Chapter 29

Spring 2002

Once they got to Hermione's cottage, Hermione wasted no time pulling Luna aside and letting her know what was going on.

Oliver guided Marcus over to the sitting room and handed him a cup of tea that Luna supplied.

"Thank you," Oliver whispered and Luna nodded, stepping away so she didn't listen to his private conversation with Marcus. Then he kissed his forehead lightly.

Sitting on the couch next to each other, Marcus and Blaise seemed to recognize each other. Their bodies relaxed on the couch, the usual stiffness that Hermione had seen in Blaise since his release seemed to be fading. The tension as though he was expecting a blow seemed to have left him.

Hermione turned to Oliver and Luna. "Well, are we ready to do this?"

At their nods, Oliver and Hermione grasped their forearms and Oliver swore, "I swear to do everything in my power to get revenge on the ones who did this to my love, our loves, and to never betray Hermione, Luna or anyone else involved by word or deed."

The light of the bonds flowed around their arms and illuminated Luna's face with an iridescent shine. The magic of the vow embedded itself in them and Hermione felt the security in knowing that if Oliver betrayed them that his life would be forfeit. She did not think that she needed to worry unless Marcus was killed, only then would Oliver be willing to die.

"That vow is no joke." Oliver said, shaking his arm, "It certainly felt unbreakable."

"Do you not see them much in your work," Luna asked, "my office at the Department of Mysteries uses them often."

"No, it's mostly just me and books in the Death Room," Oliver admitted, "I'm not in a very sought after office after all. You are in Prophecies, yeah?"

Luna nodded and smiled knowingly.

"Everyone is much more interested in knowing the future than studying Death itself," Oliver confided.

"I don't know," Hermione said, "knowing about Death seems to have its uses."

Oliver nodded, but admitted that he wanted to get Marcus home before it got too late. His protective tendency made Hermione even more fond of her former housemate. She hadn't taken her boys anywhere, nor did she have plans to do so.

"Oh, wait just a minute then," Luna ran into the pantry and pulled out several potions, "these are weight gain potions I got from my mum-in-law. Not more than one every few days or Marcus will get stretch marks, although he never was quite as vain as Blaise and Hermione's boys. Make sure to moisturize regardless."

Oliver shook his head. "I have the distinct impression that you know my boyfriend much better than I realized, Luna."

"I did spend months locked up at Malfoy Manor," Luna smiled, pushing the potion vials into his hands, "I know a lot of people extremely well."

After Marcus and Oliver went back to his home, Hermione went to her bedroom to check on the boys. They were still asleep. Heading back to the sitting room, Hermione found Luna laying with her head in Blaise's lap staring up at him as she bit her lip.

"Lu, I still have some errands that I need to run. Can you stay while I do that?"

Luna picked up Blaise's hand and used it to touch her hair, and said, "Sure. We don't have any plans today, do we, my love?"

Blaise didn't respond in words, but he started to stroke Luna's hair himself and she smiled as she dropped her hands to her lap.

"The Auror visit is at ten tomorrow morning, isn't it," Luna asked, and at Hermione's nod, Luna added, "Blaise and I will leave early in the morning then. I know the tracking spells mean that the DMLE knows that we have been here, but that's all in the supervision contract, after all. We aren't breaking any rules."

"Yet," Hermione sighed, "Until they change the rules on us. They'll definitely be charging the traveling fees to the boys' already ransacked vaults. It's completely criminal."

"Noone ever claimed the Ministry was honest," Luna replied.

Hermione snorted, "I'll be back after I run to a couple Muggle shops in the village. It shouldn't take me more than a couple hours."

"Take your time," Luna waved her off from her prone position on the couch, humming in enjoyment as Blaise continued to absently stroke her hair.

...

Nearly four and a half hours later, Hermione came home loaded with bags of the stuff that the doctor recommended. She had several different liquid supplements, powders, weight gain drinks and weight gain powders. She'd spent ages looking at different pill versions of vitamins until the shopgirl had told her that they were rough on your stomach. She thought that would be more than the boys could take and she didn't have enough anti-nausea potions to last through more than a day in her stock at the cottage.

She put everything away in her kitchen pantry. After she tucked the bags away, she felt her sadness overwhelm her for a bit and she grabbed herself a glass and the bottle of wine she had put a stasis charm on.

The silence as she drank her glass of wine seemed as though she could drown in it. Before she knew it tears were running down her face, tears for Marcus, Blaise, Draco and Theo, tears for the innocent, trusting girl she'd been before fourth year who didn't know how she'd be betrayed and lose everything that mattered. Hermione tried to remind herself that they were getting better, that Theo and Draco wouldn't leave her. They had to fight their way back to her. They just had to.

She wiped at her face.

Tiptoeing through the house, Hermione peeked in and Luna and Blaise were asleep in the guest room. Luna was the big spoon, something that surprised Hermione not at all. It was actually endearing. She closed the door softly.

Opening the door to her room, Hermione was shocked to find that the boys weren't in the bed.

Where were they?

She tried not to panic. She'd found them once when they'd wandered off and when she came back through the wards, they hadn't been disturbed. They weren't in the bathroom, nor any of the other rooms. The door to the garden was still locked.

She found them cuddled up asleep on the couch. Theo was curled up in Draco's arms, their foreheads pressed together as they slept. She hoped they dreamt of better days.

She sat down next to the couch and drank alone, weeping, and watched them sleep.

...