Note: Hi, hello!
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
(The beginning of the end - Klergy, Valerie Broussard)
May 27th, 2006
House by the Lake
They're watching a movie - Moulin Rouge. But Harry is barely paying any attention. This is one he already saw so he lets his mind wander.
Since their visit to the Palace he's been mulling over a thought that…
He can't, as much as he tries to, erase the image of Hermione singing to Victor inside that room. He was bewitched by it, totally taken by the easy way she behaved so… motherly. Hermione asked about Victor when they got home that night and he explained everything. She was very emotional and they slept holding each other tightly.
It didn't go unnoticed to him the way she slightly widened her eyes when he said Victor had been abandoned by his Muggle parents. He also noticed the way her jaw tensed when he told her they used to abuse the little boy.
But Hermione said nothing else. And they haven't touched the subject again. But it's inevitable. He keeps thinking about it. Thinking that-
"She's not really going to die, is she?" She asks, talking about the movie, brushing one tear away.
He snorts. "Christian said in the beginning that she's dead, Hermione."
She grunts. "Why are we watching such a depressing movie, then?"
He chuckles, pulling her closer to him. They're lying on their bed, under the covers and trying to relax after a stressful day. Hermione has been unable to chill after the Prophet. And he understands her concerns, but so far, Riddle has been quiet. Which she said is even worse.
The movie is almost over and he watches with her. Hermione cries silently when it ends.
"They were so in love!" She exclaims, angry now. "I was supposed to relax, Harry!" She smacks his shoulder and he frowns.
"Hey! Is the movie now my fault?" She's still crying.
"Of course!"
He kisses her. "But they lived their love, against all odds."
She grunts. "I want a happy ending!"
He chuckles, nibbling on her lower lip.
"We're forbidden from watching movies with sad endings." She states firmly.
"Okay, everything you want."
She opens a smile and they share a delicious kiss. Intimate and soft. His hand slides down her back, resting happily on her ass, squeezing occasionally depending on how they're kissing. Harry can't express how much he cherishes these moments. They mean so much to him. To hold her and kiss her and smell her-
Hermione pulls back, her eyes and mouth smiling at him.
"So, what's next?" She's talking about another movie. They decided they would only watch movies and think of nothing else tonight, but he can't. There's too much going through his mind.
"We need to talk." He says.
She grunts. "Noooo." Hermione buries her face on his naked chest - he's only in his boxers - biting him. He flinches away, chuckling. She kisses the spot she bit and they sigh. "Okay, fine. Let's talk." She shows all her discontentment with her tone.
"Love, we need to. We can't avoid everything. We need to plan our next steps."
Hermione raises an eyebrow. "You're spending too much time with me."
"Thank fuck for that." He jokes and they share a soft kiss. Then, she moves to lie down with her stomach up, nestled on his side. Harry squeezes her belly - she's only wearing her panties - and raises his other arm in the air, his hand making the sign of the number one. "First, Dolohov."
"What about this motherfucker?" He chuckles. "I mean, nothing changed. They're still onto him, but the bastard is sneaky, Harry. He's a well trained Auror. My guess is that this is the reason why my father has some kind of unfinished business with him."
"You think he fooled your father all those years ago?"
"Probably. I think he has his memory intact and that's the only reason why. He outplayed Tom Riddle."
Harry has nothing to say to that. If Dolohov really pulled this off…
"So, what else?" She asks, impatient.
"I want to visit Matteo."
She sighs. "Yeah, I think we should. It's overdue."
He's been keeping his grandfather posted on what's happening in London. For the three days he went missing Hermione forged his handwriting and sent letters to Matteo. In fact, no one really knows he vanished, they covered it up pretty nicely.
"Maybe we can go tomorrow." He says. "I mean, our only lead on Moritz is the house here, since Draco and Gin are still trying to find the rings' users, I think we can delay this a bit longer… to be honest, I feel that seeing Matteo's memories might be more urgent."
"Yeah, I think you're right." She moves a bit and… "Are you ready to see the memory of the night he found you?"
Harry inhales deeply. If he's completely honest… "I wasn't thinking about this memory." He says in a low voice. "I mean, I guess my mind is in finding out if Matteo has any kind of connection to Riddle."
There's a beat of silence from her. "What are we gonna do if they do have any kind of connection, Harry?"
"I'll confront him."
Hermione moves, her weight on one elbow as she turns to look at him.
"Are you sure?"
"There's no reason why I shouldn't." He averts his eyes from hers, a bit nervous. "I mean, if he really hid this from me, if we really find something substantial, don't you think I should hear what he has to say?"
Her hand goes to his chest in a caress. "Maybe." Hermione makes a face and he takes her hand in his. "Tomorrow, then." She states firmly. "Then, we'll see what to do next. When we come back we need to go after Moritz."
He nods. "We'll."
May 28th, 2006
D'Angelo Villa
Harry stands just outside the wards, looking at the place he loves so much. His former home. The place where he grew up in and where he was probably fed countless lies. It's hard to define what he's feeling. Since he had the conversation with Hermione and they began questioning Matteo's attitudes, his grandfather went from the most honorable man he's ever met to practically a stranger.
Which is heartbreaking since he was an example to be followed in Harry's eyes.
"Ready?" Hermione asks.
She's by his side, under the Cloak. Harry puts a hand inside his pocket and takes out the needle to perform the bounding spell. Of course Hermione should be allowed inside whenever she wants to. Even if she already breached the wards once, Harry is sure Matteo intensified the security after that.
With a deep inhale, he takes her hand and pricks her finger, his also, the small droplets of blood mixing while he performs the spell, his hand touching the ward.
He can feel when it's done. Hermione squeezes his hand and without another word, they cross the ward together.
It works perfectly.
As he knows he needs to, he tries to completely ignore the fact that Hermione is there. So, with a firm stride he enters the mansion, crossing the big arch and going directly to his mother's study.
He doesn't find her there, though. Which is perfect. He knows Matteo is at the Ministero now and he goes to the room that holds all memories. He begins to wonder how the hell he's going to open his nonnino's drawers.
Harry stops in front of the concealed door, pressing his hand against it and feeling the click when it opens. He enters the cold oval room, giving it a moment for Hermione to step inside. He's sure she's right behind him.
When the door closes, she moves the hood back, revealing her head. Harry is looking at the drawers, the pensive in the middle the only thing illuminating the place with an eerie blue light.
Without a word, he walks to Matteo's corner. He never tried opening anyone else's drawers… Harry presses his hand on one, pushing lightly. It doesn't budge. He sets his jaw. Fucking shit. He tries another one and… nothing.
He turns to Hermione, she has her eyes on the drawers.
"We need to think a way to open them." He says in a low voice. It's hard to admit, but he's incredibly shaken. Because of what he's doing, because of what it means.
Because of what they might find.
She doesn't say a word, but Hermione moves to another corner, pressing her hand against the drawers, which don't open, his mother's and-
One of his open at her touch and Harry frowns, walking to her.
Hermione blinks, surprised. They stare at each other for a moment. "It recognizes a piece of me in you." He whispers and she nods. All his parents' memories are inside.
"Don't you wanna take them?" She asks softly. "We could look again, at home, with time."
He tilts his head, considering. "It's a good idea. But maybe they're more protected here."
"Well, we could perform protective spells together. I think they would be just as strong as the wards around here. Or even more."
Harry opens a tiny smile. "Indeed."
Both take the memories and put them into a magical bag, another one Hermione enchanted. Harry closes the drawer and they walk back to Matteo's.
In a silent understanding, they press their hands together on the drawer, pushing it a little. It… slightly moves. But it does not open. Hermione wets her lips and Harry raises an eyebrow.
"Maybe a spell." She says.
"Not one to open." He chews the inside of his cheek. "One to end the spell around it."
She moves to stand in front of him, their left hands touching, the bond as strong as ever. Both take out their wands, knowing that the spell will be more effective that way. Combining the spell they think might work, Harry synchronizes his magic with hers.
It flows between them harmonically. This power. This connection.
And when they finish uttering the spell - ignoring the slight horniness - they move one step back. The drawer hasn't opened, but they weren't trying to do it, just to take the protection away-
Hermione presses her hand on it.
It clicks open.
They share a look.
She waits for Harry to be ready to peek inside. He hesitates more than he should, but finally he fully opens the drawer.
There are hundreds of memories there.
"Fuck." Hermione whispers, her eyes wide. "How the hell-"
"I- he has a system." Harry points to a few vials. "They're cryptic labeled. But I know what it means." He begins to search amongst the memories. "Years." He says, searching for 1981.
He begins to sweat from nervousness. It feels absurd the way he's invading his nonnino's privacy. In more than twenty years he would never imagine himself doing something like this. He always respected Matteo-
Harry gulps. "Here." He whispers, his fingers brushing on a few memories from 1981. There are only three. And he has no idea if this happens because he's in the memory, but the moment he touches the one, he knows.
Closing his fingers around the vial, he feels Hermione's hand on his forearm, giving him some support. There's nothing else to consider, they need to see this memory, they need to know Matteo's motivations. Or at least what he saw that night.
Together they walk to the pensive. Harry wastes no time.
October 31st, 1981
Muggle Village
Matteo D'Angelo can hear the commotion from afar. Standing there in the dark, he can see the spells flying around inside the house. He doesn't move an inch while he smokes a cigar. The dark night conceals his presence.
Some neighbors are cautiously watching from their windows, none of them inclined in helping. Not that they would be able to, anyway.
"I didn't think he would actually go through with it." A strained voice comes from his side, a bit behind, also hidden in the shadows, leaning against the side of a house.
"He's been wanting this for too long." Matteo says, his posture and face the same as before. "But I think it's silly." His voice is monotonous now. "There are six Aurors inside with him. A bit much don't you think?"
He turns his face to observe the woman by his side.
She purses her lips.
"It surprised me that he warned us." The woman says.
"I guess it was for the old time's sake." Matteo replies, shrugging discreetly.
"Do you still want it?"
Matteo doesn't answer, the spells are still flying inside the house and he can't take his eyes off of it.
"They're fighting bravely. The Potters." He says in a low voice.
The woman scoffs. "They're scum, Matteo. I hope Tom kills them."
"Don't talk like that, Loli." He blows some smoke from his cigar. "When did you become so bitter?"
"You know when." She says through her teeth.
"I don't get why they don't apparate away. Flee." Matteo squints.
The spells are dying down inside the house, things becoming more silent all of the sudden.
"Should we head inside?" The woman asks, "Show him that we're here?"
He cocks his head, still watching. "Look." He says and both glue their eyes on the house.
The Aurors are walking out, young and… frightened. Something is wrong. They're all with their heads down, shaking them and talking in hushed tones with each other. Tom Riddle is nowhere.
"One is missing." The woman, Loli, says.
Matteo focuses, clearly counting the number of Aurors. Five. "Interesting." He says, still smoking his cigar, still unfazed.
The Aurors form a circle outside, not caring about the noise they're making or even if someone is gonna see them. In no time they begin to argue fiercely. One of them is pointing to the Potters' house and to himself, shaking his head. The others are disagreeing with him, their voices getting louder-
Tom Riddle steps out from the house. His aura is one of power and authority. They all go silent in a second, looking at their leader.
It's impossible to hear what he's saying from the distance Matteo is watching and he doesn't try to perform a spell for it. The discussion seems heated and it only ends when Tom loses his temper.
In a clear, perfect and clean motion, he moves his hand and wand. Matteo recognizes the spell.
"He's obliviating all of them." Loli states.
"One is missing, though." Matteo moves, crossing his arms and throwing his cigar on the ground. "Do you think he found it?"
"Maybe." It's all she says.
When Tom Riddle ends his spell, all Aurors stay on the same place, numb with vacant eyes.
"That's cruel." Matteo states. But he has a smile on his face.
The woman moves, taking a few steps towards the house. "I'm going to talk to him." She says and turns to Matteo. "Are you coming?"
"No." He says, gulping. "I- don't tell him I'm here. I wanna leave this in the past. Promise, Loli?" His voice changes a bit on his last words.
"I promise."
And he watches while she moves. Tom Riddle stands close to the door, his head down. He's thinking. The Aurors are starting to come back to their senses. They all blink, lost. Then, as it's natural after an obliviation, they apparate - probably to their houses to sleep and center themselves.
When the woman reaches Tom, both apparate away.
The street is empty again.
He enters the house with small steps. It's a fair mess. Matteo closes the door behind him, crossing his arms. Then, while whistling, he starts to walk inside, his wand putting things back where they belong, a strong spell organizing the house back to what it was hours ago.
There's no rush in his actions. It's like he's enjoying a walk in the park.
Many marks of spells are branding the walls and floor. And he vanishes with them. His eyes observing every little corner. He opens each door and looks into every cabinet.
His face stays the same all the while. As if this is a common activity.
Then, he reaches the stairs. More marks of spells disappear with a flick of his wand. He's humming a song now.
He enters each room, searching diligently.
The only remaining place is the master bedroom. The door is closed and Matteo stops for a second. There's a huge trail of blood smeared on the wall. He clicks his tongue.
"Dio mio." He whispers to himself before cleaning the blood.
He opens the door and first sees their feet-
"Enough." Hermione's voice cuts through the deadly silence inside the room.
Harry has unshed tears behind his eyes and she's holding his arm.
"Harry."
He can't move. He feels completely paralyzed. Even Hermione's warmth can't take him from this trance. He knows they've seen enough. He knows Matteo is going to find his dead parents and then him under the rug, inside the trapdoor-
"I wanna see the rest." His voice is strange to himself. It doesn't feel like this is happening to him. It feels like a movie. Like a bad joke.
"No. We've seen enough." She says firmly.
Harry pulls his arm from her grip, angry. "This is my life!" He says through his teeth, not yelling but using a tone that… he never used with her. Hermione doesn't flinch. "You don't get to tell me what I can or can't see!"
And he moves to go back to the memory. Hermione stops him again, holding him tighter now.
"Don't do this. Harry, please." She sounds broken. He gulps, but shakes his head, he wants to- "Love." Her hands are on his face now, forcing him to look at her. "Look at me, you don't need this." She touches his forehead with hers. "Don't do this. Please. I beg of you." And with tears running down her face, she kisses him softly, her left hand finding his, the bond coming to life-
He takes a deep breath, centering himself, feeling her.
"Dio." He says, his whole body shaking, twenty-four years of his life becoming a lie before his eyes in seconds.
He's not crying. He's furious.
And he holds on to her, he hugs her, he inhales her scent and tries to come to terms with what he saw.
Matteo was there. He stood idly while his parents were being murdered. Like a coward he entered the house after Riddle was gone. And-
"That woman." Harry says, his voice still strange, alien. "She's the one I saw at the celebration talking to Dolohov."
Hermione pulls a bit back to look into his eyes, her hand on his cheek. It's clear that she doesn't want to talk about what they just saw, she's more concerned in calming his heart-
He moves from her embrace. He doesn't want to be calm. He doesn't want to process this. Harry needs to feel this anger, he needs to be furious.
Taking the memory and putting it back into the vial, he squeezes it in his hand.
"I need to talk to him." He says.
Hermione sighs, "Love, maybe-"
"No." He cuts her sharply. "If you don't wanna be here for this, then I'll meet you at home later."
With the vial he walks out of the room. He could go to the Ministero but he goes to his grandfather's study, breaching into the protection around the place, something Matteo always sets up when he's not home.
This will be enough to bring him back in a blink.
Harry bursts inside the study, trembling. He doesn't think he ever felt this angry before. He can't remember a moment he felt so much like a fool. He believed in Matteo, he loved the man like his own kin-
"Ma che?" Matteo's voice sounds loud inside the study and Harry turns to look at him.
He wasn't ready. To see his grandfather. To look into his eyes and think about how he whistled while entering the scene of a murder-
"Figlio di puttana!" Harry yells.
Matteo widens his eyes, not prepared for how fast Harry moves. It would be extremely satisfactory to punch his grandfather, but he seizes Matteo by the collar, lifting him a bit from the floor, banging his back against the nearest shelf.
"You were there!" Harry screams. "You saw everything! You could have stopped it!" He's spitting at Matteo's baffled face. "HOW COULD YOU?!" The older man gulps. "ANSWER ME!"
Harry is so furious he's numb and-
In a swift motion, Matteo utters a spell. Strong. It puts some distance between them. Matteo's whole expression changes when he understands what's happening. He scoffs and straightens his jacket, tapping his golden cane on the floor with brutality.
"Enough!" Matteo says. "Behave yourself, Harry! I have no idea what you think you know-"
"Spare me your lies!" He keeps yelling. "I saw the fucking memory!" And he raises the vial so Matteo can see it.
His grandfather's posture changes again, now he's truly surprised, unsure. He squints, putting up a strong shield around himself, clearly not trusting Harry anymore.
There's a heavy silence. Harry feels his skin hot. It's like he's burning up.
"I want an explanation!"
Matteo runs one hand over his white beard, scratching it, considering. Harry watches while he takes out a wand from the golden cane. There's something on the tip and-
"Don't you fucking dare, D'Angelo." Hermione's voice fills the room.
She shows herself. Her wand is one inch away from Matteo's face. Extremely close, capable of doing an incredible damage regardless his shield.
Again, for the third time, Matteo looks absurdly surprised. Dumbfounded.
"A powder to help you with some ancient magic, right?" She says, squinting at the tip of his wand.
Harry has no time to react when Matteo moves to punch her. Hermione protects herself and he finally moves while his grandfather keeps trying to knock her out. He's insanely fast for his age and Harry is glad she's a master at this or else she would be on the floor right now.
Regardless how good Matteo is, he can't take both of them and Harry seizes his grandfather's hand, throwing his wand out the window. Then, in a blink, he uses a spell to bind him to a chair.
It all happens quickly.
And when he puts his arms around Hermione, he notices that Matteo did land a punch on her side. She's holding herself, making a face.
"You okay?" He asks, worried.
She flinches from his touch. "You're burning up." Hermione whispers, her eyes wide with worry.
He purses his lips, not caring. And he has no idea why but now he's even angrier. "I told you to go home." He says through his teeth.
"Are you serious, Harry? You thought-"
"What a lovely duo." Matteo says in a grave voice.
Harry's attention goes back to his grandfather and it's his turn to be startled. He never saw this expression on Matteo's face. A mean one. Wicked. It's as if he's a total different person. One he doesn't recognize at all.
"So, you went back to your traitor's arms." Matteo continues.
"You have some nerve calling me the traitor!" Hermione snaps, angry.
Harry pockets his hands. A disturbing calm takes over him.
"I want answers." His voice comes out low and a silence fills the room, so much he can hear Hermione gulping near him. His skin is still hot but inside he feels as cold as an iceberg.
"That's a pity." Matteo says, completely at ease. "You think you can threaten me, boy? Who do you think you are? You would be nothing without me. You would be dead without me."
"You were part of it!" Harry hisses. "You indirectly helped Riddle kill my parents! I wanna know why. Why you took me in. What you were after. Who's that woman. Why you sent me on this revenge."
Matteo laughs. A loud laugh. And Harry moves. So freaking fast.
He punches Matteo. Hard. And some blood taints his white beard. The older man sneers, a wild look on his face.
Hermione is touching his arm, but Harry can't even feel it, the hotness on his skin is intense and she pulls her hand back, calling him.
He doesn't hear, though. He doesn't want to hear it. In fact-
"Go home, Hermione." He says sharply, his eyes on Matteo. His grandfather is still smiling wickedly.
"You should listen to her, Harry." Matteo says slowly. "After all, she's smarter. She was able to fool her own father to protect you. Compared to her you're pathetic." He spits the words-
This time is Hermione who moves, her hand slapping Matteo's face so hard Harry knows it will hurt later.
"Shut up." She says in a low voice. "Maybe Harry is too close to you, but I'm not, D'Angelo, and I'm just waiting for a chance to pay back what you did. Give me one motive and I won't lose my opportunity."
Matteo cocks his head, squinting at her. But he says nothing. And Hermione turns back to Harry, moving her wrist and putting both inside a silencing bubble.
"Harry, he's the fucking Ministro. You can't torture him and expect it to go unnoticed the same way it happened with those disposable Aurors. Please." She takes one step to him. "Calm down."
He sets his jaw. Hating her words. Hating the situation.
"Hermione." He inhales deeply. "I love you, but I swear to every fucking entity that if you try to stop me from getting answers after the memory we saw, I'll resent you for the rest of our lives."
She widens her eyes. But her expression is firm.
"I'm not stopping you from getting answers." Her tone is clipped. "I just want you to do it with a rational-"
"I can't!" He snaps. "Don't ask the impossible! If you can't handle it, then leave."
Before she utters a word, Matteo says, "Are we doing this today or what?" The man sighs. "Don't you even try invading my mind or giving me Veritaserum, you know it won't work."
Harry extinguishes the silencing bubble and, ignoring the way Hermione is looking at him, he takes two steps to his grandfather.
"If you ever loved me," Harry gulps, "You'll at least explain to me why you-"
Matteo sighs. "Spare me the emotional blackmail, Harry. Fine, you want answers? Yes, I was there that night. And if you really think there's something I could have done to stop Riddle and six Aurors-"
"You talked like you knew each other well." Harry cuts him. "Riddle called you there-"
"Yeah, he did." Matteo makes a face of boredom. "And yes, we know each other. We've known each other for many years now." Harry waits for him to continue. "We met when we were teenagers." Matteo shrugs.
"Where?" Hermione asks, her voice strange. "Where did you meet?"
"In a magical study group." Matteo states and shuts his mouth.
"All this time-" Harry doesn't know what he wants to say, how. "You raised me and- Does he know who I am?" He yells the last question, his skin crawling at the hotness. He has no idea what's happening, but it feels like a fatal fever.
"Of course he doesn't know, Harry." Matteo scoffs. Hermione exhales heavily behind him. "You would be dead if he knew. You saw the memory, you know we weren't close anymore. It had been years since I'd last spoken to Riddle when that night came. And nothing changed. I hate him just like he hates me. We're not friends."
"Did you set me up for failure?" Harry blurts out. "Sending me to him without a disguise, without enough knowledge or powers-"
"I wouldn't say failure." Matteo raises an eyebrow. "But I expected Riddle to recognize you, indeed." Harry fists his hands. "I have no idea how he didn't. I can't understand how he can't see what's right under his nose."
"Why?" Harry yells, taking another step to Matteo, wanting to punch him again but stopping at the last moment. "Cazzo, perchè?" His voice wavers.
"Because I wanted him to know that he'd failed!" Matteo yells. "Yes, he killed the Potters, but he was unable to end them. YOU LIVE, HARRY!" Matteo is losing his cool facade. "I saved you. I'm better than Riddle-"
"I'M NOT YOUR PUPPET FOR YOU TO USE ME AS-"
Hermione gasps, Matteo has his eyes very wide now.
"Harry!" She screams and a spell hits him. Water. "Fuck, you're on fire!" Hermione's close to him now, her voice showing her despair.
He blinks repeatedly, not understanding a thing. Of course he's not on fire, that's ridiculous-
His hand is indeed taken by flames. He's all taken by them. Wide and powerful flames, blue and orange. He widens his eyes. Hermione is trying to touch him, burning herself, hurting herself.
"Stop." He says, taking a step back from her. "I'm fine. Hermione, I'm fine."
She wets her lips, her eyes wild. "Are you sure?" She's trembling, nervous.
"That's impossible." Matteo whispers. He's in awe. Then, "I thought it was a myth."
Hermione turns sharply to him. "What? What are you talking about?"
But it doesn't look like Matteo is going to answer - he's dumbstruck.
Sensing Hermione's complete distress, Harry takes a few deep breaths, feeling his magic, trying to understand these flames. They're… part of him. Insanely powerful and- He tests it out by willing a ball of flame to go through the window and into the sky.
It explodes outside.
He opens his mouth. Still having a hard time comprehending.
Harry looks at Hermione- he never saw her so fucking surprised. Speechless. She's squeezing her necklace, her eyes set on him.
"I-" He begins, "I have no idea-"
"Try putting them out." She says in a plea. Probably the image of him on fire is not soothing.
And it's easier than he thought it would be. In a second the flames turn into ash, forming a pile on the floor around him.
Hermione hugs him tightly, letting out a sob. He squeezes her, his eyes on Matteo, though.
"Impressive." Matteo says, squinting. "Maybe I underestimated you, Harry."
"Enough of being this cryptic cretin!" Hermione snaps, turning to Matteo. "What the fuck just happened? What the hell are you talking about?"
Matteo shakes his head. "You're so smart, Riddle, I'm sure you can figure it out by yourself."
Harry sets his jaw. Now his mind is clearer. He's not burning up anymore and he truly feels calmer.
"What about that woman? What power was Riddle after?" He asks, his right hand holding Hermione's.
Matteo shrugs. "Things from the past." He says in a deep voice. "Things you wouldn't understand, things you have no business in meddling with."
Harry snorts. "No business? My parents died-"
"They were a mere collateral damage, Harry. Nothing could stop Riddle and his greed." And Matteo moves back on the chair. "Now, I would like to be untied." He raises an eyebrow. "Is this ridiculous interrogation over? I have to be back at the Ministero. They're waiting for me."
Hermione squeezes his hand. Harry knows Matteo is untouchable and if he's honest, he would never forgive himself if he hurt his grandfather in an irreversible way. Bianca, his mother, would never forgive him either.
"Yeah, it's over." Harry says, his voice hoarse. "But let me be clear. You're not my grandfather. You're nothing to me. Don't even try to control me in any way or hurt us in any way." He's deadly serious. "I won't hesitate, Matteo. You know I won't."
The older man clicks his tongue. "Fair enough." His eyes are set on Hermione. "Maybe I underestimated your love too." He says with a hint of amusement.
"You never used the things I gave you, did you? Against my father. To release Harry." Her voice is very off.
"Why ask a question you know the answer to?" It's the only thing Matteo says. He's smiling. "And Harry, don't say a word to Bianca, or else, you'll pay. And don't bother coming back here, this is not your home anymore."
His blood boils, but this time Hermione's touch calms him. He's more centered and aware of his surroundings, of the absurdity of what he was doing.
Clearing his throat, he says, "You can't keep me away from my mother."
"Indeed. But you're not welcome in this Villa anymore." Matteo wets his lips. "Now, release me."
Harry inhales deeply, he knows Matteo can release himself if he wants to, but this is a game of power and-
Hermione releases Matteo, sparing Harry of the humiliation.
The older man stands from the chair, using a spell to heal himself from the punch. Again, his eyes are on Hermione. And Harry can feel the danger before it happens, but it's fast-
Matteo uses a spell to seize Hermione, holding her close to him, a knife to her throat. Harry widens his eyes.
In a beat he's burning up again, the flames engulfing his body.
"Don't you dare harm her!"
Hermione purses her lips. Harry knows it's too risky for her to try anything, especially with the possibility of her spells failing.
Matteo laughs. "Oh, I see it. Now, pay attention. Both of you." He moves the knife a bit deeper into her skin, drawing some blood. "I don't care what you're going to do with Riddle. But I want my name out of it. Out of any kind of accusation, is that clear?"
Harry scoffs. "If you think I'll keep obeying-"
"Or else I'll frame Hermione." Matteo says harshly, "She gave me things on Riddle. I can hand her head to her own father. Or I can leak those photographs of her with Pettigrew. Can you imagine? 'Head Auror helps Khan Moritz kill with his powders'. That would be swell."
Harry considers burning up this whole study.
"Harry." Hermione calls to him, her voice strained, the coldness in her eyes telling him to deny this absurd request. She doesn't care if Matteo puts her head on the line, for her he can't be let off the hook-
"Fine." He says to his grandfather. She closes her eyes. "Now, let her go."
Matteo looks at Harry one last time, impressed by the flames. With a scoff, he throws Hermione into Harry's arms. He's fast enough to extinguish the flames before supporting her.
His grandfather is already gone.
"Fuck." Hermione murmurs, her hand on the cut on her neck.
Staring into nothing, Harry takes her left hand, healing the wound. She gasps. He frowns, looking at her.
"What?"
"Your magic. It feels different." She says in a low voice.
"Bad?"
"More powerful."
They share an intense look. Then a soft kiss.
"Let's go home." Harry says. She nods.
His heart bleeds for this place that he'll leave behind, it bleeds for all the lies.
But deep down… deep down he's even more furious now. And it grows inside him. Away from others' eyes or from Hermione's perception, he can feel a pit inside him, filled with awful feelings. Murderous feelings. Dark feelings.
House by the lake
Harry is asleep. Maybe the amount of magic he used today was enough to knock him out pretty fast when he relaxed.
They didn't talk about what happened with Matteo. Harry needs some time to calm down and she didn't try to dig into it. She doesn't want to talk about it just to have him burning up in flames again.
But now that she's alone, the silence and darkness only the night can bring engulfing her and her thoughts… now she can think about it all. She can try to understand.
She's at the living room, sitting on their couch, a pensive in front of her. She just saw all of James' and Lily's memories.
Fucking brutal.
To see Harry as a baby. To see the young couple raising their son in the hopes that they would have a future.
She cried a lot. But now her mind is working fast, she's cold inside. She needs to look at this with an objective mind or else they won't discover a thing.
As Harry said, she payed attention to the white book. She has never seen a book like that before. Chances are high that her father doesn't have it. Not inside the Ministry nor inside the Manor. If he does, it's somewhere else.
It's obvious James and Lily left a lot out. She can't even be sure if these are all the memories Matteo found with Harry, that's why she's… holding the vial with Matteo's memory in her hand. Pondering if she should watch it again.
She couldn't let Harry see the rest, though. She would never forgive herself if he saw his dead parents. And she knows he would never recover from something like that. If she's honest, she's already pretty worried with him. He was blind to his actions, ready to torture Matteo D'Angelo not thinking about the consequences for even a second.
And he snapped completely. That fire- His magic exploded. Went berserk. And manifested itself that way… at least that's the only explanation she can think of. Nothing else makes sense. But even so she's sure Matteo knows what happened. He was too damn awestruck.
A myth.
Her mind travels through the many myths she knows. But none relate to someone catching fire like that. However, she can't possibly know all myths by heart, so…
Hermione sighs. She can't imagine how Harry must be feeling. The sense of betrayal. Matteo fooled him his entire life and differently from the relationship she has with her father, Harry loved his grandfather, their relationship was built on love.
She looks at the ceiling, clutching the vial.
"Fuck." It's a whisper in the silent night.
This is not something she wants to do, but Hermione needs to see the rest of the memory. Now that it's clear that they can't trust Matteo, she doesn't doubt she'll find out things he might have hidden from Harry. But this gives her no satisfaction. She's not eager to see James' and Lily's lifeless bodies either.
Grunting, she closes her eyes. What if Harry gets mad at her? For seeing the memory without telling him or asking for his permission? This is his story. His life. He made it pretty clear when she stopped him earlier… the way he talked and looked at her-
There was a fire in his eyes, a sudden wildness, that she never saw before. Not in him or in anyone else. Alone she can admit to herself that… he scared her a bit in that moment. He's insanely powerful, she has felt this since the first time they met, and she continues to feel each time they share their magic or when he uses his near her. Like an electric current.
And now it changed after what happened at the Villa. The enormity of his power took her breath away when their bond opened for him to heal the cut on her neck.
It makes her anxious. She has no idea what's happening. This is not sudden. His magic has been behaving oddly for a while. The way he can't control it whenever Asmodeus is close to her is an indication… there are even times that he's only mentioned and even so Harry loses his shit. She puts a hand on her face. Of course she can't be unfair when it comes to this… she has no idea how she would react if Harry were walking around with a woman breathing down on his neck and kissing him from time to time.
I would probably kill her.
She raises an eyebrow and chuckles softly at her own thought.
Hermione worries. And it sucks that on the other hand, her magic is behaving like shit. Not knowing if her next spell is going to work or not is killing her confidence bit by bit. The worst is that she dreads she might fail in a critical moment. What if she fails and Harry dies? She won't be able to live with this, she won't be able to ever forgive herself.
She bites on her lower lip, her mind going to the potions that should be in their bathroom. She knows she needs to be off of them for this side effect to go away, but she doesn't know how long it will take and she's not inclined in finding out. She needs to take a potion. She needs to be strong enough for what's to come, for what they might face.
Hermione scrunches her nose. If Harry hid the potions, she needs to talk to him about it. They decided to be a couple and she knows that going behind his back with this is not ideal. He would be completely furious. And she doesn't want that. She wants them to be honest with each other, she wants them to solve things together, face their problems together.
So, exhaling heavily, she raises from the couch and magically puts away the pensive and the Potters' memories. With Matteo's memory in her hand, Hermione goes up the stairs to their bedroom. She stops at the threshold, leaning on the door frame and smiling.
He's knocked out, snoring softly.
Harry's lying on his stomach so she can see his tattoo and it never fails to make the butterflies in her stomach flutter. She loves this phoenix on him. It's like he's the bird itself. It's powerful and sexy.
She walks into the room and puts the vial on the nightstand. She sits next to him, her hand on his back, tracing the ink.
He mumbles, a slow smile taking over his face. Then, her hand moves to caress his hair. His smile gets wider. She can't help smiling, even if the conversation ahead of them might be… difficult.
Harry's hand comes to her thigh and he squeezes. She leans over, kissing his back, tenderly.
"Can't sleep?" He asks in a dragged voice, completely calm. She imagines he surely forgot what happened, but it'll come to him in seconds.
"Love, we need to talk."
He opens his eyes immediately, tensing, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He's already sitting on the bed.
"Nothing, I'm fine." She says softly and he relaxes. "I'm sorry for waking you, but I just can't wait."
He blinks a few times, rubbing a hand on his eyes, waking up. Then, he yawns, stretching.
"Okay… What is it?"
She wets her lips and looks down. "I- first… I was going to watch the rest of Matteo's memory." His face goes instantly serious. Dark. "But I- I want you to be okay with it. I want you to know what I'm doing." Their eyes lock. "I want your permission."
There's a beat of silence and then Harry sighs.
"Look, I- I know someone needs to see this, see what else Matteo did inside the house and how he found me, and believe me, Hermione, there's no one else I would want doing this other than you." He opens a side smile, sad. "But not now. It's too soon, okay? I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. Can you understand? I want to forget this for a while."
"Harry," Her voice is barely there, "of course. Whatever you want, okay? This is your call."
He nods, his hand finding hers and squeezing gently. "What else?" He squints, studying her.
She looks down, ashamed.
"I-" This is harder. "Okay, so," She's stalling and he moves a bit on the bed, forward, closer to her. "I know you took the potions that were in the bathroom." She presses her lips together.
Harry raises an eyebrow. "I did." He states. "I threw them away."
Hermione groans, frustrated now. She stands up and throws her arms in the air.
"You shouldn't have, Harry! I need them!"
"You don't need them."
"Do you want me to keep failing? Do you want us to be in a terrible situation where I won't be able to protect myself or even worse, protect you?!"
He sets his jaw.
"I'm here to protect both of us." He says harshly. "If you think I'll let you ruin yourself with those potions, you must be completely mad."
"You had no right!" She's angry. "It's my choice to take them or not-"
"And then what?" He raises his voice. "You take one today even if you don't need it, then you take two tomorrow because it will make you feel better, and then three and then you can't stop. Then what, huh? How the hell-"
"I can control myself." She says in a low voice, dangerous.
"The risk is not worth it, Hermione."
She snorts. "You think I can't find new potions? Fuck. I thought you would be on board with me on this one, it's obvious that we're in danger and it would be temporary-"
"No." He raises from the bed, only in his boxers. "Hey, look at me." His hand cups her cheek. They're both angry. "You don't need them. You'll overcome this. You won't fail. I know you won't let a thing happen to me or anyone else. And I'm here to protect you while this is an issue, okay? Please, don't be stubborn on this one. Don't go after something that can ruin you in the long run."
She sighs and leans into his touch.
"Damn it. Fine!"
Harry brings her closer by the waist.
"Promise?" He whispers, his mouth on hers. She doesn't want to promise. "Hermione." His tone carries a warning.
She lets out an annoyed sound. "I promise. Shit."
He opens a tiny smile and kisses her. She feels good to be in his arms, sure that everything is going to be fine.
"Good. Now, let's sleep. We need to rest."
She lets him guide her to the bed. Harry settles on his side and she lies down next to him, going to his arms, nestling herself against his warm body. Crookshanks climbs the bed and makes himself comfortable at their feet. Hermione buries her face on Harry's chest and inhales deeply. She's so lucky she has him.
"I love you." He whispers, already closing his eyes, drifting to sleep.
"I love you too."
May 29th, 2006
House by the lake
The moment he wakes he knows Hermione is not on the bed. The sheets are cold and Crookshanks is also not there.
Harry opens his eyes, the sunlight is invading the room. Hermione is not on the armchair either. He sighs. He has no idea if she slept at all. She was too pumped from what happened yesterday, he knows her mind didn't stop for a second and if it wasn't for the complete exhaustion he felt, he wouldn't have slept too.
That fire… whatever it was, it drained him completely. Now he feels better, but even so he's sore all over, his muscles hurting without no apparent reason.
He grunts when he sits on the bed, there's an amazing smell coming from the kitchen downstairs and he's thankful that they don't have to be at the Ministry today.
He rubs one hand over his eyes, trying to send away this laziness. Yawning, he sees the vial on the nightstand.
Harry closes his eyes. He wants to forget what happened yesterday, he wants to forget that the man he grew up admiring is nothing he imagined. He raised Harry as if he were his mere puppet just so he could tell himself that he's better than Riddle.
You're not, Matteo. You're just like him.
He takes the vial, inhaling deeply. He's glad Hermione stopped him. If he's honest with himself, he's not prepared to see his parents like that. I'll never be. Of course he knows that the entire memory needs to be seen, but… Hermione will look at him with pity in her eyes and he's not quite ready for it. He needs time.
We don't have much of that.
It's a sensation that's taking over him, as if they're on a deadline they're not aware, as if they need to solve things immediately…
Sighing, he walks to the bathroom, his mind lazily working a bit faster while he goes through his usual routine.
In no time he descends the stairs, searching her.
Hermione is indeed cooking them some breakfast. And the smell of coffee is taking over the whole kitchen.
She looks up at him, a smile on her face.
"Morning." She says softly, "I tried to make the coffee the way you like it, but I'm not sure I got it right, so-"
He cuts her words with a kiss, bringing her to him.
"Morning." He says, bumping his nose on hers. "I'm sure you got it just right." Even if he finds it completely wrong, he's going to say she made it perfectly.
She puts her arms around his neck. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." He purses his lips and she raises an eyebrow. "Not amazing, but not awful either. I mean, I think I'm still trying to comprehend the situation… it's hard."
"I'm here, okay? For whatever you need me for."
He touches his forehead on hers, beyond grateful.
"And how are you?" He asks softly. "The whole conversation about the potions-"
"You were right." She says fast. "I- I don't need them and this will go away eventually, right?"
He nods, kissing her then.
In a comfortable silence they settle to eat together. At some point Harry finds it too silent and tilts his head.
"No intruders this morning?" He's talking about their friends - who are developing an annoying and endearing habit of coming to their house for breakfast on weekends.
"I-" Hermione looks down. "I asked them not to come today."
He frowns. "Why? Because of what happened yesterday? I'm fine-"
"No, it's not that." She chews her eggs slowly. Harry waits, looking at her, sipping on his fine coffee. She's avoiding his eyes, tense. "I want us to go see Bellaverde today."
He widens his eyes, moving closer to her.
"Yeah?" He opens a huge smile, all of the sudden his disappointment and sadness because of Matteo vanishing in a blink. She nods shyly. "Love, this is amazing-"
"Please, just don't get your hopes up, okay?" She swallows hard, finally looking at him. "I've been thinking a lot about this and even if we have a ton in our hands right now, we shouldn't stop living, right?" Harry nods, the smile still on his face. "Maybe there's nothing to it, but… I won't forgive myself if I ignore this."
He takes her hand and kisses it, "Okay. No hopes. Let's just have a talk with our sneaky Dragon, nothing much." He shrugs it off and she chuckles, shaking her head.
Then she kisses his cheek and starts to spread kisses all over his face. Harry giggles, bringing her to his lap.
Their arms wrap around each other… it's a tight embrace.
Somewhere in Romania
They're holding hands, walking slowly to the point where the ward is.
Harry wants to talk with Rubeus before they leave, but now, the only thing he can think about is how much they need this to work. Hermione needs this. She deserves this. They deserve a family.
And he might even be trembling a bit from nervousness.
If he's this way he has no idea what's going through her mind, so, when they reach the ward, he stops her and cups her cheek.
"Whatever happens, I love you. I'll never stop loving you, okay?"
She inhales deeply, a tear running down her cheek.
"I love you, Harry."
They share a small kiss. And then he turns to the ward and uses the right spell, calling out to Bellaverde.
In not even a minute the Dragon appears on the other side, already stepping in closer to them, crossing the ward. Harry smiles.
She opens up her gigantic wings and puffs out some smoke through her nostrils, shaking her head. Hermione is tense by his side, her eyes closed.
"Hey, Bella." He says, taking a step to the Dragon. She moves, lying down and letting Harry put a hand on her head after performing the right spells so he and Hermione won't burn to a crisp. "I heard you can talk." He says with an ironic tone, trying to loosen up, bring a more carefree mood.
The Dragon moves her head in a way that Harry can only define as having a laugh.
I liked it when you had to guess.
Harry opens his mouth at the words filling his mind. This is completely crazy. Bellaverde's voice is deep and clear. Enchanted. She sounds like pure magic.
He chuckles. "Wow, that's kinda of wild."
But Bellaverde's attention is not on Harry.
Hermione.
He hears it too. She's talking to both of them.
Hermione finally comes out of some kind of trance and takes the few last steps to also caress Bellaverde. Harry can feel the magic taking over the air, surrounding them and taking their breath away. He shares a look with Hermione. Could it be that not even this amount of magic is able to help her?
The bond is complete.
Harry raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah? The three of us?"
The Dragon puffs out some smoke, confirming.
Taking Hermione's hand, he squeezes it, encouraging her.
"Bellaverde," Her voice comes out low, dry. "I- you once asked me if I was sure I couldn't have children." Hermione is insanely nervous. He never saw her this way before. "Do you-" Hermione stops to take a breath, "Do you know of something that could help my situation? A spell? Magic? Healing?"
The Dragon raises her head, way above them and moves it closer to Hermione. She's sniffing her. Harry takes a step back, crossing his arms and chewing the insides of his cheeks madly. He's too damn nervous-
Maybe.
Hermione widens her eyes, hyperventilating.
"Maybe? How?" She asks fast.
The Dragon ignores her for now and turns her head to Harry, sniffing him too. He stays frozen in place-
Bellaverde takes a step back, opening her wings.
"What?" Harry asks, opening his arms. Hermione moves closer to him.
Your magic changed, Harry.
He opens his mouth, but it's Hermione who says something:
"He was engulfed by flames yesterday. Able to manipulate it. Do you know any myth that might refer to this, Bellaverde?"
Harry talks before the Dragon can answer, "That's not why we're here." He doesn't want this moment to be ruined by what happened with Matteo.
"Harry, maybe she knows about it, there's no harm in asking. I can't think of a single myth that might-"
There's one myth.
"Tell us, please." Hermione says. Harry groans, annoyed.
The myth of the Phoenix.
Harry narrows his eyes. Hermione opens her mouth, her mind working.
"What?" Harry snorts. "Are you saying I'm a phoenix or something?"
The Dragon looks up and lets out some fire through her mouth.
"The power of the phoenix." Hermione whispers. "The fire and the ashes." She looks at him. "Makes sense."
"Have you heard about this before?"
"Some time ago, in Hogwarts. On my third year." She snorts, looking down. "There's a Divination teacher there that's full of shit, but well, look at that… she told me one day that I-" Hermione clears her throat, "that I would encounter the power of the phoenix and be consumed by it."
Harry cocks his head. "Oh, well. That's… odd."
"Right? But it fits. I'm consumed by you, Harry."
He runs a hand through his hair. "But what does it mean?" He's asking Bellaverde.
Great power.
"Why? How?"
The Dragon only flaps her wings and they close their eyes at the strong wind. It looks like Bellaverde doesn't know more than she already told them. Hermione has that wrinkle between her eyebrows and in a way he's glad this little subject was able to distract her from the reason that brought them here.
"We need to do a research on this. Why it happened and what might be the consequences of it. I think you had an awakening yesterday." She says.
He nods, agreeing, however, "Bellaverde, what about the other thing? You said there might be something we can do-"
A ritual.
Hermione tenses all over again. Harry raises an eyebrow.
"A ritual?" She asks in a low voice.
You need to heal, Hermione. Heal from the damage that made you this way. Only powerful and ancient magic can do that.
"But how? I mean, I've tried a lot of things and-"
You are with your true mate now. You have to do it together.
They share a look. And Harry opens a smile, the hope inside him reaching new highs. They'll do it. Whatever it is, whatever it takes.
"What do we have to do?" Her voice breaks, she's almost crying. Harry hugs her, his arms around her shoulders. She leans into him.
Come back on the next full moon. You'll be even stronger then. The ritual must take place here, at the Valley.
Hermione lets out a sob, brushing some tears away from her face.
"Will it work?" She asks.
It can. But it won't be easy.
Harry gulps, squeezing her shoulder.
"We'll be here, then." He says firmly, sure.
Bellaverde lets out some more smoke and moves closer to them. She opens a wing and nestles them under it. Harry and Hermione touch her side, it's hot and comfy. And the magic exhilarates them.
I'll help you.
He nods. It's crazy how life is. If it wasn't for Matteo saving him, he would have never met Bellaverde. They wouldn't have bonded and this moment would never happen. Maybe the solution Hermione has been looking for her whole life wouldn't reach her if he weren't a D'Angelo.
He closes his eyes. Regardless, thinking about Matteo hurts, and the only thing he wants inside his heart right now is… hope.