missing. I is trying to finds her to feeds her like you orders. She be not coming when I sounded the spoon against the metal platter," the elf expected those to be his last words.
"Roberts, help him find Nagini! If you-"
A crash sounded against the doors, and they opened. Bellatrix collapsed, her legs bathed in blood. A dead fetus covered in blood and bits of tissue held against her chest. Voldemort ran to her and took the fetus, ignoring her altogether. Nothing could be done. It would have been a girl. He growled in fury.
"ZABINI!"
Zabini Senior peered from the Healer's office, "Yes, My Lord?"
"Help Bella!"
Zabini went pale, but he ran and levitated the woman to a bed. He did the diagnostics. It was bad. She was halfway gone. He began forcing blood-replenishers down her throat. He really didn't think it would work. She had lost too much blood. "What happened?!"
"I don't know! Save her!"
"I will do my best!"
"SAVE HER!" Riddle apparated away to the dungeons, with the fetus in his hands. There would be hell to pay for his daughter's murder.
Severus spent the entirety of his trip debating what he had done. As a Death Eater, he had had to kill people. It was kill or be killed. He refused to rape anyone, but he had managed to make Voldemort believe he did participate in a disgusting orgy ritual that was done a year prior. Killing like this had him feeling like the lowest being. He felt Lily's judgment of what he had just done. He wasn't proud of it, but if all went well, he wouldn't have to live with his guilt for too long. He had finally used the portkey he had purchased before the war. It took him to New York. There, he searched for apparition points and moved all the way down to Florida.
He knew he needed a makeover. He was on a most wanted list. It had to be cheap and fast. Severus sighed. His characteristic hair had to go. He walked into a barber shop in a small rural muggle community in Florida. The barber looked at his clothes curiously.
Severus shrugged, "Costume party," he tried to soften his accent as much as possible.
The man smiled, "I see… How can I help you?"
"Buzz cut, please," Severus replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I only grew it for the costume."
"Oh, how fun! Who were you supposed to be?"
"Dracula,"
"Fitting," the man nodded at his cape.
He took the machine, changing the attachment. Once the hair was cut and the man was paid, Severus asked if there was anywhere nearby where he could buy some clothes. The man's daughter had a small store that he recommended. Looking at the man's garments, Severus tried not to grimace. The island look was not for a man like him. But that was exactly what he needed, to look like anyone else but himself.
Severus put on a baseball cap he had just purchased. Its humiliating, "I (heart) Miami heat" text was the last thing he would have ever chosen to wear. He walked to the barber's daughter's store and purchased a Hawaiian-style shirt with a white background and colorful flowers, beige pants that could be turned into shorts, a more respectable straw hat, boat shoes, and a pair of sunglasses. In the changing room, he took the passport he stole and changed its contents to fit what he needed. He got to the port in Fort Lauderdale and boarded the ship without issue. Flying would take less time, but his special cargo could be an issue. He heard a low angry hiss as he rolled his large suitcase toward his room. He kicked the suitcase to quieten Nagini. He placed her there with a threat of 'behave or die.'
Snape's continued existence would depend on Harry Potter's acceptance of Nagini as a Horcrux and whether he would believe Severus when he explained his reasoning for his actions. He did not expect forgiveness. He did not expect understanding. He expected to be believed under Veritaserum or magical oath. Severus took a tattoo sleeve to cover his real tattoo. He did it just in time too, because as soon as he covered it, the Dark Mark started burning with a vengeance. The Dark Lord was summoning him. He had to have put two and two together when he realized Nagini was gone. If he didn't manage to get in touch with Potter somehow and Voldemort managed to find him, he was dead.
The battle was the worst they had seen to date. Goblins were indeed great fighters, but the giants were really hard to control. The werewolves were attacking each other only because Bill and Remus were forcing them by not conceding an inch. They were viciously ripping limbs, clawing through skin and muscle. Elves were fighting hard too. Without them, their side would have already lost.
"POTTER!" Griphook blasted Harry away, throwing him against a tree.
This knocked the wind out of him. He just knew his ribs were broken. He had lost his concentration for one second because he saw Luna go down.
"DIE TRAITOR!" Anord jumped toward Griphook, and with a clean motion, she cut his head off. However, he managed to stab her too. Those who were being led by Griphook started to run away when they saw him fall. The resistance kept attacking until they were all gone.
The guard that remained standing rushed to his queen, "Where should we go, Your Majesty?"
As Harry turned to check on his friends, he felt absolute horror at Neville's expression. He looked in the same direction his friend did and saw a bloodied Luna fall slowly. Harry ran to Neville, who was crying over Luna, not caring about his flailing arm, which was hanging by less than an inch of skin that kept it attached to his body. He held her to him, crushing her against his chest in desperation. He was screaming.
"Neville, let her go. Let me help her."
Neville held her tighter. He couldn't feel her pulse.
"DRACO! HELP!"
Draco ran through his pain and choked Neville, pulling him away from… Luna. "NO! Blondie!"
Harry placed his hands over Luna's heart. Please Merlin, help me. He pulled energy from his core. His adrenaline and fear were such that he couldn't even try to block Hermione anymore as his core pulled magic from her violently. Hermione, who had just made it to the vicinity, collapsed. As she had apparated herself and Dudley, she had been grimacing and complaining from all the pain she felt as an echo of Harry getting hurt. Suddenly, she felt a massive pull on her magic, and she fell to her knees. Dudley barely caught her before she landed on her face.
"You don't get to die, Luna! Not you! I won't have it! Come back to us!" Harry grunted. "I have never ordered you to do anything ever… But now… I order you to live! Come on!"
Light from his hands burrowed through her skin and began moving slowly through her body. Harry could hear Neville screaming. Draco was still holding him as tightly as he could. This needed to work faster, or they would lose her. The elves that weren't too exhausted began approaching. They felt it was too daring of them to presume, but Ruki nodded emphatically.
Dudley saw a golden glow in between the trees ahead, and a golden thread of sparks from Hermione's belly went there. He ran with her in his arms, thanking the universe and Longwei that he was now able to run carrying a person's full weight. A goblin almost threw his spear at him, but a hurt McGonagall deflected it just in time. Dudley had turned to get hit instead of Hermione, in any case. Dudley tapped Hermione's cheeks. Her eyes opened abruptly, and she jumped off his arms. She hugged Harry from behind and began pushing with purpose. Her core connected to his through his spine and forward to Luna's.
Dudley stepped away as elves began surrounding Harry and Hermione, placing one of their fingers wherever they could reach on their bodies. Magic began to hum and sizzle and move faster through Luna. Dharma began to sing over Harry's head.
"Y-Yes, sir," Luna whispered as she came back.
Harry's tears and laughter made everyone else let out a relieved breath. He kissed her forehead and maneuvered Luna so Neville could hold her instead. Neville rushed to kiss his girlfriend, and Dharma perched on his head and cried on his barely there arm. Nerves, muscles, ligaments, and skin came together at a rapid pace. Phoenix tears were more efficient than the strongest dittany. Hermione pulled Harry up and hugged him tightly. She was so terrified that she would lose him that she didn't care about anything else. She couldn't even be angry at him right now. The elves were all sitting down. They were properly exhausted now, but they were proud to have helped their Master and Mistress.
"Ruki?"
"Yes, Master?" Ruki wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her arm.
"Can we go to location 2?"
"Yes, sir. Everything is ready," Ruki nodded. "Everyone, tap your bracelets and say location 2."
Harry approached the queen and her remaining soldiers. "Please join us. We will be safe under a fidelius. You can heal there and go back to Gringotts."
"No more than 24 hours…or the surviving traitors will try this again," Anord grunted. The knife had been removed by one of her soldiers, and she had been patched up enough to travel.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Harry nodded. He put the bracelet on her and handed about 30 more to the remaining soldiers. "Tap it and say location 2. Each bracelet can move two people or creatures."
One by one, they vanished on the spot after following his instructions. Harry felt Dharma perch on his shoulder, and he grabbed Hermione by the waist. He knew he was on thin ice with her, but he was prepared to grovel. He had kept her safe, and that was his priority. Pain from his injuries and exhaustion started creeping up on him. Hermione pulled him in for a kiss to let him know that even if she was upset, she loved him and that they were alright. Harry kissed her back slowly and intensely. Relief flooded his body. They would be alright. Almost losing Luna had been terrifying. Dudley stood near them awkwardly. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder and smiled at him. Thank you, Harry mouthed. Always, Dudley mouthed back. Dharma moved to Dudley's shoulder, and they vanished. Harry kissed Hermione's forehead and apparated them away.
Severus felt a wand tip against his spine.
"One wrong move, and you are dead," a voice whispered against his ear.
A/N: Thank you for reading! I know what I said about updating ToG (and I am still working on it), but the muses struck me. I hope you are safe, happy, and healthy wherever you are. -Lux-