Note: Hello, hi!
So, as always, I wanna thank you all for reading. The comments really warm my heart. I appreciate a lot when you take a moment to let me know how much you like this. It makes a huge difference. Sometimes people are more eager to comment when they don't like what I'm writing or the path I'm taking, so, it's amazing to know that some of you are always leaving nice words and theories. I love the theories.
Thank you again!
I hope you enjoy this one!
(Your lullaby (Acoustic) - Gioli & Assia)
May 23rd, 2006
Malfoy Manor
As he imagined, the Malfoys are insanely rich, but not to a point that can compete with the Riddles, so, Draco's former home could be called a cabin compared. Harry internally laughs at the thought, wondering how much effort these Purebloods put into being the best and most insufferable family.
And just as Riddle Manor, this one also has a long way from the front gate to the actual mansion. They're all silent as they go. Harry can feel the tension. Even if Narcissa is the only one at home at the moment, this is not a casual visit.
He glances at Hermione. She's walking at the front with Draco and Ginny, after all, Narcissa is… her aunt. He cocks his head. For the first time it crosses his mind that she and Draco are cousins. His brain glitches at this thought. They're blood related, but… where the fuck is the resemblance? He can see traces of Petunia and his mother on Oliver, traces that run in the family and probably come from their grandparents, but-
Ron pokes him with an elbow and Harry turns his head, his eyes going to the place where the man is pointing. There's a huge 'M' sculpted from a tree at the front lawn. The leaves are golden. It's so tacky. They share a chuckle and Draco turns his head around to scowl at them.
"Ron," Draco says, "If you love our 'M' so much you can take it to your house and turn it upside down. It's the perfect 'W'."
They all burst into a laugh. Harry shakes his head.
In no time they reach the front door. The mansion is all black with traces of gold in various details.
Draco doesn't knock and with Ginny by his side, they enter the house, Hermione right behind them. Ron, Harry and Chiara share a look, a bit uncertain, but follow nonetheless.
If Harry were to use one word to describe the inside of Malfoy Manor, he would call it… sterile.
It looks like a Hospital from hell. Instead of white walls, black walls. Instead of white floor, black floor. It's cold and impersonal. Strange.
And before he can even take three steps, a house-elf appears. He looks cranky. And old. Just like Kreacher.
"Master Draco." The elf says.
"Kroch. Where's my mother?"
But the elf doesn't answer, his eyes are on Harry. Squinting, he lets out a sound of disgust.
"Half-Blood." The elf states, almost spitting.
Harry freezes. Hermione visibly tenses.
"Enough with your delusions, Kroch." Draco says in an imperious tone. "Where's my mother?"
Hissing, the elf points to a corridor and without another word, he disappears. Harry blinks a few times, having no idea what just happened. Hermione glances at him and he can see the worry in her eyes. Maybe he shouldn't be here.
But he straightens himself and follows Draco while they walk calmly through a corridor. There are endless unmoving paintings all over the walls. Ancestors. Every one of them, blond.
Chiara slows down to synchronize her steps with his. She raises an eyebrow at him, a clear question if he's fine. He rolls his eyes. Of course he's fine. It's not going to be an old house-elf that's going to ruin everything for him. If he's honest, he's a bit worried with-
Narcissa.
The woman is sitting at an ample living room, the fucking Prophet in her hands, a scowl on her face. They all instantly know what she's reading.
And when they stop close to her, she finally raises her eyes.
"Draco." Her tone is monotonous. "Hermione." It's odd to Harry that she acknowledges Hermione before Ginny. "I was just reading something incredibly interesting." And she shows the newspaper to them, not minding one bit to greet the others. In fact, it feels like she's not even seeing them. "What do you intend with this? A coup?"
Harry inhales deeply. Riddle will think the exact same thing.
Hermione snorts a chuckle. "Of course not." She says, calm, crossing her arms. "I was questioned and gave a sincere answer, aunt Narcissa. Father went over the top."
Narcissa squints. "What does your mother think about this?"
"How can I possibly know?" Hermione shrugs. "She knows I'll do my best to find the culprit, whoever they are."
Shaking her head, Narcissa stands from the chair, her eyes finally setting on the others. And they stop at Harry. He doesn't react.
"Draco." It's an angry tone. "What is your father's murderer doing inside our house?" She's shooting daggers at Harry.
Draco merely turns his head to glance at Harry and shrugs. "The Minister found him innocent, mother. And I don't think that's the best way of greeting a guest. Especially a fellow Auror that works with me."
Harry gulps. And in an impulse he takes a few steps forward, closer to Narcissa.
"Mrs Malfoy." He says gently. "I'm very sorry about your husband." He never got the chance of saying these words and even if it might be a bit hypocritical, in a way he's sorry. Taking a life is not… something he's proud of. And if Lucius hadn't tried to kill him first, he wouldn't be dead now, right?
Her nostrils flare at his words. And she turns away from him, her eyes back at Draco.
"What are you doing here?" It sure looks like she wants them gone as soon as possible. "I'm expecting a guest and I don't wanna be disturbed, Draco." She motions a hand in front of her. "I can see this is not casual. Not with these many Aurors in the same place."
"A guest?" Draco asks, curious. "Who?" But his mother doesn't answer, she keeps waiting for an explanation. He clears his throat. Harry is curious to know the excuse Draco will use for all of them to be there. "We were working at the Ministry and I remembered some old things I have here that might help the investigation. Ginny wanted to tag along and suddenly," He raises his arms, "we're all here."
Narcissa sighs, clearly not believing this lame excuse. Harry has no idea why they didn't plan this better, but it crosses his mind that they were coming without him, and his presence is probably the only thing out of place. He's the only one Narcissa doesn't accept there.
"Do whatever you want, son. Just don't interrupt my meeting, okay?" She indicates a corridor. "I'll be here in this living room, make yourself comfortable. Call Kroch if you need anything."
"Sure." Draco says and gives his mother a kiss on the cheek. "You look good." She opens a small smile to her son.
But without even another glance, she goes back to the armchair she was sitting and resumes her reading, ignoring their presence just like that.
Harry raises an eyebrow and takes a few steps to follow Draco out, but stops when Narcissa says:
"I do hope you know the dangerous waters you're stepping into, Hermione."
Hermione turns around to look at her aunt.
"I grew up swimming in them, aunt."
Narcissa opens a tiny, discreet smile, then she nods and doesn't look back at them. Harry still glances at her one last time before crossing the threshold.
There's still a tiny smile on her face.
"I don't think that's the best idea." Hermione says, her eyes on Draco.
They're inside his old bedroom and he's explaining all the secret passages inside the mansion, suggesting they should split.
"Why not? Do you think there's real danger here?" He asks, crossing his arms.
Harry has been silent since they left Narcissa alone and Hermione can't help wondering what's going through his mind after Kroch and how her aunt talked to him.
"I'm not sure, but if we stick together-"
"Let's separate." Harry says, cutting her. Hermione frowns. "As Draco said, I don't think there's danger for us here. Narcissa is the only person inside and if we do this separately, we can do it faster."
"Why the rush?" She asks Harry, a bit irritated. "Yeah, I mean, maybe there's no danger but together we can think better. Six minds think better than one."
He wets his lips. "Okay. Yeah, sure, you're right."
Hermione squints but says nothing. The others agree, thinking which room they're going first. Gulping, she takes a few steps to Harry. He turns his head to her. She silently asks if he's okay and his answer is a squeeze on her hand and a shy smile.
But… she knows what's happening. He wants to prove that they don't need to worry about him. Prove that he can be on his own. However, she's not ready to let him alone again, not ready to lose him for another three days. Or even a second. A chill runs down her spine at the thought.
Draco is still thinking what room-
"Dear husband," Ginny cuts him, "let's start with this room." She opens her arms.
"Mine? Do you think Asmo would hide something here?"
"We have no idea, so, when in doubt…" Ginny shrugs and starts to search.
In no time the room is a complete mess. Draco complains about the way they're tossing some expensive clothes he keeps there on the floor and Ginny rolls her eyes. Hermione snorts a chuckle, stopping for a moment to look around.
"I think it's not here." She says, the others agree.
However, Harry has something in his hands and she walks to him while Chiara, Ron and Ginny put the place back together.
"What's that?" She asks.
"A photo album." He answers.
Draco approaches them. "Ah, yeah!" He laughs. "There are some amazing pictures of us in this, Hermione."
Harry smiles, "Indeed." And his eyes are soft when he glances at her.
Hermione leans forward. Harry is looking at some photos taken at both Manors. Her and Draco in many of them, they were around four or five years old. Then there are some of Draco alone, younger, a baby.
"I think I've never seen a picture of you as a baby." Harry says to her in a low voice. His tone…
She frowns. "My mother has many." Harry says nothing to that and then they put the photo album away.
There's something strange with him.
But she tucks this into her mind for later. Now, they have to keep searching the Manor. And they do have a lot of rooms to go through.
Harry is getting angrier and angrier as they go from one room to another. So far their search has been a complete failure.
Which means that if they don't find the samples inside the Manor, they have no idea where to look next and that's maddening.
He can't stand the thought of maybe not finding these samples, of maybe-
"Dungeons?" Chiara asks out loud, her face contorted into incredulity and amusement. "I mean, Malfoy, why?"
Draco shrugs. "Why not?"
They chuckle and Harry crosses his arms. The place is pretty much barren, there's nothing for them to turn over to search for the samples-
Hermione has her eyes closed and her wand raised. She's performing a spell in silence. Harry gulps, trying to feel the magic the way she taught him, training this technique.
When it hits him is very powerful. From what he gathers, she's searching every little crevice, every little hole inside the dungeon. And- he can feel certain distress from her. The spell is taking a toll. She makes a face, pushing through. He walks to her, his left hand seeking hers.
It's-
An explosion of power when they touch.
Hermione inhales deeply, opening her eyes. Their color is different, a mixture of brown and… blood red. Harry sets his jaw, feeling her magic inside him, feeling amazing. He helps her, pouring all he has into this, realizing why she's having a hard time.
She's not only searching the dungeons. Just as him, she's incredulous they found nothing and her search includes the whole fucking manor.
The others are watching them with wide eyes, but Harry doesn't care.
He concentrates on her, on their bond and their search. The spell she's using is intelligent. Something capable of identifying magical objects. The samples are exactly that because of the spell used to confirm the blood relation.
It- Harry gasps. There's something.
Something inside the living room Narcissa is. He can't be sure-
Hermione pushes through, grunting, trying to be certain. Harry feels a bit weak already, she's taking all she can to do this.
Abruptly she stops.
They're both breathing hard, their hands sweating and clasped together. Harry does his best to shove down his horniness. They're getting better at controlling it.
"So?" Ron asks, taking a step to them, his eyebrows so high they're almost hitting his hairline.
"I think they're inside the living room-" Harry begins.
"Those are not the samples." Hermione cuts him, squeezing his hand. "There's someone with Narcissa. And whoever it is, they have Moritz's powders with them."
"What?" Draco asks, serious. "Is my mother messing with this shit too?"
Hermione nods. "Probably."
Draco runs a hand through his hair. "We need to go there. See who's with her."
"She won't be happy about it." Hermione whispers. "But we need to." Then she turns to Harry. "Harry, I think you should head back home."
He scoffs, "No."
She looks angry. "Narcissa doesn't want you here and I have no idea who we might find upstairs." He opens his mouth but she's faster, "And you're weak, I can tell, you lent me too much magic." She closes her eyes. "Please, for me."
"That's a low blow." He says to her in a whisper. Hurt. "I'll… wait here. If something happens I can help."
"I'll stay with him." Chiara says, sharing a look with Hermione.
Harry hates the way they're acting. As if someone needs to babysit him.
But that seems to calm Hermione and she nods squeezing his hand one more time before heading out with Draco, Ron and Ginny.
When they're alone, Chiara asks, "Okay, why are you acting so strangely?"
He sighs. "I'm… angry. We need to find these samples, Chi." He's serious. "And I don't need to be watched at all times. I'm fine. Yeah, I might have lost a few days, but I feel normal."
"Hermione worries, Harry." She states softly. "You have no idea how much this woman cried at night on those days. She thought we couldn't hear from the guest bedroom." He closes his eyes. "And the interview, the Palace… it all messes with her, it's no wonder she wants you to stay out of danger."
"I know."
There's a brief silence.
"What else?" Chiara asks. "There's something else bothering you."
He chews the insides of his cheeks. "I- do you think Hermione… looks like a Riddle?"
Chiara frowns, "What do you mean?"
Harry shrugs. "I don't know. But there's a little voice inside me telling me to pay attention to a few things and… she doesn't look like Riddle or Bellatrix. And there's nothing in her that resembles Narcissa or Draco or any other part of the family."
"What are you saying?" Chiara's eyes are wide.
He runs a hand through his hair-
But before he can say another word, an older man enters the dungeons.
He has gray hair and a huge scar across the right side of his face, going from his forehead to his chin, ugly. Harry takes a step closer to Chiara. The man has his eyes on them. He's not that tall, but not short either. He has a visible limp and a protuberant belly.
Harry clears his throat. "Sir?"
The old man doesn't answer, but he takes a few more steps to them. Harry and Chiara share a look, both wondering if they should consider this intruder a threat or-
With a wave of his arm, the man closes the door that leads down there and in a second they take their wands out. Harry raises a shield around them, but the man doesn't care about that. He takes a few more steps, stopping very close, and with a strange expression on his face, he reaches for something inside the inner pocket of his jacket.
Harry widens his eyes. It's a vial filled with powder. The man wastes no time and throws it on the floor, the glass shatters and the air is taken by a blue smoke. His shield can't protect them from this.
"Don't inhale it!" Harry says to Chiara, but he knows it's impossible, they're breathing, therefore, whatever this is, is already inside them.
The smoke goes away fast, but the sight in front of them is disturbing. The old man is smiling creepily. Harry doesn't feel any different and it bothers him that-
Chiara utters a spell to strike the man.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing happens.
They blink, looking at the wand. She has her mouth open in disbelief. Before she can try again, Harry does it.
But… the magic is gone.
The only thing he can still feel inside him is the bond to Hermione. His left hand feels charged, as if is concentrating all the magic in the room.
Harry, however, doesn't have time to think about this. The man lets out a yell and, in an impressive clean and fast movement, punches his face. Hard. So fucking hard.
He stumbles back, holding his jaw, his eyes wide. Chiara curses.
Harry is furious. And whoever this man is, he chose the wrong moment to pick a fight.
"You fucker." Harry says under his breath.
And then, he moves swiftly, taking three certain steps, positioning himself perfectly to land a blow. The old man takes a step back extremely fast, dodging Harry's fist and punching his side with an extreme movement of the arm. He grunts at the pain, but he doesn't care, he keeps trying to land a punch. And it infuriates him that apparently, he can't.
The man is old and chubby. But untouchable. And so very strong.
Harry sees stars when he's punched on the stomach. Bending over he moves back to see Chiara ready to have her go with the man. He tries telling her not to, but his words won't come out.
But it's clear that whatever this man is doing, he wants Harry. He lets Chiara try for a while, but she's knocked out with a tremendous slap across the face. She falls hard and Harry inhales deeply, putting both hands on his knees, bending a bit, recomposing himself. Extremely worried if she hit her head.
The old man doesn't take his eyes off of him.
"What do you want?" Harry asks, finding himself retreating a few steps, putting some distance between them.
There's no answer.
And when the man moves to restart his fight with Harry, he's ready. And the anger fuels him. He grits his teeth. With a yell he finally lands a blow. A punch on the stomach - that feels like pure steel. But at this point he doesn't care, he keeps moving and landing punches, on the stomach, on the face, kicking the man's knees. Nothing seems to truly faze him.
Until.
Harry kicks his thigh in an attempt to inflict some kind of pain, any pain, and a golden chain flies out from his pocket. There's a watch attached to it.
What happens next is bizarre.
Right in front of him, the old man transforms. He's suddenly taller, thinner, stronger.
There's not a scar on his face and he's many years younger now.
"Ludwig." Harry says the name with hate.
"Hello."
Without another word they resume their little hand to hand fight. Harry has a clear advantage now and when he's sure he's going to take Ludwig down, the man stops both his blows and shocks his head against Harry's. This hurts like a motherfucker and on the next second he feels both his knees being broken.
He screams loudly, falling to the ground, shaking in pain, pondering if he's going to pass out.
Ludwig leans over him with a smile on his face.
"You do not interest me, D'Angelo." He says, his hand closing around Harry's neck. He tries punching the man, failing. "But I do know Hermione would go completely mad if you died." Ludwig is not exactly trying to choke him, but he's pondering, calculating if he should. "And I can't think of something more satisfying than seeing her downfall." Harry puts his left hand on Ludwig's chest. He doesn't think he can perform an Avada Kedrava, but maybe- Stupefy!
Ludwig flies to the other side of the dungeon. Harry gasps for air, furious. Mad. He sits on the floor, his legs useless since his knees are busted. Chiara is still knocked out. And to his surprise, Ludwig is already rising from the floor.
He smiles at Harry.
And turns his head sharply to the door. Harry can also hear them coming.
With a movement of his fingers, Ludwig waves a goodbye.
In a blink he disappears.
"FUCK!" Harry yells.
The door opens. Hermione is the first one who walks inside, her eyes on him, she barely acknowledges Chiara.
"Shit." She says, kneeling by his side. "What happened?"
Draco and the others enter the place, Narcissa is with them. They tend to Chiara.
Harry shakes his head, his blood is boiling. He can't even look at Hermione. He feels… ashamed. Useless.
And she's not touching him. She can't show how much she cares in front of Narcissa. She can't heal him with their bond. Not here. Not now.
"Harry." Her tone is sharp and he finally looks at her. She's desperate. He knows how much she wants to hug him. He wants so too.
He gulps. "Ludwig." She widens her eyes. "A powder that… suppressed magic." Hermione opens her mouth in shock.
"You should take him to St. Mungo's." Narcissa says. She's standing behind Hermione.
"Apart from the knees," Hermione begins in a low voice, Chiara stirs on the other side of the room, sitting, "are you hurt?"
He feels like crap. Ludwig punched the shit out of him. He's hurting all over. But he knows Hermione can heal him in no time, however, the knees-
"I-" She doesn't wait for him to complete the phrase and she makes a decision when she sends out a Patronus. Calling the healers. Harry presses his lips together.
Hermione gulps and stands, looking at Chiara.
"Chiara, how are you? Do you need to go to St. Mungo's?"
"No, no. I- I'm fine."
Harry breathes relieved, but he lies back down, his eyes on the ceiling. There's nothing he can do but wait for the healers. Hermione stays close to him, but he misses her touch.
And when the healers arrive, before Harry is taken to the Hospital, it's written all over their faces that they'll need to understand what happened. But he accepts a relaxing potion a healer offers him. The last thing he remembers is Hermione's worried eyes, watching.
St. Mungo's
When he wakes up next, he knows he's at St. Mungo's. Ron and Chiara are inside the room. Harry grunts, sitting on the bed.
"Feeling well, mate?" Ron asks, there's a hint of mockery on his tone.
Harry makes a face. He's not so sore anymore, and his knees feel normal.
"In fact, I am." He says, "Chi?"
"I'm fine." She says, Harry can see that she's angry. "Ma che cazzo è successo?" [But what the fuck happened?]
Harry shakes his head. "Where's… Head Riddle?"
"At home." Ron answers. "You've slept for four hours. But I think you're good to leave, don't you?"
"Yeah, I mean, I think so." And he has no idea how they healed him so fast. But he doesn't complain when Ron leaves to call a healer to release Harry.
Chiara crosses her arms and they stare at each other.
Then he remembers what they were talking about before the man entered the dungeons.
"Chi, what I told you… about the whole resemblance thing," He raises an eyebrow and she nods, understanding, "it stays between us, okay?"
She clicks her tongue. "Are you sure you want a secret?"
He knows he said he wouldn't keep any more secrets from Hermione, but this is just… something in his head, he's not even sure if he's right or if he has a reason to be questioning this. He doesn't want to share and alarm Hermione without having a solid motive for it. They already have so much in their hands.
"It's not a secret." He says in a low voice. "I just… want time to think about it."
She nods. "Okay."
He opens a tiny smile. And in no time he's ready to go home.
House by the Lake
She's throwing spells at the dummy that's fighting her. Hermione is physically exhausted, but her mind is going a million miles an hour.
A lot happened since this morning. Hearing about the Palace. The Prophet. Ludwig. Narcissa. A powder that can suppress fucking magic-
Her next spell fails and she yells, totally frustrated, furious.
She can't believe what happened to Harry. His knees. It shook her to the bone. After he took the potion to relax and collapsed, Hermione went to the Hospital under the Cloak. She healed him, sure that it would help whatever treatment the healers might give him after. But his knees were so busted it nauseated her a bit. She can't even imagine the pain- in fact it was his scream that alarmed them upstairs.
She utters the same spell again and it fails another time.
"FUCK!" She yells again.
This can't be. She can't keep failing. Not with everything that's happening. Not with their lives on the line like this.
She puts both hands on her waist. And in an moment of total madness, she walks out of the room they remodeled to be their arena, and goes fast to their bathroom where she keeps the remaining potions she has hidden from Harry.
Opening the cabinet, she utters a simple incantation to reveal the potions-
There's nothing there.
"What?" Hermione keeps searching, dumbfounded. No one could have taken those, only her and Harry-
She hears a sound on the bedroom and meets him there. He looks good.
"Oh, love." She sobs, going to him.
He squeezes her tightly, breathing her in. Hermione kisses his neck and cheek, their lips finding each other's naturally.
Harry doesn't want to let go of her and they keep kissing for a while, speaking without words. Finally, he moves back, leaving small kisses all over her face, his hands squeezing her butt.
"Hm, you're all sweaty." He says in a playful tone and she smiles. Relieved that he's there. That he's fine.
"Why don't we… take a bath together?" She asks, biting on his lower lip, sucking lightly.
"I think that's the best thing I've heard all day." He keeps kissing her, a smile on his face.
Hermione pulls back, her hand going to his cheek, caressing his face. There's also a smile on her face. "Relaxing salts?" She asks. "I have some that can be quite restorative."
"Amazing, everything." He leans into her touch, his eyes soft.
In moments like this, it hits her. Their love. Right in the face. And she can't help wondering how she got so freaking lucky. Sighing and kissing him one more time, she moves to the bathroom. Harry follows, slowly getting rid of his clothes while she uses simple spells to fill the tub and give the water a nice temperature. At least on this I didn't fail.
And she glances at the cabinet. Anxious. It- Harry must have taken the potions. And they'll need to talk about it. Or not. Maybe he doesn't need to know that she was looking for them, that she wants to take them…
He comes to her, already naked, "I'm afraid you're overly dressed for the occasion." He jokes, chuckling a bit.
She laughs with him and stands still when she understands that he wants to undress her. He locks his eyes on hers, his hands traveling her body and taking off her t-shirt first, tossing it behind his back. Harry kisses her collarbone, neck, squeezing her waist.
"I love that I can see your phoenix all the time now." He moves his head down to her ribcage to kiss the tattoo. It gives her a delicious shiver. Hermione stopped concealing it when she's at home, Harry is doing the same and she can see the traces of the phoenix's feathers on his strong arms and shoulders.
He keeps kissing her, his mouth warm on her skin. Perfect.
And when his eyes go back to hers, Harry moves to take off her sports bra. Hermione raises her arms, helping him. He tosses it aside, kissing her gently, his hand finding her breast, his fingers playing with her nipple, slowly, lazily. She opens a side smile, loving it.
"I love your breasts." He says in such a serious tone that she chuckles. He chuckles with her.
And he moves down her neck again to kiss her nipples, nuzzle her. Hermione closes her eyes, taken by the simple, yet delicious caress. He stops at her stomach, bitting gently, his hands already tugging down her shorts. Hermione raises one leg after the other to help him. She's already barefooted.
Harry kisses her thigh, biting not so gently anymore, rubbing his beard on her entire body while he comes back up to kiss her mouth.
She winds her arms around his neck, needing to be close to him, needing to feel him. Feel that he's fine, in one piece.
And they share an emotional hug, his hands on her ass, hers into his hair.
"I love you." He says softly.
"I love you." She kisses his shoulder. "Bath? And a long talk about the many shits we need to discuss?"
He snorts. "Lead the way." And he performs a little spell to get rid of her panties, winking at her.
"I'll be the big spoon." She states firmly.
Harry makes a face. "Come on, I'm way bigger-"
"I don't care, I wanna hold you, let me?" She raises an eyebrow, a bit annoyed.
Harry shakes his head but agrees.
She enters the tub. The water and the salts are perfect and she immediately feels better, the soreness on her body going away. Hermione releases her hair from the bun and waits for Harry to get inside. It's a huge tub and it totally weighted on her decision when getting this house. Recently she renovated it with three simple spells and it looks brand new.
He enters in front of her, his eyes showing how he doesn't like her idea of being the big spoon, but even so, he settles between her legs, his strong back and majestic tattoo resting on her front. Immediately her arms close around him, her lips on his neck. He melts into her, relaxing.
And for minutes they stay that way, not saying a word or breaking the contact, his hands caressing her calves. Hermione shuts her eyes with force, afraid that she might open them and find herself in a dream.
But no, this is real.
It's everything.
It pains her, but she breaks the loving silence.
"Narcissa was alone upstairs." Her voice is low. Harry tenses in her arms. "I- I can't understand. She said her guest had already been gone and we made endless questions, but she stated the man visiting was an old friend, a tailor." Hermione sighs. "I didn't buy it, of course. Neither the others, but there was no one there and nothing we could do about it. Then… we heard your scream." She tightens her grip around him. "What Ludwig wants with us?"
Harry lets out a sound, annoyed. "Apparently… he has something against you."
Hermione frowns. "What?"
"He said he didn't care about me, but he knew that my death would be your downfall and as he said, nothing could give him more satisfaction."
She's at a loss of words. "Do you think this is about Moritz?"
"I don't know. Maybe he wants to avenge his master or something." Harry squeezes her calves. "A powder that can suppress magic, Hermione." His voice is low, worried. "And he was so strong-" She waits… "Do you remember the golden chain he had on him when we were at the German house?"
"Yes. He kept touching it."
"Exactly. I kicked his thigh and a golden watch flew from his pocket. He was disguised as an old man, bizarrely powerful, but without the watch he changed back to himself. I think… whatever power he has is in it."
Her mind is working fast, registering everything. One question stands out, though.
"How does he know so much about us?" She whispers. "How does he know how I would feel if you died?" She presses her lips together, afraid of even uttering the words.
"I have no idea." Hermione can hear the boiling anger in his words. "He tried killing you at the maze, but since he failed… he's coming for me."
She kisses his neck and shoulder. Harry turns his head to kiss her properly.
"Not on my watch, handsome." She says fondly when they separate. Harry smiles, touching her forehead with his. "He entered Riddle and Malfoy Manor, Harry. How?"
He shakes his head. Both have no idea. Then, his face changes and-
"We didn't find the samples." He whines, vulnerable.
She inhales deeply. "We will." She keeps repeating these words, trying to convince herself, but truth is… she's losing hope. "What else was bothering you?"
He blinks a few times. "I- You don't need to babysit me, okay? I'm not going to vanish or anything."
Hermione bites her lower lip, grunting. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just too recent, okay?"
He sighs, "I know, love. I know." And they share another kiss.
Her hands move down his abs, reaching his cock. Hermione pumps him slowly, patiently, their mouths pressed together. She knows he loves this pace and she wants so damn much to make him feel good after this shitty day.
It doesn't take long for him to be whimpering softly, breathing hard and kissing her cheek, biting gently, moving his hips slightly up to meet her hand.
"I love having you like this." She says into his ear. He groans.
His hand moves to join hers. Their tongues meet, her thumb going over the tip of his cock, making him jerk, massaging, provoking. She can already tell he won't last long, his whole body and muscles tensing, his heart beating faster. Harry wants to stop her, but she keeps going, the water sloshing inside the tub with the movements. And he leans back, letting her take completely over. Her other hand finds one of his nipples and she plays with it, earning a smile from him and-
Harry comes onto her hand, his lips pressed together, his face scrunching and then relaxing. She bites on his neck, her tongue licking him.
He lets out a sound of contentment and she smiles. They share a heated kiss and Harry performs a spell to clean the water.
Then, he fully turns around, "Enough of being the big spoon."
She chuckles and he moves to rest his back on the other side of the tub, she goes to his arms very willingly, the water a bit colder where they weren't before.
Harry squeezes her, leaving many kisses on her neck and cheek. Then their left hands find each other's and the bond comes to life.
She marvels at it, feeling absolutely happy and complete. Even if shit is hitting the fan, there's nothing like living this moment with him.
"I wanna take you to meet my aunt." He whispers.
Hermione gulps. Her magic reaches out to his, playing with it, feeling it. He follows her lead. And the sensation is undeniably amazing.
"Okay." She whispers back to him.
May 25th, 2006
The Palace
This time it's just her and Harry. Even if the others come here often, Hermione preferred to meet his aunt in a moment reserved only to them.
He's holding her hand, but she feels cold, nonetheless. This is huge. She already met Bianca, who Harry considers his mother, but it's different to meet his aunt… mostly because she's Lily's sister. And she knows this will be the worst. She knows deep down Petunia will resent her to some degree.
Gulping, she asks, "So, where is it?"
There's nothing there, just a forest. Beautiful, yes, but-
Harry performs a spell and a giant magical bird goes flying from his wand, vanishing into a ward and…
"Oh!" She can't help the sigh of amazement.
There's a huge palace in front of her.
"Do you like it?" Harry asks, a bright smile on his face.
"I didn't think the name was so quite literal." She says in a low voice, an uneasiness taking over her.
He squints at her. "Hey, are you sure about this? We can come another day-"
"No!" She can tell how much he wants her to meet his aunt, and she won't delay this another day, there's no reason to. "I- I'm a bit nervous, yes, but I really wanna do this." She smiles tightly and he gives her a gentle kiss.
"There's nothing to be nervous about."
She's not so sure.
Harry squeezes her hand and they take a few steps forward. Before they reach the Palace, though, a tall and imposing man appears in front of them. Hermione purses her lips. The man's voice is grave, but friendly when he greets Harry.
However, when he turns to her, there's a small sneer on his face.
"So, Hermione Riddle." He says the Riddle with a hint of disgust. She takes a very deep breath. "It's… odd meeting you in person. Here. Of all places." The man takes another step forward, his eyes on hers. "I'm Severus Snape. Petunia's husband."
She opens her mouth, "You- I-" Hermione clears her throat. The sneer is still playing on the man's lips. He's amused by her total surprise. "It's a pleasure." She says when she finds her voice. She can't believe Harry didn't tell her this.
Severus squints, but he extends his hand and Hermione takes it. The handshake is cool.
Harry means to move, but the man raises a hand, stopping him.
"I know you won't like this, Harry. But are you sure about letting her inside?"
It hurts. Oh, shit.
She looks down, trying not to react-
"Are we going to have a problem, Severus?" He sounds so angry now. "She's my soulmate-"
"I don't care, Potter." Harry sets his jaw. "She's a Riddle." Hermione shifts her weight from one foot to another. She was expecting this, but it sucks, nonetheless. "And this place is our entire lives. This is what we've worked for more than twenty years. A place like this is all her father wants-"
"Stop. Just stop." Harry cuts him. And she knows he's about to give Snape a piece of his mind, but she interrupts.
"No, Harry. He's right." Her voice comes out even, which she's glad. "I- I understand your concern. Yes, Mr Snape, I am a Riddle. But I'm not my father. You have my word that you have nothing to worry about. You can make me Vow on it if it'll ease your mind." Harry sets his jaw, furious. From what Hermione understood, her mother never set foot inside this place either - because she's a Riddle.
The sneer changes a bit…
"Don't call me Mr Snape." He makes a face. "You can call me Snape. And just by offering to make this Vow, I know I can… kind of trust you." He shakes his head, conjuring out of thin air a copy of the Prophet. Then, he points at Hermione with it. "I loved your words, to be honest. Come inside."
He calmly turns around and starts to walk to the entrance of the Palace. Hermione lets out some air through her mouth. Harry has his jaw set and she turns to kiss his angry pout away.
"Love, come on. I was expecting this." She whispers.
He scoffs. "This is ridiculous."
He's still shaking his head when they step inside and-
Hermione has no words for it. She's spellbound. It's love at first sight. The place, the students, the warmth. She closes her eyes for a moment, incredibly happy that the Palace exists. Some huge weight lifts from her shoulders. She knows how much she always blamed herself for not doing more for Half-Bloods and Muggleborns. She knows how many conversations she had with her father trying to change his mind about this. She remembers the sleepless nights when she was forced to act against wizards and witches without a pure bloodline. It killed her.
But here she is.
In a place where they have a home. A place where they can learn magic and understand who they are-
Harry kisses her cheek and she opens her eyes, smiling.
She wished she knew about this sooner. She wished she could have done more throughout the years.
Taking a deep breath, she goes with him, their hands clasped together, Snape in front of them, leading the way to Petunia. And she can't help noticing that… the students are staring. Most of them recognize her. It's not difficult after what the Prophet released: there's a photo of her on another page.
And the children start to gossip. She raises an eyebrow. They're all widening their eyes at her, stopping on their tracks. Some greet Harry and shut their mouths when they notice who he's holding hands with. She wonders if her presence is going to change the relationship he has with the students and the notion that she might ruin this for him is… worrisome.
But Harry doesn't seem to care since he notices the glances and hushed words but never falters on his stride or on the way he's holding her hand.
It… warms her heart.
And it gives her courage to deal with his aunt. Hermione knows it won't be an easy conversation, even if Harry thinks so, he has a surprise coming his way.
At some point she sees Oliver. The man smiles and waves. She waves back. There's a woman next to him and she can only conclude it's his sister. She's not smiling. She's scowling. Shit.
Snape stops when they reach a greenhouse. Her mind connects the dots fast. Petunia is a Muggle. Botanics is the perfect subject for her to teach to a bunch of wizards and witches. Her throat suddenly closes. Her mouth is dry and she's trembling a bit.
Turning to Harry, Snape says, "Seek me out later." Then, to her, he says, "Good luck."
She opens her mouth a bit… Snape strides out and Harry turns to her. "Ready?"
"Lead the way."
Hermione already faced Tom Riddle countless times. And Matteo D'Angelo and- It can't be that bad, can it?
At first, when they enter the greenhouse, it appears to be empty. But soon a sound coming from the back reaches their ears.
"Aunt Petunia!" Harry calls to her.
"Harry?" A firm voice comes from the back. Hermione can't believe how nervous she is. Fuck. "Didn't know you were coming! Give me a sec!"
She hopes this second lasts for hours.
But Petunia soon comes from behind a few shelves and-
The woman smiles at Harry, but her expression completely changes the moment she sets her eyes on Hermione. Contempt. As clear as water.
Hermione's pulse quickens and she wished Harry kept holding her hand, but he lets go to hug his aunt - who keeps her cold eyes on Hermione. She notices she's biting hard on her lower lip and she stops, discreetly trying to relax.
"I want you to meet Hermione." He says in a gentle tone, bringing his aunt where she's standing.
Petunia clicks her tongue and raises an eyebrow.
"Hermione Riddle." She pronounces the Riddle the same way Snape did. Disgusted. "If I knew Harry was going to bring you here I would have stopped him."
"Aunt-"
"No." She scolds him with a look. "You should have told me."
Harry exhales heavily, angry. "If you're going to treat her like this, then-"
"Harry." Hermione finds her voice. "Maybe I should talk with your aunt in private." She has no idea what she's doing. Why. But… "I'm certain she wants to tell me a few things that I'm not sure you'll want to hear." She knows this is true.
Petunia squints at her. She's not convinced.
"Yes, Harry. Leave us."
That surprises her. If Petunia was so wary of her she wouldn't stay alone with her. So, a light at the end of the tunnel.
Harry takes a moment, wanting to protest, but both are already ignoring his presence, so, he sighs. Kissing her cheek, he leaves, closing the door behind him.
There's only silence then. Heavy silence. But this is… familiar ground to Hermione. To have a figure of authority in front of her, defying her. Because she can't be fooled by the fact that Petunia is a Muggle… this whole Palace is hers. She's the Head here. The Minister. The one in charge.
"I'm sorry if my presence irks you." Hermione begins. Petunia doesn't move. "Harry insisted and I know how much it means to him-"
"Your father." Petunia cuts her, finally showing some emotion. Hermione waits. "Your father MURDERED my sister!" She starts to cry. Hermione presses her lips together, her chin trembling. "He made her life a living hell! He separated us! And he killed her!" Petunia suddenly takes many steps to Hermione, stopping right in front of her. They're practically the same height. Hermione wants to take a step back, but she doesn't. She wonders if Petunia will slap her. "It's a miracle that Harry's alive. You have a soulmate but not because of your father, not because of your family!" She's hissing, furious. "Entitled Purebloods who don't give a damn to their own kind because of some fucking blood! My children never got the chance to live normally because of it!" She's yelling, but then, in a low voice, she says, "You should be ashamed." It hurts more than a slap. But Petunia seems done for the moment and-
"I am. Ashamed." She gulps, her voice is barely there. "Tom Riddle also made my life a living hell, Petunia." The woman scoffs, but her eyes are slightly softer. She seems calmer after yelling. "We can't choose the families we're born into. But if I could, I wouldn't be a Riddle. I understand your anger and words can't express how sorry I am for what happened to your sister-"
"Oh, please!" She mumbles.
Hermione keeps talking. "I'm serious." Her tone changes and she crosses her arms. "Now that things between me and Harry are… resolved, I'm here to help you. Here to do whatever it takes to bring my father down."
Petunia takes a few steps back, putting a safe distance between them again. She brushes some tears from her cheeks, looking down.
"Let me be clear, Riddle." Oh, shit. "I'll accept your presence here because Harry wants you here. I'll accept the relationship you have with my nephew because you're soulmates. I'll accept your help if you offer it. You can teach the kids and you can come here whenever you please." Hermione blinks a few times. "But that's as far as I'll go with you. I'll accept you because I have no choice if I want to be in Harry's life. But don't ask me to like you. Don't ask me to trust you. That won't happen." Hermione wants to cry. "Maybe Harry doesn't know about this, but I do know how many arrived here because the Head Auror exiled them."
Hermione gasps. "I had no choice-"
"We always have a choice!" Petunia's voice echoes inside the greenhouse. "And the same goes for what you did to Harry. You threw him in jail."
"My father would have killed him-"
"Doesn't matter! You betrayed him. He forgave you, but I won't forget, Riddle."
Another silence. There's nothing Hermione can say, nothing she can do to change this. Petunia is being totally honest in her words. This is too personal. And maybe if she wasn't Harry's soulmate… he would look at her the same way. With complete and utter hate.
The notion is nauseating.
"You can't blame me for my father's errors." She says in a low voice, not looking at Petunia, something tugging on her chest.
"I can. And I will." Hermione closes her eyes. "You've been an adult for almost ten years now, do tell me, what have you done to change the way he runs things?"
She gulps. "I-"
"This recent interview doesn't count, by the way."
Hermione grits her teeth. She has nothing to say. She never effectively tried to change things. At a point she knew that endless conversations with her father wouldn't change a thing-
"Yeah, I thought so." Petunia snorts. "I hope you know that I'll have my eye on you the entire time you're here and…" She comes closer again and, almost whispering, she says, "If in any way, you threaten the peace we have here, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"
She wets her lips. "I understand."
Petunia opens a sarcastic smile. "Good. Marvelous. And as far as Harry is concerned, things are swell between us, right?"
Hermione raises an eyebrow and opens a sarcastic smile herself. "Of course."
Nodding, the woman walks out.
She stays inside, though. Frozen on the spot. It was way worse than what she imagined. She can hear Harry talking with his aunt outside. And she's sure she never hated her father more than now. Fast, she decides she won't tell Harry about this conversation. He'll be pissed and hurt and she doesn't want that. His aunt acted this way exactly because she loves him greatly and Hermione doesn't want to become a problem between them.
With a movement of her wrist, she brushes her tears away and straightens her back, ready to greet Harry. Indeed, his steps sound inside after a beat and she turns to look at him. There's some suspicion in his eyes, but she smiles and he relaxes a bit.
"So?" He asks, his arms already closing around her waist.
"Soooo, I guess I can teach here." She winks at him.
"For real?" He's thrilled. "That's amazing! You'll love the children!" She nods, her smile still there. Even so, her heart aches.
And she can tell by the way he's looking at her that he knows the conversation wasn't a nice one. And to her relief, he doesn't ask a thing. Harry accepts what she gives him.
Hermione kisses him gently.
He guides her outside with a promise to dazzle her with the place.
She enjoys every second of it.
And when they reach the Quidditch field, Hermione opens a gigantic smile.
"This is so nice." She's overjoyed, her talk with Petunia forgotten for a while. There are students flying around, playing a game, but mostly, having fun.
"Right?" He says, excited. Then, he turns to her, apparently their tour is over. "What do you think?"
"I think it's amazing, Harry." She says honestly. "This place is… hope." She gulps. He's paying attention to her words. "If we succeed in… taking down my father, then I think it won't be hard at all to unify the Palace and Hogwarts. We could have two schools to support children and… adults."
"Adults?"
"I know that many adults lost the chance of getting an education, even if the Palace exists, not every Muggleborn or Half-Blood knows about it."
He nods, agreeing. "It's a perfect idea. To regain the lost time."
She shrugs. "Yeah, but it's just something we can consider, I mean, I know your aunt runs this place and whatever she decides will prevail."
Harry says nothing, his eyes lost in the distance while he observes the kids.
"Master Potter."
Hermione turns around to see…
"Dobby?"
"Oh, miss Hermione! It's so nice to see you here, miss."
"I had no idea you were here!" Hermione exclaims, "I'm happy you're well, Dobby. Your master wasn't the nicest one." She tilts her head.
"Yes, miss. Dobby is very happy here." The elf is smiling and she feels a whole new wave of happiness engulfing her. That's why Draco didn't seem so shaken when Lucius threw Dobby out.
"Hey, Dobby, what is it?" Harry asks, pocketing his hands.
"We… there's a problem with boy Victor, sir."
Hermione frowns. Harry's whole posture changes. "What is it?"
"It's better if you see."
And Dobby leads the way. Hermione doesn't need to ask to know that a student is in trouble. But it is a bit out of place for Dobby to be calling Harry to solve it.
As they go, they pass through the whole Palace, reaching the dormitories. Hermione can already hear screams. Childish screams, but painful ones.
Harry is going so freaking fast that she can only conclude he has a personal relationship with the boy. Not to mention that his face clearly shows all his worry.
"Stop! Victor!"
They can hear Petunia. And Snape. Hermione also hears Oliver's voice. And another one she doesn't recognize, Sam's probably. She steels herself, not quite ready to see the whole family in close quarters. That doesn't stop her, though. They enter a hallway and at the third door on the left many students are standing outside, trying to see what's happening. There's a whole commotion around the room.
Hermione has no idea what comes to her, but she claps her hands, and, "Hey, hey, don't you all have something to do!?" Her voice is loud in the corridor and they all widen their eyes. They jog from there, looking back a bit scared. Harry chuckles by her side and she blushes. "I was prefect, sorry. It's instinct."
And now she hears more screams from the boy. He's in pain. Her heart beats faster and she goes with Harry. When they stop by the door, she can't believe what she's seeing.
There's a whole wardrobe on fire at the corner and the little boy who's probably Victor is trashing on his bed, sweating, gritting his teeth and-
"He's having a nightmare." Hermione says calmly.
Petunia, Snape, Sam and Oliver turn to her. She presses her lips together, feeling judge by them. She looks down. Harry enters the room.
"Since when is he like this?"
"I don't know." Snape says, "A student warned us about the fire and then…" He trails, raising a hand, motioning to Victor.
"I thought these had stopped." Harry says.
"They had." Petunia says and her eyes land on Hermione. As if she's the culprit.
She holds Petunia's gaze. Hermione was intimidated enough for one day already.
"I can't stop the fire and I'm afraid to wake him up." Snape says, worried. "In fact, Tuney, now that Harry is here, you should leave the room, it's too dangerous."
Hermione sees the way Petunia purses her lips, utterly annoyed and angry with the fact that… she's a Muggle. She can't protect herself like they can if something happens. Petunia leaves the room with an ugly expression on her face. But she doesn't go far. She stays right there in the corridor, watching.
"Maybe we should call a healer." Harry says in a serious tone. "I have no idea if waking him up will-"
"There's no need for a healer." She says, then she shuts her mouth. They all look at her.
"Is that so?" Snape asks, but not with disdain, he's genuinely asking.
"I- What happened the other times he had a nightmare?"
"Well… it was never this strong. I mean, he would scream and wake up."
She nods, taking another step inside. Harry is watching her with keen eyes. Oliver and Samantha are also curious to see what solution she might have. She has no idea what Petunia is thinking.
"I-" She stutters, "may I?" She raises both arms in Victor's direction.
"Oh- sure." Snape rises from the bed, giving her a place to sit.
Harry crosses his arms. The wardrobe is still on fire.
Hermione sits by the boy's side. Gulping, she says, "You see, the fire is contained to the wardrobe. It won't spread. Probably because it has some relation to what he's dreaming. Probably the source of his fear." She whispers the last words, her right hand going to rest on the boy's forehead. He's burning up. Hermione lifts her left hand in Harry's direction. He opens a tiny smile and take hers with his. The bond comes to life and she concentrates on Victor. Her voice is soft while she talks, "Hey, Victor. Relax." Hermione concentrates on healing the anxiety from the boy. "There's no danger for you here, you're secure." Victor mumbles, "Nothing will harm you." Harry takes a step closer to her, squeezing her hand. Their bond is singing. "Listen to my voice, Victor. Follow it to a safe place."
And she begins to sing, to croon a lullaby. One her mother used to sing to her when- when she couldn't sleep. When she kept waking up afraid that her father might be there with another set of nine needles and-
There's total silence in the room while she sings, her voice is not the most melodious one, but Hermione knows it's soothing in a way, and indeed the fire recedes and the boy stops to move on the bed. She opens a smile while she keeps singing, her hand brushing the boy's hair away from his closed eyes. Her bond to Harry eases Victor's anxieties and in no time, he opens his eyes.
She stops singing. The wardrobe has no more fire on it.
"Don't stop." The boy says in a tremulous voice, his throat probably dry from all the screams. "Please, don't stop."
Hermione wets her lips. And unable to deny this request, she continues to sing. The boy closes his eyes again, leaning, seeking her touch.
Something squeezes Hermione's heart. It's- she'll never sing like this to her own children.
Harry releases her hand and summons a chair to sit by her side. The others left the room, she has no idea when or why, but she keeps singing.
And Harry stays there with her the whole time.