Note: Hello, hi!
So, I confess this chapter is still a lot of talking and less action. But they have some things to resolve since Hermione does need a conversation with all her friends, right?
However, after this, things heat up and I mean, this story needs to end at some point. lol.
Double update today, on this and on Just a kiss. It's the last update of the year and I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for the support! It's nice to know that you're happy they're finally together.
See you all next year! (hoping the stats/views will be, at last, back!)
(Where we come alive - Ruelle)
May 12th, 2006
Ministry of Magic
He keeps kissing her neck, lost in the sensation of it, his hands squeezing her waist while Hermione dishevels him completely.
They shouldn't be doing this inside her office. They shouldn't be acting so horny right now. Even if her door is locked and they know no one is going to try to break in without knocking, it would be a bit hard to conceal what they're doing. Especially because Harry is very hard and he knows it shows.
But she's not helping him in controlling this at all. In fact, her hand is moving down to his waistband, passing it and stroking him through the fabric. He groans, stopping the kisses and moving to look into her eyes.
"Do you want me?" He asks in a low voice.
Hermione bites on his lower lip, her hand moving fast, urging him to move his hips with her ministrations.
"All the time." She answers and he hoists her up in a swift movement, settling her down on her desk, positioning himself between her legs. They're both wearing their uniforms and it doesn't make things easier for him, but now Harry has his mind set on doing this, on-
Someone knocks on her door. They stop, sharing a look. There's mischief in her eyes and Harry takes a few deep breaths, squeezing her thighs.
"Yes?" Hermione asks in a loud voice, kissing his neck after.
"Hermione? I need to talk to you." It's Ron.
Harry makes a face, whispering, "Send him away." She smiles.
"Is it urgent?" She asks in a loud voice again. Her hand going back to Harry's crotch-
"I-" Ron sounds unsure. "Are you okay? Can I come in?"
Harry groans, resting his forehead on her shoulder. Hermione kisses the side of his head, clearing her throat. "Isn't work an inconvenience?" She asks him in a mocking tone and they share a chuckle.
Giving her a gentle peck, he moves away, sitting down on the couch and taking the file he left there to cover the evident arousal on his lap.
"Just a sec, Ron!" She says, still sitting on her desk, now, crossing one leg over the other. Harry observes while she pulls herself together, one spell putting her clothes back in place and concealing the red marks all over her neck and lips- She points to his mouth. The lipstick.
Harry cleans it off, putting his hair back into something decent. In a beat Hermione unlocks her door.
"Come in!"
Ron walks inside with a confused expression and then he spots Harry on the couch and stops moving, closing the door behind him.
"Harry. Had no idea you were here." He frowns.
Indeed. Harry took his coin back and got inside with the spell capable of transporting him to her office without going through the door.
He opens a tight smile to Ron. "I arrived pretty early." Not a lie. They woke together in bed with huge smiles on their faces and Harry wanted to have his way with her, but Hermione said she had to arrive before the others. He naturally followed her.
"We were just talking about the investigation." Hermione cuts in, her eyes still showing some mischief. Harry puts one fisted hand over his mouth to stop a smile, looking down at the file in his hand. He has no idea what's written on it. "Do you have any new information? Any luck with the rings?"
Ron has his eyes narrowed, going from Hermione to Harry. Then from Harry to Hermione. Of course he suspects they were doing something else. Harry's not sure when Hermione wants to talk with her friends about everything, but he's letting her choose. It's fine if she needs time. It's all fine as long as they're together.
"Well," Ron moves further inside, sitting at one armchair. "In fact, I have. We tracked down the rings' users." He lifts both rings in his hand, the ones Harry and Hermione used to get inside the house. "I think we should have a meeting to discuss what to do next. We can go after them and try to find new locations. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to find Moritz in one of them."
Hermione nods.
"Agreed." Harry says. "What about the Alchemist?" They set the man free like Chiara suggested. Harry knows some members of the team were going to keep an eye on him this weekend. But Harry wasn't part of this, he had other very interesting things to do. Like Hermione.
"I think Chiara has the report on his movements." Ron is still acting a bit oddly, trying to understand what's happening between them. But he stands from the armchair. "Meeting in ten, then?" He asks Hermione. She nods. "Good. Okay. I'll warn the others." He walks to the door but stops with a hand at the knob, turning to look at them again. Hermione tilts her head.
"Yes, Ron?" She asks.
"It's… nice seeing you two working in good terms again." He squints.
"Indeed." Hermione answers. "It's very satisfying to work with D'Angelo." Her words come out with the right amount of insinuation. Harry clears his throat.
"Well, thank you, Head Riddle. It's very satisfying working with you too." He plays along and Hermione purses her lips, stopping a smile. But he sees the hint of red on her neck.
They keep looking at each other, completely taken by their exchange-
"Okay, what am I missing here?" Ron asks, crossing his arms.
Hermione raises an eyebrow, also crossing her arms.
"What do you mean?" She asks innocently. And this innocence is so far from the reality of who Hermione is that Harry-
He bursts into a laugh.
Ron widens his eyes. Hermione rolls hers.
"You're no fun, Harry." She says to him while he keeps laughing.
"Oh. I'm- your face!" He's laughing louder, covering his face with a hand. Hermione snorts, also chuckling and climbing down from the desk, stopping by his side.
They hold hands. Harry kisses hers gently, a smile on his face.
Ron looks like he's been stupefied repeated times.
"Is this real?" He asks, his eyes bulging from its sockets.
"It is." Hermione says in a serious tone. "And I want to have a conversation with you, Ron. With all of you." It's clear what she means.
To Harry's surprise, Ron opens the biggest smile ever.
"Hermione." Ron says in a soft voice. Then he strides to them, hugging her. Harry releases her hand and watches her smile while she puts both arms around her best friend. "I- this is amazing." Ron kisses her cheek and Harry makes a face, a faint jealousy swimming inside him. Which is absurd. But deep down he knows that… the mere idea of anyone else touching her gives him a terrible sensation and murderous thoughts. So, he clears his throat and they separate. "Oh!" Ron says to him, chuckling a bit nervously. "She's all yours, mate."
Hermione chuckles. "But can we? Have this conversation?"
Ron nods, still with a wide smile on his face. "Of course. Tonight? Grimmauld?"
"Perfect. Since my mother is already there I think there's nowhere better."
Ron, not stopping himself, hugs her again. And then he shrugs to Harry's ugly face when he releases her from his arms. "Look, I've known her my entire life, so, just suck it up."
Harry snorts. "Yeah, yeah." He says against his will. Hermione puts one hand on his shoulder.
"Meeting in ten." She says to Ron in a way of dismissing him and he gets it, mocking them as he walks out, apologizing for interrupting such an important Head meeting.
When he's finally out and the door locked again, Harry pulls Hermione to his lap, kissing her hard.
"Are you seriously jealous of him?" She asks amid kisses.
He groans. "A bit." Her hands go into his hair, their noses touching. Harry pulls back, smiling. "I thought you would wait a bit longer to talk with them."
"No. I'm done wasting time." She sighs. "I'm so done with it all."
"I think it's going to be a good thing." He whispers, his hands caressing her arms. "To open up. To be able to explain a few things and… make some amends. Hear certain things."
She gulps, her gaze falling to her hands. "It's a bit nerve wracking. To…" She makes a face. "Open up. Talk about my father and what he did." Her voice is barely there. "And also hear everything they've kept from me."
Harry tenses his jaw, his eyes also falling to her hands. She's wearing the engagement ring. And he absolutely hates it. He gently takes her hands in his.
"I hate that you have to wear this thing." He covers the engagement ring with his hand.
"I know." She whispers. "But the only thing that matters is close to my heart."
He opens a tiny smile. The necklace. Hanging there between her breasts. They share another kiss and this time Hermione moves from his lap in a swift motion.
"So, ready to be professional?" She winks at him, a smile playing on her lips while she takes a few papers from her desk.
Harry sighs, standing from the couch and pocketing his hands.
"If I must. Let's catch this bastard."
And with that they leave to the meeting room, huge smiles on their faces.
Hermione listens carefully to what Chiara is saying, but she can't help thinking about the latent happiness that seized her heart. It's actually a bit odd. To feel this good.
This complete.
She glances at Harry.
He decided to sit across from her on the table to avoid the temptation of touching her - as he stated in her ear before the others entered the room. But even so, they keep exchanging glances. Ron sometimes turns on his chair to look at both and Hermione can't deny that the way he hugged her was… something she needed.
Her relationship with her friends hasn't been the best lately. If she's honest with herself, since the whole thing with Sally and Neville… but now she wants to open up, she wants to tell them everything, wants to explain and be closer to them. In a way she also wants to hear what they have to say. Even if her actions were not the best, they could have been a little more understanding.
Especially Ginny.
Hermione looks at her friend. The woman is paying attention to Chiara's words. She has no idea why Ginny acted so violently when everything happened with Harry and she wonders if she regrets it or if she-
"Head Riddle." Hermione looks at Chiara, she has a smile on her face. Of course Chiara knows what happened this weekend, but Hermione is glad that she can be discreet when she needs to. There's not a hint in her posture or words that she's aware of the change in her relationship with Harry… well, except the little smile on her face now. "What do you think?"
"I-" She clears her throat. She spaced out on these last few minutes but she heard enough to know what to say, so, she stands from the chair. "Thank you, Auror Ferri." Chiara nods and sits on her chair by Harry's side. "We need to take action. There's no way of finding Moritz if we don't. I don't think Ludwig knew who we really were, he only suspected two newcomers from the start. And we gave him motive when we took the vials. The way he and his bodyguards took us down is also a warning. Whoever is working with Moritz is smart and cunning. Cautious. And filled with powders to enhance their magic." She takes a moment to think. "I want Ginny and Draco to interrogate the rings' users. Get us a new location."
Both nod.
"And it looks like the Alchemist you took turns following this weekend has a lot of secrets. If what you told me is correct, there's a suspicious house just here in London. I'm sure we'll find more powders there. However, I don't think going undercover is the best. Let's just barge inside and surprise them. Agreed, Head D'Angelo?"
She allows herself to look at Harry.
He has a smile on his face. A permanent smile that she knows she also has. His eyes are soft while he looks at her and Hermione thought it was impossible for them to love and want each other more than they already did… but oh, boy, how wrong she was.
"Yes." He says. "It's the best we can do. I think they're wary of newcomers, maybe doing what Ludwig did is normal procedure when new faces enter the house."
Hermione continues. "Okay, I think-"
The violent way the door opens interrupts her.
It's Asmodeus.
She wets her lips. Without even looking she knows that Harry is tense on his chair. It's the first time he's seeing Asmodeus after Hermione told him about the blackmail he's doing for her to marry him.
"Auror Pettigrew." Hermione says in a mocking tone. "Finally decided to join us? Remembered you have a job here? Responsibilities?" Since the last meeting that he wasn't there and Hermione decided to take him from the team, this is the first time he appears.
"I was on a special mission for the Minister, Hermione." He says through his teeth, furious. "And I just arrived to find out that I no longer am part of this investigation." He briefly glances at Harry. "If Head D'Angelo took me from-"
"I did." She cuts him, sharply, the tension in the room increasing fast. Asmodeus sets his jaw, his eyes heavy on her now as he takes a few steps. "The meeting is over." Hermione states to the others. "Leave us, please."
Asmodeus crosses his arms. Hermione doesn't avert her eyes from his while the others leave the room in silence.
Harry stays.
"You too, D'Angelo." Hermione says, gulping, knowing that-
"No." He says firmly, raising from his chair and closing the door with a strong spell. "No, Hermione. I won't leave." He sounds murderous and she glances at him. Harry stops one step behind her with a hand on her lower back.
"What the fuck?" Asmodeus asks with an incredulous face. "Get your hands off my fiancee, you filthy-"
"Shut up." Harry says in a low voice and a spell Hermione can almost feel leaving Harry's body, zips shut Asmodeus' mouth, binding his hand and feet, freezing him in place.
Oh, shit.
She knows she should intervene, but… she doesn't care. Not about Asmodeus and his blackmail. Not anymore. So, she watches while Harry does something she's been waiting for him to do for a long time now.
"You just shut up, Pettigrew." He takes a step to be by her side, closer to Asmodeus who has his eyes very wide, probably extremely surprised by the way Harry is talking to him. "And listen to me." He sounds so dangerous. And Hermione can't help finding it very sexy. "Your days of harassing Hermione are over, do you understand? Your days of acting like a jerk who owns this Ministry are also over." Asmodeus clearly laughs, Hermione can see it even with his mouth shut. It angers Harry even more and he closes the space between them, his hand around Asmodeus' neck. "Do you think I'm joking?" Harry narrows his eyes, his voice menacing. Hermione gulps. She's aroused. "I'm not. You won't touch her again, you won't talk to her again, you won't even try, am I clear?" Asmodeus has no reaction and Harry squeezes his neck a little bit more. "Answer me." Pettigrew nods the best he can given the situation. "Good. Now, I don't care what kind of shit you have on me. I really don't. Whatever you think you can use as leverage against me, you can't. You can't because if you even harm one single hair in Hermione's head I'll hunt you down and kill you slowly, Pettigrew. Very slowly."
Hermione exhales heavily. This is far from ideal. If Asmodeus says something to her father or-
"Harry."
He raises his other hand behind his back to stop her. Hermione obeys.
"I'm not done." He says. "Now, listen, you fucking jerk. I'm also the Head on this investigation and you're out. Don't even try getting back in." Harry finally releases Asmodeus and ends the spells.
Asmodeus inhales deeply, coughing with a hand on his neck.
Harry walks back to Hermione and she gives him a dirty look. He shrugs, the evident anger emanating from him.
"Was I clear, Pettigrew?" Harry asks when he pulls Hermione to his side with a hand on her waist.
Asmodeus purses his lips, but then he chuckles in a mocking way. "As water, Potter." He sneers at the name and Hermione inhales sharply. Harry stiffens by her side. He's trying not to show how it affects him, but she knows it does. "You can say whatever you want, but I can see how the prospect of having your secret out shakes you." He points a finger at them. "And I know that you won't be brave enough to stop what's to come. You can have her now. But she's marrying me in the end. She'll be mine. And I'll laugh in your face."
Harry moves to strike Asmodeus but Hermione stops him with a firm hand on his chest, holding him in place.
"He's not worth it, Harry." She whispers to him, her hand going to his cheek. "Hey, look at me." Harry is fuming, but his eyes find hers and he tries calming down.
"See you at the wedding, darling." Asmodeus says before he leaves.
Hermione sighs, her forehead touching Harry's. He's shaking from sheer anger.
"Love," She says, "we'll find the samples. We'll stop this."
"What if we don't?" His voice shakes. "What if we don't find them?" He cups her face. "I can't let you marry him-"
"You won't do a thing!" She hisses. "No." She puts both hands on his chest. "You won't reveal yourself because of this."
"I'm not letting-"
"It's not your choice!" She's a bit angry now. Hermione knows it's not quite true. Her engagement to Asmodeus involves Harry more than anything else. Both sigh, nervous. "Look, let's not talk about this now, okay? There's time until the wedding and we'll start to look for the samples together so we have better chances at finding them. This is not over, Harry."
He purses his lips and gives her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Okay." Even knowing that he's not okay with it at all, she lets this go for now.
Hermione puts some distance between them, this is not her office and someone might enter.
"Okay. Let's head back to work."
House by the Lake
It took him exactly ten minutes to gather his things inside a suitcase. Harry is glad that he can use this kind of domestic spells or else it would take him days to move all his things to their house by the lake.
Now, he already organized everything and is waiting for Hermione, however, he can't stop thinking about the day they had at the Ministry.
He can't deny it.
What he did to Pettigrew was beyond satisfying. He has no idea for how long he's been wanting to do something like that. And he's glad Hermione was on board. Glad that she didn't try to stop him. He couldn't take it anymore. The way Pettigrew looked at her or talked to her. It was driving Harry insane.
At least now all the cards are on the table.
Harry's not afraid Pettigrew will reveal his secret because he knows that if he does, his Vow to Hermione will be broken. There's nothing Pettigrew can do.
He grits his teeth. Well.
If they don't find the samples Hermione will have to marry him. Which is-
"Harry?" She calls from the front door, entering the house. He's cooking them some pasta.
"In the kitchen!"
The moment Hermione enters the room with Crookshanks in her arms, he opens the hugest smile ever. It even hurts his cheeks.
"Hey, handsome." She says, coming to him, giving him a gentle kiss. "Hm. What's that?" She asks, looking at the boiling pasta. He brings her to him with both arms, giving her another kiss, Crook between them.
The cat meows angrily and Hermione chuckles, letting him go. Now her arms go around his neck and they share a proper kiss.
"I'm just making us some pasta before we go to Grimmauld. Pesto?" He asks. It's her favorite sauce.
"Oh, hell, yes." Hermione opens a smile. "I can get very used to this." She gently bites on his neck.
"Hmm. Me too." He squeezes her, his hands going to her butt. Hermione snorts, nuzzling him.
"Did you bring all your stuff?"
"I did. What about you?"
"In a suitcase at the living room."
"I think that's official, then." He kisses her cheek.
"Yeah, kind of." She says, moving from his arms to sit on a stool. He raises an eyebrow in question. "I mean, my father can't know about this house, Harry. I have to be at my other house whenever he appears."
"Does he visit you? On a regular basis?" He leans on the counter, crossing his arms, curious.
She makes a face. "He used to. I mean, since the whole situation with Moritz he… changed. He used to talk with me a lot, about all sorts of things, but he suddenly stopped." She shrugs. Harry can tell it bothers her. "I don't think he'll visit or anything, but if he does…" She trails.
He nods. "Of course. I understand."
She tilts her head. "You know." Her voice comes out low. "What you did today was extremely hot."
Harry smiles. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Her eyes are blazing. He recognizes the look.
He moves his hand and the boiling pasta stops, then he goes to her. Harry kisses her hard and Hermione moans against his mouth. He seizes her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. He doesn't want to walk anywhere, so he sits back on the stool with her straddling him.
Now that he knows no one will interrupt them, he takes his time, kissing her properly, his hands squeezing her body with purpose. In a few beats he's getting rid of her vest, the top of her uniform on the floor while he kisses her breasts, his tongue on her nipples. Her tattoo is exposed and he absolutely loves it. Hermione is breathing hard, tugging on his hair, kissing the side of his face.
"Oh, shit." She says.
"I know-"
"No! I mean! Harry, we're gonna be late!"
He blinks at the words, coming back from a place where only his lust was occupying his mind. Harry groans when he realizes she's right. If they don't stop to eat and shower they'll be insanely late.
Hermione kisses him. "I'm sorry. I don't wanna be late. I- it's just so important-"
"I understand." He kisses her cheek. "Don't worry. We have all the time in the world."
She touches her forehead on his. "I like the sound of that."
With a final kiss, he lets her move from his lap. But Hermione doesn't even summon a t-shirt to eat and Harry groans at her nakedness.
"Are you provoking me?" She is. He knows she is.
A smile plays on her lips. "Oh? Am I distracting you?" And while she chews on the pasta he cooked, she sets her eyes on his.
"I've been wanting to have my way with you since this morning." He states in a low voice. "And you keep teasing me to a point of madness." He squints. "On purpose."
She laughs out loud. "Maybe."
"Is that so?" He cocks his head. He can play this game. "Let's see if you're going to keep laughing."
"Are you threatening me, D'Angelo?"
"Maybe." He whispers, finishing his food and leaning close to her to speak in her ear. "Maybe I'll just wait for you to beg me, then." And he gives her a small kiss on the cheek, winking.
Hermione opens her mouth, snorting after, shaking her head while he heads upstairs to take a shower.
"Maybe I'll join you in this shower!" She says loudly and he chuckles when he reaches the second floor.
"No way! Don't even try, Riddle! I'll make you pay!"
He hears her faint chuckle while he goes to the bathroom.
It all feels like a perfect dream.
Grimmauld
It's… hard. Doing this. Harry is by her side, waiting patiently for her to feel ready to knock and enter the house. Hermione didn't want to apparate inside because she knew it would be too much at once.
He takes her hand, squeezing and intertwining their fingers, his thumb caressing her skin. She has no words to tell him how this support means everything to her. And it feels so right. To be here now. With him. Knowing the truth.
Gulping, she finally knocks.
Harry leans to her, "It's going to be okay." He says and kisses her cheek.
She smiles. If she's this nervous to have an honest conversation with the friends she's known her entire life, Hermione has no idea how it's going to be when… she meets his aunt.
And the door opens.
"Hey, kids." Sirius has a smile on his face. "Come in." He winks at Hermione and after he greets Harry with a familiar handshake, he hugs her. "I'm glad we're finally doing this."
Hermione inhales deeply, she can see her mother inside, laughing with Eleonora. Everyone is there, even Chiara.
She can't deny the sensation that invades her. It's not quite the belonging she feels when she's with Harry, but it's pretty close and similar.
Her mother comes to her with a wide smile on her face. It's been so long since Hermione has seen Bellatrix this relaxed that her mother's clear calm also calms her. They hug tightly. For a long minute that Hermione allows herself to be just a daughter seeking comfort and reassurance.
"How are you, sweetie?" Bellatrix asks when they move to look at each other.
Hermione sighs heavily. "I'm good, mum."
"I can see it." Bellatrix squeezes her hand. And then she turns to Harry. "Oh, my son-in-law!"
Bellatrix laughs at her own words, but Harry's face becomes red from pure embarrassment and Hermione lets out a chuckle when her mother hugs him tightly.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." She says to him while he chuckles too. "Well, not that this is not going to be a reality, right?"
Harry clears his throat. "Right." He states, winking at her, his hand finding Hermione's waist. "As soon as… we solve a few things. Get rid of a few rats and such."
"Indeed." Bellatrix says.
"Hey, you there, come!" Eleonora calls them to the living room.
As they walk inside, Hermione is already feeling a lot more at ease. There's no reason to be nervous. It's-
Ron hugs her before anyone else. She feels Harry taking a step back to give them some space. She hugs back her friend, closing her eyes. This is… she knows why Ron is so emotional.
"I'm so sorry." He says into her ear. "I should have done something, I should have asked you more about it, and-"
"Ron, it's fine." She whispers to him, although it's not that fine.
"No." Ron says, moving from their embrace. The others are watching the little exchange. "I- I'm your best friend." His voice falters. Everyone is paying the utmost attention. "We dated. I- Hermione I should have trusted you more, I should have questioned every action and every little thing that didn't seem like it was your doing. I should have-"
"Stop." She cuts him, sighing, her hand seeking his. "Ron. I- we've all made mistakes. Maybe you didn't ask or trusted me enough, but I did the same. I never-" She chokes and looks at the others. "I never fully told you what I was going through and my actions were… fairly dubious most of the time and I- Sally." Hermione looks at her. "I'm- I have no words to-" She sobs, tears welling up behind her eyes.
But Hermione doesn't have to say another word. Sally is already there in front of her, embracing her in a gentle hug.
"Fuck, I know, Hermione." She sounds broken and glad at the same time.
"Okay, okay, let her breathe." Sirius says and Sally steps back to greet Harry.
Hermione looks at the others and Chiara's eyes meet hers. She opens an encouraging smile. And she also moves to hug Hermione. It puts everyone else in motion and she greets all of them. Ginny a bit more hesitantly.
In minutes she settles on the couch. Harry sits by her side and how naturally they hold each other in front of everyone is a bit surreal. His hand rests on her thigh, hers do the same. The only reactions they get from the others are small smiles. None bigger than her mother's.
Her eyes go through all of them. Sirius, Eleonora, Molly, Arthur, Remus, Nymphadora, Ron, Gin, Draco, Luna, Sally, Chiara, Bellatrix and Harry.
He kisses the tip of her nose and her heart swells.
"Do we act like this, Sirius?" Eleonora asks her husband and they all chuckle.
"Yeah! You do!" Sally says in a high pitched voice.
Still laughing, Sirius says, "Ah, they're worse, I assure you!"
Harry laughs by her side and she takes a second to admire him. His presence, him. He's yet again helping her to change a huge aspect of her life: important relationships broken by secrets and mistrust that her father was always so eager to nurture.
She looks down for a second, sad that she wasn't strong enough to go against this influence, wasn't strong enough to tell them the truth-
"Hey." She looks at Harry. "I love you." He whispers in her ear and she exhales heavily.
His support is all she needs to start talking. And she does. The others give her all their attention.
It happens fast and slow at the same time.
She opens her mouth and the words pour out of her in waves. Gigantic waves that were being held by a powerful dam and now are able to hit strong rocks and sand banks - more than ready to take the hit - waves that are even more powerful than nature itself.
Hermione talks about many things she went through with her father, the way he had control over her with the binding obedience, the many times he used this influence to make her do things she never wanted to. She explains the consequences of her not fulfilling her part of the deal. Sally cries when Hermione tells her that she tried not handing over the Longbottoms, but saw herself dying in the process. Harry squeezes her thigh so strongly that she knows it'll leave a mark - this information is also new to him. Sirius and Eleonora look extremely shocked. Hermione sees the way Sirius holds Bellatrix's gaze in a non verbal conversation about her vile husband.
It's like resurfacing from a deep bottomless sea.
It feels good and monumental to explain to them everything she went through to save Harry. How she found out he's a Potter, what she did, the deal she made with Matteo D'Angelo. How lucky they were that Harry had casted the Avada Kedavra wandlessly.
But when she talks about Asmodeus, Ron reacts violently. All of them do.
"No bloody way!" Ron screams, standing from his chair. "Hermione! No!" Then he looks at Harry with wide eyes. "Mate, she can't do this-"
"Hey! It's my choice!" Hermione says sharply, a bit angry that they're talking to Harry and not to her.
"The hell!" Ginny says with ferocity. "That asshole! Hermione, you can't do this! You can't bind yourself in the eyes of the law to this man! Especially being a Riddle!"
"What does it matter that she's a Riddle?" Harry asks.
Hermione freezes, pursing her lips. They all seem to notice that… this is something Harry doesn't know. Chiara also has a strange expression on her face. Well, not even her knew about this weeks ago, but she's sure her mother shared with all of them.
"It's-" Hermione begins, but stops. She can't look at Harry right now and he turns on the couch by her side to face her.
"What's going on?" He asks her directly, one eyebrow raised.
But it's Bellatrix who tells Harry what's going on.
"Harry, why do you think I never divorced my husband?"
He frowns. "I- don't know."
So, Bellatrix explains.
"There are certain marriages that when performed are also… binding. Literally to death. I can't divorce Tom. I can't have another husband until he dies."
Hermione senses him stiffening, his whole posture changing. She tried not talking about this because she knew it would be another nail in the coffin. And maybe she's setting herself for heartbreak, but she still hopes they'll find the samples so-
"What do you mean, certain marriages?" His voice cracks.
"The most important ones. The ones that involve big traditional families. Such as the Riddles."
Harry lets out a sound through his mouth. A mixture of snort and a scoff.
"What are you saying? That if she marries Pettigrew there's no way of dissolving this?"
A silence fills the room. Hermione briefly closes her eyes. Fuck. She didn't want him to find out. She knows he already wants to save her from this obligation by taking away Asmodeus' leverage and revealing himself, but now this will only give him an extra boost to do it.
And she can't stand the idea.
"We will find the samples." Hermione states, her voice firm. "I won't marry him-"
"When were you planning on telling me this?" He cuts her, his eyes sharp.
Hermione clicks her tongue. "I- well-"
"You weren't." He sets his jaw. "And then what, Hermione?" He's furious. The others are observing with wide eyes and Hermione would rather not have this conversation here, but she knows Harry won't let go. "What if we never find these samples? Are you simply going to marry that jerk? Bind yourself to him without a way out?"
"Harry. This changes nothing." She states.
"Of course it does! You could marry him and divorce on the next day and that's actually what I was going to suggest! Apparently to find out that this is not even a possibility?"
She can hear how hurt he is and her hand squeezes his thigh, her eyes on his.
"I'm willing to make this sacrifice, Harry. Respect that."
"I won't." He says firmly. "This is not just about you, Hermione. This is about us. And it should be our decision!"
She snorts, moving on the couch, putting some distance between them to look at him.
Now, she's angry.
"We have no idea if my father knows about you, Harry. If he doesn't, I won't be the reason why he's going to make your life a living hell. Do you get that? Wouldn't you do the fucking same for me? Would you not do whatever it is in your power to prevent the worst? You can't be serious, you have to understand what I'm talking about here!"
He tenses his jaw, looking down and sighing.
"You know what?" Ginny interrupts their little argument. Hermione turns her head to look at her and their eyes lock. She has no idea what to expect, but she is curious to hear what Ginny has to say. "Hermione, I owe you a ton of apologies. Like, I don't even know if I'll be able to apologize enough on this lifetime. But I'll try. And I'll begin by saying that Harry is right. You can't do this." Hermione opens her mouth to protest but Ginny holds a hand up and continues, "I'm sure you can see how miserable this will make you. Why go through this? No. Don't. I'm here to tell you that I'll do whatever I can to help you find these samples or stop this wedding in any way. You've sacrificed enough for all of us. You've always protected us from your father, you've kept unspeakable things to yourself to spare us and it angers me. Fuck, it does. Now, let us do something for you. Let us seek these samples. Let's do it together."
Hermione sighs. All the others are nodding, clearly agreeing with Ginny's words. And she can't help feeling a bit emotional.
"I- I have no idea where these samples might be and-"
"Doesn't matter." Ron says. "We'll look for them. We'll go to the end of the world to find them. I'm sure Harry is very willing."
Harry opens a sad smile, his hand seeking hers, their eyes meeting again.
"I sure am." He whispers to her.
Hermione gulps. "It could be dangerous-"
"So?" Draco cuts in this time. "Isn't everything dangerous? Aren't we fucking Aurors?"
She looks down, shaking her head.
Harry clears his throat. "Yeah, we accept your help, guys. We need it." He emphasizes the word 'we' and Hermione knows this won't be solemnly her choice anymore, not in a thousand years. But she fears for Harry. Greatly.
"Not to mention that I'm the closest to Asmodeus." Draco says. "I could try making innocent questions." He shrugs. "He won't doubt that I hate you, D'Angelo."
Harry tilts his head. "That's actually a good idea."
And when Chiara asks about the places Hermione has already looked for the samples, she tells them everything. She already tried every place Asmodeus might have a connection with and nothing. Not to mention the many tracking spells she also used but none worked. And thinking about it now, she's almost sure that the samples-
"He's using Moritz's powders to hide the samples." She whispers to herself, her eyes widening. She looks at Harry. "That's it, Harry. That's why I can't find them."
He tenses his jaw. If this is right, their chances are getting lower and lower by the minute.
"That's probably it." He says bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "Cazzo."
Hermione turns to the others. "We know that the Pettigrews are working with my father in something and it involves Moritz's powders. You do know that my mum used powders she found inside the Manor-"
Remus nods. "We know. We were talking about that just before you arrived, and…" He clears his throat. "We want to tell you, Hermione, that… it was us on that night. At the Ball." They all look tense while Remus continues to talk and explain to her what happened and why they did that.
She listens carefully, understanding their reasons and what happened all those years ago with Lily and James. The thought had already crossed her mind, but it's very clear now that they were indeed afraid of what her father might do if they reacted more violently or spoke publicly about the Persecution. And time passed, they lived their lives, always close to Riddle but never truly bending to his will.
"He kept us by his side. I'm sure you can see why." Sirius completes.
"I can." She gulps. "I'm glad we're finally talking about this. But I have to ask. Are you ready to do whatever it takes to bring him down? Because… he's insanely powerful."
She's serious and their faces show her the same thing. There's not a wrinkle of doubt. Especially the way Sirius and Remus look at her… it's intense.
"They were our best friends, Hermione. And Riddle assassinated them. Brutally." Sirius says. "I think we're more than ready. And now we actually can do this. We have Harry. And you."
She inhales deeply, not quite understanding-
"I always stopped them." Bellatrix says in a low voice and Hermione turns to look at her mother. "From reaching out. From talking to you. But it was for you. I- I was afraid of what your father might do to you."
"But in what sense? I-"
"We all know how powerful you are, Hermione." Molly says. "You used to play at my house when you were a little girl. The effortless way you performed all spells since a young age always astounded me. Us. We… know about the experiments, dear."
Hermione looks down now, ashamed, her chin trembling, her hands shaking. She feels cold inside. But Harry's arm around her shoulders gives her some warmth, his gentle kiss on her temple gives her strength, the gentle squeeze gives her courage.
"I- would rather not talk about this. Not yet." Her voice comes out frail. "But I don't see the connection in-"
"He would disappear with you." Bellatrix says. "Hermione. He craves your power, my love. Your father is never going to completely let go of you."
"And that's mostly why we never knew if… we could fully trust you." Ron whispers, looking down. Hermione looks at him with some shock in her expression. "Not that I don't." He says fast. "But with these kind of delicate stuff about your father… knowing about the experiments we wondered many times if Riddle never cursed or enchanted you in some way."
"What?" She whispers, "What are you saying? Mum?"
Harry moves closer to her again, his hand moving back to her thigh. They share a look. His face shows that… he's scared.
Bellatrix sighs, letting out a sound of frustration after.
"There's no way of knowing if… you can go against him, Hermione. Truly face him in a duel. He might have really enchanted you. We don't know." She moves a hand in front of her, Hermione blinks many times. "And since you always stood by his side diligently-"
"Because I was doing my job." She sneers.
"I know!" Bellatrix uses a harsh tone. "But we were afraid that telling you everything might lead to him knowing."
"What changed now, then?" She's a bit angry. And she moves, standing from the couch. "Fuck. This is too much. Are you saying that I could betray all of you because of a spell or something like that? Something that monster put inside me?" She's almost yelling. Hermione turns to face Ron, Ginny and Draco. "And because of that, because I acted as Tom Riddle's daughter should act, because I didn't talk back to him in front of you, you never fully trusted me?" She snorts. "That's why you believed so easily in the worst when I sent Harry to that cell!" She's indeed yelling now, hurt and- "Because you all see me as the monster my father created!"
And she storms out of the room.
Harry catches up to her in the middle of the hallway.
"Not now. Please, Harry." She's shaking. "I need to be alone."
"I-" He gulps. "Is there something I can do? Anything." He's whispering, moving closer to her, his arms around her. "Hey. Love." He kisses her cheek. "I'm here, okay? You're not a monster-"
"Am I not?" She moves from his arms, shaking her head. All her fears are seizing her completely. "Am I really not?" She whispers and moves away, glad that he doesn't try to follow.
Harry stays there, in the middle of the hallway, knowing that Hermione is going to the enchanted room where he practice the Traditional with Sally a long time ago.
His heart bleeds for her. He hates that she feels left out. He hates how all of them dealt with things and the fact that they never included Hermione thinking that she could give their heads to her father… she would never.
He knows. And deep down, they know too.
But the fear of some dark magic Riddle might have put into her was bigger than anything else. And if Harry's honest with himself, he would have this same doubt. Of course his relationship with Hermione is different from the ones she has with the others. It seems like he always saw her true self. However, he can't deny that her facade is pretty tough. It's hard to know what she's thinking, hard to understand her actions and even harder to comprehend the relationship she has with her father-
A hand touches his shoulder.
"Can we talk?" Draco asks.
Ginny is passing by them and Harry holds her arm. "I don't think she wants-"
"I need to talk to her, Harry. And I will." Her eyes tell him so and he raises an eyebrow, releasing her arm. "If she really wanted to be alone she would be inside her house by now." Harry knows.
So, he and Draco just watch while Ginny heads to the same room Hermione's in. Then he turns to Draco.
"Yeah, let's talk."
Draco nods and motions to a room. Both head inside and Harry frowns when Draco uses a spell to protect the room, the door locked.
"Do you wanna talk about our plan on deceiving Pettigrew or-"
The blond man makes a face and waves a hand in front of him, scoffing.
"No. This has nothing to do with Asmodeus. I wanna talk about me and Hermione."
Harry doesn't like his tone and he pockets his hands. "What about you two?" He has no idea what Draco could possibly-
"Look," Draco runs a hand through his blond - almost white - hair. "There's something you need to know." This seems hard for him to say and Harry's curiosity spikes. "When we were at Hogwarts… we- I- I had a problem. With drugs." Draco gulps. "It was bad and I could barely live normally." He's crackling his knuckles now, nervous. "Very few people knew about it. To be honest, no one knew. I mean, not how badly it affected me. They all knew I enjoyed partying and having a fix from time to time, but reality was much, much worse."
Draco stops talking, looking down, probably remembering a few things.
"Okay." Harry says in a way to prod him to go on.
Clearing his throat, he does.
"I- Hermione noticed it. She was the only one who did. Because at the time she was dating a friend of mine and we went out one night and- she caught me at my worst. She-" His voice falters. "I made her promise she wouldn't tell the others. I was already in love with Ginny and I knew she wouldn't accept an addict in her life." He stops again, shaken. Harry waits. "If it wasn't for Hermione I have no idea what I would have done. She practically pulled me out of that dark hole, Harry. And after a while she made me tell everything to Ginny. After that I felt much better and things started to go back to normal in my life. I learned a way to live and deal with my problems without the drugs to numb things out." He gulps. "I've been clean for almost ten years. This whole Moritz thing hits too close to home and I do hope we catch this motherfucker soon."
"Man, I'm sorry to hear about this. But I'm glad you found the help you needed." He smiles, his love for Hermione increasing. "But… what this has to do with her? Exactly?"
"Ah, sure, yeah. Sorry. It's been a while since I noticed some… tells on her. And now that she explained about the binding obedience and the way she kept going using those potions… mate, I think she might be addicted now."
Harry frowns. "What? No. I don't think so. I mean-"
"Have you seen her take any? On these past days?"
"No. She didn't. Look, she's not addicted or anything of the sort-" He stops. Thinking. "Two of her spells failed. When she faced Dolohov and at the mission."
"It's a side effect from withdraw." Draco nods. "But that's good. If this is happening then she's not taking anything. Good." He repeats.
However, Harry doesn't think so. "Will this be permanent? This side effect?"
"No. But it can last for a significant period. It depends on how much she was taking."
Harry tenses his jaw. This is not good. At all. If this keeps happening and Hermione decides she won't take this bullshit of failing in critical moments she'll go back to the potions to muffle this effect and-
"Well, you do know what happens to those who can't stop, don't you?" Draco asks and Harry gulps.
He does know. He lost count on how many he already saw in terrible situations. Magical drugs are something people shouldn't mess with. That's why they're illegal, that's why they need to find Moritz and stop this madness as soon as possible.
The person… they- they lose contact with reality. They begin to hallucinate. They become paranoid. They start to throw spells without thinking. Until they collapse and start to really disconnect with their magic. From what Harry's seen, it's extremely painful. And just to imagine Hermione going through something like this- a shiver goes down his spine. He hates the thought.
No. I won't let anything happen to her.
Not to mention that… she could die. She could overdose.
He clears his throat, shaking his head.
"I'll take care of her, mate, don't worry." Harry says to Draco and the other man nods.
"Good. I know Hermione's judgment is better than that, but in desperate times things could go… terribly wrong. And since she's very powerful I think her mind would reject the idea of her giving in and actually becoming an addicted. Denial, you know?" Harry knows. "But I felt like I needed to warn you. Pay attention to this, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, man."
When the door opens Hermione already knows it's Ginny. She recognizes the lack of subtlety in the action. However, she does not turn around to look at the other woman. She stays in the same position, her eyes on the outside through the magical window, her knees tucked to her chin, both arms wrapped around them.
Uninvited, Ginny sits by her side.
There's a long minute of silence.
"I'm sorry." Ginny whispers. "Words will never be enough-"
"It's okay." Hermione whispers back, still looking outside. "I-"
"No. It's not okay. Stop. You don't have to keep protecting us from your feelings or from the truth, Hermione." Ginny's tone carries pain. "I treated you badly. I was a terrible friend and-" She chokes.
Hermione finally looks at her. Ginny's crying.
"Yeah, you were." She says honestly, some pain leaving her chest. But also… "I can understand all your doubts about me, Gin." She says in a gentle tone. And it's true. She does get it. Not everything, though. "The only thing I didn't understand was the way you so violently reacted because of Harry-"
"Because!" Ginny says a bit higher, to the ceiling. "Hermione. You- you saved Draco's life. You saved my husband's life all those years ago in Hogwarts. And I knew about you and Harry, I could see how his presence changed you, how you two connected. How happy you were." Hermione gulps. "Not to mention that… you also went after the clues in Muggle London. Then, I was so sure that we had to open up to you, reveal the truth. When we finally talked with Harry it became clear that you were in love and fuck- when I heard what you've done, the whole thing with the Veritaserum, I- I guess I lost it. I lost it because I was so angry that you once saved the love of my life and was throwing yours in jail." Hermione looks down, mixed emotions battling inside her. "I wanted to shake you and ask what the fuck you were doing. I was angry because I couldn't talk about everything I knew, I couldn't reveal the truth and I had to see you acting that way, not fully knowing if you were being manipulated by your father or not."
"You could have told me, you know? It was a choice not-"
"It wasn't that simple. We have a powerful pact here. No one can open up to others without everyone's consent. And believe me, we debated a lot on those few days that Harry was in prison." She wipes away a few tears. "However, we decided that we should wait to see how things would unfold. Sirius was very clear that he thought it would be too dangerous to reveal ourselves to you on those days and we were all on the edge of our seats, waiting. When you saved Harry, we- I- look, I went to your house but you were already gone and Ron said that you had no idea when you would be back… and since you did get back, it's been so crazy-" She stops talking, inhaling deeply. "I love you, Hermione." Ginny whispers. "I grew up in a house filled with boys, and to have you there as my girl friend-" She chokes and they chuckle a bit, "we've been through so much. And I'm so sorry that certain things weren't solemnly my decision. Things would be different otherwise."
Hermione takes Ginny's hand, turning her head to look at her. "I love you, too."
And they share an emotional hug.
She knows things aren't that easy to heal or to forget. She knows there's a long path in front of them to mend years of lies and certain mistrust. She knows the slight pang in her chest each time she thinks about what they've been plotting behind her back won't disappear so fast. But she also knows that she loves them. She can feel that they love her too. And there's no point in dwelling in the past, in what happened, how it happened or why it happened.
Things are this way and that's it.
"We were also trying to protect you." Ginny says when they move form the hug. "I mean, there was no way of knowing what your father could do to you… I heard awful things and it pains me to imagine that they're true." Hermione looks down, setting her jaw. The experiments. "And I had no idea your mother was on our side too, I only found out at the Ball. It's no excuse for leaving you in the dark, but even among us there are unsaid things and hidden-"
"So we need to change this." Hermione states firmly. "I'm tired of so many lies. Tired of not knowing everything. We have to be totally honest with each other when it comes to things like this. It's the only way we're going to… change anything. Don't you think?"
Ginny nods. "I do."
Someone opens the door and they both turn to look at it. Sirius is poking his head inside. "Hey, we still have some things to talk and it's getting late-"
"We'll be right down." Hermione says and he gives her a pointed look, asking if she's okay. She discreetly nods and he heads out.
Sighing, both stand and with small smiles they go back to the living room.
He exhales relieved when he sees the smile on her face. Hermione strides to him on the couch and they share a half hug, moving the closest they can. He kisses her cheek and she does the same, squeezing his thigh.
He loves her so damn much.
"You okay?" He asks in a low voice.
"I'm fine." She whispers back to him.
Remus clears his throat. "So, we should talk a bit more about where we all stand when it comes to the... Potters."
Harry moves a bit uncomfortably while they exchange a lot of information. Hermione listen carefully, tensing a bit when they talk about Karkaroff. How they found out his location searching the files without Riddle's knowledge and went there. Just as the other Aurors, Karkaroff knew nothing, which leads to Harry and Hermione sharing everything they discovered when they visited the Aurors and-
"Dolohov has his memory intact." Hermione whispers, looking down and then at her mother. "We think so."
Taking a deep breath, Bellatrix complements her words, "Yeah, we do think so. Tom wouldn't bring him back to the Ministry without a reason. And from what you told us, Dolohov was prepared, he knew you were coming and he saw you, Hermione. It's… a delicate situation."
A moment of silence fills the room. Harry wants to clarify that he's not exactly worried about Dolohov right now. His priority is finding the samples-
"Look," Remus breaks the silence, his eyes going to Sirius, Molly and Arthur. "Harry, it's too dangerous for you to investigate or question Dolohov now. I suggest we do it. Me, Sirius, Molly, Arthur, Bellatrix. We're counselors and we have access, let us deal with this for now while you kids search for the samples."
"Remus." Hermione says in a serious tone, "My father doubts all of you, you know that. It's too dangerous."
"Hey, give us some credit." Sirius winks at her, a small smile on his face. "He's always going to doubt us, Hermione, it's natural. So, as long as we don't act too suspiciously, he won't do a thing. Not to say that he doubts you more than any of us now." She sighs.
Harry chews the inside of his cheek, pondering. "It's a good plan. Since we're all in this together now, all secrets gone, we need to use this in our favor. Delegate. Confuse Riddle." He gives Hermione a side glance. "We're considering interrogating him about Moritz."
Hermione groans, a hand on her face as an act of defeat. "I still don't like this idea very much, but…"
"Are you serious?" Bellatrix asks.
All of them have their eyes wide, except Chiara since she already knew his plans.
"Well-" Hermione begins.
"We have to stop fearing him." Harry cuts her. "I know it's useless and he won't give us answers, but I wanna do it to show him that he's not above suspicion. I want him to know that we're watching, I want him to know that I won't let him get away with it that easily."
Ron lets out a low whistle. Hermione only sets her jaw, saying nothing - and that's enough for Harry to understand how much this bothers her.
"You should do it, then." Sirius says, earning a nasty look from Hermione. He raises his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I'm with Harry on this one. Riddle got away with enough already."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione says, "Fine. I'll communicate him tomorrow."
There's a tension in the air, but Harry doesn't care. This is the way, they need to make Riddle feel threatened.
"Good." He says, "We'll look for the samples while you try to discover what Dolohov knows."
"And we also have to find Moritz. He's a huge piece of this puzzle." Hermione says in a low voice. "My father is working with him, the Pettigrews also." She sighs and then looks up, at all of them. Harry can see the determination in her eyes, the way she wants to do this more than anything else. "I guess we have a lot to do, don't we?"
"Oh, well. It sounds like fun." Chiara says. "London isn't so dull, after all."
Most of them chuckle slightly and Harry squeezes Hermione's side. She opens a small smile to him, squeezing his thigh in return.
He decides it's time to head home. With her - he loves the sound of it.
"So," He clears his throat and raises from the couch, taking Hermione with him. The others also move, understanding that this little gathering is over. "We still have a few things to talk about, but for now I think we're done."
They agree. While Harry exchanges a few words with Sirius, Remus, Arthur and Molly, Hermione walks to her mother. He can see both smiling and hugging tightly. It's impossible for his heart not to burst with love.
Seeing Hermione happy is precious. And he'll do whatever it takes to keep things that way.
House by the Lake
She finally comes out of the bathroom and crumbles down on the bed. Harry knows she's still teasing him, wanting to drive him crazy.
Because she's naked.
Hermione has a smile on her face when she settles under the covers and moves closer to him, her arms hugging his middle.
He chuckles.
"You're the devil." He says in a low voice, hugging her back, bringing her closer and kissing her head. He sighs. "And I love you."
She kisses his chest. "I love you too."
It's pretty late and they have to be at the Ministry in six hours, but Harry needs to know how she's feeling after what happened at Grimmauld.
"So? Are you okay?"
Hermione inhales deeply. "I think I am. I mean… this is new to me. Having this support. This huge safe net of people that I know will be watching my back at all times. I- I'm used to do things on my own-"
"I know." He snorts. "I know." Her leg comes up on his. And then Crookshanks enters the room, making both watch while the cat lazily climbs their bed. "We should get a dog."
Hermione laughs. "Oh, Crook, he's joking." She says to the cat and Harry pinches her arm.
"I'm serious! I love dogs." He raises one hand in the air to make a point. "And we have this big house now, he would absolutely love it!" The thought brings a smile to his face.
"We already have a Dragon and its offspring. I think that's enough." She resists the idea.
He clicks his tongue. "Nonsense." Then he chuckles. "Bellaverde would totally eat Crookshanks."
Hermione slaps his chest. "She wouldn't! He's part of the family."
"Oh, yeah, right. He's like finger food to her."
Crookshanks meows, moving closer to Harry on the bed. They keep chuckling softly.
"Are things between you and Ginny okay?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Her arms tighten around him. "I understood her reasons and to be honest I don't think mulling over what already happened is the best. We have a lot to deal with now." She squeezes his abs in a caress. "We need to be careful. Very careful."
Harry kisses her head again, moving a bit so they're more comfortable. "We will. And we'll find the samples and discover whatever Dolohov knows."
"I think our main focus should be Moritz." She whispers. "The powders, Harry. They're the key to everything else. If we find him we have better chances at finding the samples. We can understand what my father wants. Why he tried to kill my mother."
He gulps. "Indeed. So, let's find Moritz, love."
Even if he wants to make love to her, his eyes close on their own.
But to sleep holding her is the best way to end the night. And it makes him incredibly happy.