Note: (Dust in the wind - Damned Anthem)
(…)
Harry had no luck in finding Dolohov and the woman again. And as the party progresses, people are not into talking as much as they are into dancing and drinking.
He searched most of the rooms and as Hermione said it would happen, he found nothing. He even spent some time in the kitchen, watching the elves and thinking about Dobby. They were working in a deadly silence, disturbing.
And now he's looking for Hermione again. He doesn't think there's anything else he might find inside, so, he wants to see her one last time before heading home.
But she's nowhere.
He already looked in all the places he could think of. She's not with Pettigrew either. Not with her mother or near Sirius and the others.
His stomach churns, a terrible sensation taking over him. He feels cold from head to toe. She wouldn't disappear like this. Not at a party. Not inside the Manor.
Harry steps outside, feeling the air and breathing deeply… then he sees John standing close to a fucking huge maze. This is new.
Walking to the man, he asks without ceremony, "Have you seen Hermione?"
John reacts by cursing and shaking his head, startled.
Then, he says, "I- I'm not sure."
"What do you mean?"
"I think she went inside," He points to the maze, "but… I can't be sure, it was hard to see, as if a spell had been casted around the place."
Harry gulps, looking at the maze. "Was she alone?"
"Yes, I guess."
No, fuck. She can't be alone. Not with her magic so inconsistent.
"John. I need you to call Ginny, Ron and Draco. Tell them to come. I'll head inside to search for her."
"I- I don't think it's a good idea." The man is clearly scared. "There's something evil inside." He whispers.
Harry blinks, astonished. He can feel it too. "Exactly. If she's there, we need to save her. Please."
He doesn't wait for an answer. And against all the alarms inside his head, he walks inside the maze.
It's almost impossible to see a thing ahead because of the thick fog. But he goes, nonetheless. He doesn't want to yell for her, scared that he might stir whatever is dormant inside the maze, so, he keeps going slowly.
Harry's sweating. A sticky sweat filled with his worst nightmares. It's like an invisible hand is clutching his heart. And images fill his head.
Hermione refusing his proposal on their date. The day she gave him the Veritaserum. When she said that what they had was a lie. Memories of his parents before they were murdered. Matteo disappointed at him. Chiara cheating.
He stops walking, it's getting harder and harder to breathe. He pushes back the hood and takes out his wand, uttering a spell to dissipate the darkness and the fog.
But when the light hits, a disfigured man appears in front of him.
Harry screams, scared.
And in a blink the man disappears. As if he never existed. Shaking his head he wonders if this was another fabricated lie inside his head or if the man was real. There's no way of knowing.
But now he's desperate. He needs to find Hermione. He needs to be sure that she's okay.
He performs a locating spell. And indeed, a blue thread comes out of his wand.
Harry follows it.
She's scared. But it feels impossible to stop or avert her eyes. There's a light ahead, a bright and beautiful light calling to her, saying her name and making promises.
Promises of fertility. Of the children she so desperately wants.
Deep down in her mind there's a voice - Harry's - warning her not to go. Begging her not to take another step. Yelling that this is a trap.
However, her feet have a will of their own and she's getting closer to the beam of light. She has no idea how she got there, it feels like a blur. Like a fever. She would never be able to redo her steps until this point.
And she only stops when she reaches the center. She's almost blind by how bright the translucent orb - that she can see now up close - is shining.
"Hermione." It says her name again and it feels like an impossible caress. "I see what your heart desires."
And an amazing dream engulfs her.
"Mum! You have to get inside!" A young girl yells. She's swimming in the lake with a huge smile on her face.
Hermione blinks, surprised and shocked. She has no idea what's going on-
"Yeah, mum! Look, dad's coming!" A boy screams, his head surfacing in the water.
She looks behind her shoulder. And sees Harry. Her whole body relaxes and she wants to cry at the sight of him. His tattoo is exposed and he's wearing only some swim trunks and sunglasses.
When he smiles at her, the world centers.
"Hey, beautiful, not gonna join us?" He leans down to give her a kiss and she perceives that she's sitting on a cloth, on the grass, close to the lake. And behind them is their house.
His lips feel soft and good as always when pressed against hers.
Hermione sighs and opens a smile. She's in a bikini, her tattoo also exposed. Sunglasses on.
"Maybe in a bit." She says and her voice sounds alien to herself. This is so strange.
It feels like a dream, but also… real.
Harry nods and walks to the platform, yelling and provoking the kids who are swimming away fast to give him space to dive.
Hermione is at a loss of words or thoughts. Her mind is finally catching up to the fact that these two kids are theirs. They look like them.
Her heart aches and she presses a hand on her womb-
"Mummy?"
She turns her head to the side, instinctively, knowing that one of her children is calling her.
It's a little girl. Around three for sure. And she's the cutest thing Hermione ever saw. Black hair like Harry's, green eyes and chubby cheeks.
But she looks like Hermione.
"Yes, sweetie?"
The girl is rubbing a hand on her eye, it's clear that she just woke up from a nap. It dawns on her that her daughter was sleeping by her side all this time.
"I'm hungry."
Hermione smiles. Her heart swells. It literally grows a size.
"Let's head inside. I'll make you a sandwich, okay?"
And she raises from the ground, her hand seeking the little girl's. The sensation is sheer happiness. This little hand in hers. This soft and warm child calling her 'mummy'.
She wants to cry. But it's from joy.
"Do we have apples?" The girl asks when they enter the kitchen.
Hermione nods and proceeds to find a knife to cut the apple in tiny pieces for the little girl. After a while, her own stomach grumbles.
The girl laughs. "You have to eat too, mummy." The girl points to her belly. "My brother is hungry!"
She blinks many times again and- a flash of a translucent orb invades her mind-
Of course, she's pregnant again. Her belly shows a bit. And she sits on a stool to eat with her daughter, laughter from outside filling the day.
He feels like he's walking in circles. Even with the spell he's getting nowhere. And minutes ago he started to call her name out loud.
But there's no answer.
Harry stops. He's sweating. He feels drained.
"HERMIONE!"
Nothing.
He doesn't give up, though. Harry resumes his walk following the blue thread. But when he turns a corner he bumps into-
"Ron!"
He's there with Ginny and Draco.
"Mate, what's going on? Where's Hermione?" Ron asks, despair on his expression.
Ginny and Draco look just as nervous.
"John told us that she came in and-"
Ginny's words are interrupted by a sharp scream.
Hermione's.
The four turn to the same direction. And Harry realizes the location spell is messed up, the directives on reverse.
"Fuck!" He says and starts to run, going on opposite directions of what the wand is telling him.
The others follow.
She can't take her eyes from the little girl while she eats in silence. Hermione has no idea what this means, but the reality of-
Again the translucent orb invades her mind.
And a maze. And darkness.
"Mummy? Are you okay?"
She puts a hand on her neck, trying to send away this strange sensation that's trying to keep her away from her family.
"I'm fine, pumpkin." She smiles and the girl smiles with her.
And suddenly Harry enters the kitchen, his hair wet. He smiles to their daughter and hugs Hermione tightly. He smells like Harry. And feels like Harry. Looks like Harry, but-
He kisses her and she focus on the moment, on their embrace.
When he pulls back, he asks, "Do you want me to take the kids to your mum's?" His voice is low. "We can have a night to ourselves." He wiggles his eyebrows.
She chuckles, unsure.
"I-"
"Are you okay?" He asks and his words sound… off.
She frowns. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I feel fine."
He puts one hand over her belly, smiling. "It's going to be a boy, I'm sure. Isn't that right, sweetie?" He asks their daughter.
The girl nods enthusiastically.
"My little brother!"
Harry laughs with her and Hermione-
Again a coldness takes over her, the brightness from the orb and-
She closes her eyes and when she opens them, there's a knife in her hand.
A bloodied knife.
Opening her mouth and widening her eyes, she looks up and-
Harry is bleeding on the floor, the little girl is dead. Their other children also. A slit to their throats.
She begins to shake uncontrollably.
"HARRY!"
She clutches the knife when his eyes go to her. He's dying.
"You did this to us. You killed us."
"NO!"
And she screams. She can't stop screaming.
He's running, barely understanding where he's going. Harry wants to tear this whole maze to pieces, he wants to find her, he needs to hold her.
Another scream reaches them.
His heart is pounding. The others are just as nervous as he is, running with fear stamped on their faces.
"There!" Draco yells, pointing to a bright light.
"HERMIONE!" Harry calls her again.
He's panicking.
She's shaking. They're dead. Her family is dead and she did this. She murdered them.
"What have I done?" She's crying and a mirror appears in front of her.
"You're always going to be a Riddle." A voice says near her and she turns her head to see-
"Dad?" She doesn't even remember the last time she called him that.
Tom Riddle is standing there with a smile on his face, opening his arms to her.
"I'm the only one who's always going to love you, Hermione. You can't deny your blood."
She blinks, not understanding. She's drenched in blood. She can smell it and it nauseates her. She wants to be loved by her father-
"But there's one thing you must do before I can fully accept you back into my life." He says.
"What?" She asks, eager. She lost everything, she killed them-
He points to her belly. "This child. Kill it too." Hermione blinks. The knife is still in her hand. "DO IT!" He screams. "For once make me proud!"
"I- NO!" She wants to throw the knife at him, but Riddle moves fast and shoves his body into hers.
Hermione feels the cold steel of the knife entering her belly. She gasps. The pain is so unbearable that it numbs her.
"Nothing but a disappointment." He says, his hand holding hers and the knife inside her.
She spits some blood, her eyes widening.
Hermione's dying.
The scene in front of him is way worse than anything he imagined.
Hermione is bleeding on the ground, there's a knife buried inside her belly and he runs to kneel beside her.
He doesn't care if there's someone else there, the others can take care of it. His focus is on her.
"Love." He whispers, shaking. There's so much blood around her and she's extremely pale.
Harry doesn't know what to do. If he plucks the knife he fears it might accelerate the bleeding and even if he already saved her countless times, he's not sure he can truly bring her back from the dead. The other times she was on the brink, but not- he has no idea for how long she's been bleeding-
"Do you need help?" Ron yells at him, his eyes wide.
There's a strong shield around them and Ginny and Draco are dueling with-
Ludwig.
The man smiles wickedly when he notices that Harry is looking at him.
"Nice seeing you!" He yells to Harry and disappears. Just like that.
The others are baffled, but Harry has no time to think about this now. He gulps and takes her left hand in his. The bond comes to life, but there's something off, an-
Hermione opens her eyes, squeezing his hand.
"Harry!" She sounds weak. But alive.
"I'll heal you, love, be still."
She cries. "I killed you. Our children-"
"Shh." He gulps, not understanding her words, afraid that she might be hallucinating.
Hermione keeps repeating the same thing in an incoherent mumble. And he's so freaking scared. Afraid that he might not be able to heal her, afraid that-
He concentrates on the knife and the wound, but he's shaking, nervous. Her blood all over him now.
"Love." He calls her. The others are watching, their expressions are of sheer fear. "Hermione." She's crying, lost in thoughts of her own. Harry moves her head to him, seeking her eyes. "Hey, love. I'm here. Hermione!" He says her name a bit more harshly and she blinks, finally hearing, her eyes setting on his, some clarity coming back to her.
"Harry?" She sounds so frail.
He inhales deeply, touching her forehead with his. "I need to heal you and you have to help me, I can't do it alone, love." And he squeezes her left hand in his to make a point.
She whines. "I-" But her magic finds his, helping, and Harry doesn't lose a second.
He stitches her up bit by bit, concentrating on taking the knife out while he stops the bleeding at the same time. His mind is a chant of: fuck, fuck, fuck. It's a deep and deadly cut. And he can't help thinking how close to death she was. Another minute to find her and she would be gone.
For the first time since they discovered this amazing bond, sharing it drains him. But he doesn't stop, he keeps healing her with all he has. Harry bites hard on his lower lip, a headache obliterating his mind when the knife finally starts to move from inside her.
The others are close, alert to any sounds or movements in the maze, their shield protecting Harry and Hermione on the ground.
He's sweating, gritting his teeth so strongly that his jaw is hurting-
Finally the knife comes out of her and he stops, breathing hard. Hermione is unconscious in his arms.
"Harry." Draco puts a hand on his shoulder, calling him. "Someone is coming. You need to hide."
He barely understands what's happening, but in a blur Ron takes the knife and magically seals it away as evidence, then Ginny is pulling his hood up and Hermione is being taken from his arms. He whines but doesn't move. Harry stays there on the ground, concealed by the Cloak.
"Hermione!" Someone is yelling from outside and he belatedly realizes it's Tom Riddle, calling his daughter… nervous.
More screams fill the night. Bellatrix, Sirius, Remus, Eleonora-
Ron takes Hermione in his arms, carrying her. Her dress is ruined by the blood and she looks like a rag doll, but Harry knows she's alive, he knows she's breathing, he knows she'll recover. He closes his eyes, breathing evenly and trying to send away the headache that-
"What happened!?"
Harry turns his head at the voice. It's Pettigrew. And he's taking Hermione from Ron's arms, an odd expression on his face. They're all there and Riddle is looking at the pool of blood on the ground. But none dares moving closer. Draco, Gin and Ron, along with John are fabricating an elaborated lie about seeing her entering the maze alone and then just arriving here, Hermione unconscious and bloodied.
He's barely paying attention to the questions Riddle is making. But… the man seems truly shaken. This was not a trap or something he planned, Harry can see it clearly.
The same thing with Asmodeus, as much as he hates to admit it. He is pale, holding Hermione with something close to tenderness. Which infuriates Harry. It flares the jealousy inside him to a new degree and in an absurd moment he imagines himself rising and revealing his presence, taking her in his arms, defying Riddle, telling the whole truth-
They don't mention Ludwig.
"Let's take her inside." Bellatrix says, her eyes on the pool of blood.
In a beat they decide is the best thing to do and Harry stays there while Hermione is taken by Asmodeus.
It fucking hurts.
To hide in the shadows while she needs him. He fists a hand.
And he has no idea how long he stays there, but whatever was inside the maze is gone. The evil presence, the strange air. It's just a regular maze now.
He closes his eyes.
And when he opens them, it's already breaking dawn.
Harry gulps, startled, his heart beating extremely fast. He raises from the ground and begins to walk through the labyrinth.
He was so completely exhausted that he slept the whole night. He didn't hear a sound or noticed a thing and it baffles him how healing her knocked him out.
Even if he feels better now, there's a soreness all over his body and it's like he's been beaten up roughly. It hurts to walk. And he doubts he has significant energy left to perform spells.
He's also thirsty. So fucking thirsty.
Hermione fills his mind while he goes. He's worried. He needs to know how she is. What happened to her. If she already woke-
He reaches the entrance and exits the maze with a heavy sigh. Now he just needs to walk to the gates to be able to apparate away.
And it's a fucking long walk. Excruciating. He's very, very weak.
When he finally stands before the gates, Harry groans. They're closed. He needs to jump and just to think about it- But with determination, he goes, hoisting himself up and doing the most strength he ever did his entire life.
He falls on the other side with a thud.
"Fuck." He mumbles, afraid he might have broken a bone.
Harry never felt like this… but before he can dwell on the thought, he apparates to their house by the lake.
House by the Lake
She perks up when she hears a thud coming from the living room. The others heard nothing and they keep talking, but she rises from the chair, her heart beating like crazy. Crookshanks follows her.
Please. Please.
And indeed, when she enters the living room, she sees Harry's head on the floor, the rest of his body concealed by the Cloak.
She chokes, crying and running to him.
"Harry. Love, oh, fuck." She's so relieved, and yet so scared. But that doesn't stop her from cradling him. He looks at her with an expression of pain. "He's here!" She yells to the others, her hand on his face. He's burning up.
"Love." He says, his voice cracking. "Are you well?" He asks.
"Bring him water!" Hermione yells.
Ron, Luna, Draco, Chiara and Gin enter the living room, all their faces crumble into relief when they see Harry.
But Hermione's heart is aching. When Gin gives her a glass of water, she helps Harry drink it. He tries downing everything but she stops him.
"Easy, love."
There's a pain inside her chest. He's this way because he saved her and-
"Are you okay?" He asks again, his eyes focusing on her.
"I'm fine." She says in a low voice and he sighs, closing his eyes.
She wants to cry. But she looks up at the others. They're all shocked. Still holding Harry in her arms, she urges them to help her move him into the bedroom.
Harry is now unconscious, unaware of what's happening. The others are talking, excited and relieved, but Hermione doesn't talk, she can't, her throat is closed by how much she's trying not to cry and scream at the same time.
But she acts fast, taking the Cloak from around his shoulders and accommodating him on the bed. Then she sits by his side, the voices around her dying down. Hermione takes his left hand in hers and flinches. Their bond feels wrong. Even so, she pushes through, healing him. His magic is practically gone and she lends him whatever she can, trying to soothe his pain.
After a while the bond heals itself, going back to normal and she finally breathes relieved. For the first time she notices that he has blood all over him. Dry. Hers. And he's filthy with earth on his clothes. From the maze.
Without dwelling on it and with a flick of her wand, Hermione cleans him.
He's sleeping now, but his face looks better already, he looks more alive. She blinks many times, realizing that at least an hour went by. The others are not inside the room anymore and she clutches her necklace, feeling an overwhelming joy that he's back. Safe.
Her mind finally goes back to normal and she dreads what he'll tell them when he wakes up.
When he opens his eyes next, it's fairly dark. But he's in a bed, inside a room-
He turns his head to the side, Hermione is there, looking at him. And she smiles when their eyes meet.
"Hey, handsome." She says in a faint voice, emotional. "How are you feeling?"
The sight of her calms his heart and in a blur he remembers he apparated inside. Harry gulps.
"I- I'm actually fine." He says, opening a tiny smile. She healed him. Of course. Then he sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard, his hand on hers. Hermione looks… tense. "What's wrong?"
She looks down and wets her lips and he knows he won't like her words.
"Harry, where were you?"
He frowns. "What do you mean?" He tilts his head. "I fell asleep at the maze. Healing you took everything from me…" He trails. Her face- "What? Love, what?"
Hermione inhales deeply. Then she pulls her hand from his, covering her face with both.
"Harry, you disappeared. You've been gone for three days."
His brain stops at that. Then he chuckles. "No, of course not. I just closed my eyes for a second-"
"We searched that fucking maze from top to bottom." Her voice is grave now, serious. "We called you, we tried spells, everything. You weren't there." There's a hint of pain in her voice.
Harry presses his lips together. This can't be real.
"Hermione, I woke up there. On the exact same spot I was when they took you. I didn't move an inch."
She shakes her head. "Fucking shit." She whispers. "It's worst than we thought, then." She rises from the bed, walking from one side to the other.
Harry can't believe what she just told him. Three days?
But he knows Hermione wouldn't lie or play with him. Not like this and not when he can see the despair on her face.
"How?" He whispers. "Fuck." Then he also rises from the bed, going to her, embracing her. She melts in his arms. He can't even fathom how crazy he would be if she disappeared for three days. "Oh, love, shit." He kisses her cheek. Hermione is sobbing and she holds on to him tightly, as if her life depended on it.
"I was so scared." She whines. "I imagined the worst things-"
He cups her face, looking into her eyes. "I'm here." He touches her forehead with his. "I love you."
She sobs, kissing him. It's a gentle kiss, reassuring.
"I love you. Fuck."
He sighs, his arms still around her. "So, I lost three days." He states, his mind trying to wrap around this. "I guess you need to fill me in."
She nods, a tiny smile on her face while she observes him. "Let's go downstairs." They share another kiss and Harry lets her guide him, their hands clasped together.
He inevitably opens a smile when he sees Chiara, Ron, Gin, Draco and Luna talking excitedly, laughing about something. But they all stop when they see him, their eyes wide.
Harry squints. "I'm not a ghost or anything like that, okay?" He says, trying to joke.
But Chiara comes to him with a crying face, hugging him. Hermione let go of his hand and Harry misses her immediately, but he hugs Chiara back, the same with the others.
And when they finally settle at the table, Hermione by his side, their hands together, a plate of delicious pasta in front of him, Harry says:
"So, I wanna know what happened. Everything."
Hermione rests her chin on her other fisted hand, not saying a word…
"Well," Ron clears his throat. "We took Hermione inside and thought that you would leave the maze as soon as you got the chance."
"I was too weak." He says in a low voice, her hand squeezing his. "I never felt so drained in my entire life, I have no idea what happened." He looks at her.
Hermione gulps. "We… the knife- it had some powder on it. The healing was almost impossible-" She stops, Harry widens his eyes.
"Ludwig was there." Harry says and Hermione opens her mouth, confused. Of course, it's the first time she's hearing this. The others didn't know that man was Ludwig.
"He was the man inside the maze?" Draco asks, making a face. Gin and Chiara look shocked. Luna is observing the conversation, eating in silence.
"Fuck. How?" Hermione asks, more to herself than to anyone else. "How he got inside? Why?"
No one answers. "What happened to you?" Harry asks her. "The knife and all that? Why you entered the maze?" He can see how the others move a bit uncomfortably at his question, but he doesn't care.
"I-" She clears her throat. "I'm not sure, a voice called me. I was lured inside and fell into some kind of trance. That's the only explanation I can find. Then, I-" She closes her eyes. "An illusion invaded my mind. I saw us in the future and I killed you, Harry. With that knife." He makes a face. "Then my father appeared and… he shoved the knife inside me."
Harry lets out a sound, angry. "But he seemed genuinely worried." He hates to admit this, but he saw it.
Hermione moves on her seat, her hand leaving his. "He… stayed with me inside my room at the Manor. Making sure that I would heal properly." Her voice sounds strange. "I have no idea why he took care of me."
Harry stays in silence for a while, eating. He hates Tom Riddle so much. "So, a powder. Ludwig. Moritz is trying to kill you, Hermione. Maybe he's been trying for a while."
She inhales deeply, the others are silent.
"I don't know." She states, finally. "Something feels… off. In all of this."
"We probably didn't find you because of the powder too." Ron says to Harry. "We think that when you healed Hermione you absorbed it in a way and… I don't know." He sounds frustrated and Luna puts one hand on his arm, soothing him.
"Something close to that must have happened." Chiara says, "Cazzo. They spent the whole day searching for you inside the maze and you were right there, that's not possible."
Harry finishes eating his pasta and sighs, pushing the plate away and taking back Hermione's hand in his. "I want a beer." He states.
They take a second and then-
They laugh. More of relief than anything else. Relief that he's there. Safe.
Hermione shakes her head and moves to give him a peck, summoning a bottle to her hand.
He widens his eyes. It's Muggle beer.
"I bought it for you." She says in a low voice. Tender. And it crosses his mind again what she must have felt these past days. It tears him apart. He knows she probably acted strong in front of the others but cried herself to sleep every night. His love for her grows a size.
"I knew I had good reasons to save you." He jokes again and she laughs. He loves the sound. It eases his heart a bit. "So," He takes a sip and turns to the others, "After you left I closed my eyes for a second and then when I opened them it was already dawn… I thought I had only slept through the night." He takes another sip. "Fuck, I lost three days." He says in a low voice, the notion sinking in.
Suddenly an anxiousness takes over him. Many possibilities and-
Hermione interrupts his thoughts, "We've talked a lot these past days." She's referring to all of them. "My mother, Sirius and the others are keeping an eye on Dolohov. I told them about the woman you mentioned, but none noticed her that night and hadn't seen her with him anywhere. We have no idea who she was. For now there's nothing major concerning Dolohov. They're still trying to find a good opportunity to safely interrogate him." Harry nods. "When it comes to Moritz, nothing changed. We're still looking for the rings' users to learn more about the house here in London and discover if there are others."
"Yeah, I think we really should-"
"However," Hermione cuts him, she looks anxious, "Finding the samples is the priority now, love." Her voice carries sadness. "I've told them about how I had to move the wedding to July, which gives us less time." Harry nods. Indeed. This fucking wedding. The way Pettigrew held her inside that maze- "I had a talk with my mother," Hermione continues, "she thinks we should search inside Malfoy Manor." Her eyes go to Draco.
The man raises an eyebrow. "We were just discussing this before you arrived." Draco says, "Since our searches for you were leading to nothing, we decided to occupy our minds with another kind of mission inside my own family manor." He opens a small smile. "I think it'll be fun, to be honest."
Harry cocks his head. "You think the samples are hidden inside Malfoy Manor? Why?"
"Well, auntie Bella brought it up and if we think about it, Peter is indeed very close to my mother." Draco makes a face. "Maybe more than I would like to admit and Asmo had a nice relationship with Lucius, maybe a better one than I did with my own father. The Manor is huge and it's a good place to hide something you want forgotten. I think we should give it a try."
"Let's do it." He says firmly. "When?"
"Well," Gin starts, "We were heading there tonight, but since you're back, I'm sure you need at least one day to rest."
Harry downs the rest of his beer and squeezes Hermione's hand.
"Indeed." He says to the others. "And even if I adore you guys, I really want to be alone with my love, so, off you go." And he rises from the chair, moving his hands while the others laugh at the way he's sending them away.
Chiara gives him another hug before leaving and Harry chuckles while they say their goodbyes. Hermione stays on her chair, sending kisses from afar. And when they're alone, he turns to her.
She has a glint in her eyes, love and affection there. He loves the way she looks at him. With such admiration and respect. There's no doubt in his mind that he looks at her the same way.
He extends his hand and Hermione takes it. They go back to their room in silence, Crookshanks following, very close to Harry.
"I guess he missed me too." He says when they enter the room.
Hermione presses her lips together. And he moves to kiss her, not gently. He wants to devour her. And she corresponds the same way, eager. He's not sure he's well enough to perform a spell, so, he moves to take off her cotton shorts, sliding it down her legs and kissing her thigh. She tugs on his hair and he groans.
In a second he takes off her panties too, kneeling, and Hermione audibly sighs when he kisses her sex, his tongue tasting her. Harry knows what drives her crazy but he wants to take his time, so with another gentle kiss, he goes back to her thigh, squeezing her ass, nuzzling her. His hands move to her t-shirt and he pulls it off, rising from the floor.
They kiss again, slowly now, their tongues meeting without rush, their lips touching softly. And he guides her to the bed, lying her down, squeezing her waist, biting on her stomach and opening her legs, going back to licking her.
She's breathing heavily, in silence, as if having a hard time understanding that this is real, that he's back. He raises his eyes to hers. He can see many emotions swimming there.
"I'm here, love." He says gravely, sucking on her folds after, kissing her, licking. Her hands find his hair again and she caresses him.
And he gets lost in what he's doing, finding the perfect pattern, making her squirm under him. But her silence is irksome and his hands find her nipples, pinching them while he sucks harder on her clit.
She finally lets out a soft moan, a sound of abandon. Of pleasure. Her hips move to encounter his mouth, eagerly.
He knows pretty well that she's close, so he eases a finger inside her and-
Hermione says his name in a plea, reaching her orgasm, hard. He keeps licking her, taking pleasure in how she melts in his arms, completely taken.
He moves to kiss her thigh. Her eyes are closed and there are tears running down her face. He keeps kissing her, reaching her womb at the exact place he knows the knife was buried inside her.
"Let me see the scar." He says in a low voice, gulping. Hermione opens her eyes, looking back at him.
For a second he thinks she'll deny his request, but she flicks her wrist and the scar appears along with her tattoo.
He lowers his head, sad. It's a huge scar. Red.
"I should have stitched it better-"
"Stop." She tugs on his hair, bringing his face to hers.
Harry hugs her tightly and her legs go around his waist while her arms bring him even closer. He has no idea for how long they stay that way. Hermione doesn't mind his weight on her and he kisses her shoulder and neck. After a while she starts to cry, holding tighter to him.
The only thing he's capable of doing is turning on the bed to change their positions.
He lets her cry.
"I was so afraid I'd lost you." She whispers between sobs and he kisses her cheek.
There's another long silence. But it's not uncomfortable. It's necessary. Restorative.
And she stops crying, inhaling deeply, kissing his neck.
He moves his head, one of his hands going into her hair, his thumb caressing her cheek. They share a few kisses. And he smiles at her. She smiles back.
They're home.
"I-" He begins, unsure, "I remember you talking about our children…" He trails. Or he heard it wrong or she purposefully hid this information from the others-
"Yes, I-" She closes and opens her eyes. "We had three children at the illusion and I was pregnant. I killed them." She whispers the last words. Harry feels cold inside, a chill running down his spine.
"These powders." He says slowly. "They're too powerful. I thought I wouldn't be able to heal you and-"
"You weren't supposed to be." She states. "I should be dead, Harry."
He sets his jaw. "Not on my watch, beautiful."
She chuckles softly. And the atmosphere changes inside the room. They're more relaxed now. Both accepting what happened and focusing on the present.
"Do you think you really were there for three days?" She asks.
He sighs. "That's my fear. What if someone took me? Drugged me? I don't know."
"Fuck. But why?"
"I have no idea. And we don't even know if that was the case. Maybe the powder really put me in some kind of trance-"
"But why couldn't we find you, then? If you were right there?"
He has no answer to that. "Maybe we'll never know." He whispers.
She grunts and moves from his arms, sitting on the bed, one of her hands on his chest.
"Ludwig is behind this."
Harry makes a face. "He found out who we are, then. I don't think he knew our identities when we were at the German house, though."
Hermione looks down, the wrinkle between her eyebrows. But she says nothing. Harry takes her hand. And it crosses his mind that-
He sits on the bed with her, his hand going into his pocket. He takes the bag she gave him on the night of the celebration. Harry exhales heavily.
"If I'd been taken, I wouldn't have this with me." She blinks, her expression changing. She thinks the same. Harry opens the bag and takes out the incriminating papers on Riddle, handing them to her. "I found these. I'm sure that I would have found more given more time." She nods, her eyes scanning the papers.
"More blackmail. I know all these families." She shakes her head, incredulous, but her expression freezes when Harry shows her the toy phoenix.
"This was under a pile of quills. Hidden."
Hermione gulps, her hand shaking when she takes the toy.
"This…" She whispers, wetting her lips. "What does it mean, Harry?"
He takes a deep breath. "I don't know. But that's why you found my toy familiar. I'm sure this one was yours."
She bites hard on her lower lip. "This is not a coincidence. It can't be."
"Why you got your phoenix tattoo?"
She squeezes the toy in her hand. "Because I- the phoenix can go through so much, Harry. It can be reborn from its own ashes. And I've felt that way for a long time." She shrugs. "Like I've been reborn. Over and over again." He gulps. He feels exactly the same. "I also find them fascinating. Familiar. They… call to me."
Her eyes set on his.
"I did mine for the same reasons." He whispers.
These toys mean something. They know. But it's hard to understand what. Or to see a connection.
"Do you think it's a soulmate thing?" She asks.
"Maybe." He runs a hand through his hair.
Hermione nods, her eyes on the toy. He waits.
"It… means more, Harry." She whispers. "If my father was hiding this, then-" She stops, closing her eyes, shaking her head.
He chews the insides of his cheeks and moves closer to her.
"Whatever it is, we'll find out." He says softly. "But now, to be honest, I want to take a shower. Join me?" She snorts. "What? You know I can't wash my back properly when I'm alone."
She kisses him hard. "I love you. I love you. I love you. Three times for the three days we were apart."
He smiles. Then he takes her hand and guides her to the bathroom, saying the 'I Love You's back to her.
May 23rd, 2006
House by the Lake
Hermione is making them some scrambled eggs when they hear the sounds of several apparitions coming from the living room. She opens a tiny smile, already knowing who's there.
And indeed, Ron's voice fills the place.
"We're here! Put your clothes on!"
She and Harry share a laugh. They had an amazing night and she feels like herself again. It was hard going through the days without knowing where he was or having any idea what might have happened to him. Deep down she knew he was alive, the bond still burned bright...
But now she feels ready. Good.
Ron and the others enter the kitchen. They all have smiles on their faces and they greet Harry enthusiastically.
They'll head to Malfoy Manor later. The plan is pretty simple. Draco is visiting his mother with them, Harry and Chiara will be there because they're fellow Aurors and he wants to discuss a few things about the investigation. They don't have to sneak in, but Hermione truly hopes Narcissa won't say a word to her father or Peter… which she doubts.
But if they find the samples it'll be worth it-
Chiara interrupts her thoughts.
"Hey." The blond woman says, smiling, close to her. "I… there's a thing I wanna ask you."
Hermione frowns. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes." She says fast. "Don't worry, it's just…" She trails, looking at the others, "Can we talk outside?"
Finishing the eggs, she excuses herself with Chiara. Harry follows them with his eyes.
"Okay, spill it out." Hermione says when they're alone, facing the lake.
Chiara moves a bit uncomfortably and Hermione wonders why-
"I- so, Harry told you I'm dating his cousin." She states and Hermione smiles.
"He did. I'm very happy for you."
Chiara opens a dashing smile. "Thanks. I love the guy." Hermione widens her eyes, she was not expecting such a declaration. "And since we're here all the time now…" Indeed. Since the night of the celebration when she told them about this house, they've been there with her, plotting, talking about their next steps and taking turns to spend the night with her so she wouldn't be alone while Harry was missing. Hermione didn't say it openly to them but she felt… extremely loved. "I was wondering if it would be a problem for you if I brought Oliver over."
Hermione opens and closes her mouth. "Chi, this house is also Harry's. Oliver is his cousin. Of course he can come here, I just-" She stops, pressing her lips together. Chiara waits, she looks anxious. "I don't know if he wants to be near me. I mean, with everything that happened with Harry-"
She stops because Chiara hugs her. Tightly. "Don't worry about this." She says, pulling back to look into her eyes. "I mean, Oliver is very cool with everything, he understood what happened… I told him, sorry." Hermione makes a face. "I think you need to worry about Petunia."
Hermione gulps. "Yeah? Why?"
"She's very protective over Harry. And it's been a while since he last visited. She complained about this to me earlier. Maybe she thinks you're not a good influence on her perfect nephew." They share a laugh. "And well, she's an Evans. You're a Riddle."
Chiara doesn't have to say another word.
Hermione lowers her head. "A while since he visited where?" She asks, curious. Harry didn't tell her exactly where his aunt is and-
"At the Palace." Chiara makes a face. "Harry didn't tell you? They have a whole freaking amazing school there for Muggleborns and Half-Bloods."
She blinks, baffled. "What?"
"Yeah, and Magical Creatures and all that. Harry was even teaching-" Chiara stops, noticing how shocked Hermione is.
And just then Harry comes from the back door.
"Hey, you two, what are you-"
"How could you not tell me this?!" Hermione interrupts him and Harry freezes on the spot, his eyes going to Chiara and then back at Hermione. "Chi, can you give us a minute?" Her voice is clipped and Chiara practically runs from there, entering the house.
Harry clears his throat, coming closer to her. "Okay… what are you talking about?"
"The Palace. Does it ring a bell?"
He tilts his head. "Yeah, where my aunt lives." He's not understanding her anger. "I want to take you there to meet everyone, but things have been so crazy-"
"Why didn't you tell me it's a freaking school? For Muggleborns and Half-Bloods? Harry!" She's exasperated.
"Hermione, you would see it eventually and I don't know-"
"But come on!" She says a bit louder. "You can't want me to be the one who takes charge when my father falls while a school with a leader that is already doing this for so long exists! Muggleborns and Half-Bloods will never get behind my word! It's your aunt who should be giving interviews and-"
"Hey, hey!" He steps closer to her, his hands on her arms. Hermione inhales deeply, letting the air out through her mouth. "Calm down. Fuck." She grits her teeth, hating his tone. "This is an amazing idea and I'm sure my aunt will want to-"
"I bet she doesn't even want to meet me, Harry. Let alone plan anything with me." She takes a step from him, very shaken. "I- this- I would never try to take her place. It seems like she's done so much and-"
"You're not taking anyone's place. Hermione. Come on."
"She may not think this way." She whispers. But she finally calms down. They look at each other for a while… "I forgot to tell you. I gave the interview that night."
He opens a smile. "I know." And he raises a newspaper in his hand. "Ron brought it." She widens her eyes. "Let's head inside to read." She doesn't move. "Love." She's presses her lips together, waiting… "I'm sorry, I should have told you."
She raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, you should have."
Harry nods, apologetic. She still resists a bit, but…
It's impossible to stay angry with him for too long, so, she hugs his side and they walk back to the house, her stomach doing somersaults just to imagine what's written on the paper.
When they enter the kitchen the others stop talking. Hermione snorts a chuckle.
"Discreet, guys." She says.
"Are mum and dad done fighting?" Draco asks, looking at them with a mischievous smile on his face. The others are all smirking.
Harry laughs. "Yeah, yeah." He says, sitting down and pulling Hermione to his lap. She makes a face but stays there, eating her eggs-
Someone knocks on the front door.
They stop moving.
"It's Oliver." Chiara says, a bit ashamed. "I can tell him to go-"
"Of course not." Harry says. "Let him in." Hermione can't see his face but she can tell that he's smiling, happy that his cousin is there.
But… she's cold inside. Afraid. And pretty damn sure she's the only one there that never met Oliver.
She tries moving from Harry's lap but he holds her, his arm strong around her waist.
And when the man enters the kitchen, holding Chiara's hand, she feels even worse. He smiles to everyone, greeting them warmly. Harry finally moves to stand and she does too, taking one step away while she watches him greeting his cousin. They embrace.
"Mate! It's been a while." Oliver says. "You look good. Mum misses you. The kids miss you!"
"I know. I'll visit soon, but things are crazy right now." And Harry extends his hand to her. Hermione takes it, a bit nervous. "Mate, let me introduce you to my soulmate, Hermione."
She smiles, extending her hand to Oliver. "It's a pleasure, Oliver." She says.
Oliver smiles and takes her hand, shaking it nicely. "It's a pleasure, Hermione. And let me say that I've heard a lot about you. Like, a lot."
She relaxes a bit, his tone is friendly and he keeps smiling.
"Is that so?" She asks naturally, glancing at Harry. "Good things, I hope." She can't help saying.
"Well…" Oliver begins, raising an eyebrow. "Good and bad." She presses her lips together, feeling like the worst person- "I'm kidding!" Oliver says fast, chuckling. Chiara is laughing, but Hermione is still a bit tense, Harry too. "But thank you so much for having me in your house."
"Of course." She tries to loosen up a bit. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
He nods and Chiara starts talking to him. Oliver gives her his attention and with just a look Hermione can see how much in love they are. She clears her throat, sitting down to finish her eggs. Ron and the others are all looking at her. She shrugs. Harry takes her hand, sitting by her side and conjuring another chair for Oliver.
The conversation flows naturally, after all, they're all used to each other. Hermione is the only one who never took part in such a circle of friends. She looks down, a bit sad, some resentment filling her…
It hurts to imagine everything she missed. All the gatherings she wasn't part of. Or-
Harry kisses her cheek. She was so distracted she didn't notice him leaning to her. He knows what she's thinking and he kisses her hand, smiling. And it surprises her when Oliver says:
"Hermione, they've told me you were the best fucking witch at everything in Hogwarts." She opens her mouth, inevitably chuckling. "You should teach something at the Palace. I mean, we have good teachers, but I'm sure you would totally blow their minds." She can see the sincerity in his words.
And that's enough for her to completely let go of any kind of doubt. Hermione begins to talk about her favorite subjects, surprised to learn that Oliver loves to study just as much as her. In no time they're talking like old friends and she can't help laughing and teasing the others when exposing some of their worst grades at Hogwarts.
They all laugh until they begin to cry when Hermione recounts an episode with Ron's broken wand. He tried a spell and it backfired, exploding on his face and driving McGonagall completely crazy.
Oliver laughs and participates naturally, but… it dawns on her that he should have been at Hogwarts too. He should have seen the Castle and played Quidditch. That makes her shut down a bit, the reality of being the daughter of the man who denied this to Harry's cousin eating her from inside out.
And Harry's aunt, as a mother - as Lily's sister - will surely resent Hermione for this. Even if she doesn't carry any kind of guilt…
"Oh!" Ron exclaims. "The newspaper! Let's read it!"
"Of course!" Harry says, taking the paper and clearing his throat. Hermione freezes. He glances at her. "Can I?"
She nods stiffly.
And Harry begins:
"A few nights ago, on the 18th, Minister of Magic, Tom Riddle, received guests at his splendorous Manor. The occasion: to celebrate his wife's life and total recovery. Bellatrix Riddle suffered an attack inside their own Manor on the 29th of last month, which left her comatose for three days. The celebration - as always when it comes to the Riddles - was filled with delicious food and elaborated drinks, not to mention the good music and ambiance. However, as always perceived but never stated, the Riddle Heir, Hermione, was the one who stole the spotlight." Harry clears his throat. Everyone is listening in total silence. She's trembling a bit. "For the first time, Hermione Riddle gave an interview addressing the heartfelt speech her father gave. In an interesting turn of events, the Head Auror strongly disagreed with Minister Riddle's theory that Muggleborns or Half-Bloods were responsible for the attack." Hermione presses both hands on her stomach, she might vomit. She never went against her father like this. "Miss Riddle stated that her father's conclusions are too premature. The investigation is still taking place and there's no way of pointing fingers like the Minister did. In her professional opinion, the attack was something personal and probably orchestrated by someone who has access to the Manor. In her own words: It could have been anyone. Even if brief, her words will surely echo inside the household and the Ministry. Could it be a family feud? Regardless, Miss Riddle looked absolutely stunning-"
Harry stops reading out loud, squinting. Hermione sees his face contort into clear jealousy and she takes the paper from his hands, her eyes scanning the rest of the article. There's nothing more about her words, but-
"This is the fucking Prophet." She says in disbelief, for the first time looking at the cover. "Oh, fucking shit." She closes her eyes.
"Dio Mio." Chiara says, "She's turning green."
And indeed, Hermione is nauseous. But Harry takes her left hand in his and she instantly feels the bond, healing a bit. She takes a deep breath.
Ron whistles. "Well, shit. That's going to blow up."
The others agree. Hermione is barely listening. "When this came out?" She asks.
"Just now." Gin answers. "It took them more than usual to release it."
She grits her teeth. Then she squeezes Harry's hand and lifts her head to look at them.
"No one interferes." She says coldly. "Is that clear? I don't care what my father might do, I want you all out of this."
Harry snorts. "You can't-"
"I can." She says firmly, releasing his hand and rising from the chair. "Promise me. Please." She begs. But they don't say a word, all avoid her eyes. Oliver is the only one looking at her… with admiration. "Guys, I- I can't stand the thought of him hurting any of you, so-"
"And we have to sit idly while he hurts you?" Ron asks sharply, his blue eyes showing some deep anger. "Enough of this. We should be able to defend you, Hermione."
"I don't need-"
"We know." Ginny cuts her. "We want to, though."
She's about to protest again, but Draco cuts her.
"I think we should go." He looks at his watch. "I mean, I think it's better if we have the whole day to search the Manor."
Hermione gulps, her eyes going to Harry. He has a cold expression on his face and she knows murderous thoughts about Tom Riddle are navigating his mind.
And they all rise from the table, agreeing with Draco. It dawns on her that there's nothing she can do, she can't force them to stay out of this. They're also part of this whole scheme. And they want to protect her.
She bites her lower lip, observing while they all magically get rid of the dishes. Oliver and Chiara are talking in hushed tones and her mind keeps going back to the article.
It's Harry's hand on her waist that brings her back to the moment.
"Let's find these fucking samples." He whispers into her ear, kissing her gently after.
"Yeah, let's do it."