VI
—
Snape stared at her with as much disdain as he always had, his dark eyes roving over her like she was a stray dog. Hermione, in turn, gave him a look that would have scalded him to the bone, had it the power to do so. The Potions Master turned to the Dark Lord.
"My Lord, I am aware of the new policies regarding Muggle-borns and blood traitors, but I must say, I'm confused as to why you allowed this particular Muggle-born into your vicinity."
Voldemort glanced at Hermione, who had dropped her gaze as she attempted to rein in her fury, and gave a small chuckle.
"Your godson seems to have an affinity for her, and I have an affinity for powerful people. Since she's agreed to bind herself to Draco, my named successor, I consider her no less of a Death Eater than you, Severus. And as I said, I do believe her to be quite the powerful witch. I'm eager to see what she accomplishes with us."
Hermione looked up again, her expression now neutral as she nodded deeply to the Dark Lord.
"I hope to be most useful to you, my Lord."
The wizard she was addressing laughed, then moved forward and cupped her chin, his hands colder than ice.
"You are a wonderful actress, miss Granger. Keep it up and you just might survive."
Swallowing, the girl said nothing, knowing a denial would be futile. Psychopath though he was, Voldemort was not an idiot; he knew that, while she would no longer act against him, she had not suddenly adopted his beliefs. He stepped away from her, and Hermione fought to keep from sighing in relief.
The Dark Lord took his place at the head of the table, and the rest of the room's occupants sat down, their dishes appearing in front of them. Hermione was beside her fiancé, who held the honourable place of Voldemort's right. Snape, seated across from Draco, regarded his godson with a look that appeared to combine disappointment with confusion.
"Forgive me, my Lord, but I still do not understand how exactly miss Granger came to your attention," he droned, slicing into the meat on his plate.
"Ask Draco," came the Dark Lord's curt reply.
The boy in question looked up from his meal to meet his godfather's questioning gaze, giving a short, irritated sigh.
"I asked for her."
Snape's eyes narrowed. "Oh, did you now?"
"I did. And our Lord was most generous in allowing me to find her."
"And what, pray tell, made you request Hermione Granger, the girl you told me you absolutely despised, and who happened to be the best friend of one Harry Potter?"
All eyes turned to Draco, who was staring at the man across from him with a challenging look.
"Perhaps I simply wanted to do the least plausible thing anyone would expect. Soon I suppose I'll be wearing lilies in my hair, or maybe I'll glamour it Gryffindor red."
Hermione noticed a muscle in Snape's jaw twitch and fury spark in his eyes, though she couldn't discern what about the boy's retort had angered him so.
The potions master looked about to respond, but Narcissa cut him off with a sharp "Severus!"
Now with all gazes on her, the woman composed herself after her outburst, sitting a little straighter and clearing her throat. "We've had this conversation with him. Many times. Let us discuss the issue no further tonight and simply enjoy our dinner."
There were a few moments of awkward silence as everyone went back to eating. Snape continued to glare at his godson, and every so often he shot Hermione a hateful glance as well, but he said no more.
"Draco," Voldemort began, "have you seen Jasmine around lately? She hasn't come to my study in a few days, I'm beginning to worry."
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her in a bit, either. Trilly!" The boy called, a house elf appearing at the sound of its name. "Find Jasmine for us, please."
The elf wasn't gone but a minute before returning. "Jasmine is out in the garden playing with her orange companion."
Narcissa looked cross. "'Orange companion?' What are you talking about? If there's another cat out there, take it away, Trilly," she ordered. Trilly wrung her hands.
"I will try, Mistress Malfoy," the elf said, then popped away. The Dark Lord furrowed his brows.
"Cats are good luck, Narcissa. You shouldn't deter them."
"The peacocks are terrified of them, and they get fur everywhere."
As the two of them argued over the benefits and disadvantages of feline companions, a bit of the tension in the air diffused, and Hermione found herself slightly amused at the realization that Lord Voldemort had a soft spot for cats. It also unnerved her, as she glanced at his handsome, human appearance, to notice that she had for a moment been thinking of him as an ordinary wizard, and not the viper he was.
The remainder of dinner was an almost pleasant affair. Lucius, Narcissa, Voldemort, and Draco conversed about topics that were of no real importance, occasionally attempting to get Snape's opinion on something or other. Draco directed several questions to his intended, but she would answer simply and redirect the flow of conversation away from her.
When everyone had finished, the Dark Lord stood. "Shall we meet in my study, gentlemen?" He posed.
The three wizards nodded, but Draco spoke before moving.
"I will escort my betrothed back to her quarters, then I will join you."
Voldemort looked annoyed as Hermione linked her arm through the boy's.
"Narcissa, have an elf make up the guest room beside miss Granger's; the young miss Burke will be staying until Draco and miss Granger have been bound."
Narcissa's expression betrayed her displeasure, but she didn't protest, only nodded in confirmation.
The Dark Lord disappeared, Lucius and Snape making their way from the dining room quickly thereafter.
As Draco began to lead her to her rooms, Hermione tried to recall a "Burke" from her time at Hogwarts. She remembered the name being called on to answer questions, but she'd never really looked to see who they were.
"Who is 'the young miss Burke?' I don't think I ever met her at school," she stated. Her intended shook his head.
"Delilah. You wouldn't have known her; She was in Slytherin, for starters, and even amongst her own house, she was a bit… intimidating, we'll say. Her older brother as well."
"Intimidating? In what way?"
"Well the family does own one of the largest collections of dark artifacts in the world, which doesn't exactly give anyone motive to befriend them, lest they one day do something to piss them off. Plus, rumour has it that one of their ancestors performed a dark ritual to bless his descendants with power and beauty. From the looks of them, it's probably true."
Hermione scoffed. "You mighty Slytherins were put off by a trinket collection and a rumour? That hardly seems accurate."
"I suppose you'll see for yourself tomorrow. Besides, even if the rumour is untrue, which I doubt is the case, their family has more than a 'trinket collection.' I wouldn't risk slighting anyone with their last name."
They continued through the house, stopping outside the door to Hermione's quarters. Separating, the pair stood awkwardly for a moment. Then Draco cleared his throat.
"It is unlikely I will see you again this evening. I wish you a good night, Hermione," he said, his tone formal. The girl raised her eyebrows in amusement, but raised her hand for him to kiss as she bade him goodnight as well.
When she was in the solitude of her own rooms, she took a deep breath before calling for Ditzy.
"Bring me any texts in the Malfoy library that contain information on the Aeterna Colligationis," she ordered the elf. Ditzy popped away, but returned only a few minutes later, empty handed and tugging her ears.
"Ditzy asks Yixey where the books have gone, and Yixey says the young master Malfoy already asks for all the books with the binding ritual!"
The elf looked about ready to burst into tears, so Hermione bent down and placed her hand on its shoulder.
"That's alright Ditzy. Just bring me the oldest three and I'll duplicate them quickly, then you can return them to young master Malfoy's room."
Brightening, the little creature popped away again, returning with three very worn texts. She stayed nearby as the witch concentrated fiercely and managed to reproduce each book, then handed the original volumes back to the elf.
"You've been so very helpful, Ditzy. I am exceedingly grateful."
Ditzy swelled with pride, then disappeared.
After a quick shower, Hermione pressed her wand to the cover of the most tattered book, whispering "Revelio Aeterna Colligationis." The pages flipped rapidly then stilled, and she picked up the open text, settling herself on the window seat and beginning to study.
—
Draco sipped the last of his Firewhiskey as the Dark Lord finished going over the plans for the next attack on the Order.
"We're fortunate Miss Granger decided to accept my pardon. Her head was full of useful information, and though I'm sure some of it has changed since she departed from them, I still believe that this may be the final blow."
Snape nodded. "It would appear that things are coming to a close for the Order of the Phoenix. However, I will reserve my celebration for when it is actually accomplished."
Chuckling, Voldemort said, "You still doubt, Severus? After everything the last months have brought us?"
"My lord, if I have learned nothing else in all these years, it is that Dumbledore's lot can be as slippery as the man himself. Forgive me, but I will accept nothing as certain until it is done."
"Have a bit of faith, godfather," Draco goaded, knowing the man was still seething from their conversation at the supper table. Snape glared at the boy.
"If you will permit, my lord, it is late, and I would like to speak with my godson before I return to the school."
Voldemort rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Yes, yes, we're finished here. You may go scold the boy and leave."
Lucius shook his head and smirked, giving his son a clap on the shoulder as Draco followed the Potions Master into the hall.
They walked for a bit, then Snape turned into the billiards room, and the young blond sighed before following him inside, tossing up a quick Muffliato in case their "discussion" got louder than usual.
Not for the first time, Snape threw Draco into the wall as soon as the door was closed.
"You were completely out of line at dinner," the man hissed. The young Malfoy shoved him away.
"What, and you weren't? I already have my mother and father whispering in his ear to just kill her anyways, I don't need you adding to his consideration!"
"Maybe you should have considered that before deciding you wanted the former best friend of Harry Potter to be your wife! By all the stars, Draco, what were you thinking?"
Raking his fingers through his platinum strands, the boy glared into Snape's black gaze.
"You ought to know."
Understanding flashed in the Potion Master's eyes, and he took a step back, furrowing his brows in disbelief.
There was stunned silence for several moments, then the man fixed his godson with a demanding stare.
"How did this happen?" he questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. Draco shook his head.
"I don't know. Some time in fifth year, I just… realized I couldn't hate her anymore. And when I couldn't hate her, I started noticing things about her, and…"
There was more silence as Severus took in the boy's words, suddenly feeling far older than he was, and so, so tired. He sighed a weary sigh, placing a hand on his godson's shoulder for a moment.
"Despite what our families tell us, we cannot choose who captures our attention. Hermione Granger is, despite her numerous shortcomings, a brilliant and beautiful witch. Do not resent the emotions you feel for her."
Draco, his gaze now cast to the floor, nodded. Snape made to leave, but the boy looked up just before he opened the door.
"Did I do the wrong thing?" he rushed out, his expression tormented. "Should I have just let her live her life, even if it would've been on the run?"
Severus considered his words for a few seconds before turning. "With the Dark Lord now head of the Ministry, and people submitting to him left and right… How long do you think she would have survived?"
Draco's gaze returned to the floor, knowing the answer but not wanting to voice it. Snape tried to swallow down the tightness in his throat as emerald eyes and auburn hair swept through his memories.
"You did what you could to ensure her safety," he murmured. "I pray your attempt fares better than mine."
With that, he opened the door and swept from the space. Draco watched him go, then started up towards his own rooms, considering the man's parting words as he made his way through the manor.
When he opened the door to his suite, there was a snow-white Persian cat perched on his window seat, staring down at the gardens. As he moved to pet the animal, he could still hear Snape's voice in his head, though he tried drowning it out.
"The Dark Lord wants to see you, Jasmine. He's worried you've forgotten about him in your run-ins with your new companion."
The cat jumped down and left the bedroom, as though she had indeed forgotten about him and meant to go apologize. Chuckling, the boy glanced out into the gardens and thought he caught a glimpse of a large orange creature skulking away into the bushes, but he couldn't be sure.
After he'd cleaned up for the night, Draco grabbed a book from the small stack he'd asked Yixey to bring him, though it was now approaching the middle of the night. Using the revealing spell, he let the volume open itself to the chapter regarding the Aeterna Colligationis, and started reading.
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