It was already dark outside by the time Harry flooed back to the Grangers house, a happy yet exhausted look gracing his face.
"Welcome back, my love." Hermione greeted him from the couch she currently lay on, her angelic form framed by the slightly curled and so very tawny tresses of her hair. She made room for her boyfriend and patted the newly-freed space next to her, motioning for him to join her on the sofa.
"I started to miss you.", Harry admitted with a grin when he had cleaned himself after stepping out of the fireplace, "But now that my eyes can drink in the sight of the most gorgeous woman again, my missing has come to an end."
"What a flatterer you are..", Hermione clicked her tongue, pretending to be unimpressed by his words as her beau settled down next to her on the couch, "But judging from the way you look at me I really am a stunner."
"That's still a huge understatement.", Harry chuckled dirtily as their limbs seemed to intertwine on their own accord, "I think I understand now what Sirius meant when he told us that soulmates feel an increased amount of desire for their partner."
The raven-haired wizard then pulled the brunette beauty on top of himself before sliding his hands upwards, eventually cupping her face.
"I'd like nothing more than to take you right here and right now, but I'm afraid my parents could walk in on us any moment.", Hermione whispered against her boyfriend's face with a hot breath, "Just wait until tonight.. Then we can unite as much as our bodies allow us to."
"I've never been very patient.. But I guess the prospect makes it worth it." Harry replied in the same fashion before moving down one of his hands to her neck, where he quickly revealed the necklace he had given her a day prior.
"I knew something poked my chest." He chuckled with amusement as he leisurely held the necklace in between two fingers and stared at it, thinking that his present looked even more perfect on his beloved than he thought it would.
"Well, then you know how it feels to constantly have something poking your abdomen." Hermione giggled, causing Harry to grin slyly.
"I've got the feeling you enjoy this poking." He countered confidently.
"You're too right about that..", She admitted before staring into her soulmate's eyes for a long moment, "I think we should change the topic or we really end up shagging on the couch."
"Well, I don't see a problem doing that when your parents return to work tomorrow." Harry thought but quickly remembered his beloved could now "hear" his thoughts.
"Harry! We are bound by soul, I can hear you in my mind.", The brunette giggled with a toothy smile, "But yeah, I like your idea."
"And speaking of our telepathy.. this brings me straight to my talk with Dumbledore." Hermione mentally added as she rested her chin atop of his chest.
"Oh right, I think you'll want to know about my talk as well." Harry hummed in agreement, enjoying to be able to converse with his girlfriend solely by thinking about the words in his head.
"I think so too, but let me start.. for starters." She again giggled with her enticing voice.
"I don't know how predictable this is for you, but when I told Dumbledore about our soulbond, he nodded with a knowing smile and congratulated us to our complete bond." Hermione thought with a small roll of her eyes and Harry groaned beneath her in response.
"Okay, why does it surprise me that he already knew? It doesn't surprise me however that he didn't tell us." The Boy-Who-Lived chuckled dryly.
"I for once think it was a good thing that he didn't tell us." Hermione stated and her boyfriend raised a brow.
"Really? Why is that?"
"I think one of the most beautiful aspects of our love is that it happened naturally, unforced and not because somebody told us we were destined to love each other – even though I have to admit it's a great bonus now that we've found each other on our own." Hermione argued and Harry couldn't help but smile at her explanation.
"You're right.. Finding out that I love you was a religious journey and I wouldn't change a thing about it, even if it meant that we would have kissed earlier." Harry confessed before giving his soulmate a long and fiery kiss on the lips.
"Did Dumbledore tell you how he knew about our bond before we even knew?" The Boy-Who-Lived then asked after the kiss, the brunette's lips now slightly swollen after their drugging lip dance.
"He says there is a book in the Department of Mysteries that lists all couples bound by soul, no matter if their bond is completed or not. And when your prophecy was made, he suspected that part of the alleged "power he knows not" could be a soulbond. So Dumbledore looked up your name and thus knew ever since you and I were nothing but toddlers." Hermione told her soulmate before pecking his lips again.
"But doesn't that mean the ministry knows about us?" Harry asked after a moment of thinking, making the witch on top of him shake her head.
"Remember how independent the work of the Unspeakable is. They seem to keep almost all their knowledge to themselves." Hermione countered and Harry agreed with a hum.
"Anything else he told you about our soulbond?" He mentally asked his beloved.
"Yes, quite a few things, actually. Like, for example, if you want to entertain a dirty thought without immediately sharing it with me, you can use your occlumency to keep said thought to yourself. 'Same applies to me of course." Hermione revealed with a small smirk that had Harry chuckling.
"Okay, seems like sharpening my occlumency skills has become significantly more appealing in the last few seconds. And here I thought I was free of the training when Dumbledore told us Voldemort would never attack my mind now that we're so much in love." The raven-haired wizard sighed.
"You lazy arse.", Hermione giggled on top of her boyfriend, "I'll gladly learn it to allow some privacy in your head but it seems like I'm not important enough to you.."
"I was kidding!" Harry chuckled.
"I know. As much as I love talking to you just by thinking the words I think we would both greatly benefit from having our minds to ourselves from time to time. How am I going to plan my next surprise for you when you can participate in the planning process, Mr. Potter?" Hermione stated with a playful glimmer in her eyes that had the raven-haired wizard raking a hand through her soft curls.
"What kind of surprises are we talking about here?"
"All kinds of surprises.. The genuine ones, the pranks.. The naughty ones." Hermione directed a small yet devilish grin at her boyfriend whilst listing the last example.
"You are one dirty witch! And we're drifting off into dangerous territory again." Harry thought and cheekily pinched Hermione's nose for a second.
"Okay, if you so desperately want to talk about more sinister things..", The brunette declared, "Dumbledore also reminded us that we should study more about the Tomb of the Seven – I must admit I kinda forgot about that over the festive season."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that as well.." Harry mumbled with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Well, all this studying has one advantage now.. we can do it couple-style." Hermione declared with a grin before kissing her boyfriend soundly on the lips.
"Meaning?" Harry asked, apparently not catching her drift.
"I can sit in your lap and we can cuddle as we read." The brunette's excitement was obvious and her beau chuckled in amusement.
"It's so you to love such an idea.", Harry sincerely told her, "And I think it's cute. So yeah, please, let's do that in the future."
"Future..", Hermione hummed before shyly glancing at her boyfriend, "There's one final thing Dumbledore told me about our bond.. and our future. POTENTIAL future, I mean."
"Go ahead, gorgeous."
"Dumbledore said that neither of us can live without the other from now on. Now that we're bound by soul, I will die when you die and vice versa." The brunette explained with a slight tremble in her voice but to her surprise, the raven-haired wizard didn't seem unsettled by the prospect.
"I would lose my cause without you in this world, soulbond or not. I don't want to live in a world without my Hermione Jane Granger in it." Harry passionately declared aloud, the fire from his emerald eyes quickly spreading inside of her guts.
"And I don't want to live in a world without my Harry James Potter either." Hermione proclaimed with the loving tone she saved for her lover alone. The second her words left her lips was the second they glued their mouths together.
"Please, I just want you, now.", Hermione mentally moaned as they snogged, "Take me upstairs and screw my parents. If they see us making out on the way to my room, I don't care."
"Your wish is my command, my queen." Harry responded as he pulled the brunette beauty with him as he got up from the couch.
The Brightest Witch of Her Age then snaked her legs around his waist and locked them behind his back as the Boy-Who-Lived took hold of her hips to stabilize the both of them. The next second they were off to Hermione's room, their mutual need to reunite once again proving to be overwhelming…
Approximately at the same time as Harry and Hermione demonstrated their love for one another, three red-haired teenagers returned to the burrow on their broomsticks.
"Thanks for taking me with you guys today, it was an awesome ride!" Ginny declared with a happy grin as she and her brothers stored away their brooms in the shed.
"No problem, little sister. We would have done the same for Ron, but he's too focused on drowning in his self-pity to enjoy a nice winter day." Fred replied and his twin brother snickered.
"Well, Christmas is the season of contemplation for a good reason. And our dear brother came to the conclusion he's been wronged by everybody and everything." George said with a light cackle.
"Poor Ron, betrayed by Harry and robbed of "his" Hermione. Like he ever had a chance with her." Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes as the three Weasleys made their way to the entrance of their home.
"Sis, only Harry is worthy of a girl like Hermione." Fred declared and the teenage girl raised a brow.
"You know that sounded like a rhapsody, you know?" She said and both twins shrugged their shoulders.
"Sweet little sister, we males are all amazed by her in one way or the other.." George started the explanation.
"But don't worry: We are the biggest supporters of Harry being the knight of her choices. A man as benevolent as our Harry deserves her to one-hundred percent." Fred continued and Ginny smiled mildly.
"You're right about that.. Harry and Hermione truly are a perfect match." She said with a touch of sadness caused by old feelings resurfacing because of the emotional trigger.
"Do we hear some sorrow in your voice, dear sister?" The twins asked and Ginny groaned in annoyance.
"You never were in a situation like me, so don't reproach me should I accidentally let my old feelings seep through! I'm just as much a supporter of Hermione being Harry's future wife as you are." She defended herself with a voice that left nobody doubting the redhead's words.
"'Kay, sounds like she really is over her feelings for him." Fred chuckled just as they entered the burrow.
"Who is over her feelings for Harry?", Ron immediately asked from the couch as he overheard his siblings' conversation, "Is it Hermione? Did she finally realize what a spoiled brat he is?"
"No, you idiot! We're talking about Ginny.", George rolled his eyes with a shake of his head, "And if you could finally pull your head out of your arse, you'd see exactly why Hermione has chosen Harry over you."
"It's his money and his fame. That's all girls want from men." Ron immediately fired back and Ginny sighed dramatically loud.
"You still would be single if you had all the money and fame on earth." She countered as she took her shoes off before heading towards the staircase with the twins in tow. Ignoring Ron would be the smartest decision, they decided.
"Oh, by the way, mum was mad when she returned from the order meeting. 'Said she'd burn the brooms when she found out you were gone since lunch." The self-pitying Weasley called after his siblings and they froze on their way to the first floor.
"Where is mum, then?" They all asked simultaneously and heard their brother clicking his tongue.
"Don't know. She left the house when I told her you were going for a broom ride until dinner." Ron took joy from the fact that his siblings were in obvious trouble whilst he wasn't.
"You only stayed home because you can't stand being near friends of Harry and Hermione. Without your completely unjustified grudge you'd be in trouble now as well, Ron." Ginny snorted as she and the twins quickly hurried down the stairs again and made their way to the grand table. If they were to face their mother, then there was no need to make her scream their names across the house because they were in their respective rooms.
"Friends? You're only close to them hoping you can get a bit of Harry's money. You think he'll pay you if you bend over for him, Ginny?" Ron polemically declared and his sister had to restrain herself from strangling her brother.
"You want to be the guinea pig for our latest skiving snackboxes?!" Fred threatened just as the entrance door rapidly opened and then closed audibly.
"Ah, seems like one of my foolish children has finally come home!", The not so gentle voice of Mrs. Weasley sounded through the house, "Are your siblings with you or.. seems like you left as a group at least."
The matron of the house now came in view of the table and mustered her three children with angry eyes.
"Hey mum. How was the order meeting?" George asked in an attempt to distract his mother, which of course backfired horrendously.
"YOU THREE LEAVE THE HOUSE WHILE I AND YOUR FATHER ATTEND A MEETING AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL DINNER?! AND NOW YOU ACT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!?", Mrs. Weasley screamed with a tomato-red face, "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW DANGEROUS IT'S OUT THERE FOR YOU?!"
"You never said we weren't allowed to go for a broom ride!", Ginny countered as her eyes zeroed in on her mother's,"And besides, how stupid would any death eater be to attack or capture any of us when You-Know-Who is trying to remain undetected, hm?"
"Yeah, plus George and I are legal adults. We can protect ourselves AND our sister should anybody dare to attack us." Fred added and patted his sister's back assuringly.
"As long as you're living under my roof you ARE NOT emancipated.", Mrs. Weasley countered and put her hands on her hips, "And no, you could never defend yourselves against those.. creatures that broke out of Azkaban today!"
As the Weasley matron covered her mouth with her hand, the room became unnervingly silent. The Weasley children shot each other nervous glances.
"So that's what the order meeting has been about, right mum?", Ginny asked with an apprehensive tone, "Death eaters broke out of Azkaban today."
Mrs. Weasley just nodded lightly as tears gathered in her eyes before she stormed towards her children and hugged them with bone-breaking force.
"When I returned home after the meeting and Ron told me you were gone 'til dinner, I started searching for you because I was scared these death eaters might try to kidnap people close to Harry Potter." She sobbed, the fear of a mother losing her children apparent in her voice.
"The next time you leave the house for this long, at least tell me before you go. And you, Ginny, won't leave without your older brothers accompanying you, do you understand?" Mrs. Weasley added and intensely stared at her only daughter with puffed eyes.
"We'll gladly keep an eye on our dear sister, mum." George promised his mother.
"That's really sweet of you guys but I don't need your protection. If anybody really attacks me I'm allowed to use magic, just like Harry did during the summer." Ginny protested, starkly disliking the idea of not being able to leave the house alone.
"And get expelled from Hogwarts? You know the ministry is almost as dangerous as You-Know-Who himself! They tried to snap Harry's wand after the dementor attack and they would love to hurt a person close to him, so NO, we don't take that risk, Ginevra Weasley." Mrs. Weasley shook her head adamantly and the younger woman rolled her eyes.
"Well, then we tell Dumbledore and he helps us like he did with Harry."
"The headmaster's time is precious and I would prefer it if we don't distract him from fighting against You-Know-Who." The matron of the Weasleys countered.
"Well, it doesn't matter what you prefer, mum. If I get attacked and have to defend myself.."
"That's why you won't leave the house unguarded. So this scenario never ever happens. Besides, you wouldn't be able to stand a chance against these vile people if it came to a fight." Mrs. Weasley sighed but Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Well, these two wouldn't either!", She accusingly looked at the twins, "Guess what, we all are in Harry's student organization to learn practical defence and I'm besting them in sparring matches!"
"Hey sis, that's really uncool now." Fred said with widened eyes although he silently had to agree with Ginny.
"That's irrelevant. These two can apparate and easily escape any dangerous situation. You can't." Mrs. Weasley stubbornly replied.
"So that's your whole point then, isn't it? Fred and George can apparate? Well then, why don't you create an emergency portkey for me to use should I find myself in jeopardy?" Ginny asked and her mother just huffed before storming off somewhere.
"Dinner will be ready in an hour. Your father should be home by then, maybe HE can convince you." She just stated and the twins shot their sister a meaningful look: Ginny was in trouble.
"Well, you know what that means, Ginny." George said when Mrs. Weasley was out of earshot.
"Uh-huh." She just replied before heading towards the staircase, her brothers soon following her.
"Mum really is too overprotective, especially of me." Ginny mumbled and the twins sighed.
"Yeah, sometimes I envy Harry. Sirius is such a great bloke to have as a guardian."
"Well, now you're forgetting these relatives of his that abused him for a decade." Ginny reminded them of Harry's dark past and her brothers gulped.
"Yeah, um, compared to them our mother really is the best." George concluded with a nervous laugh as they reached the first floor.
"'Care to join us in our room?" Fred asked his sister who nodded in response.
"You're not trying to convince me to test some of your new products, are you?" Ginny teased and the twins shook their head with determination.
"We'd never harm our dear sister in any kind or way." They said as Fred closed the door with his wand.
"So, what you wanna talk about?" The red-haired girl asked as she sat down on a stool and her brothers sighed.
"Ginny.."
"We need the perspective of a woman right now." They said and the woman in question raised a brow.
"Okay?" Was her only response.
"Do you understand why Ron is having such a hard time facing reality? Fred and I have discussed the topic since the summer, and when it became apparent that our dear Ron doesn't just have a temper tantrum, we began to worry. We know what he said to Harry and Hermione on the train last year, but how could he jump to these stupid conclusions?" George asked with slumped shoulders and Ginny almost mockingly grinned at her brothers.
"You miss spending time with him, don't you?" She teased and the twins sighed.
"He is our brother, little sister. A prick, but still our brother." They said simultaneously.
"I know guys. He is family, even if he acts like a complete idiot right now.", Ginny sighed lightly, "But we're getting off-topic."
"You see, I think the main problem with Ron and his grudge against Harry and Hermione lies within his stubbornness and the first two years he spent at Hogwarts." She summarized and the twins raised a brow each.
"Well, the first thing makes sense, but what do you mean with "the first two years", Ginny?", George asked, "Especially since you only experienced Ron in his second year and onwards."
"Okay, I don't know how much you can remember from three years ago, but when I arrived at Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione had a brother-sister vibe. They were close, everybody knew that, but their interactions didn't even have a touch of any romantic background. Something that should change in the future, but that's not the point.", Ginny explained, "The point I'm trying to make is the following: Because of Harry and Hermione's initial platonic interest in one another during their first two years, Ron saw his chance to woo Hermione. Harry was uninterested, so our brother thought he had a right to "claim" Hermione as his girlfriend – especially when he told Harry about this plan. And from thereon, he clung to that belief with his famous stubbornness."
"So when he noticed Harry and Hermione subconsciously getting closer than platonic friends over the following years, he felt robbed, betrayed even. And when Harry gave you two the prize money from the tournament before the summer, it seems like these emotions cooked over." The red-haired witch continued and the twins shook their heads in disbelief.
"So Ron thinks he deserves Hermione just because he voiced his interest for her before Harry? That's pathetic." Fred snorted.
"Yes, Fred. For you it is pathetic. But for Ron this "being the first" attitude is essential to his character. Remember, he has many siblings. If he wanted something as a kid, he had to be the first in order to get it." Ginny reminded her brothers.
"Well, I've got a lot of siblings as well, Ginny. And so do you. But I don't see us being foul gits all day." George remarked and the young woman shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, then there's the fact that Ron simply isn't the brightest, let's face it. He neither is good at school nor does he have sharp intuition." She added and everybody had to agree with that.
"So what you wanna say is that his logic simply is crappy." Fred concluded and Ginny nodded.
"Yeah, that and he can't let go of the belief of Hermione being "his" girl. I think a part of his persona still clings to the time where only he had eyes for Hermione, where Harry was completely fine with Ron trying to woo her. And that's why he feels so backstabbed: Because he believes Harry and Hermione should be nothing more than the friends they were in their first two years. And since he and logic aren't the best of friends, he doesn't understand that love can blossom from a sprout of friendship." She explained and her brothers whistled.
"Wow, how poetic our little sister can be." They said in unison.
"That's what you get when you spend time with the Brightest Witch of Her Age.", Ginny chuckled before a thought flashed through her mind, "You know, back in the day when I considered Hermione my rival for Harry's heart, I always raised my hopes by telling myself that she might be infinitely smarter than me, but never prettier. Ha, if I said that nowadays, it would be a straight lie."
"Yeah, that's the only point where I understand our brother: No bloke wants to see such a woman leave the market, except the bloke in question gets her..", George then laughed and folded his hands as if he was going to pray, "Oh Harry, we're so happy for you. She's your keeper."
"By the way, what do you think they're doing at Hermione's house? Do you think they've.. well, y'know. Shagged already?" Ginny asked and the twins snickered with sparkling eyes.
"Of course!", They replied without any second thoughts, "Oh c'mon, sis. They are at HER house for two weeks straight and I can't see how they could restrain themselves in such a situation judging by the way they make out in the very public common room."
"Okay, you're right. Their snogs in the common room are truly spectacular." Ginny giggled as she covered her mouth with a hand.
"Yeah, and annoying at times. I can't concentrate on experimenting with our Skiving Snackboxes when these lovebirds are constantly moaning each other's name nearby." Fred added but Ginny shrugged her shoulders with a smile.
"I find it endearing. 'Shows how much they love each other."
"Yeah, you just have to look at their faces to see the glow. I bet Harry will grin like an idiot when we see him in January." George snickered and Ginny furrowed her brows.
"Huh? Why.. oh, you are insufferable!" She groaned as her brothers roared with laughter.
"You shouldn't tease him with that!" She declared and pointed an accusing finger at the twins.
"But Ginny, their faces will be priceless! Imagine us walking up to them on the train station and greeting them with something like "So Hermione, did Harry show you a few wand tricks for Christmas?"." Fred defended the plan and Ginny sighed.
"Okay, I must admit I'd like to see that too."
Malfoy's Manor boomed with life this night as the entirety of Voldemort's most decorated death eaters gathered in the dining hall to celebrate the escape of their brothers and sisters.
The dark lord was euphoric, the return of ten of his most valuable servants an event most welcome to him and his fellowship.
But as pleasant as the news were for the death eaters, as unpleasant was the presence of Lord Voldemort for many of them. The constant fear of death seemed to linger around his persona, the fear for one's body and mind a constance known to all his servants. However, this fear had become true panic ever since the dark lord's regular anguish had started.
With every day he seemed to become more impulsive, aggressive and unpredictable, a fact manifesting itself when Voldemort rose from his seat at the head of the huge dining table in Malfoy's Manor. His blood-red eyes bore into those of his followers with the intention of scaring them – something that made him feel even better.
"My dear friends.", The dark lord raised his voice and momentarily all conversations around him died down as he left his seat and started pacing around the table, his loyal snake following him with a frightening hiss, "Today we are again one step closer to our goal of ultimate domination. The forces of necromancy are growing stronger with each day that passes, but today we witnessed a growth in power spectacular even for our standards."
Voldemort walked down the table and let his hand brush the backrest of each of his servant's chairs, effectively terrorizing them. He hoped one of his followers might be foolish enough to openly display his or her fear of the dark lord.
"Today, my friends, we celebrate the return of ten of our most cherished members. Broken out of Azkaban prison ere the break of day, with the help of none other than Sirius Black." Voldemort declared with an evil mocking laugh that his servants soon joined in on.
"Or am I wrong.. Rookwood?" He said as he passed by a man with distinctively greasy hair.
"Dolohov?" Voldemort asked a man with pale skin and a twisted face.
"Bellatrix?" He almost gently brushed the cheek of his most loyal servant who was already gazing at her master with admiration and worship pooling out of her psychopathic pair of eyes.
"There hasn't been a day where I didn't believe in my return to your side, my master." She whispered and Voldemort grinned: As much as he hated it when his servants spoke without his order, he always had a soft spot for the unconditional obedience of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"I know, Bella." He simply replied before returning to the head of the table where he dramatically raised his arms.
"Let us toast.. to Cornelius Fudge for once again helping us to remain undetected. He truly is a hero of our time." Voldemort declared before he and his servants laughed with truly devilish smirks on their faces.
"Cornelius Fudge!" The fellowship exclaimed with raised goblets. Just as Voldemort was about to take a sip, immense pain flashed through his entire body, the kind of pain he had first felt just during the most recent evening.
Roaring with anguish, he smashed his goblet on the ground, the eyes of all his followers on him momentarily, fear written all over their faces.
"Lucius, how dare you serve me a wine as abhorrent as this?!" Voldemort hissed an improvised excuse with his deadliest voice, the man addressed turning as pale as a piece of chalk within a heartbeat.
"My lord? This is one of the finest wines my noble house has to offer." The bemused and intimidated wizard replied.
"Why didn't you serve the best, then?" The dark lord was inwardly consumed by the white-hot fire coursing through his dark arteries as he talked to the host of this meeting.
"I apologize, my lord." The head of House Malfoy mumbled as he cast his gaze to the feet of his master.
"Yes, you're always sorry AFTER making stupid mistakes. Do I have to teach you what happens to disloyal servants?" Voldemort then motioned Nagini to circle around Lucius' chair, making the white-blond man shake his head violently.
"No, my lord."
"Good. The next time you disappoint me like this your son will have to atone for the failure of his father." The necromancer announced before abruptly turning around and leaving the gathering.
"I can't let myself be seen when this pain is plaguing my body. Not when it's this intense.." He thought.
"And Harry Potter has to die. Harry Potter has to die as soon as possible. Argh, he should have been dead that night on the graveyard!"
Voldemort then drew his wand and blasted an explosion spell at the nearest wall, making it cave in to the evil magic of one of the most powerful wizards alive.
He felt his dark magic leaking out of him because of his uncontrolled anger, an anger fuelled by the excruciating anguish inside of him.
The dark lord then wandered around the manor like a dog gone mad, and only did he find some comfort when he stood in the gardens of the manor, his newly-acquired horde of dementors immediately gathering around him. The presence of this much necromancy soothed him.
"Master.", He then heard the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange behind him after many moments of silent suffering, "I have come with a question to you."
"You may ask, Bella." Voldemort turned around to face the woman whose beauty was as twisted as her mind.
"As beneficial as it is to stay undercover.. I can't help but wonder when we'll reveal ourselves to the world. I want to kill. And torture." She passionately declared and her ferocity made the dark lord grin.
"I have to kill Harry Potter and all his pesky allies so we can rule over the country without challenge. Once we're strong enough to easily wipe the floor with them, we'll show the world why everybody shall kneel before our might.", Voldemort actually had to concentrate on the words as an extremely strong pulse of pain suddenly washed down on him, "Until then you will have to restrain yourself."
"But master! You know how much I love their screaming! You know how much I love using my knife on the mudbloods.." Bellatrix complained like a small child that is denied a bar of candy in the sweets shop.
"You'll be able to torture and murder as much as you want once we reveal ourselves. But I can't have you raising suspicions UNTIL that day comes..", Voldemort hissed before evilly grinning through his state of torment, "I'll even promise you the mudblood Harry Potter calls his girlfriend should you be able to control yourself, Bella."
"Oh, I've seen her on the newspaper a couple of times, she's such a pretty one.. The prettier they are, the more they cry and beg and scream.", She giggled in a disturbing way before kneeling before her master, "Thank you master, you are the most generous and gracious wizard this world has ever seen."
"I know, Bella. I know.",Voldemort whispered as he rested a hand on her shoulder, "I truly am the greatest wizard in the history of mankind."
Author's note: Wow, this was chapter number thirty. 'Makes me realize how long I've already worked on this story. But it gives me immense joy, so I'll gladly do this for another year, if it takes this long.
Originally I planned to pack a lot more content into this chapter, but when this initial idea turned out to be WAY too big for just one chapter, I decided to split it into four parts and alter my plans a bit. But yes, you didn't misread: FOUR parts. So this is chapter thirty part one out of four.
Also, I have good news for you all: Chapter thirty part two is already completely done and I'm gonna upload it within a few days, so you won't have to wait a lot :-)
But coming back to this update, I hope you enjoyed my idea of basically writing about one evening from three perspectives, that's an idea I kind of stole from the concept of a triptych.
I especially felt it was time to redirect a bit of the focus on the Weasley family, so quite naturally I wrote about Ron feeling (or being?) alienated by his siblings and about Mrs. Weasley keeping her children on a very short leash - the breakout from Azkaban really helped me out in that scene, I'm not gonna lie..
Stay tuned, the next few uploads contain some major plot developments. I hope you're looking forward to reading them.
'Til the next time!
NewOrderFan05