"My, you certainly ate well this morning," Hermione said with a smile for the boy who kneeled on one of her chairs. "You're going to grow fast eating like that."
"I grow big like Daddy!" Aurelian smiled. Hermione took the bowl and plate off of the table and placed them in the sink.
"Yes, I imagine you will," she said as she tried to hide her discomfort. "Now, let's get you cleaned up."
Hermione took a kitchen towel from the drawer and dampened it in the sink. She started back toward the table when a chime from the living room distracted her.
"Just a second, Aurey. I'll be right back," she told him. She walked toward the living room with her towel in hand.
"Please don't touch anything with those sticky fingers," she added over her shoulder. As soon as she entered, she froze. "Malfoy."
"Granger," he greeted with a scowl.
"What are you doing here?" she breathed nervously.
"What?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"You don't just walk into someone's home-" she started irritably.
"Potter owled me last night and told me to be here at this time," Draco interrupted. "I was under the assumption that you knew."
"No…" She sighed. "Sorry. Um, you can have a seat if you'd like. I'm still not-"
"Daddy!" Aurelian exclaimed with glee. Draco and Hermione both gasped when the small boy raced across the room and threw his arms around Draco's legs again. "Daddy, you come pway with me?"
Draco glared up at Hermione to convey his refusal to answer Aurelian's question.
"No, he can't play. We have to work today," Hermione answered as she squirmed under Draco's stare. She didn't want to disappoint Aurelian or anger Draco. She really did feel guilty, but she was doing what she felt was best.
"Pwease?" Aurelian begged as he looked up at Draco with pleading eyes.
"I'm sorry, but we really do have to work today and it seems that I'm running a bit late. Excuse us while we get cleaned up," Hermione added to Draco. "Come on, Aurey."
Aurelian reluctantly let go of Draco and walked sulkily to his mother.
"Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry," Hermione groaned as she looked at Draco's robes. "I was trying to clean him up when you arrived. He's gotten strawberry jam all over you. Here, you can try to clean up a bit," she said as she offered the towel to Draco.
"I have a wand, you know," Draco replied.
"Right, sorry," she apologized again. Flustered, she bent down and used the towel to wipe Aurelian's face and hands.
"C-can I get you something to drink or something? Tea maybe?"
"Mummy makes yummy cereal," Aurelian offered helpfully.
"No, thank you. I'd hate for your Mummy to trouble herself over me," he said derisively.
Hermione grimaced miserably. She didn't want him to be upset with her. Malfoy, as a part of the case, made things difficult. His desire to see Aurelian and refusal to understand her stance made it much worse.
"Come on, Aurey, we'll get you dressed." Hermione took his hand in hers and started back the short hallway to the bedroom. "You get to go see Aunt Molly again, today."
Aurelian looked at Hermione and back toward the living room. He looked upset and confused. He could see something was wrong between his parents, but he couldn't understand what. "Uncle Art pway with me again?"
"Actually, I think Uncle Art is at work today, but I'm sure you'll still have a lot of fun with Aunt Molly," she told him as she pulled his pajama shirt over his head. "Take off your bottoms."
Hermione dug through the bag Molly had given her and pulled out a pair of orange underpants and a faded red robe. She sighed as she looked it over. It looked like it had made it through a few children's wardrobes over the years. It bore quite a few signs of wear, which included a few stains on the front. It would be fine for playing at the Burrow, but she really did need to buy him some new things. It wasn't a big deal, and she knew she had enough money to purchase whatever he needed, but it was just another strange reminder of what this meant for her life. She was a mother and there would quite a few things that she needed to change.
"Alright, arms up," she instructed. Aurelian stood on top of the bed and waited for her with his hands in the air. A mischievous grin slowly spread across her face and she attacked the boy with a wiggly finger; he squirmed and giggled loudly. She simply couldn't resist. She laughed with him and found a funny comfort when he threw himself at her and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug, rubbed his back, and pulled away to smile at him fondly. "Alright, no more tickling. We need to get you ready."
The smile she'd gained in the few moments with Aurelian faded quickly as she walked back toward the living room. Her insides twisted when she remembered that Malfoy sat on her couch and he would inevitably see Aurelian again.
"Harry." Hermione smiled with relief when she saw the black-haired man in the middle of the small room. Just as quickly as her relief came, she remembered that she was angry with him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Er…sure," Harry replied, not missing the lightning fast mood swing. Hermione held onto Aurelian's hand and pulled him back around the corner with her. Harry followed immediately after. "What's wrong?"
"You could have told me that you invited him over this morning!" she hissed quietly. "I wasn't ready. When I heard the chime I expected your head in the fireplace, not Malfoy standing in my living room!"
"Sorry," Harry replied seriously. "I really hadn't thought about it. I meant to talk to you and it just slipped my mind. Is it okay that we meet here? I mean, we could always go back to the office or to Grimmauld Place. I just decided here because you had the Pensieve here."
"No, it's fine. I was just caught off guard is all. We were just finishing breakfast when he arrived and I would have liked to have had Aurelian at Molly's before that," Hermione explained. Her anger had vanished as she was never really angry in the first place. She was just frustrated.
"I'm sorry. Really. It's no big deal though. You can just take him to Molly now. I'll wait here with Malfoy. It won't take you but a minute," Harry assured her.
Hermione closed her eyes and nodded. Harry didn't understand, but she wasn't ready to explain it. "Okay." She looked down and saw that Aurelian no longer stood next to her. She didn't remember letting go of his hand. She and Harry walked around the corner and Hermione instantly felt the desire to cry. This was just too much.
Aurelian had returned to the living room while Harry and Hermione were talking. Malfoy sat on the sofa and Aurelian had positioned himself to stand between his father's knees. Aurelian spoke quite casually to him, and took no notice of the man's uncertainty. The boy picked up the man's hand and placed a toy in it as he continued to talk.
"Aunt Molly gived 'em to me. Dey used to be Uncle Won's. Dis one flies funny cuz him doesn't have a leg. But dis one is my favorite. He likes to roll 'round and 'round," Aurelian explained as he pointed to the Quidditch model toys. Draco looked at the battered-looking figurine in his hand. It was indeed missing a leg and it paced Draco's hand, utilizing its broomstick as a crutch.
"Aurelian, it's time to go," Hermione said flatly.
"Okay," Aurelian answered. "You hold him, Daddy. I come back later, we pway."
Draco nodded, but he knew that Hermione would make sure he was gone before Aurelian returned. The idea frustrated and angered him, but he said nothing.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Hermione assured them as she picked Aurelian up. With a quick pinch of Floo powder and an uttered destination, the mother and her child were gone.
"Sorry about the mix up this morning," Harry apologized. "I meant to speak to Hermione about using her flat today, but I forgot. I hope she wasn't too hostile."
"She upsets easily then?" Draco asked, still rather peeved.
"Well, not always," Harry answered. "She doesn't take surprises well, really, and, like all of us, she's rather stressed about all of this. It's gotta be hard with the extra stress of becoming a mother overnight. Can't really blame her, can you?"
Draco didn't answer. Hermione wasn't the only one that became a parent overnight.
"Sorry about that," Hermione apologized as she reentered the room through the fireplace. "Would you like me to get you some tea, Harry, before we start?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Harry replied.
"Are you sure I can't get you some?" she directed to Malfoy. Her insides squirmed again when she spoke to him.
"So long as it's no trouble," he responded darkly.
"Of course not," Hermione answered quietly. She turned toward the kitchen and sighed. Harry looked curiously from Draco to Hermione's retreating back.
"How about I give you a hand?" he offered. He followed her before she could answer. Hermione flicked her wand at the kettle on the stove and it whistled immediately. She grabbed three mugs from the hutch and set them on the counter.
"What's going on, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly. As the flat was so small, he had to talk softly so as not to be overheard in the other room.
"Nothing," Hermione lied as she reached into a high cupboard for the tea.
"Don't lie to me," Harry said. He took the tea from her and looked her in the eye. "This is more than you just being upset that he showed up unannounced. What happened between you?"
"Nothing," Hermione said again. She took the tea out of Harry's hands and placed it to the counter. "H-he just came over last night wanting to see Aurelian."
Harry looked a bit surprised and stared at Hermione as she avoided his gaze. She put the tea into the teapot while Harry continually attempted to catch her eyes. "And what happened?"
"I told him no," Hermione answered. Harry stopped trying to get her to look at him and just stared at her in bewilderment. That was not the answer he had expected and didn't know how to respond. He'd immediately assumed that she had let him see Aurelian and Malfoy must have done something to upset her. "I just don't think it's a good idea for him to have contact with Aurey. Things are difficult enough for him," she continued as she pulled the kettle off of the stove. Harry followed after her despite the short distance.
"So that's what this is then." Harry nodded as everything he had seen and heard that morning finally made sense. "Well… as his mother, it's your choice really. You have to do what you think is best."
"Thank you." She wasn't sure if Harry really understood or not. She doubted that he had given it much thought, but she appreciated his support nonetheless.
"This does make things a bit more strained though," Harry told her. "So… so just try to be nice?"
"I am!" she informed him a bit bitterly, frustrated by Draco's attitude toward her. She took the sugar bowl from Harry's hands and set it on the tray. Harry nodded and followed her into the living room. Hermione set the tea tray on the coffee table in front of Harry and Draco. She poured a cup for each of them and waited while they dressed theirs with cream and sugar. The silence continued for a few moments as they paged through their private thoughts.
"So," Harry said when Hermione finally took a seat in the armchair next to him. "Like I told Hermione, after I left Hogwarts yesterday, I went to the Ministry to see Ron and we spent some time going through recent reports, looking for anything suspicious that could pertain to our investigation. We've received permission to further investigate anything we might need to."
"And?" Hermione asked.
"And we really didn't find much. There was a break-in at Spinner's End a couple weeks ago," Harry started.
"Snape's old house?" Hermione interrupted.
"Yes, but we're not sure if it's anything or not. It's happened before. A few times. There were no traces of magic. It was assumed that it was just some kids breaking in for fun. Maybe even Muggle children, but Ron's still going to look into it," Harry informed them.
"What about Robards?" Hermione asked. She was worried about how Harry's boss would take his absence in the department.
"Well, like I said, he trusts me, but he is starting to ask questions. If I have to, I'll talk to Kingsley. He'll authorize my investigation," he stated confidently.
"So, what now?" Draco asked.
"Well, we have a lot of information to look into already, but I think we have to finish looking at the memories first. It may hold the answers we're looking for," Harry answered.
Draco did not respond, but Hermione nodded and got out of her seat. "I'll get it."
Hermione disappeared down the hall and reappeared with a stone basin in her hands. Harry moved the tea tray to the kitchen, cups practically untouched, and rejoined them in the living room. Hermione took out the small vial that contained the memories and, with a slight tremble to her hand, poured them into the bowl. She looked up at Harry and Draco and swallowed hard. She'd prepared for this all night, unable to sleep well because of her anxiety. But this was it. After this, she wouldn't have to see them again; at least, she hoped she wouldn't.
"Ready?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded and waved her wand over the bowl. The images inside changed and skipped through the memories they had already viewed. They stared into a pool of darkness.
"After you," Harry said to Draco. Draco looked just as reluctant as the other two, but plunged his hand into the bowl. Hermione nodded to Harry and followed after.
The three of them felt a little lightheaded and took a second to view their surroundings. It was dark and hard to see, but they recognized the place they stood as the foot of the bed of in the master bedroom of Malfoy Manor.
"She's not sleeping," Hermione noted. The woman in the bed tossed and turned.
A sudden sound like a cannon startled them all and they swung around to look at the door. The sound was followed by raucous laughter from somewhere in the house.
"They're here!" the memory Hermione shrieked in horror. The memory Draco was already on his feet.
"Grab the bag! I'll get Aurelian!" Draco ordered. Hermione nodded and raced to the closet. Draco was long gone before she turned around. She threw the small rucksack over her shoulder.
"Pernie!" Hermione called in panic.
"Mistress?" the house-elf asked, her fear evident in the way she quivered.
"You have to go. The Manor's not safe. Go somewhere safe and take care of yourself. I'll call for you when we're safe," Hermione ordered quickly. She had taken off running toward Aurelian's room before she had even stopped talking. She listened and was relieved when she heard the 'crack' that signaled the house-elf's disappearance.
The visiting trio ran after her, their hearts pounding in their chests. They had known that the memories they would witness today were likely to be intense, but they hadn't expected to start running as soon as they arrived. They heard heavy footsteps behind them and looked over their shoulders to see a Death Eater run directly through Harry as though he were a ghost. When they faced forward again, they watched as a flash of green light streaked past the memory Hermione's ear.
Memory Hermione looked over her shoulder and shouted through the house, "GO, DRACO!"
She turned in the middle of her step and the world pressed in around them all. When it reappeared a second later, they stood on jagged rocky ground at the base of a cliff.
"Draco! DRACO!" Hermione shrilly cried through the hills.
"In here!" Draco shouted back, his voice sounding like an echo. His shout was immediately followed by the frightened cries of a small child.
Hermione scrambled up the rocks, her feet slipping occasionally on the crumbling rock. She stared up at a dark hole in the side of the cliff and rushed toward it.
"Draco?" she called through the cave.
"Yes," he called back.
Hermione lit her wand and squeezed through the tight gap in the rock. When she found her way through, her eyes fell upon a man with white-blond hair and the crying child in his arms. He stood there shaking, his bare chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, and stared at her as if she were the only thing that mattered in the world.
"Draco," she sobbed. She walked forward slowly and pressed herself against his chest next to her petrified son. Her arm wrapped around her husband's waist and he pulled her close with his free arm. "You're both alright?"
"Yes," Draco answered. "What about you? I heard you yell… I thought…"
Visiting Hermione and Draco looked at each other uncomfortably and turned their attention back to the young family.
"I'm okay. They were just coming so fast. I just wanted to know that you got out," memory Hermione told him. "How did they get in? Draco… our home…"
"I know," Draco replied sadly. "Shhh… shh now, Aurelian… It's okay. We're alright. Calm down."
With fear and adrenaline coursing through them, Hermione and Draco had somehow been able to block out Aurelian's cries, but as those feelings subsided with their slight relief, they turned to soothe the child that screamed between them.
"Shhh… It's okay, Aurelian," Hermione told him gently. She raised her still shaky hand to gently stroke his hair.
"I wan go home…" Aurelian pouted miserably.
"I'm sorry, love," Hermione apologized in earnest. "But we can't go home tonight. We can stay here together though."
"Yeah," Draco agreed, trying to make his voice sound light and calm. "We're going to have a camp out tonight. We get to sleep here."
"Don't wan stay here. Wan go home…" he pouted.
"No, no. None of that," Draco lightly admonished. "This can be fun. You'll see. See that bag that Mummy has? I know for a fact that she's got some neat stuff in there. You want to see the neat beds she has for us to sleep in tonight?"
Aurelian slowly lifted his head off Draco's shoulder to look in his mother's direction. Hermione smiled, relieved to see her child's fear beginning to slip away, but at the same time she felt her own tears ready to burst free again. They were trying to convince their two-year-old son that everything was okay when, in fact, it wasn't.
"Go on, Mummy, show him our sleeping bags," Draco urged. Hermione knelt on the ground and used her wand to summon the sleeping bags from it. "You know what this place is, Aurey?" Draco continued. "This is a cave near Hogsmeade. A friend of Mummy's, named Sirius, slept in here before. And you know how he snuck around? He could turn into a doggy. Mummy's friend could turn into a doggy whenever he wanted. Wouldn't that be neat?"
Draco's lighthearted rambling seemed to ease Aurelian further and when Draco was finished, he pointed at the cave floor. "Look there. Mummy fixed our bed for us. It's my favorite color too; blue."
"I don't wan sleep here," Aurelian pouted again. "I wan go home."
"Well, we're not going home tonight, so let's just have some fun. Hey, look. Mummy has a sleeping bag, too. What color is Mummy's bed? Do you know?"
"Purple," Aurelian answered with his bottom lip pushed forward in a great frown.
"That's right. You are such a smart little boy," Draco praised. A tiny hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Aurey's mouth.
Visiting Harry stepped closer and examined Aurelian. "He can't be much younger here than he is now. Just a few months difference, maybe?"
"You know what else I have in here?" memory Hermione asked, cutting off any answers that the other visitors might have given Harry. "I have Aurelian's favorite sweets…"
"No…" Draco said playfully. "You have Chocoballs in there? Did you hear that, Aurey? Mummy brought Chocoballs for our campout. Would you like one before we go back to sleep?"
Aurelian's smile grew a little more and he nodded. Hermione reached up and placed one into the expectant little palm. Hermione lifted the box a little and asked without words if Draco would like one. Draco let his fake smile fall while Aurelian was busy eating chocolate and politely declined with a shake of his head. It settled them a little to help Aurey, but they were still incredibly tense and worried.
"Alright, love, time to slip into the sack and get some sleep," Draco announced.
"No… I wan go home," Aurelian repeated as his pout returned.
"I know, but we'll be nice and comfy here. You get to snuggle up to me all night," Draco said as he slid into the sleeping bag and tucked Aurelian in next to him. "Come on, Mummy, time for bed."
Though Draco's voice was still light, the look in his eye was not. It was a soft-spoken command. Hermione was never one to allow people to order her around, but this was different in a way that she could not explain. He was doing it for her. She was not angry; in fact, she felt rather apologetic when she shook her head.
"The others… I have to see them," she whispered, trying hard not to cry.
"No," Draco whispered firmly. "You know the rules. Not tonight. Now, come rest."
Hermione's knees were starting to hurt from the way she kneeled on the stone floor of the cave, but she felt like she just couldn't move. She couldn't stop the thoughts of her friends. There was no way that she could sleep.
"For Aurelian?" Draco pleaded.
"Daddy?" Aurelian asked when Draco had said his name.
Hermione nodded and crawled into her sleeping bag. She moved it so that she was right up against the other sleeping bag. Aurelian was spooned comfortably against his father while Draco's arm draped over him. Hermione smiled sadly at the two people who had come to mean more to her than anything and gently reached out to hold Draco's hand. Draco returned her sad smile and gently squeezed her hand.
"Don't think about it," he told her. "Save the worrying for when we know what to worry about."
Hermione couldn't answer. She wanted to soothe her husband as much as she wanted to soothe her son but there was nothing she could say, so she did the only thing she knew would give him comfort: she stayed. Despite her desire to race out and find her friends, she stayed with him.
When the memory faded away, the three visitors didn't move. They stood in the same place when the next memory appeared, only the cave was slightly brighter inside. Draco knelt on the floor, still only in his sleep pants and Aurelian sat in front of him with another Chocoball in his hand.
"Well?" the memory Draco asked hopefully. The three visitors turned to see the memory Hermione in the entrance of the cave with a pained look on her face.
"They weren't there," she said with a strangled sob. "The Burrow is empty. Things were torn apart, chairs overturned…"
"We knew it probably would be," Draco said calmly. "But they knew this might happen. They were just as prepared as we were. I'm sure they're all probably there waiting on us."
Hermione nodded.
"Aurelian and I got all our things packed up, didn't we?" Draco said. Aurelian nodded with a smile, chocolate smeared around his lips. "We're ready to go when you are."
"Where we goin'?" Aurelian asked.
"To see Uncle Harry," Draco answered.
"And Jamie?" Aurelian asked hopefully.
"Yes, I'm sure James is there, too," Draco looked at Hermione as he said this.
"Do we have to spin?" Aurelian asked.
"Yes, we have to Apparate," Draco answered as he stood up and took the boy into his arms. "But it will be quick. And you're a pro at this now, aren't you?"
Aurelian nodded.
"I've got the bag," Hermione announced as she lifted the rucksack onto her shoulder.
"On three," Draco prompted. "One, two, th-"
Before they could hear Draco finish the word 'three', the visiting trio felt the cave squish to their sides and lights flashed around them. When the world expanded around them, they saw two ruddy looking canvas pup tents and three wands trained on the young family.
"It's us! It's us!" Hermione announced quickly with her hands up defensively.
"Hermione!" Ginny cried. The red-headed woman raced forward and threw her arms around her bushy-haired friend.
"Are you alright? Harry said there was a Dark Mark above the Manor."
Hermione nodded, her face screwed up. Ginny pulled her closer.
"Alright?" Charlie asked Draco as he stowed his wand back into his wand pocket. Fred walked over and joined them, also stowing his wand.
"Yeah," Draco answered soberly with a small nod of his head. "Your group? Everyone got out?"
"Hermione? Oh, thank God!" Harry called as he ran out of the tent. "Are you alright? Everyone alright?"
Harry took hold of both of Hermione's arms and stared her in the face. Hermione nodded again, somehow unable to find her voice. Harry looked over at Draco. "Malfoy?"
"We're alright."
"We were scared to death you know. When we hadn't heard from you…" Harry continued.
"Rules, Potter," Draco reminded.
"We know," Fred assured him. "We just got here about forty minutes ago ourselves."
"We were worried, too," Hermione told them. "I wanted to check the Burrow last night, but-"
"Rules," Ginny said again. "Harry broke them. He went to the Manor last night. It scared us all even more, I think."
"Charlie had to steal his wand so he wouldn't go searching for you or try to send out a Patronus," Fred chuckled mirthlessly. Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry and he looked away.
"What rules are we talking about?" visiting Harry asked.
"Rules for protection," visiting Hermione answered. "It sounds like we both had safe places to go if we were attacked before we met up here. We weren't allowed to try and make contact before then. But, then why didn't we have security questions?"
"If you're so big on rules," memory Harry addressed everyone. "Did everyone pass the security questions?"
"If I were a Death Eater in disguise, don't you think I'd try dressing up a bit more, Potter?" Draco smirked.
The visiting Hermione didn't fail to notice that though Draco had referred to Harry as 'Uncle Harry' for Aurelian, he still called him Potter to his face and Harry still called him Malfoy. It was lighthearted though. There seemed to be no malice left between the old school rivals.
"And this here tot sure looks menacing doesn't he?" Fred asked, smiling at Aurelian.
"Harry's right, though," Hermione said seriously.
"Fine then…" Draco said, thinking for just a second. "Of all the things I've ever called you, Pot Head is still my favorite, followed, of course, by The Scarred Savior."
"Fine, the ferret passes the test," Harry said, shaking his head. Despite the joke, both men still bore expressions of heaviness.
Hermione, on the other hand, didn't even try to force a smile. She looked quite ill as she looked around. "Where's Ron?"
Everyone's smile fell and every gaze hit the ground.
"No…" Hermione breathed.
"Hey, Aurelian…" Fred started softly. "I bet you haven't had any breakfast yet. Why don't you come in the tent and eat some cereal with James and Teddy?"
Aurelian nodded and Draco gently set him down. He sent an appreciative nod to Fred who was leading Aurelian toward the tent.
"Hermione…" Draco said softly, "you already knew."
"No… I didn't. He can't be…" Hermione protested.
"Yesterday afternoon," Charlie said quietly, "we got an owl saying that he never showed up at Dean's house. We waited… Harry and Fred went looking…"
"But then he could still be alive!" Hermione shouted angrily. "We have to-"
"Hermione," Draco said gently, putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder when he saw Ginny's tears and the pained expressions that marred every face. "You've already known. They wouldn't let him live. They got what they needed. With Arthur gone, everyone was a secret keeper and could have revealed the Burrow, but Ron was our secret keeper. The only way they could have broken the charm to get in was with him. You knew that the minute they entered the Manor."
"I know…" Hermione broke down. Draco put his arms around her and held her tightly. Of everyone in the war that they'd lost, this death hit the hardest. Ron was one of her best friends. They had so many memories of their times at Hogwarts; they celebrated so many birthdays, holidays, and congratulations, and she had fought right beside him in so many battles. His death hurt. There was no other word for it. It hurt.
"Come on," Charlie said gently. "Let's get inside and have some breakfast."
The scene changed again and the three visitors stood quietly, not quite prepared to move on, but given no choice. Draco, who had never been close to Ron, had never worked with him, still felt the great loss. It was detrimental to the people with him and so to the efforts of the war. When the world materialized again, they stood around a table in the large interior of one of the canvas pup tents.
The four chairs around the table were occupied by Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Fred. Behind them, joined in the conversation, were Dean, Draco, Charlie, and Luna. The visitors seemed to have arrived in the middle of the discussion. With all the adults gathered, Hermione couldn't help but look for the children and saw them tucked away in the bunk beds on the other side of the tent.
"I just know that we can't go on like this," said Charlie as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. The visiting Hermione had failed to notice outside the tents that Charlie still bore splotchy scars over the right side of his body, scars from the burns he received in the futile fight to save Hogwarts. "It takes so much effort to track them, not that they're very hard to find anymore, but with our numbers… Their numbers are outrageous and we never even know if she'll be there personally. We can't keep chasing her. It's like trying to catch water with our bare hands."
"I know," Harry said heavily, "which is why we need to change tactics. From now on, we'll make her come to us."
"How?" asked Dean.
"By using her weaknesses against her. Pride and fury. We taunt her." Harry looked older than he had before. He had to be around 26 or 27 and he looked it but for his eyes and his stature. He looked like an Army General the way his eyes had hardened. His shoulders, though they showed signs of fatigue, were still somehow held back with determination. He looked and sounded wise beyond his years. "Hermione, can you reverse a Fidelius Charm?"
Hermione looked surprised by, what seemed to her, the random question. "I don't know… I've never heard of anyone trying. I mean, it must be possible… but why?"
"I want to reveal Grimmauld Place," Harry answered simply.
"Harry, it's in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood that has been completely destroyed. Imagine what Muggles would think to see a house standing untouched in the middle of all that rubble," Hermione worried.
"I know, but it doesn't matter. We need it and we want her to see it. Muggles are already frightened and confused by everything happening in the world. The International Statute of Secrecy means nothing anymore. I want to reveal it at night. The Muggles won't go to it then," Harry insisted. "But can you do it?"
Hermione sighed and searched her mind for possibilities. "Yes," she said confidently. "I don't know how yet, but I will."
"Good," said Harry. "I want to lure her with the Dark Mark. Different places, one night after the other. She'll be outraged that someone would use the Mark, especially us. Whatever she's doing, whatever she's trying to achieve – if anything – I have no doubt that she still does it with honor toward Voldemort. She'll come personally to take care of it. It would work best, though, if the Dark Mark was set at our houses so that she might see that we're purposely taunting her. Dean… You have no idea how hard it is for me to ask, but your house…"
"Yes, Harry," Dean answered before Harry could finish. "My family has gone to safety. You can use my house."
"Don't answer so quickly. I'm talking about luring the Death Eaters to your home. It's very possible that it could be destroyed," Harry said seriously.
"I know, Harry. But it's hardly my home anymore. I'm here, full in, with the rest of you. And if this will work like we hope, we'll be rid of her, and most likely, her inner circle. I'm full in," Dean replied earnestly.
"Alright," Harry said with a small appreciative smile. "Luna-?"
"Of course, Harry," Luna answered before the question was even posed. He knew he wouldn't have to repeat himself. Luna knew what she had just signed up for.
"Mine, too, Potter," Draco offered. "You start at Grimmauld Place and work your way around. Use the Manor as the place of actual attack. It's got the best positioning and the most space."
Harry nodded.
"Harry…" Hermione started tentatively. "I know that we turned down the idea before… but I think we might want to reconsider-"
"No, Hermione, you're right," Harry interrupted, taking her by surprise. "We're too few. We're desperate. We need the element of surprise and they'll never see it coming. You just tell us what we need to do."
Hermione nodded dumbly, unable to believe that he agreed so easily. What felt like a good idea a moment before, suddenly seemed frightening.
The memory started to fade and the visiting Harry turned around to look at Hermione. "Do what? What are we planning? What will they never see coming?"
"Harry, I don't know," Hermione replied a bit defensively.
"We'll see it. You know we will," Draco answered.
When the new memory fell into place, they saw Hermione alone in the field as she stared at the two tents. She took a deep breath and strode toward the tent on the right. She reached for the flap but stopped when she heard the conversation inside.
"Damn it, Potter!" Draco shouted.
"I know you don't like it, but I need to know that you'll follow the plan," Harry answered. Hermione peeked through the gap in the tent flaps and stared at the two men who faced each other with hard looks.
"I know the plan and I have no problem sending the Dark Mark up like all the other times, but I will not just scurry back here and wait and leave everyone – leave Hermione – to fight," Draco raged.
"You have to. You have to stay with Aurelian," Harry ordered.
"Ginny's here with the other two, she can watch Aurelian," Draco insisted.
"The rule, Malfoy! The rules! It's the rule you helped create yourself and have enforced many times before. One parent must always stay with the child. It's as much for Hermione as it is for Aurelian that you stay here with him. We need her. We can't do this without her. And there's no way she's going to be able to keep her head on straight if she's worrying about you."
"Someone else… not her," Draco said with a quiver in his voice.
"I know how you feel," Harry said seriously, placing his hand on Draco's shoulder. "No one wants to see her hurt. We've planned this out though. Hermione says she's gone over it more than a hundred times and I doubt she's exaggerating. She's a brilliant witch. She's a brilliant and furious woman in general. Trust us. Trust her."
Angry tears stung Draco's eyes and his teeth were clenched in defiance. He wouldn't cry. He nodded to Harry.
"You'll follow the plan. You'll come right back?" Harry checked.
"I'll follow the plan. But you better make sure she gets back here safely, Potter," Draco threatened, his ferocity returned.
"I will."
"Draco? Harry?" Hermione called. She acted like she'd just arrived as she continued, "We're ready. It's all set up."
"Alright," said Harry, following her out of the tent. When they stepped out into the night, the others were gathered outside of the other tent.
"We're ready," Harry told them. "Now, we've been over this several times so I'm not going to review again. Just everyone stay hidden and stay safe. After the signal, you run outside the boundaries and hide or Apparate; whatever you need to do. No heroics."
"That goes for you too, mate," Fred reminded him. Harry nodded.
"Aurelian!" Hermione cried in surprise. "What are you doing out here, love? I tucked you in over an hour ago."
"Mummy, where goin'? Where goin', Mummy?" he pouted.
"Mummy and Daddy have some work to do tonight," Hermione told him gently.
"No, no workin'!" Aurelian protested.
"Sorry, buddy," Draco apologized. He then squatted down to the toddler's level. "We'll be back soon though. Daddy will be back real soon."
"No, Daddy. No go." Aurelian pouted. Hermione, again, suspected that Aurelian could feel the tension. He felt their fear and uncertainty, and it scared him.
"Don't worry. I'll be back really fast, okay? Really fast. I promise. I'll be back before you can even miss me. Five minutes. You go in that tent and tell Pernie to set the clock for five minutes and I'll beat that timer. Do you think I can?" Draco said lightly.
Aurelian looked up at Hermione and the others and then back at his father. "Really fast?"
"Really fast. And then I'll tuck you back into your bed. You wait for me."
Aurelian nodded and Ginny took his hand. Before she returned to the tent though, she took Harry to the side.
"You come back really fast, too," Draco told Hermione seriously.
"I will, Draco. I'll be safe," Hermione assured him. "I lov-"
"No. No 'I love you.' You can tell me when you get back," Draco told her sternly.
"I will."
"Okay, let's go," Harry told the group. He looked around and waited for the others to crowd around him. Hermione looked from one face to the other and said a quick silent prayer. Eight people. That's all that was left of the Order of the Phoenix, hiding away in two tents. Eight adults, three children, and a house-elf were trying to take down the largest wizard army that the world had ever known. That night they would try to take down the Bellatrix and her inner circle. It had to work.
All of the adults, sans Ginny, gathered and Apparated away to Malfoy Manor.
"You're ready, Hermione? Absolutely ready?" Harry asked.
"Yes, as ready as I can be," Hermione assured him. "I looked it over more-"
"I know, Hermione. I trust you," Harry told her, his hand on her shoulder. "Now, everyone use the Disillusionment Charm and get into place. Malfoy… whenever you're ready."
Harry rapped himself on the head and slowly started to vanish before their eyes. He was the last one to do so and when Draco saw the last bit of his trainers vanish, he lifted his wand and conjured the Dark Mark. The green glowing skull and snake waved among the clouds. Draco closed his eyes and Disapparated.
Rather than fade or vanish, the memory seemed to skip in time. The three visitors never moved from their spot. They looked around for memory Hermione but did not see her. They then assumed that she was still under the Disillusionment Charm. They hadn't much time to ponder it as they watched dark hooded figures pop into view and descend upon the house. There must have been close to fifty, many more than any of them had anticipated. Most of the Death Eaters looked around uncertainly. Finally, a woman appeared, not wearing robes or a mask like the others. She wore a long dress and had long black hair. They could not see her face, but there was no doubt that they were looking at Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Potter!" she cried angrily, her wand pointed through the open front doors. The visiting trio could see behind her a brilliantly glowing stag standing in the middle of the entrance hall. "Potter's here! Find him!" she ordered. She rushed into the house with the others.
When most of the group was inside, they heard a soft "Expecto Patronum" uttered. Before the visitors could figure out where it had come from, a silver otter streaked a quick circle around the outside of the Manor. Only a second later, a large explosion shook the ground beneath their feet. They looked up in shock at the fire that suddenly burned in the collapsed right wing of the house.
"Bugger me..." they heard the memory Hermione curse from somewhere very close to them. "No! Damn it! Work!"
She looked up and saw a stream of Death Eaters exit the house.
"Fuck!" They heard Harry shout off to their right. "Expecto Patronum!"
Harry had undone his Disillusionment Charm and his body was half visible when he ran out toward the house, his Patronus going before him. The stag trotted in front of the doors and gave the Death Eaters pause.
"It's Potter!" the voice of Rodolphus Lestrange shouted.
"Get him!" Bellatrix commanded as she practically flew outside and directly toward Harry.
"Harry, get out!" Hermione shrieked.
"Harry!" a few other voices shouted. The Disillusionment Charms were disarmed by their owners before they were supposed to be ended.
"NO!" Hermione cried out to them.
"No..." visiting Hermione echoed. "They're using Muggle explosives. Bombs. They didn't go off right. They can't go over there; the explosives may still go off."
Bellatrix sent a well-aimed curse at Harry that he deflected easily and he countered with a disarming spell. From there the spells flew faster, one after another. The other members of the small Order moved in to deflect the spells that the other Death Eaters cast at Harry.
"No!" Hermione cried again. She gave up and let down her Disillusionment Charm. Another explosion shook the ground and the back side of the house collapsed. "No, not now! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Hermione's otter reappeared and circled the fighters, which caused more fright amongst the Death Eaters. That, coupled with the last explosion, forced them to begin to flee. Many tried to Disapparate, but were unsuccessful: the Order had reraised the Apparition wards after they arrived.
"Harry! Move!" Hermione screamed loudly and desperately. The Order members had moved back and shot spells to try to keep the Death Eaters corralled in. Harry stood in front of the doors, caught in a fierce duel with Bellatrix, a look of panic on his face.
"Harry! Enough!" Luna shouted as she came to his aid. Even with the two of them fighting, Bellatrix did not seem concerned. She simply looked possessed.
Hermione raised her wand and dropped the Apparition wards. "Apparate, Harry!"
Just as she finished her shout, three successive explosions burst inside the house. "No!" Hermione screamed.
"Run!" Charlie shouted to her angrily.
Hermione turned and ran as explosion after explosion vibrated the dirt under her shoes. She stopped suddenly when she passed a familiar oak with an orange ribbon tied around its lowest branch, a marker of the perimeter. She watched as the Death Eaters ran away from the house at full tilt. Explosions similar to the ones in the house blew a large circle around the grounds, throwing dirt into the air, splintering surrounding trees, and effectively trapping the Death Eaters between the burning house and a wall of flames. Hermione looked on in horror at the bodies of her two friends amongst the debris.
"Ward it!" Fred shouted.
Hermione was already in the process of doing so when Fred had ordered, but it was possibly the hardest decision she ever had to make. She had to trap any friends left inside with the anti-Apparition charm.
"No!" the visiting Hermione shouted suddenly. "No! Godric, how could I do that?"
"Hermione," the visiting Harry said gently.
"Don't!" Hermione commanded as she slapped away the hand Harry tried to use to comfort her. "How could you do that? Again! You had even said yourself – no heroics! Damn it, Harry!"
"Granger…" Draco started calmly. "It wasn't him-"
"It was him who made that decision!" Hermione raged. "You've made it before, so many times! You sacrifice yourself to whatever cause you're in. And this is what it does!" Hermione shouted. She pointed toward the burning house and the fallen comrades in front of it. "I don't want this to happen!"
"None of this is going to happen, Hermione," Harry said vehemently.
"Maybe not like this. Maybe we'll solve this whole thing, but there's always going to be something! Always! You have to stop doing this! Do you see what it does?" Hermione pointed to the new piece of memory that had appeared when the memory Hermione Apparated. There, memory Hermione fell to her knees crying.
"Hermione!" memory Draco shouted as he ran out to her and the others. "What happened? Are you alright?"
Hermione sobbed miserably, unable to speak. Fred had also fallen to his knees; Dean and Charlie stared unseeing into the night.
"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked. She had followed Draco out of the tent and her whole body shook, tears already streaming down her cheeks. She already knew, from Hermione's actions, the answer to her question.
"It was my fault!" Hermione shrieked and sobbed. "It didn't work right. I killed them."
Ginny sobbed and Draco was too stunned for words.
"No," said Charlie. "It wasn't your fault. They went back. You couldn't stop it."
"It was supposed to work… the explosives were supposed to work…" Hermione wailed.
"They did," Fred said softly. "Not in the right time, but they worked. Many were killed. Many."
"But it wasn't worth it…" Hermione sobbed.
"Was she there? Was she caught in it?" Draco asked desperately.
Hermione stopped and thought. She didn't know. She was so concerned about Harry and Luna that she hadn't looked to see what happened to Bellatrix.
"No," Dean answered. "She wasn't there, and it wasn't the explosion that killed them, Hermione. She killed 'em herself. She Disapparated just before the last wave."
"How could she Apparate?" Draco asked. "I thought-"
"I dropped the Apparition wards for Harry and Luna…" Hermione said quietly. It was another thing she blamed herself for. Harry and Luna died trying to defeat Bellatrix and it was Hermione's fault that she got away. "I'm sorry, Ginny… I'm so sorry…"
"It's over..." said Fred. "We can't do this without Harry. It's over."
"No," Draco said with ferocity that surprised them all. "It's not over. Potter's an incredible leader and was the key to defeating Voldemort, but not Bellatrix. We don't stop here. We can't stop here. It would make all the sacrifices for nothing. We sleep, we mourn, and we continue. We don't stop here."
Everyone looked down at the ground and nodded silently.
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Draco said, a hand on Ginny's shoulder as Harry had earlier done to him. "I'm sorry."
The memory around them vanished and they once again stood around the table inside the tent. The small boys played nearby on the floor.
"We bait them again," Draco said.
"What's the point?" Dean asked in frustration. "What's the point if she can come back again once we've killed her."
"The point is, she'll be dead," Draco replied angrily.
"Exactly. We take her down first. It will be nearly impossible for us to find her new Horcrux if she knows we're looking."
"I agree," said Charlie "But-"
The group gasped in unison when they heard several 'pops' outside the tent.
"There!" a man shouted.
"They're here!" Hermione cried.
"Grab the boys!" Charlie shouted.
"How did they find us?" Ginny cried, as she roughly lifted James from the floor.
"Taboo! It's a taboo!" Hermione shouted.
"This way!" shouted Fred.
Spells were already flying into the tent and Fred used his wand to sever the back of the tent. As soon as the tent wall split open, a green flash hit Fred directly in the chest.
"NO!" Ginny cried.
"Daddy!" Aurelian screamed. Charlie sent a barrage of spells out of the tent and pushed forward.
"Go!" he yelled.
Hermione rushed out before him, casting spells in all directions. "Go!"
"Go, Hermione!" Draco ordered, Aurelian bouncing in his arms as he ran.
Hermione looked over her shoulder and her whole world shattered. She watched as Draco fell, face first, onto the ground, the Death Eater behind him still with his wand pointed at his chest. Hermione couldn't breathe, but her heart pounded in her ears. She didn't know what happened around her or to her as she ran to her fallen husband. It broke her heart to see him like that. She wanted to run away from it all and at the same time she wanted to lay down next to him, to give it all up herself; her body continued to move in its own plan despite her wishes. She sent a killing curse to the man that destroyed her husband's life, and therefore her own, and she ripped the small boy out from under his father's body. She raced a few steps forward and Disapparated, leaving all of it, her hopes and dreams, her love, behind.
The visiting Hermione felt as thought she'd been punched in the stomach. She had a difficult time drawing a breath and it looked as though visiting Draco felt the same. The world changed too soon. They weren't ready yet. They needed to recover.
Four. The Order was down to four. Ginny, Dean, Charlie, and Hermione sat around a fire in the cave near Hogsmeade. Aurelian was snuggled in Hermione's arms as she stared despondently into the fire. Ginny looked her mirror image as she sat the same with James on the other side of the fire. Dean and Charlie sat across from each other and Teddy had his head on Charlie's lap.
"We bait them…" Hermione said flatly, still looking quite vacant. "One last time."
"To what end?" asked Dean.
"She's angry. She believes we're running scared now. She'll want to end us, if she can. The word is taboo and I bet she doesn't think we know. She'll be waiting for us to say it again. So we will," Hermione said. Though she had somehow taken the lead in Harry and now Draco's absence, her heart was not in it like theirs; she wasn't as fierce as they were. She didn't want to fight, didn't want to lose anymore, but there was no way she could stop. Draco was right. It would be for nothing if they stopped. They still had a chance.
"You still have explosives?" Charlie asked quietly.
"Yes," Hermione answered just as softly. "They're still hidden. We let her believe we're surprised and then we take her out."
"Make a plan. You know I'm in," Dean said dejectedly.
"Ginny… I'll need you to watch Aurelian," Hermione said quietly. "There's no other way."
Ginny nodded.
"What the hell are they doing?" the visiting Draco shouted suddenly. Harry and Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"They're still going. After everything we did. We did it for them and they're still risking their lives! Can't they see we did it for them? To save them?"
"Of course we can," Hermione said softly. "But it was done for more than just us. The whole world will continue to suffer if they don't stop her. They would be found eventually. They're trying to make it better for everyone, James, Aurelian, and Teddy included."
"Enough," said Harry. "The memories get shorter with Hermione's increasing distress. We have to watch carefully. Everything's important."
Hermione nodded as the memory faded.
"Shield cloaks on. Hoods up," Charlie's voice instructed before the scene had completely formed. Hermione, Charlie, and Dean stood in a triangular formation and looked each other in the eye to share their determination.
"Don't forget the Portkeys," Hermione reminded them. "Keep them on you. A single touch will do. It will set off the bomb, as well, hopefully after the Portkey has taken us away."
"It doesn't matter," said Charlie seriously. "We do it regardless of what might happen. We set it off no matter who is still behind. We might all three die today, but if we do, we're bringing her and as many others as we can down with us. I love you both, but this is more important than that. If I see an opportunity, whether you're there or not, I'm setting it off. I hope both of you will do the same."
"I will," Hermione agreed.
"I will," Dean echoed.
"We're ready then?" Charlie asked. At their nods, he spoke the taboo, "Horcrux."
Hermione gripped her wand in her hand and waited. Only a few seconds later, the silence was broken by sounds of Apparition. She raised her wand, poised to attack, when her wand was pulled out of her hand. She heard Charlie grunt and saw him motionless on the ground. When her head spun again, she was hit hard in the face and thrown to the ground. She tried to quickly push herself up, but a black leather boot crushed her wrist.
"My, my, my."
Hermione looked up at Bellatrix's face with horror. The woman had her wand and was swinging it like a pendulum in her fingers.
"Looks like we've rounded up the last of them," she smiled wickedly. Hermione looked to her right and saw Dean locked in a Death Eater's hold, the man's arm around Dean's neck and a wand to his head. "Although…" Bellatrix continued thoughtfully. "Where are those runts you're always carting around? Finally lose them as well, did you?"
"Dean. Dean," Hermione pleaded.
"Oh, Dean's not going to be able to help you now, is he?" Bellatrix taunted.
"Dean!" Hermione commanded.
Dean looked frozen as he stared at Hermione. He had thought about it, agreed to it, but when it came to it, he just couldn't sacrifice Hermione. She looked so panicked. Hermione struggled to touch the small charm on her shoe that was both the trigger and her Portkey, but was kicked in the chin.
"I don't know what you think you're reaching for, but there's nothing that will save you now," Bellatrix said in a voice of mock sympathy.
"Dean! DEAN!"
"Is Dean bothering you that much? We can solve that easily enough… Avada Kedavra!"
"No!" Hermione screamed.
"Enough of your screaming. What will it get you?" Bellatrix smirked. "Oh… and would you look that…" she said as she bent over, her foot still crushing Hermione's wrist. "I heard the rumor but simply refused to believe it."
Bellatrix removed Hermione's wedding ring and looked it over. Hermione reached for it in vain.
"I was told my blood traitor nephew had taken to you, but the idea was so disgusting that I wouldn't dare believe it," Bellatrix sneered. "A priceless family heirloom on the finger of a Mudblood," she laughed derisively. "Rubbish!" She angrily tossed the ring into the trees.
Hermione gasped.
"You're nothing," Bellatrix growled. "Nothing but a stupid, filthy Mudblood. You were stupid to think you could come after me. Worthless trash like you messing with the minds of good witches and wizards, making believe that they're of same value as you. My nephew…" She shook her head in disgust. "I'll rid the whole world of your kind and anyone who has learned that brain rot you preach about equality."
Hermione suddenly stopped reaching for the Portkey on her shoe and looked up bewilderedly at Bellatrix. "I know what it is…"
"What are you mumbling about?"
"I know what it is…" Hermione repeated in utter shock. "Impedimenta!" With sudden inspiration and a renewed determination, Hermione wandlessly blasted Bellatrix off her feet and silently disarmed her. The Death Eaters were too startled to move, but Hermione did not stop for a second. Holding her own wand and Bellatrix's as well, she summoned her ring, ran to Charlie, and Disapparated.
"Hermione!" Ginny shouted.
Hermione spun around with both wands pointed at Ginny before she relaxed. When she saw where she was, she fell to her knees on the cave floor.
"Merlin, are you alright? What happened?" Ginny demanded. She gasped and looked down at Charlie. "Merlin… no…"
"I… I don't know what happened…" Hermione said miserably. "I should have done it… I should have just set it off. I-I-I thought… Merlin… What have I done?"
"He's alive! Hermione, he's alive!" Ginny shouted.
Hermione spun around and stared down at Charlie. It was true. He was breathing.
"I… I hadn't seen what spell they used and I didn't want to give up hope… but I really didn't believe that he was still-"
"Rennervate!" Ginny called, bringing her stunned brother back to a conscious state.
"What happened?" Charlie asked.
"You're still alive, that's what happened. You'd be dead if it weren't for Hermione," Ginny snapped irritably. Charlie looked at Hermione with narrowed eyes.
"It didn't work," Hermione said simply, not able to find it in herself to reveal what really happened. The truth was, for a moment she thought she could fix things. For a moment, she had hope.
"She didn't tell him," the visiting Draco said in disbelief. "She didn't tell him and we still don't know. What did she mean when she said she knew what it was?"
"The Horcrux," Harry said thoughtfully. "They believed that she had made another Horcrux after she came back. They didn't know what it was. Hermione must have figured it out. Or, she thought she did. Why wouldn't she tell Charlie?"
"I don't know," the visiting Hermione replied, shaking her head in exasperation.
"Ginny, I need to talk to you," the memory Hermione said when the cave reappeared in the next memory.
"Sure," Ginny said uncertainly. Hermione and Ginny walked away from the three little boys that were watching Pernie spin their empty dinner plates like tops. "What is it?"
"When Charlie comes back, I'm not going with you," Hermione said sadly.
"What?" Ginny worried.
"I can't. I can't go. There's one more thing I have to try and I can't leave before I do," Hermione explained vaguely.
"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"
"I think it's better that I don't say," Hermione replied, looking guiltily at the floor.
"Why? Hermione… Whatever it is, don't. Think of Aurelian," Ginny pleaded.
"I am. He's coming with me."
"You're taking him?" Ginny asked, completely bewildered. They had been through a lot together and Ginny just couldn't imagine that Hermione would ever risk him on a mission of any kind.
"Yes," Hermione said as guilt and worry tugged at her insides. "I need him."
"I wish you would tell me…"
"I wish I could, too, but I promise that it's better this way. I just have one last thing to ask of you," Hermione told her, her eyes begging hopefully.
"Anything," Ginny replied seriously.
"Can you wait until morning? Can… Can you just wait here 'til morning?" Hermione pleaded.
"Of course," Ginny said with surprise. "I'll wait a whole week if you ask me to."
"I won't need a week. I want you to leave tomorrow, no matter what. I just… if this doesn't work…."
"We'll wait for you," Ginny assured her.
"No. You'll leave in the morning, no matter what. If Aurelian and I aren't here, then-"
"Then you'll meet us in Romania," Ginny finished for her.
"Ginny." Hermione shook her head and continued grimly, "If we're not here before morning-"
"Then we'll meet up with you in Romania," Ginny repeated firmly.
Tears sprang from Hermione's eyes and she nodded her head. "Until then…"
Ginny sobbed and threw her arms around Hermione. Hermione squeezed her friend tightly.
"I love you, Hermione," Ginny cried.
"I love you, too," Hermione answered.
"Be safe," Ginny said as she pulled back to look her friend in the eyes.
"I will. You, too."
"I'll see you soon," Ginny insisted. Hermione nodded and wiped another tear from her cheek.
"Aurelian, love, it's time to go," Hermione said lightly. Aurelian got happily to his feet and wiped the dirt from his hands onto his light green robes. "It's a lot colder outside, so let's get you bundled up. Hermione summoned the small black shield cloak from the other side of the cave and buttoned it up with a sad smile on her face. "And your blue scarf," she smiled.
"Tornadoes," Aurelian said. "Like Daddy. We see Daddy now, Mummy?"
"Not tonight, love," Hermione answered.
"This is it," said the visiting Harry. "She's going to send him back."
"So quickly," said visiting Hermione. "It's all happening so quickly now."
"Pernie?" the memory Hermione called.
"Yes, Mistress?" Pernie asked. Teddy and James watched curiously from where they sat on the ground.
"Pernie, I'm going to ask you to come with us," Hermione replied.
"Of course, Mistress." Pernie smiled.
Hermione nodded and picked Aurelian up.
Ginny picked the rucksack off of the floor. "Hermione, your bag."
"I won't need it." At the pained look on Ginny's face, she amended. "I'll be back for it."
Ginny nodded even though she knew Hermione did not expect to return.
"Bye, Teddy. Bye, James," Hermione said sadly. She turned to Ginny and a couple of rogue tears fell. "Bye."
"Bye," Ginny breathed.
"Bye-bye, Aunt Ginny," Aurelian waved cheerfully. At this, Ginny broke down in tears.
"It will be alright," Hermione said as she placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "I'll fix everything."
Hermione squeezed through the tight cave entrance and took a deep breath of the cold December air. She stared up at the stars that were already shining in the winter's early eve.
"Is Daddy up dere?" Aurelian asked.
"I think you'll see Daddy very soon," Hermione answered. "Pernie?"
Hermione felt bad for the elf who stood barefoot in the snow. "I'm going to Apparate and call for you in just a moment," Hermione told her.
"Pernie will come, Mistress."
Hermione closed her eyes and Disapparated. When the world reappeared for her and the three visitors, they found themselves in a dark, cold, empty house.
"Pernie?" she called. Immediately, Pernie appeared at her side.
"Mummy, where are we?" Aurelian asked. "It's dark."
"We're just going to stop here for a little bit," Hermione told him with a loving smile.
"It's my home… my parents' home," the visiting Hermione announced. She felt sick as she wondered when her parents had been killed, for she knew that she would not have been able to send them away again.
"Here, love, have a drink." Memory Hermione handed her son a bottle with very little liquid in the bottom.
"Eww. Is yucky," Aurelian grimaced. "Yucky, Mummy, yucky."
"I know, but just have one more drink for Mummy, okay?" Hermione asked sweetly. Aurelian pouted and shook his head no.
"Come now, Young Master," Pernie crooned. "Be a good boy and listen to Young Master's mother."
Aurelian pouted again but obediently drank the last of the potion.
"That's a good boy, Young Master. A very good boy," Pernie crooned again.
"Thank you, Pernie," Hermione said with sincere gratitude. She easily caught Aurelian as he collapsed.
"Young Master!" Pernie worried.
"It's okay. It's just a sleeping draught," Hermione assured the house-elf.
"Pernie doesn't understand, Mistress. Pernie thought Mistress had a mission," Pernie asked with confusion.
"I do. But I can't bring him with me. Please watch over him. I hope to be back soon," Hermione told her. "Pernie, if I'm not back in two hours, please take him back to Ginny in the cave. If anyone else comes here, take him back immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mistress." Pernie nervously twisted her long thin fingers.
"Here," Hermione conjured a glass jar, conjured bluebell flames inside, tightened the lid, and placed it on the floor next to the sleeping boy. "This will keep you both warm." Pernie sat down next to Aurelian and Hermione transfigured one of the nearby curtains into a blanket. She pulled the blanket over her son and the house-elf and smiled down with sad eyes. "Thank you. I hope to back soon so he shouldn't wake before then."
Pernie nodded and Hermione Disapparated again.
When she opened her eyes, she stood on a wide, short plinth in the center of the Auror's office, the only other place in the Ministry that one could Apparate besides a specialized place in the Atrium. She was glad that it hadn't been locked. She hurried off the plinth and through the office. She turned her head as she passed Harry's desk. It hurt too much to look at.
"Look at it. It's all dusty," visiting Harry noted of the sloppy desks as they passed. "It looks like no one has been here for months."
"I don't think they have," said Draco. Hermione and Harry looked at him curiously. "The calendar still says the end of August."
"The Ministry is closed then? Or just the Aurors' office?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Harry said with a shake of his head. In their discussion and perusal of the office, they had fallen a bit behind the memory Hermione and jogged to catch up to her in the lift.
Memory Hermione thrust the gate closed quickly and caught visiting Draco half in, half out. He looked surprised at first to see the door going straight through him, but shook it off and stepped inside. He watched memory Hermione jab at the lift controls and tap her foot impatiently.
"She's nervous. The Ministry must be being watched," Draco announced.
Being flustered and anxious, memory Hermione pointed her wand at the controls and the lift's speed increased to almost a free fall. The lift jarred to a sudden halt and the occupants grabbed the walls for support.
"Level Nine: Department of Mysteries," a pleasant voice announced. The lift doors clanged open; they sounded incredibly loud in the silent atmosphere.
Hermione raced down the plain corridor and lifted her wand. "Reducto!"
The black door splintered and fell to the floor. Hermione hurried in and stared at the twelve doors that lined the circular room. She slowed down for a second and scrutinized her surroundings. After only a few seconds pause she destroyed the fourth door on the right and raced in. It was obvious to Draco, who did not actually know her well, that she had been there a few times before. His eyes widened as he followed her in. He personally had never entered the Department of Mysteries; very few wizards had. The room they'd entered was utterly amazing. The brightness surprised him. Light sparkled and danced around the room. It was magic in its purest form. He shook himself from his daze and turned his focus back to the woman they followed. She quivered as she reached up toward a small instrument on a high shelf. The entire case looked like it was meant to house several of these items, but there were only three.
"They broke during the battle," the visiting Hermione explained when she saw Draco's curious expression.
Memory Hermione quickly wrapped the selected Time-Turner in a purple cloth and shoved it into the inside pocket of her robes. The treasured tool collected, she took off again, back the way she came. She raced out of the battered black door and gasped. There, in front of her, stood two Death Eaters.
"There!" one cried.
"Impedimenta!" Hermione shouted. The two figures froze mid-step and she raced past them into the lift. She jabbed at the controls again. Her wand trembled in her hand as the lift ascended. "Please… please… please…" she chanted under her breath.
"How did they find her?" Harry asked.
"If no one has been in the Ministry for months, it's likely they have alarms," Draco offered.
"Level Eight: The Atrium," the sing-song voice announced. The gate opened and Hermione ran out full tilt, taking the visitors by surprise. They gasped as the flashes of colored light started to fly from every direction.
"It's Granger! Get her!" one man shouted.
Memory Hermione cast one shield charm after another and silently thanked the Weasley twins again for the protective cloak that had, no doubt, protected her from a few spells. Her heart felt like it had stopped the two times that killing curses had just missed her.
"The fireplaces! Block them!" another Death Eater shouted.
Hermione looked over her shoulder and grunted as a spell hit her side. She fell to one knee and quickly pushed herself back up. With a quick, silent flourish, she summoned a bag of Floo powder from a close fireplace and threw it in as she neared.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" she shouted. The green flames roared up her sides and she spun quickly out of sight. She stumbled out into the musty old pub and startled the handful of patrons. She grabbed her side and fought for breath through the pain.
"Miss Granger?" a woman asked curiously as she got to her feet.
Hermione looked up in fear but saw that the woman was no threat.
"Merlin, it is you… Everyone thinks you're dead," the woman continued.
The woman had caught her off guard. She was turned quickly, ready to Apparate when a hand seized her robes from behind. A Death Eater had followed her via the Floo. She twirled and Apparated away even as she choked because the man still grasped her hood. She had no idea why she chose the place she did except that it was the first place she could think of. She turned as soon as her feet felt firmly planted with the intention of pointing her wand at her attacker, but with his tight grip on her, when she turned, her wand poked the man in the eye. Not being what she expected, she was momentarily stunned. The second her wits had returned, she Apparated away from the crumbled remains of Malfoy Manor and returned to her parents' deserted home.
"Pernie?" she cried.
"Mistress?"
"We have to hurry." Hermione panted. She opened her cloak and looked down at the large gaping wound in her side.
"Mistress is hurt!" Pernie gasped in horror.
"Yes," Hermione hobbled into the living room where she found Aurelian still asleep on the floor. "Pernie, listen to me. Aurelian is going away and I'm not going to make it."
"No, Mistress. Pernie can help. Pernie can go for help," the house-elf pleaded.
"No, Pernie. It's too late. It's okay though. Just… just please go to Ginny. Tonight Aurelian and I will be gone and the Malfoy line will end. You will have no master to look after you anymore. I tell you now, officially, that Ginevra Weasley is my new heir. She gets everything. You do not have to serve her if you do not wish. But if you need a good master, Ginny will care for you, and it would mean the world to me if you cared for her."
"Yes, Mistress," Pernie whimpered, tears gathering in her large glistening eyes. "Pernie will go now if Mistress wishes it."
"You're an amazing friend, Pernie. Take care."
"Pernie will miss you, Mistress."
"Thank you."
Pernie vanished and Hermione fell to her knees. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a small empty vial.
Harry, Hermione, and Draco were caught completely by surprise when they were suddenly lifted out of the Pensieve. Hermione wavered and caught her balance, but Harry and Draco's legs hit the sofa and they fell onto it. They stared at the basin for a few long seconds and then looked at each other. That was it.
The Hermione from the future showed them up to the point where she placed her memories in that vial, the very vial that set empty on the coffee table. It was only minutes before her death, only minutes before Aurelian arrived at the Burrow and startled Harry and Ron. The memories ending there made it all feel more real than it had before. They felt as if they had actually traveled along with him. So many thoughts swam through their heads.
"More tea, I think…" Hermione said blankly.
Draco and Harry nodded, still unable to pull away from the thoughts and visions speeding around behind their unseeing eyes.
"Right…" Hermione breathed. Slowly, she got to her feet and wandered to the kitchen. In a daze, she paused to stare out upon the beautiful sunny day that shown through her window and the weight of all the memories hit her full force. She let out a quiet sob and fell into the kitchen chair.