Happy Friday, everyone! Thanks so much for reading and an extra thanks for anyone who reviewed. I love seeing y'all's thoughts! Also, I apologize in advance for two weeks of cliffhangers in a row but I hope you vibe with this one as well. The war's heating up a bit in this one but we'll get another lull in the next one. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this story, we aren't really going to get dark in this one so I won't be describing any torture a character may go through and there won't be many fight scenes unless they push forward something else. This is mostly a love and family story with a heavy helping of fuck any organization that isn't doing what they're supposed to.
A special thanks to pianomouse for going through and picking apart yet another chapter for me!
Love,
Adrien
As always any text that looks like this is the character speaking in a language other than English (usually Bulgarian).
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters or settings, those belong to J. K. Rowling. I just enjoy making things in her sandbox.
Chapter Thirteen: An Unlikely Trio and An Unexpected House Guest
Ron catches Hermione's attention, his gaze flicking quickly from Harry to her as the third part of their trio gets progressively agitated. They had to confront him before everyone gathered to plan out Luna's rescue. He wouldn't be any help as he currently was. Right now, he was likely to do something stupid which was something both Ron and Hermione recognized.
Hermione nods and slips her wand into her waist band as both her and Ron pick up their pace to align directly with Harry as they near a room both Hermione and Ron knew would be empty with everyone heading toward the bigger sitting room that they had been using for group meetings.
In sync, Hermione and Ron caught Harry's arms and used their combined weight to force Harry into the open room.
Ron stood between Harry and Hermione once the other man was released as the witch silenced and warded the door, keeping the three of them inside and everyone else out unless she herself released her spellwork.
"What the actual hell?!" Harry yells, his power coming off of him in waves as he glares at the only two people who had always been on his side.
"You can't go back. Not right now," Ron states firmly, his gaze unwavering as he stares down his boyfriend.
"But it's Luna!" Harry's voice breaks as his eyes flicker between Ron and Hermione.
"We know," Ron replies with equal amounts of determination and empathy.
Harry's attention turns fully to Hermione when Ron doesn't waver.
"She's our friend," Harry tries again, his eyes begging Hermione to understand.
"We know." Hermione's response is soft but her resolve is clear.
"You–you can't just expect me to sit back and do nothing. She's only a target because they know she's my friend."
"That's exactly why you can't go. They want you to react rashly and go in guns blazing. But you can't do that. Rash actions will ruin everything we've been working toward. Right now we have to think about the prophecy–" Ron doesn't get to finish his explanation because Harry's eyes blaze at that word and his attention once focused on Hermione.
"You don't even believe in the prophecy!" He yells at her, accusation coloring every bit of his words and facial expression
"Just because I think Divination is bullshit, doesn't mean I'm going to take any chances with a madman. He and his followers believe that you are the only one who can defeat him. Most of wizarding Britain sees you as its savior even if they haven't heard of the prophecy. Just because I don't believe in something doesn't mean that it doesn't have power over others." Hermione tries to explain her way of thinking without rambling but explaining her thought process had never been her strong suit especially at a time like this when there were about a million other important things running through her mind outside of the part Harry played in all of this.
Harry stares at her for a long moment, long enough that Hermione starts to think that her explanation hadn't made any sense and she might have to try again, before holding his pinky out to her, "Promise me something?"
"Anything," Hermione replies in all honesty, her pinky linking with his.
Sparks don't fly like they had the last time they had done this but all three members of the Golden Trio could see Harry and Hermione's magic running along their combined hands. Almost like an Unbreakable Vow but stronger, brighter, and without the power imbalance Unbreakable Vows always had.
"Promise me that, if I can't go, you will bring her back safely. That you will both come home safely."
"Promise."
Their magic flares with a comforting heat at Hermione's agreement, their hands glowing softly for a moment before disappearing completely.
"What the hell was that?" Ron's incredulous tone pulls Harry and Hermione's attention toward him as their connection separates again.
"According to Dobby, it's our sibling bond. It happened right before I left Grimmauld Place before sixth year. This is only the second time it's flared like that and it doesn't affect our daily lives so we haven't really looked into it because there are bigger issues at hand." Hermione had meant to look into it more after Dobby had told her about the bond but there were so many other things that needed looking into…
"We should get to the meeting room, they're probably waiting on us at this point," Harry cuts in before Ron can ask any more questions, pushing the other two teens toward the door by the smalls of their backs.
Hermione takes down her wards and the three of them walk quickly toward the meeting room.
Surprisingly, they aren't the last to arrive. The conversation with Harry must have gone faster than her and Ron would have anticipated.
She takes one of the three empty seats beside Viktor, his arm wrapping around her waist almost unconsciously as she settles in.
The twins funnel into the room moments later with Marceau, Ginny, and Alek on their heels.
Nayden and Tvesta are the last to join the fray, the door shutting softly behind.
Hermione allows the conversation to flow around her until it becomes apparent that the group is focusing on the use of Dobby or Winky to infiltrate Malfoy Manor and take Luna directly from Draco's room.
"We can't do that," Hermione's statement has all eyes turning toward her.
"Why not? Wizarding houses are never warded against Elvin magic and Dobby is familiar with Malfoy Manor's layout." There is no confrontation in Bill's line of questioning, only curiosity.
"That's true but we would have to pull out Draco too if we did that and we would lose one of the only spies we have within the Deatheaters. Even though Elvin magic isn't warded against, their magic can still be sensed. Like when the trace was set off at Privet Drive because of Dobby before our second year and the Ministry assumed it was Harry. The Deatheaters have no doubt taken Luna's wand. If a massive burst of magic comes from Draco's room and Luna escapes, the Deatheaters will assume one of two things. They will either assume that Draco helped Luna escape or that Draco let down his guard enough for Luna to get his wand and escape herself. If they assume Draco helped her escape, we would be forced to save him as well or he would die. If they assumed that Draco was incompetent enough to let his guard down so that Luna could escape herself, he would at the very least be told nothing from that point one but he would likely also be tortured for his failure."
"So either way, we would lose one of our only inside men," Ron sighs, leaning back in his seat as he thinks. "So what we need is a small, versatile team to go in and get her and we can't go in too quickly because that would give away that we have inside information. Right now, there are a lot of rumored safe houses for Deatheaters; we have to make it seem like we searched for her and didn't know exactly where she was from the first day. She's safe until the end of the week so we have time. The question is, who will be going after her?"
"She'll need a healer who is familiar with her and who is familiar with Deatheaters," Hermione responds with certainty, volunteering herself just like she had promised Harry.
Viktor's gaze snaps toward her, his arm tightening around her waist but he doesn't have a chance to speak before someone else is volunteering.
"As good as you are with wards, you'll need an experienced cursebreaker at your back," Bill volunteers himself next, his hand clasping Fleur's tightly in his own.
Ron nods in agreement, his eyes scanning the rest of the people at the table before his eyes fixate on the twins.
"George, would you feel comfortable working with Bill and Hermione as a group of three?" Ron asks his older brother, drawing surprised looks from everyone at the table. No one ever separated the twins.
"Just me?" George asks doubtfully, his eyes flickering from his twin to his youngest brother nervously.
"Just you. Fred, you and I take too much after mum. We're quick tempered, impulsive, and loud. George, you keep Fred grounded. You're creative and inquisitive. You know how to sneak around and plan out every moment until your plan moves perfectly. But most importantly, you know how to roll with the punches when things go to hell."
A moment passes where Fred and George have an entire silent conversation before a steely resolve enters George's eyes and turns his attention back to his baby brother.
"I'll go," he states more seriously than Hermione had ever heard him speak.
The rest of the meeting passes quickly. Hermione, George, and Bill are set to sneak into Britain in two days time where they will take muggle transport to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place where the three will search the library for dark texts that may be helpful to them and meet Draco to map out the best way to break into Malfoy Manor. Their current goal will be to get Luna out on Thursday but their last resort will be Friday.
Hermione heads to her room as soon as the meeting is dismissed with Viktor on her heels because he had been oddly silent from the moment she had volunteered herself for this rescue mission.
"Why does it have to be you?" Viktor doesn't snap but the frustration is clear in his voice the moment their door closes.
Hermione huffs and scrubs her hands down her face, "You know why."
"I don't know anything. You can't take on everything, you need to let other people handle things."
"This is the best fit. I understand wards and I've fought the people we will be facing. We're cutting it close, there's a good chance she will need medical attention and I'm our best healer behind Marceau. I'm also the closest person in our group to Luna behind Ginny and Harry so she will have a familiar face after this mess."
"What's your real reason?" Viktor cuts her off before she can ramble anymore.
"I promised Harry," Hermione whispers. As important as the rest of her reasoning was, that was really the only reason she was so set on going. She had promised her brother and she would never break a promise to him.
Viktor stares at her for a long moment, all fight leaving his body, before he sinks down onto the bed beside her.
"I can't go with you." Viktor doesn't try to force himself into the mission despite how much Hermione knows he wants to protect her because he knows that this is something she has to do and he knows that she is more than capable of protecting herself.
"You can't."
"Promise me that you'll come back to me."
"Promise," Hermione promises even though they both know there's every possibility that she might not be able to keep that promise.
The next twenty-four hours pass in a blur. Hermione completes her latest batch of the Crutiatus potion and stocks her satchel with every potion she can think of that may come in handy over the next few days. Tvesta is able to bring both a reusable portkey for their small rescue group and a handful of emergency portkeys for the few grey members they had among the deatheaters (including one made specifically for muggle usage). Fred and George finish the work Hermione had started on the mini-vanishing cabinet that will get more volatile potions to Severus when he needs them.
It's late afternoon on Tuesday in Britain when George, Bill, and Hermione appear in an abandoned building on the outskirts of London. The three are dressed in muggle clothing. Hermione's hair is pulled back into two tight braids to disguise its normal bushiness and both men are wearing baseball caps to hide their vibrant Weasley hair. They had decided against Polyjuice because the route they were taking to Grimmauld Place was over an hour long and they didn't want to risk having to take another dose of it when they were surrounded by muggles.
The transfer from buses to trains is smooth and before long, they are crammed together under Harry's invisibility cloak as they probe Grimmauld Place's perimeter for any possible traps or triggers. The general alerts they find are weak and easy enough to dismantle, clearly no one thought that people would be returning to the old Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
Their first hiccup is slightly expected because it comes in the form of Kreacher who vehemently hates that a mudblood and two blood traitors are back in the Black family home.
What is unexpected is Kreacher's reaction to Draco when the blonde shows up for their first meeting…
"Master Draco is…is working with Harry Potter's mudblood and the blood traitors?"
"Yes, I'm working with Hermione and the Weasleys," Draco responds with a kindness that surprises Hermione. Of all people, even with the clear choice he made to join their side and Severus's backing, Draco Malfoy was not the person she expected to be the first one she had seen to show Kreacher kindness.
"Master Draco…is a…blood traitor?" The question is slow and hesitant as if Kreacher's whole world view was being turned on its head. Which, knowing the family he had likely spent his entire life serving, was probably the case.
"Yes." Draco's answer is simple but sure and Kreacher stares at the young man with an expression that is unreadable to all the humans in the room.
Kreacher quietly follows the four magicals up the stairs to the library, seeming to gravitate toward Draco in a way that Hermione had never seen him gravitate toward someone before even when those someones were considered to be his masters.
"I brought the official blueprints for the house and the wards but there are many hallways, rooms, and wards that are not included on these. My father used those to hide particularly dark artifacts so that the ministry didn't find anything he deemed important in their raid during and after the last war. Raids haven't been much of an issue this go around since he had most politicians in his pocket." Draco rolls out a detailed document as soon as they reach a clear table.
Hermione's eyes meet Bill's and it's clear that the same thought is going through both of their heads: a 2D model wouldn't be helpful to them in a rescue mission, especially when it is incomplete.
"Draco?" The use of his first name feels weird but they aren't the same people they were second year and they couldn't continue addressing each other like they were.
The way the blonde jumps at her use of his first name shows that it was just as odd to him but he gives her his full attention.
"How good are you with wards and enchantments?" She knows that he has to be good at visualizing to have mastered Occlumency like she knew he had from Severus but visualizing wasn't enough for what she had in mind.
"Passable," he states in a way that is so much like Severus that she knows that he is more than passable in both subjects.
"This is a spell Bill and I created to work on destroying the Horcruxes but if you use the initial set of movements and tweak it just a bit, it should work to create a carbon copy of Malfoy Manor and its wards as you know them so that we can work on memorizing our paths even when you're not here."
Hermione goes through the familiar motion, pulling up the last Horcrux she had been working on.
Draco's eyes widen in amazement as he reaches out to the holographic copy of Slytherin's locket but it's Kreacher who pulls the attention of everyone in the room.
The little elf gasps, his gaze trained on the locket's image before he pops out of the room without explanation.
The four magicals don't have long to wonder what is going on when the elf is popping back into the room in front of Hermione, a familiar locket in his hands.
"Miss Granger knows how to destroy the dark thing?" Kreacher asks more kindly than he has ever asked Hermione anything before. "Master Regulus had Kreacher take him back to the cave where it was hidden…Kreacher didn't want to drink the hurting potion…so Master Regulus did…Then Master Regulus asked Kreacher to destroy the dark thing…and Master Regulus…Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to leave and keep everything a secret from Mistress…Kreacher tried to destroy the dark thing but Kreacher couldn't. Kreacher couldn't finish what Master Regulus asked. Kreacher is a bad elf."
Hermione squatted down to Kreacher's height and looked him directly in the eye. "You are not a bad elf. You did everything Master Regulus wanted you to do and we will help you finish his final order."
Kreacher's lips pull up into the first smile Hermione has ever seen as he hugs the cursed locket to his chest. That was one less thing off of their list.
The rest of their list for the next few days in Britain kept their days long and busy. Draco was only able to slip out of the Manor one other time without compromising his position or risking Luna's safety but he was able to get the mini-vanishing cabinet and emergency portkeys where they needed to go. George, Hermione, and Bill took turns mapping routes through Malfoy Manor so that one (or all of them) didn't stare at it so long that they missed something obvious. When they weren't mapping routes through the manor, they were either scouring the Black Library and shrinking as many books as they could to take back with them or dueling one another.
Their best course of action ended up being to wait until Friday which Hermione hated but that was the only time where guards would be low enough to miss three unfamiliar signatures. Especially when so many new or lower level deatheaters would be present. Hermione hated it but it was the safest course of action.
Slipping through Malfoy Manor's wards was surprisingly easy when you had the Malfoy heir as your inside man. George had mapped out all the most secret avenues of escape in case of emergency but the three of them had decided on the side entrance closest to the house elf quarters because it seemed like the most likely place for them to stumble across if they were avoiding the main entrances. It was also the least likely place for them to be seen even if they were under disillusionment charms because all of the house elves were occupied with the mass amounts of guests the Malfoys were currently hosting.
Fred and George had managed shrink their Extendable Ears into small earpieces that their side could use to communicate quietly which came in handy when the three were forced to separate due to a rowdy group of werewolves coming out of the forest and forced the three members of the grey to separate.
The appearance of the werewolves taking their time to make their way into the manor, not seeming to care if they were some of the last to arrive, costed the trio more time than they had because they had to wait out the group due to their enhanced sense. They were lucky that they weren't sensed or smelled from the moment the group of werewolves had barrelled through the trio's loose grouping. If Greyback had been apart of the group, they most likely would have been. This group appeared young and unused to being around so many magicals with their enhanced senses, they were likely newer to this way of life than the few werewolves Hermione was familiar with.
But waiting costed them time and by the time they traced Luna's magical signature, it wasn't her screams coming from the ballroom…
It was Draco's.