"Fuck! I hope my curse hit him," Bellatrix cursed after apparating without a sound next to Bartemius in the drawing room of the Lestranges' mansion.
"That was too much risk, Trixie."
"Who was that bloody bitch? Ugh, fuck her, we got what we wanted! The Dark Lord will return, tonight!"
Bartemius chastised Bellatrix with a warning look for a second, and then the euphoria of achieving their goal seemed to get the better of him too. Eyes wide, he bared his teeth and looked down at the warm vial in his hand that contained the blood of Harry Potter, taken by force.
"I will inform the Master at once, there is no more time to be wasted," he said, turning without a second thought.
"Don't waste time with a report! We have what we wanted," Bellatrix said, and Bartemius thought he heard fear resonating in her voice. Was she worried she might fall out of favour with her Master if he learned they had faced more opposition than they had anticipated? He considered all the way to the mansion's bedroom surrounded by shield charms but concluded that the Dark Lord would not be interested in a student who had scored a few lucky blows against them.
Voldemort was still weak, but Bartemius could tell by the glow in the creature's eyes, which was unlike anything else, that he was ready. They briefly discussed whether to bring his father's bones to him, but Voldemort insisted on performing the ritual in the very graveyard where his father and his family were buried.
After a short consultation, Bellatrix apparated ahead and took the utensils they would need for the ritual. She sucked in the cold night air and could not prevent a manic giggle as she grew the cauldron to its original size and lit the fire underneath. Soon it was time.
Bartemius brewed a final dose of the strengthening potion, the base of which was the strange substance that Nagini, Lord Voldemort's metre-long giant serpent, secreted at his request. He did not know what the substance consisted of, for snakes were amphibians and accordingly did not suckle their young, but Bartemius did not care as long as it brought them one step closer to their goal. As always, he suppressed the disgust he felt at feeding the creature his master had become since his escape from his father's chains. Soon, he would regain his old brilliance.
"At last!" hissed Bellatrix as the two apparated onto the damp grass, on which billowing mist had by now formed after she had melted the snow in the wider area.
"All set?"
"Yes, let's get started already!"
"Good. Do it!" said Voldemort, and Bartemius dropped the ugly creature into the bubbling cauldron without hesitation.
"Bone of the father!" cried Bellatrix, waving her wand, whereupon, after a dull burst under one of the graves, a porous bone rose from the ground and found its way into the cauldron. "Servant's flesh..." she yelled but cried out as the knife was magically snatched from her hand.
"No, Trixie," Bartemius said firmly, looking deep into her eyes. Bellatrix stared at him suspiciously, but as his warm hand gripped her fingers and guided them to his lips, she realised his motives. "Let me do it, you fool!" she cried, wrenching her hand from his grasp.
"No! I can't let you do that!" he cried, and Bellatrix had already raised her wand but was a second too late. Not a sound escaped Bartemius Crouch as he spoke the words for the ritual through bared teeth, brought the knife to his left wrist and brought the sharp silver down with a quick, powerful cut. With a loud splash, his severed hand fell into the concoction and Bartemius, gasping, dropped the knife, drew his wand and waved it, whereupon a rope materialised and wrapped itself tightly around his badly bleeding forearm. "Finish it!" he shouted, and Bellatrix was momentarily impressed by his strength of will before she managed to tear her gaze away from his heavily bleeding arm and summoned the vial of Harry Potter's blood from her cloak into her hand.
"Blood of the enemy, taken by force," she said, uncorking the vial. Grinning, she licked a drop of the blood from her thumb after pouring the contents into the cauldron sweepingly. Tensely, Bellatrix waited as she could hear Bartemius' breathing becoming shallower beside her. "Stay with me, it can only..." she said, but was interrupted by a loud hiss with which all the liquid inside the cauldron evaporated and rose into the air in a black cloud.
Trembling with joy, Bellatrix watched as the torso of a pale, scrawny figure rose from the great cauldron. He was back. In all his glory and beauty. Her master was truly back. She waved her wand and conjured a cloak for her master, which wrapped around him like a shadow, making his appearance even more impressive.
"Veeeery good," sounded the high-pitched voice she hadn't heard in 15 years, and Bellatrix got goosebumps all over her body. Immediately, she sank down in front of her Master and presented him with his wand. A flash went through her body as his long fingers, cold as a corpse's, lightly stroked her palm as he picked up the wand and examined it for a moment. "You have accomplished the greatest of feats, my servants," Voldemort said quietly, looking first into Bellatrix's bright eyes, which gazed at him as if there was nothing more beautiful in the world, then into Bartemius's blue eyes, which seemed to stare right through him. "Your arm, Bartemius."
Bartemius obeyed immediately and extended his unharmed right arm. Voldemort bared his pointed amphibian teeth in satisfaction and emitted an inhuman hiss before placing his wand on the Dark Mark to summon his servants.
"You have proven yourself a worthy successor to Avery. Consider this a token of my high regard, besides the place at my right side," Voldemort said and waved his wand, whereupon the rope loosened from Bartemius' arm. In the next moment, silver mist materialised in front of the once again bleeding stump of his arm, gradually taking the form of a hand that not only stopped the bleeding but completely replaced the hand he had sacrificed to his master for the ritual.
"I thank you, master," Bartemius said, bowing his head as a sign of his gratitude.
"Oh! I see we have company. Look at them! Bellatrix, Bartemius, rise. You have nothing in common with the vermin that came crawling to my feet."
"Let go. Stop resisting."
"No! Get out!"
"If you resist, I'll kill him!"
"NO!" screamed Hermione, breathing heavily as she opened her eyes. She screamed again because, for a moment, she could see Lord Voldemort's flaming red eyes in both of their faces as they eyed her anxiously.
"Hermione! Calm down," Dumbledore said, and it took her another second to fully realise where she was. She lowered her hands, which she had raised, ready to defend herself. A bluish-white morning sky, covered in thick clouds, bathed the hospital wing in a depressing light in which she recognised Professors Dumbledore and Moody standing at the foot of her bed. A few burnt-down candles with scorched edges emphasised the mood she could read in their faces.
"Harry!" she cried, rearing up in her bed, breathing heavily and stopping in pain.
"I'm here, Hermione," she heard Harry's exhausted and worried voice from behind the curtain which surrounded her bed, and she let herself fall into the soft pillows with relief. Her body felt like she had been run over several times by a truck. Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked into the steel-blue eyes of her headmaster, blurred before her gaze, who eyed her anxiously. She raised her hands over her face and winced when she felt a hand on her shin above the covers, patting her gently.
"Where's Ron?" she asked as she realised that Harry must be in the adjacent bed, but she hadn't heard from him.
"At St Mungo's Hospital," Dumbledore said, and Hermione's eyes widened. He must have been badly harmed if she was here in the hospital wing at Hogwarts and Ron had been transferred to St Mungo's. Immediately, it occurred to her that Neville's parents, the latest victims of Bellatrix Lestrange, would never be leaving St. Mungo's. "He'll recover," Dumbledore assured her. Hermione took a breath, and Dumbledore raised his hand reassuringly.
"You saved us?" asked Hermione, and Moody waggled his head appraisingly.
"Not really. I came over the crest of the path and was greeted with a death curse. By the time I apparated out of the way, I found only the three of you there. Your attacker was already gone. With my eye, I could spy you from a long way off, but in the darkness, I couldn't make out anyone."
"It was Bellatrix Lestrange and a certain Barty, whom I have never seen before."
"Bartemius Crouch Jr?" said Moody, raising his eyebrows. "He died in Azkaban years ago."
"Like Bellatrix Lestrange?" asked Hermione sharply, and Moody raised an eyebrow. The name, however, had flushed a memory to the surface in her mind. In her mind's eye, she saw four Death Eaters sitting in chains before the Wizarding Gamot, awaiting judgement. Bartemius Crouch Jr. had been one of the wizards who had tortured Neville's parents.
"Settle down, there's no hurry. We can see for ourselves later and identify Crouch if necessary. We should all get some rest after this eventful night. The news is far from pleasant, but Harry has agreed to fill you in as soon as you are better," Dumbledore said, and Hermione could tell by the serious look on his face that the ambush was not the worst of the news. She swallowed and waved goodbye to her teachers, who then left the hospital wing.
"Is it okay if I join you?" asked Harry through the curtain, and Hermione could hear the tension in his voice.
"Yes," she said and immediately pulled Harry into a tight hug as he stepped through the curtain. Like her, he was wearing pyjamas with a pattern of Hogwarts crests, and Hermione pulled him into bed with her. "He's back?" she asked before Harry could open his mouth. He looked at her for a moment with his green eyes and then nodded. Hermione felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Did you see it? Like the other times?"
"Yes. I - he got out of a cauldron. I think they resurrected him with a potion they used my blood for. This Barty was missing a hand until Voldemort conjured him some kind of magical hand."
"Sounds like dark blood magic," Hermione said. "Did you see anything more?"
"He summoned the Death Eaters and tortured them all for not being loyal to him after his downfall and not searching for him. This Barty seems to have found him after the World Cup, and he also freed Bellatrix Lestrange from Azkaban. Voldemort has called both of them his only true servants."
"Fuck," Hermione said, slumping backwards into the pillows. "I couldn't stop them."
"What are you talking about? You saved me and Ron's lives!"
"I did not! I just made things worse. Didn't you hear that Barty guy? You two would have just forgotten what happened without torture. Fuck, if I hadn't made that stupid mistake, they might still have been there when Professor Moody arrived."
"Don't blame yourself, Hermione. I'm really glad you helped us. I realised far too late that Ron was under the Imperius."
"Me too."
"Please stop it, Hermione. There's nothing left for us to change," Harry said, grabbing her hands. Hermione looked up at him. Had she done justice to her role? Had she protected Harry well enough? The last few months had been so harmonious and perfect that exactly what Moody had always warned about had happened. If you were careless for even a moment, you paid a heavy price for it.
"Have you heard from Ron yet?"
"No more than you have. He doesn't have Black Mail, and Ginny doesn't know anything yet, either. Speaking of which, Dumbledore had our Black Books brought to us. I've already written to the group that we're mostly fine."
"Thank you, Harry. And thank you for cheering me up."
"You've been really great, Hermione. That lightning spell? Bloody hell! I bet Bellatrix wet her pants when that came towards her," he said, and Hermione laughed. It was one of the qualities about Harry that she appreciated so much. Even in the darkest hours, he still found a way to make her laugh. He grinned and looked at her with concern a moment later as Hermione clutched her aching chest. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call Madam Pomfrey?"
"I'm fine," Hermione said, lightly massaging her solar plexus.
"She got you pretty bad, hmm?" asked Harry, taking Hermione's other hand. She nodded and took a breath as the pain slowly dissipated. "How - does it feel?"
"The Cruciatus? It's like having all your bones broken at the same time. I don't really know how it works, but it's not an illusion in my head, or I wouldn't feel like I'd been run over by a truck."
"Shit. Are you sure Madam Pomfrey can't help you?"
"'It's all good, thanks. I simply need to recover a bit. Do the others know what happened?" asked Hermione, and Harry shook his head.
"Dumbledore said it's better to wait until we know more. All they know is that we were attacked. I wrote that we have no idea who did it. Speaking of him, did he look into your eyes earlier?"
"Yes, why do you ask? Didn't he look you in the eye?"
"No, kind of strange. He was talking directly to me but kept looking behind me, like there was a window behind me which he was looking through, or at his fingers."
"Hmm," Hermione hummed, trying to keep her thoughts from showing on her face. She believed she knew the reason for Dumbledore's reluctance to look Harry directly in the eye. It hadn't been long since he had seen Lord Voldemort's eyes in her own face. The thought made a salty taste rise in her mouth as if she were about to throw up.
Their eyes met as they heard the door of Madam Pomfrey's room slam shut. This forced their conversation to end, but Hermione was glad for the distraction and a moment later was looking forward to breakfast. Once Madam Pomfrey had ensured that they were both fine, she disappeared back into her chambers, and Hermione pulled out her Black Book.
As expected, half a dozen pages in it were coloured green. She quickly answered her friends' questions about whether she was alright and took a breath before tapping Severus' name in the overview, and the book flipped to the parchment, which, to her surprise, was not coloured green. She wondered if that was a good or bad sign, and her hand shook a little as she set the quill to it. It took less than a minute for him to answer.
Severus Snape
Hermione: Are you all right? Have you been tortured?
Severus: So you already know. No, I joined in later to play my part. His rage had subsided a bit, I suppose. But I should be the one to ask how you are!
Hermione: Thank Merlin! I'll be fine.
Severus: I'm glad, I was worried. Dumbledore told me what must have happened before I left. You made an impression, the Dark Lord asked for you.
Hermione: WHAT?
Severus: Crouch and Bellatrix must have reported how you fought when he calmed down a bit. He asked me what I knew about you. I told him the official part. He was impressed that a fourth year almost stopped his best Death Eaters.
Hermione: Fuck!
Severus: Don't panic. He didn't ask any further when I mentioned you were of Muggle descent. I also lied a bit and made you out to be an insufferable know-it-all nerd who got a lucky hit.
Hermione: That doesn't really reassure me.
Severus: Don't worry, my role is established. The Dark Lord did say I'd have to earn his trust back, but he seemed more positive towards me than the others who used to rank higher than me.
Hermione: At least this plan is working.
Severus: It seems so.
Hermione: Are you going to be at the meeting Dumbledore wants to call?
Severus: I don't know anything about that, so probably not.
Hermione: Sigh. I'll report back.
Severus: Make sure you're well rested, we're in no hurry. The Dark Lord has immediately ordered that anyone who mentions his return in public will pay with their lives. His plan didn't work in that Bellatrix should have wiped Potter's and Weasley's memory. They were only able to erase Weasley's memory before Alastor arrived. The Dark Lord seems genuinely intent on quietly returning to his old strength.
Hermione: Okay. I miss you.
Severus: I miss you, too. Get a good rest. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Hermione: I love you.
Severus: I love you too.
Hermione sighed and answered Sirius' question if she was all right before she stood up and walked a few steps through the hospital wing in pain. She stopped at one of the large windows and gazed into the distance for a few minutes while she thought about what was in store for her in the near future. She was surprised at how ready she felt, even though she had lost the fight against Bellatrix and Bartemius Crouch.
It was a confidence she had gained mostly from training with Professor Moody. Still, she knew she would have to work hard to eventually not only keep up but come out on top. Her eyes fell on the Highlands beyond the Black Lake. Voldemort had returned even sooner than they had feared. The pressure to find the remaining Horcruxes as quickly as possible increased enormously as a result. Hermione went through the items they suspected to be Horcruxes in her mind. The ring of Voldemort's ancestor, the drinking cup of Helga Hufflepuff, the locket of Slytherin, Harry.
Harry? Was he really a Horcrux? She resolved to resume the research she had put down last year. If need be, she would enter his mind and see if she could find any part of Voldemort there. She was aware of the danger, but time was pressing.
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. She knew only too well what it was like to meet Lord Voldemort in her mind. Was that why she had hesitated to visit his mind until now? What if the Horcrux seized control at that moment? Hermione took a breath and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Harry, who was writing in his Black Book. A smile flitted across his lips, and Hermione averted her eyes to stop the tears that were starting to well up.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep this knowledge a secret from Harry. It was wonderful to see him happy with Sirius and Luna. Hermione didn't want anything to disturb them or drive them apart, but there would come a point when Harry would resent her for not letting him in on it.
"I need to talk to Dumbledore," she thought and walked back to her bed. On the way there, her eyes met Harry's, and she made her way to his bed.
"Can I - come to you for a bit?" asked Hermione, scratching her upper arm sheepishly. She didn't want to send Harry the wrong signals, but she craved physical contact so much that she didn't want to get back into her own bed.
"Sure," Harry said and slid to the side. Hermione crawled under the warm blanket to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to snuggle too close, but Harry pulled her closer, and Hermione's eyes filled with tears as he placed a kiss on her hair.
"Thank you," she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking. For the first time, the full magnitude of what would become her new life hit her. "I really hope Ron is okay."
"Me too, even if he is an asshole."
"Yeah," Hermione said and sighed. There was a long pause where they could only hear each other's quiet breathing. "Thanks, I really needed that," Hermione said finally, sitting up so she could look at Harry.
"Me too. Thank you for always being there for me, Hermione. I always feel safe around you."
"I appreciate that," she replied, sheepishly brushing a strand of her unravelled plait behind her ear. "You're really calm in the face of that news."
"There's nothing we can do about it, so why get anxious?" said Harry with a sly smile that reminded her very much of his father, whom she had come to know a little in dozens of memories. "Besides, I've had twelve years with the Dursleys, how bad could Lord Voldemort be?" he said, and they both laughed.
"Sirius has done you real good."
"Yeah, thanks again for that too. First, you save me from the Dursleys, then the Death Eaters."
"Okay, enough already!" said Hermione with a slight smile and stood up. She glanced at her Black Book on her bedside table, but no parchment indicated any new messages, so she decided to ask Madam Pomfrey for a hot bath. The caring witch immediately let in some water for her, and Hermione relaxed completely in the lovely-smelling bath.
"I wonder if Voldemort noticed anything about two Horcruxes being destroyed?" she wondered, taking it upon herself to ask Severus about it. It felt strange not to formulate such thoughts in theory now, but to acknowledge them as reality. He was back.
After they had been released from the hospital wing that afternoon, Harry and Hermione had told the story to their friends, agreeing beforehand to leave out the part about Harry's blood to make it look merely like an attack. She had sensed the same unease in Harry when they had lied to their friends, but she was glad he had complied with her and Dumbledore's request.
She waited for Dumbledore's office door to open for her as she climbed the last flight of stairs and stepped through as it swung open in front of her.
"Greetings, Hermione. I hope you're feeling better!"
"Yes, thank you very much. I'll probably need one more day of rest, but I'm already feeling better than I did this morning," Hermione said, smiling at Professor Moody, who gave her an encouraging nod. She summoned an armchair to sit next to him in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk and looked at them both expectantly as she took her seat.
"I assume Harry has already informed you. We have learned from Professor Snape that Voldemort has reactivated his lackeys and instructed them not to let anything out to the public," Dumbledore said, and their eyes met as he officially told her of Severus' information. She raised her eyebrows.
"Do you have any idea why?"
"We think he's trying to find out what happened back then to eliminate that weakness," Moody replied, and Hermione nodded. "Albus also told me there was a prophecy that Voldemort only knew parts of at the time. Perhaps he wants to hear the whole prophecy before he returns in full."
"That sounds conclusive. What are we doing to stop him from getting it?" asked Hermione, and Moody chuckled.
"Truly remarkable, Miss Granger," he said, and Dumbledore nodded.
"We are in the process of resurrecting the Order of the Phoenix. However, I want to do things differently this time. I made mistakes both then and now. I don't want to be the only one in charge anymore, because my last plan with the Triwizard Tournament wasn't very successful. I've already spoken to Alastor, and he's agreed to join the so-called Core."
"What does that mean?" asked Hermione, looking into Dumbledore's blue eyes.
"It means that a small group will have full knowledge of the current situation at all times and will be available to advise me on how to fight Voldemort while I am still here. I am aware of my faults and would like to use this to prevent me from being the sole leader. It is our opinion that you are indispensable in this Core, Hermione."
"All right, on one condition," she replied, and Dumbledore directed her to carry out her condition with a wave of his hand. "I want my parents to be safe. I don't want them involved in any way. The Death Eaters would use them to get to me, guaranteed."
"You're right," Dumbledore said. "We can make the necessary security arrangements if they consent. The Fidelius will restrict their lives, however..."
"The Fidelius is out of the question. I don't want them to have to give up their lives because of me."
"Without a Fidelius, I see no way to fully protect them from possible attackers."
"So it is inevitable that one should become a captive within one's own four walls? There must be some other way."
"Well, I can't promise you anything. For the time being, they shouldn't be in any danger anyway."
"Oh no? I had a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange about 24 hours ago, who reported to her master immediately, according to Harry. All it takes is a glance at the Daily Prophet to find out that the friend named Hermione who came to Harry Potter's rescue is Hermione Granger, the Muggle-born inventor of Black Mail!" exclaimed Hermione, upset. Dumbledore's composure about the situation made her sick to her stomach. It hadn't been him who had had to endure the torture curses. She winced as a hand was placed on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw into the different eyes of Alastor Moody, who fixed her seriously with both of them.
"We will do what we can," Dumbledore said, and Hermione turned her gaze back to him. "As Severus reported to me, Voldemort was less than interested when he learned that you were of Muggle descent. You are not a serious threat in the Death Eaters' view. We can use that to our advantage."
"YOU can use me, you mean!" said Hermione angrily, feeling Moody's hand apply gentle pressure to her shoulder. His presence had a calming effect on her, and she forced herself to take a breath. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay, you went through a lot last night, and I'm aware that I've made mistakes lately. But the signs indicate that your parents are in no danger at the moment. I would only involve them if there was no other way. The offer of a Fidelius Charm is not off the table. If you come to the decision that we should use it, all you have to do is let me know. Until then, we will monitor Death Eater activity of any kind."
Hermione allowed herself a few moments of reflection. The Fidelius would drag her parents out of the Muggle world, and they would be protected, but there would be no going back to their old lives, what they had built through hard work. She couldn't take away their freedom, while she, as an Animaga, had more freedom than most creatures. She could not bring herself to do it.
"Fine. If you support me, I'm in," she said, and Dumbledore nodded. Moody hummed in satisfaction. "I'm going to need a lot more training. I noticed that yesterday," she added, feeling Moody put pressure on her shoulder again, which encouraged her. He dropped back into his chair beside her, groaning, and took a sip from his flask. Hermione was glad he was in on everything now. It certainly couldn't hurt to have the greatest Auror in recent history close by her side.
"Don't worry, we'll use every minute Voldemort gives us," Dumbledore replied, folding his hands in front of his beard.
"So that means that the Core knows about everything, and other members only know about what they need to know?"
"Exactly."
"Who else is part of the core?"
"Only those present here, though I am aiming for a circle of four to five. I will first contact the old members of the Order and then get an idea of who is suitable to be a Core member. Alastor and I feel that there is still someone missing who works in the Ministry," Dumbledore said, looking to Hermione with a questioning look for her approval.
"I'll see what Ministry contacts I can reactivate," Moody said.
"Sounds conclusive," Hermione said, nodding. "Aurors?"
"That would be the desirable case. But my connection with the Ministry hasn't been the best since I retired," Moody said, looking at Hermione with his normal eye. "Albus tells me that you have received an invitation from Scrimgeour for an internship, Miss Granger. That would be a good way to contact candidates."
"Do you have anyone in mind yet?" asked Hermione, smiling as Moody mentioned two names she knew well.
"Shacklebolt is the most capable Auror in the Ministry and not too loyal to the government, from what I've gathered. Miss Tonks, after all, you already know, though she still has much to learn. Nevertheless, she is the most talented Auror I have ever had the pleasure of training," Moody said. Hermione nodded and looked at Dumbledore.
"Your visit to the Ministry will have to wait, though. Alastor had one condition with which he joined the Core of the Order," Dumbledore said, and Hermione looked questioningly at Professor Moody. "You must learn to Apparate."
Hermione gasped and looked from Moody to Professor Dumbledore with wide eyes. She had to pull herself together to contain her glee and see the benefit of being able to magically change locations.
"Officially?" asked Hermione, and they both nodded.
"I will teach you while Albus uses his connections in the Ministry to arrange an early exam. It shouldn't be much of a problem because the Ministry thinks the Trace will be limiting you. So if you were to Apparate, it would be with their permission."
"Good," Hermione said curtly, and Dumbledore smiled fleetingly at her.
"I hope you will use this ability wisely, as always, but I can find no argument against you learning to Apparate."
"We'll start as soon as you're better, Miss Granger," Moody said, nodding at her.
"Please call me Hermione," she said, and Moody growled.
"Alastor," he said, extending his hand to her, which she gripped and shook.
"That settles that subject. Now to the second subject of this meeting. Harry," Dumbledore said, and Hermione could hear the concern in Dumbledore's voice.
"You're worried that Voldemort will take him over through their connection, right?" she asked, and Dumbledore looked deep into her eyes. She could see that she was right.
"We need to find out more about this connection. In fact, I am concerned that what you said will happen. This connection is too dangerous to take a chance on. He could, without realising it, leak vital information to Voldemort if we are not careful. I will instruct Professor Snape to teach him Occlumency."
"No!" exclaimed Hermione, rolling her eyes as Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "That's the worst thing we can do!"
"Professor Snape is an expert in Occlumency."
"No doubt, but have you ever been in the same room with the two of them? If you want Harry to actually learn Occlumency, let me do it."
"We can't reveal who you are to him yet," Dumbledore said, and Hermione rolled her eyes again.
"Harry knows what I'm capable of. He doesn't need to know more just because I'm helping him close his mind," she said, looking to Moody for help.
"She's right, Albus. I don't think Snape teaching him is a good idea either. Just a little while ago, you told me that Hermione had mastered Occlumency, even before she came to Hogwarts."
Hermione thanked him silently and looked at her headmaster, who was running his fingers through his beard. Finally, he nodded, and Hermione could still see doubt in his gaze. Was he afraid that Hermione was revealing something to Voldemort indirectly through Harry? It was a risk, no doubt, but she would not allow Harry to know more than she wanted at the moment.
"Then that's settled. Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione. I wish you could enjoy your time at Hogwarts more, but your skills will make all the difference."
"Thank you," Hermione said gravely, and the three discussed which former members Dumbledore would contact first before Moody rose with a groan, and Hermione did too. "I'll try to practise with Harry once or twice a week. It would be good if I could borrow your Pensieve for that," she said, and Dumbledore nodded. Together with Moody, she left the office.
"Welcome aboard. I know it is a great burden, but I will protect you with everything I have."
"Thank you," Hermione said, giving Professor Moody a bitter smile. "I will give it my absolute best."
Moody patted her shoulder encouragingly, and for a moment it looked as if he was about to say something, but he merely pressed his scarred lips together, and the two parted on their way to the Grand Staircase. When Hermione got to the common room, she looked in vain for Luna and pulled out her Black Book when she got to her dormitory. She asked Luna where she was and smiled when she was invited into the Room of Requirement. Immediately she made her way and stepped through the magical door ten minutes later.
"Hi," she greeted Harry and Luna, who were sitting on a sofa in front of a small fireplace. "Cosy place you've got here!"
"Yeah, this room is really great!" said Luna, cradling Hermione gently in her arms. Hermione smiled at Luna's caution and hugged her tightly. She stroked gently through Luna's hair and then wished for an armchair from the room, settling into it with a sigh.
"Any word from Ron yet?" asked Hermione, and Harry nodded.
"Ginny visited him with her family. Hasn't said a word to them. I think he pretended to be asleep most of the time. Mrs. Weasley had a nervous breakdown," he said, and Hermione pressed her lips together in resignation. "Ginny asked me to go and see him."
"I'll go with you if you like. Maybe we can help him," Hermione said, and Harry nodded. There was gratitude in his gaze, and Hermione thought she saw guilt in it, too. Harry hopefully didn't blame himself for Ron being used by Bellatrix. His eyes fell on Luna as she joined him on the sofa, and Hermione smiled as she gave him a kiss on the cheek that made him blush in front of Hermione.
"Do you have any idea why they attacked you?" asked Luna, and Hermione answered before Harry could even catch his breath.
"No. We don't even know who it was," Hermione said. Luna mentioned Ginny and Susan's suspicions that it had been Malfoy and his entourage, who had taken it too far, but Hermione just shrugged.
"It doesn't matter who it was, I'll never let anything happen to either of you again," she said sullenly, and Luna beamed at her. She snuggled up to Harry, and Hermione eyed them both for a few seconds, smiling.
She sighed and sank a little deeper into the armchair. Her feet were pleasantly warmed by the fire, and she gazed into the crackling hearth for a few minutes while she thought about the news. In the past, she had already considered a few times that she needed to protect her parents to prevent them from being used by the Death Eaters as a way of getting to her. However, she had assumed she had more time to think of something bearable for them. Hermione wouldn't let them languish in a Fidelius-protected house without access to the Muggle world. There had to be a better option. Lost in her thoughts as she often was lately, she didn't register much of her surroundings, and so a few minutes later, she apologised to the worried-looking Luna when she nudged her after she hadn't responded to her goodbyes.
"See you in the morning, sleep well," Hermione said, glancing at Harry, who had remained seated on the sofa. She waited until Luna had left the room, then sat up and turned to Harry.
"Dumbledore wants me to give you lessons from now on," Hermione said, suppressing a giggle as his eyebrows shot up.
"In what?"
"Occlumency."
"What's that?" asked Harry, and Hermione was once again reminded that very few wizards even knew the term Occlumency.
"The art of shielding one's mind from magical attack."
"Because of the connection?" he asked, and Hermione nodded.
"It's not just because of that, though. Occlumency is a useful skill. It prevents people with evil intentions from entering your mind and seeing memories."
"That's possible?" asked Harry, his eyes wide, and Hermione nodded. "Okay. Is it hard?"
"It takes a lot of practice and concentration, but I'm sure you'll learn," Hermione said encouragingly, and Harry nodded determinedly. Hermione didn't even want to think about how Severus might have approached it. She could still vividly remember her first private lesson with him, which had ended in tears. Years of nurtured hostility would surely have had the opposite effect to what Dumbledore wanted to achieve. Something in Harry's gaze told her he had an idea, and his expression darkened. He avoided her gaze, and Hermione watched him closely.
"Is that why Dumbledore won't look me in the eye anymore? Does he think Voldemort is casting an Imperius on me through the scar?"
"That's my guess too, yes," Hermione replied and stood up. She dropped down on the sofa beside Harry, and when he still avoided her gaze, she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. "Stop it! Just because Dumbledore fears it doesn't mean it's going to happen. Look at me!" she said, pressing gently against his cheek and fixing his green eyes, which finally looked into hers after her command.
"I'm with you, Harry. We'll get through this together. And we'll start Occlumency tomorrow."
"Are you sure that's going to help?" asked Harry, who had relaxed a little again after returning her gaze, and everything had been as usual.
"I have no idea, but it definitely doesn't hurt. Occlumency also helps with duelling. Your opponent might gain an advantage if he invades your mind. Occlumency prevents that," she explained, smiling as she saw the glint return to the green eyes. Harry nodded resolutely.
"Luna told me she's been practising magic with you all these years. Do you think we can have a little duel, too?"
"Sure. It never hurts to practice your reflexes."
"But please don't try to grill me like Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said with a grin, and Hermione giggled. "I still can't quite believe what happened last night. It's all so surreal."
"I know what you mean. I didn't expect an attack in Hogsmeade. In retrospect, that was a big mistake."
"Who'd expect something like that when you're drinking butterbeer with your friends, Hermione. You were really great."
Then they discussed when they were going to visit Ron the next day, and Harry said goodbye a little later. Hermione stayed in the warm Room of Requirement for a little while longer, writing with Severus, before she headed off to bed as well.
She met Harry outside Professor Dumbledore's office the next morning after breakfast, as discussed, to travel to St Mungo's with Floo powder. Harry ignored Dumbledore, who greeted them curtly and pretended to be engrossed in a book. Hermione gave her headmaster a stern look that he didn't catch. It was one thing not to look Harry in the eye, but to treat him completely like air was going too far in her opinion.
She let Harry go first and gave Dumbledore one last evil look before spinning herself in the green flames and coughing up a mouthful of ash one awkward flight through the Floo Network later. Harry patted her on the back with an amused expression, and the two made their way to the wing of St Mungo's where Ron's patient room was located.
Harry, who knew his way around the place better than she did because of his numerous visits to Sirius, guided her through the tight tangle that facilities in the wizarding world often were, ensuring they got there quickly.
"I'll go first. He hasn't been very friendly with you lately. Maybe this will do some good," Harry said, nodding when Hermione asked him if he was sure. He screwed up his face when she wished him good luck and cautiously entered the patient's room. Immediately, as the door closed behind Harry, a queasy feeling spread through her.
She felt her protective instinct, but she managed to calm herself and sat down on a nearby chair. She watched the healers for a few minutes and had a moment of shock when, as in their first encounter, she mistook Andromeda Tonks for Bellatrix Lestrange and cold sweat broke out on her back.
Andromeda was just coming down the corridor towards her and waved. Hermione calmed down after recognising her and forced herself to smile as she waved back. The Healer stepped into a patient's room, and Hermione felt the tension fall from her again.
"Thanks, Bellatrix," she thought and blew out a breath. She pricked up her ears when she heard loud voices behind her and jumped when she heard Harry give a muffled roar. Immediately, she yanked open the door to Ron's patient room.
"You can't be serious!" cried Harry, and Hermione gingerly closed the door behind her as she realised that Harry was in no danger. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Ron. He was pale, and the veins in his face stood out in dark blue. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles drew a scowl on his face, with which he had first glared at Harry and which he now threw at her as well.
"YOU! What are you doing here!" he shouted in a guttural voice where it was obvious that it pained him to speak at all. Hermione instinctively moved a step closer to Harry. "You've made things worse!"
Hermione didn't know what to say in response, and a twinge in her nose announced the tears Ron's sight was causing in her. His gaze was so full of contempt that she had to avert her eyes. She looked at Harry, who was still glaring at Ron.
"Fuck all of this. Fuck all of you! Fuck off!" shouted Ron, and Hermione had to grab Harry and hold him back. "I should never have sat in the compartment with you," Ron said scornfully, and Hermione tried to make sense of Ron's reaction.
"What ..." she began, but Harry cut her off bitingly.
"He blames me."
"WHAT?" asked Hermione, staring at Ron, who snorted dismissively and looked down at his pale palm. Before she could say anything, the door behind her opened, and a Healer stepped in.
"Finally, how many times do I have to call?", Ron snapped at him. "Would you please remove these uninvited guests? I'm feeling harassed."
"What, we ...," Harry began, but Hermione pulled him along without another word. Her eyes met the healer's, and his apologetic expression told her that Ron wasn't just treating her and Harry like this. Determined, she took Harry by the hand and didn't stop until they had stepped out of the main entrance into the pedestrian zone.
"He can't be serious," Harry said sullenly, and Hermione looked at him pityingly. She, too, had been shocked by Ron's demeanour, but if she was honest with herself, she had expected nothing less from him.
"Harry, his memory has been tampered with, and he obviously has mental problems. I hope the healers can help him."
"You should have heard him, Hermione. He blames me for him being selected for the Imperius to trick me. He still seems to remember that. First, he treats you like crap all school year, and now this!"
"Shh, Harry. I understand your annoyance, but we shouldn't draw so much attention. Come on, let's go visit Sirius and Remus," Hermione said, pulling Harry along by the hand before he could say anything. Standing out among the Muggles in their smart winter cloaks, they decided against hot cocoa in a café, and walked the shortest way to the Dripping Cauldron, although Hermione would have loved to spend time with Harry in Muggle London.
"Shall we sit down for a butterbeer? The day can't get any worse anyway," Hermione said as they entered the pub, and Tom, the friendly innkeeper, greeted them. Harry looked around briefly and nodded. "Sit down, I'll pay," Hermione said, ordering two butterbeers before joining Harry in a secluded alcove where the two of them were protected from the prying eyes of the few visitors to the Dripping Cauldron.
"What's going on, Hermione?"
"I know what you're thinking. You haven't done anything wrong, Harry. It's obvious Ron can't think straight. Please don't put too much stock in what he said. Think about Luna, Sirius, Neville, Ginny and Susan. Think about me. We care about you," Hermione said, raising her glass. Harry eyed her for a few seconds and finally toasted her. She could tell that her words had only partially gotten through to him.
If Ron's intention had been for Harry to feel guilty, he had succeeded. Hermione tried to build him up until they stepped through the front door of Black Mail, where they were greeted by a very cheerful Sirius.
"Hey, what a surprise! You can't imagine how glad I am that you're all right!" said Sirius, beaming, and Hermione was pleased to see Harry's mood visibly improve as his godfather pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here! Seeing you healthy is a thousand times better than reading it in the Black Mail," Sirius said, hugging Hermione tightly to his chest as well.
"Hi Sirius, how's business?" asked Hermione with a smile, noticing the whispering shop assistants behind the counter looking at Hermione appreciatively.
"Good, as usual! What's up with you? Any new, brilliant ideas revolutionising the wizarding world yet? If so, don't tell anyone, I want to be the first to hear about it," Sirius said, to which Harry and Hermione laughed. Sirius' easy-going manner lifted their spirits, and the visit to the workshop at the back of the shop did the rest. Remus proudly showed them the latest versions of the Black Book, which was constantly being improved.
Hermione was also pleased to see Penelope again. She told them about the progress she had made in her training and the research she was now leading alongside Remus.
"A really talented witch," Sirius said as he came to the back of the workshop, and Hermione furrowed her brow as she watched Penelope look Sirius in the eye. Penelope noticed Hermione's look and blushed.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" asked Harry, who was already on his way to Sirius' small living room above the workshop and had turned around when he hadn't heard Hermione behind him. "Are you coming? We can use Sirius's fireplace."
"Penelope, would you come with us for a moment?" asked Hermione, pulling the blushing witch through the curtain with her to Sirius and Harry, who looked at her, puzzled. Harry looked confusedly at Penelope and looked amused at Hermione, who was eyeing Sirius with narrowed eyes.
"How long have you been together?" asked Hermione, pointing her index finger back and forth between Penelope and Sirius. Both couldn't get their facades up fast enough, and an amused grin spread across Hermione's face. Penelope smiled shyly and gave Sirius a sideways glance that immediately revealed everything to Hermione.
"How did you figure that out?" asked Harry, dumbfounded, as Sirius also began to grin and nodded.
"Female intuition," Hermione said, giggling as Harry and Sirius rolled their eyes. "But at least with Sirius, you've found someone who's also mentally 17, Penelope!" quipped Hermione and Penelope laughed.
"Hey!" said Sirius indignantly as Penelope nodded and giggled. It pleased Hermione that Sirius had found someone and Penelope could perhaps bring some discipline into Sirius' life. Hermione knew how ambitious and precise the young witch was.
"So?" asked Hermione after a few seconds of silence, gesturing for Penelope to tell how it had come about.
"I don't know, he just caught my eye over time, and at some point I asked him out," Penelope said, blushing again.
"That's sweet. Well, good luck to you then. Unless he slips you some love potion. Blink twice in a row if he's giving you a love potion, Penelope," Hermione joked, and everyone laughed.
"Enough of that! Quite cheeky, young lady!" said Sirius, laughing and pointing his hand towards the fireplace. "And not a word to anyone! If I read any of this in Witch Weekly any time soon, I know who I'll be sending a howler to."
"Wow, that was way out of line! Is there actually any news regarding Rita Skeeter?"
"No, she's not in London. No one has seen her since the Christmas Ball, but she writes an article every other day. But don't worry, we'll sort it out. Now get out of here, or she'll catch your scent."
"Harry, can you sense he's trying to get rid of us?" asked Hermione, laughing as Sirius proactively pushed her towards the fireplace. She winked at Penelope before taking a handful of Floo powder and inwardly preparing to inhale a portion of ash. She waved at Sirius and Penelope and stepped into the flames after saying 'Professor Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts' loud and clear.
"Hello Professor," she said to Dumbledore, who was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace and seemed to be making handwritten notes. He looked up and greeted her.
"How was your visit with Mr. Weasley?"
"Not very successful, I'm afraid. I hope it gets better, but he was very mean. I think it's worse because he can't remember everything."
"That's a shame. I'll do what I can to support him. Hello, Harry," he said after turning back to his notes at the sight of the green flames behind Hermione.
"Hello," Harry said tonelessly, and Hermione said goodbye before the two of them left the Headmaster's office.
"Sirius invited us to Black Manor for the weekend. He said he'd talk to Dumbledore and write to us if it works out."
"Sounds good! Is Luna coming too?"
"She's invited too, yes. Should I ask if he's inviting Tonks?" asked Harry, twitching his eyebrows, which made Hermione laugh.
"I'll never say no to Tonks," Hermione said, teasing Harry by biting her lower lip lasciviously, causing him to blush heavily. Hermione smiled triumphantly and hugged Harry before they parted at the entrance to a secret passage. "Okay then, after dinner in the Room of Requirement. Try to relax a bit more!"
"Yes, it's better already, you've helped me as always, thank you."
"Don't mention it, see you later!" said Hermione and headed off to the library to read a bit more about Apparating before her first lesson with Professor Moody started in the afternoon.
"Excited?" asked Moody as Hermione walked past him into the empty classroom. She nodded and looked around the room, which looked very sparse and deserted without the furniture. "We need as much space as we can get. Usually, the exercises take place in the Great Hall," he explained, levitating his walking stick to a corner where it leaned against the wall by itself. "Don't worry, we'll start small. Have you ever seen an Auror apparate?"
"Yes!" replied Hermione, nodding eagerly. She could still remember how the Aurors had Apparated so quickly in succession in the practice room at the Ministry that Hermione had barely been able to follow.
"Good, then you've seen what hard training can result in. No one who comes from Hogwarts and has passed the Apparating exam can Apparate like that. Everyone learns it all over again in the Auror's Office. You're lucky I've been running this training for years," Moody said, and Hermione marvelled as he Apparated behind her without turning on the spot as most wizards and witches did. "Please draw your wand, we will not start wandless until you have perfected it with a wand. There will be time for that after you have taken the exam."
"Okay," Hermione said with motivation and listened intently to Alastor Moody's explanations of what was crucial when Apparating. Since there was no incantation, it was a matter of concentrating on the surrounding magic and having the destination point in the mind's eye as accurately as possible before using the magic to travel there. Moody demonstrated it for her so slowly and correctly that Hermione could make out every detail.
"Ready?" asked Moody finally, conjuring a green glowing ring of light on the floor in front of Hermione, marking her target. Hermione took a deep breath and tried to block out the fact that the most common cases of splinching occurred in the first few attempts. She closed her eyes and saw the green ring shimmering in her mind's eye. She let magic flow through her wand and felt a pull form in front of her that Moody had described and that she already knew from side-by-side apparating.
Hermione let more magic flow into the wand and finally spun on the spot. She opened her eyes after the suction had stopped and could feel her feet barely noticeably hit the ground as if she had jumped a millimetre. She exhaled with a gasp and beamed when she caught sight of the green ring around her.
"I did it?"
"Very well! And without splinching, that's the important part."
"It didn't feel uncomfortable at all. It's very different with another wizard!"
"Right, that's because the magical pull is designed for the magic and the Apparator's body, not the fellow traveller," Moody explained, waving his wand, whereupon the green ring disappeared. "We will now visit my memory to look at your posture and improve it," Moody said, and, with a flick of his wand, Dumbledore's Pensieve floated towards her from a corner of the room Hermione had not noticed before.
Moody conjured a small table, and the two of them were immediately immersed in his memory. Hermione learned immediately upon seeing her first attempt from the outside and was able to improve her posture with Professor Moody's tips. She quickly realised that her first attempt had only been so easy because she had apparated just one yard. As soon as they doubled the distance, it became much more difficult, and Hermione dropped exhausted into a conjured armchair when she had managed three yards an hour later.
Moody praised her and conjured pumpkin juice for her as he settled into an armchair himself, groaning. He conjured a Black Mail parchment and wrote a few lines on it, whereupon Hermione sensed a shift in the magic of the room.
"Was that the Anti-Apparition Charm?"
"Correct. That was a very good start indeed, Hermione! If you keep this up, Dumbledore will have to clear the Great Hall for us before long" said Moody, and Hermione smiled broadly at him.
"You're a really good teacher, too, Alastor. I'm going to miss you next year."
"You'll see enough of me next year when you're working for the Order. I'm always up for a duel or two. You have to keep your reflexes quick. Constant vigilance!"
"I'll take your word for it! I'm really excited about the times ahead. It's all so uncertain."
"Yeah, but we know what we're up against this time. We have a goal," Moody said, and Hermione nodded. They talked a little more about the Order and the time before Voldemort's downfall before Hermione said goodbye and shrunk the Pensieve so she could take it to the Room of Requirement hidden from other students.
After dinner, she walked up the Grand Staircase with Luna and Harry and said goodbye to Luna at the library, who wanted to devote a little time to researching Magical Creatures.
"How was your afternoon?" asked Hermione, already seeing in Harry's expression that he was thinking about the visit to St Mungo's.
"So-so. Visiting Sirius and Luna helped, but... I still don't know what to say."
"I know. I hope he can come to his senses soon. Maybe it will help him when classes start again and life settles down."
"Hmm," Harry grumbled, pushing aside the wall hanging for Hermione that hid the end of the secret passage on the sixth floor. They entered the Room of Requirement a little later, and Hermione smiled at the perfect circumstances the room offered her for the Occlumency lesson. It was cosy, but there was nothing to distract Harry. It was warm, but no fireplace crackled, and the grey armchairs blended into the room so there was no visual distraction.
"Okay, so, make yourself comfortable. For the first part, you don't have to do anything except listen to me and relax as best you can."
"Okay," Harry said, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Very good," Hermione said with a smile and began to explain the basics of Occlumency to him. She tried to make it as understandable and simple as possible to Harry, unlike what she had learnt from the complex and demanding papers and lectures of Sigmund Freud. Her experience helped her to describe it well without Harry immediately disengaging.
He seemed mostly interested in the Legilimency aspect, and Hermione didn't think it was a bad idea to jump in with what he could protect himself from if he was proficient in Occlumency. She pulled the shrunken Pensieve out of her pocket and grew it to its original size with a wave of her wand.
"Do you have any memories you don't want me to see?" she asked, smiling as he considered but finally shrugged. "Really? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind, but if I'm about to see you and Luna..." said Hermione, giggling as Harry blushed. She showed him how to file memories in the Pensieve and put in the memory of her Apparating lesson with Professor Moody herself because she hadn't had time to back it up in her mental Pensieve yet.
It took Harry a few tries as the memory string snapped the first couple of times before he pulled it out completely, but eventually, he got the hang of it and put some memories in the Pensieve.
"Okay, first we'll start once without you trying to close your mind. Then you'll know what you're in for. Ready?" she said, waving her wand as Harry nodded and looked her in the eye. "Legilimens."
Hermione was thrown into the familiar whirlpool of memories, from which she picked one at random. She found herself in the living room of a neat house, where the Muggles Hermione had seen on Platform 9 ¾ after the second year of school were sitting. The Dursleys were looking bored at the television, which was running Wheel of Fortune.
Their boredom was disturbed by a thump that made the two adults start up. Hermione noticed that the fireplace was boarded up and that the rumbling was coming from that very chimney. Smiling, Hermione looked around and grinned when she saw ten-year-old Harry peering curiously around a corner. He was wearing a baggy shirt that was at least two sizes too big for him, and his glasses had been fixed with tape down the middle.
Another rumble announced what Harry had told Hermione a year ago. The wood of the barricade cracked, and with a bang, the fireplace was blown open, whereupon hundreds of letters shot into the living room and flew a high arc before raining down on the shrieking family. Hermione laughed as little Harry snatched at one of the numerous letters but couldn't catch any before his uncle dragged him out of the room by his feet. Harry and Hermione laughed as they arrived back in the Room of Requirement.
"It's really fascinating. I would never have guessed that magic like that existed."
"Trust me, we're just scratching the surface," Hermione said with a smile, retrieving her memory from the Pensieve. Harry did the same, and Hermione considered practising some more magic with Harry before returning to the common room.
"Are you tired, or should we practice a few spells?" she asked, and Harry nodded eagerly. He jumped up, and Hermione reached for her wand with a smile. From the room, she wished for a practice figure, which immediately appeared on one of the walls. The room also expanded, giving them more space to cast spells. "Okay, how about a Disarming Charm? Show me what you've got!"
"Okay," Harry said with a grin and held out his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
"Good, but you've got too much movement in your shoulder. You want to flick your wrist more. Expelliarmus!" declared Hermione, and unlike Harry's spell, the stick simulating the practice figure's wand flew not just to the side, like Harry's, but towards Hermione in a high arc so that all she had to do was catch it.
"Wow. I thought I was good at that, but that was perfect!"
"You're really good too, but if you follow the tip, it will be even better. Try it out."
"Expelliarmus!"
"Better, but you can still reduce the movement to make it snap faster. Try it again!"
The two practised the Disarming Charm until Harry had perfectly disarmed the figure and later Hermione. Hermione could see how proud it made him to be able to perform the spell perfectly at the end. She saw the potential in him and was already looking forward to the next lesson. It did both of them good to have the day end on a positive note, and Hermione felt hopeful that with enough training she could succeed in her role.
Once in her dormitory, she looked out the window before going to bed, as she had the day before, and thought about the tasks ahead, but unlike the previous day, she felt confident. They could do it.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well and that you enjoyed reading this chapter! Even though the plot in this chapter covers only a couple of days, there's quite some progress and results of my butterfly-effect decisions. Hope you like how it's unfolding.
As always, thank you for reading, and also thank you to all the people who already left reviews, favourites and follows, it really means a lot!
If you liked the chapter, feel free to jot down some words!
See you next time!
Kasing