L'amour Toujour
C4: Decrees
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
As the weeks progressed Dumbledore retreated more and more into the shadows and thus gave Umbridge more and more free reign over the school, which had led to the introduction of her Educational Decrees.
So far there were only two, one of them being that Umbridge had been officially named as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts by the Ministry and the other one stating that she was disbanding all student organizations.
Neither of those really affected Hermione and Luna, but in the interest of staying on the woman's good side they had quickly decided to keep an eye out for what Potter and the Weasel were up to, often being aided by Ginny who was more than happy to help them pin something on her brother.
At the same time they did the exact opposite for the twins, who had started a small business in the school selling sweets that had some interesting and sometimes hilarious side effects.
Right now the two girls were spending some much needed time in their room on a Friday night, glad that the week of classes was over and for Hermione this mean that she finally got to talk to Fleur again, since she really hadn't had time to write in their journal over the week besides wishing each other a good night every night.
H: Hey Fleur, are you there?
F: Of course I am chéri. I am always anticipating your messages.
Hermione smiled at that. H: Sorry I haven't been there for most of the week, but classes were dreadful and exhausting all week.
F: It's okay chéri, it makes moments like this even more special.
H: If I were a guessing girl I would say you're trying to flirt with me, is that what is happening here Fleur?
F: Would you be opposed if I was?
H: Not entirely. I like you a lot but I also feel that I'm a bit too young for such a relationship.
Fleur smiled softly at that and thought carefully of her answer before writing something. F: I know chéri, but I am more than willing to wait for you, because you above all others are worth it.
That made Hermione blush a little. H: I don't understand why you find me so interesting. I'm no one special.
F: You are chéri, you are very special. I don't want to lie to you, but I fear what might happen if I reveal my truth too soon. If you can wait until Christmas, I promise to explain everything then, because like you I was invited to spend Christmas with the Black family.
Hermione quirked an eyebrow at that even though she knew the blonde couldn't see her. H: How did that happen? I didn't know you knew Luna's family.
F: Neither did I until a few months ago. Remember the regular customer that I told you about? That is Narcissa Black, Luna's aunt.
Hermione laughed lightly at that. H: For some reason I am not surprised, and I am willing to wait until Christmas, because it is been too long since we have been able to talk face to face.
F: I know chéri, and I promise that we will take our time to talk about everything during the holidays.
H: I'm okay with that, but tell me, how is your shop doing? Did you get any new potions done?
F: As a matter of fact I have. I made very good headway on our improved Pepper-up potion and I am working on something that if I can perfect it should replace a lot of healing potions that are currently available because it will combine the effects of those potions.
H: That is amazing Fleur. I hope you will be able to perfect it. It sounds like it might be a revolutionary idea.
F: It is, and I have to give credit where it is due, because it was Narcissa's idea. She suggested I try my hand at something like that. I will only improve if I keep challenging myself after all.
H: That is true, but I have every faith in you that you will be able to do it, and if you ever need someone to bounce ideas off of, I'll always be there for you to talk to.
Fleur smiled as she saw that message. 'If only you knew how much I would that to be always mon amour' She thought to herself before writing her answer. F: I know, and I will definitely keep that in mind chéri.
H: You are way too good to make me blush Fleur.
F: I'm sorry chéri. It is not my intention to embarrass you, but I am afraid I must bid you a good night, I have a lot to do tomorrow and I also wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself even more.
Hermione smiled at that. H: Good night Fleur, Christmas can't come soon enough.
As she felt her bracelet grow cold and put her journal aside, she was met with the bright eyes of Luna. "Are you okay Lu?"
The blonde nodded and smiled at her best friend. "As always your facial journey when writing to Fleur is something special to behold. I trust she is okay?"
Hermione blushed a little at hearing that apparently she made a facial journey when writing to Fleur. "She is doing okay. She's working hard on several new potions and apparently your aunt invited her over for Christmas dinner."
Luna looked a bit surprised at that. "That at least clears up who aunt Cissa's new best friend is. I knew she had become quite close to a new shopkeeper in Diagon but I honestly hadn't made the connection to Fleur yet."
Hermione smiled at the blonde. "I never thought I would see the day where I would see you look so surprised. Usually you are the one that makes these types of connections first."
Luna smiled and gave the brunette a light push. "It happens from time to time. I think I'm just tired from classes this week to properly think about it."
Hermione giggled at that as she bumped her shoulder against the blonde's. "I was teasing Lu. I think we're both exhausted from this week, and I for one am very glad that it is Friday.
Luna nodded at the brunette as she got up to go and change. "Yes, I'm glad tomorrow is Saturday, and I believe I still owe you an explanation."
Hermione only nodded and smiled at her as she too went to and get ready for bed, the two girls wishing each other a good night before they actually went to bed.
…
The following morning the two girls were up early, wanting to get to breakfast early before the rest of the majority of the students would be up, although since it was a Hogsmeade weekend they suspected that there would be plenty of people there already.
After getting dressed they made their way to the Great Hall, as usual paying little mind to the rest of their Housemates as they made their way through the Common Room.
They were used to hearing their Housemates whispered insults concerning them and how close they were. Those were usually about whether or not they were together but they had learned long ago not to pay any mind to those rumors.
They had always been of the mind that their Housemates were free to think what they wanted and that as long they knew what was true and their words would stay just that, they did not mind. Words didn't hurt as much as actions after all, at least to them.
As they walked into the Great Hall they were met by a smiling Ginny. "Good morning you two. You're up early. Planning to go to Hogsmeade today?"
They both smiled at her as they sat down. "Not today Gin. We plan to get some breakfast and then do some homework in our room. I'm honestly more surprised to see you up so early." Luna said with a smile.
"I was planning to go to Hogsmeade with Fred and George, so I wanted to get something to eat before Ron and Harry come and ruin my morning. Ever since his first altercation with Umbridge they both have become even more irritable." The redhead said as she loaded up her plate with eggs and bacon.
Hermione and Luna both smiled at that as they both noticed the two boys trudge into the Great Hall, which was their cue to take a seat at their own table.
"We'll talk later Gin, since we don't want to be another source of strife." Hermione said softly.
Ginny looked a bit confused until she looked to her side, seeing the two boys. "I understand, if he wasn't my brother I also wouldn't want to spend time with him, you know besides the fact that he hates you."
Hermione smiled and nodded as they both gave the youngest Weasley a squeeze on her shoulder before they made their way over to the Ravenclaw table to have breakfast.
After a hearty breakfast, so they wouldn't have to come down for lunch, the two girls made their way back to their room, fully intending to stay there until dinner.
As they made themselves comfortable under their usual winter blankets, since the Tower could get a bit chilly at this time of year, Luna summoned her notes on what her aunt had told her over the years.
"I'll be honest and say that I have no idea how to really start this, but I will give it my best. You know about my mothers and what happened to them, but what I haven't told you is that I had a sister too. She was a year older than me and while no one really knows what has happened to her, we assumed she was dead, at least that is what we thought until I went to school and met you. Her name was Hermione and that is what got me thinking at first. Over the years my aunts have done a lot of research and while information about my sister is very hard to find, we are sure that you are my long lost sister."
Hermione honestly had no idea how to respond to that, mulling things over for a few minutes. "But I'm a Muggleborn, how would I be able to be your sister?"
Luna smiled softly at her as she summoned a picture book her aunts had given her. "I'm not sure I can give you a definitive answer, but we have found some things that might clarify it a little. I honestly never really made the connection but you look very much like my mother Bellatrix, both in looks and in action too." She said as she pointed Hermione to a picture of Pandora and Bellatrix.
Hermione looked at the clearly well loved picture with shaking hands, and it showed two women that looked exactly like her and Luna. The slightly taller woman on the left had raven hair and smiled sweetly at the blonde in her arms and she could clearly see that the raven haired woman was heavily pregnant.
She couldn't deny her resemblance to the woman, having the same type of hair and even the shape of her face resembled her own. "Are these your mothers Luna?"
The blonde nodded at her. "They are, and I think you can see how much you resemble them both. I always had hope that you might be my sister when I heard your name, and after my aunts told me how my mother was, it all started to slide into place. The more I got to know you the more that hope turned into belief. That is why I asked my aunts if it was okay to show you these things, because if there had been any doubt left, I wouldn't have shown you or even told you the things I told you."
Hermione nodded at that. "I get it, you've told me many a time how guarded your family is with revealing information."
Luna smiled and sidled up to hug her. "That is not the only reason Hermione. No one in our family knows what really happened to you, but what we have found out over the years is that Dumbledore had a hand in it. We just can't prove it. My aunts have never stopped trying to find out the truth and have never stopped looking for you. They want to know what happened just as much as you and I do."
"And we will Luna, because I do believe you, and for now we will have to pretend that we don't know. I've heard Umbridge talk about wanting to perform Heritage tests after Christmas break, and those will reveal the truth either way, no matter how much Dumbledore will try to intervene." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled at her as the two girls relaxed in each other's arms. "No he won't and as soon when we are home for the holidays, my aunts will explain everything they can, which honestly will be far from everything, because there are things that they also do not know."
Hermione merely nodded in understanding, needing to take a few minutes to process everything she had just learned.
…
A few days later Narcissa and Andromeda were making the final preparations for Christmas, wanting to have everything ready for when they would start decorating in a few weeks.
They had just returned from their latest shopping run, which included a few gifts for Hermione, who they now knew was their long lost niece from a letter Draco had sent them at Luna's request, since his letters were never intercepted because of him being a Slytherin.
"What do you think Cissa, are we prepared for Christmas?" Andromeda asked as they put the last of their decorations away.
"I believe we are Andi. I have a feeling this Christmas will be extra special. From what Luna told me they both have been hard at work at investigating what happened to Hermione, but they are having just as much luck as we have over the last decade, which is none at all, but Hermione is excited to learn more about her family." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
Andromeda nodded and smiled at her. "I can understand that after being lied to for so long, although I doubt we'll be able to offer more information to what they have already found so far. All we can really do is confirm the things Luna has told her."
Narcissa nodded at that. "I know, but we can certainly try to clear some things up for her."
Andromeda nodded as the Floo burned green to reveal Alecto Carrow in the flames. "I'm sorry to bother you two. But I come with news if it is okay for me to come through."
"Of course Alecto. We've honestly been waiting for news. Come on through." Narcissa said with a smile.
As Alecto stepped through, she looked a bit worse for wear, clearly having been through a lot in the past years. "It's good to see you again Alecto. Are you well?" Andromeda asked kindly.
"Honestly Andromeda, no I am not. I just learned my brother died a year ago in Azkaban and that my best friend is still there slowly losing her mind to grief and despair."
The two sisters gave her a sympathetic smile as Narcissa motioned for her to sit and Andromeda asked one of their elves to bring them a cup of tea and some refreshments. "I'm sorry to hear about Amycus' death. He was a good man."
Alecto smiled kindly at them. "Thank you, although he would've refuted that statement, and we will definitely talk about him some more later. I actually came with news. The Dark Lord wants to meet with you. He has regained enough strength to hold a conversation and wishes to know if you are still willing to support the cause." Alecto said kindly as one of the elves popped in with a tray of tea and finger sandwiches.
"We expected something like that to be honest. We knew when we heard of his return that it was only a matter of time before we would send someone over. We will of course meet with him, but we do have some demands as well. Things have changed in the last decade." Narcissa said softly.
Alecto nodded in understanding. "He figured as much, and so has he. There will be no more retaliatory destruction or revenge killings. He understands that the majority of his followers now have very different goals and priorities as they had a decade ago."
"When can we meet with him?" Andromeda asked softly.
"Tonight in the former Malfoy Manor, since it has gone unused since Lucius' untimely death he deemed it perfect to set up a base of operations." Alecto said kindly.
The two women nodded at that. "That is actually a perfect place, since the Ministry has not set foot on those grounds in at least five years, so they won't have any reason to suspect anything is happening there." Andromeda said with a smile.
Alecto nodded at that. "That is one of the reasons he decided to make his base there. Another is that is has plenty of room to let people lie low for a time. But I am sure he will tell you all about his reasoning tonight. I am curious about how you two have spent the last decade."
Narcissa and Andromeda shared a look with each other. "A lot has happened Alecto, not all of which we can share at this point in time, but it has been very eventful the past decade and of course Bella's absence has been sorely missed in our home."
"I can imagine that given how close your family is with each other." Alecto said softly.
Narcissa smiled at that. "Yes, although some people insist we are too close sometimes, which is absurd of course."
Alecto smiled and nodded. "I know what you mean Narcissa. They say the same thing about my daughters, but fortunately Draco has proven to be much like his mother and keeps an eye out for them."
"That's because of one of those circumstances we can't really talk about, but it has definitely had an effect on his upbringing, for the positive of course." Narcissa said softly.
Alecto nodded in understanding. "I get it, just know that I'm always available if you want to talk about it."
"Chances are that you'll find out tonight, because it is part of the reason we have some demands for our Lord." Andromeda said softly.
Alecto nodded at that. "Then I will not pry further. I'll see you tonight. Anytime after dinner is good. He does better in the evenings."
The two sisters nodded at that as Alecto made her way back to the Floo, flashing away in a woosh of green flames.
"We should contact Dora and ask her to come tonight." Narcissa said softly.
Andromeda nodded at that. "I agree, she's been mentioning that at some point she would want to meet with him properly to declare her allegiance."
Narcissa smiled at her sister. "Then while you go and Floo her, I'll go and start on dinner. Divide and conquer so to speak."
Andromeda nodded and gave her sister a hug before she went to Floo her daughter, while Narcissa made her way to the kitchen so she could start dinner.
…
Later that evening the three women Floo'ed to Malfoy Manor, or better said what had once been Malfoy Manor, and Dora was very nervous about meeting the man she had heard so much about for most of her life.
Of course Andromeda and Narcissa had tried to assure her that everything would be fine tonight, but they also knew that the first time was always a bit intimidating.
They were met by Alecto, who smiled kindly at them. "Welcome. He is ready and waiting for you, but who is this?" She asked looking at Dora.
Andromeda smiled at her. "This is my daughter Nymphadora. She knows everything we do and wants to do her part for the cause."
Alecto smiled and nodded. "It is nice to meet you Nymphadora. I'm Alecto Carrow."
Dora smiled at her, even though her hair turned a darker shade of red. "It is good to meet you too, but please, call me Dora. I have a bit of an issue with my given name."
Alecto nodded at her. "Very well then Dora. Are you prepared to meet our Lord today?"
Dora nodded at her as the blonde led them into the spacious living room. "Please don't be too alarmed about his appearance. He is still regaining his strength after the ritual." Alecto said softly.
They all nodded and waited until they were addressed by their Lord. "It is good to see you again, Narcissa and Andromeda. It has been far too long since I had the pleasure. And who is this next to you?" A voice asked from the darkness.
"This is my daughter Nymphadora, my lord. We have told her everything about your cause and is eager to join and do her part." Andromeda said respectfully.
They heard a slight creaking of a chair as he stood and moved into the dim light of the room, revealing himself for the first time. "That is good to hear, I trust she knows of what will be expected of her?"
"Yes my Lord. She has been informed." Andromeda said softly.
He nodded as he took a seat in the large armchair. "Good. It pleases me that at least some of my old faithfuls still remember why we are doing this. Now, Alecto told me you have some wishes before we talk further. I will of course try to accommodate to the best of my abilities."
The two women nodded at him. "The only thing we really want is Bella back home safe and sound, as well as time to help her heal from Azkaban. A lot of things have happened in the last decade and she will play a big part in this." Narcissa said as respectfully as she possibly could.
"I expected this, and while I want to know exactly what happened, I was certainly already planning on bringing Bellatrix home and giving her all the time in the world to both grieve for her lost soul mate and daughter and heal from the time she spent in Azkaban." The Dark Lord said softly.
Narcissa nodded as they all took a seat across from him. "That was one of the things we wanted to inform you of, my Lord. Pandora is not dead, but in hiding. The Order did try to assassinate her soon after your untimely death, but they failed. She brought their youngest daughter Luna to us in the dead of night and disappeared. We haven't heard from her since. We also finally know what happened to their oldest daughter, or at least somewhat. Apparently she was taken by the Order and sheltered among Muggles. Luna is in the same house as her and they are the best of friends, and together they have figured out that Hermione must be Bella's long lost daughter."
If the Dark Lord was surprised, he didn't show it. "This is both wonderful and deeply disturbing news. Apparently I have missed a lot in the past fifteen years. It also proves that the Order is still willing to do anything to thwart our efforts to build a better world. I encourage you to investigate this more and bring your niece home as soon as possible, and if at all possible, try and win her for the cause."
"I think there will be little to win, my Lord. She will want to join the cause willingly. She and Luna are starting to unravel Dumbledore's machinations and lies. Things at Hogwarts are complicated right now because of the Ministry's interference, wanting to keep your return under wraps." Narcissa said softly.
"Let them believe that for a while longer. I am not yet strong enough to properly announce my return. I doubt people will believe Harry Potter on what he saw that night." The Dark Lord said tiredly.
They nodded at that. "There is another thing you must know my Lord. There is a Prophecy about Hermione, and it states that she will be embraced by the Dark and together with her soul mate will bring change this world sorely needs. This Prophecy is one of the reasons we believe her to be our kin, because her soul mate is a Veela who recently opened up a Potion shop in Diagon Alley, and I personally consider her a good friend."
The Dark Lord nodded at that. "That is good to know, and I hope you will keep me appraised of any further developments you may make. For now however, I am afraid we will need to cut this a bit short. My current strength does not allow me to hold prolonged conversations. I merely wished to see if you were well. We will talk more soon."
The three witches nodded and bowed as he took his leave. "I'd say that went rather well." Alecto said with a soft smile as she led them back to the fireplace.
"Yes, I honestly had not expected him to look so much like himself after so long. I trust you'll Floo us when he wants to talk to us again, and that we can Floo if we have more information?" Andromeda asked softly.
"For now, yes. I am working on a more secure form of communication, but it will take time, which I have precious little of these days. What I can already say is that he probably will not order Bellatrix to be broken out of Azkaban until he has regained his strength, so probably somewhere in the new year." Alecto said softly.
"While it hurts not having her home during the holidays, I understand. We wouldn't want to rush anything now that we can finally start working on expanding his powerbase again." Narcissa said softly.
Alecto nodded at that. "Yes, that is our goal too, and it will be a lot easier now that certain rotten apples are no longer among the living."
Narcissa smiled and nodded at that. "Indeed, but we'll talk more soon. We too have a lot to discuss and we certainly wouldn't want to overstay our welcome today. Good luck Alecto."
The blonde nodded at them as the three witches Floo'ed home, where they would spend the majority of the evening talking about what they had learned.
…
When Luna woke up that following Saturday, she was surprised to see a letter on her nightstand, since her aunts usually only let one of the elves deliver a letter to her when it really couldn't wait.
My dearest Luna,
We have some news that really couldn't wait. We have met with the Dark Lord and have told him of the circumstances.
He has given us the assurance that Bellatrix will be home after the holidays, and we are sure that once she is home and healed she will stop at nothing to bring Pandora back to us as well.
We just wanted you to know that we have not been sitting still in making our family will be whole again.
Feel free to inform Hermione of this if you feel she is ready for it, but from what you have told me, I have a feeling she will want to know.
If you want to respond to this letter, call for Jupi. He will come to you and deliver your letter straight to us.
With love,
Narcissa
Luna was a bit surprised to read all of this, and she also had to agree that Hermione deserved to know that their mothers would be home soon and that Bellatrix would stop at nothing to bring her long lost daughter home.
Seeing that the brunette was also in the process of waking up, she slipped out of bed and made her way over before taking a seat on the edge of her best friend's bed. "Good morning Hermione, did you sleep okay?"
Hermione nodded as she stretched. "I did, but is there something wrong? You are usually a lot more chipper in the morning."
"I'm okay, I just didn't expect to see a letter waiting for me when I woke up. Usually my aunts only send one of their elves to deliver a letter when it is really urgent, and while this was, it was also mostly information." Luna said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at her. "Then tell me sister, what did our dear aunts have to tell us?"
That brought a bright smile to the blonde's face as she tackled the brunette back to her bed with a hug. "How I've dreamed to hear you say that. I still can't believe how easy you are able to process all of this."
Hermione smiled and pulled the blonde into her side. "You've made it easy to accept it Luna. We've acted like sisters for most of the time we've known each other and I always knew that things just didn't make sense. Only when you told me everything things started to fall into place properly."
Luna smiled and cuddled into her sister's side, much like she had imagined doing for all these years. "I always knew you were special 'Mione and to now be able to call you my sister is one of the best gifts ever."
Hermione smiled at that. "And the same is true for me Lu. I always wanted a sister and I'm honored that it is you."
"I'm really glad that I decided to take a chance and tell you everything, but before this becomes a series of unending moments of sappy sister moments, I should tell you about our aunt's letter. They met with the Dark Lord a couple of days ago and while she didn't tell me everything they talked about, she did tell me that he is going to make sure that our mother is coming home after the holidays, since he is unfortunately not strong enough to do it right now. They are also sure that she will stop at nothing to bring our other mother home, since they are soul mates and can't live without each other, and given that they were forced to do exactly that for nearly two decades I have a feeling they will be very clingy, both with us and each other." Luna said softly.
Hermione smiled brightly at that. "That is wonderful news. I can't wait to meet them, although that might be a bit of an issue since I am still forced to go back to the Grangers."
"Honestly, I don't think you will, or at least not for long. Mother will want you home when she hears that you're alive, and if these Heritage tests will happen, even the Ministry can't stop it." Luna said with a soft smile.
"I can't wait, but I suppose we'll see what happens. We can't start holding out hope for the future just yet, not when we don't know what exactly will transpire." Hermione said softly.
Luna nodded and smiled at her. "That is true, and I am glad that I will be able to experience everything with my big sister by my side, and of course have a front row seat to you and Fleur getting closer."
That made the brunette blush as she poked the blonde in her side, knowing the blonde was ticklish. "We'll see what happens with that. I'm honestly still coming to grips with my feelings for her, but that is something we are going to talk about later. First I think it's proper we respond to our aunt's letter."
Luna nodded and smiled at her as she summoned a piece of parchment and a quill so they could write a response to Narcissa's letter.