Song Suggestion: The Lumineers– "Stubborn Love"
A/N: Draco will make an appearance in the next chapter (being a clever shit, of course). Keep in mind that every character in this first section (chapter 1- 21) will return to the plot at a later time. If I've mentioned them, then they are important to the story. And pay attention to the details, because 90% of them are important too.
I decided to share the ao3 tags for those that need them here. I couldn't in good conscience continue the story without doing so (though this chapter has no warnings). Feel free to skip these if you want. Some of them are good tags, but many of them are serious warnings. Please don't read this story if any of these triggers you. Some of the warnings are for side characters, but most are for Hermione. The rape tag depends on how people interpret the scenes. I'd consider them STRONG dubious consent (close to the first chapter of Mercy or Something Else), so if you got through that, you're good.
Fertility Issues, Rape/ Non-Con, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Wandless Magic (Harry Potter), Dark Magic, BAMF Hermione Granger, Clever Draco Malfoy, Shared First Times, Obsessive Behavior, Forced Cohabitation, Blood Magic (Harry Potter), Destroy the World Draco, Power Couple, No Voldemort, Competition for Witch, Loveable Theo Nott, Brainwashing, Dark Magic Rituals (Harry Potter), Torture, Alternate Universe, Coming of Age, River of Blood, Handmaid's Tale themes, Grooming, coven - Freeform, Loss of Virginity, Loss of Innocence, Character Death, Dubious Consent, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex, Masturbation, Suicide, Domestic Violence (DV not from Draco), War, Attempted Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, unethical use of Polyjuice Potion
As usual, MyPrivateInsanity is the BAMF of the day for being an awesome editor!
Protection Runes
"Can anyone tell me the fifteen uses of bluebottle fly wings in potions?" Professor Booth asked. Hermione waited, hand itching to raise, but she gave her friends a few moments to answer. Julie seemed to be thinking. Dean tapped a beat with his quill. Finch was in the middle of a magnificent doodle of a niffler. And Katie looked a few moments from being asleep. "Anyone?" Professor Booth sighed. "Very well, Hermione, I know you already know. Explain to the—"
The door opened, and Titus entered. Katie raised her head as she jolted awake, showing the side of her face had indentions from her scroll. The rest of the class went silent.
Titus never interrupted her school, usually busy at work.
Hermione watched as he walked over, eyes on the blackboard, and slid into an empty desk beside her.
"Continue," Titus said with a wave of his hand. "I'd like to see what you're teaching the students."
There was a hard note behind his words, and Hermione's spine stiffened.
The Professor looked toward her as if for her to continue answering the question, but Hermione refused to play Titus' mind games.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Since you've shown a penchant for thievery, I decided to investigate to see if you've done it before. Turns out you've been hiding something bigger."
Titus reached into the bag by his side. He took out a book and placed it on the desk in front of him.
One of her muggle books.
Inside the fake cover was a book on physics, one she'd only gotten halfway through.
Titus must have found her bookshelf in the treehouse. She'd used multiple concealment charms, but that meant nothing to a wizard of Titus' calibre. Her brain frantically went through which books she'd stashed there. All of her most important items— the skin-bound book, the Nott defence book, and the wands— she'd kept under her floorboards. Thankfully.
Only the muggle books, along with a few others she'd stolen over the years, were in the treehouse.
Still, her heart sank to her toes. Professor Booth had his eyes fixed on the book, knowing, just as she did, the danger of the moment.
"Class is dismissed," Titus said "Your masters are here to pick you up."
Her friends glanced at each other in confusion, but they all obeyed in unison, completely silent while filing out. Katie tried to catch her eye, but she shook her head, keeping her stare forward.
"Who are you, really?" Titus asked her professor a few moments after her friends left. "It was a brilliant cover, going as far as killing the real Booth, and the polyjuice must have been expensive— expensive enough to suggest access to Order resources."
Her professor went to his chair and collapsed. His initial fear smoothed away, replaced by resignation. Instead of looking at Titus, his eyes went to Hermione.
"My real name is Franklin Thibodeaux," he said. "I'm sure you've heard of me."
The name meant nothing to Hermione, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Titus flinch and tense.
"Of course," he said, voice like a sword. "How could I ever forget one of the men responsible for my parents' deaths? The only one who managed to escape justice."
Hermione startled, unable to hide her gasp of surprise. She placed her hand against her lips.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your mother. She was a pure soul." Her professor's eyes somehow softened, despite the danger. "But your father deserved the violence of his death, just like you will when the time comes."
Titus reached into the pocket of his robe and took out his wand. His hand trembled in fury before he regained his control.
"Is that what you planned?" he asked. "To kill me?"
"I have no need to kill you. Life finds its own way. Violent men have violent ends."
Titus scoffed.
"That's a rosy view of life. But fitting, I suppose, considering where you're heading." Titus rolled his wand in his fingers. "If you didn't infiltrate my home to kill me, then what was your purpose?"
Her professor sighed, as if he wore a heavy cloak that weighed him down.
"Stop the ruse. You know exactly what my purpose was, though you did a magnificent job brainwashing her. Despite that, I think I made significant headway. By the end of the year, I think I could have smuggled her out by her own volition."
Hermione could tell that Titus was on the brink of snapping.
"Why bother risking so much for a single muggleborn?"
Her professor once again looked at Hermione. This time it was laced in pity.
"You know as well as I do that she's no ordinary muggleborn." Her professor glanced out the window, as if deep in thought. "More importantly, I promised her father I would take care of her if anything ever happened to him. After all, she is my goddaughter… but you knew that too."
Goddaughter! Hermione didn't know if she could be any less shocked. There were so many questions she wished to ask, but Hermione knew she'd get no answers with Titus in the room.
"Taking care of her is my job," Titus seethed, words escaping behind clenched teeth. "I never asked for help in the matter. She doesn't need anyone but me. You know how this ends, don't you?"
Her professor— no, her godfather— gave a small nod.
"I know what you're capable of, Butcher. Though I also know you like to follow the rules, only deviating when you can. You'll have me arrested, and then you'll argue for my execution. I'm sure you'll volunteer to do the deed."
Silence ensued.
"You've missed a crucial step," Titus said. "Before I kill you, they'll allow me to interrogate you. I'll leave it to your imagination how thoroughly I'll do the job. Death will feel like a mercy in the end. "
Still, the professor remained unmoved. If he felt any fear, he buried it deep. Titus thumped his fist against the desk, signalling for three aurors to enter the room, wands raised. Her professor gave no resistance as they searched his robes, taking out his wand and a book that he'd probably meant to give her that day.
"Your father would be proud of you," her godfather said as they yanked him around. "Don't stop being—"
"Silencio," Titus said, unwilling to let him talk to her anymore.
Desperation, horror, and guilt built inside her.
"I'm sorry," she told her professor. The back of her eyes burned with unshed tears. "I tried to hide the books, but there was no place to put—"
"Be quiet, Sprite."
Hermione lurched in a breath, meeting her professor's eyes one more time as he was taken out of the room. He didn't seem angry at her, he only looked sad and tired.
The doors slammed after the aurors left, and Hermione flinched with the sound. They sat there side by side, until Titus pocketed his wand.
"Don't kill him," she whispered. It was futile, she knew, but she had to try.
"Don't ask that of me."
"Then don't torture him… for me."
He grimaced.
"This is bigger than you, Sprite. He has many secrets that I need."
Again, they sat in silence. Hermione felt everything at once. The horror of her professor's fate. The pity for Titus, encountering one of the orchestraters of his parents' murders. The shock of meeting her godfather, only to lose him. The guilt that her decision to accept the books had led to this moment.
"You've put me in an impossible situation." His voice was rough. "Other masters would beat you for this. I still should punish you, so that you understand the egregious nature of what you did, because clearly you haven't learned any lessons. You've been stealing and lying and sneaking behind my back—" He gave a deep sigh and placed his elbows on the table, leaning his face into his hands. "But I know doing that will only make you hate me more, and I—" He made a low growl in the back of his throat. "I don't want to be this person to you. I want to make you happy. Seeing you upset tears out my soul."
"I'm sorry," she said. But she didn't feel sorry. She felt angry that she'd been denied what she wanted in the first place. Angry that he arrested her godfather. Did that make her selfish?
At her apology, he seemed to sink further into his hands.
"You're curious," he said. It sounded like he was reasoning to himself. "He offered you knowledge, and of course, you took it. I should end this school… but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to believe that even if he had offered to take you away that you wouldn't have been foolish enough to leave. Because the punishment I'd be forced to give you for conspiring with the Order would hurt your spirit."
He reached out his hand and grabbed hers, but she tugged it away, wanting nothing to do with him right now. He closed his eyes as if in pain and stood up, gently placing the book in front of her, like an offering, like an apology.
"The Order is made up of monsters, Hermione. Worse than I could ever be. Have you forgotten what they did to my parents? They kill innocent women and children indiscriminately in their attacks. Their goal is chaos and destruction. Your professor didn't have good intentions, despite what you may think." He pinched the bridge of his nose and then looked down at her. "Please stop putting me in this position. I want to be your ally. I want—" He sighed. "We'll talk later when you're not so angry with me, and I'm not so angry with you." He hesitated. "Do you have any more secrets left? If you tell me now, I promise I won't get angry."
She didn't believe him. If he discovered the wands, he'd never let her see her friends again.
"No."
His lips thinned as he pressed them together. His stare pierced her, but she didn't care anymore.
"I'll give you some time to reconsider your answer."
He left the room in a rush, and Hermione remained, wondering how she could feel so guilty for lying to him. In defiance, she opened the book he'd left in front of her and began to read, wanting to escape the turmoil in her mind.
Hermione's fury burned hot for days. She ignored Titus. He didn't attempt to talk to her at first, knowing he'd only bear the brunt of her ire. The walls that once felt like home were starting to feel like a prison.
A week after the incident, Titus knocked on her door.
"Go away." She grabbed Crookshanks and held him close for comfort. Her cat meowed in annoyance.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Diagon Alley with me."
Oh, it hurt. She wanted to go more than anything in the world.
"No."
"I know you've been bored, especially on the weekends. Don't do this to yourself just because you're angry with me. And… I miss you."
"I don't want to spend time with you."
He thumped the door with his fist.
"You do realise you're angry with me for a situation you put yourself in. How did you expect me to respond? I should have gutted Malfoy. I'm still tempted. And do you know what I should have done after discovering you were taking illegal books from a member of the Order? You've been rebelling for no fucking reason, and then you get angry when I don't even punish you for it. Merlin, I don't know what to do with you." He paused. "Can you just come out? I hate talking to the door."
"No."
"Fine! Stay in there all day, but don't complain that you don't get to go out when I've offered."
She cuddled Crookshanks so hard, he hissed at her.
Two weeks later, she sat in the middle of the treehouse with the other muggleborns. They had a circle of candles around them. The others were attempting wandless magic with no success. She tried to explain how it felt in her body when she made it happen.
"It buzzes under your skin. Don't you feel it?"
"Sort of," Finch said. Beside him, Dean grit his teeth in total concentration. "But it just won't do what I'm thinking."
"Concentrate on forcing it into your hands, and then concentrate on pushing it out. Think of it as a part of you— like an arm."
Sweat beaded on Dean's forehead, but nothing happened.
Julie had managed to put out a candle several days before, surprisingly more adept at magic than the others. Katie didn't have the patience, not even bothering with trying.
"You're wasting your time," Katie said when Finch gave a frustrated noise after another failure. "You could be learning new spells."
Hermione nibbled her lip in indecision. Her thoughts went to the book she kept under her floorboards— the skin bound book.
When she'd opened it the first time, a wave of darkness washed over her, soaking into her skin, making her feel ill. She considered burning it then, but every time she thought of throwing it out, she remembered Titus demanding her books.
Despite her initial aversion, it fascinated her, though it was written in runic language she couldn't read. And without access to the older runic languages to translate, she was left wondering what it contained. She suspected it was so old it didn't have spells, but rituals, based on blood magic and wandless incantations.
Hermione decided to keep it a secret, but she didn't want to keep everything secret.
"I've learned three new spells," Hermione interrupted her friends. She waited for all of their attention to be on her before speaking. "They're so terrible they're labelled unforgivable. Before the war, the use of them earned a person Azkaban. I'm not sure what the punishment is now. Though, I assume it's still illegal for the most part."
"Why would we need to know about them if they're so evil?" Julie asked.
"Because it's the absolute last type of magic they'd want you to learn." Hermione was unable to hide the bitter undertones in her voice. "Every wizard or witch you've ever met knows about them, secrets passed on through schools like Hogwarts. I don't know about you, but I'm finished with being denied magic, no matter the type."
The treehouse went silent. They were a coven of muggleborns with wands, but what use were the wands without the knowledge of magic? Dark or light, it didn't matter to Hermione. She wanted it all.
"What are they?" Dean asked.
"The first is called Imperio. It makes you lose your free will. If cast correctly, you're a puppet to the wizard who cast it."
"Is there any way to fight it?"
"Not really. From what I've read, there are cases where the victim dismantled it by sheer willpower, but those cases are few."
"What's the second?" Julie asked. Though scared, she started to look interested.
"The second is called Crucio." Even the word made her shiver. She remembered the frightful shadows crossing Titus' face, and Blaise contorting in pain. "It's a torture curse. The worst pain you could ever feel, and it can last for as long as the wizard can hold the spell."
"And the last?" Katie asked.
"Avada Kedavra." Hermione glanced around at her friends. She now knew it was what Lucius used in Knockturn Alley to kill the filthy man. "The Death Curse."
"My mum cast that once." Julie fidgeted with her necklace. "A man tried to grab me in Diagon Alley when I was seven. There was a green light, and the man fell over. I didn't see much else, because she apparated us away."
"You never told us that," Katie said. They'd been with each other for so long they could list each other's life stories. Every internal and external pain. Their hopes and dreams and desires. It was rare to learn something new.
"I'd forgotten. Hermione saying the name jolted the memory somehow."
"Well, what's the use of learning the unforgivables, if we can't practise casting? I doubt I could throw an Avada around to see if it works." Dean stared into the candle flame with a hand outstretched, a part of him still attempting to snuff it out with wandless magic.
"Because they don't have specific wand movements. At least, not from what I've read. They are closer to old magic than the spells we've learned."
"How so?"
"There's only one trick for the curse to work, which is why it's hard for most wizards to attain." Hermione stopped and glanced around at them, wondering if she was making a mistake. But they needed to be able to protect themselves, and they couldn't always rely on another wizard to help them. "You have to mean it."
"Slavery, torture, and death," Dean said with a scoff. "You'd need to be practically evil to mean any of those."
"Unless it's in self defence," Julie added.
"Even in self defence, you need to mean it," Hermione warned. "Most people find it impossible to wish death, even if the person deserves it. And it extracts a price from your soul. Dark magic lingers."
For some reason, a chill ran up her spine. A thought came to her then, reminding her of another spell that might be useful to their little coven.
"I do have something we can practise." Hermione took out her own wand. "The charm creates a spirit guardian, born of good thoughts, which can drive away Dementors and Lethifolds, and it's the only charm that can scare away a manticore—though it won't be able to defeat it. It took me ages to master it, but a few days ago, I managed to produce it. After I show you, I can teach you."
The group perked up, glad to be diverted from thoughts of slavery, torture, and death.
Hermione darkened the room for effect, then she raised her wand and muttered, "Expecto Patronum."
A string of brilliant light burst from the tip of her wand, and in the corner of a treehouse her patronus emerged. A silver otter bounced and played.
"How adorable." Julie clasped her hands together and gave a squeal of excitement. "Teach it to me first!"
Three days later, Hermione heard a pop when she was in the library. She stood up, wondering who it could be, since she wasn't expecting anyone.
The back of her neck prickled. She pulled her wand out of her purse, holding it low, reciting defensive spells in her mind. She edged along the wall, twisting around the corners. When she got closer to the main living room connected to the foyer, she heard the sound of breaking glass. A grunt. A groan.
Hermione jumped out, wand ready, and then pulled back.
Titus was draped across a couch, holding his stomach. Blood puddled on the couch below him, crimson dripping down his fingers. He acknowledged her with a grunt of pain.
"Oh, Merlin." Hermione rushed forward and crouched down in front of him. "Why didn't you go to St. Mungo's?"
"I—I thought I'd splinch." He said the words through clenched teeth.
Hermione tried to get him to the floo, but he tumbled over, almost unconscious. She levitated him, but at the entrance to the floo she hesitated, knowing she couldn't be seen using magic in public. Hermione bit her lip and lowered Titus.
"Sprite," he called out in agony when his body met the ground. His hand fell away, showing his exposed wound. Hermione put a hand to her lips, almost vomiting. Parts of his insides— intestines, probably—were visible, pushing out through the cut on his abdomen.
"I'm here," Hermione answered with a shaky voice.
She grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. It roared to life.
"St. Mungo's," she said, and then she grabbed the top of his robes near his shoulders and pulled with all her might. Titus was tall and muscular, so she struggled with his weight, knowing each additional second could mean life or death, but finally, with one last tug, she managed to get through.
St. Mungo's was bursting with activity. Whatever happened, several aurors and multiple citizens must have been injured. Dozens of Healers rushed around with men and women floating behind them. One had horrible burns down both arms. Another had a section of their face blown off, looking already dead.
"Help!" She cried. But no one could hear her. The chaos was too great.
She grabbed the next healer by the robes and swung the woman around to help her.
"This is Titus Nott! If you don't save him right now, he'll die."
The healer's eyes widened, recognizing Titus. Without waiting, she levitated him. He was unconscious, arms hanging limp at his side, blood dripping steadily against the floor. It left a trail as the healer hurried away.
Hermione stared at the blood splatters on the ground. The adrenaline caught up to her as she pressed herself to the wall, shivering in terror.
Another scream roused her from her fear. She looked up to see a beautiful woman with dark skin and a crown of tiny braids, clutching a injured child to her chest.
Like they did her, no one seemed to be paying attention to the mother in the panic. Hermione jumped into action, rushing forward. The child's head was covered in blood, and his arm looked mangled.
"We need to stop the bleeding," Hermione said. She didn't know much about first aid, but she did know wounds needed pressure. The woman looked at her, eyes blown wide with fear. Hermione took off her over robe, and using the sleeves, she tightened it around the boy's arm. It didn't do much. The boy needed real help and soon.
"What happened?' Hermione asked, trying to distract the mother.
"An attack on the ministry," the woman said through tears. "I was visiting to bring lunch to Thorfinn, but the Order arrived. There was a battle with the aurors, and then an explosion."
A healer finally noticed them, bustling over.
"Oh, you poor dear," the older woman said. "Give him to me. Children take priority."
The woman and child were whisked away, leaving Hermione alone, with nothing but her thoughts. It took until the woman disappeared to realise that she'd interacted with a breeder— a muggleborn with a child.
Without something to do, Hermione's fear returned. The reality shifted through her:
That was Titus' blood on the ground.
His organs were exposed.
He could die.
And one of the last things she would have said to him was that she didn't want to spend time with him. She buried her head in her hands and slid to the floor, knees up, face down.
Titus could die.
It was all she could think about. The fear made a loop in her mind, spikes of it pulling her into a dark pit. She sat there, attempting to get lost in her own darkness, unwilling to look up until she felt a hand on her head.
"Hermione?" Theo's voice was raw.
She stood up and fell into her brother's arms. Theo cried against her shoulder, and for the first time since childhood, a tear escaped and trailed down her cheek.
Hermione curled up in a chair near Titus' hospital bed. She hadn't left for days, except when Tabitha forced her home to eat and shower.
At the moment, Theo stood next to his brother's bed, staring at his steadily rising and falling chest, as if scared it might somehow stop.
"The healer said he should wake up soon," Hermione said, voice stripped of emotion.
Theo sighed.
"I can't face him right now. These past few months have been torture, but I— Harry refuses to answer my owls. He's dropped out of school, and I have no idea where he is. Ron's missing too. There's a terrible rumour they've joined the Order, but I refuse to believe it." He was silent for a moment, frowning. "I never told you, but I loved him… and not just as a friend. Though I guess none of that matters now."
Hermione had suspected that for a long time, and she understood his anger toward his brother.
But her own anger died to embers with the threat of his death. She'd been so stupid and selfish. She knew what he'd told her was true and that all of his actions were to protect her. She still didn't like the rules or agree with them, but she couldn't fault Titus for enforcing them.
"Give Harry time. He must understand it wasn't you."
Even to her ears, it sounded false.
Theo shook his head and glanced at his brother with all the hurt and love he possessed. He seemed older, as if inside the length of a few weeks he'd transformed from a child into a man. He was still much too thin, but his jaw had dark scruff, and he held himself with a more serious countenance than before.
"When Titus wakes, tell him—" He sucked in a breath. "Tell him that I love him, and that I'll probably forgive him in time."
"I'll tell him."
Theo gave a nod in her direction.
"Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight."
When he walked out, Hermione got up and crawled into the hospital bed next to Titus. She arranged his arms so that she could lay her head on his chest and let his steady heartbeat comfort her.
She awoke when Titus lifted her hand from his chest. He stared at it much like Draco had in the glade, as if to read her future.
"You saved me," he whispered, lips close to the top of her head.
"Of course, I did. Why wouldn't I?"
"I'm not sure of anything anymore." He sighed.
"Who did this?"
His free hand stroked down her arm. His heart beat steadily under her ear, gaining pace the longer she talked to him.
"A rat in our ranks. We were in the process of transporting Thibodeaux, when the Order attacked, and an auror tried to curse me in the back. I managed to discover the betrayal last minute, though not fast enough. The curse slit my stomach. I tried to suture it, but it must have been dark magic, because it kept reopening." He kissed the top of her head, lingering and taking a deep breath. "I thought I would die… and I could only think of you."
"Me?"
"I worried about what would happen to you if I died. Theo wouldn't have the knowledge of politics to keep you safe." He lifted his wrist. "I think your protection rune worked. That curse should have killed me. It's my lucky charm."
"What happened to my— to Thibodeaux?"
Titus stiffened under her, and then his body relaxed again.
"The Order managed to rescue him. I know you probably feel relieved he's still alive, but I don't want to hear it. Not today."
Again, the guilt overwhelmed her. If she hadn't taken the books, none of this would have happened. Hermione choked her tears back before they could fall.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I disobeyed, and—"
"It doesn't matter anymore." He hesitated when she placed her hand on the upper part of his chest, muscles tensing under her touch. "I understand you've been struggling, but you need to communicate with me. Tell me what you want and need. I'll provide everything that you think might help make home comfortable for you. I want you to be happy."
He tried to make her feel better, but the thought of the isolation in the manor with just Titus, Tabitha, and occasionally Theo for company made her stomach twist in dread.
She tried to be happy with her circumstances, but she knew deep down nothing could go back to what it had been. She'd never noticed the bars of her cage before, and now they gleamed bright in the dark, no longer feeling benevolent. No longer feeling like protection.
"Do you still hate me?" he whispered. It sounded more vulnerable than she'd ever heard him.
She shook her head.
"I can't hate you."
He tugged her into a tighter hold and kissed the top of her head again. They rested in silence, while she listened to the steady thump of his heart.
