A/N: I need to tell you that there will be no discussion about my wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff okay? Science fiction be damned, we're just gonna roll with it.

Otherwise, it's freezing here in Texas - Well below freezing both in the real temperature conversion (C) and the made up one (F). Either way, when it gets this cold, my body decides it's the time to produce its own electricity so now I'm zapping everything and everyone in the vicinity. I love it, especially when I have a handsy wife (allow your imagination to fuel that amusement at my expense) :\

-0-

"Have you got your -"

"Leannan," Minerva ordered. "Enough. We will be fine. Between us there is very little we do not know."

"You've, neither of you, faced a Draconvir before," Hermione protested. "Merlin knows what that's like. Even I have no idea."

"We will return to tell you all about it," Severus muttered. "Now, may we be on our way?"

Hermione stared at them both for a long time until she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Severus.

"If anything happens to her -"

"I would not need you to step in," Severus whispered. "I would not return, and Hermione?" He stepped back and looked over at Narcissa. "I have a lot to return to."

She nodded and Minerva slapped her thigh.

"You behave. We will be fine and there is no need for this vulgarity."

Hermione sighed and looked into her eyes.

This is fucking awful.

I know, love. But you should not fear for us, we will be fine.

Remember when I felt like something was going to go horribly wrong?

Leannan, listen to me. Minerva sighed and despite the other two standing off to the side, Minerva cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. I love you. Nothing could tear me away from you. Trust me. Everything is going to be fine.

"Fine," Hermione muttered aloud as she nuzzled Minerva's neck. She took a deep breath, committing Minerva's scent to memory and stepped back. "Get out of here, then. The minute something goes sideways, I expect you back here at a rush."

"I have no doubt," Severus muttered. He bowed his head and stared at Narcissa for a long moment before he turned and swept down the path. Minerva's hand on Hermione's face lingered as she stepped away and then finally, they turned the corner and remained out of view until they left the gate and Apparated away.

"Well," Narcissa muttered. "That was awful."

Hermione chuckled and reached for her hand. It didn't really surprise her when Narcissa pulled away.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," she muttered. "I shall keep this, thank you."

"As you wish," Hermione nodded. "Shall we?"

"Would you indulge me and walk for a while? Severus is not that fond of walking for walking's sake and sometimes, I find it soothing."

"Absolutely," Hermione smiled. "I admit freely that before Minerva, I think I may have shared Severus' view, but Minerva really does like a brisk walk, so I'm pretty used to it these days."

Narcissa chuckled and offered her arm. Hermione gallantly wrapped hers around it and they walked in the opposite direction, towards the Lake.

"Tell me about yourself," Narcissa asked quietly. "I find myself relying purely on what I have learned from my son and my lover. Neither of whom know you, hardly at all."

"Oh, I think that, despite himself, Severus probably understands me at least."

"He says you are one of the greatest minds he's ever met."

Hermione stopped and looked at her.

"Did he really?"

"He did. I know that he was not particularly nice to you or your friends. There is a history with Mr Potter that cannot be avoided, but I believe, if it is any consolation, that he was attempting to push you to be great."

"Oh," Hermione chuckled. "I know that now. It wasn't much fun at the time, though."

"He has such a capacity for good," Narcissa sighed. "He is so kind and gentle, when he wants to be. He would have made a good Healer."

"I have no doubt that if it comes to it, Poppy will keep him busy."

Narcissa chuckled again and they fell silent. Hermione only remembered belatedly that Narcissa had asked her a question.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I was wool-gathering."

"It is quite alright. We are, both of us, a little out of sorts."

"I had wondered if I could communicate with Minerva over such a distance - it has happened once before - but it seems as though we are not yet in enough danger."

"We shall conclude this as a good thing and go from there," Narcissa said brightly. "Now. Tell me, what do your parents do?"

Hermione's gut squelched and she sighed as she spied a bench. Narcissa was well enough, but there was a little extra weight leaning on her arm and she directed them to it.

"My parents were Muggle," she said easily, glancing at Narcissa to gauge her reaction.

"Once upon a time," Narcissa admitted, seeing through the look. "I was not a kind woman. Even to those I love."

"I do not know Andromeda," Hermione muttered. "But Tonks is my friend and I would love to facilitate a meeting, if you would like."

"I would," she nodded. "I have not seen Andy since I was -" She paused and looked out over the lake. "Merlin, for thirty years, nearly."

"As far as I know?" Hermione offered. Narcissa nodded and turned to face her. "She is quite happy with the choices she made. I know that means so little, on the one hand, but -"

"No," Narcissa said quietly. "That means all the world."

They lapsed into silence before Hermione continued.

"My parents," she restarted. "Were dentists. In the Muggle world, we take care of our teeth in a different way and it requires training and understanding of anatomy and all that. They were -" She considered the wording to make it easier to understand.

"Healers for the mouth?"

"Sure," Hermione smiled. "That is appropriate, yes."

"Fascinating," Narcissa nodded. Despite her previous form, Hermione detected a little note of genuine interest in her tone. "You said 'were', are they no longer living?"

"I -" Hermione sighed. "With the coming war, nobody recalled - at the time - that my parents were Muggle and as such, they were completely unprotected. In an effort to protect them, I cast a memory charm spell and sent them away. They do not know that they have a daughter, they know nothing of magic and they are content, I would hope, living as far away from this war as possible."

"Oh Miss -" Narcissa blinked and a tear fell down her face. "Hermione, I am so sorry for bringing up painful memories."

"It's okay," Hermione shrugged. "It is something I live with every day, with varying degrees of success. Minerva was not very happy with me, initially. She was not very happy with herself either, truth be told, but we worked through it."

"Even then -"

"No," Hermione revealed. "Not then. Then, we were just good friends. Perhaps an unwritten something was between us, but neither of us were aware of it until the Order mission went wrong."

"Severus mentioned it. I found it quite interesting to hear about it. We know now you are incredibly powerful, but then, it must have been quite a shock."

Hermione smiled. She sighed and relaxed her stance a little against the bench. The summer weather in Scotland was decidedly beautiful and she stretched out.

"It was," she chuckled. "To everyone, Albus included. Which brings to mind something else, we have had a thought about the Draconvir tendencies that you showed when we healed you. I wondered if you have found anything in the books I gave you?"

"I have not, though the history is interesting. They are as old as Merlin yet nobody knows anything about them. A secretive society that wanted no history of them to survive in the outside world. Honestly," she sighed. "I find them quite odd, so far."

"I thought that too," Hermione chuckled. "Going back to you, as far as we can tell there are three possibilities. One, you were a distant relation before general record-keeping was a thing; you were also a long, long descendant of a Draconvir and that is why." Narcissa shrugged and Hermione continued. "Two, you were his fated mate, as Minerva is mine. I like this less because I do not know that you would have, so easily, moved onto Severus. And, third -" Hermione suddenly realised how that sounded. "Narcissa, please forgive me, I did not mean that as it sounded. I meant -"

"I take your meaning," she sighed. "I do, truly. I have seen the way you and Minerva conduct themselves. It is as if I can see the love between you. It is enviable for us mere mortals."

"You are not a mere mortal," Hermione chuckled. "I did not mean to make mention of anything you went through - only that if Minerva -" She swallowed but did not continue. "Well, I do not know that I would survive that."

"I understand."

Hermione nodded and wished for all her power, she could simply summon Minerva to her side and be done with it.

"The third?"

"Hmm?" She blinked. "Sorry?"

"You said there were three possibilities and you only listed two."

"Oh," Hermione nodded. "Sorry. The third is that, in carrying Draco, a known descendant of the Draconvir, you gained some traits. None of the ideas are good ones, and I'm sorry for that, but if we can figure out which it is, we may be able to use it."

"We will keep searching then," Narcissa nodded. "I apologise, Hermione, I am suddenly quite tired."

"It's alright, you're still recovering. I -" Hermione winced. "I don't think Min will mind me saying that when she went through something similar it took a long time for her to come back to normal. So do not worry that it is taking a little time."

"I am not," she muttered. "I am only frustrated that sometimes, I cannot seem to spend one day awake without a nap, like some sort of child."

Hermione chuckled and offered her hand. She pulled Narcissa to her feet and looped their arms again. The walk back was slower; even touching her arm, Hermione could feel the exhaustion and she did her best to help, without drawing attention to it.

"You might as well," Narcissa grumbled as they stopped on the stairs for the third time. "I do not know if I will make it."

"You will," Hermione smiled. "And if you don't, I'll get you there, don't worry."

It was a little while before they managed to make it to her rooms and Hermione asked permission before entering.

"Oh course," Narcissa muttered. "Please."

Hermione manoeuvred her to the bed and sat her down.

"How tired are you?"

"I will just take a nap. In time, I will have the energy to change. I do not even think I can take off my boots."

"Would it be improper for me to offer?"

"I -" Narcissa looked at her carefully. "You are a very strange being."

"Well," Hermione laughed. "There's no denying that. I can help you, if you like. At least you will be comfortable. If I can get you settled, at least, perhaps when Severus gets home, he can -" She blanched at the words she'd intended to use. "Help you further."

Narcissa chuckled.

"Your face was a picture of wickedness."

"I made a very dirty joke in my mind," Hermione admitted. "I apologise."

"Please do not," Narcissa grinned as she chuckled still. "We Black sisters were often in trouble for our wicked tongues."

"I will remember," Hermione grinned.

She knelt at Narcissa's feet and felt around for whatever catch or spell held the laces of the boots. It was easy, once she realised what she was looking for and once they'd loosened themselves, she pulled them off and deposited them by the door.

"Do you need help with the robes, or shall I just help you into bed and you can banish what you need?"

"That might be better," Narcissa nodded. "Thank you, Hermione. You certainly did not need to do this, but I appreciate you, all the same."

"Absolutely."

They managed to get her into bed and Hermione pulled up the covers.

"I'll have an elf leave some water for you. Do you need anything else?"

"I -" She reached up and after a few moments of fiddling dropped her hand onto the bed with a defeated groan. "Would you -"

Hermione leaned over and realised there was a rather beautiful pin holding up her hair. She gently pulled it out and left it on her dresser.

"Sleep," Hermione said quietly. She reached forward and pressed her hand to Narcissa's forehead. The woman's eyelids fluttered and she fell asleep, almost at Hermione's insistence.

She winced and backed away, closing the door all the way and settled on the sofa with a groan.

She glanced at the clock on the back wall and groaned. She would be lucky if Minerva and Severus had barely made it to their destination yet, let alone had spoken to the mystery figure. She rolled her eyes at herself and stared into the fire. It wasn't long before she felt a tiredness come over her that she could not account for and as she felt her eyes closing, she wondered if she'd be back from this nap before Minerva returned.

-0-

Lucia sighed once more and she heard Amalle put down their book.

"Deliciae meae," they sighed. "Whatever is the matter."

"Answer me this," Lucia said quietly. "Have you ever felt happy here?" She saw Amalle's frown and turned to regard her lover. "Not with me, I do not doubt you, mea vita. I doubt our timeline."

"What are you saying?"

"Have you tried to return to Hermione and Minerva?"

"No," Amalle said honestly. "You have been exhausted and I do not wish to add to it."

"I am not that tired."

"Yes," Amalle sighed. "You have been."

Lucia made a face and they fell quiet again. She traced the pattern on the chaise lounge she lay on and waited for Amalle to answer her. They shared their thoughts, but not quite as easily as Minerva and Hermione did. She would wait for an eternity for her love.

"I have not."

There it was, in stark contrast. Lovely Amalle, brave and gentle and solid and soft all at the same time. A true combining of flavours that Lucia knew she would give her life for, if necessary.

"Where is this coming from?" Amalle asked as they finally came over to join her on the chaise.

"I want to leave here," Lucia whispered. "I want to leave and never come back."

"Luc," Amalle muttered. "You know that's not possible."

"We are prisoners. Compared to Hermione, he is -"

Amalle's hand covered her mouth and they stared at each other hard.

"Don't," Amalle whispered. "Don't ever say that out loud."

Lucia whined and Amalle let her go. She had been so caught up in her thoughts she'd forgotten the unwritten rule of their home. Or rather, the place they resided. While they were comfortable, it did not feel much like a home.

"I do not belong here."

"This is -" Amalle kissed her to shut her up and Lucia cried as their lips caressed one another.

"I am so unhappy, animae socius. I yearn to be with them."

"Are you certain you are not unhappy with me?" they asked quietly. "I know I am not very effusive when I -"

Lucia stared.

"Amica, no. No!" Lucia cupped their face and kissed them hard. Amalle seemed to sag under the relief.

"You could be forgiven for wanting Hermione. The same face as your lover, with -"

"Amalle, stop," Lucia pleaded. "Hermione is," she sighed. "Like the child we never had. It is fascinating, in honesty, the feelings within my heart. I see her and I imagine a past we did not have."

Amalle nodded and they fell quiet.

"I want to go there. I want to help them, I want to watch them grow into something incredible." Lucia closed her eyes. "I want to help them raise their babies, I want to see them bring a world that is so chaotic into balance. She is incredible, Ama."

"And it is not because she is -"

"Ama, no," Lucia chuckled. "I have only ever yearned for you. In my heart -" Lucia chuckled as she recalled Minerva's words. "In my heart, in my head and in my bed."

Amalle laughed and Lucia moved over so that they could lay beside her. Long fingers ran through her hair and she snuggled up to her lover.

"I take it you know how?"

"I do."

Amalle nodded. The silence stretched until a feeling disturbed their solitude.

"Do you -"

"Yes," Amalle muttered.

There was a snap of the fire and Hermione appeared before them with a squeak of surprise.

"Oh," she grinned. "Hey there."

Lucia beamed and got up when Amalle did and pulled Hermione into her arms. Amalle met her eyes over Hermione's head and for once, Lucia saw the understanding in them. They came over and wrapped their arms around the two of them and they held each other for a long moment.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Hermione smiled. "At least, I think we are. Minerva and Severus have gone to meet the rogue Draconvir so I'm left at the castle with nothing to do but worry." She looked up at both of them and Lucia saw the moment she realised that they questions was only a distraction.

"Okay, but what about you both? You look so -" She frowned. "Sad?"

Lucia shared a look with Amalle and felt their familiar bond thrum with potential.

Don't tell her, I want to make sure that we are certain.

Of course, my love.

I love you.

Amalle met her eyes and smiled so beautifully that Lucia couldn't help but smile and kiss Hermione's forehead to stop herself from grabbing at them and embarrassing them both. She cupped Hermione's cheek and smiled again.

"We are fine. Life is not quite as rosy as it is in your world, little one."

"Well, I'm glad to see you," Hermione smiled. "We haven't seen you for so long, I was worried."

"It is exhausting, Hermione," Amalle said quietly. "We needed the rest."

"Undoubtedly."

Lucia drew her over to the lounge and sat with her under her arm. Hermione talked and talked about how it was going. She explained what had happened when they had been granted elves, she told them about Minerva's mission in depth and Lucia wondered, as Hermione was talking, what it would be like to watch on from the very space they were in.

What it would be like when they were sitting beside each other, planning the missions instead of dealing with the consequences after the fact.

Amica mea, Amalle whispered in their heads. Concentrate.

Lucia chuckled as she came back to the present and saw two almost identical faces staring at her.

"Amalle has already told me off," Lucia grinned. "What did you say, darling?"

"I just asked how you both were really. Without the little fib you gave me initially."

"Oh darling," Lucia chuckled. "We're fine."

"Remember I can still feel what you feel."

"I -" Lucia looked for help from Amalle.

"There is limited things we can say."

"You're unhappy."

"We are," Lucia whispered. "For reasons that we cannot speak of."

"What can I do to help, then?"

"Nothing," Lucia said gently. "Just be here with us, until you go back."

"I can do that," Hermione smiled. "Come on."

They talked for a long time and Lucia felt, rather than saw, Hermione relax as they did. She was worried for Minerva, all three of them were, but they did their best to keep Hermione from dwelling on it too much.

"I -"

Hermione paused and Lucia stilled as she felt it too.

"Ama -"

"I feel it," Amalle whispered.

Lucia put her hand on Hermione's knee as they all paused.

"Minerva -" Hermione whispered. "I -"

"Go," Amalle whispered. "Go. We're right behind you."

Hermione pulled a face, but Lucia's heart swelled at the words and knew, without Amalle thinking or feeling, that they would be following permanently as soon as possible.

It would not be easy. It would need them to be strong and true to one another. Not that they'd ever been anything other than, but this would be their biggest test.

One that Lucia only hoped that they'd succeed in, but one that was worth trying to finally find the place they belonged.